City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
—

(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2024-25 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

~~~

West Chester East’s 2025 class entered the program three years ago determined to be Erin Listrani’s most successful yet. 

That’s a goal they’ve basically already accomplished as juniors, making it to the Ches-Mont League championship game and then winning a PIAA Class 5A playoff game for the first time in program history, driving the Vikings deeper into the postseason than ever before. 

With that already in their pocket, the goal for the year ahead is to see how much further they can go.

“We’re all so hungry and willing to get back to work, to be where we were, if not be better than,” senior guard Annalise Kubasko told CoBL. “Our team has such big goals for this season and we’re all just so eager to win, and eager to get better.”

East won 19 games a year ago, finishing tied with district counterpart West Chester Henderson atop the Ches-Mont National standings with 9-3 records. After beating Kennett in the Ches-Mont semifinals, East battled Henderson but fell short by seven points in the league title game. It then took out Phoenixville in the District 1 5A quarterfinals, earning a spot in the state tournament, where it beat Freire Charter 57-30 to set the new program standard.

Through a couple spring and summer leagues, it’s been clear to their coach that they’re too smart to rest on their laurels. 

“These kids got a taste of some success and they’re really laser-focused,” Listrani said. “I’ve just been blown away by this group of how hard they’re practicing and how hard they really are, and they’re not just walking around saying they want to be this and that, they’’re showing it every day. 

Listrani returns four starters from last year, losing only wing Annie Kerns, along with reserves Kayla Miller and Alexa Rogers. The four starters back are Kubasko, a 5-foot-5 senior guard; 5-6 junior guard Carly Bickle, 5-9 junior guard Lauren Horan and 6-1 senior forward Sofia Keith.

It’s a group with a ton of balance. Keith gives them an interior presence, Kubasko and Bickle ball-handling and shooting, Horan slashing and some inside-out play. All four averaged between seven and nine points per game a year ago; nobody on the Vikings finished the season in double figures. During the postseason, Keith, Bickle, Horan, and Kubasko all had games where they scored in double figures.

“I feel like it speaks for itself, we’re a team that everyone can contribute and everyone supports each other,” Keith said. “If anyone has an off night, that doesn’t mean anything in the sense of win or loss. We’re all really good at supporting each other, and we can be a difficult team to defend at times.”

The top reserve most of last season and the likely fifth starter this winter is sophomore wing Kayla Cochran, who averaged 5.2 ppg and 5.4 rpg off the bench. The younger sister of Perkiomen School senior and Santa Clara commit KJ Cochran, Kayla was picking up steam towards the end of last season, and is yet another inside-out weapon for Listrani and Co.

“She’s improved in extreme strides, we all love seeing it,” Keith said. “Her confidence has really grown throughout her AAU season and this summer, fall league and stuff. She’s been really good at adapting to all positions and situations, and she’ll be an important asset to our team this year.”

Listrani doesn’t expect to go much deeper than her top five as well as a pair of reserves, senior guard Lyla Flowers — who started as a freshman but has been coming off the bench the last two years — and sophomore forward Siena Sweeney, who will move up from the junior varsity rotation.

The Vikings open their season on Thursday with a visit from Archbishop Ryan; Radnor, Harriton, Academy Park and a couple games in Delaware all give them some non-league competition before the calendar hits 2025, with most of January taken up by Ches-Mont play.

There might not be a clear favorite in the Ches-Mont heading into the season; Henderson, the defending champs, graduated most of its rotation, as did Bishop Shanahan, which made a surprise run to the PIAA 5A tournament as well. Both Downingtowns have high hopes, while Great Valley, Unionville, Coatesville and others have had quality results in the preseason.

The District 1 5A title will also very much be in play. The Vikings were the No. 2 seed in the district last year, behind only Gwynedd Mercy, which will look very different this season thanks to graduations, transfers and a coaching change. Radnor (18-4), the No. 3 seed, will be back in the mix, led by junior guard Nyah Yao, while Phoenixville has also looked very strong this offseason.

All of that is down the road, after a couple months of regular-season play and then the league playoffs. East’s mission through all of it is simple.

“Have no regrets,” Keith said. “There were definitely games last year where we walked away knowing we could have done more, and I don’t think any of us want that feeling. Especially as seniors, I don’t think any of us want that feeling, leaving anything this year.”