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PIAA state girls' basketball tournament preview

Twenty-nine local girls' basketball teams are entered in the PIAA state tournament, which holds first-round games in four classifications on Friday and Saturday.

Twenty-nine local girls' basketball teams are entered in the PIAA state tournament, which holds first-round games in four classifications on Friday and Saturday.

For many, the likelihood of cutting down the nets is an unreachable dream. For others, the opportunity to compete on the grand stage is reward enough for a successful season.

And then there's 24-2 Archbishop Carroll, which boasts a deep, talented, and experienced squad, with a legitimate chance at redemption.

Just don't try to persuade fifth-year coach Chuck Creighton that any challenges exist for his Patriots team beyond Friday's Class AAAA opener, in which the District 12 champions will face District 1 eighth-place qualifier Haverford High (22-8) in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Father Judge.

A year after losing by one point in the state final to Mount Lebanon, Creighton was asked if Carroll might receive some help from its fiercest rival, Cardinal O'Hara. The Lions, placed in the other side of the Class AAAA bracket with Mount Lebanon, could face the District 7 dynasty in the state semifinals.

"We don't look at potential matchups involving other teams," Creighton said. "We take it one possession at a time, one game at a time. Right now, our only concern is facing a very good, pretty athletic Haverford team that has the Central League's MVP."

The Fords do have a star in senior guard Jaclyn Gantz (14.5 scoring average), the Central's MVP. But Carroll has a tested bunch that opened the season with a 10-point win over Queens, N.Y., power Christ the King, dropped a hard-fought battle against South Carolina standout Spring Valley, and outlasted Archbishop Wood in the Catholic League final.

The coach's daughter, senior point guard Meghan Creighton, along with senior shooting guard Rachel Pearson and junior swing guard Sarah Curran give Carroll a lethal backcourt. The Patriots share the scoring load, and use senior Kerri Hunt and juniors Kristie Costantino and Olivia DeRogatis to take advantage of mismatches at both ends of the floor.

"Our veterans have won a title [Class AAA in 2009], lost in the quarterfinals, and lost in the finals," Creighton said. "So they understand what it takes to be successful at this level. We've also had to deal with some injuries and illnesses, and gotten better as the season's gone on."

Carroll is one of 13 area teams involved in the Class AAAA playoffs, with plenty of individual players hoping to steal the spotlight en route to the March 23 finale at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center.

District 1 champion Spring-Ford (27-2) is riding a school-record 23-game winning streak, with 6-foot senior center Mariah Traywick leading the scoring and coach Jeff Rinehimer relying on a host of other feisty Rams to execute his up-tempo offensive and defensive game plan.

North Penn (21-6), the District 1 runner-up, receives almost 25 points per game from the towering inside tandem of 6-2 junior forward Lauren Crisler and 6-0 senior center Steph Knauer.

District 12/Public League champion Prep Charter (25-3) will follow the lead of Rutgers-bound, 6-2 senior forward Kahleah Copper (20.7 ppg) in Class AAA, and two-time defending state champion Archbishop Wood (16-10) will count on the inside-outside play of 5-11 senior guard/forward Lauren Nealon and 5-11 senior center Alex Heck. District 1 champ Villa Maria (23-4) and runner-up Villa Joseph Marie (15-11) also figure to be in the mix.

The last local team to make it to the Class AA final was Merion Mercy, the titlist in 1995. That's a feat that Christopher Dock (22-5) and Aaliyah Worley-led Engineering & Science (16-5) hope to duplicate.

No area school has reached the Class A state final, presenting small-school squads such as District 12 champion Math, Civics & Sciences (10-7) and District 1 champ Delco Christian (15-12) a shot at making history.