Women's Basketball

Jordan-Elbridge senior center Molly Hourigan announced Wednesday she has committed to play basketball at Holy Cross.

Hourigan, choose the Crusaders from 25 other Division I schools vying for her services. Among them were Princeton, Siena and Sacred Heart.

“It was a combination of good academics, the location, great coaches, a winning program, and I just had that feeling when I got on campus.”

Hourigan officially committed Tuesday when she made her second visit to the Worcester, Mass. campus.

Hourigan said after meeting with the athletic director, a professor and some of the athletic staff she knew Holy Cross was the right place for her.

“They made me believe that it was the right choice,” Hourigan said.

For the past two seasons Hourigan has been one of the best players in central New York, leading her team to the sectional playoffs as a sophomore and then again as a junior.

Last year, Hourigan led the Eagles to the Section III, Class B semifinals while averaging 15.5 points per game and 13.1 rebounds to go with 7.9 blocks.

The Eagles went 17-3, but lost just once with a healthy Hourigan for the full 32 minutes.

Two of the three losses came to Cazenovia the eventual Class B champion.

Hourigan suffered a knee injuryJan. 13 against Cazenovia.

Her numbers could have been better had it not been for the injury.

Prior to the injury, Hourigan started the season averaging nearly 18 points per game, 14 rebounds while swatting more than eight shots a game.

Despite finishing the season wearing a bulky knee brace, the 6-foot-3 center led J-E in points, rebounds, blocks and assists. She was second on the team in steals.

Hourigan nearly tripled the amount of rebounds her closest teammate corralled and finished with 142 blocks on the year. The next closest Eagle had 11.

But it was on the offensive side of the court where Hourigan improved most.

Entering her junior year, Hourigan was known as more a defensive threat. During the offseason she worked on her footwork and became nearly automatic when she established position on the low block.

She’ll take that development and join the Crusaders in the 2012-13 season. It’s a Holy Cross squad that went 10-20 a season ago, but is just three years removed from playing in the Patriot League championship game, and earned their way into the NCAA Tournament berth four years ago.

Women's Basketball

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