City of Basketball Love

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The District 1 5A girls’ bracket continues Friday night with the semifinals and two state playback games. Four teams are still vying for district gold, already with their PIAA playoff tickets punched. The other four are fighting for the final three of the seven 5A spots that District 1 gets in the state tournament.

Here’s a look at all four games:

Semifinals
1) Gwynedd Mercy vs. 4) Unionville (5:00 PM)

The Monarchs (21-3) were ousted in their district opener as the first seed last year, but took care of business this season, outlasting Marple Newtown on Tuesday with a balanced attack — no player reaching double figures. Seniors Cara Lapp (5-11), Megan McDonnell (5-10) and Carsy Kelly and juniors Brooke Evans (5-10) and Bailey Balkir are experienced pieces. Freshman Chloe McCarthy pitched in during Tuesday’s win, showing she’s ready for the big stage. After being upset in the AACA championship game by Villa Maria, Gwynedd Mercy is extra-hungry for a trophy to bring home this year.

A couple of weeks ago, it did not look like the No. 4-seeded Longhorns (16-8) were heading anywhere. Apparently, they used their worst loss of the season, a 38-12 setback to Downingtown West in the Ches Mont League tournament semifinals, as strong motivation for one of their better performances of the season, reaching the District 1 Class 5A semifinals with a 53-36 victory over Ches Mont rival West Chester Rustin in the quarterfinals. Longhorns’ 5-foot-9 three-year starting senior forward Shannon Megill made a statement that she is not yet ready to give up her high school career scoring a season-high 29 against Rustin. Unionville coach Fred Ellzy preaches defense, and that’s what got the Longhorns out to a huge 18-2 lead against Rustin. Hopefully, the Longhorns solved their slow start problems this season. Junior Allie D’Angelo continues to play well in the postseason.

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2) Radnor vs. 6) Villa Maria (7:00 PM)

Radnor’s qualified for the state tournament for the third time in the last four years under head coach Rob Baxter, whose Raptors (19-8) finished four in the Central League this year behind three 20-win 6A squads at the top. They took out a familiar foe in Strath Haven in the quarterfinal, beating their fellow Central League squad by 18. Junior guard Nyah Yao is usually Radnor’s leading scorer except when defenses throw everything they can at her to slow her down; classmate Anna Reger, the Raptors’ point guard, is also their second-best bucket-getter. Riley D’Entremont and Caroline Quinn have been strong on the glass while Sadie Boulden, Bree Simpson and Julia Richardson have also chipped in offensively.

Villa Maria, which is no stranger to postseason runs under longtime coach Kathy McCarthy, has won five straight entering the semifinals, including an upset of Gwynedd Mercy in the AACA championships. The Hurricanes (15-11) are led by a standout two-way wing in junior Sophia Tray, a Division I lacrosse commit who can score inside and out. Freshman forward Erin Urbanski has given them a good post presence at 5-11, senior point guard Abby Ferry is a two-year starter and they’ve been getting additional scoring from Ava Broadhurst, Briella Romeo and Rebecca Croft.

Playbacks
5) West Chester Rustin vs. 9) Marple Newtown (6:45 PM)
This game will feature a fun matchup of lead guards, as Rustin junior Jenna Kraft and Marple sophomore Olivia Gicking are both talented 5-2 scoring points who really drive the train for their respective squads. Kraft has a quality interior option in senior Sara Betchyk and some talented youngsters in supporting roles, while Gicking has junior Rowan Hilden as her own six-footer, with freshman Evie Grimste and others chipping where they can. Marple’s only making its fourth real run into the district playoffs, and this experience will pay off for sure next season.

3) Lower Moreland vs. 7) Strath Haven (6:00 PM)
The Lions (13-10) and Panthers (11-13) are both looking to break lengthy PIAA playoff droughts. Lower Moreland hasn’t been states since 2017 (Class 4A). A quick peruse through the state playoff archives suggests 1994 was the last time Strath Haven made states. Seniors Dani Brusha and Briana McFerran are looking to carry the Lions after they fell a win short of states last season. Brusha had a big game in the semifinal loss to Villa Maria. Strath Haven seniors Olivia Voshell (TCNJ), Kate Fox and Maryella Gill are looking to lengthen the first postseason runs of their careers as long as possible.