If the top of our first PennLive/Harrisburg Patriot-News Class AAA girls’ basketball state rankings this season looks familiar well, it should.
Reigning PIAA champ South Park and the team the Eagles knocked off in the state title game back in March, Bethlehem Catholic, both are set to return plenty of firepower this season, which taps off Friday night across the commonwealth.
They’ll kick-off this season where they finished the last one: 1-2 in our rankings.
Doing the first set of rankings — when everyone is 0-0 and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed — is never easy.
So the first go-round features teams we think have the potential not only to do damage in December, but particularly when the playoffs hit in February. And it's a long time between now and then. So get comfy.
Here’s our first stab at the Class AAA top 10 …
1. South Park (District 7, 28-2 last season) — You really can come home again. Ask Eagles’ coach Reggie Wells, a 1975 Milton Hershey grad. He brought South Park to the Giant Center last March and his squad beat Bethlehem Catholic 53-38 for PIAA gold. Eagles lost standout G Shelby Lindsay to graduation. But forwards Allison McGrath and Halie Torris, who both averaged 15 points per game last season, are back. Plenty of early candidates in the AAA classification. But we’ll go ahead and put the champs on top to start. They earned it.
2. Bethlehem Catholic (District 11, 28-3 last season) — If the state champs sit atop the rankings, we’ll go ahead and put last season’s runners-up on the 2-line. Beccahi made a nifty run to the title game in March, knocking off three district champs along the way: Honesdale from District 2 in the second round; Prep Charter from District 12 in the quarterfinals; and Villa Maria from District 1 in the semifinals — after knocking off Philly Catholic power Bonner-Prendergast in the first round. Impressive. And this: Coach Bill Lanscek returns a slew of firepower from last season’s club, including Lehigh Valley Conference Player of the Year F Kalista Walters, who dropped 19 points and grabbed 7 boards a game for the Golden Hawks. Vets aplenty back in the fold, plus, Maggie Melhem, who averaged 10 points a game for Easton last season, transferred in. District 11 repeat certainly isn’t out of the question here. Or — perhaps — a return engagement in Hershey.
3. Blackhawk (District 7, 27-2 last season) — If you like fast-paced, get-it-and-go basketball, get yourself to a Cougars’ game this season, when Blackhawk will be angling for its third undefeated regular-season run in a row through the WPIAL. Coach Steve Lodovico’s crew features one of the most electric players in the state, junior G Chassidy Omogrosso, who committed to Duquesne prior to her standout sophomore season, when she dropped 22 points per game for the Cougars. Her running mates — and Blackhawk loves to run and squeeze the trigger from deep — include 6-1 junior F Courtney Vannoy, a Division I Loyola (Md.) recruit, and 5-8 senior G Halle Denman, an IUP recruit. Bridgette Shaffer, a 5-9 junior guard, also returns to the starting unit. Blackhawk, which knocked out back-to-back Lancaster-Lebanon League champ Lancaster Catholic 78-52 in the state quarterfinals before falling to South Park 61-43 in the semifinals, averaged 71 points per game last season. It will surprise no one if that number goes up this time around. Fun, fun squad to watch.
4. Archbishop Wood (District 12, 19-9) — One gigantic change in Vikings’ camp: Two-time PIAA Coach of the Year Jim Ricci has stepped away from the bench for the season so he can attend to an illness in his family. John Gallagher will take over the reins of a Wood program that won three state titles in a row from 2010 to 2012. And with junior Aubree Brown, a Drexel commit, back in the mix, the Vikes should be just fine come playoff time.
5. Palmyra (District 3, 29-1 last season) — Cougars cruised to Keystone division, Mid-Penn conference and District 3 championships last season, and hit the PIAA playoffs with a glittering 28-0 record. But Palmyra was bounced by District 2 runner-up Scranton Prep 40-36 in the second round and that was that. Cougars got some bad news in the injury department early on when point Katie Dembrowski (wrist) and defensive stopper Maria Tukis (foot) got hurt during fall sports. They’ll be back in due time. But the great news is that Palmyra returns three other conference all-stars, including jack-of-all-trades Bucknell recruit and 1,000-point scorer F Carly Richardson. Plenty to like about coach Ron Berman’s Cougars’ outfit, especially when they get 100 percent healthy.
6. Scranton Prep (District 2, 27-3 last season) — A classic season for the Classics last winter. There was a runner-up appearance in the District 2 playoffs. A trip to the state quarterfinals, where Prep was felled by District 1 winner Villa Maria 48-30. And longtime coach Ross Macciocco earned his 600th career victory, including stops at Dunmore and Prep. And he’ll have plenty of talent back in the tank this season, including holdovers starters Tricia Byrne, a Holy Cross recruit, Emily Pritchyk and Jess Genco — although Genco might be on the shelf for a bit with, according to a published report, a preseason injury. Macciocco and Prep could be in for another long ride come February.
7. Lancaster Catholic (District 3, 30-2 last season) — Coach Lamar Kauffman is back for his 32nd season on the Crusaders’ bench. And although he lost two-time all-state combo G Porscha Speller and her 1,600-plus points to graduation, the cupboard is not bare at Lancaster Catholic. Defensive specialist Danielle Atkinson will make a run at 1,000 career points. Soph F Caroline Scarff returns after a breakout freshman campaign in the post. And sparkplug point Erin Holt can hit the 3-ball. Defense is first with 700-win Coach Kauffman, who has guided the Crusaders to back-to-back Lancaster-Lebanon League championships. Weapons are here for a third and maybe — just maybe — the Crusaders’ third 30-win season in a row. That'd be a neat trick.
8. Bonner-Prendergast (District 12, 16-9 last season) — Prendie and coach Tom Stewart getting some love in the preseason Philly rankings, so we’ll make room for the Pandas here. Keep an eye on junior 3-point whiz Alyssa Monaghan, a St. Joe’s commit.
9. Hickory (District 10, 21-5 last season) — Fell in the first round of States to eventual champ South Park by a 71-44 count. But coach Jeanette Whitehead returns a pair reliable scorers: senior post forward Holly Grober, a 1,000-point scorer, and senior point Nikki Arbanas, a Villa Maria transfer who is quickly approaching 1,000 career points. Hornets should be part of an excellent District 10-AAA race, along with Franklin, Mercyhurst Prep and Villa Maria. Keep an eye on that, won't you.
10. Franklin (District 10, 26-2 last season) — Reigning District 10 champ hit the postseason with just one loss last season, and advanced to the state quarterfinals before falling to South Park 61-43. After the ride, longtime coach Bill Hager — who finished second in District 10 history in career victories — stepped down. Good news for the Knights: combo G Angelina Starr is back. District 10-AAA is going to be great. I promise.
HONORABLE MENTION: Athens (4) 21-5; Bradford (9) 21-3; Central Valley (7) 18-6; Danville (4) 22-6; Eastern York (3) 18-8; Elizabeth Forward (7) 23-4; Forest Hills (6) 20-5; Gettysburg (3) 20-6; Hampton (7) 18-7; Holy Redeemer (2) 21-8; Honesdale (2) 24-4; Hopewell (7) 22-5; Ligonier Valley (6) 16-8; Pope John Paul II (1) 18-6; Southern Lehigh (11) 21-6; Susquehannock (3) 18-9; Villa Maria (1) 22-5; West York (3) 20-6.