City of Basketball Love

Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3)
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The PIAA 5A girls basketball bracket was announced Sunday, along with the rest of the state playoff fields.

Locally, it means the official start of Archbishop Wood’s quest for a fourth straight PIAA title. The Vikings won the 2020-21 and 21-22 titles in 4A, then bumped up to 5A a season ago for the three-peat. No girls’ program in PA has gone back-to-back-to-back-to-back since Allentown Central Catholic won in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.

State-wide, the 5A bracket is loaded. The western half of the bracket has some powerful teams while the eastern side is no easy road either, so whichever teams end up in the Giant Center as the last two standing on the final night of the season will have certainly earned it.

Here’s a primer on the whole bracket, looking at some top contenders, other teams more than capable of making a run and a slew of players who will be at the forefront of their team’s exploits:

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Contenders

Archbishop Wood (District 12-1, 21-5)
Fresh off a dramatic double-overtime win in the PCL championship, the Vikings weren’t shying away from their next goal. Wood’s had two three-peats, including the current run it’s on, but has never captured four consecutive state titles. History bodes well for them, as every time the Vikings have captured a PCL title (2012, 2016, 2021) since the PCL joined the PIAA, they’ve won states. This group came into the season a little light on experience but is now battle-tested gearing up for the last leg of the campaign.

Bethlehem Catholic (District 11-1, 20-5)
The Hawks are just consistent. First year coach Arnold Alleyne stepped in and all Becahi did was win its eighth straight District 11 title. A challenging first round draw awaits, but the Lehigh Valley powerhouse is always a strong bet to put together a run toward a state final. There are a lot of strong pieces here too, led by Akasha Santos and Cici Hernandez and a dead-eye shooter in Ella Bincarosky.

York Suburban (District 3-1, 23-1)
The Trojans have been on a mission all season, having chalked off a District 3 title after a grueling overtime win against Northern York at the Giant Center. If they can find their way back, it’d be a great cap to an excellent season that’s seen them as one of the top teams in the YAIAA - their only loss came to 6A side Dallastown in the league tournament final - with a defensively rugged group.

Erie Cathedral Prep (District 10-1, 19-3)
The former Villa Maria - the all-girls school merged with the all-boys Cathedral Prep as of 2022-23 - is no stranger to the state championship game. The name and school colors may be different, but the program has continued to win behind a standout group of seniors led by Jayden McBride and Lena Walz. Junior Addie Biel has strung together a solid season as well.

South Fayette (District 7-1, 18-8)
This was supposed to be a reloading year for the Lions, after graduating two Division I players in Ava Leroux (Elon) and Maddie Webber - currently putting in work locally at Villianova - but they clearly didn’t listen. South Fayette entered the winding WPIAL playoffs as the sixth seed and ended up lifting a third straight title. The Lions have strong senior leaders in Erica Hall and Lainey Yater while Juliette Leroux, Ava’s younger sister, has stepped right in as a go-to player.

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In the Running

Gwynedd Mercy Academy (District 1-5, 20-5)
The Monarchs are the other half of arguably the most intriguing first round matchup in the bracket against District 11 champion Bethlehem Catholic. Gwynedd Mercy, which was the top seed in District 1 prior to being upset, has one of the most accomplished coaches in the state in Tom Lonergan and its defense is always strong. It’s a relatively young team led by sophomores Emilia Coleman and Bailey Balkir but senior Dylan Burke is a strong leader and defensive anchor.

Northern York (District 3-2, 24-2)
The Polar Bears saw a promising regular season fizzle out in the postseason last year. They came back with a vengeance and although they fell a couple points short of a District 3 title in overtime, this group has played at a high level all year. Northern’s stacked with athletes and versatile players headlined by Siena Ondecko, Cassidy Sadler and Anna Lehman.

Scranton (District 2-1, 23-2)
The Knights spent the season racking up win after win after win. It’s largely been thanks to a core of seniors, two sets of twins and one of the top freshmen in the state meshing their skills together. Seniors Finley - the school record holder for threes - and Kennedy Bittenbender and Aniyah Hebron have been the team leaders, junior twins Maggie and Madelyn O’Shea power the backcourt and freshman Zya Small’s talent is readily apparent in the frontcourt.

Oakland Catholic (District 7-4, 24-2)
The WPIAL’s Eagles looked like a team more than capable of making a deep state playoff run all season, but an injury to standout guard London Creach in the District 7 quarterfinals led to back-to-back setbacks. While Oakland Catholic slipped to the 7-4 slot, this still isn’t a team anyone will be excited to draw with All-Section selections Kaylee DeAngelo, Josie Fontana and Mia LeDonne still ready to suit up and compete.

Bishop Shanahan (District 1-1, 14-11)
The Eagles picked the right time to get hot, ripping off four straight wins to capture the program’s first District 1 title. They will have a 10-day break between games to deal with, but it was an 11-day layoff between the regular season and districts that was a catalyst in their run so it may not be the worst thing. Seniors Sam Blumenthal, Faith Ambrose and Abbey Wolfe were on last year’s state quarterfinal run, so they know what’s coming next.