CLARION, Pa. – Nationally there is a clothing store called H&M.
In New Bethlehem, there is a basketball duo that can just go by H&H.
Harmon and Huffman. Huffman and Harmon.
It doesn’t really matter which one you put first because they are first. Again. In District 9.
Behind senior Alivia Huffman and sophomore Mylee Harmon Redbank Valley won its second straight District 9 title and its third in four years with a 61-35 win over Moniteau in the D9 Class 2A girls’ championship game Saturday afternoon at PennWest Clarion’s Tippin Gym.
“I have 12 girls who are dedicated,” Redbank Valley head coach Chris Edmonds said. “It is a special group of girls. They set out to win district championships, and this senior class got three out of four.”
Huffman and Harmon are a big reason why the Lady Bulldogs (25-1) won another title after taking home the 3A crown in 2022 and the 2A title in 2020.
Huffman scored a game-high 24 points and pulled down 11 rebounds while Harmon had 19 points and at least five steals.
“Olivia played a great game today,” Edmonds said. “She had it going on the inside. Miley created that separation, the lanes to be able to pass it into Alivia. They did an excellent job together.”
A 26-8 run in the first half gave Redbank Valley a 28-10 lead late in the half – they led 28-15 at halftime – and pretty much put the game away before the break was reached.
“Since we move down (from 3A to 2A) there were expectations that we would get different competition,” Harmon said. “ We just showed the community and everyone else that we could come back and do it again this year.”
Huffman scored 11 points and Harmon eight during the first-half run.
“I think we just instantly clicked,” Huffman said of her chemistry with Harmon from day one of Harmon’s freshman season. “We just knew it would be something different.”
Watch Harmon and Huffman’s full interview
Freshman Ady Bond added seven points in the win for Redbank Valley.
Catherine Kelly paced Moniteau (19-7), which lost to Redbank Valley for the fourth time this season, with 15 points while Davina Pry added nine points and seven rebounds.
Both teams move into the PIAA playoffs.
Redbank Valley will play Serra Catholic, the sixth-place team out of the WPIAL, while Moniteau gets Lakeview, the third-place finisher out of District 10. Both of those games will be home games for the District 9 teams and will be played Friday, March 10.
REDBANK VALLEY 61, MONITEAU 35
Score by Quarters
Moniteau 4 11 10 10 – 35
Redbank Valley 13 15 18 15 – 61
MONITEAU – 35
Abbey Jewart 0 0-0 0, Sophia Fleeger 0 1-2 1, Catherine Kelly 4 5-6 15, Autumn Stewart 1 0-0 2, Allie Pry 1 0-0 2, Davina Pry 2 5-9 9, Kendall Sankey 2 2-5 6, MacKenzie Arblaster 0 0-0 0, Cheyenne Curl 0 0-0 0, Cara Roxberry 0 0-0 0, Sydney Bayless 0 0-0 0, Lucy Hartle 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 13-22.
REDBANK VALLEY – 61
Molly Coil 0 0-0 0, Kira Bonanno 2 0-0 4, Ady Bond 3 0-0 7, Caylen Rearick 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Bowser 0 0-0 0, Alara Altobelli 0 0-0 0, Izzy Bond 1 1-2 3, Mylee Harmon 7 5-9 19, Alivia Huffman 8 8-10 24, Ryleigh Evans 0 0-0 0, Brooklyn Edmonds 0 2-2 2, Quinn White 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 16-23 61.
Three-pointers: Moniteau 2 (Kelly 2). Redbank Valley 1 (A. Bond)
