HS Girls’ Hoops: Pottsville continues to build, tops Panther Valley for 4th straight win
Pottsville's Ava Ciavarella (12) tries to put up a shot as Panther Valley's Caroline Breslin, front, and Morgan Orsulak, back, defend during Friday's Schuylkill League Division I girls' game at Martz Hall (Photo by Dominic Zembas).
Barnhart’s all-around play lifts Tide to Division I win
POTTSVILLE — It’s taken new coach Damian Fritz and his staff a couple of weeks to mold the Pottsville girls’ basketball team to their liking.
Friday night the Crimson Tide showed things are starting to come together in a positive way.
Jo Barnhart scored a game-high 21 points as Pottsville notched its fourth straight victory with a 47-39 win over Panther Valley in a Schuylkill League Division I contest at Martz Hall.
Jes Siminitus added 10 points and nine rebounds as the Crimson Tide (5-7, 2-5 D-I) used an 8-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to pull away from the Panthers (4-8, 1-6).
“It’s been a while since we’ve had four wins in a row,” Barnhart said. “Getting a win like this really pushes us and hopefully continues our winning streak.”
The growth of Barnhart into a talented point guard is a big reason for Pottsville’s recent success.
The 5-foot-6 junior excelled at both ends of the floor Friday, from running Pottsville’s offense to being the team’s top scoring option to being a leader in the Tide’s 1-2-2 defensive alignment.
She hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight of her points in the first quarter as the teams battled to a 12-12 tie. With the game tied at 19-19 at intermission, Barnhart opened the second half with a driving bucket, then hit another 3-pointer moments later to put Pottsville up 27-21.
In the fourth quarter, with the Tide up 36-34, Barnhart sparked the game-deciding run with a 3-pointer, then scored on a pretty back-door layup off a feed from Siminitus to make it 41-34 with 4:47 left.
Barnhart then fed Megan Goodman for a baseline jumper with 3:12 remaining. A Siminitus free throw capped the 8-0 outburst that gave Pottsville a 44-34 lead with 2:18 left.
Panther Valley didn’t get closer than six points over the final two minutes.
Fritz said two things have helped in Barnhart’s maturity as the season has developed: her being named team captain by her teammates and her work during practices with assistant coaches Ashley Pleban and Tyler Fritz.
“She’s really starting to embrace the point guard role, at the same time having to ask her to score for us, too,” Fritz said. “We’re asking an awful lot of Jo, both offensively and defensively, to lead our team. So far, she’s answered the bell.
“She’s progressing every week. She’s putting in the extra time. Those are all the things you want as a coach who’s trying to turn around a program, to have your leader do that. And all the girls are seeing it. All the girls are following it.
“I really think that’s led to our four-game win streak.”
A key to Pottsville’s success Friday against Panther Valley was the Crimson Tide’s patience on the offensive end.
The Tide do not have a post presence, with Siminitus, Lauren Brennan and sophomore reserves Ella Huda and Ava Ciavarella all standing roughly 5-8. At one point Friday, Pottsville was outrebounded 20-3 with Panther Valley’s Morgan Orsulak dominating the paint.
Therefore, it’s imperative that in the half-court setting, Pottsville works to get a good shot. The Tide did that Friday against Panther Valley’s zone, working the ball around the perimeter, using good bounce passes into cutters and post-up players in the paint, then kicking it back out for open jump shots.
Pottsville finished with eight 3-pointers, as Barnhart had four, Brennan drained two and Myla Fegley and Siminitus each hit one. There were also two outside jumpers in the second half that originally looked like treys but were ruled two-point baskets.
Friday’s 47 points were the most Pottsville has scored in a game all season. The Tide averaged 33.5 points through their first eight games. In the four-game win streak, Pottsville has scored at a 42.0 ppg clip.
“I thought today we were very patient offensively and got a good shot, a shot we wanted,” Barnhart said. “That helped us slow down, be patient. On the defensive end, we could use that energy to stop them.
“Coming down, taking our time, getting a good shot really helps put the ball in the basket.”
Defensively, Pottsville did an excellent job cutting off passes through the lane as Panther Valley attempted to work through Orsulak inside and find runners through the paint. The Tide forced 20 Panther Valley turnovers.
Orsulak finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Panthers, while Caroline Breslin had 11 points and Lucy Kocha tallied eight points and nine rebounds.
“All year we’ve been outrebounded,” Fritz said. “Defensively, we have to do some things different. Play multiple defenses, multiple matchups, do different things in the full-court set. I thought we’ve done a pretty good job to negate the size.”
Pottsville opened the season with a win over Southern Columbia then dropped seven straight contests — five Schuylkill League Division I games and non-league affairs with Reading and Northwestern Lehigh. The Tide are unbeaten since Christmas, racking up victories over Hamburg, ELCO, Minersville and Panther Valley.
While making the Schuylkill League playoffs is a super longshot, being competitive in the District 11 Class 5A playoffs is not. The Tide currently sit third in the power ratings behind Bethlehem Catholic (9-1) and Southern Lehigh (7-5).
Pottsville has a young roster, with Siminitus being the only senior who sees playing time. The Tide’s JV team is also unbeaten through the first half of the season.
So the focus is on the future. Confidence- and momentum-building wins like Friday night’s victory over Panther Valley will help Pottsville continue to build for that future.
“We want our girls to know that we believe in them and what they’re working on,” Fritz said. “We trust all of our girls.
“Early on, that wasn’t the case. But as the season goes on, we’re working hard at practice, we’re trusting the process. You can’t change what you don’t work on.
“We believe in the process. We believe in the reps, we’re taking the reps. It’s starting to show. All our girls are seeing the benefit. Hopefully, it’s a little contagious.”
Game Summary
PANTHER VALLEY (39) — Kocha 3 0-0 8, Aponte 2 0-0 4, Blazosky 0 0-4 0, C. Breslin 2 6-7 11, Orsulak 4 8-11 16, Gjoca 0 0-0 0, Carrasquillo 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 14-22 39.
POTTSVILLE (47) — Goodman 1 0-2 2, Brennan 2 0-0 6, Fegley 2 1-2 6, Barnhart 7 3-6 21, Siminitus 3 3-4 10, Ciavarella 0 0-0 0, Huda 0 0-0 0, Skripko 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 7-14 47.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
| PV (4-8, 1-6) | 12 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 39 |
| Potts (5-7, 2-5) | 12 | 7 | 17 | 11 | 47 |
