Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. CR South/Truman photos provided courtesy of Jon Sklut. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL National Conference
ABINGTON 49, NESHAMINY 35
On Jan. 3, the Redskins defeated the Ghosts 60-53. The Ghosts turned the tables on the ‘Skins in Friday’s rematch.
During a telling sequence midway through the second quarter, Britney James came up just short on a 3-point shot, but the Ghosts pulled down the rebound, setting up a three attempt by Sam Brusha. The senior sharpshooter saw her shot fall short as well, but again, the Ghosts came up with the rebound, kicking it back out to James, who this time hit nothing but net on a 3-pointer that put the Ghosts on top 22-8.
“They controlled the boards, and I thought their overall effort from beginning to end was better than ours,” Neshaminy coach Joe Lally said. “We played in spurts, and you cannot beat a team as good as they are unless you play 32 minutes, and we played in spurts. That’s not good enough to beat a team like Abington.”
Moments after James hit pay dirt, Kassondra Brown scored on a drive, and the Ghosts led by 16. The Redskins would get no closer than nine the rest of the way.
“This game we really focused on defense, containing, boxing out and getting the rebounds,” Brusha said. “Coach Marsh wrote on the board – defense. Whoever plays the best defense is going to win the game, so that was our game plan, just to contain and stop the shooters and rebound, and I think we did a good job.”
Brusha led all scorers with 16 points – which included three 3-pointers. She also had seven rebounds and three steals. Kassondra Brown added 13 points and 12 rebounds and dominated play in the third quarter after the Redskins closed out the first half with a 9-2 burst to make it a 26-17 game at the intermission.
“At the end of the second quarter, our defense was starting to fall apart a little bit, and they were getting easy baskets, and the momentum was shifting,” Brusha said. “In the locker room when we talked, we said – we have to get focused on defense, and our offense will come. I think we dug down in the third quarter and focused on stopping the ball. Then defense will transition into easy buckets for the offensive side.”
In the third quarter, Brusha buried an early three that ignited an 8-2 Ghost run and featured five straight points from Brown, including a bucket after pulling down a defensive rebound and taking it the length of the court to put the Ghosts on top 34-19.
“Now I’m more confident handling the ball,” Brown said. “Now I know I can actually do it, and that was big for me.
“Last time they outrebounded us by like 15. It was a really bad loss. This is a really good confidence booster, but it gets harder after this.”
The Redskins answered with 6-0 run that included buckets from Meghan Ansel, Brooke Mullin – after a steal – and Emily Tantala that made it a 34-25 game.
Brusha buried a clutch three at the other end, bringing the Redskins’ comeback attempt to an abrupt halt.
“Honestly, I don’t think any of our starters care about taking their shots,” Brusha said. “I think we all have trust in each other, and in the end, if we don’t make it, we know we have each other’s back.
“I think the coaches and the rest of our team puts a lot of faith in us. Those shots might be in a tough situation, but I don’t feel any pressure, and I know a lot of the other girls don’t either.”
Also for the Ghosts, Cam Lexow added 10 points, which included a pair of threes, and James had eight points – including two 3-pointers – and five assists.
“We told these kids coming into this game – the team that plays better defense and the team that rebounds the best is going to win the game,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “I think we played better defense, and we definitely outrebounded them.
“I think the last time they beat us on a lot of things that can’t happen. We were able to fix that tonight, very fortunately.”
For the Redskins, Allison Harvey – who ignited the Redskins’ run late in the first half and also buried a pair of 3-pointers late – led the way with 11 points. Brooke Mullin added seven points and seven rebounds. Tantala also had seven points.
Lally had a simple message for his team when it was over.
“I told them – we’re going to learn from tonight, and the bottom line is we’ll be back at practice tomorrow and we’re on to Pennsbury Tuesday,” Lally said. “The bottom line is we’re in the middle of an SOL National championship race. There are a lot of teams that would like to be there. We’re one of them, so playing a game like tonight is what you play for, win or lose.”
Abington (11-5, 7-2 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North for another key SOL National battle on Tuesday, and Neshaminy (12-4, 7-1) will be on the road at Pennsbury Tuesday.
Neshaminy 8-9-4-14 35
Abington 14-12-8-15 49
Neshaminy (35) – Brooke Mullin 7, Allison Harvey 11, Kristin Curley 4, Kelli Kowalick 2, Meghan Ansel 2, Emily Tantala 7.
Abington (49) – Britney James 8, Cam Lexow 10, Kassondra Brown 13, Miranda Liebtag 2, Sam Brusha 16.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 68, HARRY S TRUMAN 51
The Golden Hawks snapped a four-game losing streak that came against SOL powers Council Rock North, Neshaminy, Central Bucks East and Abington.
“I’m really proud of the girls’ effort tonight on the defensive end of the floor and rebounding the ball, especially early on,” coach Blair Klumpp said. “I challenged them before the game to get back to doing the little things and controlling what they can – effort and defense.
“As a whole, we did really well with that, but the three upperclassmen set the tone early. Allison McGowan, Emma Jones and Bailey Vetter did a great job in our zone, communicating and then rebounding out of it and getting us into transition.”
They weren’t the only players to do well in a contest the Golden Hawks led 14-8 after one quarter and 26-17 at the half.
“Hannah Binder rebounded well off the bench,” Klumpp said. “Claudia Steinmetz, Nicole Blaustein, Karly Wunder and Carley Irvin did a great job of getting out in transition, and Bailey Vetter did a great job igniting those opportunities.”
The Golden Hawks’ first-year coach had high praise for his junior forward.
“I can’t speak enough to the impact Bailey has on this team,” Klumpp said of Vetter. “She really sets the tone for us with effort plays and rebounding the ball.
“She gets on the floor for loose balls no matter the score or situation. She uses her length effectively, runs the floor well and ignites our break. She’s someone from the first workout I attended as an assistant intrigued me with her athleticism and length, and I’ve challenged her this year to be a leader through actions and words – she’s met those expectations. She doesn’t get a ton of recognition because she doesn’t average double digits, but we are at our best when she is doing her thing.”
Nicole Blaustein led the Golden Hawks with 23 points, Claudia Steinmetz had 15 points, and Allison McGowan had 10.
Hannah Binder led the Hawks under the backboards with nine rebounds while McGowan and Vetter both had seven. Blaustein (four assists) and Binder (three assists) combined for seven helpers. Emma Jones and Steinmetz both had four steals. Blaustein had three.
“We had good balance tonight with three in double digits and contributions from our top eight, “ Klumpp said. “Carley Irvin and Karly Wunder are both freshmen who have seen an uptick in minutes and have been productive and were again tonight.
“Claudia and Nicole together in transition is something we try to take advantage of because they can be really successful together on the break. That happens more when those other four rebound like they did tonight. We need to build off of this as a group and try to string some wins together. We are absolutely capable of it when we play together and as a unit. If we play with the effort and energy moving forward that we did tonight, we can be on the right side of games moving forward.”
The Golden Hawks’ four recent losses were to teams in the top 12 in the most recent District One 6A power rankings.
“We played really well in spurts in most of those games,” Klumpp said. “I told them – if you trust what we want to do and the plan we lay out and compete, we will make the progress we are striving for. It’s about putting it all together for four quarters.”
Council Rock South (6-10, 2-6 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Monday in a non-league game, and Harry S Truman (2-13, 0-6) will be on the road at Bensalem on Tuesday.
Harry S Truman 5-14-12-20 51
Council Rock South 18-23-16-11 68
Harry S Truman (51) – Haniyyah Jones 11, Zuri Clarke 3, Daisha Campbell 16, Roneishia James 14, Keys 4, Briana Cliney 3.
Council Rock South (68) – Carley Irvin 5, Alex Szydlik 2, Claudia Steinmetz 15, Bailey Vetter 2, Emma Jones 4, Karly Wunder 2, Nicole Blaustein 23, Allison McGowan 10, Hannah Binder 5.
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 60, PENNRIDGE 50
The Patriots celebrated Senior Night with a win. Appropriately, it was a pair of seniors leading the way. Sophia Mancuso finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a standout effort. Bailey McManus added 19 points.
“It was nice to be able to come out with a win tonight,” said coach Liz Potash. “We started our four seniors who, quite honestly, have led our team pretty much to the success we’ve had this year, which I know has surprised a lot of people. Not so much them, but I give them full credit for it.
“We have 13 freshmen in the program, and we knew we needed really strong leadership, and they’re great. They lead us on the court, they lead us off the court. They kind of represent everything we want our program to be. I just feel very fortunate to have them in the program.”
The Patriots and Rams found themselves deadlocked 13-13 at the end of one quarter, but a 20-12 second quarter allowed the Patriots to go into halftime with a 33-25 lead. The Rams trimmed five points off that lead in the third quarter and trailed by just three heading into the final frame (43-40). The Patriots closed out the game with a 17-10 burst.
Also for the Patriots, senior Gina Russo and junior Elyse Shine both added eight points.
“Our team is very unselfish, and we do have kids that can score,” Potash said. “Bailey and Soph are good shooters. Gina is starting to hit shots for us, and Caroline (Pla) is always good for a couple and so is Elyse.
“Coming into the season, I wasn’t exactly sure where our points would come from. Except for the first two games of the year, we have been consistently scoring. Now it’s just putting the other pieces together.
“We gave up too many points tonight. Pennridge did make a lot of shots.”
Pennridge was led by the 15-point effort of Brooke Bachtle. Rose McCormick added nine points, and Sam Muredda had eight. Adding six points were both Gill Anderson and Evelyn Loughery.
Central Bucks East (13-5, 6-3 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Tuesday for a 5 p.m. contest, and Pennridge (8-7, 2-5) begins a challenging stretch of four games in five days on Tuesday when the Rams will host Souderton. On Wednesday, they will travel to Neshaminy for a non-league game with Central Bucks West and a second game against Souderton waiting in the wings on Friday and Saturday.
Pennridge 13-12-15-10 50
Centra Bucks East 13-20-10-17 60
Pennridge (50) – Corinn Mart 3, Sam Muredda 8, Brooke Bachtle 15, Gill Anderson 6, Rose McCormick 9, Evelyn Loughery 6, Emilee Cramer 3.
SOL American Conference
UPPER MORELAND 47, CHELTENHAM 46
The Golden Bears just keep finding ways to win, picking up their fourth straight with a road victory over the Lady Panthers.
“Our girls were relentless tonight,” coach Matt Carrol said. “There was a point where our coaches just backed off and let the girls play basketball.
“We have developed such a trust in our players’ ability to just play basketball, and tonight was one of those nights.”
Bean Hughes turned in yet another impressive performance, leading the Golden Bears with 18 points and nine rebounds, but she had plenty of help, according to their coach.
“Other girls stepped up in ways that may not show on a stat sheet,” Carroll said. “Caitlin Corr went 4-for-4 at the foul line in the fourth quarter to extend our lead.”
Cassidy Murphy added nine points and eight rebounds.
“She also played great defense on (Kai) Williams,” Carroll said. “Kaiya Herb was phenomenal in the fourth for us. She was 6-for-10 from the line and had two huge drives when the game was close. She was responsible for covering (Savannah) Roberts most of the game as well. She played great on both ends of the floor.
“As a freshman, she has a lot of responsibility on both ends of the floor, and she is getting better and better. It’s fun to watch. Our girls are resilient and never stop fighting. It’s such a privilege to be the coach of this team and watch them fight together every night.”
Herb finished the game with 10 points, and Phoebe Longstreth had six points.
For the Lady Panthers, Savannah Roberts led a balanced attack with 11 points. Kelia Holmes and Courtney Murray each added 10. Kai Williams had six.
Upper Moreland (7-9, 4-6 SOL) will host Springfield Township on Tuesday, and Cheltenham (9-7, 4-5) will host Bodine High School in a non-league contest on Saturday at noon.
Upper Moreland (47) – Phoebe Longstreth 6, Caitlin Corr 4, Kaiya Herb 10, Bean Hughes 18, Cassidy Murphy 9.
Cheltenham (46) – Savannah Roberts 11, Yanisha Dormil 3, Taylor Johnson 2, Courtney Murray 10, Madison Rorer 4, Kelia Holmes 10, Kai Williams 6.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 47, QUAKERTOWN 44
The Panthers – who trailed by 10 after three quarters – scored 24 points in the fourth quarter only to watch their gutsy comeback effort fall just short as the Hatters escaped with the three-point win.
The Hatters led throughout the contest, opening up a 6-2 lead after one quarter and taking a 19-14 advantage into halftime. They added to that with an 11-6 third quarter to go on top 30-20, setting the stage for the exciting final frame.
Kyle Halko’s 22 points led the way for the Hatters. Lexie Brett added eight points, and Sarah Sciubba had seven.
For the Panthers, Samantha Howard had 12 points on four 3-pointers. Teammate Kimmmy Best also had 12 points, and she connected on three from beyond the arc. Brianna Lefkoski added eight points, and Abigail Dickson, six points.
Hatboro-Horsham (7-12, 6-5 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday, and Quakertown (1-17, 0-10) will host Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 6-13-11-17 47
Quakertown 2-12-6-24 44
Hatboro-Horsham (47) – Lexie Brett 8, Cam Ryan 5, Kylie Halko 22, Sydney Kemp 2, Sarah Sciubba 7, Kara Kaminski 1, Maddie Throne 2.
Quakertown (44) – Brianna Lefkoski 8, Abigail Dickson 6, Kimmy Best 12, Samantha Howard 12, Veronica Best 5, Emma Pizzullo 1.
UPPER DUBLIN 70, WISSAHICKON 35
Nicole Kaiser scored 18 of her game-high 20 points in the first half, propelling he Cardinals to a commanding 45-15 halftime lead. She also contributed four steals and three rebounds.
Jackie Vargas added 14 points – all in the first half. She collected yet another double-double with 12 rebounds. Meg Barbera had nine points and three rebounds, and Kara Grebe added eight points, five rebounds and three assists.
For the Trojans, Brianna Tilighman led the way with 10 points, Sydney Ott added nine, and Victoria Selverian had eight points.
Upper Dublin (15-3, 9-1 SOL) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday to face the Colonials in a conference title battle. Wissahickon (6-10, 6-4) will be on the road at Council Rock South for a non-league game Monday.
Wissahickon 7-8-12-8 35
Upper Dublin 23-22-17-8 70
Wissahickon (35) – Anna Schools 4, Brianna Tilghman 10, Sydney Ott 9, Victoria Selverian 8, Victoria Wiliams 2, Carly Fadel 2.
Upper Dublin (70) – Anajae Smith 2, Meg Barbera 9, Nicole Kaiser 20, Sarah Eskew 6, Kara Grebe 8, Dayna Balasa 9, Lindsey Schreiber 2, Jackie Vargas 14.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 62, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 21
The Colonials, who led 16-5 after one quarter, took a 36-11 lead into halftime on their way to the big win.
Taylor O’Brien scored a game-high 22 points, which included three 3-pointers and a 3-for-3 effort at the foul line. Freshman Anna McTamney added 13 points. Haley Zygmunt chipped in six points with a pair of 3-pointers in a contest that saw the Colonials bury nine shots from beyond the arc.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (15-1, 10-0 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Tuesday in an eagerly awaited rematch between the conference powers. Springfield Township (3-13, 1-9) will travel to Upper Moreland on Tuesday.
Springfield Township 5-6-8-2 21
Plymouth Whitemarsh 16-20-17-9 62
Plymouth Whitemarsh (62) – Issa Crawley 1, Taylor O’Brien 22, Ally Zolty 3, Lauren Fortescue 5, Ali Diamond 3, Haley Zygmunt 6, Bria Rivers 4, Anna McTamney 13, Sydney Kesselman 5.
Non-league
PENSNSBURY 57, VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 27
Cami Wiegand’s 15 points led three Falcons in double figures. Included in Wiegand’s 15 points was a 5-for-5 effort at the foul line. Mary Miller added 12 points – 11 in the first half, and Abbi Nassivera had 10. Two players – Bella Arcuri and Sydney Buell – had nine points each.
The Falcons led 17-10 after one quarter and extended that to a commanding 32-14 halftime advantage. The Gems never threatened the rest of the way.
Pennsbury (9-9, 4-5 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Tuesday.
Villa Joseph Marie 10-4-12-2 27
Pennsbury 17-15-11-14 57
Villa Joseph Marie (27) – C.Ebo 6, K.Conner 1, J.Skalski 3, J.Beck 13, C.Somerville 3, M.Tomaseli 1.
Pennsbury (57) – Abbi Nassivera 10, Bella Arcuri 9, Mary Miller 12, Sydney Buell 9, Cami Wiegand 15, Lacey Taylor 2.
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