Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. CR South/CR North photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of action photos.
American Conference
CHELTENHAM 54, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 48
Mia Leonard scored a career-high 21 points to lead the Lady Panthers to the road win in Friday’s SOL opener. Making the Panthers performance especially significant was that it came on the heels of a non-league loss to Unionville in a contest that saw them score just 10 points.
“They certainly responded well,” said coach Brendan Nolan. “I wasn’t in practice yesterday because I had surgery. My assistants ran practice, and they said the seniors really stepped up, pushing everyone and holding each other accountable for the mental errors that were causing our slump.
“Obviously, you score 10 points – that’s going to hurt, but when they heard it was a school record for lowest points in a game by 11 points, I think that woke them up a little bit. They’re a really good group of kids.”
Sparked by seven points from Leonard and six from Courtney Murray, the Lady Panthers raced to a 14-5 lead after one quarter. They took a 24-14 lead into halftime with Leonard accounting for 11 of those points.
“Our offense was certainly more productive tonight,” Nolan said. “We went to our strength, which was Mia.
“We have to get inside early, and that can open up the outside a little more. Mia is like a rock down there. Springfield didn’t really have anyone that could match up with her. We just ran a lot of high-low stuff, and we just tried to get her the ball.
“We were getting her the ball a lot in the first couple of games, and she wasn’t quite converting and was really frustrated, but tonight she was really converting. She was getting fouled, she was dominating on the glass.
“She only had four blocks in the stats, but it was one of those games where you think she had her fingertips on a lot more than that because she alters a lot of shots. Kids don’t take shots because she’s got her hands up there. She’s just a presence down there.”
Molly Dugan – who led all scorers with 34 points – kept the Spartans afloat with 11 of her team’s 14 points in the first half. Dugan scored 23 points in the second half as the Spartans battled back, but the Lady Panthers refused to give up the lead.
In addition to Leonard, Murray finished with 11 points while Danielle Brown and Nashira Brown each added six points.
Cheltenham (1-3, 1-0 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Tuesday, and Springfield (2-2, 1-1) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday.
Cheltenham 14-10-15-15 54
Springfield 5-9-15-19 48
Cheltenham (54) – Mia Leonard 21, Caitlin Wallace 5, Courtney Murray 11, Taylor Johnson 1, Danielle Brown 6, Kai Williams 4, Nashira Brown 6.
Springfield (48) – Molly Dugan 34, Krewson 3, MK Smith 2, Siana Wynne 5, Grace Barraclough 2, Serroni 1,
HATBORO-HORSHAM 53, UPPER MORELAND 50
The visiting Hatters needed a gutsy fourth-quarter rally to earn the come-from-behind win. The Golden Bears – riding the strong showing of Noelle Woodman – took a 42-39 lead into the fourth quarter when the Hatters came roaring back.
Kylie Halko played a major role in the comeback, scoring eight points which included a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line.
“Kylie Halko had four crucial free throws in the last minute of the game,” Hatters’ coach Kathie Sims said. “Midway through the fourth quarter, we went with fullcourt pressure, and Cam Ryan was coming up with steals.
“Cam had three steals and took two in for layups. That was really key. Bergen (Sims) also played very strong defense at the end. When they started fouling, Kylie Halko hit her free throws.”
Keeping the Hatters within striking distance the first three quarters was Lexi Brett, who scored a team-high 19 points.
“She was strong the whole game,” Sims said.
For the Golden Bears, Woodman – who led all scorers with 22 points – was all but unstoppable in the first quarter. She had nine points in the opening frame while teammate Caitlin Corr added a pair of three-pointers as the Golden Bears opened up a 17-10 lead. The Bears took that seven-point lead into halftime (28-21). Woodman led the Bears with 13 points while Brett had eight for the Hatters.
Hannah Stainback had the hot hand for the Bears in the third quarter, burying a pair of treys and scoring eight points, but Brett had nine points for the Hatters, who outscored the Bears 18-15 to make it a 43-39 game heading into the final quarter.
While Brett led the Hatters, Halko also finished in double figures with 11 points. Nikki Williams and Katie Fisher both added six. For the Golden Bears, Stainback and Phoebe Longstreth each added nine points while Corr had eight.
Hatboro-Horsham (2-3, 1-1 SOL) will travel to Quakertown on Tuesday, and Upper Moreland (0-4, 0-1) will travel to Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Hatboro-Horsham (53) – Bergen Sims 2, Kylie Halko 9, Katie Fisher 6, Cam Ryan 7, Lexi Brett 19, Courtney Anderson 4, Nikki Williams 6.
Upper Moreland (50) – Phoebe Longstreth 9, Caitlin Corr 8, Hannah Stainback 9, Brianna Hughes 2, Noelle Woodman 22.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 49, WISSAHICKON 36
The Colonials raced out of the gate to a 19-10 lead after one quarter and took a 24-12 lead into halftime, but the Trojans didn’t go down quietly, cutting the Colonials’ lead to six in the fourth quarter.
“It was a really fun game,” PW coach Daniel Dougherty said. “Wissahickon is vastly improved.
“We went ice cold for stretches in the second and third quarters but pulled it together in the fourth.”
“It was so exciting,” Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline said. “It’s refreshing to finally get to this point.
“It’s been a long process. We still have a long way to go, but the process is finally getting there.”
The Colonials took a 37-27 lead into the fourth quarter only to watch the Trojans make it a 37-31 game.
“I told the girls before the game started - every game is going to be a war, every game is going to be a battle, but we’re going to compete,” Cline said. “Sometimes it might not be the result we want on the scoreboard, but we’re there.
“We went down by 17, and the next thing you know we’re only down by six with possession. Unfortunately, a couple of breaks didn’t go our way. They only had five fouls the entire game, and we had 18. It took the wind out of our sails.
“We went cold in the second quarter, and they went on a 10-2 run. We had open looks, and if we had knocked those shots down, it would have been a different ballgame.”
Junior Taylor O’Brien led the Colonials with 23 points, and junior Ali Diamond added 11. Lauren Fortescue added seven, and Laurel Suchsland had six.
For the Trojans, Julianne Griffin had a big day, scoring 16 points. Brianna Tilghman and Sydney Ott both added six points.
“The atmosphere was so exciting. It was so great for our girls,” Cline said. “They just went out there and competed.
“Brianna Tilghman and Sydney Ott hit key three’s back-to-back to fuel the fire. Victoria Selverian played defense against Taylor O’Brien and got her frustrated at times. She dropped 23, and she’s a phenomenal player, but we kept switching people on her. Jasmine Bishop came in and played her, Lexi Carradorini came in and played her. Brianna Tilghman was on Fortescue, who had 15 the last game, and we held her to seven. We switched up defenses and kept them off balance.
“They just played a great, great game. We lost the second half by one point, and that’s because we had to foul, and like good teams do, they made their foul shots. I was really proud of my girls. It was fun to watch them produce out there and compete.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Springfield on Tuesday, and Wissahickon (1-2, 0-1) will be on the road at Upper Dublin.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 19-5-13-12 49
Wissahickon 10-2-15-9 36
Plymouth Whitemarsh (49) – Taylor O’Brien 23, Lauren Fortescue 7, Ali Diamond 11, Laura Suchsland 6, Lauren Coscia 2.
Wissahickon (36) – Brianna Tilghman 6, Sydney Ott 6, Julianne Griffin 16, Victoria Selverian 4, Carly Fadel 4.
Non-league
UPPER DUBLIN 42, BISHOP SHANAHAN 32
Nicole Kaiser turned in a huge performance for the Flying Cardinals, scoring a game-high 22 points while pulling down 13 rebounds for an impressive double-double. Included in Kaiser’s strong outing was a 12-for 16 effort at the charity stripe.
It was Kaiser’s nine points that sparked a 14-4 first quarter tear for the Cardinals, who went on to win by that margin.
“Nicole had a monster game,” coach Morgan Funsten said. “She did a great job of getting to the foul line throughout the game.
“In the offseason, she kind of emerged as a scorer, and she’s taken off from there with the season starting. It’s not a surprise to anyone who’s been around our team. It may be a surprise to people following on the outside. She’s stepped up in a role we need her to fill.”
Once again, the story of the game was the Cardinals’ defense. They limited Shanahan to 23 points in a second round district win last year, and although the Eagles scored more points this time around, it wasn’t enough.
“Demi Balasa had the tough matchup of guarding Courtney Warley, who’s a Division One player going to Manhattan, and Demi held her to five,” Funsten said. “Warley’s at least 6-3, and Demi was always there, and she forced Warley into tough decisions and tough shots.”
The Cardinals led 22-11 at halftime and allowed just one field goal in the half.
“We’re still fouling too much,” Funsten said. “We’re still reaching too much, and we’re not finishing good defensive possessions.
“A team will be going up for a very average shot, and we’ll bail them out by fouling them. We’re far from a perfect team right now, but I’ll credit the three girls who have been basically starting the last three years – Demi Balasa, Maggie Weglos and Josie Barrett.
“Regardless of certain decisions we make throughout the game and how sloppy games could be, they’ve proven over the last three years that they’re winners, and they know how to do enough to win games. I’ve been very happy with the leadership from those three because outside of them we don’t have a lot of experience, and they’re showing the younger girls how we need to play to win games.”
In addition to Kaiser, Barrett contributed 11 points while Weglos had 11 rebounds. Balasa had three points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Upper Dublin (2-1) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday night in its SOL American Conference opener.
Bishop Shanahan 4-7-8-13 32
Upper Dublin 14-8-9-11 42
Bishop Shanahan (32) – Bailey 2, Marchese 8, Maxwell 4, McCarter 2, Basile 4, Greenhut 6, Warley 5, Keiper 1.
Upper Dublin (42) – Meg Barbera 2, Nicole Kaiser 22, Josie Barrett 11, Kara Grebe 2, Demi Balasa 3, Maggie Weglos 1, Jackie Vargas 1.
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 46, NORTH PENN 43
On the schedule, it was only the first of 12 SOL Continental Conference games. On the court, it felt like a whole lot more than that for a pair of squads that have dominated the Continental Conference in recent years.
When a Knights’ three-pointer fell well short of the mark at the buzzer, the Bucks celebrated a win that helped erase memories of last year’s three losses at the hands of the defending conference champion Knights, who defeated the Bucks in overtime in the SOL Tournament title game.
“It’s awesome,” West sophomore Tori Abelson said. “Since last season when we lost to them, we have been wanting this game. It’s the best.”
Abelson saved her best for last in Friday’s win, scoring eight of her game-high 16 points in the pivotal fourth quarter. With 19 seconds remaining and the Bucks clinging to a one-point lead, it was Abelson – ignoring the raucous crowd - burying both ends of a one-and-one to give the Bucks a 46-43 lead that held to the final whistle.
“We practice a lot of foul shots,” said Abelson, who was a perfect 6-for-6 at the line. “On my own and in practice, we’re always shooting, so when you get up there, you just have to block out (the crowd). It’s white noise at this point.”
The Bucks certainly didn’t look as though they’d be doing much celebrating when they fell behind 15-3 just over four minutes into the game. Irisa Yee, who scored the first seven points – five of those points after steals, accounted for nine of the Knights’ points, and Sam Carangi added six on a pair of three’s.
Displaying remarkable composure, the Bucks closed out the half with an 18-7 tear to go into halftime deadlocked 22-22. Sophomore Diane Nicholson, a Spring-Ford transfer, was impressive in her debut, knocking down a pair of three-pointers and scoring eight points in the half.
“She’s a very, very talented kid,” coach Terry Rakowsky said. “She’s a good shooter and a great ball handler. She still doesn’t know the system totally. We’re trying to tell her, ‘Just let it come to you.’ She did a great job today.”
North Penn managed only a pair of Mia Melchior foul shots in the second quarter as the Bucks’ defense began to create problems for the Knights, who had five turnovers in the frame and misfired on the front end of two one-and-ones at the foul line.
“We knew this game was going to be a game of runs,” Abelson said. “North Penn was on a pretty good run (in the first quarter), and we just had to stay focused on the little things, knowing there are going to be swings, but you have to stay in the game.
“We knew that the turn was going to be on defense if we could get some stops. They have really good players on that team, and we just needed to ‘D’ up and turn that into offense.”
Heading into the fourth quarter, the two teams were still deadlocked (32-32), but baskets by Abelson and Burke – a trey – gave the Bucks a 37-33 lead. They still led 39-35 after another Abelson bucket, but three-pointers by Jess Huber and Carangi gave the Knights a 41-39 lead. Abelson scored on a tough drive to knot the score, but Melchior answered with a basket for the Knights with 4:51 remaining. It turned out to be their final points of the game.
Burke’s three-pointer from the top of the circle with just over a minute to play proved to be the game winner, giving the Bucks a lead they would not lose.
“Our key was just to stop them and get our momentum going,” Burke said. “We were mostly trying to stop their three shooters and staying in help for the post people as well – keeping our hands up to stop three’s.
“This season is going to be so fun. We’re just going to get a lot better. I’m really excited.”
While Abelson led the Bucks, Nicholson had 10 points and Burke added eight. Izzy Treon had six points on a pair of treys.
“Their 23 (Burke) and 33 (Abelson) just played unbelievably well,” North Penn coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “At the end, individuals were trying too hard to make something happen, and we were turning the ball over.
“But they really did hit key shots – all their girls. Number four (Nicholson) started lighting it up, and then 33 kind of took over. Maddie Burke – I can’t believe she only had nine points because each one of those three’s were just huge shots.”
Lost in the shuffle of the win was the Bucks’ defense in the game’s closing seconds, which prevented the Knights from getting a good shot off for the tie.
“At the end, I thought Maggie (Rakowsky) did an unbelievable job because (Carangi) was trying everything in the world to get that three off, and she can hit them,” coach Rakowsky said.
Ye led the Knights with 14 points while Carangi added 13. Huber finished with six.
“For my kids, we did everything we could to win except finish layups and foul shots,” deMarteleire said. “I thought our defense was pretty solid, I thought our rebounding was pretty solid.
“It was just the unforced turnovers at the end of the game. Everything is fixable. All the things we did wrong are fixable. Our league is tough, tough, tough.”
Central Bucks West (3-0, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South for a key showdown on Tuesday night. North Penn (3-1, 0-1) will host William Tennent on Tuesday night.
Central Bucks West 11-11-10-14 46
North Penn 20-2-10-11 43
Central Bucks West (46) - Alex Bukauskas 2, Abbey Spratt 3, Diane Nicholson 10, Maddie Burke 9, Tori Abelson 16, Izzy Treon 6.
North Penn (43) - Jenny Hulmes 2, Irisa Ye 14, Jess Huber 6, Sam Carangi 13, Jess McKenzie 4, Mia Melchior 4, Bri Hewlett 4
SOUDERTON 44, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 40 (OT)
The Indians won an overtime thriller against the visiting Patriots, and once again, it was Kate Connolly coming up big when it mattered most. The junior guard/forward – who led all scorers with 20 points - buried 6-of-8 foul shots and scored eight of her team’s 10 points in OT.
“Kate had another big game for us, hitting foul shots down the stretch,” coach Lynn Carroll said. “It was one of those things where – at the right time – your team goes up by two.
“We were in a position to run out the clock for about 90 seconds, and Kate got to the foul line down the stretch, and we were able to win the game.
“It’s a great win in the first conference game. I know CB East is 0-3, but they’re going to be just fine. That’s a good team that is going to win a lot of games. I thought they really, really played well. They did a nice job changing up defenses on us. We never really got into the flow, which is something we need to work on at practice.”
Sparked by eight points from Bridget Birkhead, which included a pair of three-pointers, East led 13-11 after one quarter. The Patriots scored just five points in the second quarter, and the Indians led 21-18 at halftime. Souderton stretched its lead to 31-25 heading into the final quarter when the Patriots came back to knot the score.
For the Indians, Alana Cardona added 10 points and seven rebounds.
“Alana played well,” Carroll said. “She was going hard after the offensive rebounds, diving on the floor for loose balls. She took one or two offensive charges.”
Megan Walbrandt an Sami Falencki added six points each.
“Our kids made enough good plays and made enough foul shots at the end and enough defensive stops,” Carroll said. “This is a good win. It’s nice to start out the conference with a win. It’s never going to be easy.”
Birkhead led the Patriots with 16 points, which included four three-pointers. McManus added 10 points, including a pair of threes. Bri Talbot had six points.
“It was close the whole game,” Carroll said. “CB East really played well. Bridget Birkhead played extremely well – she had four three’s, and she was just playing determined basketball.
“Bailey McManus hit a couple of big three’s. They defended really well and did a nice job of trying to keep the ball away from Kate.”
Souderton (3-0, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Penn Wood for a non-league game Tuesday, and Central Bucks East (0-2, 0-1) will host Pennridge on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 13-5-7-9-6 40
Souderton 11-10-10-3-10 44
Central Bucks East (40) – Bridget Birkhead 16, Gina Russo 2, Bailey McManus 10, Bri Talbot 6, Grace Stewart 4.
Souderton (44) – Tori Dowd 2, Aana Cardona 10, Megan Walbrandt 6, Sami Galencki 6, Kate Connolly 20.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 57, PENNRIDGE 33
Sparked by nine points from Alexa Brodie and five from Haley Meinel, the Titans exploded out of the gate to a 16-2 lead after one quarter. They took a 24-14 lead into the intermission and then blew the game wide open with a 22-point third quarter to go on top 46-24. Meghan Kuypers ignited the Titans with all 11 of her points in the quarter, which included three three-pointers. Brodie added seven.
Brodie led all scorers with 20 points while Kuypers had 11 and Lexi Edwards contributed 10. Meinel finished with seven points.
Rose McCormick led the Rams with 12 points, and Gillian Anderson had six.
Central Bucks South (4-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks West in an important conference contest Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., and Pennridge (3-2, 0-1) will be on the road at Central Bucks East on Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 16-8-22-11 57
Pennridge 2-12-10-9 33
Central Bucks South (57) – Natalie DeSandro 3, Maddy Maletz 2, Meghan Kuypers 11, Madi Aldinger 2, Haley Meinel 7, Alexa Brodie 20, Maddie McShane 2, Lexi Edwards 10.
Pennridge (33) – Samantha Muredda 2, Madison Pennie 1, Brooke Bachtle 2, Gillian Anderson 6, Olivia Pennie 2, Corinn Mart 2, Madison Stolarski 3, Rose McCormick 12, Sophie Cweiber 3.
Non-league
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 35, WILLIAM TENNENT 24
The Panthers battled the undefeated Lions to an 8-8 halftime tie, but the Lions found their offensive stride in the second half, outscoring the Panthers 27-16.
“It was probably the best team defense we played all season,” coach Laura Whitney said of her team’s first-half defense. “Everyone was in the right spots to help, and we were able to force them into tough, contested shots.”
The second half, according to Whitney, began with a pair of turnovers on the Panthers’ first two possessions, and they trailed 20-11 heading into the final frame.
“We gave up a few easy layups to trail by six early in the third quarter,” the Panthers’ coach said. “We were never able to get into any rhythm offensively the remainder of the quarter.”
The Panthers used a 9-0 run to pull to within five in the fourth quarter, but they would get no closer.
Emma Stanfield led the Panthers with 10 points. Kelly Scipione had six, and Kyla Gibson added five.
William Tennent (1-3) will open league play on Tuesday when the Panthers travel to North Penn.
New Hope-Solebury 3-5-12-15 35
William Tennent 3-5-3-13 24
National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 44, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 32
In the opener of a girls/boys doubleheader, the Indians led 12-7 after one quarter and took a 23-16 lead into halftime. They outscored their visitors in each of the four quarters en route to the win.
“South had a great game plan,” Rock North coach Lou Palkovics said. “And we need to be better.”
Megan Haggerty led the Indians with 15 points on five three-pointers.
“Megan Haggerty played great,” Palkovics said. “Her five three’s kept us in the game.”
Dana Bandurick added nine points, and point guard Becca Margolis had six points on a pair of three’s on a night that saw the Indians connect on eight shots from beyond the arc.
“Dana Bandurick was a force in the second half,” Palkovics said.
For the Golden Hawks, Payton Spadaccino had 12 points, which included a 5-for-7 effort at the charity stripe. Faith Turner, who was 3-for-4 from the foul line, added 11 points.
Council Rock North (2-1, 1-0 SOL) will be on the road at Mount St. Joseph Academy for a non-league game Saturday at 2:30 p.m., and Council Rock South (2-2, 0-1) will host Harry S Truman on Tuesday.
Council Rock South 7-9-8-8 32
Council Rock North 12-11-9-12 44
Council Rock South (32) – Payton Spadaccino 12, Bailey Vetter 2, Kasey Schlupp 3, Faith Turner 11, Allison McGowan 2, Hannah Binder 2.
Council Roc North (44) – Becca Margolis 6, Megan Haggerty 15, Dana Bandurick 9, Kaelin Mealy 5, Hannah Weiler 5, Mackenzie Tinner 4.
Non-league
HARRY S TRUMAN 69, BRISTOL 30
The Tigers rolled to a rout of the host Warriors in Friday’s opening round game of the Bristol Tournament. The Tigers led 20-2 after one quarter and took a 40-13 lead into halftime. They extended that lead to 61-18 after three quarters.
Four players finished the game in double figures. Sophomore Alexis McCoy led the way with 16 points while freshman Daisha Campbell and senior Jayda Campbell both had 14 points. Jayda Campbell had three three-pointers. Senior Sabria Lytes added 13 points while sophomore Roneisha James and senior Daeja Moore both had six points. The Tigers connected on 31-of-54 shots from the field (57 percent).
James led the Tigers under the backboards with 10 rebounds while McCoy and Jayda Campbell both head eight.
Harry S Truman (2-0) will play in Saturday’s title game.
Harry S Truman 20-20-21-8 69
Bristol 2-11-5-12 30
Harry S Truman (69) - Roneisha James 6, Alexis McCoy 16, Sabria Lytes 13, Daeja Moore 6, Daisha Campbell 14, Jayda Campbell 14.
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