Mount Pleasant girls preview: Lady Vikings鈥� Giacobbi seeks return trip to WPIAL playoffs
The Mount Pleasant girls basketball team made the WPIAL playoffs last season, and head coach Scott Giacobbi said getting back is one of the team’s goals.
“Our goals are to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs, to win, and to advance,” said Giacobbi. “We’d like to be in position to challenge for a section championship as we work through section play, and we want to be especially tough on our home floor.”
The team got a jump on things over the summer and into the fall.
“The offseason went reasonably well,” said Giacobbi. “We played in a summer league at the Greensburg YMCA, and the team grew in the face of consistently strong competition.
“Our players who were not involved in fall sports worked hard in preseason workouts.”
The team returns a trio of starters in senior guard Riley Gesinski (6.8 points per game), junior wing Nina Province (4.5 ppg), and sophomore guard Morgan Gesinski (5.1ppg).
Junior guard Kayla Rumbaugh, sophomore forward Grace Arrigo, and sophomore wing Carmella Spallone are leading competitors for starting jobs, while the other returning varsity players are sophomore guards Lexie Baker, Emma Hatcher, and Laurel Rummell.
The Vikings are in Section 3-AAA, along with Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Ligonier Valley, and Shady Side Academy.
“The top team in our section is Shady Side Academy,” said Giacobbi. “I believe there’s a lot of parity with the other teams: Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, and Ligonier Valley.”
“We will have a good season if we grow together in our new team roles and play steady, energetic, and aggressive defense,” added Giacobbi.