Seton-La Salle falls to Neuman-Goretti
For a brief moment, Seton-La Salle looked as if it would defend its PIAA title. Then Neuman-Goretti demonstrated why it’s the No. 1 team in the nation.
After Cassidy Walsh staked the Rebels to a 10-6 advantage, scoring eight of her team-high 11 points, Neuman-Goretti went on a 24-0 run and didn’t stop until it had the state championship trophy in hand, thanks to a resounding victory, 79-34, in the Class AA final played at the Giant Center in Hershey.
The win capped an undefeated season for the Saints (31-0) and avenged last year’s 58-50 loss to the Rebels in the 2014 state final. Neuman-Goretti owns a 60-1 record over the past two seasons.
Ciani Cryor ignited Neuman-Goretti’s offense. The Georgia Tech recruit dished up 15 assists and fired in 11 points.
Ahnje Timbers pumped in 20 tallies. The Towson State recruit buried four of her five attempts from 3-point range. Three of those long-range shots came in the first half as the Saints converted 48.4 percent of their field goals.
Christina Aborowa, who is bound for Texas, also reached double figures. The 6-5 forward pumped in 13 tallies. She also pulled down 10 rebounds. Alisha Kebbe also grabbed 11 caroms while Sianni Martin, another Towson recruit, provided 16 more points to the offensive attack.
The Saints stretched a 43-16 halftime margin to 60-20 to invoke the Mercy Rule against the Rebels with 3:12 to go in the third quarter. They converted 61.5 percent of their second-half attempts from the field.
The Rebels went more than eight minutes without scoring between the first two frames. Nicolete Newman snapped the Saints’ run with a 3-pointer with 4:20 remaining in the second quarter. The Saints responded with another run to open up a 52-16 advantage. Morgan Henderson ended Neuman-Goretti’s second 22-point rampage.
Newman followed Walsh in the scoring department, finishing with nine markers. She dished up three assists. Henderson and Shaunay Edmonds supplied four points each to the SLS offense.
Seton-La Salle, which has played in three of the past four state championship games, finished the season at 23-8 overall. The Rebels were the WPIAL Class AA champions.
The Rebels boast seven seniors on the roster. In addition to Newman, Walsh and Henderson, Giavanna Facchiano, Julie DeKlaven, Alexia Facchiano and Bridget Sigg will be lost to graduation.