Cardinal O'Hara Wins Defensive Battle, Ends Wilson's Banner Season in State Second Round
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Wilson's senior class will always look back on this loss with a sour taste. Then it'll remember the 87 wins it accumulated in the four years it wore the red and white.
The two biggest Ws came this season when the Bulldogs won their first Berks County and District 3 championships since 2014, solidifying themselves as one of the best classes in program history.
The county title was one of 10; the district gold was one of seven.
A class loaded with potential since the players were freshmen finally broke through and added numbers to the banners in the rafters in West Lawn. The 36-26 loss to Philadelphia Catholic League mighty Cardinal O'Hara Tuesday night in a PIAA Class 6A second-round matchup at Coatesville can't take that away.
The soon-to-be graduating Bulldogs had to endure a load of adversity and grit it out to get to this point.
As freshmen, they went 15-9 and lost to the Amaya Stewart-led Wyomissing by eight in the BCIAA semifinals. They were one spot away from qualifying for the District 3 tournament that season.
As sophomores, they went 24-5 again losing to Stewart and Wyomissing in the BCIAA championship, this time by nine. A heartbreaking one-point loss to Central Dauphin in the District 3 semifinals on their home court ensued. More adversity awaited.
Star point guard Laila Jones, who had made the All-Berks team as a freshman and sophomore, then tore her ACL in the offseason. A new head coach in Matt Raquet took over. How long would it take for the Bulldogs to get back to the championship aspirations they had?
They successfully went 20-10 the next season, albeit with losses to Gov. Mifflin in the BCIAA semifinals and Dallastown in the district quarterfinals to prevent any trophies. But the Bulldogs locked in and won their first state playoff game in 11 years over Upper Dublin afterward.
It set the tone for the 2025-26 season with the return of Jones and another season under Raquet on the horizon.
They took full advantage cruising to an 8-2 start to the season with their only losses coming to O'Hara on Dec. 11 and Dallastown three days before Christmas. The Bulldogs then embarked on a 20-game winning streak.
They avenged the loss to Dallastown in the District 3 Class 6A championship two weeks ago and gave it all they had to avenge the loss to O'Hara Tuesday night.
“It felt like there was a lid on the basket tonight,” Wilson head coach Matt Raquet said. “When you have two really good defensive teams in a playoff game like this, things slow down and it becomes more of a half-court game.”
O’Hara shot just 9-for-47 from the field and 4-for-20 from beyond the arc, while Wilson finished 9-for-41 overall and 2-for-9 from 3-point range. The Lions created separation at the free-throw line, converting 14-of-19 attempts compared to Wilson’s 6-for-12 performance, while also controlling the glass with a 42-26 rebounding advantage. Freshman Olivia Kraft led that effort with 14 rebounds.
“We couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean tonight, so we won it on defense,” Cardinal O’Hara head coach Chrissie Doogan said. “Control the controllables. Go play defense, go rebound and see what happens.”
O’Hara set the tone, jumping ahead 8-1 behind a 3-pointer from Catie Doogan — daughter of Chrissie and sister of Richmond standout and former O’Hara state champion Maggie Doogan — followed by another triple from Brigidanne Donohue and two free throws by Megan Rullo.
Wilson responded when sophomore Jade Lee provided a spark off the bench. Lee scored with 3:22 remaining in the opening quarter, junior Berks Player of the Year Kailani Hardy drew a charge, and Lee finished again off a Jones assist to cut the deficit to 8-5.
Leah Hudak answered with a 3-pointer to extend the Lions’ lead to 11-5, but Lee converted three straight free throws to pull Wilson within 11-8 entering the second quarter.
Jones tied the game at 11-11 midway through the period, drilling a 3-pointer off an assist from Laura Crocona as Wilson settled into the defensive battle it expected.
Hardy later drove to tie the game again at 13-13 after Davis converted inside for O’Hara.
Donohue knocked down what proved to be the Lions’ final 3-pointer of the night with 3:54 left before halftime.
Freshman Mariam Osumanu delivered key minutes off the bench after Hardy picked up her third foul and Lee was briefly injured, scoring off a Violet Houck assist to make it 16-15, a score that held at halftime.
Defense dominated the third quarter as neither team scored until Ryan Leaman finished a left-handed driving layup off a Jones assist, giving Wilson its first lead of the night at 17-16.
Catie Doogan and Rullo answered with consecutive baskets, and O’Hara began to lean on its rebounding edge. Hardy kept Wilson within reach, converting a free throw after a near and-one to cut the deficit to 20-18, but Rullo scored again off a Hudak assist before Donohue added two free throws to push the lead to 24-18 entering the fourth quarter.
“I just thought we controlled the rebounding and controlled the paint,” Chrissie Doogan said. “That was the difference.”
Rullo finished with 12 points and Donohue added 10, though Wilson’s defensive duo of Hardy and Leaman forced the pair into a combined 4-for-21 shooting performance.
Hardy sparked a final push with a steal and layup to make it 24-20 with 6:18 remaining, then added a contested finish and later a free throw to trim the deficit to three with just over three minutes left.
“I’ve said to this team for two years that the difference between winning and losing playoff games is as simple as layups and free throws,” Raquet said. “That was part of the reason tonight.”
O’Hara sealed the game at the foul line. Donohue converted two free throws with 1:52 left, Rullo added two more moments later and then four additional free throws in the closing seconds to extend the lead to 34-23.
Hardy buried a 3-pointer as time dwindled to cut the deficit to eight, but Hudak answered with two final free throws to send O’Hara into the PIAA quarterfinals, where it will face Altoona — a 37-34 winner over Pennsbury.
Despite the final score, Wilson’s senior trio — Violet Houck (Jacksonville track & field), Laila Jones (Penn State Harrisburg basketball) and Laura Crocona (Kutztown basketball) — leaves behind one of the most accomplished eras in program history.
“They’ve impacted this program in so many ways, and for years to come,” Raquet said. “When younger players come watch and see district championships and county championships and how this team stays together and plays unselfish, that’s a lasting impact.”
Moments after the final buzzer, emotion overtook the Wilson bench as the reality of the final buzzer settled in. Those emotions remained with Raquet in the post-game interview.
“I’m just really proud of this team,” Raquet said. “And thankful that I was able to be part of it and watch what they accomplished this year.”
While the season ended Tuesday, the standard this senior class set won't soon be forgotten.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
Cardinal O'Hara | 11 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 36 |
Wilson | 5 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 26 |
Lions (23-4) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
Rullo | 2-9 | 8-10 | 0-3 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
Donohue | 2-12 | 4-4 | 2-8 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
Hudak | 1-7 | 2-2 | 1-5 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Wakefield | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Davis | 1-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
Doogan | 2-8 | 0-0 | 1-4 | 2 | 6 | 5 |
Craft | 1-7 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
Miller | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Phillips | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | 9-47 | 14-19 | 4-20 | 5 | 33/42 | 36 |
Bulldogs (28-3) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
Jones | 1-9 | 0-0 | 1-4 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
Hardy | 4-12 | 3-8 | 1-1 | 1 | 5 | 12 |
Crocona | 0-5 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Leaman | 1-6 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
V. Houck | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
Lee | 2-7 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
Osumanu | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Totals | 9-41 | 6-12 | 2-9 | 6 | 24/26 | 26 |
Turnovers: Cardinal O'Hara 13, Wilson 9. Team Rebounds: Cardinal O'Hara 9, Wilson 2.
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