Hempfield girls get defensive to top rival Penn-Trafford

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, February 6, 2018 | 8:30 PM

Allison Podkul would've had a hard time imagining the listless first quarter the Hempfield girls basketball team turned in Tuesday night at Spartan Fieldhouse.

Playing against a struggling Penn-Trafford team, which has lost six straight games, the Spartans were locked in a tie game after eight minutes.

“I think we saw it took us a little bit to pick up our defense,” said Podkul, a senior forward.

But any worries of such an effort continuing didn't linger.

The Spartans erased a three-point deficit with a 17-0 run that last throughout much of the second quarter during a 68-39 Section 2-6A win. Penn-Trafford (7-13, 3-7) only made one field goal in the second quarter, a jumper by Bella Long with 3 minutes, 3 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 23-11.

The Warriors took their last lead, 7-6, on a 3-pointer by Reghan Panza with 3:36 left in the first quarter. Penn-Trafford extended the lead on a jumper by Kenzie Powell.

Podkul, who scored a game-high 24 points, evened the game with a trey before the end of the first quarter. What the Spartans needed was a raise in intensity.

“I think the biggest thing is Penn-Trafford had to win this game to make the playoffs,” Spartans coach Lindsy Muchnock said. “It was senior night. There were a lot of emotions. I told them after the first quarter, ‘senior night is over. We have to play.' ”

The Spartans (11-9, 6-3) rallied behind strong rebounding. Hempfield got nearly every loose ball and closed its run with a layup by Sarah Liberatore with 3:20 left before halftime to extend the lead to 23-9.

“We were locked in as a team and really defended,” said Liberatore, who finished with 11 points. “Our defense created our offense.”

The Warriors never found a way back into the game. After Long stopped the run, Hempfield scored the next 11 points to stretch the lead to 34-11.

“They outrebounded us on multiple possessions and sometimes multiple times on that possession,” Penn-Trafford coach John Giannikas said. “They beat us physically and on the boards in the second quarter.”

Creating extra opportunities is something Muchnock has felt Hempfield only started doing recently. The Spartans have won their last five and are building serious momentum headed toward the playoffs.

“Actually, I think it's something we've struggled with a little bit,” Muchnock said. “We preach every 50-50 ball should be ours. We get in great positions, but unfortunately we don't box out. … I think we've been huge on the offensive boards, and it led to extra opportunities.”

Hempfield needed those opportunities to subdue Penn-Trafford. The Warriors needed to win and have Latrobe beat Penn Hills to qualify.

Once the defense found its stride, Podkul knew Hempfield wouldn't be caught napping again.

“We know they always come out hard,” Podkul said. “We had to lock in on defense, and that always seems to transition to offense for us. That starts our fire for the rest of the game.”

Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.

Tags: Hempfield Area, Penn-Trafford