City of Basketball Love

By Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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(Ed. Note: This story is part of 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 2022-23 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

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Annie Greek and Katie Halligan knew each other before arriving at the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur four years ago. 

Greek’s Visitation C.Y.O. teams matched up with Halligan’s Saints Simon and Jude squads during middle school. They faced off against each other with various youth travel programs as well during the springs and summers.

“Visitation always has a Thanksgiving tournament, so that’s sort of how we always played each other and got to know each other,” Halligan said.

The former rivals turned to teammates once they got to Notre Dame four years ago. The pair have been contributors throughout their careers, which will come to a conclusion this season. Halligan, a four-year starter, won’t be playing college hoops, while Greek heads to Susquehanna.

Notre Dame’s senior duo have some unfinished business to take care of before hanging up their Leprechauns uniforms.

“Up there, there’s only ‘9s’,” Halligan said while pointing to the championship banner in the school’s gym. “We haven’t won an Inter-Ac championship since before the 2000s. That’s sort of our hope is to be a contender and hopefully win that.”

Notre Dame finished tied for second with Germantown Academy last season with a 9-3 mark in the Inter-Ac and 16-7 overall record. The Leprechauns fell to GA in the final game of the regular season then were upset by Episcopal Academy in their PAISAA opener after earning the No. 3 seed.

Fifth-year head coach Lauren Power and her squad will be tasked with replacing Inter-Ac Player of the Year Maeve McErlane and second team all-league selection Julie Dever from that squad.

“(McErlane) was an incredible player for us for four years and we relied on her for so much, for everything because she was not only just a scorer but she could do it all,” Power said. “She led in almost every statistical category for us. It is going to take a collective effort. 

“The nice thing is that we’re not maybe as easily scouted because I imagine people just stepping up and maybe it’s a different leading scorer every game. We’ll adjust some things offensively and defensively and just really try to utilize our personnel to the best we can.”

Junior wing Lizzie Halligan (5-9) was supposed to be a big part last season before missing the entire year with an injury. She will get one last chance to suit up with her older sister this season and should play a big role for the Leprechauns.

“Her freshman year was COVID so we only played nine games and last year she had an ACL injury,” Katie Halligan said. “We played together all through grade school, which was really fun and had some success there. This is really exciting for us to finally be able to have a full season together. … This is like our Super Bowl as sisters.”

Sophomore forward Scarlett Henry (6-0) and sophomore guards Sophie Hall (5-7), Chloe Knox (5-6) and Catie Kelly (5-3) saw various amounts of varsity action last season and are expected to be key contributors alongside Greek and Halligan. Power also said look out for some others this season, including a talented group of freshmen.

Part of the exciting part about her job is not knowing who will break out. She said at least one player surprises almost every season.

“Maeve was a great player and we’re going to have to do a lot to make up for her, but I think we’re expecting a lot from the underclassmen to step up and also Katie and I to kind of direct them and lead them,” Greek said. 

Power would be hard pressed to find two better seniors to lead the young group. Greek came off the bench behind some talented guards early in her career before working her way into the starting lineup last season. Her coach said her ‘heart’ on and off the court is a distinguishing trait.

Katie Halligan is a leader at Notre Dame for the basketball team and around the school. She’s been a starter since her freshman season.

What’s the importance of those two leading an otherwise very young group?

“It’s invaluable,” Power said. “I think their experience, who they are as people, their values, they represent everything that’s great about this program. They’ve earned everything they’ve gotten. … I couldn’t be more excited about both of those guys leading this team.”

Greek and Halligan helped Notre Dame to a tie for first place in the Inter-Ac in 2020-21, finishing 8-1 in the league during the COVID shortened campaign. They split their matches with Penn Charter, who also had one loss, but the league didn’t officially recognize a champion because the teams didn’t complete a full round robin schedule.

“Even though it didn’t get recognized, that was a big deal for us, and it kind of set the spark in us,” Greek said. “Like that’s our goal, and that’s what we want to do and continue.”

Katie Halligan said this team will focus on some of the minor details to improve their defense. 

Greek believes the team’s toughness and pace could be the difference between wins and losses.

“We’re very fast paced, which will separate us from a lot of teams,” Greek said. “We get out, we get running. … We’re really gritty. We’ll jump on the floor, take charges, stuff like that. I think that will also separate us from other teams.”

Notre Dame last shared an Inter-Ac title in 1998-99 with Penn Charter and the Shipley School. The program’s last outright title came in 1994-95. 

Reigning league champion Penn Charter has most of the pieces back from a season ago and Germantown Academy has Division I talent as well. The Leprechauns said don’t count them out, but they won’t mind if you do.

“Once we start gelling and clicking, we’re going to surprise some people,” Power said. “I think because we’ve lost to graduation Maeve, Julia, a strong senior class, all Inter-Ac players, I think people are going to think, ‘Oh hey we’re not as worried about them as we were before.’ But I actually kind of like going in and being an underdog.”