On February 3rd, 2025, the Moon Area Girls Basketball team held their annual senior night to represent their following seniors Jayla Brown and Alicia Bronner. The Girls Basketball team also decided to dedicate this night to Leukemia Cancer Awareness. Both Jayla and Alicia have dedicated their selves to the team for many years and have been big assets bringing the team together and always making the locker room a positive atmosphere.
Jayla Brown speaks on how her favorite basketball memory was “beating undefeated Lincoln Park my junior year.” Jayla has been on the Varsity team all 4 years and has contributed greatly on the defensive and offensive end. She also participates in being a part of the Moon Area Volleyball team and has hobbies like cleaning, coloring, and singing outside of basketball. Jayla’s future plans include studying Exercise Physiology at UTampa. Jayla finally wants to inform her younger self to, “never let others tell you, you can’t!”
Alicia Bronner has become a big aspect of the Moon Area Girls Basketball team aswell. She has been a Lady Tiger for all 4 years in High School and a great support for the team’s success. Alicia is the inspiration for the Senior night being dedicated to orange night to support Leukemia Cancer Awareness. She is a fighter when she dealt with cancer and now is a fighter on the court. Alicia states her favorite basketball memory is, “beating South Fayette in state playoffs my freshman year.” Outside of basketball Alicia enjoys hanging out with her friends and play video games. Alicia’s plans are to study psychology at a 4-year college. Her advice for her younger self is to not, “let anyone tell you who you are, or what you are, live in the moment [because] time flies. Enjoy every single piece of it!”
The Moon Area High School girls’ basketball team put together an impressive second-half rally to defeat West Allegheny 53-49 in front of an energized home crowd. The Tigers overcame a slow start and leaned on a balanced offensive effort to secure the victory.
West Allegheny came out strong, setting the tone with a dominant first quarter. The Indians moved the ball efficiently and found open shots, putting up 16 points in the opening frame while holding Moon to just 9. Star player Maria Depner was unstoppable, leading all scorers with 25 points and showcasing her offensive versatility throughout the game.
Even as Moon Area started to find their rhythm in the second quarter, West Allegheny remained in control, outscoring the Tigers 12-11 before halftime. With a 28-20 lead heading into the break, the Indians looked poised to take control of the game.
The Tigers came out of the locker room with renewed energy, playing with more defensive intensity and attacking the basket with confidence. Their defensive adjustments made a difference, as they held West Allegheny to just 11 points in the third quarter while putting up 15 of their own. The momentum shift continued into the final quarter, where Moon outscored their opponents 13-10 to complete the comeback.
Jaedin Griggs, Adriana D’Alesio, and Anya Schwartz all stepped up, each contributing 7 points to complement Moon’s balanced offensive approach. Their ability to make key plays in crucial moments helped the Tigers maintain their lead down the stretch.
While Moon and West A continued to battle, Moon still felt the absence of Jayla Brown, who was sidelined with a knee injury. Without her presence on the court, the Tigers lacked depth in key moments when the Tigers could’ve used her.
As the game neared its conclusion, Moon Area showed composure under pressure. Their ability to execute in the fourth quarter was crucial, as they forced turnovers and made smart decisions in the closing minutes. With Depner’s incredible individual performance for Moon making multiple foul shots when the Tigers needed.
Head coach Mark Pompeo praised the team’s resilience after the game.
“We knew we had to step up in the second half. The girls responded to the challenge, tightened up defensively, and found ways to score when it mattered most,” Pompeo said.
With this victory, Moon Area builds confidence heading into their next game on February 6th at Montour High School. The upcoming matchup will be another tough test as the Tigers look to extend their momentum and improve their record. The Tigers are right now 3rd in the section and go off to playoffs after they play Montour and Pine Richland. So toon in to support your Lady Tigers.

Final Score Breakdown:
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
West Allegheny 16 12 11 10 49
Moon Area 9 11 15 13 53