Fri. Pa. girls’ roundup: Downingtown West gets final state seed

Downingtown West's hopes for a trip to the PIAA Class AAAA state basketball tournament came down to a winner-take-all game against Council Rock South on Friday night.

The Whippets (18-9) notched the ninth and final seed, but it was not easy, 50-49, in overtime at Wissahickon.

Elizabeth Coyne had 22 points to lead the Whippets, 11 in the first half and seven in the fourth quarter.

In overtime, Brittany Sicinski and Lindsay Galczynski took over each scored four points in the extra session.

Sicinski finished with 18 points for Downingtown West.

The loss ended a remarkable junior season for the Golden Hawks' Alex Wheatley, a 6-foot-3 forward who led all scorers with 25 points.

Wheatley scored 14 of her points in the first half and added 16 rebounds.

Wheatley became the school's first-ever 1,000-point scorer earlier this season, girls or boys and last week became the school's district's all-time leading rebounder, again covering both girls and boys' programs at Council Rock South and North.

In her last three playoff games, she had a combined 71 points and 62 rebounds.

She will enter next season needing fewer than 100 career rebounds for 1,000.

Council Rock South finished its season with a 19-8 record.

Coincidentally, the Golden Hawks began the season with a loss to Downingtown West, 35-27, in the first round of the Methacton Tournament on Dec. 10, and ended the season with a loss to the Whippets.

District 12 Class AAA. In the title game at Archbishop Ryan, Christine Verrelle scored 14 points to lead Catholic League champion Archbishop Wood past Public League champ Prep Charter, 44-34. Steph Keyes scored eight of the Vikings' nine first-quarter points. The Vikings (22-4) also got eight points from Taylor Kaminski.

The Huskies (22-2) were led by Tiffany Johnson's 12 points. They also got 10 from Kahleah Copper.

District 1 Class A. In a third-place game at Council Rock South, Joyce Randolph scored 16 points and Christine Blye added 10 as Girard College beat Morrisville, 53-36.

The game was close for three quarters with the Cavaliers (15-9) holding a 36-30 lead.

Jah'mira Chambers led the Bulldogs (15-10) with 10 points.