Why State College wasn’t satisfied with Friday’s first-round PIAA girls’ basketball win
State College’s Maya Bokunewicz tucked her mouthpiece into her uniform, shook hands with her opponents and then jogged into the locker room — without so much as a smile.
Sure, Bokunewicz had just led the Lady Little Lions to a 46-36 win over Upper Saint Clair in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A Girls’ Basketball Championships. But the senior forward didn’t see any reason to celebrate Friday. Her expectations for this group remain higher.
“Obviously we’re super happy we’re advancing,” said Bokunewicz, who scored a game-high 29 points, “but we demand more of ourselves. And I don’t think, quite frankly, we delivered as much as we should have coming down the stretch.”
State College opened the game on a 7-0 run and led 18-4 after the first quarter. It kept Upper Saint Clair at arm’s length, with at least a seven-point cushion, for the last 24 minutes. But it also didn’t finish cleanly, watching a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter evaporate into an eight-point advantage.
It was a strong performance — just not a solid end. So, although State College will play WPIAL champion North Allegheny (23-3) in the second round Tuesday at a place and time TBD, Bokunewicz wasn’t the only player who remained stone-faced after the final whistle.
“We know that we can play better than that,” added senior Izzy Leazier, who scored seven points.
Friday’s first-round game at Bald Eagle Area’s gym was uneven from start to finish, even if it wasn’t particularly close. Bokunewicz scored 11 points in the first quarter alone but, from late in the first quarter until late in the second, State College went on a scoreless streak that lasted 8:04 after its opponent switched to a 2-3 zone. Fortunately for the Lady Little Lions, their man-to-man defense held Upper Saint Clair without a field goal for a period of 7:17.
State College led at the half, 22-13.
Bokunewicz and Leazier combined for all of State College’s 12 points in the third quarter, and they both remained on the floor for the entire final period.
After all, State College’s coach pointed out, Upper Saint Clair overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit against Baldwin earlier in the season. So he wasn’t about to pull his starters and count on a victory until the final whistle.
“My blood pressure was up, for sure,” State College coach Chris Leazier said with a laugh.
Upper Saint Clair (14-9) resorted to fouling inside the final three minutes but, once again, Bokunewicz came up big. In the fourth quarter alone, the 6-foot senior — who’s committed to Rice — went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line, while the rest of her team finished 1-for-3.
The calm-and-collected vet made sure State College’s lead never fell below eight points in the fourth. And there wasn’t much else Upper Saint Clair could do.
“She’s a really good basketball player,” Upper Saint Clair coach Pete Serio said, referring to Bokunewicz. “She’s legit. ... Not only can she handle the ball but, with that size, it’s hard to guard her. She can protect the ball so easily, she can throw over top of whatever defense we’re running, and she shot it really well today.”
Bokunewicz was the only player, on either team, to score in every quarter Friday night. She was the only player on either team to reach double digits in scoring. And, early in the final quarter, she was single-handedly outscoring Upper Saint Clair’s entire team 23-19.
Still, the future Division I prospect wasn’t satisfied with her, or her team’s, performance. This, advancing to the PIAA second round, is what the Lady Little Lions’ seniors expected before the season — and they’d much prefer to celebrate a win that exceeded their expectations.
State College (19-6) has won just three PIAA tournament games since 2011. And it hasn’t won a second-round game in more than a decade. So that’s next on the to-do list.
“It’d be amazing,” Bokunewicz said about a potential second-round win. “It’d be super meaningful to the program.”
Maybe then, on Tuesday night, the no-nonsense senior will finally have cause to smile.
State College 46, Upper Saint Clair 36
(Friday at Wingate)
State College 18 4 12 12 — 46
Upper St. Clair 4 9 6 17 — 36
State College (19-6)
Gregg 1 0-1 2, Bokunewicz 8 11-14 29, Leazier 2 1-2 7, Coleman 1 1-1 3, Brannon 2 1-2 5. Totals 14 14-20 46.
Upper Saint Clair (14-9)
A. Prunzik 1 2-2 4, S. Prunzik 1 0-0 2, Dellicarri 1 0-0 3, James 0 4-4 4, Keating 2 2-2 6, Robbins 4 1-1 9, Brown 4 0-0 8. Totals 13 9-9 36.
3-pointers: SC — Bokunewicz 2, Leazier 2; USC — Dellicarri.
This story was originally published March 6, 2020 at 11:19 PM with the headline "Why State College wasn’t satisfied with Friday’s first-round PIAA girls’ basketball win."
