By Matt Smith
When Brooke Wilson collapsed to the floor and clutched her knee, the Conwell-Egan High School gymnasium fell silent.
Archbishop Carroll’s sophomore standout writhed in pain for several minutes in the second quarter of Tuesday’s Catholic League semifinal. When she was able to walk off under her own power, the Patriots breathed a sigh of relief and refocused. They had a job to finish.
Even so, senior forward Taylor Wilson knew the immediate impact her sister’s absence would have on the team.
“She’s a huge, huge part of our defense and we kind of had to make up for her not being there,” Taylor Wilson said. “Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game of basketball. So you kind of just have to adapt when it does happen. I think we did a good job.”
Brooke will have six days to rest and hopefully make a comeback at the Palestra next Monday. Carroll, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, advanced to the league championship with a convincing 50-35 win over fifth-seeded Neumann-Goretti Tuesday.