Valley girls basketball cancels season

By: Bill Hartlep
Monday, December 1, 2025 | 4:37 PM

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Valley’s girls basketball program will not field a team this season because of low roster numbers.

Joe Skura said only four players attended early-season practices, which led to the decision to cancel the 22-game schedule.

“I had heard we only had five players at the end of last year when I came in as the athletic director,” Skura said. “It was a worry of mine since. Coach (Tanya) Norman had been having open gyms. I had put out in all aspects of the school if anybody was interested in playing. We had been recruiting girls to play (in the school). We just didn’t have the success we had hoped.”

Norman said 12 players signed up for the team this fall, and open gyms were held but weren’t well attended. The second-year coach was hoping to improve on a 2-19 finish last season, when the Vikings earned their first section win since the 2018-19 season.

Senior center Tori Tallerico was the team’s lone returning starter.

Skura said he waited as long as possible before the decision was made. He hopes to get enough interest for the program to return next winter. The Vikings would play as an independent, as the WPIAL will not award them a schedule for the next two-year cycle.

“We are hoping to have open gyms and establish some feeder programs to help with numbers,” said Skura, who cited strong participation in girls wrestling and girls swimming in the winter. “I want to see our girls have that opportunity and see our numbers build in basketball.”

Skura said he, along with the student-athlete council, plan to visit the New Ken-Arnold elementary schools and talk to students about sports and sportsmanship to get them more interested in competing at the high school level.

“Feeder programs in New Kensington-Arnold are important,” he said. “We have to get the right situations in place.”

Valley was set to compete home and away in Section 1-4A against Burrell, Derry, Freeport, Highlands, Knoch, North Catholic and Oakland Catholic. Games against those teams will be considered no contest, and those schools may schedule nonsection opponents to fill those dates.

Valley was scheduled to play in the Leechburg tipoff tournament last weekend, but Perry Traditional Academy stepped in to face Leechburg and Apollo-Ridge.

Editor’s note: This story was updated after WPIAL officials decided to rule Valley’s games no contest, rather than forfeits.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

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