RADNOR – Academy of Notre Dame’s Riley Davis has the family pedigree and certainly the skillset to go a long way in the sport of basketball.
She’s an unassuming freshman enjoying the ride of being a first-year varsity starter. But there are expectations when you are the daughter of Ben Davis, the Aston native who went on to star in basketball and baseball at Malvern Prep before being selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 1995 MLB Draft. Riley’s mom, Megan (nee McGonagle), was a tremendous athlete at Sun Valley who played soccer and lacrosse at Rutgers.
Riley is starting to blaze her trail on the hardwood. On Tuesday, the sweet-shooting combo guard led the Irish to a 41-22 victory over Inter-Ac League rival Episcopal Academy, scoring a game-high 17 points.
“It’s so much fun, I couldn’t ask for a better school. It was either here or a public school and I am 100% more happy that I came here,” she said. “I love it here. Everyone is so welcoming here and it is so much fun to play on such a good team with such good coaches.”
One doesn’t need much time watching her to tell she is blessed with athleticism and court savvy. And the bonus is she gets to play with her sister Finley, who is an Irish senior. The two shared court time in Tuesday’s blowout.
“One thing my dad always tells me is to work my hardest all the time. If a shot doesn’t go in, just go to the next play and don’t think about it,” Riley Davis said. “Don’t make a bad play affect your entire game. Stay positive. It will keep me going and help me improve on the next play.”
Notre Dame coach Terry Mancini called Davis a “real student of the game, a kid who is always asking questions. Her potential is off the wall.”
Davis is like a sponge around the older kids on the team, notably co-captain and senior Lizzie Halligan. Bound for the University of Scranton next fall, Halligan is the veteran player that first-year Irish head coach Terry Mancini can trust to lead a team of youngsters, which includes Riley Davis and fellow freshman Grace Nasr, who had 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists against Episcopal.
“Grace and Riley are very mature for their age, very strong and very athletic,” said Halligan, who played a strong floor game, accumulating five points, eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and a handful of deflections. “They know how to score beyond their years. … I think I personally have great leadership skills and I want to teach them what I can. And if I lead by example, it will help them grow as players, as people, and to grow this program. We’ve merged very nicely so far.”
Davis was quick to credit Halligan for helping her improve on a daily basis.
“Her leadership is so good,” Davis said. “When I’m a senior, I want to be just like how she is right now. It gives me that mentality to keep working hard.”
The Irish won their 11th game Tuesday. Mancini, who headed the St. Basil program for more than a decade as well as the Cabrini women’s team for three years, was an assistant coach for Lauren Power the last two seasons. When Power left for Germantown Academy, Mancini was eventually hired as her replacement. The support of his players was instrumental in helping him land the job.
“They’re a great group of kids,” he said. “My first year, when Lizzie was a sophomore, she was rehabbing her ACL so I got to know her really well. I had a knee replacement, so I was sitting with her on the bench the whole time. She’s a kid who is always asking the right questions. Her sister, Katie, who was our captain (last season), was a good person she could lean on. Lizzie’s maturity is above a lot of the girls, and the young girls on our team really look up to her.”
Notre Dame held a 16-3 lead after one quarter. Riley Davis scored seven points in the opening period. Junior co-captain Catie Kelly (five points) and junior Chloe Knox (12 rebounds) were key contributors alongside Davis, Nasir and Halligan.
The Irish (11-3, 2-1 Inter-Ac) are poised to make a run at the league title this winter. They lost to Germantown Academy, but came back with an impressive win over reigning champion Penn Charter last week.
“The GA game was a great learning experience. We have the whole league ahead of us and we can’t take any team lightly,” Halligan said.
Episcopal (1-6, 0-2) pulled within seven points early in the third quarter, but couldn’t get closer. Nat Magnotta came off the bench to score a team-high 10 points.
