It only took one game for the York Catholic girls' basketball team to equal its loss total from last season.
Coming off a 34-1 campaign in which the Fighting Irish won their third consecutive PIAA Class AA championship, York Catholic opened the 2008-09 season with a 59-36 loss at home to Trinity on Saturday afternoon. Readers of the York Daily Record/Sunday News may not have been aware of the loss, since no one from York Catholic contacted to paper with the result, but the Carlisle Sentinel was there to cover the game and you can read about the details here.
The defeat certainly shouldn't be any cause for major alarm among York Catholic fans. The Fighting Irish's only loss last season came against Trinity in the regular season before they beat the Shamrocks twice in the playoffs. Because Trinity has been moved up to Class AAA this season, York Catholic won't have to worry about playing them in the postseason during its quest for a fourth title.
Nonetheless, it's still worth looking at the way the Fighting Irish lost on Saturday. Even though York Catholic returns four of its top six players from last year including leading scorer and first-team all-state selection Kady Schrann, there are some areas where it looks like the Fighting Irish need to improve if they want to keep their PIAA title streak going.
The Fighting Irish had several problems against the Shamrocks: 1) They shot 1-for-13 from behind the 3-point line, 2) They turned the ball over eight times in the first quarter while scoring only five points, 3) They allowed 22 points in the first quarter.
In regards to the problems with turnovers and defense, it seems like the absence of recent graduates point guard Ashton Bankos and forward Kelly Rhein is having a major early-season impact. Bankos provided a steady presence bringing the ball up the floor and almost always seemed to keep mistakes to a minimum. Rhein was an imposing figure in the post and her presence was enough to keep some players from driving the lane. The ones that did take on Rhein were usually forced to alter their shot one way or another.
Of course, York Catholic has plenty of time to adjust to life without Bankos and Rhein. They have three starters standing 5-foot-8 or taller in Brittany Hicks and twin sisters Jenny and Mary McGann. All three of them can usually hit outside shots, especially with Schrann being able to drive to the basket and draw defenders. Schrann is an immense talent in her own right and has already shown a knack for performing in the clutch like she did in last year's YAIAA title game against Red Lion and District 3 championship contest against Trinity.
The ingredients are definitely there. The Fighting Irish have enough talent and experience to win another state title and I think they are still the favorite to do it. But there is definitely work left to be done.
In addition to avoiding the problems that plagued them during the Trinity game, this year's York Catholic team needs to find its identity and develop the maturity and toughness possessed by last year's squad led by Bankos and Rhein. Tonight's 7:30 contest at West York should provide some insight as to how far the Fighting Irish really are from achieving that goal.
Maybe it's too early to start picking on the coach, but over the last 2 years, I have had my problems with Kevin. A first quarter of 22 to 5 and 8 turnovers tells me the girls didn't have a coach. The last 3 years, the girls didn't really need a coach, although there were times that I thought Kevin should have called a time out to settle things down instead of pacing up and down in front of the bench. This year he is going to have to COACH the team.