Emma Yogis (left) and Abbie Kelly combined for 28 points as Archbishop Wood continued its strong play on both ends in the PIAA Class 5A playoffs.

The Vikings knew they had to keep Becahi’s talented guard trio of Aliyah Brame, Kam Gallis and Leah Ault in check, but they also paid plenty of attention to forward Ayva Radande who had been strong on the glass in states. Bethlehem Catholic turned the ball over six times in the first quarter and Wood didn’t need any prodding to turn those into scoring chances.

After a brief 2-2 tie, it was all Archbishop Wood as the Vikings used a 12-0 run capped by a Kelly steal-to-layup to take control of the game. Wood used a 7-0 run to close the quarter for a 21-4 lead and while Becahi put up 17 in the second quarter, the Vikings didn’t slow down either with 24 points in the frame for a 45-21 halftime edge.

“Our intensity and our doubling led to turnovers and it was good for us from the start,” McDonald said. “Across the board, the subs were doing it and even later in the game in the second. That’s what it’s all about, you hope these kids grow to the point where they’ve matured enough to understand the importance of those things and right now, they’re doing that.”

Most of the first half scoring did come from the starting five, but Yogis had nine of her 11 off the bench before halftime. The Vikings also rotate players in and out frequently, so even if they aren’t the ones scoring, the subs still have a lot to do with it through their screening and passing while also matching the energy level on defense.

“Seeing the way the starters brought all that energy, we had to get in there and trust each other that we’d also contribute points and stats,” Yogis said.

The high school basketball season can get very long. That’s the case for Wood, with open gyms starting in the fall and the Vikings now playing into the final week of the season but Yogis and Kelly haven’t seen any drop in enthusiasm in their gym day to day.

“We had a lot of tests during our regular season but we learned and we grew through our mistakes,” Kelly said. “I think that’s what helped us in states, we’re learning and growing from each other and especially our coaches, they’re pointing out our positives and negatives which is very constructive and I think that’s why we’re doing very well so far in states.”

Wood will try to make it to Hershey for a sixth straight year on Tuesday in the Class 5A semifinals against Crestwood. It’s another familiar foe for the Vikings, the teams having met in the same round last year.

“It’s obviously upsetting losing during the season, but I feel like we took all that energy and made it positive,” Yogis said. “It’s still really fun for us, we all know we have to keep going if we want to stay together and play another game so that’s really what motivates us. For us seniors, we only have a couple more left and everyone else wants to contribute to that.”

~~~

By Quarter

ARCHBISHOP WOOD 21 | 24 | 19 | 5 || 69

BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC 4 | 17 | 6 | 5 || 32

Scoring

AW: Abbie Kelly 17, Emma Yogis 11, Makayla Finnegan 11, Sophia McDonald 7, Addison Payne 6, Casey Thompson 6, Colleen Besachio 5, Zoey Whalen 3, Natalie Thompson 3

BC: Aliyah Brame 9,  Leah Ault 8, Ayva Radande 6, Kam Gallis 5, Laura Lewis 2, Avaughna Gordan 1, Alalya Davis 1