Lady Raider sharpshooter: Sleighter scored 1,000 points at Uniontown, UPJ
Submitted photo
Uniontown graduate Kelsey Sleighter (11) is shown during her playing days at the University of Pitt-Johnstown. Sleighter finished her career at UPJ with 1,117 points, 360 rebounds, 164 assists and a school record 199 three-point field goals.
Submitted photo
Uniontown graduate Kelsey Sleighter drives in for two of the 1,117 points she scored at the University of Pitt-Johnstown. Sleighter also totaled 360 rebounds and 164 assists while at UPJ and holds the school record for career three-point field goals with 199.
Submitted photo
Kelsey Sleighter
John F. Brothers
Kelsey Sleighter scored 1,245 points during her Uniontown career which ranks second in Lady Raiders history.
In the history of Uniontown High School girls basketball only four ladies have tallied 1,000 career points.
One of them is Kelsey Sleighter.
The love affair with basketball began at an early age for Sleighter.
鈥淚 started playing basketball in about second grade,鈥� Sleighter revealed. 鈥淚 loved basketball at a young age and my dad Chris was playing with me out in the backyard all the time. I remember I started in second grade and they wanted to move me up to the third grade team and I was so scared and I started crying, but then I went out there and played up and I did well on the third grade level.
鈥淚 played soccer and softball, but it was mainly just basketball from the start. That was the sport I was best at and loved the most. I played a lot of AAU travel ball. I played for a couple of different teams, but I ended up playing for the Nate Smith basketball club in Morgantown. I also went to him for a lot of personal lessons and I credit a lot of my success to Nate Smith.鈥�
At Uniontown High School Sleighter was a four-year letterwinner and a three-year starter. The Lady Raiders went 14-10 in 2007-08, losing to Woodland Hills in the WPIAL playoffs, 52-47. In 2008-09 the Lady Raiders went 15-8 and were beaten by Ambridge, 67-38, in the WPIAL playoffs.
Uniontown posted a record of 17-7 in 2009-10 and notched a first-round playoff win over Thomas Jefferson, 46-43. In the quarterfinals they lost to Indiana, 60-41.
In Sleighter蘑菇视频 senior campaign in 2010-11 she helped lead the Lady Raiders to a 20-5 mark. They downed Kittaning in the WPIAL first round, 66-42, before falling in the quarterfinals to Indiana 49-28.
鈥淚 was nervous as a freshman and Coach Jason Winfrey gave me a lot of confidence and I ended up being the first one off the bench,鈥� Sleighter recalled. 鈥淢alory Sanner and Jill Gutherie were upperclassmen who helped me. I was a starter my last three years as a shooting guard. We were competitive and made the playoffs all four of my years at Uniontown.鈥�
Sleighter remembers the battles with arch rival Laurel Highlands.
鈥淚t was fun. That was always a game that we looked forward to,鈥� Sleighter stated. 鈥淕rowing up I played with a lot of the girls from LH and that made the rivalry even more fun.鈥�
Sleighter finished with 1,245 career points which is good for second place on the all-tme Lady Raiders scoring list. In her Uniontown career she knocked down 145 three-point shots, grabbed 503 rebounds, dished out 328 assists and had 254 steals. She was second in the WPIAL in scoring her senior year, averaging 19.3 ppg. She was named All-Section three times and All-County three times.
As a senior, the 5-foot-7 Sleighter was named to the Tribune Review Terrific 10 squad and played in the 2011 Girl蘑菇视频 Roundball Classic.
鈥淕etting 1,000 points at Uniontown was a great accomplishment,鈥� Sleighter offered. 鈥淚t蘑菇视频 fun to do it with my teammates and I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to do it without them. In the moment I didn鈥檛 think much about the honors. Now that I鈥檝e been out of high school for 10 or 11 years I look back and I鈥檓 pretty proud of what I accomplished and I know that my parents pushed me and a lot of that is on them and my teammates and my coaches.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have been able to do any of that without them.鈥�
Sleighter used AAU basketball as a positive when she was being recruited for the next level.
鈥淎AU basketball was able to get me the exposure I needed,鈥� Sleighter said. 鈥淚 was playing with a lot of Division-I and Division-II players and that helped with the competition that I needed to progress. In 2010 we won the USA Junior National Championship. I had a lot of good players on that Nate Smith team and was named to the All-Tournament team.鈥�
When Sleighter graduated from Uniontown she had several college offers that she considered.
鈥淚 was recruited by a couple D-II schools,鈥� Sleighter explained. 鈥淎lso a couple of D-III schools. The main reason I chose the University of Pittsburgh Johnstown was that they were pretty much the only D-II school in the area that has a four-year engineering degree and that蘑菇视频 the main reason I chose UPJ.鈥�
Sleighter had a solid career at UPJ on teams that posted records of 14-13 in 2011-12, 14-13 in 2012-13, 10-17 in 2013-14 and 10-16 in 2014-15.
鈥淐oach Sasha Palmer was my coach my first two years,鈥� Sleighter said. 鈥淐oach Palmer went to Syracuse as an assistant coach and Mike Drahos took over at UPJ. My first two years we were in the WVIAC and then we switched to the PSAC and the PSAC is very strong. We played well and I had a couple of good teammates, it didn鈥檛 turnout as good as we wanted it to.鈥�
Sleighter posted some outstanding career numbers for the Mountain Cats. She tallied 1,117 career points, 360 rebounds and 164 assists. Sleighter holds the UPJ record for career three-point field goals with 199.
鈥淚 am proud of the three-point record,鈥� Sleighter offered. 鈥淚 was pleased to get 1,000 points. It means a lot. It meant a lot in high school because we didn鈥檛 play as many games. I was proud I was able to do it in college and I got my 1,000th point at IUP where my dad played basketball and that was pretty cool.
鈥淚 was very happy with what I did at UPJ. Looking back I鈥檓 where I am because of basketball, the communication, the teamwork and hard work and dedication has helped in my working career. That蘑菇视频 all because of playing basketball. I鈥檓 thankful for that.鈥�
Sleighter started working at Dawood Engineering located at Southpointe in Cannonsburg. She has been there eight years and just passed her engineering license.
She married Jacob Magnotti in June 2021. They reside in McKees Rocks.
George Von Benko蘑菇视频 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 蘑菇视频. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.