COUDERSPORT –– In Sarah Chambers’ freshman season, she had a front row seat as teammate Haley Keck led the team to a District 9 title before being named North Tier League MVP.
Last year, in Chambers’ sophomore campaign, it was Shaleyn Black who put together a terrific season for Coudersport as she went on to win the most valuable player award.
So, in what has become somewhat of a Coudersport rite of passage for its top players over the last few years, Chambers figured it was her turn.
Leading Coudersport to a perfect 16-0 mark in the North Tier League, a thrilling District 9 Class A championship over North Clarion and a berth into the PIAA Sweet 16 –– where her team is still alive –– Chambers was named the NTL girls MVP for the 2019-20 season.
A junior, Chambers was a strong presence in the post for Coudersport (22-4) as she took over the primary scoring role for the team. Chambers averaged 14 points per game, and scored 27 total points in two PIAA state playoff games. In the regular season, Chambers’ size and athleticism proved daunting for NTL foes. During a two-game stretch against Austin and Otto-Eldred, she had 26 points, 28 rebounds, 8 steals and 9 blocks.
Her biggest shot of the season came in the District 9 Class A title game against North Clarion. With her team down by one, Chambers caught a pass from just beyond the 3-point line off of an inbounds, shook off a defender and converted an and-1 with 3.4 seconds remaining to lift Coudersport past the previously undefeated Lady Wolves.
Joining Chambers on the team were teammates Mikayla Gunn and Lauren Stimaker. Gunn, a senior, played her best basketball in the playoffs. She averaged 13.8 ppg over Coudy’s five postseason contests, and poured in a game-high 17 in the D9 Class A semifinal game against Otto-Eldred as well as 15 points in the championship game.
Stimaker, meanwhile, averaged nine ppg this year and had 10 points in the Lady Falcons’ PIAA Sweet 16 victory over Blacklick Valley. Unless the PIAA resumes its winter sports championships, where the Lady Falcons have a date with Kennedy Catholic in the Elite Eight, Stimaker and Gunn finished their Coudersport hoops careers with a dominant 86-16 record, including a 62-2 mark in league play.
Each of the next three teams positioned in the NTL standings had two members on the squad, beginning with Otto-Eldred (16-9). Small in stature, but certainly not skill, the Lady Terrors’ Katie Sheeler made the team as a freshman. The 5-foot-2 point guard averaged 9.1 ppg, 4.2 steals per game and 3.2 assists per contest. She was joined on the all-star team by teammate Jadelyn Spinney, who became the first player in school history to compete in the state basketball playoffs four times. Averaging 7.3 ppg and 2.4 rpg, Spinney was also regarded as one of the better defenders in the league.
Port Allegany, which tied with O-E for second, was led by the league’s leading scorer, Cailey Barnett. The senior guard averaged 18.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 5.3 spg. Her steal numbers led both the league and District 9. She also had the highest single-game point total in the league this year with a 42 point scoring outburst against Archbishop Walsh. Barnett’s backcourt mate, Bree Garzel, also made the team. Garzel, a deft ballhander, averaged 12.7 ppg, 6 rpg, 4.5 apg (led the NTL) and 3.3 spg.
Lady Gators (16-7) head coach Jamie Evens split the Coach of the Year award with Smethport’s Chad Goodman. Evens, in his second season, had led Port Allegany to D9 playoff appearances in back-to-back years. Port A has gone 32-14 in his two years at the helm.
Goodman, meanwhile, helped guide the Lady Hubbers from a 3-19 record in 2018-19 to a 9-13 mark this year. Smethport swept the season series against playoff-bound Cameron County and won four of six games in late December.
Cameron County (11-12), which lost leading scorer Hailey Hilfiger for most of the season, had two all-stars: Kaelee Bresslin (14.7 ppg) and Mallory McKimm. Bresslin, a junior, was the NTL’s second-leading scorer while McKimm was one of the league’s top shooters from 3-point range. In fact, she tied the school record (7) for 3-pointers in a game during a 59-27 win over Oswayo Valley in early February.
Rounding out the all-star selections were Northern Potter’s Courtney Martin (12 ppg) and Galeton’s Cara Parsell. Martin helped her Lady Panthers to a 7-5 record over the season’s final two months after they started the year 1-8.
