SOL PIAA Girls' BB Preview (Second Round)

03/11/14 2:42am Posted by editor

North Penn and Abington will play in PIAA Class AAAA second round games on Tuesday. Check back for a full recap of both games.

North Penn and Abington came into the postseason from vastly different places.

The Lady Knights –seeded third – entered districts wearing the mantle of SOL Continental Conference champions while the Ghosts – seeded 18th – were the SOL National Conference runner-up.

The Lady Knights occupied a prominent spot in the state rankings. The Ghosts did not. Both teams find themselves the lone SOL survivors in the PIAA Class AAAA state tournament’s field of 16.

While the Lady Knights – after their district title win over Spring-Ford – moved into the top spot in the state rankings, the Ghosts have garnered some respect of their own, earning honorable mention recognition in the state rankings.

On Tuesday, the Lady Knights will be heavily favored when they take on Northampton, the third place team out of District 3. The Ghosts won’t be favored when they face a District 3 champion Wilson West Lawn team that has won 17 in a row since a 6-7 start.

The Ghosts, who finished sixth in district play, are coming off a no-doubt-about-it 55-36 win over District 2 runner-up Pocono Mountain West. In preparation for what lay ahead, the Ghosts took advantage of their break between districts and states to scrimmage North Penn and the state’s top-ranked Class AAA squad - Archbishop Wood.

“We played really well, and I think that gave our kids some confidence,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “I said to the kids, ‘You played two of the best teams in the state, and you were competitive with both of them. You can play with anyone, and it’s time to start believing it.’ The good thing about our kids is they aren’t going to be intimidated.”

That will be significant on Tuesday when the Ghosts take on a Wilson squad that boasts four players on its roster who will be taking their talents to the Division One level.

“The key I think is going to be boxing out,” Marsh said. “They’re very athletic. The key for us is going to be rebounding. We have to limit their second chances, limit their transition.

“I think we’re good enough offensively to compete with them, I think we’re good enough offensively to compete with anybody. I’m hoping if we can keep them off the offensive rebounds and slow down their transition that we’ll be in it, but they’re very good. This is probably going to be the best team we played all year.”

The Ghosts go into Tuesday night’s game with a Division One player of their own in senior center Michael Harris, who will be playing basketball at American University. The senior captain has come on strong in the second half of the season, and according to Marsh, she has been a positive leader.

“Our team can be a little light,” he said. “They’re a very close-knit group and they like to have fun. Somebody was laughing, and Michael literally stopped practice and said, ‘There’s nothing funny. I don’t want to lose.’ This team really doesn’t like to lose.”

Junior point guard Deja Rawls, also a Division One recruit, is the engine that drives the Ghosts, and the two standouts are surrounded by a supporting cast that includes Gabby Nolan, Sammy Lochner and Leah Simmons. Junior Bre Bermel came off the bench to score 16 points in Abington’s opening round state win.

“It’s great to see them pull together as a team and to buy into the whole thing,” Marsh said.

The Ghosts’ last trip to states was 2010 when they advanced to the quarterfinals after capturing the district crown. No one on this year’s squad has ever competed in states.

“I’m really happy for them,” Marsh said. “We have a lot of young kids, and getting this experience can only make the program better for the future.”

1-1 NORTH PENN vs. 11-3 NORTHAMPTON (Tuesday, March 11, 7 p.m. at Souderton)

North Penn

  • 25-3 overall
  • 12-2 SOL Continental Conference champions
  • Captured program’s first District One AAAA title
  • Only losses have come at the hands of fifth-seeded Central Bucks West (44-36), sixth-seeded Upper Dublin (35-34) and 14th-seeded Central Bucks South (61-53).
  • Led by senior tri-captains Vicky Tumasz, Erin Maher and Bri Cullen.
  • Won 10 of 11 games to close out regular season and have won 16 of 17 entering second round of states. Boast an 11-game winning streak.

Players to watch:  Vicky Tumasz (Sr., Guard, 14.6 PPG), Erin Maher (Sr., Forward, 8.2 PPG, 9.3 rebounds), Sam Carangi (Fr., Point Guard, 9.1 PPG)
How they got here: 

  • Defeated Council Rock South 83-51 in their district opener. Vicky Tumasz, who scored a game-high 21 points, surpassed the 1,000-point mark. Erin Maher added 14 points and 12 rebounds. Freshmen Irisa Ye and Jess Huber both had 12 points, and freshman point guard Sam Carangi contributed 10 points. North Penn had a season low six turnovers.
  • Earned a 43-40 win over Central Bucks South in second round of districts. Maher had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Mikaela Giuliani had nine points and 10 rebounds. Carangi added eight points.
  • In a quarterfinal game, NP defeated Central Bucks East 55-43. Maher (14 points, six assists, five rebounds), Tumasz (14 points), Bri Cullen (10 points) and Giuliani (six rebounds) all made important contributions.
  • In a district semifinal game, the Lady Knights defeated West Chester Rustin 74-59. Four players – Tumasz (22), Maher (19), Carangi (17) and Cullen (11 points)  -finished the game in double figures.
  • The Lady Knights avenged their loss to Spring-Ford in the 2012 district title game with a 63-51 win over the Rams to capture their first district crown. Tumasz scored a game-high 27 points while Ye (12 points), Carangi (11 points) and Maher (10 points) also finished in double figures.
  • In an opening round state game, the Lady Knights defeated District 3’s seventh-place team, Lebanon, 53-41. Maher (14 points, 10 rebounds, four assists) led the Lady Knights, who also received important contributions from Giuliani (15 rebounds, 8 points), Cullen (10 points, four assists, three steals), Carangi (11 points) and Tumasz (7 points).

Northampton

  • 15-12 overall
  • Seventh-seed entering District 3 play
  • Led by senior guard Leandra Sterns (16.3 ppg, 36 three-pointers), senior forward Kayla Csencsits (9.4 ppg) and 5-10 freshman center Aja Blount (8.6 ppg).

How they got here:

  • Northampton, the district’s seventh-seeded team, fell to eventual District 3 champion Parkland 45-43 in a semifinal game.  Leandra Sterner led the Koncrete Kids with 15 points. Freshman center Aja Blount had 10 points and nine rebounds, and Ali Reppert had three three-pointers.
  • Defeated Pleasant Valley 53-44 in district third place game. Blount had 19 points.
  • Upset District 2 champion Lake Wallenpaupack 52-46, thanks to a 16-5 fourth quarter surge. Sterner had 19 points, and Kayla Csencsits added 16. Blount had nine points and 13 rebounds.

1-6 ABINGTON vs. 3-1 WILSON (Tuesday, March 11, 7:30 p.m., Coatesville)
Abington

  • 20-8 overall
  • 12-2 SOL, second to Neshaminy in National Conference
  • Won nine of 10 games to close out regular season.
  • Saw their eight-game winning streak snapped in district quarterfinal loss to Rustin
  • Led by American University-bound Michael Harris and junior point guard and Division One recruit Deja Rawls.

Players to watch:  Deja Rawls (Jr., G, 14 PPG), Michael Harris (Sr., 14 PPG, 12 RPG), Sammy Lochner (Soph., 8 PPG), Gabby Nolan (6 assists, 3 steals per game), Leah Simmons (8 PPG, 8 RPG)
How they got here: 

  • The Ghosts travelled to Downingtown East for their district opener and sent the Cougars home for the season. Senior Michael Harris led the Ghosts with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Gabby Nolan and Deja Rawls both had nine points, and Leah Simmons had eight.
  • The Ghosts continued to work their road magic with a 38-33 win over second-seeded Garnet Valley in a second round game. Rawls led the Ghosts with 15 points while Harris had nine points and 12 rebounds. Nolan had eight rebounds, and Sammy Lochner, eight points.
  • In a quarterfinal district game, Abington fell to Rustin 65-46. Rawls scored 20 points – 19 after the intermission – and surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career. Simmons added 14 points.
  • In a double overtime playback 51-49 win over Central Bucks East, Rawls scored a layup at the buzzer to win it. Rawls finished with 14 points while Harris had 17.
  • In the Ghosts’ 74-52 loss to CB West in a fifth place game, Rawls had 13 and Harris, 10 points.
  • In Friday’s state opener, the Ghosts defeated District 11 runner-up Pocono Mountain West 55-36. Harris (22 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks) led the Ghosts. Bre Bermel came off the bench to add 16, and Rawls had 12 points, five assists and four steals.

Wilson West-Lawn

  • 23-7 overall
  • Berks League champion for third straight season.
  • Captured District 3 AAAA title, the program’s second consecutive and sixth district crown.
  • Opened season 6-7 but have won 17 in a row since then
  • Ranked fourth in last week’s PennLive state rankings
  • Lineup includes Division One signees Jessie Wallace (Rider), Carley Brew (JMU), Avery Marz (St. Joe’s) and Ivory Bailey (Bryant)
  • Last year lost to North Penn 56-49 in second round of state tournament. The Lady Knights were the sixth-seeded team.

How they got here:

  • Wilson, the fourth seed, opened district play with a 69-32 win over 13th-seeded Central Dauphin East and followed that with a 59-29 win over 12th-seeded Hempfield. A 66-42 win over top-seeded Manheim Township propelled Wilson into the district title game.
  • Defeated Dover 51-38 to capture the District Three AAAA title. Jessie Wallace scored a team-high 16 points while Carley Brew had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Avery Marz also had 15 points.
  • In Friday’s opening round state game, Wilson opened up a 25-19 lead over Methacton and led 39-31 going into the fourth quarter when the Warriors staged a comeback before falling 44-43. Brew had 14 points, and Marz had 13. Ivory Bailey added eight points.
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