Strong defensive effort leads Hempfield girls past Greensburg Salem

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, December 7, 2024 | 6:23 PM

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Hempfield’s girls are starting to believe in the merits of team defense.

The proof is in the “daggers” and “turkeys.”

Daggers are recorded when Hempfield gets a defensive stop and scores right after it. Turkeys, like bowling, are when the Lady Spartans collect three defensive stops in a row.

With 18 daggers and 10 turkeys in the bag, Hempfield breezed to a 61-33 mercy-ruled victory over the host team at the Greensburg Salem girls basketball tip-off tournament Saturday afternoon.

“That’s a great day,” Hempfield coach Bob Madison said. “We made some adjustments with their halfcourt trap early, and our girls rotated better. They adjusted on the fly. Our girls are pretty athletic, and our back-end effort on the defensive end was so good today.”

Junior guard Mads Pevarnik was the offensive catalyst as Hempfield improved to 3-0, scoring a career-high 25 points, including 16 in the first half as Hempfield built a 41-17 advantage.

Pevarnik was named the tournament MVP.

“Coach Bobby got us fired up, and we played as a team,” said Pevarnik, who made three 3-pointers and 8 of 8 free throws. “We forced a lot of turnovers and got fast breaks. Our help defense was a lot better.”

Hempfield also has beaten McKeesport (64-39) and Mt. Pleasant (38-16) as it builds toward Section 2-6A play.

This was wasn’t a championship game in the finale of the round-robin tournament, but Hempfield played like the best of the four teams.

“They’re good,” Greensburg Salem coach Rick Klimchock said. “They’re very good. I never saw (the mercy rule) coming. They came at us hard and played aggressively, and we didn’t answer it.”

The Golden Lions (1-1), who handled Ringgold, 63-29, in an opener Friday that saw them attempt 79 shots and force 36 turnovers, never led.

Hempfield built a 17-8 lead after one quarter, making 9 of 13 free throws in the opening eight minutes.

Senior Blessing Gantt scored inside to cut the Golden Lions’ deficit to 19-10, but the lead swelled to double digits from there, reaching 10 and 20 in the first half.

An 18-4 run by Hempfield, including two 3s from Pevarnik, put the Lady Spartans in full command.

Hempfield is allowing just 29.3 points a game.

“We never got out of what we were doing,” Madison said. “(Junior) Kat DeVito’s effort on the defensive end was outstanding. Ava and Mia (Shipman) stood out. I could go on and on.”

A 28-4 spurt that stretched into the third put Hempfield in front by 31 (51-20), and the running clock kicked in with 3:15 left in the third.

Sophomore Reagan Fisher had two layups, one off a steal, early in the third.

Another wing 3 from Pevarnik at the end of the third made it 56-26.

“We always knew Mads could have a game like that,” Madison said. “You watch her in practice, and you see what she can do. I’m happy to see it happen for her.”

Greensburg Salem tried multiple defenders on Pevarnik but to no avail.

“We couldn’t guard her,” Klimchock said. “We didn’t have an answer. Our halfcourt defense wasn’t there today.”

Senior Allie Cervola and junior Ava Shipman of Hempfield made the all-tournament team.

Senior Mia Shipman added nine points, and Ava Shipman and Cervola had eight each.

Gantt, who scored 18 on Friday, was limited to 10 this game as she encountered foul trouble. She and junior teammate Mia Heasley made the all-tournament team.

Heasley made three 3s and finished with nine points, and freshman Vienna Jevicky had eight.

Other all-tournament picks were Jada Gernot of Ringgold and Carmella Spallone of Mt. Pleasant.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Greensburg Salem, Hempfield