Do-it-all stars
Geibel`s Larkin, Uniontown`s Jenkins highlight H-S All-Area Girls Basketball Team
Defining a single position for Geibel Catholic无毛视频檚 Emma Larkin and Uniontown无毛视频檚 Aierra Jenkins was a difficult task.
Both seniors played a variety of roles to help their respective teams, whether it was scoring, rebounding, handling the ball, playing defense or being a leader.
They both succeeded against defenses that focused on stopping them, many times facing double, and at times, triple teams.
The two star players highlight the 2026 无毛视频-Standard Girls All-Area Basketball Team.
Larkin is the Girls Small School (Class A-3A) Player of the Year and Jenkins is the Big School (Class 4A-6A) Player of the Year.
It无毛视频檚 the third time Larkin has been honored as the H-S Player of the Year. Her senior season and career resume is packed with amazing accomplishments.
Larkin broke the Geibel and Fayette County all-time scoring records, broke her own record for points scored in a game and was named to the All-State Class A First Team for the third year in a row.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 proud of the career I无毛视频檝e had and everything I was able to accomplish alongside my teammates,无毛视频� Larkin said. 无毛视频淥ver four years, I worked to grow my game and be someone my team could count on, and this season everything came together. I became the school无毛视频檚 all-time leading scorer (surpassing Shelley Bortz) and later broke the county无毛视频檚 all-time scoring record for both girls and boys (surpassing Albert Gallatin无毛视频檚 Ellen Guillard, then known as Loui Hall).无毛视频�
Larkin无毛视频檚 senior statistics included 632 points, (24.3 per game, tops among area players and fourth in the WPIAL), 148 rebounds, (5.7 per game), 217 assists (8.3 per game) and 104 steals (4.0 per game).
Her amazing career numbers were 2,541 points, 606 rebounds, 489 assists and 395 steals.
What she treasured above all else, however, was leading the Lady Gators to the WPIAL championship game at the Petersen Events Center.
无毛视频淢ore than the numbers, what means the most is helping lead our team to the championship game and doing everything I could to raise the level of play around me,无毛视频� Larkin said.
Larkin was recognized all over the region and state for her performance this season. In addition to the All-State honor, she was named to the Post-Gazette All-WPIAL Class A team and to the Trib Terrific 10 All-Star team and as its Class A Player of the Year.
无毛视频淓arning all these honors is something I无毛视频檓 grateful for, but it无毛视频檚 really a reflection of the people around me,无毛视频� Larkin said.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 especially thankful for my mom (Geibel head coach Sara Larkin) and all of my coaches who supported me, challenged me and believed in me every step of the way. I无毛视频檒l always value the relationships, the hard work, and the chance to represent my school the right way.无毛视频�
The Lady Gators ended the season with a 23-3 record.
Larkin will continue her career at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina.
Jenkins, like Larkin, worked hard to get where she is, which is a PennWest California recruit not only in basketball but also flag football, another sport she is currently flourishing in at Uniontown.
无毛视频淚 put so many hours in the gym, just working on my craft everyday, and I feel like it all paid off,无毛视频� said Jenkins, who was the area无毛视频檚 third-leading scorer and eighth in the WPIAL at 21.3 points per game.
Jenkins was also named to the Class 4A All-State Third Team.
Dierre Jenkins, Aierra无毛视频檚 head coach and father, counted on her heavily.
无毛视频淚 played almost every position,无毛视频� Aierra Jenkins said. 无毛视频淚 had to be the point guard, the shooting guard, the big, so I really was just moving all around the court.无毛视频�
Wherever she went, usually multiple defenders followed.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a mental thing when you无毛视频檙e being double-teamed, when the defense is focusing on you so much,无毛视频� Jenkins said. 无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 a lot of pressure and sometimes it was kind of hard to keep my cool, but in the end you have to just calm yourself and do the best you can for your team and play the game.无毛视频�
The Lady Raiders ended the season with a 10-12 record despite facing a brutal schedule playing in Section 4-5A.
She felt the constant defensive pressure she faced was a blessing in disguise.
无毛视频淚t definitely helped my game,无毛视频� Jenkins said. 无毛视频淏efore, I never had to take the ball up and maybe get out of a trap or things like that. This year really prepared me for what could possibly happen in college.无毛视频�
Jenkins said the Vulcans see her as forward.
California also noticed her flag football potential and recruited her for that sport as well.
无毛视频淚 said hey, let me try it,无毛视频� Jenkins said when Uniontown offered the varsity sport. 无毛视频淎nd I ended up loving it.无毛视频�
Her dad wasn无毛视频檛 sold on her being on the football field at first.
无毛视频淚 didn无毛视频檛 want her to play because I didn无毛视频檛 want her to get hurt for basketball,无毛视频� said Dierre Jenkins, who eventually relented. 无毛视频淪he played two games and had like six touchdowns and four interceptions. Cal U was there and saw it.
无毛视频淪he got invited to the Big 33 game, which her grandpap, Billy McLee also played in, in 1976.无毛视频�
The H-S Coaches of the Year are Belle Vernon无毛视频檚 Cornelious Nesbit (Big School) and Geibel无毛视频檚 Sara Larkin (Small School).
Nesbit guided a team with no senior starter to a section title, a WPIAL playoff win and a PIAA playoff victory. The Lady Leopards finished 23-5.
Larkin had a roster that included only seven players but still managed to guide the Lady Gators to the WPIAL final. There she proved her worth, guiding a team that was missing the area无毛视频檚 second-leading scorer in talented center Mallory Clemmer, out after suffering a fluke injury, to within a final shot by her daughter Emma that barely rolled off the rim of winning the title.
Larkin beat out Waynesburg Central coach Mark Capozzoli who led a group that included a talented trio of freshmen to a 21-4 record and a playoff win.
Other coaches who steered their teams into the postseason were Ben Brudnock at West Greene, Elizabeth Trump at Beth-Center, Brandi Sutherland at California, Rick Hill at Laurel Highlands and Scott Hillen at Mount Pleasant.
The complete 无毛视频-Standard All-Area Girls Basketball team follows:
SMALL SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Emma Larkin, senior, Geibel Catholic
BIG SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Aierra Jenkins, senior, Uniontown
SMALL SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR
Sara Larkin, Geibel Catholic
BIG SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR
Cornelious Nesbit, Belle Vernon
FIRST TEAM
Emma Larkin, senior, Geibel Catholic; Aierra Jenkins, senioir, Uniontown; Mallory Clemmer, sophomore, Geibel Catholic; Kendra Tharp, senior, West Greene; Saige Mickens, freshman, Connellsville; Aubrey Brown, sophomore, Belle Vernon; Ava Clark, senior, Brownsville; Violet Trump, senior, Beth-Center; Tess Pauley, freshman, Waynesburg Central; Lila Mitchell, freshman, California.
SECOND TEAM
Lyla McConnell, Belle Vernon; Emma Blair and Addonae Johnson, Waynesburg Central; Hayley Gibson, California; Janiah Darnell and Alexa Morgan, Geibel Catholic; Jillissa Yeater, West Greene; Taylor Schwertfeger, Laurel Highlands; Lyric McLee, Uniontown; Ryleigh Drzal, Mount Pleasant.
THIRD TEAM
Charley Murtha, Uniontown; Saylor Lee and Isis Almyty, Belle Vernon; Macey Orndorff and Maggie Orndorff, Connellsville; Chloe Price, Laurel Highlands; Kyleigh McDaniel, Beth-Center; Madelyn Roberts, West Greene; Ava Wood, Jefferson-Morgan; Allie Yauch, Frazier.
HONORABLE MENTION
Lauren Hartley, California; Peyton Cowell and Chatham Knight, Waynesburg Central; Addison Smith, Connellsville; Aubree Long and Rhiannon Feather, Uniontown; Ciara Horabik and Skyler Gates, Brownsville; Alexia Fisher, Beth-Center; Emaleigh Horn, Geibel Catholic; McKayla Shea and Ellie Seese, Albert Gallatin; Ke无毛视频橪ani Chun and Joselyn Carter, Carmichaels; Malana Burton, Emersyn Roebuck and Chloe Harger, Frazier; Brelynn Wood and Beautiful Medlen, Jefferson-Morgan; Emma Zalar and Makenna Lotspeich, Mapletown; Morgan Gesinski, Mount Pleasant; Ashley Seder, Southmoreland; Abby Russell, Belle Vernon.