Cardinal O’Hara’s Sydni Scott, left, hits a three-pointer as the Lions defeated Archbishop Carroll 55-30 for the Catholic League girls basketball title Monday at the Palestra. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group).
By Matt Smith
Last April, Maggie Doogan stood in an empty Cardinal O’Hara gymnasium and talked about the successes of her junior season.
She enjoyed the individual accolades (Catholic League MVP and Daily Times Player of the Year) and cherished the memory of helping the Lions win the program’s first PIAA championship in Hershey last March.
But there was one thing missing.
Losing in the Catholic League final to Archbishop Wood was something she vowed not to forget anytime soon. The idea of leaving O’Hara this spring would have felt incomplete if she couldn’t celebrate a league championship at the Palestra.
Doogan’s mom, head coach Chrissie Doogan, had won multiple Catholic League titles during her amazing career at O’Hara. Although Chrissie insisted that the Catholic League title wouldn’t define her daughter’s legacy at O’Hara, for Maggie, coming close wasn’t good enough. The younger Doogan embraced the pressure, and made it her primary mission in 2022 to get to the Palestra and win it all.
The work was completed Monday evening.