Sharon, Pa
On November 16th, 2021, the roar from the FH Buhl Club was deafening. It was a roar that erupted from the home crowd that packed the stands, and the performance of the Shenango Lady Lions on the court that night, as they won their season and inaugural home opener 55-51 over conference opponent PSU DuBois.
From that night on the crowds have stayed and the flame has only grown as these young Lady Lions have grown through wins and losses.
"So far I feel like we've surprised a lot of people," said Head Coach Cimone Reid. "We need to embrace and build upon that. I don't have a player who has played at the collegiate level before this season. So, we're all growing and learning as a team right now."
The Lady Lions embarked on a lengthy road trip after their first win that saw them cover 800 miles in just 4 days. They went 1-2 on that voyage, capturing a key win over perennial power Penn State Brandywine 57-54.
The Lions have been led by Freshman Aneziah Fryer who leads the team in PPG (21.0) and Steals (25/ 2.8 STL/G.) paired opposite of Sharon alumnus Jaysina Sellers (5.9 PPG) the pair have become a very tough match up for opposing defenses. Fryer has also displayed leadership on a young team that needs it.
"I am really pleased with the leadership from Aneziah Fryer," said Reid. "She is a great player on offense, but she's been great on both sides of the ball. She's also very coachable."
The Lady Lions have also seen tremendous contribution from Fr. Center Hailee Aguinaga out of Ashtabula, OH who has been an absolute force on the boards. She has grabbed 92 total rocks both offensively and defensively (10.2 ppg.) The Lady Lions have also benefitted from a deep bench, that Coach Reid has not hesitated to play.
"I've been really proud of all of them (players coming off the bench), I've been proud of Emily (Withers) when she goes in, she gives one -hundred percent, she gives it her all. Karsyn (Rupert) has a high basketball IQ and understanding for the game. She and Ali (Lewis) have the ability to be a teammate and do the things you don't always want to do like grabbing rebounds and boxing out."
The Lions finished out the first half of the season with a 3-6 record and were competitive in nearly all their contests. For a young team that has never played together before this season the outlook is a good one and one, and they're continuing to focus and develop.
"We need to put together more solid and complete games, we had some games where we played well in the first half, but not in the second half," said Reid. "We're addressing that and we're also still developing our awareness as a team."
The Shenango Lady Lions will look to get off to a great start in 2022. Their first game is on the road on Jan 14th against PSU Fayette. They will then return home on Sunday Jan 16th for their first home game of the year on Sunday Jan 16th against PSU Wilkes-Barre.