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After another dominating season and a second straight trip to a PIAA girls basketball Final Four, Alexis Lewis had a pretty good idea she’d end up on the all-state team once again.
After suffering a serious knee injury that cut her playoff run short, Maddie Ritsick wasn’t so sure.
But their eye-popping point totals and passionate play earned Lewis and Ritsick their second straight spots on the Pennsylvania Sports Writers all-state team that was released Thursday.
Holy Redeemer’s spectacular senior Lewis finished her high school career as a first-team state selection for the second consecutive year – this time in Class 2A after making the first team Class 3A field last season – after leading the Royals to the state semifinals. Meanwhile, Crestwood’s scoring machine Ritsick made the jump to the Class 3A all-state second team after she was chosen to the all-state third team as a sophomore last year.
“It’s a real accomplishment,” said Lewis, who finished her senior season as the Wyoming Valley Conference’s all-time leading girls scorer with 2,393 points while averaging 27.1 points and 15 rebounds and taking Redeemer to the PIAA Class 2A state semifinals. “I’m happy I was able to do it again.”
Other District 2 representatives on the all-state team include: Tori Tinsley from state runnerup Old Forge, who made the first team in Class A; Kayleigh Semion from District 2 champion Dunmore, who earned a spot on the second team in Class 2A; and Scranton Prep’s Jess Genco and North Pocono’s Kaitlyn Lewis, who join Ritsick on the Class 3A second team.
“I’m very excited,” Ritsick said. “I wasn’t expecting to be honored for this.”
That’s partly because Ritsick suffered a torn left ACL late in regulation of Crestwood’s District 2 Class 3A playoff-opening overtime victory over Lake-Lehman.
But her average of 24.3 points per game and leadership on an inexperienced Comets team proved too hard to ignore as she passed the career 1,000-point mark as a junior. How important was Ritsick to Crestwood? The Comets’ postseason abruptly ended after she left the lineup, right after she led Crestwood to its second-ever district playoff victory in as many seasons.
“I feel like I’m one of the better players, but I know I have a lot of work to do,” Ritsick said.
That starts with getting her knee, which was surgically repaired last month, back to full strength.
“I’m way ahead of schedule with rehab,” Ritsick said. “I’m shooting, doing ballhandling skills, lifting, walking on the treadmill. It’s very hard. I go before school, during school, after school. It’s definitely been life-changing. It’s very time-consuming, but it’ll be worth it in the end.”
The thought crossed her mind that the torn knee that knocked her off the floor for Crestwood’s final game might end her hopes of making the all-state team again.
“I thought my injury would have an impact on it,” Ritsick said. “I’m glad I improved (from a third-team selection in 2014) from last year. I feel like I played well.”
So did Lewis.
She scored 30 or more points seven times this season, hit 41 in a showcase victory over Baptist Bible of Maryland and scored 97 points in four state playoff games – including 20 in a state semifinal loss to eventual Class 2A state champion Neumann-Goretti.
“Oh, she had an awesome year,” Redeemer coach Chris Parker said. “I’m very happy for her. There’s no other kid more deserving of it. She’s worked very hard. She’s a phenomenal talent.”