Nazareth Academy gets first taste of Catholic League basketball: ‘It’s a bigger switch’

Reese Power grew up around the Philadelphia Catholic League, so she was naturally eager about the prospect of playing in it.

Power, a junior at Nazareth Academy, and her teammates got their first look at life in the PCL on Tuesday against top-notch contender Archbishop Wood. The Pandas left District 1 and the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies during the summer, making the move to District 12 and the PCL.

The school accounted for itself well in the fall sports, but PCL basketball is a level of its own. And after Tuesday night, Nazareth Academy knows what it’s up against.

“It’s really exciting, I’m playing against girls that I’ve played against my entire life,” said Power after a 71-27 loss to the Vikings. “I’ve been around the Catholic League through my siblings, going from game to game. I really like it, especially getting to play with all these girls I’ve known that long.”

Last year, the Pandas won the District 1 Class 4A title and made a first-round appearance in state playoffs. Head coach Mary Kate Magagna, a 2005 graduate of Nazareth Academy who had a strong career at St. Joseph’s, knew it would be a challenge not only changing leagues, but going from one district to another.

Nazareth Academy, an all-girls school located on Grant Avenue and bordered by Holy Family University’s campus, seemed like a natural fit geographically with a hub of nearby PCL schools. Archbishop Ryan, Father Judge, and St. Hubert are also in the Northeast while Little Flower and Conwell-Egan are not too far away.

“Our coaching staff is all from Northeast Philly, so we’re all well aware of the competition and the tradition that goes on in this league,” Magagna said. “We got a taste of what the PCL is going to be like and how teams don’t give up until the last second. We need to come out ready to play every single second.”

In the fall, the Pandas won a PCL title in golf and track and field. The soccer team also made it to the PCL final, losing to Archbishop Wood in late October.

Replicating that type of run may not come in year one for the basketball team, although the Pandas’ starting lineup is used to quick turnarounds after winning a District 1 title in its second year together.

“Our whole starting five is juniors, they’ve all started since they were freshmen,” Magagna said. “Now it’s more of changing our mindset in terms of our competition. We’re used to the Catholic Academies league, and now it’s a bigger switch over.”

The Pandas (0-2) have time to try to change their approach. By then, Power hopes the group will be ready to show opponents what this team is all about.

Power’s older brother played at Father Judge and her sister competed at Little Flower. She opted for Nazareth Academy because some of the girls she’d grown up playing with, like Abby Rock and Grace Sullivan, were also going there. The three wanted to be a part of something together.

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“We know we’re Nazareth Academy coming out and trying to make a name for ourselves,” Power said. “This game showed us what the Catholic League is. There’s going to be a tough game every single night. Wood’s a great team, and this showed us how much we have to compete if we want to win.”

Nazareth Academy’s fall teams showed change can be good. While the Pandas know the basketball hill will be a bigger climb, they hope their name sticks out in the PCL, too.

“We’re a winter sport, so now they’re looking at us to see what are we going to do,” Magagna said. “We’ve already been looking at scouting reports, and the girls will point out someone they know — that’s the cool thing about the PCL, that familiarity with everybody.”

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.