Archbishop Wood starts fast, hits 16 threes in PCL quarterfinal win over Conwell-Egan

WARMINSTER >> Archbishop Wood never entertained the idea of an upset in the Philadelphia Catholic League quarterfinals.

The second-seeded Vikings scored the first 11 points of the game and never looked back, building a 30-point lead at halftime and cruising to a 69-26 win over No. 7 Conwell-Egan Catholic Thursday night at Archbishop Wood High School.

“We just came out with a lot of energy,” Wood senior Deja Evans said. “We played good defense as a team and we were able to rebound great. That just brought a lot of energy to our team.”

Evans had a hand in all the points scored during the 11-0 run to open the game. She grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a three-pointer on the first possession before making a layup and assisting two three-pointers during the quick burst to start the game. After Conwell-Egan hit two free throws, the Vikings scored the next nine points to take a 20-2 lead after eight minutes.

Evans made her impact in the second quarter on the defensive end. She blocked four shots in the quarter to help Wood extend its lead to 38-8 at halftime. Evans finished the game with 10 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks.

Ava Renninger scored a career-high 24 points in the win. The junior had five points in the first quarter, seven in the second and 12 in the third. The guard added four rebounds and four assists.

“I think I had a lot more confidence coming into this game,” Renninger said. “(Coach) has been on me to step up a little more, take those shots and knock them down. I was having fun and they were all going down.”

Renninger hit five three-pointers, leading a Wood team that connected on 16 shots from beyond the arc. Evans, Kara Meredith, Emily Knouse, Alexa Windish and Lauren Greer each hit two triples and Delaney Finnegan knocked one down.

“The motivation was from losing to Lansdale (Catholic) like we did,” Renninger credited for the three-point success. “We weren’t hitting any shots. We knew going into practice that we needed to step up and hit more shots. All of us as a team needed to knock down those shots. I think that loss motivated us to come out and put this game away.”

The Vikings made three three-pointers in their 49-31 loss to Lansdale Catholic, the top seed in the playoffs, on Feb. 7.

The win sends Wood to the PCL semifinals against No. 3 Cardinal O’Hara, a 54-29 winner over No. 6 West Catholic, Tuesday at Saint Joseph’s University – University City Campus. Wood won the regular season meeting between the rivals, 47-37, on Jan. 24.

Archbishop Wood 69, Conwell-Egan Catholic 26

Conwell-Egan Catholic 2 6 7 11 – 26

Archbishop Wood 20 18 18 13 – 69

Conwell-Egan Catholic: Kyliyah Carmichael 2 0-2 4, Brianna McFadden 0 2-2 2, Lily Milewski 1 0-0 2, Brooke McFadden 2 0-0 4, Grace Gleave 1 0-0 3, Katey Brennan 0 0-0 0, Emma Candy 1 2-2 4, Molly Milewski 1 0-0 3, Sara Aschenbrenner 2 0-0 4. Total 10 4-6 26.

Archbishop Wood: Ava Renninger 8 3-4 24, Deja Evans 4 0-0 10, Delaney Finnegan 1 0-0 3, Kara Meredith 2 0-0 6, Emily Knouse 3 0-0 8, Alexa Windish 2 0-0 6, Lauren Greer 3 0-0 8, Lauren Tretter 1 2-2 4, Campbell McCloskey 0 0-0 0, Makenna Campbell 0 0-2 0, Makayla Duffy 0 0-0 0, Paige Barats 0 0-0 0, Keira Brennan 0 0-0 0, Sophia Topakas 0 0-0 0, Emma Yogis 0 0-0 0. 

3-point goals: CEC: Molly Milewski, Grace Greave. AW: Ava Renninger 5, Deja Evans 2, Kara Meredith 2, Emily Knouse 2, Alexa Windish 2, Lauren Greer 2, Delaney Finnegan.