The North Penn Maidens will face Cumberland Valley in Friday’s PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal contest.
By Mary Jane Souder
And then there were eight.
Just eight teams are alive in the PIAA Class AAAA, and North Penn, rebounding from a sixth place finish in districts, is one of the elite eight. The Maidens will try to keep their magical postseason run alive when they take on Cumberland Valley in Friday’s quarterfinal game at Garden Spot High School.
Cumberland Valley, according to coach Maggie deMarteleire, is a much different team than District 3 champion Wilson, which was intent on getting the ball inside.
“They (the Eagles) have a lot of skilled players but are not as athletic as the team we just played,” deMarteleire said. “This team can shoot three’s, they can drive to the basket. They pass pretty well, and they play good defense.
“The pressure won’t be as smothering as Wilson’s. Wilson did a great job of finishing around the basket. This team might not finish as well around the basket, but they shoot well from the perimeter. We’re going to really have to play good defense.”
The Maidens are coming off an inspired second half performance in their upset of Wilson in Tuesday’s second round. They trailed 24-14 at halftime after connecting on just 3-of-17 shots from the field in the first half.
“I don’t think we expected them to be that aggressive,” deMarteleire said. “On the film we had, they weren’t as aggressive as they were against us, so we were a little bit taken aback by that.
“As the first half wore on, I didn’t think Wilson was as aggressive, but again, we only made three shots. It was a matter of us shooting a low percentage, but we were only down by 10, so that was a good sign.”
When given the option, deMarteleire opted to switch basketballs from Wilson’s to her team’s at halftime, and things were never the same.
Sparked by eight straight points from sophomore Jackie Bilotti to open the second half, the Maidens outscored Wilson 24-8 in the third quarter to seize control of the game on their way to the big win.
“I started her in the second half because she showed no fear, and she really, really sparked us,” deMarteleire said. “During the state playoffs, our bench has done what they’re capable of doing.
“Bri Cullen and Jackie Bilotti have come in and done the jobs they’re supposed to do, and that’s really been a big boost for us.”
The Maidens enter Friday’s game against Cumberland Valley, District 3’s fifth place team, as something close to a favorite after disposing of District 3’s champion on Tuesday.
“The kids right now at practices - we’re working on things we need to work on, but we’re trying to make it a little bit lighter,” deMarteleire said. “We’re not running sprints, we’re scrimmaging a lot more.
“Sometimes you get to this point, and you go to do a drill, and it’s like, ‘Oh no, not this again.’ This group hasn’t been like that. They’ve been very open to what we’ve done.
“We’re trying to keep things a little more open, not so much pressure in practice, and the kids have responded very nicely.”
Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. at Garden Spot High School. District One champion Spring-Ford will face Dover in a 6 p.m. game at Garden Spot.
(1-6) NORTH PENN vs (3-5) CUMBERLAND VALLEY at Garden Spot, March 15, 7:30 p.m.
North Penn
- 12-2 SOL, 24-5 overall
- Co-champs of SOL Continental Conference for the first time since 1996
- 2012 District 1 AAAA runner-up to Spring-Ford
How they got here: The Maidens rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat District 3 champion Wilson 56-49 in Tuesday’s second round game. The Maidens connected on 23-of-25 foul shots, led by Lauren Crisler’s 12-for-12 effort. Crisler led all scorers with 18 points. She also had five rebounds and five assists. Junior Erin Maher added 12 points, which included a 7-for-8 effort at the line. She also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Jackie Bilotti had nine points and five assists while Brianna Cullen and Vicky Tumasz each added seven point. In last Friday’s opening round, the Maidens defeated District 11 runner-up Pocono Mountain West 44-38. Lauren Crisler led the way with 12 points and 14 rebounds while Vicky Tumasz added 11 points.
In district play, the Maidens defeated Upper Merion 47-28 in the opening round and then edged 11th-seeded Souderton 35-34 in a second round game. In the district quarterfinals, the Maidens fell to third-seeded Upper Dublin 42-26 but rebounded to defeat Boyertown 53-45 before falling to Central Bucks West 63-41 in the fifth place game. Lauren Crisler led the Maidens with 19 points while Vicky Tumasz added nine points.
Players to watch: Lauren Crisler (15.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG), Vicky Tumasz (11.5 PPG, 38 three-pointers), Mikaela Giuliani (7.0 PPG), Erin Maher (6.2 PPG), Jenn Halcovage (4.5 PPG)
Cumberland Valley
- 24-6 overall
- Led by 6-1 senior forward Jackie Falconer, who surpassed the 1,000-point mark in Tuesday’s state playoff win over Manheim Township
- 6-0 freshman Kelly Jekot, who averages 12.3 PPG, was named to District 3’s all-tournament team.
- 6-0 junior forward Maddie Torresin averages 11.3 PPG
- The Eagles average 56.6 PPG and allow 45.2 PPG
How they got here: Cumberland valley was the third seed entering the District 3 Tournament but finished fifth. The Eagles notched a 66-58 win over 14th-seeded Reading in an opening round game but were upset by sixth-seeded Central Dauphin East 59-57 in the second round. They came back to defeat Manheim Township 40-28 to finish fifth. In an opening round game in the state playoffs, the Eagles upset District One runner-up Mount St. Joseph Academy 35-34. Jackie Falconer led the way with 12 points. In Tuesday’s second round 55-39 win over Manheim Township, junor forward Maddie Torresin scored 14 points while Falconer added 11.
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