Role players key to Wreckers championship season

POTTSVILLE – Make no mistake about it, the Weatherly girls basketball team wouldn’t have been anywhere near the District 11 Class 1A championship game without Emily Zoscin.

An All-State selection a year ago and a 1,000-point career scorer who is still just a junior, Zoscin is the engine that makes the Wreckers run.

Zoscin’s importance to Weatherly’s success is obvious.

What might not be as obvious, however, is the importance of the role players around her.

A couple of years ago, Zoscin was enjoying a impressive freshman season, leading the team in scoring and giving opponents fits with her speed and finishing skills on the court.

But the Wreckers finished with more losses than wins and Shenandoah handed them a 17-point setback in the quarterfinal round of the district playoffs.

As good as Zoscin was, her talent alone wasn’t enough.

Fast forward to 2018.

Zoscin is an even more dynamic player. But more importantly, Weatherly coach Kevin Kringe now has assembled a group of complimentary pieces around her.

How good are “Emily and her Wreckers?”

The results speak for themselves.

On Saturday at Martz Hall, Weatherly ended a 32-year championship drought when it beat Pottsville Nativity, 40-37, for the subregional title.

“Emily is definitely our go-to player and our closer,” said Kringe. “As you saw, we wanted the ball in her hands as much as possible in that fourth quarter.

“But now we have a bunch of other girls who can make plays as well. Megan (Peifer), gives defenses another scorer to worry about, Lindsey (Hoffman) provides us with three-point shooting, Tabitha (Hinkle) is a great defender, and Gillian (Hinkle) and Katelynn (Ache) provide us with rebounding and great senior leadership.”

On Saturday, a couple of those players showed they can also step out of their supporting roles when the situation calls for it.

First it was Tabitha Hinkle hitting the front end of a one-and-one with Weatherly clinging to a 39-37 lead and just :09 remaining.

“I was definitely nervous, but coach reminded me that I’ve made a number of big shots this season and this one was no different,” said Hinkle. “Whether its hitting foul shots or defending the other team’s top scorer, I just try to contribute any way I can.

“Emily (Zoscin) is obviously our main scorer and is such a great player overall. But everyone on the team has a role to play and everyone contributes in their own way.”

Hinkle’s free throw meant Nativity needed a three-pointer on its final possession to tie the game.

That set the stage for Hoffman to take her turn in the spotlight as the 5-9 junior raced out to block a potential game-tying Golden Girl three-pointer with just seconds remaining.

“The thing coach kept stressing in that last huddle was no three-pointers,” recalled Hoffman. “So I tried to stay close to the three-point line. When their girl got the ball, I was able to close out and get a good piece of the shot. I don’t block a lot of shots, but I knew I had to step up and make a play.

“We rely on Emily to do a lot on the court, but the rest of the team is confident in our roles. It’s just a matter of doing what you do best.”

The final boxscore shows Zoscin leading the Wreckers with 22 points and no one else in double figures.

But what the numbers don’t show is that the Wreckers won not only because Zoscin was the best player on the floor, but because she got a lot of help from her friends.

“I just love all these girls,” said Zoscin as she pointed to her teammates. “We have such a close team.

“I get a lot of attention, but basketball is a team game and you saw tonight how many different players stepped up and made key plays for us. I have all the confidence in the world in my teammates.”

That confidence has been rewarded all season and it was never more evident than Saturday.

On Oscar weekend, in Weatherly’s most important basketball game in over three decades, Zoscin was the perfect “leading lady” and her teammates were “best in a supporting role.”

It was a performance that earned them all gold medals.