2013 CITY CHAMPS—The Westinghouse Girls celebrate their City League Championship after Dr. Linda Lane, Superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools presented them the Championship trophy.
The Westinghouse Lady Bulldogs have a reputation of being able to run and play pressure defense from the beginning of the game until the end. They believe that your body is only limited by where your mind is willing to take you and that if you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it.
The physically fit and mentally tough Bulldogs got their revenge against the defending champion Allderdice Lady Dragons last Saturday at Obama Academy, 54-42. This was Westinghouse’s 26th consecutive City title game appearance and 24th under Coach Phyllis Jones. It was also their 10th championship during that period, the first since 2009.
Allderdice’s swagger comes from having the top offense in the City League (58.3 points per game). High on Westinghouse’s agenda was to keep tabs on Allderdice leading scorers junior guard Sierra Fordham (21.5ppg) and senior guard Sydnee Albernathy (19.4ppg).
Westinghouse put the freeze on Fordham and Abernathy. The Lady Bulldogs held the dynamic duo to only 18 points through three quarters.
Phyllis Jones is committed to the Bulldogs and believes in excellence on and off the court. Jones and her husband, a professor who also works with athletes at West Virginia University, put a lot of focus on the classroom.
“My husband is in Indy at the NFL combine this weekend with his West Virginia University football players,” said Coach Jones. “Our team is involved in a study after school program, because we pride ourselves in excellence on the court and in the classroom.”
Brittany Jackson is probably a good classroom student, because she “schooled” Allderdice for 18 points.
Coach Jones is truly an artist. But instead of working her magic, with a brush and paint, she does it with a clipboard, knowledge of the game and a charismatic charm with a hardnosed attitude.
Many of the Westinghouse players went down briefly with injuries during the championship game. Does Coach Jones expect any players to miss any PIAA tournament games.
“The injuries were melodramatic. I expect everybody to play,” says Jones. “We work very hard and believe in playing defense. We are small but quick.”
Jasmine Myers, one of the top junior players in the area, scored 23 points against the Lady Dragons. Her ability to create a positive play out of a negative situation has given Myers an advantage over her opponents. She would look good in a Pitt Uniform.
“I haven’t heard from Pitt, but I have received offers from some smaller schools,” said Myers. “But my dream is to play for UConn.”
Abernathy had 13 points and Fordham led the Lady Dragons in scoring with 16 points.
If defense wins championships, we might as well skip the whole PIAA Tournament and give the gold medal to the Lady Bulldogs.
Westinghouse relied on its defense to carry them and the way they played Saturday afternoon it doesn’t look like anyone can run with the Lady Bulldogs right now.
Westinghouse has a great football tradition that dates back to the 1960s with coach Pete Dimperio. If Phyllis Jones and the Lady Bulldogs are able to win a state championship then perhaps their basketball legacy will rank right up there with football.
As a gladiator centuries ago once said, “What we do in life echoes in eternity.” Dreams don’t end on the court, it’s where they begin.
The Bulldogs were heading into a PIAA Class AAA preliminary round Tuesday against Johnstown at Central Cambria High School.