Crestwood’s Cameron Vieney controls the ball during the girls basketball Class 5A semifinal game at Liberty High School in Bethlehem on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Crestwood players on the bench watch game play during the girls basketball Class 5A semifinal game at Liberty High School in Bethlehem on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Crestwood players rally together before the girls basketball Class 5A semifinal game at Liberty High School in Bethlehem on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Crestwood’s Keira Dougherty competes with Archbishop Wood’s Abbie Kelly, Zoey Whalen, and Makayla Finnegan for the rebound during the girls basketball Class 5A semifinal game at Liberty High School in Bethlehem on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Crestwood’s head coach Mary Mushock-Namey talks to her players during the girls basketball Class 5A semifinal game at Liberty High School in Bethlehem on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Archbishop Wood’s Addison Payne defends Crestwood’s Keira Dougherty during the girls basketball Class 5A semifinal game at Liberty High School in Bethlehem on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Crestwood’s Charlie Hiller takes a shot during the girls basketball Class 5A semifinal game at Liberty High School in Bethlehem on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Archbishop Wood’s Abbie Kelly defends Crestwood’s Charlie Hiller during the girls basketball Class 5A semifinal game at Liberty High School in Bethlehem on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Crestwood’s Cameron Vieney moves the ball during the girls basketball Class 5A semifinal game at Liberty High School in Bethlehem on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Archbishop Wood’s Abbie Kelly defends Crestwood’s Jackie Gallagher during the girls basketball Class 5A semifinal game at Liberty High School in Bethlehem on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Crestwood’s Charlie Hiller carries the ball to the hoop during the girls basketball Class 5A semifinal game at Liberty High School in Bethlehem on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Crestwood’s Cameron Vieney controls the ball during the girls basketball Class 5A semifinal game at Liberty High School in Bethlehem on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
BETHLEHEM — On a few of Archbishop Wood’s possessions late in the second quarter, the Vikings had difficulty finding an open look and for that matter, an open teammate to get the ball to.
And the longer the Vikings held the ball, the more energetic Crestwood seemed to be. Energetic enough that the Comets withstood a hectic first-half pace that saw them take a five-point lead into the half.
The start of the third quarter was a different story. The Comets missed five shots inside the lane, the Vikings found their rhythm from behind the 3-point line and that proved the difference in Archbishop Wood’s 45-41 victory Tuesday night at Liberty High School in the PIAA Class 5A girls basketball semifinals.
District 12 champion Archbishop Wood (16-12) will head to Saturday’s state championship game, the Vikings’ sixth trip to the final. District 2 champion Crestwood ends the season 26-4.
“I think that run in the third quarter hurt us,” Crestwood coach Mary Mushock Namey said. “I could have taken a timeout, but I used two in the first half. I knew we would get back in the game, and I didn’t want to waste one.”
The Vikings shot 6 of 25 from the floor in the first half and went 1 of 12 from beyond the 3-point arc. In the third quarter, Makayla Finnegan and Emma Yogis each made two 3-pointers as part of a 17-4 run that saw the Vikings take a 35-27 lead.
“I feel in the third quarter they came out and threw a punch,” Mushock Namey said. “We tried to battle back, but that run was too much for us.”
The Vikings outscored Crestwood, 21-5, in the decisive third quarter, though the Comets managed to close the gap in the fourth quarter.
“We talked about settling down at halftime,” Archbishop Wood coach Mike McDonald said. “We didn’t play well in the first half and we were only down five points. We settled down and started to fall apart again. We were tough enough to get it done against a really good team.”
Crestwood’s Charlie Hiller opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and the pressure defense once again gave the Vikings trouble. Archbishop Wood went six consecutive possessions without getting a shot off and a Keira Dougherty drive to the basket helped the Comets cut the deficit to six points with 3:37 left to play.
Crestwood continued to struggle shooting in the fourth quarter and could not get closer than six points until Hiller made a bucket as time was winding down.
“What we did on defense in the first half we didn’t quite do in the third quarter,” Mushock Namey said. “I think they were a bit exhausted. Archbishop Wood was nine or 10 deep. We played with our six strong. They got the best of us out there.”
Hiller finished with a game-high 15 points while Jackie Gallagher scored 10. This is the second consecutive year Crestwood’s season came to an end at the hands of the Vikings in the state semifinals.
“This is the state semifinals, it was the first time here for a lot of our girls,” McDonald said. “It could be nerves. Give Crestwood credit, their defense and how they played. They rattled us. We one by one at least and that is all we needed to do. Crestwood has experienced kids. Their kids who were here last year looked more poised and resilient. They gave us everything we could handle.”