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WEST CHESTER >> All season, the West Chester Henderson girls basketball team has been powered by two seniors — Whitney Evans and Jackie Shea. Tuesday evening at the Ches-Mont League Championship, the two again were the main ingredients to cook up a title.
The pair combined for 34 points as the Warriors rallied for a 50-44 victory over West Chester East in front of a sizable crowd at Hollinger Field House for their first league tournament title since 2018.
“It’s exciting,” said Shea. “There was some tears in the locker room, tears on the court. It’s so very surreal. Going into the game you can’t think you’re going for an easy win because they earned their spot at No. 1. It all kind of hits you in a wave when the buzzer goes off and you see the trophy come out.”
Like the semifinal against Unionville on Saturday, the third quarter proved the magic elixir for the Warriors (21-5).
“The kids play hard and it takes them a little while to settle in,” said Henderson head coach Greta Neff. “What can you say about this group. They play for each other.”
“It’s nice to have a break at halftime to collect yourself and reflect on what you need to do better and what you been doing well,” added Shea.
Instead of trailing like they did against Unionville, Henderson was nursing a 23-22 lead after the halftime break. East’s Sofia Keith tied it with a free throw just seconds into the third, then Shea gave the Warriors the lead back, hitting one of two free throws. That started a 7-0 run that pushed Henderson to a 30-23 lead with 4:53 left, with Shea, Evans and Ari Rivera accounting for the points.
The Vikings received a Lauren Horan free throw to break the run. East closed the gap to 34-32, but Henderson held a 38-35 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
“We didn’t play with the edge we normally do,” said East coach Erin Listrani. “Credit to Henderson or discredit to us. Either way you look at it, we didn’t match or exceed their energy. I don’t know if it was the moment or what it was, but we didn’t have it tonight.”
Henderson led 40-37 when two straight baskets extended that lead. First, Evans scored on a stepback jumper, then Lili Bertrando did former Princeton coach Pete Carril proud by hitting a layup on a perfect backdoor play to go up 44-37. The Vikings couldn’t get closer than four points, then Evans hit two free throws to seal it to allow the celebration to start seconds later.
“Most people didn’t think we could be here,” said Evans. “We fought. Halfway through the season, we came together and it feels so good to be complete.”
Henderson survived a quick start from East, who scored the game’s first seven points. Keith notched six points to help the Vikings take a 12-5 lead after one. They held that lead for most of the second. But, the Warriors closed the frame on an 8-0 run to take a slim one-point lead as Evans finished off a steal with a layup just before the buzzer.
Shea had another brilliant all-around game with 18 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots.
“We’re a team that starts kind of slow, we have a hiccup before we get going,” said Shea. “I knew that this is what I need to do. This is what I’m good at. And it also helps that I’m really tall. “If they’re shooting, I’m the one who is going to box out and get the rebound.”
“Big players step up in big moments,” added Neff. “Jackie’s been so willing to take a back seat this year and just do the little things and fill up the stat column besides points. To see her knock those down tonight in the biggest way possible couldn’t be more appropriate or more satisfying to watch.”
Now, both teams move into the District 1 playoffs. Henderson, the 10th seed, will open at home on Friday against No. 23 Central Bucks South in 6A. The Vikings, meanwhile, will have a little time to heal from the loss. They have a bye in the first round of 5A and won’t play until Tuesday when they will host the Phoenixville-Chester winner.
West Chester Henderson 50, West Chester East 44
WC Henderson: Evans 3 10-12 16; Rivera 4 0-0 8; Nanni 1 0-0 2; Shea 8 2-4 18; Bertrando 2 0-0 4; Powers 0 0-0 0; Schalleur 0 0-0 0; Killoran 1 0-0 2. Totals: 13 12-16 50.
WC East: Kubasko 4 0-0 11; Kerns 1 4-4 6; Miller 0 0-0 0; Cochran 1 0-0 2; Bickle 2 0-0 6; Keith 5 2-4 12; Horan 2 3-10 7. Totals: 15 9-18 44.
WC Henderson 5 18 15 12 – 50
WC East 12 10 13 9 – 44
3-point goals: Kubasko 3, Bickle 2.
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