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Girls: Stifling defensive effort nets Cardinal O’Hara third state title in four years in 42-26 win over Spring-Ford

Members of the Cardinal O’Hara girls’ basketball team pose with the PIAA trophy after winning the PIAA Class 6A championship game on March 22 at the Giant Center in Hershey. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

Members of the Cardinal O’Hara girls’ basketball team pose with the PIAA trophy after winning the PIAA Class 6A championship game on March 22 at the Giant Center in Hershey. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

By Ed Morrone

They say that defense wins championships — but having Molly Rullo and Joanie Quinn on your side certainly helps too.

Rullo scored 10 of her 13 points before halftime before passing the baton to Quinn, who tallied 14 of her game-high 16 points in the second half to lead Cardinal O’Hara to a 42-26 victory in the PIAA Class 6A state championship game on Friday night.

It was the third state title in four years for the Lions, who held a normally strong shooting Spring-Ford team to an 8-for-37 night from the field, including a 2-for-17 clip from downtown.

“I love these girls with everything in my being,” Quinn said. “To be able to share this experience with people that I love so much, I can’t even describe what that means.”

The Rams had cruised through their first four state playoff games, winning by an average of 21.7 points per game.

Then they ran into Quinn and Rullo’s O’Hara buzzsaw.

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Girls: Providing ‘the glue,’ premier defender Greta Miller hits basket at right time for O’Hara

Cardinal O'Hara senior Greta Miller celebrates upon receiving her championship medal after the PIAA Class 6A championship game Friday night at the Giant Center in Hershey. (Austin Hertzog - MediaNews Group)

Cardinal O’Hara senior Greta Miller celebrates upon receiving her championship medal after the PIAA Class 6A championship game Friday night at the Giant Center in Hershey. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

By Matt Smith

Greta Miller’s contributions to Cardinal O’Hara’s 2023-24 season cannot be measured by the markings that appear next to her name in the scorebook.

She didn’t score 20 points per game and she wasn’t the player opposing teams planned for when facing the Lions. The senior guard made her impact with textbook defense and rebounding.

She scored from time to time, and was never afraid to take her shot even when going through a cold spell. Coming into the PIAA Class 6A final against Spring-Ford, Miller had played two straight games without scoring a point.

But Miller had one more big shot left in her Friday at the Giant Center, swishing a 3-point field goal in the third quarter after Spring-Ford had rallied to close the gap to six points. It was an offensive rebound by Miller that led to her clutch basket.

When O’Hara needed someone to make a play, Miller answered the call. The Lions never looked back, ending the game on an 18-8 run en route to a 42-26 victory over the Rams, earning O’Hara’s third state title in four years.

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Girls: PIAA Class 6A Championship: Motivation abounds for both teams as O’Hara preps for Spring-Ford

Cardinal O'Hara's starters prepare to rush the court at the final buzzer of their PIAA Class 6A semifinal win over Parkland High on March 18. (Austin Hertzog - MediaNews Group)

Cardinal O’Hara’s starters prepare to rush the court at the final buzzer of their PIAA Class 6A semifinal win over Parkland High on March 18. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

By Matt Smith

If Cardinal O’Hara has anything in common with Spring-Ford, its opponent in Friday’s PIAA Class 6A championship game, it’s that each team has unfinished business.

The Lions were eliminated in the semifinal round of the 2023 tournament, falling by one point to eventual state champ Archbishop Carroll. Meanwhile, the Rams were ousted by O’Hara in the quarterfinals a season ago, and hope to avoid leaving Hershey empty-handed for the second time in four years.

O’Hara (25-4) and Spring-Ford (27-6) are vying for the title of best girls basketball team in PIAA’s highest classification. Tipoff at the Giant Center is 6 p.m.

O’Hara captured Class 5A championships in 2021 and 2022. Those teams were led by two-time Daily Times Player of the Year Maggie Doogan (Richmond) and All-Delco Amaris Baker (Drexel), both of whom have played key roles in helping their college squads to the NCAA Tournament. In 2021, when Spring-Ford lost to North Allegheny in the Class 6A final, Villanova star Lucy Olsen was arguably the best high school player in Pennsylvania.

There is connective tissue on both current rosters linking the teams’ previous state championship runs.

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PIAA Class 4A Boys Championship: Brandin Cummings, Lincoln Park overwhelm Carroll

Archbishop Carroll forward Munir Greig takes the ball to the rim for a layup against Lincoln Park during the PIAA Class 4A final at the Giant Center Thursday night. (Evan Wheaton - For MediaNews Group)

Archbishop Carroll forward Munir Greig takes the ball to the rim for a layup against Lincoln Park during the PIAA Class 4A final at the Giant Center Thursday night. (Evan Wheaton – For MediaNews Group)

By Matthew DeGeorge

After the first quarter Thursday night, the PIAA’s DJ queued up some Sia for the fans in attendance at the Giant Center. The pop star and wig aficionado wasn’t singing about Lincoln Park’s offense. But she may as well have been.

The Leopards were, as the Australian intoned, unstoppable. A 15-for-19 start from the field and 37 points in a signature performance by Brandin Cummings helped the charter school from Midland claim an 80-50 decision over Archbishop Carroll in the PIAA Class 4A final.

It’s the 19th straight win and fourth state title for Lincoln Park, one shy of the school whose building they inherited, Midland High. It won this game over Neumann-Goretti, 62-58, last year. All the energy that Carroll, the seventh-place team in the Catholic League and third seed out of District 12, expended to make this run to Hershey was used Thursday not to get blown out.

Lincoln Park just took what it wanted offensively early. It went on a 16-0 run in the first quarter and led 51-22 at halftime on 21-for-30 shooting. Only some prudent clock killing by a team that played like it’s been to this stage before kept the score reasonable.

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Girls’: PIAA 6A championship preview, Spring-Ford vs. Cardinal O’Hara (matchup & prediction)

Senior point guards Joannie Quinn, left, and Anna Azzara, right, lead Cardinal O’Hara and Spring-Ford into their matchup in the PIAA 6A championship game on Friday, March 22. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

Senior point guards Joannie Quinn, left, and Anna Azzara, right, lead Cardinal O’Hara and Spring-Ford into their matchup in the PIAA 6A championship game on Friday, March 22. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

By Austin Herzog

It’s hard to find a team more level-headed than the Spring-Ford girls’ basketball squad.

The wins — there have been many — don’t elicit the euphoria you’ll see from other programs. That has a lot to do with the pedigree that comes from District 1’s most successful program over the last 15 years.

The losses — there have been significant ones — don’t come with a crushing, tearful display.

Both sides of the coin, and the Rams’ response to each, is what has delivered Spring-Ford to this moment, a spot in the PIAA Class 6A championship game on Friday against District 12 powerhouse Cardinal O’Hara.

The Rams and Lions meet in the state playoffs for a second straight year, this time on the big stage of the Giant Center in Hershey at 6 p.m. Friday.

It’s the final hurrah for a pair of senior-led squads that have experienced more winning than almost any others in the last four years.

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Girls: State title game will exhibit talent along the sideline, too

Cardinal O'Hara coach Chrissie Doogan talks to her team in a timeout during the first round of the PIAA Class 6A playoffs on March 8. (MediaNews Group staff photo)

Cardinal O’Hara coach Chrissie Doogan talks to her team in a timeout during the first round of the PIAA Class 6A playoffs on March 8. (MediaNews Group staff photo)

By Bob Grotz

Almost hidden by the championship talent that will be on display in the PIAA Class 6A girls’ championship between Cardinal O’Hara and Spring-Ford Friday is the understated savvy of the coaches.

In addition to the players, Chrissie Doogan of Cardinal O’Hara and Mickey McDaniel of Spring-Ford also are among the best at what they do in the state, and it will only take a few minutes for spectators to realize that when they begin watching the chess match at the Giant Center in Hershey (6 p.m.,, PCN, pcntv.com/basketball stream).

Doogan and McDaniel stood tall among a skilled cast of coaches in the final four round of the state playoffs. Doogan’s Lions wore out a once-beaten and highly skilled Perkiomen Valley squad with gifted 6-foot-3 center Quinn Boettinger and aggressive forward Grace Galbavy (6-0), using a defense that relentlessly overplayed the strengths of those playmakers, and wound up making the former a liability late in the contest.

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PIAA Class 4A Boys: Girls’ senior night left a valuable impression on Darrell Davis, Carroll boys

Carroll's Ian Williams, right, hits a basket against Bonner & Prendergast in a January game. (Pete Bannan - MediaNews Group)

Carroll’s Ian Williams, right, hits a basket against Bonner & Prendergast in a January game. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)

By Matthew DeGeorge

The realization set in for Archbishop Carroll guard Darrell Davis once the families lined up and the carnations came out.

It was Senior Night at Archbishop Carroll last month for the Patriots’ 2023 state champion girls team. Davis, the freshman point guard on the boys team, got a glimpse of the time difference between Carroll’s girls and his team.

“When our girls had a senior night, we looked like, man, we’re not going to have a senior night for two more years,” Davis said. “Us having sophomores as our leaders, that’s pretty big for them. It’s something big on their shoulders that they’re got to carry.”

Carroll’s roster may look very different, but it has achieved what the girls team did a year ago: A trip to Hershey for a state final.

Carroll’s young roster is looking to complete an unlikely state title run Thursday night, taking on District 7’s Lincoln Park in the Class 4A final at the Giant Center. Tipoff is at 8 p.m.

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Girls: PIAA 6A Preview: Cardinal O’Hara senior Greta Miller ready to finish career in Hershey

By Andrew Robinson

Every good team needs a player like Greta Miller, luckily for Cardinal O’Hara, the Lions already have Greta Miller.

The senior isn’t going to lead the scorebook, but watch the Lions play for a few minutes and No. 11 will surely be flying around. Miller has been a star in her role this season as an intangible player who’s impact isn’t measured in numbers.

Miller will play her final game Friday night when Cardinal O’Hara faces Spring-Ford for the PIAA 6A title at Hershey’s Giant Center and she’s enjoyed every bit of the ride.

“It’s been awesome, of course, especially being a senior and this is my way of going out, the only word is awesome,” Miller said. “It’s my third time being able to go to Hershey and winning a third one would just make it so much better.”

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Boys: PIAA 4A Preview: Bowe leads young Archbishop Carroll squad against defending champ Lincoln Park

By Kevin Gamli

Archbishop Carroll lifted a state championship trophy in 2009, the first year Philadelphia Catholic League programs were allowed to compete in the PIAA tournament.

The players on Carroll’s current roster likely don’t remember that one. The group of all freshmen and sophomores were 2 years old or younger back then. 

The Patriots head to Hershey on Thursday night for the PIAA Class 4A championship game at 8 p.m. against District 7 champ Lincoln Park looking to hoist the trophy for Carroll again.

“The guys are thrilled,” Patriots coach Francis Bowe said. “They’re so young but I think they understand this moment, they’re realizing what they’re achieving is rare.” “They’re starting to embrace it now, and they’re really excited for Thursday night.”

Carroll (21-8) has five sophomores and two freshmen at the top of the rotation. It’s an inexperienced team reaching heights they shouldn’t at such an early part of their high school careers. 

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PIAA Girls: O’Hara’s senior trio has led another state final run

Cardinal O'Hara's Joannie Quinn, left, celebrates with teammates Carly Coleman, center, and Molly Rullo after Quinn hit a 3-pointer against Parkland during the PIAA Class 6A semifinal at Norristown Monday night. AUSTIN HERTZOG - MEDIANEWS GROUP

Cardinal O’Hara’s Joannie Quinn, left, celebrates with teammates Carly Coleman, center, and Molly Rullo after Quinn hit a 3-pointer against Parkland during the PIAA Class 6A semifinal at Norristown Monday night. AUSTIN HERTZOG – MEDIANEWS GROUP

By Matt Smith

Cardinal O’Hara seniors Joanie Quinn, Carly Coleman and Greta Miller are more than just standout players on the basketball court.

They are model student-athletes and team leaders. They are friends and mentors to the underclassmen. And in the eyes of coach Chrissie Doogan, they are the embodiment of the O’Hara girls basketball program: hard-working, selfless and determined to succeed.

“They are kids who want to get the most out of being O’Hara kids, and they don’t want to waste any experience of their senior year. They want to love every single moment and get the most out of being here,” Doogan said. “Joanie is in 18 student committees, and Carly and Greta are All-Catholic soccer players. They are all great kids and they want to truly experience their senior year. And they are kids who don’t take themselves too seriously.”

The Lions are on the precipice of becoming one of Delco’s great championship dynasties, a win away from capturing the program’s third PIAA title in four years. Only one Delco girls team – Archbishop Carroll – has won three.

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