Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams on Saturday. To view photos from Pennsbury/Upper Moreland, CB West/CR South, and Pennridge/Wm Tennent, please visit our photo gallery by clicking HERE.
CHELTENHAM 54, NORTH PENN 47
Cheltenham has a long and storied basketball tradition, and after a sub .500 season on the heels of a 26-4 season in 2011-12, the Lady Panthers – behind standouts Amarri Trueheart and Ashley Jones – had a winning season last year but fell in the opening round of districts.
This year, they’re hoping to advance to the next level, and the Lady Panthers earned a win that served notice they will be heard from in the postseason.
“It was like a playoff atmosphere but even more so on their home court,” Cheltenham coach Brendan Nolan said. “They’re the defending District One champions, so for us, it’s a great win.”
The Lady Panthers – who trailed by as many as 10 in the first half – still trailed 27-22 at halftime. Mikaela Giuliani scored 11 of her team-high 16 points in the opening half to lead the Lady Knights while Taylor Thames had six points. Trueheart led the Lady Panthers with nine of her 13 points in the half. Jones added eight points.
“We were getting a little frustrated offensively, and they were doing a nice job denying Ashley and not letting her get the ball, and when she was getting it, she was getting it in spots she wasn’t real effective in,” Nolan said. “And they did a nice job stopping our penetration.
“I think it just took our girls a little bit of time to figure out where we were going to get shots from. We made a nice little run at the end of the first half just to make it a little more manageable.
“I really challenged the girls at halftime that – sometimes it’s easy and we get the first and second option on everything we run, but come playoff time in games like this, the other three girls have to step up and be a presence because every play we run – if Ashley and Amarri doesn’t have their option, there’s an option for someone else. If they’re paying that much attention to Ashley and Amarri, someone else has to be open and willing to get the ball and score.”
A 15-4 third quarter burst put the Lady Panthers on top 37-31. Jones – who led all scorers with 27 points – exceeded her output of the first half with 11 points in the frame.
“We came out of halftime, and Gabby Wright was a real presence in the post,” Nolan said. “She caught the ball on the first three trips and scored on one.
“We made a little run, and Ashley loosened up a little bit and was able to get some points in transition. We pushed the lead up to eight at one point, and they made a nice little run.
“We struggled a little bit against their pressure, which I was kind of surprised by. They got it down to one point, but they never took the lead, and we extended it back, made free throws at the end.”
Jones, who also pulled down 11 rebounds, was a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter – 10-for-13 in the game.
“The plan is to get Ashley and Amarri to the line when you have the lead, and she buried them,” Nolan said. “They didn’t even get near the rim. They were dead center. She’s 16 years old, and she steps up there with such guts.”
Gabrielle Wright (10 points) also finished in double figures for the Panthers.
While Giuliani led the way for the Lady Knights, who saw their seven-game winning streak snapped, Irisa Ye and Jess Huber both scored eight points, and Sam Carangi had seven.
The Lady Panthers upped their overall record to 11-3 (7-1 SOL) while the Lady Knights are 11-4 overall (6-2 SOL).
Cheltenham 12-10-15-17 54
North Penn 14-13-4-18 47
Cheltenham (54) – Ashley Jones 27, Monet McGorda 3, Amarri Trueheart 13, Gabrielle Wright 10.
North Penn (47) – Irisa Ye 8, Taylor Thames 6, Mikaela Giuliani 16, Jess Huber 8, Sam Carangi 7, Bri Hewlett 2.
PENNSBURY 38, UPPER MORELAND 21
Pennsbury raced to a 15-6 lead after one quarter and extended that to 21-7 by halftime. The Falcons outscored the Golden Bears 17-14 in the second half.
“Upper Moreland is really young, but they played hard,” Pennsbury coach Keith Gabor said. “They did a real nice job – they played to the end and didn’t give up.
“They played zone, and we stepped up and made some shots.”
The Falcons were without regulars Amy Blazejewski and Niasia Boone (injuries), but Abby Wick helped to pick up the slack, scoring a game-high 12 points to help lead the Falcons to the win.
“Abby Wick played outstanding – she was excellent,” Gabor said. “She’s been really big for us on the defensive end, but today she stepped up. She played well both defensively and offensively, and that’s big right now because we have two starters out.
“We’ve been talking all week – next person up. Where are we going to get production on the offensive side? Abby really asserted herself on the offensive end.”
Maggie Kane also had a big day for the Falcons, contributing 11 points.
“She shot the ball really well today, and she had five steals,” Gabor said.
Also key for the Falcons was Sarah Atunarse, who added eight points and six blocked shots.
“It’s always nice to get a win,” Gabor said, “The girls worked hard, and the shots were falling for us tonight. This builds our confidence.”
Jenna Getz led the Golden Bears with seven points.
The Falcons improved to 5-8 overall (2-6 SOL) while the Golden Bears are 1-13 (0-8).
Pennsbury 15-6-9-8 38
Upper Moreland 6-1-5-9 21
Pennsbury (38) –Abby Wick 12, Meredith Webber 2, Maggie Kane 11, Tara Israel 4, Sarah Atunarse 8, Olivia Alongi 1.
Upper Moreland (21) – Noelle Woodman 2, Timyla Martin 4, Myla Green 2, Jenna Getz 7, Julia Gatto 2, Kim Benge 2, Emily Zanine 2
HATBORO-HORSHAM 62, HARRY S TRUMAN 45
The Hatters turned in their most impressive offensive performance of the season, scoring a season-high 62 points to earn a win that brought a welcome end to a seven-game losing streak.
“They were great,” coach Kathie Sims said of her players. “They’re not giving up. They're just keeping going and just keeping going at it, and it all just came together today.
“We made our layups, and we hit some outside shots, but we made our layups. That’s was the big difference. Plus we didn’t turn the ball over as much.”
The win capped a difficult week that saw the Hatters connect on just one field goal in a 48-16 loss to North Penn.
“We had 35 or 36 turnovers against North Penn,” Sims said. “Our turnovers have really been hurting us. Turnovers and layups, turnovers and layups.
“We had very few turnovers today, and we made our layups, and that was big.”
In a marked contrast to recent outings when they have struggled to put points on the board, the Hatters scored 18 points in the first quarter and by halftime had a 33-18 lead. They outscored the Tigers 15-7 in the third quarter to go into the final frame with a 48-25 lead.
“I said to them, ‘Some teams would have folded at this point and given up, but you guys haven’t given up. You just keep coming back,’” Sims said. “They want to win, they want to win so bad.
“They just keep going at it, and they were so excited today. It was such a big win.”
Junior Cassidy Quattro led the Hatters with 24 points while Haley Seifert added 18. Hannah Mallon had eight and Bergen Sims, seven points, as the Hatters received important contributions from numerous players.
For the Tigers, Daeja Moore had a team-high 14 points, and Sabria Lytes added 10. Jayda Campbell scored nine points.
The Hatters improved to 5-10 overall (1-7 SOL) while the Tigers are 6-7 overall (1-7 SOL)
Harry S Truman 11-7-7-20 45
Hatboro-Horsham 18-15-15-14 62
Harry S Truman (45) – Darnella McMillan 5, Daeja Moore 14, Jayda Campbell 9, Jasmyn Wilson 3, Tykira Rogers 1, Sabria Lytes 10, Rickea Boyd 3
Hatboro-Horsham (62) – Bergen Sims 7, Haley Seifert 18, Amanda Brett 2, Hannah Mallon 8, Julia Thornton 3, Cassidy Quattro 24
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 35, UPPER DUBLIN 33
Jordan Vitelli connected on the front end of a one-and-one with 11 seconds remaining to give the Titans a two-point lead. The Titans – who had two fouls to give – fouled the Cards twice, and the Cardinals’ shot at the buzzer fell short.
“They’re a nice team, and they have a tough combination with (Julie) Cross and (Allison) Chernow,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “Cross is a tough guard for us because she’s tall, and she’s very athletic and knows how to finish.
“Taylor Dunn and Courtney Dietzel did a great job defending her. Chernow – all you need is one kick out, and she’s going to drain a three on you, and she can really control the flow of the game for you. They both played well, but I thought defensively we had to get stops and we had to rebound the ball, and we did that enough in order to win.”
It was behind seven points from Dunn that the Titans opened up a 12-7 lead after one quarter. The Flying Cardinals answered by outscoring the Titans 11-7 in the second quarter to make it a 19-18 game at the intermission. The Titans – behind eight points from Viitelli – came out of halftime and outscored the Cardinals 13-8 to go into the final quarter with a 32-26 lead. They needed every one of those points as they managed just three points in the third quarter but held on for the important win.
“Taylor came out strong in the first quarter, and Jordan was a huge spark in the third quarter,” Mattern said. “Kaley Smith hit two big three’s just at good times for us. Those two baskets in a two-point game were huge.
“Overall, I thought Chloe Entenberg, as our point guard, probably had one of her best games. I could hear her talking the team through on the defensive end – calling out the screens, making sure we were in help, breaking their trap – getting people in position. She really controlled us in a great way.”
Dunn led the Titans with 11 points while Vitelli had nine and Smith, six points.
Allison Chernow led the Cardinals with 15 points, six rebounds and three steals. Julie Cross finished with a double-double, collecting 10 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.
The Titans are 11-3 overall (7-1 SOL), and the Flying Cardinals are also 11-3 (8-0 SOL).
Central Bucks South 12-7-13-3 35
Upper Dublin 7-11-8-7 33
Central Bucks South (35) – Taylor Dunn 11, Jordan Vitelli 9, Kaley Smith 6, Emma Gardy 3, Chloe Entenberg 2, Melissa Veal 2, Haley Meinel 2.
Upper Dublin (33) – Allison Chernow 15, Julie Cross 10.
UPPER MERION 62, SOUDERTON 33
Senior Regie Robinson scored 29 points and sophomore Jessica Michael added 17 to lead the Vikings to the impressive win on their home court in a Coaches vs. Cancer contest that had special significance.
“We played particularly well today,” UM coach Tom Schurtz said. “That might have been one of the best games we put together four quarters all season.
“My mom (Mary Ellen Schurtz) is a cancer survivor, so she came up to the game today. The girls knew what it meant to me to have a day like today, and they really responded to that. They came out focused, and it showed on the court.”
The Vikings led 14-7 after one quarter and took a 30-14 lead into halftime. By halftime, Robinson had 13 points.
“Regie was pretty balanced throughout the four quarters,” Schurtz said. “That’s the type of performance I expect from Regie. She’s our senior leader. Now she’s at single digit games left, and she gets it. She’s really starting to raise her level of play.
“I think the key was Jessie Michael got loose today.”
Michael was on fire from beyond the arc, connecting on 5-of-9 shots. She shot 6-for-12 from the field.
“She had good day shooting, and there was a point where she caught on fire a little bit, and that helped,” Schurtz said. “She had one of those days where she was feeling it, and we just kept giving her the ball. That takes a lot of pressure off of us when we can just score points, and a lot of what we were able to accomplish was because Jessie had a nice game shooting.”
The Vikings added to their lead in the second half, outscoring the Indians 30-19.
“We’ve been playing better defense, and I thought today we played pretty solid defense,” Schurtz said. “Souderton is a good team. I told the girls coming in that I was very nervous about this game. They’ve been very competitive in their conference, and I told the girls they had to come in and battle. I think they responded to a) it being a Saturday game and b) what it meant to me. This game meant a lot. We needed to start playing well.”
Eryn Brady added nine points for the Vikings.
The Indians were led by the 11-point effort of Marissa Sandone while Krista Schneider added nine points and Olivia Kaunert, six points.
Upper Merion is 10-6 overall (4-4 SOL) while the Indians are 5-11 overall (3-5 SOL).
Souderton 7-7-13-6 33
Upper Merion 14-16-17-13 62
Souderton (33) – Krista Schneider 9, Alana Cardona 2, Olivia Kaunert 6, Noelle Noble 2, Marissa Sandone 11, Mia Sherer 3.
Upper Meiron (62) – Jordan Wilson 4, Regie Robinson 29, Jessica Michael 17, Tatiana Pleasant 3, Eryn Brady 9.
PENNRIDGE 64, WILLIAM TENNENT 57
In a contest that saw the two teams combine for 63 trips to the foul line, Devan Rimmer stood out in a crowd. The junior guard turned in a brilliant performance from the charity stripe, connecting on 18-of-20 en route to a game-high 27 points. It was her 9-for-10 effort in the fourth quarter that sealed the win for the Rams over the pesky Panthers.
Her performance came on the heels of a 14-for-18 effort at the line in Friday’s win over Central Bucks East. If you’re keeping track, the junior sharpshooter is 32-for-38 in her last two games, which translates into close to an 85 percent accuracy.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been to the foul line that many times – I was focusing on them,” said Rimmer, who also had four steals, three assists and three rebounds. “I knew we needed this win.”
The Rams led from wire to wire, but the Panthers never went away. Behind eight points from Shelby Schoonover – which included a pair of treys, Pennridge led 16-10 at the end of one quarter. It was still a six-point game at the intermission (30-24). Kyla Gibson, who led the Panthers with 23 points, accounted for 10 of her team’s points. Schoonover had 10 for the Rams while Rimmer had seven.
In a third quarter that saw the Lady Rams outscore the Panthers 17-15, Rimmer – in a preview of things to come – was 6-for-6 from the foul line and also had a trey. Ashley George, in just her second game back, added four points.
The Panthers, who trailed 47-39 heading into the final quarter, kept things interesting to the final horn. A three-pointer by Braylin Dougherty made it a 57-55 game with 40 seconds left. Rimmer answered by burying a pair of foul shots. When Schoonover connected on one-of-two, the Rams led 60-55, all but icing a win that was the team’s fifth in six games.
“It’s awesome,” Rimmer said. “I’m only a junior, so I have next year too, but freshman year and sophomore year we definitely struggled. It’s just a downer on the season. It’s not fun to lose.
“We’re 9-5 right now, and it’s great. It’s fun.”
If there was a concern in the win for coach Lindsey Tennett, it was her team’s rebounding down the stretch. During one sequence late in the fourth quarter, the Panthers misfired on a pair of foul shots but came up with the rebound. They missed two more but forced a jump ball and regained possession, taking two more trips to the foul line. Angie Pomponio, who had 14 points, buried both to make it a 53-51 game with two minutes remaining.
“They’ll be running on Monday for that,” Tennett said. “At the end of the game, it’s crucial. They had three offensive rebounds that converted to two fouls and free throws.
“Not only are you getting extra shots, but the clock is stopped. When you’re up, you want the clock to keep running. They’re getting points without any time expiring. It’s so frustrating watching people not box out because to me that’s one of the most important aspects of the game. You can’t be a championship team until you rebound.”
Lydia Konstanzer led Pennridge under the boards with 11 rebounds while George added five rebounds to go along with her eight points. Schoonover had six. Monika Brill had a team-high four assists and five points.
On the other side of the court, Tennett coach Paul Veltre voiced concern about his team’s defense and its missed free throws.
“I know we missed five free throws that would have tied it or put us in the lead,” the Panthers’ coach said. “The bottom line is we did not do the job defensively tonight.
“The amount of transition layups we gave up not getting back in the lane – that was a point of emphasis we were not doing. I don’t think we did the best job communicating in the foul line situations in terms of who our matchups were.”
With the win, the Lady Rams upped their overall record to 9-5 (4-4 SOL) while the Panthers are 8-7 overall (3-5 SOL).
William Tennent 10-14-15-18 57
Pennridge 16-14-17-17 64
William Tennent (57) – Braylin Doughery 8, Angie Pomponio 14, Kelly Scipione 3, Kyla Gibson 23, Sarah Richie 4, Brianna Broccardi 5.
Pennridge (64) – Monika Brill 5, Shelby Schoonover 11, Brooke Bachtle 2, Jenna Dominic 4, Devan Rimmer 27, Kaeli White 1, Lydia Konstanzer 6, Ashley George 8.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 47, WISSAHICKON 36
Bridget Birkhead scored a game-high 21 points – which included three three-pointers – to lead the Patriots to the come-from-behind win. She also pulled down eight rebounds. Freshman point guard Bailey McManus added nine points, seven rebounds – six offensive, and seven steals.
“Bridget played an all-around great game today, contributing on offense and defense,” East coach Liz Potash said. “She’s becoming a complete player which we’ll need down the stretch.
“Bailey’s hustle is inspiring for the whole team. The smallest kid on the court getting six offensive rebounds and coming up with six steals was the spark we needed to pull ahead.”
The game actually started out on a promising note for the Trojans, who sprinted to a 7-0 lead. The Patriots came back to make it a 9-7 game and pulled to within one late in the quarter, but an Alisha Kelly putback in the closing seconds put the Trojans on top 15-12. Kelly led the Trojans with six points in the quarter while Brittany Gelman had a three-pointer.
The Trojans led 20-15 after Gelman buried a pair of foul shots, but consecutive baskets by Bailey McManus, Bridget Birkhead and Megan Lapioli gave the Patriots their first lead of the game (21-20). They led by three after another Birkhead basket. The Trojans – sparked by a Daria Edwards driving bucket – made it a 23-22 game, and they knotted the score when Julie Weber connected on one-of-two from the foul line in the closing seconds of the quarter to go into halftime deadlocked 23-23.
Birkhead – who had 11 first-half points to lead the Patriots – continued to have the hot hand in the second half, burying a pair of three-pointers. The Patriots took a 34-30 lead into the fourth quarter and added to their lead in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Trojans 13-6. Birkhead was 3-for-3 from the foul line in the quarter and McManus was 4-for-6. Bri Talbot was 2-for-4 in a quarter that saw the Patriots connect on 9-of-14 from the foul line.
For the Trojans, Kelly and Gelman led the way with 11 points each. Earland added seven.
The Patriots improved to 9-7 overall (4-4 SOL) while the Trojans are 1-13 (1-7 SOL).
Central Bucks East 12-11-11-13 47
Wissahickon 15-8-7-6 36
Central Bucks East (47) – Megan Lapioli 8, Bridget Birkhead 21, Kyra Scaliti 1, Bailey McManus 9, Bri Talbot 6.
Wissahickon (36) – Lexi Carradorini 2, Daria Earland 7, Julie Weber 3, Brittany Gelman 11, Anna Morgan 2, Alisha Kelly 11.
SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 61, BENSALEM 46
Jewell Ringgold was one of three Spartans in double figures in Saturday’s win, scoring a team-high 20 points. Maura Ryan added 15 while Molly Dugan had 10.
Bensalem’s Lyric Lewis led all scorers with 26 points while Kelsey Long added 10.
The Spartans led 19-15 after one quarter and took a 36-27 lead into the intermission after a high-scoring first half. They added to that lead with a 16-6 third quarter burst to go on top 52-33. The Owls closed out the game with a 13-9 fourth quarter.
The Spartans evened their record at 8-8 (3-5 SOL) while the Owls are 3-12 overall (0-8 SOL).
Springfield (Montco) 19-17-16-9 61
Bensalem 15-12-6-13 46
Springfield (61) – Jayla Greene 6, Bailey Krewson 6, Jewell Ringgold 20, Molly Dugan 10, Maura Ryan 15, Savanna Shackelford 3.
Bensalem (46) – Samantha Werth 3, Breanna Buechner 3, Lyric Lewis 26, Taylor Ferris 2, Kelsey Long 10.
NEHSAMINY 50, QUAKERTOWN 43
Maddie Murray had a big day for the Redskins, scoring 21 points and pulling down seven rebounds. Morgan Goldenbaum added 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Tiara Porterfield had 11 points.
For the Panthers, Meghan Klee scored a team-high 13 points, and Jill Martin added 12. Marina Cooke chipped in with nine points.
The Redskins led 13-10 after one quarter and took a 28-22 lead into halftime. They held a 22-21 scoring advantage in the second half as the Panthers refused to go down quietly.
The Panthers improved play in recent outings was underscored by the fact that they remained within striking distance in Saturday’s game and reached the 40-point mark for the second time in as many games. They are 2-12 overall (0-8 SOL).
For the Redskins (11-4, 6-2 SOL), it was their fourth game of a busy week, their third in three days.
Neshaminy 13-15-10-12 50
Quakertown 10-12-9-12 43
Neshaminy (50) – Morgan Goldenbaum 12, Tiara Porterfield 11, Maddie Murray 21, Devon Storm 4, Emily Alexis 2.
Quakertown (43) – Maggie Garlick 3, Makenna Kressley 2, Olivia Morano 4, Meghan Klee 13, Jill Martin 12, Marina Cooke 9.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 56, NORRISTOWN 34
Senior Jessica Gerber had another huge offensive game for the Indians, finishing with 27 points – which included six three-pointers in a torrid offensive display from beyond the arc. She was 7-for-8 from the foul line and also had three rebounds, three steals and one assist.
Michaela Finneyfrock also came up big for the Indians, contributing 16 points, eight rebounds, six steals, one block and four assists.
The Indians opened up an 11-0 lead after one quarter, and although the Eagles answered by outscoring the Indians 16-12 in the second quarter, Rock North still took a 23-16 lead into halftime. If there were any doubts about the outcome, those doubts were put to rest when the Indians came out of halftime and outscored the Eagles 20-6 in the third quarter to take control of the game.
For the Eagles, Beyonce Collins had 10 and freshman Tatiana Jones added eight.
Rock North improved to 10-5 overall (6-2 SOL) while the Eagles are 7-7 overall (4-4 SOL).
Council Rock North 11-12-20-13 56
Norristown 0-16-6-12 34
Council Rock North (56) – Becca Margolis 3, Taylor Polinsky 5, Jessica Gerber 27, Michaela Finneyfrock 16, Megan Haggerty 3.
Norristown (34) – Tatiana Dewalt 7, Beyonce Collins 10, Brianna Schools 4, Lauren Fortescue 1, Morgan Culbreth 1, Jen Kennedy 3, T. Jones 8.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 61, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 49
Mackenzie Carroll scored 16 points and also had five rebounds while Nicole Munger added 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as the senior duo led the Bucks to the non-league win.
The Golden Hawks did what few SOL teams have been able to do this season – they played the Bucks close, and it’s a tribute to the Bucks’ dominance that 12 points would be considered close. West came into Saturday’s game boasting an average margin of victory of 32 points over SOL opponents.
The Bucks led 15-12 after one quarter and took a 34-22 lead into halftime. They maintained that lead as the two teams battled to a 27-27 draw in the second half.
Peyton Traina and Maggie Rakowsky each chipped in with seven points for the Bucks.
The Golden Hawks were led by the 18-point effort of senior Allison Taub. Cara Barlow and Payton Spadaccino both had nine points and Shannon Taub contributed eight points.
The Bucks upped their record to 14-1 overall (8-0 SOL) while the Golden Hawks are 9-6 overall (6-2 SOL).
Council Rock South 12-10-12-15 49
Central Bucks West 15-19-11-16 61
Council Rock South (49) – Cara Barlow 9, Payton Spadaccino 9, Allison Taub 18, Christiana Deo 4, Rachel Millstein 1.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 73, CHICHESTER 41
Taylor O’Brien scored 25 points in just three quarters of action in a dazzling performance. The freshman standout also had five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Colonials were on fire from beyond the arc, connecting on 12-of-20 shots from three-point land. Alynna Williams, who finished with 19 points, had five treys. Alison Spinelli (13 points) had three while Taylor and Khadijah Hickson (10 points) both had a pair.
The Colonials improved to 9-5 overall (5-3 SOL).
Chichester 8-11-14-8 41
Plymouth Whitemarsh 16-21-22-14 73
Chichester (41) – Thornton 25, O’Donnell 6, Carraffa 10.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (73) – Taylor O’Brien 25, Alynna Williams 19, Laurel Suchsland 2, Alison Spinelli 13, Khadijah Hickson 10, Kylie Shalala 2, Gia Schweitzer 2.
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