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PIAA Class 4A: Allen, Mangan enjoy different reasons to celebrate in Wood's win over GMA

03/17/2022, 12:30am EDT
By Andrew Robinson

Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3)

AMBLER — Ryanne Allen's day started with a flurry of congratulatory texts and messages and a new title for her bio: All-American.

Jenna Mangan's day started hopeful she'd just get a chance to step on the court.

Allen, the standout Archbishop Wood senior guard bound for Vanderbilt, was selected to the Jordan Brand Classic All-American game early Wednesday afternoon, then went out and dropped a game-high 17 points as the Vikings advanced to the PIAA 4A semifinals for a second straight season. It was just the bounce-back Allen needed after not hitting a field goal in Wood's second round win over Scranton Prep.


Jenna Mangan (above) got to play extended minutes in her final game after a major injury last summer. (Photo: Andrew Robinson/CoBL)

Mangan, a Gwynedd Mercy Academy senior limited to a couple token appearances on the floor this winter after a severe knee injury this summer, had told her coaches she was ready to give them whatever she had. She had to prove it as early foul trouble summoned the forward into an extended run of minutes in a win-or-go-home state quarterfinal game.

At the end of the night, it was Allen's Vikings triumphing over Mangan's Monarchs by a 50-27 score, yet both seniors could leave with their own sense of satisfaction in how their respective days had played out.

"Getting back to the final four, it's always going to feel awesome but we know we have two more wins to get what we want," Allen said. "Our focus is all on the next game and doing just that, getting back to Hershey first."

Mangan, her surgically repaired right knee wrapped in a brace during the game, had three rebounds in her final action with GMA.

"It was so much fun, I didn't get to play all season and all I wanted to do was get back out on the court," Mangan said. "I honestly didn't think I would this season, there were a lot of things going against me with the knee surgery and everything.

"Mostly, I'm really proud of myself and how far I came. I remember where I was back in July and how I worked, so I'm proud of myself for getting back out there but also proud of my teammates for all we accomplished. They were so supportive of me so it meant the world."

The Monarchs knew they had a challenging task going up against the taller and stronger Vikings. A fast start by Wood predicated on that size advantage got worse when senior Bianca Coleman picked up two early fouls, limiting one of GMA's best defenders and ball-handlers for the rest of the night.

Throughout the season, GMA hasn't subbed a ton and they haven't often needed to play offense-defense the way they would for portions of Wednesday's game. While she's far from in peak game shape, Mangan was adamant she was ready to step on the floor if needed.

Well, she was needed.

"One of the last things we said together in the locker room tonight was to think of all the fun things that happened this year and all the positives and then I turned and said to Jenna, 'did you think, back in July when you were under the knife, that'd you be playing in a state quarterfinal in March?,'" Monarchs coach Tom Lonergan said. "Not only playing, but she was playing in the first half. She and a couple of the other girls burst into tears, I don't think she ever thought she'd have that opportunity.

"If we didn't go as far as we did, she wouldn't have this opportunity. She got in a little bit our last game and a little bit the first game of states and when I talked to her yesterday, she looked me in the eyes and said 'I will give you all that I've got.'"

Even after a game where all six of her points came at the foul line, Allen didn't approach Wednesday's game any different. If she was open, she'd shoot and if she was covered, she would pass. She had eight points in the first quarter but was just as fired up when classmate Shannon Morgan hit an early three to put the Vikings up 12-2.


Ryanne Allen (above) began her day with a selection to the Jordan Brand Classic All-American Game. (Photo: Andrew Robinson/CoBL)

For all her personal accolades — All-American, PCL MVP, First Team All-State, 1,000-point scorer and so on — it's the way Allen fills her role as a teammate that stands out most to Wood coach Mike McDonald.

"She works really hard, puts in a lot of time and is extremely talented so I thought it was well-deserved," McDonald said. "Any time you get that kind of kid who always puts the team first, every day she's telling me the kind of day someone else is having so I make sure if I can pick her up in some way, I do it.

"She's a great leader and a teammate so any time they can get an individual accolade like that, it's a great way to honor her."

Mangan and GMA weathered that rocky start and managed to hang tight thanks to their own tough defense and were within six points with 2:40 to play in the third quarter.

An 11-o run by Wood, with five of those points coming via Allen, would end the quarter and turn the game around as the Vikings went ahead 38-21 and leaned in on their defense, which has been airtight in the state tournament, to close things out.

"We knew shots were going to fall and we weren't going to shoot as bad as we did in (the Scranton Prep) game," Allen said. "Defensively, to pick it up the way we did, we knew if our shots weren't going to fall we can always play defense and stops teams from scoring points. If we play together the way we know how, we're going to be fine."

Even if she didn't get a lot of time on the court this season, Mangan lived it vicariously through her teammates. Her four senior classmates - Sofia and Bianca Coleman, Maddie Newell and Lizzie Lowry - will leave the program with four District 1 4A titles, an AACA tournament title, two undefeated league regular season titles and with this year's 26-1 record, the school record for single-season wins.

"The five of us, we're the closest friends. We've spent hours together, months together, we're always in contact with each other and this team is a family to me, it really is," Mangan said. "Spending time and knowing them, I'm going to miss all of them so much but I know they're going to do great things and we'll all support each other along the way."

Allen might have scored more points than anyone else on the floor Wednesday but she was quick to point out the 3-pointers from reserves Allie Fleming and Kara Meredith in the game-changing third quarter run.

The senior — who got more good news prior to tip when she found out twin brother Tyson and the Wood boys' team had won its quarterfinal — didn't know or expect to be selected to the Jordan Brand Classic. She's the only female player from Pennsylvania in the game, slated to be played April 15 in Chicago and took the selection like everything else she gets, with plenty of thanks for the people who helped get her there.

"To have my teammates' support and Coach Mike's support to get me to this point, it's just very cool," Allen said. "I'm looking forward to being part of the atmosphere and around all these players going to different colleges around the county, it's really cool for me. "Chicago's a very cool place, I've been there with my AAU teams so I'm excited to be going back."

Allen will try to chase down two more wins to end her high school career on and add "two-time state champion" to that burgeoning resume, then an All-American game to play in and a career in the SEC waiting after that.

Mangan was on her way out of Wissahickon, trying to catch up with her teammates at a nearby restaurant for a last team meal. She's still deciding where she'll got to college — she's leaning toward Elon or Penn State — and hopeful to play club or at least intramural when she figures it out.

Two seniors with two vastly different paths were, for a couple hours on Wednesday, inextricably linked by one thing: their love of the game.

"The memories and just being a part of it are what matter to me," Mangan said. "Seeing my team go out there and just dominate every game, it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You're never going to be a part of something like this again so it was amazing to see it happen and be a part of it."

By Quarter
Archbishop Wood: 17 | 5  | 16 | 12 || 50
Gwynedd Mercy: 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 || 27

Scoring
Archbishop Wood: Ryanne Allen 17, Deja Evans 6, Bri Bowen 5, Emily Knouse 5, Delaney Finnegan 5, Shannon Morgan 3, Ava Renninger 3, Allie Fleming 3, Kara Meredith 3

Gwynedd Mercy Academy: Maddie Newell 11, Hannah Griffin 6, Bianca Coleman 6, Sofia Coleman 2, Dylan Burke 2


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