Girls basketball team falls to North Catholic in WPIAL quarterfinals
Head Coach John Kaercher gives the Bulldog starting lineup a pep talk just before the March 6 tipoff against North Catholic for the WPIAL quarterfinals game.
After a month-long delay to the season due to COVID-19, the girls basketball season came to an end in March this year. Similar to many other organized activities during this time of pandemic, the girls basketball team also encountered their own set of challenges.
With a 4-4 in-conference record, the Bulldogs placed fourth in their 3A section. This secured them a spot in this year’s WPIAL tournament. The Bulldogs started off their tournament stretch with [a lot of energy], and this showed in the first round against pulled off an [intense] win against Avonworth at home in the first round of the WPIAL tournament. After a modest lead in the first quarter, the Bulldogs pulled away at the start of the second half and finished with a commanding 40-22.
Enter the North Catholic gym on Saturday, March 6 for the WPIAL quarterfinals. The cheering crowds, the individuals dressed as biblical figures and the focused athletes made for an electric atmosphere. The Bulldogs kept up the pressure early but as the game wore on, the Trojans crept away. Even after a comeback late in the third period, the Bulldogs could not keep up the momentum and fell 69-49. North Catholic went on to fall to Mohawk in the finals 54-48.
“To get farther in the playoffs next year, we should just have confidence in our team and also just make sure to stay focused going off into playoff season,” junior Renae Mohrbacher said.