Thomas Jefferson striving to be No. 1
Tri-State Sports & News Service
For Thomas Jefferson’s Jenna Clark, it’s all about the one.
She plays the one (point guard) and has the number displayed on the back of her jersey.
She’s also one of the area’s best at her position and hopes to lead her team to the WPIAL’s No. 1 spot for the first time in school history.
Clark is considered one of the WPIAL’s top juniors. She’s an excellent scorer, sees the floor extremely well, and has exceptional ballhandling skills. That skillset is attracting the interest of Division I coaches and has helped Thomas Jefferson to one of its best seasons ever. The secondseeded Jaguars (20-3) play seventh-seed Gateway (20-3) in a WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal Saturday.
“We call her the head of the snake,” Thomas Jefferson coach George Vlassich said. “She carves up any team that tries to press us. She finds the open player. Her handle and how she sees the court stands out. Not only can Jenna shoot the ball, she has great accuracy. She has range. She can pull up. She can penetrate.”
Clark (5 feet 6) leads Thomas Jefferson in scoring and assists, averaging 17.8 points and 6.3 assists per game. She’s shooting 42 percent from the field. Clark has made a big impression on Gateway coach Curtis Williams, whose team played Thomas Jefferson twice in the regular season.
“She’s so creative with the ball,” said Williams. “She can create her own shot. She can create shots for teammates. She’s one of the best ballhandlers in the WPIAL. I think her creativity is what sets her apart from other guards. She’s a dynamic player. She can score and she can shoot it.”
Saint Francis, Bucknell, St. Bonaventure, Yale and Dartmouth are among the schools recruiting Clark, who plays AAU for the Western Pa. Bruins.
Tale of two styles
The Thomas JeffersonGateway matchup is quite a contrast in styles. Thomas Jefferson likes to play uptempo and is averaging a Class 5A-best 65.3 points per game. Gateway plays a methodical style. The Gators average only 47 points per game, but give up just 34.7, the fewest in Class 5A.
Both of the previous meetings were low scoring. Thomas Jefferson defeated Gateway, 37-33, but Gateway handed Thomas Jefferson its lone Section 2 loss, 48-47, in double overtime.
“It becomes a game of who’s going to dictate the style and pace,” said Williams, whose team has won 12 games in a row. “We’ve done a good job of keeping it close and not allowing them to go on one of those runs that they’ve been able to go on.”
Thomas Jefferson is in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1999. Its 20 wins are the most by a Jaguars team since winning 22 in 1991.
Them again
It’s Norwin vs. Mt. Lebanon in the WPIAL quarterfinals yet again.
For the third year in a row, the teams will meet in the quarterfinal round when they play Friday in Class 6A action. It also marks the fourth time in the past three years they have met in the postseason. Norwin defeated Mt. Lebanon twice in the 2016 playoffs, the second of which was in the first round of the PIAA tournament. Last season, Mt. Lebanon defeated Norwin, 47-44.
Norwin (12-9), the No. 4 seed, and Mt. Lebanon (1211), the No. 5 seed, will also be playing for the second time this season. Mt. Lebanon defeated Norwin, 65-58, in overtime in the season opener. Mt. Lebanon got some heroics from Alyssa Hyland to claim its firstround win. Hyland made two free throws with 5.9 seconds left to give the Blue Devils a 31-30 victory against Penn Hills.
North Allegheny
North Allegheny has been ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL and state the entire season. This week, it jumped into the national rankings for the first time.
North Allegheny (22-0) is ranked No. 25 in the country by USA Today. The Tigers find themselves at No. 5 in the East in the regional rankings. They were also ranked for a few weeks late last season, reaching as high as No. 20 before losing in the PIAA championship game.
After 10 days without a game, top-seeded and defending champion North Allegheny will take on No. 9 Upper St. Clair in a Class 6A quarterfinal Friday. North Allegheny had a first-round bye, while Upper St. Clair defeated Butler, 38-32, in the opening round.