Bishop Guilfoyle at Penn Cambria Girls' Basketball: Three-Pointers Reign in Rivalry Game

PENN CAMBRIA, Pa. — Rivalries are the lifeblood of sports. Nowhere are they more pure than at the high school level, unabridged by the realignment and money moves that plague sports at the higher levels.

Penn Cambria and Bishop Guilfoyle are an example of a high school rivalry done right. On Friday night, the girls’ basketball game lived up to the expectations of this highly anticipated matchup.

“These two schools are cut from the same cloth,” Penn Cambria athletic director Kate Little said. “Whether we’re undefeated or 0-10, it’ll be a good game.”

The hot home crowd stuck around for the second game of a basketball doubleheader and brought the energy to the home Panthers. However, it was not enough to defeat the defending state champions.

Bishop Guilfoyle drowned their rivals 57-50 in a game defined by a tsunami of three-point splashes.

“We knew they could shoot the ball one through five, so we had to defend the three-point line,” Bishop Guilfoyle coach Kristi Kaack said.

The Marauders successfully weathered the storm throughout the first quarter, leading 10-8 when the horn sounded. However, the floodgates opened in the second quarter.

After a couple of early points for Bishop Guilfoyle, the threes started flying on the other end of the court.

Avery Lemaster knocked down the first long one of the quarter before Ava Saleme gave Penn Cambria their first lead of the night.

Lemaster got used to the three-point line throughout the middle quarters of the game.

“We lost them in transition and didn’t get a hand in against the shooters,” Kaack said. “[The Panthers] were ready to catch and shoot every time they got the ball.”

The second quarter continued as a whirlwind, with the lead changing nearly every possession.

Saleme and Lemaster recorded another round of consecutive threes to bring the Panthers total to five in the second quarter, allowing them to enter halftime leading 25-23.

Penn Cambria’s taste for the three-point line continued in the third but ultimately cost them in the game.

The Panthers hit an immediate three, followed by two more without an answer to extend their lead to 34-23. After that point, they would not score for the remainder of the third.

The Marauders answered back with three long-range baskets of their own, while also chasing the paint.

Freshman Layona Williams led the team. Scoring six points in the quarter on the way to the Marauders seizing the lead 35-34.

Williams then hit a final three to enter the fourth quarter up 38-34. The new starter was playing past her years due to the prep the team ran entering the game.

“I started out pretty nervous, but I ended up getting comfortable,” Williams said. ”It's another team we’ve watched film on.”

Penn Cambria didn’t go down without a fight, regaining the 41-40 lead early in the fourth quarter off of another Lemaster three-pointer.

Williams took it the other way and gave Bishop Guilfoyle the advantage again, 42-41.

After a basket for the home team, Williams drew a foul, sank her two shots and then immediately stole the ball back and threw a layup to extend the lead to 46-43.

The Panthers dropped a pass on the following inbound as well, leading to a timeout for the slumping squad.

The back-and-forth action continued with BG in the lead for most of the fourth.

Penn Cambria dropped four more threes in their highest-scoring quarter, but Bishop Guilfoyle still outscored them 19-16.

With less than three minutes left, the Marauders began to run the clock out leading 53-50, resulting in a series of fouls for Penn Cambria to regain possession. However, the three-pointers stopped hitting.

The Panthers went down swimming, with a scramble in the final minute before a flagrant foul extended the Bishop Guilfoyle lead to 7.

The clock expired with the Marauders on top 57-50, behind Williams’ 22-point performance. Penn Cambria’s coach took time after the game to congratulate her on the phenomenal freshman performance.

Kaasck was impressed, but not surprised by her young star.

“That’s just what we expect from Layona,” Kaack said.

After the game, Williams had no words for the rivalry or her performance but credited her teammates for getting her up to speed.

“It’s all my teammates,” Williams said. “They’re some of my best friends. They mean a lot to me.”

Evan Smith is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ers5828@psu.edu.