Trib HSSN girls basketball team of the week for Feb. 27, 2023

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 | 12:08 AM

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All high school basketball coaches preach the importance of a fast start.

Well, the Woodland Hills girls basketball team is taking the turtle and the hare story to heart and proving that a strong finishing kick is better than a terrific start.

The Wolverines started this season with a 1-5 record. However, once Section 1-5A play began, the wins came to the tune of a second-place finish behind section champion Indiana.

“Between vacations and injuries and other issues, we didn’t have the numbers early on,” Woodland Hills coach Von Pitts said. “Our first section game, we played with only five players. We had opportunities to postpone or cancel games, but we just went ahead and took it on the chin and moved forward.”

Woodland Hills overcame the slow start to the season to finish 11-11 overall with victories in six of its last eight regular season games.

The Wolverines were seeded No. 12 in the Class 5A playoff tournament and had to travel to No. 5 seed Armstrong for a first-round game Tuesday.

The postseason began with a slow start for Woody High, as it trailed Armstrong after the first quarter, 19-8.

“First and foremost, they were a phenomenal team,” Pitts said. “We came out and were lethargic. We couldn’t do anything. We couldn’t hit a layup, couldn’t make a foul shot, and we couldn’t stop anyone. We made some adjustments to what they like to do and took their bigs outside. We took the (3-point shot) away, so once we were able to do that, the girls regrouped and bought in.”

The Wolverines outscored the River Hawks by six points in the second quarter, three in the third and seven in the fourth quarter to pull off the upset, 53-48.

Woodland Hills was led by junior Carmen Vasquez’s 17 points. Junior Jhalynn Wilson added 13 points and senior Kayla Walker scored 10.

Fresh off one upset, the Wolverines were underdogs again in the quarterfinals as they faced perennial power and No. 4 seed Trinity.

Once again, the Wolverines fell behind early, trailing the Hillers after one quarter, 12-7.

However, Woodland Hills started to rely on its inside game and defense in the second half, outscoring Trinity 30-15 in the final two quarters to advance to the final four with a 51-40 win.

“We looked at their roster and what they do and we knew we could have some success against that,” Pitts said. “Our guards were a little shaky early on, but once we settled down, we have four or five girls capable of putting the ball in the hoop. That’s always a nice recipe to have going into a game.”

The Wolverines’ balanced attack was on display again with Wilson, junior Hope Hawkins and senior Cierra Gregory each scoring 12 points while Vaszquez contributed with 10 points.

Another key part of the Trinity game was Woodland Hills’ ability on the glass. According to Pitts, the Wolverines had a big advantage in rebounds, 52-23.

“When we have those kinds of numbers, then success is usually pointing in our direction,” he said.

The task gets tougher now for the Cinderella Wolverines as they prepare to battle top seed and defending champion South Fayette in a Class 5A semifinal Tuesday at Peters Township.

“They are fantastic,” Pitts said. “They defend well, they run the floor well, their bigs run the floor well, and everybody shoots the ball well. They’re very disciplined in what they do. They go nine or 10 deep, which is a great luxury to have.”

Whether they get off to their patented slow start or not, Pitts likes what he is seeing from his team that has clinched a PIAA playoff berth and is one more upset away from trying to replace their glass slipper with a golden slipper.

“The girls now have this aura of refuse to lose,” he said. “They know they can play with anyone. We have found out we were really better than 11-11.”

Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Teams of the Week

Week 7 – Burgettstown Blue Devils

Week 6 – Avonworth Antelopes

Week 5 – Armstrong River Hawks

Week 4 – North Allegheny Tigers

Week 3 – Oakland Catholic Eagles

Week 2 – Blackhawk Cougars

Week 1 – Shady Side Academy Bulldogs

Tags: Woodland Hills