HERMITAGE, Pa. – Kennedy Catholic is one win away from getting back to Hershey.
One season removed from finishing second in the state in Class 1A, the Golden Eagles (24-4) find themselves back in the PIAA semifinals, this time in Class 2A.
Standing in their way is Greensburg Central Catholic (24-5) at 6 p.m. at North Allegheny High School. GCC has gone on a bit of a Cinderella run after finishing in fifth in the WPIAL.
“We have a group of girls that believe in each other,” said Kennedy Catholic coach Justin Magestro. “No one is bigger than anyone else. It’s a team approach and we really talk about that. The team, the coaching staff, the ball girls, the managers, they all buy into that and that’s a good thing.”
It’s a starting five for Kennedy Catholic that rivals any in the state, a group that also includes freshman Bella Magestro, who is essentially a sixth starter. Magestro was critical in the Golden Eagles’ 56-39 second-round win over Burgettstown, pouring in 29 points.
In a 60-48 quarterfinal win over Bishop McCort, it was Layke Fields’ turn to shine. The sophomore who earned all-state honors a year ago had 30 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
Fields checks in at 19.1 ppg., while Magestro is at 12.4, Izzy Bianco at 9.5, Monique Vincent at 8.6, Hayden Keith at 7.3, and Cassie Dancak at 6.4.
As gifted as Kennedy Catholic is on the offensive end, it’s their defense that makes this a truly elite team, allowing just 29.2 points per game on the season.
“We’ve talked in the past about how we always rely on our defense,” Magestro said. “We’ve got a lot of length with Izzy, a lot of length with Cassie and we’ve got some guards that really anticipate well.”
Their opponent, Greensburg Central Catholic, has knocked off Windber (55-33), Maplewood (61-48), and Shenango (53-35) to get to this point.
The recent common opponent is Maplewood, with Kennedy Catholic beating the Tigers 73-33 in the D10 title game, a game they actually trailed early in the second quarter, 15-11.
It’s a GCC team that is led by Erica Gribble (16.9 ppg.), a freshman who already has multiple Division I offers, as well as Mya Morgan, who scored 17 of her 33 points in the fourth quarter in the Maplewood win.
In the win over Shenango, GCC raced out to a 22-2 lead and never looked back.
The Centurions last made a state final in 1997 when they won their only state title, 48-45 over Trinity.
This is a Kennedy team that is battle-tested, however. The Golden Eagles got off to a 2-4 start this season, which included losses to North Catholic and WPIAL powers Morgantown and University, as well as Norwin.
The loss to Norwin on Dec. 22 was the last time Kennedy tasted defeat, as they have rattled off 22 wins in a row.
“We try and play the best teams because it’s good to see different things, bigger players,” Magestro said. “It’s OK to get punched in the mouth. I just think we knew that would bode well for us. Those teams prepare you for this time of year.”
The winner will face the winner of the other semifinal, Montrose (23-4) and Homer Center (23-7) for the state title at the GIANT Center on Thursday at 12 p.m.
