Archbishop Wood routs Bishop McDevitt
WARMINSTER >> Archbishop Wood was too much for Bishop McDevitt Tuesday night, 72-16.
This was the Vikings first game back in Pennsylvania after participating at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona, where they went 1-3 against nationally ranked high school teams including Riverdale Baptist (Md.), Long Beach Poly (Calif.), Rock Creek Christian Academy (Md.), and Grandview (Colo.).
The Vikings wasted little time in gaining a huge lead as they outscored Bishop McDevitt 22-6 in the first quarter.
The Royal Lancers were held to single-digit points in each of the four quarters with six points in the first quarter, five points in the second, three points in the third, and two points in the fourth.
The Vikings had double-digit points in each quarter with 22 in the first, 23 in the second, 14 in the third, and 13 in the fourth, thus adding up to 72 points. The 72 points for Archbishop-Wood is the highest in a game this season.
Junior Annie Whalen had the biggest performance in terms of scoring with 15 points in the win, but she didn’t take all the credit.
“I felt really good,” said Whalen. “The whole team had a really good game. We were passing the ball a lot and I just had the hot hands, so it’s all good.”
“It’s a great feeling to score that many points,” added Whalen. “We have been practicing a lot lately and it’s paying off in our games.”
Whalen also mentioned the experience that she and the team had in Arizona for the Tournament of Champions.
“It was really fun. I haven’t been in any big tournaments and this was my first one and we were in the top bracket. It was really fun competing against other really good competitors.”
Viking junior Mia Andrews also had a blast in the blowout victory with 11 points.
“I felt amazing,” said Andrews. “I felt really great about our win that we had. The mindset was definitely to compete and play as a team. The reason I get so pumped up is to cheer the whole the whole bench up and keep myself motivated.
“It was very tough going 1-3 at Arizona, but we definitely bonded more as a team after that experience and that is going to help us in 2018.”
Vikings head coach Mike McDonald was impressed with the way his team opened up the 2018 portion of the season.
“I thought we handled our business today,” said McDonald. “We moved the ball and shot with confidence and we scored very early, which I think boosts anybody’s confidence up. The defense was especially fantastic in the first half and we were able to get open and make those open shots and get a lot of points.
“Whalen is really stepping up and she’s figuring out her role here and she really showed it for us against Bishop McDevitt. We have to continue to box out those rebounds and we have to get better and better on defense by getting more aggressive. Mia did really well too and she competes every single day in games and practices.”
The Bishop McDevitt Royal Lancers will look to rebound from the blowout loss when they host Cardinal O’Hara High School on January 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
The two-time defending PIAA state champion Archbishop-Wood Vikings will now focus on traveling to Little Flower Catholic for Girls on Thursday, January 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.
Archbishop Wood 72, Bishop McDevitt 16
Archbishop Wood 22 23 14 13 -72
Bishop McDevitt 6 5 3 2 -16
Bishop McDevitt: Burell 5; Wall 5; Mizelle 4; Johnson 2.
Archbishop-Wood: Whalen 15; Andrews 11; Orihel 10; Baxter 8; Fasti 6; Parsons 6 ; May 4; Archidiacone 3; Sienko 3; Greenberg 2; Tretter 2; Morgan 2 .
