Penn-Trafford girls basketball ran the table in the regular season last year, taking a spotless 22-0 record going into the WPIAL 5A postseason.
The fourth-ranked Warriors (12-3, 8-0) are building another streak this season. Some 5A coaches are wondering if they will win out again before the playoffs.
They are on a 10-game winning streak.
First-year coach Chuck Fontana, who was an assistant last year, is not surprised to see the sustainability in his program because a wave of guard talent has braced the team for the loss of key post players — Lauren Marton (Shippensburg) and Kamryn Pieper (Point Park).
“It’s about their dedication from the middle of May until now,” Fontana said. “They always want to push each other and get better every day. The seniors have been great leaders all year. This team plays for each other and just wants to win. They don’t care about their own stats, they just want the team to win as many games as possible.”
The momentum — and the process of achieving success and stacking wins — has carried over.
“Winning a bunch of games last year has definitely helped this team,” Fontana said. “Many of the players on the team this year contributed to those wins last year.
That includes the core group of Torrie DeStefano, Hanna and Olivia Weishaar, Isabella Fontana and Raya Johnson.
“Now they are the ones who have to keep that tradition going,” coach Fontana said. “We also have had some others step up this year as well. Annabelle Aquino, Arabelle Nichols, Brooke Boss, Sarah Radacay-Blansett and Ava Jenesky have all provided great minutes off the bench.”
DeStefano is leading the team with a 14.4-point average, Johnson is next at 10.4, followed by Fontana (9.6) and Hanna Weishaar (9.2).
DeStefano, one of the top players in 5A, is shooting nearly 60% from the field, while also producing 6.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists a game.
She needs eight steals to break the program’s career mark of 255 set by Maura Suman. What is impressive is that DeStefano missed a large portion of her sophomore season with an injury.
Johnson hits 1,000
Monessen senior guard Madison Johnson became the 18th girls player at her school to score 1,000 career points.
Johnson reached the milestone Sunday in a 31-24 victory over Ellis School in the MLK Showcase at Neighborhood Academy.
Johnson is the first to accomplish the feat for the Greyhounds since Mariah Ward in 2013.
Others to score 1,000 at Monessen include Gina Naccarato (3,364), Charel Allen (3,110), Latitia Williams (1,663), Leenie Grant (1,629), Beth Planey (1,519), Ward (1,476), Geena Shrader (1,386), Perrial Pearson (1,363), Nychole Whitlock (1,308), Angie Scriotto (1,246), Melanie Moskola (1,246), Nadine Turner (1,230), Christian Chukwuedo (1,175), Kelly Carrato (1,169), Nicole Naccarato (1,155), Kelly Mornak (1,126) and Carla Howard (1,089).
Gina Naccarato, the athletic director at Monessen, is the WPIAL’s all-time scoring leader. Allen is third.
Sticking to it
Greensburg Salem sophomore Bella Dinkel quietly put together a double-double in a 61-30 victory over West Mifflin.
Dinkel, a 5-foot-5 guard, scored 17 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, adding to a statline that also included six steals, four assists, a block and eight total deflections.
Golden Lions coach Rick Klimchock hands out reward stickers each game. Dinkel earned 11 of them, setting a team record, Klimchock said.
BVA ranked
The newest local team to join the TribLive HSSN rankings is Belle Vernon.
The Leopards (13-3, 7-1), who have won seven in a row and are tied for first in Section 3-4A, are No. 4 in Class 4A.
Belle Vernon will play one it biggest games of the season Thursday night when it visits South Park (10-6, 7-1).
South Park won the first meeting, 39-38.
Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward and South Park are all tied for first.