Souderton defeated CB South in a battle of conference and district powers. Check out the recaps for all of Friday’s SOL girls’ basketball action.
SOL Continental Conference
SOUDERTON 41, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 30
The Indians – winners of six straight – are 5-0 in January.
Defense is the reason. Opponents are averaging just 25.2 points a game in those five wins.
“(Defense) is always the theme,” coach Lynn Carroll said. “We’re playing with so much intelligence on defense, plus we have great defenders.”
On Friday, it was Tori Dowd’s turn to play the role of stopper against Alexa Brodie. The senior point guard limited the Titans’ standout to nine points – six until Brodie buried a three in the closing seconds of the game.
“Tori always does a great job, but Alexa Brodie is one of the toughest kids to defend,” Carroll said. “What she can do – it’s just a challenge for anyone to have to defend her for 32 minutes, and Tori could not have done a better job.
“I feel like I say this every game, but when you have kids like Alana (Cardona) and Kate (Connolly) in the lane ready to disrupt a shot and keep people from making layups, it makes the job of our on-ball defenders easier. I feel like Tori didn’t really even need that much help tonight. She was so good.”
For her part, Dowd relishes the challenge of defending the best.
“I love guarding their best player – it gives me a lot of energy, and I think it gets the rest of the team pumped up,” the senior point guard said. “Her being such a great player, she’s going to try and step up, and she wants to get to the basket
“Our main goal was just to keep her in front of us. Also, if she gets past the foul line – just to have a lot of help defense behind me. I think the main key was just being up in her face the entire game. She really didn’t have much room.”
The night started off on a shaky note for the Indians when Cardona – just seconds into the contest – went down and knocked her head on the floor. Without Cardona, the Indians struggled and didn’t get on the scoreboard until Connolly buried a three midway through the quarter. The Indians trailed 7-5 after one, but with the return of Cardona to open the second quarter, they began to take control of the game. During an 8-0 Indian run after the Titans went on top 9-5 on a Brodie floater, Cardona scored six points and assisted on a Connolly bucket.
“Knowing that I could have been done this game was really frustrating,” Cardona said. “But I think that frustration kind of built up, and I was able to use it as energy to play after I got back out there.”
The Indians, who outscored the Titans 13-8 in the frame, took an 18-15 lead into halftime.
“What a difference Alana makes,” Carroll said. “Obviously, not having her in the first quarter was tough to get into our flow.
“A lot of sets are not as easy to run without Alana in, so getting her back in the second quarter was a huge relief. We executed so much better offensively this time compared to the last time we played them (a 40-25 South win).
“One of the things we talked about – 26 of their points came in the paint, and that is a lot of points. A lot of them came in transition – I can’t remember a transition bucket they had tonight. We tried to force them to beat us from the outside and not let people drive by us, and for the most part, I think we executed really well on both ends, particularly defensively.”
If the Titans controlled the paint in the initial meeting, the Indians returned the favor on Friday as Connolly – who led all scorers with 20 points – and Cardona combined for 32 points.
The Titans trailed by just two (21-19) after Brodie took it coast to coast for the score after a Souderton miss. Megan Walbrandt found Connolly for an easy bucket at the other end, and when Wabrandt completed a three-point play after being fouled on a fast break, the Indians led 26-19. Connolly – who was 11-for-12 at the foul line – connected on a pair at the charity stripe to send the Indians into the final quarter with a 28-19 lead.
A bucket by Haley Meinel on the Titans’ opening possession of the final quarter cut that lead to seven, but Walbrandt found Cardona for a transition basket, marking the beginning of a 6-0 run by the IUP-bound senior that put the Indians on top 34-21 on their way to the big win.
“It’s really exciting,” said Connolly, who was a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line down the stretch. “We’re really excited about this one.
“It was a big atmosphere, there were a lot of people in the gym. I think both teams were nervous and excited. We were just excited to play.”
“This is a big win for our team,” Dowd said. “We’re playing really well.
“Defense is what gets us going. It’s great that we have five players that always want to play defense and not just at the offensive end.”
“It’s really exciting,” Cardona said. “But we still have a long way to go. If we keep up our defense and keep working together like we are, it will be a really fun season.”
Meinel’s 15 points led the Titans, who dropped their second game of the week after a 13-0 sart to the season.
“They made shots and we didn’t is what it comes down to,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “It’s the opposite of the last time we played.
“They’re a great team. They haven’t been as successful as they have been for no reason, and they’re tough to defend.”
Megan Bealer – who buried a three from NBA range in the second quarter – and Connolly led the Indians on the boards with six rebounds each. Walbrandt had four blocked shots.
The game was the final for several weeks with Carroll on the sidelines. The Indians’ coach is awaiting the arrival of her first child, and while she is on leave, coach Ben Bowman will take over the helm.
“It will be very difficult for me to be away from the team for a few weeks, but knowing that they’ll be in such good hands with Ben makes this a lot easier,” Carroll said.
With the win, Souderton vaulted to second in the District One 6A power rankings, just ahead of third-seeded South.
Souderton (12-2, 5-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Tuesday, and Central Bucks South (13-2, 5-2) will take on St. Basil Academy on Sunday at the University of the Sciences at 8:30 a.m.
Souderton 5-13-11-12 41
Central Bucks South 7-8-4-11 30
Souderton (41) – Megan Bealer 4, Alana Cardona 12, Megan Walbrandt 5, Kate Connolly 20.
Central Bucks South (30) – Haley Meinel 15, Alexa Brodie 9, Maddie McShane 4, Mackenzie Ehresman 2.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 65, NORTH PENN 30
The Patriots – winners of eight of their last nine – are suddenly finding their offensive stride. For the third time in their last five games, the Patriots scored more than 60 points.
“We’re very balanced right now offensively,” coach Liz Potash said. “Defensively, we’re making teams earn their points.”
Bailey McManus led four East players in double figures with 15 points. Gina Russo notched her second double-double in as many outings, this time finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
“Gina’s a huge part of this team,” Potash said. “She’s been playing great, and there’s definitely a connection between the team playing well and her stepping up right now.”
Caroline Pla and Elyse Shine both added 11 points for the Patriots, who wasted little time seizing control of Friday’s contest. At the end of one quarter, they led 22-3 and took a 35-13 lead into halftime.
“There’s a lot of season left,” Potash said. “We’re taking one game at a time.”
For the Knights, Jenny Hulmes led the way with eight points while Alaina Mullaly and Bri Hewlett each added six.
Central Bucks East (12-4, 5-2 SOL) will travel to Souderton on Tuesday, and North Penn (4-10, 0-7) will host Central Bucks West on Tuesday.
North Penn 3-10-12-5 30
Central Bucks East 22-13-16-14 65
North Penn (30) – Jenny Hulmes 8, Cayla Sharkey 4, Alaina Mullaly 6, 6, Kate Early 2, Laynie Doran 2, Morgan Farrell 1, Jess McKenzie 1, Bri Hewlett 6.
Central Bucks East (65) – Sophia Mancuso 8, Mia Salvati 2, Gina Russo 12, Caroline Pla 11, Audrey LaBouliere 4, Bailey McManus 15, Gabby Wilga 2, Elyse Shine 11.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 57, WILLIAM TENNENT 41
Junior Izzy Treon led a trio of West players in double figures with 14 points. Sophomore Maddie Burke added 13, and Kaili Carey contributed 12. In a contest that saw the Bucks bury 11 3-pointers, the trio combined for nine with Carey connecting on four while Burke had three and Treon, two 3-pointers.
The Bucks raced out to a 40-18 halftime lead with Burke accounting for 11 of those points while Treon and Carey each had nine. West had eight 3-pointers by halftime.
The Panthers outscored the Bucks 23-17 in the second half, pulling to within 11 but getting no closer.
“I’m so proud of how hard our girls played and the fight they showed in the second half,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “We got in some foul trouble early and were forced to play zone and didn’t do a good job of identifying shooters and gave up some offensive rebounds.
“We have talked a lot lately about mental toughness and how to handle adversity, and I couldn’t have been happier with the way our girls responded. It would have been really easy to give up, but they showed a lot of character. Even though it wasn’t the final result we wanted – to outscore West 23-17 the second half and even more impressive to defend the way we did after giving up 40 points the first half – it felt like a win.”
For the Panthers, Haley Crossley led the way with a game-high 16 points. Emma Stanfield chipped in with 12, and Brianna Broccardi had 10.
Central Bucks West (9-6, 5-2 SOL) will travel to Bethlehem Catholic for a non-league game Saturday at 6 p.m., and William Tennent (7-7, 1-6) will be on the road at Bensalem on Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest.
William Tennent 10-8-10-13 41
Central Bucks West 19-21-4-13 57
William Tennent (41) – Emma Stanfield 12, Kelly Scipione 3, Brianna Broccardi 10, Haley Crossley 16.
Central Bucks West (57) – Maddie McGarry 1, Abby Spratt 2, Olivia Irons 1, Anna Blue 5, Jess Broskey 5, Maddie Burke 13, Kaili Carey 12, Izzy Treon 14, Lilly Evans 2, Julia Kreider 2.
SOL American Conference
HATBORO-HORSHAM 50, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 45
Lexie Brett scored a career-high 21 points to lead all scorers, and Kylie Halko added 19. The box score shows Cam Ryan with six points, but that doesn’t tell the story of her contributions. She not only buried both ends of a one-and-one with 12 seconds remaining to give the Hatters their final five-point advantage, she also contributed seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
“Cam Ryan controlled the tempo and sealed the game with her foul shots,” coach Kathie Sims said. “Cam and Sarah Mahoney played a huge role in our win by shutting down their leading scorers.
“Lex played hard, took charge and made big layups.”
The Hatters led 13-10 after one quarter, but the Spartans held a 28-27 edge at halftime. They took a two-point lead into the final quarter when they were outscored by the Hatters 14-7.
“It was intense, and both teams showed a lot of heart,” Sims said.
For the Spartans, Grace Barraclough led the way with 19 points, and Rileigh Serroni added 13.
Hatboro-Horsham (5-11, 4-4 SOL) will travel to Upper Moreland on Tuesday, and Springfield (2-11, 1-7) will host Bristol on Monday in a non-league contest.
Springfield Township 10-18-10-7 45
Hatboro-Horsham 13-14-9-14 50
Springfield Township (45) – Grace Barraclough 19, Mary Kate Smith 5, Rileigh Serroni 13, Emily Guicheteau 8.
Hatboro-Horsham (50) – Lexie Brett 21, Cam Ryan 6, Kylie Halko 19, Sydney Kemp 4.
WISSAHICKON 57, QUAKERTOWN 26
The Trojans led by just a 16-12 score after one quarter but outscored their hosts 41-14 the rest of the way. Victoria Selverian had another big game for the Trojans, leading all scorers with 23 points, which included three 3-pointers.
“I take her off the point guard spot, and I try to put Anna Schools, who is a sophomore, in the point guard spot, and it allows her to get open without the ball,” coach Rodney Cline said of Selverian. “She can move without the ball and then create.
“Fortunately, we were moving the ball pretty well. A lot of teams are playing us in zone instead of playing us in man because we run our (man) stuff pretty well. We’re smaller than a lot of teams and we’re quicker when we run our man system, so a lot of times we find the open person, and (Selverian) spots up for that three or she creates a lot of her points in transition. We forced 30 turnovers tonight, and we scored 18 points in transition. She’s a fantastic on-ball defender.”
Also for the Trojans, Macey Segal added eight points, and Brianna Tilghman had seven. Anna Schools contributed six points.
Brianna Leftkoski’s 11 points led the Panthers. Abigail Dickson added six.
Wissahickon (6-6, 6-2 SOL) will host West Chester East in a non-league contest on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Quakertown (1-14, 0-7) will be on the road at Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
Wissahickon 16-14-11-16 57
Quakertown 12-7-4-3 26
Wissahickon (57) – Victoria Selverian 23, Sydney Ott 4, Macey Segal 8, Brianna Tilghman 7, Carly Fadel 3, Anna Schools 6, Rebecca Selverian 4, Victoria Williams 2.
Quakertown (26) – Abigail Dickson 6, Kimmy Best 3, Samantha Howard 2, Emma Pizzullo 2, Brianna Leftkoski 11, Hanna LaBonge 2.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 63, UPPER MORELAND 29
Seniors Taylor O’Brien (17 points) and Lauren Fortescue (12 points) combined for 29 points to lead the Colonials. Freshman Anna McTamney had a big game of her own. She not only had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds but also had three steals and two blocks.
The Colonials buried six 3-pointers in the game – two by Fortescue.
PW led 16-11 after one quarter and outscored its visitors 10-2 in the second to go into halftime with a 26-13 lead. A 25-point third quarter blew the game wide open.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (13-1, 8-0 SOL) will travel to Wissahickon on Tuesday, and Upper Moreland (3-9, 1-6) will host Girard College in a non-league game at noon on Saturday.
Upper Moreland 11-2-7-9 29
Plymouth Whitemarsh 16-10-25-12 63
Plymouth Whitemarsh (63) – Issa Crawley 2, Taylor O’Brien 17, Lauren Forescue 12, Gia Schweitzer 5, Ali Diamond 5, Olivia Mattioni 2, Haley Zygmunt 4, Anna McTamney 11, Sydney Kesselman 5.
UPPER DUBLIN 57, CHELTENHAM 33
The Flying Cardinals, who led 12-8 after one quarter, outscored the Lady Panthers 16-6 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 28-14 lead. Sophomore Jackie Vargas scored eight points in the second quarter – 10 in the first half – and freshman Dayna Balasa buried a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter. Courtney Murray led the Lady Panthers in the first half with eight points, which included two threes.
The Lady Panthers edged the Cardinals 14-11 in the third quarter, thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from both Savannah Roberts and Kelia Holmes, but the Cards closed it out with an 18-5 fourth quarter.
Vargas led the Cardinals with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks. Balasa finished with 12 points on four 3-pointers. Nicole Kaiser added 11 points and nine rebounds.
Holmes led the Lady Panthers with 10 points, Roberts added nine and Murray finished with eight.
The two teams combined for 17 threes with Cheltenham finishing with nine 3-point baskets and just one two-point field goals.
Upper Dublin (13-3, 7-1 SOL) will host Quakertown on Tuesday, and Cheltenham (8-6, 3-4) will be on the road at Springfield Township on that same day.
Upper Dublin 12-16-11-18 57
Cheltenham 8-6-14-5 33
Upper Dublin (57) – Meg Barbera 6, Nicole Kaiser 11, Jess Polin 3, Sarah Eskey 6, Kara Grebe 2, Maggie Weglos 3, Dayna Balasa 12, Jackie Vargas 14.
Cheltenham (33) – Savannah Roberts 9, Taylor Johnson 1, Courtney Murray 8, Madison Rorer 3, Kelia Holmes 10, Kai Williams 2.
SOL National Conference
ABINGTON 79, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 55
Kassondra Brown was a force in the paint, finishing with an impressive double that included 24 points and 15 rebounds. Tamia Wessels, who connected on three 3-pointers, and Camryn Lexow both added 13 points, and Britney James also finished in double figures with 12 on four 3-pointers. Sam Brusha had nine points for the Ghosts, who led 36-28 after a high-scoring first half. Abington outscored South 20-12 in the third quarter to go on top 56-40 on its way to the win.
Freshman Nicole Blaustein’s 15 points led the Golden Hawks. Allison McGowan added 12 points on four threes, and Hannah Binder contributed 10 points. Claudia Steinmetz finished with eight points.
The two teams combined for 16 threes – nine by the Ghosts.
Abington (8-5, 5-2 SOL) will be on the road to take on Dover Area in a non-league game on Saturday, and Council Rock South (5-9, 1-5) will take on Council Rock North on Tuesday.
Council Rock South 10-18-12-15 55
Abington 16-20-20-23 79
Council Rock South (55) – Carley Irvin 2, Isabella Mendes 1, Claudia Steinmetz 8, Madison Broaddus 2, Emma Jones 2, Karlly Wunder 3, Nicole Blaustein 15, Allison McGowan 12, Hannah Binder 10.
Abington (79) – Britney ames 12, Camryn Lexow 13, Tamia Wessels 14, Selena Marrero 2, Becca Pohle 2, Kassondra Brown 24, Miranda Liebtag 2, Amanda Jackson 2, Sam Brusha 9.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 66, HARRY S TRUMAN 15
All 11 players who saw action for Council Rock North put their names in the scoring column. Mackenzie Tinner led a balanced scoring effort with 12 points. Sydney Blum also finished in double figures with 10. Becca Margolis had eight points, four steals and five assists, and Olivia Boyle added seven points for the Indians, who connected on 28-of-67 shots from the floor (42 percent).
Abby Jones led the Indians with eight rebounds. She also had three blocked shots, five assists and five points. Dana Bandurick had six points, six rebounds and four assists for the Indians, who led 29-2 after one quarter and never looked back.
The Tigers were led by the 11-point effort of Roneisha James.
Council Rock North (11-4, 6-1 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. Harry S Truman (2-11, 0-5) will travel to William Tennent on Tuesday for a non-league game.
Harry S Truman 2-7-2-4 15
Council Rock North 29-13-15-9 66
Harry S Truman (15) – Reneisha James 11, Triznasha Keys 4.
Council Rock North (66) – Becca Margolis 8, Juliana Shields 4, Camryn Polinsky 2, Anna Cairone 5, Dana Bandurick 6, Sydney Blum 10, Olivia Boyle 7, Jillian Hopkins 2, Abby Jones 5, Kaelin Mealey 5, Mackenzie Tinner 12.
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