Upper Dublin & CB South advanced to Wednesday’s District One AAAA semifinals. Photos of the Neshaminy/Downington East game are courtesy of Jess Garber and can be viewed at the following link: http://JSGarber.zenfolio.com/p104263280. Photos of the North Penn/CB South game are courtesy of Kathy Leister Photography and Keith Clemens. Check back for a gallery.
A pair of SOL teams advanced to Wednesday’s District One AAAA semifinals at Council Rock South. Central Bucks South used some Jordan Vitelli magic to upset top-seeded North Penn, and Upper Dublin turned in yet another remarkable defensive effort to upend third-seeded Garnet Valley. Neshaminy came up just short in its bid to make it three SOL teams in the final four, falling to Downingtown East.
In playback action, Abington rallied from an early deficit to defeat a young Central Bucks West squad that gained valuable postseason experience this year. Council Rock North sent fourth-seeded Mount St. Joseph home for the season while Central Bucks East saw its season end at the hands of Penn Wood.
#8 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 57, #1 NORTH PENN 54 (OT)
Jordan Vitelli acknowledged that perhaps buzzer beaters are becoming a habit.
And quite a habit it is for the CB South sharpshooter. Three days after stunning CB East with a shot just over half court at the buzzer ending the first half of the Titans' 41-37 win, Vitelli did it again.
This one was a shot for the ages.
North Penn was just 2.9 seconds away from celebrating a gutsy come-from-behind win after junior Jess Huber completed a three-point play to put the Lady Knights on top 45-42.
No one apparently told the Titans that 2.9 seconds is not enough time to inbound the ball under the opponent's basket and get a reasonably good shot off. Then again, Vitelli doesn't need a reasonably good shot. She just needs the basketball in her hands somewhere within sight of the hoop.
The Lady Knights found that out as the senior captain – from beyond midcourt – launched a shot that hit nothing but net at the buzzer, stunning everyone who packed North Penn's gym for Saturday's classic.
“I think the team knew that even though there was two seconds left and we were down – we weren’t just going to let them win it,” Vitelli said. “We were going to at least try and get a shot off.
“I got the ball, and I knew there was only two seconds left and I only had a couple of dribbles, and then I just wanted to let it go. I don’t even think I watched it go in. I shot it and then I just kept running to the bench. The whole crowd – the stands went crazy and my team started running at me. I was like, ‘Oh my god, it went in.’ It was just unbelievable.
Vitelli finished with 28 points – including six three-pointers – in a brilliant offensive performance.
“I feel so lucky to have her on my team and to have gotten to coach her the last four years,” coach Beth Mattern said. “I say that about all these girls.
“There couldn’t be a better group that this happened to.”
Although the Titans escaped with the win, the Lady Knights had shown their mettle, battling back from a 15-point deficit late in the third quarter to take a three-point lead as time was about to expire.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” North Penn coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “Our body language wasn’t great, we weren’t really playing that smart, and then, all of a sudden, we started playing with a sense of urgency and with a purpose and really made a great effort.
“We were down by eight (41-33) with three minutes left, so that’s a great effort on our part to be down eight and go up by three in three minutes. Unfortunately for us, Jordan hits that shot. I wish them all the best – they played very well.”
Shots from beyond the arc were commonplace in a contest that saw the two teams combine for 18 three-pointers, which included a pair of Vitelli buzzer beaters – the first one at the end of the first half to send the Titans into the locker room with a 31-22 lead.
Vitelli accounted for six of South’s 10 three-pointers. The Titans had six in the first half – three by Vitelli, two from Alexa Brodie off the bench and one from Taylor Dunn.
“The whole key to beating North Penn is we have to make shots,” Mattern said. “The one thing we had not done against them – we had not made shots.”
In the second quarter, the Titans, who trailed by three after one quarter, exploded for 19 points while limiting the Lady Knights to seven. Vitelli had three triples while Brodie added eight points.
“In the second quarter, our transition defense was not good,” deMarteleire said. “We were getting back and leaving shooters wide open.
“We did a much better job in the second half, and I thought we did a good job of trapping and getting turnovers.”
Neither team generated a whole lot of offense in the third quarter, but after Huber broke a scoring drought of close to four minutes for both squads by burying a pair at the line, Alexa Brodie found Courtney Dietzel for a short jumper. After a North Penn miss, Brodie kicked the ball out to Vitelli, who buried a three to put the Titans on top 36-24, and that lead grew to 39-24 when Brodie found Meghan Kuypers for a three.
A Sam Carangi three-pointer from well beyond the arc made it a 39-27 game heading into the final quarter. Mia Melchior buried a three to open the fourth quarter, but Vitelli scored on a putback of her own miss to give the Titans a 41-30 lead. Another Carangi three-pointer ignited an 11-0 North Penn run that included five points from Bri Hewlett and was capped when Huber connected on a three to knot the score 41-41 with 1:19 on the scoreboard clock.
Vitelli sank one-of-two at the foul line to give the Titans a one-point advantage, but Mikaela Giuliani returned the favor, connecting on one-of-two with 34 seconds remaining to make it a 42-42 game. A South turnover with 11.9 seconds remaining set the stage for the Huber drive and the three-point play with 2.9 seconds remaining. With the North Penn faithful on their feet still celebrating Huber’s clutch play, Vitelli did the unthinkable, taking three dribbles and then launching a shot that fell through the net.
Overtime was not without its share of drama.
Brodie, who scored 10 points off the bench, came up with a steal and bucket to give the Titans the early lead in OT, and after the teams exchanged misses, Kuypers buried a pair at the foul line to make it a 49-45 game, but the Titans were assessed a technical for entering a player into the game who had fouled out.
Carangi buried both shots to make it a two-point game. The Lady Knights’ shot for the tie fell short, and when Chloe Entenberg sank a pair at the line, the Titans led 51-47.
Hewlett, who led the Lady Knights with 15 points, buried a three-pointer from the top of the circle to make it a 51-50 game, but Entenberg connected on one-of-two at the charity stripe. The Titans regained possession after a jump ball, and Vitelli put the finishing touches on her masterpiece, burying a baseline three-pointer. The Lady Knights would get no closer than three.
For those who thought the Titans were taking the air out of the ball in the second half – Mattern insisted that wasn’t the case.
“We actually were still trying to score,” the Titans’ coach said. “(We) were a little conservative, but I’m not going to fault the girls for that at all.
“They really put everything out there on the line. I kept trying to tell them to keep going, but North Penn really buckled down on defense.”
The win over North Penn was the first in three tries for the Titans this season.
"It was a huge redemption game," Brodie said. "Going into the first game, we wanted to win. Going into the second game, we really wanted revenge, but going into the third game with a lot on the line, we really wanted this win.
"The entire week we were just imagining – imagining the bus ride home if we won, imagining what we were going to do after the game as a team. When that final buzzer went with the scoreboard in our favor, it was one of the best feelings in the world. We have a lot of big games coming up, but right now, nothing is bigger than this game."
Central Bucks South (20-5, 11-3 SOL) will face 12th-seeded Downingtown East in a district semifinal game Wednesday at Council Rock South (7:30 p.m.).
“Coming into districts, I really thought I’d be really happy just to make states,” Mattern said. “But then you think about it – it’s taken us 12 years for this opportunity as a program, and if we don’t actually try to take advantage of it, shame on us.
“I thought today we gave it our best shot. We have to keep fighting because we’ll have a big game on Wednesday night.”
Three days after clinching the program’s first ever berth to states, the Titans added another first – a trip to the final four.
“As a senior being on the team since freshman year, it means a lot,” Vitelli said. “Especially to beat the number one team like North Penn – an amazing team and they always will be.
“To even come here and play them again, it was good to have another chance.”
North Penn (24-3, 14-0) will host Neshaminy in the first of two games for state seeding.
“At this point in the tournament, you can’t come out and play two-and-a-half quarters of not smart basketball,” deMarteleire said. “If you had asked me yesterday – are you prepared? I would have said, ‘Yes, we are.’
“When we get tentative on both sides of the ball, that’s when we get in trouble. We need to play more aggressive, more confident, which we did the last 10 minutes of the game. We have to make sure we play smart for 32 minutes.
“It’s not the end of the road. We just have to make sure we come out prepared the next game. Every team we play from now on is going to be a tough game.”
EXTRA SHOTS: The Lady Knights lost Giuliani to five fouls at the 2:16 mark of overtime. “She just is a presence on the court as far as rebounding and being smart and being vocal and being a leader,” deMarteleire said. “When she fouled out, that hurt us.”…Hewlett, Huber (13 points) and Carangi (12 points) led the Lady Knights…Brodie and Kuypers (nine points) combined for 19 points off the bench for the Titans.
Central Bucks South 12-19-8-6-12 57
North Penn 15-7-5-18-9 54
Central Bucks South: Taylor Dunn 5, Chloe Entenberg 3, Jordan Vitelli 28, Courtney Dietzel 2, Meghan Kuypers 9, Alexa Brodie 10.
North Penn: Irisa Ye 5, Mikaela Giuliani 3, Jess Huber 13, Bri Hewlett 15, Sam Carangi 12, Mia Melchior 4.
#6 UPPER DUBLIN 35, #3 GARNET VALLEY 28
Demi Balasa doesn’t need or want to be in the spotlight, but with the Flying Cardinals trailing by one late in Saturday’s quarterfinal game and his team needing a clutch basket, coach Morgan Funsten called the junior forward’s number.
“So many teams don’t realize that she’s a good shooter,” the Flying Cardinals’ coach said. “She’s not a very aggressive shooter, but she’s a good shooter.
“We have a lot of confidence in her, and we drew up a play for her to take a three, and she nailed it.”
Balasa’s trey put the Cardinals on top 30-28. The Jaguars did not score the rest of the way, and the Cardinals sealed the win by burying foul shots down the stretch.
“It’s a great story because she’s the kind of girl that doesn’t like the spotlight,” Funsten said. “She’s there because she loves playing basketball, she loves being around the girls, and she always likes to deflect any praise that you give her.
“It was a lot of fun. You almost have to convince her she should shoot a shot, but she nailed it. She played great all night defensively.”
Defense was once again the story of the game, and Funsten devised a scheme that completely stymied the Jaguars, who scored 66 in a second round win over Spring-Ford and 60 in the opening round.
“They average mid-50s scoring, and our goal going into the game was to have their lowest output of the season,” Funsten said. “They scored 37 in a loss to Springfield-Delco earlier in the year, and that was the number we used.
“We wanted to keep them under that because we know they have a lot of weapons and we know they love getting up and down the floor. We tried to keep them under 37.”
Early in the game, according to Funsten, both teams missed a lot of shots and also turned the ball over. It was a 7-7 game after one quarter, the Cardinals took a 15-13 lead into halftime and still led 20-16 heading into the final quarter.
“It was the way a lot of our games have been going,” Funsten said. “We had the upper hand for most of the first half and the third quarter.
“I felt like we were going to get over the hump and get some separation in the third quarter. We got some good shots, and nothing fell. We obviously kept doing it on the defensive end.”
The Jaguars knotted the score 21-21, but Ashley Barber, who was fouled pulling down a rebound, buried both ends of a one-and-one to give the Cards a two-point edge.
“That was the first big play of the fourth quarter,” said Funsten.
There were more to come.
Garnet Valley came back to knot the score 23-23.
“Pretty much any point they scored was in transition tonight because in the half court we really, really controlled them defensively,” Funsten said. “We made a little bit of mistake when it was tied 23, and they had an and-one that they completed the three-point play, and we got down 26-23.
“That was really the first time the entire game we’d been down. At that time, Garnet Valley was playing us in a triangle-and-two on (Allison) Chernow and (Josie) Barrett, and it was giving us some trouble.
“Josie found a way to get loose and made a big-time three. It was within seven or eight seconds of them completing a three-point play to take the lead. It was a huge shot by Josie to tie the game (26-26).”
When Alison Gouveia connected on the front end of a one-and-one, the Cards led by one, but with two minutes remaining, the Jaguars went back on top by one after Maddie Ireland buried a pair at the foul line, setting the stage for Balasa’s big three that turned out to be the game winner.
Barrett led the Cards with nine points while Balasa had eight points and eight rebounds. Barber added seven points and nine rebounds, and Allison Chernow had six points and five rebounds.
“Ashley Barber did a great job defensively,” Funsten said. “Allison Chernow defensively covered McAteer.
“She’s a 5-11 freshman and we’re asking Chernow, a 5-7 guard, to cover this 5-11 phenom who had 48 points in her last two games. For Chernow to hold her to two was awesome.”
Ireland and Nicole Barnes let the Jaguars with 10 points each.
Upper Dublin (21-5, 14-0 SOL) will take on second-seeded Perkiomen Valley in a district semifinal game at Council Rock South High School on Wednesday (6 p.m.)
Upper Dublin 7-8-5-15 35
Garnet Valley 7-6-3-12 28
Upper Dublin: Josie Barrett 9, Alison Gouveia 5, Allison Chernow 6, Demi Balasa 8, Ashley Barber 7.
Garnet Valley: Maddie Ireland 10, Emily McAteer 2, Nicole Barnes 10, Sam Tomasetti 1, Brianne Borcky 5.
#12 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 51, #13 NESHAMINY 46
The game started off on a promising enough note for the Redskins, who led 15-10 after one quarter and took a 22-19 lead into halftime. The Cougars used a 17-9 quarter to take a lead they would not lose.
Paige Warfel turned in a monster performance for the Cougars, finishing with 27 points and 20 rebounds. Nineteen of her points came at the foul line where she connected on 19-of-25. All told, the Cougars took 33 foul shots to just nine for the Redskins. Take away Warfel’s big performance at the line, and her teammates were a combined 1-for-7.
Only three players scored for the Cougars, who received 12 points from both Laura Ochsner and Aryah Aungst.
Freshman Allison Harvey led the Redskins with 12 points, which included three three-pointers. Brooke Mullin and Devon Storms each added nine, and Thyra Tuttle had eight. Morgan Goldenbaum had five assists.
“We needed to play better defense, and I needed to do a better job,” coach Joe Lally said. “We’re a better team than them.
“Now we have a long road against a really (angry) North Penn team.”
Neshaminy (20-6, 14-0 SOL) will travel to North Penn on Wednesday as the four teams that fell in the quarterfinals will play off for fifth through eighth place.
Neshaminy 15-7-9-15 46
Downingtown East 10-9-17-15 51
Neshaminy: Morgan Goldenbaum 4, Devon Storms 9, Emily Alexis 4, Thyra Tuttle 8, Allison Harvey 12, Brooke Mullin 9.
Downingtown East: Paige Warfel 27, Laura Ochsner 12, Aryah Aungst 12.
Playback Games
#18 ABINGTON 55, #10 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 47
West came out of the gate on fire. Four different players buried three-pointers as the Bucks raced to a 24-14 lead after one quarter. Makenzie Mason scored eight points in the quarter and Maggie Rakowsky added six.
“I don’t think we’ve given up 24 points in the first quarter the whole year,” coach Dan Marsh said. “They were just going bonkers.
“At one point, I called a timeout and said, ‘This is about pride now. You’ve got to get some stops or your season is over.’”
The Ghosts responded, limiting the Bucks to just 23 points the rest of the way. By halftime, the two teams were deadlocked 32-32. Lizzie O’Leary led the Ghosts with 11 points in the opening half while Sammy Lochner had eight.
“We dug in and we played defense, and that’s what it’s about this time of year,” Marsh said. “Especially against CB West, you can’t let them catch and shoot. You’ve got to make those kids put the ball on the floor. You’ve got to make them uncomfortable.
“They’re good enough that if you let them catch and shoot – they’re going to make them. West had nothing to lose.”
The Ghosts outscored the Bucks 12-9 in the third quarter and 11-6 in the fourth, notching the win and a date with 11th-seeded Bishop Shanahan on Wednesday with a state playoff berth at stake.
Saturday’s playback game was a rematch of last year’s district title game. The Bucks – minus five key seniors from the defending district champion and state runner-up squad – surprised just about everyone but themselves with a remarkable season that included finishing in a tie for second in the Continental Conference and earning a trip to the SOL Championship game where they fell in overtime to North Penn.
“For us it was kind of a disappointment to be in this situation because we had high expectations,” Marsh said. “All the pressure was on us, and they came out like they had no pressure.
“Fortunately, we were able to respond.”
O’Leary, who dominated the paint, led all scorers with 19 points to go along with 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. The junior center was a perfect 11-for-11 at the foul line.
“We were pounding it inside,” Marsh said. “I said to Lizzie before the game – ‘You need to stop looking pass first, and you need to score first. This is the time of year where the great players take over. You need to dominate, not for you but for your seniors. Don’t let their season end tonight.’
“Lizzie is an unselfish kid. She wants to pass first, she wants to do those type of things, but since we approached it like – don’t let you seniors lose, she went in there and did her thing. She was very good tonight.”
Lochner had 13 points and six assists. Britney James added eight, Leah Simmons had seven points, and Sam Brusha had six on a pair of threes.
“I’m actually very proud that we scored 55 points on them because we know scoring 50 points on West is tough because they’re so good defensively and they’re always in your face,” Marsh said. “We were able to play at our pace and our way.
“For us to drop 50 on them is a pretty good thing. West is tough.”
Mason led the Bucks with 11 points. Freshman Izzy Treon added nine, Rakowsky had eight and Alex Burkauskas added seven.
Central Bucks West (11-3 SOL) closed out its season with an 18-9 record. Abington (18-7, 12-2) will travel to 11th-seeded Bishop Shanahan with a trip to the state tournament at stake for the winner.
“If we win, we’re in states, and that’s where we want to be,” Marsh said. “This has been a learning year. It’s very similar to Deja Rawls’ sophomore year where we were very young in key positions and we had to learn.
“I said to them – get to the states and we start over. Everyone is 0-0.”
Abington 14-18-12-11 55
Central Bucks West 24-8-9-6 47
Abington: Britney James 8, Sammy Lochner 13, Lizzie O’Leary 19, Leah Simmons 7, Sam Brusha 6, Miranda Liebtage 2.
Central Bucks West: Alex Burkauskas 7, Abby Spratt 1, Maddie Maio 3, Molly Rodebaugh 2, Makenzie Mason 11, Tori Abelson 4, Mari Casale 2, Izzy Treon 9, Maggie Rakowsky 8.
#24 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 46, #4 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH 42
The Indians continued to play the role of giant killer. One week after sending fifth-seeded Boyertown home for the season, Rock North sent the fourth-seeded Magic home. Once again, a key was the Indians’ ability to take their opponent’s big gun – on Saturday Libby Tacka – out of the game. The Magic’s 1,000-point scorer finished with five points.
“It was just like when we were up at Boyertown and Sam (Saifer) and Dana (Bandurick) took care of (Abby) Kapp,” coach Lou Palkovics said. “They did it again today. Kaelin Mealey played her a lot too.”
The Indians also capitalized on their size advantage inside. Mackenzie Tinner led all scorers with 16 points and added 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double. Hannah Weiler added four points, nine rebounds, two blocks and three assists.
“I told them, ‘If we’re going to win, you two need to have huge games,” Palkovics said. “Mackenzie went crazy in the second half.”
Tinner scored 11 of her 16 points in the second half.
The Indians, who trailed by one at the end of one quarter, took a 19-16 lead into halftime, but the Mount rallied to go on top 31-29 at the end of three quarters. The Indians – sparked by their trapping defense – closed out the game with a 17-11 fourth quarter surge.
Rock North’s win brought an end to the season for the Mount and also marked the end of John Miller’s legendary coaching career.
“He’s been one of the best girls’ coaches in Pennsylvania, but he’s also one of my mentors,” said Palkovics, who earned his first win over Miller. “I told my players, ‘He doesn’t want to get beat by a stranger, but he’s okay with me beating him, all right guys?’
“I said it right after the game at Downingtown East, I said it at practice and I said it today. He’s a class act.”
Council Rock North (14-10, 10-4 SOL) will travel to 17th-seeded Penn Wood for a playback game on Wednesday with the winner earning a state berth.
Council Rock North8-11-10-17 46
Mount St. Joseph 9-7-15-11 42
Council Rock North: Becca Margolis 9, Camryn Polinsky 4, Megan Haggerty 6, Kaelin Mealey 4, Dana Bandurick 3, Mackenzie Tinner 16, Hannah Weiler 4.
Mount St. Joseph: Libby Tacka 5, Kristen Lucas 2, Caitlyn Cunningham 10, Julie Hoover 14, Sarah Wills 4, Ashley Smith 7.
#17 PENN WOOD 48, #24 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 39
East led by one after one quarter and took a 21-20 lead into halftime, but Penn Wood outscored the visiting Patriots in both the third and fourth quarters on its way to a win that brought an end to East’s season.
Senior Kyra Scaliti led the Patriots with 11 points. Bridget Birkhead added nine, Grace Stewart had seven, and Bailey McManus, six points.
East had no answer for Dahnye Redd, who led all scorers with 25 points.
Central Bucks East (7-7 SOL) closed out its season with a 13-12 record.
Central Bucks East 9-12-7-11 39
Penn Wood 8-12-13-15 48
Central Bucks East: Bridget Birkhead 9, Kyra Scaliti 11, Bailey McManus 6, Melanie Wetzel 2, Bri Talbot 4, Grace Stewart 7.
Penn Wood: Dahnye Redd 25, Samantha Dillon 2, Gabrielle Hairston 3, Joy Morton 1, Matthews 2, Carle Andrews 10, Khaliah Gordon 5.
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