A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Deer Lakes’ Sophia Laurenza

By: Ted Sarneso
Monday, December 30, 2024 | 10:08 AM

Deer Lakes senior shooting guard Sophia Laurenza has learned two important lessons in the past four years.

“Life isn’t easy,” said Laurenza. “Things aren’t always going to go your way, so you have to work hard for what you want. You also can’t give up. Keep fighting.”

Both are lessons she has learned from two prominent people in her life: her father Victor and new Deer Lakes girls basketball coach Dana Petruska.

But it has been the life experiences of Laurenza, specifically those in the realm of sports, where she’s seen those lessons first hand.

In her freshman season, the Deer Lakes basketball team went 6-6 and made the playoffs but hasn’t come anywhere close in the past couple of seasons, winning just nine total games.

With the addition of Petruska, the girls basketball program has gone through a small renaissance.

The Lancers have eclipsed their win total from the last two years as they started this season 6-1 overall and 2-1 in Section 2-3A.

“Last year, we were young, inexperienced, and it was the first time starting for a lot of us,” Laurenza said. “We needed to learn how to play and understand each other just a little bit more to build that confidence.

“Coach Petruska has helped everyone in every possible way. She’s really tough, never lets us slack off, and everyone is going 100 percent in practice,” continued Laurenza. “Everyone has to be on their game, and if you’re having a bad day, she’ll let you know. We’ve needed everything she’s provided us.”

It has been a stellar start to the season for Laurenza, who leads the Lancers in scoring with 70 points through the team’s first seven games.

Laurenza, who has lettered all four years in basketball and three in softball and also has a letter in golf, likes the direction the team is headed and is looking for big things.

“The main goal is to make the playoffs,” she said. “We want to win and show people who we are as a team. We just need to keep working, trust each other, trust the coaches.”

Laurenza is headed to Butler University next year on an academic scholarship and will follow in her dad’s footsteps and study business.

“I’m between marketing and international business,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot about business from my dad. His message is about being outgoing and respectful, which are important in the business world.”

Laurenza took some time for a Senior Spotlight Q&A:

What’s something that you’ve specifically learned from coach Petruska?

Leadership. She’s taught everyone to stay up, and when we’re down, how to bring each other back together. She never gives up on us, so we don’t give up on each other.

What has she brought that has sort of sparked the team?

Last year, we didn’t have a lot of plays, or we struggled to remember them. She’s hammered down on teaching us the plays and working with us. She’s also extremely focused on defense, which has helped with our struggling offense. It’s kept us in a lot of games.

What was it like being a part of the softball WPIAL runner-up your freshman year?

It wasn’t like anything I had experienced. As a freshman, getting playing time was a huge deal. I learned a lot from my teammates that year. I think we have a good chance this year, even with a new coach.

What made you go out for golf?

Last year, me and a few of my old basketball teammates joined golf looking for something to do and thinking it would be fun. This year, we took it more seriously because we ended up enjoying it. It gets you out there and helps you meet new people, which is a good life skill to have.

What part of your basketball game were you looking to improve on this season?

Since I’ve gotten my shot to where I have the confidence to be that go-to shooter, I’ve solely focused on ball handling. I tend to shy away from taking the ball sometimes and dribbling.

Favorite high school memory so far?

The little things, like bus rides, just enjoying my time with my teammates off the court or field. Going out to eat after games or practices and doing those team bonding exercises.

What drew you to Butler?

Butler wasn’t on my radar at first. I was looking at schools mostly in the area and was sort of overwhelmed with the process. My aunt mentioned it to me, and I went on a visit and immediately fell in love with the campus.

What’s one piece of advice you’d want to leave your teammates?

Enjoy it. I know it sounds cliche, but I remember sitting in the gym freshman year as a little kid and thinking my senior year would be a long time coming, but now it’s about to be 2025, my graduation year. It goes so fast.

Tags: Deer Lakes