Allderdice girls basketball eyes City League title and deep playoff run after statement win over Erie McDowell

Defending City League Champions Prove Their Strength with OT Thriller as They Prepare for Playoffs

The Allderdice girls basketball team are hoping to win their second straight City League title. / Ellen Guillard

The search for validation led the Taylor Allderdice girls basketball team to take a road trip to Erie in early January. The defending City League champions wanted a litmus test against a team they could see in the subregional playoffs.

Allderdice took Erie McDowell to overtime, and sophomore forward/guard Peyton Lynch made a baseline floater to give the Dragons a 77-76 victory.

How Allderdice won gave Lynch a lot of confidence. Senior forward Noriaya Warren gave the Dragons the ball back in overtime, allowing Lynch to make the game-winner at the buzzer.

“I think it meant a lot to get out of the city and win against a team so far away,” Lynch said. “If we’re traveling that far, we want to come home with a win. To go on a two-hour drive home without a win wouldn’t have been the best.’

The Dragons (16-5, 9-0) have one regular season contest before the City League playoffs start. Allderdice is determined to prove that its win over Obama Academy was no accident. Taking on tough opponents outside of the city helps build confidence.

“We used our strengths and moved well without the ball,” Lynch said. “We had people coming off the bench and making big plays.”

Allderdice has dominated City League competition so far this season. The Dragons have won their games in league play by an average of 50 points per game, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 692-239.

Allderdice coach Ellen Guillard said the Dragons’ past experiences will have them in the right frame of mind for the playoffs. Allderdice won’t be looking past anyone.

“They remember how difficult it was in the city two years ago,” Guillard said. “There were times when this team only scored 11 points in an entire basketball game. There are times we lost by 50. There were times this season when we played WPIAL teams, and they had a running clock on us at the beginning of the year.”

Dragons Find Balance

Allderdice benefited from returning two consistent scorers, Bailey White and Lynch. The Dragons also got a boost from having guard Rhyan Sledge transfer from Oakland Catholic. White leads the team with 22.4 points and 5.5 steals per game.

Lynch is the leading rebounder with 9.6 per contest, while she contributes 14.1 points per game. Sledge averages 13.6 points per game.

“I think everyone is more confident this year,” White said. “Rhyan gave us another great guard. Everyone on the team learned her type of game, and we learned how to work off her.”

Allderdice has also leaned on sophomore guard Seena Teshome to provide a strong defensive presence. Guillard said the Dragons always have her defend other teams’ top offensive option.

Guillad said she had Teshome guard Iyanna Wade, who scored over 2,500 points in her career with Clairton, during the Dragons's 73-58 win over the Bears on Dec. 9 at home.

“She’s having the task of guarding the most successful offensive player on the other team regularly,” Guillard said. “It makes our job easier to win a game.”

Trying to Take the Next Step

Allderdice has its goals within its grasp. The first is for the Dragons to earn a berth in the City League championship game this weekend at Duquesne University’s Chuck Cooper Fieldhouse. The Dragons would then worry about the PIAA Class 6A subregional round.

Allderdice lost to Erie High School by 17 points in the regional playoffs last year. The Dragons know their first step to challenge themselves on that stage is the City League playoffs.

It's not something Allderdice takes lightly.

"We want to win back-to-back to show last year wasn't lucky," White said.

--Josh Rizzo | rizzo42789@gmail.com | @J_oshrizzo