PINE GROVE — The best freshman in the Schuylkill League was on the court Saturday when Pine Grove hosted Jim Thorpe in a makeup matinee.
But which freshman?
Saturday, the best freshman was Pine Grove’s Rachel Edge, who dominated all facets of the game and launched the Cardinals to a 75-50 Schuylkill League Division I victory over the Olympians.
“This is no knock on any other kid. I know she feels like that, I certainly feel like that — that’s the best freshman in the league,” Pine Grove coach Chris George said of Edge. “No one’s seen her yet. We haven’t been in the league play. ... Once the ball comes for her, it’s scary. It’s scary how good she can be at this game.”
Edge finished with a game-high 24 points, 10 rebounds, seven steals and two assists as Pine Grove (4-8, 2-3 D-I) became the latest team to rough up Jim Thorpe’s struggling defense.
The Olympians (7-5, 3-2) are last in the league in points allowed per game this season, giving up an average of 53.7.
The Cardinals started taking control Saturday during a 14-2
run midway through the second quarter.
Edge contributed six points, two assists, two rebounds and a steal to the run that put Pine Grove ahead 37-22 with 2:01 to play before halftime.
“I just really wanted to get the basketball,” Edge said. “I just tried to go crazy and try my best to get the ball.”
Edge was three steals shy of a triple-double, but perhaps her biggest impact came on the glass.
Pine Grove dominated the boards in the first half and kept Jim Thorpe and freshman leading scorer Kayley Kovac pinned in their own end.
After periods of lengthy possession, the Cardinals broke down the Olympians’ 1-3-1 zone defense.
“I thought early in the game especially we were really successful in making them take the kind of shots a zone wants to take,” Jim Thorpe coach Rob Kovac said. “But we didn’t rebound out of it. We probably defended 100 possessions today when you count all the offensive rebounds we gave up.
“It’s just too many. When you’re giving up two or three shots a possession, eventually the other team is going to make some shots.”
Those shots continued in the third quarter, when Pine Grove outscored Thorpe 24-7. Edge had nine points during the frame.
Kovac, the area’s leading scorer at 26.2 points a game, was held scoreless in the third thanks to the defensive efforts of Edge’s older sister, Morgan — who, in addition to guarding Kovac, finished with 11 points of her own.
Jen Kaufman also had 11 points for Pine Grove.
Kovac still got her points, but had to fight for them for the second straight night. The freshman scored 14 points Friday against Division I leader North Schuylkill in a 78-40 loss and put in 17 Saturday at Pine Grove.
“You know what you’re getting (with Kovac),” George said. “She’s going to get to the paint, she’s going to get to the foul line, she goes strong, she’s big and physical.
“... Once she starts adding other things to her game, she’s going to be tough to stop. Right now, if you do a few things and keep her in certain spots, you can contain her.”
Gabbie Binder took advantage of the coverage on Kovac and finished with a team-high 20 points for Jim Thorpe.
But it wasn’t enough as Pine Grove galloped away to its second straight Division I win after starting the season 0-3 in Schuylkill League action.
“We’re not making any excuses about our record,” George said. “But honestly, if you look at who we played so far, our eight losses are against some of the best triple, quad-A teams in the state. Our two double-A losses were Minersville, North Schuylkill — easily two of the best double-A teams in the state.”
Saturday’s victory, coupled with the Cardinals’ 59-24 win over Tamaqua on Friday, stopped a stretch where Pine Grove won just one in seven.
“And we’ve been playing with teams. We’ve been right there,” George said. “We just needed to get a break in our schedule a little bit. We’re starting to get that and you’re starting to see what we can really do.”
Ahead on the league schedule for the Cardinals are Panther Valley and Lehighton, which are a combined 2-7 in the Schuylkill League this season, providing an opportunity for Pine Grove to move even higher in the divisional standings.
“This one was really important to us,” Rachel Edge said. “Yesterday, after we won against Tamaqua, we immediately began to focus on this game because we knew it was so important.
“Our hopes are high,” Edge added. “We’re hoping that this is the turning point in our season and that we get some more wins.”
Game Summary
JIM THORPE (50) — P. Kovac 1 3-3 5, Naranjo 2 2-4 6, Binder 6 8-11 20, K. Kovac 8 1-10 17, Cressman 0 0-0 0, Gabel 0 0-0 0, Waselus 0 0-0 0, Lignore 1 0-1 2, Doughty 0 0-0 0, Bush 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 14-28 50.
PINE GROVE (75) — Cay. Conrad 4 0-0 8, R. Edge 9 6-10 24, Shiffer 3 0-0 8, M. Edge 4 3-6 11, Whitman 4 0-0 8, Wolff 1 0-0 2, Car. Conrad 0 3-4 3, Kaufman 5 0-0 11, Mabry 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 9-20 75.
JT (7-5, 3-2) 17 12 7 14 — 50 PG (4-8, 2-3) 18 26 24 7 — 75
3-point FGs: Shiffer 2, Kaufman
JV score: Jim Thorpe 38-32