Lancaster the top seed as playoffs get underway

LANCASTER - weeping through ECIC-I in any sport in any season is certainly a tall task. And in girls basketball, unless you live in Jamestown, that wasn’t happening.

Lancaster changed all that this season.

Led by a senior class that’s learned lessons from previous seasons’ setbacks, a sophomore sensation and a Player of the Year-caliber newcomer, the Lady Redskins swept through the big-school conference to earn a top-seed for the upcoming Section VI playoffs.

“I dreamed about it, but I didn’t think it was actually going to happen,” said senior Samantha Wozniak, a four-year starter. “It’s a dream come true.”

Not only did Lancaster win ECIC-I, the Redskins dominated their league foes. Just one league victory was by single-digits - that was a nine-point win over Frontier on Jan. 31.

That included a season-sweep of perennial power Jamestown, with the victories coming by an average of 13.5 points per game.

Those were the Red Raiders only two league losses all season.

Lancaster’s lone loss came in the weather-delayed Lockport Kiwanis Tournament to Albany-area power Shenendehowa on Feb. 17.

The Redskins won their other 17 games and that Frontier game was the only victory that didn’t reach double-digits.

Certainly an impressive regular season, but that’s not the ultimate goal. The Lady Redskins are thinking big for the Section VI playoffs.

They enter as a top-seed and hope to find themselves at Niagara County Community College for the sectional title.

“We’re just looking forward to every game as it comes,” senior forward Katie Healy said. “We’re not looking at the past or to celebrate what we have so far; we want to keep going.”

They sure have what it takes to do that. The St. Bonaventure-bound Healy has been a welcomed addition to the line-up after transferring from Sacred Heart for her senior season.

She leads the team in scoring (16.8 points per game), rebounds (10.2 per game) and blocks (3.1 per game).

Wozniak contributes 12.8 points per game and serves as the team’s floor leader.

Sophomore Sarah Saba has also excelled in her second varsity season with 13.7 points per game.

Wozniak and Healy are the big-name players from the Class of 2012, but the Redskins have also received contributions from the other seniors as well, including guards Juliana Kotas, Jacqueline Porreca, Ashley Long and Kelly Krnjach as well as forward Allee Jurewicz.

“It’s a nice senior class,” Lancaster coach Karen Catalano said. “They’ve worked hard and everyone plays their roles.”