Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. Neshaminy/CR North photos provided courtesy of Jesse Garber. To view photos of that game, click on the following link: http://JSGarber.zenfolio.com/p69906263. Check back for Keith Clemens’ gallery of photos of the Quakertown/Hatboro-Horsham game.
National Conference
NESHAMINY 49, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 45
Things certainly didn’t look promising in Tuesday night’s showdown at Council Rock North for the first place Redskins, who found themselves trailing 29-15 at halftime. They still were on the short end of a 36-24 score heading into the final quarter.
As it turned out, the ‘Skins saved their best for last, exploding for 25 points in the final frame to exceed their point output for the preceding three quarters.
“We gave up way too many open looks – we just didn’t defend well in the first half, and to their credit, they knocked down a lot of open shots,” coach Joe Lally said. “We weren’t active enough on our press, so we had to back out of our press.
“We didn’t run our offense in the first half. We got a little bit frantic. The halftime adjustments were – we needed to know where Megan Haggerty was because she was killing us in the first half, and we had to run our offense, and the defense and our press had to amp up.”
The Redskins cut just two points off the Indians’ lead in the third quarter, but things changed in a hurry in the final frame.
“We got in the huddle and said, ‘Let’s get this thing to single digits as soon as possible, and anything can happen,’” Lally said. “We ended up scoring on the first possession and then got a steal, and within a minute, we had it at eight because we scored the first two buckets.”
The Redskins were just getting started, and everyone got into the act. Freshman Allison Harvey led the way with seven points in the frame while Devon Storms and Emily Alexis both had six. Morgan Goldenbaum scored four and Brooke Mullin added two.
“It was a whole team effort,” Lally said. “It wasn’t one person. They all stepped up. They played aggressive.
“We were 13-of-16 from the foul line (in the game), and that helped a lot too. It was a great comeback. I’m so proud of them. They didn’t give up. The defensive intensity amped up big time.”
The two teams were tied 45-45 with just under a minute remaining when Storms hit a shot to give the ‘Skins a lead they would not lose.
“They got back on defense, and she’s such a good offensive player – she got into the lane, she just stopped and popped a jumper and put us on top,” Lally said. “From there, we just defended.”
Harvey led a balanced Redskins attack with 13 points and five rebounds. Emily Alexis added 12 points and five rebounds, Storms had 10 points and five steals, Goldenbaum contributed eight points, six assists and five steals, and Mullin had a team-high six boards.
“Emily Alexis was gigantic,” Lally said. “She played a great game. Her 12 points were really nice, but she went to the basket really strong.
“She had to battle their big girls. They had a size advantage, and she played really well. She’s another one of the unsung heroes we don’t hear a lot about but makes our team tick.”
For the Indians, Haggerty led the way with 12 points on four three-pointers, and Mackenzie Tinner added nine. Dana Bandurick had seven points, and Hannah Weiler added six.
Neshaminy (15-3, 11-0 SOL) can clinch a share of the conference crown when the ‘Skins host Pennsbury on Thursday night. Council Rock North (10-7, 8-3) will host Council Rock South on Friday night at 6 p.m. in game one of a boys/girls twinbill.
Neshaminy 11-4-9-25 49
Council Rock North17-12-7-9 45
Neshaminy: Morgan Goldenbaum 8, Emily Alexis 12, Brook Mullin 4, Tiara Porterfield 2, Devon Storms 10, Allison Harvey 13.
Council Rock North: Becca Margolis 2, Camryn Polinsky 4, Megan Haggerty 12, Kaelin Mealey 3, Dana Bandurick 7, Samantha Saifer 2, Mackenzie Tinner 9, Hannah Weiler 6.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 50, WILLIAM TENNENT 32
Christiana Deo has spent the season contributing in a supporting role, but on Tuesday, the Golden Hawk senior had the hot hand offensively, scoring a season high 19 points.
“Christiana was great tonight,” coach Jason Rapp said. “She hit a couple of her corner jump shots, she got offensive rebounds. She had a really good shooting night. The shots went in for her.
“It was nice. She’s been having a little bit of a tough go with shots rattling in and out, and tonight they all seemed to fall.”
Teammates Caroline McGovern (17 points) and Payton Spadaccino (10 points) also finished in double figures for the Hawks, who led 19-14 at halftime.
Deo sparked a 19-8 third quarter surge, scoring 11 of her points in the frame. McGovern – who buried three three-pointers in the game – added five points in the quarter.
“She hit a couple of key three’s – she started the game off with a three,” Rapp said of McGovern. “She made a couple of real nice passes.
“Spadaccino has been really good all year, getting other people involved and just being our leader. It was a good effort. We started out a little slow, but all of a sudden we had a real nice burst.”
Rapp lauded the defensive effort of Faith Turner in the win.
“Faith Turner was awesome,” he said. “She had to have three or four blocked shots, and that has to equal our team high for the season because we don’t block many shots.
“Faith was very active tonight. She was great.”
Kelly Scipione led the Panthers with 12 points, and Emily Vickalitis added seven.
Council Rock South (9-9, 7-4 SOL) will be on the road at Council Rock North on Friday night (6 p.m.), and William Tennent (7-11, 3-8) will travel to Abington on Thursday.
Council Rock South 13-6-19-12 50
William Tennent 10-4-8-10 32
Council Rock South: Caroline McGovern 17, Payton Spadaccino 10, Rachel Millsein 2, Faith Turner 2, Christiana Deo 19.
William Tennent: Kelly Scipione 12, Kyla Gibson 5, Evans 2, Jess Rutkowsky 2, Brianna Broccardi 4, Emily Vickalitis 7.
ABINGTON 61, BENSALEM 20
The Ghosts took a 23-10 lead into halftime and then blew the game wide open with a 26-7 third quarter on their way to the convincing win.
“We didn’t really have the intensity we wanted in the first half,” coach Dan Marsh said. “In the second half, we came out with a 16 or 17-0 run.
“We’re still just trying to get better and get ready for districts. We have Tennent on Thursday and then a big game on Saturday against Bethlehem Catholic.”
Senior Leah Simmons led the Ghosts with 16 points while freshman Sam Brusha added 12. Senior Sammy Lochner also finished in double figures with 11 points, and Jordyn Allen added six.
Destiny Rogers led the Owls with eight points.
Abington (12-6, 9-2 SOL) will host William Tennent on Thursday, and Bensalem (6-11, 2-9) will host Harry S Truman on Friday.
Abington 13-10-26-12 61
Bensalem 8-2-7-3 20
Abington: Britney James 4, Cameron Lexow 2, Sammy Lochner 11, Lizzie O’Leary 5, Jordyn Allen 6, Leah Simmons 16, Sam Brusha 12, Miranda Liebtage 3, Kassondra Brown 2.
Bensalem: Samantha Werth 5, Destiny Rogers 8, Lyric Lewis 3, Julia Rymarczuk 2, Savannah Jordan 2.
Continental Conference
NORTH PENN 49, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 46
Not a whole lot was going North Penn’s way.
Until, that is, it mattered most.
The Lady Knights – who trailed 29-14 at halftime – took their first lead (45-43) since the game’s opening 
minutes when Jess Huber hit nothing but net on a three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining.
“She wanted it,” coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “She even said when we were in the huddle – I said, ‘We’re going to get the ball in the post or we can get it out for a three.’ She was like, ‘When we dump it into the post, people are wide open on the outside. Just kick it out.’ She was waiting there for the kick out. It was great.”
Huber’s game winner was set up when West’s defense collapsed on Mikaela Giuliani – whose 10 third quarter points sparked the comeback.
“She had an outstanding second half,” deMarteleire said of Giuliani. “She was so determined that we weren’t going to lose to them.
“The kids had to realize we have a target on our backs right now just like CB West did last year.”
Although Huber’s bucket gave the Lady Knights the lead, the game was far from over. After the Bucks saw a trey attempt for the lead fall just short, Sam Carangi buried a pair from the foul line to stretch North Penn’s lead to four. A Makenzie Mason three-pointer pulled the Bucks to within one (47-46) with 13.3 seconds remaining. Irisa Ye all but sealed the Bucks’ fate when she hauled in Huber’s length-of-the-court pass on the inbounds and laid it in for the final margin of victory.
“I think it was really important just to prove to us that even though we came out and played horrible, that’s not who we are,” Giuliani said. “We came out a different half a new team, and we can change it up.”
North Penn’s comeback included a 13-0 tear to open the third quarter that included six points from Giuliani and five from Bri Hewlett. The Bucks withstood that run to go back on top 37-29, and they still led 42-36 when Maggie Rakowsky buried a pair at the foul line at the 4:20 mark of the fourth quarter, but the Lady Knights refused to go away.
A basket by Ye and a pair of Hewlett foul shots made it a two-point game. The Bucks extended their lead to three after a Rakowsky foul shot, but Carangi connected on a tough runner with a defender in her face to make it a one-point game, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
“We’ve always played with a lot of energy this year, and I thought in the first half we didn’t have easy turnovers,” coach Terry Rakowsky said. “We had some coming down at the end where our youth really showed.
“Finishing stuff – it always comes down to finishing. Every play makes a difference against the really good teams.”
If the Lady Knights stole the spotlight in the second half, the Bucks did the same in the first, playing the suffocating defense that has become their trademark and making all the right moves on the offensive end.
West led 13-6 after Rakowsky scored in the closing minute of the opening quarter, and they followed that with a 16-8 second quarter tear that featured a whole lot of Mason – who scored seven in the frame.
Freshman Tori Abelson added a pair of highlight reel buckets – going coast to coast after pulling down a rebound on the defensive end and then – after another North Penn miss – hauling in the long rebound and taking it the length of the court where she found Mason for the easy bucket and a 26-12 West lead. Carangi answered with a bucket off the dribble, but a Maddie Maio triple sent the Bucks into halftime with a 29-14 lead.
“In the first half, everything that could have gone wrong went wrong,” Giuliani said. “I think we were really lethargic. We were all just really defeated, and you could tell. Our shots weren’t going in, we weren’t boxing out, we weren’t doing anything.”
Giuliani led the Lady Knights with 15 points while Carangi added 11. Ye and Hewlett both had 10 points.
For the Bucks, Mason’s 15 points led the way. Rakowsky added 11 and Abelson, 10 points.
North Penn (15-2, 11-0 SOL) will host Pennridge on Friday and can clinch a share of the conference crown with a win. Central Bucks West (12-5, 7-3) will host Hatboro-Horsham Friday.
Central Bucks West: Abby Spratt 4, Maddie Maio 4, Makenzie Mason 15, Tori Abelson 10, Izzy Treon 2, Maggie Rakowsky 11.
North Penn: Irisa Ye 10, Mikaela Giuliani 15, Jess Huber 3, Bri Hewlett 10, Sam Carangi 11.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 45, QUAKERTOWN 30
On Dec. 22, the Hatters suffered a 42-34 loss at the hands of the Panthers. Tuesday night, they turned the tables, sparked by their stingy defense and standout performances by numerous players.
“The difference this time was our defense,” coach Kathie Sims said. “We played tough, and we held Jill Martin to two points.
“We also had a balanced scoring attack.”
Bergen Sims had a breakout performance, leading all scorers with 14 points to go along with eight rebounds and five steals. Cassidy Quattro came within a rebound of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Erin Wingen also had 10 points to go along with six rebounds. Haley Seifert added seven points and eight boards, and Julia Thornton dished out five assists.
The Hatters led 9-7 after one quarter and took an 18-11 lead into halftime. They outscored their hosts in each of the four quarters.
“The girls are really excited,” coach Sims said. “They had something to prove tonight, and they went out and did it. Their hard work paid off.”
Marina Cooke led the Panthers with 11 points, and Maggie Garlick added eight.
Hatboro-Horsham (6-12, 2-9 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Friday night, and Quakertown (3-14, 1-10) will be on the road at Central Bucks East.
Hatboro-Horsham 9-9-14-13 45
Quakertown 4-7-10-9 30
Hatboro-Horsham: Cassidy Quattro 10, Julia Thornton 2, Haley Seifert 7, Bergen Sims 14, Erin Wingen 10, Katie Fisher 2.
Quakertown: Jill Martin 2, Brooke Alwine 4, Marina Cooke 11, Meghan Klee 5, Maggie Garlick 8.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 50, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 44
The visiting Titans took a 37-25 lead into the fourth quarter and then withstood a valiant comeback attempt by the Patriots to earn the hard fought win.
“It was a great game,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “I thought we gave a great defensive effort. The fourth quarter – honestly, they got hot.”
A three-pointer by Bridget Birkhead pulled the Patriots to within three late, but that’s as close as they would get.
“They hit some three’s, and they were long range three’s,” Mattern said. “They made some baskets and got themselves back in the game and really made it a great game.”
South led 12-8 after one quarter and took a 25-15 lead into halftime. They still led by double digits heading into the final frame when the Patriots rallied.
“My girls battled to the end,” East coach Liz Potash said.
The Titans, according to Mattern, were sparked by the play of their bigs – Courtney Dietzel (10 points) and Melissa Veal (six points).
“I was most pleased with my posts,” the Titans’ coach said. “I thought they did a great job inside, and I thought they were big on the boards.
“Taylor Dunn also had a couple of big rebounds at times we really needed them, but on a team of guards, my posts don’t get a lot of credit, nor do a lot of things get run through them, and I thought tonight they stepped up and were a big difference maker for us.”
Jordan Vitelli added 11 points, which included a 4-for-4 effort from the foul line in the fourth quarter. Dunn had six points.
For the Patriots, Bri Talbot led the way with a game-high 15 points, and Birkhead added 12. Bailey McManus scored seven points, and Kyra Scaliti had six.
Central Bucks South (15-4, 9-2 SOL) will host Souderton on Friday night, and Central Bucks East (11-7, 6-5) will host Quakertown.
Central Bucks South 12-13-12-13 50
Central Bucks East 8-7-10-19 44
Central Bucks South: Alexa Brodie 3, Taylor Dunn 6, Melissa Veal 6, Meghan Kuypers 5, Haley Meinel 4, Jordan Vitelli 11, Courtney Dietzel 10, Mackenzie Ehresman 5.
Central Bucks East: Bridget Birkhead 12, Kyra Scaliti 6, Bailey McManus 7, Bri Talbot 15, Grace Stewart 4.
American Conference
WISSAHICKON 45, UPPER MERION 33
The Trojans had reason to celebrate on Tuesday night as they staged a fourth quarter comeback to earn the dramatic come-from-behind win – their first of the season.
“In the locker room all year long, we talk about – our job as coaches is to give you an opportunity to make shots, and in the end, players have to make plays,” Rodney Cline said. “Tonight we did.
“It was fun to see the girls have that want, that desire and passion to really want to take the game and put it in their hands. Coaches can only do so much. They’ve got to want it, and they took it over.
“The staff and I were just so happy for the girls. They rushed the court. It was just good to see the jubilation for all the hard work. Tonight we overcame adversity. We persevered, we believed in ourselves, we believed in each other, and that’s important. That’s the character builder. I really credit them for sticking together. It was a really team family effort.”
The Trojans certainly had every reason to believe this wasn’t going to be their night. They trailed 15-10 at halftime and saw that deficit grow to nine heading into the fourth quarter (29-21), and that’s when things suddenly came together for the Trojans, who closed out the game with a 22-4 tear.
“We turned it on defensively,” Cline said. “Daria Earland, Lexi Carradorini and Julianne Griffin took over the game.”
Carradorini scored all 12 of her points in the fourth quarter, and Griffin added five – which included a clutch three-point play. Earland had four points in the frame.
“We finally took what the defense gave us and we finished,” Cline said. “We’ve always been getting a lot of shot attempts, but our field goal percentage has been about 20 percent.
“Tonight we focused, and we just knocked them down. Whatever the defense gave us, we took it to them. They couldn’t stick to Daria one-on-one when we spread the floor, and she just penetrated and did what she needed to do.
“Carradorini was relentless taking the ball to the hole, and she nailed a three in transition.”
Cline pointed to Griffin’s defensive effort as key.
“Julianne played (Tatiana) Pleasant, who usually is a monster on the boards, and she held her to five points,” the Trojans’ coach said.
While Carradorini led a balanced Trojan attack, Earland added eight and Griffin, seven points.
For the Vikings, sophomore Jordan Wilson led the way with 13 points, and Jessica Michael added nine.
Wissahickon (1-15, 1-10 SOL) will be on the road at Norristown on Friday night, and Upper Merion (4-14, 2-8) will travel to Upper Dublin.
Wissahickon 8-5-8-22 45
Upper Merion 5-10-14-4 33
Wissahickon: Brianna Tilghman 5, Daria Earland 8, Carolina Mack 2, Sydney Ott 4, Julie Weber 4, Hilma Meiby 4, Julianne Griffin 7, Victoria Selverian 2, Lexi Carradorini 12.
Upper Merion: Tatiana Pleasant 5, Jordan Wilson 13, Andrea Davis 1, Jessica Michael 9, Tatum Thomas 5.
UPPER DUBLIN 41, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 26
The Flying Cardinals made history on Tuesday night when they clinched at least a share of the American Conference title with their win over the visiting Colonials.
“This is great,” coach Morgan Funsten said. “When we sit down at the beginning of the season and set goals for the team, this year by far our number one goal was win the league.
“We set some other goals as well, but that was our main focus. That’s what we worried about. We played some tough non-league games, but everything was totally focused on getting ready for the next big league game. I think the girls really bought into that.”
The conference crown is the fourth in a row for the Cardinals under Funsten – the first time in program history that has been done.
“We don’t take league championships for granted,” the fourth-year coach said. “Maybe the best thing that could have happened to us was watching Cheltenham lose to Springfield just to keep us focused on – you can learn lessons from other games. We’re excited about hopefully playing in the Suburban One League playoffs and the district playoffs, and none of that happens if you don’t take care of your own business in the league.
“The girls were real excited after the game. We don’t want to share it – we want to win it outright, so we have to take care of business Friday.
Chernow has been part of all four title runs – a four-year run that has seen the Cardinals compile a remarkable 51-2 record in conference play. Tuesday’s win extended their conference winning streak to 26 games.
“If you look at our record the past couple of years, it looks like everything was really easy, but it’s far from easy,” Funsten said. “When you have a target on your back every game and every time you play a team – they feel like they have nothing to lose and all the pressure is on you, it’s not easy, but it’s a position you want to be in.
“You want to have the target on you because that means you’re the head of the class. It’s something we’ve embraced and try and take one game at a time. The girls have done a great job preparing for games and executing game plans.”
The Cardinals struggled out of the gate, trailing 4-2 after one quarter. They regrouped to outscore their visitors 19-6 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 21-10 lead.
“The first quarter they came out in a zone, and they didn’t totally catch us by surprise, but basically, anything different than the norm was going to catch us by surprise today because we were kind of out of our routine the past couple of days,” Funsten said.
After connecting on just 1-of-11 shots from the floor in the first quarter, the Flying Cardinals received the boost they needed when Chernow buried a three early in the second quarter.
“It was a really important three,” Funsten said. “We were getting pretty good shots in the first quarter, but nothing was falling.
“Allison made a three, and then she made another three. Josie Barrett made a three, and Nicole Kaiser came off the bench and had two big baskets. We have had really good third quarters this year. It was one of our runs that we usually go on in the third quarter that fortunately we went on in the second quarter tonight.
“It was a run really led by Allison Chernow – she kind of got the rest of the team going.”
Chernow finished with 10 points and nine assists. Barber had 10 points and seven rebounds while Barrett had nine points and four steals. Kaiser added six points and three blocks, and Demi Balasa had four points and six rebounds.
Lauren Coscia led the Colonials with 10 points to go along with four rebounds and four blocked shots while Taylor O’Brien had eight and Ali Diamond, six points.
Upper Dublin (15-4, 11-0 SOL) will host Upper Merion on Friday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (12-5, 8-3) will host Springfield.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4-6-7-9 26
Upper Dublin 2-19-11-9 41
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Taylor O’Brien 8, Ali Diamond 6, Sarah Putsch 2, Lauren Coscia 10.
Upper Dublin: Nicole Kaiser 6, Josie Barrett 9, Allison Chernow 10, Demi Balasa 2, Ashley Barber 10.
SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 53, UPPER MORELAND 50 (OT)
The Spartans staged a heroic fourth quarter comeback, rallying from 15 down to knot the score 41-41 and send the game into overtime where they earned the dramatic win.
“It was a great game plan from Upper Moreland,” Springfield coach Bill Krewson said. “It was an exciting, overtime game on Upper Moreland’s Senior Night.
“I was glad our girls were resilient and had a great fourth quarter that continued into overtime. I’m glad to come away with the win.”
The Spartans led 9-8 after one quarter but struggled the next two. Upper Moreland led 22-15 at halftime and took a 37-22 advantage into the final quarter.
Molly Dugan was one of three Spartans in double figures with 22 points. Emily Giampietro added 12 points and Grace Barraclough had 10.
The Golden Bears also had three players finish in double figures – Maddie Pisut (13 points), Noelle Woodman (11 points) and Julia Gatto (10 points). Jenna Getz and Kim Benge both added seven points.
Springfield (8-10, 6-5 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday, and Upper Moreland (5-13, 2-9) will be on the road at Cheltenham.
Springfield 9-6-7-19-12 53
Upper Moreland 8-14-15-4-9 50
Springfield: Grace Barraclough 10, Molly Dugan 22, Emily Giampietro 12, Maura Ryan 4, Jamy Krewson 2, Siana Wynn 2, Bri Vetter 1.
Upper Moreland: Jenna Getz 7, Julia Gatto 10, Maddie Pisut 13, Emily Zanine 2, Noelle Woodman 11, Kim Benge 7.
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