Coleman’s multi-faceted role growing as O’Hara keeps moving up
MARPLE — Carly Coleman’s role on the Cardinal O’Hara girls basketball team is always evolving.
The junior has started all season for the Lions, joining classmates Joanie Quinn and Greta Miller as first-year starters after all were key reserves on last year’s Catholic League and PIAA Class 5A championship squad.
O’Hara coach Chrissie Doogan has been thrilled with the progress of all three juniors. Quinn is a scoring point guard and Miller can play lockdown defense and pop a 3-pointer from the corner. Coleman, the tallest of the three, plays all over the floor.
“She’s becoming somebody I can’t take off the floor, quite honestly,” Doogan said of Coleman following O’Hara 54-29 win over West Catholic in the first round of the Catholic League playoffs Thursday. “She’s somebody that brings energy and is unselfish … and she’ll make the extra pass. She fills her role nicely.
“Defensively, she can guard anybody. She can guard point guards and she can guard bigs. She is getting more comfortable in her role every day and that’s what’s fun to see in practice. She had a great week of practice … and you can see she is starting to figure it out and starting to really feel comfortable.”
Coleman has the mindset of a player who looks to help whenever and wherever she’s needed.
“That’s my biggest thing, actually,” Coleman said. “I just like to do all the little things on the team. I’m sure I’m not going to stand out all the time, but I know it contributes to the team.”
Coleman is being modest. In Thursday’s Lions victory, which advanced them to the league semifinals, she was one of the best players on the floor. Although she had only six points, Coleman recorded a game-high five assists and seven rebounds. Her effort on the boards helped the Lions obtain many second and third chances on the offensive end.
“I just keep telling my teammates that they got it …and if they need me I can definitely help, too,” Coleman said. “And maybe it can give us a spark.”
O’Hara assisted on 17 of its 18 made field goals. While the Lions didn’t shoot the lights out (4-for-20 from 3-point distance), they scored the first 12 points of the game and kept a spirited West Catholic (12-10) team at bay.
Despite leading 29-15 at the break, the Lions had hit a lull toward the end of the second quarter. They ratcheted up the pressure to begin the third quarter as Molly Rullo took over, scoring 10 of her points in the stanza. Rullo finished with game highs in points (23) and rebounds (eight).
Senior guard Bridget Dawson had a strong floor game with four points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
“She is just really smart on the court,” said Quinn of Dawson. Quinn finished with seven points and five steals. “She doesn’t have very many turnovers and she always makes the right decision. With the team chemistry, she is really important because she’s a senior and is always encouraging us and knows how to get us ready for games.”
Miller and Natalie DiBlasi added five points apiece for O’Hara. Megan Rullo, Molly’s freshman sister, had two points, five rebounds and three assists.
The No. 3 Lions (19-4) advance to the semifinal round to take on second-seeded Archbishop Wood Tuesday at Saint Joseph’s University’s University City campus, formerly known as the University of Sciences.
O’Hara, Wood and top-seeded Lansdale Catholic all finished with 9-1 records in the regular season. LC earned the tiebreaker, thanks to its win over Wood. O’Hara’s 47-37 loss to Wood in the regular season is the reason it got the No. 3 seed. The 37 points marked a season low for the Lions.
“It’s a senior-led team,” Doogan said of Wood. “They don’t have a superstar, but they have five really good players on the court. We’ve got to make sure that we contain them and find some ways to score and get some easy buckets. They defend the heck out of it and I know they’re going to have our plays scouted and things like that, so it’s going to be a good one. It will be a fun game.”
