Torrie DeStefano was fortunate. The No. 15 backup jersey that the Penn-Trafford girls basketball team had on hand to replace her usual No. 24 fit her comfortably.
The cleaning kit to get the blood that blotted the 5-foot-8 senior guard’s jersey was in the trainer’s office. DeStefano swapped shirts to finish the final few minutes of the first half during the Warriors’ 65-48 win over West York in the first round of the PIAA Class 5A playoffs Saturday at home.
DeStefano, who scored a game-high 24 points and contributed 19 in the second half, had work to do.
“My finger got cut open, so there was blood on it,” DeStefano said. “I didn’t want to wait. I just asked if there was a jersey I could put on so I could go back out there. I didn’t care at that point.”
The Warriors’ senior class would do anything necessary to keep marching forward.
Penn-Trafford coach Chuck Fontana said DeStefano being unfazed by adversity shouldn’t surprise anyone.
“What I like about this team is when you watch them, you don’t know if they are winning or losing,” Fontana said. “They show no emotion. They just keep playing. They play for each other. That’s why we are at where we’re at.”
The Warriors (21-6) extended their record home winning streak to 26 games and won a state playoff game for the first time since they upset District 3 champion Greencastle-Antrim in 2023.
Penn-Trafford will take on WPIAL champion South Fayette in the next round at a site and time to be determined.
“We didn’t want to lose,” said 5-foot-10 sophomore guard Raya Johnson, who scored 21 points. “Especially on our home court because we’ve won 26 games in a row. Winning our first state playoff game in a while is meaningful, and we’re just going to get ready for what’s next.”
Penn-Trafford never trailed against West York, which qualified as the sixth-place team out of District 3. But the Bulldogs (16-11) made the Warriors work.
Penn-Trafford led 28-24 at halftime. West York eventually whittled the lead to one 34-33 with 4 minutes, 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter following a layup by Brooke Nalls.
Nalls scored a team-high 18 points for the Bulldogs, and Camryn Forsythe finished with 16.
DeStefano posted up Forsythe on the next possession and converted a three-point play to stretch the lead back to four.
It was the fourth foul on Forsythe, who had to head to the bench with 4:10 remaining in the quarter.
West York coach Jared Getz said Forsythe getting into foul trouble hurt the Bulldogs’ attack. West York also had another guard, Lexy Weaver, roll her ankle.
“Cam Forsythe is just somebody that our team doesn’t go as well when she’s not on the floor,” Getz said. “They just ran out there and grabbed a big chunk, and we were fighting and clawing ever since then to get back into it.”
Penn-Trafford shot 38% (8-of-21) from the 3-point line. Johnson helped the Warriors to an eight-point first-quarter lead thanks to her outside shooting.
She made 3 of her 4 attempts from the perimeter in the first quarter.
“We believe in each other, and once one person starts shooting, everybody goes on a run,” Johnson said. “We feed off each other’s energy.”
West York shot 33% (10-of-30) from the field in the first half. The Bulldogs, who had a 308-mile trip, took a few minutes to find their legs.
“We wanted them to come in here and have them play our game,” DeStefano said. “They had a drive to get here and we didn’t feel any pressure. We felt confident about whatever they wanted to do.”