2022 PIAA Class 3A girls basketball championship breakdown: Freedom vs. Neumann-Goretti

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, March 26, 2022 | 3:41 AM

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PIAA Class 3A girls basketball final

Freedom vs. Neumann-Goretti

Noon, Saturday, Giant Center, Hershey

On the air: TV: PCN; Streaming audio: TribLive HSSN; Radio: 1230 AM, 99.3 FM, 1460 AM

PIAA titles: Freedom 0, Neumann-Goretti 4 (2015, ’16, ’17, ’18)

Freedom (22-5)

Coach: John Kaercher

Projected starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Yr., Pos.

2, Shaye Bailey, 5-5, so., G

11, Renae Mohrbacher, 5-6, sr., G

14, Julia Mohrbacher, 5-9, jr., F

25, Olivia Evans, 5-10, sr., F

42, Cadence Gorajewski, 5-6, sr., F

Notable: Freedom has reached the state finals for the first time in team history. … The Bulldogs qualified for the PIAA playoffs as the WPIAL runners-up. … The team has three scorers averaging double figures: Renae Mohrbacher 16.3 ppg, Bailey 16.2 and Julia Mohrbacher 11.6. … Freedom reached the finals by defeating Westmont, 44-31; Greenville, 56-28; River Valley, 56-50; and North Catholic, 46-39. … Three of the Bulldogs’ five losses were to section rival North Catholic. … Freedom averages 50.7 points per game and allows 39.1.

Neumann-Goretti (16-9)

Coach: Andrea Peterson

Probable starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Yr., Pos.

1, Carryn Easley, 5-4, fr., G

2, Mihjae Hayes, 5-5, sr., G

5, Amirah Hackney, 5-9, jr., F

12, Brooke Barnes, 5-8, so., G

22, D’Ayzha Atkinson, 5-10, sr., F

Notable: Neumann-Goretti seeks its fifth state title in an eight-year span. … Peterson, who became the team’s coach before the 2014-15 season, is 4-0 in state finals. … Three of the N-G’s state titles came at the expense of WPIAL opponents Bishop Canevin (2018, ’17) and Seton LaSalle (‘15). However, the Saints did lose to Seton in the 2014 finals. … Hayes averages 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists. She earned first-team honors in the Philadelphia Catholic League this season, and Easley was named second team. … N-G reached the state finals by defeating Brandywide Heights, 72-25; Bloomsburg, 61-39; Conwell Egan, 72-47; and Imhotep Charter, 46-28. … The Saints average 60.8 points per game and allow 48.2. … The Neumann-Goretti boys won the Class 4A title over Quaker Valley on Thursday night.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Freedom