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O'Hara, GA Dominating Girls' Basketball
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| Germantown Academy’s Maggie Lucas is one of the area’s best girls’ basketball players. (Rob Reed/The Bulletin) |
By Kevin L. Hall, The Bulletin
Going into the 2008-09 girls’ basketball season, several questions stood out like billboards along I-95.
Would Cardinal O’Hara once again emerge as champion of the Catholic League? And if so, would they contend for a state title? The pre-eminent Catholic League power will head into uncharted territory this season called the PIAA Class AAAA state tournament.
Besides that, which players and teams would make names for themselves as the best in the area? Which area team would prove to be the biggest surprise? Which teams or players would emerge as ones not to miss on a nightly basis?
As the season reaches the midway point, the answers are starting to come into focus.
What We Already Knew
Two weeks ago, O’Hara had ascended to the No. 1 spot in both the ESPN Rise and MaxPreps.com rankings. That spoke for itself as to the Lions’ legitimacy as not only a state basketball power, but a national one as well. Then, the Lions promptly went out and lost to Archbishop Wood. In spite of that, head coach Linus McGinty’s team continues to be the standard to which every other team in the state compares itself. Anchored by 6-foot-4 center Steph Holzer (19.0 ppg, 14.5 rpg) and staffed by four other Division I recruits, the Lions will only go as far as Holzer can lead them. Wood proved that if you can get Holzer into foul trouble, make your shots (the Vikings sank eight 3-pointers in the upset), get back on defense and rebound, the Lions aren’t infallible. Among their weaknesses is a tendency to rely on Holzer too much on offense, a resiliency to attack inside, and a lack of depth. McGinty only uses sophomore Marykate Gardler regularly off the bench, in spite of having several talented young players he could call upon.
Prior to the season, Holzer even went so far as to say that anything less than a state championship would take the luster out of anything the Lions had accomplished. And what the Lions have already earned for themselves is much to be proud of. A Nike Tournament of Champions title and the national No. 1 ranking stand out. Just keeping focused on the day-to-day grindings of a challenging league schedule needs to be their top priority right now if they hope to still be playing in mid-March.
Best Player
At least in Southeastern Pennsylvania, not many can keep up with junior guard Maggie Lucas of Germantown Academy. The ball-hawking, 3-ball gunning Penn State recruit continues to shred defenses in the half court. She’s eclipsed 1,250 points for her career with no end in sight. She makes an already fantastic team that much better, not only with her scoring, but with her overall game. She has an uncanny ability to break down defenses off the dribble. She’s continually looking for the open girl to pass to, and she wreaks havoc on defense with steals and disrupting the passing lanes.
Best Team
It would be hard not to list Germantown Academy here, as well. After all, the 10-time Inter-Ac champion Patriots (17-0) are beating teams by a margin of 32.3 points. And they won the Naples Holiday Shootout in Florida by topping vaunted Downingtown East in the title game.
Players/Teams To Watch
Though Archbishop Carroll senior guard Kerri Shields has been coming up clutch as of late for the Patriots, look out for Lower Merion guard Sheba Hall. The diminutive sophomore is silky smooth on the floor and shoots the three or drives the lane fearlessly. Playing on a team well-stocked with scorers, Hall comes up with big baskets when the Aces seem to need them the most. And she’s versatile, playing either the point or shooting guard positions. Besides her scoring, she gets rebounds, hands out assists and defends well.
Other players who are stepping up their games include Alexa Gallagher of Germantown Academy, who is coming off knee surgery but is already contributing valuable minutes. Jess Sylvester of Nazareth Academy is a fearless 3-point threat. MyNeshia McKenzie of Springfield (Delco) helped lead the Cougars to a 15-0 start and sophomore guard Jacqui Thompson is a sparkplug for St. Basil.
Biggest Surprise
One of the biggest questions heading into this season was how would reigning Class AAA state champion Mount St. Joseph fare after the graduation of all-state players Laura Johnson and Sarah McGorry?
Well, just fine, if the Magic’s 17-0 record is any indication.
Playing in one of the most competitive leagues in the state in the Catholic Academies, the winning beat just goes on at The Mount. Seniors Elle Hagedorn and Jen Sabia are helping pave the way for the Magic. And coach John Miller just seems to get the best out of his other players, such as Mary Jo Horgan, Steph Smith and Shannon Bridges. No doubt, The Mount will be a serious threat to repeat as state champions.
Kevin L. Hall can be reached at khall@thebulletin.us
Would Cardinal O’Hara once again emerge as champion of the Catholic League? And if so, would they contend for a state title? The pre-eminent Catholic League power will head into uncharted territory this season called the PIAA Class AAAA state tournament.
Besides that, which players and teams would make names for themselves as the best in the area? Which area team would prove to be the biggest surprise? Which teams or players would emerge as ones not to miss on a nightly basis?
As the season reaches the midway point, the answers are starting to come into focus.
What We Already Knew
Two weeks ago, O’Hara had ascended to the No. 1 spot in both the ESPN Rise and MaxPreps.com rankings. That spoke for itself as to the Lions’ legitimacy as not only a state basketball power, but a national one as well. Then, the Lions promptly went out and lost to Archbishop Wood. In spite of that, head coach Linus McGinty’s team continues to be the standard to which every other team in the state compares itself. Anchored by 6-foot-4 center Steph Holzer (19.0 ppg, 14.5 rpg) and staffed by four other Division I recruits, the Lions will only go as far as Holzer can lead them. Wood proved that if you can get Holzer into foul trouble, make your shots (the Vikings sank eight 3-pointers in the upset), get back on defense and rebound, the Lions aren’t infallible. Among their weaknesses is a tendency to rely on Holzer too much on offense, a resiliency to attack inside, and a lack of depth. McGinty only uses sophomore Marykate Gardler regularly off the bench, in spite of having several talented young players he could call upon.
Prior to the season, Holzer even went so far as to say that anything less than a state championship would take the luster out of anything the Lions had accomplished. And what the Lions have already earned for themselves is much to be proud of. A Nike Tournament of Champions title and the national No. 1 ranking stand out. Just keeping focused on the day-to-day grindings of a challenging league schedule needs to be their top priority right now if they hope to still be playing in mid-March.
Best Player
At least in Southeastern Pennsylvania, not many can keep up with junior guard Maggie Lucas of Germantown Academy. The ball-hawking, 3-ball gunning Penn State recruit continues to shred defenses in the half court. She’s eclipsed 1,250 points for her career with no end in sight. She makes an already fantastic team that much better, not only with her scoring, but with her overall game. She has an uncanny ability to break down defenses off the dribble. She’s continually looking for the open girl to pass to, and she wreaks havoc on defense with steals and disrupting the passing lanes.
Best Team
It would be hard not to list Germantown Academy here, as well. After all, the 10-time Inter-Ac champion Patriots (17-0) are beating teams by a margin of 32.3 points. And they won the Naples Holiday Shootout in Florida by topping vaunted Downingtown East in the title game.
Players/Teams To Watch
Though Archbishop Carroll senior guard Kerri Shields has been coming up clutch as of late for the Patriots, look out for Lower Merion guard Sheba Hall. The diminutive sophomore is silky smooth on the floor and shoots the three or drives the lane fearlessly. Playing on a team well-stocked with scorers, Hall comes up with big baskets when the Aces seem to need them the most. And she’s versatile, playing either the point or shooting guard positions. Besides her scoring, she gets rebounds, hands out assists and defends well.
Other players who are stepping up their games include Alexa Gallagher of Germantown Academy, who is coming off knee surgery but is already contributing valuable minutes. Jess Sylvester of Nazareth Academy is a fearless 3-point threat. MyNeshia McKenzie of Springfield (Delco) helped lead the Cougars to a 15-0 start and sophomore guard Jacqui Thompson is a sparkplug for St. Basil.
Biggest Surprise
One of the biggest questions heading into this season was how would reigning Class AAA state champion Mount St. Joseph fare after the graduation of all-state players Laura Johnson and Sarah McGorry?
Well, just fine, if the Magic’s 17-0 record is any indication.
Playing in one of the most competitive leagues in the state in the Catholic Academies, the winning beat just goes on at The Mount. Seniors Elle Hagedorn and Jen Sabia are helping pave the way for the Magic. And coach John Miller just seems to get the best out of his other players, such as Mary Jo Horgan, Steph Smith and Shannon Bridges. No doubt, The Mount will be a serious threat to repeat as state champions.
Kevin L. Hall can be reached at khall@thebulletin.us
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