O’Hara game day: Those words mean something different at Archbishop Carroll High School.
When a Carroll/O’Hara game has implications such as those of Thursday night’s 45-41 Lady Pats victory in Springfield, there’s a lot on the line.
“We really knew we had to pull out a win in this game,” said freshman forward Kayla Eberz. “Obviously, it’s O’Hara, but we won this game and did what we had to do.”
The repercussions of the game were huge, not just because Carroll and O’Hara have one of biggest rivalries in the area, but also because the two teams have gone back and forth as some of the best girls basketball teams in the Philadelphia Catholic League for years and they got to face off with huge state PCL playoff implications.
With the win Carroll is guaranteed a spot in the 6A state playoffs while also clinching a higher seed than O’Hara. As far as the Catholic League goes, the Lady Pats clinched a first round home playoff game.
“I think these girls work really hard,” said Carroll head coach Renie Shields. “You know, mentally it’s a big game when you win against a rival. O’Hara is a very good team, always has been a very good team, so it means a lot to the girls. It’s such a big confidence boost.”
It was a confidence boost that the team needed desperately as it clung to one of the top spots in the Catholic League, following losses to top dogs Archbishop Wood and Neumann-Goretti.
The Lady Pats had struggled this season against the upper echelons of the Catholic League, taking advantage of the lesser teams but not being able to beat any of the so-called “contenders.” Taking down O’Hara erases that narrative and opens some eyes as the team moves down the stretch.
For a while during Thursday’s contest, it appeared as though Carroll would once again fall short against one of the league’s contenders. As O’Hara got out to an early lead, they were able to keep Carroll at arms length for a majority of the first period.
After one, Carroll trailed by one. As the first half moved along, O’Hara continued to lead although Carroll took a brief lead at 18-17 with around three minutes to go in the second quarter. The Pats were able to close the gap on a few occasions and even tie it up at halftime with a score of 21-21.
In the third period, O’Hara started to gain traction, but the Lions extended their lead and looked as though they may begin to put the Patriots away as the three-man offense slowed down. Receiving 44/45 points from Abbie McFillin, Alexis Eberz, and Kayla Eberz, Carroll’s offense slowed at times. Just one shot was taken from the field by a player not named McFillin or Eberz.
As the fourth quarter began, however, something clicked and the Patriots came roaring back.
“We talk about it all the time,” said Shields. “Take it one possession at a time. If you make a mistake, just get up and take it to the next possession. I think they finally started to do it and that was really good to see.”
That was exactly what Carroll did in the fourth quarter. Even as O’Hara went back down and scored, the Lady Pats were able to slow the offense down and work at their own pace, scoring on their terms.
The Lady Pats closed things up to just a one point differential, less than two minutes into the quarter.
O’Hara pulled away once again with a four-point lead before Carroll finally took the lead on a huge shot from Alexis Eberz. In the final two minutes the Patriots once again kept a one-possession mentality as they continued to make O’Hara have to foul them to regain possession in the final minutes.
As the clock ticked down, O’Hara made a last shot prayer that would not have done much anyway since the Lions were down by four. The shot fell short and Carroll picked up its eighth Catholic League win.
With the win, the Lady Pats head home to take on Lansdale Catholic (8-2 PCL) in a game with PCL playoff implications as the teams sit at a stalemate in the standings. Tip-off for next Tuesday’s game will be at 6 p.m. in the East Gym.
