AMD Industries takes rematch in opener

By JEREMY SELLEW
jsellew@yourmvi.com
The Mon Valley Independent Summer Basketball League tipped off its first season Monday with a tripleheader at Marx’s Court Time Sports Center.
The marquee matchup featured a rematch of last year’s championship game between defending champion Dax Thomas State Farm and AMD Industries.
This time, it was head coach Bria Rathway’s AMD team getting a little payback, handing the champs a 46-28 loss thanks to a long run in each half.
“This feels awesome. I’d be lying if I said anything else,” Rathway said. “Last year’s championship bothered me a lot because we beat them twice in the regular season then lost in the end.”
After Serra Catholic’s Chloe Pordash hit a pull-up jumper with 12:25 left in the first half to give her team a 6-5 lead, AMD took off on a 12-0 run over the next seven minutes to build a 17-6 lead.
Eden Williamson, a Trinity sophomore, led the spurt with six of her 11 points, all in the first half.
“I think overall, our size was a big factor,” Rathway said. “Especially for Eden. She’s such a great player and is so sound inside. When she came in, it was a spark for us and picked up both the offense and the defense.”
After Ringgold’s Kirra Gerard hit a pair of free throws, EF’s Bailie Brinson scored off a missed free throw to put AMD in front, 8-6, just before Williamson’s outburst.
“The run in the first half was big because it immediately gave us a cushion,” Rathway added.
AMD kept the pressure on throughout the first half, answering each State Farm basket before closing with a 7-0 run behind four more points from Williamson and a 3-pointer from Bethel Park freshman Julia Benlock just before the half ended.
State Farm (0-1) found its bearings in the second half, starting with a 9-2 run behind four points each from Pordash and Emma Seto. Pordash finished with a team-high 14 points.
But Kaylin Venick picked up the pace for AMD, especially on the defensive end. The Trinity product scored six points in another run, this time 10-0, to invoke the running clock and the 20-point mercy rule.
“I had all 12 of my girls here, so we wanted to run and get up and down the floor,” Rathway said. “I thought Kaylin did really well on the defensive end. We started getting our points off easy layups. That’s what we wanted to do.”
Rathway pointed out the stout defense by Belle Vernon Area’s Farrah Reader.
“She’s really coming into her own and she’s really athletic and active on the inside,” Rathway said of the Leopards’ freshman. “She was working hard and got us a lot of tips on defense and she had a couple of great finishes off rolls to the basket.”
Rathway’s team looked a little more in sync than State Farm, which was missing Thomas Jefferson’s Maddy Trainer, Nina Sarra and Kaitlyn Sallee, who are all injured.
“Wednesday I had every girl here but one for the meet and greet,” Rathway said. “I ran a couple drills, but most importantly, I wanted them to play with one another. We played like we had a lot of confidence in each other.”