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Thompson tortures C-M as Peters Township stays undefeated

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Stellanie Loutsion (15) finds herself in hairy situation as she battles Journey Thompson for a loose ball during Canon-McMillan's basketball game against Peters Township.

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By Eleanor Bailey/Almanac Sports Editor/ebailey@thealmanac.net

Journey Thompson pulls down the rebound away from Canon-McMillan’s Jenna Cromp (22) during a section girls’ basketball action.

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By Eleanor Bailey/Almanac Sports Editor/ebailey@thealmanac.net

Isabella Mills (21) puts up a shot and is fouled by Stellanie Loutsion (15). Abby Daniels gets a hand in the action, too, for Canon-McMillan.

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Eleanor Bailey

Peters Township’s Isabella Mills chases down a loose ball against Canon-McMillan’s Lacey Russell.

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Despite the defensive efforts of Peters Township’s Jordan Bisignani (22) and Isabella Mills (21), Canon-McMillan’s Tamara Mathis puts up a shot during Monday’s section game.

Eleanor Bailey/ The Almanac

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Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

After blocking her shot, Peters Township’s Makenna Marisa battles Canon-McMillan’s Tamara Mathis for possession of the basketball.

MCMURRAY – Journey Thompson admitted that she was putting on a front the first few games for the Peters Township High School girls basketball team, trying to look more composed than the 6-1 freshman center actually felt.

The only front Thompson was putting on display Monday night is how much of a pain she will be for opponents over the next four years.

So much so that Thompson was nearing her second double-double of her short, 12-game varsity career — at the end of the first quarter.

Imposing her will from the start, Thompson finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots as Peters Township remained undefeated by bulldozing rival Canon-McMillan, 65-25, in a Class 6A Section 2 game.

“You can’t let your guard down,” said Peters Township coach Bert Kendall. “We’ve been saying all along that we play to a standard. We have statistical standards we keep on the bench. We are playing to those more than the score. We are meeting those goals and playing to those standards.”

Nobody, not the Indians on the bench, Kendall or the large contingent of students that purchased a $3 ticket before rapidly dispersing at halftime, needed to pay attention to the score after the first-quarter performance by Peters Township (7-0, 12-0) and Thompson. She scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds in the opening eight minutes as the Indians raced to a 24-6 lead. She recorded her second double-double with more than four minutes left in the second quarter.

“When there is a height advantage, it’s fun to get to practice some of your moves,” Thompson said. “It’s a little easier to score, but it’s always fun to get that opportunity to try out your stuff.”

Thompson had 15 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks in the first half. She was taken out of the game for a portion of the third quarter after injuring her finger, then removed from the game for good with six minutes remaining. The Indians’ 40-point advantage enforced the mercy rule with a running clock early in the second half.

“We had a distinct height advantage,” Kendall said, “so she was able to do some things. It was just one of those matchup things. She played a tremendous game. I think part of that too, not to take anything away from her, was our unselfishness to get the ball inside. That was the game plan.”

It was the eighth game this season in which Thompson has finished with at least eight rebounds.

“This team has accepted me as a freshman and allowed me to fit in from the start,” Thompson said. “It’s probably the best situation I could ask for.”

The loss extends Canon-McMillan’s (2-5, 5-8) losing streak to five games. It was Indians fifth straight victory over C-M, which hasn’t won a game at Peters Township since 2013. 

It wasn’t just Thompson’s height that gave the Big Macs trouble.

Junior Mackenzie Lehman grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with her six points. Makenna Marisa had seven rebounds and the Indians held a 39-18 advantage on the glass. Marisa also had 11 points and Isabella Mills scored 16.

“We are guard-oriented,” Canon-McMillan coach Shawn Urbano said. “It is a major problem. This is the biggest team in the second and they exposed that weakness the most.”

The limited offense the Big Macs found came from Tamara Mathis, who scored 10 points. They were held to less than eight points in all four quarters.

“We had the guards but to have girls that can rebound like that and have the height is all the difference,” Kendall said. “We have inside-out looks now. So far so good, but we are only halfway done. We have a lot to go.”

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