Irish Have Big Week, Win State Crown - (March 17, 2008)
The York Catholic Fighting Irish girls capped off another incredible season with their 3rd straight PIAA Class AA crown. Here are a look at the semifinal and final games.
Irish win Rubber Match with Trinity
The girls Class AA semifinal was the 3rd time that York Catholic and Trinity had met this year. The Shamrocks had stopped the Irish 61 game win streak in the regular season with YC returning the favor by defeating Trinity in the District III final. This time a spot in the state finals was at stake and the two teams did not disappoint.
The Shamrocks played a strong first half running out to a 9 point halftime advantage. The 'Rocks still held a 7 point cushion early in the 4th quarter before the Irish went on a 9-0 run to take a brief one point lead. Trinity bounced the lead back up to 5 with just under 6 minutes left in the game. But the Irish came right back with Ashton Bankos' 3 pointer tying the game at 47 with 2 1/2 minutes left. From there, it was time for Irish freshman Kady Schrann to take over. Schrann scored the next 6 points to give YC a 1 point lead and then tacked on 2 free throws for the final 55-52 margin. Schrann led the Irish with 27 points (18 in the 2nd half) and Brittany Hicks continued her strong play with 10 points.
Irish Eyes are Smiling Again, (and again), (and again)!!!
For the third consecutive year, the York Catholic Fighting Irish girls are the PIAA Class AA basketball champions!!!
The Irish defeated Northern Cambria 52-40 at PSU's Bryce Jordan Center. The Irish were down by one at the end of the 1st quarter but turned the momentum in their favor in the 2nd eight minutes by going on an 11-5 run to lead 30-23 at the half. Brittany Hicks scored 9 points in the half while Kady Schrann and Ashton Bankos had 8 apiece.
The 2nd half was all Irish as they scored 5 of the first 7 points out of the locker room to open up a 10 point lead. They eventually led by 8 at the end of the quarter and were never threatened. The fourth quarter again was all Irish as a 15 point lead was their biggest of the day at 46-31. The Irish used steady ballhandling and good shot selection to close out their 12 point victory. Kady Schrann led the Irish with 12 while Ashton Bankos hits double figures with 11.
Congratulations to Kevin Bankos and the Irish on their 3rd straight PIAA title!!!
