Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action. To view photos of the CB East/CB West game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
National Conference
BENSALEM 45, WILLIAM TENNENT 33
Talk about turning the tables on a team.
The Owls did just that, rallying from a six-point halftime deficit to earn a win that avenged a 56-35 loss to the Panthers on Jan. 8.
“We’re finally starting to jell a little bit,” coach Geoff Per said. “I guess it sounds like an excuse to the outside world, but I didn’t get them until the day before Thanksgiving.
“If we had that September and October offseason to work together, I think we would have been jelling a month ago as opposed to now.”
Defense was a key to the Owls’ win.
“I have to give credit to my dad – my assistant coach (Sheldon Per),” Per said. “He came up with a defensive game plan for tonight.
“We really wanted to stop Kyla Gibson – she had 27 on us at our place, and we held her to six. Kelly Scipione had 13 on us the last time, and we held her to two. Sam Werth and Savannah Jordan did a great job on those two girls.”
The Owls trailed 13-5 after one quarter, and they were still staring at a 21-15 halftime deficit.
“They boxed-and-one Lyric (Lewis) just like we worked on in practice yesterday,” Per said. “They did it the last time, and we kind of got away from our offense.
“I said, ‘Let’s just run our box-and-one offense, trust in your teammates. I told Sam (Werth) – ‘Keep shooting the ball. You’re going to be open.’ She couldn’t hit a shot if she wanted to in the first half, and she ended up with a game high of 19.”
Werth – who had just three points in the first half – buried three triples and scored 11 points in the third quarter to ignite the Owls. Lewis added six as the Owls went on a 21-2 tear to seize control of the game. They took a 36-23 lead into the final quarter and maintained that the rest of the way.
“It’s nice to get two (wins) in a row,” Per said. “In this league, any time you go on the road and get a win, it’s a good win.”
Werth led all scorers with 19 points, which included five three-pointers. Lewis finished with 16 points while Savannah Jordan added six.
The Panthers were led by the 12-point effort of Emily Vickalitis. Brianna Broccardi added 10 points and Gibson had six.
Bensalem (8-12, 4-9 SOL) will host Council Rock North on Thursday, and William Tennent will travel to Pennsbury.
Bensalem 13-2-21-9 45
William Tennent 5-16-2-10 33
Bensalem: Samantha Werth 19, Lyric Lewis 16, Julia Rymarczuk 4, Savannah Jordan 6.
William Tennent: Kelly Scipione 2, Kyla Gibson 6, Jenna Rodebaugh 3, Brianna Broccardi 10, Emily Vickalitis 12.
ABINGTON 53, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 34
Senior Sammy Lochner buried three three-pointers and finished with a game high 16 points to go along with six assists and four steals. Lizzie O’Leary added 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists in a contest the Ghosts controlled from start to finish.
“Some teams decide they’re going to pack it in and give us jump shots – they packed it in and gave us jump shots, and we made them,” coach Dan Marsh said. “We have shooters.”
The visiting Ghosts took the suspense out of Tuesday’s battle for second place in the conference standings early, racing to a 20-7 lead after one quarter and taking a 34-14 lead into halftime.
“I think we defended them very well – they didn’t get any good looks,” Marsh said. “We rebounded well and we shot well.
“When we shoot well, we’re tough to beat. They have to pick their poison. Are they going to try and stop Lizzie and Leah (Simmons) inside, or are they going to stop Lochner and (Sam) Brusha on the perimeter. (Miranda) Liebtage and (Jordyn) Allen can both shoot too.”
Brusha added nine points to the Ghosts’ attack, and Liebtage had six. Both had a three-pointer as did Allen on a night that saw Abington bury six three-pointers. It all added up to a big win for the Ghosts, who locked up second place in the conference standings.
“Because they’re on the border of the playoffs, I was expecting a Suburban One war,” Marsh said. “We played really well.
“There’s not really any pressure on us now because we’re going to go into districts with a 20 or 18 seed, and teams will forget about us again. I still believe we can beat anybody in the district if we play the right way. Obviously, North Penn is the team to beat, but everybody else is beatable.”
Mackenzie Tinner led the Indians with nine points, and Dana Bandurick added eight.
Abington (15-6, 11-2 SOL) will host Harry S Truman in Thursday’s regular season finale. Council Rock North (11-9, 9-4) will be on the road at Bensalem.
Abington 20-14-10-9 53
Council Rock North 7-7-11-9 34
Abington: Sammy Lochner 16, Lizzie O’Leary 10, Toni Washington 1, Jordyn Allen 5, Leah Simmons 6, Sam Brusha 9, Miranda Liebtage 6.
Council Rock North; Camryn Polinsky 4, Tara McGuigan 4, Kaelin Mealey 4, Dana Bandurick 8, Samantha Saifer 2, Olivia Boyle 3, Mackenzie Tinner 9.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 28, PENNSBURY 18
There wasn’t a whole lot of offense by either team in Tuesday’s night’s contest, but the visiting Golden Hawks rallied from a 6-4 deficit after one quarter to go into halftime with a 13-12 lead. They outscored the Falcons 7-2 in the third quarter and 15-6 in the second half to earn the come-from-behind win.
Payton Spadaccino was the lone player in double figures for either team, finishing with 10 to lead the Hawks. Faith Turner added eight. Niasia Boone’s five-point effort led the Falcons.
Council Rock South (10-10, 8-5 SOL) will be on the road at Neshaminy on Thursday while Pennsbury (2-15, 2-10) will host William Tennent on that same day.
Council Rock South 4-9-7-8 28
Pennsbury 6-6-2-4 18
Council Rock South: Caroline McGovern 2, Payton Spadaccino 10, Carly Rizzo 3, Kasey Schlupp 3, Faith Turner 8, Christiana Deo 2.
Pennsbury: Abby Wick 3, Cady 2, Niasia Boone 5, Mackenzie McGill 3, Kate Mix 2, Sydney Buell 3.
NESHAMINY 63, HARRY S TRUMAN 28
The Redskins clinched sole possession of the SOL National Conference crown – their third conference title in four years. They opened up a 12-3 lead after one quarter and took a 28-9 lead into halftime over the Tigers on their way to the title-clinching win.
All 11 players who saw action for the Redskins scored. Emily Alexis led a balanced effort with 11 points, and point guard Morgan Goldenbaum added 10 points and eight rebounds. Allison Harvey contributed eight points, Brooke Mullin had seven points and eight rebounds, and Fiona McDonald had six points. Devon Storms had four points, four assists and five steals.
Jayda Campbell led the Tigers with 10 points, and Sabria Lytes had nine.
Neshaminy (17-4, 13-0 SOL) will host Council Rock South in Thursday’s regular season finale, and Truman (4-14, 1-11) will be on the road at Abington.
Harry S Truman 3-6-7-12 28
Neshaminy 12-16-19-16 63
Harry S Truman: Jayda Campbell 10, Roneisha James 1, Maylissa Clarke 4, Alexis McCoy 2, Sabria Lytes 9, Brianna Cliney 2.
Neshaminy: Morgan Goldenbaum 10, Tiara Porterfield 4, Josafinne McIlvaine 4, Devon Storms 4, Emily Alexis 11, Thyra Tuttle 3, Taylor Kelly 3, Fiona McDonald 6, Nicole Herb 3, Allison Harvey 8, Brooke Mullin 7.
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 46, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 33
Maddie Maio was the ultimate zone buster in the opening half of Tuesday night’s game pitting the neighboring rivals. The sophomore guard connected on her first three-pointer in the opening quarter and then hit nothing but net on three more in the second.
“I think it’s the atmosphere – it was the East-West game, and it’s just a huge game,” Maio said. “I knew I had to turn it on.”
Teammate Makenzie Mason – who led all scorers with 16 points – connected on one of her two three-pointers in a second quarter that proved to be the turning point in the game.
“Defensively, we tried to take away the outside shot, knowing they had outside shooters,” East coach Liz Potash said. “When you’re playing a three-two zone, you’re doing it to get out on shooters.
“To leave that many openings and that many gaps just puzzles me.”
The two teams were deadlocked at seven after one quarter, but a Maio trey to open the second quarter sparked a 16-4 run that was capped when Mason buried a foul line jumper. A pair of Briana Talbot foul shots and a Kyra Scaliti three made it a 23-15 game at halftime.
Mason opened the third quarter with five straight points – including a three – to put the Bucks on top 28-15. The Patriots would get no closer than 10 the rest of the way.
“The last week, we’ve played very well,” West coach Terry Rakowsky said. “We played well against North Penn, we played great against O’Hara, and I thought today was one of the better games we’ve had with this group.
“When you’re up by 10, sometimes it’s tougher to play than when you’re down by two, but we were able to move the ball, get deeper into the offense, make them play defense and then maybe hit a shot, which is a killer.”
In addition to scoring 16 points, Mason contributed six rebounds and two steals. Maio finished with 14 points and one steal. Maggie Rakowsky added 11 points – which included a 7-for-9 effort at the foul line – seven rebounds and three steals. Tori Abelson had five points and six rebounds.
For the Patriots, Talbot led the way with 15 points, and Scaliti added seven.
The win gave the Bucks a sweep of the regular season series with their neighboring rival. It also keeps them alive in the battle for second place with a showdown against Central Bucks South – which holds a one-game lead over the Bucks in the standings – on Thursday night.
“Honestly, this means so much to us, especially because it’s the East-West game and there’s all that rivalry,” Maio said. “We’re playing South on Thursday, so this is a good win to have going forward. I really think it will make us work hard and come out strong.”
Central Bucks West (15-6, 10-3 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Thursday (5:30 p.m.) in a key conference battle. Central Bucks East (12-8, 7-6) will host Souderton.
Central Bucks East 7-8-7-11 33
Central Bucks West 7-16-9-14 46
PENNRIDGE 56, HATBORO-HORSHAM 36
Lydia Konstanzer was – in a word – unstoppable in Tuesday’s road win. Double-doubles are commonplace for the senior forward, but her numbers against the Hatters were eye popping. Konstanzer finished with 28 points and 19 rebounds – 10 offensive. She also had a pair of steals.
Behind the overpowering performance of Konstanzer, the visiting Lady Rams established the tone early, sprinting out of the gate to an 18-8 lead after one quarter and going into halftime with a commanding 33-17 advantage. They outscored the Hatters in each of the four quarters.
Devan Rimmer added eight points, four rebounds, three steals and three assists. Brooke Bachtle had six points, six rebounds and three assists, and Gillian Anderson added eight rebounds to go along with five points. Sam Muredda chipped in five points and four rebounds.
For the Hatters, Haley Seifert led the way with nine points, Erin Wingen had seven, and Julia Thornton had six points.
Pennridge (10-10, 4-9 SOL) will close out conference play on Thursday when the Lady Rams host Quakertown. Hatboro-Horsham (6-14, 2-11) will be on the road at North Penn on Thursday.
Pennridge 18-15-11-12 56
Hatboro-Horsham 8-9-10-9 36
Pennridge: Lydia Konstaner 28, Brooke Bachtle 6, GillianAnderson 5, Sam Muredda 5, Claire Podraza 2, Devan Rimmer 8, Emilee Cramer 2.
Hatboro-Horsham: Kylie Halko 5, Bergen Sims 5, Haley Seifert 9, Cassidy Quattro 4, Julia Thornton 6, Erin Wingen 7.
NORTH PENN 48, SOUDERTON 37
The Lady Knights made it official, capturing sole possession of the SOL Continental Conference crown with Tuesday’s win, but this one didn’t come easily.
The Indians opened up a 15-10 lead after one quarter and took a 22-19 advantage into halftime of Tuesday’s Coaches vs. Cancer contest. The Lady Knights took their first lead of the night with 3:25 remaining in the third quarter and outscored the Indians 14-5 in the frame to go on top 33-27 heading into the final quarter.
“Souderton played an awesome first half,” North Penn coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “They played terrific – they were taking care of the ball, they were hitting the open person, they were attacking the basket, they were making good decisions, they were playing good defense, and they were boxing out exceptionally well.
“We had zero offensive rebounds in the first half. They played very well. We played better in the second half than we did in the first half.”
Mikaela Giuliani collected a double-double to lead the Lady Knights, finishing with a game high 12 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Sam Carangi added 11 points and five assists. Irisa Ye scored 10 points, and Jess Huber added eight points and four assists. Four players contributed triples for the Lady Knights with Huber leading the way with a pair.
Freshman Megan Walbrandt led the Indians with 11 points and seven rebounds. Krista Schneider added nine points on three three-pointers while Tori Dowd had seven points, four rebounds and five steals. Marissa Sandone had six points on a pair of treys in a contest that saw the two teams combine for 10 buckets from beyond the arc.
North Penn (19-2, 13-0 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham in Thursday’s conference finale, and Souderton (7-14, 4-9) will be on the road at Central Bucks East.
North Penn 10-9-14-15 48
Souderton 15-7-5-10 37
North Penn: Irisa Ye 10, Mikaela Giuliani 12, Jess Huber 8, Bri Hewlett 4, Sam Carangi 11, Mia Melchior 3.
Souderton: Tori Dowd 7, Krista Schneider 9, Alana Cardona 3, Megan Walbrandt 11, Marissa Sandone 6.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 66, QUAKERTOWN 33
The Titans sprinted out of the gate to 37-20 halftime lead on their way to the convincing win. Jordan Vitelli jumpstarted the Titans with seven points in the opening quarter, and Mackenzie Ehresman led the charge in the second quarter with seven of her own. Vitelli – who finished with a game high 16 points – buried three triples in the third quarter as the Titans outscored their hosts 20-6.
While Vitelli led the way, Taylor Dunn added 11 points, and Ehresman and Haley Meinel both added eight points. Tricia DeCesare had eight points, and Alexa Brodie had six.
The Panthers were led by Jill Martin’s eight-point effort. Meghan Klee added six.
Central Bucks South (17-4, 11-2 SOL) will try to lock up sole possession of second place when the Titans travel to Central Bucks West on Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. contest. Quakertown (5-16, 1-12) will be on the road at Pennridge.
Central Bucks South 20-17-20-9 66
Quakertown 13-7-6-7 33
Central Bucks South: Alexa Brodie 6, Taylor Dunn 11, Melissa Veal 1, Meghan Kuypers 4, Tricia DeCesare 8, Haley Meinel 9, Jordan Vitelli 16, Courtney Dietzel 2, Mackenzie Ehresman 9.
Quakertown: Brooke Alwine 2, Maggie Garlick 4, Spenser Gray 3, Veronica Best 2, Olivia Morano 4, Marina Cooke 2, Meghan Klee 6, Jill Martin 8, Joelie Simeu 2.
American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 43, CHELTENHAM 33
Taylor O’Brien exploded for 16 points in the second quarter, keying a 15-0 PW run after the Lady Panthers opened up a 12-4 lead out of the gate. The Colonials took a 25-19 lead into halftime and added to it with a 13-4 third quarter on their way to a win that avenged a 61-35 loss in the Jan. 8 meeting between the two teams.
“In the first quarter, there was literally a lid on our basket – nothing would go in,” PW coach Daniel Dougherty said. “Even the crowd was sighing as the ball rattled out and fell off again.
“To our kids’ credit, we tried to stay positive. We were able to break their press, which was a big deal, but we just weren’t scoring. Almost right away after they went up 12-4, Laurel Suchsland, one of our captains, hits a three and cuts it to 12-7, and it just took the lid off the basket. That started the 15-0 run. Of that run, I would say nine of those points were Taylor O’Brien just getting steals and going down.”
Ashley Jones – who had been sidelined with shin splints – left the game with approximately three minutes left in the second quarter and did not return. The junior guard finished with just two points after torching the Colonials for 44 points in the initial meeting.
“Our kids bounced back with a strong third quarter,” Dougherty said. “Obviously, it made a difference Ashley Jones not coming out in the third quarter.
“Ali Diamond really stepped up in the third quarter, and we played solid defense. Laurel Suchsland hit another three in the third quarter to open things up, and we stretched it out to 15 points.”
The Lady Panthers lost Gabbi Wright to fouls in the fourth quarter.
“Now Ashley Jones and Gabbi Wright are both out of the game,” Dougherty said. ‘I have five kids that played hard and are trying their best.
“We just don’t understand what it means to close a game out. We’re running stall plays, and Cheltenham – to their credit – baited us into taking open shots, and our kids fall for it and take the shot. Brendan (Nolan) did a nice job. They had five different kids make a three tonight, and none of them were Ashley Jones. It was a good game, it was a great win for our team. It was a special win.”
O’Brien led all scorers with 27 points while Diamond and Suchsland each had seven.
For the Lady Panthers, Mia Leonard led the way with nine points. No other player had more than five.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (15-5, 10-3 SOL) will close out conference play on the road at Norristown on Thursday. Cheltenham (14-6, 8-4) will host Wissahickon on Thursday.
Cheltenham 10-9-4-10 33
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4-21-13-5 43
Cheltenham: Joniece Baldwin 3, Ashley Jones 2, Savannah Roberts 5, D’ajah Bouchereau 3, Danielle Brown 2, Mia Leonard 9, Caitlin Wallace 3, Gabrielle Wright 3, Nashira Brown 3.
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Taylor O’Brien 27, Gia Schweitzer 2, Ali Diamond 7, Laurel Suchsland 7.
UPPER MERION 44, SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 41
The Vikings traveled to Springfield on Tuesday with not-so-fond memories of their 57-54 loss to the Spartans on their home court. This time around, they returned the favor.
“We’re an extremely young team, we’re inexperienced, and this is my first year,” UM coach Leah Kim said. “Our record, to me, is not quite fitting of our season.
“We’ve really been in almost every game. We can’t finish. Tonight was honestly a concerted effort.”
The game plan this time around – according to Kim – was containing high-scoring Molly Dugan, who had 34 points in the initial meeting of the two teams.
“Our goal was to keep Dugan under 20 – she ended up with 15,” Kim said. “We said five points a quarter we wanted to give her.
“We rotated kids off of her, and we tried to control where shots were coming from, and they bought into it.”
Andrea Davis spearheaded the Vikings’ defensive effort against Dugan.
“Andrea really stepped up and played good defense on her – she played extremely well,” said Kim, noting that Anna Davis returned to the lineup and also contributed. “It was the help (defense) too.
“We’re trying to implement team concepts, and the kids behind Andrea really gave her help. Molly is a great player – she’s tremendous. She finishes well, she flashes well, and if you don’t truly move your feet and get help, you’ll pay for it. Tonight they gave the help to each other and really made a concerted effort to not let her get to the rim.”
Jessica Michael led the Vikings with 12 points and Jordan Wilson added 10. Anna Davis had six points.
“Jessie Michael and Jordan Wilson stepped up and led the team and were solid throughout the game,” Kim said.
While Dugan’s 15 points led all scorers, Grace Barraclough and Maura Ryan each added 10 points for the Spartans, who led 8-7 after one quarter and took a 20-19 lead into halftime. The Vikings used a 13-10 third quarter to go on top 32-30 heading into the final frame, and they held on for the win.
Upper Merion (5-16, 3-10 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Thursday night, and Springfield (6-7, 8-12) will be on the road at Upper Dublin.
Upper Merion 7-12-13-12 44
Springfield 8-12-10-11 41
Upper Merion: Tatiana Pleasant 5, Amya Anthoney 3, Jordan Wilson 10, Andrea Davis 4, Jessica Michael 12, Amber Owen 2, Maddie Harvey 2, Anna Davis 6.
Springfield: Grace Barraclough 10, Molly Dugan 15, Maura Ryan 10, Jamy Krewson 2, Siana Wynn 2, Rachel Harmon 2.
UPPER DUBLIN 44, WISSAHICKON 21
The Flying Cardinals raced to a 20-5 halftime lead and never looked back on their way to the decisive win.
Allison Chernow led a balanced UD scoring attack with 11 points to go along with three steals. Nicole Kaiser had nine points and five rebounds, and Josie Barrett had eight points and three rebounds. Ashley Barber had a team high nine rebounds and also contributed seven points, three assists and three blocks in a solid all-around performance.
Lexi Carradorini’s six points led the Trojans.
Upper Dublin (17-4, 13-0 SOL) will host Springfield Township in Thursday’s conference finale, and Wissahickon (3-17, 2-11) will be on the road at Cheltenham.
Upper Dublin 13-7-11-13 44
Wissahickon 2-3-10-6 21
NORRISTOWN 60, UPPER MORELAND 16
Sunday, Jan. 31
CARDINAL O'HARA 65, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 50
Don't be fooled by the final score.
The Bucks hung with the state's top-ranked Class AAAA team for three-and-a-half quarters at the Blue Chip Super Sunday at Spring-Ford High School. They were deadlocked 23-23 at halftime and trailed by just two heading into the final quarter (41-39). O'Hara made some big shots and capitalized on its opportunities at the foul line down the stretch to outscore the Bucks 24-11 in the fourth quarter, but not before the Bucks proved they belonged.
Makenzie Mason led the Bucks with 18 points, which included a pair of three-pointers and a 3-for-4 effort at the foul line. Maggie Rakowsky scored 10, and Molly Rodenbaugh added eight, which included a pair of threes.
Mackenzie Gardler (26 points) and Mary Sheehan (23 points) did most of the damage for O'Hara.
Central Bucks West 14-9-16-11 50
Cardinal O'Hara 10-13-18-24 65
Central Bucks West: Makenzie Mason 18, Maggie Rakowsky 10, Maddie Maio 2, Tori Abelson 4, Abby Spratt 3, Izzy Treon 4, Molly Rodenbaugh 8.
Cardinal O'Hara: Mary Sheehan 23, Mackenzie Gardler 26, Hannah Nihill 7, Maura Henderixson 5, Kristen Denoncour 4.
About the Author
