COUDERSPORT — Almost a year to the day, the Coudersport girls basketball team advanced to the Elite 8 for the second year in a row by beating Otto-Eldred for the District 9 Class A title.
Yes, the postseason is different this year with only the district champions moving on, leading to fewer PIAA state playoff games.
But that shouldn’t take away from this special run the Lady Falcons have been on since last year.
There’s been extra motivation for this year’s team to get back to the state playoffs after its run last season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. The Lady Falcons beat Blacklick Valley on March 12 last year and was set to play Kennedy Catholic with a spot in the Final Four on the line prior to the shutdown.
Standing in Coudy’s way this time is Bishop Guilfoyle, the District 6 Class A champion, who they host today at 3 p.m.
“They all get tougher, but that’s why we’re here,” Coudy head coach Bob Tingley said after the team’s district title win Tuesday.
The Lady Falcons are seeking their first PIAA Final Four appearance since the 2002-03 season, while Bishop Guilfoyle will look to punch their ticket to the Final Four for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
Today’s victor will face either Kennedy Catholic or Rochester in the state semifinals on Tuesday.
Let’s take a look at this matchup and how each team got here.
Coudersport: Since falling to Otto-Eldred in their second game of the regular season, the Lady Falcons have been on a 19-game win streak and have since avenged their lone loss to the Lady Terrors twice, including Tuesday’s district title game.
Coudy has been led by seniors Sarah Chambers and Rosalyn Page, two star players who were critical to last year’s run. They have a young and skilled supporting cast that has provided quality depth all season.
The team’s strength this season has been its tenacious defense that hasn’t allowed any opponents to score 40 or more points in a game this season. Overall, Coudy is allowing just 26.8 points per game.
Coudy is talented and skilled on the offensive end as well with Sarah Chambers and Page leading the pack along with others such as point guard Liz Frame, Sierra Myers, Emma Chambers and others.
The Lady Falcons began their postseason run with a narrow 34-31 victory over North Clarion, who they stunned in last year’s district title game. They followed that up with another tough defensive performance against Port Allegany, limiting Bree Garzel, who averaged over 22 points per game during the season, to 10 points, tying for the second-lowest she scored in a game this year.
While Sarah Chambers was held to just four points (no field goals) in the district title win over O-E, it was Emma Chambers who would help lead the team on the offensive end, scoring 15 points, while Page led with 16.
The game saw Coudy, who trailed by four at halftime, outscore O-E, 25-8, during the second half and hold the Lady Terrors’ dynamic offense to no three-pointers.
Sarah Chambers and Rosalyn Page are both averaging over 10 points per game this postseason.
“We’ve been in the Final Four one other time and I think these girls are capable, I really do,” Tingley said.
Bishop Guilfoyle: Like Coudy, the Lady Marauders also had their memorable run in the state playoffs last year cut short. They advanced to the Elite 8 in Class AA before the shutdown.
Bishop Guilfoyle enter today’s matchup with a 14-4 record. Through 18 games this season, Bishop Guilfoyle is averaging 59.1 points per game, which makes for an intriguing matchup against Coudy’s defense.
Three of the team’s four losses have come by single digits with the lone double-digit loss coming to Forest Hills (by 12 points), a team that’s currently 20-0 and and advanced to the Class 3A semifinals last night.
The Lady Marauders haven’t played since March 9 when they beat Portage for the district title by 33 points. Prior to that, Bishop Gulfoyle beat Conemaugh Valley (60-35) in the quarterfinals and Wiliamsburg (73-58) in the semis. Overall, the Lady Marauders have won 26 District 6 titles in classes Class A, Class AA and Class AAA combined and six state titles.
During its playoff run, the team has been led by Sophia Warner (12.3), Leah Homan (21) and Teresa Haigh (18.7), who are each averaging double figures this postseason.
