Linus McGinty Title Teams: Final/Score/Record 1995 Starters Carroll Kristen Clement 51-38 Tricia Halpin (23-5) Lauren Menichini   Jodi Jancosko   Kelly Halpin   Key Subs   Brandi Batch   Jackie Pierangeli   Meg Crawford     1996 Starters Carroll Kristen Clement 76-58 Tricia Halpin (27-1) Kelly Halpin   Brandi Batch   Lauren Menichini   Key Subs   Jackie Pierangeli   Meg Crawford     1997 Starters McDevitt Kristen Clement 68-35 Brandi Batch (27-1) Trish Juhline   Kate Cullen   Claire Cavanaugh   Key Subs   Bridget Scanlan   Erin Crawford     1999 Starters Carroll Trish Juhline 71-62 Bridget Scanlan (24-4) Karyn Connors   Amy Dessart Mager   Kara Cassidy   Key Subs   Jen Kozlowski   Maggie Griesser     2002 Starters Prendergast Kate Dessart Mager 39-20 Maggie Griesser (26-2) Catherine Scanlon   Nicole Mechell   Christine Burbidge   Key Subs   Kristina Gineitis   Lisa Claxton     2005 Starters Carroll Lisa Claxton 47-39 Heather Scanlon (26-2) Meghan Gardler   Kim Benton   Amy Gillespie   Key Subs   Cathy Caramanico   Megan Conley     continued on other side of page

Linus McGinty Celebration Page   In May 2018, Linus McGinty announced his retirement after 24 seasons as the girls basketball coach at Cardinal O'Hara. With the Lions he won 11 Catholic League championships and posted an overall record of 557-113. Throughout Linus' run, Chris Genther was his chief assistant . . . Linus previously coached for 12 seasons at Archbishop Carroll and earned 824 combined wins.                                 ----   This story was written after O'Hara, led by All-American Kristen "Ace" Clement, won its third consecutive CL title in 1997. The '96 and '97 champs posted matching overall records of 27-1. By Ted Silary, Philadelphia Daily News   Kristen ``Ace'' Clement did not do everything for Cardinal O'Hara High's girls' basketball powerhouse yesterday.   She did more than anyone else, though.   That much was evident on the court. It was evident again when the Lions were above the court, attacking the net from a ladder.   Clement 's teammates did minor snipping. So, when they called her away from a TV interview and handed her the scissors, six loops of the net were still attached to the basket.   Not for long. Snip, snip, snip, snip . . . 12 snips in all. Time for another nylon necklace.   Clement , a 5-11 senior point guard bound for Tennessee, is considered by some experts to be the No. 1 female scholastic player in the nation. With a sellout Palestra crowd of 8,100 oohing and aahing and just plain ogling, she generated 27 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals as O'Hara defeated Bishop McDevitt, 68-35, to win its third consecutive Catholic League championship.   After she talked to reporters, cut down the net and hoisted the title plaque, Clement became a pied piper.   About 40 youngsters surrounded her, then followed her to the southeast locker room. While standing outside, some talked excitedly about what would be cooler, getting Clement 's autograph on a hat or T-shirt. Others nixed that idea and begged reporters to give them notepad sheets.   "C'mon, you can spare it.''   Soon, the kids still outside began pushing and the few kids just inside got squashed against a metal partition. Right after that, all the kids were waved into the room. And there they stood, chirping away, as Clement sat in a folding chair and answered reporters' questions.   When asked about the upcoming autograph session, Clement smiled and said, "Hey, if it takes two or three hours, I'll still be here."   Long ago, Clement realized she would spend her time at O'Hara being more than a basketball player and student. She would also be a goodwill ambassador.   She came to love that all eyes were on her, largely because she had unwavering faith in her ability to not only handle the pressure, but feed off it and thrive and earn respect, even love.   As the 1 p.m. tipoff time approached, the crowd swelled and swelled and swelled.   "There's an overwhelming awareness of women's basketball now,'' Clement said. "My coaches say, `That's because of you.' If I'm just a part of it, that makes me feel good."   Clement spent most of the first half creating her own shots. Undoubtedly owing to nerves, she was rushing slightly and not seeing the floor as well as she normally does. She launched 16 shots, making half (with three three-pointers) for 19 points. O'Hara was ahead, 28-20, but McDevitt was twitching.   In the third quarter, Clement again mostly fired. But she was cold (0-for-7) and a few of her misses were bona fide bricks.   continued below . . .

CATHOLIC LEAGUE TITLES 1995: 23-5 1996: 27-1 1997: 27-1 1999: 24-4 2002: 26-2 2005: 26-2 2006: 25-3 2008: 25-2 2013: 24-6 2017: 25-4 2018: 21-5 -- 1,000-POINT SCORERS (Coached by Linus at O'Hara; All or Part of Career)   Pts Yr. Kristen Clement 2,256 1997 Kate Dessart Mager 1,405 2002 Steph Holzer 1,313 2009 Mary Sheehan 1,255 2017 Hannah Nihill 1,154 2017 Kenzie Gardler 1,128 2018 Heather Scanlon 1,123 2006 Trish Juhline 1,106 1999 Shanice Johnson 1,105 2013 Brandi Batch 1,022 1997 -- Title Teams: Final/Score/Record 2006 Starters Neum.-Gor. Heather Scanlon 45-41 Meghan Gardler (25-3) Kim Benton   Cathy Caramanico   Alysha Womack   Key Subs   Genna Micek   Michele DuBois   Lisa Clark     2008 *Starters Carroll Missy Downey 48-45 Steph Holzer (25-2) Alicia Manning *6 rotated Danielle Callahan all season Natasha Cloud   Alysha Womack   Key Sub   Jen Johnson     2013 Starters Wood Mia Farmer 31-25 Rachel Guy (24-6) Shanice Johnson   Libby Lannon   Mackenzie Rule   Key Subs   Christina Manning   Stephanie Garafolo   Lisa Mintzer     2017 Starters Wood Mary Sheehan 35-30 Maura Hendrixson (25-4) Molly Paolino   Hannah Nihill   Kenzie Gardler   Key Subs   Lauren Leicht   Bridgette Hoy   Kristen Denoncour     2018 Starters Neum.-Gor. Kenzie Gardler 54-39 Maura Hendrixson (21-5) Molly Paolino   Kerry Patterson   Stephanie Huseby   Key Subs   Megan Ricker   Erin Welde   Emily Helms   Jasmin Miller   Siobhan Boylan

  Ah, but coach Linus McGinty 's Lions are not a one-gal show. Center Brandi Batch is also a Division I signee (West Virginia).
After a scoreless first half in which she attempted just two shots from the floor, Batch scored 10 second-half points while
raising her other statistics to 12 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals.
  Trish Juhline (nine points, seven rebounds) and Kate Cullen (eight, seven) also made big plays.
  Finishing with a flourish, Clement made her final three shots - a two and two threes - before departing with 2:07 remaining.
  Instead of heading directly for O'Hara's bench, Clement trotted over to greet McDevitt coach Tom Lonergan and then hugged
franchise point guard Jen Zenszer, a La Salle signee who had 16 points and 11 rebounds.
  "I told her she played her heart out, and to keep her head up,'' Clement said.
  O'Hara finished 27-1 with the lone loss coming against Archbishop Carroll. Clement scored 782 points (27.9) and finished her
career with 2,256. O'Hara's record during that span was 95-17 -- 54-2 over the last two seasons.
  McGinty's take is that the Catholic League won't see the likes of Clement for 15 or 20 years: "She's once in a generation."
  She's also leaving the area. Clement said she and her mother will be moving to a town maybe an hour from Tennessee's
campus.
  "But my sister, Michelle Billingsly, lives in Media,'' Clement said. "So, I'll be back from time to time. Hopefully, I'll be able to
keep in touch with all the girls. We've had an unbelievable bond, both on and off the court.''
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Below are recaps for Cardinal O'Hara's 11 wins in Catholic League championship games during Linus McGinty's 24 seasons as the coach . . . 1995 At the Palestra   O'Hara 51, Carroll 38: Expecting not to play due to the flu, Brandi Batch agreed to give it a whirl three minutes into the game and finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Kristen "Ace" Clement notched seven of her 19 points near the end of the third quarter after Carroll, previously coached by first-year O'Hara boss Linus McGinty, moved within one point. Carroll did not notch a field goal in the fourth stanza until 0:32 remained. 1996 At the Palestra   O'Hara 76, Carroll 58: Slowed by an early ankle injury, junior Kristen "Ace" Clement still finished with 27 points (highlight: 13 straight free throws) and raised her career total to a school-record 1,474. Brandi Batch hit for 15 points while the Halpin twins, Tricia and Kelly, combined for 25 points and 17 rebounds. 1997 At the Palestra   O'Hara 68, McDevitt 35: Kristen "Ace" Clement collected 27 points, six rebounds, two apiece of assists/steals . . . and snipped the final six loops of the net. She made her final three shots, a two and two threes, while finalizing her career point total at 2,256. The Lions went 54-2 in her last two seasons and 95-17 in all four. Brandi Batch (12 rebounds) saved all 10 of her points for the second half. Trish Juhline (nine points) and Kate Cullen (eight) halved 14 boards. 1999 At Temple University   O'Hara 71, Carroll 62: Karyn Connors performed a miracle before the game -- she amazed the crowd by playing the Star-Spangled Banner on her saxophone -- and then shot 5-for-8 from the floor and line while scoring 15 points. Trish Juhline added 21 points and eight rebounds while Amy Dessart Mager managed 15-seven in those same categories. 2002 At Saint Joseph's University   O'Hara 39, Prendergast 20: The Lions rolled to a 9-1 advantage in the first quarter and coasted from there. Kate Dessart Mager snatched 13 rebounds and shot 8-for-13 en route to 16 points while sub Lisa Claxton (her brother, Speedy, played that season for the 76ers) had 11 points and four assists/steals. Point guard Christine Burbidge also dished four dimes . . . and attempted no shots. This game featured clashing Scanlon twins: Catherine for O'Hara, Christen for Prendie. They scored two points apiece. 2005 At Saint Joseph's University   O'Hara 47, Carroll 39: The Lions stormed back from a 29-16 halftime deficit to rock the team that had bested it twice during the regular season . . . and in the last two finals. Heather Scanlon contributed 14 points and seven rebounds while Lisa Claxton's 11-point outing featured 9-for-10 marksmanship at the line. 2006 At Saint Joseph's University   O'Hara 45, Neumann-Goretti 41 (OT): Meghan Gardler was a whirlwind with nine points, eight rebounds, seven blocks and three apiece of assists/steals. The Lions won the second quarter, 15-2, and regulation ended at 40-40. Heather Scanlon also made significant contributions (15 points, eight boards). 2008 At the Palestra   O'Hara 48, Carroll 45: The win was preserved when Natasha Cloud blocked a desperation trey near midcourt. Carroll had bounced back after recording no field goals in the first nine minutes. Steph Holzer stood tall with 14 points and 17 rebounds while Alysha Womack had 13 points. 2013 At the Palestra   O'Hara 31, Wood 25: The Lions scored the first seven points and never trailed. Rachel Guy went 8-for-10 at the line and hit two clinchers with 5.6 seconds remaining. The win was dedicated to the memory of George Rule. He passed away nine days earlier and his daughter, Mackenzie, was the point guards. "No one fights alone" was printed on purple T-shirts. 2017 At the Palestra   O'Hara 35, Wood 30: Sub Lauren Leicht hit a field goal with 2:50 left to put the Lions ahead for good at 29-27. Hannah Nihill finished with 13 points. Wood was able to regroup after Kenzie Gardler drilled a trey off a feed from Mary Sheehan to make it 18-11. 2018 At the Palestra   O'Hara 54, Neumann-Goretti 39: The Lions were losing, 30-21, with three-plus minutes left in the third quarter. No sweat. They stormed to 33 of the final 42 points thanks in large part to Maura Hendrixson, who scored 17 of her 26 points in the second half. Kenzie Gardler offered 17 points and eight rebounds while Molly Paolino hustled for four steals.

  Below are the players who earned first team or second team honors on the Coaches' All-Catholic squads during
Linus McGinty's 24 seasons as the coach of Cardinal O'Hara's girls basketball team.
  * indicates MVP.
  Note: Third teams were not always published. Only two teams were picked in some years.
  Thanks to Adam Buchter, athletic director at Little Flower and the moderator for CL girls hoops, for providing
non-published teams.
 

Cardinal O'Hara's 1st/2nd Team All-Catholic Honorees for Linus McGinty, 1995 to 2018 Seasons
1995	*Kristen "Ace" Clement	1st	2002	*Kate Dessart Mager	1st	2009	*Steph Holzer	1st
	Tricia Halpin	1st		Maggie Griesser	1st		Natasha Cloud	1st
	Brandi Batch	2nd		Nicole Mechell	2nd		Alysha Womack	1st
1996	*Kristen "Ace" Clement	1st		Lisa Claxton	2nd		Alicia Manning	2nd
	Tricia Halpin	1st	2003	*Kristina Gineitis	1st		Danielle Callahan	2nd
	Brandi Batch	2nd		Lisa Claxton	2nd	2010	Natasha Cloud	1st
	Kelly Halpin	2nd		Heather Scanlon	2nd	2011	Shanice Johnson	2nd
1997	*Kristen "Ace" Clement	1st	2004	Heather Scanlon	1st		Marissa Manning	2nd
	Brandi Batch	1st		Lisa Claxton	2nd		Lia DiSciascio	2nd
	Trish Juhline	2nd		Dominique Kidd	2nd	2012	Shanice Johnson	1st
1998	Trish Juhline	1st	2005	Heather Scanlon	1st		Alyssa Monaghan	1st
	Amy Dessart Mager	2nd		Amy Gillespie	1st	2013	Shanice Johnson	1st
	Erin Crawford	2nd		Meghan Gardler	2nd		Mia Farmer	2nd
1999	Trish Juhline	1st	2006	*Meghan Gardler	1st	2014	*Mia Farmer	1st
	Amy Dessart Mager	2nd		Heather Scanlon	1st	2015	Mary Sheehan	1st
	Bridgette Scanlan	2nd		Kim Benton	1st		Hannah Nihill	2nd
	Karyn Connors	2nd	2007	Steph Holzer	1st	2016	Hannah Nihill	1st
2000	Kate Dessart Mager	2nd		Alysha Womack	2nd		Mary Sheehan	1st
	Catherine Scanlon	2nd	2008	*Steph Holzer	1st		Kenzie Gardler	2nd
	Jen Kozlowski	2nd		Alysha Womack	1st	2017	Hannah Nihill	1st
2001	Kate Dessart Mager	1st		Alicia Manning	2nd		Mary Sheehan	1st
	Maggie Griesser	1st		Melissa Downey	2nd		Kenzie Gardler	1st
	Catherine Scanlon	2nd		Natasha Cloud	2nd		Maura Hendrixson	2nd
						2018	Kenzie Gardler	1st
							Maura Hendrixson	1st

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  Below are the players who helped Linus McGinty accumulate 557 wins in 24 seasons as the coach of Cardinal
O'Hara's girls basketball team.
  Year indicates the player's final season. Most were seniors. Some transferred and some were underclassmen
who did not play in the following season.
--

Cardinal O'Hara's Varsity Players for Linus McGinty, 1995 to 2018 Seasons
Jodi Jancosko	1995	Andrea Boyle	2004	Carly Hazinsky	2011
Nicole Carbo	1995	Beth Dessart Mager	2004	Lia DiSciascio	2011
Jackie Pierangeli	1996	Dominique Kidd	2004	Marikate Gardler	2011
Kelly Halpin	1996	Hillary Jacobs	2004	Marissa Manning	2011
Lauren Menichini	1996	Irene Pastorino	2004	Nicole Daly	2011
Meg Crawford	1996	Katie McKeon	2004	Alexandra Stam	2012
Melanie Weindel	1996	Kelly Wellman	2004	Alyssa Monaghan	2012
Tricia Halpin	1996	Kolleen Cassidy	2004	Emily McPeak	2012
Brandi Batch	1997	Lisa Claxton	2005	Maureen Leahy	2012
Claire Cavanaugh	1997	Megan Conley	2005	Sarah Monaghan	2012
Kate Cullen	1997	Amy Gillespie	2006	Libby Lannon	2013
Kristen "Ace" Clement	1997	Ashley Murphy	2006	Lisa Mintzer	2013
Dawn Joyce	1998	Cathy Caramanico	2006	Mackenzie Rule	2013
Erin Crawford	1998	Genna Micek	2006	Shanice Johnson	2013
Lauren Keller	1998	Heather Scanlon	2006	Christina Manning	2014
Amy Dessart Mager	1999	Kim Benton	2006	Katie Feehery	2014
Bridget Scanlon	1999	Meghan Gardler	2006	Kim Whelan	2014
Kara Cassidy	1999	Amanda Guy	2007	Kristen Stam	2014
Karyn Connors	1999	Brianna Duffin	2007	Mia Farmer	2014
Katie Kempton	1999	Lisa Clark	2007	Rachel Guy	2014
Trish Juhline	1999	Michelle Dubois	2007	Samantha Amicone	2014
Jen Kozlowski	2000	Brianna Phillips	2008	Stephanie Garafolo	2014
Karen Falzone	2000	Kamille Henderson	2008	Maeve Heneghan	2015
Katie Smyth	2000	Kelly Brown	2008	Gab Napoleon	2016
Kelly Olinger	2000	Melissa Downey	2008	Lauren Leicht	2016
Melissa Stortini	2000	Alicia Manning	2009	Bridgette Hoy	2017
Candace Ober	2001	Alysha Womack	2009	Hannah Nihill	2017
Catherine Scanlon	2002	Amanda Mattera	2009	Kristen Denoncour	2017
Christine Burbidge	2002	Danielle Callahan	2009	Mary Sheehan	2017
Kate Dessart Mager	2002	Jen Johnson	2009	Delanie Rennie	2018
Kelly Donaldson	2002	Steph Holzer	2009	Emily Helms	2018
Maggie Griesser	2002	Gina McLaughlin	2010	Erin Welde	2018
Nicole Mechell	2002	Kelly Arnold	2010	Jasmin Miller	2018
Sarah Milewski	2002	Kelsey Verica	2010	Katie Shallow	2018
Tricia Donaldson	2002	Lauren Kilday	2010	Kenzie Gardler	2018
Alisa Siderio	2003	Maureen Lannon	2010	Kerry Patterson	2018
Carrie Spiller	2003	Meghan Hotz	2010	Maura Hendrixson	2018
Katie Hagan	2003	Natasha Cloud	2010	Meghan Ricker	2018
Katie Wisniewski	2003			Molly Paolino	2018
Kristina Gineitis	2003			Siobhan Boylan	2018
				Stephanie Huseby	2018

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