Few things are better than a double overtime championship game at the Palestra.
On Monday night, No. 1 Archbishop Wood (20-5) came out on the winning side of the thriller. Wood beat No. 3 Archbishop Carroll in the Philadelphia Catholic League finals 54-52. It was the first double overtime game in PCL girls’ title history.
The Vikings’ win streak extends to nine.
The extra time was fitting since Carroll gave Wood its biggest PCL regular season scare. The largest lead of the game was just six points – 32-26 Carroll midway through the third quarter and 51-45 Wood in the second overtime.
Regulation ended with the game tied at 41. Wood’s Lauren Greer made sure the first overtime ended tied at 45 when she stole a loose ball in the final seconds.
With 58 seconds left in the second overtime Ava Renninger, who opened the period with a pair of foul shots, sank a free throw for her 1,000th career point. Her 22 points paced Wood.
Monday marked Wood’s fourth trip to the PCL finals since 2019. The Vikings won the PCL title in 2021 and lost the title game last year when Lansdale Catholic hit a clutch 3 in the game’s final seconds to win 50-47.
Wood plays Freire Charter on Thursday for the District 12 5A title. The PIAA class 5A tournament starts on March 9. Wood will attempt to defend its 5A crown and win its fourth straight state title. The Vikings’ first two came at Class 4A.
In the Feb. 20 semifinal Wood outscored No. 5 Nazareth Academy 28-7 in the second quarter to put away the Pandas 63-45. Mike McDonald also won his 200th career game at Warminster with the victory. Renninger’s 18 points led the Vikings, who also got 10 each from Sophia Topakas, Emily Knouse and Alexa Windish.
Wood cruised over No. 8 Conwell-Egan 74-30 in the PCL quarterfinal.
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