Central, Becahi prepare for tests in quarterfinals
Vikettes to meet Lansdale Catholic, Hawks get Rustin
Two of the most successful scholastic girl’s basketball programs in the Lehigh Valley, Central Catholic and Bethlehem Catholic, are the only area teams still standing as the quarterfinal round of the PIAA tournament in Class 4A and 5A gets underway Saturday afternoon.
The Vikettes, who won their 24th championship in both conference play and in the District 11 tournament this season, have won seven state titles including four in a row from 2001 to 2004 under former coach Mike Kopp.
Central (25-3) and first year coach Kathy Davidowich will meet District 12 champion Lansdale Catholic (26-2) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Gov. Mifflin Intermediate School in Shillington in a Class 4A quarterfinal matchup.
The Golden Hawks have won nine District 11 titles in the last 10 seasons and seven in a row under ninth- year coach Jose Medina and have also won seven conference championships in the last eight seasons as well as its first two state titles in school history in 2017 and 2019
Becahi (19-8) faces District 1 champion West Chester Rustin (26-3) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Schuylkill Valley High School in Leesport in an elite eight Class 5A matchup.
This will be the fourth time both Central and Bethlehem Catholic have reached the quarterfinals in the same season and first time since 1995 when they did it three times in a four-season span.
Here’s a look at both games.
Class 5A
Rustin, which won its first District 1 title this season, defeated Abington Heights, 49-46, for its 15th straight victory in a second-round game after coming back from a 38-31 deficit after three quarters behind the McGurk twins, senior forwards Laine (24 points) and Elizabeth (11).
The 5-foot-11 Laine McGurk (23.2 ppg., 8.6 rpg.) is averaging 20+ points a game for the second straight season. Senior guard Lola Flynn leads the team in assists (3.0) and steals (3.7) and along with junior guard Riley Stackhouse average eight points a game.
“We’re just going to have to try and stay in front of Laine McGurk,” said Medina, who sports an overall record of 204-47 including 19-5 in PIAA play. “All eyes will have to be on her. She’s a great kid with great talent but with our out of conference schedule the way it’s been we’ve been able to see kids like this and prepare for them. We’ve seen lots of tape on them so our girls will know where she’s at and we’ll do our best to slow her down.”
This will be the first state matchup between Bethlehem Catholic, which enters with an all-time PIAA mark of 38-14 and 5-4 in quarterfinal contests, and the Golden Knights.
The Golden Hawks defeated Gwynedd Mercy Academy for the fourth time in five PIAA tournament meetings, 34-24, in the second round behind senior forward Kendra Rigo’s 16 points and a defense led by senior guard Yarian Fernandez that shut out the Monarchs in the first 10 minutes of the game.
The winner will play either Bishop Shanahan (24-5), the third-place team out of District 1 or District 12 champ Archbishop Wood (22-5) in the semifinals on Tuesday at a time and site to be determined. The championship game is set for March 25 at Giant Center in Hershey.
“Our players are very relaxed,” Medina said. “And very confident. We’re in a good space right now. We’ve had a couple of really solid practices and we’re ready to put our best foot forward collectively.”
Class 4A
Lansdale Catholic features the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year and St. Joseph’s University recruit, 5-foot-9 senior swing player Gabby Casey, who leads her team with averages of 21.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.1 steals per game.
“We are basically going to try to limit her touches,” Davidowich said of the team’s game plan. “You know she’s going to score. We just can’t have her score 29. Hopefully we can hold her to 20. We’ll have to face guard her, too. They also have (5-5 senior guard Olivia) Boccella who is a good player as well.”
The Lady Crusaders defeated Bethlehem Catholic on Jan. 21, 78-54, behind 25 points from Casey along with double-figure scoring from four of her teammates while Central lost to Bethlehem Catholic, 46-42, on Dec. 22.
Lansdale Catholic beat Jersey Shore, 79-42, in a secondround game while the Vikettes beat Delone Catholic, 51-37, behind 18 points from junior point guard Molly Driscoll and a combined 25 points from Abbey Kofroth, Madi Szoke and Sammy Roth.
The winner plays either District 2 champion Scranton Prep (23-2) or Trinity (19-10), the fifth-place team out of District 3, in Tuesday’s semifinals at a time a site to be determined.
The title game is set for noon on March 25 at Giant Center in Hershey.
The Vikettes have won 17 straight games since losing to Parkland, 34-22, on Jan 3 while the Lady Crusaders enter on a 10-game winning streak.