Violet Houck's 21 Leads Wilson Past Upper Dublin for First State Playoff Victory Since 2014
- Sean McBryan
- Mar 7
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 8
Violet Houck scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Wilson to its first state playoff victory since 2014 with a 51-46 win over Upper Dublin Friday night in the PIAA Class 6A tournament in Fort Washington.
"It's a testament to this group," Wilson head coach Matt Raquet said. "They just put winning first. It doesn’t matter who scores—it could be somebody different every night."
The District 3 fifth-place Bulldogs (20-9) move on to face District 12 champion Archbishop Carroll, which defeated Council Rock South 61-42 Friday, on Tuesday at a to-be-determined neutral site.
The state playoff win is the first for Wilson in 11 years. The last victory came in 2014 in New Holland when Carley Brew had 14 points and 13 rebounds as the Bulldogs outlasted Methacton 44-43 in the first round of the PIAA Class 4A tournament before the expansion to six classifications.
"Before the game, we talked about our physicality being key—driving to the rim, rebounding, getting loose balls, posting up inside," Wilson head coach Matt Raquet said. "And we executed. Violet was a huge part of that game plan."
The Bulldogs jumped out to an 11-3 lead after the first quarter but trailed the Flying Cardinals (24-6) by two at halftime.
Wilson used a 20-11 advantage in the third quarter to take control and hold on for the victory. Houck scored 10 of her game-high 21 points in the quarter as the Bulldogs emphasized getting the ball inside.
"We went on a run in the third quarter," Raquet said. "Violet had a big-time quarter with offensive rebounds, and we were feeding her in the post, and she was scoring. Just a dominant presence tonight on both ends of the floor."
Raquet was familiar with Upper Dublin's top player in point guard Megan Ngo because he coached her in AAU from fifth to eighth grade. Wilson's top scorer in sophomore Kailani Hardy ended up guarding Ngo the length of the court while Houck was hot offensively.
"Kailani moved over to Ngo and pressed her, and she changed the game, just making her life difficult full court the whole night," Raquet said. "She was unbelievable on the defensive end of the floor. I don’t think the game she played is going to really show in the stat sheet, but she was amazing."
Tamia Clark scored seven of her team-high 17 points for the Flying Cardinals in the fourth quarter, but they could never regain the lead.
Wilson freshman Jade Lee scored six of her eight points in the fourth quarter to boost the Bulldogs.
Ngo finished with 13 for Upper Dublin.
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