Lansdale Catholic girls will live their Palestra dream in the Catholic League final
"Its been a dream ever since freshman year to play in the Palestra," said star Gabby Casey after the Crusaders beat Archbishop Carroll in the semifinals.
Lansdale Catholic’s Gabby Casey wrapped her arm around teammate Olivia Boccella and walked toward center court, veering away from the group huddle celebration on Tuesday.
In between laughs, the two were soaking in the moment as they helped the Crusaders advance to the Philadelphia Catholic League basketball final for the first time since the program joined the league in 2008.
Three years ago, Casey and Boccella were a part of a team that compiled just two wins and absorbed 11 losses. But none of that mattered on Tuesday, as Lansdale Catholic rolled past Archbishop Carroll, 53-39, in the Catholic League semifinals at St. Joseph’s University’s City campus.
“It’s just amazing; it’s been a dream since freshman year to play at the Palestra,” said Casey, a senior guard/small forward who finished with 18 points. “Me, Alana [Ciccocelli] and [former player] Cassidy [Saulino] made a pact freshman year driving to the Palestra that we’d be back our senior year, and thankfully we are.”
Inside the Palestra this Monday, though, LC will play a familiar opponent for the title in Archbishop Wood. The Crusaders lost to the Vikings in the PIAA Class 4A championship at the Giant Center in Hershey last season.
Wood trailed Cardinal O’Hara for most of their PCL semifinal. But after a fourth-quarter eruption, Wood’s Deja Evans, who scored a team-high 19 points, made a second-attempt layup in the final seconds, sealing a 31-29 victory over the defending PCL champion.
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“They’re going to be ready,” said Lansdale Catholic coach Eric Gidney. “I respect the job that [coach] Mike [McDonald] does. We’re starting to become familiar with playing each other now in, let’s say, meaningful games. Whether it’s state titles or Philadelphia Catholic League, I know that they’ll be ready, but I know that we’ll be ready, too.”
Wearing a suit that was drenched in water from the locker room celebration, Gidney added, “We’re going to enjoy this tonight, then we’ll start focusing on Archbishop Wood tomorrow.”
Gidney, who has been in the coaching scene for 23 seasons, coached the Crusaders to the PIAA final last year, so he knew this year’s group carried a similar vision of being a championship-caliber team.
But Gidney said the Crusaders needed to think small before they could go big.
After the 2022-23 season tryouts, he showed a picture of the Palestra and the Giant Center to the group. He then crumpled up the photos and threw them on the floor. The one image that remained intact was one of Nazareth Academy, the team’s first opponent of the regular season.
“That was step one. Not we want to get here,” Gidney said as he raised his hand. “Now that we’re here, let’s win the thing. But there were so many things that we needed to do on that goal ladder to get to the top.”
Casey broke the school’s career scoring record this season and is heading to St. Joseph’s in the fall to play under Cindy Griffin, who was in the stands Tuesday.
But junior guard Boccella gave the Crusaders the edge they needed to overcome a team they nearly beat in the regular season. And it came in the corner, where she made 5 of 7 three-point shots and scored a team-high 20 points.
Gidney described her shooting, along with Casey’s leadership, as a “dangerous balance” for other opponents, and one that could come in handy against Wood, which is also a dominant shooting team.
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“We’re all nervous because this is the first time we’ve been in this position,” Casey said. “But I think just ultimately being there for each other and supporting each other and channeling everybody out in the crowd ... just us five on the floor is what we’ve got to stay [true] to.”
Gidney credits the team’s culture for earning a 22-2 record and a chance to bring Lansdale Catholic its first PCL title this season.
“I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t mean a lot,” he added. “It was a goal of mine to get this program here. But what really means more to me is to see these girls get here. ...The belief that the Lansdale Catholic girls’ basketball program could be a team that can play in the Palestra, play for titles, and go deep in the state championship.”