Lady Pioneers head All-County girls basketball team
The girls鈥� basketball season in Greene County came to an end a couple of weeks ago, as West Greene was eliminated in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.
The Lady Pioneers was the first girls鈥� basketball squad in the county to make the state playoffs since 1986.
Jefferson-Morgan joined West Greene as the lone county teams to make the WPIAL playoffs, as the Lady Rockets qualified for the postseason for the fifth straight season.
Mapletown was just a couple of games (and only a couple of points) away from breaking their nine-year playoff drought and the Lady Maples enter the off-season with raised expectations for next year.
Carmichaels and Waynesburg Central were left out of the playoffs in Class 2-A and 3-A, respectively. Both teams return a core group back to the hardwood next season.
So as the season comes to a close, let蘑菇视频 take a quick look back on the 2016-17 season and let蘑菇视频 dish out some All-County awards and announced the All-County teams.
Player of the Year 鈥� McKenna Lampe, West Greene:After sharing the Freshmen of the Year award last season with her twin sister Madison, McKenna continued her rise on the court and had an all-around outstanding year for the Lady Pioneers.
The 5-foot-6 sophomore guard averaged 18 points per game and was a better all-around offensive player with her perimeter shot. For the season, she averaged 6.6 rebounds, 6.1 steals and 3.8 assists per game. For her career, McKenna now has 902 points.
McKenna was especially clutch in the playoffs for the Lady Pioneers, as she garnered 34 points in a 61-57 loss to Otto-Eldred in the opening round of the PIAA蘑菇视频. With two more years left in her varsity career, you can expect another two more spectacular seasons for McKenna.
Coach of the Year 鈥� Jordan Watson, West Greene:You can describe the 2016-17 for West Greene as a historic and milestone season for the Lady Pioneers and Coach Watson. West Greene went 10-0 in Section 2-A and won the school蘑菇视频 first section title since 1999-2000.
Just two years removed from a winless season, West Greene notched a school-tying 19 wins and advanced to the WPIAL semifinals for the first time ever in school蘑菇视频 history. The PIAA appearance was also the first ever playoff berth for any West Greene basketball team.
Despite only having nine kids on their roster, the Lady Pioneers were relentless with their full-court pressure defense and touted the second highest scoring offense (64 points per game) in the WPIAL. Coach Watson did an outstanding job night in and night out of getting the team ready for the next challenge and the next milestone.
Freshmen of the Year 鈥� Juliana Fowler, Waynesburg Central:With only one starter coming back from last year蘑菇视频 squad, the Lady Raiders were young across the board and that opened up a lot of opportunities for their freshmen class. Fowler took full advantage of that for Waynesburg.
The 5-foot-7 guard averaged close to 10 points a game and was in the starting line-up for the Lady Raiders since opening night. As the season went along, you could see Fowler getting more comfortable with her role with the team and her ability to make shots on offense.
Defensive Player of the Year 鈥� Erin Confortini, Jefferson-Morgan: The 5-foot-9 senior forward is one of the most athletic players I have seen in my time with the Greene County Messenger and she capped off a stellar career with a solid, senior campaign.
Confortini won the Freshmen of the Year award three years ago, won the DPOTY award her sophomore season and was on the All-County first-team her junior year. Even though she is consistent with her offense, Confortini蘑菇视频 calling card is her stout defense.
She always seem to get to the loose balls and rebounds. She has a knack of being a disrupter in the lane. Numerous times this year the opposition would have a fast-break opportunity and Confortini would force a tougher shot or block the attempt without fouling.
All-Greene County First Team
Madison Lampe, West Greene: Just like her sister, Madison had a much improved year offensively for the Lady Pioneers with a stat line of 17.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 2.1 assists per game. More of her shots fell this year, and she was a strong on-ball defender.
Jamie Lawrence, Jefferson-Morgan: The 5-foot-4 senior guard saved her best for last and had her best year yet for the Lady Rockets. The scrappy guard averaged close to 12 points per game and led J-M with steals. With other starters out with injuries, Lawrence was the main constant.
Kaitlyn Rizor, West Greene: Even though she is listed as a guard, the 5-foot-10 sophomore could be a forward or center. Her length and versatility was key for the Lady Pioneers, as she scored 330 points this year (13.2 PPG) with 6.7 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 3.5 assists per game.
Kayla Smith, Mapletown: Smith took another big step in her development and was a double-double machine for the Lady Maples this year. The 6-foot-1 forward averaged close to 11 points per game and she led Mapletown in rebounds and blocks.
Kristina Aeschbacher, Carmichaels: Last season Aeschbacher was the DPOTY, but this season she added a little bit more offensively to get the first-team accolade. The 5-foot-11 junior forward added more consistent scoring in the post and found better positioning for rebounds.
All-Greene County Second Team
Kaitlyn Wilson, Carmichaels: The 5-foot-3 senior guard may lack size, but made up for it with a lot of drive and guts for the Lady Mikes this year. She averaged close to 11.8 points per game.
Abby Antill, Mapletown: Antill was the Lady Maples鈥� best outside shooter and she affected the game in a lot of different ways on both ends of the floor. She collected 13.1 points per game.
Megan Walker, Carmichaels: Walker was the primary ball-handler for Carmichaels and was a veteran voice on the court. She led the team in assists and tallied 12.8 points per game.
Claire Garber, Waynesburg Central: As the lone returning starter for the Lady Raiders, Garber had plenty of responsibilities on the floor and was a vital scorer for Waynesburg.
Marissa Rode, West Greene: The 5-foot-8 senior center capped off her solid career with her third straight season of scoring more than 100 points. She started every game for West Greene.
All-Greene County Honorable Mention Team
Hannah Dusenberry (Mapletown), Anna Mattish (Jefferson-Morgan), Hannah Dingle (Mapletown), Savannah Pettit (West Greene), Shelbee McCann (Carmichaels), Bree Echegaray (Waynesburg Central), Autumn Gustovich (Jefferson-Morgan).