By Chris Rossetti, www.d9sports.com
Special to MaxPreps.com
ST. MARYS – A junior scoring 1,000 career points is a rarity, a sophomore is almost unheard of.
But that’s what St. Marys’ Kayla Hoohuli did Friday night when she bucketed 25 points – she needed 22 – in a win over DuBois giving her 1,003 in her career. She followed that up by adding 30 points in a win over Punxsutawney Tuesday giving her 1,033.
She reached the 1,000-point mark in just 43 games, the second fewest games it has ever taken a District 9 girl to reach 1,000. Coudersport’s Kim Tingley reached the mark in 42 games in 1995 on her way to 2,905 career points, the second most in District 9 history.
Hoohuli is actually ahead of the pace set by all-time leading District 9 scorer Sheana Mosch, who needed 45 games to reach 1,000 career points. Mosch, who went on to play at Duke and professionally in Europe, scored 3,066 career points for DuBois Central Catholic.
“It was an effort to get Kayla her 22 points tonight so she could get her 1,000th point on her home court,” St. Marys head coach Bob Swanson told the Tri-County Sunday. “It didn’t seem to bother her tonight. A lot of kids have a lot of pressure when they do that, but she came to play.”
Hoohuli was actually one of six District 9 players to score their 1,000th career point in the past week including one of three to do it Friday night.
Last Tuesday, Jan. 27, Johnsonburg’s Abby Grumley scored 25 points in a win over Curwensville giving her 1,003 career tallies.
Then on Friday, Sheffield’s Amanda Craker and Kane’s Bree Bergman each eclipsed the mark before Cameron County’s Dan Sullivan and St. Marys’ Levi Welder got into the act on the boys’ side Tuesday.
Craker had 24 points in a loss to Ridgway Friday and then scored 35 points Saturday giving her 1,039 in her career. Bergman had 11 points in a win over DCC Friday before adding eight Tuesday to give her 1,015. Sullivan, meanwhile, had 26 points Tuesday in a win over Northern Potter giving him 1,006, and Welder had 21 points in a victory over Punxsutawney giving him 1,003.
WPIAL Girls Basketball: Indiana clinches section crown
Indiana, ranked No. 21 in Pennsylvania girls basketball by MaxPreps.com, took the first step in its quest for a WPIAL Class AAA crown when it won the Section 3 crown Thursday thanks to a 67-48 win over Laurel Highlands. It is Indiana’s first section crown since 2006.
“Our goal within the section this year when we started off was to be undefeated,” Indiana coach Dave Woodall told the Indiana Gazette. “We thought we could do that, and we have done it, actually, by a pretty nice margin, too. Here and there, we’ve had some close moments, but for the most part we’ve done an outstanding job in our section.”
The Indians, who also beat Derry 74-40 Monday to go a perfect 12-0 in section play, are 19-1 on the season and are outscoring their opponents by an average of 23.9 points per game including every section opponent by at least 18 points.
“We had a nice season last year in our old section and went on in the playoff quite a bit and thought we kind of established ourselves,” Woodall told the Indiana Gazette. “Then, we get to our new section and the preseason predictions came out, we’re not even mentioned. We’ve been crossing off teams as we go up, and if anything, that’s been a motivating factor for us.”
Also, Ninth-ranked Mt. Lebanon (20-0) all but sewed up the top seed in the upcoming WPIAL Class AAAA girls tournament with its second win of the season, 45-38, over 19th ranked Bethel Park (18-2), whose only two losses have come to the Blue Devils.
Madison Cable paced Mt. Lebanon with 17 points.
No. 18 Butler, meanwhile, had three players score in double digits in a 66-40 win over Moon. Cassie Fagin led the Tornadoes with 19 points, Olivia Bresnahan had 14 and Jenna Manuel 11.
Also on Monday, Elizabeth-Forward shutout Waynesburg in two of the four quarters on its way to a 59-9 win. Jaci Martincic had 18 points f or the Lady Warriors and Paige Pearce added 16.
Three WPIAL girls also reached the 1,000-point mark Monday and a fourth joined them on Tuesday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Megan DePrimio scored 21 points in a 72-32 win over Wilkinsburg giving her 1,006 in her career. Beth-Center junior Megan Sowers had 17 in a 49-40 loss to Washington giving her 1,009, and Freedom’s Jen Cantella netted six points in a 54-51 loss to Quaker Valley giving her 1,005.
On Tuesday, Carmichaels Jordan Duke scored 14 points in a 33-28 win over Bentworth giving her 1,011.
WPIAL Boys Basketball: Two players hit 40 points in same game
WPIAL basketball fans got a rare treat Tuesday when two players went over 40 points in the same game.
Sewickley Academy’s Tom Droney netted 47 points, and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart’s Jim Orie had 41 in a 92-85 Sewickley Academy win.
Also on Tuesday, Ford City clinched its first section title since 1979 with a 58-47 win over Burrell Tuesday. It is the 33rd section title in school history according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Meanwhile, Peters Township, ranked 11th in Pennsylvania by MaxPreps.com was upset 34-32 by Mt. Lebanon, who got 11 points from Deion Thurman.
