The high school basketball scene continues to grow in the WPIAL as more and more players are finding themselves catching the eyes of college coaches. Penn-Trafford’s rising senior guard Olivia Pepple is another local standout who has made her decision on where her hoops career will continue.

The Warriors top scorer from made her commitment to play for Gannon University in June.

“It feels relieving, so relieving,” the recent college commit noted. “I’m glad to be committed and glad to be done with the recruiting process.

Pepple’s play on the court drew in countless college coaches inquiring about her joining their program. After receiving a Division I offer from Fairleigh Dickinson University and getting interest from Fairfield University, Presbyterian College, and Rochester University, she found herself most comfortable at Gannon.

“I just loved it,” Pepple commented about Gannon. “The best way to describe it is every other place I visited felt like a house that you would look at but wouldn’t live in. Gannon felt like a house I would live in and wanted to live in.”

Pepple’s love for the game started at a very young age, as she would watch her mom coach her brother and sister in basketball, while she sat in the corner and practiced her dribbling. As she got older, her brother and she began to face-off in some sibling one-on-one action in the driveway. She credits those early battles as the reason why she has had so much success in her career today.

“He would push me around, and I think that’s why I’m able to handle situations well today, is because of him,” she added.

With an already established toughness in her play style, Pepple is prepared to build off of the strong season her Warriors had last year. Despite a young lineup that featured one freshman, two sophomores, one junior, and one senior, Penn-Trafford finished the year 19-10 overall and defeated Greencastle-Antrim, 40-39, in the first round of the PIAA Class 5A playoffs.

Despite exceeding many people’s expectations last season, there are still many things the Warriors needed to hone heading into this year.

“We were young, but we still had things to work on like attitude and unforced turnovers,” she shared about where her team struggled. “But we definitely got better and it definitely showed towards the end of the season.”

For Pepple, she has been working on her leadership with the youth that is on the team. Being a seasoned varsity player, she brings great experience and felt that last year she really took a big step forward as a leader.

“Since last year, I have become more vocal,” Pepple discussed about her leadership skills. “I think the others look to me and my work ethic, and I hope I can lead them again this year to an even better run.”

She and her teammates have continued to improve, and last year was evident they have made great strides. However, they are still searching for their ultimate goal of playing at the Petersen Events Center for the WPIAL championship.

Until then, they have to stay focused on preparing for the upcoming regular season that inches closer as the summer winds down. Pepple’s excitement is clear for the season and getting back to work with her teammates, but she wants to make sure she enjoys her final year in high school before heading off to college next fall.

“Overall, just enjoy it and be with my friends, finish high school and just have a good time,” she said.