STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The reaction of the
Math Civics & Sciences (Philadelphia) boys basketball team when it won the PIAA Class championship said it all.
The players, joined by the cheerleaders and coaching staff, dogpiled at center court and would have definitely been joined by the fans if security had allowed after beating
Lincoln Park Performing Arts (Midland) 70-55.
And for good reason. The Mighty Elephants had just became the first Philadelphia Public League (District 12) school to win a boys Class A title after six years of frustration for the Public League, which was expected to dominate Class A after joining the PIAA in 2005.
"It means a lot," 6-6 sophomore guard
Jeremiah Worthem said. "It's about winning, and we came out and did it. We worked all year for this. We've been getting doubted all year and told we aren't going to win it."
Worthem, who already has scholarship offers from Rice, Niagara and Marist and is garnering attention from Pitt, was a big reason for the victory, scoring 22 points on 10 of 14 shooting from the floor (2 of 3 from 3-point range) while completing a double-double with 12 rebounds.
"It just happened in the flow of the game," Worthem said. "Today was my game."
MCS (26-5) grabbed a 52-43 lead at the end of three quarters but had to hold off a comeback from the District 7 runner-up Leopards (21-8). Lincoln Park got within three a couple of times in the fourth quarter, the last time at 54-51 with 4:42 to play.
But the Mighty Elephants answered with an 11-1 run fueled by five points from senior
Warren Dogan, who had 18 points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
"I just wanted to get the win," Dogan said. "That's basically it. We just wanted to get the W. It means a lot because it's the first championship ever for MCS (which is in its 12th year)."
Chaquille Pratt led all scorers with 27 points while adding seven rebounds for Lincoln Park with 6-10 junior
Devontae Watson, who is getting looks from St. Joseph, Temple and other Division I schools, adding 13 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots.
MT. LEBANON GIRLS HANG ON TO COMPLETE 3-PEATKelly Johnson scored 13 points, and
Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburgh) held off a late
Archbishop Carroll (Radnor) rally to become the first girls Class AAAA basketball team to win three straight PIAA championships with a 47-46 Friday night.
The Blue Devils (25-6) led by four, 47-43, with 40 seconds to play but had to withstand a layup attempt by Archbishop Carroll's
Jen Carney, who led all scorers with 17 points while adding six rebounds, that was too strong with 3 seconds left.
Anna Kestler gathered the rebound and threw an outlet pass that ran out the clock and started the Mt. Lebanon celebration.
It was the second close game this season between the teams with Mt. Lebanon winning 47-45 in overtime during the regular season.
Notre Dame recruit
Madison Cable was held to nine points with five of them coming from the free-throw line including four in the final minute. But Cable, who was 5 of 6 from the line, was the only Blue Devil who could hit free throws, as Mt. Lebanon was 11 of 24 including two misses by Kestler with 27 seconds left that gave Archbishop Carroll the final chance to win.
NEUMANN-GORETTI BOYS REPEAT IN CLASS AAASts. Neumann & Goretti (Philadelphia) used a 15-0 run from late in the third quarter into the fourth quarter to become the second Class AAA school to win back-to-back PIAA Class AA boys titles with a 55-45 win over upset-minded
Montour (McKees Rocks) Friday night at Penn State.
The Saints (27-4), the Philadelphia Catholic League and District 12 Class AAA champions, trailed 34-33 with less than a minute to play in the third quarter but ended the quarter on a 5-0 run to take a 38-34 lead going to the final eight minutes. They then outscored WPIAL (District 7) champion Montour (23-8) 11-0 at the start of the fourth to take a 48-34 lead with just less than three minutes to play in the game.
Ja'quan Newton led Neumann-Goretti with 17 points including eight during the game-changing run, with
Derrick Stewart adding 14 points and 10 rebounds and
John Davis 12 points and seven boards. Newton also had eight rebounds, and Stewart scored five of his points during the run.
Junior and Division I football prospect
Dillon Buechle led Montour, which experienced the most successful season in school history with 17 points and sophomore
Devin Wilson added four points and 10 rebounds.
Blackhawk is the only other back-to-back Class AAA champion doing so in 1995 and 1996. Allentown won three straight titles in what would now be Class AAA from 1945 to 1947 but had to vacate the last two because of the use of an ineligible player.
VILLA MARIA GIRLS WIN THIRD STRAIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPVilla Maria Academy (Erie) used a 21-0 first-half run to secure its third straight PIAA Class AA girls basketball title with a 62-39 win over Dunmore (26-6).
The Victors (28-2), the District 10 champions, trailed 6-2 early but held the District 2 champion without a point for the next 11 minutes, 52 seconds and without a basket for the next 12:20 to get the easy victory.
Junior guard
Abbey Steudler led Villa Maria, which scored 28 points off 19 Dunmore turnovers, with 17 points, fellow junior guard
Lindsey Mifsud added 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals and sophomore guard/forward
Karlee Mcbride, the younger sister of Notre Dame's Kayla McBride, had 12 points, seven rebounds and five steals.
Ashley Murray led Dunmore with 10 points with
Corinna Palko adding eight points and six rebounds.
THREE IS NICE BUT RAREPrior to Friday, only five girls basketball teams had won three PIAA titles in a row (the PIAA started the girls championships in 1973), but it happened twice Friday thanks to Villa Maria and Mt. Lebanon.
In Class AA, it marked the third straight time a team has won three consecutive titles.
York Catholic won the three previous to Villa Maria's run from 2006-2008 and Delone Catholic won the three prior to York Catholic taking home titles from 2003-2005. The Victors are the fourth Class AA team to win three straight titles with Cranberry being the first from 1992-94.
In addition to the Class AA teams and Mt. Lebanon, a pair of Class AAA schools also won three in a row including four in a row by Allentown Central Catholic from 2001-2004 and three straight by North Catholic out of Pittsburgh from 1993-95.
Villa Maria would appear to have a good chance of joining Allentown Central Catholic in the four-peat club with one senior and no starters on the roster.
PRIVATE SCHOOLS ENJOY CONTINUED SUCCESS IN AAVilla Maria's win in Class AA was the 11th straight season a private school has won the PIAA Class AA championship. Dunmore was trying to become the first public school to win the AA title since Karns City won in 2000.
DUNMORE ENDS LONG DISTRICT 2 DROUGHTDunmore's appearance in the Class AA girls title game marked the first time a District 2 school had competed for a title in girls basketball since 1999 when Bishop Hoban beat Girard to win the title. Dunmore last made the title game in 1994, losing to Cranberry 44-43 in Class AA the same year Bishop Hoban fell to North Catholic in Class AAA.
