By Andrew Robinson
Deja Evans knew.
The Archbishop Wood senior knew there wasn’t much time left. She knew her first attempt at a tip-in after Ava Renninger’s miss on a drive was way off and she knew she’d get one last chance. As the Albany recruit put up her last-ditch effort, the ball hit the rim, then the backboard and spun on the iron.
That’s when Deja Evans knew it was good.
Evans’ improbable put-back lifted No. 2 Archbishop Wood to a 31-29 win over No. 3 Cardinal O’Hara in a defensive slugfest of a PCL girls basketball semifinal Tuesday night at St. Joseph’s University City campus (the venue formerly known as USciences.)
“I didn’t know for sure until it hit the second spin,” Evans, who had a game-high 19 points, said. “Amazing. It’s an indescribable feeling, now we get to go play at the Palestra and I’m really excited.”
Wood will face No. 1 seed Lansdale Catholic, a 53-39 winner over No. 4 Archbishop Carroll, in the PCL title game on Monday. It’s Wood’s first title appearance since 2020-21 but first trip to the Palestra since 2019-20, with the ’21 title game being played at Carroll.