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Hopewell Girls Youth Basketball

Hopewell Girls Youth Basketball

Hopewell Girls Youth Basketball Registration Information

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

Coach Jeff Homziak, assistant coaches, Junior High and High School athletes are providing an opportunity to teach new and existing youth players the fundamentals of basketball.  The Little Lady Vikings Youth Basketball Program is being supported by the high school girls’ basketball coaches for the 2025 inhouse season. 

Registration for the 2025 Inhouse Season for the Little Lady Vikings Basketball and Little Dribblers is now open.  Please note that registration is for a limited time only and will close Friday, September 12, 2025, at 11:59pm.  A discount will be applied when registering multiple children.  Once registration closes, we will not accept any late registrations.

Program Details:

3rd & 4th Grade GIRLS Inhouse Basketball:

  • If you are a returning player and plan to use your in-house jersey from last year, Cost: $75.00.

  • If you are a returning player and/or new player and need a new jersey, Cost: $105.00

  • Registration is limited to 50 players in total.

  • Practice: Starts, Monday, October 6, 2025 – Wednesday, November 19, 2025.  Practice will be every Monday and Wednesday from 6:00 – 7:15pm at the Hopewell Junior High School.

  • Games: Starts, Saturday, October 18, 2025 – Saturday, November 22, 2025.  Games will be every Saturday from 12:00 – 2:00pm located in Hopewell High School Aux Gym.

  • Players should wear comfortable shorts & a T-shirt to practice and basketball shoes, or tennis shoes.  Long hair should be pulled up in a ponytail.

5th & 6th Grade GIRLS Inhouse Basketball:

  • If you are a returning player and plan to use your in-house jersey from last year, Cost: $75.00.

  • If you are a returning player and/or new player and need a new jersey, Cost: $105.00

  • Registration is limited to 50 players in total.

  • Practice: Starts, Monday, October 6, 2025 – Wednesday, November 19, 2025.  Practice will be every Monday and Wednesday from 7:30 – 8:45pm at the Hopewell Junior High School.

  • Games: Starts, Saturday, October 18, 2025 – Saturday, November 22, 2025.  Games will be every Saturday from 12:00 – 2:00pm located in Hopewell High School Main Gym.

  • Players should wear comfortable shorts & a T-shirt to practice and basketball shoes, or tennis shoes.  Long hair should be pulled up in a ponytail.

Little Dribblers, Grades 1-2 (GIRLS & BOYS):

The Little Dribblers program is part of the Vikings girls and boys’ youth program. Registration for the Little Dribblers can be completed through either site.

  • If you are a returning player and plan to use your in-house jersey from last year, Cost: $65.

  • If you are a returning player and/or new player and need a new jersey, Cost: $95.00

  • Registration is limited to 56 players in total.

  • Practice: Starts, Wednesday October 15, 2025 – Wednesday, November 19, 2025.  Practice will be every Wednesday from 6-7:00pm OR 7:15pm-8:15pm at the Hopewell Junior High School, Lower Level, Gym B.  The kids will be split into two groups, and you will be notified of your practice time once registration closes.

  • Friday, October 10, 2025 – will be an evaluation practice for team placement.

  • Games will be every Friday evening in the Hopewell Junior High School, Gym B.

  • Players should wear comfortable shorts & a T-shirt to practice and basketball shoes, or tennis shoes. Long hair should be pulled up in a ponytail.

Inhouse Girls Basketball & Little Dribbles Jerseys from last year, look like the picture above.

Inhouse Games for Girls Basketball will be played on Saturday mornings, starting Saturday, October 18, 2025 – Saturday, November 22, 2025, at Hopewell Senior High School. Little Dribblers will also play games on Friday evenings, starting Friday, October 17, 2025 – Friday, November 21, 2025, at the Hopewell Junior High School. Schedules and teams will be compiled once registration ends.

Please make sure that you have your insurance information handy as well as reversible jersey/t-shirt sizes available when registering.  We will be ordering items based on what sizes you enter for your child.  We can reorder items if you are not satisfied with the fit, however it will be at the expense of the parents.  There will also be a space to indicate if your daughter, in grades 3-6, is interested in playing travel basketball.  If they are, please let us know so we can include them on future communications for this program too!

Lastly, please make sure we have good contact information for you, such as phone numbers and email addresses when you register.  We will use that information to communicate with you. Please follow us on Facebook at Hopewell Little Lady Vikings Youth Basketball for season updates and important information.

We are very excited to get this season kicked off and look forward to working with your children.  If you have any questions, please email us at littleladyvikingsbasketball@gmail.com.

Registration can be found here:  https://www.littleladyvikingsbasketball.com/Default.aspx…

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Hopewell Girls Youth Basketball

Invitation for Hopewell Girls Youth Basketball Players to Attend RMU Tournament Game

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Conference tournament basketball is here, and the Robert Morris Women’s Basketball program is hoping to see some Lady Vikings in attendance.

Robert Morris University reached out to the Hopewell Little Lady Vikings Girls Basketball to thank us for our support over the years. As a token of their gratitude, they are extending an invitation for Hopewell to join them in supporting the RMU Women’s team as they compete in the second round of the Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship!

This has been an amazing season for the Robert Morris women’s team and new head coach Chandler McCabe. After getting picked to finish dead last in the Horizon League preseason polls, the Colonials shocked everyone (but themselves) by finishing in 4th place and receiving a first-round bye. Keep in mind, this team finished 2-18 last season.

Tomorrow night at 5:30 PM, Robert Morris will be hosting Northern Kentucky, and the Colonials program would love to have as many Lady Vikings in attendance as possible in order to help create an electrifying atmosphere.

Tickets are available at a special rate of $5 per person. You can claim the tickets for March 6th below! Feel free to send the link to whoever might be interested!
Don’t miss your chance to be part of the excitement and hope to see you at the UPMC Events Center on the campus of Robert Morris University!
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Hopewell Girls Youth Basketball

Hopewell Girls Youth Basketball Teams End Season with Heads Held High

by Lillian Otto
written by Lillian Otto 4 minutes read

This weekend, the Lady Vikings Youth Basketball teams starred in the Beaver County Youth Basketball playoffs. All five teams played their hardest, even though not all came out on top.

I was in attendance and have an update on all 3 teams.

4th Grade Gold

-Playoff Game 1 (Quarterfinal) – Riverside 13 / 11

Roster – Annie Krawczynski, Delanie McClintock, Ellyette Mobley, Jeisy Jimenez, Julie Dunning, Kamilla Beck, Kelsey Boring, Sophia Spiropoulos, Teagan Jacobs

Coaches – John Krawczynski

4th Grade Navy

-Playoff Game 1 (Quarterfinal) – Hopewell 21 / Beaver Falls 7

-Playoff Game 2 (Semifinal) – Blackhawk 24 / Hopewell 6

Roster – Arieyanna Jonnet, Emma Enders, Evelyn Thrasher, Juliette Hupp, Kendal Kaminski, Libby Kokan, Lucy Olson, Marlee Barkovich, Pacey Bokor, Savannah Smith

Coaches – Will Enders & Lauren Smith

*Both 4th grade teams had great seasons, although they did not get what they wanted in the playoffs. Beyond the scores, the main focus of 4th grade basketball is to develop the skills of these young athletes and to also learn how to utilize those skills within games to become quality basketball players. Creating quality basketball players takes time, and 4th grade is the first step. Most of these girls will be moving up to 5th grade next year, where they will continue that journey to rule the court.

 

5th Grade

-Playoff Game 1 (Quarterfinal) – Hopewell 30 / Beaver 10

Scoring – Amzey Budris 14, Piper Bokor 10, Gianna Ceccerelli 4, Emmy Bokor 2

-Playoff Game 2 (Semifinal) – Hopewell 22 / Central Valley 9

Scoring – Piper Bokor 6, Amzey Budris 4, Emmy Bokor 4, Reese Budavich 4, Gianna Ciccerelli 2, Sophia Tiller 2

-Playoff Game 3 (Championship)

Scoring by Quarter

1st Quarter – Blackhawk 5 / Hopewell 6

2nd Quarter – Blackhawk 10 / Hopewell 7

3rd Quarter – Blackhawk 14 / Hopewell 10

Final – Blackhawk 24 / Hopewell 16

Scoring – Amzey Budris 9, Piper Bokor 7


Roster – Amzey Budris, Emmy Bokor, Gianna Ciccerelli, Hayden Sullivan, Lily Burgess, Piper Bokor, Reese Budavich, Sophia Tiller

Coaches – Katherine Bokor, Lou Ciccerelli, Brandi Budris

*5th grade had a tremendous season, including making the playoffs and having an amazing run to the championship game. The first two games against Beaver and Central Valley were blowouts, with girls winning both games by more than 10 points. They showed their versatility from knocking down a large number of outside shots to driving for layups in the paint and on fast breaks.

Then came the most important game of their season, the 5th Grade Championship Game. Throughout this game, the girls displayed their hustle and grit, keeping it close with Blackhawk the entire game. The first half was full of back-and-forth buckets from both teams. They ended the third quarter trailing by just 4 points. Unfortunately, Blackhawk was able to capitalize late in the game, pulling away and ultimately beating Hopewell 24-16. They ended the season with their heads held high, knowing they had an exceptional season and took it all the way to the very end.

 

6th Grade Gold

-Playoff Game 1 (Quarterfinal) – Central Valley 30 / Hopewell 7

Scoring – Sophia Cronin 4, Flora Marocco, 2, Madison Morgan 1


Roster – Alaina Jacobs, Flora Marocco, Isabella Romero, Mackenzie Bellomo, Madison Morgan, Malena BonAnno, Paisley Cunningham, Sofia Cronin, Sutton Murray Coaches – Jamie Yurcina, Brandon Davis & Mike Kurta

6th Grade Navy

-Playoff Game 1 (Quarterfinal) – Hopewell 33 / Ambridge 29

Scoring – Rilynn Davis 12, Neveah Pope 10, Isla Rock 6, Talia Santia 2, Gia Yurcina 2

-Playoff Game 2 (Semifinal) Beaver 31 / Hopewell 26

Scoring – Rilynn Davis 8, Lydia Jaquay 8, Isla Rock 4, Neveah Pope 2, Talia Santia 2, Gia Yurcina 2

Roster – Callie Sadler, Cora Quinn, Gia Yurcina, Leah Peterman, Isla Rock, Lydia Jaquay, Neveah Pope, Rilynn Davis, Vanessa Kurta, Talia Santia

Coaches – Jamie Yurcina, Brandon Davis & Mike Kurta

The 2 6th grade teams played equally as hard as the 4th and 5th teams this year. The Gold team unfortunately fell short in their first playoff game vs Central Valley, but they gave it their all until the very end. These girls picked up some extremely valuable minutes this year though, which will be extremely important to their continued development as they enter the Junior High program.

The Navy team won their first playoff game vs Ambridge, although it was close the entire way and they pulled it out in the 4th quarter winning by 3 points. In their second game, they fell short to a talented Beaver team. They put their blood, sweat, and tears into it though, right to the very end.

These 2 teams of girls have played together as a group since 3rd grade, which really says something about how well they all fit together and are committed to each other. Every player has a role, and they fulfill it, which will definitely carry over extremely well into the Junior High program. The four years they have spent in this league have been the first chapter of their basketball careers but is still truly just the beginning. The amount of improvement over these 4 years has been remarkable and this group of girls will thrive in Junior High basketball based on how well they know each other and the sheer number of games they have played together.

This closes out another impressive season for the Hopewell Girls Youth Basketball program. The future is bright for all of these young girls, and I cannot wait to watch them continue to grow throughout the next few years!

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Hopewell Girls Youth Basketball

Emotional Weekend for Hopewell 6th Grade Girls Basketball Team

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 4 minutes read

“I feel like I’ve had two chapters of my life close in less than a year.”

It was a long emotional weekend for Jamie Yurcina and his Hopewell 6th Grade Girls Travel Basketball team.

Not only did their season end but so did their careers in grade school basketball. Coach Yurcina’s Navy Travel Team lost in the semifinals to Beaver, 31-26.

The goal and expectation was to win a championship but that didn’t happen which made Yurcina’s last team talk very difficult and obviously emotional.

“It wasn’t easy. There was a lot of crying, a lot of hugging,” Yurcina told Vikings Sports Now. “I told them that this isn’t the end of their journey, this is just the end of their youth basketball journey and that their real basketball journey is just beginning. Next year, junior high/school ball is in play, with practices every single day. This is just the beginning. I don’t think any of that helped (laughing) but I think in time, they’ll feel better and look back at what’s happened and on their successful careers in youth basketball.”

While seeing these young ladies upset and crying, the positive was that it reinforced what Yurcina and his staff already knew and that was that these girls truly care.

“This is supposed to hurt because if it didn’t hurt then we wouldn’t be playing for the right reasons. It hurts because we all want to win and trust me, it hurts me to see them hurting. Even in our game Friday night against Ambridge, we had a couple of girls coming off crying and I told them that I love that you care that much.”

“Although we won against Ambridge on Friday, girls were coming off crying because they made a mistake. I love them that there is that much emotion, but we try and always teach them to just play the next play and do their best.”

This group of players certainly did that as they worked long and hard to get better. Along this 4-year journey, these Lady Vikings did that and along the way, won plenty of games, tournaments and created lifelong memories.

“It’s very rewarding knowing that all of these girls have gotten better,” said Yurcina. “Just seeing them grow from tiny 8-year-old girls to grow up to be 11–12-year-old young ladies, to have the tenacity, the drive that they have. That’s each and every one of them, that whole 6th grade group on both the Gold and Navy team.”


“Over the years, I’ve told them, you have to believe in me. I’m working you hard because I believe in you. It’s not that I like to watch you run and sweat but there’s going to be a reward at the end of the tunnel. I’m coaching you now to be able to come watch you play for WPIAL Championships when you get to high school, and this is where it starts. To their credit, they all bought into that. The red faces after practices, the sweat, the tears, the huffing and puffing. I told them that one day, it’s all going to pay off and they bought into it.”

Next up for this group of players is taking their talent and competing at the junior high level. These ladies have won plenty of games over the last few years and combined with the players that are in front of them, Yurcina isn’t the only person that believes their success can continue.

“This past weekend at the tournament, I was talking to Jodie Fusetti (owner and trainer at Rein 3D in Chippewa) and Coach Raso from Central Valley. Both of them came up to me and said, ‘Hopewell is going to be the program to watch’. They were very complimentary of how at each level, we have improved and developed.”

“That’s kudos to the coaches we have now, that’s kudos to Coach Rushel Shell, to Coach Chris Otto, guys that have been involved over the years,” said Yurcina. “We’ve all put a lot of time in, and Coach Homziak is really happy too because he sees it. Coach Raso told me that if you can get one or two players from each age group to become a really good that I’m happy. Honestly, I feel like we’re developing 4 or 5 players from each age group that could be really good basketball players.”

If you think this weekend was just difficult for the players, you’d be mistaken. These last few years for Yurcina weren’t just putting in time and coaching a group of players, he and staff put their heart and soul into this group of girls and as he emotionally explained, that’s now over with.


“It was tough sitting on the recliner last night and looking back. I feel like I’ve had two chapters of my life close in less than a year. Coaching those girls, coaching those boys (youth/pony league baseball) it kind of makes me feel old but now I’m going to sit back and watch them as they get older now and in school ball and winning championships.”


”I told each one of these girls yesterday and I old those boys, they’re like family to me, every single one of them. They’re like my own kids, I’ve been around them so much, I know so much about them, I know their families, it’s been a very rewarding ride. It’s going to be hard, but now I’m going to enjoy sitting back watching.”

Anyone that knows Yurcina knows that he’s someone with a smile on his face and most times is in a jovial mood.

My final question to him allowed me to see a side I’ve never seen before as he was quite emotional when talking about having the opportunity to coach both his son, Jackson, and his daughter, Gia. That chapter of his life is now over.

“I will say that it’s a lot different coaching your son than your daughter. Jackson and I butted heads a lot more than Gia and I but I guess that’s your little girl too.”

“Coaching both of them has been a joy and something that I’m going to remember the rest of my life, hopefully they get to feel that when they’re adults and have their own kids and feel how rewarding that is to coach your kids and be in that environment.”

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Hopewell Girls Youth Basketball

Rilynn Davis Leads Hopewell 6th Grade to Big Win Over Blackhawk

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

The Hopewell and Blackhawk girls have two of the better 6th grade travel teams in Beaver County.

Blackhawk’s dominance in girls’ basketball over the last couple of decades is well known but Hopewell program is slowly but surely developing a pipeline of players that will make them very competitive in the upcoming years.

The Lady Vikings high school team has plenty of young talent on the roster, while the 7th and 8th grade programs also have a number of players that should make an impact early once they reach high school. The future is bright with players such as Amiyah Shell, Arionna Shell, Ellie McCoy, Lilian Otto, Lily Enders, Dallas Boyd, Ava Ray to name a few.

The Girls junior high program will once again be strong next season as a talented crop of 6th graders will be making their way to the junior high.

Today, the Hopewell 6th Grade Girls Navy travel team took on a talented team from Blackhawk. Not surprisingly, this game was very competitive and came down to the final minutes but in the end, Hopewell came away with a 22-18 victory.

Here’s recap of this afternoon’s action.

Rilynn Davis got Hopewell on the scoreboard first and after Blackhawk scored the next two baskets, Davis scored again to tie the game at 4.

Free throws by Nevaeh Pope and Davis gave Hopewell a 6-4 lead but the Cougars once again scored to tie the game at 6.

Davis scored the next two Hopewell baskets to give the Lady Vikings a 10-6 lead, but Blackhawk responded with two hoops of their own to tie the game back up at 10.

With Blackhawk leading 14-13, Talia Santia made a free throw to tie the score back up at 14.

The next sequence of the game was the turning point as Lydia Jaquay scored to tie the game up at 16. Then Davis scored back-to-back hoops to give Hopewell a four-point lead, 20-16.

Blackhawk didn’t go away as they scored to make it a two-point game (20-18) but as she did all game, Davis came up big with another basket to ice the game.

Davis finished today with 16 points, while Jaquay scored 4 points and Pope and Santia both scored a point.

Winning is Fun!!

This group of girls is back in action on Wednesday as they take on Central Valley.

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Hopewell Girls Youth Basketball

Hopewell 6th Grade Girls Squeak Out Win Over Fatima

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP– After playing a packed schedule, the Hopewell 6th Grade Girls Gold travel basketball team got a bit of a break to rest up and practice.

This morning, the Lady Vikings returned to action as they took on the neighboring squad from Our Lady of Fatima.

This morning’s game was more of a defensive battle and was tied at halftime but in the end, the Lady Vikings did enough to come away with a 13-12 victory.

The Gold team was led in scoring by Sofia Cronin with seven points, followed by MacKenzie Bellomo (2 points), Alaina Jacobs (2 points) and Flora Marocco with 2 points.

VSN wanted to mention that Charlotte Kovell led the Fatima team with 6 points. Nice job!

Congrats girls!

The Hopewell Gold travel team is next in action on Wednesday as they’ll take on the Beaver 6th grade Maroon team.

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Hopewell Girls Youth Basketball

Hopewell 6th Grade Navy Girls Travel Lose Close Contest Against Beaver

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

The Hopewell and Beaver 6th girls’ basketball programs are developing a nice healthy, competitive rivalry.

That’s usually the case when two talented teams play in meaningful games and that’s what’s taken place lately.

The Lady Vikings and Lady Bobcats battled in travel tournaments last season and that continued over the weekend as Hopewell came away with a close 3-point victory in the semifinals of the South Side Tournament.

On Wednesday night, these two programs met again in a regular season matchup and once again it was a good game.

Unfortunately for the Lady Vikings, the results were a bit different as the Bobcats came away with a 23-18 win.

It was one of those games where the shots just weren’t falling for Hopewell, including from the free-throw line where the Vikings are normally strong.

When you’re not able to convert on free throws and don’t convert easy shots you normally make, it’s very difficult to beat a quality team like Beaver. But remember, these are 6th grade girls, and these types of games happen from time to time.

The turning point of the game was early on with Hopewell leading 3-2 courtesy a 3-pointer from Rilynn Davis, Beaver went on a 9-0 run, which turned out to be a hole Hopewell couldn’t climb out of.

Taking a look at the Hopewell Box Score- Davis and Nevaeah Pope led the way with 7 points apiece, while Callie Sadler and Vanessa Kurta each scored 2 points.

Next up for the 6th Grade Navy team is a couple of games on Saturday, first against Moon and then against New Brighton.

Good Luck Ladies!

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Hopewell Girls Youth Basketball

Hopewell 6th Grade Girls to Compete for National Tournament After Dramatic Shot from Davis!

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

In order to get better at anything, sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself.

That’s exactly what the Hopewell Girls Navy Travel Basketball team are doing right now.

After having an outstanding 2023-24 travel season as 5th graders, the Lady Vikings decided to make things difficult on themselves.

Aside from competing in the 6th Grade Beaver County Travel League, Coach Yurcina’s team is also playing in a 7th/8th grade league.

This was done for one reason, to play against older and better competition in the hopes of getting better for the future.

Today, these Hopewell girls took on a very good Moon 8th grade team and the New Brighton 7th/8th grade team. In the end, these gritty and talented girls did ok.

In the first game, the Vikings lost to Moon, 39-7 but in the second game, they rebounded and beat New Brighton, 14-13, in dramatic fashion.

Screenshot

With the score tied at 13, Rilynn Davis was fouled shooting with 5 seconds remaining. Davis went to the line for the win and after missing the first shot, Davis calmly stepped up and drained the second attempt.

Hopewell Wins, 14-13!

Despite playing older competition and trailing 9-2, these girls battled back for the win.

Trailing 9-2, Hopewell got baskets from Lydia Jaquay, Davis and Nevaeh Pope. Then trailing 11-6, Hopewell scored the last 8 points off the game on three field goals from Davis and a free throw from Talia Santia.

Screenshot

Next up for this Hopewell team is a huge opportunity as they start competition tomorrow in a tournament in New Castle.

The importance of this is that the top two teams in this tournament qualify for a national tournament that will take place at Penn State University.

The eight team field includes Beaver, Neshannock, Sharon, Plum, Boardman, Canfield and Ellwood City.

This is a two-day tournament as the Lady Vikings will open up against Neshannock at 8:50 AM.

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Good luck Hopewell, we’re all pulling for you!

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