Two more SOL girls’ basketball teams advanced to the second round of the District One AAAA Tournament with wins on Monday night. To view photos of the Souderton/Boyertown games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
#17 SOUDERTON 50, #16 BOYERTOWN 42
Boyertown put an impressive-looking lineup on the court with three starters six feet or taller. For a while, it looked as though that height advantage might create problems for the Indians as the Bears controlled the paint in the game’s early minutes.
“It was so frustrating,” junior Sarah Derstein said. “Just being pushed around like that – I’m used to being able to get the rebounds because I have a height advantage a lot of times, but this is a tall team. I didn’t have the height advantage today.”
Derstein, who measures in at 5-11, proved that height isn’t everything. The junior forward pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds to go along with 12 points and two blocked shots. Allison Gallagher scored a game-high 14 points and also had eight rebounds, and Bianca Picard had eight points, five rebounds and three assists.
“We definitely had to stand our ground and push them back because they were definitely ready to box us out on every shot, and I don’t know if we were prepared for that,” Derstein said. “Personally, I made it my goal to make sure that I got around and pushed the girls out, so there was no chance of her getting the rebound.”
The two teams found themselves deadlocked 9-9 after Allison Gallagher scored on a putback in the closing seconds of the quarter. Senior Devon Boehm accounted for five of Souderton’s points.
The Indians opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run and still led 21-18 at halftime.
A putback by senior Katie O’Connor to open the second half sparked a 14-9 third quarter for the Indians, who led 35-27 after Gallagher closed out the quarter with five straight points.
That lead grew to 40-29 after a three-point play by Gallagher, but the Bears came roaring back to make it a 40-35 game with 3:04 remaining. The Indians buried their foul shots down the stretch with Derstein connecting on 6-of-6 as the Indians sealed the Bears’ fate.
Souderton will travel to top-seeded Mount Saint Joseph for a second round game on Wednesday, and with the win, the Indians (17-6, 10-4 SOL) ensured themselves at least two more games. Picard, who entered Monday’s game needing nine points to reach the 1,000-point mark, finished one point short.
“She’s going to get it, and she deserves to get it,” Carroll said. “I’m really happy that it’s going to happen for her. I think it’s been a stressful week for a lot of us. One point is a lot easier than nine.”
Souderton 9 12 14 15-50
Boyertown 9 9 9 15-42
#18 ABINGTON 53, #15 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 37
The Ghosts, according to senior Michael Harris, aren’t worried about their opponent’s seed or resume, and she admitted that she and her teammates had no idea that Downingtown East had not lost at home this season until coach Dan Marsh told them after the game.
“We don’t really pay attention to seeding numbers,” Harris said. “I just found out towards the end of the game that they were the 15 seed. We don’t really pay attention to seeding.”
The Ghosts proved that seeding numbers aren’t all that important, and Harris – despite some foul problems – certainly did her part to make sure they didn’t. She led the Ghosts with 15 points and 15 rebounds, but she had plenty of help. Gabby Nolan had 10 points, Sammy Lochner and Deja Rawls both had nine, and Leah Simmons had eight.
“I think the reason we won is that everyone was sharing the ball really well,” Harris said. “Everyone was scoring, and it’s kind of difficult to stop all five players on a team.
“When everyone is scoring and everyone is doing what they’re supposed to be doing – getting the ball to the open person, you’re going to win.”
The Ghosts seized control from the outset, opening up a 14-8 lead at the end of one quarter and extending that to 28-15 by halftime. It was an impressive showing that may have been the result of an unexpected day of practice on Saturday when their game was postponed because of snow.
“We all came in our uniforms ready to go, and as soon as we got to school, he (Marsh) told us what happened,” Harris said. “We had practice in our uniforms. I think it was helpful. We got to run over some things that we saw on tape that we watched on our own.
“To have that extra day actually helped us out. It worked to our advantage this time, but hopefully, it won’t happen again.”
The Ghosts outscored the Cougars 25-19 in the second half on their way to the impressive win.
“We were really prepared, and we played well,” coach Dan Marsh said. “We played really good team basketball.
“Offensively, we spread the ball around, and defensively, we played phenomenal. We mixed our defenses up a little bit. We pressured them man-to-man fullcourt. We knew they didn’t handle pressure real well, and we wanted to make sure we got some turnovers.
“We mixed it in with our one-three-one halfcourt defense too and were able to get them to turn it over at key points. Every time they made a run, we switched it up on them.”
Also key was the Ghosts’ ability to contain sophomore standout Paige Warfel, who finished with eight points.
“We held her scoreless in the first half,” Marsh said. “Deja and Sammy did a great job on her.”
Harris admitted losing was not an option Monday.
“It absolutely was not,” she said. “I refuse to have my season end this early, and I think that’s how all the seniors are feeling.
“I think everyone decided they were going to come out and give it 100 percent effort.”
With the win, the Ghosts improved to 17-6 overall (12-2 SOL).
“It was a great team win,” Marsh said. “We played tonight like we played in a couple of games down the stretch. We just played real well together. It’s a confidence builder.
“I think our kids are oblivious to the fact that they just went into Downingtown East, a team that hasn’t lost at home all year, and beat probably the best coach in the State of Pennsylvania history. They just came in and played hard.”
Abington 14 14 12 13-53
Downingtown East 8 7 12 10-37
#2 GARNET VALLEY 46, #31 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 28
The Indians scored just nine first half points and found themselves on the short end of a 20-9 halftime score. They battled the Jaguars to a 14-14 draw in the third quarter but never could make up for the ground they lost in the first half.
Michaela Finneyfrock scored 10 points to lead the Indians while Tara Garfield and Jessica Gerber both added six.
The Indians, who have just one senior on their roster, closed out the year with a 10-12 record overall (8-6 SOL).
Council Rock North 4 5 14 5-28
Garnet Valley 13 7 14 12-46
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