Delone Catholic can't stop Division I-bound superstar as season ends in PIAA Elite Eight

Delone Catholic knew what Universal Audenried's game plan would be in Saturday's PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal matchup.

Play fast. Press and trap all over the court. Let Shayla Smith do her thing.

The Squirettes handled the challenge splendidly in the first half. They weathered the storm and stayed within striking distance in the third quarter.

Then came the fourth quarter.

Delone Catholic couldn't withstand the pressure from the Rockets or the brilliance of Smith any longer. The Squirettes lost, 79-53, in the state Elite Eight at Garden Spot High School Saturday. Smith, a junior who has already topped 1,700 points and racked up double digit NCAA Division I offers, finished with 41 points.

"I just feel like I got run over by a truck," Delone Catholic head coach Gerry Eckenrode said after the game. "You work on (handling that pressure) in practice and try to simulate that. You can call it what you want, but we didn't start the third quarter very well and then panic set in."

What it means

Delone Catholic finishes the season 24-4. The Squirettes have now won at least 20 games in eight consecutive seasons. They've won at least one state playoff game six straight seasons and reached the quarterfinals five times during that stretch.

All of their losses this season either came in the playoffs or to non-PIAA powerhouse Westtown. Eckenrode admitted it was frustrating his team lost to Northeastern in the YAIAA quarterfinals and Wyomissing in the District 3 Class 4A title game — games he thought it could've won.

Still, Delone Catholic upset Allentown Central Catholic in the second round of the state playoffs Wednesday after losing to that opponent in the same round last season. A senior class headlined by starters Brielle Baughman, Ella Hughes and Kaitlyn Schwarz faced significant pressure last season when it was thrust into the lineup following the graduation of a dominant Class of 2022.

Those players more than lived up to expectations by going 49-8 the past two seasons.

"We did things people didn't think we could do," Schwarz said through tears after Saturday's game. "Last year we had lost our whole starting lineup. It was a fresh start, and we made it to the district championship twice. We fell short, but we did a lot of things to be proud of. This is just the standard at Delone Catholic."

The key stretch

Delone led by nine points late in the first half and went into halftime up 35-30. Audenried wasn't shooting well, and its aggressive defense missed as many steals as it caused.

But the Rockets opened the third on a 6-0 run to take the lead. The Squirettes struggled offensively in the third but a huge 3-pointer by star junior Megan Jacoby cut the deficit to two late in the frame. Delone entered the fourth down 46-42.

Then Smith simply took over.

The 5-foot-10 junior got to the basket at will and started nailing 3-pointers. She shot 6-for-22 in the first three quarters but poured in 22 points in the final frame.

The Squirettes ended up committing more than 20 turnovers and seemed to wear down as the game went on. The Rockets outscored them 33-11 in the fourth.

"There are no words that can describe that kid," Eckenrode said. "She is that good."

"In my personal opinion, Shayla is the best player in the state," Audenried head coach Kevin Slaughter added. "And I'm talking about all seniors, all juniors. The best in the state. Westtown has seven Division I girls. Shayla gave them 39 with ease. You can't guard her."

Stars of the game

Alongside Smith, Audenried's Heaven Reese had 15 points.

Schwarz led Delone with 14, while Jacoby had 12.

They said it

"I believe in the method of running. I come from the old school of (Hall of Fame Arkansas men's coach) Nolan Richardson. They like to call me the Tark (after Hall of Fame UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian). My team reminds me of the early 1990s Runnin' Rebels. You gotta be able to race me to 75. I don't care how good you are. You might be great. But can you beat me to 75? When we were down 35-30 at halftime I told my players we were halfway home. They said: 'What are you talking about, coach? We're losing.' I said every game I watched Delone never scored more than 60 points. They were at their peak. We've scored 90 in games. Let's see if they can race with us." — Audenried head coach Kevin Slaughter

What's next?

Delone Catholic will still return plenty of talent next season. Jacoby has been named YAIAA Division III Player of the Year the last two seasons. 6-foot sophomore Reece Meckley will also return to the starting lineup.

Eckenrode hopes the team's younger players realize the program's standard has been set by players who don't get complacent.

"It's going to be an entirely different situation," the longtime coach said. "I like what we bring back but they've got big shoes to fill. I just told them about the eight straight 20-win seasons. 'Do you want to keep that going? It's up to you.'"

Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on Twitter at @bad2theallibone.