Penn Hills girls make big strides between 1st and last game

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, February 26, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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The Penn Hills girls basketball had the misfortune of starting and ending the season against the same team.

But the good news for the Indians was that getting a second chance at McKeesport in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs meant that they found a way to get back to the postseason.

Indians coach Robert Cash said the challenge for Penn Hills will be building on this season’s 10-12 record, which featured a 6-6 mark in Section 1-5A.

“We want to have another great offseason and take another big jump,” Cash said. “We expect our players will get in the gym and work hard.”

The Indians lost 62-29 in the first round of the playoffs Feb. 21. No. 14 Penn Hills struggled to protect the ball against No. 3 McKeesport, turning the ball over 26 times. Penn Hills also lost to McKeesport, 51-29, to open the season.

Junior guard Hannah Pugliese wasn’t disappointed with the effort in the playoffs. She knew taking on the Tigers wouldn’t be an easy matchup.

“We knew we would have to play the perfect game to beat them,” said Pugliese, who scored a team-high 12 points. “It was exciting for us to be back in the playoffs. Our big team goal was to get the Lady Indians back to the playoffs.”

Egypt Coleman, a 5-foot-11 forward, emerged as a solid all-around player for Penn Hills. Indians 5-5 freshman point guard Milani Oliver also settled in as a solid presence in the starting lineup. Penn Hills will be losing three seniors — Sierra Moton, Maura Wade and Taleisha Jones — from this year’s team.

The Indians won four of their last five section games to qualify for the playoffs. It all came down to a game against Kiski Area, where Penn Hills grabbed a 50-38 win at home on senior night. The Indians surged to a first-half lead and closed things out after halftime.

Penn Hills got to celebrate by pouring water on Cash as he entered the locker room following the game

“The Kiski game was my favorite all season,” Pugliese said. “It was a good environment, and we knew if we won that game, we would go to the playoffs.”

Cash said people in the community helping establish rec leagues over the past few years has helped get kids in Penn Hills.

“We have kids playing at the fifth, sixth and seventh grade levels,” Cash said. “We want to build on that and keep these girls playing together so they can form that bond and be a family.”

Tags: Penn Hills