Welcome to the 2008-09 basketball season, SOL style!
It hasn’t taken long for several SOL teams and individuals to make a splash.
Topping the list is Council Rock North’s Sarah Kiely, who put her name in the school’s record books at the Central Dauphin Tournament the first weekend of the season. The gifted junior forward pulled down 24 rebounds – a school record – in the Indians’ 56-49 win over State College.All of Kiely’s boards, according to coach Lou Palkovics, were key, including several after missed Rock North free throws. She also poured in 21 points in a performance that gives new meaning to the phrase double-double.
“I was really impressed with those 24 rebounds because State College is a good team,” said Palkovics of a squad that already boasts wins over Red Lion and Harrisburg. “That night we needed every single rebound she had. To go 20-20 – I haven’t had too many girls go 20-20.”
In the tournament opener, the Indians fell to defending state champion Central Dauphin 58-32. They have won four straight since then, including Saturday’s 50-34 romp over a Methacton squad that sent the Indians packing the second round of the District One AAAA Tournament last year.
In Saturday’s win, the Indians turned a 12-11 deficit at the end of one quarter into a 37-19 halftime lead, thanks to a 23-7 second-quarter burst. Kiely had 12 of her team’s second quarter points. The junior forward led the Indians with 22 points – which included a 12-for-12 effort from the foul line – and 16 rebounds.
“I think we saw their weaknesses and really exploited it,” Kiely said. “We needed to come out strong in the first and second quarters, and the second quarter is when everyone started shining and everyone started doing really well.”
It all added up to a big win for the Indians, whose early-season record is 4-1.
Finishing first – Pennridge captured the title of its own season-opening tournament last weekend. The Rams faced their toughest battle in the opener against a St. Pius X squad that figures to be in the hunt for a PAC-10 crown.
The two teams battled to a 17-17 halftime tie, but the Rams won it with a 17-7 third-quarter explosion on their way to a hard-fought 47-42 win.
“It took us the first couple of quarters to get into it,” senior Lindsey Lyons said. “It was a very tough, fast-paced game.”
Lyons and junior Jordan Dominic earned spots on the all-tournament team. Lyons scored 10 points in both games while Dominic led the Rams with 14 points in the win over Pius and 12 in their 45-29 romp over Lansdale Catholic in the title game.
“This was very important,” Lyons said of winning the tournament. “Coming in, we have four returning starters, and we were looking for our fifth one. We put a freshman in (Jen Cooley), and she really stepped it up. We were really proud of her.
“We all work together, and that’s what really helps us win.”
Cooley had five points against Pius and four against LC.
“She’s doing well,” coach Brooke Martin said. “She’s strong, and she can body up. She boxes out and gets rebounds. She doesn’t play like a freshman.
“We have experimented with a little bit of everyone through the summer and fall and through the scrimmages, and she seemed to mesh really well with the girls. Also, she allows everyone else to be in their proper positions, so we don’t necessarily start the five-guard lineup we have in the past.”
Marissa Kunkle led the Rams under the backboards against Pius with nine rebounds while Shannon Zickler had six. In the win over LC, Zickler had eight boards while Kunkle had four rebounds, four assists, four steals and six points.
The tournament title was a boost for a Pennridge squad that lost starter Sam Simonosis, who transferred to Allentown Central Catholic.
“I think we’ll go into the season feeling positive with these two wins under our belts,” Lyons said.
The Rams are 4-0 after four games with a showdown against Central Bucks East looming on the horizon on Dec. 16.
Young in charge – First-year Council Rock South coach Monica Young is a familiar face in the SOL basketball community. For the past six years, she was an assistant under Joanne McVey at Neshaminy.Prior to that, she was the head coach at Conwell Egan where she experienced considerable success, taking Egan to the playoffs in five of her seven years at the helm and capturing a pair of championships. In 1998, she was named the Philadelphia Inquirer Coach of the Year. Twice she was named the Bucks County Courier Times Coach of the Year.
She now faces the challenge of turning around a fledgling Rock South program.
“The girls have to believe in themselves, and they have to learn how to win,” Young said. “There’s talent here, but they have to believe in themselves.
“They work very hard. I think we’re going to be okay. They’re hungry, and that’s the first thing.”
In their season-opening tournament at Methacton, the Golden Hawks fell to the host Warriors 42-39 in the opener and then came back to defeat North Penn 50-46 in the consolation game.
Senior Ann Silverthorn and freshman Alex Wheatley both had 11 points in the loss to Methacton and eight in the win over NP.
Wheatley – a 6-2 forward - was named to the all-tournament team.
“She has so much potential,” Young said. “She was very nervous (in the opener against Methacton), but she scored nine points in the fourth quarter. She had two key foul shots. She’s not real flashy, but she does things well.”
The win over the Maidens, according to Young, should be a confidence booster.
“It was a good tournament for us, gave us some confidence,” she said. “I don’t think anyone expects anything from us, but we do ourselves. Nobody mentions us, and that’s fine.
“These girls are nice girls, and they work very hard. They just have to believe in themselves.”
A perfect start – Don’t look now, but Norristown is 4-0 out of the gate.
Not exactly the kind of start many would have predicted from a team that not only lost its entire starting lineup from last season but also its coach.
“I wasn’t sure at first because there weren’t a lot of people coming out for basketball,” junior Natasha Matthews said. “As we got into the school year, more people came out and were talking about basketball. I started to realize we were going to be a good team this year.”
The Eagles notched an impressive 57-50 non-league win over Bensalem and then followed that with back-to-back wins in SOL play over Upper Moreland and Upper Merion.
In last Friday’s game against Upper Merion, the Eagles found themselves locked in a 26-26 tie but came to life in the second half, rallying for an impressive 49-35 win.
“We had an extremely slow start and came out flat,” coach Ashlee Harrison said. “At halftime, I let them know how I felt, and we came out and did a complete turnaround. I said, ‘This is the team that I know.’
“Even the referee came over and said, ‘Whatever you did at halftime – it worked.’”
The change, according to Harrison, began on the defensive end.
“What we pride ourselves on is our pressure defense and making the other team feel uncomfortable – creating turnovers and converting in transition,” the first-year coach said. “That’s what we’re really, really good at because these girls are extremely quick and athletic.
“We were a step slow at the beginning, and then when we came out after halftime, everyone was in the passing lanes, we had a little more ball pressure and they had five straight turnovers in a row. That’s all we needed to get our adrenaline pumping.”
Panther Pride – Last year was a down year for the Cheltenham Lady Panthers – at least by their high standards. A 15-11 record and a second-round exit from the District One AAAA Tournament just didn’t cut it for a Cheltenham program used to making serious noise in the post-season.
Look for things to change dramatically this season.
The Panthers are 3-1 after four games with their only loss a 66-65 defeat at the hands of a solid Hazleton squad.
“We were up by two, and we had four chances to get that extra basket, but we just never got to that point,” coach Bob Schaefer said. “They made their shots. We missed a few, and before you knew it, the game was over.”
In their opening round game, the Lady Panthers – buoyed by a 19-11 fourth quarter explosion – downed Abington Heights 43-32. Junior guard Shayla Felder, who scored a game-high 20 points, was a perfect 16-for-16 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.
Schaefer places a high value on a tournament that has become an annual event for the Lady Panthers.
“We go away overnight, and the kids get to know each other better,” he said. “It’s just a bonding experience, and they’re always two good games. Losing by one point to Hazleton is nothing to be ashamed of.”
With a convincing win over Upper Dublin already under their belts, the Lady Panthers are a favorite to vie for yet another SOL American Conference crown.
SOS.com’s Fab Five
- Abington (4-1)
- Council Rock North (4-1)
- Cheltenham (3-1)
- Central Bucks East (3-0)
- Norristown (4-0), Pennridge (4-0)
Under consideration: Souderton (4-0)
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