2022 PIAA Class 5A girls basketball championship breakdown: Chartiers Valley vs. Cardinal O’Hara

By: Bill Hartlep
Thursday, March 24, 2022 | 4:19 PM

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PIAA Class 5A girls basketball final

Chartiers Valley vs. Cardinal O’Hara

5 p.m. Friday, Giant Center, Hershey

On the air: TV: PCN; Audio: TribLive HSSN; Radio: 95.3 FM

PIAA titles: Chartiers Valley 1 (2019), Cardinal O’Hara 1 (2021)

Chartiers Valley (28-2)

Coach: Tim McConnell

Probable starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.

2, Aislin Malcolm, 5-11, sr., G

4, Hallie Cowan, 5-9, sr., G

5, Helene Cowan, 5-9, sr., G

11, Perri Page, 6-0, sr., F

32, Marian Turnbull, 5-6, sr., G

Notable: Chartiers Valley is quite familiar with District 12’s Cardinal O’Hara, which defeated the Colts, 51-27, in last year’s PIAA title game. … Chartiers Valley claimed the 2019 PIAA title with a 53-40 win over Archbishop Carroll, also from District 12. … WPIAL runner-up Chartiers Valley reached the PIAA final with wins over Harbor Cree, 65-16; Hollidaysburg, 70-47; Gettysburg, 39-35; and McKeesport, 59-50. … The Colts’ lineup is filled with college-bound prospects, including Aislin Malcolm (17.5 ppg), who is headed to Pitt, and Columbia recruit Perri Page (15.9 ppg), along with Marian Turnbull (Northeastern) and twins Hallie and Helene Cowan, who will both play at Seton Hill. In addition, senior reserve Abby Vaites is headed to Westminster. All but Turnbull played in last season’s PIAA title game.

Cardinal O’Hara (5-24)

Coach: Chrissie Doogan

Probable starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.

5, Sydni Scott, 5-8, sr., G

23, Bridget Dawson, 5-8, jr., PG

20, Molly Rullo, 5-10, fr., F

43, Annie Welde, 5-10, sr., F

44, Maggie Doogan, 6-2, sr., F

Notable: The Lions were stripped of their District 12 title — they defeated Archbishop Carroll in the championship — and all wins they compiled during the regular season because of a clerical error with a player’s transfer eligibility, which is why they entered the PIAA tournament with a 1-24 record. … Cardinal O’Hara, officially District 12’s third-place finisher, reached the PIAA final with wins over Bishop Shanahan, 52-32; Greencastle-Antrim, 57-29; Springfield Delco, 38-22; and Mechanicsburg, 50-18. … Richmond recruit Maggie Doogan is an impact player in the paint. She had 11 points and 13 rebounds in the semifinals. … Freshman Molly Rullo added 17 points and seven rebounds for the Lions. … All-state guard Sydni Scott is a Marshall recruit. … In addition to defeating CV last season, Cardinal O’Hara, located in Springfield, Delaware County, lost to Mt. Lebanon in the 2009 Class AAAA state final. … Cardinal O’Hara won its 19th Philadelphia Catholic League title this season.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Chartiers Valley