Holy Family’s ‘close-knit, local team’ is making history with an Elite Eight appearance

When the buzzer sounded in Holy Family’s 78-62 victory over Daemen of Buffalo on March 16, the moment was bigger than the five players standing on the court.

The seventh-seeded Tigers made history as the first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference women’s basketball team to win the NCAA Division II East Regional and advance to the Elite Eight. Holy Family (30-4, 20-0) will play second-seeded Indiana University of Pennsylvania (29-3, 17-3 PSAC) in Pittsburgh on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.

The achievement couldn’t have been possible without all of the former players and supporters who have been part of the Holy Family program, coach Bernadette Laukaitis said.

After the game, the seventh-year coach FaceTimed some of the program’s alumni to celebrate the moment with her team.

​​”We continue to build the bridge between our previous alumni and those who’ve built this for the girls,” Laukaitis said. “This is just as much theirs as it is ours. We know how special that moment was, for not just us. It was something bigger than us.”

Laukaitis, who graduated from Holy Family in 2000, has built her program on a tradition she knows well. It’s one of grit and toughness, two qualities Laukaitis doesn’t have to look far to find in recruits.

“They all get that. It’s in their blood,” Laukaitis said. “They all play that way. It definitely is a very big attraction to me as a coach, knowing that’s what this program was built on from a long time ago.”

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Of the 13 players on Holy Family’s roster, 10 are from Pennsylvania. Six played in the Suburban One League and one played in the Philadelphia Catholic League.

Sophomore Lola Ibarrondo, a graduate of Neshaminy, said those high school leagues shaped her and her teammates as players.

“They’re just great leagues that really make you ready for the next level,” Ibarrondo said. “You make a lot of connections through it.”

In high school, Ibarrondo played against current teammate Amy Ngo, who attended Upper Dublin, in a game at Holy Family.

Having familiar face is what made freshmen Danielle Brusha from Lower Moreland and Ella Brown from Pennridge, who are now roommates, more comfortable during their transition to college.

Laukaitis said with most of her players living in the area, they were able to work out together over the summer and participate in a summer league.

“Those are the things that show on the floor, even early on in our season,” Laukaitis said. And it all leads back to the culture that was created by the local players who came before.

“We know how that culture can really make us play that much better in these types of moments,” Laukaitis said. “Going this deep into the run, it’s because of how close [they are] and how much they love each other. So it’s definitely something that they work on, they value, they have bought into to make our program as strong as it is today.”

Sophomore Camryn Gregory, a graduate of Council Rock South, also noted how their families have influenced the culture of this year’s team.

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Gregory said with many players living near their parents, it allows them to bring a family culture to the team.

“We trust each other, we love each other, and I think it’s just one of the things that keeps us going,” Gregory said. “We don’t want our time as a family to come to an end, so we’re just doing everything we can to keep it going.”

It’s also an added bonus to have families living nearby. There’s usually a handful of Tigers supporters in the stands for every game, even away games.

There should be a solid showing of supporters on Tuesday. The university is sending a bus for fans, just like it did for the team’s regional game.

“When we got back, there was a bunch of faculty, staff, students outside, welcoming us back,” Ngo said. “It feels really good to know that we have all that support back here, and they’re coming to support us.”

Laukitis added: “That’s the stuff that’s really special about this place. We have so many people behind us now. It’s because we’re a close-knit, local team.”

Holy Family lost in the Sweet 16 last season, but junior Kara Meredith, a graduate of Archbishop Wood, said it helped fuel the team this year.

“We were fighting all season to get back to that moment,” Meredith said. “There was an overall feeling of readiness. We got on the floor and I saw it in everyone.”

And there’s potential to reach more milestones. Senior Taylor Hinkle, who played at Central Bucks South, said the Tigers are ready for this matchup.

“For us returners, we were so close last year, we knew that we all put in the work this summer and in preseason and during the season, and we all started to believe in each other a lot, and we stuck together throughout the whole thing,” Hinkle said. “It feels really great, obviously, to be a part of history. Why not keep making more history?”