BENSALEM — The more things change, the more they can stay the same.
Sure, the names on the roster have changed, but Archbishop Wood girls’ basketball is where it always seems to be this time of year. For the 12th straight year, the Vikings are on their way to the PIAA quarterfinals and are just three wins from their fifth straight state championship.
They kept that streak alive Wednesday downing Villa Maria Academy 58-32 in a Class 5A second-round game played at Bensalem High School.
“It starts with getting more reps and being confident in that,” sophomore Emma Seckinger, who had seven points, said. “Knowing we can have a bigger role and we can contribute more, we just have been building off that knowing we’re going to have to step up when those players are gone.”
The win also ran Wood’s overall winning streak in PIAA playoff games to 22, tying a girls’ state record for consecutive wins with Neumann-Goretti. Wood’s streak started in 2019-20, the Vikings getting in two games before COVID-19 halted the season and has continued through four state title runs and into this year.
It’s a remarkable run of consistency for a program that also routinely churns out college players, quite a few Wood alums still in the thick of their seasons at the next level. Wednesday, Wood (20-7) used 11 players, many of them freshman and sophomores getting a head start for when it is their time to lead the program.
“It’s part of our process in our program, you get through this run and maybe you’re not playing the minutes you hoped for as a freshman or sophomore but you’ve been through it now,” Wood coach Mike McDonald said. “By the time you are ready to play, you’ve seen it, so the nerves are over in that way and you come in and play with more confidence.”
It was the role Seckinger, a 5-foot-10 wing, found herself in last year. She was on the tail end of the state playoff rotation, getting some minutes when Wood had a big lead, then was firmly in the main rotation for the first month and a half of this season.
When forward Colleen Besachio was lost for the year due to injury, Seckinger slotted into the starting five in January. The sophomore, who won a HGSL title with her AAU team this summer and picked up a college offer from Robert Morris prior to the season, has found her groove defensively of late.
“I wanted to be more confident with my shot,” Seckinger said. “I also wanted to get quicker and faster on defense. I’m helping more, trying to be more available on the court and contributing more on offense and defense.”
Wood got off to a hot start on Wednesday. Emily Knouse, the lone senior on this year’s squad, assisted on three made three-pointers before drilling one of her own at the first quarter buzzer, which coupled with six points each from Ryan Carter and Sophia McDonald, gave Wood a 25-9 lead.
The Hurricanes were not necessarily playing poorly, they were just playing rushed. Wood’s defense was energetic and aggressive and more than once the Hurricanes rushed an otherwise open shot or looked like they had a pass for a layup only for the receiving player to lose the ball.
“I thought we made some plays but were nervous a little bit and were a little rushed,” VMA coach Kathy McCartney said. “When you’re playing a team like Wood, they’re probably going to be state champions if I were to guess, you have to do all those little things. We settled in during the second half, it was just too late.”
Sophia Tray led VMA with 12 points, including a deep three at the third quarter horn. The Hurricanes end the season as AACA champion and made the District 1 semifinals, so with a majority of their main pieces returning, there is a lot to look forward to.
At the same time, McCartney wanted to give seniors Abby Ferry and Sierra Dean their due plaudits for this season.
“We battled in that second half, we challenged them at halftime and they answered, they’re just a really fun group to coach,” McCartney said. “Abby and Sierra did a great job leading us, along with our other captain Sophia Tray, it wasn’t always an easy job for them with all the youth but they all did a great job.”
Carter, who finished with 20 points, was also a major factor defensively. The sophomore guarded Tray plenty and even late in the game with Wood leading by a good amount, Carter was diving on the floor looking to cause turnovers.
“She gives people fits,” McDonald said. “She’s long, she’s aggressive and she uses both her feet and her arms, she knows how to keep her feet in an area where she can still defend with her body but she also reaches low where she can get the basketball without fouling.”
Knouse finished with 11 points and four assists, the St. Joseph’s recruit looking to go 4-for-4 as a state champion in her career at Wood with a few more wins. Seckinger pointed to the senior, along with junior Sophia Topakas as the co-captains for helping all the team’s younger players feel ready to step in when called upon.
Abbie Kelly and Addison Payne, both freshmen, saw playing time on Wednesday as the cycle has already continued with the next generation getting their first experience of the March portion of the schedule.
Wood faces Bethlehem Catholic in the quarterfinals Saturday, a rematch of their state semifinal from a year ago, at a site and time to be determined.
“It means a lot,” Seckinger said. “I’m glad I’m in it this year and I just want to contribute as much as I can and help us take it all the way.”
RENNINGER RECOGNITION
One of those Wood alums staring at the next level is Ava Renninger.
The freshman guard at FDU cleaned up on Monday, taking home NEC Rookie of the Year honors along with spots on the All-NEC First Team and All-Rookie team. Renninger, who won a state title in each of the three years she spent at Wood, was the NEC Rookie of the Week eight times and NEC Player of the Week twice.
She helped lead the Knights to regular season NEC title, FDU also setting a single season wins record in the process. FDU will host Chicago State in the NEC semifinals Thursday night.
None of the accolades are surprising to McDonald, who was equally unsurprised by Renninger’s response when he texted her congratulations earlier this week.
“I’m proud of her but not surprised,” McDonald said. “Knowing her and knowing her work ethic and the chip she plays with, she has ‘you doubt me, I’ll play even better,’ kind of thing that drives her.”
It has been a pretty good run for Wood alums overall. 2023 grad Kara Meredith and Holy Family won the CACC championship while 2024 alum Alexa Windish and Kutztown won the PSAC title on Sunday, both of their teams advancing to the NCAA Division II tournament starting Friday.
Deja Evans, another 2023 grad, was named to the CAA All-Defensive team in her first season with Drexel.
McDonald dubbed Renninger, who was named the PA Sportswriters All-State Player of the Year for Class 5A last year, as “The General” during her time at Wood. The two share a similar competitive mindset so when McDonald added a note to the end of his congratulations, he was not surprised at Rennigner’s response.
“Even when I texted her congratulations, it was the day they were playing the quarterfinals, I think I sent her ‘you just win,’” McDonald said. “She sent back, ‘you know that’s all I care about.’ That is true and genuine coming from her. She’d much rather win as a team than get any individual accolade but I’m happy she got them because I thought she deserved them.”
Archbishop Wood 58, Villa Maria 32
Archbishop Wood 25 15 7 11 – 58
Villa Maria 9 4 12 7 – 32
Archbishop Wood: Ryan Carter 20, Emily Knouse 11, Emma Seckinger 7, Sophia McDonald 6, Sophia Topakas 4, Makayla Finnegan 3, Abbie Kelly 2, Addison Payne 2, Regan Przepioski 2, Mackenzie Rogers 1.
Villa Maria: Sophia Tray 15, Ava Broadhurst 4, Abby Ferry 3, Briella Romeo 2, Rebecca Croft 2, Erin Urbanski 2, Anna Vickers 2, Sophia Iacone 2.
