SPRING MILLS — There are many things that people can potentially accomplish in 19 years, but Penns Valley Area girls basketball head coach Karen McCaffrey reached the milestone of a lifetime.
McCaffrey secured her 300th victory as Penns Valley head coach Feb. 21, leading her squad over the Ligonier Valley Rams 60-50 in an opening round playoff game. Penns Valley gathered at center court to celebrate the team win and McCaffrey’s career night.
The 19-year veteran’s happiness could not be shaken, but she was still focused and ready to prepare for a rematch at Central High School Thursday, Feb. 23 (Central won both games during the regular season).
“The 300 is great and I am very gracious and thankful for everybody who put all of this together, but I’m more excited that we get to advance in districts and we get a chance to play Central again,” McCaffrey said.
Penns Valley was electric to start the game, jumping out to an 11-2 lead early in the first quarter. Ligonier Valley responded quickly as sophomore Alexia Boyd nailed a three-pointer to keep her team close.
In the second quarter, Penns Valley senior Kourtney Beamesderfer opened the frame with a trey to put her team up 22-13. Ligonier Valley tried to offer as much resistance as it could, but Penns Valley was clicking in all aspects of the game.
To cap off the half, Penns Valley freshman guard Hannah Montminy did it all by herself garnering a steal, driving down the court on the fast break and finishing with the lay in and a drawn foul to extend the lead to 35-18.
Ligonier Valley unpacked the full court press in its second-half game plan, and it put heavy pressure on the Penns Valley girls. Ligonier forced two turnovers early in the third to allow momentum to shift back in its favor.
Penns Valley countered quickly, though, behind Beamesderfer, who converted a smooth teardrop shot and a contested three-pointer at the top of the arc on back-to-back possessions.
Ligonier Valley cut the deficit to 10 in the fourth, but Penns Valley was able to hold off its relentless opponent to advance to the next round of the District 6 playoffs.
Ligonier Valley head coach Tim Gustin was very proud of his team, even though the comeback effort fell short.
“We’re resilient and we’ve been resilient all year,” Gustin said. “The second half was the team we thought we were going to be the whole game.”
The night was one to remember for McCaffrey and Penns Valley, now 16-7 on the season. The gym was filled with “300” signs as fans held them high at the end of the game.
Like all good 300-win head coaches, when asked how she would celebrate the night’s achievement, McCaffrey stated that she would be drawing up plans for the next day’s team practice.
