PHILADELPHIA - In what was at one point, a neck-and-neck contest, was in the end a triumph for the Archbishop Wood Girls' Basketball Team over Cardinal O'Hara in the Philadelphia Catholic League Semifinals.

The win earned the Lady Vikings a spot to vie for the championship title. It is Wood's eighth consecutive season making it to this final bout.

Although Wood trailed by a point at the end of the first quarter, they managed to keep their composure, take the lead, and ride it home with a 47-34 victory.

"I would say it's easier to stay focused in a close game, because, all that is on your mind is I want to win this game,” said Wood senior Bailey Greenberg, a Drexel commit. 

Greenberg's scored 10 game points. Her teammates  Cassie Sebold (7 points), Kate Connolly (7 points), Shannon May (5 points), Katie May (5 points), along with Claire Bassetti who had an 11 game point high including 2 three point goals rounded out the win.

Now the Lady Vikings will be turning all their attention to the PCL finals where for the third successive year they will once again face league rivals Neuman-Goretti. Wood lost mid-season to N-G but since then has been on a 14 game winning streak.

Wood head coach Mike McDonald is depending on his squad’s consistency, no matter who the challenger may be, when they head to the hardwood come Monday Night.

"We are preparing by continuing to work on what we do first, before focusing on anything N-G does. We will watch the tape on N-G and see how they played us defensively and where they attacked us offensively. Then, we'll review individual match ups, and how their individuals should be played defensively. The goal is to take away the major strengths, no matter the opponent, and limit turnovers,” said McDonald.

Despite the Saints' undefeated league record (23-0) overall, The Lady Vikings (18-6) are once again ready to be a contender.

The team's morale is high going into this one. I feel we are better matched with this year's N-G team compared to last year, and our players are more experienced in these big games because of the last two years we played them,” said McDonald.

This match-up is sure to be an exciting one. Game time is 7p.m. Monday, February 22 at the Palestra.