Why, despite loss, St. Joseph’s girls’ basketball’s 2nd PIAA berth shows growth of program
St. Joseph’s senior Maggie Mangene hugged her coach in the waning seconds of Saturday’s game — choking back tears as the embrace lingered — before she quickly caught herself and took the bench for the final time.
Soon after that moment, Mangene’s Wolfpack fell to Berlin Brothersvalley 44-31 Saturday in the first round of the PIAA Class A Girls’ Basketball Championships. But that’s not why Mangene needed a few moments to collect herself.
“I wasn’t sad that we lost,” she said. “I was sad that I’m not going to be able to come back and help next year.”
For four seniors — three of whom spent their entire careers here — it was difficult to say goodbye. Tears and hugs punctuated the final 15 seconds of play but, about 15 minutes after a locker room speech by their coach, the quartet was in a more reflective mood, joking around with each other in the hallway outside Altoona’s gym.
After all, when Mangene and Co. first suited up for the small school in 2016, realistic expectations consisted of winning a couple games. St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy had just five wins four years ago. “We had to teach how to dribble,” Mangene recalled with a smile, “and what offense and defense meant.”
But, last season, the program turned a corner with its first-ever state tournament berth. And, despite losing their top-two players, the Wolfpack again made the state tournament this season — even improving their district seeding in spite of a young roster.
SJCA’s coach wanted her players to keep that in mind as they left the gym Saturday.
“We’re proud of them to get this far into the playoffs,” coach Kate Sosnoskie said. “Would we have loved to (win and) play on Wednesday? Absolutely. But we’re proud of them. They’re a great group of kids.”
Saturday afternoon’s game started routinely enough for the seniors. Berlin (16-9) opened by nailing back-to-back 3s; SJCA (13-11) rallied to take a 10-8 lead near the end of the first quarter.
But that’s when everything started moving south. From that moment until the start of the third quarter, a span of 11:38, SJCA managed just a single field goal. Berlin increased the pressure, camped its two tallest girls underneath the basket, and SJCA couldn’t hit a shot. The Lady Mountaineers went on a 16-2 run during that span and turned the game on its head.
St. Joseph’s trailed 24-12 after that run and never recovered. Berlin led by at least nine the rest of the way. But that drought wasn’t in the forefront of the girls’ minds after the game.
“In the locker room, we were actually talking about how the expectations have risen,” said senior Brynn Hershbine, who finished with five points. “We’re expected to make the state playoffs now. We play hard; we make states.”
Hershbine, Magene and fellow senior Emma Mallison watched this program come a long way. As freshmen, for example, they twice lost to Philipsburg-Osceola by an average margin of 31.5 points. As seniors, they beat P-O by 30.
St. Joseph’s sophomore Kate Youngmark doesn’t know what not making the state tournament feels like.
“Those girls have just built the program,” she said, alluding to the seniors. “I don’t really know what it was like when they were here and the team was still growing, but I know they worked their butts off to get us to where we are today. I’m really grateful for them.”
The three took on early leadership positions, remained patient with their young talent and helped develop both the players and the program. Sosnoskie called them the foundation for the program’s success.
The Wolfpack’s season is now over, while Berlin will advance to play North Clarion (25-1) on Wednesday at a place and time TBD. But the Wolfpack’s seniors know, even if they lost their final game, that they’re leaving this program in a lot better shape than they left it.
Four of SJCA’s top six players return next season, and both of Saturday’s top scorers — Youngmark (11 points) and junior Kathleen Simander (12 points) — will be back again. So, despite Saturday’s loss, SJCA’s senior quartet of Mangene, Hershbine, Mallison and Ruthanna McMurtrie didn’t stumble out of the locker room with frowns.
They’re satisfied with their careers.
“It’s hard knowing I’m never going to wear a St. Joseph’s basketball jersey again,” Hershbine said. “But, looking back, making states was a really cool accomplishment. And coming off (the court), it was just like, now we’re leaving the program in good hands.”
Added Mangene: “It makes me proud. It makes me proud to know I got to be a part of something way bigger than myself.”
Berlin Brothersvalley 44, St. Joseph’s 31
(Saturday at Altoona)
St. Joseph’s 10 2 10 9 — 31
Berlin 10 10 16 8 — 44
St. Joseph’s (13-11)
Simander 4 2-2 12, Youngmark 4 2-2 11, Scanlon 0 0-0 0, Hershbine 2 0-0 5, Mangene 0 1-2 1, McMurtrie 0 0-0 0, Mallison 0 0-0 0, Eby 0 0-0 0, Laporta 0 0-0 0, Wolf 0 0-0 0, Ott 0 2-2 2. Totals 10 7-8 31.
Berlin (16-9)
Yanosky 5 4-6 16, DeArmitt 2 0-0 4, Hunt 2 1-2 5, R. Stoltzfus 3 0-0 7, Countryman 2 2-6 6, Sechler 3 0-1 6. Totals 17 7-15 44.
3-pointers: SJCA — Simander 2, Youngmark, Hershbine. BB —Yanosky 2, R. Stoltzfus.
