O’Hara is 1 win away from state final
ROYERSFORD >> Cardinal O’Hara is locked in and ready to go.
The Lions (25-3) return to Spring-Ford High School Tuesday night to take on North Penn (29-3) in the semifinal round of the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament at 7:30. The winner will play for the state title Friday night at Hershey’s Giant Center against either Cumberland Valley or North Allegheny.
All-Delco juniors Mary Sheehan and Hannah Nihill have been to the state tournament three straight years. Now they’re in the final four and poised to win the whole thing.
“It’s about taking that next step,” Sheehan said after a recent playoff win, “and playing as we all know how.”
Back in 2014, when Nihill and Sheehan were freshmen, the Lions were erased by Mt. St. Joseph’s in the first round. At the time, Sheehan and Nihill learned the varsity ropes playing alongside veterans including Mia Farmer, who was that season’s Daily Times Player of the Year.
During their freshmen campaigns, Nihill and Sheehan had their moments in the sun. Nihill hit the game-winning shot to beat Bonner & Prendergast. Sheehan was a contributing low-post player with an outside shot.
It was readily apparent that both Sheehan and Nihill belonged.
By the time they were sophomores, the Lions were ready to compete with their young guns. Sheehan and Nihill were the sophomore leaders in a lineup that also included freshmen Maura Hendrixson, Molly Paolino and Mackenzie Gardler.
All friends from their travels with the AAU Comets, they were one of the youngest and least experienced teams in the state.
The Lions lost in the state quarterfinals, but they had laid the groundwork for success in the years to come.
This season, the Lions have been ranked No. 1 in Delaware County since opening day. Sheehan, Nihill and Gardler all committed to Division I schools.
The Lions faced adversity when defensive whiz Molly Paolino missed a month due to injury, but key reserves Lauren Leicht, Emily Helms and Bridgette Hoy filled in admirably. They fell short in the Catholic League playoffs to eventual champion Archbishop Wood, which is still going strong in the PIAA Class AAA Tournament.
Last Friday, Nihill’s two free throws with 0.4 seconds left gave O’Hara a 46-44 win over Garnet Valley. Earlier, North Penn nipped Neshaminy, 42-41. Neshaminy had several looks at the basket on the final possession, but couldn’t capitalize. Both teams left Spring-Ford that night feeling a little lucky.
O’Hara was far ahead of Garnet Valley, the sixth-place team out of District One. A 24-6 lead vanished and the Lions found themselves in a battle to the end. A controversial foul call put Nihill on the foul line to win the Lions the game.
O’Hara, this still-evolving powerhouse, had learned something about itself.
“When a team comes back on you down 18 (points), and you still find a way to win, I think that says something about you,” Sheehan said. “It says that we know what it takes and we can (recover) from it. I think that’s pretty good.
“I watched Notre Dame come back on Duke the other day down 16, and they won. When it counted, Hannah hit those foul shots, and that was huge. The quarterfinals was the round where we lost last year, so now we get to advance and play North Penn, and they’re a great team. Overall, it’s just about finding a way to go further this year, keep moving, and not looking back.”
North Penn trailed Neshaminy most of the way until Bri Hewlett hit a bucket to put the Maidens ahead with less than two minutes to play. The Maidens were the top seed in District One, but got knocked out in the quarterfinals and had to win in the playback round to earn fifth place. Along the way the Maidens defeated Garnet Valley by double digits.
O’Hara and North Penn scrimmaged each other before the season.
“We’ve seen what they can do,” O’Hara coach Linus McGinity said.
North Penn is led by Jess Huber, Irisa Ye, Sam Carangi, Mikaela Giuliani and Hewlett. And, like O’Hara’s starting five, each poses as a serious threat.
Carangi, a junior guard, is a Villanova recruit who plays on the same AAU Comets team as Nihill, Sheehan and Gardler. Giuliani is a senior power forward who scored her 1,000th point earlier this season.
“They got five real good players,” McGinty said. “Carangi shoots it from 40 feet and the left-handed post-up kid (Giuliani) is real tough. They’ve had a real good year, they’re 29-3. They’re tough.”
The Lions and Maidens survived a serious scare in the quarterfinals. Now they’re one win away from their final destination.
“When you get this far,” Sheehan said, “you can almost taste the chocolate. “
