City of Basketball Love

By Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3)
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It’s a matchup that can be summed up as the chalk against the champion.

On one side, it’s top-seeded West Chester Rustin, the Golden Knights carrying their banner as the top seed in Class 5A all the way through the bracket to Temple. On the other side is third seed Villa Maria Academy, the Hurricanes again back on a familiar court on Broad Street trying to make it back-to-back District I titles.

Rustin has the top seed, VMA has the title and the experience.

What that all accounts for won’t be decided until sometime early Saturday afternoon, but it certainly makes things interesting for the girls’ 5A title game that kicks off the quadruple header at the Liacouras Center at noon.

“I think last year and other years we’ve had decent runs, we’ve probably had a little more playoff experience and I guess that pays off a little but at this time of year, it’s a pretty even playing field,” Villa Maria Academy coach Kathy McCartney said.

This time last year, Rustin was done, the Knights suffering back-to-back losses as the No. 6 seed in the Class 6A tournament in the second round and the win-or-end-the-season playback round. With a senior-heavy group dropping down a classification, there was a lot of incentive for this group to make the most of it.

It’s an incentive shared by coach Lauren Stackhouse, in her fourth year leading Rustin and especially linked to this group. With twins Laine and Elizabeth McGurk, Ava Panetta and Lola Flynn making up fourth-fifths of the starting lineup as seniors, it’s a special accomplishment even getting to Temple.

“This is the group I came in with four years ago,” Stackhouse said. “This group of seniors, I want to make sure they get everything they can out of this last season. I want nothing more than to see them finish this out.”

A year ago, the Hurricanes didn’t appear to be a title favorite, much less a contender, entering the playoffs as the No. 10 team. With each passing round, the VMA storm picked up a little more power, wiping each team in its path and not losing any momentum after making landfall on Broad Street to down Bishop Shanhan for the program’s second title in four years (2019).

This season, with most of last year’s top contributors back, the Hurricanes started strong and didn’t slow down, running unbeaten through the AACA and capturing a long-awaited league tournament title. Senior Marah McHugh was named the AACA’s co-MVP, the Gettysburg College commit more than worthy of the honor, but it’s not uncommon to see one of her teammates finish as a game’s high-scorer, rebounder or any other meaningful statistic.

“They play very well together,” McCartney said. “We’re pretty deep, we can afford for a kid to have an off day because someone picks her up. We have a different leading scorer and leading rebounder in many games and if we need that big bucket, it comes from a different place.

“It’s a very nice unit that plays well together.”

VMA goes five deep with senior starters — Ella Iacone, Elaina Guerzon, Ava Irvine and Clare Cronley surrounding McHugh after introductions. Carly Catania, a junior, is good enough to start for a lot of teams but has embraced her role as the super-sub and Alice Nash features plenty off the bench.

“They’re a very well-coached team, she’s been doing this a long time and is a veteran when it comes to this time of year,” Stackhouse said. “They’ve been in this position before, we know they’re coming prepared and we’re going to have to match whatever they bring.”

Laine McGurk, the Drexel-bound standout for Rustin who also happens to be the school’s all-time leader in points scored, is the catalyst for the Golden Knights. While she rightly draws a lot of attention, anyone overlooking her teammates is making a mistake.

McCartney is not one of those people.

“It’s a mistake for people to think the team is all about one player because they’re not, they’re pretty well-rounded,” McCartney said. “They all do their jobs very well. It’s a team that doesn’t try to do too much, everybody has their role. It’s not like you can sleep on any of them.”

Elizabeth McGurk, a St. Joe’s signee for lacrosse, gives Rustin some size and is a tremendous defender. Panetta and Flynn are pests on defense and fearless attacking the rim while Riley Stackhouse helps space the floor and Kailey Berry has given a lift off the bench

“The fact we have such a supporting cast has been our biggest positive for the season,” Stackhouse said. “Each one of them understands their role but they all understand the defensive aspect as well. I think that's what has been our difference this year, our ability to really play both ends of the court.”

Rustin and Villa Maria didn’t directly cross paths this season — they were both participants in Cardinal O’Hara’s holiday event and the Hoops for Hope showcase but not did not play — but they have similarities. Both teams went untouched in their respective leagues in the regular season and captured conference titles, so they’ve each been well-tested and prepared for the championship stage.

Both coaches also passed props to their fan bases and are expecting a good turnout for the noon tip. McCartney called the Hurricanes’ student section their “sixth man'' while Stackhouse said the growing number of fans that have shown up all season has been a huge lift for her players.

Having been there a few times, McCartney said the biggest thing she’s learned is to not “over-coach” the game. Her players have done the work to get to a championship game, chances are they’ll figure out what they need to do once the ball goes up.

“Just stay loose, just relax and enjoy it, you’ve worked really hard to get there,” McCartney said. “This is a game to enjoy.”

Rustin may not have the championship history Villa Maria has, but that hasn’t put a damper on the Knights’ preparations or the buzz around their gym this week.

“We’re excited to be there, excited to have the opportunity to play at a place like Temple against great competition,” Stackhouse said. “We’re excited we put ourselves in a position to compete at the highest level, to experience the atmosphere. It’s our first time there in school history, so we’re excited to have made a good name for Rustin basketball.”