Archbishop Carroll’s Grace O’Neill scores 1,000th point in win over Germantown Academy

WHITEMARSH >> Grace O’Neill wasn’t focused on any personal milestones Monday afternoon.

The Archbishop Carroll senior didn’t want to know how close she was to 1,000 points going into a nonleague game at Germantown Academy. She just wanted to leave the court with a win.

O’Neill’s three-pointer in the final two minutes capped off a game-sealing 12-0 run for Carroll. When the cheering continued long after the basket and she saw her mom filming in the stands, O’Neill knew she made history.

“I was thinking we were going to slow it down and run a motion,” O’Neill said of the shot after Carroll’s 66-53 victory. “I was just so wide open so I took it.”

“Grace has been a vital part of our team for four years,” Carroll coach Renie Shields said. “To have her recognized by scoring 1,000 points is such a milestone. I think if you ask Grace she’s more concerned about winning then she is about scoring, but what she does for our team is just invaluable. It’s a great recognition for Grace.”

O’Neill scored a game-high 26 points to go into the record books. She got off to a fast start, hitting a three-pointer on Carroll’s first possession of the game to take a lead they’d never lose, and scored 11 points in the opening quarter. She said it was important to start fast after Sunday’s 38-29 loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh.

“Before we started warming up we brought everyone in and said, ‘We are so lucky we have an opportunity to play the very next day,'” O’Neill said. “PW is a great team, do not take anything away from them. We just had trouble scoring. We had a great chance to bounce back today, which was awesome.”

Her 11 points helped the visiting Patriots take a 15-6 lead through eight minutes.

The host Patriots used an 8-3 run to get within 18-14, but Carroll responded with eight of the next 10 points to extend their lead to 26-16. Carroll’s Taylor Wilson scored 12 of her 20 points in the second quarter, including six straight without GA touching the ball.

Wilson scored through contact, but missed the free throw. Maggie Grant grabbed the rebound and found Wilson, who made another layup while getting fouled. Again, Grant grabbed the rebound and Wilson scored to make it a 32-18 game. She added another basket at the end of the half to complete a 16-6 run and send Carroll to halftime ahead, 34-20.

“Taylor brings a presence as she’s able to score not just inside, but outside as well,” Shields said. “The versatility is really what we need. We don’t have size. We don’t have position players – we just have players. She steps in and fills that role where she is going to rebound and then step out, take shots and post up if needed. She plays a really big role for us.”

Germantown Academy got back into the game in the third quarter behind center Kendall Bennett. The junior scored 10 of her team-high 22 points in the third to help make it a 10-point game, 50-40, going to the fourth.

“She’s great on the inside boards,” GA coach Sherri Retif said of Bennett, who grabbed 12 rebounds. “She’s averaging a double-double. I think we were able to get her the ball some in the third quarter. Prior to that, we just couldn’t take care of the ball.”

Sam Wade hit a three-pointer to get GA within seven, 54-47, in the fourth quarter. That’s as close as they’d get before Carroll rattled off 12 straight points to put the game away.

“We struggled,” Retif said. “We got the news about our point guard (Jess Kolecki) being out 10 minutes before the game started. Everybody was worried about her and I think our mindset wasn’t there. When we got it to seven, I think we had a turnover or a miscommunication. You can’t do that against a team like Carroll, they’re too fundamentally sound.”

Grant started the 12-0 run with a three-pointer to extend the seven-point lead back to double digits. Brooke Wilson and Taylor Wilson made baskets to make it 61-47 before O’Neill finished the game off. She went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line before hitting a three to make it a 19-point lead, 66-47.

“Keeping our composure,” O’Neill credited for the strong finish. “I think that was something in our last Wood game (44-38 come-from-behind win) – we kept our composure. We were on the other end of it this time, we were the ones in the lead, but staying calm is something we really pride ourselves on.”

Archbishop Carroll 66, Germantown Academy 53

Archbishop Carroll 15 19 16 16 – 66

Germantown Academy 6 14 20 13 – 53

AC: Bleckley 1 0-0 2, Schumacher 0 1-2 1, B Wilson 3 0-0 7, Henry 0 0-0 0, Sheridan 0 0-0 0, T Wilson 8 4-8 20, O’Neill 9 5-7 26, Hippert 1 0-0 3, Grant 2 2-2 7. Total 24 12-19 66.

GA: Goodridge 0 0-0 0, Thomas 1 0-0 2, Bennett 10 2-5 22, Casey 3 1-2 8, Wade 2 2-3 7, Smigiel 0 0-0 0, Bowes 1 3-4 6, Jen Aponik 1 0-0 2, Jes 2 2-2 6. Total 20 10-16 53.

3-point goals: AC: B Wilson,O’Neill 3, Hippert, Grant. GA: Casey, Wade, Bowes.