Easton hopes to extend magical season Class 6A
Only three of 10 area teams have advanced to the PIAA girls basketball tournament second round after the first weekend of games, and they are all District 11 champions from the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference 18.
Easton and Central Catholic each play teams in the York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association as well as the division MVPs from each team while Bethlehem Catholic looks to keep up its dominant ways for much of the past dozen seasons in state play.
Here is each team’s secondround preview.
The Red Rovers (28-1) play District 3 runner-up Central York (24-4) at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Gov. Mifflin Intermediate School.
Easton is 9-10 all-time in state play and 1-6 in second-round games after reaching the quarterfinals for the first time ever last season.
The Red Rovers will have to contain YAIAA Division 1 MVP, 6-foot senior Mackenzie WrightRawls, who averages eight points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals per game on a team that allows just 32 points per game.
The Panthers also has senior guard Bella Chimienti, a conference division first-team all-star and freshman forward Alivia McCaskell, a second-team selection. Central York beat Souderton, 50-48 in double overtime, in the first round.
The winner plays either District 1 No. 3 Spring-Ford (25-5) or District 12 champ Cardinal O’Hara (21-5) in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Easton showed its depth in a 55-42 win over Unionville in the first round when junior forward Olivia Keckler and freshman guard Samantha Pastore came off the bench to spark the Red Rovers to a big lead. Easton had trailed 7-6 before leading by as much as 28 points.
Six-foot-1 junior Evalyse Cole leads the Rovers in scoring (13.6), rebounding (9.2), assists (3.9) and steals per game while 6-foot senior forward Anye’ Staton is second in scoring (11.2), rebounding (7.9) and assists (3.6). The Elias twins, Mallory (60) and Megan (53), have combined for 113 of Easton’s all-time area record 183 3-pointers this season.
Class 5A
The Golden Hawks (18-9) play a familiar foe in the fourth-place team from District 1, Gwynedd Mercy Academy (21-6), at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Pottstown. Becahi is 4-1 all-time against the Magic in state play with the Hawks winning the most recent matchup, 69-49, in a second-round game in 2020.
Bethlehem Catholic is 37-14 all-time in state play and 9-6 in second-round games. The Hawks lost a first-round game for the first time in 17 tries last season. Junior guard Cici Hernandez scored 20 points in the Hawks’ 46-36 win over Upper Moreland in the first round on Saturday.
Hannah Griffin, a 5-7 senior guard, leads the Magic in scoring along with freshmen Bailey Balker and Emili Coleman.
The winner plays either District 1 champion West Chester Rustin (25-3) or District 2 runner-up Abington Heights (18-8) in Saturday’s quarterfinals.
Hernandez (14.7 points per game) leads the Golden Hawks in scoring while forwards Akasha Santos and Kenda Rigo are the leading rebounders.
Hernandez also has made a school-record 71 3-pointers this season and Ella Bincarosky has made 39 of Becahi’s school-record 167 3-pointers.
Class 4A
The Vikettes (25-3) play District 3 runner-up Delone Catholic (25-3) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Cedar Crest High School. Central Catholic is 80-32 all-time in PIAA play and 19-8 in second-round games.
Megan Jacoby (13.0 ppg), a 5-5 sophomore point guard and conference Division III MVP, leads Delone Catholic, which that lost all five starters from a 28-2 team last season. Delone Catholic had won three straight District 3 titles in either Class 3A or 4A before this season.
The Squires also feature 6-0 freshman forward Reece Meckley, a first-team Division III all-star, and second team selection Brielle Baughman, a 5-9 junior guard. Delone Catholic lost its first game of the season to last year’s Class 6A champs, Plymouth-Whitemarsh, before reeling off 18 consecutive victories.
Central York, the team Easton is playing in the second round, snapped the streak with a 50-33 victory in the conference title game. The Squires’ only other loss was to Wyomissing (26-2), 36-30, in the District 3 Class 4A final.
The winner plays either District 12 champ Lansdale Catholic (24-2), which features Gatorade Pennsylvania player of the year and St. Joseph’s University recruit, Gabby Casey, or Jersey Shore (20-7) in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Vikette junior point guard Molly Driscoll (16.4 ppg.) scored 19 points in Central’s 55-46 victory over Eastern York in the first round of state play. Driscoll scored 18 points on six 3-pointers when the Vikes upset Easton for the EPC 18 title and a career-high 26 points with four more 3s in the District 11 title game against Blue Mountain.
Tom Mugavero is a freelance writer.