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.

Leaman was thrilled for the seniors on the team including Jones, Laura Crocona, and Violet Houck. That trio has been starting since they were freshman. Jones, the point guard and a 1,000-point scorer, missed all of last season with a torn ACL. “They’re my best friends. Just being with them every day is amazing. I couldn’t be happier for them,” emphasized Leaman. Wilson also captured the BCIAA Championship this year for the first time since 2014. They defeated Exeter 54-44 at Santander Arena.

The Bulldogs got off to a slow start against the (24-4) Wildcats. Wilson committed five turnovers in the first four minutes and a dozen in the first half. Denyla Handy drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Dallastown a 11-6 edge after eight minutes. The talented 5’6 freshman poured in a game-high 16 points. The Wildcats were on top 14-8 in the second quarter when the Bulldogs responded with a 8-0 run. In the closing seconds of the opening half, Leaman raced up the court and threw a diagonal pass to Crocona who splashed a jumper from the right wing. Wilson had a slim 18-17 advantage at the break. Crocona, who’s committed to Kutztown University, scored seven of her ten points in the first half. The 5’8 guard sank a trey from the right corner to make it 28-24 with three minutes left in the third quarter. Kailani Hardy’s putback gave the Bulldogs a six point cushion. The 5’10 junior guard ended up with a team-high twelve points. Hardy was recently voted the BCIAA Player of the Year. Jones was called for a personal foul and a technical foul with 52 seconds to go in the period. She managed not to pick up her fifth foul over the rest of the contest. Dallastown trailed 30-26 entering the fourth quarter.

Leaman got an easy fast break bucket and then connected from long range to give Wilson a 37-29 cushion with 4:50 to play. The Wildcats answered with five points in the next minute. Ava Jamison, a 5’11 senior, nailed a 3-pointer and Handy followed with a jumper. Jamison reached 1,000 career points in a 42-38 semifinal win over Central Dauphin on Monday. She had nine points against the Bulldogs. Dallastown and Wilson went scoreless for two and a-half minutes until Natalie McLane hit a triple from the right wing with 1:05 left. The freshman tied it at 37-37. After a timeout, McLane came up with a steal. The Wildcats held the ball for the last 50 seconds of regulation, but didn’t get off a shot. Hardy poked the ball away from Handy just before time expired in regulation.

Following Leaman’s trey in the extra session, Hardy got a layup to make it 42-37 with 55 seconds remaining. The Bulldogs didn’t allow a point in overtime. Even with the extra time, Dallastown was held 14 points under its season average. “We work on [defense] the whole season at practice. That’s part of playing to our standard,” said Leaman. Wilson prevailed despite going 1-for-6 from the foul line. The Wildcats were 8-of-11. Each squad sank five 3-pointers.

In recent years, the Bulldogs have suffered some heartbreaking postseason losses. The 2025-26 campaign has been a redemption tour for Wilson. “This team just doesn’t back down, nothing seems to faze them. They’re a really experienced group and that showed late in the game. I’m so happy for this team. They deserve it,” remarked Raquet.

Hardy is a two-time All-County pick. The 5’10 junior guard is averaging 11.7 points per game as part of a balanced attack. Hardy has connected 27 times from beyond the arc and can score at all three levels. She’s also an elite defensive player. Hardy picked up an offer from La Salle this year. She poured in 20 points in a big non-league win over C.B. East late last month.

Here’s the 2025-26 All-County team:

Kailani Hardy-Wilson-Jr. (POY)

Laila Jones-Wilson-Sr.

Bella Super-Gov. Mifflin-Jr.

Xiani Beatty-Reading-So.

Addison Harper-Exeter-So.

Hailey Kilgore-Twin Valley-Sr.

Elyssa Sellers-Schuylkill Valley-Sr.

As expected, the (21-5) Wildcats were patient on offense in the opening quarter. Wilson had a 7-6 edge after eight minutes. Hardy found sophomore forward Jade Lee who finished a fast break with 5:48 left in the second quarter. Laila Jones followed with a 3-pointer from the left wing to put the Bulldogs in front 18-9 midway through the second period. Mechanicsburg responded with eight of the next ten points. Asha Pratt, a 5’10 junior, hit a triple from the top of the key with two and a-half minutes to go before halftime. The score remained 20-17 at the break.

Senior guard Alaina Sweet started the third quarter with a bucket, but Wilson answered with twelve consecutive points. Hardy converted back-to-back drives down the right side of the lane. Junior guard Ryan Leaman, a North Carolina lacrosse commit, drilled a trey from the right corner to end the pivotal run. Laura Crocona, who’s headed to Kutztown University for hoops, splashed a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to give the Bulldogs a 35-22 cushion with 57 seconds to play in the quarter. The Wildcats quickly found themselves in a 35-24 hole entertaining the final period.

Mia Masser buried a trey from the left corner with four and a-half minutes remaining to pull Mechanicsburg within 39-31. Crocona nailed a jumper from the right elbow on the ensuing possession to push the margin back to double digits. The 5’8 senior sank four straight free throws down the stretch. Eight of Crocona’s thirteen points came in the fourth quarter. Jones ended up with a game-high 14 points. The two-time All-County pick was responsible for two of Wilson’s four 3-pointers. Jones missed her entire junior season due to a torn ACL. “It’s like my partner in crime. I get to have her back again,” replied Hardy with a smile. Jones reached 1,000 career points one month ago. She will continue her basketball career at Penn State Harrisburg.

The (25-2) Bulldogs allowed just 16 points in the second half. Raquet discussed the keys on the defensive end. “Talk and give effort the whole possession. We knew we were gonna be in really long ones so you have to continue to communicate on all their screening action and the dribble drive stuff,” he said. Sweet led the Wildcats with nine points. Pratt and Maycee Yanoski chipped in with seven points apiece. Pratt made two of their six shots from long range. Mechanicsburg went 3-for-4 from the foul line, while Wilson was 12-for-13.

Hardy provided nine points. She has been a standout on the defensive end of the floor all year. In late January, Hardy got her first Division I offer from La Salle. “This is like a dream that I had. Being able to accomplish that feels amazing,” she remarked. Hardy is expecting more offers to come in the future. The Bulldogs are currently focused on a trip to York County on Monday. They will face top-seeded Red Lion at 7pm in the District 3-6A semifinals. Wilson is searching for its first District 3 title since 2014. Meanwhile, the Lions snuck past #8 seed Cedar Cliff 32-30 on Thursday night. Red Lion was the District 3-6A runner-up a season ago.