Hays gets 1,000th with W&J

February 6, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Emily Hays of Boardman has shot her way into the career 1,000-point club on the Washington & Jefferson College women’s basketball team in Washington, Pa.

Hays, a 6-0 senior forward from Boardman where she was coached by Ron Moschella, recently became the 11th player in W&J women’s basketball history to score 1,000 career points.

The three-year starter achieved that feat by scoring 13 points at Westminster College to give her 1,003 for her career. She helped lead the Presidents to a 60-41 win over the Titans in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference game Wednesday.

Hays, who has 317 points this season, has led W&J to an 18-2 record — its second-best start in school history. That mark includes a 9-1 in the PAC and has the team a half-game back in second place behind Thomas More (18-2, 10-1).

The Presidents’ best start was the 2002-03 season when they won 23 of their first 24 games before losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

W&J and Thomas More will meet for a pivotal PAC showdown next Wednesday in Crestview Hills, Ky.

Westminster (6-13, 3-7 PAC), meanwhile, coached by Struthers native Rosanne Scott, had four area players stand out in the loss to W&J.

Gina Brunetti (5-7 senior, Cardinal Mooney) from Canfield had eight points. Kaitlin McCarthy (5-6 sophomore, Lowellville) had eight points and four assists. Amy Dolsak (6-0 junior, McDonald) had six points and five rebounds. Emily Dolsak (5-11 freshman McDonald) had five points. The Dolsaks are sisters.

Hays’ talent unfolded and blossomed under coach Jina DeRubbo, who is in her fifth season at the W&J helm with an outstanding 235-87 record.

DiRubbo has the Presidents ranked No. 21 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll as of Monday.

Hays is having her best scoring season with a team-best 15.9-point average and team-leading 54.8 (126-for-230) field-goal percentage. She also is No. 2 in rebounding (6.1) with 20 steals and 13 blocks.

Last season, Hays scored 332 points (11.4 average) to help W&J tie a school-record for victories in a season (23-7). The Presidents also won the ECAC Division III Southern Tournament Championship for just the second time in school history.

In her first season (2005-06), she averaged 3.3 points as the team went 22-5, won the PAC title and qualified for the NCAA meet.

In her second (2006-07), she averaged 9.4 points as the team made the ECAC Division III Tournament.

For Hays’ career, she has played in 102 games, starting 69 of them, and has made 408 goals out of 796 attempts (51.3 percent), and 187 free throws out of 326 tries (57.4 percent), to give her 1,003 points. She also has 476 rebounds, 63 assists, 74 steals and 50 blocks.

Hays has had a lot of support from her teammates this season as well as through her career.

This year, Maggie Gibson, a 6-1 junior forward from Greensburg, Pa., leads the team in rebounding (11.3) and is third in scoring at 10.4.

Kennan Killeen, a 5-5 junior point guard from Mount Lebanon, is second in scoring (10.2) and first in assists (3.7). Stephanie Smith, a 5-5 junior guard from Grove City, Pa., is No. 4 in scoring (9.7).

Hays also has a shot at two more school records, including most games played. She has 102 with six games remaining, the school record being 107. She also has a chance to be part of a team school record for most career wins by a senior class. Her class is 83-23 and the record (86 wins) was set by last year’s senior class.

Also on the W&J team is Ashley Kirkpatrick, a 5-10 freshman forward from Kennedy Catholic High and Sharon. Kirkpatrick has played in 18 games and is sixth in scoring (4.1) while averaging 1.3 rebounds.

XJohn Kovach writes about college athletes for The Vindicator. Write him at kovach@vindy.com.