Henderson rolls past Harriton in opener

WEST CHESTER » The West Chester Henderson girls basketball had the height advantage, size advantage and experience edge against Harriton on Tuesday, and used all three for all they were worth.

The Warriors jumped out to a big lead after one, survived a blip in the second as the Rams shrunk the deficit, then jumped out fast to start the third quarter and went on to post a 54-36 victory over the No. 15 seed in the first round of the District 1 Class 5A playoffs at Reichert Gymnasium.

“It’s amazing,” said Henderson guard Emma Bertrando. “It’s great to get a win in districts. We came out strong and shared the basketball. It’s just a great feeling.”

Henderson, the second seed, will host No. 10 Mount St. Joseph’s on Friday with an automatic PIAA berth going to the winner.

The Warriors jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead in the first quarter as they went inside continually against the Rams.

Viki Kneis scored six of their final eight points to end the quarter with 10 as Henderson scoooted out to a 21-8 advanyage.

“We were moving the ball well,” said Kneis. “I was open and they got me the ball. Fortunately, I made the layups.”

The game was flipped on its head in the second quarter. The Rams found their shooting form, while Henderson’s slipped away. A free throw from Sophie Grady, a 3-pointer by Christina Brown and a layup from Brown cut the lead to 21-14.

Erin Thompson hit a basket, then a free throw, for a regular 3-point play to bump the lead to 24-14. A deep three from Grady had Harriton down 26-22 with a little over a minutee left.

“They started making shots,” Henderson coach Greta Neff said of the Harriton comeback. “Give them credit, they showed heart.”

The key moment of the game came toward the end of the half. Two Bertrando field goals put Henderson up 28-22, then in the closing moments of the quarter, Harriton missed a shot, and Bertrando found a wide open Kneis for a layup to give Henderson a little more breathing room with a 3022 lead at the break.

“We knew they had the size and experience advantage going in,” said Harriton coach Kacy McNichol. “We were hoping the moment wouldn’t be too big for our underclassmen.

“We missed a shot and didn’t get back on defense, then take a not-so-good shot to end the half.”

Henderson re-established its superiority immediately after the break. They quickly went on a 10-2 run to lengthen the lead and take away the comeback dreams of the 15th seed.

“When you’re an underdog, you have to make shots,” said McNichol. “We didn’t make enough of them.”

Maddie DePrisco hit a three to get things going, followed by a jumper, with a Grady basket in between. Bertrando scored the three straight points as she started to het up and the Warriors had a 40-24 lead midway through the quarter.

Henderson finished the third with a 45-29 lead. They eventually had a 20-point lead just before the final buzzer, to move on epmphatically.

The Rams end their season at 9-13, but McNichol sees the positives for a team that was struggling two months before.

“To see where we were in December, I didn’t think we would be here playing tonight,” she said. “We came a long way from then. I think that sets us up for the future.”

The future for Henderson is Friday night against an opponent it hasn’t seen before, but that shouldn’t be a problem for the Warriors.

“It actually might be better for the kids,” Neff said. “I think it keeps them more focused.”