Leechburg girls driven to compete for section crown

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, December 20, 2017 | 11:25 PM

Previous Next

Previous Next

The Leechburg girls basketball team is 4-1 overall heading into a Section 2-2A contest Thursday against Northgate.

That one loss came at the hands of defending District 6 Class 3A champion and PIAA semifinalist West Shamokin on Dec. 11.

The 71-40 setback wasn't what the Blue Devils players wanted. But, senior Daesha Knight said, they were able to take away positives that should help them as they continue to fight for a section championship and advance further in the WPIAL playoffs and beyond.

“We stuck with West Shamokin early on and matched their intensity,” Knight said. “The score just got away from us.”

The Wolves held a 31-22 lead at halftime but outscored Leechburg, 40-18, in the second half.

“We want to play against the best so we can test ourselves and get better,” senior Makenzie Fello said.

Coach Joel Ceraso said his team has played well over the first week and a half of the season. While he's pleased with the way things have gone in terms of results, he said he also is happy with the way the team has shown its maturity in handling adversity.

Leechburg improved to 2-0 in section play Monday with a 67-22 victory over Ellis School behind 21 points from senior Cameron Davies and 14 from fellow senior Mikayla Lovelace.

“We came out sluggish (Monday) and didn't have much energy,” he said. “But the girls were able to refocus quickly and play a strong game. Led by the seniors, (the players) hold each other accountable to that.”

The Blue Devils join Brentwood and Vincentian at 2-0 in the early section standings, and Sto-Rox and Northgate are right behind at 1-1.

“We're definitely driven to go after the section title and make a deeper run in the playoffs,” Knight said. “It won't be easy, but we'll be ready.”

Vincentian is the defending section champ (14-0), and Brentwood finished second at 11-3, followed by Leechburg at 10-4 and Sto-Rox at 9-5.

Leechburg is No. 4 in this week's Tribune-Review WPIAL rankings. Vincentian is No. 2, and Brentwood is No. 5.

“They understand that now they are one of the teams everyone is looking to knock off,” Ceraso said. “We have such big obstacles ahead of us. They see the teams like Brentwood, Vincentian and Sto-Rox, and they know it's going to take a special effort to beat these teams. They don't take much for granted right now.”

Davies is on the cusp of a milestone as she heads into Thursday's game one 3-pointer shy of 200 for her varsity career.

After Thursday's game against Northgate, Leechburg next will be in section action Jan. 4 at Vincentian.

“We're excited for these games, like the one coming up against Vincentian, but coach never lets us take our mind off of what's up next,” Fello said. “Right now, we're focused on Northgate and trying to go 3-0 in the section.”

Leechburg will spend the holiday break at the Apollo-Ridge tournament. The Blue Devils will face Lincoln Park in the first game Dec. 27, and Saltsburg will face the host Vikings in the second game.

“Apollo-Ridge always is a tough team,” Ceraso said. “Coach (Jim) Callipare always does a great job. I like the way his teams play. It's that challenge from the tournament that we're looking forward to. We were able to win our tip-off tournament. Hopefully, we can add this one, too.”

Leechburg's path to winning its tip-off tournament brought it up against rival Kiski Area from Class 5A, and the Blue Devils topped the Cavaliers, 58-47.

“It was a good game for us because it was really good competition,” Fello said. “Kiski is off to a great start. They beat Plum the other night and are (4-2). It gave us a good idea of how far we had come from the start of practices and the scrimmages.”

The tournament title was Leechburg's second in three years since the event was established.

“We've started well,” senior Brittany Robillo said. “But we're excited because there is room for improvement.”

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.

Tags: Leechburg