Skip to content
Rally High School Sports
Link copied to clipboard

Archbishop Carroll easily advances to PIAA quarterfinals

Archbishop Carroll, which won a PIAA Class AAA girls' basketball championship in 2009, took another step toward one in Class AAAA on Tuesday night with an easy 62-32 victory over Downingtown East at Norristown.

Carroll's Jen Carney forces a jump ball as Downingtown East's Kaitlyn Dougherty can't get a shot off. (Michael Bryant/Staff Photographer )
Carroll's Jen Carney forces a jump ball as Downingtown East's Kaitlyn Dougherty can't get a shot off. (Michael Bryant/Staff Photographer )Read more

Archbishop Carroll, which won a PIAA Class AAA girls' basketball championship in 2009, took another step toward one in Class AAAA on Tuesday night with an easy 62-32 victory over Downingtown East at Norristown.

The win, the Patriots' 16th in their last 17 games, moved them into a quarterfinal matchup Friday night against Wilson of West Lawn. Wilson is the second-place team from District 3. The time and place of the game have not yet been determined.

Carroll (21-5) entered the game against East as the top Class AAAA team from District 12. The Patriots finished second - behind Archbishop Wood, a Class AAA team - in the Catholic League.

Downingtown East (23-5) was the fourth-place team from District 1.

Aided by its full-court pressure, Carroll started quickly and rolled to a 24-6 lead in the first 14 minutes. The Cougars did not get their first basket until 31/2 minutes into the game.

"They have a cast of thousands, and they don't lose anything when they go to the bench," East coach Bob Schnure said of the Patriots. "They are well coached and play very tough defense."

Eight of Carroll's first 18 points came after turnovers.

The Cougars made a slight run at Carroll in the third quarter, but a 21-7 Carroll advantage in the fourth ended any East thoughts of a comeback.

East got as close as 13 points twice in the third quarter, but Carroll outscored the Cougars, 5-2, over the last minute and a half.

"We had a little lapse in the third quarter," said Carroll's Meghan Creighton, who was a freshman when the Patriots won the Class AAA crown. "Most of the time we played good defense, doing a good job of switching.

"We had a rough beginning of the season, but we are playing well right now."

The Patriots, playing a tough nonleague schedule, lost three of their first five games. Creighton (broken collar bone), Rachel Pearson (foot) and Olivia Derogatis (hamstring) all missed time early in the season.

Twelve players scored for Carroll, led by Susan Curran (13), Pearson (11), Jen Carney (10), and Emily Fazzini (10).

Only three players scored for the Cougars, with senior Kelly Devlin's 20 points the game high.

Downingtown East   2 5 18 7 – 32

Archbishop Carroll   11 15 15 21 – 62

DE: Noelle Alicea 8, Kelly Devlin 20, Kaitlyn Dougherty 4.

AC: Shannon Shields 2, Ryann Fiascki 2, Amanda Censullo 2, Mary Victoria Barr 2, Meghan Creighton 2, Nora McGeever 2, Emily Fazzini 10, Olivia Derogatis 2, Rachel Pearson 11, Jen Carney 10, Sarah Curran 13, Kristie Costantino 4.