Thomas Jefferson girls JV hoops logs another noteworthy season

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, February 17, 2018 | 12:55 AM

Boundless optimism engulfs the Thomas Jefferson girls basketball program.

Not only did the varsity team win a section title for the first time in eight seasons, the junior varsity squad racked up a 19-1 record — after finishing 17-3 last season.

“Our JV team came a long way since the beginning of the season,” second-year TJ coach Skylar Williams said. “One of our early goals was to be ready to take down the teams who crushed us in the summer, and we did that. We also had two losses last year to Oakland Catholic, so the girls were really excited when we won both of those games this year.”

Williams was helped out by volunteer coach Tom McMillan.

“We knew we had a lot to work on, but the girls came to every practice ready to learn and get better,” Williams said. “The main goal is to have these girls ready to play at a higher level by next season. I really think a lot of them have developed into very skilled players whose names you will be seeing next year on varsity.”

The Jaguars starting lineup consisted of four sophomores — point guard Ashley Guidone, guards Molly Wagner and Lydia Shaw, and forward Natasha Yanief — and freshman forward Maddy Trainer.

“Being part of the JV team this season was an amazing experience,” Wagner said. “ We had several girls returning from last season that made up the starting lineup. I think playing together over the years with each other played an important role in our successful season.

“The coaches also played a key role in our success. Since they watched us play last year, they knew our strengths and weaknesses and positioned us for success. The freshman players that are new to the team were also key to many of our victories. We all meshed well together and learned to play as a team.”

Wagner is a dual-sport standout at Thomas Jefferson. She is a sprint specialist in the TJ track program and qualified for the WPIAL Class AAA finals in the girls 100- and 200-meter events last spring. She undoubtedly is one of the quickest guards in girls basketball in the WPIAL.

“Well, all my coaches call me Flash,” said Wagner, who owns a 3.9 GPA and is a member of Big Jag Little Cub and the Spanish Club.

Wagner, Guidone, Shaw and Yanief also dressed for the Jaguars varsity games. TJ's varsity team posted a 19-3 regular-season record.

“I had the opportunity to see some varsity playing time,” Wagner said. “The level of play is better. You must think quicker and anticipate what your opponent is going to do. Playing with the varsity team, I have learned so much and I'm looking forward to see what the future brings.”

The supporting cast on this year's JV team was Allison Weidman and Cathryn Coles, both sophomore guard/forwards, along with five freshmen: guards Lexi Dadig, Lexy Wagner and Paige Truax; guard/forward Ava Haythorn and forward Jera Esper.

“We sometimes rotated the freshman who started with the four sophomores, depending on the team we were playing,” Williams said. “Four of our sophomores who play for us also dress for varsity. They have definitely stepped up tremendously this season to get us where we are, and our freshman class is full of talent.

“I am very proud of how far our JV team has come. These girls never give up. Every single game matters to them. We had some big wins this season and some games that we had to fight until the final buzzer went off.”

Two keys to the Jaguars' success in 2017-18 were their ability to score in transition and their defensive efficiency. Among the team's top performances were wins against Upper St. Clair, 38-32; Woodland Hills, 36-30; Oakland Catholic, 52-20, and 47-35; West Mifflin, 48-42; and McKeesport, 37-36.

The Jaguars' lone loss occurred at Trinity in a 41-33 overtime decision. The TJ girls were 9-0 at that time; they finished the year on a 10-game winning streak — including a season-ending 48-30 win last week at home against Baldwin.

“We are proud of our 19-1 record,” Williams said. “That one loss we had was on us. We let Trinity come back and lost in overtime. We very well could be undefeated. The girls worked extremely hard and should be very proud of the season we had. They are a great representation of the future of our program.”

Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.