Conestoga’s Marisa Francione dribbles up the court Sunday at Arcadia. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)
By Andrew Robinson
Lizzie Halligan couldn’t help herself.
It was something she’d seen Marisa Francione do countless times, a hustle play her longtime and to-be future teammate does on the regular, so Halligan gave Francione props like always. It was then that it hit the Notre Dame senior point guard that she was playing against the Conestoga senior point guard for the first, and only, time and maybe she shouldn’t have been congratulating an opponent for that.
Francione’s Pioneers topped Halligan’s Irish 32-30 as part of the Hoops for Hope Classic at Arcadia on Sunday, the duo enjoying their only official meeting as opponents.
“I’ve always been on the same team as her,” Francione said. “For our first time playing against each other, it was a lot of fun.”
“She’s a great friend and a great teammate,” Halligan said. “She’s a lot like me, I think our coaches would say a lot of the same things about one another. Our teammates’ parents say a lot of the same things. I think we’re great leaders and we’re really supportive of each other.”