Congratulations to the Vikings of Archbishop Wood who defeated South Fayette, 61-54 to win the PIAA 5A state championship - PSD Photo by Donna Eckert
Photos/Videos: John Knebels & Donna Eckert
By: John Knebels
HERSHEY, PA – As Kara Meredith dribbled the final seconds away and the horn sounded Saturday night, Archbishop Wood had embarrassed the prognosticators who opined there was no way the Vikings would seize their third consecutive PIAA girls’ state basketball championship.
Per tradition, the entire squad raced to center court to celebrate in unison. To her right, junior Emily Knouse noticed senior Allie Fleming and immediately ascertained that the injured senior wearing a knee brace faced danger if she joined the impromptu party.
So, with the Giant Center scoreboard reminding everyone that the Vikings had won the PIAA Class 5A title by defeating a terrific District 7 champion South Fayette, 61-54, Knouse did something remarkable before joining her mates. She raced over, physically picked up Fleming, and carried her to center court. She held her there until the jubilant vertical dance had finished. Then she put her down, and the two of them joined the others to shake hands with their deflated foe.
PIAA 5A Championship Highlights - PSD Video by John Knebels & Donna Eckert
“When we won, obviously everyone was so happy and I knew everyone was going to run to mid-court,” said Knouse. “I turned and looked at the bench and saw Allie trying to run and limp over. So I just grabbed Allie and ran her over to the celebration. I wanted to her to be a part of everything. She needed to be there. She was such an influence on us this year and a huge part of our success.”
Fleming, who was leading Wood in scoring when she was lost for the season with a torn ACL and meniscus on January 10, said she would never forget Knouse’s thoughtful, selfless gesture.
“She was just being the great teammate she is,” said Fleming. “It was super special. I’ve been so lucky to have the best teammates this year. Even though I can’t play right now, they have never failed to still make me feel like just as big of a part of the team as I was before.”
Senior Allie Fleming's season came to an end with a major knee injury: her love, support & passion never Waned:
Senior Deja Evans played arguably her best game of her career in the state championship win - Video/John KNebels:
Yet again, Wood senior Delaney Finnegan made goings miserable for the opponents top scoring option - Video/John Knebels:
Indeed, a program doesn’t win eight state titles since 2010 – and fifth in eight full seasons under the tutelage of coach Mike McDonald – by blindly staring at pre-game statistics or contemplating the “expertise” of naysayers. They find a way to win games they aren’t supposed to, and after they do, they expand the narrative – the most important narrative – a few notches by caring for a hobbling sister player . . . or standing in line and sincerely clapping while their opponent receives the runner-up trophy like they did for South Fayette.
So while the Vikings shot a blistering 63 percent from the floor (22 of 35) and 50 percent from long distance (7-for-14) compared to 43/29 percent from their fatigued, frustrated opponents, and out-rebounded the Lions by 30 to 20 despite being whistled for 18 fouls to their 11, and received remarkable efforts from junior Ava Renninger (game-high 21 points on nine-of-11 shooting from the floor, five rebounds, three assists); senior Deja Evans (remarkable start to finish with 17 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks, two steals, two assists); senior Delaney Finnegan (ridiculously effective defense on South Fayette’s most effective scorers); Meredith (13 points, four rebounds, three assists); and Knouse (eight points, seven rebounds, three assists), it was the intangibles that separated them from the rest.
Wood junior Emily Knouse provided pivotal scoring and rebounding in state final - Video/John Knebels
Ava Renninger scored a game-high 21 points and finished the season playing as well as any player in the state - Video/John Knebels:
Wood head coach Mike McDonald said he really wanted his senior class to get this state championship victory:
Asking the underclassmen, that started with Wood’s seven seniors. McDonald agreed.
“They have a bond as close as any senior group I’ve coached,” said McDonald. “The fact that a large group of seven of them maintained that relationship throughout the season is remarkable.
“Their love for one another was pretty obvious every single day in the gym. It made my life really easy as a coach.”
Each of Wood’s seven seniors were asked to reflect on their time together, highlighted on the court by three state titles (would have been four had 2020 not been canceled by the global pandemic), a Catholic League championship, three visits to the PCL final, and four District 12 crowns.
But none of them really focused on the basketball aspect. While hoops brought them together, it was care, respect, perseverance, maturity, and trust that melded them into an unforgettable septet.
With the win, Wood head coach Mike McDonald took home his fifth state title - PSD Photo by Donna Eckert
Delaney Finnegan: “What sticks out to me most about the seniors is that we have been extremely committed to this program ever since we got here. It didn’t matter what position you were or how much playing time anyone got. We loved being a part of this ride together, which encouraged us to keep bringing positive energy to the team. We have also grown extremely close since freshman year, and it caused us to have really good chemistry on the court as well.
“I have always loved being a part of a big class because we always had each other if we needed to talk or work anything out. The seniors also all worked together to be great leaders because we were able to lead together and learn off of one another what it takes to lead a team. We created a positive atmosphere that made it comfortable for any of our teammates to come to us and talk to us about anything.”
Kara Meredith: “We are a very close group. That was pretty much the theme of this year. So much of our success this season is due to how we treated each other both on and off the court, and how we worked as a team. The senior subs who didn’t get as many minutes were very actively cheering for us on the bench, and competing against us at practice to make us better. Every single person had a role, and whether her role was completed on the court or on the bench, it mattered to us. Coach Mike would tell us throughout the season that every person on the team needed to stay engaged because they were all important and all had an effect on the whole team.”
Campbell McCloskey: “As a senior, winning this year's state title is a little more special than in past years. This year's win was the effort of the whole team on and off the court – offseason workouts, practices and games. This was the final chapter of our four-year story with Wood basketball, and it couldn't have ended in a better way. The seven seniors made a commitment to each other and to the team to function as a family and not just teammates. I believe this commitment is what led us to a third state title.”
2023 PIAA 5A State Championship Gallery - PSD Photos by Donna Eckert
Allie Fleming: “Our group of seniors has always been very close, but this year we definitely are the closest we’ve ever been. One thing I will always remember about the seniors on this team is how no matter what, we can always find something to laugh and have fun about. If we had a hard practice or one of us was having a bad day, the other six girls were always there to change that. I think that we balanced being serious about leading our team and having many silly moments and laughs really well.”
Makayla “Bubba” Duffy: “A big part of our success is the team chemistry we have on and off the court. Throughout the season, after practice or even on days we had off, we often found ourselves out to eat or hanging out at someone’s house because we truly just love being around each other.
“As a team, we were never, ever divided by our grade. We all did everything together as a big group. Seniors had a special bond, though, because we are such a big group and with everything we went through together with Covid. We knew this was our last season together and just wanted to make the most out of it every single day.
“I think because we are so close, we were all just happy for whoever got the opportunity to play. We all became each other’s biggest cheerleaders and motivators during the season because we all had the same goal to win. In the end, it felt rewarding knowing everyone’s hard work paid off. But the happy moment was ultimately a sad moment for me and Campbell on the sideline as we hugged each other realizing this was the last time we would be playing for Wood.”
Lauren Tretter: “The seven of us are extremely close. Ever since freshman year, we’ve always stuck together and our bond gets tighter every year. Since we’re together all the time in school or in practice, we know a lot about each other and we basically turn into the same person. Even on days we don’t have practice, we always find a way to do things together and create even more memories.
Wood head coach Mike McDonald poses with his state champion seniors - PSD Photo by Donna Eckert
“We’ve been through a lot together, whether it was tough wins or losses or just rough times outside of basketball, so we all have each other’s backs. We’re not only close with each other, but we’re also extremely close with the underclassmen as well, so that makes things a lot easier, and we just have a good time with each other.”
Deja Evans, who transferred to Wood as a junior: “I think we are very close. We created chemistry on and off the court and I’ve become very close with all of them the past two years. I feel like winning the state championship together, there’s not really a specific moment, but like we are always supporting each other no matter what, and we all love this team so much.”
Pass the tissues, please.
(Contact John Knebels at jknebels@gmail.com or on Twitter @johnknebels.)