City of Basketball Love

Joseph Santoliquito (@JSantoliquito)
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(Ed. Note: This story is the latest in CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2021-22 season preview coverage. As we publish more, the complete list of schools previewed will be found here.)

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It’s unspoken. They all know though. The Cardinal O’Hara seniors have never played at the Palestra, the bubbling madhouse on 33rd Street in Philadelphia that many consider one of the meccas of basketball.

As freshmen, the Lion seniors were knocked out by Archbishop Wood in the Catholic League quarterfinals. As sophomores, they lost to Wood again in the semifinals, and last year, with sports ravaged by COVID-19, the Lions finally reached the Catholic League championship—only to get knocked off by Wood again, though at Archbishop Carroll High School.

O’Hara is the defending PIAA 5A state champions, finishing 15-4 overall last season for Chrissie (Donahue) Doogan, a former O’Hara and La Salle star who is entering her fourth season as the Lions’ head coach.

There’s no reason why the Lions can’t repeat as PIAA 5A state champions, with three returning senior starters 6-2 Maggie Doogan, Chrissie’s daughter, 5-8 four-year starting combo guard Sydni Scott and 6-foot wing Annie Welde back.

Add in 5-10 freshman guard Molly Rullo, and depth provided by 5-8 junior guard Bridget Dawson, a transfer from Penncrest, 5-8 sophomore guard Joanie Quinn, athletic 5-9 sophomore wing Carly Coleman and 5-6 sophomore guard Greta Miller and the pieces are there for continued success in 2020-21.

The finishing touch for the seniors—and it will come along the Lions’ road to repeating—would be a trip to the Palestra.

“For me, personally, it’s a priority to get to the Palestra,” said Maggie Doogan, who’s committed to Richmond. “We all watched O’Hara play there when we were in grade school. As a team, we really haven’t talked about it, so it is an unspoken common goal that we all have.

“We need to stick together to win a state championship.”

That importance echoes with the Lions.

“It helps that this team is very close outside of basketball. We stay in contact and there is a bond that really helps us be more fluid and spontaneous on the court,” said Welde, who is getting attention from Scranton, Villanova and Cabrini. “We have people that can come off the bench that can do what the first five can do. What will help, too, is Rullo will do a lot for us. It will be fun to see what Molly brings to what we already have. She’ll definitely help and she’s someone a lot of people don’t know about.”

Like none of the Lion seniors ever playing at the Palestra. They’re on the road, although major, major roadblocks lie ahead. Three Catholic League teams won the six state championships last season: O’Hara in 5A over Chartiers Valley (51-27); Wood, which lost to O’Hara during the regular season last year, in 4A over Villa Maria (44-34) and West Catholic in 3A over Mohawk (67-56).

Then there is Carroll and always-tough Neumann-Goretti, making the Philadelphia Catholic League the toughest girls’ basketball league in the state and arguably the country.

Getting to the Palestra won’t be easy.

“We know,” Welde said. “But it is this unspoken thing about the Palestra. Ask anyone on our team what their goal is and that’s to win. But to win means getting to the Palestra. I watched games there when I was young, so I know what it’s like. My brother played there. My older sister played there. My father talks about what it was like.

“(Coach) Chrissie does a good job stressing not to think too far ahead. The Catholic League will come first, but a lot of things will need to have to happen first to get there.”

It starts with Maggie Doogan, who averaged 14 points and eight rebounds a game last season. She’s capable of playing inside and outside, and can attack the basket from different angles. She can shoot the three, she runs the floor well and will be counted on to rebound more on the offensive end this season.

Scott makes the Lions go. She averaged 13 points and 5 assists per game. Heading to Marshall, Scott is a four-year starter who can play point guard, but is a terrific shooter and should be a 1,000-point scorer this year. Coach Chrissie Doogan would like to use her more off the ball.

One other aspect of Scott’s game coach Doogan emphasizes is that she loves loud gyms.

Welde is a “glue” player. She does everything, averaging 7 points and 7 rebounds a game last season, and for her, it doesn’t matter if she scores two points or 15 points, as long as the Lions win.

The “X-factor” could be Rullo, whose teammates feel she’ll have no problem adjusting to the speed of the high school varsity level. She played for the Lions’ varsity field hockey team as a freshman and would find her way to the gym after field hockey practice to shoot.

Originally from South Jersey, now living in Drexel Hill, Delaware County, Rullo comes from deep basketball genes. Both parents played for Drexel; her father Jim Rullo is the men's coach at D-III Neumann University.

“We would like to defend, rebound, then get out and run,” Chrissie Doogan said. “We feel defense will be our strength, because we have players who can defend multiple positions on the court. Maggie and Annie are very good rebounders, and Molly and Carly can get the ball and go. I want to get Sydni off the ball more.

“If we figure out who can play the point guard a little bit, I would like to get out in transition and score. Last year wasn’t a true feeling of a Catholic League championship, and all credit to Wood, they totally outplayed us in the Catholic League championship.

“But last year, we were willing to take anything they were willing to let us have. At one point last season, we didn’t even know if there would even be a Catholic League playoff. In the state championship, it could not have been scripted any better.

“This senior class hasn’t played at the Palestra yet. This senior group is hungry to experience that every O’Hara player in the past has had. That’s their No. 1 goal. We’ll take it one game at a time to get there.”

Between coaching, talent and work ethic, the pieces are there. The road to the Palestra is laid out. It’s a matter of arriving.

Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter based in the Philadelphia area who began writing for CoBL in 2021 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter here.