A ferocious defender and rebounder, as well as a hustler, McCarty leads through actions and words. She is the catalyst for a rising team and McCarty helped the Griffins take another step forward Friday night at Frank Lupacchino Court.

McCarty scored nine points, grabbed 11 rebounds, made five steals and excelled in both the post and at point guard as Sullivan defeated St. John Neumann, 32-22. One of the team’s two seniors, McCarty also helped seal victory with two late, clutch foul shots as Sullivan (6-8) continued ascending after winning four games a year ago.

“She’s always been a player that might not light it up on the scoreboard, but she’s willing to do what it takes to get wins,” Sullivan coach Taylor Baldwin said. “She’s a really good leader. As a senior she’s stepping into a lot of roles and doing a lot of really good things for us. If we make a run down the stretch, I think she’s going to have a big role in that.”

McCarty certainly played a big role Friday against an improving Neumann squad which kept fighting back throughout the second half after the Griffins went up nine early in the third quarter. Although undersized in the post, McCarty plays like a 6-footer and kept possessions alive with her rebounding.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent St. John Neumann's Kallee Johnson (3) shoots over Sullivan County's Eva Fresno (1) in the third quarter.

When point guard Ansley Baldwin was injured late in the game, McCarty handled the offense well, protected the ball and made those key foul shots. An offensive rebound as well started a quick burst highlighted by her 3-pointer after Neumann cut it to five in the third quarter.

A first team Mid-Penn soccer forward last fall, McCarty did not play basketball a year ago. It’s no coincidence that Sullivan has made massive strides upon her return and Friday was a reminder that, no matter what the box score says, McCarty consistently is an impact player.

“We try and work really hard for each other,” McCarty said. “We don’t really care about who scores. We just want everyone playing as hard as they can, getting the rebounds and things like that.”

“Part of your identity is that you just have to play relentlessly all the time. That’s why Lily is a really good captain for us,” Baldwin said. “She is the embodiment of that kind of person.”

That effort is contagious and spreads throughout the roster. Exchange student Eva Fresno, from Madrid, Spain, continued her impressive debut season, scoring a career-high 13 points and making five steals. Baldwin scored eight points with three steals; Alana Olson pulled down five rebounds. All the Griffins played swarming defense, leading from midway through the first quarter on while defeating Neumann for the first time since 2021.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Sullivan County's Eva Fresno (1) shoots in front of St. John Neumann's Brooklyn Clabaugh (4) in the second quarter.

With McCarty and Baldwin not playing a year ago and Fresno being overseas, this is a new-look Sullivan squad. There are a lot of moving parts, so what McCarty does and who she is has been crucial to the team’s success … even if it took some time.

“We did some summer league, and it was very apparent that I was rusty,” McCarty said. “Once we got back into the flow of things and I knocked the rust off I enjoyed it again and started getting back into and playing really well.”

Baldwin hit consecutive 3-pointers which put Sullivan ahead to stay in the first quarter, but six fast Kaydance Meixel points helped Neumann cut a nine-point deficit to 17-13 in the third. McCarty, however, grabbed two offensive rebounds before drawing a foul and making a free throw to stop the run. She drilled a 3-pointer a possession later before Olson made a steal and found Fresno for a layup. Just like that, Sullivan went up, 23-13 in 90 seconds.

McCarty helped Sullivan stay composed following Baldwin’s injury and hit consecutive foul shots which pushed the lead to 31-22 with a minute remaining. Freshman Quinn Pennella added another free throw, and Sullivan sealed its sixth win in 11 games.

“That was a little bit nerve-wracking, but I just clear my head and tell myself these are easy and I can make them,” McCarty said. “Sometimes in games you could see where we start freaking out and turning the ball over and it’s up to me to try and keep my body language good and everyone else’s good, and I feel like everyone is doing a great job coming together.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Sullivan County's Quinn Pennella (4) and St. John Neumann's Haylee Meixel (12) battle for a lose ball in the second quarter.

Neumann also is putting that puzzle together. The Knights have only eight players in the program but highlighted their improvement with a 43-31 win at Millville Wednesday, defeating a team which beat it early this season. Neumann also generated a lot of positives Friday, but some missed shots around the basket loomed large as the game progressed.

Still, it was another encouraging performance by a team which matched Sullivan’s intensity with its own feisty play. Freshman Kaydance Meixel scored 11 points, Bre Nixon nine and Kallee Johnson produced a game-high 14 rebounds, while blocking six shots.

“They’re getting better. We’re trying to put pieces together and it’s starting to click and we’re finding our groove, we just lost a tough one tonight,” Neumann coach Shar Robinson said. “That (Millville win) is when I realized that everything was starting to click. Now they’re realizing that they can play and play well.”

Meixel is becoming a weapon in her debut varsity season. Because of low enrollment numbers, Meixel and fellow freshman Brooklyn Clabaugh were unable to complete their junior high seasons. Despite that, Meixel is becoming a weapon, proving it again against Sullivan.

In addition to scoring 11 points two nights after going for 16 at Millville, Meixel made seven steals and fueled both Neumann second-half rallies. The tenacious guard hit a 3-pointer before making a steal and layup as the Knights pulled within 23-18 early in the fourth quarter. Olson found Fresno inside before Baldwin banked in a runner and connected with Fresno to help Sullivan fight off that surge.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Sullivan County's Eva Fresno (1) shoots over St. John Neumann's Savana Smith (13) in the second quarter.

“She’s making up for not having a complete season in her middle school career,” Robinson said. “She’s trying to take this full-force and get that experience that she and Brooklyn weren’t able to have the previous two years before coming to high school.”

Gaining experience has been vital for Sullivan with so many players returning and/or arriving. Taylor Baldwin also is back after coaching for two seasons before last year. The climb continues, but Sullivan continues relying on each other and moving upward together.

“The biggest thing is they’re super supportive of each other. Nobody is worried about who is scoring. Their main goal is winning and they’re jelling really well as a team,” Baldwin said. “I think if they continue to do that, we can play really well down the stretch which would be huge for us. Getting the girls back from last year that didn’t play has been a really cool thing for us. It’s a good sign for the health of the program which has been my goal since the beginning.”

SULLIVAN (32)

Eva Fresno 6 1-4 13, Ansley Baldwin 3 0-0 8, Lily McCarty 1 6-8 9, Alana Olson 0 0-0 0, Bethany Eberlin 0 1-2 1, Quinn Pennella 0 1-2 1, Bailey Bogart 0 0-0 0, Grace Zelewicz 0 0-0 0, Zoey Reese 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 9-16 32.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Sullivan County's Lily McCarty (3) shoots between St. John Neumann's Kallee Johnson (3) and Brooklyn Clabaugh (4) in the first quarter.

NEUMANN (22)

Bre Nixon 4 1-2 9, Kaydance Meixel 5 0-0 11, Kallee Johnson 1 0-0 2, Savana Smith 0 0-0 0, Haylee Meixel 0 0-2 0, Alexa Clabaugh 0 0-0 0, Brooklyn Clabaugh 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 1-4 22.

Sullivan 11 2 10 9–32

Neumann 4 2 7 9–22

3-pointers: Sullivan 3 (Baldwin 2, McCarty); Neumann 1 (K. Meixel).

Records: Sullivan 6-8. Neumann 2-10.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Sullivan County's Lily McCarty (3) shoots over St. John Neumann's Kallee Johnson (3) in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Sullivan County's Ansley Baldwin (2) drives to the basket around St. John Neumann's Bre Nixon (14) in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent St. John Neumann's Kallee Johnson (3) battles for a rebound with Sullivan County's Alana Olson (11) and Bailey Bogart (12) in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Sullivan County's Ansley Baldwin (2) bats a pass away from St. John Neumann's Kallee Johnson (3) in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent St. John Neumann's Kaydance Meixel (2) and Sullivan County's Zoey Reese (14) battle for a loose ball in the first quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Sullivan County's Quinn Pennella (4) and St. John Neumann's Haylee Meixel (12) battle for a rebound in the first quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent St. John Neumann's Bre Nixon (14) shoot around Sullivan County's Lily McCarty (3) in the first quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent St. John Neumann's Haylee Meixel (12) drives the ball down court ahead of Sullivan County's Alana Olsan (11) in the first quarter.