Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Thursday.
SOL National Conference
PENNSBURY 54, BENSALEM 21
The Falcons – who led 11-6 at the end of one quarter – took a commanding 28-8 lead into halftime on their way to the convincing win.
“Bensalem came out and they had a really good defensive game plan,” coach Frank Sciolla said. “They wanted to take away one of our girls (Ava Sciolla), and I thought our girls did a good job handling that.
“We were solid defensively. Our girls do a really good job of taking the other team out of what they want to run. They do a really good job with the scouting report. I think that’s great focus on their part.
“Bensalem only had eight points at the half, and we had only given up five the previous game against Council Rock North, so we’ve been solid defensively. Now it gets real for us because Saturday we play Abington Friends down at Imhotep, and that will be a challenge. Next week the team we play in Washington D.C. is Eleanor Roosevelt, and they’ve won seven out of the last eight state titles in Maryland.”
Sciolla and Nicole Pompili shared game scoring honors with 12 points each. Both scored all of their points in less than three quarters. Pompili also had four forced turnovers, two deflections and a steal.
“Nicole Pompili continued to make good plays for us in transition,” Sciolla said.
Sciolla led the Falcons under the backboards with eight rebounds to go along with three deflections, two forced turnovers and two steals.
“That was a good job on the backboards for (Ava) because the things she always gives us defensively with deflections and her ball handling, but the rebounding we really needed – we limited Bensalem to one shot,” Sciolla said. “Ava also did a good job of being patient tonight and understanding how she was being defended. She got to the offensive backboard, and that was good. “
Bella Arcuri added nine points, which included a 7-for-8 effort at the foul line. She also had six assists, four forced turnovers, four deflections and three steals.
“This was the most aggressive Bella Arcuri has been all season long on offense, which I thought was a good thing,” Sciolla said. “Bella is always so aggressive on defense and so excellent on the ball, and she had a great floor game.
“If we’re going to have a chance to really compete for the league title and make a run at the state playoffs, we’re going to need that from Bella. She has been one of the best kids to coach in my career – how hard she plays and how much she wants to win and how committed she is to success. She can be tough at practice, and she can be tough on her teammates because she’s so competitive, but that raises the level of the other kids.
“I have never looked at this girl one time in over two years and ever for a second thought she would give me anything less than everything she had, and there are very few people I can say that about in a very fortunate 24-year head coaching career.”
Mary Miller added eight points, seven deflections, three steals and two forced turnovers.
“Mary Miller came out really aggressive for us offensively and took advantage of opportunities,” Sciolla said. “
The Falcons’ coach was also pleased with the play of his two centers.
“We have Mia Spinelli, who gives us a little more offense, and Lauren ‘Diggy’ Dignan, who gives us a little more defense,” Sciolla said. “Together they have really been effective.
“Coming into tonight’s game we’ve been holding teams under 30 percent field goal percentage.”
Haley Keenan’s eight points led the Owls.
Pennsbury (4-0, 2-0 SOL) will face Abington Friends at the Cream of the Crop Showcase at Imhotep on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
“We have the best non-league schedule of any team I’ve coached, including my boys,” Sciolla said. “We’re really going to see it.
“These girls who didn’t think they were going to play as much as they have this year have stepped in and been really effective, and that’s been a positive for us.”
Bensalem (2-4, 1-2) returns to action on Dec. 27. The Owls will face host Jenkintown in the opening round of the Robert Hopf Memorial Tournament.
Bensalem 6-2-6-7 21
Pennsbury 11-17-17-9 54
Bensalem (21) – Averi McCoy 0 2-3 2; Sam Daut 1 0-0 2; Pooja Singameni 0 2-2 2; Emily Wineburg 0 2-2 2; Mia Parker 0 1-2 1; Haley Keenan 2 2-2 8; Chloe Munyon 1 0-0 2; Delaney Bell 1 0-0 2; Totals 5 9-11 21.
Pennsbury (54) – Ava Sciolla 6 0-0 12; Abbi Nassivera 1 2-2 5; Bella Arcuri 1 8-7 9; Lauren Dignan 2 0-0 4; Mary Miller 3 2-2 8; Mia Spinelli 0 3-4 3; Nicole Pompili 5 0-0 12; Neveah Dash 0 1-2 1; Totals 18 15-18 54.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Haley Keenan 2, Pennsbury – Nicole Pompili 2, Abbi Nassivera.
NESHAMINY 60, HARRY S TRUMAN 17
The Redskins led 22-5 after on quarter and never looked back on their way to the conference win. Kelli Kowalick led the first-quarter charge with 12 of her game-high 17 points.
Emily Tantala also finished in double figures with 10 points. Freshman Taylor Gurysh added eight points – all in the second quarter. Olivia Scotti had seven, and Sydney Tryon had six.
“Freshmen Taylor Gurysh, Anna Soska and Madison Lokitis all contributed,” coach Joe Lally said. “Kelli Kowalick and Emily Tantala were great again.”
Hannah Smith’s 12 points led the Tigers.
Neshaminy (5-1, 3-0 SOL) will host Cardinal O’Hara in a non-league game Saturday at noon. Harry S Truman (1-6, 0-3) will return to action in the Conwell-Eagan Christmas Tournament next Friday.
Neshaminy 22-18-12-8 60
Harry S Truman 5-2-0-10 17
Neshaminy (60) – Sydney Tryon 3 0-0 6; Emily Tantala 5 0-0 10; Olivia Scotti 3 0-0 7; Kristin Curley 2 0-0 4; Kelli Kowalick 6 5-6 17; Taylor Gurysh 4 0-0 8; Anna Soska 1 2-5 4; Madison Lokitis 2 0-0 4; Totals 26 7-11 60.
Harry S Truman (17) – Daisha Campbell 2 0-0 4; Hannah Smith 4 1-3 12; Ameera Smith 0 1-2 1; Totals 6 2-5 17.
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Olivia Scotti, HST – Hannah Smith 3.
Non-league
SHADOW MOUNTAIN (Ariz.) 28, UPPER DUBLIN 27
The Flying Cardinals lost a heartbreaker at the Nike Tournament of Champions when – with 1.7 seconds remaining – Senya Rabouin erased a one-point UD lead by sinking 2-of-3 from the foul line, propelling Shadow Mountain to the come-from-behind win.
“We had a one-point lead, and they fouled us shooting one-and-one with 14 seconds to go – we missed the front end of the one-and-one,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “In this tournament, they don’t call fouls because they’re on a time crunch. There’s two referees, and every game is consistent. They do not call fouls.
“We had one team foul in the second half and the other team had two team fouls in the second half, and they were just fouling us time after time to get us into the one-and-one. We still had three fouls to give, and there were five seconds to go and we were still up by one. They inbounded the ball, and their best player took a dribble, launched her body into our defender, and the refs called a three-shot foul. The girl stepped up and made the first two and the game was over. It was a very frustrating end.”
The Cardinals’ stingy defense played well enough to win on most days.
“We played well defensively, but we really shot the ball poorly in the first half,” Funsten said. “We also turned the ball over a little more than we wanted to, but it was really tough way to end a game that there was very few fouls called the entire time in either direction.
“Our defender was not trying to foul her when the girl went to shoot the three-pointer. There was 1.7 seconds left when they blew the whistle for the foul. It kind of spoiled a great defensive outing. To be down by 10 at halftime against the Arizona 4A state champion last year that has four starters back – it was a great comeback to take the lead, especially in a game as low-scoring as that.
“We need to be better at the end of the game. We can’t let a referee decide the game. We’re trying to take the positives out of it. We don’t think we played our best today offensively, not even close. We’re excited that we were still able to compete.”
The Cardinals connected on just 3-of-21 shots in the first half (14 percent) and trailed 17-7 at the intermission. Jackie Vargas accounted for five of the Cardinals’ seven first-half points.
“It was a weird game – we were up 3-2 at the end of the first quarter, and we were down 10 at halftime,” Funsten said. “We outscored them 13-2 in the third quarter, so we took a one-point lead going into the fourth.
“We held the lead for the entire fourth quarter, got up by as many as six (27-21) with four minutes to go. One of their two Division I players got a major leg injury with about three minutes to go in the game. The game was stopped for about five minutes, and they carried her off. It was a very scary sight.
“One of their role players (Lourdes Kinnard) stepped up and made a three and made two jump shots that really kept them in the game.”
In a game of runs, Shadow Mountain closed out the first half with a 10-0 run, and Upper Dublin returned the favor by opening the second half with an 11-0 tear.
Vargas scored a game-high 14 points and also had five rebounds and three blocked shots. Kara Grebe added eight points, six rebounds and three blocked shots. Dayna Balasa had a team-high eight rebounds. Jess Polin had six assists, four deflections, two steal and one block.
“I thought they played well defensively, but in the first half, we got a lot of great shots,” Funsten said. “We just missed them, but they made us work for our shots.
“Credit to their role player – we scout hard. This girl was 8-for-50 last year from three-point range, and she was 1-for-8 this season from three-point range. She knocked down a three, and two trips later, she made another basket to cut it to one. Those were the five points that were scored in the last four minutes of the game until the foul shots at the end.
“It was a defensive battle. I’m proud of the girls’ effort. Making shots is not an effort thing. Sometimes you can’t control the shot thing. We just have to try to put ourselves in better spots. It will test our mental toughness tomorrow. We’re going to try to take the positive out of it.”
Upper Dublin (3-2, 2-0 SOL) will face Highland Park from Colorado on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Upper Dublin 3-4-13-7 27
Shadow Mountain 2-15-2-9 28
Upper Dublin (27) – Bliss Brenner 1 0-0 2; Kara Grebe 4 0-0 8; Sarah Eskey 1 0-0 3; Jackie Vargas 6 1-3 14; Totals 12 1-5 27.
Shadow Mountain (28) – Senya Rabouin 3 2-3 10; Zhane Jordan 3 2-2 8; Dyamond Butler-Worley 1 2-2 5; Lourdes Kinnard 2 0-0 5; Totals 9 6-7 28.
3-point field goals: UD – Sarah Eskew, Jackie Vargas, Shadow Mountain – Senya Rabouin 2, Dyamond Butler-Worley, Lourdes Kinnard.
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