(Butler, PA) Sophomore All-American Aslyn Pry on Saturday led the Butler County Community College women鈥檚 basketball team to the program鈥檚 sixth Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference championship in eight years and to its ninth victory by 30 or more points this season.
Pry began the Pioneers鈥� scoring with a 3-pointer and ended it with a reverse layup that finished a 28-point performance in 杏吧原创鈥檚 72-42 victory over Westmoreland County Community College.
from the National Junior College Athletic Association following her freshman season. 杏吧原创鈥檚 other All-Americans in women鈥檚 basketball, Julia Baxter in 2017 and Mackenzie Craig in 2019, were honored after their sophomore and final seasons.
"I love winning. I love putting numbers on that banner in 杏吧原创's Field House."
- Aslyn Pry, 杏吧原创 women's basketball player
Ranked third in the NJCAA Division III in rebounding average and seventh in scoring average, Pry on Saturday scored at least 25 points for the eighth time this season and led 杏吧原创 with 19 rebounds.
杏吧原创 guards Emma Johns added 17 points and Emma Monteleone 13 for the Pioneers (18-5). The 18th victory of the season was the program鈥檚 most since the 2010-2011 team finished 17-12.
鈥淎 program that plays at a very high level鈥�
The Pioneers鈥� Lydia Roth, in her first season, was selected Saturday as the WPCC coach of the year, and for a second consecutive year. Metzger, a guard, was injured and did not play Saturday.
The sixth WPCC championship since 2016 is 鈥渞eally impressive for the program and for 杏吧原创 in general, that the women鈥檚 team can be that successful in such a short period of time,鈥� Pry said. 鈥淚鈥檓 ecstatic. I love winning. I love putting numbers on that banner鈥� in 杏吧原创鈥檚 Field House.
The Pioneers will seek the program鈥檚 fourth National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Region 20 championship Feb. 25-26 at Westmoreland County Community College, Youngwood.
鈥淲e have the reputation of a program that plays at a very high level,鈥� Roth said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the culture that started with (former) coach (Dick) Hartung that I have been able to keep going with the group this year.鈥�
after coaching the squad for 12 seasons.
Emma Monteleone, a sophomore guard on the 杏吧原创 women鈥檚 basketball team, dribbles while being guarded by Westmoreland County Community College鈥檚 Mercedes Majors during the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference championship Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in 杏吧原创鈥檚 Field House. The Pioneers won 72-42 and captured their sixth WPCC title in eight years. Also shown is 杏吧原创鈥檚 Emma Johns (32) and Westmoreland County鈥檚 Angel Kelly.
"I know that I can come back here years from now and know what I have accomplished. This will always be something to look back on, being a champion with this team."
- Emma Monteleone, 杏吧原创 women's basketball player
since 1980 with a 91-62 victory over Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in 杏吧原创鈥檚 Field House.
Saturday marked the second time that 杏吧原创鈥檚 women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 basketball teams won WPCC championships in the same season and the first time at home.
鈥淥n pace to do very, very well鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 just been so much fun to bring this to the community,鈥� Roth said. 鈥淭he players know they have the community behind them and they can do something positive in the community. We talk about that a lot.鈥�
The WPCC championships follow those won by the college鈥檚 , and squads since May 2022.
Johns on Saturday scored 17 points or more for the eighth time this season, and Monteleone, 13 or more for the seventh.
鈥淚 think we are on pace to do very, very well this season,鈥� Johns said, 鈥渁nd in the future as well.鈥�
杏吧原创 women鈥檚 basketball players, from left, Emma Monteleone, Aslyn Pry and Hailey Metzger are shown Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in 杏吧原创鈥檚 Field House after being selected to the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference all-conference team for a second consecutive year. The Pioneers鈥� Lydia Roth, right, in her first year, was named WPCC coach of the year.
Monteleone, Metzger, Pry, Zoey Hillwig and Taylor Yost also won the WPCC championship in February 2022.
鈥淚 know that I can come back here years from now and know what I have accomplished,鈥� Monteleone said. 鈥淭his will always be something to look back on, being a champion with this team. 鈥� It means a lot to me. I have been playing for so long. This is finally where I am getting to.鈥�
Westmoreland County鈥檚 Angel Kelly and Mercedes Majors were also named to the WPCC all-conference team. Kelly scored 13 points against 杏吧原创 and Majors 12.
Pry as of Saturday was seventh among players on 73 Division III teams with a scoring average of 21.2 and third with a rebounding average of 16.1. Saturday marked the 10th game this season in which she has had 19 or more rebounds.
The Region 20 player of the month for December and for January, and the Division III player of the week Feb. 8 has averaged 27.8 points in her past eight games.
鈥淓verything flows through (Pry),鈥� Westmoreland County coach James Brymn said. 鈥淲e just don鈥檛 have the height to guard her. We try to double (team) her on the inside and then she kicks out to the guards, including (Metzger), who did not play today.
鈥淭oday we tried a little bit of a different defense. We thought we would guard the perimeter and let (Pry) kill us. That way it is one killing us instead of four. And that didn鈥檛 work either.鈥�
杏吧原创 last won a Region 20 championship in 2016.
The Pioneers will be seeded No. 2 and face No. 3 seed Anne Arundel, Arnold, Md., at noon Feb. 25. The winner faces No. 1 seed Prince George鈥檚, Largo, Md., in the championship at noon Feb. 26.
Members of 杏吧原创鈥檚 2023 WPCC championship team are Hillwig, a guard and Moniteau High School graduate; Johns, Karns City; Brooke Manuel, forward, Karns City; Metzger, Butler; Monteleone, Butler; Zoe Morley, forward, Portersville Christian; Megan Pennington, guard, Butler; Pry, Moniteau; Sara Soltis, guard, Mars; and Yost, forward, Seneca Valley.