Delco Christian looks to fulfill coach’s promise
CHELTENHAM >> Delco Christian won three straight District One Class A girls basketball titles from 2010-12.
But the Knights’ last trip to a final came during a two-year stretch when they were a Class AA program. The year was 2013, when seniors Siani McNeil and Emma Ellsworth were freshmen.
“I remember it,” said Ellsworth. “I mean, obviously I wasn’t playing then.”
McNeil, who scored her 1,000th career point this season and earned back-to-back Bicentennial League MVP honors, got a taste of the big game in the second half of an eventual loss to St. Basil. At the time, coach Mark Weaver summoned a rookie player off the bench to give his team a needed boost. McNeil answered the call.
Fast forward three years, and McNeil and Ellsworth are back in a district title game. This time, it’s for the Class A crown. The No. 2 Knights take on league foe and fourth-seeded Jenkintown for the championship Saturday morning at Council Rock South. Opening tip is 10 o’clock.
“It will definitely mean a lot if, in my senior year, we can go out and win the district title. That’s been my goal all along, growing up with Siani and Mr. Weaver. He’s worked so hard at fostering players,” Ellsworth said. “I think it would mean a lot to him, to me and Siani and obviously my whole team. It’s a big moment for everyone.”
Ellsworth, who missed a large chunk of her senior campaign due to injury, played a key role in helping the Knights advance to the final. When McNeil went down with a minor leg injury in the semifinal round, Ellsworth stepped up and played well defensively while converting big foul shots down the stretch in a 42-37 win over Christopher Dock.
Jenkintown upset No. 1 Phil-Mont Christian, 44-42, as freshmen Mia Kolb hit the go-ahead free throw with 13 seconds to go.
The Knights (20-6) and Drakes (21-5) met once earlier in the season. McNeil scored only 10 points in a 51-37 loss Jan. 5. After the setback, Delco Christian hit its stride, winning 16 of its next 18 games, including the five-point decision over Dock in the semifinals.
Junior point guard Alex Thompson remembers when she was told she would be on the next Delco Christian team that would win a district championship. Those words, of course, came from Weaver.
“I remember it was in middle school, in (Ellsworth’s) eighth-grade year and my seventh-grade year, Weaver said to us this was the team that was going to states, that was going to win a district title,” Thompson said. “It’s really great to have the chance now to fulfill that and finally get in the district title game. Every time we play, we want to play and win for Weaver and win for each other. It’s exciting.”
The Knights and Drakes match up well, even though Jenkintown’s tallest player is just 5-foot-8. That could work in DC’s advantage — it has some height. Sophomore forward Shirley Piotrowski (6-foot-2) and McNeil (5-foot-11) should give the Knights a distinct advantage on the glass. The Knights outrebounded Dock, 33-15, in the semifinal round. Kolb scored a team-high 14 points, Ashley Kremp added nine and Caroline Arena chipped in eight in the Drakes’ victory over Phil-Mont.
Saturday marks the fifth time Weaver has coached Delco Christian in a district title game.
“We have a proud tradition,” Weaver said. “This is our fifth time in my seven seasons coaching. We’ve played Jenkintown once and we’re looking to get revenge.”
