West Greene girls have another shot at history
The West Greene girls basketball team will look to make history again today at the Peterson Events Center.
The top-seeded Pioneers (22-2) are vying for the school’s and Greene County’s first girls basketball championship, as they will square off against No. 2 seed Rochester (18-6) for the Class A title. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Pete.
West Greene, which has won four WPIAL team titles (1994 wrestling, 2016-18 softball), is looking to avenge last year’s title game loss to Winchester Thurston, 76-57.
“I just think we are a year older and have one more year of playing experience under our belts,” eighth-year coach Jordan Watson said. “Playing at the Pete is just different and it’s hard not to notice the differences than playing at a high school gym. It’s an electric atmosphere and we will be ready.”
To put things into perspective, West Greene’s senior class, which consists of Brianna Goodwin, Madison Lampe, McKenna Lampe, Savannah Pettit and Kaitlyn Rizor, has been to two WPIAL basketball finals, three WPIAL softball finals and three PIAA softball finals.
The Lampe twins have also taken part in a combined eight WPIAL cross country championships and six PIAA cross country championships.
“It’s just crazy the success that those five have had at the high school level,” Watson said. “They are assured at least of their eighth WPIAL medal on Friday. That’s just crazy. Some kids are lucky to have one or two. They are not afraid of the big stage and they know how to come together to win playoff games.”
The Pioneers have already tied the school record for wins in a season with 22 – last year’s team won 22 as well – and have had an impressive regular season.
West Greene continued its dominance in Section 2-A by winning the section for the third straight season and extending its section unbeaten streak to 33 games. The Lady Pioneers also challenged themselves in the non-section and picked up key wins against Freeport, defending West Virginia state champion Wheeling Central Catholic, Washington, Ellis School and Sewickley Academy.
In the playoffs, the Lady Pioneers registered a 56-46 triumph over Sewickley in the quarterfinals and then earned a 59-55 semifinal victory over Vincentian Academy, which had won seven straight WPIAL titles and 11 overall.
“We have faced two quality opponents in the playoffs,” Watson said. “Anytime you can beat two private schools with that much winning tradition is special. We expected those close, defensive games where it comes down to one or two possessions. You are not going to win by 40 in the playoffs.”
West Greene, which has averaged 65 points per game while giving up 34.3, has been led by its trio of 1,000-point scorers in McKenna Lampe (14.1), Madison Lampe (13.5) and Rizor (13.3).
Goodwin and Pettit provide solid minutes in the interior for the Lady Pioneers, while the Lady Pioneers have also gotten solid play from sophomores Jersey Wise and Elizabeth Brudnock, as well as freshman Anna Durbin.
“Our key will always be our depth,” Watson said. “We don’t have a starting five, we like to think we have a starting eight. We need contributions from everyone. The way we press and play defense, we need fresh bodies every quarter. We always tell our kids don’t be afraid to be aggressive and go for the steal. If you get a foul or if you are in foul trouble, then we’ve got reinforcements on our bench.”
West Greene has beaten Rochester in the postseason the last two seasons and both times were in the quarterfinals. The Pioneers defeated Rochester 73-43 last year and 51-37 two years ago.
McKenna Lampe had a game-high 27 points in last year’s match-up, and Madison Lampe scored 17 points in both games.
The Rams won Section 1-A this year with an 11-1 mark and their only section loss was to Vincentian, 55-50 on Jan. 31. Rochester has averaged 60.8 points per game while allowing only 42.
After receiving a first-round bye, Rochester soundly defeated Avella, 70-29, in the quarterfinals then recorded a 66-56 win over section rival Quigley Catholic in the semifinals this week.
“They run a diamond press and they play really hard man-to-man defense on you,” Watson said. “They are battle-tested and are very quick. They run a lot of pick-and-rolls on you and force your defense to communicate on the floor at all times.”
Rochester, which will be making the school’s first appearance in the girls basketball finals, has been led on offense by sophomore Alexis Robison (17.4 ppg). Other key contributors are junior forward Jasmine Mack and freshman guard Corynne Hauser.
“Hauser is a versatile guard who is very fast and is a good ball-handler,” Watson said. “You must pay attention to her on every possession. Mack is their inside player and gets a lot of rebounds for them. And Robinson has really improved from last year. We are familiar with them and they are familiar with us. We are hoping our depth will win us the game.”
Since both schools are public, it will be the first time a public school has won a Class A girls’ basketball title since Monessen accomplished the feat in 2006.