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Zimmerman is stepping up for Warrior Run

When Megan Zimmerman’s soccer or softball days were over the past year, her sports work was just beginning.

Often times, following a soccer or softball practice, Zimmerman traded in her cleats for her basketball sneakers and started working. Zimmerman is a driven athlete and, more than ever this past offseason, the 6-foot center knew she must sacrifice a lot.

Zimmerman is a four-year starter and the last two seasons she combined with current Lycoming freshman Madi Welliver to form one of the district’s best inside tandems. Opponents game planned around those two, often collapsing their defenses and swarming those two as they tried slowing them down. And with Welliver graduating, that meant all that attention, all that pressure, was coming Zimmerman’s way.

She worked, she prepared and now Zimmerman is excelling despite the added focus. The senior has established herself as one of District 4’s best all-around players and a center who can take over games. Zimmerman’s production and leadership are a huge reason Warrior Run has started 12-3 and emerged as a Class AAA title contender.

“I liked the challenge. I wanted to prove that I was ready for that (attention) and that I could still produce,” Zimmerman said. “My teammates are awesome. They contribute so much to me being able to play like that.”

“She is stepping it up for her senior year and she is having a nice year so far,” Warrior Run coach Jason McCormick said. “The nice thing is the work she puts in at practice. She’s working hard at it.”

Warrior Run is a strong overall team that plays smothering defense, but take away Zimmerman and the season would look a whole lot different. The Defenders have played a demanding schedule, but Zimmerman has been a consistent force, scoring 12 or more points in all 15 games. She is averaging 16.3 points per game and also leads the team in rebounds and blocked shots, stats in which she ranks among the district’s best as well.

Zimmerman has come up especially big against district title contenders in various leagues like Mifflinburg, Juniata, Southern Columbia, Shikellamy and Mount Carmel. She has done it in a team-oriented fashion as well. Zimmerman is a disciplined player with an assortment of moves, but she also effectively finds her teammates and is making her entire team better through her play and work.

“She’s a very good, solid leader for us. She’s the girl that if she wants the ball in those situations she knows where to get the ball,” McCormick said. “Some of the end of the game situations in our close games, she’s wanted the ball and has hit some big foul shots down the stretch. That is key for us.”

“That’s putting in work with my teammates through the years and the offseason,” Zimmerman said. “It’s really great to see and get better like that.”

Zimmerman is pulling closer to 1,000 points and is averaging in double figures for a third straight season. When Welliver tore her ACL during Zimmerman’s freshman season she was forced to try and carry the load. It says a lot about Zimmerman that she still helped Warrior Run come within a win of reaching the playoffs that season. Warrior Run is playoff-bound for a third straight season now and Zimmerman is well-equipped to handle what defenses throw at her.

Zimmerman has good size but she knows how to use it well and plays smart. She rebounds well, uses her feet well, has good moves and possesses a nice touch around the basket. This season is the culmination of that hard work and those extra hours when school and softball or soccer could easily have worn her down. Now, everything is coming together and Zimmerman has become a tough match-up no matter who Warrior Run plays.

“She’s the most dominant post player we’ve seen,” South Williamsport coach Justin Marnon said after Zimmerman scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 45-25 Warrior Run win. “We had a similar approach that others teams had of trying to get one in front, one in behind and get that weak-side help but they do a good job of keeping her behind the defense and moving her around high post, low post and short corner and that puts a lot of stress on a defense. They get her the ball in effective places and she was dominant against us.”

Zimmerman has impressed college recruiters and she is considering several different Division II and III schools. She plays three sports, but Zimmerman’s first love is basketball. The present and the future look bright. Zimmerman could be quite a catch for a college team. She has the talent, but she also has the determination and will keep pushing.

Her work continues.

“I think once it got to high school I kind or realized this is what I love to do and this where I want to go for the next level,” Zimmerman said. “It’s a great feeling knowing how much I’ve put into it to get this out of it.”

SURGING SPARTANS: A year ago, Hughesville peaked late in the season and reached its first district championship. Time will tell where the Spartans go this season, but they look like they are coming on strong. Hughesville (9-5) went 2-1 last week and the only loss was a five-point heartbreaker against perennial power Mount Carmel. The Spartans thumped Towanda and avenged a previous defeat to South Williamsport, winning a 36-34 thriller Saturday.

“Last year we peaked toward the end of the season and I’d rather peak toward the end rather than the beginning, obviously,” Emily Akers said after hitting the game-winning basket against South with seven seconds remaining. “Our goal right now is to get into playoffs and once we get into playoffs we’re going to go from there. We’re starting to hit our stride now and I think we’re going to surprise some people.”

Akers is one of four starters back from last year’s state qualifier. She and Alisha McKinley had big games against Towanda, Jayden Leighow nearly had a double-double against South and Kendra Smith is a tenacious defender and good floor leader. It is the emergence of new starter Jade Cordrey, too, that has things looking up for Hughesville. Cordrey shined in the second half against South, scoring seven of her nine points and making four straight crucial free throws, including both ends of a late 1-and-1.

“She stepped up this year,” Akers said. “It’s a lot of pressure for anyone playing and starting, but for her to be a sophomore and still scoring consistently and stepping up and running the team, she’s doing a good job this year.”

PUTBACKS: Williamsport is starting to turn the corner and is potentially looking like a sleeper in the District 2-4 Class AAAAAA race. The Millionaires have won two of their last three games with their only loss a last-season 3-point decision against Jersey Shore (8-5). Williamsport is playing strong defense and three-year starting point guard Jada Whaley was brilliant. Sophomore forward Samiyah Little looks like a potential force and scored 17 points against Jersey Shore while fellow forward Shelly Floyd had nine against Athens. Emily Pardee had four assists and four steals against Jersey Shore … Speaking of teams coming around, Montgomery won its first game last Wednesday, defeating Bucktail, 48-26. Montgomery has been playing solid defense and received double-doubles from both Riley Fry and Jessica Umpstead who had 12 points and 10 rebounds … Canton has made nice strides this season and is making a run at its first playoff berth this decade. The Warriors defeated Towanda, 66-57 Saturday as Tamara Hess scored 23 points. Canton edged vastly improved Cowanesque Valley, 44-43 earlier in the week but the Indians came back strong and beat Williamson, 39-18. CV (6-5) already has exceeded last year’s win total … Despite playing with a torn ACL, Muncy point guard Sasha McMonigle is making a big impact and scored a career-high 25 points in a 56-38 win against CMVT as the Indians (6-7) won their second straight.

DR. MASSE’S TOP 5 GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAMS

1. Wellsboro (13-0)–The best start in program history continued last week as Wellsboro easily downed improving Canton and North Penn-Liberty. Guard Tory Self has been a super addition to the team after moving from West Virginia for her senior season. Self has topped 20 points in three straight games and also leads the team in assists. She, Emma Poirier and Lizzie Poirier all are having strong seasons and are among the area’s top 10 leading scorers. Cathyrn Brought and Mikel Shabloski are providing some nice depth and Shabloski had four steals in the 58-32 win against Canton.

2. LEWISBURG (10-1)–Of the nine straight games Lewisburg has won, Saturday’s 51-41 victory at Penns Valley might have been the most impressive. Penns Valley is 10-3 and has a nice blend of size and speed but Lewisburg held it to its lowest point total this season and continued playing stifling defense. Lewisburg leads the area in points allowed and is receiving quality contributions throughout its rotation. Megan O’Hara made a run at a double-double against Penns Valley, scoring eight points and grabbing eight rebounds, while Jamie Fedorjaka added nine points. The Green Dragons are off to their best start this decade and entered the week with District 4 Class AAAA’s best record.

3. Loyalsock (9-4)–Combining its demanding non-conference schedule with the loaded HAC-III schedule and Loyalsock will enter the District 4 Class AAA playoffs as one of the field’s two most battle-tested teams. Loyalsock lost a 46-44 buzzer-beating decision to 4A title contender Mifflinburg and its four losses are all against teams with four or fewer losses. Loyalsock did record a big win last week, defeating Warrior Run, 49-40 on its home court. That put Loyalsock into sole possession of second place in the HAC-III. Freshman Summer McNulty continues to make a big impact and scored a career-high 18 points in that win as Loyalsock outscored Warrior Run 23-14 in the final quarter.

4. WARRIOR RUN (12-3)–The Defenders bounced back from the Loyalsock loss in fine fashion, allowing just 51 points in consecutive weekend wins against Montoursville and Bloomsburg. Warrior Run has held eight teams to fewer than 30 points and no team has scored more than 49 points against it. Taylor Coup is a defensive stopper, but the point guard also scored 11 points against Montoursville. Freshman Sydney Hoffman is having a nice debut season and scored nine points against Bloomsburg while Avery Bieber totaled 16 points in the two wins. Warrior Run is playoff-bound for a third straight year and for a ninth time in the last 10 seasons.

5. SULLIVAN COUNTY (11-1)–What the Griffins have done the last three seasons is pretty impressive, considering it is one of the district’s smallest public schools. Sullivan County is off to the best start in program history and clinched its third straight Class A playoff berth Friday when it rallied past 2017 state qualifier Benton and won, 58-48. The Griffins reached their first district championship and state tournament last season and are 33-5 over the past two seasons, winning 21 straight Mid-Penn games in the process. Guard Mykenzie Malacuksy scored a season-high 26 points and added three steals against Benton while Jessica King grabbed 14 rebounds.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: RILEY FRY, MONTGOMERY AND GRACE KELLEHER, LEWISBURG–Fry is enjoying a breakthrough season and was outstanding in two games last week. Fry recorded double-doubles in both contests and finished her week with 33 points and 20 rebounds. Fry is a double-double threat each game and had 17 points, along with 10 rebounds in the 22-point win against Bucktail. Kelleher does a nice job running the Lewisburg offense and also is a tenacious defender. Kelleher scored a season-high 21 points in Saturday’s win at Penns Valley and is a well-rounded player who handles and shoots the ball well.

GAME OF THE WEEK: MUNCY AT ST. JOHN NEUMANN–This has become a nice small-school rivalry and Tuesday’s rematch should be a fun one. Neumann and Muncy have played three games decided by a combined seven points the past three seasons. They split last season’s series and Neumann took Round 1 last December, winning 30-28 when Shayna McNamee clinched the win with a last-second steal.

Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse.

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