Smith: Cardinal O’Hara enjoying one sweet trip to Hershey
ROYERSFORD >> With a wide smile Mary Sheehan exited the locker room at Spring-Ford High School for the last time Tuesday night.
Fittingly, the Cardinal O’Hara junior had a Hershey bar in her hand, happily displaying it for everyone to see.
“I can taste the chocolate now,” Sheehan said.
She sure can.
I can actually taste the chocolate now lol @DTMattSmith 🍫🍫🍫… STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BOUND !!!! pic.twitter.com/5cZiBw5IGt
— Mary Sheehan (@maryysheehan) March 16, 2016
The Lions punched their ticket to the PIAA Class AAAA championship game at Hershey’s Giant Center Friday night with a 48-41 victory over North Penn.
In Delaware County, O’Hara girls basketball is second to Archbishop Carroll, which won two PIAA titles in the last 10 years. O’Hara previously appeared in a state final back in 2009, when Daily Times Player of the Year Steph Holzer played on a battered right ankle and did everything in her power to lead the Lions to their first state crown. O’Hara fell to Mount Lebanon, 67-58.
Maybe the second time will be the charm for O’Hara, one of three Catholic League girls teams playing for state titles this weekend. It’s funny to think, actually, that it’s been seven years for a Linus McGinty-coached team to make a return trip to Hershey, but this is without a doubt the best team McGinty has coached since the 2008-09 squad.
“I can’t even believe it,” said sophomore Kenzie Gardler, who scored a game-high 18 points. “We had a goal to get to
Hershey the whole season and now we can taste the chocolate, like Mary said.”
That’s a sweet feeling.
“We know it’s a huge legacy at O’Hara and we want to continue that,” Sheehan said. “When you come into O’Hara, you hear about all the names. First of all, my parents went to O’Hara, so they told me all about the great names, such as (Lafayette head coach) Theresa Grentz who is still coaching players to this day. There’s such a great tradition here.
“It’s neat and really cool to be a part of something that’s bigger than yourself. It’s not just this team, it’s the teams before us. It’s really special. I got texts from the seniors I played with when I was a freshman wishing me good luck. It’s a feeling that really hasn’t hit me yet because, you wonder sometimes, just how are we doing this with the chance to be the first team at O’Hara to win a state title. There’s been so many great teams that have come before us, and now we are the ones to get there.”
With McGinty at the helm, the Lions have won more than 750 games and several Catholic League championships. He is one of the most underappreciated coaches in the history of Pennsylvania athletics, a basketball lifer who has helped in developing some of the best talent Delaware County has ever seen, from Kristen Clement (who is the county’s all-time leading scorer) to the current core of Sheehan, Gardler and Hannah Nihill, all of whom are headed to Division 1 programs.
McGinty’s impact on the Lions cannot be understated.
“I can’t even sum it into words,” Sheehan said. “He is such a special person. He’s what drives us. He wants it so badly and we want to it so badly for him. He’s done so much for girls basketball at Cardinal O’Hara and he’s such a great coach. You know, state championships are a very elusive thing, they’re hard to grasp, so to be in this position and to be so close, that’s our goal. We want to get it for ourselves, but more than anything, we want to get it for Mr. McGinty.”
The Lions showed toughness and a never-say-die attitude against North Penn. They turned their fortunes around when Hendrixson swished a 3-pointer and Nihill (14 points) came up with a steal and layup in the final seconds of the third quarter. In a hurry, the Lions went from being down five to tying the score.
Sheehan hit a shot in the fourth to put O’Hara in front to stay. Gardler, Nihill and Molly Paolino all came through in the clutch at the free-throw line to seal the victory.
The Lions will take the next two days to prepare for Cumberland Valley. But before they do, Sheehan made sure to enjoy every last bite of that Hershey bar on the bus ride home Tuesday.
To contact Matt Smith, email msmith@delcotimes.com or follow him on Twitter @DTMattSmith
