Henderson

“I think our defense was a little tentative in the first half; in the second half, we put good pressure on their guards,” said Henderson head coach Greta Neff. “Adrian Smith is quick; Maddie DePrisco and Erin Thompson did a good job, and no one wants to drive against our bigs [Abbey Shea and Grace Ferguson].”

In the third quarter, Henderson came out smoking and outscored the Rockets, 17-4; then kept the pressure on in the fourth quarter and rolled to the 23-point victory at Downingtown West High School.

With the win, Henderson (29-0) advances to the second round of states, where it will face Susquehannock (23-6), the fourth-place finisher from District 3, Wednesday at a time and place to be determined. In last year’s PIAA 5A tournament, Susquehannock and Henderson both lost to eventual state champion Archbishop Wood — the Warriors in the opening round, Susquehannock in the state semifinals.

On Saturday, Ferguson and Shea led the way against Spring Grove. Ferguson finished with 15 rebounds, three blocked shots and 18 points, while Shea had four blocked shots, seven rebounds and 10 points. Thompson collected 15 points, and combined with DePrisco to go 8-for10 from the charity stripe.

Ferguson, asked if she thought the Warriors experienced a bit of a first-half emotional letdown Saturday coming off a highly-charged 41-32 victory against battle-tested Villa Maria Academy in the finals at the Liacouras Center, responded, “I think we might have felt a little too comfortable against Spring Grove in the first half. At halftime, we talked about needing to communicate more on defense, talking to each other more on the court — that, for us, is the Warrior way.”

Coming out after halftime, Henderson asserted itself quickly. Shea scored underneath, then blocked a shot to give the Warriors possession again. DePrisco fed Erin Torrance inside for another quick basket.

With Ferguson and Shea controlling the middle, and DePrisco (five assists) ably running the offense, Henderson gradually built its third quarter lead.

“I thought Maddie dished out the ball really well tonight,” said Neff. “She settled [our] people well.”

The Warriors finished the third quarter with a flourish. Ferguson blocked a Spring Grove shot in the waning seconds, DePrisco recovered the ball and passed to a streaking Erin Thompson, who drove in for the basket just before the buzzer sounded to give Henderson a 40-24 lead.

Henderson kept the defensive pressure on in the fourth quarter, limiting Spring Grove to six points in the final stanza and causing numerous turnovers. Smith finished with three steals.

“We were using different defenses against [Spring Grove], trying to [confound] them, and getting into transition,” said Ferguson.

PETE BANNAN — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA West Chester Henderson’s Erin Thompson lets out a scream as she shoots against Spring Grove’s Ella Kale Saturday afternoon at Downingtwn West.

PETE BANNAN — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA West Chester Henderson’s Adrienne Smith (23) shoots against Spring Grove Saturday afternoon at Downingtwn West.