A HARD FALL
‘Way more physical than we were,’ CV coach says of Cardinal O’Hara
Chartiers Valley lost to Cardinal O’Hara, 51-27, in the PIAA Class 5A final Saturday in Hershey, Pa. Aislin Malcolm deals with the defeat. Coverage,
HERSHEY, Pa. — Kanye West’s ‘Stronger’ blared on the speakers Saturday at Giant Center prior to the PIAA Class 5A girls championship.
The song includes the words “Work it, make it, do it, makes us harder, better, faster, stronger.”
It easily could have been Cardinal O’Hara’s theme song, as the Lions were simply better, faster and stronger than defending champion Chartiers Valley, and handed the WPIAL champions a lopsided51-27 loss.
In what was a stunning result considering Chartiers Valley’s dominance over the past few seasons, the Colts (254) — who set a state record for consecutive wins earlier this season — made the kind of history they weren’t looking to make. The 27 points tied for the fourth-fewest in PIAA girls championship history. It was the fewest points scored by a Colts team since 2008. Chartiers Valley came into the final averaging 64 points a game.
Cardinal O’Hara (15-4), the Philadelphia Catholic League runner-up, held the Colts to 19% (8 of 42) shooting, including 12% (2 of 16) from 3-point range. Chartiers Valley’s top three scorers, Aislin Malcolm, Perri Page and Hallie Cowan combined to shoot 6 of 35. Page was the only Colts player to score in double figures, finishing with 10.
“They were strong and big, but they came with another level tonight,” Chartiers Valley coach Tim McConnell said. “I watched a lot of film on them and they played tremendous. They took us out of everything we tried to get. Other games we got open looks. They really did a good job of switching screens. I thought their physicality was what the difference was. They were way more physical than wewere.”
Switching on all screens was a wrinkle Cardinal O’Hara added in preparation for the game. It paid off for the Lions, who proved to be an extremely difficult matchup for the Colts due to their size and athleticism.
“We haven’t done that this year and it worked,” Cardinal O’Hara coach Chrissie Doogan said. “The kids bought into it and I don’t think Chartiers Valley has seen that level of defense all year. Our guards are strong kids.”
Junior guard Sydni Scott definitely fits the bill. She was excellent defensively and led Cardinal O’Hara with a gamehigh 16 points, converting four of the team’s seven 3pointers. Junior forward Maggie Doogan was outstanding inside and out, scoring 13 points. Both were first-team all-Philadelphia Catholic League picks this season.
For a Chartiers Valley team that had won its previous postseason games by at least 16 points, this game got out of hand quickly. Cardinal O’Hara raced to a 10-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. It would likely take only one hand to count how many times the Colts have faced a double-digit deficit overthe past few seasons.
“I knew I needed to get the team together and just calm down and try to come back, but it’s hard to come back fromthat,” said Malcolm, who scored 7 points, 10 below her
average.
Abby Vaites drilled a 3pointer to put Chartiers Valley on the board with 5:07 left in the first quarter, but Cardinal O’Hara led, 17-7, after one frame. That margin ballooned early in the second when Doogan nailed consecutive 3s to push the Lions’ lead to 23-7. The Colts trailed, 28-11, at the half after making just 4 of 24 shots from the field.
“They were really good defensively,” Malcolm said. “They’re a really quick team and they just worked harder than us. We just have to work harder next time. It’s just a lesson to learn from.”
There’s a chance “next time” could come next season. Chartiers Valley starts five juniors and Cardinal O’Hara three.
“I planned on celebrating at the hotel with them after winning a state championship,” McConnell said. “I told them that we’re going to go and celebrate a great season and be with our families and be proud of what they’ve accomplished. And we have everyone back, so we’ll go to work from there.”