McKeesport, Pa. – After a rough start to the 2017/2018 season, the Penn State Greater Allegheny Women’s Basketball Team was able to turn it around winning three of their last four games to end the season. It was a transition year for the ladies with five freshmen and two upperclassmen leaders as the team grew together and prepared for success in the future.
The season started out with the team seeing their worst start to a season in program history losing their first 14 contests. They would then get their first win of the season against Penn State Fayette on January 23rd winning 52-50. That game gave the girls some confidence and they used that in their final eight game home stretch to end the season. They went 4-4 over that stretch including picking up their biggest margin of victory of the season when they beat PSU-Worthington Scranton 68-50.
Many of the newcomers to this season’s team made big impacts in their first years. Brandy Taylor (Pittsburgh, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) came into her own over the last week and a half scoring 47 points while hitting 17 three-pointers over that stretch. Taylor finished the season as the team leader in three-point percentage shooting 32.4%.
Alex Hall (Washington, D.C./Bell HS) was able to establish herself from the beginning of the season. She was averaging 10.3 PPG before suffering a concussion that caused her to miss eight games. When she came back from injury, her focus shifted from offense to defense where she was consistently picking up five or more rebounds per game. Her season high was nine, a mark she set on February 6th against Penn State DuBois.
However, the leaders of this team did their job all-season long with Jayla Ellis (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) leading the offensive side of the ball and Andrea Burroughs (New Rochelle, Ny./New Rochelle) taking control of the defensive side.
Ellis led the team this season in points per game with 12.1 and ranked 16th in all of the PSUAC. Ellis scored in double digits in all but three games this season and no matter how bad the struggles were, she was able to provide some offensive spark. Burroughs finished the season fifth in all of the PSUAC in rebounds per game with 9.8 and was tied or led the team in rebounds in 15 of her 20 games played this season.
As they head into the off-season, head coach Chrissy French is excited about the end of season success and wants to see her team build off of it for next season. French knows her team has the tools to succeed and she wants the ladies to believe in themselves and continue to get better so they can have a chance to compete for a playoff spot next season.
