Eight SOL girls’ basketball teams will be in action when the PIAA 6A Tournament gets underway on Friday night. Check back for recaps of all the games.
When the PIAA 6A Tournament kicks off on Friday night, eight SOL teams will be in action – or one quarter of the 32-team field. Three SOL teams will be in the western half of the bracket – (1-2) Central Bucks South, (1-7) Council Rock North and (1-11) Central Bucks East. The remaining five – (1-1) Souderton, (1-5) Abington, (1-6) Plymouth Whitemarsh, (1-8) Neshaminy) and (1-9) Upper Dublin – will play in the upper bracket or the eastern half of the bracket.
Brusha reaches 1,000-point milestone
Sam Brusha set an ambitious goal as a freshman on the varsity at Abington. She wanted to reach the 1,000-point milestone, a goal that might have seemed unlikely after she scored just eight points in limited varsity action that year.
“She continued to get better every year,” coach Dan Marsh said. “Really what opened our eyes to her was her ability to shoot the ball.
“Always having big kids and knowing how teams pack it in on us, I said, ‘We finally have a consistent shooter,’ and that’s how things opened up for her.”
As a junior, Brusha rewrote the record books for three-pointers, shattering the program record of 117 and burying a single-season record 67. Despite her prowess from long range, she still needed 445 points this season to reach the milestone.
“I knew I had to score a lot, and I didn’t know if I was going to do it, but I thought it would be cool if I did,” Brusha said. “The whole season I did not feel pressure at all – if it happened, it happened.
“Going into districts playoffs, I knew I only needed 69, and when we beat CB East, I realized it was doable because I had five games left.”
Entering Saturday’s fifth place district game against Plymouth Whitemarsh, she needed 16 points.
“The first quarter I didn’t even score a point,” Brusha said. “I was a little nervous, and I felt the pressure. My family was there and I told them I might not get it.
“I got an easy basket the second quarter, and the nerves kind of went away.”
Brusha scored the historic basket late in the game, turning a pass from teammate Jordyn Allen into a bucket.
“We were breaking the press, and Jordyn Allen was on the left and I was on the right side,” Brusha recalled. “She gave me a really good pass. I wasn’t expecting it.
“I fumbled it, and I was under the basket, so I went right up for the layup. Honestly, I was so happy and really excited that I could complete this goal and put my name on that banner. It’s something I’ve wanted since I was a freshman. It was such a huge relief. Especially going into states, it’s so huge because we’re trying to win a state championship, and I can just focus on winning.”
Brusha – who averages 16 points a game – became the 11th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau, and aiding her cause was the fact that the Ghosts advanced to states for the fifth consecutive season and also her work on the offensive glass.
“This year especially teams tried to take away my three-point game, so I didn’t get many three-pointers this year,” Brusha said. “I made an effort to crash every time somebody shot.
“I really focused on getting offensive rebounds because when you get an offensive rebound, you’re so close to the basket. It’s pretty much a layup. That was a big point of emphasis I tried to focus on. I am taller than a lot of guards who play me, so I try to use my size to my advantage.”
The 5-10 Brusha, according to Marsh, routinely attracts the opposing team’s best defender.
“So she just crashed the offensive boards and was getting putbacks in that manner,” Marsh said. “She’s really evolved.
“I liken her to an Emily Leer. You don’t look at that kid and say – ‘Wow, she’s going to be a great basketball player.’ It was the same thing with Emily – they made themselves great basketball players through hard work, and that’s what Sam did.”
Abington will travel to Reading High School’s Geigle Complex for an opening round state game against District Three’s third place squad, Wilson West Lawn, on Friday at 6 p.m.
#1-1 SOUDERTON vs. #3-7 MANHEIM TOWNSHIP at Council Rock South (Friday, March 9, 7:30 p.m.)
Souderton
- 26-2 overall
- 11-1 SOL Continental Conference champions
- First conference title since 2004
- SOL Tournament champions with 48-29 win over #2 Central Bucks South
- Won program’s first ever District One 6A championship with a 52-48 triple overtime win over #2 Central Bucks South. Kate Connolly’s 18 points and six blocks led the Indians.
- Balanced attack directed by point guard Tori Dowd and led by Alana Cardona (11.5 ppg), Kate Connolly (10.8 ppg), Megan Walbrandt (10.2 ppg) and Megan Bealer (8.0 ppg)
- Road to district title win included wins over #4 Garnet Valley (47-30), #8 Council Rock North (49-39) and #16 Haverford (46-25).
Manheim Township
- 19-7 overall
- 12-2 Lancaster-Lebanon Section One champion
- Led by senior forward Olivia Matto (16.7 ppg, 45 3s), senior forward Megan Baldassarre (14.2 ppg) and sophomore guard Katie Bushong (11.2 ppg)
- Entered the District 3 Tournament as the top seed but, after an opening round bye, was upset by #8 Wilson 55-47. Olivia Matto scored 20 points. Fell to Dallastown 52-35 in a district playback game but came back to defeat #10 Penn Manor 57-41 in the seventh place game.
#1-2 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH vs. #3-5 CEDAR CLIFF at Council Rock South (Friday, March 9, 6 p.m.)
Central Bucks South
- 24-4 overall
- 10-2 SOL Continental Conference second place
- Fell to #1 Souderton 48-29 in SOL Tournament title game
- District One 6A runner-up after falling to top-ranked Souderton 52-48 in triple overtime. Alexa Brodie’s 23 points led the Titans.
- Three of four losses this season were to Souderton
- Led offensively by Jefferson University-bound senior Haley Meinel (15.0 ppg) and junior point guard Alexa Brodie (12.5 ppg).
- Opened season with 13 straight wins
- Journey to district title game included back-to-back-to-back nail biters after an opening round romp over #15 Great Valley (44-28). The Titans eked out wins over #10 Neshaminy (43-39) and #3 Spring-Ford (39-36) before falling in triple overtime to Souderton.
Cedar Cliff
- 19-7 overall
- 10-4 Mid-Penn Keystone Conference second place
- Led by seniors Rachel Reilly (10.2 ppg), Maddie Sitler (7.3 ppg), Jannelle Robinson (6.8 ppg) and Emily Esser (6.5 ppg).
- Ninth seed in the District Three 6A Tournament
- Defeated #5 Dallastown in fifth place game 43-35 behind the 22-point effort or Emily Esser, who buried six three-pointers. Rachel Reilly added nine points.
- Earlier in the tournament, Cedar Cliff earned an opening round win over #11 Central Dauphin East (57-37) but fell to #3 Central York 43-35 in a second round game. Cedar Cliff came back to defeat #10 Penn Manor (35-29), setting the stage for its fifth place game.
#1-5 ABINGTON vs. #3-3 WILSON at Reading High School (Friday, March 9, 6 p.m.)
Abington
- 20-7 overall
- 10-2 SOL National Conference tri-champions with Council Rock North & Neshaminy
- Junior Kassondra Brown leads the Ghosts in scoring (18.2 ppg) and under the backboards (11.4 rpg).
- Point guard Britney James averages 6.3 assists a game while directing an offense that includes Millersville-bound Sam Brusha (16.4 ppg) and Cam Lexow (8.9 ppg).
- Fifth trip to states in five years for the Ghosts
- In the fifth place game, Abington – the fifth seed in the District One 6A Tournament – defeated #6 Plymouth Whitemarsh 56-49. Kassondra Brown led the way with 23 points and 18 rebounds and Sam Brusha – who reached the 1,000-point milestone – added 16.
Wilson West Lawn
- 16-10
- Led by senior guard Zakiyah Winfield and sophomore guard Kaya Burkhart. Winfield reached the 1,000-point milestone this season.
- Wilson, the eighth seed, off the upset of the District 3 6A Tournament with a second round 55-47 win over #1 Manheim Township. Kaya Burkhart (18 points) and Zakiyah Winfield (17 points) led Wilson.
- Lost to #4 Central Dauphin 45-41 in a district semifinal but came back to defeat #2 Elizabethtown 55-47 in the third place game. Winfield (24 points) and Burkhart (15 points) led the way.
#1-6 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH vs. #3-2 CENTRAL YORK at Northern York High School (Friday, March 9, 7:30 p.m.)
Plymouth Whitemarsh
- 22-5 overall
- 14-0 SOL American Conference champions
- Second consecutive undefeated American Conference season for Colonials, who have won 28 straight games in conference play.
- Program’s first back-to-back conference titles since 1978 & 1979.
- Led offensively by a pair of 1,000-point scorers – Bucknell-bound and first team all-state selection Taylor O’Brien (23.0 ppg) and Lauren Fortescue (11.0 ppg)
- In the District One 6A fifth place game, Plymouth Whitemarsh fell to #5 Abington 56-49. Taylor O’Brien scored a game-high 24 points and surpassed the 2,000-point plateau, the first player in PW history to reach that milestone.
Central York
- 23-4
- York-Adams Division champions
- Led offensively by Nikson Valencik and Teirra Preston
- Lost to Central Dauphin 37-26 in the District One 6A title game
- Third-seeded Panthers, after an opening round bye, defeated #6 Cedar Cliff 43-35. Sarah Septic and Nikson Valencik both scored 10 points. In its 48-37 semifinal win over #2 Elizabethtown, Central York was led by Valencik (15 points), Preston (13) and Septic (12).
#1-7 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH vs. #11-2 NAZARETH at Liberty High School (Friday, March 9, 6 p.m.)
Council Rock North
- 19-7 overall
- 10-2 SOL National Conference tri-champions with Abington and Neshaminy
- Led by senior point guard Becca Margolis, who surpassed the 1,000-point mark this season and averages 12.0 points a game.
- Junior Dana Bandurick (11.7 ppg) and senior Mackenzie Tinner (11.0 ppg) are key contributors offensively as well as under the backboards
- In the District One 6A seventh place game, the Indians defeated #10 Neshaminy 51-47 in the third meeting between the conference foes. Sydney Blum (17 points) and Becca Margolis (16 points led the Indians.
Nazareth
- 17-9 overall
- Fourth seed entering the District One 6A Tournament
- Top scorer is 6-1 freshman forward Talya Brugler
- In the District 11 6A title game, Nazareth fell to #2 Freedom 40-39 when Freedom’s Hailey Silfies buried a three with 7.2 seconds remaining. Talya Brugler led Nazareth with 15 points.
#1-9 UPPER DUBLIN vs. #12-1 CARDINAL O’HARA at Archbishop Carroll High School (Friday, March 9, 7:30 p.m.)
Upper Dublin
- 22-5 overall
- 12-2 SOL American Conference second place behind Plymouth Whitemarsh
- Young Cardinals’ offense led by sophomore Jackie Vargas (12.6 ppg), senior Nicole Kaiser (11.3 ppg) and freshman Dayna Balasa (7.9 ppg)
- In the District One 6A ninth place game, Upper Dublin knocked off #7 Perk Valley 47-44. A late three by Maggie Weglos knotted the score, and Nicole Kaiser buried a pair at the foul line to give the Cards the come-from-behind win. Freshman Dayna Balasa’s 18 points, which included five threes, led the Cardinals.
Cardinal O’Hara
- 21-4 overall
- 10-2 Philadelphia Catholic League third place regular season
- Led by Drexel signee Maura Hendrixson and Villanova recruit Mackenzie Gardler.
- Repeated as PCL champions with 54-39 win over top-seeded Neumann-Goretti. Maura Hendrixson had a game-high 26 points, which included a 13-for-14 effort at the foul line. Mackenzie Gardler added 17 points.
- In O’Hara’s 79-33 romp over Public League champion Olney in the District 12 title game, Hendrixson connected on nine 3-pointers and singlehandedly equaled Olney’s output with a career-high 33 points. Gardler had five threes and 15 points, and Emily Helms had four 3-pointers for 12 points in a contest that saw the Lions bury 21 threes.
#1-11 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST vs. #3-1 CENTRAL DAUPHIN at East Pennsboro High School (Friday, March 9, 8 p.m.)
Central Bucks East
- 17-10 overall
- 7-5 SOL Continental Conference tied for third place with Central Bucks West
- Led offensively by senior Sophia Mancusco (10.7 ppg), senior Bailey McManus (10.5 ppg), junior Elyse Shine (8.0 ppg) and senior Gina Russo (7.0 ppg)
- Third trip to states in five years under coach Liz Potash, second in as many years despite the loss of four starters and seven seniors from last year’s successful squad.
- In the District One 6A 11th place game, the Patriots defeated #11 Downingtown East 63-59 in overtime. Sophia Mancuso scored 15 of her team-high 19 points in the second half. Elyse Shine (13 points) and Gina Russo (12 points, 10 rebounds) also came up big.
Central Dauphin
- 17-5 overall
- 9-3 Mid-Penn Commonwealth second place
- Won back-to-back District Three 6A titles
- Led by Sam Gress (11.3 ppg), Grace Long (7.6 ppg) and Jaime Brann (7.0 ppg)
- In the district title game, Central Dauphin defeated #3 Central York 37-26. Sam Gress had 12 points while Jaime Brann and Grace Long both had nine.
- Entered the district tournament as the fourth seed. After an opening round bye, Central Dauphin defeated #5 Dallastown (43-28) and #8 Wilson (45-41 OT).
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