Central Bucks West defeated North Penn 43-35 in Monday’s SOL Tournament title game at Souderton Area High School.
FRANCONIA TWP – They’re young, and they’re fearless, unfazed when things aren’t going their way, and in Monday night’s Suburban One Tournament title game at Souderton, Central Bucks West’s players didn’t so much as blink when North Penn went into the intermission with a seven-point lead.
Granted, the Knights certainly appeared to have all the momentum after Irisa Ye – who had 14 first-half points – buried a baseline three-pointer with 25 seconds remaining to cap a 9-2 run that sent North Penn into halftime with a 22-15 lead.
But the Bucks apparently weren’t concerned about a little thing like momentum and came out of halftime playing with the kind of confidence usually reserved for proven veterans, outscoring the Knights 18-4 in dominant third quarter on their way to a 43-35 win..jpg)
The tournament crown was the second in the three-year history of the tournament for the Bucks, who fell to North Penn in overtime last year, and this one surprised even their coach.
“Honestly, I would have never (expected it) – I thought we would grow and be better, but I thought we would be young and make young mistakes,” West coach Terry Rakowsky said.
In Saturday’s win over Plymouth Whitemarsh, a West squad that prides itself on its defense allowed an uncharacteristic 63 points and was whistled for 20 fouls. Monday’s defensive effort was a marked contrast. Fouls were never an issue, and in the pivotal third quarter, the Bucks’ suffocating defense forced the Knights into six turnovers and limited them to just one field goal.
“Our defense at half court I thought was exceptional today,” Rakowsky said. “We played the way we expect our kids to play defense.
“When we do that and get consistent offense – not necessarily 30 points in a quarter but 15 points in a quarter or 18 points in a quarter, we’re tough to beat.”
The Bucks are also tough to beat when they’re burying shots from beyond the arc. Izzy Treon’s three early in the third quarter trimmed the Knights’ lead to four and was the first of three 3-pointers in the frame for the Bucks. Maggie Rakowsky’s three pulled West to within one, and her foul shot after coming up with a steal knotted the score (26-26).
Tori Abselson put the Bucks on top for the first time since midway through the second quarter when she turned an offensive rebound into a basket, and when Maddie Burke scored on a baseline drive, the Bucks led 30-26. The freshman standout’s three-pointer at the buzzer gave the Bucks a seven-point advantage and all but cut the heart out of the Knights.
“(That was) huge,” Maggie Rakowsky said of Burke’s buzzer beater. “Her confidence for a freshman is amazing – I wish I could have the confidence she has as a freshman as a senior.
“She’s just such a huge part of our team, and we just could not do without her.”
On West’s opening possession of the fourth quarter, Treon found Burke for a basket that put the Bucks on top 35-26 before Bri Hewlett connected on a three to break a six-minute scoring drought for the Knights. A fast break basket by Treon upped West’s lead to 38-29 with 3:31 remaining. The Knights - forcing the Bucks into turnovers in their delay game - used a 6-0 run that was capped by a Jess Huber bucket to make it a 38-35 game with 1:21 remaining.
Abelson and Diane Nicholson each connected on both ends of a one-and-one to ensure the West win.
“It’s a great feeling,” Abelson said. “We’ve been here before, and last year it didn’t end up in our favor so coming back and getting it is really awesome.”
The Bucks’ youth is underscored by the fact that their leading scorer in Monday’s game – Burke – was an eighth grader watching last year’s title game from the stands. This year, she led a balanced West attack with 11.
Rakowsky added nine points – six in the pivotal third quarter. Abelson, who led the Bucks’ defensive charge with six steals, had seven points, and Treon – assigned the task of defending the dangerous Huber – had seven points, all in the second half.
“In the beginning of the game, coach Terry told me to shut (Huber) down because I know she’s a really strong player, and she’s an amazing three-point shooter,” Treon said. “Last time we played them she scored a lot on us (Huber had 24 in a 59-40 NP win). He told me at the beginning of the game just to take her out, so that was my mission in the game. Scoring was just a bonus.”
For the Knights, Ye led all scorers with 16 points while Hewlett had eight. Huber, who had two baskets and no threes, added seven points.
“We did good job of playing defense and shutting down their three shooters,” coach Rakowsky said. “Irisa (Ye) was knocking them down, and we took her out in the second half.
“I thought Maggie (Rakowsky) did a great job on Sam (Carangi). Maggie is Maggie. She’s probably one of the best defenders in the state. For four years now, we’ve been putting her on the best kid.”
West’s win snapped the Knights’ 14-game winning streak, and when asked if there was any benefit getting a loss out of the way before districts, coach Maggie deMarteleire’s answer was immediate and emphatic.
“I would say no,” she said. “We’ll see.
“How you don’t come ready to play in a championship game is a little unnerving. I’m not going to lie – that was disturbing. I thought we were ready. In the second half, you could see off the get-go their energy level was much higher than ours. It’s disappointing.”
Both teams have an opening round bye when the District One 6A Tournament begins this weekend.
“This is good momentum,” Treon said. “It especially feels good that we’re fulfilling the legacy that was left behind for us by (Nicole) Munger, Mackenzie (Carroll) and all of them.”
Central Bucks West (19-4, 9-3) will play the winner of 12th-seeded Upper Dublin versus 21st-seeded Harry S Truman game, and top-seeded North Penn (20-3, 10-2) will take on the winner of the 16th-seeded Spring-Ford versus 17th-seeded Oxford contest.
Central Bucks West 7-8-18-10 43
North Penn 7-15-4-9 35
Central Bucks West (43) – Alex Burkauskas 2 0-0 5; Diane Nicholson 1 2-2 4; Maddie Burke 5 0-0 11; Tori Abelson 1 5-6 7; Izzy Treon 3 0-0 7; Maggie Rakowsky 3 2-4 9; Totals 15 9-12 43.
North Penn (35) – Irisa Ye 6 2-2 16; Jess Huber 2 3-3 7; Sam Carangi 0 2-2 2; Jess McKenzie 0 2-2 2; Bri Hewlett 3 0-0 8; Totals 11 9-9 35.
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