SOL Girls' Basketball Wrap (12-28-12)

Check out Friday’s SOL girls basketball results.

SOUDERTON 43, GWYNEDD MERCY 42 (2 OT)
The Indians defended their Wissahickon Holiday Classic title, but they needed two overtimes to do it. They managed only one field goal in the first quarter – a three-point play by Sarah Derstein – but trailed just 7-3 at the end of one quarter. They trailed by five at the intermission (19-14).
“I think in the first quarter alone we left 10 points on the rim – layups that we just weren’t finishing,” coach Lynn Carroll said. “We had some nice post moves, some drives to the basket that weren’t dropping, so that alone makes it a much different game throughout.
“Gwynedd Mercy made us earn everything on both ends of the court. I don’t want to take anything away from them.”
The Indians, who trailed by as many as seven, rallied to knot the score 29-29 when Libby Wetzler connected in the paint in the closing seconds of the third quarter. Junior Allison Gallagher, who led all scorers with 17 points, sparked the Indians’ comeback, connecting on a pair of three-pointers in the quarter.
The Indians led 35-29 after Bianca Picard scored on a drive, and they still led by six (37-31) after Katie O’Connor converted a drive into a basket. That’s when the shots stopped falling for the Indians, who did not score a point in the final 4:50 of regulation. The Monarchs used a pair of conventional three-point plays to knot the score with the final one by freshman Erica DeCandido in the final minute of the quarter.
A bucket by Picard gave the Indians the early lead in OT, but the Monarchs knotted the score with 1:29 remaining. The Indians suffered a setback when Sarah Derstein -who finished with five points, 10 rebounds, six steals and four blocks – fouled out on the play.
It looked as though the Indians had all but won the game when Gallagher buried a three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining, but Jenna Raschiatore answered with a buzzer beater from beyond the arc, setting the stage for the second overtime.
“People make shots,” Gallagher said. “At least it wasn’t them going ahead, and we still had another overtime to get back and win it.”
The two teams combined to score just one point in the second OT, and that came after senior Courtney Day came up with an offensive rebound of a Souderton miss. With 10 seconds remaining, Gallagher, who was fouled, sank one-of-two from the charity stripe. The Monarchs misfired at the other end, and Day came up with the rebound to seal the win.

“After Sarah fouled out, Courtney Day stepped in and gave us good minutes,” Carroll said. “All of that was good, but we have stuff to work on, that’s for sure.”
For the Indians, it was their third overtime game of the season and the first time they came out on the winning end.
“I think we wanted it enough, compared to how the season has been going for us so far in overtime,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher earned a spot on the all-tournament team while Picard, who had nine points despite being the focal point of Gwynedd’s defense, was named tournament MVP for the second consecutive year. Libby Wetzler added eight points and 10 rebounds for the Indians, who improved to 3-3 overall (1-2 SOL).

WILLIAM TENNENT 56, QUAKERTOWN 31
The host Panthers led 8-7 at the end of one quarter in Friday night’s title game of the Quakertown Christmas Tournament, but Tennent came to life in the second quarter, using a 16-9 scoring burst to go into halftime with a 23-17 lead. Tennent took complete control of the game in the second half, outscoring Quakertown 33-14.
It was the second time in as many nights that the Panthers used a strong second half to blow open a close game.
“Our shots started falling,” coach Paul Veltre said. “We were able to change our press again, and we got a few more shots than they did, and our shots started to fall.
“We did not shoot well in the first half again. Quakertown is very aggressive. Greg (Swavely) is doing a good job. We handled their pressure, took control of the ball and did what I hoped we would do.”
Helping to combat Quakertown’s pressure was point guard Angie Pomponio, who scored 13 points. Nikki Alden led the Panthers with 14 points to go along with seven rebounds while Allison Chatburn had 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Ashlee Ruzicka led the Panthers with 12 points while Taylor Herd added nine.
“Number 21 is a great player,” Veltre said of Herd. “She scored all eight of their third quarter points. She’s going to have a great career. She’s special.”
While Quakertown fell to 2-6 overall (1-2 SOL), Tennent upped its record to 6-2 (1-2 SOL).
To read Drew Markol’s complete game story, please click on the following PhillyBurbs.com link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/hamptons/tennent-runs-past-quakertown/article_c88dd257-120a-5e84-9778-c6369ef8915d.html

UPPER DUBLIN 56, VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 25
The Flying Cardinals continued their early season tear, winning their seventh straight and capturing the championship in their own Cardinal Classic on Friday. Kayla McAneney led a balanced attack with 16 points, which included four three-pointers. Curtrena Goff, who was named MVP, added 12 points. In the two tournament games combined, Goff had 34 points and 11 assists.
Regan Gallagher added nine points on 4-of-4 shooting. She also had six rebounds. Brii Spector contributed eight points and six rebounds for the Flying Cardinals, who sprinted to a 19-9 lead at the end of one quarter and took a 22-13 lead into halftime. The Cardinals, who improved to 7-1 overall (3-0 SOL), blew the game wide open with a 17-5 third quarter and went on to outscore the Jems 34-12 in the second half.

CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 44, UNIONVILLE 27
The Patriots captured the title of the Unionville Tournament, opening up an early lead over the host Indians and rolling to the decisive win. East led 13-6 at the end of one quarter and took a 22-13 lead into halftime. The Patriots never looked back, outscoring their hosts 22-14 in the second half.
Karoline White led a balanced Patriot attack with 11 points. Morgan Kelly added 10 points, which included a pair of three-pointers. Courtney Webster had nine points, including six in the first quarter. The Patriots, who connected on 13-of-18 from the foul line, were 10-of-14 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.
East upped its record to 4-3 (1-2 SOL).

WISSAHICKON 58, HARRITON 33
The Trojans rebounded from a four-point loss to crosstown rival Gwynedd Mercy in the opening round of their own Holiday Classic to defeat Harriton in Friday’s consolation game. They all but put the game out of reach with an impressive 19-3 second quarter explosion, turning a 12-11 deficit into a 30-15 halftime lead.
“The girls did not keep their heads down after that tough loss and came back even stronger with their defensive pressure to slow down the dynamic three from Harriton,” coach Rodney Cline said.
Harriton managed just 11 field goals in the game, only one in the second quarter and just five in the second half.
“In our game against Gwynedd Mercy, we shut them down in the second half,” Cline said. “We just carried it over into today’s game.
“They have three good athletes. Number three (Sabrina Tabasso) is getting a full ride to Loyola for lacrosse. She’s just a great athlete, and they have two good guards, but we shut them down with our defense.”
The Trojans outscored Harritown 28-18 in the second half.
“The girls believed in their abilities,” Cline said. “We had reverse layups, there were taps after rebounds. They were doing things today we normally do in practice that they don’t do on the stage.
“It was just fun to see their confidence in each other and everybody working as a unit. It was a great experience to get girls into the game and give them varsity time.”
Freshman Daria Earland and senior Rachel Stone led a balanced Trojan attack with 13 points each. Dominique Earland added 11 while Donyea Tate had 10 points.
“Our freshman had 13 today and 16 yesterday,” Cline said of Daria Earland. “It was her third start of the season, and this tournament was her coming out party.  Her older sister, Dominique, is really grooming her. Having her sister here is a really good influence.
“Defensively, our girls played really well. Girls coming off the bench like Sierra Eskridge and Meredith Byrne to Donyea Tate and Rachel Stone, our floor general – it was just a great team effort. It’s fun to see them start to click a little bit.”
The Trojans upped their overall record to 3-5 (1-2 SOL).

BENSALEM 44, CHICHESTER 30
Tyra Roberts scored 17 points to lead all scorers while Stephanie Unger added 12 and Ashida Cooper, nine points, to lead the Owls to the big win in the opening round of the Plymouth Whitemarsh Holiday Tournament.
The two teams were deadlocked 23-23 at halftime, but the Owls blew the game wide open with a 21-7 second half surge.
“Defense was the key to the win,” coach Don Bogan said. “Christina Cueto and Janessa Winder played excellent defense in the second half.”
The Owls (3-3, 0-3 SOL) will face West Chester East in Saturday’s title game at 3 p.m.

HARRY S TRUMAN 70, BRISTOL 44
Shapelle Brewton scored 20 points to lead the Tigers to the decisive win in Friday’s consolation game of the Lions Rotary Tournament at Lower Moreland.
“They came out to play,” coach Colette Munford said. “We have should done it yesterday. Hopefully, we’re getting the kinks out, and in the second half of the season, we can win a couple of league games.”
Three Truman players finished the game with double-doubles. Sophomore Jasmine Wilson had 13 points and 21 rebounds. Junior Khristaijah Jackson contributed 14 points and 15 boards, and sophomore Rickea Boyd added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
“Every year I try to pull up a couple of kids from jayvee that I think would benefit getting some varsity experience,” Munford said. “Rickea is one of them, and she’ll come along slowly. She had a pretty good game today.”
The Tigers are 4-6 overall (0-3 SOL).

COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 36, WILDWOOD CATHOLIC 30
The Indians connected on just 6-of-30 shots in the first half but still took a 17-12 lead into the intermission in Friday’s opening game at the Boardwalk Classic. Wildwood Catholic outscored the Indians 15-9 in the third quarter to go into the final frame with a 27-26 lead. The Indians won it with a 10-3 fourth quarter effort.
“We went down three in the fourth quarter, and we could have packed it in,” coach Lou Palkovics said. “All of a sudden, we got three steals and went back up. They responded well.”
Sophomore Jessica Gerber led the Indians, who were without Michaela Finneyfrock, with 19 points. The Indians’ sophomore guard was 7-for-8 from the foul line.
“Jessica Gerber is playing really well and being a leader,” Palkovics said. “I have known Jess since she was real little, and she’s grown immensely with her leadership skills and with how she plays.”
Hailey Burns contributed nine rebounds, two blocks, one steal and one assist while Madison Attanasio added six rebounds and two steals and also took a charge.
The Indians will face Nazareth Academy in Saturday’s title game.

CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 46, NOTRE DAME 70
Notre Dame opened up a 25-9 lead at the end of one quarter and never looked back on its way to the big win.Jordan Vitelli led the Titans with 11 points while Rachel Falkowski added nine points and Amber Eife, eight.
The Titans (6-2, 2-1 SOL) return to action on Saturday morning when they will face Conestoga at 10 a.m.

WEST CHESTER EAST 51, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 45
The Colonials appeared to be in command in Friday’s opening round game of their own tournament. PW led 31-21 midway through the third quarter when Simone Jacques was whistled for her fourth foul and forced to take a seat on the bench. West Chester East responded with a 12-0 run to take a 33-31 lead into the fourth quarter. The Vikings iced the win by outscoring the Colonials 18-14 in the final frame.
East junior Nina Mazzarelli scored a game high 17 points. The Colonials were led by the 14-point effort of sophomore guard Alynna Williams while Jacques and Kayla Wisniewski each added 10 points.
PW hurt itself at the foul line where the Colonials connected on just 10-of-28 shots. The Colonials will face Chichester in Saturday’s consolation game at 1:30 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 37, UPPER MORELAND 31
Senior Sarah Daley led all scorers with 12 points and also had a big day on the boards. Sophomore Bailey Krewson added five points and effectively ran the offense at point guard. Freshman Maura Ryan came off the bench to score nine points while sophomore Savannah Shackleford added five points off the bench. Junior Meghan Wheatley scored four points, and senior Maisey Bradley had two for the Spartans, who improved to 2-5 (0-3 SOL).

ABINGTON 45, PINE RICHLAND 35
Gabby Nolan, Deja Rawls and Michael Harris each scored 10 points to lead a balanced Ghost attack in Friday’s win at the Altoona Tournament. Nolan also had five steals while Rawls had nine assists and Harris had a team high 11 rebounds. The Ghosts upped their record to 6-3 (3-0 SOL).

CHELTENHAM 36, NORTHEAST 32
The Lady Panthers opened up a 10-0 lead at the end of one quarter on their way to the win in the All Girls Classic at Arcadia University. Sophomore Amarri Truehart led the Lady Panthers with 11 points while Seraiah Robinson added seven.
Cheltenham improved to 3-5 overall (2-1 SOL).

PREP CHARTER 50, PENNSBURY 49
Hannah Timmons connected on the second of two free throws with three seconds remaining in regulation to break a 49-49 tie and propel Prep Charter to the win in Friday’s exciting showdown in the Wildwood Boardwalk Classic. The Falcons, who suffered their first loss of the season, knotted the score when Sajanna Bethea buried a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining.
Bethea led all scored with 19 points to go along with six rebounds. Jae Jackson added 13 points and seven boards while Kaitlin Kelly had 11 points and four rebounds.

DOWNINGTOWN EAST 36, PENNRIDGE 28

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