Third winning try is the charm for Carroll’s O’Neill
PHILADELPHIA — Archbishop Carroll freshman Grace O’Neill stepped to the foul line with 8.3 seconds left in regulation. The score was tied and the Philadelphia Catholic League championship was at stake.
Not to mention, the Palestra was a rockin’.
It’s safe to say, not many players of O’Neill’s age would embrace this sort of pressure. As it turned out, her 1-and-1 free throw bounced on the rim and out. An Archbishop Wood player grabbed the ball, then threw it out of play.
With 4.3 seconds to go, O’Neill drove frantically to the basket. She threw the ball near the vicinity of the rim, in heavy traffic, hoping it would fall. It didn’t.
O’Neill was 0-for-2 in her bid to win this title game for Carroll, yet she wasn’t the least bit rattled.
In overtime, O’Neill got a third try. A player mature beyond her years, the rookie sensation would drive to the rim once more, this time making a layup and putting Carroll ahead by two points. It proved to be the deciding basket in the Patriots’ 48-42 victory.
Grace O’Neill under fire was quite cool.
For the first time since 2012, Archbishop Carroll captured the Catholic League championship plaque. The Patriots got there, in large part, because of a freshman and her outstanding all-around effort.
Asked what it meant to score the winning shot, O’Neill showed her goofy, youthful innocence in the Palestra’s press room.
“What shot?” she said, which caused a roar of laughter from teammates Harlem Jennings and Erin Sweeney.“Oh, the drive!”
Yeah, kid, that one …
“It was really a team effort,” said O’Neill, who scored 13 points. “I missed some foul shots, but Erin made foul shots (in overtime). Harlem had a bunch of great drives. It was just a team effort.”
. @Carroll_GBball wins the Catholic League title. 48-42 in OT. pic.twitter.com/uUggYeefJa
— Matt Smith (@DTMattSmith) February 26, 2019
Sure enough, O’Neill demurred. She wanted to share the credit with her teammates, Sweeney and Jennings, respectively, both of whom made a huge impact Tuesday.
Carroll head coach Renie Shields, who won Catholic League crowns at Carroll as an assistant in 2009, 2010 and 2012, has seen this type of player before. Her daughters, Erin and Kerri, come to mind. They thrived at young ages, too. O’Neill just has “it” — the talent, the smarts, and the bravery to keep shooting in the most pressure-packed situation, and on the biggest stage.
“She is not fazed by anything at all,” Shields said. “And the other team members, they consider her a senior. It doesn’t matter that she’s a freshman … they’re all players. That’s how they treat one another. It’s a great tribute to Harlem, Bridget (Hislop) and Mary (DeSimone), who are our seniors. They just treat the younger kids like they are one of them, and they’re all a part of the team.”
Jennings came to Carroll at the start of her junior year from Bishop Guilfoyle in Altoona. She went above and beyond against Wood. Her ability to drive and score, get a key rebound and cause a turnover in the most opportune moments was uncanny. The senior guard-forward posted 15 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists.
PHOTO GALLERY: Archbishop Wood wins Catholic League title
Without Jennings’ performance, Carroll doesn’t win Tuesday.
“I am blessed to be coached by Renie Shields. She is one of the best coaches ever, literally,” Jennings said. “These last two years have been so great. You can’t ask to play for a better coach.”
Jennings was the MVP of the night for the Patriots. While others had a difficult time hitting shots, Jennings picked up the slack and was excellent in all facets.
“I knew I had to take the ball to the basket; it’s what I’m always working on in practice – layups and finishing and shooting foul shots,” she said. “I just had to do what the team needed.”
O’Neill made a layup early in the fourth quarter to give Carroll a five-point advantage. But the Patriots could never pull away. Wood’s Lindsay Tretter made a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 35-34. After a Sweeney layup, Ryanne Allen hit a trey to tie the score at 37.
Jennings made two free throws with 50 seconds left, but Wood’s Kaitlyn Orihel, who played in foul trouble most of the way, avoided a double team and got to the hoop with the game-tying basket with 10 seconds to go.
Wood struck first in overtime. Tretter hit a 3-pointer for the Vikings’ only points, but that shot was quickly answered by Sweeney, who hit from beyond the arc to even the score.
Sweeney, the second-leading scorer in Delaware County and arguably the top player in the Catholic League, struggled with her shooting most of the night. She got her points the tough way, by driving the lane and getting fouled. But that didn’t stop the junior guard from lofting a 3-ball in the early moments of the extra session. For Carroll, it was the biggest shot of the season, and Sweeney made it count.
“I knew I had to keep shooting and not get down on myself,” she said after scoring seven of her 18 points in OT. “I knew that once I made one shot, I would be OK. I knew we needed shots, so I couldn’t be afraid to take them.”
The Patriots (20-5) have won 14 straight games and haven’t tasted defeat in nearly two months.
The last time the Patriots won a Catholic crown, they didn’t stop there. In 2012, they earned PCL, District 12 and PIAA gold.
Without question, these Patriots are good enough to complete that trifecta again in 2019.
