This section of the web site is devoted to basketball in Venango County and all five teams have enjoyed some accomplishments -- most notably the Cranberry girls with four straight district titles not once but twice in both District 10 and and most recently District 9, and Franklin with three streaks of three consecutive D-10 crowns -- twice by the boys. The Cranberry girls also have produced a streak of three straight state champions from 1992-94. The Franklin boys and the St. Joe boys -- way back in the '40s -- won two state crowns. Venango Christian girls produced Venango County's first PIAA state championship in 1980. Added up, 30 district and six state titles by Venango County schools.
​
There's also have been plenty of individual accomplishments by players and coaches alike. You'll find most of them in this section.
Knights celebrate three-peat in 2023!
Coach (Jason Fulmer), players and fans celebrate Franklin's third straight District 10 3A title March 4, 2023, at Slippery Rock. Damon Curry (shown leading the cheers) later was named second team all-state. A fourth straight title was not to be, however, as the Knights fell to Girard on March 1, 2024, at Edinboro. Franklin was hoping to match the Cranberry girls who won four in a row twice: from 1992-95 (including three state titles) and from 2009-13 in District 9. Franklin had two other three-year streaks: the boys from 2001-03 and the girls from 1998-00.
Meanwhile, despite some glum looks, Oil City had a lot to be proud of, too -- District 10 runner-up trophies for the second straight year -- in 2022 to Fairview in 4A and in 2023 to Franklin in 3A. And the Oilers made interdistricts two straight years after a 50-year hiatus. Oil City made the playoffs a third straight time in 2024, but were upset by sixth-seeded Fairview in the first round.
Melat part of ' The Streak' at Cranberry
Carrie (Mason) Melat, third from left, current Cranberry girls basketball coach and past star there,
was inducted into the Virginia Tech Hall of Fame.
Melat is one of the Hokies' all-time greats in women's basketball, scoring 1,369 points in 123 games, including a school record 121 starts from 2003-06.
She's among VPI's leaders in assists, steals and three-pointers with 200, and helped the Hokies to four appearances in the NCAA tourney.
Melat and six other new inductees were honored the weekend of Oct. 8 when Virginia Tech hosts Purdue in football.
The 5-7 Melat is Cranberry's second all-time leading scorer behind Susan Blauser.
hokiesports.com
Not one, but TWO Hall of Famers!
