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Bishop McGuinness beats Bertie 70-42 to win the NCHSAA 1A Women's State Basketball Championship

Charley Chappell won Game MVP honors after scoring 15 points and dishing out 7 assists.

RALEIGH – Bishop McGuinness took the lead early and never looked back on their way to a 70-42 win over Bertie and the Villains’ 10th state championship in program history. The Villains fell behind on the opening shot of the game, as Bertie’s Trianna Smallwood drilled a three, but Bishop got the next two buckets on layups, taking the lead 4-3 with 6:16 to go in the first, and never trailed again on the way to a win.

Postgame Interviews after Bishop McGuinness win in 1A State Championship

Highlights from 1A State Championship Game

Bishop McGuinness defense was tough, forcing 38 turnovers in the game. The Villains made the Falcons pay for those turnovers also, scoring 44 points off the miscues. Adelaide Jernigan led the way for the Villains with seven steals and scored 16 points. She was selected as the Most Outstanding Player for Bishop McGuinness.

Charley Chappell also played a key role for Bishop McGuinness, distributing the ball well from her point guard position. Chappell dished out seven assists and scored 15 points while pickpocketing Falcons three times for steals. She was chosen as the Kay Yow Most Valuable Player of the game. Her sister, Tate Chappell, was the only other Villains’ player in double figures, scoring 15 points and was tied for the team lead in rebounds with five.

Bertie struggled mightily with the Bishop pressure, but Rakiyah Peele and Jessica Stokes both managed double-doubles in the game. Stokes scored 10 points with 12 rebounds and Peele pulled down 10 boards to go with her 12 points. Peele was selected as the Most Outstanding Player for the Falcons.

Bertie finished the season 22-5. The Falcons were 10-0 as champions of the Four Rivers 1A Conference. The Falcons won their first Eastern Regional Championship in school history, reaching the Women’s Basketball State Championship Game for the first time.

Bishop McGuinness wrapped the year at 25-6. The Villains were 10-0 in conference play, winning the Northwest Piedmont 1A. The Villains won the school’s 10th State Championship in Women’s Basketball, their first since a string of nine straight from 2006 to 2014.

The NCHSAA is committed to recognizing and promoting outstanding sportsmanship and has partnered with the North Carolina Farm Bureau to recognize two players from each NCHSAA State Championship with the NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Award. The 2022 1A Women’s Basketball Sportsmanship Award Winners were Bryona West from Bertie and Grace Harriman from Bishop McGuinness.

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