Cardinal O’Hara girls hold off Spring-Ford, 43-37, in state playoffs

Cardinal O’Hara’s goal going into the game was stopping Spring-Ford’s Lucy Olsen. Coach Chrissie Doogan wanted to hold the sophomore to 10 points.

The Lions met that goal Tuesday night, as Olsen scored 10 points and the Lions held off Spring-Ford, 43-37, in the second round of the PIAA Class 6A girls’ basketball playoffs at Harriton High School.

“I knew we couldn’t shut her out,” Doogan said, “but if she scores 10 or 12, we can still win. If she scores 24, 25, we’re not going to win.”

All of Olsen’s points came after halftime, on just two field goals, as the Rams made a furious push after the break.

After O’Hara built a 26-9 lead at the half, Spring-Ford outscored the Lions in the third quarter, 18-8, and cut the lead to seven entering the fourth. Junior guard Skylar Sullivan came off the bench and scored eight points in the quarter to provide the spark.

The Rams cut to the lead to 34-33 on a pair of Olsen free throws with three minutes remaining. Spring-Ford coach Mickey McDonald didn’t talk much about X’s and O’s during halftime.

“The biggest thing was [Cardinal O’Hara] didn’t see who we really were,” McDonald said. “Let’s go out and show them who we are and play with the intensity we can play with.”

O’Hara’s Sydni Scott, who finished with 11 points, took the air out of the Rams’ intensity after she converted a three-point play with more than two minutes left to give the Lions a four-point lead. The Lions went 6-for-8 from the line after Scott’s three-point play to finish off the win.

The Lions dominated the first half. Amaris Baker scored 15 of her 19 points in the half, knocking down three three-pointers.

Although the Rams cut the lead to one, they never led at any point during the game. Doogan had to continually remind her players that they still had the lead in the midst of the Rams’ best punch.

“They hadn’t taken the lead yet,” Doogan said, “so we kept telling them, ‘Hey, we still have the lead. Play like you have the lead.’ They just wanted it.”

O’Hara will play the winner of Hazleton and Neshaminy in Friday’s quarterfinal matchup.

“We feel like we can do it,” Baker said, “especially with two seniors [Erin Welde and Kerry Patterson]. We want to do it for them.”

Cardinal O’Hara 10 16 8 9 -- 43

Spring-Ford 6 3 18 10 -- 37

CO: Amaris Baker 19, Siobhan Boylan 8, Kerry Patterson 5, Sydni Scott 11.

SF: Abbey Boyer 2, Cassie Marte 5, Olivia Olsen 3, Lucy Olsen 10, Skylar Sullivan 8, Emily Tiffan 3, Alyssa Yuan 6.