Delcohoops.com

By Joseph Santoliquito 

The feeling came in August during the open workouts that something special was brewing. The Archbishop Carroll girls’ basketball team didn’t mind the heat or the sweat. They embraced it. It told them they were working hard.

It’s when an underlying attitude began to form that this team could make a deep state playoff run. They had no doubt about that.

More proof came Thursday night, when the Patriots fought off numerous charges from tiny, feisty Neumann-Goretti in a 53-46 Catholic League victory.

Carroll, behind a game-high 26 points from Taylor “Wilt” Wilson, 14 from her sister Brooke and 13 from Grace O’Neill, improved to 12-4 overall and remained perfect in the Catholic League at 8-0, while Neumann-Goretti fell to 6-6 and 2-2 in the league.

This is where the Carroll players expected themselves to be. In this last month, the Patriots have made believers of the rest of the Catholic League. The Pats have beaten league stalwarts Cardinal O’Hara, Archbishop Wood and now Neumann-Goretti.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matthew DeGeorge

Steve Maloney isn’t exaggerating – and isn’t alone among coaches in this assessment – when he calls the 2021 season “a mess.”

The cancellations, uncertainty and lack of preparation hit every team hard. But at Sun Valley, with its roster studded with sophomores, many getting a first taste of varsity, the disruptions were that much more severe.

A 2-10 season, while not what he and his players hoped for, wasn’t the ultimate aim for anyone. And at Sun Valley in particular, the way youthful setbacks can translate to sustained success is etched indelibly in recent memory.

It’s showing this year, as the Vanguards sit at 12-7 on the back of five straight wins. That puts them seventh in the District 1 Class 5A rankings through Wednesday, closer to the crowd vying for first-round byes than those fighting to scrape into the 12-team playoff field.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Ty Daubert

On the night Archbishop Carroll honored its seniors, experience paid dividends.

Taking on Cardinal O’Hara in a battle of the unbeatens on Tuesday, the Patriots kept their poise down the stretch to pull away with a senior night victory.

“As a team, we’ve been in that situation before,” senior guard Grace O’Neill said. “I’ve been very lucky to be able to play in some very competitive games. I feel like it prepared me to play at this stage.”

O’Neill orchestrated Carroll’s late-game offense and hit free throws in the closing minutes to help guide the Patriots past O’Hara, 49-39. With both teams entering the game at 6-0, the win propelled Carroll to first place in the PCL girls’ basketball standings.

(click on this link for the full story)

By Matthew Ryan

After going through the wringer to start Philadelphia Catholic League play, Wednesday night’s game at Archbishop Carroll was uber important for Bonner-Prendie.

The Friars were coming off a loss to West Catholic where, in the locker room, they let their emotions out; a moment that brought the team closer together. 

“We normally don’t cry after a loss because we don’t give it our all, but since we know that we played as a team and gave it our all, we had to shed some tears for that one,” sophomore wing Deuce Ketner said.

Following that game, Bonner sat at 1-6 in the PCL, with its postseason hopes in question, sitting in 12th, only the top 10 making the PCL playoffs. The Friars’ early schedule wasn’t helping them out as they had already seen the top five PCL teams, who have a combined 36-5 record in league play.

(click on this link for the full story)

Mollie Carpenter dominated the paint with 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Fords. Caroline Dotsey scored a game-high 22 points and went 7-for-9 from the free-throw line. Emma Rowland had a solid all-around performance with three points, 10 rebounds and five assists as the Haverford Fords defeated the Ridley Raiders, 49-41.

Peyton Berger recorded a team-high 11 points for the Green Raiders.

 

 

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By Matt Smith

Archbishop Carroll was prepared to make a statement Tuesday.

In a game that should determine the No. 1 seed in the Catholic League playoffs, the host Patriots won the battle of the top two teams in Delco … and maybe the best squads in the entire region.

Even better, with their convincing 49-39 victory, the Patriots remained unbeaten in the league with a 7-0 record.

This was an absolute must-have for the Patriots, who too often of late have been overshadowed by O’Hara and Archbishop Wood in arguably the state’s top league for high school girls basketball.

The Patriots stymied the Lions, forcing 14 turnovers. O’Hara’s best players, seniors Maggie Doogan and Sydni Scott, were limited to a combined 13 points on 4-for-15 shooting from the field. The total points were the fewest scored by O’Hara since its season-opening, 41-39 loss to St. Mary’s (Calif.).

(click on this link for the full story and more game scores)