City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2024-25 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

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Olivia Nardi doesn’t need a reminder of what happened in last year’s Catholic League title game. 

After all, the Archbishop Carroll senior lives the double-overtime loss to Archbishop Wood on a regular basis. 

“This is kind of bad,” Nardi admitted, “but I have some classes with [fellow senior] Maddie McFillin — ever since that day, we’ve watched it in every single class that we had together, watching and talking about it.”

“I still watch it,” she added, “every day.”

The Patriots won 19 games last year, finishing tied with Cardinal O’Hara for second place in the PCL regular season with a 9-2 record, advancing to the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals. But in the upper echelon of Catholic League programs, it’s championship or bust. 

Under the direction of Renie Shields, the Carroll girls have a couple major pieces to replace, but some exciting underclassmen and seasoned veterans should have them in the mix yet again as they hunt for the program’s first PCL title since 2019. And those two losses are on everybody’s minds.

“I know for me and I can say for everyone, it definitely motivates us,” Nardi said. “We want to get back there this year, and we want to win it.”

Nardi, a 5-8 guard who hit some big shots on the Palestra floor last February, is one of four seniors on the roster. Wing forwards Brooke Olender (5-10) and Brigid Archbold (5-9) are both committed to Division III schools (Scranton and Catholic, respectively), and 5-7 Djami Diallo will add depth at the guard position. 

The Patriots’ leading scorer is likely to be from its junior class, with a last name that’s going to be heard a lot around Carroll games this year. 

Shields has had quite the run of siblings come through Archbishop Carroll in her nine-year tenure. Just in the last few years she’s had Grants and Wilsons, O’Neills and McFillins, some sisters sharing the court together, others suiting up in different years. 

This season and next, it’s the Eberz sisters who will be making lots of noise for the Patriots. 

Alexis Eberz, who’s been one of the most productive underclassmen in the area the last few years, becomes Carroll’s standout star as a junior. The 5-9 guard, who’s been pulling in mid-major Division I offers all summer, is a knockdown outside shooter who’s been greatly improving her on-ball and point guard abilities. 

She’ll also have to slide into a role held the last few years by Brooke Wilson, who was not only the team’s primary ball-handler but its on-court leader, a tenacious defender who often had to lead her team offensively while also guarding the opponents’ best player. Wilson is now at West Point, along with her sister Taylor, a ‘23 Carroll grad. 

“I’m definitely the most experienced on varsity, so [I’m] trying to take the leadership role,” Eberz said. “I know Renie depends on me a lot and other girls do, too; just trying to help everyone out, be a great teammate [...]  just be there and lead the team.”

This year, she’s joined by her sisters — twin freshmen Kayla and Kelsey Eberz, both of whom will jump right onto the varsity roster. Kayla, a 5-10 wing, looks especially ready to make a big varsity contribution, though the 5-9 Kelsey isn’t too far behind. 

“I just like their aggressiveness and their love for playing,” Shields said. “They just love to play, and it’s fun to watch them, they get out there and they really enjoy playing together but then working together with a new group of girls.”

Also returning as a major component of this year’s Patriots will be sophomore guard Abbie McFillin. A starter most of her freshman year, the 5-9 combo guard was one of three McFillins on the roster last year; oldest sister Felicity McFillin is now off at the Air Force Academy, while Maddie will miss her senior season due to a knee injury. 

Though the youngest McFillin sister is a quality outside shooter who’s increasingly attacking the hoop off the bounce, it’s her intangibles that stand out, as she’s a quality rebounder and passer whose auxiliary stats often outpace her scoring.

“All Abbie sees is the ball, she just goes after it,” Shields said. “That kid has the greatest instincts when it comes to where the ball is and where it’s going to go. Her instincts will take her very far.

Junior wing Bridget Grant (5-10), whose older sister Maggie graduated from Carroll in 2022, will also contribute in the frontcourt with her length and shooting ability; sophomore Cate Schumacher, a 5-8 guard, will also chip in in the backcourt. 

If the Patriots don’t get contributions from that pair and the seniors, a return trip to the Palestra gets that much more difficult. 

“Everyone’s going to be up guarding Lex,” Nardi said, “so I feel like everyone’s going to have to step up [...] everyone’s going to have to play a role this year.”

The top half of the Catholic League will be daunting yet again. Wood’s led by St. Joe’s commit Emily Knouse with five-star sophomore Ryan Carter joining a deep rotation; O’Hara returns Drexel commit Molly Rullo and sophomore star-in-the-making Brigidanne Donohue; Lansdale Catholic has a D-I combo in seniors Sanyiah Littlejohn and Grace McDonough; Neumann-Goretti’s senior backcourt of Amya Scott and Carryn Easley (Fordham) are as talented a duo as any. 

But after coming so close last year, Carroll’s only willing to accept one outcome in 2025.

“We’re definitely all eager to get back there after the outcome of last year, we’re so eager to get this,” Alexis Eberz said. “We’re winning this year.”