Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Monday.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 57, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 33
Haley Meinel filled up the stat sheet on Monday night.
The junior guard led all scorers with 19 points, but that only tells part of the story. Meinel ignited the Titans all over the court, collecting three steals and three rebounds in the opening frame to effectively set the tone for her team’s strong start.
“I think the best thing she does for us is she brings a quickness and an intensity that she just has – it’s innate in her,” coach Beth Mattern said. “That really helps jumpstart us when we can rely on her to do what she does best.”
The Titans took a lead they would not lose when Lexi Edwards buried a three-pointer with 4:50 remaining in the first quarter, giving South a 3-2 lead and marking the beginning of an 11-0 run. Alexa Brodie coasted in for a layup after a steal that was set up by a Meinel deflection on the defensive end.
Melissa Veal and Maddie McShane both connected on a pair at the foul line, and then Brodie came up with a steal and found Meinel for the finish on a fast break, giving the Titans an 11-2 lead and prompting North to call a quick timeout.
“We didn’t really know much about their team,” Meinel said. “We just knew we had to be really tough, go after loose balls and play help defense on them.
“We love to run transition, and tough defense really helps us on the offensive end.”
It was a 15-6 game after one quarter. A pair of Dana Bandurick foul shots to open the second quarter made it a seven-point game, but Meinel turned a steal into a layup at the other end to give the Titans a 17-8 lead. The Titans stretched that lead to 21-10 midway through the quarter when Brodie found Meinel for an easy bucket after an Indian turnover.
It was still an 11-point game after a McShane bucket with 2:40 remaining, but then the Indians came to life offensively. Bandurick buried a pair at the foul line, and when she scored with 1:25 remaining in the half, the Indians trailed by just four (24-20). Meinel answered with a basket at the other end, but back-to-back baskets by Emily Mackin and Becca Margolis made it a 26-24 game with 30 seconds remaining.
If there was a turning point, it came in the closing seconds when Meinel was fouled on a desperation shot in the corner. She sank all three foul shots, sending the Titans into halftime with a 29-24 lead.
“Lucky for me they fouled me because if not I think I probably would have gotten in trouble,” Meinel said with a laugh. “I think that just boosts our confidence and helped us come back out strong.”
“The three foul shots at the end of the first half were clutch,” Mattern said. “In the second quarter they were scoring, and we were struggling on the defensive end a little bit. That just gave us a little bit of a cushion and momentum that we needed going into halftime.
“We talked about tightening up our defense in the second half. It may have taken us until the fourth quarter to tighten up a little bit more, but I thought all night, for the most part, we were executing fairly well. The attention to detail that the girls are paying on defense is really paying off.”
A bucket by Mackin to open the second half made it a three-point game, but Meinel sank a pair at the foul line, and back-to-back buckets by Meghan Kuypers gave the Titans a 35-26 lead. They took a 43-31 lead into the fourth quarter and never looked back, allowing just nine points in the second half – only two in the fourth quarter, both on foul shots.
“This really boosts our confidence and will help us come out strong in these next games coming up,” Meinel said.
The Titans (3-0) are off until Friday when they will travel to Pennridge for their SOL Continental Conference opener. Council Rock North (0-1) will host William Tennent in a non-league game on Tuesday.
Council Rock North 6-18-7-2 33
Central Bucks South 15-14-14-14 57
Council Rock North (33) – Becca Margolis 7, Emily Mackin 7, Dana Bandurick 10, Hannah Weiler 4, Mackenzie Tinner 5.
Central Bucks South (57) – Natalie DeSandro 2, Melissa Veal 6, Meghan Kuypers 7, Haley Meinel 19, Alexa Brodie 13, Maddie McShane 4, Lexi Edwards 6.
LOWER MORELAND 45, HATBORO-HORSHAM 44
This one came down to the wire, and things looked promising for the Hatters when Julia Thornton connected on a runner in the paint with seven seconds remaining to put the visitors on top by one. That, however, proved to be enough time for Rachel Millan to dribble the length of the court and draw a foul as she was going in for a layup.
Mullin capped a glittering 24-point performance by burying both foul shots to give the Lions the win in Monday’s non-league thriller.
Thornton had a big night for the Hatters, collecting a double-double with 13 points an 10 rebounds. Katie Fisher added 11 points while Kylie Halko had eight. Bergen Sims added six points and five steals, and Lexie Brett had six points to close out the scoring.
Hatboro-Horsham (1-2) will open SOL American Conference play on Friday at Upper Moreland.
Hatboro-Horsham (44) – Bergen Sims 6, Julia Thornton 13, Kylie Halko 8, Katie Fisher 11, Lexie Brett 6.
Lower Moreland (45) – Riley Malone 6, Jimia Davis 2, Alison Asman 2, Alex Krutsinger 2, Ceili Corduff 6, Rachel Millan 24, Nicole Caster 3.
AUDENRIED CHARTER 45, CHELTENHAM 41
The Lady Panthers hung with their visitors in Monday’s non-league game, but Audenried Charter ‘s Jakyra Stamps proved to be unstoppable in the fourth quarter. Cheltenham trailed by just two (30-28) heading into the final frame when the first team All-Public League guard went to work, scoring 11 of her game-high 19 points and leading Audenried to the win.
Danielle Brown – who had eight first-half points – led the Lady Panthers with nine points. Mia Leonard and Courtney Murray had eight points each.
The Panthers struggled at the foul line, connecting on just 14-of-33.
Cheltenham (0-2) will travel to Unionville for a non-league game on Wednesday.
Audenried Charter 13-13-4-15 45
Cheltenham 10-13-5-13 41
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