Cardinal O’Hara’s Sydney Scott pulls down a rebound from Archbishop Wood’s Bri Bonen in the second quarter Tuesday night. The Lions went on to a 61-54 victory. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group).
By Matt Smith
Cardinal O’Hara and Archbishop Wood could meet again. After Tuesday’s showdown at O’Hara, the reigning PIAA champions and state powerhouses might see each other in the Catholic League tournament next month. Players and fans deserve that much.
But O’Hara won the regular season meeting by knockout. No doubt about it.
The game wasn’t as close as the 61-54 final tally made it seem. The Lions were absolutely white-hot to start the night. They shot 14-for-20 from the field in the first half, scored 24 of the first 33 points, and went into the locker room at halftime up 34-13.
Last March, O’Hara fell to Wood in the Catholic League final. The Lions went on to win the program’s first PIAA championship (Class 5A), but senior forward Maggie Doogan hasn’t forgotten that Wood had their number coming into the 2021-22 campaign. Not entirely.
“I don’t know about the other seniors, but for me it’s always in the back of my mind,” said Doogan, the reigning Daily Times Player of the Year. “No one ever wants to feel like that again. But it’s just one game at a time to get back to where we were last year.”
(click on this link for the full story and more game scores)