They didn't win a state title. But here's how Central York basketball still 'won for Wiz'
Matt Allibone
Sean Potts doesn’t know what he’ll do Saturday.
No opponent to scout … no game next week to prepare for …
An impressive run came to an end Friday night.
The Central York girls’ basketball team lost to Cardinal O’Hara, 61-49, in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals at Reading High School Friday. It was the Panthers second time reaching the state quarterfinals — but first time playing in the round after the end of the 2020 postseason was canceled due to COVID.
The Panthers finished the season 25-5 with appearances in the YAIAA and District 3 title games.
“It’s hard to see it end,” Potts, the acting head coach, said. “Working with these guys every day and then the fact that’s there’s no practice tomorrow is the killer to me. What do you do?
“We were hoping to get this for coach Wiz. Our goal was to get to the state title.
“I think that’s the way you have to be.”
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This was always supposed to be a special season for the Panthers – who returned a deep, balanced and experienced core of players. But it became challenging for a reason nobody could’ve foreseen.
Longtime head coach Scott Wisner was forced to step away from the team with an undisclosed illness in early January. The Panthers were 12-0 at the time and had to chase their lofty goals without their leader.
The Panthers lived up to expectations. They needed to win 26 games to match the 1999 and 2018 senior classes as the winningest groups in school history, but came one short.
Still, senior Bella Chimienti, Mackenzie Wright-Rawls, Jazmine Parker, Emily Crouthamel, Hailey Merritt and Marley Bond helped the team advance as far as the program had ever gotten. The Panthers stunned District 11 champion Easton, 64-46, on Tuesday to reach the Elite Eight.
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It was a poetic way for Chimienti and Wright-Rawls – the two captains – to end their careers. They started as freshmen for the team that missed out on the chance to play in the state quarterfinals due to COVID.
“It’s definitely rewarding. It’s really hard to make it to the Elite Eight and that’s something we should be proud of,” Chimienti said. “As long as we made Wisner proud that’s really all that matters.”
A longtime assistant with program, Potts praised his two captains throughout the season for being coaches on the floor. Still, both seniors said the acting head coach deserves credit for guiding the team through a difficult situation.
Potts said he learned this season just how difficult it is to be a head coach – and how skilled Wisner has been at it.
Halfway through his 24th season as head coach, Wisner was still credited with the wins Central York earned this season. The team’s first-round state playoff win over Souderton was the 400th victory of his career.
“It was the foundation he set that allowed us to do this,” Potts said. “I knew he was good, but now I know how good he was. Because this is a hard job. You’re responsible, and you feel if you don’t win that it’s your fault. I can’t even imagine 400 wins. It’s unbelievable to last that long and do it so well.
“Everything we did out there was because of him.”
Early on Friday, Central York appeared on the verge of another huge upset.
The Panthers started the game on a 6-0 run and led 14-11 at the end of the first quarter. The devastating press that stymied Easton was frustrating Cardinal O’Hara.
But O’Hara, which won Philadelphia’s District 12 this season and the last two PIAA Class 5A state titles, proved to have an incredible combination of rebounding and perimeter talent. Time and time again, the Lions pulled down rebounds for second-chance points. And junior guard Joanie Quinn went on a personal run to give O’Hara a seven-point lead midway through the second quarter.
Cardinal O’Hara led by 10 at halftime and quickly extended that in the third quarter. The Panthers spent most of the second half trying to keep their deficit under 20 points.
Sophomore Molly Rullo scored 31 points for the Lions. Quinn finished with 17.
Chimienti led Central with 16. Freshman Alivia McCaskell scored 12, and Wright-Rawls and Parker both had 10.
“They’re just so good. They present so many problems,” Potts said. “When they have good guard that dribble out of pressure … we wanted to get them to make mistakes, but they were so well schooled. I had no answers. We tried so many things. I made stuff up.
“The girls played hard. It just wasn’t our night.”
Central York will graduate a large senior class but does bring back a talented group of players led by McCaskell.
Potts hopes those players learn lessons from what they saw this season.
“They’ll need to understand this is because of hard work,” he said. “And sacrificing for your teammates. Hopefully we have a group that pushes and continues this tradition.”
Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on Twitter at @bad2theallibone.