CENTRE COUNTY — The high school girls basketball season has begun and all six of the Centre County teams have hit the court.
Here’s a brief look at how each team started and their upcoming schedules:
SJCA GIRLS OFF TO A FAST START IN 2024-25
After holding on against the Penns Valley Rams for an exciting 61-60 victory in Spring Mills on Monday, Dec. 2, the St. Joseph Catholic Academy girls team took two more wins and is now at 3-0 in the new season.
On the Friday. Dec. 6, the Lady WolfPack breezed past Canton, 43-9, and then on Saturday, Dec. 7, they took the title in the North Penn-Liberty Tournament with a 61-31 win over Liberty.
Against Penns Valley, the Pack broke out to an early 22-7 lead after the first quarter in their first game of the season, but the Lady Rams quickly answered with a 19-11 run in the second quarter.
With the WolfPack ahead by just seven as the second half began, the two teams traded baskets with SJCA in the lead, 48-41, going into the final eight minutes.
Penns Valley wasn’t done, however, and the Rams rallied and actually took a late lead heading down the stretch.
Down by a point in the final seconds, the WolfPack’s Naomi Crispin took it to the basket and laid one in with seven seconds left to play.
Penns Valley had one more chance, but the Rams missed and SJCA had its first win, 61-60.
“We jumped out to a really good start,” St. Joseph’s head coach Bethany Irwin said. “All our shots were falling. Penns Valley is always a really scrappy team, so I knew it was most likely going to come down to the wire.
“Both teams played hard at times, and the game could have gone either way. It was the first game for both teams, and the biggest thing we got out of the game was to learn from our mistakes and to play aggressively.”
Crispin led the Pack with 22 points in the game, and Aubrey Yartz added 18, and in the tournament, the two combined for 29 points against Canton and another 29 against Liberty in the title game.
Next up for SJCA will be a trip to Juniata in Mifflintown tonight and then a home non-conference game against Moshannon Valley on Friday, Dec. 20.
PENNS VALLEY ROARS BACK AFTER THE CLOSE SJCA LOSS
Don’t feel too bad for the Lady Rams after that heartbreaking loss to the WolfPack.
Since then, PV has rebounded nicely with three straight wins and is now 3-1 for the season.
On Wednesday, Dec. 4, the Rams held off Tyrone in their first LHAC contest, 53-49, and then on Friday, Dec. 6, they came from behind to beat Westmont-Hilltop, 42-29, in Johnstown.
They kept things going on Monday, Dec. 10, at Central Mountain, this time with an exciting 76-71 overtime victory over the Lady Wildcats.
The Rams had to come back late against Central Mountain to tie the game in regulation, and then they outscored CM 11-6 in overtime to take their third win.
The Rams were up by 8 points at halftime, but a white-hot 29 third-quarter points by the Wildcats put them in the lead by a basket going into the fourth quarter.
Penns Valley, though, tied it up at 65-all at the end of regulation and subsequently rode two monster 3-pointers by Elle Dinges in the overtime to take the victory.
Dinges led the PV scoring with 19 points, while Sydnie Dalton had 14 and both Ellie Romig and Lilly Smith scored 11.
The Rams, now 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the LHAC will now take on Huntingdon at home on Friday, Dec. 13, and travel to Bishop Guilfoyle on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
STATE COLLEGE 2-1 AFTER A 51-41 VICTORY OVER GREATER JOHNSTOWN ON MONDAY
After a second-place finish in the State College Skip Coleman Tip-Off Tournament, the Lady Little Lions got back on track at Greater Johnstown on Monday, Dec. 9.
SC took Williamsport in the tournament, 51-27, but Norwin got the championship with a tight, 46-40 win on Saturday, Dec. 7.
On Monday, though, SC opened up a 20-21 halftime lead over GJHS and then pulled away with a strong, 15-point, fourth quarter to take the 51-41 non-league victory.
McKenna Whitehurst and Sienna Wilson both nailed threes in the deciding quarter as the Lady Lions took their second win.
Sheree Wilson led the team with 17 points and Sienna Wilson scored 15, as the Lions went seven for 10 from the line down the stretch to seal the win.
Next up for SC will be two big Mid Penn home games against Harrisburg on Friday, Dec. 13, and then CD East on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
BELLEFONTE OPENS ITS SEASON WITH A 44-40 WIN OVER PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA
The Bellefonte Lady Raiders hung tight against LHAC foe Philipsburg-Osceola on Monday, Dec. 9, and came away with a 44-40 victory over the Mounties.
It was the first game of the season for Bellefonte, and the Raiders came from a one-point halftime deficit and slowly edged past the Mounties with a 12-9 run in the fourth quarter.
Jaylee Lose led the scoring for Bellefonte with 12 points, while Philipsburg’s Emily Gustkey scored 22 for the Mounties. Maddy Malinich was also in double figures for P-O with 10 points.
Bellefonte will continue on Friday night with a home conference game against Tyrone and then travel to Central on Wednesday, Dec.18.
For P-O, the loss was the third in a row to begin the season without a win so far.
The other two losses, to Huntingdon and Richland, were by double-digits.
Next up for the Mounties will be an away contest at Bishop Guilfoyle tonight and then a home conference game against Bellwood-Antis on Friday, Dec. 13.
BEA IS 0-2 TO BEGIN THE SEASON
The Lady Bald Eagles so far have had difficulty getting on the scoreboard with two losses to Bishop Guilfoyle on Wednesday, Dec. 4, and Bedford on Friday, Dec. 6.
The Guilfoyle score with 64-19 and the Bedford score was 39-19.
The Eagles will try to get on track with upcoming games against Hollidaysburg at home on Friday, Dec. 13, and at Huntingdon on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
