Penn-Trafford girls ready to face injury challenge head on

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, December 27, 2023 | 11:05 AM

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Penn-Trafford girls basketball coach John Giannikas is somewhere near the corner of thrilled and concerned.

His team is 7-1 and takes a six-game winning streak into the new year. But the Warriors will march ahead without one of their top players.

Sophomore guard Torrie DeStefano, who has emerged as a potential-rich complement to senior and leading scorer Olivia Pepple in the backcourt, could be out for an extended period of time with a knee injury she suffered against Connellsville on Dec. 14.

Pepple said chemistry and depth have made for a nice mix.

“So far this year, we’ve played well together,” said Pepple, who averages 15 points per game and is shooting 90% from the free-throw line. “We have four starters back from last year, and we’re a lot deeper than we were, which has helped us a lot. For the most part, we’ve been playing good defense with the exception of a few quarters. Defense wins us games.

“Torrie’s injury has definitely hurt us, but we’ve had other kids step up for us as well. We all have to do a little more while she’s gone, but we’re hoping that with some time she’ll be back.”

The Warriors are rallying around DeStefano (14 ppg) as they tread lightly into the meat of their Section 3-5A schedule and look to continue their strong play.

“We’re not going to replace her,” Giannikas said. “We’re going to need our role players to do a little more. They’re capable. I know that.”

Giannikas was watching DeStefano blossom into a prominent player. She had a 20-point game against Hempfield earlier this month and has been a consistent double-figure scorer, not to mention her ball-handling ability and defense.

She made a free throw with 8.1 seconds left to lift the Warriors to a 40-39 win over Greencastle-Antrim in last year’s PIAA first round.

Her end-to-end play and hustle have helped Penn-Trafford average 57.1 points a game while allowing 36.7. The team put up a school-record 92 points in a win over Woodland Hills, which was down three starters. DeStefano also had 20 in that game.

“It’s going to be by committee,” Giannikas said. “Collectively, we have to fill that void. With Pepple and Torrie, we were really keeping our turnovers to a minimum.”

Penn-Trafford plays up to 10 girls, so depth is not an issue. The Weishaar twins, Hanna and Olivia, are expected to have elevated roles alongside a skilled rotation that also includes juniors Lauren Marton (10 points, 8 rebounds a game) and Kamryn Pieper (5 ppg) and senior Elle Visco (6 ppg).

Freshman Isabella Fontana has been providing strong minutes at guard, along with junior Bella Klobucar. Junior forward Paige Temple also adds to the depth.

Fontana is the daughter of former Penn-Trafford athletic director and current assistant girls basketball coach Chuck Fontana.

Hannah Weishaar will start in place of DeStefano.

“We have to get through it together,” Giannikas said. “A benefit is that we don’t have any games over Christmas break, so we can practice with a new rotation and work on some things. Sometimes that is better than jumping right into games.”

Minus DeStefano, Penn-Trafford downed Albert Gallatin, 49-24, and Kiski Area, 50-38.

Marton has been a bright spot of late. She had back-to-back double-doubles, tallying 10 points and 10 rebounds against Albert Gallatin and 19 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in the Kiski Area win.

“We’re going to keep doing what we have been doing: full-court pressure and running good sets,” Giannikas said. “Defensively, we’re going to need girls to go above and beyond.”

Several years ago, Giannikas lost another talented player to a torn ACL early in the season, in a similar turn of events, in Mackenzie Aunkst.

She tore her ACL and could not return.

“That was tough, too,” Giannikas said. “The thing about this year, though, is that this team has more depth.”

The Warriors are off until Jan. 3 when they travel to Thomas Jefferson.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Penn-Trafford