Kennedy Catholic Looks to Defend PIAA 2A Girls Title when it Faces Marion Center Thursday powered by Erme’s Distributing

HERSHEY, Pa. – Kennedy Catholic looks to defend its PIAA Class 2A championship when it faces District 6 champion Marion Center at Noon on Thursday, March 21, at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.

“They are a really good team,” Kennedy Catholic head coach Justin Magestro said.

Marion Center comes in at 24-5 and winner of seven in a row, while Kennedy Catholic is 24-4 and has won eight in a row.

For the Golden Eagles that includes a dominating postseason so far that has seen them outscore their opponents an average of 64.4 to 34.6 in seven postseason games including 60.8 to 36.5 in four PIAA playoff games.

                                      

“We have been very, very laser-focused,” Magestro said. “I haven’t seen nerves during the playoffs. They have all played in big games and on big stages this year.”

Kennedy Catholic really has played in big games all season including a win over fellow PIAA finalist Blackhawk (Class 4A) as well as victories over PIAA quarterfinalists Norwin (Class 6A) And North Catholic (4A), a loss to West Virginia Class 4A state champion Wheeling Park and a loss to West Virginia runner-up Morgantown, who lost to Wheeling Park in the title game.

“Being in big games before bodes well for us,” Magestro said.

So does playing on the big stage of the PIAA championship game in Hershey.

                          

This is Kennedy Catholic’s third straight trip to the Giant Center – the Golden Eagles lost to Northumberland Christian, 66-54, in Class 1A in 2022 before beating Homer-Center, 65-45, last year in Class 2A to win their first state title since 2001.

“I think so,” Magestro said when asked if most of his key players – only freshman Tori Harvey hasn’t – have experience playing in the state title game.

“I know when I was coaching the boys the first time we went, my son said he was nervous but the second time he said it was much easier. Not only are there the nerves but the depth perception and everything else that goes with playing in a big arena. I think our players are a little accustomed to it.”

While Kennedy Catholic is making its third straight trip to the champion game, Marion Center is going to the champion game for the first time in school history. In fact, this year marked the first time since 1994 that the Stingers even advanced to the final eight in the state.

The Stingers, from Indiana County who won the D6 title out of the fifth seed, went through the “eastern” side of the bracket to do so and did so in style outscoring their four PIAA playoff opponents 53.3 ppg to 36 ppg. That included a 60-47 win over Minersville in the semifinals Monday night.

Marion Center is led by the Miller sisters – senior Lydia and freshman Maciie. The two combined for 47 points in the win over Minersville in the semifinals with Lydia scoring 24 and Macie 23.

It was the second consecutive 20-point game for Lydia Miller, who averages 14 ppg and also plays stellar defense averaging over five steals per game in the PIAA postseason.

“(The Millers) are a double-headed snake,” Magestro said. “Lydia is extremely strong. She has a high basketball IQ. She is very aggressive and likes to go downhill. We are going to have to get in front of her. Macie is a very good shooter. They feed off each other and play well together. And they will have extra motivation because this is the last time they will take the floor together.”

The Stingers attack might start with the Millers but it doesn’t end there. Senior Mya Lipsie and sophomore Natalie Black give Marion Center an inside presence with Lipsie recording a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds in a quarterfinal win over Marian Catholic.

The Marion Center offense, though, will be challenged by a Kennedy Catholic defense that has been superb all season allowing an average of 33 points per game.

                                   

“When we defend and put other teams in uncomfortable situations, it limits what they can do,” Magestro said.

Speaking of putting teams in uncomfortable positions, Kennedy Catholic’s offense is doing that right now with the inside-outside game of Layke Fields and Monique Vincent.

Fields averages a double-double of 20.3 ppg and 11.9 rpg. She also possesses great footwork for a 6-0 junior.

And when teams spend too much time worrying about her, Vincent is making them pay right now.

The junior guard is absolutely on fire at the moment having hit 15 of her last 22 3-pointers including 10 of her last 12 while averaging 17.3 ppg over her last three games. On the year, she is averaging 11.6 ppg and has hit 76 3-pointers while shooting 41.8% (76 of 182) from downtown.

“When she is in the zone, good luck,” Magestro said. “I hope she stays in that zone until next season.”

But what makes Kennedy Catholic’s offense so tough is that it doesn’t have to be all about Fields and Vincent.

While quite of late, Bella Magestro is averaging 12.0 ppg while Harvey, the freshman guard, adds 11.0 ppg and is coming off an 11-point performance in a 61-45 win over Greensburg Central Catholic in the semifinals.

“We have a lot of weapons,” Magestro said. “We don’t rely on one or two players. What is great about our team, is we will go with the hot hand and everyone understands their roles and buys into that. The kids truly love playing with each other.”

The teams have a lot of recent common opponents.

Marion Center beat Bishop McCort, 58-57, in the District 6 semifinals on Feb. 26, and then topped Portage, 58-44, in the D6 championship game on Feb. 29.

Kennedy Catholic beat both of those teams in the PIAA playoff topping Portage, 54-43, in the second round in a game they led by 21 points late in the third quarter, and then Mercy Ruling Bishop McCort, 60-34, in the quarterfinals.

NOTES: Kennedy Catholic is trying to become the fourth District 10 team to win back-to-back titles and the first to do so since Villa Maria won three in a row from 2009 to 2011 in Class 2A under the old four-class system. Cranberry, when the Berries were still in District 10, won three straight from 1992-94 in Class 2A, while Mercyhurst Prep won back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005 winning in Class 4A in 2004 and in Class 3A in 2005 … This is the fifth time a PIAA girls’ title game has been played between two teams from the “western” side of the state. Last season, Kennedy Catholic beat Homer-Center, 65-45, in Class 2A, in 2019 Bellwood Antis topped West Middlesex, 66-57, in Class 2A, in 2010 Bishop Guilfoyle beat Northern Cambria, 49-29, in Class 1A, and in 2007 Bishop Guilfoyle topped North Catholic, 43-38, in Class 1A

THE ROAD TO HERSHEY