HS Girls’ Basketball: Schaeffer’s big night propels Haven past Pine Grove
Schuylkill Haven's Anna Schaeffer drives in for a layup during Monday's Schuylkill League Division I win over Pine Grove (Photo by Mel Rose).
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Anna Schaeffer’s last game on her home floor was one to remember.
The Schuylkill Haven senior scored a career-high 23 points as the Hurricanes rolled past Pine Grove 57-36 in a Schuylkill League Division I girls’ basketball game Monday at the CACL Center.
The victory was the sixth in the last seven games for Schuylkill Haven (17-5, 11-3 D-I), which finishes in second place in Division I and will take on Division II No. 3 Lourdes in Saturday’s Schuylkill League quarterfinals at Martz Hall.
The loss eliminated Pine Grove (14-8, 8-6 D-I) from Schuylkill League playoff contention.
“It was super exciting,” Schaeffer said. “I’ve never scored close to that before in a game. To have the home crowd here in my last game on this floor was really exciting.”
Schaeffer was the benefactor of a Schuylkill Haven offense that was in good rhythm most of the night, producing easy back-door layups in the half-court game and transition layups off turnovers from the defensive end.
She had seven points in the first quarter as Haven built an early 15-9 cushion, then tallied seven more in the second frame as the Hurricanes took a 31-16 halftime lead.
Four of her buckets were on layups underneath, while she also hit a 10-foot jumper and a pair of 3-pointers. She also collected eight rebounds.
“Our defense is what creates our offense,” Schaeffer said. “Staying up on on-ball pressure and just getting those quick turnovers is really what creates our offense. We thrive under that.”
Haven’s defense was also clicking on all cylinders, forcing 18 Pine Grove turnovers in the opening half, including 11 in the first quarter.
The Cardinals simply couldn’t handle Haven’s guard pressure. In the first half, Pine Grove had more turnovers (18) than both points (16) and shot attempts (13).
For the game, Pine Grove committed 24 turnovers.
“We couldn’t handle their pressure at times,” Pine Grove coach Allison Rizzo said. “You can’t have 18 turnovers in the first half and expect to be in a good position to win a game, regardless of who you are playing. And this is a good team.
“I said to our girls, ‘We’re not going to win this game if we forget what color jersey we’re wearing.’ That can’t happen.”
Schaeffer’s effort was clutch on a night where the Hurricanes were without two key guards off the bench, sophomores Taylor Haag and Lilly McDonald, who are both injured.
Mckenna Runkle added 11 points and Audrey Hutchinson tallied 10 points for Haven, while Alea Porter pulled down 12 rebounds.
Pine Grove cut the deficit to 12 twice in the second half before Schaeffer and Runkle each had five points in a 14-6 run that upped Haven’s lead to 51-31 with 5:42 left.
Ayla Schneck-Haines scored a team-high 13 points for Pine Grove.
“It was a nice way for her to end it on her home floor,” Schuylkill Haven coach Tony Sanders said of Schaeffer. “She’s been playing hard for us all year. She’s being doing everything we ask her to do. I can’t be more happy for her.”
Rizzo was disappointed her squad didn’t get a chance to battle for a Schuylkill League playoff spot. The Cards needed a win over Haven and a loss by Tamaqua to North Schuylkill to force a tiebreaker game for the final berth from Division I.
North Schuylkill helped out Pine Grove with a 44-39 win over the Blue Raiders, but the Cardinals couldn’t take care of their half of the equation. (See related story: https://www.t102sportsnow.com/2025/02/03/hs-girls-basketball-conti-kane-help-spartans-outlast-blue-raiders/)
Instead, Rizzo’s club will look ahead to the District 11 Class 3A playoffs after a five-game improvement from last year’s nine-win season.
“We’re excited to be heading to districts, unfortunately this kills our run for (making) leagues,” Rizzo said. “We had a turnaround in the second half of the season, maybe finally bought into everything we were doing. Tonight didn’t go our way.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to continue onto districts. The girls didn’t have that last year. That’s the next step.”
For Schuylkill Haven, Martz Hall is up next. The Hurricanes made the first Schuylkill League playoff appearance in school history a year ago, falling to eventual champion Blue Mountain 52-39 in the quarterfinals.
This year, Schaeffer said that experience will help Haven be a title contender.
“I’m super excited,” Schaeffer said. “We got there last year for the first time and it was a great experience. This year we have more experience. … We played well against Pottsville at Martz Hall so we proved we can play there. We’re ready.”
Added Sanders: “We figure, hey we’re there, we might as well go win the whole thing. We’re confident right now. We’ll see what happens.”
