Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. To view photos of Wm Tennent/Bensalem and NP/Souderton, please visit our photo gallery.
American Conference
UPPER MERION 62, SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 59
Coach Tom Schurtz notched win number 200 of his coaching career, but the Vikings made him sweat this one out.
“You can’t talk about the game without talking about going 16-for-43 from the free throw line – 6-for-22 in the fourth quarter,” Schurtz said.
The Vikings compensated for their problems at the foul line with a dominating effort under the backboards. Three players finished the game with double-doubles. Regie Robinson led the way with 20 points and 16 rebounds while Eryn Brady had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Tatiana Pleasant added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
“Those three did a great job on the glass,” Schurtz said. “It was interesting – I didn’t notice the free throw disparity because on four different occasions, we missed the free throw, rebounded and laid it in.
“You’re looking at the score, and the score is still staying where you think, but when all was said and done, I looked at the book afterwards, and it’s one of those moments, as a coach, where you don’t know what to say. There are no words.
“We haven’t been shooting particularly well from the foul line this year, but recently, we’ve been shooting better. When we were at Wildwood, we shot 78 percent from the free throw line as a team.”
The Vikings led 13-10 after one quarter and took a 31-27 lead into halftime. They still led by four heading into the final quarter (45-41).
Jessica Michael added seven points for the Vikings and Jordan Wilson, six points.
“We took a really bad loss to Upper Dublin on Tuesday,” Schurtz said. “We did not come ready to play, and they did a spectacular job of executing and really taking it to us.
“I think our girls had a little crisis of confidence. We came in today, and Springfield did a great job of playing four solid quarters, making shots when they needed to.”
Molly Dugan once against had the hot hand for the Spartans, finishing with a game-high 24 points.
“Dugan was big for them – she had three three’s,” Schurtz said. “She shook loose a couple of times and had a couple of nice buckets in transition.”
Maura Ryan (17 points) and Jewell Ringgold (13 points) also finished in double figures for the Spartans.
Playing no small role in the game was the fact that the two teams were whistled for 47 fouls combined with the Spartans called for 28 of those. The Spartans were 13-for-25 from the charity stripe as the two teams combined for 68 free throws.
“The officiating was fine – the teams were just physical and were a step late on things, and all those fouls add up,” Schurtz said. “Sometimes you have that.
“You just sort of keep grinding, and I think both teams did that today. Both teams kept grinding it out. We were able to make some shots late, make some free throws late.”
Upper Merion evened its record in league play at 3-3 (8-4 overall) while the Spartans are 2-4 in the league (6-7 overall).
Upper Merion 13-18-14-17 62
Springfield (Montco) 10-17-14-18 59
Upper Merion (62) – Regie Robinson 20, Katie Valeri 1, Jordan Wilson 6, Jessica Michael 7, Tatiana Pleasant 10, Nekola Hill 1, Eryn Brady 17.
Springfield (59) – Jayla Greene 4, Jewell Ringgold 13, Molly Dugan 24, Maura Ryan 17, Caroline Pape 1.
CHELTENHAM 55, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 38
The Lady Panthers took a 22-19 lead into halftime of Friday’s showdown for second place at PW, but behind the hot hand of Ashley Jones, who scored 16 of her game-high 34 points in the third quarter, the visitors outscored the Colonials 22-6 to go on top 44-25. The Colonials never threatened the rest of the way.
“It was a very close game at halftime, and I said to the girls, ‘We gave up 19 points. That’s a pretty good defensive half. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing,’” Cheltenham coach Brendan Nolan said. “Offensively, I thought we executed well in the first half, but we missed a lot of shots that were good shots.
“I said, ‘Just keep doing what we’re doing, keep executing, and the shots will fall.’ We made a slight adjustment defensively coming into the second half, which I think took them a little time to get used to, which was enough time for us to kind of open the game up. We played really, really well in the beginning of the third quarter.”
Jones had 12 points in the first quarter but, according to Nolan, could have had more.
“She didn’t shoot the ball really well in the first half, and I said, ‘Girls, you know her shots are going to start falling, and when they do, that’s the run we’re going to be looking for,’ and did they ever,” Nolan said.
Also coming up big for the Lady Panthers was Gabrielle Wright, who finished with a double-double – 12 points and 12 rebounds.
“We had a long layoff between games, and we were trying to retool and do things a little bit differently,” Nolan said. “We really put an emphasis on trying to get the bigs more involved in the offense, put a little more onus on them to be a little better around the bucket.
“Gabby Wright played great. She really, really played well.”
Point guard Amarri Trueheart was limited to just two points but dished out seven assists.
“I hope she realizes – she has to look at it that she helped get Ashley 34 points, and she helped get Gabby 12 points,” Nolan said. “A lot of the buckets they had were off of her penetration where she drew the defense and got them open.
“It really was a great team effort. It really was.”
Alynna Williams led the Colonials with 17 points while Khadijah Hickson added 11.
The win gives Cheltenham (7-2, 5-1 SOL) sole possession of second place in the American Conference standings. PW is 4-2 in the league (7-4 overall).
“They’re a good team,” Nolan said. “Their guards are tough. Alynna (Williams) is a really nice player, and it’s tough to win on the road in our league.
“To get a win in there convincingly hopefully is a springboard for us.”
Cheltenham 14-8-22-11 55
Plymouth Whitemarsh 13-6-6-13 38
Cheltenham (55) – Ashley Jones 34, Monet McGorda 5, Amarri Trueheart 2, Gabrielle Wright 12, Nashira Brown 2.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (38) – Taylor O’Brien 4, Alynna Williams 17, Alison Spinelli 1, Khadijah Hickson 11, Laurel Suchsland 4, Kylie Shalala 1.
NORRISTOWN 67, UPPER MORELAND 30
The Eagles opened up a 20-8 lead after one quarter and took a 38-15 lead into halftime on their way to the convincing win.
Freshman Tatiana Jones served notice that she will be heard from in the future, scoring 21 points in her first varsity game. Lauren Fortescue added 15 points while Devon Morse had seven.
Noelle Woodman led the Golden Bears with 12 points.
Norristown is 3-3 in league play (6-4 overall) while the Golden Bears are 0-6 in the league (1-9 overall).
Norristown 20-18-26-10 67
Upper Moreland 8-7-11-4 30
Norristown (67) – Tatiana Dewalt 4, Beyonce Collins 5, Brianna Schools 4, James 4, Werkeiser 1, Lauren Fortescue 15, Devon Morse 7,Culbreath 2, Kennedy 2, Green 2, Tatiana Jones 21.
Upper Moreland (30) – Jenn Getz 5, Timyla Martin 3, Julia Gatto 4, Emily Zanine 1, Noelle Woodman 12, Veronica Baez 2, Kim Benge.
UPPER DUBLIN 65, WISSAHICKON 27
The Flying Cardinals seized early control of Friday’s game, opening up a 26-8 lead after one quarter and extending that to 43-15 by halftime.
Senior Julie Cross and sophomore Josie Barrett both scored 16 points to lead the Flying Cardinals. Cross also had 10 rebounds, three blocks and three steals while Barrett also had four steals and three assists. Maggie Weglos added 11 points, three rebounds and three steals, and Allison Chernow had 10 points.
For the Trojans, Brittany Gelman led the way with eight while Daria Earland had seven points.
The Flying Cardinals remain perfect in league play with a 6-0 mark (9-1 overall) while the Trojans are 1-5 in the league (1-10 overall).
Upper Dublin 26-17-17-5 65
Wissahickon 8-7-2-10 27
Upper Dublin (65) – Alissa Klammer 1, Nicole Kaiser 3, Josie Barrett 16, Julie Cross 16, Allison Chernow 10, Maggie Weglos 11, Lindsey Schreiber 2, Demi Balasa 6.
Wissahickon (27) – Daria Earland 7, Jasmine Bishop 2, Lexi Carradorini 2, Julie Weber 2, Brittany Gelman 8, Anna Morgan 4, Alisha Kelly 2.
Continental Conference
PENNRIDGE 51, HATBORO-HORSHAM 30
The Lady Rams, who led 11-10 after one quarter, blew Friday’s game at Hatboro-Horsham wide open with a 17-3 second quarter tear to go into halftime with a 28-13 lead. The Hatters never threatened the rest of the way.
“In the second quarter, our girls just came out on fire,” coach Lindsey Tennett said. “We changed our defense to straight man with no press and tried to take away their pick and roll offense. Our girls adjusted well. Also, on the offensive end, we kept attacking for easy buckets which allowed our outside game to open up.”
Devan Rimmer led a balanced Ram attack with 14 points to go along with two assists while Lydia Konstanzer added 12 points and eight rebounds. Brooke Bachtle chipped in with seven points.
For the Hatters, Cassidy Quattro led the way with 11 points while Bergen Sims added eight.
The Rams are 2-4 in league play (6-5 overall), and the Hatters are 1-5 in the league (4-8 overall).
Pennridge 11-17-11-12 51
Hatboro-Horsham 10-3-9-8 30
Pennridge (51) – Monika Brill 2, Jen Rodzewich 1, Shelby Schoonover 5, Brooke Bachtle 7, Jenna Dominic 4, Rose McCormick 4, Devan Rimmer 14, Kaeli White 2, Lydia Konstanzer 12.
NORTH PENN 55, SOUDERTON 42
The Maidens opened up a 13-7 lead after one quarter and took a six-point lead into halftime (26-20). They added to that lead with a 14-11 third quarter and then outscored the Indians by five in the fourth quarter to earn the double-digit win.
Mikaela Giuliani had a big night for the Maidens, leading all scorers with 16 points. Irisa Ye added 12 while Sam Carangi had nine and Taylor Thames, eight points.
For the Indians, Noelle Noble posted a double-double, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four blocked shots. Freshman point guard Tori Dowd had eight assists.
The Maidens are 4-2 in league play (8-3 overall) while the Indians are 2-4 in the league (4-9 overall).
Souderton 7-13-11-11 42
North Penn 13-13-14-15 55
Souderton (42) – Tori Dowd 1, Krista Schneider 7, Olivia Kaunert 1, Noelle Noble 10, Marissa Sandone 15, Sami Falencki 6, Mia Sherer 2.
North Penn (55) – Irisa Ye 12, Taylor Thames 8, Mikaela Giuliani 16, Jess Huber 3, Taylor Putnam 3, Sam Carangi 9, Bri Hewlett 3, Mia Melchoir 1.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 64, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 38
Nicole Munger had another big night for the Bucks, collecting an impressive double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Mackenzie Carroll also came up big in the battle of neighboring rivals, finishing with 13 points and seven rebounds. Makenzie Mason (11 points) also finished the game in double figures while Maggie Rakowsky had eight and Corrinne Godshall, seven points.
The Patriots were led by Briana Talbot (nine points) and Bridget Birkhead (eight points).
West led 16-10 after one quarter and used a 20-11 second quarter tear to go into halftime with a 36-21 lead.
With the win, the Bucks upped their record to 6-0 in league play (10-1), setting the stage for Tuesday night’s showdown with archrival Central Bucks South. The Titans are also unbeaten in con
ference play. The Patriots are 3-3 in league play (7-6 overall).
Central Bucks East 10-11-5-12 38
Central Bucks West 16-20-13-15 64
Central Bucks East (38) – Megan Lapioli 4, Bridget Birkhead 8, Kyra Scaliti 5, Megan Browne 1, Bailey McManus 4, Briana Talbot 9, Amanda Conley 5, Grace Stewart 2.
Central Bucks West (64) – Mackenzie Carroll 13, Peyton Traina 4, Makenzie Mason 11, Corrinne Godshall 7, Nicole Munger 21, Maggie Rakowsky 8.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 63, QUAKERTOWN 27
Three players finished in double figures for the Titans, who were led by the 12-point effort of senior Emma Gardy. Sophomore Meghan Kuypers added 11 points, and Haley Meinel had 10. Tricia DeCesare contributed seven while Taylor Dunn and Chloe Entenberg both had six.
The Titans led 15-5 after one period, but the Panthers battled back with a 15-11 second quarter to trail 26-20 at the intermission. South outscored Quakertown 37-17 in the second half.
The Titans (11-1) continue to share the top spot in the SOL Continental Conference standings with archrival CB West. The two teams, who boast identical 6-0 records, will meet on Tuesday night. The Panthers are 0-6 in league play (2-10 overall).
Central Bucks South 15-11-18-19 63
Quakertown 5-15-9-8 27
Central Bucks South (63) – Emma Gardy 12, Meghan Kuypers 11, Haley Meinel 10, Tricia DeCesare 7, Chloe Entenberg 6, Taylor Dunn 6, Kaley Smith 4, Sam Clevenstine 4, Melissa Veal 2, Jordan Vitelli 2, Mackenzie Ehresman 2.
National Conference
ABINGTON 44, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 36
The Indians led 36-35 with 1:34 remaining regulation when Abington senior point guard Deja Rawls buried a three-pointer to ignite a 9-0 Ghost run to close out the game.
“It was really a team effort,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “Our defense was good the whole time. Holding them to 36 points was good.
“They played good defense – I want to give them credit, but we have to do a better job of establishing (Liz) O’Leary inside. The way they played defense made it a little more difficult, but we have to find a way to get her the ball more, and we will.”
The Indians had the better of play in the first half, opening up a 13-9 lead after one quarter and taking a 20-15 lead into halftime.
“We were not shooting well, and Lizzie got in foul trouble in the first quarter – she picked up two sophomore fouls,” Marsh said. “At halftime, it was 20-15, and I just told them, ‘We had a bad half, we need to shake it off and go out there and let everybody know this is our league to win.’
“We went on a 10-0 run after halftime and took the lead.”
The Ghosts outscored the Indians 18-9 in the third quarter to go on top 33-29. O’Leary led the third quarter charge with six points while Rawls added five. Marsh also credited Gabby Nolan, who led the Ghosts with eight assists. Leah Simmons also finished in double figures with 10 points.
“It was a good game, it was a tough game,” Marsh said. “It’s our first tough league game, and I was glad we gutted it out.
“We knew coming in that a Lou Palkovics coached team was going to be ready for us, and they were. They played well, they shot well, and we were able to gut it out. That’s what you have to do if you want to win championships.”
For the Indians, it was their second heartbreaking loss in 24 hours, coming on the heels of an overtime loss to Bayard Rustin that saw the Indians rally from 20 down in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.
“We pretty much dominated the game,” Rock North coach Lou Palkovics said. “We were up five at halftime, but they came out of halftime and went on a 13-2 run, so we go from five up to six down.
“We were down by as many as eight, and we were down four heading into the fourth quarter. All of a sudden, we’re up 36-35, and I was like, ‘Okay, if we get a stop here, I’m going to run the delay.’ They came down and missed, and there was a questionable out of bounds play.
“I played zone out of bounds, and we left Deja open, and she hit a three that turned the whole game around. Now we’re down two, and we came down and don’t score. Now we have to start fouling. It went from a one-point lead, and it turns into an eight-point loss. We should have won that game.”
While the Ghosts improved to 6-0 in league play (10-2 overall), the Indians are 4-2 in the league (7-5 overall).
Friday’s loss came on the heels of an overtime loss to Bayard Rustin 24 hours earlier and an overtime win over Council Rock South Tuesday. The Indians opened the week with a five-point loss to Mount St. Joseph.
“It was one of the crazier weeks – between Mount St. Joe, which was a crazy game, and I thought we should have won that, and then the double overtime win at South and the overtime against Rustin and the game tonight,” Palkovics said. “It’s strange for me to that we ended the week 1-3, but I think we kind of turned the corner.”
The Indians were led by Jessica Gerber with eight points while Megan Haggerty and Michaela Finneyfrock both had six points.
Abington 9-6-18-11 44
Council Rock North 13-7-9-7 36
Abington (44) – Sammy Lochner 6, Liz O’Leary 6, Bre Bermel 2, Deja Rawls 17, Taylor Deal 3, Leah Simmons 10.
Council Rock North (36) – Becca Margolis 2, Tara Garfield 3, Jessica Gerber 8, Michaela Finneyfrock 6, Megan Haggerty 6, Samantha Saifer 2, Emily Mackin 5, Mackenzie Tinner 2, Hailey Burns 2.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 34, PENNSBURY 24
On the heels of back-to-back heartbreaking losses, the Golden Hawks took a 17-14 lead into halftime and then outscored the Falcons 17-10 in the second half to earn the much-needed win.
“I think we came out flat, but I’m not taking anything away from Pennsbury – they played hard,” coach Monica Stolic said.
Allison Taub led the Golden Hawks with yet another double-double, finishing with 16 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and three assists. Payton Spadaccino contributed 11 points, five rebounds, three steals and three assists.
The Golden Hawks – who fell in double overtime to Council Rock North on Tuesday and lost by two to a Central Bucks South squad that is 11-1 on Thursday – will travel to Philadelphia University Saturday for a contest against Garnet Valley. It will be their third game in three days.
“It’s been a hard week,” Stolic said. “I give the kids credit. After the North game, we talked on Wednesday, and I said, ‘This is where we find out what type of team we are – how we handle tomorrow,’ and I think we played South pretty tough. It could have gone either way.
“I think we’re going to learn from these games.”
Rock South is 4-2 in the conference (7-4 overall) while the Falcons are 2-4 (3-6 overall).
Pennsbury 5-9-3-7 24
Council Rock South 9-8-5-12 34
WILLIAM TENNENT 48, BENSALEM 24
Sophomore Kyla Gibson scored 14 points to lead a balanced Panther attack. Alyssa Christiansen contributed nine while Kelly Scipione and Brianna Broccardi both added eight points. Angie Pomponio chipped in with seven.
Kelsey Long led the Owls with 13 points while Samantha Werth added seven.
The Panthers led 13-6 after one quarter and took a 25-16 lead into halftime. Sparked by 13 points from Gibson, the Panthers outscored the Owls 23-8 in the second half.
The Panthers are 2-4 in league play (7-5 overall) while the Owls are 0-6 in the league (3-9 overall).
Bensalem 6-10-5-3 24
William Tennent 13-12-14-9 48
NESHAMINY 68, HARRY S TRUMAN 43
The Redskins sprinted to a 24-7 lead after one quarter and took a 35-18 lead into the intermission. The two teams combined to score 44 points in the third quarter, but it was the Redskins with a 22-20 edge to go into the final quarter with a 57-38 lead on their way to the win.
Morgan Goldenbaum had a big game for the Redskins, finishing with 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Maddie Murray added 16 points and seven rebounds. Tiara Porterfield had 10 points, five assists and three steals.
Daeja Moore led the Tigers with 10 points.
Neshaminy is 5-1 in league play (9-2 overall), and the Tigers are 1-5 in the league (6-7 overall).
Neshaminy 24-11-22-11 68
Harry S Truman 7-11-20-5 43
Thursday, Jan. 8
BAYARD RUSTIN 58, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 55 (OT)
The Indians trailed 43-25 entering the fourth quarter of Thursday’s non-league game against visiting Rustin and found themselves down by 20 in the opening moments of the fourth quarter. They responded with a remarkable 22-2 run to close out the quarter.
Jess Gerber, who led the Indians with 20 points, buried a three-pointer at the buzzer to knot the score and send the game into overtime. Gerber connected on six three-pointers in a remarkable display of long range shooting.
“I’ve been coaching 23 years, and I don’t know if I’ve ever been involved in a game like that,” coach Lou Palkovics said. “It was just non-stop.”
Michaela Finneyfrock also came up big for the Indians, finishing with 15 points, four rebounds, five steals and one block. Hailey Burns had four points, six rebounds, three steals, one block and two assists and Becca Margolis had just two points but contributed five rebounds, two steals and two assists for the Indians.
Rustin led 23-14 after one quarter and took a 29-18 lead into halftime. Things got worse before they got better for the Indians, who played their second overtime game in as many outings.
Bayard Rustin 23-6-14-6-9 58
Council Rock North 14-4-7-24-6 55
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 44, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 42
The Titans used a fourth quarter rally to earn a come-from-behind win over the Golden Hawks. The Titans took a 22-21 lead into halftime, but the Golden Hawks outscored their visitors 13-9 in the third quarter to go into the final frame with a 34-31 lead. The Titans responded with a 13-8 fourth quarter to eke out the win.
Shannon Taub (13 points) and Cara Barlow (12 points) led the Golden Hawks while Payton Spadaccino had nine points.
For the Titans, Taylor Dunn and Jordan Vitelli led the way with 13 points each. Haley Meinel added 11.
Central Bucks South 11-11-9-13 44
Council Rock South 8-13-13-8 42
Wednesday, Jan. 7
HARRY S TRUMAN 42, UPPER MORELAND 31
The visiting Tigers exploded for 20 points in the fourth quarter, blowing open a close game with a 20-10 surge to close out the game. The Golden Bears led 9-5 after one quarter and still held a 15-14 advantage at the intermission. Truman led 22-21 heading into the final quarter when the visitors seized control of the game.
Sophomore Daeja Moore led the Tigers with 20 while sophomore Jayda Campbell added 11. The Golden Bears were led by the nine-point effort of Noelle Woodman while Jenna Getz added seven and Timyla Martin had six.
Harry S Truman 5-9-8-20 42
Upper Moreland 9-6-6-10 31
Harry S Truman (42) – Darnella McMillan 3, Daeja Moore 20, Jayda Campbell 11, Jasmyn Wilson 3, Sabria Lytes 5.
Upper Moreland (31) – Jenna Getz 7, Timyla Martin 6, Julia Gatto 5, Emily Zanine 2, Noelle Woodman 9, Kim Benge 2.
About the Author
