Alexis Eberz stood along the sideline at the Palestra on Sunday afternoon, dribbling out the final seconds of Archbishop Carroll’s 42-33 Catholic League championship win over Cardinal O’Hara.
Eberz, a senior guard who will play at Villanova next season, threw the ball in the air as time expired and joined her teammates, including her younger twin sisters, Kayla and Kelsey, in celebrating Carroll’s first Catholic League title since 2019 and an undefeated season in league play.
“We had a target on our back, especially being undefeated this year,” Alexis Eberz said. “So, going out, playing our game that we played all year round, it’s amazing.”
All three Eberz sisters shared the court for the first time since Kelsey suffered a knee injury in December 2024, combining for 29 of Carroll’s 42 points.
“Nothing’s changed, you couldn’t even tell,” Kayla Eberz said of her twin sister’s return. “[After] all the stuff she’s been through, she came out and showed who she is.”
Kayla, a sophomore guard, scored 22 points. Alexis, who was named the Catholic League’s MVP this season, added five, and Kelsey, also a guard, added two. All five of Carroll’s starters scored, including nine points from Abbie McFillin, a junior guard.
“I knew that I was probably going to have some opportunities because they were going to be all over the Eberzes,” McFillin said.
Brigidanne Donohue led Cardinal O’Hara with 12 points. Bre Davis scored seven points off the bench for the Lions, while Megan Rullo, a senior who will play at Drexel next season, scored six.
The championship tipped off at 11 a.m., an hour earlier than scheduled. Both the girls’ and boys’ title games were moved up an hour because of the winter storm that was expected to hit the Philadelphia area on Sunday evening.
Carroll jumped out to a 14-7 lead after the first quarter and held a 22-17 advantage at halftime. The Patriots’ lead grew to 13 after three periods. O’Hara outscored Carroll, 11-7, in the fourth quarter, but Carroll’s lead was never threatened.
“You could tell playing against O’Hara that they were done,” McFillin said. “They lost before the fourth quarter even was over.”
Renie Shields’ Carroll team reached the league’s title game in 2024 and 2025 but lost both times. Sunday’s win gives Shields her second PCL championship in 10 seasons as head coach.
“I’ve been here, but for these guys, it’s their time,” Shields said, gesturing to her players. “It’s not about us, it’s about them. We work so hard so that we can put them in a position where they can succeed.”
Carroll will move on to the PIAA Class 6A state tournament, which will begin on March 6.
Carroll’s seniors, Alexis Eberz and Bridget Grant, already won a PIAA title with the team as freshmen in 2023. But after back-to-back losses in title games at the Palestra, the two players were determined to end their Catholic League careers with a championship.
“Me and Bridget didn’t want to feel that way three years in a row,” Alexis Eberz said. “It’s so surreal, especially when I’m with my sisters.”
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