With one school record out of the way, Erica Gribble will go for another Dec. 11 when Greensburg Central Catholic travels to Steel Valley for its Section 2-3A opener.
Gribble, a 5-foot-11 senior point guard who will play at Richmond, needs only three points to break GCC’s all-time scoring mark of 1,751 points set by Franco Sebastiani in 2007.
In the season opener, Gribble claimed the girls scoring record at GCC when she surpassed Ashley Henderson’s total of 1,725 also set in ‘’07. Gribble scored 16 in a 75-48 loss to South Fayette at the North Allegheny tournament.
The next day, she had 19, including five 3-pointers, in a 51-34 win over Mt. Lebanon.
Gribble’s career total stands at 1,749.
Smith shines
Jeannette senior guard Navarah Smith is among the early scoring leaders in the county.
Smith erupted for 27 points — 59% of her team’s total — in a 46-33 win over Leechburg. She is averaging 19.3 points for the Jayhawks (2-1).
“It’s exciting. She’s putting it all together,” Jeannette coach Jenna Lusby said. “She’s making great moves to the basket and even better passes to her teammates. She’s becoming a great all-around player.”
Smith had 16 points in Jeannette’s 38-36 loss to Trinity Christian a day after she had 15 in the opening game, a 48-15 win for the Jayhawks over Springdale.
First wins for Moore, Fontana
First-year coaches Ron Moore of Derry and Chuck Fontana of Penn-Trafford earned their first wins in their second game of the season.
Derry defeated host Springdale in a tip-off tournament 36-33 as freshman Ashlyn Corbett scored 10 points.
Penn-Trafford handled Allderdice, 70-50, at the Play 4 Mae Tournament at Woodland Hills as senior guard Torrie DeStefano, a Seton Hill commit, scored 26 points.
Moore was the girls coach at Washington, his alma mater, from 2018-22 and is in the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the 1987-88 Waynesburg men’s basketball team.
Fontana, a former coach and athletic director at Penn-Trafford, was an assistant on former coach John Giannikas’ staff.
Tourney time
Several local teams will play in two-day tournaments this weekend.
Greensburg Salem will host three teams Friday and Saturday. Hempfield plays Mt. Pleasant at 6 p.m. Friday, with Ringgold and Greensburg Salem at 7:30.
The Monessen tournament Friday features Derry and Charleroi at 5:30 and Jeannette vs. Monessen at 7.
Franklin Regional will open against Hopewell in the Moon tournament at 6 on Friday.
Latrobe plays Plum in the Plum tournament at 7:30 on Friday, and Norwin takes on Abington Heights in the State College Tournament at 7 on Friday.
No contest
With the Valley girls canceling their season because of a lack of players, opponents in their section will get a pair of no contests, meaning the games simply won’t count.
Initially, there was talk of giving each Section 1-4A team two forfeit wins.
The other section teams are Burrell, Derry, Freeport, Highlands, Knoch, North Catholic and Oakland Catholic. Those teams can schedule nonsection games in place of the section dates.
Layup lines
Not only does she have a cool name, but she also is a player to watch. Belle Vernon 6-1 freshman Isis Almighty had 19 points and 14 rebounds in the Leopards’ 53-51 win over Imhotep Charter last week. … Norwin is looking for scoring punch after losing several key players to graduation. Liz Yarosik is up to the challenge. She scored a career-high 22 points in Monday’s 62-53 win over Penn-Trafford in the season opener. … Ligonier Valley was held to zero points in the fourth quarter of a 51-32 loss to Jefferson-Morgan. The Rams, however, bounced back with a 46-35 win over Carmichaels. … Emma Larkin of Geibel became her school’s all-time scoring leader when she netted 26 in a 70-26 win over Southmoreland. She now has 1,992 points. The record was held by Shelley Bortz, a reporter for KDKA-TV.