Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Saturday.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 58, WEST CHESTER EAST 46
Through their first seven games – all wins, the Colonials were rarely tested. Their average margin of victory was almost 35 points, and their closest game was a 14-point win over Downingtown East in their second game of the season.
Saturday’s title game was a different story. The Colonials trailed by six at the end of one quarter but rallied to go on top by four at halftime en route to a win in the title game of their own Colonials’ Holiday Tournament.
“This was our first close game of the year,” coach Dan Dougherty said. “We were losing after the first quarter, and in the second quarter, Sydney Kesselman, our senior, really stepped up. She had 12 of her 14 points in the second quarter. She hit a real timely three that gave us our first lead of the game. It was a really solid all-around effort.”
A 6-1 shooting guard, Kesselman, who ignited the Colonials’ 21-point second quarter, earned a spot on the all-tournament team. Anna McTamney scored 13 points on Saturday and was named tournament MVP. In the two games combined, the sophomore forward had 41 points and 20 rebounds.
“Anna McTamney was really special last special night with 28 points,” Dougherty said. “You could tell today she was a big focus of the other team’s defense, so Sydney really stepped up in the second quarter and gave us a good scoring punch.
“Anna had 12 rebounds today to go with 13 points. It was really a good one-two combination.”
The Colonials, who trailed 20-14 after one quarter, took a 35-31 lead into halftime and then outscored their visitors 23-15 in the second half.
Lainey Thomas added nine points while Kaitlyn Flanagan and Gabby Cooper each had six.
“Our two freshmen post players – Lainey Allen and Jordyn Thomas – did a really solid job today,” Dougherty said. “Marissa McDonald from West Chester East is a very good player. She came out and had a really strong first half.
“She had 14 points in the first half and was really hurting us. Gabby Cooper, who plays forward for us, held her scoreless in the second half. She did a really nice job defensively for us.
“Our freshman point guard Kaitlyn Flanagan did a solid job. She had five steals today.”
If there was an area of concern for Dougherty, it was his team’s foul shooting – the Colonials connected on just 17-of-36 from the charity stripe. That included Kesselman’s 5-for-5 effort.
The Colonials wrapped up December with a perfect record.
“The kids have really put a lot of work in,” Dougherty said. “We’re reaping the rewards of Whitemarsh Township, which has really done a nice job as a feeder program for us.
“The kids are coming in and they’re ready to play. We’re very lucky with that. Our school district for building this beautiful new gym we have. It’s been good, but we’re not pumping our chest out. Two of our next three games are against Abington and Upper Dublin. We told the girls in the locker room – the level of competition is about to skyrocket.
“The young kids are enjoying it. We beat a good Downingtown East team, and I thought West Chester East was pretty good. It’s good competition, but with our next two conference games against Abington and Upper Dublin, we’re certainly going to get baptism by fire pretty soon.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-0, 3-0 SOL) will host Abington on Friday.
West Chester East 20-11-6-9 46
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14-21-11-12 58
Plymouth Whitemarsh (58) – Ally Zolty 3, Kaitlyln Flanagan 4, Sydney Kesselman 14, Gabby Cooper 6, Anna McTamney 13, Lainey Allen 9, Jordyn Thomas 4, Lily Belle McGrorty 3.
ABINGTON 63, CHEROKEE (N.J.) 50
The Ghosts are alive and well.
There’s no mistaking they were reeling after their overtime loss to Upper Dublin, but they notched an overtime win over Archbishop Carroll on day one of the O’Hara Christmas Tournament and followed that with a convincing win over Cherokee in a game that saw the Ghosts play without Kassondra Brown for almost all of the second half.
The star center picked up her third foul in the closing seconds of the first half and her fourth just 12 seconds into the second half. Brown sat out almost the entire third quarter and then was whistled for her fifth just over a minute into the final period.
“We heard (Brown) talking to us – ‘Don’t let up, don’t let up,’” freshman point guard Khalis Whiting said. “A few days ago we lost to Upper Dublin in overtime, and we kind of let up at the end.
“This game we knew not to let up, and in yesterday’s overtime game (against Archbishop Carroll), we didn’t let up. We have to keep the same energy and come out ready to play every game.”
Whiting and Tamia Wessels were two major reasons why the Ghosts were able to survive Brown’s absence. Whiting – looking anything but the part of a freshman – was fearless, attacking the basket at every opportunity and burying 9-of-9 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to ensure there would be no Cherokee comeback.
“She brings a lot of energy to the team,” Wessels said of the freshman point guard.
Whiting finished with a game-high 21 points, but her energy was perhaps as important as her points.
“I do have a lot of fun,” Whiting said. “This game is everything to me. It’s my life right here, so I put it all out when I step on the court.”
The rookie point guard drew high praise from her coach.
“Khalis has just been tremendous for us,” coach Dan Marsh said. “Again, she’s having fun. She’s a young freshman, she’s a good solid kid, and she’s our best ball handler.
“I saw her when she was young and said, ‘That kid’s a point guard,’ but people were playing her at a different position. I said, ‘When you get to us, you’re our point guard’ because she sees the floor so well.”
Wessels, who added 20 points, repeatedly thwarted the Lady Chiefs’ comeback attempts with one big shot after another. She finished the game with four 3-pointers, two in the pivotal third quarter when Cherokee was desperately trying to mount a comeback with Brown on the bench.
“I had a bad game yesterday, so I was just working hard today,” Wessels said.
Whiting’s driving bucket on the Ghosts’ opening possession ignited a 15-4 Abington tear that included five points from Cam Lexow, including a trey from the top of the circle to cap the Ghosts’ run.
“Cam played terrific,” Marsh said. “She has a deep thigh bruise from yesterday, and she played through it.”
Abington took a 27-16 lead into halftime, and with Brown relegated to the bench with four fouls, Wessels – who had eight points in the quarter – went to work, connecting on back-to-back threes after Cherokee trimmed the Ghosts’ lead to six.
“When Tamia gets her swagger going, she’s very tough to stop,” Marsh said. “She’s a confident kid.
“She can shoot off the dribble, which not a lot of kids can do at this level, but she can break a kid down and shoot a three off the dribble.”
The Ghosts led 38-31 after Whiting sank one-of-two at the foul line, and after the Lady Chiefs turned the ball over against the press, Miranda Liebtag hit nothing but net on a three that put the Ghosts on top 41-31. Cherokee would get no closer than seven the rest of the way, thanks to some clutch foul shooting by the Ghosts – who connected on 13-of-14 in the final quarter.
Brown, despite foul woes, contributed 12 points.
Abington (7-1, 2-1 SOL) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday.
Cherokee 7-9-18-16 50
Abington 15-12-14-22 63
Cherokee (50) – Katie Fricker 2, CJ Apistar 8, Christianna McFadden 3, Alexis Armstrong 6, Katie McKeffrey 3, Kennedy Wilburn 9, Ava Therien 10, Alexa Theieren 9.
Abington (63) – Tamia Wessels 20, Cam Lexow 7, Kassondra Brown 12, Miranda Liebtag 3, Khalis Whiting 21.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 43, BISHOP IRETON (Va.) 34
For the second time in as many days, the Bucks threw some serious defense at their opponents, and the results were similar – a hard-fought win for the Bucks, who compiled a 2-1 record in the gold bracket of the Boo Williams Classic in Hampton, Va.
“Our kids looked great,” coach Terry Rakowsky said. “We shared the ball. A lot of kids were getting open shots, making the extra pass.
“Our defense – even the first night (a 54-22 loss to Lake Taylor), Lake Taylor was averaging 80 points a game, and we were in that game through the third quarter. Then it got away from us a little at the end. That first night was a very good game for us. We controlled the tempo. They were a little too athletic for us, got up and down and got some easy baskets.
“This team tonight had a big (Akunna Konkwo) who was as good a big as I’ve ever seen. She was 6-3 and incredibly athletic. Five of our kids played on her, and they played a great game.”
A first team all-state selection and Boston College commit, Konkwo – ranked 18th by ESPN at her position – scored a game-high 17 points but had just 10 over the final three quarters.
“If she got the ball she scored,” Rakowsky said. “Even if we doubled her, if she caught it, she scored. She was really good. They did a really good job against that kid. She’s a phenomenal player.”
Maddie Burke had 11 points and was one of five players to earn a spot on the gold bracket’s all-tournament team. One night earlier in the win over St. Mary’s (N.Y.), Burke buried four straight three pointers out of the gate, and the Bucks opened up a 15-0 lead. St. Mary’s never threatened.
Freshman Emily Spratt also had 11 points – all in the middle two quarters.
“Teams down here are very athletic, and they don’t necessarily play help defense – they try and get inside your shorts and take it from you,” Rakowsky said. “They let it go, so it’s real physical, which is exactly what our kids needed.
“(Emily Spratt) was doing a lot of one-on-ones, beating the kid off the dribble. She played great.”
Izzy Treon contributed eight points and Tori Abelson added seven points – all in a first half that saw the Bucks open up a 30-15 halftime lead.
Rakowsky also acknowledged the play of Olivia Irons, who buried a 3-pointer and had a big game a day earlier in the win over St. Mary’s.
“I don’t have the stats in front of me, but I bet she had 10 points from the foul line last night,” the Bucks’ coach said. “She did a great job running the point, running the offense, pulling people out. She played great defense, had a lot of energy.
“She did a good job in all three games, but definitely in the second game, she was the reason we won that game coming down the stretch. She was knocking down every foul shot.”
The Bucks’ strong showing was a shot in the arm for a squad that struggled through much of the season’s early weeks.
“I was so proud of them,” Rakowsky said. “This was a very good team, and we were up the whole game today. We looked like we did a couple of years ago with how we shared the ball. It didn’t matter who was getting the points. It just mattered that we got the points.
“We were up 10-12 the whole game. They got within 10 with about four minutes left, and we were a little scattered. Our kids executed a few plays we drew up. They executed two plays in a row where we scored off their press, and that put it away. Towards the end when we needed a basket, Izzy Treon made a great pass to Maddie inside. It was awesome. They had some momentum coming down the end, and we just took it away.”
Central Bucks West (4-4, 1-2 SOL) will host Coatesville in a non-league game on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Bishop Ireton 7-8-6-13 34
Central Bucks West 11-19-7-6 43
Bishop Ireton (34) – Samantha Shackelford 7, Kendall Hawley 3, Sydney Peters 3, Lauren Mingo 2, Ami Fadika 2, Akunna Konkwo 17.
Central Bucks West (43) – Olivia Irons 3, Jess Broskey 3, Maddie Burke 11, Emily Spratt 11, Tori Abelson 7, Izzy Treon 8.
NESHAMINY 56, ST. ELIZABETH’S 35
The Redskins – sparked by 11 points from point guard Kristin Curley – took a 27-22 lead into halftime and then blew Friday’s opening round game of the Diamond State Classic wide open with a 16-5 third-quarter tear. The quarter featured seven points from Brooke Mullin and a pair of threes from Allison Harvey. The Redskins limited the host team to just 13 points in the second half.
“The girls played great defense, especially in the second half,” coach Joe Lally said.
Curley led a balanced Redskin attack with 14 points, which included a pair of threes. Mullin finished with 11, and Harvey had nine points on three 3-pointers.
“Brooke (Mullin) and Allie (Harvey) played like themselves,” Lally said. “Kristin Curley stepped up big for us.
“It was a great team effort. We got big minutes again from Emily Tantala, Lex McCoy, Olivia Scotti and Meghan Ansel. We loved the quality minutes off the bench from Kacie Sienko.”
Neshaminy (8-0, 3-0 SOL) will take on St. John’s Prep (Md.) in Sunday’s title game at 6:45 p.m.
Neshaminy 14-13-16-13 56
St. Elizabeth’s 12-10-5-8 35
Neshaminy (56) – Emily Tantala 5, Kacie Sienko 3, Olivia Scotti 4, Brooke Mullin 11, Kristin Curley 14, Alexa McCoy 6, Kelli Kowalick 4, Allison Harvey 9.
St. Elizabeth’s (35) – Keeley Ciszkowski 2, Arianna Henry 2, Naia Pulliam 4, Juliann McCarron 8, Ber’nyah Ward-mayo 11, Rory Ciszkowski 4.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 56, WEST CHESTER RUSTIN 30
The Indians rebounded from Friday’s loss to Archbishop Ryan to earn a decisive win over Rustin in the opening game of the John Carlson Memorial Bracket.
Sydney Blum led all scorers with a glittering 23-point performance, which included three 3-pointers. Dana Bandurick added 16 points, seven rebounds, four steals and four blocked shots in a stellar all-around outing.
As a team, the Indians had nine blocked shots and nine steals in a standout defensive effort.
In the first quarter, Blum scored seven points and Bandurick had six, propelling the Indians to a 17-6 lead. By halftime, the Indians led 35-13 and had the game well in hand. Blum had 16 points and Bandurick had 12 in the first ahlf.
Emma Benson added six points for the Indians, who connected on 23-of-50 shots from the floor and 7-of-9 at the foul line.
Council Rock North (6-2, 3-0 SOL) will face Methacton in Sunday’s title game at 8:30 p.m.
West Chester Rustin 6-7-7-10 30
Council Rock North 17-18-9-12 56
West Chester Rustin (30) – Ella Harrison 6, Sam yaw 2, Grace Plona 7, Olivia Gatto 3, Sam Greer 1, Dikaya Daniels 2, Ashley Chishorn 3, Laney Costin 6.
Council Rock North (56) – Camryn Polinsky 4, Anna Carione 1, Sydney Blum 23, Olivia Boyle 2, Jillian Hopkins 2, Dana Bandurick 16, Emma Benson 6, Abby Jones 2.
PENNRIDGE 51, GOVERNOR MIFFLIN 48
The Rams bounced back from a heartbreaking overtime loss to Boyertown one day earlier to edge a pesky Governor Mifflin squad in the consolation game of the Boyertown Holiday Tournament.
“You’re tired – it was a long day yesterday, it was a long game, and then you turn it around pretty quick,” coach Mike Elton said. “This was our third back-to-back, and they were really discouraged about that game yesterday.
“Yesterday, statistically, everything we did said we should have won that game, but the fouls really killed us. It was just too hard to overcome. We basically gave it back to them on fouls, so we cleaned that up today. We didn’t get in the bonus in either half, and that was a big deal.”
The Rams opened up a 16-9 lead after one quarter and took a 33-21 advantage into halftime. Governor Mifflin outscored the Rams 27-18 in the second half.
“At the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth, they hit us with a bunch of threes – they had six threes,” Elton said. “At one point, we were up by 14, but they battled back.
“I’m really proud of the fact that our girls matched that and got it back themselves. It got a little tight at the end. It got into a situation where they were fouling. We actually did a nice job on the foul line in the fourth quarter, but they were able to get it close.”
For the game, the Rams connected on 14-of-19 from the foul line. Julia Kreider, whose 16 points led the Rams, was a perfect 4-for-4 in the final quarter.
“She’s been really solid,” Elton said. “In the Boyertown game, she had 18 points.”
Emilee Cramer added 12 points and was 3-for-4 at the line. Sam Muredda had nine points and was 5-for-7 at the charity stripe.
“The girls really played hard yesterday (in the loss to Boyertown),” Elton said. “It’s tough. They put everything into it, and just the fact that they got a little careless with the fouls kind of hurt the whole game.”
Pennridge (6-3, 1-1 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South for a non-league game on Thursday.
Pennridge 16-17-9-9 51
Governor Mifflin 9-12-14-13 48
Pennridge (51) – Corinn Mart 4, Sam Muredda 9, Sophie Cweiber 4, Julia Kreider 16, Evelyn Loughery 6, Emilee Cramer 23.
NORTH PENN 65, SPRINGSIDE CHESTNUT HILL ACADEMY 33
The Knights made easy business of Chestnut Hill Springside in Saturday’s consolation game of the Cardinal Classic.
Behind six points from Cayla Sharkey, the Knights opened up a 23-10 lead after one quarter and took a 36-18 advantage into halftime. They had a scoring advantage in each of the four quarters over Springside Chestnut Hill, which dressed just six players and received scoring from only three.
Val McGriff’s 14 points led a balanced Knight attack. Sharkey added nine while Alli Lindsay and Carley Adams each had eight. Meg Cleary chipped in six points.
“We were able to get a lot of girls quality minutes,” coach Jen Carangi said. “We had really balanced scoring.
“Carley Adams, Alayna Faison and Laynie Doran all did a good job guarding Mo’ne Davis. It was a great win for us heading into the New Year’s holiday.”
Kara Kniezewski (14 points) and Mo’ne Davis (10) led Springside Chestnut Hill.
North Penn (4-3, 1-1 SOL) will host Quakertown on Friday night.
Springside Chestnut Hill 10-8-7-8 33
North Penn 23-13-19-10 65
Springside Chestnut Hill (33) – Mo’ne Davis 10, Kara Kniezewski 14, Ava Chavez 9.
North Penn (65) – Meg Cleary 6, Cayla Sharkey 9, Alayna Faison 5, Laynie Doran 4, Alli Lindsay 8, Alaina Mullaly 5, Carley Adams 8, Val McGriff 14, Imani Plaza 4.
GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 52, UPPER DUBLIN 48
Morgan Funsten likes to win as much as anyone, but the Flying Cardinals’ coach had no complaints after watching his team battle a talented Patriot squad to the final whistle.
“Although we’re disappointed with the loss, I think we leave the game feeling pretty good about we as a team – meaning that people are being good teammates, people aren’t giving up on each other, they’re staying positive when things aren’t going well,” Funsten said. “You can’t come back like we’ve been coming back with poor attitudes, and I think that’s a major positive to take out of it.”
The Flying Cardinals, who fell behind early, trailed 30-22 at halftime. They pulled to within four (32-28) but trailed by as many as 13 before staging a late rally. A Dayna Balasa three after a steal by Jackie Vargas made it a 48-44 game with 1:12 remaining. A huge bucket by Becca Booth gave the Patriots a six-point cushion. Kara Grebe buried a pair at the foul line to make it a four-point game with 27 seconds remaining, but that’s as close as the Cardinals would get.
“I didn’t think we had to be perfect to beat them today, but the way that GA played – I think we had to be close to perfect today,” Funsten said. “Every time we gave them any little opening and sometimes when we didn’t give them an opening – they made big shot after big shot.
“We desperately needed some stops, and we couldn’t get them earlier in the game when the momentum seemed to be swinging our way.”
Vargas led the Flying Cardinals with 12 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Balasa also had 12 points. Jess Polin contributed 11 points and four assists while Grebe had 11 points and five rebounds.
Upper Dublin (6-2, 3-0 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Friday.
Germantown Academy 13-17-13-8 52
Upper Dublin 8-14-12-16 48
Germantown Academy (52) – Elle Stauffer 8, Maddie Vizza 9, Jessica Moore 3, Maddie Burns 4, Jaye Haynes 10, Rachel Balzer 10, Becca Booth 8.
Upper Dublin (48) – Anajae Smith 2, Jess Polin 11, Jackie Vargas 12, Dayna Balasa 12, Kara Grebe 11.
BISHOP SHANAHAN 50, HATBORO-HORSHAM 35
The Hatters found themselves on the short end of a 17-7 score after one quarter but regrouped to outscore Shanahan 15-7 in the second. They trailed by just two at the intermission, 24-22. Shanahan put the game out of reach with a 17-7 third quarter burst.
For the second time in as many games, Kylie Halko (12 points) led the Hatters’ attack. Alice Hall also finished in double figures with 10 while Emily Thomas had nine points.
Hatboro-Horsham (4-6, 1-2 SOL) will host Springfield Township on Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 7-15-7-6 35
Bishop Shanahan 17-7-17-9 50
Hatboro-Horsham (35) – Emily Thomas 9, Sydney Kemp 2, Kylie Halko 12, Graceanne Griffis 2, Alice Hall 10.
Bishop Shanahan (50) – Grant, McCarter 20, Dimarco 13, Greenhut 13.
HARRITON 56, WILLIAM TENNENT 36
The Panthers trailed 16-10 after one quarter and then were outscored 25-9 in the middle two frames in Saturday’s consolation game of the Colonials’ Holiday Tournament.
Tennent – once against without Haley Crossley (injury) – were led by the 13-point effort of Caitlin Somerville. Erin Hart added eight points and Chase Dubzak had six.
William Tennent (2-7, 0-2 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury on Thursday.
William Tennent 10-5-4-17 36
Harriton 16-16-9-15 56
William Tennent (36) – Caitlin Somerville 13, Chelsea Meltzer 4, Hannah Reimel 2, Jenna Rodebaugh 3, Chase Dubzak 6, Erin Hart 8.
PHILADELPHIA ACADEMY CHARTER 48, HARRY S TRUMAN 42
The Tigers were once again minus a pair of players, including high-scoring sophomore Haniyyah Jones (family commitment) as well as freshman Dahlia Gumaa (illness). For the second time in as many days, they came up just short, falling in Saturday’s consolation game.
They were ultimately doomed by a slow start. They fell behind 15-4 after one quarter and then outscored Philadelphia Academy 28-21 over the middle two quarters to pull to within four, 36-32. Philadelphia Academy edged Truman 12-10 in the final quarter to hold on for the win.
Harry S Truman (3-6, 0-3 SOL) will host Jenkintown in a non-league game on Friday.
Harry S Truman 4-13-15-10 42
Philadelphia Academy 15-12-9-12 48
BENSALEM 54, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 35
Friday, Dec. 28
ARCHBISHOP RYAN 55, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 52
The Indians led by five after one quarter, but they were outscored 43-35 the rest of the way.
Dana Bandurik had a huge game for the Indians, leading all scorers with 22 points. She connected on 7-of-10 shots from the floor and was 7-for-9 at the foul line. She also pulled down nine rebounds. Olivia Boyle added 10 points and five rebounds while Camryn Plinsky had eight points and nine rebounds.
Council Rock North 17-11-9-15 52
Archbishop Ryan 12-10-15-18 55
Council Rock North (52) – Camryn Polinsky 8, Anna Carione 7, Sydney Blum 5, Olivia Boyle 10, Dana Bandurick 22.
Archbishop Ryan (55) – Taniyah Finney 5, Tori Nigro 18, Luca Verello 2, Shane Glenn 6, Cait Geiger 3, Gabi Deluisi 14, Monee Moore 5, Gianna Grassifulli 2.
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