Geibel Catholic holds off West Greene in Class A quarters to run winning streak to 15

By: Jason Black
Thursday, February 20, 2025 | 11:45 PM

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Meeting for the third time this season, second-seeded Geibel Catholic and seventh-seeded West Greene squared off in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class A playoffs Thursday night at Geibel.

Just like the previous two meetings, the Gators got the better of the Pioneers. Geibel knocked off West Greene, 60-48, to earn their spot in Monday’s semifinals.

Emma Larkin scored 20 points to lead the Gators (22-1) to their 15th straight victory. The win was also Geibel’s first in the playoffs since the Gators defeated Clairton in the first round of the 2016-17 Class A tournament.

“We finally got that monkey off our backs,” Geibel coach Sara Larkin said. “It feels good, but we’re ready to keep going and we can’t wait for Monday. We’ll be ready.”

Geibel will play section rival Clairton in the semifinals. The teams split their season series, with each team winning at home.

Geibel’s journey into the semifinals was anything but easy as the Pioneers (16-8) certainly came ready to play.

Kendra Tharp, who led all scorers with 31 points, hit an early 3-pointer to give West Greene a 7-4 advantage. The Pioneers were able to take a slim 15-14 lead into the second quarter.

Geibel took the lead for good in the second quarter, outscoring West Greene 18-4.

Mallory Clemmer, who finished with 16 points, used her size inside to knock down a layup for a 16-15 Geibel advantage. Emma Larkin then hit a 3-pointer before Ava Henderson drained back-to-back treys that extended the Geibel lead to 27-15. Henderson finished with 13 points.

At the half, the Gators were in control, 32-19.

In the second half, neither team could gain much traction in the third quarter. Clemmer knocked down a 3-pointer, but Tharp answered with a pair of 3s for the Pioneers. Still, after three, the Gators maintained their 13-point lead.

While the Gators appeared to be comfortably in front, the Pioneers definitely made things interesting in the final eight minutes.

Tharp was a major catalyst in West Greene’s rally. She delivered a 3-pointer to pull the visitors to within 45-35. A putback basket by Madelyn Roberts off of a missed free throw pulled West Greene to within five before Tharp scored on a layup to cut the Geibel advantage to 50-47.

In the closing minutes, the Gators came up with some big shots to help seal the victory. Clemmer knocked down another 3-pointer to make it a six-point game before Janiah Darnell, who finished with eight points, also was clutch with an inside basket for the Gators. Emma Larkin then finished it with two shots from the foul line in the closing minute.

After the game, Sara Larkin noted that leading scorer Emma Larkin wasn’t quite 100 percent due to a stomach bug. However, she was pleased with the way the team came together to get the win.

“Emma was sick, and that hurt us, but everybody stepped up,” Sara Larkin said.

The loss snaps a five-game winning streak for the Pioneers, which included a first-round playoff win over Eden Christian.

Tags: Geibel, West Greene