League playoffs: Rivals West Chester East and Henderson girls battle for Ches-Mont crown

The Athletic Association of Catholic Academies, Pioneer Athletic Conference, Central, Ches-Mont, and Suburban One League will name a league champion in girls’ basketball on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Here’s a roundup of the teams who will be competing for titles and how they got there after Saturday’s semifinal games.

There were no surprises on Saturday at La Salle College High School as the league’s two top teams moved on to set up a rematch of last season’s championship game.

No. 2 seed Gwynedd Mercy used a 23-point effort from Emilia Coleman to take down No. 3 Villa Joseph Marie, 53-39, while No. 1 Villa Maria squeaked by No. 4 Mount St. Joseph, 56-51.

Gwynedd and Villa will face each other for the third time this season Tuesday (7 p.m.) back at La Salle College High School. Villa won 49-44 in triple overtime the first time the two teams played on Dec. 12. Then before Gwynedd won 38-34 on Jan. 26.

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The Central League had a pair of lopsided results on Saturday to set up a title game rematch between Haverford and Conestoga on Tuesday (6 p.m.) at Marple Newtown High School.

No. 1 Haverford, the defending league champion, used a 16-point night from senior Aniya Eberhart, who’s committed to Millersville, to ward off No. 5 Penncrest, 52-32. Junior Rian Dotsey added 13, while Penncrest senior Kathryn Harding, who’s heading to Temple next year for lacrosse, dropped a team-high 15 points.

No. 2 Conestoga was led by sophomore Ryann Jennings 18-point performance in a 51-31 victory over No. 3 Garnet Valley.

“We lost in the championship last year and the first thing we said afterward was ‘Remember this feeling,’ because we want to get back here,” said Conestoga coach A.J. Thompson.

In the Ches-Mont League, National Division foes West Chester East and West Chester Henderson survived close games to reach Tuesday’s championship (6 p.m.) at West Chester University.

West Chester East, who hasn’t won a league title since 2002, took down Kennett, 53-48, in overtime. Sophomore Lauren Horan had 16 points and classmate Carly Bickle added 15, including a go-ahead three-pointer at the start of overtime.

» READ MORE: West Chester Henderson’s Whitney Evans follows in sister’s footsteps as a ‘student of the game’

Henderson rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to grab a 45-38 win over Unionville. Senior guard Whitney Evans led the Warriors with 17 points, while junior Elle Johnson scored 20 for the Longhorns.

Henderson enters Tuesday game on a 13-game winning streak and looks to secure its first league title since 2018.

Defending champion Perkiomen Valley and defending league runner-up Spring-Ford will meet for the third consecutive year in the championship on Wednesday (7 p.m.) at Spring-Ford Area High School.

Perk Valley thumped Pope John Paul II, 73-22, as junior Bella Bacani led the team with 19 points. Spring-Ford handled Phoenixville, 86-56, as seniors Anna Azzara (24 points) and Aaliyah Solliday (17) carried the scoring load.

Spring-Ford hosted in 2022 and knocked off the Vikings. Last season, Perk Valley hosted the league championship and took down Spring-Ford. The Vikings swept the season series, but will go on the road to face the Rams.

There will be a fun matchup in Tuesday’s Suburban One League championship at Holy Family University (6 p.m.) as Upper Dublin’s Amy Ngo and Neshaminy’s Lola Ibarrondo, who are both heading to Holy Family next year, face off.

No. 1 Upper Dublin held off No. 5 Central Bucks East, 40-34, despite having two starters out with injuries —freshman Tamia Clark and sophomore Megan Ngo. Senior Amy Ngo (14 points) was helped by senior twins and Neumann University recruits Nora and Brighid Brad, who chipped in nine and eight points, respectively.

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“We needed all hands on deck, and man, those seniors, they found a way,” said Upper Dublin coach Morgan Funsten.

No. 3 Neshaminy used a 26-point outing from Bucknell-bound Reese Zemitis to secure a 54-36 victory over No. 2 North Penn. The win marked Neshaminy’s first SOL title game appearance since 2019.

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.