Wed. Pa. girls’ roundup: Wood easily reaches quarterfinals
Archbishop Wood moved one step closer to defending its PIAA Class AAA girls' basketball championship Wednesday night with a 43-25 second-round win over Holy Redeemer at Parkland.
Archbishop Wood moved one step closer to defending its PIAA Class AAA girls' basketball championship Wednesday night with a 43-25 second-round win over Holy Redeemer at Parkland.
The District 12 and Philadelphia Catholic League champion Vikings (24-4) did it once again with defense, as they held a 21-6 lead at halftime. They shut out Holy Redeemer, 9-0, in the second quarter.
Seven players scored for the Vikings, led by Christine Verrelle's 11 points. Steph Keyes added nine points.
Winning a championship primarily with defense is a familiar theme for the Vikings this season: They held Archbishop Carroll to just 31 points in the Catholic League title game.
Holy Redeemer, the District 2 runner-up, finished its season with a 19-8 record.
Archbishop Wood will play Allentown Central Catholic in a quarterfinal on Saturday at a time and a place to be determined.
In other second-round games:
At Council Rock South, Kerry Kinek scored 16 points to lead Allentown Central Catholic to a 41-28 win over District One champion Villa Maria, avenging a loss in the semifinals a year ago to the Hurricanes in the quarterfinals.
Kinek provided the winners with an energy boost in the second half when she scored 12 of her points.
Allentown Central Catholic (25-4 overall) earned its third straight trip to the quarterfinals.
Central Catholic took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter, survived a run from Villa Maria, and put the game away at the foul line.
The Hurricanes ended their season with a 22-7 record.
At Bethlehem Freedom, District 12 runner-up Prep Charter got eight rebounds and six blocked shots from 6-foot-1 forward Erika Sowell in a 56-31 win over District 2 champion West Scranton. Kahleah Copper, a 6-2 center, had 20 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Huskies (24-2).
At Governor Mifflin Intermediate School, Megan Ledwith scored 20 points to lead Villa Joseph Marie past Lancaster Catholic, 53-45. The Jems made 10 of 14 fourth-quarter free throws to close out the game with a 16-9 run.
PIAA State Class A. At Wissahickon, Delco Christian's big two of guard Stacey MacArthur and center Emily Homan combined for 28 points in a 36-25 win over Reading Central Catholic.
MacArthur led the way for the District 1 champion Knights (27-2) with 16 points.
Homan used her 6-foot-3 size to dominate inside the paint, with 12 points, 19 rebounds and six blocked shots. Homan is a Lafayette recruit.
With the win, the Knights advanced to a state quarterfinal date against District 11 champion Tri-Valley on Saturday at a time and venue yet to be determined.
In a Class A game at Governor Mifflin Intermediate School, Steelton-Highspire eliminated Sacred Heart, 67-51, despite 24 points from the Lions' Hannah Rush.
Swimming and Diving
At Bucknell University's Kinney Natatorium, Upper Moreland had two of the top four divers in the PIAA Class AA championship finals as Natalee Szopo, a junior, finished second. Her younger sister, Sydney Szopo, a freshman, finished third.
Archbishop Wood's Taylor Kane had one of the top swimming performances with a third-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle.