Wilson trailed 8-1 early after Catie Doogan drained a 3-pointer from the right wing. The 6’ sophomore is the daughter of head coach Chrissie Doogan, a 1993 graduate of Cardinal O’Hara. Chrissie was a two-time MVP in the Philadelphia Catholic League who led the Lions to three PCL titles. She went on to rack up 1,818 points and 914 rebounds at La Salle. Doogan is a member of the Hall of Fame at both schools, as well as the Big 5. This is her eighth season at the helm of Cardinal O’Hara.

Leah Hudak hit a triple from the left corner to put the Lions on top 11-5 after eight minutes. Kailani Hardy, the BCIAA Player of the Year, picked up her second foul one minute into the second quarter. The 5’10 junior guard returned to the game a minute later. Hardy got her third foul with 5:13 left before halftime. Laila Jones, a 1,000-point scorer, splashed a trey from the top of the key to even things at 11-11. That was the lone field goal of the night for the Penn State Harrisburg commit. Jade Lee provided a spark off the Bulldogs’ bench. The 5’9 sophomore had all seven of her points in the first half. Despite its offensive woes, Wilson was within 16-15 at the break.

A layup by North Carolina lacrosse commit Ryan Leaman gave the Bulldogs their first lead at 17-16 with 4:27 remaining in the third quarter. They only scored one point the rest of the period as the Lions built a 24-18 cushion. Megan Rullo, a 5’8 Drexel commit, made a pair of layups in the third quarter. Rullo missed last season due to a knee injury. The 5’8 senior is averaging a team-high 14 ppg. this year.

Hardy came up with a steal and a transition basket to cut Wilson’s deficit to 24-20 with 6:15 to go. Olivia Craft, a 6’3 freshman, answered with a layup on the other end. Hardy finished a drive down the right side of the lane to make it 26-22 with 5:06 to play. She split a pair of free throws to get the Bulldogs within 26-23 with 3:37 left. They didn’t score again until Hardy sank a 3-pointer from the top of the key with nine seconds on the clock. During their final drought, Hardy missed a scoop shot and had a drive down the middle of the lane rattle out. Rullo converted six of her eight foul shots in the fourth quarter. She ended up with a team-high twelve points. Brigidanne Donohue added ten points and went 2-for-2 from the stripe with 1:52 remaining. The 5’10 junior gave Cardinal O’Hara a 28-23 advantage. Doogan and Hudak chipped in with five points apiece.

The Lions were 14-of-19 from the free throw line. They went 22-for-23 during a 61-49 victory over Wilson back on December 11th. Cardinal O’Hara connected four times from beyond the arc on Tuesday. The Lions only hit one triple after the opening quarter. The Bulldogs struggled at the foul line, going 6-of-12. Hardy was 3-for-8, but still managed a team-high twelve points. Wilson only made two shots from long range as their 20-game winning streak came to a halt.

The Bulldogs did bring two trophies back to West Lawn this year. They defeated Exeter 54-44 at Santander Arena for their first Berks County title since 2014. Wilson then outlasted Dallastown 42-37 in overtime to earn its seventh District 3 crown. Jones, Violet Houck, and Laura Crocona have all been starters since they were freshman. Crocona will continue her career at Kutztown. Houck is headed to Jacksonville University for track and field. They helped the Bulldogs pile up 72 wins over the past three seasons. “I can’t begin to express how proud I am of this team. They’ve accomplished so much this season, and were so fun to watch and coach. They’ve made an impact that will last for years to come,” said Raquet.