Penn Hills girls complete steep climb back to playoffs

By: Josh Rizzo
Wednesday, February 8, 2023 | 11:36 PM

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Egypt Coleman didn’t need to wait to hear the whistle or for the first basket to be scored.

The 5-foot-11 junior forward believed the Penn Hills girls basketball team was back on the path back to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs.

“We already knew,” Coleman said. “With how much work we put in, we were going back to the playoffs.”

The Indians completed their turnaround with a 50-38 win over Kiski on Wednesday night. Penn Hills improved to 8-10 overall and 5-6 in Section 1 to clinch a playoff berth.

The win over the Cavaliers helped restore confidence after the team finished 1-18 last season and didn’t win a section game.

“It means a lot for us to be in the position to make a playoff run,” said Penn Hills’ Robert Cash, who took over as head coach in 2016. “This is one of the more important seasons for us since I’ve been here as a coach. I came here as an assistant in 2012.”

The Indians beat Plum, 46-32, earlier in the week to complete a season sweep over their neighbors.

Penn Hills also beat the Mustangs, 43-42, on Jan. 10 at home.

Sweeping Plum was important as both teams ended up finishing with the same section record and were tied for fourth place in the section.

Coleman, who scored a game-high 18 points against Kiski Area, believes the struggles the team went through last season set the foundation for this season. Penn Hills struggled with low numbers and had several players miss time with injuries.

With a lack of people and luck, Penn Hills sank in the standings.

“It helped us figure out what varsity was,” Coleman said. “We had to dig deep and not give up.”

Against Kiski Area, the Indians never let the Cavaliers get out of the starting blocks. Penn Hills built a 27-11 lead at halftime and never trailed after the break.

“Our first-half defensive play was strong,” Cash said. “With the way Kiski can shoot the ball, we knew we weren’t safe. I knew we needed 16 more strong minutes to win the game.”

Hannah Pugliese (14 points) and Milani Oliver (10) also finished in double figures in scoring for Penn Hills.

The Indians are now getting set for the WPIAL playoffs.

Cash is excited to see how Penn Hills handles the pressure. In the second half against Kiski Area, the Indians were able to successfully close the show.

“Any time we needed a basket, they were able to execute plays and run the offense,” Cash said. “They made good decisions and executed perfectly.”

Tags: Penn Hills