HS Girls’ Basketball: Spartans suffocate Blue Mountain to stay unbeaten
North Schuylkill's Mya Conti (3) and Monica Selgrade (2) pressure Blue Mountain's Callie Peel during Friday's Schuylkill League Division I game in Orwigsburg (Photo by Leroy Boyer).
North Schuylkill forces 32 turnovers in Division I win
ORWIGSBURG — As Monica Selgrade described North Schuylkill’s full-court press, one word stood out.
Chaos.
Selgrade plays one of the point positions in the Spartans’ suffocating, trapping full-court press that played at full throttle Friday night against Blue Mountain.
North Schuylkill forced a whopping 32 turnovers, many of which led to points on the offensive end, as the Spartans captured a 49-34 victory over the Eagles in a Schuylkill League Division I contest.
The victory keeps North Schuylkill unbeaten on the season through five games and tied with Schuylkill Haven atop the Division I standings.
“Our defense … we’re just trying to pressure the ball, keep it out of the middle,” Selgrade said. “Mainly, just keep them out on the sides, just so we don’t get any middle penetration. We just like to cause chaos.”
The Spartans certainly caused chaos Friday.
North Schuylkill (5-0, 5-0 D-I) never trailed, using a 9-0 run in the first quarter to break a 4-4 tie. Selgrade scored six of her game-high 17 points in the opening frame.
Blue Mountain (3-5, 2-3) used a 6-0 burst to close the first quarter to trail just 13-12 after one frame but could never establish any offensive consistency because of North Schuylkill’s constant pressure.
The Eagles had seven turnovers in the first quarter, followed by seven, 10 and eight over the final three frames. They were held without a shot for the first 2:40 of the second quarter as the Spartans went on a quick 7-0 run to take control.
North Schuylkill did the same thing early in the third quarter after a 3-pointer by Callie Peel sliced the Spartans’ lead to 27-21. North Schuylkill forced five straight turnovers and held Blue Mountain without a field goal for 6 minutes, going on a 12-1 run to break the game open.
The Spartans led by double digits the rest of the way.
“That’s North Schuylkill. That’s every year, that’s what they do,” Blue Mountain coach Rose Carper said. “They live and die by it. That’s how they beat teams. It’s turnovers and transition.
“They shot really, really well tonight. They had other kids step up that haven’t necessarily stepped up in the games prior. They have a well-rounded team, they have great players and they work well together.”
North Schuylkill entered the season having to replace graduated center Hannah Kane and doesn’t have a traditional center on its roster. Junior Jadelin Stitzer, at 5-foot-8, is the tallest Spartan to see regular action.
Instead, a trio of athletic 5-6 sophomores — Selgrade, Addisyn Balicki and Ella Digris — have become regulars in head coach Rich Wetzel’s rotation and add speed and quickness to the North Schuylkill attack.
Combined with senior standout Mya Conti and junior sharpshooter Gianna Capone, it’s an athletic, aggressive, in-your-face squad that likes to play pressure defense, run the floor and score quickly at the other end.
“What we lost in height we gained in speed and athleticism,” Wetzel said. “Last year we had a bigger girl in the middle but we lost a step or two. What I have know is a seven rotation with motors. They play hard and they play fast.
“That’s our identity. It’s been our identity.
“I put a number on the board in (the locker room) at halftime … 35. They don’t get more than 35. They ended up with 34. If we can keep teams under that with the way we play, we’ll be OK.”
North Schuylkill has also gotten contributions across the board. Conti is the Spartans’ star and capable of scoring 20 points per game, but Selgrade and Capone give Wetzel more weapons to utilize.
Conti was held to seven points Friday, but Selgrade netted 17, Capone tallied 11, Digris had six, Balicki five and Stitzer three.
Peel led Blue Mountain with 13 points, while Karley Koch pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
“It’s hard work. I’ve been blessed with that,” Wetzel said. “Our kids are committed to this program 10 months a year. That’s the key.
“They all accept their role. There’s no whiners, there’s no criers. We preach that. They hear it every day. That’s important to us.”
Game Summary
NORTH SCHUYLKILL (49) — Selgrade 7 3-4 17, Conti 3 1-2 7, Capone 5 0-0 11, Balicki 2 0-2 5, Ja. Stitzer 1 1-2 3, Digris 2 0-0 6. Totals 20 5-10 49.
BLUE MOUNTAIN (34) — Fleagle 3 1-2 7, Canfield 0 0-0 0, Place 3 1-2 7, Peel 4 4-4 13, Walborn 2 0-0 5, Koch 0 0-2 0, Leonard 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 6-10 34.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
| NS (5-0, 5-0) | 13 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 49 |
| BM (3-5, 2-3) | 12 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 34 |
