Friday’s entire playback schedule was moved to Saturday because of the storm. Check out the recaps for the SOL boys/girls basketball teams in action.
District One 5A
#1-4 WISSAHICKON 54, #1-3 CHESTER 51 (3rd place)
The visiting Trojans took a 35-27 lead into halftime but were outscored by Chester 19-6 in the third quarter. They responded with a 13-5 fourth quarter to earn the hard-fought win in Saturday’s third place game.
“I told our guys – Chester’s loss to Bishop Shanahan (in the semifinals) was their first loss this year,” coach Kyle Wilson said. “They hadn’t lost since Christmas, but I said, ‘You know what, all year you guys were at the number three seed and they were number four.’ The last weekend of the season they beat Penn Wood to jump to the three seed. We beat Springfield Township and it dropped us to four.
“I said, ‘By the point system, which was pretty accurate this year, you guys are legitimately right there with this team. Don’t see them as Chester that won all these state championships. See them as Chester – the team that was fourth place behind you, and you were third until last week. Go out there and prove that you deserve to be the higher seed by beating them. It’s going to be a great environment. Go out there, relax, play comfortably.’ Our kids just really went out and played well, played hard and executed.”
In the end, it came down to the second half.
“We were up in the first quarter, up in the second quarter and pretty much doing what a lot of what we wanted to do,” Wilson said. “In the third quarter, they dropped to a zone, and we were like ‘I can’t believe Chester is back in a zone.’
“They took off their press because we were really picking it apart. When we finally settled down in the fourth quarter and got our zone alignments straight, we made some nice plays, got in the swing of things and knocked down some shots. It was really a nice win.
“I told our kids – I’ve been doing this for 19 or 20 years, and that’s the first time I’ve ever been a part of beating a Chester team so it was huge.”
Max Rapoport (14 points), Zach Reiner (12 points) and Anthony Lawrence (10 points) all finished in double figures for the Trojans. Lawrence came close to a double-double, pulling down a team high nine rebounds. Reiner added five rebounds and Rapoport had four steals.
“Anthony Lawrence had a really nice game – it was really a quality game,” Wilson said. “Zach Reiner had a really nice game and Max Rapoport – consistently nice games.”
Eddie Fortescue added six points and two steals.
Wissahickon (19-7, 11-3 SOL) will take on District 12’s third place team in Friday’s opening round PIAA 5A contest.
Wissahickon 17-18-6-13 54
Chester 11-16-19-5 51
Wissahickon (54) – Max Rapoport 6 1-5 14; Zach Reiner 4 3-4 12; Anthony Lawrence 4 2-2 10 Donovan Oliphant 2 0-0 6; Eddie Fortescue 2 0-0 5; Carmen Ostroski 2 0-0 4; Cole Hirsch 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 21 6-11 54.
Chester (51) – M.Smith 3 2-4 9; B.Randolph 5 4-6 17; R.Dejarnette 5 2-2 12; t. Johnston 4 3-4 11; J.Graham 1 0-0 2; M.Langley 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 19 11-18 51.
3-Point goals: Wissahickon – Donovan Oliphant 2, Max Rapoport, Zach Reiner, Eddie Fortescue, Cole Hirsch; Chester – B. Randolph 3, M.Smith.
District One 6A Playback Games
#1-5 COATESVILLE 74, #1-6 PENNRIDGE 66 (5th place)
The visiting Red Raiders set the tone early in Saturday’s playback contest, racing to a 21-10 halftime lead and extending that to 40-24 by halftime. Dante Crews led the Raiders with 14 of his team-high 17 points in the first half.
For the Rams, Tyrese Lewis led the way with 19 points, which included 12 after the intermission. Sean Yoder added 15 points (three three-pointers), and Jon Post also had 15, including a 7-for-11 effort at the foul line. Mike Moletierre added nine points on three three-pointers.
Pennridge (19-8, 9-3 SOL) will play the District 12 runner-up in Saturday’s PIAA 6A Tournament.
Coatesville 21-19-14-20 74
Pennridge 10-14-16-26 66
Coatesville (74) – Haasan Young 1 2-2 4; Brickus 4 5-9 14; Bryant 6 3-5 15; Avery Young 3 1-1 8; Tyrel Bladen 3 0-0 6; Dante Crews 5 2-3 17; Miller 1 0-0 2; Holmes 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 25 13-20 74.
Pennridge (66) – Ryan Warner 2 0-0 6; Sean Yoder 5 2-4 15; Mike Molettiere 3 0-0 9; Tyrese Lewis 7 5-8 19; Pat Gillespie 1 0-0 2; Jon Post 4 7-11 15; TOTALS 22 14-29 66.
3-point goals: Coatesville – Dante Crews 5, Brickus, Avery Young; Pennridge – Mike Mollettiere 3, Sean Yoder 3, Ryan Warner 2.
#1-18 NESHAMINY 50, #1-16 BENSALEM 49 (9th place)
The Redskins found themselves staring at a 49-42 deficit with only 1:15 remaining in the contest. If that sounds pretty hopeless, it wasn’t, thanks in no small part to the late-game heroics of Anthony Papeo.
“Anthony Papeo hit a three, then we stole the inbounds pass, got the offensive rebound, kicked it out and Anthony Papeo hit another three, and it was a one-point game,” coach Mark Tingle said. “It was back and forth a couple of times. They missed free throws, we missed free throws. It was a crazy game.
“It was a tight game until they started to pull away at the end, but we just didn’t give up. We had the ball going the full length of the court with 11 seconds left down one. We drew up an out-of-bounds play to get the ball in, and Chris Arcidiacono went the full length of the court, got to the rim and got fouled.”
Arcidiacono made two free throws with six seconds remaining to give the Redskins a one-point lead.
“They got the ball in, went over midcourt and called timeout with about four-and-a-half seconds left. They missed the shot,” Tingle said. “It was a really good game.
“You never know with these kind of games because it’s just for seeding. We’re in the playoffs regardless. Our kids never gave up. Being down seven with a little over a minute left is tough. Anthony Papepeo and Chris Arch stepped up big time in the fourth quarter.”
Arcidiacono finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Papeo had 15 points on five threes to go along with four assists. Danny Bodine had eight rebounds and four points.
Bensalem was led by the 20-point effort of Ward Roberts. James Leible added 12 points and Taco Douglas, eight points.
Neshaminy (17-9, 7-5 SOL) will play the winner of Monday’s game pitting Northampton Area and East Stroudsburg in the opening round of states next Saturday. Bensalem (17-10, 7-5) will open play in the state tournament with a contest against District 3 champion Reading, the defending state champion.
Neshaminy 13-7-12-18 50
Bensalem 12-8-16-13 49
Bensalem (49) – Taco Douglas 3 2-3 8; Ward Roberts 7 5-7 20; James Leible 6 0-2 12 Lamont Hasker 1 0-0 2; Kris Shields 2 2-6 7; TOTALS 18 9-18 49.
Neshaminy (50) – Chris Arcidiacono 8 6-9 23; Anthony Papeo 5 0-1 15; Danny Bodine 2 0-3 4; Greg Deluca 1 0-0 3; Charles Dominick 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 17 17-22 59.
3-point field goals: Bensalem – Ward Roberts; Neshaminy – Chris Arcidiacono 5, Anthony Papeo 3.
#1-3 LOWER MERION 68, #1-4 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 49 (3rd place)
Girls District One 6A Playback Games
#1-5 ABINGTON 56, #1-6 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 49 (5th place)
A pair of players made history in Saturday’s playback game. First, it was Abington senior Sam Brusha reaching the 1,000-point mark, and shortly thereafter senior Taylor O’Brien became the first PW player – male or female – to surpass the 2,000-point mark.
O’Brien needed 21 points to reach the elusive milestone. She finished with 24, which included three three-pointers.
“Taylor did it on a left-handed drive to the basket – a floater,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “It’s such an amazing accomplishment to think of 2,000 points. She scored almost 1300 the past two seasons.
“It was great. This was something she and I had talked about before the season. It was a big goal. I told her, ‘For you to get 2,000 points, we’re going to have to make another deep run in the playoffs.’
“It’s amazing because every team comes out with the sole thought of – stop Taylor O’Brien, stop Taylor O’Brien. She’s averaging 23.5 points a game this year. Her rebounds are up, and her assists are up. The program is the best it's ever been. It’s such a special accomplishment, and it’s something no one can ever take away from her. To be able to score 2,000 point – so few people have been able to do that in a high school career.”
Brusha came into Saturday’s game needing 16 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
“It’s a pretty amazing accomplishment because she didn’t play very much her freshman year, so Sam basically scored these thousand points in a three-year career,” Marsh said. “This is our fifth straight year in states and this is our 27th game today. Sam’s team being so successful helped her reach that by playing more games.
“She’s worked hard and she deserves it. She’s become a complete player. The thing about Sam now is she gets a lot of her points on offensive rebounds.
The Colonials led 22-21 at halftime, but the Ghosts outscored their visitors 14-9 in the third quarter and 37-27 in the second half.
“It was just a back and forth game where we were fortunate enough to be able to take the lead and hold onto it,” Marsh said. “We wanted to go into states on a win streak.
Kassondra Brown, despite finding herself in foul trouble, finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds. Brusha had exactly 16 points, which included a pair of threes. Cam Lexow added seven points.
For the Colonials, Lauren Fortescue and Sydney Kesselman each added six points.
Abington (20-7, 10-2 SOL) will face Wilson, District 3’s third place team, in an opening round PIAA 6A game on Friday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (22-5, 14-0) will do battle with District 3 runner-up Central York.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 8-14-9-18 49
Abington 9-12-14-24 56
Plymouth Whitemarsh (49) – Taylor O’Brien 10 1-1 24; Lauren Fortescue 2 0-0 6; Gia Schweitzer 1 0-0 3; Ali Diamond 1 2-2 5; Anna McTamney 2 1-1 5; Sydney Kesselman 2 1-2 6; TOTALS 18 5-6 49.
Abington (56) – Jordyn Allen 2 0-0 4; Britney James 1 0-0 3; Cam Lexow 3 0-0 7; Kassondra Brown 7 9-12 23; Miranda Liebtag 1 0-0 3; Morgan Benson 1 0-0 2; Sam Brusha 5 4-4 16. TOTALS 20 13-16 58.
3-point goals: PW – Taylor O’Brien 3, Lauren Fortescue 2, Ali Diamond 2, Sydney Kesselman; Abington – Sam Brusha, Miranda Liebtag, Cam Lexow, Britney James.
#1-8 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 51, #1-10 NESHAMINY 47 (7th place)
Sydney Blum and Becca Margolis combined for six three-pointers and 33 points to lead the Indians to the win in Saturday’s seventh place game. Blum led the Indians with 17 points while Margolis had 16. Both had three three-pointers.
The game was an unusual one as both teams found themselves saddled with foul problems. Three Rock North regulars – Margolis, Kaelin Mealey and Mackenzie Tinner – fouled out. The team’s fourth starter, Dana Bandurick, left the game with an injury in the third quarter and did not return. Camryn Polinsky, also a starter, is sidelined with an injury, forcing the Indians to play without all five of their starters for stretches in the fourth quarter.
In addition to Margolis and Blum, Olivia Boyle had seven points and two blocked shots. Tinner and Juliana Shields led the Indians on the board with seven rebounds each. Tinner also had three blocked shots.
Neshaminy had foul woes of its own and lost both Brooke Mullin and Kristin Curley to five fouls. Mullin led all scorers with 21 points, which included a 10-for-13 effort at the foul line. Curley added 10 points. Alison Harvey contributed 13 points, which included three three-pointers.
The Indians, who led 10-9 after one quarter, took a 21-17 lead into halftime. Both teams scored 30 points in the second half. Blum scored 12 of her points after the intermission and Margolis added nine after the break. Mullin had 15 points after halftime to lead the Redskins.
Council Rock North (19-7, 10-2 SOL) will face District XI runner-up William Allen in Friday’s opening round of the PIAA 6A Tournament, and Neshaminy (18-8, 10-2) will face either the District 2 or District 4 champion.
Neshaminy 9-8-16-14 47
Council Rock North 10-11-15-15 51
Neshaminy (47) – Emily Tantala 1 1-1 3; Brooke Mullin 5 10-13 21; Kristen Curley 4 2-3 10; Allison Harvey 5 0-0 13; TOTALS 15 13-17 47.
Council Rock North (51) – Becca Margolis 5 3-5 16; Juliana Shields 1 1-3 3; Dana Bandurick 2 0-2 4; Sydney Blum 4 6-8 17; Olivia Boyle 2 2-2 7; Abby Jones 0 1-4 1; Kaelin Mealey 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 15 13-24 51.
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Allison Harvey 3, Brooke Mullin; CR North – Becca Margolis 3, Sydney Blum 3, Kaelin Mealey, Olivia Boyle
#1-9 UPPER DUBLIN 47, #1-7 PERKIOMEN VALLEY 44 (9th place)
The Flying Cardinals needed some late-game heroics to defeat the Vikings in Saturday’s ninth place game, although it didn’t look like they’d need it when they got off to a fast start.
“We scored the first six points of the game, and it looked like it was going to be easy today,” coach Morgan Funsten said. “I don’t know if we just relaxed the rest of the first half or they played zone against us, and we hadn’t seen a lot of zone.
“I can’t put my finger exactly on what it was, but our energy level dropped, our decision making and our level of focus wasn’t all that good, and we got down 20-10 with a minute to go in the second quarter. Jackie Vargas and Kara Grebe made back-to-back shots to cut it to 20-14, and we got a little momentum back.
“Going into the game, we kind of wanted a fast-paced game because we liked our guards against their guards. The third quarter was very fast paced. Both teams were making shots.”
Dayna Balasa had the hot hand in the third quarter, burying four three-pointers as the Cardinals scored 22 points and went into the final quarter with a 36-35 lead. Kara Grebe and Sarah Eschew each added a three-pointer in a quarter that saw the Cardinals connect on six threes. Eschew’s three late in the frame gave the Cards their one-point advantage and also some momentum.
“The fourth quarter was back and forth,” Funsten said. “With 40 seconds to go, Perk Valley was up three, and they missed the front end of a one-and-one.
“We ran the ball down the floor, and Jess Polin made a nice drive to draw Maggie Weglos’ defender. Jess kicked it out to Maggie Weglos, and she drained a three to tie the game.”
Perk Valley was whistled for the double dribble shortly after inbounding, and the Cardinals had possession. With 20 seconds remaining, Nicole Kaiser was fouled near midcourt and knocked down both ends of a one-and-one to give the Cardinals a lead they would not lose.
“There were a lot of big shots made,” Funsten said. “It was a low pressure game with both teams already in states, but it was a fun game.
“A lot of players on our team made huge plays. Those girls – Jonassen and Hamm – are tough, and even their other players stepped up and made big shots.”
Balasa finished with 19 points, which included five three-pointers. She also had three steals. Vargas contributed eight points, five rebounds and three assists, and Weglos had seven points, five assists and three rebounds.
Upper Dublin (22-5, 12-2 SOL) will face District 12 champion Cardinal O’Hara in Friday’s opening round of the state tournament.
Perkiomen Valley (44) – Katie Hurd 2-1-2 5; Kelly Owens 2 0-1 6 Megan Jonassen 7 6-6 20; Taylor Hamm 6 1-2 13; TOTALS 17 8-11 44.
Upper Dublin (47) – Nicole Kaiser 0 3-5 3; Jess Polin 0 0-1 0; Sarah Eskew 2 0-0 5; Kara Grebe 2 0-0 5; Maggie Weglos 3 0-0 7; Dayna Balasa 6 2-3 19; Jackie Vargas 4 0-4 8; TOTALS 17 5-13 47.
3-Point goals: PV – Kelly Owens 2; Upper Dublin – Dayna Balasa 5, Maggiei Weglos, Kara Grebe, Sarah Eskew.
#1-12 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 63, #1-11 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 58 (OT) (11th place)
Central Bucks East is back in states, thanks to its come-from-behind overtime win. It is the team’s third trip in five years under coach Liz Potash, their second in as many years for a team that had just one returning starter – Bailey McManus.
“It’s exciting,” the Patriots’ coach said. “I’m really proud of the girls and I’m happy for the girls because I don’t think a lot of people gave them credit going into the season – everyone just wanted to talk about what we lost.
“The girls didn’t want to talk about what we lost. They wanted to talk about what we returned. I kept the seniors on the bus when we got back and just told them how proud I was of them and how proud they should be of what they’ve accomplished and what they mean to their team.”
The Patriots trailed 32-22 at halftime but came to life in the second half, outscoring the Cougars 22-16 in the third quarter and 33-23 in the second half to even the score. They had an 8-3 advantage in the four-minute overtime.
“We got really good looks in the first half because they really sag inside – their big girl really doesn’t come out of the paint, so we got a lot of really good looks, open looks,” said Potash, whose team trailed 14-2 with three minutes remaining in the first quarter. “We just weren’t making the shots, and we weren’t being very aggressive on the offensive rebounds.
“In the first half, we were more concerned that we weren’t getting stops on the defensive end. In the second half, the shots started falling.”
Sophia Mancuso scored 15 of her team-high 19 points in the second half.
“She caught a little bit of fire, and kids started hitting their shots,” Potash said. “It was the same looks we were getting all game. We just made them.”
The Patriots held a two-point lead with time winding down, but the Cougars scored with less than two seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. Both teams spent the fourth quarter going to the foul line.
“They started fouling fairly early, and we were not great from the foul line,” Potash said. “We were 12-for-22 and they were 10-for-18. Had we made foul shots, we win that game in regulation.”
The Cougars connected on a three early in overtime and did not score the rest of the way as the Patriots closed out the game with an 8-0 run.
In addition to Mancuso, Elyse Shine added 13 points and Gina Russo collected a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. McManus and Caroline Pla each added seven points. McManus also had five assists. Audrey LaBouliere had just two points but was a difference maker on defense.
“Audrey LaBouliere had an incredible game,” Potash said. “Defensively, she was all over their 6-4 girl (Bella Smuda). She had some huge offensive rebounds at the end.
“She’s a kid that didn’t play much her first three years in the program, and these four seniors (LaBouliere, McManus, Mancuso and Russo) have really elevated the team.
“I said to (my assistants) on the way home – I know we lose a lot again next year but it’s the experience of seeing this is what we do. Last year’s group saw – we played late in districts and we made it into states. I think they’ll only feed off of that. This was the expectation of the girls from the beginning. There were definitely some bumpy roads, but they pulled it out.”
Central Bucks East (17-10, 7-5 SOL) will face District 3 champion Central Dauphin in the opening round of the PIAA 6A Tournament Friday.
Central Bucks East 6-16-22-11-8 63
Downingtown East 15-17-16-7-3 58
Central Bucks East (63) – Sophia Mancuso 19, Skylar Krause 3, Gina Russo 12, Caroline Pla 7, Audrey LaBouliere 2, Bailey McManus 7, Elyse Shine 13.
Downingtown East (58) – Brennan 2, Tyrell 10, Smuda 14, Phelan 16, Williams 16.
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