City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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We’re into the second round of the state tournament, Friday and Saturday’s opening rounds leaving us with 16 teams left in the various classifications, the contenders starting to make themselves quite apparent with a trip to Hershey less than two weeks away.

Here’s a look at Wednesday’s second-round games involving local girls teams; (District-Seed) in parenthesis:

Girls 4A: Wyomissing (3-1) vs. Neumann-Goretti (12-3) (6 PM, Pottstown HS)
This one’s a rematch of last year’s second-round game, the venue moving from Coatesville to Pottstown but otherwise the same spot in the bracket between the Spartans and Saints. Wyomissing won it last year 40-33, getting 25 points from then-sophomore Amaya Stewart, the powerful 6-foot-1 forward overwhelming a guard-heavy Neumann-Goretti side with 17 points in the second half as she continued working towards a 1,000-point mark she passed earlier this season. With her in the middle, Wyomissing rolls into Wednesday night an unbeaten 26-0 on the year, one of the main favorites to get to Hershey after losing in the quarterfinals last year. Senior Annie McCaffrey and juniors Audrey Hurleman and Alexis Hardy are all back from last year as well.

Neumann-Goretti has most of its rotation back as well, the Saints coming into the second round with a 19-6 record under 10th-year head coach Andrea Peterson. Peterson’s led Neumann-Goretti to state titles in four consecutive years, capturing the 2A titles in 2015 and 16 and the 3A titles in 2017 and 2018, and has plans on getting back before this group departs. Junior guards Carryn Easley and Amya Scott are the two veterans, both 5-5 but tough as nails, with 5-7 sophomores Kamora Berry and Zion Coston back as well. They’ve got some additional length in the form of 5-9 freshman Reginna Baker, who joined Easley on the All-PCL First Team this winter, and 5-7 freshman Tori Richardson has been in the rotation as well. They’ll still have to deal with Stewart, but they’re a year older and wiser this time around.

Girls 4A: Audenried Charter (12-1) vs. Valley View (2-2) (6 PM, Easton MS)
The Philadelphia Public League and District 12 champs, Audenried Charter has its eyes on another championship run after losing in the state second round a year ago. Head coach Kevin Slaughter has one more season left with superstar junior Shayla Smith, the 5-10 combo guard who’s got handles and scoring ability like few others in the area, is priority No. 1, 2 and 3 for opposing defenses, as she’s capable of going off for 30+ on any given night. She’s got more support this year: senior wing Aniyah Howard and sophomore guard Aniyah Cheesboro both return from last year, and sophomore Heaven Reese and junior Senaya Parker have joined the mix as well. They also had talented freshman forward Nasiaah Russell, but the 6-2 post unfortunately tore her ACL earlier this season.

Saturday’s 62-48 road victory at District 4 runner-up Jersey Shore represented a breakthrough for Valley View. The Cougars were playing in their first state tournament since 2001 and came up with their first win since 1994. Freshman guard Cora Castellani hit four 3-pointers while leading the way in with 21 points. Giada Costa added 16. They are also 1-2 in scoring on the team for the season. Valley View is just 14-12 after finishing fourth out of five teams in Division 1 of the Lackawanna League. The Cougars were 0-3 against the top three teams, all still playing in the tournament – Scranton Prep and Class 5A schools Scranton and Abington Heights.

Girls 4A: Villa Joseph Marie (1-1) vs. Scranton Prep (2-1) (7:30 PM, Easton MS)
The Jems won big in their opener against Prep Charter but face a much stiffer test in a Classics team that’s coming off a semifinal appearance last year and a regular at this point of the season. Seniors Ava Gumienny (Arcadia) and Riley Deal form a potent backcourt for VJM; Deal a good passer and opportunistic defender while Gumienny can get rolling from long range. Julia Mack and Grace Pizzica have also been mainstays for coach Caroline Gray, who’s led her alma mater to its first District 1 championship since 2002.

Scranton Prep similarly rolled in its opener, keyed by its usual rigid defense, which shut out North Schuylkill in the second quarter. Juniors Maya Jenkins and Jenna Hillebrand form a strong backcourt for the Classics, the duo able to switch between on and off ball roles fluidly while also heading up the defensive effort. Bella Dennebaum is an undersized post player who fights for every rebound.

Girls 4A: Nazareth Academy (12-2) vs. Central Columbia (4-1) (6 PM, Catasauqua HS)
The Pandas have had a crazy enough year moving from District 1 to District 12, then making it to the PCL semifinals and District 12 title game. Then, they added to it by winning a first round state game for the second straight season. Junior Reese Power, a first team All-PCL selection, has only continued to elevate her play and leads a junior-heavy crew for NA. Abby Rock has been a quality outside shooter all season while Gracie Sullivan provides toughness, energy and plenty of rebounds as a sometimes-undersized post. Rileigh Donahue, Natalie D’Alfonso and Alyssa Browning form the rest of the all-junior top of the rotation.

Central Columbia has District 4 on lock, the Blue Jays having won four straight district titles. Saturday, they avenged last year’s overtime loss to Trinity in the first round of states. Haley Bull, also part of the school’s back-to-back state champion soccer team, is one of three first team All-PHAC selections that also includes Madelyn Blake and Caitlyn Weatherill. CC has been a tough defensive team all year with an eye for causing plenty of turnovers.

Girls 5A: Dallas (2-3) vs. Archbishop Wood (12-1) (7:30 PM, Catasauqua HS)
The Vikings took a few shots from a feisty Radnor side in Saturday’s first round but a first-quarter barrage of threes and some determined drives from Emily Knouse in a fourth-quarter run got their title defense off to a strong start. Knouse and senior Lauren Greer each posted 15 points while senior Ava Renninger had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Those three, along with senior Alexa Windish, have been the heart of a Wood team that won the PCL title and is trying to make it four straight state titles. Underclassmen Sophia Topakas, Makayla Finnegan and Sophia McDonald all play key minutes for Wood.

The Mountaineers led wire-to-wire against Villa Maria Academy but had to hold off a late rally to extend their season. Sophomore Molly Walsh and senior Elizabeth Viglone led the way as they have all season, the duo tenacious defenders while also the top options offensively. Viglone, a Wilkes recruit, plays bigger than 5-foot-6. Walsh was named the Wyoming Valley Conference’s Division 1 MVP. Mia Delgaudio and Caitlyn Mizzer are also important players for a Mountaineers team that likes to run.

Girls 5A: West Chester East (1-4) vs. Bethlehem Catholic (11-1) (7:30 PM, Pottstown HS)
For the first time, West Chester East’s girls are in the second round of the state tournament, Erin Listrani’s group making history with a 57-30 win over Freire Charter on Saturday afternoon. The Vikings (19-9), who were runners-up in the Ches-Mont this year and made it to the district semifinals, are a young team getting a ton of great experience, led by athletic junior forward Sofia Keith (6-1), sophomore wing Lauren Horan and senior Annie Kerns, with sophomore guard Carly Bickle and junior guard Annalise Kubasko also contributing double-figure efforts during the playoffs. Freshman wing Kayla Cochran, whose brother K.J. is a standout Division I recruit at Perkiomen School, has given them a great spark off the bench as a rebounder and inside scorer. 

Bethlehem Catholic made it to the state quarterfinals a year ago before losing to a different West Chester school, Rustin. It’s a program that’s used to playing this time of year, with 11 district titles since 2013 (including eight straight), though it’s under new leadership in first-year head coach Arnold Alleyne, who slid one seat over on the bench when Jose Medina stepped aside after nine years. They had a tough test in the first round in Gwynedd Mercy, the top seed in the District 1 playoffs, but snuck by 41-35. Senior guard Cici Hernandez leads the way but classmate Akasha Santos and sophomore Aliyah Brame plus sharpshooting senior Ella Bincarosky are capable threats surrounding the Mercyhurst-bound point guard. 

Girls 5A: Bishop Shanahan (1-1) vs. Abington Heights (2-2) (6 PM, Freedom HS)
What a run it’s been for Bishop Shanahan. The Eagles had their ups-and-downs during the regular season, entering the District 1 playoffs the No. 9 seed, then won three straight games on the road to get to West Chester University, where they took down Villa Maria to capture the title — then backed it up by taking out a quality Mechanicsburg squad 38-27 in the opening round. Jim Powers has a group of seniors who do not want their careers to end, led by forward Sam Blumenthal, wing Abbey Wolfe and point guard Faith Ambrose, whose sister Carmel Ambrose is one of two sophomores who round out the lineup along with Lauren Foster. 

When Abington Heights beat Archbishop Ryan 64-26 in the first round, it was the eighth time this season that the Lady Comets held an opponent to 30 points or fewer. Abington Heights has been in the state tournament all nine years under coach Deanna Klingman, a former NCAA Division III Player of the Year when she led the University of Scranton to a national title. The Lady Comets led 23-0 Saturday with 1:30 left in the first quarter. Maggie Coleman, the only junior in a starting lineup of four seniors, had 10 points in the start. The team’s season scoring leader finished with 18. Emily McDonald, back from missing all of 2022-23 with knee surgery, and Old Dominion field hockey commit Madison Zalewski also average in double figures.

Girls 5A: Scranton (2-1) vs. West Chester Rustin (1-3) (7:30 PM, Freedom HS)
Rustin might not be as strong as it was last year, when Laine McGurk (Drexel) led the District 1 champs into the state semifinals before losing to eventual champ Archbishop Wood. But the Golden Knights are not to be trifled with, as they showed with a 40-10 first-round win over District 11 runner-up Whitehall. This is a special season for head coach Lauren Stackhouse, who’s coaching her daughter, senior guard and leading scorer Riley Stackhouse, for the last time before Riley goes off to Widener. Junior 6-foot forward Sara Betchyk and senior wing/forward Kailey Barry provide size and rebounding; sophomore guard Jenna Kraft is a quick guard who can shoot it or beat her man, and senior guard Gia DeMichele adds another senior leader looking to make a repeat run like last year.

Scranton (24-2) is led by the freshman combination of Zya Small and Chrissy Jacklinski, but gets plenty of support from a deep team of experienced role players. The 6-foot-2 Small already has multiple major D-I offers. She had a double-double by halftime as Scranton opened a 36-13 lead on the way to a 55-20 rout of Academy at Palumbo in the first round. Small averages 19 points and was the runaway scoring leader in Lackawanna League Division 1 where four of the five members are still involved in state play. Kennedy Bittenbender is the school’s all-time leading 3-point shooter. Third-leading scorer Maggie O’Shea and senior Kamryn Alers have played well in the postseason.