Do-it-all stars
Geibel\'s Larkin, Uniontown\'s Jenkins highlight H-S All-Area Girls Basketball Team
Defining a single position for Geibel Catholic鈥檚 Emma Larkin and Uniontown鈥檚 Aierra Jenkins was a difficult task.
Both seniors played a variety of roles to help their respective teams, whether it was scoring, rebounding, handling the ball, playing defense or being a leader.
They both succeeded against defenses that focused on stopping them, many times facing double, and at times, triple teams.
The two star players highlight the 2026 缅北禁地 Girls All-Area Basketball Team.
Larkin is the Girls Small School (Class A-3A) Player of the Year and Jenkins is the Big School (Class 4A-6A) Player of the Year.
It鈥檚 the third time Larkin has been honored as the H-S Player of the Year. Her senior season and career resume is packed with amazing accomplishments.
Larkin broke the Geibel and Fayette County all-time scoring records, broke her own record for points scored in a game and was named to the All-State Class A First Team for the third year in a row.
鈥淚鈥檓 proud of the career I鈥檝e had and everything I was able to accomplish alongside my teammates,鈥� Larkin said. 鈥淥ver four years, I worked to grow my game and be someone my team could count on, and this season everything came together. I became the school鈥檚 all-time leading scorer (surpassing Shelley Bortz) and later broke the county鈥檚 all-time scoring record for both girls and boys (surpassing Albert Gallatin鈥檚 Ellen Guillard, then known as Loui Hall).鈥�
Larkin鈥檚 senior statistics included 632 points, (24.3 per game, tops among area players and fourth in the WPIAL), 148 rebounds, (5.7 per game), 217 assists (8.3 per game) and 104 steals (4.0 per game).
Her amazing career numbers were 2,541 points, 606 rebounds, 489 assists and 395 steals.
What she treasured above all else, however, was leading the Lady Gators to the WPIAL championship game at the Petersen Events Center.
鈥淢ore than the numbers, what means the most is helping lead our team to the championship game and doing everything I could to raise the level of play around me,鈥� Larkin said.
Larkin was recognized all over the region and state for her performance this season. In addition to the All-State honor, she was named to the Post-Gazette All-WPIAL Class A team and to the Trib Terrific 10 All-Star team and as its Class A Player of the Year.
鈥淓arning all these honors is something I鈥檓 grateful for, but it鈥檚 really a reflection of the people around me,鈥� Larkin said.
鈥淚鈥檓 especially thankful for my mom (Geibel head coach Sara Larkin) and all of my coaches who supported me, challenged me and believed in me every step of the way. I鈥檒l always value the relationships, the hard work, and the chance to represent my school the right way.鈥�
The Lady Gators ended the season with a 23-3 record.
Larkin will continue her career at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina.
Jenkins, like Larkin, worked hard to get where she is, which is a PennWest California recruit not only in basketball but also flag football, another sport she is currently flourishing in at Uniontown.
鈥淚 put so many hours in the gym, just working on my craft everyday, and I feel like it all paid off,鈥� said Jenkins, who was the area鈥檚 third-leading scorer and eighth in the WPIAL at 21.3 points per game.
Jenkins was also named to the Class 4A All-State Third Team.
Dierre Jenkins, Aierre鈥檚 head coach and father, counted on her heavily.
鈥淚 played almost every position,鈥� Aierre Jenkins said. 鈥淚 had to be the point guard, the shooting guard, the big, so I really was just moving all around the court.鈥�
Wherever she went, usually multiple defenders followed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a mental thing when you鈥檙e being double-teamed, when the defense is focusing on you so much,鈥� Jenkins said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of pressure and sometimes it was kind of hard to keep my cool, but in the end you have to just calm yourself and do the best you can for your team and play the game.鈥�
The Lady Raiders ended the season with a 10-12 record despite facing a brutal schedule playing in Section 4-5A.
She felt the constant defensive pressure she faced was a blessing in disguise.
鈥淚t definitely helped my game,鈥� Jenkins said. 鈥淏efore, I never had to take the ball up and maybe get out of a trap or things like that. This year really prepared me for what could possibly happen in college.鈥�
Jenkins said the Vulcans see her as forward.
California also noticed her flag football potential and recruited her for that sport as well.
鈥淚 said hey, let me try it,鈥� Jenkins said when Uniontown offered the varsity sport. 鈥淎nd I ended up loving it.鈥�
Her dad wasn鈥檛 sold on her being on the football field at first.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want her to play because I didn鈥檛 want her to get hurt for basketball,鈥� said Dierre Jenkins, who eventually relented. 鈥淪he played two games and had like six touchdowns and four interceptions. Cal U was there and saw it.
鈥淪he got invited to the Big 33 game, which her grandpap, Billy McLee also played in, in 1976.鈥�
The H-S Coaches of the Year are Belle Vernon鈥檚 Cornelious Nesbit (Big School) and Geibel鈥檚 Sara Larkin (Small School).
Nesbit guided a team with no senior starter to a section title, a WPIAL playoff win and a PIAA playoff victory. The Lady Leopards finished 23-5.
Larkin had a roster that included only seven players but still managed to guide the Lady Gators to the WPIAL final. There she proved her worth, guiding a team that was missing the area鈥檚 second-leading scorer in talented center Mallory Clemmer, out after suffering a fluke injury, to within a final shot by her daughter Emma that barely rolled off the rim of winning the title.
Larkin beat out Waynesburg Central coach Mark Capozzoli who led a group that included a talented trio of freshmen to a 21-4 record and a playoff win.
Other coaches who steered their teams into the postseason were Ben Brudnock at West Greene, Elizabeth Trump at Beth-Center, Brandi Sutherland at California, Rick Hill at Laurel Highlands and Scott Hillen at Mount Pleasant.
The complete 缅北禁地 All-Area Girls Basketball team follows:
SMALL SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Emma Larkin, senior, Geibel Catholic
BIG SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Aierra Jenkins, senior, Uniontown
SMALL SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR
Sara Larkin, Geibel Catholic
BIG SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR
Cornelious Nesbit, Belle Vernon
FIRST TEAM
Emma Larkin, senior, Geibel Catholic; Aierra Jenkins, senioir, Uniontown; Mallory Clemmer, sophomore, Geibel Catholic; Kendra Tharp, senior, West Greene; Saige Mickens, freshman, Connellsville; Aubrey Brown, sophomore, Belle Vernon; Ava Clark, senior, Brownsville; Violet Trump, senior, Beth-Center; Tess Pauley, freshman, Waynesburg Central; Lila Mitchell, freshman, California.
SECOND TEAM
Lyla McConnell, Belle Vernon; Emma Blair and Addonae Johnson, Waynesburg Central; Hayley Gibson, California; Janiah Darnell and Alexa Morgan, Geibel Catholic; Jillissa Yeater, West Greene; Taylor Schwertfeger, Laurel Highlands; Lyric McLee, Uniontown; Ryleigh Drzal, Mount Pleasant.
THIRD TEAM
Charley Murtha, Uniontown; Saylor Lee and Isis Almyty, Belle Vernon; Macey Orndorff and Maggie Orndorff, Connellsville; Chloe Price, Laurel Highlands; Kyleigh McDaniel, Beth-Center; Madelyn Roberts, West Greene; Ava Wood, Jefferson-Morgan; Allie Yauch, Frazier.
HONORABLE MENTION
Lauren Hartley, California; Peyton Cowell and Chatham Knight, Waynesburg Central; Addison Smith, Connellsville; Aubree Long and Rhiannon Feather, Uniontown; Ciara Horabik and Skyler Gates, Brownsville; Alexia Fisher, Beth-Center; Emaleigh Horn, Geibel Catholic; McKayla Shea and Ellie Seese, Albert Gallatin; Ke鈥橪ani Chun and Joselyn Carter, Carmichaels; Malana Burton, Emersyn Roebuck and Chloe Harger, Frazier; Brelynn Wood and Beautiful Medlen, Jefferson-Morgan; Emma Zalar and Makenns Lotspeich, Mapletown; Morgan Gesinski, Mount Pleasant; Ashley Seder, Southmoreland.