Hempfield girls basketball wants to push pace this season

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, November 18, 2023 | 4:28 PM

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Bob Madison has been coaching girls athletics long enough to have reached a universal truth, at least one that rings true in his mind.

“Girls work harder than boys,” the first-year Hempfield girls basketball coach said. “They have this innate nature to want to learn and listen. The boys like to freestyle more.”

Madison likes the attentiveness as much as he does the potential in his Lady Spartans, who finished 9-13 last season.

He replaced Tom Brush, who resigned after five seasons.

“We’ve been together twice a week since the week after I was hired,” Madison said. “We have seven girls back from volleyball, and 19 total, which is a nice number compared to 11 last year.”

Hempfield brings back returning starters in senior point guard Sarah Podkul, senior guard Ashley Hosni and junior 5-foot-10 forward Mia Shipman.

Sophomore Ava Shipman also started last season but is out for the season with a knee injury.

Podkul is one of five softball players on the team who won a WPIAL 6A championship and finished second in the state last spring.

Madison is a softball assistant coach on his wife Tina’s staff.

With a hectic schedule that includes driving his twin stepdaughters (Jocelyn and Jayelyn) and son (Jorey) to softball, basketball, baseball and karate workouts, Madison found time to return to coaching on the hardwood.

He was a girls assistant at Laurel Highlands, his alma mater, from 2013-16.

“I love basketball, and I always wanted to get back into coaching,” he said. “The timing felt right.”

At a school where softball reigns supreme — pitchers and catchers reported in October — Madison wants to get the basketball team back into postseason contention.

“I want to make the playoffs and have a winning record,” he said. “It can be done. I think we have the talent to do it.”

Hempfield averaged 49.2 points and allowed 49.1. Madison wants to kick up the tempo with pressure defense and run a Princeton-like offense with passing and cutting.

“I’m looking to run,” he said. “There were too many slow starts last year. We’re in a section where you can’t afford to do that. I want to use our bench differently and rotate girls. They only played six girls (regularly) last year.”

Podkul and Hosni look to be the key leaders.

“They have a really good basketball IQ, and they see the floor well,” Madison said. “Sarah passes well, and her and (Madalyn Pevarnik) can really shoot it. We’re looking for a greater scoring role from Sarah and see her take games over. Hosni is our lockdown defender.”

Pevarnik, a sophomore guard, and sophomore 5-foot-10 forward Gabby Coccia are other probable starters.

If Hempfield does develop a deep rotation, junior guard Allison Cervola, sophomore guard Katarina DeVito, senior guard Riley Dunn and junior guard Kennedy Nelson likely will be a part of it.

Hempfield has nine freshmen in the program.

Madison’s staff consists of Rena Enterline, who played at Seton Hill, and Maddie Dunn, a former Spartans player and a teacher in the district.

Madison also is a PIAA football official. This was his eighth season. He worked last year’s PIAA Class 6A championship at Cumberland Valley and has officiated four WPIAL title games at Acrisure Stadium.

Hempfield girls at a glance

Last year’s record: 9-13 (3-7 Section 1-6A)

Returning starters: Ashley Hosni (Sr., G), Sarah Podkul (Sr., G), Mia Shipman (Jr., F)

Top newcomers: Allison Cervola (Jr., G), Gabby Coccia (So., F), Katarina DeVito (So., G), Madalyn Pevarnik (So., G)

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

Tags: Hempfield