PIAA Girls Basketball: Check out the top performances from the 1st-round & 2nd-round matchups
Seven Courier/Intell teams began their PIAA state playoff journey on Friday, with four of those teams winning to advance. Check out the first-round recaps, top player performances, and second-round matchup previews.
4 Bucks County area teams advanced in the PIAA Girls Basketball playoffs after first-round wins:
North Penn wins big at home
The Knights took a 24-14 lead into halftime and never let up en route to the 48-34 win over District 11’s Emmaus in Class 6A. Caleigh Sperling led all scorers with 22 points as the Knights put on a show in front of the home crowd.
Archbishop Wood, New Hope-Solebury and Villa Joseph Marie advance
After an atypical slow start against (1-6) Radnor, the Vikings took control and secured a 55-42 victory.
New Hope-Solebury's opponent, District 12 team Pickett Mastery Charter, forfeited, so the Lions were awarded a win by forfeit and advanced to the second round.
Villa Joseph Marie had no trouble in dispatching its District 12 opponent, Prep Charter, winning 54-22.
CB East, Pennsbury, Gwynedd Mercy fall on the road
Fine seasons for the Patriots and Falcons came to an end in Friday's road games. The Falcons, who rallied to secure a state playoff berth as the 16th seed in District One, had a tough matchup against District 2 champion Hazelton, falling 63-48. The Falcons finished with a 20-9 record and will graduate seven seniors, including offensive star Sofia Vitucci and defensive catalyst Layla Matthias.
CB East kept things close against District 3 runner-up Dallastown, but fell just short in a low-scoring 43-36 game. The Patriots also finished with a 20-9 record, and will graduate top scorer Anna Barry and top defender Chantal van Dongeren.
Gwynedd Mercy also faced a district champion, as the Monarchs were matched up against District 11's Bethlehem Catholic, the team that ended their 2022-23 season in the second round of states. While the Monarchs faced an early deficit, they made things tough in the second half, sparked by sophomore Bailey Balkir, and scored seven straight points, cutting the deficit to 35-31. BC regained control after an offensive foul and went on to win 41-35. The Monarchs (22-6) return their young core next season.
Who had the top performances in the first round of the PIAA playoffs?
Caleigh Sperling, North Penn
The senior had her third playoff game with 20 or more points, scoring a game-high 22 against Emmaus. Sperling got the Knights off to a great start, scoring 8 points in the first quarter, and she went 8-for-9 from the free throw line.
Ava Gumienny, Villa Joseph Marie
The Jems’ top scorer put up a game-high 15 points in a blowout win against Prep Charter.
Riley Deal, Villa Joseph Marie
The junior had an impressive 10 steals in the Jems’ first round win.
Sofia Vitucci, Pennsbury
The senior has had to carry much of the offensive load for the Falcons this season, and she did that again against a strong Hazleton defense, putting up 20 points. Vitucci had 15 of her points in the first half, fighting through double-teams to keep the Falcons in the game. She averaged 18 points during Pennsbury’s playoff run.
Joley Hohman, Pennsbury
The freshman had one of her best games of the season, scoring 10 points against Hazleton.
Haley Moran, CB East
The freshman impressed in her first state playoff game, scoring a team-high 10 points against Dallastown. In addition, Moran provided a spark on defense, racing down the court and delivering an impressive block.
Lily Brown, North Penn
This was another big showing from a freshman, with Brown putting up 12 points, including a 4-for-4 night at the free throw line, in the Knights’ win over Emmaus.
Olivia Stone, North Penn
Stone was a key facilitator for the high-scoring Knights, dishing out 6 assists while scoring 8 points and contributing on defense.
Bailey Balkir, Gwynedd Mercy
The sophomore sparked a late-game comeback, scoring 12 points in the second half against Bethlehem Catholic. She finished with a game-high 16 points in the close loss.
Lauren Greer, Archbishop Wood
The Vikings’ top defender was also their top scorer in the win against Radnor, scoring 15 points and fighting for four rebounds.
Ava Renninger, Archbishop Wood
She posted a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, and also handed ot five assists in a win over Radnor.
PIAA Girls Basketball Second-Round Matchups for Bucks County area teams:
Class 3A:(1-1) New Hope-Solebury vs. (3-1) Lancaster Catholic
Tuesday, 6 p.m. at Pottstown HS
Lancaster Catholic (25-2) won the District 3 championship for the 21st time, setting a district record, when it topped Columbia 64-37. Lancaster Catholic won its first-round PIAA 3A game in a 64-16 rout of Masterman.
The Crusaders average 60 points per game and allow 35 points per game.
NH-S (14-11) averages 48 points per game and gives up an average of 45 per game.
Class 4A: (1-1) Villa Joseph Marie vs. (2-1) Scranton Prep
Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. at Easton Middle School
Scranton Prep (20-5) won the District 2 4A title, defeating Valley View 55-31, and won its PIAA first-round matchup against North Schuylkill 55-22.
The Cavaliers average 55 points per game, give up an average of 35 points per game.
Villa Joseph Marie (16-9) averages 45 points per game, and allows 39 per game.
Class 5A: (12-1) Archbishop Wood vs. (2-3) Dallas
Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. at Catasauqua H.S.
Dallas (21-7) finished third in District 2, defeating Crestwood 42-35 to earn a state playoff berth. The Mountaineers edged Villa Maria 43-41 in the first round of the PIAA 5A playoffs.
Wood (22-5) scores an average of 58 points per game, while giving up just 41 per game.
Class 6A: (1-4) North Penn vs. (7-2) North Allegheny
Tuesday, 7 p.m. at Bald Eagle H.S.
North Allegheny (22-3) fell to Norwin 56-41 in the District 7 championship game, and defeated Erie 57-23 in the first round of the PIAA 6A tournament.
The Tigers score an average of 54 points per game, while allowing 41 per game.
North Penn (22-5) scores 51 points per game, and allows an average of 40 per game.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: PIAA Girls Basketball: Second-round matchups for Bucks County teams
