Young Burrell girls roster has room to grow

By: George Guido
Tuesday, November 19, 2019 | 5:07 PM

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Youth will be served on the Burrell girls basketball team this season.

With no seniors and a small number of juniors, second-year coach Joel Ceraso will be relying on sophomores and a handful of freshmen.

“The biggest problem we’ll have is getting them to play fast and physical,” Ceraso said. “We need to get them up to the speed and physicality of a varsity game. These kids are 14- and 15-years-old and they’ll be up against 17- and 18-year-olds. That’s always a process.”

The Bucs will be banking on some promising sophomores.

Said Ceraso: “Ally Fisher played well as a freshman last year as far as shooting percentage goes. We hope she can drive to the basket a lot and get to the lane. Hope Clark is a hard-nosed girl. She’ll do everything for us. She handle the ball, get in the post, rebound. She’ll lead the break and score points. We’re asking a lot of these two girls as sophomores.”

“It was definitely a new experience,’ Fisher said of her freshman season. “I wasn’t used to the speed of the game. It was different, but fun.”

Helping out will be Riverview transfer Olivia Watts, who’s coming off an injury. Jordyn Kowalkowski, part of Burrell’s successful soccer program, is a junior whom Ceraso hopes will bring a winning attitude from the pitch to the hardwood.

Last year’s team finished 3-11 in rugged Section 1-4A, 5-14 overall.

“Last year was difficult, though we definitely grew more as a team,” Clark said. “Our JV players did step up, so it was successful in a way. It’s a younger team and our freshmen coming up have talent.”

Freshman Riley Sterlitz and Addy Landowski are expected to contribute.

“We have an eight-team section and one of the best teams in the state in North Catholic,” Ceraso said. “Our whole section is really good. Indiana’s good. Knoch is good. I think Quad-A girls basketball is one of the best divisions in the WPIAL.”

“I think working together will help us in the section we have,” Fisher said. “We’re all young and we’re all adjusting to the speed of the game.”

Burrell will open the season Dec. 6 at Southmoreland against the host Scotties in a tip-off classic. Then, the Bucs play last year’s Class A runner-up, West Greene.

Burrell has 19 players out for the team and Ceraso is hoping to field a junior varsity team the entire season and give his players more competitive minutes. Last year, with so many injuries, the Bucs had to curtail the junior varsity schedule.

Patience will be key, especially with the younger players.

“We have to be patient,” Clark said. “You think (freshmen) are going to know everything, but you have to realize you were in the same position last year.”

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