Thunder Gets Senior Night ‘W’

Some Senior Night’s mean a little bit more than others. You can just feel it. Senior Kelly Burns had 19 points as the Thunder beat Nardin, 59-45, on Mt.St.Mary’s Senior Night. The win was meaningful in two regards. It not only meant that Burns, and fellow seniors Madison Badgley, Molly Meegan, Meighan Murphy and Katie Hart were all able to walk off their home court one final time as winners. The win solidified the Thunder’s No.2 slot in the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association playoff seeding. They will play on Feb.26 against either Sacred Heart or St.Mary’s of Lancaster. If SHA defeats Nichols School in their season finale’, they will play the Mount. If Nichols wins St.Mary’s will face Mt.St.Mary. “It just means so much because we worked so hard for it,” said Madison Badgley, who is in her second season of varsity. “I feel like we did everything we could and it feels so great. The whole team contributed.” Badgley was spot on with her take as the win was yet another example of the quality team ball the Thunder has been playing, especially in recent weeks. While it took a while for the Thunder to get their shooting on target they never stopped working as a team. Which was key because Nardin brought a solid effort as their playoff lives hung in the balance as well.

Seniors Abby Adams (14 points) and Alex Hartnett (11 points) set the tone for the Gators, who held the lead for the bulk of the second quarter. Adams 3-pointer to open the second and put her team up 16-14.

“Their effort was probably the best I’ve seen all season. I’m very proud of the girls,” said Nardin head coach Kendra Brim. “If we go into the playoffs with that same effort we can be a contender for the B Division, for sure.” Nardin will face either Buffalo Seminary or Park in the opening round.

For the Thunder, being in the No.2 slot puts them in a solid position to qualify for the Catholic state tournament in Class B. Should Mount reach the MMAA playoff championship, mostly likely against Cardinal O’Hara, they would still get a berth to states as MMAA runners-up.

Coach Mike McCarthy led the Thunder to the 2015 NYSCHSAA Class B title-a team that included Hart, Meegan, Burns and Murphy.

“All week, all we could think about is where we started and it’s hard to let go,” Meighan Murphy said. “All week we’ve just been talking about all the memories that we have and all the good times. Really trying to hold on to that. Sophomore year I said I really wanted to win for the seniors. To keep playing and never let go. Now, being that senior, and seeing these kids tell me that they want to keep playing for me. They don’t want to let go either. It’s kind of like history repeating itself.”

While the Thunder was making its improbably run to states two seasons ago, Murphy remarked several times along the way that the secret weapon that team has was an uncommon love for each other. They kept winning and because they simply did not want to say goodbye to each other. As the 2016-17 season has evolved, Murphy said she has seen the same type of love grow within the team circle.

“It feels a hundred percent like that,” Murphy said. “I’ve some of these girls forever. I played against most of them in middle school. We’ve really built a bond and that bond will never be broken.”

Grace O’Brien(hit seven of her 11 points in the fourth quarter to give Mount some breathing room, 52-41. O’Brien also hit a key bucket in the second that gave Mount a 24-23 lead. A lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the night.