North Penn, CB West, Abington and CB East earned second round wins to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinal round. To view photos of the Upper Dublin/CB East and North Penn/CB South games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
#3 NORTH PENN 43, #14 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 40
Maggie deMarteleire was none too pleased to see conference rival Central Bucks South in her team’s quadrant of the district tournament bracket.
“Beth (Mattern) and I drove to the district seeding meeting together, and I said, ‘Don’t tell me you’re going to be the 14th seed’ because I knew we were the third,” deMarteleire said.
That’s exactly what happened, and the Titans – the last team to defeat North Penn - were every bit as tough the Lady Knights’ coach thought they would be. The outcome wasn’t decided until – with less than a second showing on the scoreboard clock – senior captain Bri Cullen buried a pair from the foul line.
Up until that time, it was anybody’s game, but the third-seeded Lady Knights survived, punching their ticket to the state tournament.
“You win this game, and it’s kind of like a weight lifted off your shoulders,” deMarteleire said. “Now you know you’re going to states, and the next game’s not going to be your last.”
The Lady Knights brought a six-game winning streak into the game, averaging 66 points a game in those six wins. Any thoughts that they were going to continue scoring at that pace were put to rest in a first quarter that saw the Titans open up a 15-9 lead after falling behind 9-6.
“When a team has been averaging 60 points the last six games, it’s just not to our benefit against North Penn to play at that pace, so we wanted to try and control the tempo,” Mattern said. “
The Titans’ game plan was working to perfection as they opened up a 17-9 lead after Alysha Lofton picked off a pass and turned it into a basket in the opening moments of the second quarter.
“We tried to push the ball in transition like we had been doing,” senior Erin Maher said. “We definitely learned our lesson in the first quarter, myself included.
“I usually take the ball and look up the court, but Lofton has such great court vision and reads the passes. We had to slow it down.
“We still didn’t call that many plays, but they definitely took away a big part of our game.”
The Lady Knights showed signs of adjusting in the second quarter, closing out the half with a 12-4 run that culminated with a putback by Mikalea Giuliani in the final seconds.
“I know the last game I was in a lot of foul trouble, so I was on the bench most of the game,” Giuliani said of North Penn’s 61-53 loss to the Titans. “I was not playing well at all. I wanted to come out today and prove I was better than I was in that game and just for the team so we could win.”
The sophomore center, who had a game-high 10 rebounds, scored all nine of her points and pulled down seven rebounds in the opening half.
“She really played exceptionally well for us in the first half – scored some points and got a lot of rebounds and was active defensively,” deMarteleire said of Giuliani.
A three-pointer by Sam Carangi to open the third quarter put the Lady Knights on top, but Taylor Dunn (nine points) answered for the Titans. Jordan Vitelli came up with a steal on the defensive end and – despite being hammered – turned it into a three-point play to put the Titans back on top (26-24).
Another Carangi trey – this one from well beyond the arc that was set up in transition after a defensive rebound by Cullen – gave North Penn a 30-27 lead. The Lady Knights took a 32-30 lead into a fourth quarter that was a war. A bucket by Lauren Moser (10 points) to open the quarter knotted the score, but the Lady Knights answered with five straight points. Vicky Tumasz – playing with a heavily taped right hand – scored on a drive, and after a South miss, Maher converted a three-point play that gave North Penn a 37-32 lead.
Back-to-back baskets by Vitelli made it a one-point game, but Maher connected on an awkward, off-balance shot to give her team a three-point edge.
“I threw it up because I thought I was fouled, so I figured, ‘What the heck – get two shots out of it, put some points on the board,’” Maher said. “Luckily it worked out because that was complete luck.”
Dunn answered for the Titans, but freshman Jess Huber scored on a drive to the hole to give the Lady Knights a 41-38 lead.
“She’s one of our best finishers around the basket,” deMarteleire said. “That was a huge bucket.”
“I was just trying to work hard,” Huber said. “The seniors help me out. They set me up really well, and it just worked out.
“It was a really tough game for everyone. The crowd was going nuts. We were all hyped. Everyone got really into it, and we just made the plays.”
Down but hardly out, the Titans pulled to within one when Lofton found Mosher for a bucket with 45 seconds remaining. The Titans had a chance to win it after the Lady Knights – with 26.8 seconds remaining – turned the ball over near midcourt. They never managed a shot and lost possession when the Lady Knights forced a jump ball with four seconds remaining.
“I did have a timeout left,” Mattern said. “I was telling myself to call it, but I saw Jordan drive the right wing, and I saw it open, so I let her go.
“They played well. I thought North Penn played well, I thought we played well. They just finished it.”
Vitelli led the Titans with 12 points while Mosher added 10 and Dunn, nine. Maher had a team-high 11 points and eight rebounds. Carangi had eight points and Huber six as North Penn’s freshmen made important contributions.
“It’s really exciting,” Huber said. “I’ve never been in this situation before.
“It’s hard to live up to, but it’s really fun, especially when you come out with a big win like this.”
The win vaulted the Lady Knights into Saturday’s quarterfinal round where they will face another conference foe in Central Bucks East.
“It’s a little pressure off our shoulders,” Maher said of clinching a state berth. “Last year we were in the same scenario, and we lost to Upper Dublin in the round we’re going into now.
“Winning districts is one of our goals this year, and that’s a goal in front of getting to states.”
The Titans will travel to Upper Dublin for a playback game on Saturday, one of eight teams vying for the two final playoff spots.
“We just have to keep working hard to get into states,” Lofton said. “We were right with them tonight, and we can definitely play with the upper seeds.”
Central Bucks South 15 6 9 10-40
North Penn 9 12 11 11-43
#18 ABINGTON 38, #2 GARNET VALLEY 33
The Ghosts pulled off the upset of the second round, using their stifling defense to limit the second-seeded Jaguars to just six first half points on their way to the big win that vaulted them into the state tournament.
“The story of the game was defense,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “We played tremendous defense on them. Every single one of their shots was contested.
“We held them to six points in the half, and that’s a team that can score like crazy. I’m super happy.”
The win came on the heels of an upset at Downingtown East two days earlier.
“To go into Downingtown East and then to go into a two seed - a 23-1 team - and win them both, I couldn’t be happier,” Marsh said.
The two teams were deadlocked 4-4 at the end of one quarter, but behind the 10-point effort of point guard Deja Rawls, the Ghosts outscored the Jaguars 14-2 in the second period to go into halftime with an 18-6 lead.
“In the second quarter, I knew we needed to score,” Rawls said. “I was being very aggressive, looking for the open man, and we were containing them – they only scored two points.”
“Deja took over,” Marsh said. “They did a really good job on Michael (Harris). They were cramming the paint. They just did a great job.
“Both teams came out extremely tight. We’re both young teams. People don’t realize, but we still have two sophomores and two juniors starting for us. Both teams were really tight, and Deja was like, ‘Hey, I see an opportunity here’ and got us the lead going into halftime.”
The Ghosts edged the Jags 11-10 in the third period to go into the final period with a 29-16 lead. The Jaguars made a run in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Ghosts 15-9, but it was too little too late.
Rawls led the Ghosts with 15 points, three assists and two steals.
“We came on the court ready to play this team,” Rawls said. “We prepared yesterday. We knew exactly how this team played, so we knew what we needed to do on defense.”
Harris had nine points and 12 rebounds, and Gabby Nolan pulled down eight rebounds. Sammy Lochner added eight points for a balanced Ghost attack, but defense was the name of the game for the Ghosts.
“They play with five guards, and we knew we would have some matchup problems,” Marsh said. “Michael had to get out on the perimeter and defend. She did a great job.
“We switched everything. All their screens – everything that they did, we switched, so no one had one particular person to guard, and everyone had to defend. It was a great team defensive effort, a great team win. It was tremendous. The story was definitely defense. If we don’t play defense like that, we don’t win.”
The Ghosts will face Rustin in Saturday’s quarterfinal round. The win ensured them a spot in the state tournament.
“Getting to states means a lot since we didn’t make it last year,” Rawls said.
“We’re very happy, but we’re not satisfied,” Marsh said. “We’re going to enjoy tonight and then get ready tomorrow.”
Abington 4 14 11 9-38
Garnet Valley 4 2 10 15-33
#22 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 18, #6 UPPER DUBLIN 15
Liz Potash admitted that the score of her team’s win was destined to raise more than a few eyebrows.
“I said to my team when it was over, ‘Is it halftime or did we just finish the fourth quarter,” East’s coach said with a laugh. “We couldn’t hit an outside shot, and I think maybe they hit two.”
Senior point guard Karoline White admitted she can’t remember being part of a game quite like Wednesday’s second round win.
“It definitely wasn’t pretty, but the scoreboard at the end of the game is what matters,” she said. “It was a slow offensive game, but defensively, I think we played really well.
“To hold a team as good as Upper Dublin to 15 points is an accomplishment, but we still have a lot to improve on, which we’ll get to tomorrow at practice.”
There were early signs that this was going to be a low-scoring affair when the Flying Cardinals opened up an 8-1 lead at the end of one quarter. The Patriots returned the favor in the second quarter, ‘outscoring’ the Cardinals 7-2 to trail by just two at halftime (10-8).
“Our defense was relentless,” said Potash. “I have talked about our defense all year. They just have so much pride in their defense, and it’s just the idea that teams aren’t going to score on them.
“Towards the end of the year, we were giving up some points. We know we’re not a high-scoring offense. We score more than 18, but we know that defense has to be the key. They knew what the game plan was, and they executed it. All the credit to them.”
The Patriots did not allow a point in the third quarter, outscoring the Cardinals 6-0 to go into the final frame with a 15-10 lead. The fourth quarter was more of the same, this time with the Cardinals holding a 5-4 edge.
White credited several of her teammates for coming up big on the defensive end.
“All the credit in the world to Lindsay Neir and Courtney Webster on the post because they do have a really strong post,” she said. “I think mainly (defense) is what is inside of us – our heart. We’re the type of team that will dive on the floor for the ball and do whatever it takes to get the rebounds. Really, I think our heart and intensity is what makes the difference.”
Another key, according to Potash, was the ability of her team to box out.
“We really didn’t give up too many second shots,” she said. “We were able to get some big rebounds.”
Only four players scored for the Patriots, who were led by the seven-point effort of White. Courtney Webster had five points. Just three players scored for the Cardinals, who were led by the eight-point effort of Allison Chernow. Regan Gallagher had five points and five rebounds. Julie Cross had seven rebounds.
“Both defenses played very well, but obviously, people didn’t make shots,” Potash said. “I honestly think we made one outside shot the entire game.”
It’s a rare day when 18 points is enough to win.
“Unless you only give up 15,” Potash said.
The Patriots will take on third-seeded North Penn in Saturday’s quarterfinal round, but Wednesday’s win ensured East a spot in states.
“It’s an awesome feeling,” White said. “We’re ready to continue taking our game to the next level, so by going to states, that’s reaching one of our goals, but we still have a lot of goals to reach. We need to keep taking our game to the next level.”
“At the beginning of the season, we did some goal-setting things,” Potash added. “There were goals to win the league, and obviously, we fell short on that. There were goals to make a run in districts, and we’re doing that right now.
“It was always a goal to make states, which they fell short of last year. I’m really proud of them and happy for them that they were able to accomplish that goal tonight.”
Central Bucks East 1 7 6 4-18
Upper Dublin 8 2 0 5-15
#5 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 59, #12 METHACTON 47
The Bucks led 14-11 after one quarter and took a 30-21 lead into halftime. They put the game completely out of reach with a 20-point third quarter to go on top 50-27 heading into the final frame. Only a 20-9 burst by the Warriors in the fourth quarter made the final score closer.
“We played real well,” West coach Terry Rakowsky said. “We shot the ball well, we played pretty good defense, and we changed defenses.
“We played smart, tough and we executed. Honestly, I probably shouldn’t have done it, but we held the ball for a lot of the fourth quarter.”
Nicole Munger led the Bucks with 20 points, three steals and two assists, and Corrinne Godshall was a presence in the paint with 14 points and nine rebounds.
“I think Corrinne had half of those in the first three minutes of the third quarter,” Rakowsky said. “We went from 10 to a 20-point lead in about three or four minutes, and it was all on Corrinne’s back. She was pretty awesome inside. She’s been playing well, and her head’s been in the game.”
Godshall, according to Rakowsky, also had several blocked shots, and she did all of that while going against a 6-1 player for Methacton.
“That big kid probably had five blocks in the first half, and I sort of yelled at them a little bit at halftime about using a ball fake – get the kid up,” the Bucks’ coach said.
Godshall heeded her coach’s advice.
“He stressed to us in the locker room that she had blocked five of our shots, and he said, ‘Could someone please pump fake?’” Godshall said. “The first play of the third quarter, I was on the block, I pump faked, and I got a layup.
“I was really happy about that, and it helped our tempo.”
The tone for the game, according to Godshall, was set early.
“We came out really strong from the beginning – we were getting in passing lanes, going for steals,” she said. “I think that’s when we play our best basketball – when we’re intense on defense, and we were definitely intense on defense throughout the whole game.
“You only have 32 minutes (in a game), which is a pretty short time, and if you get down in the beginning, that’s a lot of (ground) you have to make up. It’s definitely important to come out strong from the beginning.”
Peyton Traina added eight points and solid defensive play.
“She had a really good game,” Rakowsky said. “We put Peyton on their (big) scorer, and she did a great job. The kid had some points in the fourth quarter, but I’m not so sure she scored in the first half.”
With Mackenzie Carroll in early foul trouble, the Bucks also received a lift from several players off the bench.
“We substituted Maggie (Rakowsky) and Laura (Roth), and Laura got some minutes tonight, and she did real well for us,” Rakowsky said.
With the win, the Bucks have ensured themselves a berth in states.
“It’s huge,” Rakowsky said. “We want to win districts, no doubt about it, but honestly, I think our kids look at it, and they play for fun now, which is good for us.
“The more our kids play and have fun, the better we play. There’s a little bit of relief that at least we’ve accomplished making it to states.”
Godshall echoed those sentiments.
“Now we can play without that nervousness and edginess that our season could end tonight,” she said. “Now we can go out and play our game.”
In Friday night’s quarterfinal round, the Bucks (19-5, 10-4 SOL) will face fourth-seeded Spring-Ford in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal game that was won by the Rams 60-45.
Central Bucks West 14 16 20 9-59
Methacton 9 11 7 20-47
#1 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH ACADEMY 52, #17 SOUDERTON 36
(Check back this weekend for a feature article about Bianca Picard surpassing the 1,000-point mark.)
Bianca Picard needed just one point to put her name in the history books at Souderton, and the senior point guard took care of business early, scoring on a floater on her second shot of the night to reach the magical 1,000-point plateau. She is the first girls’ basketball player at Souderton in a decade to reach the milestone.
“All I remember is that the shot I took I missed all season,” Picard said afterwards. “It was the first time it went in for me. When I went to take it, I didn’t expect it to go in.”
The game was halted for a brief presentation, but the rest of the night belonged to the top-seeded Magic. Although the Indians trailed by just an 11-8 score after one quarter, they lost ground in a second quarter that saw the Mount explode for 20 points to go into halftime with a 31-17 lead. The Indians never threatened.
Picard led the Indians with 10 points while Katie O’Connor added nine and Allison Gallagher, seven points. Alex Louin led the Magic with 24 points.
Souderton will face seventh-seeded Ridley in a playback game on Saturday.
Souderton 8 9 4 15-36
Mount St. Joseph 11 20 12 9-52
#7 RUSTIN 56, #10 NESHAMINY 36
The visiting Redskins were doomed by a third quarter that saw Rustin go on a 17-1 tear. Rustin was led by the 26-point performance of 6-2 Adashia Franklyn, who is bound for St. Joe’s on a scholarship. Noelle Powell added 20.
The Redskins will face second-seeded Garnet Valley in a playback game on Saturday.
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