One of the benefits of high school athletics is the opportunity to perform in front of your family and friends, and to be able to bring enjoyment and pride to your community. Even more special is the chance to do so at the college level.
Kaserra Owens and Ali Rinfrette have known each other going back even before their days at Bradford High School. The countless hours they’ve spent on the basketball court together has only served to strengthen their bond.
Now, as they progress through their final season as teammates at Pitt-Bradford, these two hope to make the most of the time they have left together on the court.
Owens (a senior) and Rinfrette (a junior) are two of the key components of a Lady Panthers team that has been playing some excellent basketball of late, winning each of their last four games.
Their most recent victory was perhaps the most impressive of the season, as UPB trounced Penn State-Altoona 97-58 this past Wednesday to improve to 6-5 overall and 4-1 in conference play.
Rinfrette has quickly developed into one of the best all-around players in the conference: through Wednesday’s contest, the junior was averaging 18.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game while making over 40 percent of her three-point shots.
Owens, meanwhile, is the undisputed leader in the locker room. Her statline (6.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 steals) only reveals a fraction of her impact on the team.
For both players, the chance to play college ball in the town they grew up in is a unique opportunity.
“It’s nice because everyone that watched us growing up playing basketball gets to come out and watch us play more,” Rinfrette said.
Owens and Rinfrette were household names in Bradford when they were still in high school.
In 2011-12, they were part of one of the best teams in recent D-9 history, as those Lady Owls went a perfect 22-0 in the regular season and won two playoff games before eventually falling in the state playoffs.
That amazing season still conjures up happy memories.
“We had an undefeated season so that created a lot of hype for all of us,” Rinfrette said. “We were riding a big crowd.”
With Owens being the older of the two, her college decision came first. She was immediately drawn to the close proximity of UPB, as well as the chance to continue her career.
“I wanted to keep playing after high school and I really liked the Pitt-Bradford program,” Owens said.
Rinfrette had similar reasons for choosing UPB. Not only would she be joining her longtime teammate and friend, but she would also be able to do so in front of a familiar crowd.
“I wanted my family and friends to be able to watch me play and staying in town was the best choice,” Rinfrette said. “And I liked that it was such a great school, too.”
During their season apart, Owens came up with her own recruiting pitch to make sure her old compatriot followed her to the college ranks.
“We really wanted her to come, so our whole team would go to every [Bradford] home game that we could to make sure she came to UPB,” Owens said.
After that display, there was little doubt in Rinfrette’s mind as to where she would be playing next season.
“Of course I wanted to keep playing with her,” Rinfrette said with a smile. “We’ve been playing together forever.”
As homegrown products, Owens and Rinfrette serve as leaders not only on the court, but off as well. That’s especially true when it comes to developing relationships with teammates who are from out of town, in some cases as far away as Virginia (freshman Allison Guengerich) or Illinois (freshman Lyric Collins).
“It’s probably a big change for them,” Owens said. “We try to hang out and do team things together. We bond pretty well, pretty fast.”
Some of the other new faces Owens and Rinfrette had to get used to were actually old faces. Their current teammates Anna Colebert and Brittany Watts – hailing from Eldred and Johnsonburg, respectively – were among those that were once opponents in high school. But putting aside the intensity from those past matchups proved to be no issue.
“We connected so fast, it doesn’t even seem like we used to play against each other,” Owens said. “We laugh about it now.”
As Owens and Rinfrette approach the end of their time at UPB both on the court and in the classroom, it’s interesting to note that the two share similar hopes for their future outside of basketball.
Owens is currently applying to graduate schools to become either a physician assistant or nurse, while Rinfrette is currently studying to become a nurse and hopes to continue her education as well.
With the Lady Panthers playing their best ball of the season, the hope is that Owens and Rinfrette can make their final year together last as long as possible. But whenever it ends, you can be sure that the connection between the two will stay as strong as ever.
