FRILLS CORNERS, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Lily Homan’s basketball journey was not the straight line most take.
There were many curves and twists along the way.
Homan spent her first two seasons at Venango Catholic, playing for her father, Skip. She was a star from the first time she stepped on the floor, averaging 14 points per game as a freshman and 20.3 per night as a sophomore.
But the Vikings’ program was struggling to attract players and keep a team on the court. Finally, at the end of Homan’s sophomore season, the team was scuttled.
(Pictured above, Lily Homan)
Homan was suddenly without a home.
The Oil City native transferred to North Clarion and ran into some pitfalls while trying to acclimate to a new team, new style and a new coach.
And her numbers suffered. Homan’s scoring average dipped to 12 per game and she was ruled ineligible for the postseason because of the PIAA transfer guidelines.
As a senior, she was determined to bounce back.
And did she.
Homan led all of District 9 in scoring at 19.7 per game. She also added 5.5 steals, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Wolves. Her father was once again with her as the North Clarion coach.
It helped the point guard snag a second-team girls basketball all-state selection in Class A from the Pennsylvania writers.
“Making the all state team is a big accomplishment for me,” Homan said. “I’ve come a long way to achieve great goals with coaches and players by my side, and also my family members and friends supporting me along the way. I would have not gotten where I was without them.”
For Homan, the spot on the all-state team was a vindication of sorts, a reward for her perseverance.
“I am able to look back on this accomplishment knowing how hard I’ve worked to get to that position and the many people that have boosted my confidence while playing,” she said.
Redbank Valley junior point guard Mylee Harmon was also a second-team selection in Class 2A.
Harmon’s numbers were stellar across the board. She put up 19 points, 5.3 assists, 5.2 steals and 5.2 rebounds per night for the D9 champ Bulldogs.
(Mylee Harmon)
Harmon said she was unsure if the honor would come her way again this year after making the third team as a sophomore.
She had a rough patch at midseason, but excelled down the stretch for Redbank Valley.
“This definitely means a lot because of my little hiccup,” Harmon said. “I didn’t think I was gonna get it this year, honestly. So it definitely means a lot more, especially being second team. Next year I hope I can get first team.”
Harmon has scored 1,422 points in her career and is intent on chasing 2,000.
That would also put her No. 1 on the school’s career points list. Brooke Hinderliter scored 1,997 points before she graduated in 2016.
Harmon, who as an assists machine down the stretch this winter, also has her sights set on 500 career assists and 500 career steals. She’s within 100 of both of those marks.
“Scoring 1,000 was always my goal and I was blessed with a lot of playing time when I was a freshman, so I got a lot of minutes there, and I played a lot as a sophomore, too. A lot of players don’t get a chance to do that until their junior and senior years. I’m going to have that all four years. I’m the type of person who always wants to be on top, so I definitely want 2,000 and the school record. I want 2,000-500-500. I think that would be amazing.”
Jayssa Snelick of St. Marys was also an all-state selection, earning second-team honors in Class 4A.
She also averaged 19.7 points per game and also added 5.8 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 2.6 assists each night.
Fall Sports
Rocky Grove and Lakeview Team Up for Mason
