Brandywine falls to Neumann-Goretti in first round

Brandywine Heights’ historic season came to an end on Tuesday night.

Making just their third appearance in the state playoffs in program history, the Bullets were outmatched at both ends of the court by Neumann-Goretti, which cruised to a 72-25 victory in the opening round of the PIAA Class 3A girls basketball playoffs at Cardinal O’Hara.

“I’m incredibly proud of these girls (and) of the season that they put together,” Brandywine Heights coach Don Vinciguerra said. “They’ve exceeded all expectations.”

The District 12 champion Saints controlled the game with quick offense and stifling defense. Neumann-Goretti played with speed at both ends, creating open scoring opportunities and shutting down the Bullets’ offense.

“They were more aggressive than we were,” Vinciguerra said. “I don’t think we were quite used to that aggression.”

The Saints (13-9) played tight defense from the onset. After the first few minutes of play were largely even, Neumann-Goretti began to pull away and led 20-12 after one quarter.

The Saints dominated the second quarter, moving the ball effectively to create open scoring opportunities. On defense, the Bullets struggled to handle Neumann-Goretti’s pressure, leading to turnovers and missed shots.

The Saints outscored Brandywine Heights 15-2 in the second quarter to take a 35-14 halftime lead. Neumann-Goretti’s Mitae Nayes led all scorers with 14 points in the first half and 31 overall.

The Bullets (18-8), the thirdplace team from District 3, were led by senior Emily Savitz and freshman Addison Benner, who both finished with seven points. Sophomore Dana Wartzenluft had six points.

“Making it here definitely meant a lot, especially with this being my last season,” Savitz said. “I’ve worked hard for this (and) it all paid off at the end.”

Brandywine Heights’ appearance in the state playoffs Tuesday night was its first since 1980, when they advanced to the quarterfinals. The Bullets qualified for the county, district and state playoffs this season, something that had not been accomplished in 42 years.

“I expect us to do some big things in the next couple years and it’s going to be on their shoulders that we did it,” Vinciguerra said about his players. “They set the stage for us.”