Knoch girls basketball seniors gear up for final ride

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, February 16, 2022 | 7:00 PM

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Maddie Boyer, Mackenzie McGraw and Lily Hawk have been friends and basketball teammates since fourth grade.

The three Knoch seniors admit they have come a long way on a journey that has brought them to a last hurrah and a chance to make history before they graduate.

“It’s been a long and fun ride,” said McGraw, a guard and key contributor off the bench for a Knights squad that already has made history with the program’s first section title (12-0) since 1972.

“We came into this season with goals to make our final season our best season. Those are the same goals the entire team has, and we wanted to come in and help provide that leadership and help guide them throughout the season.”

Knoch has won 16 games in a row since a loss to Mars right before Christmas, and last Thursday’s 52-49 victory over rival Freeport extended its overall Section 1 win streak to 19 games. That includes last year’s covid-shortened 7-0 mark in the section.

“We’ve been looking forward to sharing in a season like this since sixth grade,” said Hawk, a predominantly JV player this year who head coach Chris Andreassi called a heart-and-soul contributor who has given much of herself no matter her role.

“We knew this season could be special, and the time was now for myself, Mackenzie and Maddie. We wanted to make every moment special as we know it is going to soon come to an end. If we wanted to make it happen, we had to do it together, as seniors and as a team.”

“We have come a long way, kept that connection and are finishing out our careers with a lot of special moments,” said Boyer, who leads the team in scoring at nearly 16 points a game.

Boyer, a fourth-year starter, paced Knoch with a team-best 21 points against Freeport in the section finale for both teams.

“We started in basketball and are ending it in basketball, too,” she said. “But we don’t want our (senior seasons) to end any time soon. We have a lot left to accomplish.”

Knoch hopes to make it happen starting in the quarterfinals as the 19-2 Knights received the No. 3 seed and a bye in the first round. The Knights won’t play until Feb. 25 when they face the winner of Tuesday’s matchup between No. 6 Montour and No. 11 Deer Lakes.

Knoch hoped to stay sharp with a scrimmage Wednesday against Hampton, the No. 8 seed in Class 5A, and Peters Township, the No. 8 seed in Class 6A.

“I wish we could just play our game sooner rather than later so we don’t have to think about it as much,” said Boyer of what will become a 15-day separation between the end of the regular season and their first-round contest. “But I am just happy we are playing. We are there, and that’s the most important thing.”

An emotional moment

Leah Hartman had high hopes for her senior season with the Freeport girls basketball team.

But the 5-foot-9 forward and lone senior on the Yellowjackets roster was limited to just four games this year because of a right knee injury suffered in a mid-December practice.

Despite hopes that she could return to the court after several weeks of rest and rehab, she got the grim prognosis that the injury was severe enough that she was going to miss the rest of the season.

But last Thursday on senior night against rival Knoch at Freeport Middle School, Hartman was able to don her No. 45 uniform one more time. With an agreement from the Knoch coaches and players, she got a chance to score a layup off the opening tip much to the emotional delight of her teammates and many others in attendance.

Freeport (7-11, 6-6 Section 1-4A) battled No. 3 Knoch to the end, but the Knights held on for the three-point victory.

“That was a very nice moment for Leah,” Freeport coach Fred Soilis said. “Much respect for Knoch and coach (Chris) Andreassi for agreeing to let that to happen. Leah has come such a long way since her freshman year. Unfortunately, she’s only been able to play four games. Had we had her all season, I think our record would be different. She brings a lot of energy and a great component to the defense.

“We were hoping to get her back, but it just wasn’t in the cards. But she’s been a positive role model and leader all season with being at the practices and games and motivating the girls.”

Soilis said Hartman will be right there Tuesday in support of the No. 13 Yellowjackets as they visit fourth-seeded and defending Class 4A champion Beaver in the WPIAL first round.

“It’s all going to come down to how we execute,” Soilis said. “Beaver lost a couple of key players from last year, but they are still a very good team and are well-coached. They battled tough in their section with Blackhawk. They have some size and skill, but our girls are excited and will be ready to go.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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