City of Basketball Love

Ty Daubert (@TyDaubert)
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PHILADELPHIA — Villa Maria Academy has relied on its bench to energize its team all throughout the season. So when the Hurricanes found themselves struggling early in Saturday afternoon’s District 1 5A girls’ championship game, reserve guards Elaina Guerzon and Ava Irvine were ready to roll.

“They bring a spark right off the bench,” VMA coach Kathy McCartney said. “The kids know (when) they’re coming off the bench, it’s time to go full-court. They just bring that energy and passion.”

As the Hurricanes trailed after the first quarter, Guerzon and Irvine provided the spark they needed in a big second quarter that propelled VMA to a 52-38 victory over Bishop Shanahan at Temple’s Liacouras Center to win the district title.

“They did a great job off the bench, but they have all year,” McCartney said. “Most teams, when they go to their bench, they’re down a step. And we’re not, we’re sometimes better. Everybody does their job, which is just what we love.”

Villa Marie's girls celebrate at the end of their 52-38 win over Bishop Shanahan in the District 1 Class 5A championship. (Photo: Dan Hilferty/CoBL)

Villa Maria claimed its 12th district championship in school history with the win. As the top seed in District 1, the Hurricanes will face District 3 seven-seed West York on Wednesday in the PIAA 5A state tournament at a site and time to be announced.

“It just doesn’t get old,” McCartney said. “It’s just as exciting as the first one.”

Guerzon scored 10 points with five rebounds and four steals for the Hurricanes, while Irvine added five points, five rebounds and four steals to complement a 16-point, seven-rebound performance from standout forward Marah McHugh.

“Oh yeah, they’re incredible,” McHugh said of the junior guards. “They’re like the best defensive people on our team, in my opinion. They come in off the bench and they just kill it. I expect nothing less from them. They just killed it.”

Before taking over in the second quarter, Villa Maria started a bit flat out of the gate, turning the ball over seven times in the first. Shanahan took an early lead, but the Hurricanes battled back in the latter part of the quarter as Guerzon hit a high-arcing floater to tie the game and sophomore Carly Catania made one of two free throws. However, a layup from Shanahan’s Kaitlyn Griffin gave the Eagles an 8-7 advantage to end the quarter.

“We didn’t play real well in the opening,” McCartney said. “Not that I expected it, but they’re kids and this is an exciting thing. Half the school is over there (in the crowd), and they got a little caught up in the emotion.”

Elaina Guerzon (above) popped in 10 points, with five rebounds, four steals and an assist off the bench. (Photo: Dan Hilferty/CoBL)

But once the young Hurricanes team got settled in, it was a completely different story. Guerzon and Irvine created havoc on defense in the second while conducting a much more composed offense as VMA stormed to a 28-16 lead at the break. 

Irvine connected on three free throws in the period, while Guerzon made her impact from the perimeter.  With her two key 3-pointers, the Hurricanes shot 6-for-11 from the field and 4-for-6 from beyond the arc in the quarter.

“I practiced those shots before the game,” Guerzon said. “I was a little nervous about it, but I came through, made some shots and that just kept me going.”

The 5-foot-3 guard’s ability to shoot from deep, combined with her quickness and defensive intensity, helped Villa Maria create the separation it needed in the second quarter.

“She drives me crazy,” McCartney said of Guerzon with a laugh. “She runs around and whatever, but she can hit the 3. She’s got a lot of passion for the game, and she can do some really great things. She’s a real weapon off the bench, Elaina is.”

The energy brought by Villa Maria’s bench continued into the second half. The Hurricanes continued to cruise in the third quarter, leading by as many as 21 points and taking a 39-21 lead into the fourth.

“Having the energy of the bench and our crowd really helps get us going,” Irvine said. “I think every shot you make just fuels you.”

McHugh did her damage in the second half, scoring 12 points after the break. She took advantage of a strong passing performance from her teammates to convert on cuts to the rim.

“Marah did a real good job finishing,” McCartney said. “She did a real good job finishing on those layups.”

Behind a 12-point game from Abigail Wolfe, Bishop Shanahan pushed back in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 13 points after a collection of steals. But it was too little, too late as Villa Maria regrouped to close the game.

“We just didn’t play today,” Eagles coach Jim Powers said. “Weren’t sharp mentally, just made a lot of mistakes. Left some points on the board in the first quarter, missed some shots on offense, it just wasn’t clean. Didn’t get out of our own way.”

Now the No. 2 seed in the district, Shanahan will face the loser of Saturday’s District 11 final between Allentown Central Catholic and Jim Thorpe in states on Wednesday at a site and time to be announced.

As VMA looks ahead to its own state playoff matchup, the team believes the production it gets all the way down the line can be a big help moving forward.

“I think everyone’s a threat,” Irvine said. “We don't have one person that you can shut down and then our whole team goes down. I think everyone’s a shooting threat, a defensive threat. We’re just a really great team.”

A team with only one senior in its regular rotation, the PIAA playoffs will be a challenge for the youthful Hurricanes. With the district title on their grasp, they’re entering with a favorable seed and a bunch of confidence.

“That’s a tough road for my young club,” McCartney said. “But we’re in the tournament, so you never know what can happen.”

By Quarter
Villa Maria:   7   |  21  |  12  |  12  ||  52
Shanahan:   8   |   8   |   5   |  17  ||  38

Shooting
Villa Maria: 19-40 FG (4-10 3PT), 10-16 FT
Shanahan: 12-48 FG (3-19 3PT), 11-17 FT

Scoring
Villa Maria: Marah McHugh 16, Elaina Guerzon 10, Ella Iacone 7, Clare Cronley 7, Carly Catania 7, Ava Irvine 5

Shanahan: Abigail Wolfe 12, Caydence Oswald 8, Alyssa Brown 6, Samathana Blumental 5, Kaitlyn Griffin 4, Alexa Bojko 2, Dora Le 1