Archbishop Wood girls basketball looking to keep championship streak alive

The Vikings are seeking their fifth straight Pennsylvania state title this weekend

Mike McDonald is in his 10th season on the Archbishop Wood bench. / courtesy of Mike McDonald

Appearing in the Pennsylvania state-championship basketball game has become routine for Archbishop Wood. The Vikings will be seeking their fifth consecutive Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) championship and ninth in school history when they take the court against South Fayette at the Giant Center in Hershey Saturday evening at 6:00 for the Class 5A girls state final.

Mike McDonald has been the man in charge of the Vikings during their championship run. He’s in his 10th season as Wood’s head coach after spending two years as an assistant His teams have won six state titles in that span. McDonald says his players have grown comfortable with the state-championship environment.

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Philadelphia Catholic League basketball squads poised to make a big run at the PIAA state finals

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“We get great upperclassmen that help the young kids,” he said, “and the young kids learn each year. I think when you get there and you get to experience it, each year the kids get a little bit older; they’ve been there and they have the experience and I think that’s definitely an advantage for us that they have gone through it. The know what to expect and they have the expectation of being there now.”

Located in Warminster in Bucks County, roughly a half hour from the Philadelphia border, the Wood program flourishes in a locale where basketball, has always mattered a lot. The Vikings are part of the Philadelphia Catholic League, whose teams both boys and girls, feature players who have been playing against each other since their CYO days.

McDonald himself played basketball in the Catholic League himself, for Cardinal Dougherty which is now closed, and later at Chestnut Hill College. His mother Mary spent three decades as a high-school coach.

“It’s obvious that our area is one of the best in the state,” McDonald said. “When we travel across the country and play really good teams, some of the better teams in the country, every year, it can be a little different as far as talent goes but this area is strong.”

At the core of the Vikings’ success is their commitment and work ethic.

“We put in a lot of work,” McDonald said. “Typically, six weeks after the state championship, we have offseason workouts. That’s mostly just skill work and things like that but it gets the kids that will be returning back in gym and we can get to see what we look like.

“Then, in the fall, we do a lot of work. So, it’s a lot of time outside the season where our kids are getting better and we’re developing and again we’re very fortunate that kids come to our school want to be successful and have a chance to play in college so we’re getting some pretty good players as it is.”

McDonald counts on his upperclassmen to positively influence their younger teammates. He says that formula is a key to his program’s long-term success.

“It’s everything,” he said. "I tell them that all the time. 

“It’s their choices and their decision making that really is why this program is successful. If they choose to not listen or if they choose not to work the program would not be the same. So, it’s really their decisions to put in the time and their decisions to show the younger kids the commitment level needed that really keeps it going year in and year out. 

“I give the former seniors that we had last year big-time credit and give Emily Knouse, our only senior this year, a lot of credit because we have six freshmen and seven sophomores this year. 

“So it’s a lot of young players. If the upperclassmen don’t lead by example they wouldn’t be learning the right ways and our upperclassmen have always done a great job instilling the standards we have to keep it going.”