Girls Basketball: Providence Tops Richards in Regional Semis

The Hot Read: Providence Catholic used its defense to bat a lot of balls early on and amass blocks and steals. That allowed the Celtics to run Richards and open up a 23-16 lead at the break. Providence senior Danielle Barry set the tone inside with five blocks and two steals. The Celtics used the pick and roll early and the inside game opened up shots for Providence that eventually started falling in the second half. Richards star Brianna LeBeau got looks, but like many of her teammates struggled from the field, shooting just 3-for-12.

Patch’s MVP: Barry for her all-around performance. She led all scorers with with 16 points and added seven rebounds and five blocks. Honorable mention to the Celtics' Emily Persak, who buried Richards with 10 points in the third quarter and 15 on the night.

Key Stats: 29. The Bulldogs shot just 29 percent from the field, going 13-for-45. It only ended up being a 10-point game, and had a few more shots fallen this would have been more of a nailbiter.

Providence Catholic Leaders: Barry (16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 blocks); Persak (15 points, 6 steals, 4 assists); Katie McGann (5 points, 6 rebounds)

Richards Leaders: Brianna LeBeau (12 points, 10 rebounds); Raneisha Hill (12 points, 5 rebounds); Sam Kusta (8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists)

Quotable I: "You can break a team's spirit when you get out and run and get easy, uncontested points." — Providence coach Eileen Copenhaver on the Celtics' defense leading to fast-break points.

Quotable II: "As a coach I'm very proud of my girls. We're still a very young team and we were able to win conference. We just hope to be able to build on our success this year." — Richards coach Jeff Kortz

Team Records: Providence Catholic moves to 12-19 (or as Copenhaver put it, 1-0), and Richards' season is over at 15-10.

What’s next: Providence Catholic is the home team but the big underdog against No. 1 seed Marian Catholic, which on Tueday. They play for the regional championship at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.