15 Stories from the
2009 PIAA Basketball State Championships
(in game order)



1. Villa Maria Stop York Catholic's Dominance
York Catholic came into Penn State having won 3 straight AA girls state titles (including one over Villa Maria). But thanks to great efforts from Kayla McBride (20 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists), Kaylyn Maruca (15 points, 6 rebounds) and the entire Villa Maria Academy team, York Catholic would not get a fourth straight title. York Catholic provided a scare in the fourth quarter, but Villa Maria hung on to become the new state champion of AA girls basketball.

2. Schrann-McBride battle Entertains
The talk going into the York Catholic - Villa Maria game were the two stars, Kady Schrann of York Catholic, and Kayla McBride of Villa. Media folk were wondering if they would match up with each other and how both would fare. They did match up at times and it was competitive. Both players really came on in the second half, and both finished with 20 points. Kady will be a junior, while Kayla will be a senior next year... will we get a rematch?

3. Girard College Wins first State Title
Girard was down early, but methodically chewed away at the lead, and once they took it over, there was no going back. As they seemed to do every time I saw them this year, they got better as the game went along, and just took it over from Kennedy Catholic. The small school with the big heart wins their first state title (after winning their third straight district title) and have garnered much deserved buzz in and out of Philadelphia.

4. John Johnson - Point Machine
-After blazing past Scotland for 37 points to help Girard get to the title game, Johnson scored another 30 points to help the team capture its first state title. One of the top players in the state, and he's only going to be a junior next year. The State Championship victory will put more eyes on him and Girard in the years to come.

5. Holzer Goes Down
The most unfortunate part of this past weekend was Cardinal O'Hara's 6-4 senior center Steph Holzer going down with an ankle injury in the third quarter of their game against Mt. Lebanon. She tried to get it wrapped up and massaged so she could return to the game, but she was in too much pain to do so. Cardinal O'Hara was never the same once she had to leave.

6. Mt. Lebanon Victorious
After falling short to Central Dauphin last year, Mt. Lebanon pulled out the AAAA girls state championship with a 67-58 win over Cardinal O'Hara. Emily Miller led the way with 21 points and 7 rebounds. Madison Cable had 19 points and 11 rebounds. And about that Cable...she's a sophomore and definitely someone to watch for the next 2 years.

7. Carroll Makes History, Too
Many wondered how the Philadelphia Catholic League would fare in their first year of eligibility for the state tournament. The Archbishop Carroll boys team fared pretty well if you ask us, as they brought a state title to the PCL with a 75-54 victory over Greensburg Salem. Kasheef Festus (18 points, 6 rebounds), DJ Irving (17 points, 6 rebounds) and Juan'Ya Green (16 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds) led the way for the Patriots. Archbishop Carroll controlled the entire game; it was a performance that surely made the Catholic League proud.

8. Bishop Guilfoyle Brings the "D"
Bishop Guilfoyle had not allowed more than 35 points in a state tournament game this year, and they held true to form in their game against Nativity BVM to win their second Single A girls title in three years. Alli Williams led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds; at 5-11, Nativity BVM just couldn't stop the junior. Bishop Guilfoyle's Kaleigh Floyd did a solid job of running the point and notched 11 points as well.

9. Imhotep, North Catholic (Pitt.) Go to 2 OT's
The wildest game of the weekend saw Imhotep defeat North Catholic of Pittsburgh in double overtime, 75-67. Imhotep trailed for a lot of the game; North Catholic got out to a 12-0 lead and almost kept the Panthers from scoring in the first quarter. Imhotep persevered, led by Sam Prescott (21 points, 13 rebounds), David Appolon (15 points), some key shots by Kenny Battle (12 points), a great inside game by Erik Copes (4 points, 11 rebounds, 7 blocks) and just a good overall team effort. North Catholic fought hard, with perhaps the highlight of the game coming from Jesse Long (20 points) hitting a three at the buzzer in the first overtime to send it to the second OT. All in all, a crazy game that saw Philly hang on over Pittsburgh.

10. Public League on Top Again
The Philadelphia Public League has now won 3 out of the last 4 AA Boys finals, and came very close to winning that fourth game (last year's overtime thriller between Jeannette and Strawberry Mansion). Philadelphia is known for its basketball thanks to great outlets such as the Sonny Hill Summer League, and the public league has been able to bring some of their city spotlight to the state scene.

11. Carroll Girls Shoot the Lights Out
"Did I really just see that?" A lot of media folk just sat and watched in amazement as the Archbishop Carroll girls team refused to miss. If they had any spec of space to work with, they were drilling the shot, especially in the first half (65% FG, 70% 3 pt. FG). Led in scoring by Erin Shields (13 points), the Carroll girls team was really impressive; on offense they were constantly moving, and on defense they were constantly in the faces of the Lampeter-Strasburg players. This was their first year eligible for a State title, and this team made the most of it.

12. Archbishop Carroll with the Sweep
Well this should be one happy school. Archbishop Carroll reigns supreme in the AAA class in the state of Pennsylvania. And they did it in impressive fashion; the teams won by a combined 44 points.

13. Penn Wood Explodes to Victory
Penn Wood played their best game of the year that I've seen, defeating York 72-53. Penn Wood looked fast, motivated, and just flat out hungry to earn the victory and leave little if any doubt that they deserved to be champion. York could never seem to get into an offensive rhythm. I thought that the key to the game going in would be how aggressive Tyree Johnson played, and he was outstanding. Not only was he aggressive shooting wise, but also as the floor general, and stifling on defense. Duane Johnson (20 points, 10 rebounds) and Aaron Brown (20 points) had great games as well, and Will Brown had a couple of baskets that helped put the game away for good. PW rolled to victory, and with Tyree Johnson and Aaron Brown coming back, along with big man Shawn Oakman getting set to take a bigger role, they may be right in the running again next year.


14. Southeastern PA Shines At States
The argument will rage on as to whether we should consider some of these schools as "Philly" teams, but there is no doubt that, at the very least, Southeastern PA took the state championships by storm. With Girard College, Archbishop Carroll, Imhotep, and Penn Wood boys along with Archbishop Carroll girls all winning gold trophies, District 1 and District 12 accounted for 5 of the 8 champions.

15. PIAA, Bryce Jordan Center Do Great Job
I can't say enough about the fantastic job the PIAA does for these championship games, not just for us in the media, but especially for the kids that play. The razzle-dazzle introductions, the partnership with PCN (who do a great job with their TV presentations of the games), and more, the PIAA really treats these games like the big deal they are. Don't forget, while it is by far the biggest games of these athlete's lives so far, it will also be the biggest game that some of these athletes ever play in. And the PIAA does a great job of making sure that it's a memory that they'll never forget.

Story - Marcus Wright
Image - Mike Young