District 1 Girls Basketball: Davis helps script Radnor’s convincing win over Penncrest
RADNOR — After taking last year off to train for rowing, Ellie Davis was convinced she had to return to the Radnor girls basketball team this season. Her teammates are happy she’s back and playing well.
Davis, a forward/center, has been integral to the Raptors’ success under new head coach Rob Baxter. On Friday night she scored eight points, grabbed eight rebounds and came away with five steals to help No. 6 Radnor to a 44-30 win over 11th-seeded Penncrest in the first round of the District 1 Class 5A tournament. The Raptors travel to No. 3 Upper Moreland Tuesday.
“From my perspective this is probably my last chance to play basketball. I know it’s not something I’m not going to keep on doing,” Davis said. “I’m going into rowing, so I’ve got nothing to lose and I’m just looking to have fun out there. It’s been something I’ve been doing for a really long time and it’s a lot like riding a bike. It’s fun to have it as a secondary sport.”
Davis is a multi-faceted student-athlete with a bright future ahead. She is editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, the Radnorite, and in 2020 won a Keystone Press Award for her reporting on the disparity within Pennsylvania’s educational system. Davis also helmed a student-led organization called Radnor for Reform, which had a major impact on the decision to change the school’s mascot, from Raider to Raptor.
“Maybe I’ll even write for the sports page in college,” said Davis, who will attend Williams College in Massachusetts.
Davis was back in action Friday after a two-game absence. She was unable to play in the regular season finale, a thrilling victory over Springfield, and in Radnor’s Central League playoff loss to Marple Newtown.
“I kind of got hit with the one-two punch. I had strep one week and then I had COVID,” she said. “It was really bad timing, but I was proud watching the team. I watched the Springfield game, I was up in my room screaming at my computer.”
Radnor controlled Friday’s game from opening tip to the final buzzer. The Raptors jumped out to a 7-0 lead and held a 21-9 advantage at halftime. Senior Ava Gummel led the way with 13 points and Megan Dole hopped off the bench to score eight. Junior point guard Mary Sareen had a strong floor game with five points and game highs in assists (eight) and steals (five).
Radnor and Penncrest had played two close games during the regular season. This one was all Raptors.
“We played so lackadaisical against Penncrest in the regular season and we really didn’t deserve to win either game. They were up in both games and we had to fight to come back against them,” Baxter said. “But tonight I thought we came out with a really good defensive effort. The way we started the third quarter was the key. We hit a 3 to start and that was a big lift for us.”
Penncrest (10-13) showed life in the fourth quarter when Bailey Garrison (12 points) hit three 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions, but Radnor was well in front at that point.
With Davis healthy again, the Raptors won’t be an easy out in the tournament. They guaranteed themselves at least two more games (a loss to Upper Moreland would put them in the playback tournament).
“We’re excited to keep playing,” Davis said. “This was really one of the first games where our energy at the beginning matched our energy at the end, so that really helped. Hopefully we can keep the precedent for the next game.”
