Frenemies: Rathway, AMD best Slagus’ Lee Supply team

By JOSE NEGRON

Jnegron@yourmvi.com

Bria Rathway and Kaitlyn Slagus share a history of standing side by side. 

They were teammates at the rec and metro ball levels before sharing the court at Belle Vernon Area High School. Slagus even served as an assistant coach under Rathway with AMD Industries last summer. 

Now, with Slagus at the helm of Lee Supply in the Mon Valley Independent Summer Basketball League, the former teammates are pitted against one another for the first time in the coaching ranks. 

The friendly rivalry got going Monday night with Rathway’s unbeaten AMD team coming away with a 52-34 victory over Slagus’ Lee Supply squad at Marx’s Court Time Sports Center in Elizabeth Township. 

“It was funny because we actually drove to the game together and we said, ‘Well, one of us is going to be upset,’ and she told us, ‘Hey, if you beat us, you have to walk home,’” Rathway said. “It’s always fun coaching against her and she has a great, young team. I told the girls that (Lee Supply) was down two games and needed a win, so they couldn’t think they would just come out and lay over for them. We had to go out and be physical, and I think it started with our defense.” 

AMD (5-0) played a solid game on the defensive end, limiting Lee Supply (2-3) to just 13 first-half points and 21 in the final 16 minutes. 

A strong defensive effort on Thomas Jefferson’s Graci Fairman and Woodland Hills’ Jasmyn Fisher helped, too. Fairman, who entered the game as the girls division’s third leading scorer, was limited to just seven second-half points. Fisher was held to just a pair of first-half points. 

Belle Vernon Area’s Jenna Dawson led the way for LS with 11 points. 

“We had a slower scoring nights, but when we’re holding a team to 13 points, that’s completely OK,” Rathway said. “They have a lot of good shooters and they get to the rim well, but I think our team defended them really well.” 

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