Steel City Yellow Jackets Journal

By Thomas Leturgey The Steel City Queens finished off their home season Women’s American Basketball Association (WABA) on Sunday, losing to the DC Cyclones 77-68. “It was another tough loss,” noted Queens Owner and Head Coach Ace Pippens after the game. It was the sixth loss of the season for the 0-6 Queens.  The Steel City ladies started off slowly, but over the past few games have really picked up their collective game. Point guard Sabrina McLin, who has only played in a few games for the home team, reclaimed her position as the preemptive Most Valuable Player. Sunday afternoon at A Giving Heart Community Center, she led the team with 25 points. McLin scored four points in the first, five in the second, and eight points in the 3rd and 4th periods, respectively. The Cyclones called for a time out after Ariana Sanders' short jumper extended an early lead to 12-5. Ty Polk, who has chronicled the Queens season on YouTube, noticed that the Queens offense had an early game "togeth

The Steel City Queens within two points of their first win of the season. Photo by Thomas Leturgey.  By Thomas Leturgey The Steel City Queens provided their best 40 minutes of basketball this Women’s American Basketball Association (WABA) of the season, but ultimately fell to the Virginia Hearts 74-72. Ike Burgman’s 2-1 team drove the four hours from Northern Virginia to A Giving Heart Community Center for the official second-half of the Queens’ 0-4 season. Sierra Williams tied the game right after the Hearts had a 2-0 lead. Shataya White and Williams continued the early scoring for the home club and the very early lead with the Hearts called a time out with 6:08 remaining in the first half. Virginia’s Alyssa Mayrose hit a nice underhanded basket to trim the lead and Tayler Dodson scored to put the visitors on top, with 4:25 to go.  Ciarra Patterson, who played one of her best games of the season, scored, as did White to trim Virginia’s lead to 14-11. It was here in which the Hearts st

by Thomas Leturgey with Arianna Rosemond The Steel City Queens hope that the second-half of the Women’s American Basketball Association (WABA) will bode better in Allentown. Ace Pippens and Clyde Mann’s team is 0-4 at the midway point, coming off of an injury-forced forfeit last weekend. The Queens were supposed to travel to DC to play the DC Cyclones, but they couldn’t court five players. That happens from time-to-time in the WABA and their brother league, the ABA.  This Saturday, the Queens return to A Giving Heart Community Center in Allentown and expect to play the 2-1 Virginia Hearts. The Dametra Lewis-owned club defeated DC last weekend, 73-60. That avenged their season-opening loss to the Cyclones, 102-66. The Hearts also defeated the Greensboro Kaos earlier this season. The Queens lost their first game to Greensboro by a definitive, early lead but nearly came back to win the rematch. The Queens have added to their ranks. Jasmine Myers, a 5’7” small forward/power forward from Mo