After a 69-63 loss to McDaniel in overtime Feb. 8, the prospect of winning the Centennial Conference regular-season title and hosting the conference tournament did not look good for Haverford College.
The Fords trailed league-leading Johns Hopkins by a half-game and with two losses to the Blue Jays, Haverford had to win out and needed some help to claim the top spot for the first time in program history.
Haverford did its part, winning its final four games to reach the 20-win plateau for the first time in program history. The Fords also received the help they needed when McDaniel knocked off Johns Hopkins, 63-60, Feb. 19.
‘It’s been a special year, a lot of firsts,’ Haverford coach Bobbi Morgan said. ‘It’s the first team to win 20 games and the first to host the conference tournament. A lot of people said that hell would have to freeze over for that to happen. Well, I guess hell has frozen over.’
The sarcasm is understandable. Haverford had just one winning season prior to the 2011-12 campaign; a 13-11 record in 1990-91. The Fords had never been to the conference tournament until two years ago – let alone served as the host school.
The only thing left is to win their first conference title.
That quest begins Friday at the Gardner Center when the Fords host the conference tournament for the first time. Haverford takes on fifth-seeded Gettysburg (16-9) in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader. Tip-off is 6 p.m. Second-seeded McDaniel (19-5) squares off against third-seeded and defending champion Johns Hopkins (17-7) in the nightcap around 8.
The winners meet at 7 Saturday night for the title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
‘We still have to go out and win it,’ Morgan said. ‘It’s not going to be handed to us.’
Being at home certainly helps. The Fords are 9-2 at the Gardner Center and 24-9 there over the last three seasons. As for this season, there is no one reason for Haverford’s success.
‘It’s a great combination of good chemistry, good balanced scoring, great defense and a lot of people stepping up and accepting their roles,’ Morgan said. ‘You have to have a little bit of luck, too. I didn’t expect to be 21-3, so there’s been a lot of pixie dust. Last year, I thought we should have been better, but we had a lot of bad breaks. This year, the breaks have gone our way.’
It all starts with defense. Haverford leads the Centennial Conference and is ranked 13th in Division III in scoring defense (51 ppg.). Senior Nina Voith has had an all-conference caliber season. She leads the team in scoring (14.3) and is tied for second in rebounding (5.4), and is the leading scorer in program history. Elizabeth Lynch and Jacquelyne Pizzuto have also been major contributors.
Another big plus was the return of 6-1 senior Cara Wyant. She missed the last two seasons for personal reasons, but has come back to give the Fords a huge boost. Wyant scored a career-high 20 points in last Saturday’s win over arch-rival Swarthmore and was named the conference player of the week.
‘Cara has been phenomenal,’ Morgan said. ‘She’s the first player off the bench and she can shoot 3s. She played with Kayla McBride at Villa Maria Academy. They won a state title their senior year. Pizzuto won a state championship at Rutgers Prep. Lynch won a state title at Archbishop Molloy in New York. These kids are used to winning.’
They’re just two wins away from two more firsts – the first conference title in program history and the first trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
‘It’s been one of those years you dream about,’ Morgan said. ‘The kids are so unselfish. There has been no drama, no playing-time issues or anything like that. They just go out, play hard and win.’
CSAC ChampionshipDon’t expect a lot of points to be scored when top-seeded Cabrini (22-4) takes on fifth-seeded Immaculata (19-8) Saturday night (6 p.m.) at Nerney Field House. The Cavaliers and Mighty Macs rank 1-2 in the conference in scoring defense. Cabrini allows 51 points per game, while Immaculata surrenders 57.3 points per outing.
Cabrini is going for its second straight league title and fourth in the last seven years. The Cavaliers are 5-1 in their last six championship game appearances. Cabrini has won nine in a row since it dropped a 64-55 decision at Keystone Jan. 18 for its only league loss.
The Cavaliers are led by senior guard Brittany Sandone, the conference Player of the Year, junior forward Amber Keys and senior guard/forward Annie Rivituso. Keys earned first-team all-conference honors while Rivituso was a second-team selection. That trio averages 36.4 points, 17.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
This is Immaculata’s first trip to the conference final since they lost to Neumann, 63-60, in 2011. The Mighty Macs bounced back with two straight wins in the playoffs after closing the regular season with three losses in their last four games. One of those setbacks was a 59-48 decision at home to the Cavaliers.
Junior guard Sara Smith (Archbishop Prendergast) is the go-to player for the Mighty Macs. She averages 14.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.