2017 PCL Championship - 11 Photos by Zamani Feelings for PSD
PHILADELPHIA – It’s not how you got there, it’s how you finish.
With the regular season winding down and the playoffs straight ahead, Cardinal O’Hara was considered by most a solid, highly competitive team with several standout players.
A championship-caliber unit? Probably not.
But an interesting twist occurred once the postseason commenced. The Lions entered with a new countenance. They were playing an inspired brand of basketball. They were sharing the rock. Diving for loose balls. Making life miserable for their heavily guarded opponents.
Scaring the stuffing out of their concerned foes.
First it was Lansdale Catholic, a 62-36 victory that could have been more lopsided if needed. Then a shocking 57-42 triumph over fast and furious Neumann-Goretti, which had no problems beating O’Hara earlier in the season but was simply outplayed in every facet of the re-match.
2017 PCL Girls' Basketball Final Highlight Video - Zamani Feelings for PSD
Suddenly in the Catholic League girls’ championship February 27 at a sold-out Palestra, the Lions faced an enormous task of defeating defending Catholic League champion Archbishop Wood, which hadn’t lost a league game all winter.
“This is a really good team we’re playing,” said Wood coach Mike McDonald, about an hour before tipoff. “They do a lot of things well and they’re well-coached, and they are on top of their game. They’re dangerous.”
Dangerous as dangerous can be, O’Hara stunned the local hoops landscape by defeating Wood, 35-30.
So why the long buildup before stating the victor? Because it represents a meteoric rise for a program that has won 10 championships in 20 seasons, but had unwittingly passed the torch of dominance to Neumann-Goretti and Archbishop Wood, and appeared highly unlikely to return to championship glory this soon.
“This is great for the kids,” said O’Hara coach Linus McGinty. “This is the first time (the senior class) has won this. Coming back the way we did, playing so well against teams that had beaten us during the regular season . . . it’s special.”
Maura Hendrixson post game interview
Mary Sheehan reflects on winning the PCL title
The last O’Hara title was in 2013, and Wood was also the opponent then. Four years ago, O’Hara was favored, but not this season.
“We started to play together as a team,” said energetic but always steady junior guard Kenzie Gardler. “In some ways, we came in here with nothing to lose because we had come this far, but deep down, that wasn’t enough. We knew that we were not the same team that lost (to Wood) earlier, but we couldn’t let anything get into our heads. We had to have composure.”
O'Hara celebrates after being awarded the PCL plaque - PSD photo by Zamani Feelings
Aside from tailing, 11-10, midway through the second quarter, the Lions (20-5) led the Vikings (18-7) throughout most of the game and by as many as seven at 18-11 on a Gardler three-pointer off a feed from senior Mary Sheehan (four points, four rebounds). Back came Wood. A three-pointer by junior Erin Morgan, a bucket by junior Nicki Greenberg off a feed from Morgan, and a steal/layup by senior Cassie Sebold (eight points) trimmed the deficit to 20-18 at halftime.
A three-pointer by junior stalwart Maura Hendrixon (10 points) at the end of the third quarter kept the Lions ahead at 27-22, but O’Hara’s resolve was about to be tested to the max late in the fourth quarter.
A three-pointer by junior Bridget Arcidiacono, a steal by senior Meg Neher, and a driving basket by junior Katie May tied the game at 27-27 with 3:40 remaining. With nerves aplenty, the Palestra rocking, and a clear feeling of a major momentum change, O’Hara answered when Gardler fed senior Lauren Leicht for what proved to be the last lead change at 29-27 with 2:50 left. Gardler then connected on a free throw with 1:02 left to make it 30-27, but the undaunted Vikings scored via a Sebold bank shot.
Hannah Nihill commands the floor for the Lions - PSD photo by Zamani Feelings
In the closing minute, O’Hara senior point guard and Drexel University signee Hannah Nihill punctuated a magnificent 13-point effort by making three of four throws to put her team in front, 33-30, with 25 seconds left. A missed three by Wood and a subsequent pair of perfectly tossed free throws by an ice-princess-like Hendrixson with seven seconds left sealed the deal.
“I feel ecstatic,” said Hendrixson. “I had to make one of those free throws (to make it a two-possession game), so when the first one went in, I was relieved. I knew it was over. This feels like a dream come true.”
Sheehan, a St. Joseph’s University commit, received one of the loudest cheers when she climbed the ladder to collect a part of the net that was eventually snared by McGinty.
Wood's Katie May defends O'Hara's Maura Hendrixson as she drives to the basket - PSD photo by Zamani Feelings
After citing the Palestra’s “incredible atmosphere” and the “amazing” feeling of winning the Catholic League title, Sheehan said the Lions “turned it around” by stressing the “little things.”
“Everyone has a role,” said Sheehan. “Everybody has to play defense, and we played great defense tonight because everyone contributed. That’s the only way we win a Catholic League championship.”
Conducting the offense, Nihill resembled an assistant coach on the floor. Whether scoring points, generating movement in the passing lanes, or offering a quick word or two for a teammate, Nihill would have been a popular choice for the game’s MVP.
A few seconds after joining Gardler for one last photograph pose with the championship plaque, Nihill tried to put her feelings into words.
“It was extremely important that every single person on the team played their role,” said Nihill. “Box out. Rebound. Pass. Don’t try to do too much. Trust your teammates.”
Sounds so simple.
If only.
(John Knebels can be reached at jknebels@gmail.com.)
