West Branch four-year starter Anna Lippiatt headed to Muskingum to play basketball

Anna Lippiatt helped West Branch average more than 20 wins in girls basketball the past four seasons, highlighted by a trip to the state tournament in her sophomore year.

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Standing 6-foot-0 but versatile enough to play on the perimeter, Lippiatt was a force at both ends of the court for the Warriors. She relied on agility and quickness to become a lockdown defender while exploiting her height to become a solid 3-point shooter for a program that relies on balanced offense.

Lippiatt has chosen Muskingum College to continue her athletic career.

"There were several reasons why I picked Muskingum," said Lippiatt, who considered two other Division III schools. "I liked the environment, which is similar to West Branch. I met the players during my visit and I liked them. I also thought I could get a chance to play early."

West Branch's Anna Lippiatt unfazed by coaching change at Muskingum University

When Lippiatt was being recruited, Sebring native Erin Eaton was the Muskies' coach. Following the season in which Muskingum finished 10-15 overall and 4-12 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, Kelly Broderick was chosen as the new coach in late May.

"I got a chance to talk to her [Broderick] on the phone and she gave me a workout program," Lippiatt said. I'll get a chance to meet her when we have an open gym later this summer."

Not only is Lippiatt transitioning from high school to college basketball she also is trying to mend physically. Competing in track and field as a sprinter for the Warriors this spring, running legs on both the Division II state-qualifying 4x100- and 4x200-meter relays, she suffered an injury.

"I hurt my back and I've been recovering from that injury," Lippiatt said. "I've had be patient while recovering, but I intend on doing the best I can to follow the workout program and get physically ready to play."

There are two familiar faces Lippiatt will recognize at Muskingum. One is West Branch classmate Katie Kent, who was a captain on the Warriors' soccer team last fall. The other is Halle Morehead, a sophomore from Southeast and one of her basketball teammates.

"Katie's going to be my roommate and Halle and I are ex-AAU basketball teammates," Lippiatt said. "It's nice knowing somebody from my past and should help make the transition easier."

Anna Lippiatt is undecided on a major at Muskingum University

Lippiatt is prepared academically for college, compiling a 3.7 grade-point average at West Branch. While she hasn't chosen a major, her top priority to earning high marks in the classroom.

"My main focus is on academics," she added.

During her four years at West Branch, Lippiatt helped three teams win at least 20 games. In her sophomore season, the Warriors went 21-6 and defeated Laurel in the Barberton Division II regional championship game, setting up a state semifinal matchup against Dayton Carroll. That game, however, was canceled shortly before tip-off due to COVID 19 and the season never resumed.

"Having our season end like that was tough, especially for our seniors," Lippiatt said. "There were still highlights, including that Laurel [41-37] win."

West Branch posted a 20-5 record her junior season, losing to Marlington in the district semifinals. During Lippiatt's senior season, the two Eastern Buckeye Conference rivals met for the district title, with the Warriors recording a 47-41 win. Lippiatt, one of four six-footers in the West Branch rotation, scored 10 points and was part of a stifling defense that held Marlington without a field goal during the final 6 minutes, 30 seconds.

"That was another great game because they won the conference title, and because we did it with defense, which was our strength," Lippiatt said.

Norton, however, ended West Branch's season and Lippiatt's high school career in the regional semifinals, but she left the court an ultimate winner, playing on teams that compiled an 82-21 record under coach Walt DeShields, who helped prepare her to play at the next level.

"He had hard practices and made us work hard on developing good fundamentals," Lippiatt said.

Lippiatt, who averaged 10 points as a senior and was selected Division II All-Ohio honorable mention, is moving on but won't forget the support she and her teammates received from the West Branch community.

"We're a small school, where the athletes support one another and families and friends support the athletes," she added. "That made it special."

While West Branch prepared Lippiatt academically and athletically for the next chapter of her life, her parents, Matt and Stacie Lippiatt, helped shape her morally.

"My parents gave me a great set of values," she said. "They taught me how to work hard and respect one another.

"I'm a quiet person, so I need to work on my communication," she said. "I also need to work on improving my 3-point shot."

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: LIppiatt started four years at guard for the West Branch Warriors