Jenkintown denied PIAA title, but seniors’ journey not about one game
HERSHEY >> While part of every journey is the end, that doesn’t mean that should be the way it gets defined.
The final game for Jenkintown’s senior quartet of Carly Mulvaney, Molly Walsh, Cady Westkaemper and Lauren Brockwell didn’t end with a win in Hershey and the chance to lift a state title, but focusing only on that misses a four-year span that has few rivals. Titles, plenty of wins and new heights for the program, not one score, all define this class.
Jenkintown gave its all but couldn’t keep up with a torrid offensive day from District 6 champion Bishop Guilfoyle, falling 62-47 in the PIAA Class A title game on Friday at the Giant Center.
“We didn’t end the way we would have liked but it doesn’t diminish all we accomplished,” Mulvaney said. “I’m extremely proud of our team over the past four years for all those wins, getting through all those tough times and playing our hearts out today was the greatest way we could have ended it and that’s all you could have asked for.”
The Marauders, making their first trip to the state title game since 2011, used an 18-2 run spanning the end of the first quarter and opening half of the second to take control of the game. Bishop Guilfoyle capitalized on some Drakes (18-2) turnovers in that span to build a 24-12 lead, then seemed to answer every following Jenkintown run with a barrage of shots to keep the climb back more and more difficult.
Jenkintown didn’t quit, but the day wasn’t meant to be for the Drakes. A quick flurry to open the fourth quarter presented the District 1 champions a chance to cut the lead to single-digits, but a missed shot for Jenkintown spiraled into a 9-0 Bishop Guilfoyle game that put the game out of reach.
“The momentum, it’s amazing how one playing going one way or the other can swing it,” Drakes coach Jim Romano said. “That’s how the ball rolls sometimes and we know that.”
When they were freshmen in 2018, the Drakes’ four seniors were in Hershey as the program won its first state title. Walsh and Mulvaney were reserve players on that team but Friday was their first real chance to get the full Giant Center experience.
“It’s crazy, our freshman year, we didn’t get much playing time but this time we were all on the court together,” Walsh said. “You just have chills all over your body when you step out there, there was a crowd screaming, it was just amazing.”
The quartet have been mainstays in the rotation the last three seasons and ended their careers with a 107-5 record in their four years with the program (31-1, 29-2, 29-0, 18-2). They went to two state title games and three state semifinals with the only exception last year’s COVID-19 cancelled season that saw them 29-0 and in the PIAA quarterfinals.
They have been BAL champions three times (there was no league tournament this winter) and won four District 1 Class A titles, extending the program’s streak to six overall. It would be a pristine resume for any program, but the accomplishments stand out even more coming from a school as small as Jenkintown.
“It’s really cool that we get these opportunities because of how well we’ve played,” Westkaemper said. “We get to show people what Jenkintown is because I’m sure most of them had never heard of it otherwise. We really put our name on the map.”
Mulvaney, who scored her 1,000th point early this season, capped her career with a 22-point effort. The senior forward will continue her career at Catholic University next season.
Walsh didn’t have her best shooting game but scored five points in her last game with the Drakes before heading to Hobart and William Smith Colleges to continue playing. The two were also longtime AAU teammates with the Mid-Atlantic Magic program.
Brockwell scored three points in her last outing before heading to Michigan where she plans to major in kinesiology. Westkaemper, the team’s tough-as-nails point guard, didn’t score but had six rebounds and three assists to end her time with the Drakes and has been accepted to Pitt where she will study biology.
“We all support each other on and off the court,” Brockwell said. “This is one big family and I know I can rely on them for anything. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I definitely wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Katie McGrath, the team’s only non-senior starter, scored 17 points and played a pivotal role in the charge the Drakes made going into the early stages of the fourth quarter. A three-year varsity player, McGrath will headline the returning roster for next season.
Mulvaney said she wants to see the program continue to excel and hoped Friday’s outcome would be a motivator for the underclassmen coming back to make a return trip to Hershey.
“I’m glad they got a taste of what could be,” Mulvaney said. “It definitely sets new goals and higher expectations and maybe a little chip on the shoulder to come back next year and win it all.”
On top of all their team accolades, the seniors had a rare honor of being part of two milestone wins for their head coach. Romano won his 600th game early in their freshman season and the 39-year head coach of the Drakes won for the 700th time this winter during the District 1 title game with the four seniors all scoring in that game.
“You don’t day goodbye, it’s more of a ‘we’ll see you down the road,’” Romano said. “Goodbye is not something we want to say. They should be really proud and looking forward to their individual goals other than basketball. That’s the bottom line, giving them the experience.”
Although their final chapter didn’t play out as hoped, they closed it out like they’ve done everything the last four years, as a group. After making a free throw, Mulvaney subbed out where her three fellow seniors and McGrath were waiting to share a final group hug as Drakes.
“When it ended, we knew it didn’t matter, we were still going to be best friends off the court,” Walsh said. “The one last hug just made us closer.
“I’m just so glad I could do it with my favorite people. We might be friends on the court but we’re best friends off of it.”
Bishop Guilfoyle 62, Jenkintown 47
BISHOP GUILFOYLE 15 14 20 13 – 62
JENKINTOWN 10 11 12 14 – 47
BG: Aurielle Brunner 3 1-1 8, Sophia Warner 5 0-0 11, Leah Homan 6 2-2 14, Daniela Sciponi 4 1-2 11, Teresa Haigh 6 2-2 16, Ally Bagley 1 0-0 2. Totals: 25 6-7 62
J: Carly Mulvaney 5 12-14 22, Katie McGrath 6 2-5 17, Lauren Brockwell 1 0-0 3, Molly Walsh 2 0-0 5. Totals: 14 14-19 47
3-pointers: BG – Haigh 2, Sciponi 2, Warner, Brunner; J – McGrath 3, Brockwell, Walsh
