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PIAA Class 5A: O'Hara girls down Springfield in defensive Delco battle

03/16/2022, 11:15pm EDT
By Joseph Santoliquito

Joseph Santoliquito (@JSantoliquito)
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The mood was jovial an hour before Cardinal O’Hara’s PIAA Class 5A state girls quarterfinal playoff game against neighborhood rival Springfield at Archbishop Carroll on Wednesday. A group of O’Hara players were laughing as the they walked through the halls, headed to the locker room, when Springfield arrived through a side door.

The Cougars were in light spirits talking among themselves as they lined their way into the lobby.

Then they made eye contact. For a few seconds, everyone stopped talking and laughing. There was a pallor that seized the lobby and everyone in it, like a tense stare down before a fight.

“We were ready to play and when we saw them, it was game time,” O’Hara freshman Molly Rullo said. “I remember seeing them. We looked at them like they were the enemy, and they were our enemies tonight. We wanted to beat them tonight and that’s what we did.”

O’Hara (24-5) never trailed en route to a 38-22 victory over Springfield (Delco), behind a game-high 11 points each from Rullo and Richmond-bound Maggie Doogan, and nine from Marshall-bound Sydni Scott, who played a terrific all-around game.

The defending PIAA state Class 5A champions, the Lions will now face Mechanicsburg, 45-33 winners over West York, in the state semifinals on Saturday at a site and time to be determined.

Springfield, meanwhile, saw its season end at 19-8 and was led by Mia Valerio’s team-high eight points.

“I think the hardest part of coaching right now is do I let them be carefree, or not put any pressure on them, or do I say game-faces, serious, which isn’t the personality of this team,” Lions’ coach Chrissie Doogan said. “Their personality is to get in the gym and let’s play ball. They’re on a mission right now, which is nice.

“I was super happy with our composure. Springfield tried to frustrate us, and we didn’t get frustrated.”

Molly Rullo and Sydni Scott stand in a gym

Molly Rullo (left) and Sydni Scott both had strong performances to help lead O'Hara to the semifinals. (Photo: Joseph Santoliquito)

Springfield coach Ky McNichol tried slowing down the pace of the game, knowing the Cougars could not run with the larger O’Hara team.

“We kept scoring and scoring,” Scott said. “Once they dribbled by me, I was able to poke the ball from behind, and our defensive intensity carries over into our offense. When we saw Springfield walk in (before the game), we had to act serious. We were all talking and laughing in the locker room.

“We were looking at them and we had to put our serious faces on when we saw (Springfield) walk in (before the game).”

McNichol did a wonderous job with the Springfield program this season, reaching the PIAA 5A final eight, without junior star player Lexi Aaron, Towson-bound for lacrosse, who injured her knee and was lost for the year five games into the season.

“We knew we couldn’t run up and down the court with them with O’Hara’s talent and athleticism, so our game plan was to limit their possessions and do the best that we could in keeping the ball in our hands,” McNichol said. “In the second half, down 11, we had to go out and play.

“It was emotional afterward, but every single kid comes back and puts that jersey on again next year. I can’t be prouder of these kids. They did a lot. A lot of people thought this would be a rebuilding year, but this group did more than anyone expected them to do, including the coaching staff.

“We finished in the final eight of the state. We had kids step up, and someone like a Kaitlyn Kearney who didn’t play at all last year who turned into a player who started in every game and played every minute. We have the heart and soul in Mia Valerio and Anabel Kreydt. We asked them to do anything and they did it. The two of them rose to every occasion.”

Valerio was hurt in the first quarter, and came back to play the rest of the game—which is typical. She didn’t leave the court with bloodshot eyes.

“We’re all back, which makes this easier,” said Valerio, a junior who is going to Richmond for lacrosse. “Losing was hard, but we’re so excited knowing we came this far facing a lot of adversity. Every team we play and every team O’Hara plays, we’re always competitive.

“It came down to respect. We all know each other. Once we came into the gym, both teams locked in. We came so far from the first day we scrimmaged.”

“Hey,” Rullo said, “the game is over. Now we can be friends again.”

By Quarter

Springfield:            6  | 4 | 4 |  8  || 22
Cardinal O’Hara:  12 | 4 | 6 | 11 || 38

Scoring

Springfield: Mia Valerio 8, Cora Fattori 4, Kaitlyn Kearney 3, Molly Clifford 3, Grace Kelly 2, Anabel Kreydt 2

Cardinal O’Hara: Molly Rullo 11, Maggie Doogan 11, Sydni Scott 9, Annie Welde 7

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.


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