Peters Township making fresh start in girls basketball
There is a freshness about the Peters Township girls basketball program. New coach. New line-up. New successes ahead.
“The program has immense potential,” said first-year head coach Steve Limberiou. “We are a young group without a lot of varsity experience, but we have a lot of talent with a lot more on the way in the coming years from our middle school teams. With the process we have in place-I really, really like what the future of Peters Township girls basketball looks like.”
The Indians, however, must go through the process if they wish to return to the glory days of 2019. Four seasons ago, PT ran the table, posting a 30-0 record and collecting a section plaque, WPIAL trophy and PIAA state championship banner along the way.
“We actually don’t spend much time talking about tangible goals in terms of wins and losses. What we do focus on relentlessly is having a great process,” Limberiou said.
He noted the process involved playing extremely hard consistently, practicing daily at game speed, executing offensively and defensively at a high level and having a top-notch player development program that promotes individual skill improvement.
“Winning and becoming an elite program is the by-product of having a great process and we feel we have a great process in place. Our goal is to get better on a daily basis and be a significantly better team at the end of the season than at the beginning of the season.”
The Lady Indians don’t have much time to prepare for the rigors of Section 2 play in the WPIAL’s 6A classification.
After five non-league games, including this past weekend’s tip-off tournament, PT hosts Bethel Park at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 in the section opener before visiting Baldwin at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19. The Lady Indians entertain Upper St. Clair to start the new year on Jan. 3.
USC is not only a two-time WPIAL finalist, it is Limberiou’s alma mater.
“I’m excited to compete against USC and I love the competition the 6A level provides. We’ll be competing against some of the best players and coaches in the WPIAL and I’m looking forward to that.
“As a competitor, you want to compete against the best and USC has to be the section favorite with their returning starting lineup almost fully in tact. They’re not just talented but a veteran heavy group, as well,” Limberiou continued. “Beyond that, we feel that it is wide open regarding the other teams in the section and the games should be a lot of fun.”
PT’s play will also look vastly different than last year’s pace that produced a 13-11 record and a quarterfinal showing in the WPIAL playoffs. The Indians lost to Mt. Lebanon, which went on to twin the title and advance to the state finals.
Personnel has changed. For example, Journey Thompson graduated and is now playing at Temple. The style of play also will be more uptempo.
“You will see a very different team schematically and personnel wise,” Limberiou said. “We don’t spend much time comparing to last year or how we will make up for last year’s graduating players and we are going to play at a much faster pace than offensively and apply more pressure defensively which will hopefully generate offense for us, as well.”
PT will be led by three veterans: Natalie Wetzel, Gemma Walker and Grace Kail. According to Limberiou, the coaching staff has developed a great relationship with them. They have also opened a great line of communication with them.
A 6-foot-3 sophomore, Wetzel averaged 12 points per game. She already has three Division I offers.
“She’s a special talent with unlimited potential,” Limberiou said. “She’s grown significantly from last season.”
A 5-10 junior guard, Walker averaged 10 points per game. Walker, like Wetzel, has made ‘major strides’ since last year.
“She’s had a great off-season and is playing with a lot of confidence,” Limberiou said. “I expect her game to reach a new level this season.”
Kail is the point guard. She is a 5-4 junior.
“Grace has really taken control of the team from a leadership standpoint on the floor,” Limberiou said. “She’s becoming more assertive offensively and someone with good speed and quickness defensively.”
Senior Sami Bewick and freshman Bri Morreale complete the starting line-up.
A 5-9 forward, Bewick did not play basketball last year. She is a Miami of Ohio softball recruit.
“She’s a great athlete. Does a lot of things really well that you won’t find in a stat sheet. She contributes to winning in an impactful way,” Limberiou said.
According to Limberiou, Morreale possesses an advanced feel for the game for her age that will allow her to split point guard duties with Kail. “She’s a great passer and 3 point shooter,” he added. “She has a really bright future.”
PT’s top reserves are Molly Kubistek, who was the goalie on the WPIAL runner-up soccer squad, Melanah Khalil, Daniela Radulovich and Maya Chlystek.
“Molly is a great athlete, good defender and great communicator. She plays hard all the time-a skill that we really value,” Limberiou said.
He added that Khalil is always in the ‘right spot’ defensively. Plus, she is a good spot shooter.
At 6-2, Radulovich gives the Lady Indians a true post presence. “She’s learning to be aggressive and assertive around the rim,” Limberiou said. “She has a great touch around the rim, which is a plus for a shooter in that position.”
A junior forward, Chlystek is a ‘lefty slasher’ says Limberiou. She is also a ‘capable’ 3-point shooter.
The Lady Indians will also depend upon Emma Kail, Alina Coppula, Dana Anderson, Alina Sopko, Gianna Bowlin, Gabrielle Catalogna, Emma Malloy, Megan Castor, Calleigh Fisher, Rylynn Abbiatici and Peri Cendroski for contributions this season.
Since Limberiou took over the head coaching position in May, the Lady Indians have made ‘major’ strides but there is room for improvement, particularly regarding consistency.
“We are still learning what it means and looks like to play extremely hard on a day in, day out consistent basis,” Limberiou said. “Regarding strengths though we have a lot of versatility defensively and offensively we feel like we have a balanced attack. We should be able to score around the rim but we also have a nice group of players who make us a capable 3-point shooting team.”
Steve Limberiou brings a wealth of experiences to his new position as Peters Township High School girls’ basketball coach.
An Upper St. Clair product, he excelled collegiately as a player for Catholic University in Washington, D.C. In fact, he is a member of the school’s 1,000-point club. His coaches were Steve Howes and Paul DeStafano, who was a famous high school coach in the D.C. area.
“Much of what I learned regarding team culture and confidence building in your players still traces back to my time playing under Coach DeStefano,” Limberiou said. “He pushed me to levels I didn’t know I was capable of reaching as a player, but at the same time, I knew how much he cared about me as a person outside of basketball. I’m immensely grateful for the example he set for me.”
Limberiou is also thankful for his high school skipper. Danny Holzer, who also serves as USC athletic director, has had a distinguished career that includes three WPIAL championships (1996, 2005, ’21), one WPIAL runner-up finish, eight section titles and a 458-294 record.
“I was fortunate to play for Coach Holzer,” Limberiou said. “He a passion and energy on a daily basis that I have always admired.”
Limberioiu added that all his coaching mentors had ‘great basketball minds’ but more importantly, they are ‘high quality’ people.
Limberiou’s own previous coaching experience was at South Park. As head coach last season, the Eagles won a section title and averaged the second-highest points (65 per game) in the district.
“We probably played at the fastest offensive tempo in the WPIAL,” he said.