Southeastern Pa. girls’ basketball notes

Three former Cardinal Doughterty players have devloped a respect for basketball in the Inter-Academic League now that they are playing for Springside.

Juniors Michelle Boggs and Elana Roadcloud and senior Brenna Coll say they have been impressed with the brand of basketball, particularly with some of the shooters that each team in the league seems to have.

The three players moved to Spingside after Dougherty was closed by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia at the end of the 2009-10 school year. The trio has played a key role in the revitalization of the basketball program at Springside. They accounted for 27 of the Lions' points in a 34-33 victory Friday over Notre Dame. It was Springside's first win over the Irish in at least 20 years.

"The league has some real shooters," said Roadcloud, who had 6 points in the win over the Irish.

Boggs, who used her 6-foot-1 height and wide body to lead Springside with 12 points, was particularly impressed by Notre Dame's sophomore guards Megan McGurk and Kathleen Fitzpatrick.

"[Fitzpatrick] can shoot from anywhere," Boggs said.

Fitzpatrick had 13 points against the Lions. McGurk finished with 4 points, while junior forward Molly Borgese had 8.

The league can boast that it has two teams, Germantown Academy and Penn Charter, in The Inquirer's top 10 for Southeastern Pennsylvania. Notre Dame has been a perenially strong program.

"I was pumped about that game [with Notre Dame]," Roadcloud said. "It's always exciting when there's a challenge."

All three players said they were touched by the welcome they got at Springside.

"We've only been here for five months - two months for basketbaall - and we feel at home," said Boggs, who, like her two teammates, rises at 5:30 a.m. each day to begin her commute to school. Boggs and Coll travel by train, while Roadcloud takes a couple of buses.

Cancer benefit. Notre Dame will play host to Cardinal O'Hara at 7:15 Monday in the third annual benefit for the Kevin Cain Foundation. Cain was a big supporter of girls' basketball who died of cancer a couple of years ago.

Money raised from the game will be used to support families in which a member is battling cancer.

"It was Kevin's wife's idea," said Mary Beth McNichol, coach of Notre Dame. "She knew what it was like for families whose breadwinner could no longer work because of the cancer. The foundation can provide money for a mortgage payment or to buy groceries."

Shooting theory. Council Rock South junior center Alex Wheatley never gets worried when she's having trouble at the free-throw line. She has her own theory on how to overcome it. Last week, she had trouble in a key Suburban One League National Conference game against Neshaminy, missing four of seven free throws in the first quarter.

"It's probably the most over analyzed aspect of the game," said Wheatley. "So when I'm having trouble, I just have to step out of my head. I have to remind myself that muscle memory from doing it so many times will get me back in the groove.

"Hitting the front end of a one-and-one [situation] is easier said than done, but you don't want to overthink it."

Wheatley, normally a 70-75 percent free-throw shooter, has been slightly below that this season.

"My goal is to get it up to 80 percent this season," said the 6-foot-3 Wheatley, who wants to study environmental science when she gets to college.

Schaefer returns. Ciara Andrews' 30-point game in Cheltenham's 54-34 win over Central Bucks South Saturday marked the return to the bench of coach Bob Schaefer. He was briefly hospitalized and missed the Panthers' 57-36 win over Plymouth Whitemarsh Friday night.

"They wouldn't let me out of the hospital because I had a fever," said the veteran coach. "I was having abdominal problems, but they don't know what's causing them. I'm still doctoring."

The win over South raised the young Panthers' record to 7-3.

"We were 4-3 at one point. Now we're moving in the right direction," Schaefer said.