Fillies' Brady adds one more highlight to her list of accomplishments.
Erin Brady was at my house on May 9th 1999(Sunday)& August 22nd 1999(Sunday).
MARIAN MARCHES TO HERSHEY
It was a little over seven months ago on a hot July afternoon.
While most highschool girls were either woking summer jobs or relaxing near a pool,the Marian Fillies basketball team was taking part in a week-long camp at Lycoming College.On this particular day,Marian was playing a game against Williamsport High School and was in a tight struggle late in the game.
Erin,Brady the Fillies' "point gaurd to be" for the upcoming scholastic basketball season,had the ball in her hands with the clock running down. Brady drove the length of the court,but missed the shot and Marian lost by one point.
The "Scrimmage," which was litte more than a glorified pick-up game,wasn't played infront of a sellout crowdor covered by dozensof members of the media.Other then the participants,there were probably just a handful of people who witnessed the moment.
But Brady,being the fierce competitor that she is,was still upset about the outcome.
"I told her that she would have that chance again someday and the next time she would make it,"recalled coach Paul Brutto.
That chance came on Wednesday night when Marian played Columbia in the Class A Eastern Final-and Brutto's prediction proved to be uncannily accurate.
Brady's baseline-to-baseline drive and resulting layup with under 10 seconds remaining capped a tremendous Fillies rally and gave a 50-48 victory.
It also earned Marian a berth in today's Class A State Championship game aginast unbeaten Williamsburg.
The Blue Pirates enter the game was a 31-0record and some very impressive credentials.
Consider the following:
*The Pirates closest game this year was a 10-point victory over Class 4A Western Finalist Oakland Catholic in the season opener.
*They have an incredible average victory margin of 42 points,scoring at a 72 point per game clip game while allowing just 30 points a contest.
*They have been to the weatern final five straight years.
*They are led by Division I recruit Jess Gordon,a 6-1 center who is averaging nearly 16 points and 11 rebounds a game.
Brutto is impressed with what he has seen of and heard about Williamsburg. But he is also extremely confident in his own team's ability.
"Williamsburg is obviously an oustanding team,"he said."But we're not going out there(to Hershey)to play,we're going out there to win."
The fillies(27-2_will go with the same starting line-up they have used throughout the state tournament.
Brady,who is averaging 15.4 ppg., will be the point gaurd.Defensive stalwarts Adrienne Milot(5.0 ppg)and Maura Richie(1.4 ppg.)will be on the wings while Brianne Homyak(16.9 ppg.) and Haley Dunlap(7.8 ppg.) will be the post players.
Crystal Lesher is Marian's top frontline reserve.Brooke Milot and Renne Hruniak spell the perimeter players.Katie Ryan,erin Shover and Angie Colancecco round out the roster.
Veteran Williamsburg coach Jeff Appleman probably knows the Class A teams from the East better then he knows the teams from the West.
"Not to sound too overconfident,but we were pretty sure that we would be able the win the Western championship,"Appleman said."So we did a lot of advance scouting of the Eastern teams that could possibly make it to Hershey."
Williamsburg High School is located about 20 mile east of Altoons,which means Appleman had plenty of three or four hour trips(one way)to scout the District 11 teams.
"I've personally seen the top 10 Class A teams in the state and 18 of the top 20 teams play at least once,"he remarked. "O have seen Marian play four times in person and have sent scouts to see them play several other times."
Obviously Appleman knows a lot about the Fillies and he is impressed by what he has seen.
"They're an excellent team with some good inside players and a very talented point guard,"he praised. "Homyak and Dunlap are both very aggressive inside and really pound the boards hard and Brady is just a super-athletic points guard.
"They are very well coached,very aggressive and as they showed against Columbia,when they came back from a 17-point deficit,they don't ever give up."
Williamsburg,which comes in a with a Juniata Valley League and District 6 championship already under its belt has a number of players with big-games. Four members of the squad have already played in a state title game.(the pirate lost to Lebanon Catholic 50-46 in the '95 game)
"Our kids have been part of a lot of big games that we have suffered close loses in during the last few years,"said Appleman. "So,they have a pretty good idea of what is needed to turn that around."
Williamsburg's starting line-up is composed of four players who are averaging at least nine points a game.
Gordon is the team's leading scorer at 15.8 ppg. She is joined in the line-up by 5-7 forward Trisha Lower(9.8 ppgs.),5-5 huard Becky Metzler(10.1 ppg.),5-4 huard Kerrie Hoy(9.0 ppg.)and 5-6 guard Annie Parks(6.5 ppg.).Jess Lilly,a 5-11 Sophmore,is the top sub off the bench.
"The key for us will be to keep Marian off the boards,"explained Appleman."They get a lot of points on second and third shots and we can't let that happen.
Although Williamsburg obviously has an explosive offense,Appleman points with pride to his team's defense as being the thing he is most pround of.
"No other Class A team in the state has two guards quicker than we do,"he said."We try to take advantage of that by pressing fullcourt and creating turnovers. that's been our game plan all season and we're going to stick with it against Marian."
The pirates will obviously be an extremely formidable opponent.But as the Fillies proved against Columbia,you can never count them out.
MARIAN FILLIES SEEK ONE MORE MIRACLE
Think of "The Mouse that Roared."
Like the tiny fictional European country that took on a giant in the fictional comedy movie of that same name,Marian High School would not seem to have the sheer size it takes to be great.Apparently,nobody has told the Marian Fillies.
In a magical hoops season that is the stuff of legend,the Fillies have faced bigger,older,taller teams and scored victory after victory to get them to where they are today....playing in the biggest game of their young lives.
As the Marian Fillies prepared for Hershey yesterday their sole intent was to "Shipwreck the Lady Pirates," as expressed in a hand-lettered sign in the window of their decorated van parked in front of the school. Inside,the student body was shaking the window glass in the gym with enthusiasm for their Fillies.
As coach Paul Brutton stepped to the microphone,the crowd grew still.
"I don't think there is any finer place in the state of Pennsylvania,maybe the country to coach,teah,go to school...." When the cheering subsided,he continued.
Wednesday,nobody gave us much of a chance outside these walls,and I am sure the same is true as we go into tomorrow's game against an undefeated team,31 and 0," Brutto said. "All I know is that we play the best basketball league in the state of Pennsylvania,second to none.We are proud to represent district 11. We are proud to represent the Schuykill League. Most of all we are proud to represent you in this school and everything that it stands for."
"Just as I am sure Marian is the best high school in the state,I am just as sure you can not meet 12 other people with any more character,heart,courage,thoughness,desire,and any other adjective you can put on it. And I have no doubt tomorrow we will be coming home with the gold medals,not only for ourselves but for you,"he predicted.
Senior defensive specialist Maura Richie was among several team members who spoke. She said that she was trying to think of what to say.
"Then I looked up,and I saw the bulletin board we have in my house. And,on it,I was a newspaper clipping," she said. "There was a picture of the Fillies when we first started out in November,and the caption was:'Fillies have high hopes despite graduation losses.'
"High Hopes. And,I thought back. What did I really hope for? And did I ever dream we would go this far? Now I know hopes and dream can become reality."
A huge cheer from the students cut interrupted her.The cheering continued for some time before Richie could again be heard. There was,however,little left to be said.
Wednesday we were the underdogs," she said. "We will be on Saturday too. But,after the game,we won't be the underdogs. We will be the wonderdogs."
At Marian pep rallies,the last word goes to the principal,Jack Malarkey. As usual,he summed it all up in very few words.
"You know,there's alot of mixed feelings todaym"the principal said. "Realizing that tomorrow's our last game.But,do you know why it's our last game? Because we won't have anyone else to beat!"
Even in defeat,Marian's Brady proves she is a winner
Erin Brady's accomplishments on the basketball court have been well documented.
From the dramatic last second plays to the personal milestones to the outstanding team successes - Brady has had a magical four-year career at Marian.
With a basketball in hand,she have been a superhero minus the cape.
Saturday night in the championship game of the District 11 Class A basketball tournament against powerful Pottsville Nativity,Brady was putting on another,well, another Brady-type performance.
She had just buried a clutch three-pointer with 1:05 remaining to give Marian a 57-56 leah. The triple was part of a fabulous 44-point display that pushed her career total over the 2,000 mark.
But the final 65 seconds of the contest didn't go the Fillies' way. Nativity ralliedd to post a 65-59 vitory and capture the district championship. It was the second time in two weeks that the Golden Girls had defeated Marian with a title on the line, coming on the heels of a 25-point win in the Schuykill League title game.
Brady was amoung the last group of players to depart the Marian locker room after the game. Just a few writers were still around when she made her way into the corridors on the ground floor of the spacious Martz Hall Arena.
It's easy to do an interview after a victory. But it's a lot more difficult task to talk about what went wrong following a loss -- especially for a 17-year-old.
But Brady was as cooperative,polite and patient following Saturday's loss as she was after any of the Fillies' victories this season.
It would have been easy for Brady to point fingers after the loss. After all she was practically- the entire Marian offense,scoring 44 of her team's 59 points. While she was hitting 43 percent of her shots from the field and 94 percent of her free throws,her teammates struggled to find the range. The rest of the Fillies' combined to shoot just 17 percent from the floor,including a 1-for-18 effort in the first half.
But Brady's remarks weren't about a lack of support,actually they dealt with just the opposite.
"I'm really pleased with our effort as a ream," she said. "I think coach(Paul Brutto)was happy with us(Tonight) ... Nobody really gave us much of a chance. To get this far and to do this well against an excellent team,I have no regrets."
And the only mistake she made mention of was one of her own.
"I was pretty pleased with my performance until the end," Brady said in reference to having the ball stolen from her with :08 remaining and the Fillies down three points.
I just for confused. I was looking at the bench and I didn't know if we wanted a time out or if I should go for the three. That when McGee(Erin)came up from behind me(and stole the ball).I was just really disappointed(in myself) that I didn't even think she might do that."
While Brady might have been disappointed by the late turnover,she hasn't had a whole lot of other things to be disappointed about this year.
Despite the fact the Fillies entered the season loaded with question marks and returned only one other player besides Brady who had any significant varsity experience,they have surprised almost everyone by posting a 21-6 record.
"This team has already accomplished more than most people thought was possible" Brady said. "We worked hard and we made it to the league and the district championship games.
"Sure, it would have been nice to win a championship,but we aren't finished yet. Now our goal is to get to Hershey. Not many people would have believed that was possible at the beginning of the season. I dont know whether I believed that was possible at the beginning of the season.
"But this team has worked very hard to earn a shot at it(the state playoffs).I know that now we all believe in ourselevs and belive that we can have the same kind of success in the state playoffs that we've enjoyed the last two years."
Just about 20 minutes after the obviously emotional Brady was embracing her coaches at center court and recieving her silver medal, the final question from the media had been answered.
Brady's night of basketball was now done.
As she was preparing to leave,a young boy worked his way doen the hallway to ask the Fillie star for her autograph. Brady smiled and chatted with the youngerter as she signed the notepad. She then thanked him and remarked as he was leaving, "gee, I feel special now."
Somehow , Erin, I have a feeling that anyone who has had the privilege of watching you on the court or dealing with you off the court during the past four tears, already knew how special you are.
