Archbishop Wood girls outlast Springfield Delco in double overtime in first-round Class 5A matchup
Wood advances to play Mechanicsburg, the No. 6 seed from District 3, on Tuesday.
Survive and advance.
That was message after Saturday’s PIAA Class 5A first round matchup between Archbishop Wood and Springfield Delco, as the Vikings survived, 51-47, in double overtime at Spring-Ford High School.
“We kind of stole that one,” head coach Mike McDonald said. “Depending on how you look at it, we could have lost the game.”
Wood’s run of eight PIAA title appearances in nine years was in jeopardy after the Cougars’ Rachel Conran made a put-back as time expired in regulation that tied the game at 41-41.
But the game ended just how the game started, with Wood turning up its pressure defense.
The Vikings allowed only one field goal in the first half as they took a 14-8 lead at halftime. They didn’t allow a single field goal in either overtime.
Alyssa Long made a foul shot in the second overtime that gave the Cougars a one-point lead. Kaitlyn Orihel then made two free throws give the Vikings a 48-47 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Freshman Ryanne Allen made a free throw with three seconds left to give the Vikings their final margin of victory.
After halftime, Wood’s largest deficit was 27-21 at the end of the third, as the Cougars made four threes in the quarter. Long, who finished with 14 points, made three in the second half and Alexa Abbonizio hit two of her own.
The Vikings chipped away at the lead as Orihel went to the line 10 times in the fourth quarter, knocking down seven attempts. She finished with 12 points, and had only one field goal, which didn’t come until the fourth quarter. The Cougars made it tough on the sophomore.
“I think they were pressuring me full court the whole game,” she said. “If I drove, everyone was in help. We needed the girls around me to step up, which they did. That’s why we ended up getting this win.”
Lindsay Tretter led the Vikings with 15 points, including nine points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Senior Annie Whalen followed with 13 points, keeping the Vikings afloat in the first half with seven points.
“We’re a team,” McDonald said. “[Orihel] is obviously a stud player, but we are still a team.”
Wood will continue holding that mindset on Tuesday, where it will play Mechanicsburg, the No. 6 seed from District 3.
Archbishop Wood 2 12 7 20 5 5 — 51
Springfield Delco 2 6 19 14 5 1 — 47
AW: Kaitlyn Orihel 12, Annie Whalen 13, Lindsay Tretter 15, Ryanne Allen 3, Ryleigh Parsons 6, Elizabeth Fasti 2.
SD: Alexa Abbonizio 9, Rachel Conran 5, Jordan D’Ambrosio 13, Alyssa Long 14, Belle Mastropietro 6.
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