Four SOL girls’ basketball teams will be in action on Friday night when the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament begins.
By Mary Jane Souder
It’s been an interesting SOL season.
Sixteen teams from the league earned district playoff berths, which gave the SOL exactly one half of the spots in the 32-team District One AAAA field. While that was an impressive showing, only four of the 16 advanced to the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament.
Upper Dublin, Central Bucks West, North Penn and Pennsbury will be in action Friday night when state tournament play begins, and the road won’t be an easy one for any of the four.
Upper Dublin enters states as the district’s third-seeded team, and for finishing third, the Flying Cardinals have earned an opening round date with the defending state champions. Archbishop Carroll has a lot of new faces on this year’s squad, but the Patriots still boast plenty of talent, including a pair of Division One recruits in guards Sarah Curran and Kristie Costantino. Balancing that out is the fact that the Flying Cardinals’ strength also lies in the guard position where they are led by senior point guard Curtrena Goff.
Both teams did battle with Neumann Goretti during the regular season, and if comparisons are worth anything, Upper Dublin has a clear edge in that category with a decisive win over Neumann Goretti while Carroll twice defeated Neumann Goretti by just two points.
Central Bucks West, the fifth place team from District One, will take on a Central Dauphin East squad that finished third in District 3. The Panthers undisputed go-to player is junior Calee Gelbaugh, a 5-8 guard who is averaging close to 20 points a game. On the flip side, the Bucks also boast considerable talent at guard with sophomore point guard Nicole Munger leading the way.
Central Dauphin East has an overtime win over Upper Dublin (62-56) on its resume. That win came in the season opener for both teams. More recently, the Panthers, seeded sixth entering districts, upset third-seeded Cumberland Valley and top-seeded Dover. They enter states as one of the hottest teams from District 3.
North Penn will try and recuperate from a difficult finish in districts to upend a Pocono Mountain West team that entered District XI play as the top seed but was upset by second seeded Nazareth in the title game. If the Maidens are going to get well, this could be the team to do it against. The Panthers don’t have that one big gun and are making just their second appearance in the state tournament while the Maidens have been down this road before.
Pennsbury pulled off a pair of upsets over SOL National Conference rivals Council Rock South and Neshaminy to earn a spot in states, but since those big wins, the Falcons have dropped three straight games. They will face a Nazareth squad that captured its first ever District XI title.
It promises to be an interesting first round.
(1-3) UPPER DUBLIN vs. (12-3) ARCHBISHOP CARROLL at Cheltenham High School, March 8, 6 p.m.
Upper Dublin
- 14-0 SOL, 25-2 overall
- SOL American Conference Champions under first-year coach Morgan Funsten
- Only regular season loss was in season opener to Central Dauphin East (62-56 OT) at the Upper Darby Royal Classic
How they got here: The Flying Cardinals advanced to the District One semifinals where they suffered their first loss since their season opener when they fell to Mount St. Joseph Academy 48-36. Curtrena Goff led the Cardinals with 14 points and eight rebounds while Regan Gallagher had nine points and six rebounds and Brianna Spector, four points and seven rebounds. Upper Dublin rebounded to defeat Bayard Rustin 57-55 in Saturday’s third place game. Gallagher had a monster game, contributing 25 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Goff added six points and nine assists, and Lauren Rothfeld had nine points.
Players to watch: Curtrena Goff (14.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.6 assists, 2.2 steals), Brianna Spector (7.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.7 assists), Lauren Rothfeld (6.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.6 steals), Regan Gallagher (10.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.3 steals), Kayla McAneney (6.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals)
Archbishop Carroll
- 19-7 overall
- Won state titles in two of the last four years, including last year’s PIAA Class AAAA crown.
- Lost three starters from last year’s state title squad to graduation, including Meghan Creighton and Rachel Pearson. Both are playing at Drexel this year.
- Defeated Neumann Goretti twice (59-57 and 38-36) while Upper Dublin defeated Neumann Goretti 42-24.
- Led by senior forward Sarah Curran and senior point guard Kristie Costantino. Curran has signed on to play basketball at Drexel while Costantino will be taking her talents to Stony Brook.
- Senior Olivia DeRogotis, a key ‘sixth man’ in last year’s state title run, has seen action in five games after being sidelined almost the entire season. DeRogotis tore her ACL last summer and – just when she was cleared to return – was diagnosed with mononucleosis and was out of action an additional two weeks.
How they got here: After falling to eventual champion Cardinal O’Hara in the PCL semifinals, Carroll defeated Girls High 63-17 in the District XII third place game, opening up a 36-5 halftime lead on its way to the lopsided win. Sarah Curran led a balanced attack with 14 points while Olivia DeRogatis added 10 and Maddie Wallace and Kristie Costantino both had eight points.
(3-3) CENTRAL DAUPHIN vs. (1-5) CENTRAL BUCKS WEST at Milton Hershey High School, March 8, 6:30 p.m.
Central Bucks West
- 20-6 overall
- 12-2 SOL Continental Conference Co-Champions with North Penn
- Highlights of the regular season included winning the Abington Lady Ghosts Tournament and winning two out of three games against North Penn
How they got here: The Bucks defeated Great Valley and Springfield (Delco) to earn at date with top-seeded Spring-Ford in the District One AAAA quarterfinals. West fell behind 17-4 out of the gate and trailed 24-9 late in the first quarter. The Bucks wound up losing by that 15-point margin (60-45). They rebounded from that loss to defeat Pennsbury in a playback game and won Saturday’s fifth place game against conference co-champ North Penn 63-41. Nicole Munger and Corrinne Godshall both had 11 points. Godshall also had 10 rebounds. Maggie Gratz added 10 points while Mackenzie Carroll had eight.
Central Dauphin East
- 20-6 overall
- Led by 5-8 junior guard Calee Gelbaugh, who averages 19.7 points per game and has 54 three’s on the season.
- Sophomore guard Michaela Gelbaugh averages 9.5 points a game while 5-11 sophomore forward Brittany Robinson averages 9.1 points and is the team’s top rebounder with 8.8 rebounds a game.
- Defeated Upper Dublin 62-56 in overtime in the season opener for both teams. Calee Gelbaugh led Central Dauphin East with 24 points and seven assists.
How they got here: Central Dauphin East was the sixth seed entering the District 3 AAAA Tournament. In an opening round game, the Panthers easily defeated 11th-seeded Hempfield 59-28 and then upset third-seeded Cumberland Valley 59-57, thanks to a 17-7 fourth quarter surge. Michaela Gelbaugh (21 points) and Calee Gelbaugh (17 points) provided a lethal one-two punch for the Panthers. In the district semifinals, the Panthers fell to eventual district champion Wilson 52-43 but came back to win their third place game, upending top-seeded Dover 58-44. The Panthers rolled to a 34-21 halftime lead and never looked back, connecting on 22-of-33 from the foul line for the game. Calee Galbaugh led the way with 22 points.
(11-2) POCONO MOUNTAIN WEST vs (1-6) NORTH PENN at Pleasant Valley, March 8, 7 p.m.
North Penn
- 12-2 SOL, 22-5 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 defeated Upper Merion 47-28 in the opening round of districts 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 last Saturday’s 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)
Pocono Mountain West
- 23-4 overall
- Led by 5-9 senior guard/forward Ramonia Benitez who averages 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds. She has connected on a team-high 43 three-pointers and leads the team in steals with 79.
- Senior Stephanie Davis (9.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG), 5-9 sophomore Jackie Benitez (13.7 PPG. 4.0 assists) and 5-10 freshman Naomi Jiminez (5.3 rebounds) also contribute.
How they got here: Pocono Mountain West entered the District 11 Tournament as the top-seeded team. The Panthers defeated eighth-seeded Northampton 46-38 in an opening round game and followed that with a 43-38 win over fourth-seeded Bangor. The Panthers were upset by second-seeded Nazareth 50-43 in Friday’s district title game. Senior Ramonia Benitez led the Panthers with 17 points and seven rebounds while senior Stephanie Davis added 14 points, which included three three’s, and six rebounds.
(11-1) NAZARETH vs (1-8) PENNSBURY at Catasaqua High School, March 8, 7:30 p.m.
Pennsbury
- 8-6 SOL, 14-13 overall
- Finished fourth in National Conference
How they got here: Pennsbury upset 13th-seeded Council Rock South 54-48 in its district opener and followed that with a 48-41 win over fourth-seeded Neshaminy. The Falcons fell to West Chester Rustin 40-31 in the district quarterfinals and then suffered back-to-back losses to Central Bucks West (65-35) and Boyertown (53-49). In Saturday’s eighth place game against Boyertown, the Falcons, who took a 38-33 lead into the fourth quarter, were led by the 20-point effort of Sajanna Bethea and the 13-point performance of Kaitlin Kelly.
Players to watch: Starters: Sajanna Bethea (16.6 PPG, 10.1 RPG), Kaitlin Kelly (9.0 PPG), Carly Kovin, Courtney Kruscavage, Alexa Lukas, Key reserves: Taylor Ferguson, Catherine Silvernail, Emily Edwards, Sarah McDonald.
Nazareth
- 23-4 overall
- Lehigh Valley Conference champions
- Captured first District XI title in program history
- Led by 5-5 senior guard Morgan Calabrese, who averages 11.7 PPG and has connected on 49 three’s. Balanced attack also features contributions from 5-7 senior forward Lennon Kramer (7.9 PPG), 6-0 junior forward Chelsea Gary (7.5 PPG) and 5-4 senior guard Molly Calabrese (6.1 PPG).
How they got here: Nazareth, the second seed entering the District XI Tournament, defeated seventh-seeded Liberty 48-42 in an opening round game. That was followed by a 49-41 win over third-seeded Parkland and capped with a 50-43 win over top-seeded Pocono Valley West in the title game. Kassie Behler led Nazareth with 14 points while Morgan Calabrese added 13.
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