HS BASKETBALL: Mahanoy girls down Bishop McDevitt, set up coal region eastern final
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - A Mahanoy player attempts a jump shot with a McDevitt defender in her face.
PHILADELPHIA, Philadelphia County – On Monday, two coal region foes will clash for the chance to play at the Giant Center in Hershey for the PIAA 2A Girls Basketball title, thanks in part to Mahanoy Area’s dominant victory over now 1-10 Bishop McDevitt in northeast Philadelphia Friday.
The Lady Bears were given another long-haul charter bus ride down to the southeastern portion of the Commonwealth, this time into the city itself, to face the Lady Lancers at Archbishop Ryan High School.
McDevitt entered the game with the knowledge that it may be the program’s last, after the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced last year that the Wyncote, Montgomery County school would close in June of this year.
The Lancers, 1-9 entering the game with their only victory being the District 12 2A title game over Penn Treaty, put up a fight early on.
Unlike their last two games, where Mahanoy opened up a hefty lead by the tail end of the first quarter, the two squads were tied at 6-apiece with about 3:30 left in the first.
“Early on, I think we came out a little sluggish. I’m going to blame the bus ride for that. It’s a long trip down here, but we did what we do,” Mahanoy Head Coach Eric Moucheron told the Sentinel after the game. “We came out, we played great defense, we shot the ball extremely well today, and now we await Monday.”
“They came out strong, they really did,” Moucheron added. “It’s their last game, their school is closing down. I’m sure they were playing with a lot of heart all season.”
By the end of the first half, the Lady Bears were in their usual form, taking a 38-10 lead into the locker rooms.
In the second half, backups found playing time as the mercy rule took effect, and the Bears coasted to a 56-26 victory to move on to the eastern final.
“It’s phenomenal. These girls worked so hard under such unprecedented times. it’s been a phenomenal year, to make it through this far, it’s everything we could’ve hoped for,” Moucheron said. “But, we’re not done though.”
After two games in the Greater Philadelphia Area, the Bears are listed as the home team on the bracket for the semifinal, meaning the game will be, at least, at a District XI site.
“I hope we’re playing in Mahanoy. The plan is, they said it should be the team that’s the highest portion of the bracket, so, by rule, it should be at our place, but we’ll see what they end up determining,” Moucheron said.
The eastern final will be a battle of two coal region foes, as Mahanoy will face Mount Carmel on Monday at a site and time to be determined. The Tornadoes edged Holy Cross 50-47 in their matchup Friday.
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