And then there were two.
After top-seed Neumann-Goretti and three-seed Archbishop Carroll forged victories in the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals Feb. 17 at Villanova University, the two will meet in the league final 12:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at the historic Palestra.
Neumann-Goretti punched the first ticket, upending five-seed Cardinal O’Hara, 49-40. Trailing 37-35 after three periods, the Saints turned on the defense, holding the Lions to only three points in the fourth.
“This means a lot,” said Neumann-Goretti coach Andrea Peterson. “It says a lot about this group, especially our seniors. The Catholic League is one of the toughest leagues in the country. We had our backs against the wall. I told our players. Stay true to us, and stay true to you. If you do that, all things will fall into place.”
As is typical for Neumann-Goretti, who finished undefeated during the regular season and seeks its first title since 2015, balanced scoring paved the way. Along with senior PCL Most Valuable Player Carryn Easley’s 17 points, first-team All-Catholic sophomore Reginna Baker tallied 13 points and second-team junior Kamora Berry added 10 points.
“I feel like a lot of people don’t think we can play good defense,” said Easley. “But we just showed them. We played the whole time together. We talked, and we communicated.”
Goretti’s opponent, Archbishop Carroll, returns to the final for a second straight season after stopping defending champion Archbishop Wood, 57-45. They will try to avenge a 52-43, regular-season loss at Neumann-Goretti back on Jan. 18.
“I’m very proud of this group of girls,” said Carroll coach Renie Shields. “They played hard in preparation for this game. We all know how good Wood is. They did what we asked them to do. They just really did it. I couldn’t be more proud in how they played tonight.”
Defeating Archbishop Wood, the PCL’s most recently successful program with 14 visits to the league final over the past 17 seasons and winners of the 2021 and 2024 championships, required a mix of tenacious defense and timely shooting.
Holding Wood to a PCL season-low 45 points, the Patriots forced errant shots and kept the usually disciplined Vikings scrambling over most of the second half. Outside of Wood sophomore Ryan Carter’s 22 points and sophomore Emma Seckinger’s nine, no other Viking scored more than five points.
A superb all-around performance by sophomore second-team All-Catholic Abbie McFillin greatly aided the Patriots.
“I knew that we could not let Wood get threes like they did in the first game we played them,” said McFillin, referring to a 52-41 home defeat on Jan. 24. “We just really focused on playing team defense and helping each other when needed. On offense, we knew that we just had to let the ball do the work. I think we did really well working together.”
McFillin’s teammate, junior first-team All-Catholic Alexis Eberz, indeed let the ball do the work. After being held to four points in the first half, Eberz actually outscored the entire Wood team in the second half, 26 to 22. Her 30-point explosion represented a career high.
“In the first half, I was a little slow, especially with my shot,” said Eberz. “Took bad shots. In the second half, I was locked in.”
Eberz’s twin sisters Kayla, a second-team All-Catholic freshman, and Kelsie, out for the season with an injury, stood together for a post-game interview.
After compiling 16 points, eight rebounds, and two assists to the cause, Kayla lauded her teammates for always supporting her no matter what kind of game she was having.
Whenever one sister spoke, the others listened intently. If one said something particularly interesting, the others would display an appreciative look, or nod, or share a gentle “nice work” tap.
Asked to describe their sibling relationship, Alexis credited her parents – former Villanova basketball standouts Michele and Eric – for a job well done. Michele, nee Thornton, starred at Archbishop Prendergast.
“I really think me and my sisters are just so close, and I would say I would give all the credit to my parents and where we come from,” said Alexis. “My mom and dad always say to us before we leave the house that, ‘Remember, you girls are a reflection of mom and dad,’ and I think that says a lot about our family.”
***
Contact John Knebels at jknebels@gmail.com or on ‘X’ @johnknebels.
Share this story