A Wonderful Journey

A Wonderful Journey

OLSH Boys Basketball Makes School History with trip to PIAA Championships

Combine a young team with no seniors and a few injuries, with a dedicated and focused coaching staff and a supportive fan base, and you just might come out with a successful season in the end. The 2017-2018 OLSH Chargers Boys Basketball team surprised many with their history-making success this season, but head coach Mike Rodriguez knew this was a special group. “While some in our program envisioned us making a long run, I knew that it would not only take great offensive and defensive execution, but also a little luck when you have such a young team,” he said. “As the season progressed, players accepted their roles and developed that strong bond and friendship that will last. Their friendship and faith in each other, more than anything else, was the reason why we achieved such a high level of success.” The team found themselves winning game after game, losing only to rival Sewickley Academy once in section play. This success led them to a WPIAL title rematch with Sewickley, where the Panthers came out on top for the second year in a row. But the season wasn’t over for the Chargers yet. They had decisive wins in the first three rounds of PIAA playoffs, and then found themselves facing Sewickley Academy for a fourth time. In this match-up it would be the Chargers who came out on top, upsetting the defending PIAA champions in a close game. The team’s 70-68 win earned them a spot in the PIAA Championship game in Hershey for the first time in school history.

The team’s success rallied the school community. Graduates from all decades shared their support on social media, a former coach shared a photo of himself and his wife in OLSH gear on the beach in Florida, alumni teased their former teammates who now serve on the coaching staff (half of whom are alums) about finally making it to the state final, and Felician Sisters across the U.S. were praying for their students. Even those who hadn’t stayed connected with the school were suddenly playing close attention. And the team took notice. “What made every game special (and our players were always aware of it),” remarked Coach Rodriguez, “was the amount of support we received from the OLSH student body, parents, teachers, administration, friends, alumni and community. Nothing can compare to turning around to look at the crowd during warm-ups for the state championship game and seeing a sea of purple in the stands – all there to support our boys. As a team we were so truly grateful for the opportunity to represent them all.” Even though the boys were unable to overcome Philadelphia powerhouse Constitution High School in the end, their commitment, camaraderie, focus and defensive effort throughout the season made their fans proud and excited to watch the next steps in this young team’s journey unfold.