PLYMOUTH MEETING – The North Penn Lady Knights’ season came to an end Tuesday night in the second round of the PIAA State Playoffs, losing to Archbishop Carroll by a score of 31-39. After winning against Pittston in the opening round on the strength of their perimeter defense and balanced offensive scoring, the Lady Knights struggled to find perimeter shooters and rebound defensively. North Penn was led in scoring by junior Mikaela Giuliani, who had 12 points, but sophomore Sam Carangi, who had 17 points against Pittston, was held to just five points. Despite dominating the game early, the Lady Knights struggled with turnovers and were never able to catch up to the Patriots.

Coming out with intensity, the Lady Knights’ were poised against the Patriots, who started the game in a full-court press. The action was slow to start, but Giuliani ignited their offense with 7 first quarter points. North Penn’s first points came off an inbounds play to Giuliani, and she and sophomore Jess Huber scored back to back layups. With 3:27 left in the quarter, Giuliani scored a layup off a nice assist from Carangi, making the basket and getting fouled in the process, forcing the Patriots to call their first timeout. North Penn then went on another 7-2 run in the final three minutes, spurred by freshman Bri Hewlett who came of the bench to score four points on two consecutive plays, closing out the quarter with the lead, up 14-5.

After coming out strong, the Lady Knights struggled to find their offense, only putting up 3 points in the quarter. North Penn struggled against the Patriots’ full court press that they handled very well in the first quarter, committing fouls and turning the ball over frequently. Their perimeter defense fell apart, and Archbishop Carroll started to get open jump shots, hitting two three pointers. The Lady Knights were unable to get any momentum in the quarter, the lone basket coming with 22 seconds left in the half when senior Taylor Thames stole the ball and drove the length of the court for a fast break layup. That and a Giuliani fout shot left the Lady Knights clinging to a 2 point lead, up 17-15.

Fouls continued to plague the Lady Knights in the third quarter, but neither team was able to pull away. North Penn struggled to find any offensive continuity, for every time they started to go on a scoring run, the Patriots came right back and closed the gap. Giuliani converted a layup through a foul at the 6:33 mark, but missed the ensuing free throw, and the Patriots came right back and converted a layup through a foul, making the free throw and tying the score at 19-19. Giuliani then converted a layup, and sophomore Irisa Ye hit a jump shot after a steal with 5:09 left in the quarter to give the Lady Knight’s a 23-19 lead, but the Patriots came right back and went on a seven point run over the next three minutes to give them a lead, 23-26. Carangi hit a three with 2:34 left to tie the game, but Archbishop Carroll went on a four point run to close out the quarter and taking the lead by a score of 26-30.

The fourth quarter scoring started slow, with the first points coming one Patriot free throws after North Penn put them in the bonus at 5:34. Carangi then hit a tough running floater in the lain over three defenders, but North Penn fouled and turned the ball over on the ensuing possessions, allowing Archbishop Carroll to push their lead. The Patriots hit a three pointer and continued to cash in at the free throw line, pushing their lead to 29-39 with over the last five minutes of the game. Huber converted a layup as the clock ran out, Archbishop Carroll winning 31-39.

Despite a tough loss, Coach Maggie DeMarteleire was proud of the way her team rebounded and played defense.

“I thought the girls played outstanding defense and rebounded very well against a taller Carroll team,” said Coach DeMarteleire.

The Maidens exceeded expectations this season, taking second place in the league and getting a top 8 seed in their District for the tournament. DeMarteleire was proud of how her team came together over the course of the season.

“I am so proud of this year’s team. We had a lot of new parts combined with some returnees. Also, in the month of December, we had a tremendous amount of injuries,” said DeMarteleire. “We started off a little slowly, but I thought that as the season went on, the girls really developed as a unit, and improved throughout the year.”

While the Lady Knights season is over, there is hope for the future. The team is only graduating one player, guard Taylor Thames, this year, with four out of the five starters returning. DeMarteleire is already thinking of next season, recognizing that expectations will be higher.

“There will be very high expectations. I know that our girls are up to the task, and they will all work hard during this offseason,” said DeMarteleire. “I am confident that each girl will improve her skills, strength and conditioning. Our future is definitely very bright!”

Playoff experience can only make the Lady Knights better, gaining valuable lessons on how to achieve success on the court. That experience will help the team grow, and help them make a potentially deep playoff run in years to come.