Neshaminy and North Penn will do battle in a PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal game on Friday night at Spring-Ford High School (6:30 p.m.). Check back for a complete recap.
Dan Marsh doesn’t make a habit of wearing an orange suit and top hat, but the Abington coach was more than happy to do just that to settle a score with the North Penn Lady Knights.
His grand entrance at the end of Thursday’s practice – decked out in orange – was greeted by applause from players and coaches alike, and then he delivered a simple message to the Lady Knights.
“I officially apologize – North Penn is better than Perk Valley,” Marsh said. “Hopefully, North Penn is state champs this year. If we can’t win it, you win it.”
Marsh invited the players to throw dodge balls he’d brought – which they did as the Ghosts’ coach stood at midcourt, and he followed that by treating the Lady Knights to pizza.
The chain of events leading up to Thursday’s appearance began after the Ghosts fell to second-seeded Perk Valley 52-39 in a second round district game. After the game, Marsh was quoted as saying, “No disrespect to North Penn, but I have a hard time seeing anyone beating this team.” The quote set off a chain of events.
“After I’d said that, I was talking to (Sam) Carangi’s aunt, who I’m friends with, and I was like, ‘If (North Penn) wins, I’ll wear an orange suit,’” Marsh said. “I sent a picture of an orange suit. She’s like, ‘Oh, you’re on,’ but they didn’t get there.”
A seemingly inevitable date in the district finals between the top-seeded Lady Knights and second-seeded PV never happened, thanks to Central Bucks South’s upset of North Penn in overtime in the district quarterfinals. It looked as though the debate would never be resolved until the Vikings captured the district crown and the Lady Knights finished fifth in districts, setting up a potential second round date in the state tournament.
Both teams took care of business, winning opening round games, and the long-awaited showdown took place Tuesday night with the Lady Knights earning a hard fought 55-52 win. The little matter of Marsh wearing an orange suit was back on the table.
“They faced (Perk Valley) in the second round, so here we are,” said Marsh, who was accompanied by several of his players. “I was kidding about the suit until we found out we actually could have it.”
The suit – a Dumb & Dumber Lloyd tux – is the property of sophomore Sam Brusha’s father, Joe Brusha, who was more than happy to lend it to the Ghosts’ coach.
Marsh’s quote – enlarged many times over – was the focal point of a laminated poster, providing motivation for the Lady Knights.
“We wanted to show him it wasn’t true, but we wanted to focus on winning the game first and then proving it to him,” junior captain Jess Huber said. “It’s all really fun, and I’m impressed that he actually followed through with what he said he was going to do.”
Coach Maggie deMarteleire echoed similar sentiments.
“He texted me the day after the quote, and I was like, ‘I’m not upset,’” the Lady Knights’ coach said. “I wasn’t upset.
“Perk Valley did win the district championship. He was a good sport about coming over here, and at this time of year, it’s kind of getting long. For the kids, it was a nice change of pace to have some fun with it. It was very kind of him to come all the way over here and bring the pizza. For him to wear the orange suit – nobody else could pull it off.”
Neshaminy vs. North Penn: Round 3 – Neshaminy and North Penn know just about everything there is to know about each other. The two SOL teams – who met in the SOL Tournament and in a District One AAAA seeding game – will do battle for a third time in Friday’s PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal game at Spring-Ford High School (6:30 p.m.).
Although the Lady Knights won both meetings – 44-39 in the SOL tournament and 57-29 in a district seeding game, they are not taking the game lightly.
“We’re not even focusing on the other two games,” junior Jess Huber said. “We’re pretending this is our first game against them.
“We’re going to execute our game plan against them, and we’re going to try to be confident but not overlook them.”
The Redskins know they face a daunting task against a North Penn squad that was seeded first in districts.
“It’s funny because people at school will say, ‘The third time’s the charm,’ and obviously, that’s what every one is hoping,” senior captain Morgan Goldenbaum said. “They’re obviously a great team – they’re really well coached, they have great players.
“It’s going to be tough, but if we come out, play the best we can and do everything we did at practice, we have a chance.”
The Redskins will once again be the underdog, a role they’re more than familiar with.
“We’ve been in that situation a lot,” Goldenbaum said. “I don’t think people expected Neshaminy to be in the final eight in states, which is so great.
“We never thought we would be in this position. When we won our league undefeated, that was already crazy enough for us. We thought getting in the Sweet 16 in states was crazy too. In five games now, we’ve been playing a seed that’s higher than us. Each game we’re thinking there’s definitely a possibility we could lose, and to get here our team is very thankful. It’s just great.”
The Lady Knights are coming off an emotional battle against district champion Perk Valley.
“It was fun – the energy was high, and I think we all loved it,” Huber said. “Even though it was mostly Perk Valley fans, I think we all thrive in a high energy gym. A team could let that get in their heads, but luckily, we didn’t. We fought through, we were really resilient, and I’m really proud of how we executed the game plan.”
While the Lady Knights must avoid a letdown after their emotional win, the Redskins will have to deal with the not-so-little distraction that they are missing the school’s annual Gym Night.
“It’s like the biggest thing in our school,” Goldenbaum said. “We go to practices for months, and we practice with our team and for our grade.
“It’s a huge thing, and the whole team was very upset.”
Making it an especially bitter pill to swallow for Goldenbaum and her two senior teammates is the fact that the seniors are recognized in a special way at Friday night’s session.
“It’s a big part of Gym Night for the seniors,” the senior captain said. “It’s sad that we miss that, but I was talking to my coach. When I go on in life and go to college, people will ask about high school, and I will say, ‘I went to Gym Night,’ and they’re going to be like, ‘Oh, what’s that?’ I can say, ‘I went to states for basketball,’ and they’re going to say, ‘That’s amazing.’ If I could pick, I would definitely choose states any day. I still get to go the Gym Night the next day.
“This affects everyone on the team. We told jayvee we’d love for them to come, but we understand if some of them want to go to Gym Night because it’s that big of a thing.”
The Lady Knights, according to Huber, found out the hard way against Central Bucks South that two wins over a squad does not necessarily mean there will be a third.
“The district championship game is where we wanted to be, but we knew the loss to South was a wake-up call, and we just wanted to focus every day and not take any game for granted,” the junior captain said. “We first wanted to be (champion) in the district obviously, but a new path has risen for us.
“We’re taking it game by game and focusing on every game.”
(1-5) NORTH PENN vs. (1-7) NESHAMINY (at Spring-Ford High School, Friday, 6:30 p.m.
North Penn
- 28-3 overall
- 14-0 SOL National Conference champions
- Defeated Central Bucks West 48-47 in overtime to capture the SOL Tournament title
- Lady Knights are led by senior forward Mikaela Giuliani (11.9 ppg) and junior point guard Sam Carangi (10.6 ppg).
- Irisa Ye (9.3 ppg), Jess Huber (8.3 ppg), Bri Hewlett (7.5 ppg) and Mia Melchior (5.4 ppg) also are consistent offensive contributors.
- 20-game winning streak snapped for the top-seeded Lady Knights with district quarterfinal loss to Central Bucks South
How they got here:
- In a second round game Tuesday, North Penn survived foul trouble and a late rally by Perk Valley to defeat the District One AAAA champions 55-52. The Lady Knights were led by the 18-point effort of junior Jess Huber. Mikaela Giuliani, who picked up three early fouls, scored 12 points – eight in the pivotal fourth quarter. Sam Carangi and Bri Hewlett both had eight while Irisa Ye had seven.
- In its state opener, North Penn raced to a 32-7 halftime lead on its way to a 59-27 rout of District 12’s second place team, Central High School. Mikaela Giuliani (18 points) and Irisa Ye (17 points) led the Lady Knights.
- In the fifth place game, North Penn used a 23-11 second quarter tear to go into halftime with a 36-19 lead over third-seeded Garnet Valley on its way to a 62-44 rout. Jess Huber led the Lady Knights with 18 points and six steals. Mikaela Giuliani added 12 points and six steals while Irisa Yee also had 12 points. Sam Carangi added 11 points and seven assists.
- In a game for district seeding, North Penn opened up a 32-23 lead over 13th-seeded Neshaminy at halftime and then outscored its visitors 25-6 in the second half on its way to a 57-29 win. Mikaela Giuliani led the Lady Knights with 19 points and seven rebounds. Jess Huber (13 points), Bri Hewlett (11 points) and Sam Carangi (eight points, four assists) also contributed.
- In a district quarterfinal game against eighth-seeded CB South, North Penn – after trailing by 15 late in the third quarter – took a 45-42 lead when Jess Huber converted a three-point play in the closing seconds of regulation. That lead was erased when Jordan Vitelli – after her team took possession under North Penn’s basket with 2.9 seconds remaining – launched a shot from beyond midcourt that fell through the net, tying the score and setting the stage for overtime. The Lady Knights were outscored 12-9 in OT, suffering a heartbreaking 57-54 loss. Bri Hewlett (15 points), Huber (13) and Sam Carangi (12) all finished in double figures for North Penn.
- In the second round, the Lady Knights used a 22-6 second quarter tear to turn a two-point lead into a 34-16 halftime lead on their way to a 64-36 rout of 17th-seeded Penn Wood. Mikaela Giuliani (24 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots), Sam Carangi (18 points, six assists, four steals) and Jess Huber (12 points, five assists, three blocked shots) all turned in huge performances for the Lady Knights.
- In opening round action, the top-seeded Lady Knights made easy business of 32nd-seeded Penncrest, opening up a 41-7 halftime lead on their way to a 63-18 mercy rule win. Mikaela Giuliani scored a game-high 23 points and eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau midway through the second quarter. Irisa Ye (11 points), Jess Huber (10 points) and Bri Hewlett (seven points) also contributed offensively.
Neshaminy
- 23-7 overall
- 14-0 SOL National Conference champions
- Led by co-captains – senior point guard Morgan Goldenbaum and junior Devon Storms
- Freshmen Allison Harvey, the team’s top scorer, and Brooke Mullin are also major contributors.
How they got here:
- In a second round state game, Neshaminy defeated Upper Dublin, District One’s fourth place team, 53-35, using a 14-5 second quarter tear to go on top 25-12 at halftime on their way to the win. Morgan Goldenbaum led a balanced attack with 13 points while Brooke Mullin added 12 and Allison Harvey, 11 points. Devon Storms had nine points.
- In a state opening round game, Neshaminy trailed 20-13 at halftime but rallied to defeat District 2 champion Hazleton 50-41. Freshman Allison Harvey led the ‘Skins with 18 points, and senior Morgan Goldenbaum added 13.
- In the district’s seventh place game, Neshaminy defeated seventh-seeded Conestoga 53-48. Senior point guard Morgan Goldenbaum (16 points, five rebounds, five assists, four steals) led the ‘Skins. Tiara Porterfield and Allison Harvey both added 10 points while Devon Storms had nine points, seven rebounds and four assists.
- In a district seeding game, Neshaminy trailed top-seeded North Penn 32-23 at halftime and then scored just six points in the second half in a 59-25 loss. Brooke Mullin (12 points) and Devon Storms (eight points) led the Redskins.
- In its quarterfinal game at 12th-seeded Downingtown East, Neshaminy led 15-10 after one quarter and 22-19 at halftime, but the Redskins were doomed by a third quarter that saw the Cougars go on a 17-9 tear to earn a 51-46 win. Freshman Allison Harvey had 12 points while Devon Storms and Brooke Mullin both had nine.
- Neshaminy upset fourth-seeded Mount St. Joseph Academy 48-40 in a second round game, opening up a 26-19 halftime lead and never looking back. Devon Storms led the Redskins with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. Freshman Brooke Mullin had 13 points and eight rebounds, and senior point guard Morgan Goldenbaum added seven points, nine rebounds and four assists.
- In an opening round game, Neshaminy rode the big performance of freshman Brooke Mullin (16 points, seven rebounds, eight steals, four blocked shots and three assists) to a 48-31 win over #20 West Chester Henderson. The ‘Skins – who trailed 7-6 after one quarter – took an 18-15 lead into halftime and then outscored Henderson 30-16 in the second half. Freshman Allison Harvey added nine points.
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