It appears it could be another typical season in women’s basketball at Saint Vincent.
The Bearcats are overwhelming favorites to repeat as Presidents’ Athletic Conference champions after completing an abbreviated 10-0 schedule a year ago, capped by a victory over Washington & Jefferson in the PAC Tournament championship game.
“Typical Saint Vincent basketball. We’ve got 8 to 12 players in our rotation,” coach Jimmy Petruska said after the Bearcats defeated Juniata last week in their opener. “On paper, at this point in the year, you absolutely need to believe that your team is capable of winning a championship. I think the (league’s) other nine coaches are thinking the same thing.”
Saint Vincent, with an experienced group returning, including two starters — sophomore center Ella Marconi and junior guard/forward Taylor Geer — received eight first-place votes in the PAC preseason poll, and W&J received the other two.
The 6-foot-2 Marconi was Saint Vincent’s second-leading scorer (12.0 ppg.) and leading rebounder (8.6 rpg,) a year ago, and the 5-10 Geer (10.1 ppg.) wound up as the fourth-highest scorer for the Bearcats.
Geer led Saint Vincent with 22 points in the season-opening, 75-63 victory Nov. 9 at Juniata.
Among Saint Vincent’s departures from a year ago were two key players — Jenna Lafko (15.9) and Carlee Kilgus (11.8) — who combined for nearly 28 points per game.
Lafko, who helped Saint Vincent to a combined record of 71-22 during her four-year playing career and was the PAC Player of the Year as a junior, has joined Petruska’s staff as an assistant.
“I’m honored to be given the opportunity to come back to the program,” said Lafko, a Hampton product, who was a three-time all-PAC selection. “Saint Vincent is home, and being given the chance to continue in the game that gave me so much is a great feeling.”
Other key returnees at Saint Vincent are 5-11 junior forward Madison Weber, 5-9 sophomore guard/forward Alana Winkler and 5-3 sophomore guard Emily Cavacini.
Marconi, Geer, Weber, Winkler and Cavacini landed on the PAC “players to watch” list.
Meanwhile, former Bishop Canevin star Lauren Gamble has returned to the team after a two-year hiatus. Gamble played in 18 games as a freshman before leaving the team before the start of her sophomore year in 2018.
In high school, she led Bishop Canevin to three championships in four WPIAL title game appearances and two PIAA runner-up finishes. She also was selected to play in the 2018 Roundball Classic at Geneva.
“She just decided to come back and hasn’t looked back,” said Petruska, who is in his 12th season as Saint Vincent’s coach. In that time, he has led the Bearcats to two PAC championships and seven conference tournament title game appearances.
Whatever his formula is for winning, it seems to be working.
“We don’t focus on who we’re playing as much as we just want to be prepared in every aspect,” he said. “From the scouting reports to the execution, we want to be in a sound mind when we go out onto the floor. We approach every practice with the focus on ‘getting better than yesterday.’
“Sometimes, when you don’t have that approach, you can take steps back.”
Petruska is a self-proclaimed American history buff, conceding that he’s studied the subject with passion. It was his undergraduate major at Saint Vincent, he said.
“I tell my girls something that has stuck with me ever since I read it,” Petruska said. “I think it’s a good thing to keep in your mind: Abraham Lincoln once said that the harder he worked, the more luck he seemed to have.”
Are you listening, ladies?