WEST CHESTER >> Sports is a funny thing to figure out sometimes. A team can be expected to bring home a championship and fall short, while on the other hand, a team who is expected to struggle puts it all together and brings home the glory and the trophy.
The Bishop Shanahan girls basketball team has been in the district final before and has left disappointed, but on Wednesday night at Hollinger Field House on the campus of West Chester University the Eagles flew high and reached the pinnacle.
The ninth seed battled through injury and inexperience to play their best basketball in the District 1 5A playoffs. Buoyed by a decisive second quarter and 18 points from sophomore Lauren Foster, the Eagles pulled away for a 53-43 victory over No. 6 Villa Maria in the championship final of the District 1 5A tournament.
Shanahan (14-11) captured its first district championship and the first for a girls sport at the school.
One player who been through a couple of those disappointments is senior Sam Blumenthal. When asked if she could put her feelings into words, she simply said with a big smile, “No.”
“This is something we’ve been working on since the day I was on the team,” Blumenthal added. “As seniors, this is the place we felt like we needed to be and we went out and got it.”
“Oh, yeah. Of course,” said Shanahan coach Jim Powers on whether this was the biggest win for him. “It’s a great win because of the season we had. It was a rough go and the girls kept plugging away. No matter what happened. No matter who got hurt or who was sick. They kept plugging and plugging and plugging. They got together, put it together, played well and here we are. The school’s first district championship.”
Foster started hot, connecting on a couple of three-pointers and a basket for eight of Shanahan’s 12 first-quarter points.
“We wanted to come out strong and they pumped us up,” said Foster. “I came out aggressive and my teammates encouraged me to keep it going.”
“She was a matchup problem for us because they had everybody on the perimeter,” said Villa Maria coach Kathy McCartney. “I had a bad matchup on her in the first quarter. That’s on me.”
The first quarter was played mostly mistake free. There were just two turnovers and no personal fouls as the quarter was played with only three whistles from the officials.
Shanahan took its first lead with 48 seconds left as Abby Wolf scored on a second chance basket. That advantage, though, didn’t last long. Sophia Tray buried an off-balance three-pointer from the top of the key as the buzzer sounded to put the Hurricanes (18-9) back in front, 13-12.
Shanahan regrouped and took control in the second quarter. They jumped out to a 9-0 run over the first six minutes to build a 21-13 lead before Tray hit a jumper to end the run with 2:10 remaining. But Shanahan outscored the Hurricanes, 11-4, in the frame to take a 23-17 bulge into the halftime break.
“We didn’t execute on offense,” added McCartney. “We just didn’t bring our best stuff tonight. Give credit to Shanahan. They did a great job.”
Villa opened the second half with a three from Briella Romeo to cut the deficit to 23-20, but that was as close as they would come. Shanahan went on a quick 6-2 run, thanks to baskets from Blumenthal, Faith Ambrose and Foster to put the lead back up to 29-22.
Wolf had seven points as the Eagles kept Villa at bay and took a 38-32 lead into the fourth quarter. Foster finished with a game-high 18 points, Wolf had 15 and Blumenthal added 11. Carly Catania paced Villa with 15 points.
The Hurricanes trailed 39-34 with 5:14 left when Shanahan recorded two baskets by Faith Ambrose and two free throws by Blumenthal to take its first double-digit lead at 44-34 and the fans and the players started to feel it. The Eagles went 11-of-18 from the line in the fourth quarter to cement the win and begin the celebration with the student section joining in.
“This is just a big accomplishment for us because we started the season slow,” said sophomore Carmel Ambrose. “When it came to the playoffs, we decided that we wanted to win and we did it. It feels incredible.”
The Hurricanes, who made their own surprising charge into the district final, will regroup and begin the PIAA Tournament on March 9 against the third-place team from District 2.
“I have a very young, inexperienced group and we got to the district finals,” said McCartney. “We’re number two in the district and that’s something to be proud of. I’m proud of my kids. They battled until the final buzzer and we’ll regroup and get ready for the state tournament.
Shanahan, meanwhile, will host the seventh-place team from District 3. One more home game has seniors Blumenthal, Wolf and Faith Ambrose excited.
“Our last home game, we actually lost,” said Blumenthal. “Not a good feeling as a senior, so we’re excited about having a home game and hopefully, we’ll win.”
Powers was asked what the championship meant to him, but he deflected any attention back to his players.
“It’s great, but it’s about the kids,” Powers said. “They did it. All I do is try to steer them in the right way and stay out of their way and not screw it up for them.”
Bishop Shanahan 53, Villa Maria 43
Bishop Shanahan: Blumenthal 4 3-6 11; Foster 6 4-4 18; C. Ambrose 0 1-2 1; Wolf 5 4-4 15; F. Ambrose 3 2-4 8. Totals: 18 14-20 53.
Villa Maria: Tray 4 2-2 11; Sharp 1 0-0 2; Catania 6 2-4 15; O’Hare 3 2-2 10; Romeo 2 0-0 5; Dean 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 6-8 43.
Bishop Shanahan 12 11 15 15 ‑ 53
Villa Maria 13 4 15 11 ‑ 43
3-point goals: Foster 2, Wolf, O’Hare 2, Tray, Catania, Romeo.
