Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday.
Continental Conference
SOUDERTON 35, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 29
Sometimes it’s just a matter of believing. Believing you can compete, believing you can win.
That’s the message coach Lynn Carroll was trying to convey to her players heading into Friday’s game against a Titan squad that boasted an 11-1 record.
“I’m not sure over the course of the last two weeks in a very difficult conference how many times our girls stepped on the court thinking they were going to win,” the Indians’ coach said. “I challenged them before the game today and reminded them how much progress they made towards the end of last season and, with some additions, how much better we are – believe you’re going to win the game.
“We talked about it halftime, and I felt like we played with more confidence on both ends of the court. They played like they thought they were going to win and they really wanted to win.”
The Indians – or more specifically Megan Walbrandt – came out on the attack. Three times in the first quarter the sophomore guard was fouled going to the basket. She sank all six foul shots.
“Me personally, I just knew what gets me excited and ready to play is to attack the basket,” Walbrandt said. “It puts them in foul trouble and gives us easy shots.
“I was just feeling it, I guess. We practiced (foul shots) a lot at practice yesterday, and if I was going to drive to the basket, it was all for nothing if I didn’t make my foul shots.”
“She’s been really doing that all year,” Carroll said. “She had a few games where she just couldn’t seem to finish, and she was putting a lot of pressure on herself, but it doesn’t deter her.
“She knows she can get to the basket, she knows it’s what the team needs and it’s what we’re asking her to do, and she does it so well. She’s getting to the foul line and making her foul shots, which is a big part of why we won the game tonight.”
South suffered a setback when Alexa Brodie was whistled for her second foul in the first quarter and spent a major portion of the half watching from the bench.
“Alexa being in foul trouble in the first half and she got banged up a little bit and was out in the second half – obviously, they want Alexa on the court for 32 minutes, and they didn’t have that, but I felt no matter who was on the court we really defended well,” Carroll said.
The Titans, who led 10-8 after one quarter, still led 12-8 after Meghan Kuypers found a cutting Haley Meinel for an easy bucket early in the second quarter. A Lexi Edwards three-pointer put the Titans on top 15-10 with 3:31 remaining in the half.
The Indians closed out the quarter with a 9-0 run. They took a 17-15 lead when sophomore Megan Bealer buried a three-pointer with 1:15 remaining, and a drive by Alana Cardona sent Souderton into halftime with an 19-15 lead.
“One big thing on defense this game was just talking,” Cardona said. “Calling out the picks was huge because South is known for coming off the picks and shooting a three, so calling them out right away allowed our teammates to get over them and defend them better.”
The Titans erased the Indians’ four-point lead when Meinel turned a pair of steals into layups at the other end to open the third quarter.
“I was hard on Haley at halftime, and I was really proud of her and the way she came out,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “I thought she read those two passes great, and she finished her layups. I thought that was going to be the thing that ignited us.”
The Titans took a 26-25 lead into the final quarter, thanks to a three-point play by Lindsay Scott in the closing seconds of the third. Cardona – who saved her best for last – turned a Kate Connolly pass into a basket on the low post, and after Sami Falencki sank a pair at the foul line, Cardona converted a Walbrandt pass into another bucket on the low post, and the Indians led 31-26.
“That was big,” Carroll said. “They were good passes, and they weren’t quick. They were 20 seconds into the offense. We were patient, we had the courage to throw it, and Alana went and got it, had two nice moves and finished.”
Brodie sank one-of-two from the foul line, but Cardona found Connolly for a bucket down low to put the Indians on top 33-27. A bucket by Veal made it a four-point game, and a Souderton turnover gave the Titans a chance to get closer, but Walbrandt delivered a definitive block to bring an end to that threat.
“Oh my gosh, if I would have fouled her, I would have cried,” Walbrandt said. “I know Alana was like, ‘Don’t foul, don’t foul,’ and then I went up for it. Thank God I blocked it.”
With 20 seconds remaining, Cardona sank both ends of a one-and-one, and a Souderton win was all but assured.
“With the past couple of games we had, we had a tough loss against North Penn and West, but at the beginning of the game, we were just like, ‘Have fun out there,’” Cardona said. “Our coach said before the game, ‘Play to win, want to win,’ and I think that helped us win, having that in the back of our heads – let’s just go out there and play our game like we do in practice. Don’t worry about anything else – just having fun and playing basketball. I think that’s what helped us keep our composure throughout their runs.”
“We all knew we had to play together tonight,” Walbrandt said. “When people are down, we have to pick them back up.
“We can’t have one person doubting themselves. I know when I missed a couple of layups, my friend Megan Bealer turned to me and said, ‘Megan, pull yourself together.’ I think that’s a major key in all of our wins because we always play together. We’re such good friends and it helps us pull ourselves together when we get down.”
Walbrandt, who was 9-for-10 from the foul line, led the Indians with 11 while Bealer and Cardona each had eight. Cardona also had four rebounds. Connolly led the Indians under the boards with seven rebounds and two blocks.
“(South) is such a well-rounded team,” Walbrandt said. “They were 11-1, they beat North Penn and CB West, and we knew if we could beat this team – we have the talent to beat those teams, so I think that was a major turning point for our season.”
As a team, the Indians connected on 15-of-19 foul shots or 79 percent.
“We’re shooting 55 percent for the season, so that’s great,” Carroll said.
Scott and Meinel led the Titans with six points each.
Both teams will participate in Saturday’s SOL Challenge. Souderton (9-3, 4-2 SOL) will face Council Rock South at William Tennent at 3 p.m. Central Bucks South (11-2, 4-2) will take on Hatboro-Horsham at Central Bucks West at 11 a.m.
Central Bucks South 10-5-11-3 29
Souderton 8-11-6-10 35
Central Bucks South (29) – Lindsay Scott 6, Meghan Kuypers 3, Melissa Veal 4, Haley Meinel 6, Alexa Brodie 5, Lexi Edwards 5.
Souderton (35) – Tori Dowd 2, Megan Bealer 8, Alana Cardona 8, Megan Walbrandt 11, Sami Faencki 4, Kate Connolly 2.
NORTH PENN 43, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 29
It hadn’t been the best of weeks for the Knights with both Jess Huber and Sam Carangi battling illnesses. Huber missed two days of school and Carangi made a visit to the emergency room on Thursday, but both showed up at school on Friday and gutted it out on the court.
“They really dug deep,” coach Maggie deMarteleire said.
Both delivered gritty performances in a contest that saw the Knights rally from a 14-8 deficit at the end of one quarter to go into halftime with a 20-19 lead.
“We were not getting back on defense in the first quarter, and to CB East’s credit, they took advantage of it,” deMarteleire said. “Bridget Birkhead definitely has range.
“She hit a couple of threes from pretty far out in the first half and had 11 points at halftime.”
The Knights turned up the defensive pressure in the second half and also found their offensive stride in a third quarter that saw four players – Carangi, Irisa Ye, Jess Huber and Bri Hewlett – connect on three-pointers. Hewlett’s nine points led an 18-8 third quarter tear by the Knights, who opened up a 38-27 lead.
Hewlett led the Knights with 15 points.
“Bri Hewlett had a very, very solid game, and she defended Birkhead and particularly in the second half did a nice job on her,” deMarteleire said.
Ye added 10 points, and Huber had nine.
“Jess Huber was on,” deMarteleire said. “She hit two threes in the second quarter, which helped get us back and then put us ahead. She hit a three to start out the third. Her three threes kind of got us going.”
Carangi scored nine points and pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds – 10 defensive.
“It was a good win for us,” deMarteleire said. “The kids really dug deep, and I was really proud of them.
“When you don’t have two of your leaders playing at 100 percent, other kids stepped up, and Sam and Jess pressed on.”
Birkhead finished with a game-high 17 for the Patriots, who saw their five-game winning streak snapped.
North Penn (9-2, 4-2 SOL) will face Episcopal Academy on Sunday in the Maggie Lucas Classic at Philadelphia University at 5:30 p.m. Central Bucks East (6-5, 3-3) will face Council Rock North on the Indians’ home court at 3 p.m. as part of Saturday’s SOL Challenge.
Central Bucks East 14-5-8-2 29
North Penn 8-12-18-5 43
Central Bucks East (29) – Bridget Birkhead 17, Megan Browne 4, Bailey McManus 2, Bri Talbot 4, Abby Charlton 2
North Penn (43) – Irisa Ye 10, Jess Huber 9, Sam Carangi 7, Carley Adams 2, Bri Hewlett 15.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 42, WILLIAM TENNENT 23
The Bucks, who led 19-4 after one quarter, showcased their ability to burn teams from long range. They connected on five three-pointers in the first quarter and eight in a half that saw them open up a 30-12 lead. Diane Nicholson had eight first-quarter points, which included two threes. Molly Rodebaugh also had a pair of threes in the opening frame.
Things slowed down considerably in the second half for the Bucks, who didn’t score a point in the third quarter and managed just 12 in the second half.
“I thought our defense wasn’t that bad in the first half – West just didn’t miss many shots from the three,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “The adjustments we needed to make at halftime were closing out to the shooters better, being more patient and playing smarter offensively.
“I was really proud of how we played as a team tonight. We never gave up. We have talked a lot the last two days about playing more together and with more emotion. I thought we really played inspired tonight and proved that we are going to fight every game.”
The Bucks buried nine three-pointers in the game. Nicholson – who scored a team-high 13 – accounted for three of those. Rodebaugh added nine points, and Maddie Burke had seven.
Kyla Gibson led the Panthers with 11 points, and Brianna Broccardi had eight.
Central Bucks West (10-2, 5-1 SOL) will face Neshaminy on Sunday in the Maggie Lucas Classic at Philadelphia University at 7 p.m. William Tennent (4-9, 0-6) will host Pennsbury in the SOL Challenge on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Central Bucks West 19-11-0-12 42
William Tennent 4-8-6-5 23
Central Bucks West (42) – Abbey Spratt 4, Diane Nicholson 13, Molly Rodebaugh 9, Maddie Burke 7, Tori Abelson 4, Maggie Rakowsky 5.
William Tennent (23) – Kyla Gibson 11, Emma Stanfield 4, Brianna Broccardi 8.
American Conference
WISSAHICKON 36, QUAKERTOWN 35
The Trojans are keeping things interesting for their coaches and fans this season, rallying from behind to eke out yet another exciting win.
“I’ve learned how to stay calm to the naked eye, but I’m not really that calm inside,” coach Rodney Cline said. “Like Barack Obama, I’ve aged.”
The Trojans found themselves on the short end of an 18-12 halftime score.
“The first half we couldn’t have played any worse,” Cline said. “We had open looks, but we just could not knock down shots. Nothing went in.
“We came in at halftime, and we said, ‘Hey, look, turn the page, let it go. Put that half behind us. Let’s go out there and play our game. Do the little things. Play our defense. Pressure them and make sure we communicate, stay together and stay positive the entire time.’ All that being said, we were only down by six points.”
The Trojans opened the second half with a 5-0 run, and the Panthers answered with a 4-0 run. The Panthers still trailed 27-23 heading into the final quarter.
“With about two minutes to go, we’re down by (four),” Cline said. “All of a sudden Victoria Selverian hits a three-point shot off the backboard. They come down and hit a two-point shot, and now we’re down by three with 1:49 to go.”
A jump shot by Julianne Griffin from the top of the key banked in to make it a one-point game.
“We play defense, we tried to play disciplined because we were in the penalty,” Cline said. “We steal the ball, a push is called on them, and with 14 seconds left, Brianna Tilghman goes to the free throw line for a one-and-one. Her first shot hits off the front of the rim, hits the backboard and goes in to tie the ball game up.
“I’m pacing, I’m not looking. I’m trying to stay as calm as possible. She shoots the second one. It hits off the front of the rim, back of the rim, rolls around the side of the rim and then it goes in.”
There was still the not-so-little matter of keeping the Panthers off the board, and the Trojans – after a timeout by Cline – did just that.
“We said, ‘Influence, but don’t foul. Move your feet, stay in front,’” Cline said. “We fullcourt pressured them.
“They finally get it on their side of the court, and a shot goes up – and a huge blockout by Carly Fadel on (Jill) Martin and the ball goes out of bounds off of them. It’s our ball with two seconds left to go. We call a timeout, throw it long, run the clock out and win the game.
“We persevered because last year we wouldn’t have been able to do that. Just the maturity and growth of these girls has been a blessing to watch. I’m just so happy for them.”
Panther coach Brittany Remmey credited both teams.
“Wissahickon played a very competitive game,” she said. “They did a great job pressuring and executing their game plan.
“Our girls did as well. I’m still very proud of them. Jill Martin dominated in the post this game as well as making great passes during pressure.”
Martin had a game-high 17 points. Marina Cooke added seven and Caitlin Rosenberger, six.
“They made some shots, and Martin really played well,” Cline said. “We had to make some adjustments on her. Our girls went out there and executed, never put their heads down, played hard the whole time.”
Tilghman led the Trojans with 14 points while Griffin added nine.
Both teams will participate in Saturday’s SOL Challenge. Wissahickon (8-4, 4-3 SOL) will take on Neshaminy at Bensalem at 11 a.m., and Quakertown will host Bensalem at 4:30 p.m.
Quakertown 5-13-9-8 35
Wissahickon 4-8-11-13 36
Quakertown (35) – Maggie Garlick 3, Roni Best 2, Marina Cooke 7, Caitlin Rosenberger 6, Jill Martin 17.
Wissahickon (36) – Brianna Tilghman 14, Carolina Mack 2, Hilma Meiby 4, Julianne Griffin 9, Victoria Selverian 3, Carly Fadel 4.
UPPER DUBLIN 48, CHELTENHAM 30
The Flying Cardinals raced to a 9-0 lead and led 17-10 after one quarter. Josie Barrett had the hot hand, scoring 10 points in the opening quarter. The Cards took a 28-14 lead into halftime.
“We came out and had a great start,” coach Morgan Funsten said. “We were able to pressure them into some turnovers.
“With pressuring, we also got into a little bit of foul trouble, and they were in the bonus after the first quarter. We had to be a little bit careful and slow the pace of the game down. The second quarter was a slower pace, but credit Cheltenham, especially Mia Leonard. She has improved so much, and she was an absolute force down low for them.”
Leonard scored 12 of her team-high 16 points in the first half.
“We knew we had to focus on stopping her because she’s had some impressive games,” Funsten said. “We have to be better defensively, but a lot of credit goes to them and to her for wanting the ball and then getting her the ball.
“She was drawing fouls, she was finishing. We pride ourselves on our defense and stopping the best player on the other team, and they were kind of having their way with us. It’s something we have to improve on. Also, a lot of credit goes to them for feeding her and being able to get her the ball and her being able to finish.”
Nicole Kaiser had another big game for the Lady Panthers, scoring a game-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds.
“She’s really broken out this year,” Funsten said. “The girls are doing a great job of finding her, and she’s great at finishing in transition. She’s a really, really good finisher. She’s really turned into more of an all-around player just as Josie (Barrett) has also.”
Barrett had a strong all-around performance with 13 points, four rebounds, four steals and four assists.
“In the past, if Josie was helping us scoring, that was great, and if she didn’t, then she was kind of just around,” Funsten said. “This year she’s filling up the stat sheet. She’s all over the place defensively. She’s really stepping up in more than just scoring.
“I’m excited the way she’s playing, and Nicole has been very consistent scoring for us all year.”
Upper Dublin (8-4, 5-1 SOL) will compete in the Maggie Lucas Classic at Philadelphia University on Saturday, taking on Archbishop Ryan in the final game of the day at 8:30 p.m. Cheltenham (7-7, 4-3) will host Bodine in a non-league game on Monday.
Cheltenham 10-4-7-9 30
Upper Dublin 17-11-10-10 48
Cheltenham (30) – Mia Leonard 16, Caitlin Wallace 4, Danielle Brown 6, Nashira Brown.
Upper Dublin (48) – Taylor Purshock 2, Nicole Kaiser 19, Josie Barrett 13, Kara Grebe 4, Maggie Weglos 5, Lindsey Schreiber 2, Jackie Vargas 3.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 56, UPPER MORELAND 13
Taylor O’Brien continued her torrid offensive production with a game-high 26 points, which included a 12-for-14 effort at the foul line. She also had eight steals and four assists. Lauren Coscia, who was 6-for-7 from the floor, had 14 points. She also pulled down nine rebounds. Ali Diamond added 10 points, which included a pair of three-pointers. Lauren Fortescue also had eight steals and four assists to go along with four points.
Sparked by nine points from O’Brien, the Colonials opened up an 11-3 lead after one quarter. O’Brien added six points in a second quarter that belonged to Diamond, who scored all 10 of her points in the frame. Coscia went to work in the third quarter, scoring 10 points as the Colonials outscored the Golden Bears 15-3.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (12-0, 7-0 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday, and Upper Moreland (0-13, 0-7) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 11-22-15-8 56
Upper Moreland 3-0-3-7 13
Plymouth Whitemarsh (56) – Taylor O’Brien 26, Lauren Fortescue 4, Ali Diamond 10, Haley Zygmunt 2, Lauren Coscia 14.
Upper Moreland (13) – Caitlin Corr 6, Noelle Woodman 2, E. Meakim 3, J.Martino 2.
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