Mary Bridget Wilson was destined to play basketball for Nazareth coach Eddie Stritzel.
She has the proof.
“It is weird,” Wilson said. “I was at a camp in first grade and got an award from coach Eddie at Trinity. I have a picture of us together. It’s hilarious.”
Stritzel, who was coaching at Trinity at the time but has been Nazareth’s coach since 2017, jokes that it was a case of illegal recruiting.
But his ties to Wilson go back even further. Stritzel’s wife, Julie, and Wilson’s mother, Patty, went to high school together at Resurrection and are lifelong friends.
So was it a foregone conclusion that Wilson and her twin sister, Katie, would play for Stritzel?
“That’s the way I look at it,” Stritzel said. “They kind of followed me from Trinity to here. We switched schools, so it’s a little bit further drive for her, but they’re a great family.”
Mary Bridget Wilson, a senior point guard, is a great player, although she is often overshadowed by taller and more touted teammates. She is generously listed at 5 feet, 7 inches tall, but it’s not a stretch to say her play has been pivotal to the success the Roadrunners (6-2 through Dec. 14) have had the past three seasons.
“She gets overlooked,” Stritzel said. “She doesn’t care about how all the kids have offers or are committed. She doesn’t get jealous. She knows her time is coming and is just an amazing kid to coach. MB just wants to win.”
The Roadrunners have done a lot of winning with Wilson running the show. They finished second in Class 3A during her sophomore year and then won their first state title last season by beating Lincoln 63-52 in the 3A championship game.
Wilson averaged just 4.6 points last season, but she scored 11 and had three assists in the championship game. She made 3 of 4 shots, including both 3-point attempts, and was 3 for 4 from the free-throw line.
Wilson’s final point — a free throw with 27 seconds remaining — was the last one of the game. It was a fitting ending for such an unselfish player.
“I just want to facilitate for my teammates,” she said. “I definitely have to look more to get my own stuff, but I like playing defense. That’s probably the most fun.”
Wilson’s teammates have fun playing with her. Playing against her, however, is a different story.
“She’s one of my best friends, which is awesome, but she’s also one of the most tenacious and aggressive players I know,” senior guard Amalia Dray said. “I hate playing against her because she always gets all up in your grill, never leaves you alone.”
That’s the main reason Stritzel pairs Wilson and Dray at the top of Nazareth’s zone defense. Together, they wreak all sorts of havoc, with Wilson often creating turnovers.
“I just love playing defense,” Wilson said. “If I’m not scoring offensively, I at least want to get as many steals or tips as I can.”
Wilson and Dray get plenty of each for the Roadrunners, who allowed 31.4 points last season and are 82-10 with the two in the lineup.
“We’ve just glued together,” Dray said. “We feed off each other.”
Seven years after they first became teammates, Wilson and Dray are having a blast.
“It’s been awesome,” Wilson said. “We’ve been playing together since we were in fifth grade, so the chemistry is pretty great.”
But Wilson’s intensity isn’t limited to the defensive end. She’s not afraid to attack the basket, no matter how tall the trees in the lane are.
“When she goes in for a layup, it’s one of the scariest things I’ve seen,” Dray said. “She’s super aggressive and super confident too. She’s awesome.”
Wilson, whose sister Katie is a reserve guard for the Roadrunners, intends to play in college and is looking at Division II and Division III schools, but she hasn’t gotten any offers yet. A torn meniscus in June hampered her recruiting. She had surgery and was cleared to play just before Nazareth’s season opener.
“She missed the whole travel ball season, which hurt her,” Stritzel said. “But we’re going to get her where she needs to go.”
Wilson is determined to get the Roadrunners where they want to go, which is back to the top. Nazareth has moved up to Class 4A but still expects to win after going 35-1 against mostly 4A competition last season.
Wilson, who said she has a 3.9 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, is going to enjoy her final ride with the Roadrunners.
“I love the high school,” she said. “I love playing with all these girls. This isn’t just basketball. We all hang out, and we’re very close, so it’s nice having everyone here.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
