City of Basketball Love

Joseph Santoliquito (@JSantoliquito)
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NEWTOWN SQUARE — Water was everywhere. On the white tile classroom floor the Haverford High School girls basketball team called a dressing room, on Fords’ coach Lauren Pellicane, on every player that got drenched celebrating.

If someone told Pellicane her best player would barely play in the second half, that her team would turn the ball over 23 times, that they would get beat to the occasional loose ball before the Fords played Conestoga in the Central League championship, she may have had her doubts whether her team would prevail.

The Fords did.

Using stellar defense, good ball movement and infinite patience on offense, Haverford beat Conestoga 44-30 to capture its second-straight Central League championship for the first time, it is believed, in school history.

Haverford High girls basketball celebrates its Central League championship victory over Conestoga on Thursday. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

The Fords (21-3) received what was expected from their star players: a team-high 13 points from Aniya Eberhart and 10 from Rian Dotsey. But it was the role players who made the difference. It was the stubborn defense of seniors Natalie Wright and Tess Durfee on Conestoga’s leading scorer Ryann Jennings. It was Ashley Wright (no relation to Natalie) hitting important free throws in the fourth quarter.

Natalie Wright was named MVP of the game. She finished with nine points and the surprise trophy she proudly carried around after the game, along with two ice packs taped to her aching shins.

“I watched last year, and this is totally awesome to be a part of this,” Natalie Wright said. “It feels good. Hard work got us here. Consistency, team work. That’s what got us here. We did believe in ourselves and we had some things against us, but we can sense they were getting frustrated.”

“Natalie does personify the team,” her coach said. “She is a flat-out warrior and is fearless. That’s everyone on this team.”

With 3:27 left to play, Eberhart fouled out.

Haverford never trailed.

The Fords started well, getting out to a 7-0 lead before Conestoga began chipping away. The Pioneers got within 9-8, then Haverford bolted back to life despite an uncharacteristic five turnovers in the quarter and 10 in the first half.

Still, the Fords took a 19-12 into intermission. At one point, Eberhart had nine points, while the whole Conestoga team had 10.

The Pioneers did not score until there was 4:38 left in the first quarter did not convert their first bucket of the second quarter until there was 3:59 left in the half.

By then, Haverford had built a 17-10 lead in a game in which points came at a premium. Natalie Wright and Durfee did a nice job on the Pioneers’ leading scorer, Jennings, holding her to three points in the half.

Despite leading, Haverford never really seemed able to pull away from Conestoga. Then the fourth quarter arrived, and everything fell apart. The Pioneers missed their first 11 shots of the final quarter while sinking into a 38-20 hole.

Jennings provided the only points for Conestoga in the quarter, but the Pioneers did not score until there was 2:39 left in the game. By then, Haverford had a comfortable lead.

“I had to focus on staying with Jennings and making sure she did not hit 3s,” Durfee said. “We brought the energy as a team. We did the little things that add up at the end of a game. I wouldn’t think we would have won with Aniya fouling out and the turnovers, but we ran through their plays. We knew when screens were coming and we really prepared. This is great. I did not play at all last year. This is honestly crazy.”

Pellicane stressed defense all season. She defined the victory as ugly, but she was not complaining. The Fords held Conestoga to a season-low 27 in their 38-27 victory over Conestoga on Jan. 25.

“We did a better job at the foul line, and that’s been clutch for us throughout the season,” Pellicane said. “We didn’t give them a fifth quarter to allow them to come back. We defended as a team, and that’s what kept us in games. This team is amazing. I think we were respected, but how this team has come together is very special to see.”

By Quarter

Conestoga: 8 | 4 | 8 | 10 || 30

Haverford High: 13 | 6 | 12 | 13 || 44

Scoring

Conestoga: Ryann Jennings 15, Isabella Valencia 4, Janie Preston 4, Ruth Lanouette 3, Marisa Francione 2, Katrina Valencia 2.

Haverford: Aniya Eberhart 13, Rian Dotsey 10, Natalie Wright 9, Ashley Wright 6, Tess Durfee 4, Megan Kelly 2.

Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, 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.