Playoff berth shows how far young Riverview girls basketball team came

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, March 6, 2022 | 11:01 AM

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Maddie Deem looked around during the preseason and quickly realized her role for the Riverview girls basketball team was going to be different.

In the past, the 5-foot-6 senior guard had plenty of other players to look up to. But this year, the Raiders were looking up to Deem, who was Riverview’s only senior.

There would be plenty of growing pains for the Raiders, who lost nine of their first 10 games, but Riverview found a way to scratch out a berth in the WPIAL Class A playoffs.

The Raiders lost 51-16 to Monnessen in the first round.

“Honestly, in years past, we had good captains that helped me, and I emulated what they did,” Deem said. “I mostly worked on myself and would help out when asked, but they handled that. This year, I was the only person the younger players had to look up to. It was hard at first, and I improved my leadership skills.”

Deem, who finished second on the team in scoring by averaging 6.2 points per game, hopes to carry those skills with her as she attends the University of Kentucky to study nursing next year. Riverview, which finished 5-14 overall and 2-6 in Section 3-A, also learned lessons in weathering the storm. The Raiders averaged only 23.2 points per game and were twice held below 10 points.

First-year coach Jill Catanzaro noted her roster had to adjust to the speed of the game. Catanzaro thought Deem’s most important role was helping keep younger players cool.

“If I was to put myself into her shoes, it would have been a challenge,” Catanzaro said. “You are dealing with a young team and along with that comes with them making young mistakes. Sometimes you think, ‘Why are you doing that?’ Maddie handled it. She learned to embrace it and she shined.”

Sophomore guard Lola Abraham led the team in scoring by averaging 7.2 points and 3.0 assists per game. Freshman guard Lily Bauer led the team in rebounding by pulling down 4.4 per game.

Lily Hood and Chiara Brun were also key contributors.

While initially nervous about Riverview’s playoff chances before the season, Deem’s confidence turned around midseason.

Playing against Leechburg without Deem, who missed because of issues with covid-19, and 5-foot-7 forward Brionna Long, Riverview gutted out a 31-17 win Jan. 13 on the road. That win kicked off the Raiders’ longest winning streak of the season, as Riverview would follow with wins over Propel Montour and rival Springdale, scoring 48 and 46 points, which were season highs.

“The core component of that win was freshmen,” Deem said. “They stepped up and showed potential. That changed my confidence that we could make the playoffs.”

Catanzaro was also pleased with how the kids practice all season. She believes if they can improve their output on offense, they will be set up to progress as a program next year.

“Everything was new this year,” Catanzaro said. “They were helping one another in practice. They showed leadership by leading each other. I’ve always said as a coach that a player-led team is better than a coach-led team.”

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