After a program transformation, St. Joseph’s girls basketball sets sights on further success
Players on this year’s Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy girls basketball team don’t have to look far for motivation — or for evidence of the fruits of their labor. Three seasons ago, the Wolfpack endured an 0-17 season, their closest opportunity at a win that year extinguished when a last-second Halifax attempt handed Saint Joseph’s another loss.
The 2023-24 season saw a drastic shift in the team’s success and mindset, as Saint Joseph’s followed that winless season by recording 25 wins and securing an appearance in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.
This year, with 17 wins already secured along with the experience and confidence from four starters (six returners) on that postseason squad, Wolfpack players are poised to lift the program to even greater heights.
“The biggest takeaway from last season’s run was a difference in maturity,” junior point guard Naomi Crispin said. “Last year was very new for all of us, but this year we are much more accustomed to each other. We are all so much more mature as individual basketball players as well as a team.”
The Wolfpack are led by 29-year coaching veteran Bethany Irwin, whose first season with the program was also the year it went winless. Irwin shepherded programs at State College and Bellefonte before taking six years off to support her daughter and son as they pursued their athletic careers at the University of Connecticut (basketball) and Stony Brook University (football), respectively.
While grateful for the six-year break, Irwin knew she wouldn’t be away from the sport for long. A phone call with school administration in Boalsburg, in part, helped set in motion her return to the sport she’s been involved in as either a player or a coach for nearly five decades.
Though Saint Joseph’s is well-positioned to make its second consecutive postseason appearance, Irwin vividly recalls her first season and a team rife with inexperience, with some girls having never played the sport before. While that inaugural season included more downs than ups on the hardwood, Wolfpack players and Irwin attribute it to the success experienced today.
“The first year was just trying to establish the program and survive it,” Irwin said. “There were four girls who had never played before and we only had nine on the roster. But I absolutely loved that year.”
This season has seen its share of banner moments, none perhaps bigger than a road win at Williamsburg, a program responsible for handing the Wolfpack two of their three losses last season.
“Last season, we played to the pace of our competition in big games,” junior guard Lauren Himes said. “This year we really focus on playing our game at our pace and controlling what we can while on the court.”
Individually, this Wolfpack season has been highlighted by Crispin scoring her 1,000th career point. Crispin attained the milestone in a five-point loss to Bishop Carroll — Saint Joseph’s lone blemish to date. And barring injury, Irwin said junior forward Aubrey Yartz is on pace to accomplish the same feat in two statistical categories next season with Yartz excelling in scoring and rebounding this year. Yartz has been with Irwin since the pair’s first season in 2022.
“I have grown in my knowledge of the game and I have become more comfortable pushing myself outside my comfort zone,” Yartz said of her development over the past three seasons. “I think having a great coaching staff and great teammates to push me every day in practice and during games has truly been a blessing.”
Through 18 games, the Wolfpack have allowed just 31.6 points per outing to opponents while averaging 63 points per contest. Saint Joseph’s has held eight opponents under 25 points. The Wolfpack defense was stout last year, but players said an emphasis at the beginning of this season was remaining efficient.
“At the beginning of the season, we really honed in on our defense and perfecting it,” junior forward Jacee Cunningham said. “I feel that we’ve improved how we defend from last year and hold them to below their averages more often than not, which is important. A lot more of our points now come from transition due to steals and rebounds, which stem from defense.”
Irwin credits the growth of sophomore guard Alexia Luckovich for spearheading the Wolfpack’s defensive identity this season.
“Her defense just sets the tone,” Irwin said of Luckovich. “We do a lot of different types of defenses because she is so strong at it. We just say, ‘Hey, you’ve got the best player out there; you have to try to shut her down.’ And the girls around her help with that situation.”
In just three seasons, Irwin and her players have transformed the program from innocuous to formidable. While last year included the group’s first trip to the postseason, the 10 players on Saint Joseph’s roster have their sights on taking it even further this season.
“Last year, we came in not knowing how far we would go, and after seeing all we are capable of we are more confident in not only each other but ourselves as players,” Yartz said. “This year we definitely have a big target on our back but I think it has been motivation for us to push each other harder and get a little better at something every day.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 9:30 AM.