The COVID-19 pandemic has limited how much Holy Family University women’s basketball coach Bernadette Laukaitis saw of Skylar Searfoss in high school.
Searfoss’s competitiveness came through frequently in her game film, which made it easy for Laukaitis to recruit her to the school’s Philadelphia campus.
Searfoss has carried the leadership and toughness she showed at Jim Thorpe High School to the college level. Laukaitis and the Holy Family have benefited, as Searfoss has helped the Tigers to nine straight wins since a season-opening loss to Franklin Pierce.
Holy Family’s nine-game winning streak is the program’s longest since the 2013-14 season. Searfoss, a sophomore point guard, led the Tigers in minutes per game (29.4) while ranking second in scoring (10.7 points per game) and assists (2.7 per game).
“Sky, who came in on Day 1, was given a very big role as a point guard and really led us,” Laukaitis said by phone Tuesday evening. “I thought she did a great job with that last year.
“When she’s continued to challenge her offseason and back this year, she’s definitely taken on that role in a lot of ways. Not just on the offensive side in terms of controlling the game and tempo, but defensively just really settling in…and she’s taken her game to another level of being the all-around player.” That I know it can be.
Holy Family’s defense has shined throughout the first 10 games. The Tigers held their opponents to 33.1% shooting from the field and 26.7% from 3-point range. Bloomsburg is the only team to shoot over 36% from the field against Holy Family.
“It’s been a great ride,” Searfoss said. “We play great team basketball. Coming into the preseason, we all preached about our defense. Our defense contributes to our offense as well.”
Searfoss’s early-season fun included a win last week at Kutztown. The Golden Bears feature two sophomores, Olivia Smilas and Layla Hurley, who teamed with Searfoss in Jim Thorpe for a big win.
Searfoss, Smilas and Hurley helped the Olympians win 26 matches to open their rookie season in 2018-19. They outdid themselves as high school seniors in 2021-22, winning 28 games, capturing Jim Thorpe’s first District 11 girls basketball championship and reaching the PIAA Class 4A semifinals.
Searfoss claimed bragging rights over her high school teammates by compiling nine points, eight rebounds and four assists in Holy Family’s 70-57 win over Kutztown.
“I took this game a little personally,” Servos said with a laugh. “I always want to overcome [former] His teammates. But it’s great that all three of us, and even Leah Snisky at Georgian Court, will continue to play college basketball.
“It feels great, and seeing them again was great.”
Both Searfoss and the Holy Family want to maintain their winning ways before starting play in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference next month. The Tigers have already claimed two
Conference wins, but they’re gunning for more after falling in the CACC Tournament semifinals last time out
season.
Holy Family has adopted the slogan “Unfinished Business” after a successful 2021-2022
The season that did not end in the championship. Searfoss is the driving force behind it
Mentality.
“Our leadership has just taken us to the next level,” Lakaitis said. “They know what they want to do. They know the standard that was set with the people who came before us.
Searfoss added: “We know something has to be done. Our eyes have always been on the championship here.”
A week for books
The Lehigh women set a program single-game record by scoring 106 points in Thursday’s 46-point win over La Salle. The Mountain Hawks followed that up by setting a Patriot League record with 19 3-pointers in Sunday’s loss to Pitt.
“This is what we do,” second-year coach Addie Messer told Lehigh’s official athletics website after the win over La Salle. “We share it and shoot it, so when the opportunity presents itself to knock down shots, we do it, and we shot a high percentage to get there as well, which I’m proud of.”
No Lehigh player shot better than junior guard Ella Steamer last week. She scored 70 points and made 16 3-pointers over two games, earning her second Patriot League Player of the Year award in four weeks.
Steamer set a Patriot League record with 10 3-pointers on Sunday against Pitt. She also tied Lehigh’s single-game record with 37 points (Les Philly, 1986).
Lehigh finished its pre-examination schedule 8-2. The next game is Dec. 30, when they host Rider at Stabler Arena.
Take note
– Delaware State sophomore guard Devin Muniz (Executive Education Academy) is averaging a team-high 35.5 minutes while starting all 13 games. He ranks second on the Hornets in scoring (14.5 points per game) and assists (3.31 per game). ).
-The DeSales women have reeled off seven straight wins since their season-opening loss to Muhlenberg. Each of their wins has come by at least 16 points.
Stephen Miller is a freelance writer.
Skylar Searfoss, a standout athlete from Jim Thorpe, has taken the Holy Family University women’s basketball team by storm. With her exceptional skill and determination, Searfoss has quickly made her mark on the team, earning recognition for her impressive performances on the court. Hailing from a small town in Pennsylvania, Searfoss has not let her humble beginnings hold her back, proving herself as a force to be reckoned with in the world of college basketball. As she continues to excel at Holy Family, Searfoss is poised to make a lasting impact on the team and leave a legacy that will be remembered for years to come.