Tag Archives: Lady Crusaders

Athlete of the Month: Abby Sempa

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athlete-of-the-month-abby-sempaBy Steve Svetovich

Abby Sempa is only a sophomore on the Holy Cross Lady Crusaders basketball team, but she fit in right away with her teammates.

And that is because she cares more about being a teammate than anything else.

Daughter of Fran and Mary Sempa, the sophomore starting shooting guard averages 8.3 points per game and adds an additional offensive threat to the team and the league’s leading scorer, teammate senior Abby Anderson. She was 50-61 from the free-throw line (82%) and made 27 three-point goals and a total of 58 field goals.

Abby, a two-year member of the Lady Crusaders, helped her team to a 15-5 record despite a 45-44 loss to Mid Valley in the first round of district playoffs.

The sophomore stalwart scored 10 points in the tough loss.

Abby, 16, is also a member of the cross country team at Holy Cross. She was a second-team all-star as a freshman cross country runner.

sempaA scholar-athlete, Abby has an impressive 3.8 academic average. Her best subject is math. She will be joining the environmental club this month.

Abby talked about what it takes to be a successful shooting guard. “You need a lot of focus and situational awareness. And be ready for the ball all the time.”

She talked about the success of the team during the regular season. “It’s all about teamwork and being close to each other as a team,” she said. “No one is selfish. We work as a team. We work hard. We cheer each other on. We are always there for each other on and off the court.”

Abby said she learned a lot from Holy Cross girls’ basketball coach Barry Fitzgerald. “He taught me how to play better defense and how to play in tough situations.”

And she has learned plenty from her parents. “My parents taught me how to be a better person, how to be respectful and about sportsmanship.”

Abby has a couple older sisters to look up to. Mary Grace played basketball and is a 2011 Holy Cross graduate. Eileen played basketball and is a 2007 Bishop Hannan graduate.

Abby talked about her future goals. “I want to try to excel on the basketball court and play for my teammates. I want to keep up on my grades and academic subjects. I want to go to a good college.”

The talented guard said she likes listening to music in her spare time and would like to see Maroon 5 in concert.

Abby has totally enjoyed her experience at Holy Cross thus far. “It has been a very good experience,” she said. “I like it here a lot, but sports has played a big part of it. I really enjoy keeping up on my grades too. The entire Catholic experience has been a major part of it for me.”

Athlete of the Month: Abby Anderson

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athlete-of-the-month-abby-andersonBy Steve Svetovich

Holy Cross High School star guard-forward Abby Anderson has been leading the league in scoring all season, but she expects an even stronger finish for her and the Lady Crusaders.

Daughter of John and Jamie Anderson, the senior stalwart is averaging more than 20 points per game and has scored over 1,300 points in her four-year varsity basketball career at Holy Cross.

The Lady Crusaders are 11-2 at press time.

“I think we can mesh together as a team even better going forward,” she said. “We can play as a team better.”

Abby has made big shots all season for the Lady Crusaders.

She has learned a lot from Holy Cross veteran basketball coach Barry Fitzgerald. “He teaches me to be a leader, especially in a close situation,” Abby said.

She has also learned a lot from her parents.

“My parents taught me discipline. And that applies to everything.”

Abby talked about what it takes to be successful in high school basketball. “Time management is very important,” she said. “Of course, you need to be very disciplined. You need the right balance across the board.”

The scholar-athlete has an impressive 3.65 academic average. Her best subject is Math. Abby is a member of the Student Council, National Honor Society and is the starting center fielder on the softball team.

She was All State as a freshman and All League as a junior for softball.

She was All Regional and All League as a junior for basketball.

For her strong academic and athletic efforts, Abby received a scholarship to Saint Francis College in Brooklyn, NY where she will play basketball next year.

She will major in Math.

“I may want to become a Math teacher,” she said. “I want to do well in my field and hopefully get a good position. As for basketball. I hope to help my team make it into a few NCAA tournaments. I am looking forward to playing basketball in college.”

Abby said she likes listening to music and would like to see Taylor Swift in concert.

She has enjoyed her four years at Holy Cross immensely. “It is fantastic. I love it.”

Abby looks forward to finishing her high school basketball career on a very high note.

And it’s a sure bet the name Abby Anderson will be heard often as she chases her star in the college ranks.

Lady Crusaders advance to district final with win over Lady Bucks

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By Steve Svetovich

In a tight defensive battle, the Holy Cross Lady Crusaders defeated Dunmore, 35-30, in the District 2 Class AA semifinal Monday, Feb. 22, at Lackawanna College.

Senior point guard Alyssa Alfano hit a clutch 3-pointer with 2:20 left in the contest to give the Lady Crusaders the lead for good.

But the Lady Bucks battled back.

With five seconds left in the contest and Dunmore down, 33-30, Maddie Martin, a strong force all season,  attempted a shot, but was guarded tight by Mollie Burda of Holy Cross. Her shot hit off the rim and Lexi Walsh hauled down the rebound, her 10th of the game.

Walsh then hit two free throws with 2.1 seconds left to seal the game, 35-30.

At press time, Holy Cross is scheduled to play top-seeded Holy Redeemer in the district final Friday, Feb. 26.

The Holy Cross defense was so tight that Dunmore shot only 23.9 percent from the floor. Dunmore had only 12 points in the first half. The Lady Bucks made only 11 of 46 shots in the game. The Holy Cross defense never slacked.

Both teams played solid defense the entire game. There were no points scored by either team for the first five minutes of the game.

Dunmore’s Victoria Toomey hit on a 3-pointer for the first score of the game.

Walsh was clutch with her rebounding and scoring. She scored nine of her team-high 11 points in the first half. She scored seven of her points in the second quarter when Holy Cross built an 18-12 margin.

Dunmore, coached by Ben O’Brien, got into foul trouble early on and that hampered the Lady Bucks from playing their normal game.

The Lady Bucks were able to rally and take a 23-22 lead when Martin scored six of her 15 points and Emily Sheehan, who was in early foul trouble, hit on a 3-pointer.

Sheehan scored 10 points in the game.

The lead changed five more times in the hard-fought defensive battle.

Lauren Franklin, who scored eight points, hit a 20-foot shot for Holy Cross with 4:16 left in the game.

Martin then stole the ball for Dunmore and drove through the Holy Cross defense for a bucket to give Dunmore its final lead.

Alfano, who scored nine points, then came through for the Lady Crusaders in the biggest moment of the contest. The speedy point guard took a pass from Abby Anderson and quickly swished a 3-pointer for the lead, 32-30.

Anderson, who averages 19.7 points per game, scored seven points in the game.

The Lady Crusaders, coached by Barry Fitzgerald, continued with stingy defense and closed the door on Dunmore.

Alfano had three assists in the game. Anderson had three steals.

Martin scored 16 points to lead Dunmore over Riverside, 58-22, in the district quarterfinal. Izzy Cooper scored 14 and Sheehan added 11.

Holy Cross beat Lakeland, 51-39, in the district quarterfinal. Walsh led the scoring brigade with 15 points. Anderson, Alfano and Franklin added 11 each.