Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. UD/Wissahickon photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko. Check back for a gallery of action photos.
SOL Continental Conference
WILLIAM TENNENT 39, NORTH PENN 24
The Panthers limited the visiting Knights to a season-low 24 points and turned a close game into a blowout with a 26-13 second-half tear en route to the huge upset.
“Especially in the conference we play in – every night you know it’s going to be a tough game, and you’re going to be in for a dogfight every night,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “This is a really big statement win for the program.
“North Penn is a very good team, they’re a great program. They’ve always been ranked very high the past decade, and they’ve had some great teams. To be able to beat North Penn, it was a huge win for us, and I think the girls are finally starting to believe that the change is coming.
“When I took over last year, I knew I was basically coming in and trying to rebuild the program. Just trying to get everyone to buy into what we were trying to do – I think they’re finally starting to see that the hard work we’re putting in is paying off and things are starting to turn.”
The Panthers, who trailed 6-5 after a low-scoring first quarter, took a 13-11 lead into halftime. They outscored the Knights 16-7 in the third quarter to seize control of the game.
“I told the girls at halftime I expected North Penn to come out fired up in the second half,” Whitney said. “I expected them to make some adjustments, but I told our girls the first three minutes we just had to come out with intensity and try and execute offensively and bring that energy and intensity. I think just offensively we started to settle down.
“Even though our defense was great the first half, I still thought we gave up a few easy baskets off of missed boxouts, but I thought the second half we really buckled down. We made them use a lot of time to work the ball around, and we were able to do a much better job of rebounding and getting control of the ball. We just kind of packed the lane, but offensively, the first half we were just out of rhythm. We had open shots that we just kind of rushed.
The Panthers – who connected on just 26.2 percent of their shots from the floor in the first half – buried 7-of-10 shots in the third quarter (70 percent).
Haley Crossley led the Panthers with 13 points while Kelly Scipione had nine. Emma Stanfield chipped in with seven and Brianna Broccardi, six points.
“Our shooting percentage was not good the first half,” Whitney said. “The second half we came out, we executed, we had good ball movement, we were able to get wide open shots and we seemed more in rhythm and more in control. When you finally see the ball go through the basket, you get a little more confident.”
Stanfield sparked the Panthers’ defense with four steals. Broccardi led the Panthers under the backboards with eight rebounds.
No North Penn player had more than five points.
“We want to enjoy this one, but looking ahead to Friday, we want to refocus and try to get another big win,” Whitney said.
Wiliam Tennent (6-2, 1-1 SOL) will host undefeated Central Bucks South on Friday night, and North Penn (4-5, 0-3) will travel to neighboring Lansdale Catholic on Thursday for a non-league contest.
William Tennent 10-13-16-4 39
North Penn (24) 7-11-7-6 24
William Tennent (39) – Emma Stanfield 7, Kelly Scipione 9, Brianna Broccardi 6, Haley Crossley 13, Jess Rutkowsky 4.
North Penn (24) – Jenny Hulmes 5, Alli Lindsay 2, Alaina Mullaly 5, Kate Early 4, Carley Adams 2, Jess McKenzie 2, Bri Hewlett 4.
SOL American Conference
CHELTENHAM 40, UPPER MORELAND 36
Courtney Murray was a force to be reckoned with at both ends of the court in Tuesday’s win. The senior point guard led the Lady Panthers with 20 points – which included a pair of 3-pointers – to go along with seven rebounds and two assists.
“Courtney Murray has really stepped up her game lately,” coach Brendan Nolan said. “She was great tonight on both ends of the floor.
“While some of her younger teammates are struggling with the rotations in the matchup zone, she has been a leader and is helping them through. Offensively, she is doing a better job of handling pressure and is being assertive on offense, scoring by getting into the lane and also hitting open threes. She has become a consistent presence on the floor for us.”
Behind nine points from Murray, the visiting Lady Panthers opened up a 21-7 halftime lead. The Golden Bears did not go down quietly, outscoring their visitors 15-8 in the third quarter to make it a 28-22 game heading in the final quarter. The Bears outscored the Panthers by two in the final frame but never could make up the ground they lost in the first half.
Kai Williams had another monster night under the backboards for the Lady Panthers, pulling down 19 rebounds to go along with nine points.
For the Golden Bears, Phoebe Longstreth’s 10 points led the way. Emma Stainback and Cassidy Murphy both added seven points.
Cheltenham (5-2, 1-1 SOL) will host Quakertown on Thursday night, and Upper Moreland (1-5, 0-3) will be on the road at Springfield Township on Friday.
Cheltenham 9-12-7-12 40
Upper Moreland 4-3-15-14 36
Cheltenham (40) – Savannah Roberts 5, Yanisha Dormil 3, Taylor Johnson 1, Courtney Murray 20, Madison Rorer 2, Kelia Holmes 9.
Upper Moreland (36) – Phoebe Longstreth 10, Caitlin Corr 2, Herb 4, Emma Stainback 7, Wood 1, Finn 4, Opferman 1, Cassiy Murphy 7.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 43, QUAKERTOWN 31
Kylie Halko and Lexie Brett led a balanced Hatter attack with 13 and 12 points respectively. Sarah Sciubba added seven on a night that saw the Hatters up their conference record to 3-0.
The Hatters, who led 10-7 after one quarter, took a 23-18 lead into halftime and then blew the game open with a 16-7 third-quarter tear.
Maggie Garlick had a big night for the Panthers, leading all scorers with 20 points, which included a perfect 6-for-6 effort at the foul line.
Hatboro-Horsham (4-5, 3-0 SOL) will be on the road at Wissahickon on Friday, and Quakertown (1-8, 0-3) will travel to Cheltenham on Thursday.
Quakertown 7-11-7-6 31
Hatboro-Horsham 10-13-16-4 43
Quakertown (31) – Abigail Dickson 3, Kimmy Best 2, Samantha Howard 2, Maggie Garlick 20, Brianna Leftkoski 2, Rachael Taylor 2.
Hatboro-Horsham (43) – Lexie Brett 12, Cam Ryan 4, Sara Mahoney 2, Kylie Halko 13, Sydney Kemp 5, Sarah Sciubba 7.
UPPER DUBLIN 58, WISSAHICKON 24
Dayna Balasa was on fire from beyond the arc. The freshman guard scored a game-high 18 points on six 3-pointers. Sophomore Jackie Vargas took care of business on the inside, adding 15 points. Balasa also had three rebounds while Vargas added six rebounds, four blocks, four assists and three steals.
Sophomore Kara Grebe added nine points and six rebounds on a night that saw the Flying Cardinals give a glimpse of their future. Junior Meg Barbera chipped in six points.
The Cardinals controlled play from the outset, opening up an 18-3 lead after one quarter and extending that to 30-12 by halftime.
Brianna Tilghman’s eight points led the Trojans, who also received six points from Sydney Ott.
Upper Dublin (8-1, 3-0 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday, and Wissahickon (1-5, 1-2) will host Great Valley on Thursday in a non-league contest.
Upper Dublin 18-12-14-14 58
Wissahickon 3-9-5-7 24
Upper Dublin (58) – Meg Barbera 6, Nicole Kaiser 4, Jess Polin 3, Sarah Eskew 3, Kara Grebe 9, Dayna Balasa 18, Jackie Vargas 15.
Wissahickon (24) – Victoria Severian 4, Sydney Ott 6, Carly Fadel 3, Brianna Tilghman 8, Linnea Hummel 3.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 67, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 20
Freshman Anna McTamney had another big night for the Colonials, this time putting up a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. She also had a pair of blocked shots. Taylor O’Brien had a game-high 18 points to go along with six steals. Ali Diamond contributed nine points, and Lauren Fortescue added eight.
The Colonials led 25-8 after one quarter and took a 45-12 lead into halftime.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-1, 3-0 SOL) will be on the road at Upper Dubin on Friday night, and Springfield Township (1-6, 0-2) will host Upper Moreland on Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 25-20-16-6 67
Springfield Township 8-4-3-5 20
Plymouth Whitemarsh (67) – Issa Crawley 2, Taylor O’Brien 18, Lauren Fortescue 8, Gia Schweitzer 2, Ali Diamond 9, Haley Zygmunt 5, Gabby Cooper 2, Anna McTamney 17, Sydney Keselman 4.
SOL National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 58, BENSALEM 32
Three Rock North players finished the game in double figures, and the Indians also threw some serious defense at the Owls, forcing 25 turnovers. They blew the game open with a 22-point second quarter, turning a 12-5 advantage after one quarter into a 34-13 halftime lead on the way to their third win without a loss in conference play.
Becca Margolis led the Indians with 16 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists. Camryn Polinsky had 11 points, four rebounds and one steal, and Mackenzie Tinner added 10 points, nine rebounds and one steal. Dana Bandurick contributed nine points, nine rebounds and one steal. Also making contributions were Sydney Blum (five rebounds, four points), Abby Jones (five rebounds, four points) and Juliana Shields (four rebounds, three steals).
The two teams were whistled for a combined 38 fouls – 20 on Rock North and 18 on Bensalem. The Owls converted just 9-of-21 at the foul line while the Indians made 10-of-22.
Council Rock North (5-4, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Abington on Friday, and Bensalem (3-4, 0-3) will be on the road at Harry S Truman on Friday.
Council Rock North 12-22-14-10 58
Bensalem 5-8-7-12 32
Council Rock North (58) – Becca Margolis 16, Camryn Polinsky 11, Dana Bandurick 9, Sydney Blum 4, Olivia Boyle 2, Jillian Hopkins 2, Abby Jones 4, Mackenzie Tinner 10.
Bensalem (32) – Mia Parker 2, Emily Wineburg 11, Haley Keenan 10, Alayna McSeed 4, Chloe Munyon 1, Synai Hayes 4.
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