Their seasons are long over, but the accolades keep rolling in for some of the state’s top high school hoopers.
The 2020 Pennsylvania Sportswriters’ Class A All-State Girls Basketball Team was released Wednesday, and two local players made the cut.
Elk County Catholic senior forward Taylor Newton was selected to this year’s second team all-state and Coudersport’s Sarah Chambers earned a nod on the third team.
Newton, who is running track and field at the University of Pittsburgh next year, was a force in the paint all season for the Lady Crusaders.
The 5-foot-11 Newton picked up double-doubles in all but five of the Lady Crusaders’ 28 games this year and averaged 12 rebounds per contest as she led ECC to a third-place finish in Class A and into the first round of the PIAA playoffs.
She averaged just under 17 points per game, picked up 20 rebounds in a game twice — against DuBois and DuBois Catholic — and scored a season-high 27 points in a game against Bradford in late January.
Newton came on especially strong in the postseason, posting 17 points and 20 rebounds in her first round matchup against Union. After 30 combined points in her next two D9 postseason games, she picked up a double-double with a 20-point, 10-rebound game in a first-round PIAA loss to Tussey Mountain, her final high school game.
She was named the District 9 League’s MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and ended her career with 1,397 points.
Chambers, meanwhile, was the catalyst to the Coudersport girls’ run to a D9 Class A title and a berth into the PIAA Elite Eight.
The 6-foot forward was named the North Tier League girls MVP, a Big 30 All-Star and led the Lady Falcons to a 23-4 record that included a perfect 16-0 mark in the North Tier League.
Like Newton, she averaged a double double this year with 13.6 ppg and 11.5 rpg. Chambers posted big numbers defensively, as well, with 3.7 steals per game and 4.2 blocks per game.
Her biggest shot of the season came in the Class A title game against North Clarion. With her team down by one, Chambers caught a pass from just beyond the 3-point line off an inbound, shook off a defender and converted an and-1 with 3.4 seconds remaining to lift Coudersport past the previously undefeated Wolves.
She then went on to score 27 total points in two PIAA state playoff games and had helped the Lady Falcons to a quarterfinal date with Kennedy Catholic before the remainder of the tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus.
Also from District 9, North Clarion’s Abby Gatesman was selected to the first team all-state. Gatesman helped the Lady Wolves to an unbeaten regular season campaign and a trip to the PIAA Class A quarterfinals. She averaged 14.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg and hit 49 3-pointers this year. Gatesman is playing college basketball next year at Clarion University.
Kennedy Catholic’s Malia Magestro was named the Player of the Year in Class A, and Jenkintown’s Jim Romano was selected as Coach of the Year.
