Sharon, Pa
The inaugural Penn State Shenango Women's basketball season is in the books, and it was a time to remember for all. The season concluded with a 4th seed in the playoffs an ending that was nearly unthinkable as the cold winds of November swirled at Shenango last fall.
The Women's first season began with a bang, but not the one they anticipated. The team's original head coach had to step down for personal reasons, before their first practice. A meeting was held, tears were shed, questions abound, but a spirit was born. The girls rallied off the court, without ever having stepped foot on it; however, when they did; they took off.
Led by their new Head Coach; Cimone Reid the Lady Lions began their season with a 55-51 win in front of a raucous crowd at The Buhl Center against Penn State DuBois. The Lady Lions would go on to win two of their first three games notching another win (57-54) for their first road win vs. Penn State Brandywine four days later.
The next stretch of games would test the mettle of the young team. They only secured one win over their next nine games (a 63-51 win over PSU Mont Alto) and would drop their three remaining games to end December on a somber note. As The Christmas break rolled in Shenango was sitting as the #10 seed. Their string of losses may have created some doubt for outsiders, but the team was just beginning to put things together.
Fr. Guard Aneziah Fryer entered January as the leading scorer in the conference, while Fr. Center Hailee Aguinaga was second in the conference in rebounds. The Team had seen improved play from G Jaysina Sellers, and F Karsyn Rupert (who the players affectionately call "Mom") had stepped up from the bench to earn her way into the starting lineup. They also welcomed a new player, So. Toni Donaldson who would work her way into the starting lineup as well.
Donaldson's arrival along with Rupert and Fryer's leadership seemed to be the spark the team needed. By mid-January the Lady Lions were roaring. They finished the month with three straight wins, including an 86-49 pasting of Penn State Scranton.
"I am really proud of our team," said coach Reid. "We were sitting at 3-7 and then to finish like we did (10-9) I'm just really proud of that."
A big reason for the Shenango turnaround was its leadership.
"Hailee and Jaysina really stepped up in the second half," said Reid. "Karysn stepped up to lead. She came from a great Highschool program that taught great fundamentals, and it has helped us to grow and learn as a team."
The Lions not only grew; they growled. Donaldson and Fryer would go on to register double digits per game for the rest of the season. The Lions were also aided by tremendous bench play as Freshmen Ali Lewis, Mya McNevin, MiKayla Jumper, and Emily Withers all contributed
"We have a young team", said Rupert. "I feel we did a really good job, we exceeded expectations."
Rupert was right in her "exceeded expectations" assessment. The Lions 5 wins over their next seven games saw them sitting as the 4th seed going into last weekend's playoffs, a position few had anticipated or certainly expected.
Their first playoff game was a hard-fought battle, that saw Shenango come up on the losing end; 73-69 to Penn State Greater Allegheny. That loss however was not indicative of how far these ladies came this season, or of where they're heading to or what they're returning with for next season.
"Nae Fryer is arguably not just one of the best players in the conference, but the best player in the conference," said Reid of freshman Nae Fryer.
The Stats and awards back up Reid's proclamation. This past Thursday Fryer was named to the PSUAC
First Team, and she was also recognized as The West Rookie of the Year. Fryer finished with 18.4 PPG, 44 steals, and 64 assists on the year.
Aguinaga finished as the top rebounder in the conference and bounded away with a player of the week award for the last week of the regular season.
"To have statistical leaders after our first season is really impressive to me," said Reid.
With players like Fryer and Aguinaga gelling and growing with their respective and talented teammates the 2022-2023 season is looking more and more promising.
"We want to end up at the Bryce Jordan Center next year" (the site of the PSUAC Championships) said Rupert. "We know we have a lot more work to do, but we put ourselves on the map this year."