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WARMINSTER - Bensalem fought its way back into the Suburban One National race with two huge wins this week. The Owls followed up Tuesday's upset of Abington with a 45-34 win over host William Tennent on Friday night.
Senior forward Jackie Deegler had 16 points and four rebounds to lead the Owls, while senior point guard Kate Clarkson had 10 points. Senior forward Sharmane Hall finished with nine points, 16 rebounds, four blocks and three assists.
Bensalem (8-4 overall, 5-2 SOL) fell way behind in the first quarter, but toughened up on defense and allowed only 18 points combined in the last three quarters.
"We started working together on defense," Deegler said. "Defense is the most important thing for us."
Prior to the Abington game, Bensalem had lost three straight. The Owls didn't score more than 36 points in any of those losses, while opponents averaged 57.0 points.
In the first quarter against Tennent, it looked as if Bensalem was going to struggle again. The Panthers scored 16 points in the first six-and-a-half minutes, and Bensalem couldn't get untracked on the offensive end.
Hall sparked Bensalem's turnaround with a driving basket at the end of the first quarter. That began a 15-2 run for the Owls. 
After Kristen Gilroy scored on a fast break with about three minutes remaining in the first half, Bensalem had its first lead, 19-18.
The two teams went back and forth into the third quarter before Clarkson hit three big shots in less than two minutes.
Clarkson's first three-pointer of the game with 6:04 to go in the third quarter put Bensalem ahead by one, 24-23. About one minute later, Clarkson hit another three-pointer. That one put the Owls in the lead for good, 27-25. She followed with a jump shot on Bensalem's next possession to stretch the lead.
"I think we played as a team," Hall said.
"Clarkson hit those two threes and got us going," Owls coach Don Bogan said. "She isn't a true point guard, but she's playing that position for us."
Bensalem led by four points at the end of three quarters, 32-28. Tennent was still within four points with two-and-a-half minutes to go, but Bensalem finished the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run.
After scoring 16 points in the first quarter, Tennent couldn't get more than six points in any quarter the rest of the night.
"They played ‘D,’" Bogan said. "We made a couple of adjustments, and they came through."
"Defense is going to us every game," Hall said. "We held them to 34 points."
Bensalem started the season strong, but had hit a bit of a rough patch. Before the Abington win, the Owls had lost three consecutive games to Cheltenham, Council Rock-North and Neshaminy.
"Abington was huge," Hall said. "That was us showing everybody that we are not what they thought we were. That was us showing people that we're a team that can play against and beat anybody."
Tennent had won three straight games before Friday night.
Senior guard Megan Zimmerman scored 12 points for the Panthers (7-6, 3-5). Junior forward Sarah Godfrey had seven points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots, while sophomore guard Alison Malatesta finished with seven points, five steals and four assists.
"This was a game we needed to get some momentum. But we have to push forward," Panthers’ coach Paul Veltre said.
Bensalem (45)
Jackie Deegler 4 8-10 16; Paige Ormont 0 0-0 0; Kate Clarkson 4 0-0 10; Kristen Gilroy 1 4-6 6; Sharmane Hall 4 1-4 9; Alexis Nyekan 2 0-0 4. Totals: 15 13-20 45.
William Tennent (34)
Alison Malatesta 3 0-3 7; Megan Zimmerman 5 0-4 12; Ashley Alden 1 1-2 3; Liz Koval 1 0-0 2; Hanna Sellers 0 1-2 1; Sarah Godfrey 3 0-0 7; Taylor Morgan 0 0-0 0; Deanna Schneiderreit 1 0-0 2; Gina Tyson 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 2-11 34.
B: 6-15-11-13—45
WT: 16-6-6-6—34
Three-point goals: Clarkson 2 (B); Zimmerman 2, Godfrey, Malatesta (WT).
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