Mar 11, 2016 4 min read

Villa Maria Academy has appeared in the PIAA girls basketball playoffs for 16 consecutive seasons, won District 10 titles in eight of the last nine, and has three state championships during that span.

Oh, and Villa Maria is currently ranked ninth in USA Today’s Super 25. It may be a coincidence the school’s mascot is the Victors, but the small private school less than a mile from the shore of Lake Erie has become a basketball power.

South Fayette’s players have heard plenty about Villa Maria’s résumé leading up to a matchup in the PIAA Class AAA quarterfinals today at New Castle High School (4 p.m.).

The Lions (24-3) just don’t care.

“To be honest, we aren’t worried about them,” junior point guard Carlee Kilgus said. “We’re worried about what we do and our game plan. Our motto is we have a goal and you’re just in the way. It’s just another check on our list. We’re trying to get to the end.”

A win would be something no other team has done against Villa Maria (27-0), which has played only two games determined by 10 points or less and won both of its PIAA playoff games by an average of 23 points.

The Victors, who won their second consecutive District 10 title, have three players who signed with Division I schools: point guard Anna Sweny (Canisius), shooting guard Sarah Agnello (Lafayette) and forward Jennifer Oduho (Youngstown State).

All eyes will be on Villa Maria’s 12-player rotation and the fact Villa Maria has not lost a game since last March, but South Fayette, the WPIAL champion, has not lost a game this season with Kilgus in the lineup.

All three of South Fayette’s losses came when Kilgus missed 17 games with a broken foot. She has seen limited playing time since returning for the WPIAL title win over Trinity and will return to the starting lineup against the Victors.

“I’m sure most people look at us as underdogs, but we don’t certainly look at it that way,” South Fayette head coach Matt Bacco said. “We’re focused on what we need to do. We’re going to go in and play the way we play. We’re certainly not going to be on our heels, I can promise you that.”

South Fayette has another reason to confidently walk into New Castle. The Lions defeated Villa Maria at Gannon University’s team camp over the summer. They also have a tricky trapping zone defense that gives opponents fits and a post player to match the Victors’ size.

Senior center Emily Anderson, a 6-4 University of Pennsylvania recruit, is averaging 19 points in the Lions’ last three games and helped hold South Fayette’s last two opponents to a combined 75 points.

Though the Lions are finally healthy and excelling on both ends of the court, their approach is unique. While some teams get caught up with scouting reports and celebrate each postseason win, South Fayette’s calculated mindset is simple: focus on themselves and the rest will fall into place.

“Our concern is really more about us like it has been all year,” Bacco said. “We’re not concerned with who we’re playing, their fancy uniforms or anything like that. We’re focused on what we do and we feel like we have a good chance to win.”

That’s the players’ approach, but Bacco must be prepared for anything and is looking for ways to defeat a team that has few weaknesses. Though his players are approaching the game as a business trip, the Lions are certainly excited for a matchup between two of the state’s top three ranked teams.

“When you get to this time of year, I think it says a lot about the quality of your team and the quality of your program,” Bacco said. “This is what we’ve worked so hard for, and these are the type of games that are fun to play in. I don’t think anybody is satisfied with getting to this point. We want to keep going.”