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Throughout her career, Maddie Hartnett has had a knack for rising to the occasion for the University of Scranton women’s basketball team.
In 124 games, the graduate student from Chatham, New Jersey, averaged 6.4 points. But in 20 postseason games, she scored in double figures 11 times, averaging 8.7 points. Her 145 3-pointers rank ninth on the program’s all-time list. Thirty-one of them have come in playoff games.
Twice, she was named Most Valuable Player of the Landmark Conference championship game. As a freshman in 2021, she scored 16 points in a win over Catholic. Then as a senior last season, she had a career-high 20 points in 8-for-13 shooting, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, to help beat Catholic again.
“You look at her stats and you’re like, ‘OK, she’s a solid player,’ ” Lady Royals coach Ben O’Brien said. “But if you look at all of our biggest games, she’s somebody I don’t think gets the kind of recognition. She’s been a sneaky, big-game player for us and has been for her entire career.”
Hartnett and her teammates hope more big games lie ahead. On Friday night, Scranton (28-1) hosted Johns Hopkins (24-4) in the NCAA Division III Sweet 16. A victory would advance the Lady Royals to the Elite Eight on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the John Long Center against either Wisconsin-Stout (21-7) or Wisconsin-Whitewater (24-6).
She really can’t explain why she plays big in big moments. She tries to treat those games like any other. She also stays focused on her defense and doesn’t dwell on a missed shot or a turnover.
Mostly, though, it’s the confidence her teammates show in her, as well as the atmosphere of a playoff game at the Long Center, that enable her to thrive.
“A lot of times in those games the shots that I get are because a team has decided to try their best to take away Kaci Kranson,” Hartnett said. “She just makes the next play of passing it out to me because they might leave me open. So (it’s) my teammates having that extra confidence in me to make that extra pass.
“Also the environment of the fans. You go into that sort of game and take a second to look around and see how much the gym is filled with people wearing purple or white if it’s a Whiteout game. You know all those people are rooting for you and they have your back. It helps me feel more confident in my abilities.”
The decision to come back for a fifth season wasn’t easy for Hartnett. Her first four years at Scranton were, in her words, “amazing,” and she was afraid a fifth season might not live up to that.
“I didn’t want to regret coming back and feel like I should have ended it last year,” Hartnett said.
Also, she was worried about the age gap between her and most of her teammates.
With the season Scranton is having, there have been no regrets.
“I felt so close with the group we had formed last season,” Hartnett said. “Then the freshmen came in and even though I’m four years older than all these girls, I’ve had no problem relating to them, feeling super-close and connected to them. I’m glad I came back.”
There has always been a feeling of closeness and family in the Scranton program. But it is even more with this year’s team. Hartnett said there is a selflessness and a commitment from top to bottom, particularly on the defensive end. It is one of the reasons why the Lady Royals have allowed a Division III-low 45.4 points.
“Everyone buys into every possession and that’s really important for us,” Hartnett said. “No one really takes a play off. You know you can give it your all every possession and the person coming in behind you is going to give that same exact effort every time.”
Taking nothing for granted has been a key as well.
“We have the mentality that it’s not given, it’s earned every single year,” Hartnett said. “I think that’s so special and what helps us go so far in the tournament. We never assume any game is supposed to be won.”
With Scranton hosting this weekend’s games, Hartnett is grateful to get at least one more game at the Long Center. She also hopes to play four more games with her teammates and possibly go out on top.
“That would be so, so special,” Hartnett said. “Either way, we’ve accomplished so much and I’m already pretty satisfied with what we’ve done. But really, the perfect end to any career is to end it with a win.”
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In 124 games, the graduate student from Chatham, New Jersey, averaged 6.4 points. But in 20 postseason games, she scored in double figures 11 times, averaging 8.7 points. Her 145 3-pointers rank ninth on the program’s all-time list. Thirty-one of them have come in playoff games.
Twice, she was named Most Valuable Player of the Landmark Conference championship game. As a freshman in 2021, she scored 16 points in a win over Catholic. Then as a senior last season, she had a career-high 20 points in 8-for-13 shooting, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, to help beat Catholic again.
“You look at her stats and you’re like, ‘OK, she’s a solid player,’ ” Lady Royals coach Ben O’Brien said. “But if you look at all of our biggest games, she’s somebody I don’t think gets the kind of recognition. She’s been a sneaky, big-game player for us and has been for her entire career.”
Hartnett and her teammates hope more big games lie ahead. On Friday night, Scranton (28-1) hosted Johns Hopkins (24-4) in the NCAA Division III Sweet 16. A victory would advance the Lady Royals to the Elite Eight on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the John Long Center against either Wisconsin-Stout (21-7) or Wisconsin-Whitewater (24-6).
She really can’t explain why she plays big in big moments. She tries to treat those games like any other. She also stays focused on her defense and doesn’t dwell on a missed shot or a turnover.
Mostly, though, it’s the confidence her teammates show in her, as well as the atmosphere of a playoff game at the Long Center, that enable her to thrive.
“A lot of times in those games the shots that I get are because a team has decided to try their best to take away Kaci Kranson,” Hartnett said. “She just makes the next play of passing it out to me because they might leave me open. So (it’s) my teammates having that extra confidence in me to make that extra pass.
“Also the environment of the fans. You go into that sort of game and take a second to look around and see how much the gym is filled with people wearing purple or white if it’s a Whiteout game. You know all those people are rooting for you and they have your back. It helps me feel more confident in my abilities.”
The decision to come back for a fifth season wasn’t easy for Hartnett. Her first four years at Scranton were, in her words, “amazing,” and she was afraid a fifth season might not live up to that.
“I didn’t want to regret coming back and feel like I should have ended it last year,” Hartnett said.
Also, she was worried about the age gap between her and most of her teammates.
With the season Scranton is having, there have been no regrets.
“I felt so close with the group we had formed last season,” Hartnett said. “Then the freshmen came in and even though I’m four years older than all these girls, I’ve had no problem relating to them, feeling super-close and connected to them. I’m glad I came back.”
There has always been a feeling of closeness and family in the Scranton program. But it is even more with this year’s team. Hartnett said there is a selflessness and a commitment from top to bottom, particularly on the defensive end. It is one of the reasons why the Lady Royals have allowed a Division III-low 45.4 points.
“Everyone buys into every possession and that’s really important for us,” Hartnett said. “No one really takes a play off. You know you can give it your all every possession and the person coming in behind you is going to give that same exact effort every time.”
Taking nothing for granted has been a key as well.
“We have the mentality that it’s not given, it’s earned every single year,” Hartnett said. “I think that’s so special and what helps us go so far in the tournament. We never assume any game is supposed to be won.”
With Scranton hosting this weekend’s games, Hartnett is grateful to get at least one more game at the Long Center. She also hopes to play four more games with her teammates and possibly go out on top.
“That would be so, so special,” Hartnett said. “Either way, we’ve accomplished so much and I’m already pretty satisfied with what we’ve done. But really, the perfect end to any career is to end it with a win.”
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