Girls' Basketball: North Class AA Preview
Section 1-AA: Deer Lakes had the type of season that doesn't come along very often as the Lancers finished last season with an overall record of 17-5 and the Section 1-AA championship with a 13-1 record. And yet, there is a real sense that much has yet to be gained as the Lancers will be led by three qualify seniors: Rebecca Babincak and twins Nichole Kearns and Danielle Kearns.
Babincak, an all-section player, was the team's leading scorer a year ago averaging 15 points a game. She has played on the same team with the Kearns sisters since all of them were in the third grade. For the Lancers to be successful, all three players will have to contribute offensively, and there will be a premium on boxing out for rebounds as the tallest player on this year's team is 5 feet, 8 inches tall.
Coach Dana Petruska is pleased that all of the players on her 13-player roster can play, but she said the team's experience leaves a lot to be desired.
But there is a tremendous background with this team as it has gone 38-9 in the past two seasons and has competed in the past two WPIAL Class AA tournaments.
Deer Lakes opens the season on Friday night against Apollo-Ridge in the Springdale Tournament. It will be the first of three meetings between the Section 1-AA rivals, but the first game is a non-section contest.
One team that won't be on the schedule this season is Elderton, which handed Deer Lakes its only section loss a year ago. Elderton closed in June, and its returning players joined new teammates at Ford City and West Shamokin.
Section 3-AA: Two teams in Sports Town's North region are competing in Section 3-AA. They are Shady Side Academy and Springdale.
Shay Side Academy had a solid season against section opposition with a record of 8-4. Against all competition, the Indians had a record of 10-13. Shady Side Academy lost to eventual WPIAL Class AA semifinalist Keystone Oaks 56-53 in the preliminary round of the WPIAL Class AA tournament.
The Indians will have some work to do as they graduated six of the 16 players on last year's team. In the Indians' favor, however, is the presence of two solid players from the WPIAL Class AA champion field hockey team: Audrey Koi and Gabrielle Harchelroad, who played forward and goalie, respectively. Shady Side Academy opens the season this Friday with a two-day tournament at its own gym.
Springdale had a break-even season of 6-6 in section play and the Dynamos were 8-15 overall. Prospects would appear to be bright, however, as the Dynamos graduated just three players from last year's 15-player roster. Springdale opens against Knoch in its own tournament on Friday night.
Section 6-AA: Avonworth placed second in the section last year with an overall mark of 19-6 and a section record of 10-2. The Antelopes graduated just one player from last year's team, but Lauren Mayernik averaged 23.5 points and 15.1 rebounds per game.
The other North area team is Northgate, which won just one section game a year ago. The Flames graduated just one player, Savannah Paladin. Their top returning player is junior forward Shatasha Reeves.
Defending section champion Quaker Valley has moved up to Class AAA, so there will be a new section champion.
Babincak, an all-section player, was the team's leading scorer a year ago averaging 15 points a game. She has played on the same team with the Kearns sisters since all of them were in the third grade. For the Lancers to be successful, all three players will have to contribute offensively, and there will be a premium on boxing out for rebounds as the tallest player on this year's team is 5 feet, 8 inches tall.
Coach Dana Petruska is pleased that all of the players on her 13-player roster can play, but she said the team's experience leaves a lot to be desired.
But there is a tremendous background with this team as it has gone 38-9 in the past two seasons and has competed in the past two WPIAL Class AA tournaments.
Deer Lakes opens the season on Friday night against Apollo-Ridge in the Springdale Tournament. It will be the first of three meetings between the Section 1-AA rivals, but the first game is a non-section contest.
One team that won't be on the schedule this season is Elderton, which handed Deer Lakes its only section loss a year ago. Elderton closed in June, and its returning players joined new teammates at Ford City and West Shamokin.
Section 3-AA: Two teams in Sports Town's North region are competing in Section 3-AA. They are Shady Side Academy and Springdale.
Shay Side Academy had a solid season against section opposition with a record of 8-4. Against all competition, the Indians had a record of 10-13. Shady Side Academy lost to eventual WPIAL Class AA semifinalist Keystone Oaks 56-53 in the preliminary round of the WPIAL Class AA tournament.
The Indians will have some work to do as they graduated six of the 16 players on last year's team. In the Indians' favor, however, is the presence of two solid players from the WPIAL Class AA champion field hockey team: Audrey Koi and Gabrielle Harchelroad, who played forward and goalie, respectively. Shady Side Academy opens the season this Friday with a two-day tournament at its own gym.
Springdale had a break-even season of 6-6 in section play and the Dynamos were 8-15 overall. Prospects would appear to be bright, however, as the Dynamos graduated just three players from last year's 15-player roster. Springdale opens against Knoch in its own tournament on Friday night.
Section 6-AA: Avonworth placed second in the section last year with an overall mark of 19-6 and a section record of 10-2. The Antelopes graduated just one player from last year's team, but Lauren Mayernik averaged 23.5 points and 15.1 rebounds per game.
The other North area team is Northgate, which won just one section game a year ago. The Flames graduated just one player, Savannah Paladin. Their top returning player is junior forward Shatasha Reeves.
Defending section champion Quaker Valley has moved up to Class AAA, so there will be a new section champion.
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