SOL Girls’ Basketball Wrap (12-10-18)

Non-league
BENSALEM 55, CONWELL-EGAN 25
Two years ago, Haley Keenan – then just a freshman – found herself thrust into the varsity lineup along with several of her classmates. A young Owls’ squad took its lumps, finishing the season 0-12 in the SOL National and winning just twice in 20 games overall.
A lot has changed since then. Bensalem won seven games last year – two in the conference, and with another year’s experience under their belts, the players are looking to improve on that number this time around.
“I think we’ve improved so much since freshman year,” said Keenan, one of three players in double figures with 13. “We were all real young, and now we’re more experienced. I think we’re going to do really good this year.”
So far so good for the Owls, who picked up their second win in as many outings on Monday night, and while Keenan stole the spotlight with a dazzling 26-point effort in the Owls’ win over Penn Wood, sophomore newcomer Kim Kaile found herself center stage on Monday, scoring 15 points in the first half en route to a game-high 19 in just over a half of action. She has made the transition to a new team look easy.
“I have good teammates,” said Kaile, who moved into the area from New Jersey. “I felt like it was going to be a change, but when I got over here, my teammates made it much easier for me. It was a great transition for me.”
Kaile dominated the paint, completing an impressive double-double with 12 rebounds (all in the first half). She also led the Owls defensively with five steals.
“She’s all basketball,” coach Don Bogan said. “She loves to play, she’s very physical.
“She’s a very nice kid and a pleasure to have on the team.
“She has a good future here. She’s playing hard. The first day of workouts the girls embraced her when they saw her play. From that day forward, she’s been part of the group. She’s fitting in very well, which is sometimes unusual when you get a transfer this talented.”
Kaile established early on that she’d be a force. She converted an offensive rebound into an easy bucket to put the Owls on top 3-0 and then stole the inbounds and scored. It ignited a 14-0 Owl run to open the game.
To close out the first quarter, Kaile pulled down a rebound on the defensive end and took it coast to coast for the score. The Owls led 16-10 after one quarter and then blew the game wide open with a 20-7 second quarter to go into halftime with a commanding 36-17 lead. Keenan had nine of her 13 points in the opening half, and junior Chloe Munyon, who also finished in double figures with 11, had eight first-half points.
“We’ve been swinging the ball a lot on offense, settling down,” Keenan said. “It’s all about teamwork.
“We support each other so much. It’s not about one person on the team. Everyone is contributing and working hard.”
“We go hard every day,” Kaile said. “Without our teammates, we wouldn’t get what we have right now.”
The Owls lost Sydney Bawuah for the season to an injury, but in addition to Kaile, they inherited a strong freshman class. Five saw action on Monday night.
“They want to run and they want to play,” Bogan said. “Haley (Keenan) has been very solid for two years before this. Chloe (Munyon) had a good year last year, and she’s coming on this year and starting to get it together.”
Bensalem (2-0) will host Neshaminy on Thursday in its SOL opener.
Conwell-Egan 10-7-2-6 25
Bensalem 16-20-13-6 55
Conwell-Egan (25) – Gia Brennan 5, Alyssa Fagans 2, Angel Crowell 2, Kylie Maroney 6, Kaylee Seslar 2, Kiyann Peterson 8.
Bensalem (55) – Kim Kaile 19, Haley Keenan 13, Chloe Munyon 11, Delaney Bell 2, Emily Wineburg 2, Maddie MacDougall 4, Gianna Paglaccetti 2, Taylor Hood 2.

CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 62, COATESVILLE 53
Alexa Brodie and Taylor Hinkle – one a senior, the other a freshman – proved to be double trouble for the Raiders in Monday’s non-league contest. The duo combined for 49 points with Brodie’s glittering 28-point effort leading all scorers.
“That girl has got a lot of pressure on her right now – knowing her name and returning after last year’s success,” coach Beth Mattern said of her all-state point guard. “People expect a lot out of her, and so far, she’s really stepped up to the challenge. She’s been a great leader on and off the court for the girls.”
Hinkle – on the heels of a 14-point effort in Saturday’s loss to Neshaminy – scored 21 points, which included a trey and a perfect 6-for-6 effort at the foul line. Seventeen of those points came after halftime when the Titans put the game away.
“Taylor is doing a nice job,” Mattern said. “She’s starting to put things together. She reminds me a little bit of Alexa – how much she loves basketball and how much she is willing to work for something.
“She’s a little different type of player, which is great. Those two have found a lot of chemistry together. She’s fun to coach, she’s fun to have on the team. It should be a fun four years with her.”
Sparked by 16 points from Brodie, the Titans opened up a 30-23 halftime lead. The senior point guard added 12 points in a second half that saw Hinkle do some serious damage as well. After scoring seven points in the third quarter, Hinkle added 10 more in the fourth, which included a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the foul line.
The win was the first of the season for the Titans, who took on two of the SOL’s top squads to open the season.
“We obviously started off our schedule playing really strong teams in Upper Dublin and Neshaminy,” Mattern said. “I felt we got better from Friday to Saturday.
“We’re just a young team, and we need to gain some confidence. I thought today went a long way towards that because we really executed in some situations they’ve never been in before, so that was nice to see.”
Central Bucks South (1-2) will host Quakertown in its SOL opener on Friday night.
Central Bucks South 14-16-15-17 62
Coatesville 13-10-9-21 53
Central Bucks South (62) – Taylor Hinkle 21, Mackenzie Erb 5, Curt Schaller 3, Alexa Brodie 28, Sofia Sonnet 5.
Coatesville (53) – Sarah Huston 17, Olivia Ellzy 3, Neveyah Chester 22.

NEW HOPE-SOLEBUARY 41, HARRY S TRUMAN 38
The Tigers staged a heroic second-half comeback, rallying from 11 down to pull to within three, but that’s where the comeback ended as they ran out of time.
The Tigers, who trailed 13-7 at the end of one quarter, went into halftime on the short end of a 21-13 score. They still trailed 33-26 heading into the final frame when they outscored the visiting Lions but came up just short.
Haniyyah Jones had another big game for the Tigers, leading all scorers with 19 points. Hannah Smith added 11, and Daisha Campbell, six points.
Harry S Truman (1-2) will travel to Quakertown for a non-league game Tuesday.
New Hope-Solebury 13-8-12-8 41
Harry S Truman 7-6-13-12 38
New Hope-Solebuary (41) – Dougherty 8, Saxton 15, Sherman 2, Palau 9, Covino 5, McDonnell 5.
Harry S Truman (38) – Haniyyah Jones 19, Daisha Campbell 6, Hannah Smith 11, Kayla Decker 2.