PIAA Class AAAA Semifinal: North Penn vs. Cardinal O'Hara

North Penn will face District 12 champion Cardinal O’Hara in Tuesday night’s PIAA Class AAAA semifinal game at Spring-Ford High School (7:30 p.m.).

Fans of improbable endings had to love Friday night’s PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal games at Spring-Ford High School.

Both North Penn and Cardinal O’Hara were favorites to win their games against Neshaminy and Garnet Valley, respectively. Both favorites needed something pretty close to divine intervention or – at the very least – an unlikely set of circumstances to escape with wins.

Maggie deMarteleire, for one, has her own explanation of what may have happened.

“I swear Dan had a hand in both of us winning the other night,” the Lady Knights coach said of her brother, former Cardinal O’Hara football coach Dan Algeo, who passed away suddenly of a heart attack on July 3, 2014. “It was him, for sure.

“We were way down early and came back and battled but made a few miscues in the last minute.”

The Lady Knights – leading by one after trailing by as many as 12 points – made several uncharacteristic mistakes in the closing seconds of the game, twice turning the ball over. The Redskins missed a pair of foul shots with 28 seconds remaining after the first turnover and then saw a shot for the win fall short after the second.

“I think we had a little angel up there knocking those balls out,” deMarteleire said with a laugh. “My brother was helping me out.”

O’Hara also received an unlikely assist in its dramatic 46-44 win over Garnet Valley, although it looked as though the Lions wouldn’t need any after opening up a 20-4 lead out of the gate. The Jaguars gamely battled back, knotting the score 44-44 with 5.9 seconds remaining. Overtime appeared imminent, and with O’Hara’s Mary Sheehan on the bench after picking up her fifth foul, the Jaguars appeared to have all the momentum, but with 0.4 seconds showing on the scoreboard clock, Hannah Nihill – after taking the ball the length of the court – was fouled and buried a pair at the charity stripe to give the Lions the win.

A matchup that would have been a point of pride to Dan Algeo on both sides was in place. O’Hara and North Penn will be meeting in a state semifinal on Tuesday.

“He was a true blue O’Hara person, and he’s a loyal family person, so this would have been a difficult game for him,” deMarteleire said. “He’s probably just happy where he is right now.”

Friday’s win over Neshaminy vaulted the Lady Knights into the state semifinals for the first time in program history.

“This is what he would have wanted,” deMarteleire said of her brother, who was one of her team’s most ardent supporters. “He always wanted the best for me, and he always wanted our program to be elevated just as he did for his own football program at O’Hara.

“He always wanted what was best for his kids – that’s who he was. It’s going to feel good because he would have wanted this to happen.”

deMarteleire knows her team cannot afford to put itself in a position where it needs a miracle ending on Tuesday night and acknowledged that the Lady Knights’ play in the closing seconds of Friday’s dramatic win was hardly typical.

“Especially after the game against PV where we really handled the crowd and everything so well and were so composed,” she said of her team’s second round win over Perkiomen Valley. “We didn’t show great composure in the last 30 seconds of the Neshaminy game, and hopefully, that’s another lesson learned, and moving forward, that’s going to help us.”

Friends turned foes – Sam Carangi and Mackenzie Gardler have known each other for literally a lifetime.

“I have known Kenzi since we were babies - we used to be neighbors,” Carangi said. “I have known her whole family forever.”

Carangi and Gardler - both Villanova commits - will be lining up on opposite sides of the court when North Penn faces O’Hara in a state semifinal game on Tuesday night. Gardler won’t be on the only familiar face on O’Hara.

Carangi is teammates with Gardler and also O’Hara’s Mary Sheehan and Hannah Nihill on the Comets AAU squad. While Carangi and Gardler will be playing collegiate basketball on the Main Line, Sheehan and Nihill won’t be that far away with Nihill committing to Drexel and Sheehan to St. Joseph’s.

“I think whatever the outcome is on Tuesday we’ll be happy for each other,” Carangi said. “I don’t think there will be any hard feelings, hopefully.”

After O’Hara’s win over Garnet Valley, Carangi and her mother, North Penn assistant coach Jen Carangi, visited with their friends from O’Hara.

“We were joking around and said, ‘Okay, starting now, we’re not friends until after Tuesday,’” Carangi said. “We’re talking, but I don’t think we’ve talked about the game.

“We scrimmaged them at the beginning of the year, so that was cool, but we’re two completely different teams now than we were in November.”

The Lady Knights and Lions will tip off in Tuesday’s state semifinal at Spring-Ford High School at 7:30 p.m.

“It’s honestly a great feeling,” Carangi said. “We’re the first North Penn team to get this far, and we want to keep it going. We want to be the first North Penn team to win states.”

(1-5) NORTH PENN vs. (12-1) Cardinal O’Hara (at Spring-Ford High School, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
North Penn

• 29-3 overall
• 14-0 SOL Continental Conference champions
• Defeated Central Bucks West 48-47 in overtime to capture the SOL Tournament title
• Lady Knights are led by senior forward Mikaela Giuliani (11.9 ppg) and junior point guard Sam Carangi (10.6 ppg).
• Irisa Ye (9.3 ppg), Jess Huber (8.3 ppg), Bri Hewlett (7.5 ppg) and Mia Melchior (5.4 ppg) also are consistent offensive contributors.
• 20-game winning streak snapped for the top-seeded Lady Knights with district quarterfinal loss to Central Bucks South

How they got here: 

• In Friday’s quarterfinal game, North Penn trailed by as many as 12 points but came back to eke out a 42-41 win over Neshaminy. Bri Hewlett scored four straight points in the fourth quarter to give the Lady Knights their first lead since midway through the first quarter. Jess Huber led all scorers with 17 points.
• In a second round game, North Penn survived foul trouble and a late rally by Perk Valley to defeat the District One AAAA champions 55-52. The Lady Knights were led by the 18-point effort of junior Jess Huber. Mikaela Giuliani, who picked up three early fouls, scored 12 points – eight in the pivotal fourth quarter. Sam Carangi and Bri Hewlett both had eight while Irisa Ye had seven.
• In its state opener, North Penn raced to a 32-7 halftime lead on its way to a 59-27 rout of District 12’s second place team, Central High School. Mikaela Giuliani (18 points) and Irisa Ye (17 points) led the Lady Knights.
• In the fifth place game, North Penn used a 23-11 second quarter tear to go into halftime with a 36-19 lead over third-seeded Garnet Valley on its way to a 62-44 rout. Jess Huber led the Lady Knights with 18 points and six steals. Mikaela Giuliani added 12 points and six steals while Irisa Yee also had 12 points. Sam Carangi added 11 points and seven assists.
• In a game for district seeding, North Penn opened up a 32-23 lead over 13^th-seeded Neshaminy at halftime and then outscored its visitors 25-6 in the second half on its way to a 57-29 win. Mikaela Giuliani led the Lady Knights with 19 points and seven rebounds. Jess Huber (13 points), Bri Hewlett (11 points) and Sam Carangi (eight points, four assists) also contributed.
• In a district quarterfinal game against eighth-seeded CB South, North Penn – after trailing by 15 late in the third quarter – took a 45-42 lead when Jess Huber converted a three-point play in the closing seconds of regulation. That lead was erased when Jordan Vitelli – after her team took possession under North Penn’s basket with 2.9 seconds remaining – launched a shot from beyond midcourt that fell through the net, tying the score and setting the stage for overtime. The Lady Knights were outscored 12-9 in OT, suffering a heartbreaking 57-54 loss. Bri Hewlett (15 points), Huber (13) and Sam Carangi (12) all finished in double figures for North Penn.
• In the second round, the Lady Knights used a 22-6 second quarter tear to turn a two-point lead into a 34-16 halftime lead on their way to a 64-36 rout of 17^th-seeded Penn Wood. Mikaela Giuliani (24 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots), Sam Carangi (18 points, six assists, four steals) and Jess Huber (12 points, five assists, three blocked shots) all turned in huge performances for the Lady Knights.
• In opening round action, the top-seeded Lady Knights made easy business of 32^nd-seeded Penncrest, opening up a 41-7 halftime lead on their way to a 63-18 mercy rule win. Mikaela Giuliani scored a game-high 23 points and eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau midway through the second quarter. Irisa Ye (11 points), Jess Huber (10 points) and Bri Hewlett (seven points) also contributed offensively.

Cardinal O’Hara

• 25-3 overall
• Opened season with an 11-game winning streak
• Ranked number one in Class AAAA for a portion of the season and also was ranked in USA Today’s Super 25.
• Led by juniors Mary Sheehan (St. Joseph’s) and Hannah Nihill (Drexel) and sophomore Mackenzie Gardler (Villanova).

How they got here:

• In Friday’s quarterfinal game, Cardinal O’Hara led 20-6 after one quarter but needed a pair of Hannah Nihill foul shots with 0.4 seconds remaining to eke out a 46-44 win over Garnet Valley, District One’s sixth place team. Mary Sheehan led the way with 17 points while Maura Hendrixson had 13 and Nihill, 12 points.
• In a second round state game, Cardinal O’Hara led 11-9 after one quarter and then went on a 15-3 second quarter tear on its way to a 56-36 rout of Easton, the third place team from District 11. Mary Sheehan’s 20 points led all scorers. Mackenzie Gardler and Hannah Nihill both added 15.
• In an opening round state game, Cardinal O’Hara trailed Abington 29-25 at halftime but outscored the Ghosts 30-17 in the second half to earn a 55-46 win. Mary Sheehan, Mackenzie Gardler and Maura Hendrixson all scored 13 points while Hannah Nihill had 11.
• In the District 12 title game, Cardinal O’Hara crushed Central 58-19. Mary Sheehan (11 points) and Mackenzie Garder (10 points) led a balanced attack.
• In a PCL semifinal game, Cardinal O’Hara fell to Archbishop Wood 47-34. Mary Sheehan scored a team-high 10 points.
• In a PCL quarterfinal contest, Cardinal O’Hara defeated Lansdale Catholic 70-33. Mackenzie Garder, who scored 23 points, did not miss a shot, connecting on 8-of-8 shots from the field and 4-of-4 at the foul line. Mary Sheehan (15 points) and Hannah Nihill (11 points) also finished in double figures.

Winner gets:  The winner will face the winner of the (3-1) Cumberand Valley versus (7-2) North Allegheny in Friday’s state title game in Hershey.