PIAA championship: Roman Catholic falls to Reading in OT; Lansdale Catholic girls earn its first state title

Defending champions Roman Catholic fell, 63-56, in overtime to Reading in the PIAA 6A boys’ basketball championship Saturday at the Giant Center.

With 1.7 seconds left, Cahillites point guard Xzayvier Brown made one of two free throws to tie the game, 53-53, and send it into extra time.

Brown, who shoots 82% from the line, made a pair of free throws with 2 minutes, 43 seconds left to give Roman a 56-54 lead. But those were the Cahillites’ final points as the Red Knights (32-1) made their foul shots to reclaim the lead for good.

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On the Cahillites’ final possession, Brown lost the ball, and Reading’s Myles Grey came up with it as time expired.

After a back-and-forth first half, Reading went into the locker room with a 23-19 lead. The Cahillites (27-4) scored 20 points in the third quarter and stayed within one possession for the rest of the half.

Brown, who’s taking his talents to St. Joseph’s next year, finished with a game-high 23 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Sophomore forward Shareef Jackson also carried the load in scoring with 17 points while also grabbing 11 rebounds.

Reading was led by Aris Rodriguez’s 16 points, and Grey added 14.

Lansdale Catholic used a 13-0 second-half run to win its first state title, 53-45, over Blackhawk in the 4A girls’ basketball state championship.

The Crusaders were led by Gabby Casey, who had a game-high 28 points. Olivia Boccella and Sanyiah Littlejohn added nine apiece. Alena Fusetti led the Cougars with 20 points while Aubree Hupp contributed 11.

The Crusaders had a 10-point lead with less than five minutes remaining, but the Cougars (26-5) went on a 9-0 run sparked by senior guard Kassie Potts. But Lansdale Catholic (29-2) regained control and stretched its lead back out to cap its historic season.

After losing the state championship game to Archbishop Wood last season, the Crusaders bounced back and claimed three titles this year — the Philadelphia Catholic League, District 12 and state.

Ava Renninger’s 21-point performance led Archbishop Wood to a 61-54 win over South Fayette in the PIAA 5A girls’ basketball championship. It was Vikings’ third consecutive title and eighth in 12 tries.

Wood’s Deja Evans, who’s committed to Albany, added 17 points and 12 rebounds while Kara Meredith contributed 13 points.

Erica Hall led South Fayette (29-3) with 17 points, while Maddie Webber and Ava Leroux added 11 and 10, respectively. Leroux also led the Cougars with eight rebounds.

The Vikings (25-5) made 15 of 21 first-half shots to establish a 37-24 halftime lead and leaned on their defense to maintain the advantage.

Leroux’s three cut the Cougars’ deficit to 56-51 with 41 seconds left, but Renninger made three of four free throws down the stretch to keep them at arm’s length.