WPIAL Girls Basketball Team of the Week: Week ending Jan. 11

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, January 12, 2020 | 10:10 PM

Their names are legendary in Greene County and well known by WPIAL softball and basketball fans.

Madison and McKenna Lampe, Kaitlyn Rizor, Brianna Goodwin and Savannah Pettit graduated this last spring after leading West Greene to four straight WPIAL softball championships, two PIAA softball titles along and three straight girls basketball section championships and a pair of WPIAL Class A runner-up trophies.

However, based on the Pioneers’ start this basketball season, talent doesn’t graduate.

West Greene once again is on top in Section 2-A with a 5-0 section mark, a half-game ahead of Avella. The Pioneers are 12-0 overall.

“We graduated three 1,000-point scorers and about 5,000 points overall,” West Greene coach Jordan Watson said. “The class of 2019 won more games than anybody in the history of our school with 79 wins. We knew coming into the season that we lost a lot of talent, but we also knew we returned a lot of talent.”

That returning talent has been led by juniors Jersey Wise and Elizabeth Brudnock and sophomore Anna Durbin, who have combined for more than 40 points nearly every game.

Other contributors include junior Kaytlynn Walls, sophomores Brooke Barner, Katie Lampe, BreAnn Jackson, Kiley Meek and Jordan Karvan and freshman Taylor Karvan.

“It really has been a total team effort so far with everyone buying into their roles with the understanding that, in return, our team will achieve its goals,” Watson said.

Three of the team’s 12 wins came last week. On Monday, the Pioneers rolled past Washington in a nonsection game. On Thursday, they crushed Geibel Catholic for the team’s fifth section win.

“I think defense and rebounding certainly always stand out,” Watson said. “We held Wash High to 12 points and Geibel to 19 points. Offensively, we constantly emphasize running the floor and then passing up good shots to get a great shot in the end.”

On Friday, West Greene squared off against 9-2 Ellis School in a nonsection battle. The Tigers feature one of the top scorers in the district in Natalie Jasper.

Jasper scored a combined 60 points in two wins earlier in the week for Ellis School. However, West Greene kept her in check as she scored 18 points in the Pioneers’ 44-40 victory.

“We were happy with the defensive performance overall,” Watson said. “We thought if we held Natalie Jasper to 20 points or less, we would win. We did not shoot the ball well on that night, but when you play defense and rebound you always give yourself a chance.”

The Pioneers complete the first half of section play with a trip Monday to Avella with first place on the line. The Eagles are 4-0 in section play.

West Greene has tough nonsection games in the second half of the regular season against Bishop Canevin, Beth-Center and Sewickley Academy.

“This schedule will continue to make us battle-tested for the playoffs and help us improve on late-game situational basketball,” Watson said. “We have zero seniors on this roster, so we need to continue experiencing pressure situations so that when things get tight in the fourth quarter, we are prepared to make the future a success.”

Previous Trib HSSN Teams of the Week:

Week 3 – Southmoreland Scotties

Week 2 – Bethel Park Black Hawks

Week 1 – Hopewell Vikings

Tags: West Greene