In Dawson’s return, Rullo, Quinn lead O’Hara past Notre Dame
RADNOR — Cardinal O’Hara’s Bridget Dawson did not have any stats to speak of and played limited minutes off the bench Tuesday afternoon at the Academy of Notre Dame.
And she couldn’t have been any happier.
It had been a long time since the senior guard last saw action for the Lions. The last time was in late February when O’Hara defeated Archbishop Carroll in the Catholic League final.
Dawson, who transferred to O’Hara prior to her junior year, was ineligible during the Lions’ run to a second straight PIAA Class 5A title. That caused a lot of consternation and disappointment. Before the start of what she hoped would be a drama-free season, Dawson injured her foot and missed the Lions’ first three games. Tuesday was her season debut.
“It felt great being out there, even though I didn’t do very great,” said Dawson, all smiles after O’Hara’s 56-25 victory over the host Irish. “Watching practices hasn’t been the same as being on the court. So being able to come back finally and play again is great.”
As the lone senior with starting experience for O’Hara, Dawson knew it was imperative to not miss too much time with her nagging injury. She worked hard to return as early as possible without risking injury aggravation, as she wants to be a reliable veteran to her talented teammates.
“I know I have to have more of a leadership role. We lost all of the great seniors from last year who we all looked up to, and now a lot of them are playing in college,” Dawson said. “We knew that me and (senior forward) Maria McCallen would have a leadership role that we had to fill. And we know that it’s really important to this team.”
O’Hara coach Chrissie Doogan knows how vital Dawson is to the Lions. Doogan will limit Dawson’s minutes and play things safe until she is back at full strength.
“She does so many of the little things for us,” Doogan said of Dawson. “She just brings energy and an awareness on the court and energy out there that some of the younger kids haven’t seen yet. So, selfishly, I want her to be in there now but I really need her in February. We are going to bring her along slowly, but just her presence on the floor is nice for everybody.”
Dawson is thrilled to see how well Joanie Quinn has played in the early going. Fellow junior guards Greta Miller and Carly Coleman have emerged as starters alongside McCallen and All-Delco Molly Rullo, who is the team’s superstar.
Quinn scored 13 points and dished out seven assists Tuesday. Greta Miller added 10 points and Coleman chipped in with four.
Rullo, who does everything on the floor, scored a game-high 18 points on 7 for 10 shooting from the field. She had five rebounds, five steals, three assists and a blocked shot.
After going 1-2 in showcases against nationally ranked teams, the Lions returned to Delaware County and showed flashes of how great they can be in 2023. They shot 50 percent from the floor (21 of 42) and caused 17 turnovers. Freshman Natalie Diblasi hopped off the bench to score seven points, all in the second quarter. O’Hara is building its depth, and the new starters (Quinn, Coleman, Miller) are taking a hands-on approach, not hesitating to take the open shots and be the player that delivers in key moments.
Until proven otherwise, the Lions should remain the favorite to win a second straight Catholic League championship. The PCL schedule starts the first week of January.
“I think we learned in those first couple of games that we can’t take anything for granted,” Quinn said. “We need to come out every day and work as hard as we can. We can’t ever let up, on defense and offense. Sometimes…when the shots aren’t falling we need to stay together on defense and I think tonight we did a really good job of that.”
Doogan had her second- and third-team units in during a running clock in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame scored a few baskets and the Lions reserves made a few mistakes. That prompted Doogan to put Quinn, Miller, Coleman and Rullo back into the game with her team comfortably ahead on the scoreboard.
“I was taught young and I believe that when you’re up big, you kind of pull the reins and get some people in off the bench and get them some minutes,” Doogan said. “But they kept coming after us and I thought, you know what, let’s get our starters back in and make sure we get out of here without making it too interesting. Their kids played really hard.”
Katie Halligan led the Irish with eight points. Annie Greek added six points and two assists.
In other nonleague action:
Agnes Irwin 69, Barrack Hebrew Academy 33 >> The Owls received outstanding performances from Gabrielle Seibert and Simone Harvey. Seibert led all scorers with 18 points and Harvey hit four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points.
Mariyn Dwyer and Grace Getz chipped in with eight points apiece for AIS.
Great Valley 62, Academy Park 21 >> Emani Banks scored six points for the Knights, who held to three points in each of the final three quarters.
In the Central League:
Haverford 44, Ridley 16 >> The Fords raced out to a 19-0 advantage after one quarter and never looked back. Caroline Dotsey (12 rebounds) scored all of her game-high 15 points in the opening half. Aniya Eberhart ended with eight points for Haverford.
Kyla Carney paced the Green Raiders with eight points.
Radnor 49, Marple Newtown 40 >> The Raptors went 11 of 12 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Tigers.
Mary Sareen led Radnor with 18 points and Kate Gallagher added 15. Caroline Monahan contributed nine points.
Brooke Impriano scored a game-high 21 points for Marple. Ellie DiBona finished with 12.
Garnet Valley 59, Upper Darby 17 >> Jordan Daubenberger tallied 19 points and Haylie Adamski produced 16 points, two assists and a pair of steals for the Jaguars, who led 26-2 after eight minutes.
Kylie Mulholland had nine points, three steals and two assists for GV. Savannah Saunders pitched in with eight points, three assists and three steals. Mia Zebley grabbed 12 rebounds and supplied five assists
Cameron Ross led the Royals with six points.
