They’ve been in this position before, now they want more.
The Bradford High girls basketball team has gone 66-6 over the past three seasons and won three-straight District 9 League and District 9 Class AAA championships.
The one thing that’s been missing, however, is success in the state playoffs, a trend they hope to change when they take on Elizabeth Forward at 5 p.m. today at Pitt-Bradford.
For the senior class of Ali Rinfrette, Haley Vinelli, Liz Coppella and Payton Ambrose, it’s a chance to leave another chapter in an amazing three-year run.
“I think the seniors especially want to leave more than just good regular seasons and winning district titles,” said Bradford coach Bob Hannon. “They’ve had three seasons in a row that any girl would want to be in that situation. That’s the one thing that’s missing.
Starting junior guard Rylee Lundgren, as well as fellow junior Marissa Yohe and freshmen Bri Wells and Morgan Roggenbaum all played key roles in the District 9 title game win over Punxsutawney and will be counted on to do so again.
In previous losses the last two seasons to Blackhawk, size has been a factor. In order to win today, they must once again deal with a team in EF (20-4) that is bigger than they are.
6-0 senior Natalie Fekula hold things down in the middle for the Lady Warriors, while their guards are also bigger, including Alison Pastore (5-6), Abigail Sporio (5-7) and Kylie Owoc (5-8).
Rebounding will be a big key against a bigger EF squad, according to Hannon.
“You’ve got to get your body into them,” he said. “It can’t be once in a while, it has to be every time. Every girl on our team has to box out. We need to get those rebounds so we can get out and run. If we can do that, it will really help our offense get into gear.”
Bradford (21-2), will be playing at Pitt-Bradford in the first round for the third-straight season.
Rinfrette and Vinelli have started all three of those games, and Ambrose the last two, so Bradford certainly has experience on its side, as well as a home-court advantage.
“It’s nice having a home game,” Hannon said. “That’s a huge benefit, to play in front of your home crowd.”
That being said, the Lady Owls have a tough task in front of them against the No. 4 team from the WPIAL (District 7).
“We’re going to have to have our A-game to be in it,” Hannon said. “I firmly believe that we have the capability of playing with this team. If we shoot well and take care of the ball, I like our chances.”
PIAA CLASS A FIRST ROUND
PORT ALLEGANY (23-1) vs. VINCENTIAN ACADEMY (22-3)
CHARTIERS VALLEY H.S. (Bridgeville), 5 p.m.
The reward for Port Allegany losing just one game all season is drawing Vincentian, the No. 1 ranked Class A team in the state, in the first round.
The Lady Royals have won three-straight WPIAL titles and advanced to the state title game in 2013.
“We know what we could have or should have done, but the attitude we went in with is we’re not looking at that,” said Port Allegany coach Kristina Francis. “We’re focused on what we can do now.”
The Lady Gators lost their first game of the season in the district semifinals to Clarion, before rallying to defeat Venango Catholic in the third-place game.
Vincentian is led by all-state forward, 6-0 Breanna Wise and has good size, but Port should be able to combat that with the 1-2 duo of Becca Lathrop and Brooke Roys.
“They’re a young team, but they have experience,” Francis said.
The coach also noted that the game will probably come down to guard play.
“It’s going to be about guard play,” she said. “Becca and Brooke can match-up with their bigs.”
That will mean point guard Krista Miller, as well as Lynae Delacour, McKenna Johnson, Somer Buchsenschutz and Autumn Buchsenschutz against an athletic group from Vincentian that includes Torrieonna Cash and Ally Bartoszewicz among others.
It’s a tough draw for the Lady Gators, but also for Vincentian, as they draw a Lady Gators team in the first round that has lost just once.
“The girls have made is so easy all season,” Francis said. “It’s a program that’s been building. The girls enjoy it and they enjoy being around each other.”
