An experienced team and new coaching staff helped the Shanksville-Stonycreek Lady Vikings Basketball Team achieve goals in the 2016-2017 season that haven’t been obtained for almost 47 years.

Shanksville-Stonycreek School District has produced some very strong players, but not until this year, has Varsity Girls’ Basketball been able to show they too are a formidable team. The Lady Vikings kicked off their season receiving 1st place in the Bill Lamp Tournament in Rockwood. Along with winning the tournament, three of the Lady Vikings received trophies and recognition for their outstanding basketball skills. Hannah Platt, Lexi Wilt, and Sidney Stutzman were among the several players recognized at the Bill Lamp Tournament.

The Lady Vikes season was like no other. A fresh coaching staff led the team the excellent season. The coaches included Head Coach Cory Crognale assisted by Bill Stutzman and Emily Gibbons. These individuals lead the Lady Vikings in defeating big rivals that Shanksville Girls’ Basketball hasn’t been able to conquer in several years. Competition such as Meyersdale, Shade, and Berlin were just some of the schools this team was able to vanquish.This year's squad conquered Berlin’s Lady Mountaineers at a Saturday game at Berlin, which they haven’t achieved in almost 20 years.

“The goal was to get better everyday and we did do that from the beginning of the season to the end. It definitely showed after the first time we lost to Berlin, because we went on a winning streak after that. I’m just very proud of the team for what they were able to accomplish this season,” explained Coach Cory Crognale.

Not only did the Shanksville Girls’ Basketball players achieve big wins, they assisted a fellow teammate to reach one of her season goals. Senior Trista Stutzman was able to achieve the 1000 point record for her high school basketball career.  

“I never thought I’d ever reach this goal, but with the help from my teammates I was able to achieve my 1000 point. They played a huge part,” stated Trista Stutzman.

By the end of their regular season, the girls were able to reach a District 5 record of 16 wins and 3 losses, and advanced onto playoffs in a 3rd seeded position. This granted the Lady Vikings with a bye for the first round of District 5 playoffs and home court advantage for their 2nd round playoff game against Southern Fulton.

“No one really had faith in us getting to the District 5 finals, but we made it and we were sure not going down without a fight. It was such an awesome experience being able to play at UPJ and showing people what Shanksville Girls Basketball was all about,” said Senior Aly Platt.

They were able to pull out a win and advance to the District 5 Championship at UPJ Saturday, March 4 against the Berlin Lady Mountaineers. After a long, hard fought game, the Lady Vikings were not able to defeat their rivals, and lost by a score of 50-40. The Berlin Varsity Girls’ Basketball team was named 2017 District 5 champs.

Even though the Lady Vikes did not come out on top, they advanced to the first round of state playoffs. They faced Juniata Valley at Hollidaysburg High School, Saturday March 11th and lost in a tough defeat 51-20. Their season came to an end after this loss.

The Lady Vikings provided an unexpected 2016-2017 girls’ basketball season. Their overall team efforts and experienced basketball skills, helped this team to attain playoffs at the state level and reach goals that haven’t been achieved in several years. A fresh coaching staff and having a team with experience playing together for the past couple years boosted the Shanksville Varsity Girls’ Basketball team to reach new heights.