Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. Neshaminy/CR North photos courtesy of Jesse Garber. To view photos of the Neshaminy/CR North game, please click on the following link: http://JSGarber.zenfolio.com/p193182375. To view photos of the Souderton/Pennridge game, please visit the Photo Gallery…CLICK HERE.
National Conference
NESHAMINY 37, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 36
Allison Harvey – looking anything but the part of the freshman she is – scored on a drive to the basket at the buzzer, propelling the Redskins to the heartstopping win.
“She got the ball at the top of the key,” coach Joe Lally said. “We set some screens, and they did a good job – they fought through the screens.
“We wanted to get her in space. She made a great move to the basket, and she just took her girl to the basket and scored as time expired.”
The Redskins were without senior Tiara Porterfield. Senior Devon Storms hadn’t practiced since the William Tennent game last Thursday after taking a blow to the nose, and Brooke Mullin had been sidelined with a back injury.
“We haven’t practiced any of those kids, and it showed tonight,” Lally said. “To Morgan’s credit and Ali’s credit and even the kids that fought through it, they were able to tough out a win.
“This is a good, fun neighborhood rivalry. They’re always one of the teams you want to compete with. They’re a program that’s been there and done that. It wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take it.”
The Redskins took a 19-17 lead into halftime, but the Indians erased that with a 13-8 third quarter to go into the final quarter with a 30-27 lead.
“We were losing by five with three minutes left,” Lally said. “Emily Alexis did yeoman’s work on the boards – just getting her hands on balls and defending.
“She hit a big jumper, and she had a putback. Ali made a great play for a freshman at the buzzer, but Emily really willed us to that win.”
The win was the fifth in a row for the suddenly streaking Redskins.
“I’m not going to lie – I kind of expected the first three games to be hard, but I don’t know that I honestly expected to win the next five, so we’ll take it,” Lally said. “We talked about it and you hope you have the right group of kids, and obviously, I think we do that the early losses didn’t get to us.
“We knew we were playing really good teams, and I think it was just a matter of us staying the course and doing what we had to do.”
Neshaminy (5-3, 4-0 SOL) will face Conwell Egan on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.) in an opening round game of its own First Annual Deby Recupido Memorial Tournament. Council Rock North (3-3, 3-1) will face Berks Catholic on Tuesday (5:45 p.m.) at the Boardwalk Classic in Wildwood, N.J.
Council Rock North 4-13-13-6 36
Neshaminy 10-9-8-10 37
Council Rock North: Becca Margolis 2, Camryn Polinsky 2, Megan Haggerty 3, Dana Bandurick 13, Olivia Boyle 3, Mackenzie Tinner 11, Hannah Weiler 2.
Neshaminy: Morgan Goldenbaum 8, Devon Storms 10, Emily Alexis 6, Thyra Tuttle 5, Allison Harvey 7, Brooke Mullin 1.
HARRY S TRUMAN 37, PENNSBURY 36
The Tigers, according to coach Colette Munford, missed 21 layups over the course of Tuesday’s game.
“We missed literally 21 wide open layups, and when I say wide open, I mean wide open,” the Tigers’ coach said. “I can’t even explain how wide open they were, and it came down to two foul shots.”
Sophomore Brianna Cliney – in her third varsity game – stepped to the foul line with 5.6 seconds showing on the scoreboard clock and the two teams deadlocked 36-36. She missed the first but made the second, propelling the Tigers to the dramatic win.
“She missed the first one, and I said, ‘Bri, it comes from your legs. Just follow through,’” Munford said. “She made that second one, and it was 5.6 seconds left.
“I said, ‘No fouls, please, no fouls,’ and the clock ran out.”
Alexis McCoy and Sabria Lytes both finished the game with double-doubles to lead the Tigers. McCoy – a freshman – led the way with 13 points and 12 rebounds while Lytes added 10 points and 19 rebounds.
“Alexis played with four fouls and had a double-double,” Munford said of her freshman. “I have a young team, and it’s coming along.”
Daeja Moore added six points.
“Moore played the whole game, and was Moore and McCoy’s defense that kept us in the game,” Munford said. “Moore physically was drained, but I said, ‘You have to find your 20.’
“We have this thing – you give 100 percent, but we have to give 120, so the whole game the crowd heard me saying, ‘Find your 20, find your 20.’ They didn’t know what I was talking about, but the team did, and they found their 20.”
The Falcons led 11-6 after one quarter and took a 19-14 lead into halftime. They still had a five-point lead heading into the final quarter (29-24) when the Tigers rallied for the win.
Sydney Buell led the Falcons with 11 points, Kate Mix added nine and Niasia Boone, eight points.
Truman (3-5, 1-3 SOL) will travel to Trenton Catholic Academy on Monday for a non-league game (11 a.m.). Pennsbury (0-8, 0-4) will not play during the holiday break.
Pennsbury 11-8-10-7 36
Truman 6-8-10-13 37
Pennsbury: Abby Wick 4, Grace Purcell 4, Niasia Boone 8, Kate Mix 9, Sydney Buell 11.
Truman: Darnella McMillan 2, Daeja Moore 6, Alexis McCoy 13, Tykira Rogers 2, Sabria Lytes 10, Brianna Cliney 4.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 44, WILLIAM TENNENT 27
The Golden Hawks found themselves on the short end of a 16-12 score at halftime but seized control of the game with an 18-7 third quarter tear. Rock South outscored Tennent 32-11 in a dominant second half performance.
Payton Spadaccino led a balanced Golden Hawk attack with 10 points while Carly Rizzo and Christiana Deo both had eight. Kasey Schlupp added seven points and Faith Turner, six.
For the Panthers, Kyla Gibson finished in double figures with 11 while Kelly Scipione had seven and Sarah Richie chipped in with six.
Council Rock South (5-2, 3-1 SOL) will face Allentown Central Catholic on Monday in an opening round game of the Central Catholic Krah Christmas Tournament (6:30 p.m.). William Tennent (4-4, 1-3) will face New Foundations on Monday in an opening round game of its own tournament at 5 p.m.
William Tennent 12-4-7-4 27
Council Rock South 5-7-18-14 44
William Tennent: Kelly Scipione 7, Kyla Gibson 11, Sarah Richie 6, Rachael Ebert 2, Emily Vickalitis 1.
Council Rock South: Payton Spadaccino 10, Carly Rizzo 8, Kasey Schlupp 7, Rachel Millstein 2, Faith Turner 6, Christiana Deo 8, Allison McGowan 3.
ABINGTON 69, BENSALEM 41
Lizzie O’Leary turned in an overpowering performance in the paint, finishing with 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead the Ghosts to the big win. Sammy Lochner added 12 points, eight assists and four steals while Leah Simmons and Kassondra Brown both had 10 points. Brown also had eight rebounds.
The Ghosts opened up a 21-12 lead after one quarter and took a 30-21 lead into halftime. They increased that lead to 46-31 after three quarters.
Abington (4-3, 3-1 SOL) will face Gloucester Catholic (N.J.) in an opening round game of the Cardinal O’Hara Tournament on Monday (6 p.m.). Bensalem (3-4, 1-3) will play Bristol in the opening round game of its own Dick Dougherty Holiday Tournament on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Bensalem 12-9-10-10 41
Abington 21-9-16-23 69
Bensalem: Samantha Werth 6, Anna Dean 2, Lyric Lewis 15, Savannah Jordan 16, Julia Rymarczuk 2.
Abington: Britney James 6, Sammy Lochner 12, Lizzie O’Leary 18, Tamia Wessels 4, Jordyn Allen 6, Leah Simmons 10, Sam Brusha 3, Kassondra Brown 10.
Continental Conference
QUAKERTOWN 42, HATBORO-HORSHAM 34
Jill Martin turned in a glittering 22-point effort to lead the Panthers to their first conference win on Tuesday.
“Other teams are getting smart, and they’re sagging in and they’re doubling Jill,” Quakertown coach Brittney Remmey said. “It was a really good game for her finishing-wise. She made such great moves, and not just a catch, turn and finish.
“She was driving to the basket, using her dribble, or a catch, turn and face jump shot right around the foul line.”
The Panthers served early notice that they meant business, opening up an 11-3 lead after one quarter.
“The girls can kind of wind each other up when they’re in the press, and they snowball with that energy,” Remmey said. “They adapted really well to the press, so we didn’t succeed as much as we would have liked, but that first quarter helped us take a lead.
“We never lost the lead, but it was close at points. They came within five. They were doing a great job of running the floor and being very patient on offense.”
Brooke Alwine added nine points for the Panthers.
“She probably had her best game of the season,” Remmey said. “She stepped up as a point guard, wanted the ball in her hands.
“They had a technical, and I said, ‘Who wants to shoot the foul shots?’ She stepped up there. She was level-headed when I needed her to get the ball. It was just excellent leadership on her part today.
“Meghan Klee was very level-headed at the end of the game as well. She definitely stepped up to the plate too.”
Klee had six points, and Olivia Morano had a big game on the boards for the Panthers.
“In important moments of the game, she got rebounds,” Remmey said. “All the kids played really well. Spenser Gray and Maggie Garlick did awesome defensive jobs.”
For the Hatters, Cassidy Quattro (11 points) and Julia Thornton (10 points) led the way offensively.
Quakertown (2-5, 1-3 SOL) will face Phil-Mont Christian in an opening round game of the First Annual Deby Recupido Memorial Tournament on Tuesday (2 p.m.) at Neshaminy High School. Hatboro-Horsham (2-5, 0-4) will face Freedom on Monday (1 p.m.) in an opening round game of the Salisbury Holiday Tournament.
Quakertown 11-12-7-12 42
Hatboro-Horsham 3-10-11-10 34
Quakertown: Jill Martin 22, Brooke Alwine 9, Olivia Morano 2, Meghan Klee 6, Marina Cooke 3.
Hatboro-Horsham: Cassidy Quattro 11, Julia Thornton 10, Haley Seifert 5, Bergen Sims 4, Kylie Halko 2, Laura Marvin 2.
PENNRIDGE 52, SOUDERTON 43
Lydia Konstanzer owned the paint in Tuesday’s game at Souderton. The Pennridge senior not only scored a game-high 24 points, she also pulled down 18 rebounds.
“This is the kind of game we need her to have,” Pennridge coach Lindsey Tennett said. “She’s really good around the basket and finishing layups.
“Most times when she takes a layup, she has a really high percentage of making them. On top of that, she gets fouled, and she’s a great free throw shooter as well.”
Konstanzer buried 6-of-6 from the foul line in Tuesday’s win.
Devan Rimmer also had a big night for Pennridge, finishing with 21 points and five steals. She connected on 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.
“Devan is great at driving, and when you need somebody to step up, she’s always there to step up,” Tennett said. “Especially in the fourth quarter, she had a lot of free throws. She kept getting the ball in her hands, and they were fouling. She just attacks the basket – she can get to the basket anytime she wants.”
The Lady Rams, who led 14-12 after one quarter, took a tenuous 22-20 lead into halftime. They used a 16-10 third quarter surge to go on top 38-30 and never relinquished their lead.
“Especially heading into the break, we needed to get this win,” said Tennent, whose team is 1-3 in conference play. “We had a tough schedule with all the Central Bucks schools, and Friday was a bad game for us (a 67-32 loss to Central Bucks South), so coming back out today, there’s obviously things we still need to work on, but it was good that we pulled through and came out with the win. We really needed it.”
The Lady Rams coach also lauded the play of sophomore Gillian Anderson, who had four points, four steals, six rebounds and two blocked shots.
“From the beginning of the game, her defense was just great,” Tennett said. “She was that extra spark we needed today. She did all the little things – she was in the spot she needed to be, she helped pull rebounds down. We really needed that.
“When teams scout us, they see Devan and they see Lydia, so we always tell them we need five people to step up. We need everyone to contribute.”
Souderton was led by the 14-point effort of Krista Schneider, who buried four three-pointers. Tori Dowd added seven points, and Marissa Sandone, six points.
Pennridge (5-3, 1-3 SOL) will face Friere on Monday at 3 p.m. in an opening round game of the Boyertown Holiday Tournament. Souderton (3-4, 2-2) will do battle with Southern Lehigh on Monday (5 p.m.) in an opening round game of the Central Catholic Christmas Tournament.
Pennridge 14-8-16-14 52
Souderton 12-8-10-13 43
Pennridge: Brooke Bachtle 3, Gillian Anderson 4, Devan Rimmer 21, Lydia Konstanzer.
Souderton: Tori Dowd 7, Krista Schneider 14, Alana Cardona 13, Megan Walbrandt 2, Mia Sherer 1, Marissa Sandone.
NORTH PENN 63, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 51
The Lady Knights sprinted out of the gate to a 9-0 lead, a run that was capped by a Bri Hewlett basket with 3:12 remaining in the opening quarter. A bucket by Makenzie Mason sparked an 8-3 West run to close out the frame.
The Bucks made it a 13-12 game after a Maggie Rakowsky bucket, but Mikaela Giuliani answered with a basket for the Lady Knights. A Sam Carangi three-pointer broke a 19-19 tie, but Mason answered with a trey at the other end to knot the score 22-22. An Irisa Ye basket put the Lady Knights on top 26-22, and North Penn took a 29-26 lead into halftime.
The Lady Knights used a 21-6 third quarter tear to blow open the close game.
“I thought we played better defense” North Penn coach Maggie deMarteleire said of her team’s third quarter surge. “I thought our decision making was better and our defense was better.”
Four players finished in double figures for the Lady Knights. Giuliani led the way, finishing with a double-double that included 16 points and 11 rebounds. Ye added 15 points, and Jess Huber had 14. Carangi added 11 points and seven steals.
“I really felt like Sam (Carangi) really picked up her game in the third quarter and made good decisions,” deMarteleire said. “On defense, she had a lot of her steals in the third quarter. She had a couple of threes as well.
“I thought Mikaela (Giuliani) had a pretty steady game the entire game. Jess Huber had a nice game. Four starters in double figures is really good.”
Mason led the Bucks with 18 points, which included a pair of threes.
“She’s a very nice player,” deMarteleire said. “She’s very solid, she’s fundamentally sound, and she doesn’t make many mistakes.”
Tori Abelson added 10. Rakowsky had eight points, and Maddie Maio, seven.
North Penn (7-2, 4-0 SOL) is off during the holiday break while Central Bucks West will compete in the Boo Williams Tournament in Virginia beginning Monday.
North Penn 11-18-21-13 63
Central Bucks West 8-18-6-19 51
North Penn: Irisa Ye 15, Mikaela Giuliani 16, Jess Huber 14, Bri Hewlett 2, Sam Carangi 11, Mia Melchior 5.
Central Bucks West: Makenzie Mason 18, Maggie Rakowsky 8, Maddie Maio 7, Tori Abelson 10, Abby Spratt 2, Bailey Tracey 2, Izzy Treon 4.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 41, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 22
In a battle between a pair of teams with identical 5-1 records, it was the Titans taking early control of the game and never letting go. Courtney Dietzel scored back-to-back baskets on the Titans’ first two shots of the game, and although Kyra Scaliti answered with a basket from just inside the arc for the Patriots, it was only a temporary reprieve.
The Titans closed out the quarter with a 15-0 tear to go on top 19-2. Jordan Vitelli ignited the run with back-to-back baskets – the first with a Melissa Veal assist and the second after coming up with a steal on the inbounds. Veal scored on a putback, and Haley Meinel drove to the hoop for a deuce. Taylor Dunn banked home a three-pointer, and when freshman Alexa Brodie – after coming up with a steal – buried a three, the Titans led 19-2.
The Patriots not only struggled to get off a good shot, they also turned the ball over against the Titans’ pressure defense.
“There’s nothing we work on in practice more than defense,” Dunn said. “We always work on our defense.
“Playing good defense shuts down the other team and gets us going on offense.”
The Titans took a 24-8 lead into halftime. Dunn, who led all scorers with 14 points, accounted for nine of those points.
Vitelli scored five straight points to open the third quarter, and Dunn followed with five points of her own to put the Titans on top 34-8 on their way to the no-doubt-about-it win.
“It was intense the whole game,” Dunn said. “East kept playing hard. You would have thought the score was tied.”
“It never felt like that big of a gap,” Dietzel added. “It just felt like it was a competitive game the entire time.”
Since falling to North Penn, the Titans have won their last three games by an average of more than 27 points.
“I think it definitely made us push ourselves because we know what other teams can do, and we know what we have to do to be one of the best,” Dietzel said.
“Sometimes losing can bring out the best in a team, and that’s what you hope,” coach Beth Mattern said. “You don’t want to lose the game, but we did.
“We’re only three games past it, but we’ve executed well in those three games, and hopefully, we will continue that trend.”
Nine players contributed scoring for the Titans, who rotated 12 players in and out of the game.
“I don’t think people realize sometimes how deep we go,” Mattern said. “The girls have confidence in each other, and as coaches, we have confidence in them.”
Scaliti and Bri Talbot scored seven points each to lead the Patriots while Bridget Birkhead added six. Scaliti had a game-high eight rebounds.
“I think Kyra (Scaliti) and Bailey (McManus) are doing an outstanding job on defense,” East coach Liz Potash said. “Now we just need the other ones to step up and take the same mentality.
“We just talked about defense in there – that it can’t come from two or three girls. It needs to come from five. For us, we want to get the ball out in transition, and we can’t get in transition if we can’t get stops. That’s kind of our big focus right now.”
The loss was the second in three games for the Patriots after a 4-0 start.
“We got off to a good start getting a couple of good wins early,” Potash said. “I don’t know if we’re there yet. I don’t know if we’re ready to compete with the North Penns and CB Souths that are at the top of the league.
“Our goal is to be there by the second time we play them. We’re not waiting a year to be able to play with them.”
Central Bucks South (6-1, 3-1 SOL) will face Upper Darby on Monday (6 p.m.) at the Holiday Jingle Tournament at Downingtown West. Central Bucks East (5-2, 2-2) will play Padua Academy on Monday (2:15 p.m.) in the opening round of the Diamond State Classic in Wilmington, Del.
Central Bucks East 2-6-7-7 22
Central Bucks South 19-5-14-3 41
Central Bucks East: Bridget Birkhead 6, Kyra Scaliti 7, Bri Talbot 7, Melanie Wetzel 2.
Central Bucks South: Taylor Dunn 14, Jordan Vitelli 11, Courtney Dietzel 4, Melissa Veal 2, Haley Meinel 4, Alexa Brodie 3, Tricia DeCesare 2, Madeleine McShane 1.
American Conference
CHELTENHAM 63, NORRISTOWN 47
Ashley Jones buried a pair of three-pointers and scored eight points in the opening quarter. It was just the beginning of another stellar performance by the junior standout. By halftime, Jones had four threes and 16 points. She added 11 more points in the third quarter and, for good measure, buried 9-of-10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to finish with 36 points.
Jones also had 10 assists, five rebounds, three blocks and six steals.
“Ashley played really well,” coach Brendan Nolan said. “It was certainly one of her better games, and it could be her best game. She shot the ball really well.
“It’s very effortless out there. I told people when she was in ninth grade, ‘They’re going to be questioning when she’s done – who was the best kid ever at Cheltenham? Laura Harper or Ashley.’ People thought I was crazy when I said that, but I’m not looking very crazy now. She just continues to impress, and she has room for improve, but to have someone who can score like that is such a luxury.”
While Jones had eight points in the opening quarter, Gabbi Wright added six and Mia Leonard, four, as the Lady Panthers raced to an 18-8 lead.
“We got off to a really good start – it was 7-0 or 9-0,” Nolan said. “I was a little worried tonight because we have not practiced well.
“I wasn’t real pleased with how we played Friday night, and we didn’t really practice well on Saturday or Monday. I put the challenge out to the girls – we’ve got to do a little better than this. I was even questioning how they prepared themselves tonight prior to the game, but they answered the bell, and they were ready to go.”
The Lady Panthers took a 32-19 lead into halftime and still led 49-35 after three quarters.
“We were able to keep them at arm’s length for most of the night,” Nolan said. “With the lead, we could kind of dictate how the game was going to go.”
Wright finish with 14 points and eight rebounds, and Leonard had 14 boards to go with six points.
For the Eagles, Beyonce Collins led the way with 18 points, which included a perfect 12-for-12 effort at the charity stripe. Patti Fortescue added 10 points, and Lauren Fortescue had six.
Cheltenham (6-1, 3-1 SOL) will compete in the BAA Holiday Invitational on Monday. The Lady Panthers will face Prep Charter at 2 p.m. Norristown (6-3, 2-2) will be playing in the Marple Newtown Holiday Tournament. The Eagles will take on Bishop Shanahan at noon on Monday.
Cheltenham 18-14-17-14 63
Norristown 8-11-16-12 47
Cheltenham: Ashley Jones 36, Mia Leonard 6, Kaitlyn Wallace 2, Dejah China 1, Gabrielle Wright 14, Nashira Brown 4.
Norristown: Beyonce Collins 18, Devon Morse 4, Patti Fortescue 10, Daijah James 2, Lauren Fortescue 6, Lauren Green 4, Precious Milan 3.
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 42, UPPER MORELAND 21
The Spartans played some outstanding defense, limiting the Golden Bears to single digits in all four quarter. They took a 5-4 lead into the second quarter and then outscored the Golden Bears 19-9 to go into halftime with a 24-13 lead. They outscored the Golden Bears 18-8 in the second half.
“It was a great team effort,” coach Bill Krewson said. “I believe we’re getting stronger on both ends of the court.
“Our composure is increasing. We are working on our basketball IQ and the level of intensity daily at practice.”
Molly Dugan led the Spartans with 16 points while Grace Barraclough had 10 and Emily Giampietro, eight points.
Jenna Getz led the Golden Bears with seven points.
Springfield (3-5, 2-2 SOL) will face Jenkintown on Monday in the opening round of the Robert Hopf Tournament at Jenkintown High School (7:15 p.m.). Upper Moreland (3-4, 1-3) will also compete in the same tournament. The Golden Bears will take on Sacred Heart at 5:30 p.m.
UPPER DUBLIN 42, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 22
The Flying Cardinals opened up a 14-7 lead after one quarter and took a 20-14 lead into halftime. A 13-4 third quarter burst by the Cardinals all but sealed the Colonials’ fate as they trailed 33-18 after three quarters.
“If you like defense, this was a great game to watch for about three quarters,” PW coach Daniel Dougherty said. “Super close first half.
“(A) young PW team battled strong, but eventually Upper Dublin proved better. I’m very proud of my team. It was a great atmosphere at PW between both sets of fans.”
According to the PW coach, it was an 18-14 game when Allison Chernow grabbed an offensive rebound, got fouled and made both shots to send the Cardinals into halftime with a six-point advantage.
Upper Dublin sharpshooter Josie Barrett buried a pair of three-pointers to spark a 10-0 UD run to open the third quarter.
Chernow led the Cardinals with 12 points, six assists and three rebounds, and Ashley Barber added nine points and three boards. Demi Balasa had seven points and four blocks for the Cardinals.
Taylor O’Brien led the Colonials with nine points.
Upper Dublin (5-2, 4-0 SOL) will face Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in an opening round game of its own Cardinal Classic on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-3, 3-1) will take on Bensalem in an opening round game of the Lady Colonials Holiday Classic on Tuesday at PW (7:30 p.m.).
Upper Dublin 14-6-13-9 42
Plymouth Whitemarsh 7-7-4-4 22
Upper Dublin: Nicole Kaiser 4, Josie Barrett 6, Alison Gouveia 4, Demi Balasa 7, Allison Chernow 12, Ashley Barber 9.
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Taylor O’Brien 9, Ali Diamond 5, Sarah Putsch 2, Laurel Suchsland 4, Lauren Coscia 2.
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