Fast start sends Carroll girls to semifinals

ROYERSFORD - The Archbishop Carroll girls' basketball team got the lead and never looked back.

The Patriots, the top seed from District 12, defeated District 3 runner-up Wilson-West Lawn in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class AAAA state tournament, 58-34, Friday night.

A 15-4 run, in which the Patriots (23-5) made three three-pointers, in the first five minutes set the tone for Archbishop Carroll.

Senior forward Emily Fazzini had a game-high 15 points, 10 of which she scored in the first half, for the Patriots. Senior guard Jen Carney added 12 points, and Rachel Pearson came off the bench and scored eight.

At halftime, the Patriots led, 29-19, but staunch defense in the third quarter put Carroll up by 21 points. The Patriots outscored the Bulldogs, 19-4, in the third period.

"In the second half, we were a little more relaxed and we just played our game," Fazzini said.

"They didn't have an offensive rebound at all in the second half," she added. "That's what we care about."

Defensively, the Patriots beat the Bulldogs (22-9) to almost every loose ball, winning the majority of the hustle plays and creating opportunities on the offensive end. Carroll had 13 steals in the game, and Wilson had 22 turnovers.

"In the first half, we fouled too much, so at halftime, we talked about coming out and keeping our composure," Carney said.

"We got up and pressured them. We know our offense is going to come out of our defense," Carney added.

Carley Brew led Wilson with 13 points, and Avery Marz scored seven.

Archbishop Carroll will face Boyertown, which upset District 1 titlist Mount St. Joseph in the quarterfinals, Tuesday in the semifinals at a site and time to be determined.

"We've been pretty dominant the past few years. We win a lot of games by 20, 30 points," Fazzini said. "The beginning of states, we didn't know what to expect.

"I think we handled the pressure pretty well."

Wilson   8 11 4 11 – 34

Archbishop Carroll   19 10 19 10 – 58

W: Carley Brew 13, Avery Marz 7, Ivory Bailey 6, Hilary Yoh 4, Talitha Poore 2, Bonnie Eversgard 2.

AC: Emily Fazzini 15, Jen Carney 12, Rachel Pearson 8, Meghan Creighton 6, Sarah Curran 6, Ryann Fiascki 4, Mary Victoria Barr 3, Amanda Censullo 2, Kristie Constantino 2.