sports
Togetherness is the key to success for the lady hoopsters
by Sean Weaver
Collegian Staff Writer
Finishing out the season, the
Penn State-Behrend women's
basketball team shows improve
ment and a little more.
As of February 18 Sue Holmes
has accumulated a total of 1,074
points, enough to surpass the
women's high scoring record at
Behrend. The first two years of
competition for Holmes were at
Penn State-Shenango Valley where
she scored 477 points. At Behrend
Holmes has achieved a status of
597 points to date. The previous
holder of the women's record was
Missy Stasenko who scored 1,057
points in 4 years at Behrend. Sue is
the 3rd Behrend basketball player
to achieve this scoring status.
"Ever since I was a freshman I
wanted to score 1,000 points," says
Holmes. "And when I made it, I
had to go for the women's high
scoring record." However the
positive news does not end with
Holmes' record.
Adding to the individual ac
complishments of the team, is
Paula Skaggs who also set new
standards for the women
hoopsters. Skaggs averages 5.5
_ll
ehrerui s best in centercourt
steals per game which ranks among
all women in the nation for steals,
has the average more steals than
the leading mens average in Divi
sion I play. "This is quite an ex
cellent achievment,"says women's
coach Karin Sobotta, "to compare
with the mens Division I leader.
Paula has really accomplished
something."
Other team member's stats
which command the team are
Skaggs, Holmes and Lisa Butch
who tie for the leading scorers with
an average of 11 points per game.
Skaggs also has nine rebounds per
game to lead the team, with
Michelle Madison in second place
with 7.9 rebounds per game.
Coach Sobotta expressed pleas
ing comments about the team's
progress since the beginning of the
year. "We are playing much better
together and it's showing." Since
their Christmas break the women's
team has a record of 6 wins and 6
losses which is a great turn around
from their first semester record.
"Strength and intensity has really
helped the teams record." said
Sobotta "Close games that went in
our favor were a result of their
`wanting to win' attitude." Games
including Buffalo State, Wooster,
Frostburg and Pitt Bradford were
Lisa Butch shoots over two Daemen defenders
" ~"t
John Sargent
all won by the lady hoopsters by
less than seven points. "The team
is scoring when they need to," says
Sobotta, "especially in the case of
Frostburg where we never even
held the lead in the game until we
came ahead to win in the last few
seconds. And it is really important
that we play that way."
Their present record of 6-6 as of
February 18, the women's goal is to
finish the season with a 10-6
record. Coach Sobotta expresses
good expectations and looks
beyond as she counts on some
younger players.
"Freshmen Michelle Madison
and Sonya Sickle are really show
ing their abilities. They have learn
ed to work with the team and this is
helping us win the final games of
the season," says Sobotta. "An
improvement from the free throw
line has also improved the team's
performance."
Sobotta also said freshman Bob
bie Bauer "shows a great amount
of fiestiness that helps the team"
and makes "things happen on the
floor."
So even as the season ends, the
Penn State-Behrend Women Cubs
look for success as a result of hard
work and good prospects.
Behrend's Best highlights
women's basketball player Lisa
Butch and men's basketball player
John Sargent.
Butch is a s'B" point guard from
Northwestern High School in Al
bion, Pennsylvania. She is a
sophomore at Behrend and is
undecided on a major. Butch is
averaging 11.5 points per game,
shooting 33% from the field and
60% fromthe foul line. She is also
averaging two steals per game. Ac
cording to Head Coach Karin
Sobotta, "Lisa has really worked
hard during the off season and has
come back with a lot more con
fidence and is much stronger this
year. She has a roll this year where
she is running the ball, and she is
doing a fine job of taking charge
out on the court." Also Butch is
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by Sue Holmes
Collegian Sports Editor
averaging 3.5 rebounds per game
and Sobotta feels that is a plus for
the team when a guard is not afraid
to crash the boards.
Senior forward John Sargent is
also honored as one of Behrend's
Best. Sargent played his high
school basketball at Mercyhurst
Prep. While at Behrend the 6'5",
195 pound MIS Major has par
ticipated on the men's basketball
team for four- years. In Sargent's
last home game against Geneva he
tallied 12 points, ripped down 10
rebounds and shot 63% from the
field. According to Head Coach
Doug Zimmerman, "John has
picked up strength and weight from
our lifting program during the
summer. And he has improved his
perimeter shooting."
The student athletes that are
honored by being chosen as one of
Behrend's Best will receive a dinner
for two, compliments of Barbato's
Restaurant in Wesleyville.
IlmiA4:A%;l
ITALIAN
RESTAURANT
3512 Buffalo Road,
Wesleyville
Phone: 899-3423
Michele Madison drives in for an easy two points
Paula Skaggs sets the offense
FEBRUARY 26,1987
Collegian
PAGE 9
Lisa Butch
Wendell Bates