Archbishop Wood’s Lauren Greer and Alexa Windish savoring senior season together

Almost every day, Alexa Windish and Lauren Greer take a moment to savor where they are.

The Archbishop Wood girls’ basketball seniors make up half of the Vikings’ quartet of captains, and there’s no denying the work they put in to get to this point. It’s the first year the two are in the starting lineup, and with the postseason nearing, both are gearing up for their final stretch on the court together.

“We definitely give each other a little, ‘look how far we’ve come,’” Windish said. “We really, really worked for these spots.”

Windish, who’s committed to Kutztown, played off the bench last year as a consistent part of the rotation on Wood’s third straight state title team. Greer, who has drawn interest from schools at the Division III level, played more sparingly as a swing player between JV and varsity.

Whatever their minute totaled at the end of last season, the two seniors knew more was coming their way for their final campaign.

“We both worked really hard for this,” Windish said. “To be able to start this year, we wanted to use it as a big opportunity and step up as best we could as leaders on the floor.”

Greer, who played travel with Upper Makefield Heat Hoops and Windish, who played with the Mid-Atlantic Magic, both had strong summers in their last go-round with their respective AAU teams. They tried to carry it over to their high school season.

“We’ve been on JV in years past, every day, we show up and we work hard just as everyone else does,” Greer said. “I think we’ve settled into our roles quite well and that’s what is helping us win a lot of these games.”

Wood’s two returning starters in senior Fairleigh Dickinson-bound Ava Renninger and junior Emily Knouse, who’s committed to St. Joe’s, compose the other half of the captain quartet. Those two makeup the load in scoring.

Though, Greer, who usually guards the top player on the opposing team, has become more confident in her shooting. Windish, who plays a key role in drawing fouls against other teams, has also strived to be more assertive on the floor.

“The one thing for me has been confidence,” Greer said. “Being confident in my shot, my defense, my rebounding. My whole thing isn’t about just scoring, I do a lot on the boards and with assists, so finding confidence in my overall game and just trusting my teammates, we have a very strong connection and it’s very important.”

Windish added: “Charges are big energy boosters in games — sliding over and taking a charge is always helpful in changing the energy of a game.”

Both the first-year starters said they’ve tried to develop a short-term mindset. They know Wood coach Mike McDonald is going to need them down the stretch, so if they make a mistake on the court, the two try not to dwell on it for long.

“You also have your teammates who are constantly lifting you up,” Greer said. “Everyone doesn’t always have their best game but your teammates are helping you through it so that’s a major part for me, getting over a turnover or something like that.”

» READ MORE: Sammy Jackson emerges for Roman Catholic with his brother Shareef sidelined

Besides the four captains, the rest of the group are all underclassmen. Sophomore Sophia Topakas rounds out the starting five while the rest of the main rotation are either sophomores or freshmen.

Greer and Windish get it. They’ve worked their way up from JV to practice players to now starting as seniors, and both agreed they’ve seen their teammates make some big strides during the season.

The two seniors want to cap their final year with a Catholic League and state title. The Vikings fell three points short of securing a PCL championship against Lansdale Catholic last season.

“We’ve seen each other do all this hard work,” Windish said. “We told each other, ‘Don’t give up on yourself, you made it this far for a reason.’ It’s something we always pick each other up with.”

“It’s another reason why we play so aggressively in the games,” Greer said. “We know how much work we’ve put in, so we don’t want it to end on a bad note.

“With all the work we’ve put in, we don’t want that to go to waste.”

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.