PIAA Class 6A Girls Basketball: Injury, foul trouble doom Springfield in ghostly loss

WHITEMARSH — Three of Springfield’s five starters played with four fouls in the fourth quarter. Seniors Lexi Aaron, Anabel Kreydt and Taylor Hunyet would eventually foul out.

Bench players Alyssa Estep and Corine Guyton-Williams stepped in and gave Springfield coach Ky McNichol quality minutes when the Cougars desperately needed help. Sitting on the Springfield bench next to assistant coaches Ann McKnight, Amanda Hopkins and Fran Burbidge was senior co-captain Mia Valerio, wearing a protective boot after getting injured in the district tournament. Springfield certainly missed its point guard.

The Cougars, a 21-win team as a first-time Class 6A program, saw its season end Tuesday at Plymouth Whitemarsh. Senior forward Cire Worley scored 10 of her game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter to lead Abington to a 40-35 victory.

The Ghosts meet Archbishop Carroll in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinal round Friday.

Perhaps the Cougars (21-9) would have found a way to have beaten Abington if they were whole, or if three of their starters weren’t handcuffed with foul trouble. The infractions were 6-1 against Springfield after the third period, then the Cougars were whistled for their seventh foul eight seconds into the fourth.

The Cougars didn’t help their cause when Abington jumped out to a 10-0 lead two minutes in. But the Cougars did what they do best: scratch and claw and play ugly at times, and eventually, with all heart and hustle, they grabbed a short-lived lead in the second quarter and held a 27-23 advantage after three.

“They find a way to battle,” McNichol said while fighting back tears. “(Abington) punched hard in the first quarter, the first two minutes of the game down 10-0. Our kids didn’t give up, and then we went to Plan B when Plan A didn’t work. So we went to Plan B very quickly and I couldn’t ask for a better fight from these kids. A couple shots in the fourth and couple offensive rebounds went (Abington’s) way. It’s really emotional saying goodbye to our senior class.”

Hunyet made three 3-pointers in the third quarter, including one to give the Cougars a 26-23 lead. Estep made a basket earlier to tie the game at 23.

Worley hit two free throws early in the fourth when Springfield picked up its seventh foul. She grabbed a defensive rebound on Springfield’s next possession and went coast to coast for an and-1 layup. The three-point play put Abington in front, 28-27, but junior guard Cora Fattori (10 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals) hit a jumper from the foul line to give the Cougars a 29-28 lead. Maya Johnson hit a runner to put Abington back ahead, 30-29, then the Ghosts hit three foul shots. The biggest moment of the game came when Worley sank a 3-point basket to give Abington a 36-31 cushion.

“It felt great because I kind of had some struggles, just trying to get me the ball. We had a couple of issues, but we kept working through it,” Worley said.

Kaitlyn Kearney hit a pair of free throws late to cut Abington’s deficit to 36-33. The Ghosts forced a turnover and then sealed the game at the charity stripe.

“We were feeling good up four points after three, but we knew we were in foul trouble and we knew that four points wasn’t anything to feel good about with eight minutes to play,” McNichol said.

Hunyet tallied nine points and two steals, Aaron had three points and Kreydt ended with two points, seven rebounds and two steals.

The Cougars senior class will leave behind a strong legacy. They were part of two District 1 Class 5A championships (2020-2021) and a Central League title.

“They’re one of the best classes to ever come through this program,” McNichol said.