Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. To view photos of the Bensalem/CR South and Nicole Munger’s 1,000-point celebration, please visit the Photo Gallery.
American Conference
UPPER DUBLIN 47, CHELTENHAM 42
Julie Cross turned in a monster performance, exploding for 17 second half points to lead an impressive comeback for the Flying Cardinals. The senior center finished the game with 24 points and 18 rebounds.
“Julie Cross was the story of the game,” coach Morgan Funsten said. “She is very talented.”
It was an uphill battle for the Cardinals, who trailed 10-6 after one quarter and found themselves on the short end of a 24-19 score at halftime. Ashley Jones scored 12 of the Lady Panthers’ 14 points in the second quarter.
“We played a decent first quarter,” Funsten said. “We got a lot of shots that we were looking for, and we just couldn’t finish.
“In the second quarter, the pace of the game was much more to their liking. There were times in the second quarter where it felt like they were about to bury us. Multiple times we were down at least eight.”
Three-point baskets by Cross, Allison Chernow and freshman Maggie Weglos kept the Cardinals afloat.
“In between that, we were playing sloppy,” Funsten said. “I thought we were playing a little intimidated. I was disappointed in that.”
It didn’t help, according to the Cardinals’ coach, that his team had to deal with three injuries in the quarter.
“Alissa Klammer hurt her back,” he said of his starting point guard. “Allison Chernow twisted her knee, and she had to come out for a while, and Julie (Cross) got whiplash on her neck.
“It was like, ‘What else can go wrong now?’ Fortunately, they were all able to come back and play in the second half. We were holding on for dear life in the second quarter. I told the girls – we almost lost the game in the second quarter. If it wasn’t for a couple of big shots, the result could have been a little different.”
The Cardinals regrouped at halftime, outscoring the Lady Panthers 15-11 in the third quarter to make it a 35-34 game heading into the final frame. The fourth quarter belonged to the Cardinals, who outscored the Panthers 13-7. Cross had six points, Josie Barrett had four points, including a big three, and Klammer was 3-for-4 from the foul line in the final frame.
“We came out and played a really, really strong second half,” Funsten said.
In addition to Cross, Demi Balasa added six points while Chernow and Weglos both had five.
For the Lady Panthers, Jones finished with 24 points to share game scoring honors with Cross. Point guard Amarri Trueheart added 12 points.
“Jones and Trueheart are two really special players on Cheltenham,” Funsten said. “Going in with a game plan to stop them is impossible – you’re not going to be able to stop them. The word we used – we’re going to try and contain them as much as possible.
“Jones got shut out in the fist quarter, but she finished with 24. Alissa (Klammer) has been our defensive stopper, and she did a good job, but Jones is just so good. Jones and Trueheart complement each other well. You can’t pay too much attention to one of them because the other one will really hurt you.”
While the Lady Panthers fell to 1-1 in league play (2-1 overall), the Flying Cardinals improved to 3-0 overall (2-0 SOL)
“It was a great, great win,” Funsten said. “We have nice experience with Allison (Chernow) and Julie (Cross), but other than that, the varsity game is brand new for every other person on our roster.
“I know a lot of teams are like that. It’s not an excuse, it’s just a reality. The lesson to be learned is we can’t play scared. We played a stretch of the game where people were hiding from the ball. I couldn’t have been more proud of how we played in the second half though. This is really going to help us grow as a team.”
Upper Dublin 6-13-15-13 47
Cheltenham 10-14-11-7 42
WISSAHICKON 29, UPPER MORELAND 24
The Trojans found themselves trailing by four after one quarter and still on the short end of a 19-17 score at halftime, but they limited the Golden Bears to just five second half points to earn their first win of the young season.
“This was huge for the morale of our girls,” Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline said. “Right now we have six-seven girls hurt on our team – three varsity starters and two swing players.
“The girls are stepping up and playing different roles. To have girls playing different roles and to have girls coming back and not being 100 percent and not have experience – to get a win like this was huge for confidence, morale and for all the work they’re putting in each day.”
The Golden Bears opened up a 13-9 lead after one quarter but then scored just 11 points the rest of the way. The Trojans outscored their visitors 12-5 in the second half.
“We weren’t playing our typical defense in the first quarter,” Cline said. “We weren’t moving our feet, we weren’t communicating like we normally do.
“We mix our defenses up a lot to keep the other team off balance, and we weren’t in sync. In the second half, we stepped it up. We held them to two points in the second quarter. They scored one point in the entire fourth quarter until we had a foul at the very end with no time left, and they had a one-and-one and made a shot. That was the extent of it.”
Daria Earland led a balanced Trojan attack with seven points, Brittany Gelman had six points while Lexi Carradorini and Alisha Kelly both had five points.
“Brittany Gelman played very well,” Cline said. “She’s a senior, and she played really well on both sides of the ball. She didn’t really come out of the game.
“Daria Earland, who played point guard, is usually a shooting guard or swing. She’s coming back from being sick, and Lexi Carradorini got beat up a little bit tonight, but she played really well. Those three girls really stepped up today.”
The Trojans are 1-1 in league play (1-4 overall) while the Golden Bears fell to 0-2 in the league (1-2 overall).
Upper Moreland 13-6-2-3 24
Wissahickon 9-8-7-5 29
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 63, UPPER MERION 49
The Colonials had a little score to settle with their neighboring rival when the Vikings paid a visit on Tuesday night. It turns out they hadn’t forgotten a heartbreaking 50-49 loss to the Vikings in a late-season game.
“We definitely had a score to settle,” PW coach Daniel Dougherty said. “We took the lead, and then Regie Robinson made both ends of a one-and-one, and they ended up beating us by one last year.
“That loss stung real bad. Besides Alynna Williams and Khadijah Hickson, there’s no one left from last year’s team, but as a coach, I can tell you – that one still stung for me. I had a hard time letting that one go because we could have been co-champs of the league last year and got a home playoff game.”
Alynna Williams had the hot hand early for the Colonials, setting the tone for the contest with 10 of her 15 points in the first quarter as PW sprinted to a 22-13 lead. Freshman Taylor O’Brien also had a big first quarter, connecting for seven of her nine points in the frame.
“Upper Merion had a huge height advantage on us in just about every position, and our girls were able to come out tonight and get an up-tempo pace going,” Dougherty said. “It was kind of a frantic game the first quarter – going back and forth.
“Alynna was hitting her shots – she hit a couple of threes, and our freshman Taylor O’Brien hit a three. Alison Spinelli hit a three.”
Upper Merion’s Jessica Michael, who finished with 14 points, was matching the Colonials three-pointer for three-pointer as she buried three treys of her own in the opening quarter.
“They were all in transition,” Dougherty said of Michael’s treys. “It was such a frantic, frantic first quarter.
“Alynna was just all over the floor in the first quarter.”
The Vikings answered with a 16-10 second quarter to make it a 32-29 game at halftime.
“In the second quarter, they really clawed back,” Dougherty said. “We were up as many as 14 points in the first half, and they cut it to a three-point game at halftime. It was really hectic, up-tempo both ways the first half.”
The Colonials responded with an 18-8 third quarter burst and outscored the Vikings 31-20 in the second half. Alison Spinelli, who finished with a career-high 17 points to go along with five rebounds, keyed the PW surge.
“The difference in the game was the third quarter – that’s when Alison Spinelli started to go off for us,” said Dougherty, calling Spinelli the player of the game. “She’s a field hockey player who plays basketball, but she can shoot the ball. She has a great knack to finish at the basket. Basically, Alynna and Taylor O’Brien were able to really start finding players.”
O’Brien led PW with six assists while Williams had four.
“They were able to drive and find Allison,” Dougherty said. “Upper Merion was leaving Allison alone. She hit two three-pointers tonight
“I can’t blame Tom (Schurtz) for the game plan. Alison never played varsity basketball before, but she was able to knock down open shots.”
Another player who came up big for the Colonials in the second half was Hickson, who finished with 12 points.
“Alynna Williams took over the game in the fourth quarter,” Dougherty said. “Not scoring-wise, but she just drew Upper Merion out of their defense, and when they came out, she would kick it to the open girl.
“We got contributions from everyone tonight. We’re such a young and inexperienced team, and we know that Upper Merion is one of the top two or three teams in the league, and for us to steal a win from them tonight hopefully gets us ready to go against the other top teams in the league.”
Laurel Suchsland came off the bench to score seven points for the Colonials.
“The girls were so energetic tonight,” Dougherty said. “It was a lively gym. It is a good rivalry. It’s not a nasty rivalry in any sense. I think the girls enjoy playing against each other.”
Robinson led the Vikings with 15 points. Tatiana Pleasant added eight and Eryn Brady, six points.
“I’ll be so glad when Regie Robinson is out of this league,” Dougherty said. “She’s so tough to defend. Our girls did a good job.
“Upper Merion plays so hard – Regie Robinson, Jessica Michael, Tatiana Pleasant. They played really, really hard.”
The two teams combined for 11 three-pointers with PW connecting on five.
The Colonials are 2-0 in league play (2-1 overall) while the Vikings dropped to 0-2 in the league (2-3 overall).
Upper Merion 13-16-8-12 49
Plymouth Whitemarsh 22-10-18-13 63
NORRISTOWN 52, SPRINGFIELD 36
Patti Fortescue scored a game-high 18 points while teammate Beyonce Collins added 12 to lead the Eagles to the big win. Brianna Schools and Tatiana Dewalt both had seven points, and Devon Morse chipped in six points to a balanced Eagles’ attack.
Jewell Ringgold was the lone Spartan in double figures with 14 while Molly Dugan added nine, and Maura Ryan had eight points. Jayla Greene had five to round out the scoring.
The Eagles seized early control of the game, opening up an 18-8 lead after one quarter. They took a 28-19 lead into halftime. The Spartans trailed 36-25 heading into the final quarter when they were outscored by the Eagles 16-11.
Norristown is 1-1 in league play (2-2 overall) while the Spartans are 1-1 in the league (2-3 overall).
Springfield 9-10-6-11 36
Norristown 18-10-8-16 52
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 71, PENNRIDGE 39
Nicole Munger put her name in the Central Bucks West record books, surpassing the 1,000-point mark with 5:23 remaining in the second quarter on a three-pointer that hit nothing but net. The Michigan-bound senior went on to score 31 points – which included six three-pointers – in a dazzling performance.
“She’s an amazing player,” senior Mackenzie Carroll said. “I don’t even know if she missed a shot tonight.”
Munger missed a few but not many, and her performance highlighted another standout effort for the Bucks. As a team, the Bucks had 25 assists, many in a first quarter that saw them sprint to a 25-10 lead.
The night began with Maggie Rakowsky burying a three-pointer, and when Carroll turned a steal into a layup, the Bucks were off and running. Munger’s first trey of the night made it an 8-0 game, and then it was Carroll – after a Rakowsky steal – finding Munger for a traditional three-point play. When – after another Carroll steal – Rakowsky buried her second three-pointer, the Bucks led 14-0, and just three minutes had elapsed in the game.
“Munger’s whole thing – knowing she was going to score a thousand, we were all super excited and anxious for the game,” Carroll said. “That kind of got us going too as a team”
Meghan Tilger found Madeleine Maio for an easy deuce and an 18-2 West lead before Devon Rimmer buried a trey for the Rams.
A fastbreak bucket by Tillger (Carroll assist) gave the Bucks a 20-5 lead before Lydia Konstanzer and Rimmer answered with back-to-back baskets for the Rams. When Carroll found Makenzie Mason rolling to the bucket, the Bucks led 22-10 and a Munger trey closed out the high octane quarter.
The second quarter was highlighted by Munger’s milestone basket that put the Bucks on top 33-13 before the Rams – sparked by eight points from Shelby Schoonover – made a late run to make it a 36-23 game at the intermission.
“We came in with nothing to lose,” Pennridge coach Lindsey Tennett said. “We had to come out and play that way. We can’t come in scared or timid, and I think the girls realized that in the second quarter.”
The Bucks – sparked by 12 points from Munger – outscored the Lady Rams 20-11 in the third quarter on their way to the big win.
“It’s early – we’ll learn from this,” Tennett said. “You can’t be disappointed. The effort was there. “
In addition to 31 points, Munger also had four rebounds and three assists. Mason finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four assists. Rakowsky had eight points and five assists. Carroll also had eight points.
For the Lady Rams, Schoonover led the way with 12 points while Rimmer added 11.
While the Bucks improved to 4-0 overall (2-0 SOL), the Lady Rams fell to 3-2 (0-2 SOL).
“Our schedule is tough,” Tennett said. “We had East, West and now we have South.
“It’s a tough little run, but I said I’m proud of them. I’m happy with that kind of effort.”
Pennridge 10-13-11-5 39
Central Bucks West 25-11-20-15 71
NORTH PENN 54, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 37
Freshman Taylor Putnam buried six three-pointers to finish with a game-high 18 points, leading the shorthanded Maidens to the important win.
“Everyone really played well tonight,” said North Penn coach Maggie deMarteleire, whose team surpassed the 50-point mark for the first time this season. “Part of the story was our freshman (Putnam) hit six three’s, which gave us a boost, and it opened things up for the other kids.
“We started three freshmen tonight, and it was a good win for us because I thought we recovered nicely from our game against CB South the other night where we were hanging in there and battled them, but they played very well.”
Putnam was one of four Maidens in double figures. Senior point guard Taylor Thames had 12 points, Mikaela Giuliani added 11 points, and freshman Bri Hewlett had 10. The Maidens had 21 assists as a team.
“We spent a lot of time yesterday in practice just going over decision making and things like that,” deMarteleire said.
It was a four-point game at halftime with the Maidens on top 27-23, but North Penn owned the second half, outscoring the Patriots 15-3 in the third quarter and 30-14 in the half. Putnam – who had three treys in the second quarter – had three three-pointers in the third quarter.
“I thought we buckled down in the second half, and Taylor hit those three’s and just the unselfish play of everybody,” deMarteleire said. “The game went back and forth (in the first half), and Taylor just started knocking down three’s, and that kind of opened everything up.
“I thought Taylor Thames did a good job of controlling the tempo of the game, and Mikaela (Giuliani) had 15 rebounds today. We’re young. Tonight Irisa (Ye), Jess Huber and Sam Carangi did not play, and everybody stepped up. It was good. We needed this.”
For the Patriots, Bridget Birkhead, Grace Stewart and Melanie Wetzel each had seven points.
Both teams are 3-2 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Central Bucks East 13-10-3-11 37
North Penn 12-15-15-12 54
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 51, HATBORO-HORSHAM 18
The Titans led 9-2 after one quarter but then blew the game wide open with a 21-2 second period surge. Eleven players contributed scoring in a balanced South attack. Jordan Vitelli led the way with nine points while Meghan Kuypers had eight and Emma Gardy, seven points.
For the Hatters, Amanda Brett led the way with five points.
The Titans are 2-0 in league play (4-1 overall) while the Hatters fell to 0-2 in the league (2-3 overall).
Hatboro-Horsham 2-2-6-8 18
Central Bucks South 9-21-8-13 51
Hatboro-Horsham (18) – Haley Seifert 3, Amanda Brett 5, Hannah Mallon 4, Julia Thornton 3, Cassidy Quattro 3.
Central Bucks South (51) – Kaley Smith 5, Chloe Entenberg 2, Melissa Veal 1, Meghan Kuypers 8, Tricia DeCessare 4, Haley Meinel 6, Jordan Vitelli 9, Sam Clevenstine 2, Emma Gardy 7, Courtney Dietzel 2, MacKenzie Ehresman 5.
SOUDERTON 37, QUAKERTOWN 25
Senior Noelle Noble contributed a double-double for the Indians, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Krista Schneider led all scorers with 15 points.
For the Panthers, Spenser Gray led the way with eight points.
The two teams were deadlocked 5-5 after one quarter, but the Indians used a 14-5 second quarter to go into halftime with a 19-10 lead. They outscored their hosts 18-15 in a tightly contested second half.
Souderton upped its league mark to 2-0 (3-3 overall) while the Panthers are 0-2 in the league (0-5 overall).
Souderton 5-14-7-11 37
Quakertown 5-5-6-9 25
National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 50, PENNSBURY 28
Senior captain Jessica Gerber scored a game-high 17 points and also had four steals and two assists to lead the Indians. Tara Garfield had the hot hand from the outside, burying three three-pointers for nine points.
Michaela Finneyfrock added eight points and also was a force under the backboards, pulling down a team-high seven rebounds. She also had two steals, one block and one assist. Becca Margolis had a three-pointer on a night that saw the Indians connect on five three-pointers. She also had three steals and four assists.
The Indians led 9-6 after one quarter and took a 19-13 lead into halftime before blowing the game wide open with a 21-7 third quarter.
Amy Blazejewski and Niasa Boone led the Falcons with six points each.
The Indians upped their record to 3-0 overall (2-0 SOL) while the Falcons fell to 1-4 overall (0-2).
Pennsbury 6-7-7-8 28
Council Rock North 9-10-21-10 50
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 69, BENSALEM 24
The Golden Hawks sprinted to a 27-5 lead after one quarter and never looked back. They led 39-11 at the intermission and put more distance between themselves and the Owls with a 20-10 third quarter.
A trio of Golden Hawks did most of the damage. Shannon Taub led the way with 21 points, six rebounds and five steals. Cara Barlow had 16 points while Allison Taub – in a welcome return to the lineup – added 10 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
“We shot the pretty well – especially Shannon Taub and Cara Barlow,” coach Monica Stolic said. “Our defense led to our offense a little bit tonight. We got some steals off the press, which made it easier on offense.
“Allison was out for a couple of games with a sprained ankle, and she did well too. Everybody came ready to play tonight, and it was a total team effort.”
Samantha Werth led the Owls with nine points while Lyric Lewis had seven.
“The game was just a bad game for Bensalem,” coach Don Bogan said. “The team had about 30 turnovers, many were unforced.
“CR South played an all-around good game. The team must have shot about 80 percent from the field.”
The Golden Hawks are 2-0 in league play (3-1 overall) while the Owls fell to 0-2 in the league (2-3 overall).
Council Rock South 27-12-20-10 69
Bensalem 5-6-10-3 24
ABINGTON 61, NESHAMINY 25
The Ghosts have established themselves as the team to beat in the National Conference. They led 12-9 after one quarter and took a 24-19 lead into halftime before turning on the afterburners in the second half, outscoring their visitors 20-6 in the third quarter and 37-6 in the half.
Deja Rawls led a balanced attack with 13 points, five steals and five assists, and Liz O’Leary finished with a double-double – contributing 11 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three blocked shots.
The Ghosts are 2-0 in league play (4-2 overall) while the ‘Skins fell to 1-1 in the league (2-2 overall).
Neshaminy 9-10-6-0 25
Abington 12-12-20-17 61
WILLIAM TENNENT 51, HARRY S TRUMAN 42
The Tigers kept things interesting, but the Panthers had the better of play in Tuesday’s contest. Tennent led 12-9 after one quarter and took a 24-18 lead into halftime before the Tigers used an 11-9 third quarter to make it a 33-29 game heading into the fourth quarter. Tennent outscored the Tigers 18-13 in the final frame.
Angie Pomponio led the Panthers with 14 points while Kyla Gibson had 11. For the Tigers, Daeja Moore had 11 points, and Jayda Campbell and Jasmyn Wilson both had nine. Sabrina Lytes had eight points.
“We’re a young team that has to work the kinks out,” Truman coach Collette Munford said.
The Panthers are 1-1 in league play (3-2 overall) while the Tigers fell to 0-2 in the league (1-3 overall).
William Tennent 12-12-9-18 51
Harry S Truman 9-9-11-13 42
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