Keystone Oaks girls looking to defend section title

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, January 2, 2018 | 5:10 PM

Keystone Oaks captured its first section title in girls basketball last season, and did so convincingly.

The Golden Eagles rolled to a 14-0 record in Section 3-4A on their way to a 20-4 overall mark.

In 2017-18, the KO girls are putting up a strong defense of their title, winning three section games in the first month of the season.

Keystone Oaks (6-2, 3-0) socked Southmoreland, 59-40; Mt. Pleasant, 64-43; and Derry, 71-45; prior to finishing second in the annual KO holiday tournament.

The Golden Eagles, ranked No. 3 in Class 4A by the Tribune-Review, defeated Quaker Valley, 55-31, in the first round before falling to Thomas Jefferson, 80-52, in the finals.

“Our expectations are high,” coach Ron Muszynski said. “With a lot of quality players returning from last year, we feel that this year's team will contend for another section title, and hopefully a long playoff run.

“Last year's team taught us that we are good enough to win and compete in a strong section.”

Gillian Piccolino, a 5-foot-11 junior guard/forward, and Jaylen Hoffman, a 5-4 junior guard, led Keystone Oaks with 18 and 13 points, respectively, in the championship game. Isabella Bogdan, a 5-8 junior guard, chipped in with eight.

Piccolino (16) and Hoffman (12) combined for 28 points in the first-round win against Quaker Valley.

Thomas Jefferson, 8-1 overall and ranked No. 4 in Class 5A, was sparked by four girls in double figures.

Senior guard Marina Petruzzi, who scored her 1,000th career point in the fourth quarter of the championship game, and sophomore guard/forward Alyssa DeAngelo led the Jaguars with 17 points apiece. Petruzzi was named tournament MVP for a second year in a row.

Also for TJ, junior backcourt players Jenna Clark and Shaylor Williams, added 16 and 11 points, respectively.

Piccolino, who was lauded as a 4A player to watch this season by the Tribune-Review, is averaging 19 ppg. She averaged 13.5 ppg as a sophomore and was named all-section.

“I think our team has played really well together this season. We've had multiple girls as our top scorer for many games,” said Piccolino, who has a 3.3 GPA and also plays in a travel basketball program. “I think our holiday tournament went really well. We made it to the championship game (against) Thomas Jefferson.

“TJ is a very good team, but so are we. We couldn't pull out a win but we want to play those type of games, which can only make our team better. We're definitely going to take a lot from it, and work on everything we can in practice.”

It appears to be a three-team race for first place in the section, as Keystone Oaks, Belle Vernon and Elizabeth Forward are tied at 3-0, followed by Southmoreland, Mt. Pleasant, South Park, Derry and Yough.

“We are a very fast and athletic team that likes to apply full-court pressure,” said Muszynski, who is in his third season as KO's coach. “Our goals are to defend the section title and make a long playoff run. We definitely have our challenges with a very strong section, including Elizabeth Forward and Belle Vernon who are off to fast starts and playing at high levels.”

Other key contributors for the Golden Eagles include senior point guard Keagan Brownlee, senior forward Olivia Stumpo, junior center Linda Washburn, plus sophomores Erin Feeney and Gabby Harrison.

“We have been without four-year starter Keagan Brownlee due to injury,” Muszynski said. “She is expected back soon.”

The KO girls, WPIAL and PIAA playoff qualifiers last year, return to section play Jan. 4 at home against Yough. The Golden Eagles are averaging 58.4 points while allowing 47.5.

“I'm very excited to see how this season plays out,” Piccolino said. “I believe in our team, and I know we're good enough to make great things happen this season. Our expectations are to win another section championship and make a playoff run.

“Our goals are definitely making sure that we work together and communicate on the court. One of our strengths is our full-court press; we're able to cause a lot of chaos with it. No matter who's in what position, everybody knows where to be and what to do.”

Keystone Oaks has held a holiday tournament for 11 years. The Golden Eagles, who won five straight titles from 2009 to 2013, have placed second for three consecutive years.

Following last year's holiday tournament, the KO girls went on a 14-game winning tear.

“Last year's success is definitely inspiring us. Winning our first section title was an amazing feeling, and I️know we all want to feel that again. Not only that, it makes us want to work even harder, so we can go even further.”

Hoffman, the Golden Eagles' second-leading scorer with a 16 ppg average, and Bogdan, a defensive specialist who averages 14 ppg, were named to this year's holiday all-tournament team.

Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.

Tags: Keystone Oaks