Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action in the District One AAAA Tournament on Friday.
#2 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 75, #31 OWEN J ROBERTS 31
This was supposed to be an easy win for the second-seeded Bucks, and it was. Interestingly, the Bucks weren’t especially satisfied with their performance.
“I think we might have gotten a little frazzled at some points,” senior Mackenzie Carroll said. “Definitely in the first quarter, we didn’t come out the strongest.
“We had the energy there, but we weren’t really playing smart. I think we’re going to have to work on that a little bit.”
The Wildcats scored on their first possession of the game. It was pretty much their last hurrah. The Bucks answered with eight straight points, a run that was capped by a Makenzie Mason bucket. By the end of the first quarter, the Bucks led 18-8 with Corrinne Godshall accounting for six of those points.
A 17-7 second quarter included an impressive 11-0 West run that featured back-to-back baskets by Carroll – the first a reverse layup – as well as consecutive baskets by senior Nicole Munger. The first came on a layup after picking up a steal at the defensive end, and then Munger turned a Peyton Traina steal into a three-point play that ignited the crowd. Another steal – this one by Mason – set up a bucket by Abby Spratt, and the Bucks led 29-11.
They took a 35-15 lead into halftime and then – in an overpowering second half effort – outscored the Wildcats 40-16 while looking very much the part of a team on a mission.
“This is the last time, so we know we really have to make it count,” Carroll said. “We know we’ve got to get it done.”
Maggie Rakowsky, although just a sophomore, also understands the significance of this postseason.
“It’s huge,” she said. “I feel so fortunate to play with such great girls.”
Nine players contributed scoring with freshman Maddie Maio turning a pass from senior Dana Zimmerman into an easy layup for the game’s final points, putting an exclamation point on the win.
Carroll led the Bucks with 19 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Munger (seven rebounds, four steals) and Godshall (six rebounds, three steals) both finished with 15 points. Mason and Spratt, who provided a spark off the bench, both scored seven points while Rakowsky had six.
The Bucks (24-1, 14-0 SOL) will face the winner of Saturday’s contest between 15th-seeded Council Rock North and 18th-seeded Unionville.
“It’s hard to not look ahead, but our coach, my dad, has engraved in us to not look ahead, but take it one play at a time,” Rakowsky said.
Owen J Roberts 8-7-6-10 31
Central Bucks West 18-17-19-21 75
Owen J Roberts (31) – Kylie Cahill 1 0-0 2; Nikki Testa 3 0-0 8; Kerry Huard 1 0-0 3; Taylor Evans 2 2-2 6; Rebecca Painter 1 0-0 2; Marisa Sullivan 2 0-0 4; Kylie Glenn 2 0-0 4; Alexi Arias 2 0-0 4; Caroline Rajtik 0 0-0 0; Darby Stuart 0 0-0 0; Camryn Glenn 0 0-0 0; TOTALS 13 2-2 31.
Central Bucks West (75) – Mackenzie Carroll 9 0-2 19; Peyton Traina 1 0-0 2; Makenzie Mason 3 1-2 7; Corrinne Godshall 6 2-4 15; Nicole Munger 5 3-3 15; Maggie Rakowsky 3 0-0 6; Abby Spratt 3 1-2 7; Meghan Tillger 1 0-0 2; Maddie Maio 1 0-0 2; Laura Roth 0 0-0 0; TOTALS 32 7-13 75.
3-point goals: CBW-Nicole Munger 2, Mackenzie Carroll, Corrinne Godshall; GV-Nikki Testa 2, Kerry Huzzard.
#5 ABINGTON 56, #28 CONESTOGA 29
The Ghosts opened up a 14-6 lead after one quarter and extended that to 30-10 by halftime on their way to the decisive win.
“They had a lot of trouble with our defense,” said coach Dan Marsh, whose team took a 47-19 lead into the final quarter. “They were big, which worried me because we didn’t have Leah Simmons, so I was a little concerned at the beginning of the game.
“We went inside to Lizzie (O’Leary) for our first eight points and then it opened up everything.”
O’Leary finished with 11 points. Senior Deja Rawls led the Ghosts with 16 points while Sammy Lochner had 12 and Gabby Nolan, six points.
No Conestoga player had more than five points as the Ghosts dominated the game defensively.
Marsh breathed a sigh of relief to have this win in the books.
“Whenever it’s one-and-done, the pressure is always on, especially when you’re favored big,” Marsh said. “I didn’t tell the kids I was nervous, but I was.
“They came out like gangbusters and played great defense. I think they had nine turnovers in the first quarter alone.”
O’Leary and Lochner led the defense with five steals each.
Abington (21-4, 14-0 SOL) will face the winner of Saturday’s contest pitting 12th-seeded Central Bucks South against Coatesville, the tournament’s 21st seed.
Conestoga 6-4-5-14 29
Abington 14-16-17-11 56
Conestoga (29) – Hottenstein 1, Monastero 2, Stephens 4, Mascioli 4, Atwood 5, Fitzgerald 2, Koblish 4, Powell 4, Bassett 1, Magock 2.
Abington (56) – Gabby Nolan 6, Sammy Lochner 12, Liz O’Leary 11, Bre Bermel 5, Deja Rawls 16, Jordyn Allen 4, Brittany James 1, Erin Snyder 3.
#4 GARNET VALLEY 43, #29 UPPER MERION 28
The Vikings dug themselves an early hole and never could dig their way out, falling to the fourth-seeded Jaguars.
“Early in the game, it was a little frantic – they were pressuring us,” coach Tom Schurtz said. “After the early excitement, we sort of settled down and forced them out of their man pressure.
“It was 5-4 with three or four minutes to go in the first quarter when they switched to a 23 zone, which we knew was coming. That’s their second choice defensively, and we didn’t score for the next nine minutes.”
The Jaguars took a 25-6 lead into halftime.
“I had set in my mind – I wanted them around 20 or 21 at the half,” Schurtz said. “They have a pretty potent offense, and I thought if we gave up 20, we should be in the game.
“We just had one of those moments where we couldn’t get anything to drop. We missed six free throws in the second quarter. When you’re playing a team that is that good and has been to the state tournament the last two years and is a two-time league champion, you can’t let them do that.”
The Vikings trailed by as many as 23, but with six minutes remaining in the game, the Vikings had trimmed that lead to 12.
“They had to call a timeout to pull the ball out because we had just turned up our defense, played with more confidence, got some good looks and finished,” Schurtz said. “We never got closer than 12.
“I thought we’d make a run. Our girls are tough, they don’t give up. It was just too big of a lead against too good of a team with too many guards that you’re not going to turn over.
“I give the girls a lot of credit. There are not many 29 seeds that go down 23 in the third and then find a way to make it a game in the fourth because they absolutely refused to give up on each other. They played hard. I was really proud of that.”
High-scoring senior Regie Robinson was limited to eight points.
“Regie took a really bad thigh contusion and played three quarters on one leg, never came out,” Schurtz said. “She lost a step.”
Tatiana Pleasant also had eight points and Eryn Brady added six.
The Vikings closed out the season with a 13-10 record overall (7-7 SOL). Garnet Valley will host Cheltenham in a second round game Wednesday.
“I think that’s going to be a heck of a game,” Schurtz said. “That game is going to be fun to watch.”
Upper Merion4-2-11-11 28
Garnet Valley 11-14-9-8 43
Upper Merion (28) – Anna Davis 2, Katie Valeri 2, Jordan Wilson 4, Regie Robinson 8, Tatiana Pleasant 8, Eryn Brady 6.
Garnet Valley (43) – Maddie Ireland 4, Sam Tomasetti 6, Macy Goldbach 14, Jordan Ireland 8, Sydney Fail 4, Kerry O’Donoghue 7
#6 WEST CHESTER RUSTIN 47, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 30
The Golden Hawks were missing 30 points and 20 rebounds for Friday’s district opener.
Coach Monica Stolic found out late Friday afternoon that seniors Allison and Shannon Taub would not be able to come to the game. Both twins – who had not been sick in close to five years – were battling the stomach bug that has been making the rounds.
Beyond the points and rebounds, the Taubs contribute intangibles. Allison is key on the press break, and that’s just the beginning of their contributions. But if it seemed as though the Golden Hawks might throw in the towel, guess again.
The shorthanded Hawks gave Rustin all it could handle for three-plus quarters in a gutsy performance before running out of steam at the end.
“I’m really proud of them,” Stolic said. “I told them after the game, ‘You have nothing to be ashamed of.’
“We gave everything we had. We were very shorthanded, and we were in this game for over three quarters.”
The Golden Hawks, who led 12-0 after one quarter, trailed by one at the intermission (18-17). It was still a five-point game heading in the final quarter (28-23).
Cara Barlow led the Golden Hawks with 11 points while Payton Spadaccino added eight points and handled out five assists.
“Everybody gave everything they had,” Stolic said. “Spadaccino was all over the place. They all were, but it was hard to run an offense.
“I feel bad for the seniors.”
The Golden Hawks closed out their season with a 12-11 record (9-5 SOL). Rustin will face the winner of Saturday’s game between 11th-seeded Downingtown East and 22nd-seeded Haverford.
Council Rock South 12-5-6-7 30
West Chester Rustin 10-8-10-18 47
Council Rock South (30) – Cara Barlow 11, Payton Spadaccino 8, Christiana Deo 3, Kasey Schlupp 3, Faith Turner 4.
West Chester Rustin (47) – Casey Worley 14, Walls 2, Courtney Worley 9, Pitts 3, Gouser 2, Noelle Powell 14.
#1 BOYERTOWN 53, #32 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 38
The young Patriots held their own against the district’s top-seeded team. They trailed 48-38 with 3:30 remaining and had a chance to trim it to eight but missed a putback. They would get no closer the rest of the way.
“We got them on their heels a little bit,” coach Liz Potash said. “It was a great effort. There were a couple of times in the third quarter where they could have rolled over, but they played hard to the end.
“I think we did as much as we could in that situation. Obviously, they’re 22-0 for a reason, but we made them earn it tonight. We made them sweat a little bit.”
The Bears, who led 11-7 after one quarter, used a 15-5 second quarter to go into halftime with a 26-12 lead.
“We had a lot of turnovers, and we were in foul trouble right from the start, which hurt us,” Potash said. “We were turning the ball over, and we were giving them shots at the line.
“At halftime, we made a couple of little adjustments, and (Boyertown) came out on fire. I looked up at one point, and it was 41-19. I think they got it up to 27 or 28. We kind of got our composure. A couple of kids came off the bench, and – they started subbing a little bit, but we went on a 15-0 run from midway through the third to the first couple of minutes in the fourth. Their starters were in the rest of the way.”
With both Bridget Birkhead and Bailey McManus on the bench with four fouls, Maggie Vetter and Amanda Conley gave the Patriots a huge lift.
“They were the difference,” Potash said. “They’re kids that haven’t gotten a ton of minutes this year, and good for them, especially Amanda. What a great way to end her senior year and finish out with such a great game.
“Defensively, Maggie was able to be a really good matchup for us, and she came in and hit a three. Amanda just had a little bit of energy and little bit of spark. It was just the little things.”
The Patriots closed out the year with an 11-12 record (6-8 SOL) while the top-seeded Bears advance to face the winner of Saturday’s game pitting PAC-10 rival Spring-Ford, the 16th seed, against 17th-seeded Marple Newtown.
Central Bucks East 7-5-17-9 38
Boyertown 11-15-22-5
Central Bucs East (38) – Bridget Birkhead 5, Maggie Vetter 3, Kyra Scaliti 10, Bailey McManus, Melanie Wetzel 2, Bri Talbot 6, Amanda Conley 2, Grace Stewart 2.
Boyertown (53) – Armstrong 2, Marcus 6, Webb 1, Brensonger 4, Garofolo 10, Bauman 11, Kapp 14, Valenti 2, Jaskuta 3.
#13 CHELTENHAM 71, #20 PENN WOOD 56 (Thursday, Feb. 12)
Cheltenham kicked off the District One AAAA Tournament on Thursday night when the Lady Panthers hosted the Patriots in an opening round game.
“It was great to be the only game in town,” coach Brendan Nolan said. “There was a good crowd. You looked up, and there were a lot of familiar faces, and it was kind of neat – we kicked off the playoffs.”
Two weeks ago to the day, Cheltenham traveled to Penn Wood for a non-league contest, and the Panthers walked away with a 51-43 win. Interestingly, Nolan opted to try a different strategy on Thursday even though his team won the initial meeting.
“The last time we packed it in a zone half court, and I thought getting into a running game would play to their strengths and getting into a half court game would be there for us,” Nolan said. “It was effective up there, but afterwards, I thought, ‘If we speed them up, they’ll break our press and they’ll make some nice plays, but they’ll turn it over a lot,’ and I was right. We jumped up on them early.”
The Lady Panthers raced to a 22-15 lead after one quarter. Sophomore Ashley Jones accounted for 12 of those points while Amarri Trueheart added six. In the second quarter, Jones – who had 19 of her game-high 28 points in the first half – buried a pair of three-pointers, and the Lady Panthers took a 36-23 lead into halftime.
“It could have been worse because we missed a few really easy layups,” Nolan said. “I understood – the girls were so excited and so amped up for the game, and I knew that kind of stuff would happen early.
“We forced them into some bad shots and were effective bringing it back down.”
The Lady Panthers still led 49-35 head into into a fourth quarter that saw them score 20 points from the foul line as they connected on 20-of-27 shots from the charity stripe.
“It was almost like they took turns tonight,” Nolan said. “Ashley was really effective scoring early. She’s been slowed a little bit by injuries.
“Amarri in the fourth quarter was 11-of-15 from the line.”
The Lady Panthers were 31-of-43 from the foul line.
“We’ve been such a good free throwing team,” Nolan said. “Once we got the lead, we got to the point in the game where I could say to the other team, ‘You’ve got to come get us, and you’ve got to put us on the line.’
“We missed a couple but we made enough to salt the game away.”
Trueheart finished with 21 points while Gabrielle Wright added 12, which included an 8-of-9 effort at the foul line. Monet McGorda added seven points.
Dahnye Redd had 20 points.to lead the Patriots.
With the top 10 teams earning state berths, the Lady Panthers have assured themselves at least two more games.
“Before the game, I was just very nervous,” Nolan said. “People said, ‘Why are you so nervous?’ I said, ‘It’s an elimination game. How can I not be nervous?’
“Everything you work for all year could be gone if one thing goes wrong, so it certainly is nice to know we at least have two more left. We certainly want to get to the final eight. We’re going to have a tough game no matter who we play in the next round, but we certainly know we play a tough schedule, and those games against Abington, North Penn, the Mount and Upper Dublin will pay off whether we’re at Garnet or against Upper Merion.”
Cheltenham will face the winner of the game pitting 29th-seeded Upper Merion at fourth-seeded Garnet Valley.
Penn Wood 15-8-12-21 56
Cheltenham 22-14-13-22 71
Penn Wood (56) – Dahnye Redd 9 2-7 20; Gabby Hairston 3 2-2 11; Simone Walker 4 2-4 10; Joy Morton 2 2-2 6; Nadege Durand 2 0-0 4; Carle Andrews 2 0-1 5; Totals 22 8-16 56.
Cheltenham (71) – Ashley Jones 9 7-9 28; Monet McGorda 2 2-4 7; Amarri Trueheart 5 11-15 21; Caitlyn Wallace 0 3-4 3; Gabrielle Wright 2 8-9 12.
About the Author
