Tues. Pa. girls’ roundup: Pope John Paul II upsets Oxford

Pope John Paul II's basketball team used defense to post the upset of the night in the first round of the PIAA District 1 Class AAA Tournament on Tuesday.

The Golden Panthers (6-12), who came into the tournament as the No. 12 seed, held fifth-seeded Oxford to five first-half points in a 28-16 win.

They also limited Oxford's Jasmine Jones to eight points, half her season average.

Two players, Taylor Bearden and Devin Raugh, each scored eight points for to lead the Golden Panthers.

Pope John Paul II advances to a district quarterfinal at St. Basil on Friday night (7 p.m.).

The Hornets finished their season with a 13-10 record.

In other first-round games:

Sam Siegfried had five three-pointers and finished with 17 points to lead No. 8 Merion Mercy past visiting Marple Newtown, 54-33. Catherine Moretto added 10 points for the Golden Bears (8-14). The ninth-seeded Tigers (9-20), who play in the Class AAAA dominated Central League, were led by Denise McKeown's 13 points.

The win earned Merion Mercy a date at top-seeded Villa Maria on Friday night (7 p.m.).

Sixth-seeded Villa Joseph Marie coasted to a 70-33 win over No. 11 and visiting Phoenixville behind Megan Ledwith's 16 points. Lexi Stershic added 15 points, eight of them in the first quarter when the Jems raced to a 21-9 lead.

Villa Joseph Marie will travel to Springfield (Montgomery County) for a quarterfinal on Friday night (7 p.m.).

Tri-County. Nicole Davis scored 23 points to lead West-Mont Christian to a 39-31 league semifinal playoff win at top-seeded Barrack Hebrew. The Wings closed out the game on a 19-6 run behind 10 points from senior forward Davis, who hit five of her six free throws in the final quarter.

West-Mont Christian advances to the championship game against Perkiomen School or Mercy Vocational.