Reaching the final four in high school basketball is an accomplishment in itself, but it didn’t take away the sting of a 53-30 loss for Bethlehem Catholic’s girls basketball team against Archbishop Wood in a PIAA Class 5A state semifinal on March 19 at Norristown High School.

“We went up against a good team,” said Becahi coach Arnold Alleyne. “The girls competed, and I’m really proud of how far we got, but it wasn’t the outcome we wanted. It was a lesson, so we know what it takes to get over the hump to be better.”

Becahi senior center Akasha Santos had all of the Golden Hawks’ first-quarter points, including two 3-pointers.

Archbishop Wood’s Emily Knouse, however, was an offensive challenge for the Hawks, both from the perimeter and in the paint.

“Containing number 30 (Knouse) was difficult for us,” said Becahi senior guard Ella Bincarosky, “and not getting the looks we wanted on offense.”

Wood’s Ava Renninger wasn’t any easier to contain as the senior guard drained two triples in the second quarter with the Vikings taking a 28-13 halftime lead.

Becahi had three triples in the third quarter, two from DJ Jones and one from Aliyah Brame after a defensive rebound.

Senior guard Cici Hernandez scored the last points for Becahi, a 3-pointer with 1:45 remaining in the game.

“I told the girls, in four years we haven’t gotten this far as a group, and in their senior year, we were able to get to the final four,” said Coach Alleyne. “They sacrificed a lot throughout the season to be able to get to that point, so I can’t thank them enough for trusting me to coach them.”

Becahi ended its season with a record of 23-6.

“The seniors are proud and happy to have made it this far, and we haven’t been to the semifinals before so that means a lot to us,” said Bincarosky. “I think this is the closest we’ve ever been as a team. Coach Arnold’s amazing, and I don’t think we would’ve made it this far without him. We’ve done great things.”