A next-man up mentality is crucial to any winning team.
So when star senior forward Maddie McFillin tore her ACL playing AAU this past summer in Atlantic City, the Archbishop Carroll girls basketball team knew somebody would need to step up. Though just a few weeks into the season, it seems as though Maddie’s younger sister, sophomore guard Abbie McFillin, could be that “next girl.” A year ago, Abbie finished as the Lady Pats leading scorer with 10 points against New York State’s fourth ranked team.
“Yeah, what does she not do?” said head coach Renie Shields. “She’s hard-nosed and gutsy. Abbie just plays. Abbie just comes out and plays basketball and her will to win and her desire is just so strong.”
Abbie, who has experienced a great start to her sophomore season, has leapt into a huge role on one of the Catholic League’s most promising teams in 2024. However, the younger McFillin is now missing out on what would have been her final season playing alongside her elder sister Maddie, who committed to play Division One basketball alongside eldest sister Felicity McFillin ‘24 at the United States Air Force Academy next season.
“I visited during parent’s weekend, and just loved it,” said Maddie. “I emailed the coaches and they went over my film and offered me. I visited again a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with the campus so I decided that I wanted to go there and serve my country.”
Maddie, who transferred into Carroll during her junior season from Harriton High School, will have played only one season for the Lady Pats (2023-24) after missing this year, although the second of the three McFillin sisters certainly made her mark on the court and continues to do so off it this year.
“I try to stay positive for the girls,” said Maddie. “Then I’ll try to help the underclassmen when they get stressed out about the plays and things. Our team does struggle with positivity at times so I try my best to keep everyone positive at times too.”
The team did not have a positive outcome Friday night as it fell short against St. Joseph’s By the Sea, 45-38, in the She Got Game – Shore Games from St. John Vianney High School.
Nonetheless, the Lady Pats didn’t have too much of an issue keeping positive on the court in North Jersey, especially as the game got underway at a slug’s pace. Even as the first quarter finished with a 9-5 score while Carroll trailed, the Pats and the younger McFillin were able to keep their club in the contest.
Abbie went on to score eight of her 10 points in the first half and keep Carroll within striking distance through most of the second quarter. A few big rebounds from junior Alexis Eberz were able to get the Pats some extra possession, which eventually resulted in them trailing by only six at the half.
“So last year I had both my sisters to keep me in check,” said Abbie. “But this year I’ve started to look after myself and realize when I need to get stuff done which has taken my game up a notch.”
Though Abbie would only add two points in the second half, the rest of the team was able to continue to keep the contest close as the Lady Pats kept the margin under 10 for the majority of the third and fourth periods. Nonetheless, without their typical offensive aptitude on display, Carroll fell short in the final minutes, missing a few crucial shots that on other days may have just fallen.
“You know, I look up to Lex (Alexis Eberz),” said Abbie. “I think we all do, but when she’s off it kind of takes everyone by surprise a little and we all have to readjust a bit to get ourselves into the rhythm of it all.”
With the loss, the Lady Pats drop to 3-3 on the campaign and will get ready for a quick turnaround as they take on Thrive Charter in the second of their two games in the She Got Game – Shore Games tournament. The 5:20pm tipoff from Red Bank Catholic will see Carroll as they attempt to get above .500 heading into the holiday break.
