Bethel Park girls upset Mt. Lebanon
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Bethel Park girls basketball coach Jonna Burke said using a shot clock in high school games would be beneficial for many teams.
Justina Mascaro has returned to the Bethel Park line-up. In her second game back from suffering a knee injury, that required surgery, the senior tossed in 15 points as the Lady Hawks upended Mt. Lebanon, 38-32.
When Bethel Park (4-4, 12-6) hosted Mt. Lebanon (7-1, 14-5) on Jan. 30 in girls’ basketball, several sidebar stories surfaced but the only tale that mattered was the outcome. The Lady Hawks halted the Lebo ladies and registered a 38-32 triumph.
“Any time that you pull off a victory against Mt. Lebanon it’s quite an accomplishment,” said BP floor boss Jonna Burke. “They are the best team for a reason.”
On Monday night, however, BP was the better team for several reasons, the least of which had to do with a humble coach accomplishing her own amazing feat. With the win, Burke recorded her 400th career victory.
“I had no idea,” she said of the milestone. “My husband keeps track of those things and keeps them from me until I hear it on the P.A. system and then I’m like, ‘what?’ But really all it means is that I have been around a long time.”
A standout at Bethel Park and the University of Pittsburgh during the mid-1980s and early 1990s, Burke coached at Butler before returning to her alma mater, where she was a 1,000-point scorer. She has guided the Lady Hawks to several section titles and one WPIAL championship.
“There have been a lot of losses to go with all those wins,” Burke said, “but it was important that we got the win.”
BP registered the win because it reversed strategy. The Hawks had lost to Lebo, 49-29, in their first confrontation. Of that defeat, Burke noted BP couldn’t match up with Lebo’s size and skill.
“Lebo is too big and skillful,” she said “You can’t get into a running match with them because they are so good in transition and off the boards.”
So Burke devised a game plan to contain the Blue Devils, who average 55.5 points per game, third-best in Class 6-A. Employing a zone defense, BP forced Lebo to labor on offense.
“We had to take a different approach defensively against them,” Burke explained. “With the zone, we tried to neutralize them.
“Offensively, we worked for a good shot and used the clock. The idea was if we have the ball, then they don’t have it. A low-scoring game would be in our favor.”
Though Lebo took the lead, 6-5, after one frame, BP forged ahead at intermission, 15-11, and after three quarters, 31-22.
Justina Mascaro played a pivotal role in the victory. The senior had returned to the team only a game early, in BP’s win against Upper St. Clair, 51-32. Mascaro, who had scored more than 1,000 points in her scholastic career, tore her ACL during the summer. She had missed most of the season while she recovered from knee surgery.
“People ask her why and she says why wouldn’t I want to come back. It’s her senior year and she wants to play,” Burke said. “She has worked so hard to come back. It’s not common for somebody to come back from knee surgery in six months like she has.
“We are happy for her,” Burke continued. “It’s good to have her back.”
Indeed. Against Lebo, Mascaro pumped in a game-high 15 points. Kamryn Lach followed with 12 tallies. Kat Sramac scored 14 for the Blue Devils.
“Justina made a big difference,” Burke said. “She’s strong and having her body underneath helped. Along with Maddie (Dziezgowski), she did a nice job. Together, they got the job done.”
Against USC, Maria Cerro (14) and Lach (14) got the job done. Coupled with the Lebo win, BP moved into playoff contention. The Hawks are tied for third place in Section 3 behind Lebo and Peters Township.
“It’s important that we got the win,” Burke said of the Lebo upset. “We want to make it into the playoffs and make a push from there. The most important thing about any win is that it gets us in the playoffs. We’ll take it from there.”
Other action
Previously, Lebo scored a road win, 65-29, against Canon-McMillan, which tied Peters Township for section honors last season. In the triumph, Kenzie Bushee topped out with 20 tallies. Cheyenne Trest and Brittney Crawford each registered eight points for the Lady Macs.
In follow-up play, Trest exploded for 25 points as C-M dispatched Baldwin, 50-41. Tamara Mathis also was in double figures with 10 markers.
Meanwhile, Peters Township prepped for its rematch with Mt. Lebanon by beating Upper St. Clair, 53-32. Makenna Marisa tossed in 20 points and Isabella Mills pitched in 12 for the Indians while Sam Smith led USC with eight. The Indians travel to Mt. Lebanon for a 7:30 p.m. tip on Feb. 2. The Indians are 7-1 and 12-4 overall.
In other section action, Chartiers Valley dispatched West Allegheny, 60-45. Megan McConnell led with 21 points. Gabi Legister followed with 16. The Colts also trounced Montour, 83-39. Legister (22) and MacKenzie Wagner (18) finished in double figures.
South Fayette remained atop the section standings with wins against Lincoln Park, 68-20, and Montour, 45-43, in overtime. Sam Kosmacki led the way against Lincoln Park, pumping in 15 points. Maddie Gutierrez and Skylar Aitken followed with 11 and 10 tallies. Against the Spartans, Gutierrez totaled 15.
Behind the 15-point performance of Kristy Lippert, Keystone Oaks thumped Yough, 78-12.
Bishop Canevin beat Avonworth, 74-32. Sarah Green tossed in 21 while Brionna Allen pitched in 19 markers. The Crusaders also beat Steel Valley, 53-36. Kellan Gustine led the way with 15 points.
Seton-La Salle defeated Apollo-Ridge, 48-46, but fell to Carlynton, 58-26. Layne Ziegler had 25 points in the win while Alyssa Pollice managed nine in the loss.
Thanks to 24 points from Alexa Williamson, Chartiers-Houston downed Aliquippa, 67-28. Jules Vulcano and Jala Walker followed with 13 and 12 tallies. The Bucs also trounced Burgettstown, 62-26. Williamson exploded for 31 points. Vulcano followed with 15.