Garnet Valley’s growth plan is on track despite defeat

ROYERSFORD >> What happened in the final seconds will not define Garnet Valley’s journey.

The Jaguars did everything in their power to beat Cardinal O’Hara in the quarterfinal round of the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament at Spring-Ford High School Friday night.

They did everything but win.

They battled back from the abyss, erasing a seemingly insurmountable, 18-point deficit to the mighty Lions, who many considered a heavy favorite to be playing in Hershey long before the 2015-16 season even began.

So, what happened in the last seconds should not define what was arguably the greatest season of Garnet Valley girls basketball.

. @GVWBB‘s Nicole Barnes gets 2. pic.twitter.com/mLsszjxVzo

— Matt Smith (@DTMattSmith) March 12, 2016

“No, it certainly does not,” GV coach Joe Woods said after his Jags lost a 46-44 heartbreaker. “Both teams played their tails off and I’m so proud of the way my kids battled back after being down 24-6 (in the second quarter). We got off to a slow start … and you have to credit O’Hara. But I give credit to our girls. They gathered themselves, showed tremendous character and hard work and they didn’t give up.”

Of course, the finish will not be forgotten with a good night’s sleep. It’s going to linger with the Jaguars (26-6) for some time, but that comes with the territory. When you give everything in the tank just to force a tie in the final seconds, only to have a controversial foul call with 0.4 seconds left and subsequent free-throw makes by O’Hara All-Delco Hannah Nihill take it all away … it’s going to stay with you a while.

One PIAA official watching the game from the stands said it was the right call. Garnet Valley freshman Brianne Borcky, who had hit two free throws to tie the score at 44-all, was whistled for an infraction after Nihill dribbled quickly to position herself for a last-second shot on the run. Borcky put her arm up, jumped and made contact with Nihill, who hit the floor with a thud.

The consensus on the Garnet Valley side was you simply don’t make that call in that spot. It’s a valid argument. Without the foul, the game would have went to overtime, and Garnet Valley would have had all the momentum on its side.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for guard Maddie Ireland, the Jaguars’ floor general and senior co-captain. Ireland fought back tears as she gave her last high school interview, composing herself enough to put emotions into words.

“We gave it everything we had, I guess we just got really unlucky at the end,” said Ireland, who like many of her teammates, overcame a rocky start to finish with nine points. There were several instances where Ireland sacrificed her body as she drove in traffic to the basket. Her limbs a bit bruised, but her spirit not broken.

“I hate to have that define the game, define our season,” she said.

It won’t.

Garnet Valley went toe to toe with a team ranked as high as No. 1 in the state, according to some publications. O’Hara has been the top-ranked team in Delaware County all season, boasting a lineup that includes three Division I-bound players in Nihill, Mary Sheehan and Mackenzie Gardler.

The All-Delco Sheehan, who had 17 points and two steals before committing her fifth foul in the final minute, praised the Jaguars for giving the Lions a fight for the ages.

“That’s the most heart I’ve seen out of a team this season and maybe ever,” she said. “They reminded me of us from last year, a team that kind of had no pressure and was considered the underdog in the game. I kept hearing their student section chant, ‘shock the world, shock the world.’ A lot of people had us favorite in this, but for them to come back against us down 18, that speaks for itself. It’s amazing what they did. That speaks volumes about their mentality and their heart.”

Flying under the PIAA radar, the Jaguars kept improving all season, led by two senior captains (Ireland, Sam Tomasetti) and an exciting trio of underclassmen in freshmen Borcky and Emily McAteer, and sophomore Nicole Barnes, who has the potential to grow into the type of player Ireland became in her four years of varsity ball.

“I’m really not upset because we lost. It has more to do with not being able to play with my friends who I have been playing with for so long,” said Ireland, who will continue her career and education at Widener. “We gave it our all and I couldn’t have asked my teammates to play a better game.”

That’s how Garnet Valley’s season should be remembered.

To contact Matt Smith, email msmith@delcotimes.com or follow him on Twitter @DTMattSmith.