Cathedral Prep girls basketball seniors get state title rematch with Archbishop Wood in Hershey
The Cathedral Prep seniors have some unfinished business to handle on Saturday.
Jayden McBride, Lena Walz, McKenna Valone and Abigail Corsale were freshmen when they stood lined up in a row at the free-throw line and received their silver medals at the Giant Center.
Villa Maria battled but came up short against Archbishop Wood 44-34 for the PIAA Class 4A championship.
Three years later, both schools have moved up one class through the success formula and Villa Maria is now Cathedral Prep. The two teams play for the PIAA Class 5A title on Saturday at 6 p.m. back at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Last meeting: Villa Maria falls to Archbishop Wood in PIAA Class 4A girls basketball title game
“It's always been a goal of ours since freshman year to get back to Hershey,” said Walz, a St. Bonaventure recruit. “We got it done.”
The two teams are near mirror images of each other in how they run their offenses and play intense defense as well.
One difference going into the game is big-game experience in the state playoffs. The Ramblers (23-3) have played between six and seven players in the state playoffs, including juniors Ava Lucarotti and Addie Biel and sophomore Natalie Spano. Most of the seven played in big games last year as well with Prep graduating just one player in Gannon freshman Tori Mayes.
Wood (25-5), on the other hand, graduated seven players last winter after winning its third straight state title. The Vikings return just three seniors, but they aren't short on talent this season.
Senior Ava Renninger is headed to Division I Fairleigh Dickinson and recently went over 1,000 career points during Wood's double-overtime win over Archbishop Ryan for the Philadelphia Catholic League title. Classmate Alexa Windish is committed to Kutztown in the PSAC and the third senior, Lauren Greer, hasn't committed yet. The fourth captain is 6-foot junior guard Emily Knouse, who committed to Division I Saint Joseph's before the season.
Prep counters with McBride heading to Georgetown and Walz going to St. Bonaventure as Division I recruits, while Biel, a force in the paint, is receiving plenty of interest as well.
“It's an amazing feeling to play for a state title and to be a part of this team all season,” Biel said. “We learned a lot from the seniors including to keep going when you face adversity. They taught us to keep pushing and play like a family.”
Tough schedules
The Ramblers and Vikings also play loaded schedules throughout the season to prepare themselves for a deep playoff run. Prep swept seven games against District 10 champions Fairview and Erie High and D-10 runners-up McDowell and Warren, to go along with a battle against Illinois powerhouse Bolingbrook, who lost in the sectional finals of their state tournament. The Ramblers also beat Wasilla, which is set to play in the Alaska state semifinals on Friday, and Foxborough, who just won a state championship in Massachusetts.
Prep also lost a close one to Glen Rose, who lost in the Texas quarterfinals, and the Ramblers played Olmstead Falls, which won the Division I state title in Ohio. Prep beat Laurel out of Shaker Heights as well, with the Gators losing in the Division II state final.
Not only did Archbishop Wood have to deal with the grind of the Philadelphia Catholic League, but the Vikings went to high-caliber tournaments like the She Got Game Classic in Washington D.C., the Kruel Classic in Florida, the Viking Invitational in New Jersey and showcase at Jefferson University and Arcadia University.
Getting defensive
“Defense will be the most important thing,” Valone said about Saturday's title game. “Coach will help with that, but we rely a lot on our defense.”
Prep and Wood are big-time defensive teams especially when the offense isn't hitting shots. The Ramblers have dominated defensively in the state playoffs by allowing 33 points (Obama Academy), 29 (Trinity), 36 (Northern York), 29 (Oakland Catholic) and 20 (McKeesport).
Wood has been on a similar tear in the state tournament. The Vikings have allowed point totals of 43 (Radnor), 32 (Dallas), 35 (Scranton) and 30 (Bethlehem Catholic).
“With Wood's motion you have to rely on your defensive principles,” said Prep coach Doug Chuzie, who recently earned his 300th win. “You're not going to out-scout them and take anything away that they do. No matter what you do defensively they'll make a read and more often than not it's going to be the right read. They have one of the most fun offenses to watch in the state so we'll have to rely on our defensive fundamentals and defensive principles and communicate.”
Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNreisenweber.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Cathedral Prep girls basketball seniors looking to go out on top
