Advertisement

Four-ever Champions! Archbishop Wood wins fourth straight PIAA girls basketball title

Melissa Hanejko, Bucks County Courier Times
·5 min read

Four-ever Champions: Archbishop Wood wins fourth straight state championship

Most high school seniors will never know what it’s like to win a state championship. For the Vikings’ three seniors — Alexa Windish, Lauren Greer and Ava Renninger — they’ve never known any other feeling.

On a stormy Saturday evening, Archbishop Wood battled back from a 7-0 deficit to defeat Cathedral Prep 37-27 in the PIAA Class 5A Girls Basketball championship game in Hershey. It is the fourth straight state title for the Vikings, and their ninth total, breaking the PIAA record.

Junior Emily Knouse led the way with 12 points, as the Vikings outscored Cathedral Prep 11-4 in the fourth quarter. Freshman Makayla Finnegan connected on a huge three-pointer midway through the period, and Alexa Windish scored all four of her points in the final minutes of the fourth.

A look at Archbishop Wood’s four-peat:

2020-21 PIAA Class 4A Championship: Archbishop Wood 44, Cathedral Prep 34

  • Top Players: Kaitlyn Orihel, 25 points; Ryanne Allen, 17 points

2021-22 PIAA Class 4A Championship: Archbishop Wood 57, Lansdale Catholic 45

  • Top Players: Deja Evans, 14 points, 20 rebounds, 3 blocks; Ryanne Allen, 17 points; Bri Bowen, 14 points. 7 rebounds, 4 assists.

2022-23 PIAA Class 5A Championship: Archbishop Wood 61, South Fayette 54

  • Top Players: Ava Renninger, 21 points; Deja Evans, 17 points, 12 rebounds; Kara Meredith, 13 points, 3 3-pointers.

2023-24 PIAA Class 5A Championship: Archbishop Wood 37, Cathedral Prep 27

  • Top Players: Emily Knouse, 12 points, 6 rebounds; Lauren Greer, 10 points, 8 rebounds.

Final: 12-1 Archbishop Wood 37, 10-1 Cathedral Prep 27

Archbishop Wood's Ava Renninger drives to the basket during the Vikings' 37-27 win over Cathedral Prep in Saturday night's PIAA Class 5A championship game at the Giant Center.
Archbishop Wood's Ava Renninger drives to the basket during the Vikings' 37-27 win over Cathedral Prep in Saturday night's PIAA Class 5A championship game at the Giant Center.

For the Vikings, Emily Knouse led all scorers with 12 points, including three 3-pointers, while Lauren Greer scored 10 and Ava Renninger had 8 points. Greer had 8 rebounds and Renninger dished out 4 assists.

Lena Walz led the Ramblers with 8 points, and Addie Beal had 7 rebounds.

Fourth Quarter: Archbishop Wood dominates the final quarter en route to the win

The final quarter got off to a slow start, with CP’s Lena Walz’s 3-pointer the lone field goal in the first half of the quarter. But it was all Vikings the rest of the way. Freshman Makayla Finnegan hit a huge 3-pointer to put the Vikings up 30-26 with 3:57 to go, and after a 6-0 run, they held a 33-26 advantage with 90 seconds remaining. With the Ramblers unable to get anything going, the Vikings took a 10-point lead, the biggest of the game since CP opened the first quarter on a 7-0 run, for a 37-27 win.

Archbishop Wood's Lauren Greer looks to shoot from 3-point range during the PIAA Class 5A Girls Basketball Championship against Cathedral Prep at the Giant Center on March 23, 2024, in Hershey. The Vikings won, 37-27, to capture their fourth straight title.
Archbishop Wood's Lauren Greer looks to shoot from 3-point range during the PIAA Class 5A Girls Basketball Championship against Cathedral Prep at the Giant Center on March 23, 2024, in Hershey. The Vikings won, 37-27, to capture their fourth straight title.

Third Quarter: Archbishop Wood leads Cathedral Prep 26-23

The offense picked up in the third quarter for both teams. Emily Knouse scored a quick five points for the Vikings, but the Ramblers countered to tie it at 21-21. Lauren Greer sank a 3-pointer to put the Vikings up 24-21 ahead of a media timeout with 2:50 remaining.

Greer scored again after the timeout on an assist from Makayla Finnegan, which gave the Vikings their biggest lead of the game at 26-21. After an 8-0 Vikings run, the Ramblers scored the final points of the quarter to cut the deficit to three points.

More: Poll: Who was the top girls basketball player this season in the Bucks County area?

Halftime Stats:

Defense was the name of the game for both teams in the first half. Emily Knouse and Ava Renninger lead the Vikings with six points apiece, Lauren Greer has four points and four rebounds. Addie Beal has six points and four rebounds for the Ramblers. The Vikings are 7-for-20 from the field, while the Ramblers are 7-for-16.

Archbishop Wood's Emily Knouse steals the ball from Cathedral Prep's Addie Biel during the PIAA Class 5A Girls Basketball Championship at the Giant Center on March 23, 2024, in Hershey. The Vikings won, 37-27, to capture their fourth straight title.
Archbishop Wood's Emily Knouse steals the ball from Cathedral Prep's Addie Biel during the PIAA Class 5A Girls Basketball Championship at the Giant Center on March 23, 2024, in Hershey. The Vikings won, 37-27, to capture their fourth straight title.

Second Quarter: Archbishop Wood, Cathedral Prep tied 16-16 at halftime

The Vikings closed the first quarter on a 6-0 run, after CP opened the game with seven straight points. With momentum on the Vikings’ side, Emily Knouse opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer to give Wood its first lead of the game. Jayden McBride countered with a game-tying basket for the Ramblers, and Addie Biel scored to give the Ramblers a brief lead. The Vikings tied the game at 13-13 ahead of a media timeout with 3:45 remaining before halftime, but had seven team fouls to CP’s two fouls.

After a Ramblers' free throw, Knouse sank another 3-pointer, and Lena Walz scored a driving layup to tie the game at 16-16.

First Quarter: Cathedral Prep 7, Archbishop Wood 6

Addie Biel got things started, scoring the first points of the game for the CP Ramblers. McKenna Valone followed with a 3-pointer, and the Ramblers quickly took a 7-0 lead, Following a media timeout, Lauren Greer broke the Vikings’ 0-for-5 field goal drought to put Wood on the board with 3:38 remaining in the quarter. The Vikings cut the deficit further after Ava Renninger drove down the court for a layup, and Greer scored again after a steal by Emily Knouse.

Updated Tip Off Time: 6:12 p.m.

Hershey Bound!: What to know about Archbishop Wood's PIAA finals matchup with Cathedral Prep

Archbishop Wood's Emily Knouse (right) is introduced in the starting lineup during the PIAA Class 5A Girls Basketball Championship against Cathedral Prep at the Giant Center on March 23, 2024, in Hershey. The Vikings won, 37-27, to capture their fourth straight title.
Archbishop Wood's Emily Knouse (right) is introduced in the starting lineup during the PIAA Class 5A Girls Basketball Championship against Cathedral Prep at the Giant Center on March 23, 2024, in Hershey. The Vikings won, 37-27, to capture their fourth straight title.

Starting Lineups:

  • Archbishop Wood: Senior guard Ava Renninger (#4), junior forward Emily Knouse (#30), senior guard Lauren Greer (#31), senior guard Alexa Windish (#34), sophomore guard Sophia Topkas (#10). Coach Mike McDonald.

  • Cathedral Prep: Senior guard Jayden McBride (#21), senior guard Lena Walz (#2), junior forward Addie Biel (#30), senior guard McKenna Valone (#3), junior guard Ava Lucarotti (#11). Coach Doug Chuzie.

The Matchup:

  • District 12 champion Archbishop Wood (25-5) vs. District 10 titleist Cathedral Prep (23-2)

Archbishop Wood is looking to bring a fourth straight state title back to Bucks County, but they'll have to go through Cathedral Prep to do so. The action begins at 6 p.m., when the PIAA Class 5A Girls Basketball Championship game tips off at the Giant Hershey Center.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: PIAA 5A Basketball championship: Archbishop Wood tops Cathedral Prep