Pandas and Patriots meet again … with Palestra appearance at stake
Bonner & Prendergast was the only Philadelphia Catholic League team to hand Archbishop Carroll a loss during the regular season.
The Delaware County rivals will meet again, this time with a trip to the Palestra on the line, as part of a Catholic League semifinal doubleheader Tuesday at Jefferson University.
The Pandas (15-8) and Patriots (17-5) will tip off at 6 p.m.
Buoyed by junior guard Erin Sweeney, the second-leading scorer in Delco, the Patriots are riding an 11-game winning streak and captured the Catholic League regular season title. Sweeney netted 22 points in the Patriots’ 56-37 victory over Lansdale Catholic in the quarterfinals.
The fifth-seeded Pandas avenged a regular season setback to West Catholic by earning a 56-41 decision over the Burrs in the quarterfinals. Maeve McCann, Alexis Eagan and Ariana McGeary all scored 12 points.
The Patriots are vying for their first PCL championship since the 2011-12 campaign. The Pandas last won the Catholic League in 2001 under the guidance of longtime coach Tom Stewart.
Carroll and Bonner & Prendie’s previous meeting this season was on Dec. 18. McGeary tallied 13 points and McCaughan added 11 in the Pandas’ 47-40 win. Sweeney accounted for 26 of Carroll’s 40 points. It’s worth noting that Carroll senior forward Harlem Jennings, who is averaging 9.1 points per game, missed that game due to injury.
The Carroll and Bonner & Prendie winner will play either No. 2 Neumann-Goretti or third-seeded Archbishop Wood next Monday at the Palestra.
• • •
The following District 1 playoff games are scheduled for Tuesday. Due to inclement weather in the forecast for Wednesday, some games are being moved from Wednesday to Tuesday in advance of the winter storm.
In Class 6A:
Central Bucks East at Garnet Valley >> Fresh off their Central League championship win, the top-seeded Jaguars (22-1) begin their quest for the program’s first district title. GV’s lone loss of the season came against Villa Maria, which is the No. 2 team in Class 5A.
The Jags are a veteran team with five senior starters. Emily McAteer is the school’s all-time leading scorer regardless of gender, and is averaging 14 points per game. Brianne Borcky, like McAteer a 1,000-point scorer, is GV’s most dynamic all-around player. Madi McKee is another tall, athletic senior forward who can score and defend. The guard spots are handled by seniors Jill Nagy and Morgan Falcone.
“We got the No. 1 seed and we feel really good about our team,” Falcone said after the Jags defeated Springfield in the Central League final. “We think we can go deeper in playoffs than we ever have before, but we just have to take it one game at a time.”
Four players reached double figures in scoring to lead No. 17 Central Bucks East (14-9) to a 66-57 win over 16th-seeded Kennett in the opening round. Caroline Pla led the way with 17 points.
In Class 5A:
Wissahickon at Springfield >> The top-seeded Cougars (21-3) are vying for their second District 1 title in three years. Seniors Belle Mastropietro and Jordan D’Ambrosio both eclipsed the 1,000-point mark this season. Mastropietro, D’Ambrosio and Alexa Abbonizio are all averaging better than 10 points per game.
Despite an unsightly overall record, the Trojans (8-14) bested Academy Park (11-11) for the 16th and final seed.
WC East at Strath Haven >> The eighth-seeded Panthers are back in the postseason after a three-win season. So much of their success is credited to Georgia Tech-bound senior guard Alisha Lewis, who transferred to her home school after two years in Delaware and one in New York. Sophomore forward Faith Raymond and sophomore shooting guard Danielle McNeely have excelled for the Panthers, too.
In the regular season, Haven defeated the ninth-seeded Vikings, 60-48.
Penn Wood at Radnor >> The 13th-seeded Patriots (13-8) earned a share of the Del Val League title with Academy Park. Jada Hutt is tough in the low post and Ashley Cyrus and Awa Dicko are versatile backcourt performers who can drive and shoot.
The fourth-seeded Raiders (17-5) claimed fourth place in the Central League. Ellie Mueller and Holly Holtsberg give Radnor height and power inside and Brienne Williams can drive to the basket and shoot from long r
