Girls: Davis helps script Raptors’ convincing win over Lions

By Matt Smith

Paige Yurchak being interviewed by Dave DiPasqua and Coach Mark Jordan. Photo by Delcohoops.com

After taking last year off to train for rowing, Ellie Davis was convinced she had to return to the Radnor girls basketball team this season. Her teammates are happy she’s back and playing well.

Davis, a forward/center, has been integral to the Raptors’ success under new head coach Rob Baxter. On Friday night she scored eight points, grabbed eight rebounds and came away with five steals to help No. 6 Radnor to a 44-30 win over 11th-seeded Penncrest in the first round of the District 1 Class 5A tournament. The Raptors travel to No. 3 Upper Moreland Tuesday.

“From my perspective this is probably my last chance to play basketball. I know it’s not something I’m not going to keep on doing,” Davis said. “I’m going into rowing, so I’ve got nothing to lose and I’m just looking to have fun out there. It’s been something I’ve been doing for a really long time and it’s a lot like riding a bike. It’s fun to have it as a secondary sport.”

Davis is a multi-faceted student-athlete with a bright future ahead. She is editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, the Radnorite, and in 2020 won a Keystone Press Award for her reporting on the disparity within Pennsylvania’s educational system. Davis also helmed a student-led organization called Radnor for Reform, which had a major impact on the decision to change the school’s mascot, from Raider to Raptor.

Paige Yurchak being interview after Radnor’s victory over Penncrest. Check out her interview in the archive below at the 1:28:23 mark. Photo by Delcohoops.com

“Maybe I’ll even write for the sports page in college,” said Davis, who will attend Williams College in Massachusetts.

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