PIAA 5A opening round
#1-1 ARCHBISHOP WOOD 70, #1-7 LOWER MORELAND 25
The District 12 champion Vikings – favorites to win their fifth straight state championship – were every bit as good as their ranking,
Sparked by nine points from both Ryan Carter and Emily Knouse, Wood led 25-8 after one quarter and extended that to 49-14 by halftime. Carter had 19 of her team-high 21 points in the opening half.
Joining Carter in double figures were Emma Yogis with 17 and Knouse with 15. Both players had five 3-pointers in a contest that saw the Vikings bury 13 shots from beyond the arc.
Briana McFerran’s 13 points led the Lions.
Lower Moreland coach Rich Becker on the game: “We lost our final game to Wood 70 – 25, and there really wasn’t much we could have done differently. There’s a reason that they are the favorites to repeat as the 5A State Champs. They’re long, talented, athletic and well coached.
“With that being said, the coaches were proud of how the girls competed. We got out-talented, but not out-hustled. Dani (Brusha) was constantly diving on the floor for loose balls, Bri (McFerran) was fighting for every rebound she could get, and that was a reflection of our entire team. We played 11 girls, and despite being physically overmatched at times, they did not back down and that’s one of the reasons that you’re sad when teams like this move on.”
–The season: “The girls started 3-6 and had lots of injuries (by January we were down to nine players in the program until the last week of the season). We lost two anticipated starters for the season, and in spite of all of that, we finished strong. The girls had quality wins against some really good teams; Villa Marie; PW and Villa Joe who won the District 1 4A title, and qualified for the state playoffs.”
–The seniors: “Our seniors have a lot to be proud of. They graduate as one of only three teams in our school program to make states. Our four seniors – Nikki Sahl, Keira Huber, Briana McFerran and Dani Brusha – were also part of the first girls basketball team to win a Suburban One conference title. By doing that, they have their year on the banner in the gym and a part of them has become a part of the history of the school that will always be there. They have created a legacy that future teams can hope to duplicate and that’s something they should be proud of.
“The girls have been a joy to coach and all four of the seniors are exceptional young women that will be missed and hard to replace.”
The season: Lower Moreland closed out the season with a 14-12 record overall. The Lions were 6-4 in SOL Freedom Division play.
Lower Moreland 8-6-7-4 25
Archbishop Wood 25-24-14-7 70
Lower Moreland (25) – Briana McFerran 3 6-10 13; Dani Brusha 2 2-4 6; Emma DiJoseph 1 0-0 2; Mady Rossiter 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 8 8-14 25.
Archbishop Wood (70) – Ryan Carter 10 0-0 21; Sophia Topakas 1 0-0 2; Makayla Finnegan 1 0-0 2; Emma Seckinger 1 0-0 2; Emily Knouse 5 0-0 15; Regan Przepioski 1 0-0 3; Emma Yogis 6 0-0 17; Abbie Kelly 2 0-0 4; Sophia McDonald 1 0-0 3; Casey Thompson 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 28 1-2 70.
3-point goals: LM – Briana McFerran; AW – Emily Knouse 5, Emma Yogis 5, Ryan Carter, Regan Przepioski, Sophia McDonald.
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