Plymouth Whitemarsh will face District 7 champion Mount Lebanon for the PIAA 6A state title on Saturday. For 33 games, the team’s four seniors – and the entire team - have lived by the mantra one game at a time. That hasn’t changed as they head into their 34th and final game. (The feature below is sponsored by Millennium Administrators in memory of Mark Picard.)
The Plymouth Whitemarsh girls’ basketball team is down to its final game in what has been a magical season. That game just happens to be for the ultimate prize – the PIAA 6A state championship.
But talk to the players, and it sounds very much like this is just another game added to a string of 33 contests – all wins - during what has been a remarkable season. Granted, teams at every level are inclined to downplay the significance of big games, but this isn’t just lip service.
“It’s not a cliché with them – they have really embraced – one day at a time, one game at a time,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “That’s something we talk about too. That’s what wins you big games – it’s one possession at a time, and you just have to win more possessions than the other team and just grind it out. That’s what has led them to this point.”
Yes, the Colonials did celebrate after last Friday’s state semifinal win over Cedar Cliff that vaulted the team into the state final at Hershey, but that celebration didn’t last long.
“After the final buzzer against Cedar Cliff, the joy and relief of making it to the state championship set in, and we really enjoyed it over the weekend,” Dougherty said. “Now this week they’re right back to being laser focused. You don’t get a banner in the gym for being state runner-up.”
While there’s pressure with that knowledge, the players haven’t allowed it to consume them.
“It’s hard to explain,” senior Kaitlyn Flanagan said. “I feel like it’s not something that takes over any of our mindsets. You hear us say all the time – one game at a time.
“I’m really impressed by our team and how we’re able to live in the present like that and just try and take it one game at a time, but obviously, there is pressure. I’m so grateful to play for this team and for this school. The teams that have come before us – we look up to them, and seeing the community support we get - it’s so cool, and I think we’re just trying to take it in stride and be in the moment with it.”
Living in the moment – it’s a recurring theme on this special squad.
“I feel like we haven’t really thought about how amazing this season has been,” senior Lainey Allen said. “We’ve just been in the moment at practice and every game.
“We’ve been in the game mode and haven’t really taken time to step back and realize, ‘Wow, we’re really doing this our senior year.’ It’s crazy.”
What the Colonials are doing is nothing short of extraordinary. On Dec. 14, PW took the court for its first game of the season against Quakertown and rolled to a 55-25 win. It was the first of 33 wins in a season that saw the Colonials win the SOL Liberty Division, the third straight conference title for the seniors. They won their first SOL Tournament title and then rolled to the District One 6A crown. And, oh, by the way, they are ranked 25th in the nation by MaxPreps, the lone Pennsylvania team to earn a spot in the national rankings.
“Honestly, I never expected to go undefeated all season all the way to states,” Allen said. “I think it’s mind blowing. I’m not shocked because I know we’re a good team and we’re hard workers, but it’s just unbelievable that it’s happening our senior year after four years of hard work and everything. It’s finally paying off.”
Allen joined the PW basketball program when her family returned to the area prior to her freshman year. The transition was seamless.
“It’s just a welcoming environment – the coaches, the teammates, past players who have graduated,” she said. “They were all very welcoming, and I became part of their family so quick. It was just really cool.
“We’re definitely all sisters, and we all have a connection and bond together. We’re so close, and it really carries onto the court, for sure, and I really appreciate having these relationships with them. It’s definitely going to last past high school, and I love that.”
The team’s other three seniors – Flanagan, Fiona Gooneratne and Jordyn Thomas - have been together since they were youngsters.
“It is really cool just to see that all these girls I’ve been playing with since I’ve been young made the decision to stay,” Flanagan said of choosing PW. “It’s almost like it was never even a discussion, at least not with each other.
“This was always the plan, and I think it does come from that legacy – you see teams that are successful before you, and that does matter. Seeing those successful teams before us – obviously, there’s no question we all wanted to be together and work towards these goals together.”
“It doesn’t really get better than this,” Thomas said. “Obviously coming into this season, we had goals for ourselves, and finally accomplishing them means so much more.
“You can talk about things, you can speak about them, but it means so much more when you get there and accomplish them.”
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The team’s four seniors are the most successful group to go through the program – the Colonials have compiled a 97-13 record during their four years on the team.
“They’re all major contributors to that,” Dougherty said. “They’re a special group. The ultimate prize is winning that state championship on Saturday, and that’s what we’re working hard to do.
“Kate and Jordyn have been starters since their freshman year. Lainey was a starter and then missed time with an injury. Fiona has been a program kid. Freshman year she was jayvee/varsity swing and same thing sophomore year. Last year she was full time varsity, and now she’s a full-time rotation player.”
While Gooneratne – a rare three-sport athlete – will be joining the lacrosse team after Saturday’s state title game, her fellow seniors will remain focused on basketball. All three have committed to play at the collegiate level – Flanagan at the College of the Holy Cross, Allen at Maryland Eastern Shore and Thomas at Jefferson University.
“I think this season has been really unique in the fact that from the very beginning, we all had the same goals,” Gooneratne said. “We established early on what we wanted to accomplish, and we were going to take it one game at a time.
“Looking back, it’s actually kind of crazy to see how we’ve really been able to accomplish our goals. We said we wanted to win league, we said we wanted to win districts, and we were able to do those. Winning states is the epitome of any goal we could have, and now to have an opportunity to fulfill that is just surreal.”
“It’s obviously amazing what we have accomplished,” said Thomas, who will be back in action after being sidelined the last three games due to injury. “We go into every practice and every game knowing we have a job to get done, and just because we won however many games, it all comes down to this moment right now, and that’s what we’ve been working towards.
“We go into every single game just focusing on that team, just focusing on the film for that team. We don’t talk about any past games or future games, we just worry about the one that’s ahead.”
The comment by Thomas about her team winning “however many games” underscores the fact that the accomplishments, the accolades are secondary, a sentiment shared by her teammates.
“Honestly, we don’t really think about it,” Flanagan said. “It’s so much about preparing – who’s next, who’s next.
“The whole ‘one game at a time’ mentality has taken us to (one) game left ever, so why stop now. Especially when you get in the playoffs – who cares about records? Who cares about rankings? Who cares? It’s about beating the team in front of you, and I’m really proud of my teammates for buying into that.
“It’s so cool to see the recognition, and we’re really grateful, but you have to get yourself into the mentality it’s 5v5 on the court. All that stuff doesn’t matter when you step on the court.”
The Colonials had their final practice on their home court on Thursday. On Saturday at 5 p.m., they will step onto the biggest stage, the court at Hersheypark Arena, to take on District 7 champion Mount Lebanon in what will undoubtedly be their biggest challenge.
“We’re excited to be able to play in Hershey, but we’re also focused – yeah, we have to get this done,” Allen said.
“We’re still staying focused,” Thomas said. “We’re treating it as one more game. We have to take it seriously, and obviously, it’s a very special moment for everyone in the community.”
“It can’t really get any better than this,” Gooneratne said. “We’ve been taking it one game at a time. We’ve really been able to appreciate every moment this season.
“To do what we’re doing and accomplishing the things we are with this group of people – I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
#1-1 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH vs. #7-1 MOUNT LEBANON (Saturday, March 26, 5 p.m., Hersheypark Arena)
Plymouth Whitemarsh
- 33-0 overall
- 16-0 SOL Liberty Division champions for third straight year
- SOL Tournament champion
- District One 6A champion
- 33-game winning streak
- Starting five includes the team’s engine, senior point guard Kaitlyn Flanagan (7.7ppg, 2.8rpg, 5.5 apg, 3.0spg), junior Abby Sharpe (13.9ppg, 2.1spg), senior Lainey Allen (12.5ppg, 9.6rpg, 2.1spg), junior Erin Daley (9.2ppg, 5.6rpg, 1.7spg) and senior Jordyn Thomas (8.2ppg, 6.3rpg, 3bpg). Senior Fiona Gooneratne is the first player off the bench.
How they got here:
- In last Friday’s semifinal game, PW defeated #3-3 Cedar Cliff, 48-35. Kaitlyn Flanagan and Abby Sharpe each scored 15 points while Lainey Allen had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
- In a state quarterfinal game, PW rolled to a 56-31 win over #1-6 Perkiomen Valley. Abby Sharpe’s 20 points led the Colonials while Kaitlyn Flanagan had 12 points and 10 assists. Lainey Allen had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Erin Daley had nine points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
- In a second round contest, PW defeated #11-2 Northampton 44-28. Abby Sharpe’s 12 points led the Colonials. Lainey Allen added 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Erin Daley had eight points and eight rebounds.
- In an opening round game, PW defeated #3-6 Manheim Township 63-32. Abby Sharpe scored 19 points, and Lainey Allen added 16 to lead the Colonials. Erin Daley finished in double figures with 11 while Jordyn Thomas stuffed a stat sheet with eight points, six blocks, five rebounds and four assists.
Mount Lebanon
- 27-1 overall
- 3-time state champion (2009, 2010, 2011)
- 4-time WPIAL champions (2009, 2010, 2012, 2022)
- Led by senior and St. Louis University commit Ashleigh Connor. The 5-11 senior guard averages close to 22 points a game.
- Only loss came in final game of the regular season to WPIAL runner-up Upper St. Clair (58-53)
How they got here:
- In last Friday’s state semifinal, Mount Lebanon defeated District 3 champion Central Dauphin 41-35. Ashleigh Connor was a one-woman wrecking crew, scoring 17 by halftime and finishing with 27 points. She was 9-for-15 from the field with four steals. Brooke Collins added nine points.
- In a quarterfinal contest, Mount Lebanon downed #11-3 Easton 46-31. Ashley Connor scored 23 points.
- In a second round game, Mount Lebanon notched a 50-41 win over #7-3 Bethel Park. Ashley Connor led the way with 20 points, which included a 17-for-22 effort at the foul line. Reagan Murdoch, an American University commit for lacrosse, added 14 points.
- In an opening round contest, Mount Lebanon rolled to a 50-19 rout of #3-7 Red Lion. Ashleigh Connor (18 points) and Payton Collins (11 points) led the Blue Devils.
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