Vresilovic, Strath Haven seniors go out as winners
NETHER PROVIDENCE >> The real bummer about Strath Haven’s season is how good the Panthers could have been had senior forward Rachel Vresilovic played every game.
Vresilovic, a two-sport All-Delco in volleyball and track and field, suffered a thumb injury in a preseason basketball practice. The Panthers were an 18-win team a season ago with senior stalwarts Vresilovic, Katie Fisher and Kaylyn Crowley all playing vital roles, but they didn’t hit their stride until
Strath Haven’s Morgan Waters, left, grabs a rebound in the first half of Thursday’s Central League game with Radnor. Waters and the Haven seniors ended their season with an impressive 49-30 win over district playoff-bound Radnor.
(ROBERT GURECKI – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA)
Vresilovic returned Jan. 8.
On senior night, Vresilovic went out in impressive style with 12 points and 15 rebounds to help Strath Haven down playoff-bound Radnor, 49-30.
“I don’t think that we’re made of one person. It’s not just because of me that we didn’t do as well in the beginning of the season, because we’re a team,” said Vresilovic, who will attend Swarthmore College for volleyball and track and field. “With me coming back, we all gelled really well. Obviously the result tonight was what we wanted.”
The Panthers (9-13) fed off the energy of the crowd. Katie Fisher, who eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau in December, finished her remarkable scholastic career with 14 points. Crowley enjoyed one of her strongest games with 10 points and team highs in assists (four) and steals (three). Senior Morgan Waters hit a big 3-pointer late in the third quarter at a time when Radnor was mounting a comeback from a 10-point deficit. Waters’ trey pushed Haven’s lead to five and the Panthers never looked back, going on a 19-5 run to put away the Raiders (11-11).
“We just fed off the fact that it was our last game and (the home crowd) made that apparent to us,” Crowley said. “We’ll never get the chance to play together or play basketball again, for those of us not going to college for basketball. It was fun.”
Fisher and Crowley are attending West Chester together next fall. Fisher will play hoops for the Golden Rams.
For Radnor, junior Allison Lanzone was steady with 17 points and eight rebounds. Raiders leading scorer and senior Kristen Hamill had all eight of her points in the second half. Radnor is expected to be seeded anywhere from Nos. 28-32 in the District One Class AAAA playoffs.
“Credit to them — they played great and made jump shots from all over,” Radnor coach Mark Jordan said. “Kristin gave us a lift (in the second half) and Allison was good. Our freshman Audrey (Rosenblum) played well. She’s spunky. A big part of our future. But overall just didn’t play well. We’ll see where we end up in districts.”
In other Central League action:
Springfield 44, Penncrest 19 >> Freshman Belle Mastropietro tossed in 13 points to highlight a balanced offense by the Cougars (18-4), who are the No. 3 seed in Saturday’s Central League tourney. They will play Conestoga in the semifinals.
Garnet Valley 43, Ridley 32 >> Brianne Borcky scored 12 points and Michelle Koscinski added 11 to lead the top-seeded Jaguars (19-3, 15-1), who play Harriton Saturday.
Conestoga 53, Haverford 34 >> Ashley Murphy had 10 points as the Fords (12-9) played most of the game without senior point guard Mollie Reynolds due to injury. Conestoga’s Ellie Mack poured in 24 points, including 14 in the second half.
