Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday.
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 52, NORTH PENN 44
In a game of runs, it was the Patriots with the final run, closing out the game with a 19-7 fourth-quarter tear to earn the come-from-behind win. East did most of its damage in the quarter at the foul line.
“We have struggled from the foul line, and we were 11-for-13 in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line,” East coach Liz Potash said. “We won it at the foul line.
“It was a one-point game, and that’s when we started going to the line.”
In the fourth quarter, Aubrey DeAngelis buried 5-of-7 at the charity stripe. Mia Salvati, Emily Chmiel and Emily Barry were all 2-for-2 from the foul line.
“I thought it was a really nice team win,” Potash said. “Gabby (Wilga) and Mia (Salvati) were in foul trouble, so Devon (Burns) and Elise (Duffy) were coming in on offense-defense. It’s a hard thing to do, and they did it seamlessly.
“I know we’re not young anymore, but we are still all juniors who only played last year as sophomores, so I was really happy with their composure in the fourth quarter to be able to execute and do some of those things that experienced teams need to do, and that’s how we pulled it out.”
Chmiel had another monster game for the Patriots leading all scorers with 23 points.
“When I was totaling up (the scorebook), I was shocked – I did not think she had that big of a game,” Potash said. “What we preached to the girls after the game was that we finally had a game with balanced scoring and then I looked at the scoring, but it seemed more balanced.
“They weren’t trying to just force it in to Emily, and when Emily was double teamed, she was kicking it out.”
Also significant were Chmiel’s contributions on the defensive end.
“I thought Emily Chmiel did a really good job on (Val) McGriff,” Potash said. “She held her to seven. She played her really well.
“The first time we played them last year at their place we were up the whole game and we ended up losing. It was kind of a rough game. McGriff really had a big game against us and against Emily. Since then, Emily has really stepped up, and I thought her defense tonight was really good on (McGriff).”
Early on, the Patriots – behind seven points from Chmiel and a pair of three-pointers from Salvati – led 19-16 after one quarter. In the second quarter, the Knights – behind eight points from Carley Adams – outscored their hosts 10-4 to go into halftime with a 26-23 lead. In the quarter, the Patriots connected on just 2-of-15 shots – 2-of-10 in the paint.
“We were 7-for-23 in the paint in the first half,” Potash said. “We were getting so many good looks, and we could not finish.
“They were up eight or nine in the third quarter, and we were down four heading into the fourth quarter.”
In addition to Chmiel, Salvati and Wilga both had nine points. DeAngelis added seven and Barry had six.
“It was a game of runs – it was a good game,” Potash said. “We always play a tough schedule to start the season. We know our tip-off is tough. West is our first league game.
“We have a lot of tough games at the beginning. We told the girls – we did not pick up any easy non-league games this year. We need to be able to play good competition. We’re 3-2 right now at the break. I think it’s a good 3-2. Gwynedd is a good win, we’ll take a league win against South, and I think tonight was a really good win against North Penn.”
For the Knights, Adams led a balanced attack with nine. Alli Lindsay added eight while Abby Plaugher and Val McGriff both had seven. Kate Early contributed six.
Central Bucks East (3-2, 2-1 SOL) will face Camden Catholic next Friday in the opening round of the Boardwalk Classic in Wildwood, N.J. North Penn (3-2, 1-1) will take on Unionville next Friday at the West Chester University Tournament.
North Penn 16-10-11-7 44
Central Bucks East 19-4-10-19 52
North Penn (44) – Abby Plaugher 2 2-4 7; Alli Lindsay 3 1-2 8; Rachel Dunn 2 0-0 4; Alaina Mullaly 1 0-0 2; Kate Early 3 0-0 6; Carley Adams 4 0-0 10; Val McGriff 3 0-0 7; Totals 18 3-6 44.
Central Bucks East (52) – Gabby Wilga 3 2-2 8; Mia Salvati 2 2-2 8; Emily Chmiel 10 3-4 23; Emily Barry 2 2-2 6; Aubrey DeAngelis 1 5-7 7; Totals 18 14-17 52.
3-point goal: NP – Alli Lindsay 2, Abby Plaugher, CB East- Mia Salvati 2.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 58, PENNRIDGE 32
The Bucks buried 11 shots from beyond the arc in an impressive display of long-range shooting. They spread the wealth around with eight different players contributing at least one three-pointer.
West – behind five points from Paige Gilbert – led 15-10 after one quarter and extended that to 31-18 by halftime. Gilbert led the charge with all of her team-high 14 points in the opening half. The Rams never threatened as the Bucks went on to outscore their visitors 27-14 in the second half.
In addition to Gilbert, Maddie Burke had nine points while Jess Broskey and Emily Spratt both had eight. Anna Blue had six points on a pair of three-pointers. Burke and Gilbert also both had two three-pointers.
“Paige continues to play awesome and had to have had a double-double,” coach Zach Sibel said. “Her energy and toughness brings out the best in everyone. We always say, a high tide rises all boats, and that’s what our girls do day in and day out.
“Maddie got it going and really put the pressure on the defense, opening up shots for everyone. Spratt shot the ball well and was so active on both ends. Anna Blue came in and knocked down shots. Liv (Irons) took control tonight and called the game herself, got us into a few sets, the type of IQ that you pray for in a point guard. I couldn’t be happier with this group. You see the box score and you see team basketball. It’s a lot of fun to be a part of.”
Corinn Mart’s 11 points – which included a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line – led the Rams. Sophie Cweiber added seven points.
Central Bucks West (4-1, 3-0 SOL) will return to action against Redland Friday in the Lancaster Catholic Holiday Tournament. Pennridge (4-2, 1-1) will face Delone Catholic next Friday at 4:30 p.m. in the Boyertown Holiday Tournament.
Pennridge 10-8-5-9 32
Central Bucks West 15-16-11-16 58
Pennridge (32) – Corinn Mart 3 4-4 11; Sophie Cweiber 3 0-0 7; Julia Kreider 2 0-0 5; Evelyn Loughery 2 0-0 5; Ashley Gordon 2 0-0 4; Totals 12 4-4 32.
Central Bucks West (58) – Paige Gilbert 6 0-2 14; Olivia Irons 1 0-0 3; Anna Blue 2 0-0 6; Emily Spratt 3 1-2 8; Maggie McCusker 1 0-0 3; Jess Broskey 3 1-2 8; Maddie Burke 3 1-3 9; Maddy McGarry 1 0-0 3; Lilly Evans 2 0-4 4; Totals 22 3-13 58.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Corinn Mart, Sophie Cweiber, Julia Kreider, Evelyn Loughery, CBW – Paige Gilbert 2, Anna Blue 2, Maddie Burke 2, Emily Spratt, Maggie McCusker, Jess Broskey, Olivia Irons, Maddy McGarry.
SOUDERTON 36, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 19
The Indians – behind four points from Olivia Schneider – led 8-5 after one quarter, and they added to that lead in the next three quarters. By halftime, Schneider had eight points, and the Indians led 17-10 on their way to the conference win.
“Olivia Schneider really played well – she had eight points, seven rebounds and three assists,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “Mikaela (Reese) continues to play with consistency and scored in each quarter.
“Jordan (Zimmerman) hit a big three on the opening possession of the third quarter to give us some second-half momentum. Casey Harter had another solid night at the point position. We played good, disciplined team defense.”
Reese led a balanced Indian attack with 10 points while Schneider had eight and Harter contributed six points.
Madelyn Tantum’s six points led the Titans, who did not score more than five points in any of the four quarters.
Souderton (4-2, 1-1 SOL) will travel to Lower Merion for a non-league game on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Central Bucks South (2-4, 1-2) will face Great Valley next Friday in the Garnet Valley Holiday Tournament.
Central Bucks South 5-5-5-4 19
Souderton 8-9-11-8 36
Central Bucks South (19) – Taylor Hinkle 2 0-0 4; Alyssa D’Orazio 2 0-0 4; Mackenzie Erb 1 2-2 5; Madelyn Tantum 2 2-3 6; Totals 7 4-5 19.
Souderton (36) – Jordan Zimmerman 1 1-2 4; Erin Bohmueller 1 1-2 3; Olivia Schneider 3 2-2 8; Casey Harter 3 0-2 6; Hayley Fenchel 0 2-2 2; Mikaela Reese 4 2-2 10; Rachel Schewe 0 1-2 1; Julia Shaughnessy 1 0-0 2; Totals 13 9-14 36.
3-point goals: CBS – Mackenzie Erb, Souderton – Jordan Zimmerman.
SOL American Conference
HATBORO-HORSHAM 54, UPPER MORELAND 51
Hatters’ coach Dennis Steinly called it an “interesting game,” something it certainly didn’t seem as though it would be when the Hatters opened up an 18-point lead in the third quarter.
The Golden Bears were once again minus leading scorer Bean Hughes, who tried to give it a go Friday but saw only limited minutes, but they still managed a gutsy comeback and even took the lead late in the fourth quarter.
“They hit a three in the corner in front of their bench to go up two,” Steinly said.
The Hatters came down and tied on a Caroline Shegogue putback. They came up with a defensive stop at the other end and took a lead they would not lose when Jess Howard – who earlier left the game with a bloody nose – connected on a pair of free throws that turned out to be the difference in the game.
“There was a collision at midcourt – Jess got fouled and got a bloody nose, so I had to substitute her out and put someone else in for her,” Steinly said. “She came back from the bloody nose, got fouled, went to the line and sank two to give the two-point lead.”
Cam Ryan sank one-of-two from the foul line to give the Hatters their final margin of victory.
“I credited my girls in the locker room afterwards and told them, ‘Good teams find way to win these games. You could have collapsed, you could have fallen apart after blowing an 18-point lead,’ but they really came together and held their composure and made baskets when they had to,” Steinly said.
Alice Hall led the Hatters with 16 points – eight in each half. Ryan finished with 15, including two threes.
“I just had a feeling about her tonight, and she came through,” Steinly said of his senior point guard. “In the fourth quarter, they were setting up a shot for number five, (EmmyFaith) Wood. She went backdoor on Cam, and Cam was able to recover and get the steal. I don’t know if they were looking to tie or take the lead, but that was a huge play at a crucial point in the game.”
Emily Thomas and Shegogue both added nine points. Thomas scored seven of those points in a first quarter, and Ryan also had seven as the Hatters opened up a 16-9 lead after one quarter. They took a 34-21 lead into halftime.
“We had a good flow, a good rhythm,” Steinly said. “We were turning them over, we were hitting some shots.
“We struggled playing with the lead. We implemented a new style of play, and we’re trying to figure that out. We have to work through the kinks. We have a game Monday, and then we’re off for 10 days. It will give us time to reflect on things we’ve done and what we need to work on and hopefully come into the New Year with some improvements.”
EmmyFaith Wood’s 18 points – which included three three-pointers – led all scores. Emma Meakim added 13 points, including a pair of threes, and Kaitie Opferman also had a pair of threes in her 10 points.
Hatboro-Horsham (4-3, 2-1 SOL) will host Lower Moreland in a non-league contest Monday at 3 p.m. Upper Moreland (3-4, 1-2) will travel to Harriton for a non-league game Saturday at 3 p.m.
Hatboro-Horsham 16-18-11-9 54
Upper Moreland 9-12-15-15 51
Hatboro-Horsham (54) – Emily Thomas 3 3-3 9; Cam Ryan 6 1-2 15; Caroline Shegogue 3 2-2 9; Jess Howard 0 3-5 3; Graceanne Griffis 1 0-0 2; Alice Hall 6 4-7 16; Jada Mills 0 0-2 0; Totals 19 13-21 54.
Upper Moreland (51) – Kathryn Morrow 0 0-2 0; Kaiya Herb 1 2-3 4; EmmyFaith Wood 5 5-6 18; Kaitie Opferman 4 0-0 10; Emma Meakim 3 5-6 13; AbbyEllen Wood 1 2-2 4; Bean Hughes 1 0-1 2; Totals 15 14-20 51.
3-point goals: HH – Cam Ryan 2, Caroline Shegogue, UM- EmmyFaith Wood 3, Kaitie Opferman 2, Emma Meakim 2.
WISSAHICKON 55, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 25
The Trojans led by just a 7-3 score after one quarter but put some distance between themselves and the Spartans with a 19-6 second-quarter tear to go into halftime with a commanding 26-9 lead. They outscored the Spartans 29-16 in the second half en route to their first win.”
“It’s good for the confidence, it’s good for all the hard work they’ve been putting in, and they want it so bad,” coach Rodney Cline said. “These girls work hard in practice, they work hard in the offseason.”
Kaitlyn McGeary led a balanced Trojan attack with 11 points. Lauren Fadel had eight points, Anna Schools contributed seven, and Rebecca Selverian had six. Ten players contributed scoring for the Trojans.
“This will build their confidence, we can use it as momentum,” Cline said. “It’s a collective effort. We have 10-11 girls that can play. It’s just fun to see that for the first time you can get all 10-11 girls in the game, and they can all bring something. One, two, three, four, five might not like it as much as six, seven, eight, nine, ten, but basketball is a team game.
“It’s a good teaching tool too, and collectively, we do this as a unit. We pull for one another and make sure everyone is accountable. It’s just fun to be in that atmosphere and not only teach the girls about basketball but about life at the same time. That’s our job as coaches. It was good for the girls, the morale. I loved seeing smiles on their faces. It’s a joy to be around them.”
Maddie Yoder led the Spartans with 11 points, and Emily Guicheteau had six.
Wissahickon (1-3, 1-2 SOL) will host Downingtown West in a non-league game next Friday at 1:30 p.m. Springfield Township (1-5, 0-3) returns to action next Friday when the Spartans will face Upper Merion in the Upper Merion Holiday Tournament.
Wissahickon 7-19-15-14 55
Springfield Township 3-6-8-8 25
Wissahickon (55) – Lily Hyatt 2, Anna Schools 7, Leah Dubin 5, Kylie Freidman 5, Lauren Fadel 8, Kelly Prestipino 2, Rebecca Selverian 6, Julia Verrier 4, Libby Kunzier 5, Kaitlyn McGeary 11.
Springfield Township (25) – Annie Coll 2, Rileigh Serroni 2, Maddie Yoder 11, Emily Smith 3, Emily Guicheteau 6, Briggs 1.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 75, CHELTENHAM 23
The Colonials – who led 32-5 after one quarter – scored 52 points in an overpowering first-half effort on their way to the lopsided conference win.
“We did not come to play tonight, and when that happens against a good team, this will be the outcome every time,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said.
Kaitlyn Flanagan – who was 6-for-6 at the foul line – and Gabby Cooper led a balanced PW attack with 12 points each. Erin Daley added 10 points, and Jordyn Thomas had nine. Abby Sharpe and Anna McTamney both had seven points, and Lily Belle McGrorty contributed six points.
Nazhe Blackwell’s seven points led the Lady Panthers. Katie Denyer added six.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-0, 3-0 SOL) returns to action next Saturday when the Colonials will face Padua Academy (Del.) in the opening round game of the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth’s High School in Wilmington, Del. Cheltenham (2-4, 0-2) will host Simon Gratz in a non-league game next Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 32-20-10-13 75
Cheltenham 5-3-5-7 23
Plymouth Whitemarsh (75) – Kaitlyn Flanagan 3 6-6 12; Abby Sharpe 3 0-0 7; Leah Kaye 1 0-0 3; Erin Daley 5 0-0 10; Chloe McGrorty 1 0-0 2; Gabby Cooper 5 0-0 12; Haley Felgoise 0 1-2 1; Anna McTamney 3 1-1 7; Jordyn Thomas 4 1-2 9; Lily Belle McGrorty 2 2-2 6; Deja Evans 3 0-2 6.
Cheltenham (23) – Umayrah Sulayman 2 0-2 5; Cashmear Moore 1 0-0 2; Tyrina Ragsdale 1 1-4 3; Nazhe Blackwell 3 0-0 7; Katie Denyer 2 0-0 6; Totals 9 1-6 23.
3-point goals – Gabby Cooper 2, Kaitlyn Flanagan, Leah Kaye, Cheltenham- Katie Denyer 2, Umayrah Sulayman, Nazhe Blackwell.
SOL National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 57, WILLIAM TENNENT 32
A young Indians’ squad turned in its strongest performance of the young season. They not only played stifling defense, they also had their outside game going, connecting on nine three-pointers.
Making the win even more impressive was the fact that the team’s four freshmen – Jaden Wan, Erica Martin, Kiera Katz and Lizzie Lustig – accounted for 26 of the Indians’ 57 points (45 percent).
Wan scored 15 points in another impressive offensive performance. Sophomore Kristen Polinsky also came up big, finishing with 15 points, which included three three-pointers. Anna Cairone and Emma Benson both had six points on two three-pointers.
The Indians took immediate control of the game, opening a 16-4 lead after one quarter and taking a 28-14 lead into halftime. Polinsky scored 12 of her 14 points in the half. Wan added 11. The Indians outscored the Panthers 29-18 in the second half.
Tennent’s Hannah Reimel led all scorers with 18 points. Erin Hart added eight.
Council Rock North (3-3, 2-1 SOL) will face Berks Catholic next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the opening round of the Boardwalk Classic in Wildwood. William Tennent (3-3, 0-2) is off until Monday, Dec. 30, when the Panthers will travel to Wissahickon for a 1:30 p.m. contest.
Council Rock North 16-12-14-15 57
William Tennent 4-10-6-12 32
Council Rock North (57) – Kiera Katz 2 0-0 4; Lizzie Lustig 1 0-0 2; Anna Cairone 2 0-0 6; Sofia Shields 1 0-0 3; Erica Martin 1 2-2 5; Mara Penner 1 0-0 2; Kristen Polinsky 5 1-1 14; Emma Benson 2 0-0 6; Jaden Wan 5 5-7 15; Totals 20 8-10 57.
William Tennent (32) – Emily Thran 2 0-0 4; Hannah Reimel 7 3-4 18; Courtney Bragen 0 2-2 2; Erin Hart 3 2-9 8; Totals 12 7-13 32.
3-point goals: CRN – Kristen Polinsky 3, Emma Benson 2, Anna Cairone 2, Sofia Shields, Erica Martin, WT – Hannah Reimel.
Non-league
UPPER DUBLIN 48, HIGHLANDS RANCH 47 (OT)
Jess Polin buried 3-of-4 foul shots in overtime, and that was all the Flying Cardinals needed to eke out a win over Highlands Ranch at the Nike Tournament of Champions.
“On the first possession of overtime, Jess Polin got fouled – we were in the one-and-one, and she knocked down both ends of the one-and-one,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “We got a stop defensively, we missed a shot. We got another stop, we missed a three. We got another stop, and their best player made a nice baseline jumper to tie the game with about 50 seconds to go in overtime.
“We held the ball for the last shot, and with 16 seconds to go, they fouled Jess Polin on the sideline. At this point, we were in the double bonus. She made the first, missed the second.”
The Falcons called a timeout with 10 seconds remaining after getting the ball over half court.
“We had been playing zone, but we switched to man for that possession,” Funsten said. “In the timeout, I asked the girls – ‘What are you more confident in now?’ They said zone, so we switched to zone.
“They came out of the timeout expecting us to be in man because that’s what we had shown, and our girls decided we should play zone. The first six or seven seconds of the last possession – they were confused, and they were running a man-to-man set. Their best player ended up coming off a ball screen in the corner. We had three girls closing out on her, but we were a little late, and we gave her a little more space than we wanted. She got a shot off, and she missed at the buzzer. The ball seemed like it was in the air for five minutes. It went off the rim, the buzzer went off, and we escaped.”
For a while, it looked as though – for the second time in as many days – the outcome of Upper Dublin’s game could be decided on a controversial call or, in this case, the absence of a call.
“Jackie Vargas had a layup with a second to go, and three girls jumped on her, and they didn’t call it,” Funsten said.
This time, the Cardinals earned the impressive win.
“Highland was 25-2 last year – they lost some players, but that was a great team we just played,” Funsten said. “It was a great overall game with momentum swings both ways.
“It was great because both teams were making plays. They played a match-up zone. The court we played on was not a full-sized court. They’re very long, and it didn’t allow us to run any of our stuff. The girls just did a great job of staying connected offensively and making themselves available. There was big play after big play.”
Highlands Ranch led 12-9 after one quarter, but the Cardinals used a 14-6 second quarter to go into halftime with a 23-18 lead. Dayna Balasa sparked the Cardinals’ second-quarter surge with six points.
Highlands Ranch answered with a 14-8 third quarter to go on top 32-31, but six points from Balasa on a pair of threes led the Cards in the fourth quarter as they rallied to knot the score.
“With about two minutes to go, we were down 42-41 after a turnover and breakaway layup by them,” Funsten said. “Kara Grebe stepped up and made a baseline jumper to put us up one. Highland responded with a three to go up two.
“Sarah Eskew looked like she was going to raise up for a three in the left corner – shot faked, put the ball on the floor, and the girl did not want Sarah to get to the basket and fouled her with under a minute to go in regulation. We were in the bonus, and Sarah knocked down both ends of the one-and-one. Sarah made a big play there.”
The Flying Cardinals got a stop defensively, and Jess Polin came up with the loose ball rebound in traffic.
“She dribbled out, and we called a timeout with eight seconds to go by half court,” Funsten said. “They were in a matchup zone, and once we inbounded the ball, we sent everyone running toward midcourt other than Jackie, who just stepped toward half court, and we threw a lob over the top.
“Jackie caught it clean and looked like she was going in for a layup, and I thought there was a lot of contact. The ref told me afterwards that there was a lot of contact, just no illegal contact. I don’t know what that means, but after losing on a questionable foul call yesterday, I thought we may have deserved a foul called. That’s just the way it was. We went to overtime and gutted it out. It’s more fun when you win, but this has been a great experience so far. We’re looking forward to one more challenge tomorrow.”
Vargas and Balasa both scored 12 points to lead the Cardinals. Vargas also had four rebounds, five blocks and three assists. Balasa had three steals, five deflections and one block. Polin added 10 points, five rebounds, three assists, six deflections, three steals and one blocked shot. Grebe had seven points, six rebounds, one steal and four blocked shots. Eskew had five points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Upper Dublin (4-2, 2-0 SOL) will close out play in the Nike Tournament of Champions on Saturday against Mullen, the defending Colorado Class 4A state champion.
Upper Dublin 9-14-8-14-3 48
Highlands Ranch 12-6-14-13-2 47
Upper Dublin (48) – Bliss Brenner 1 0-2 2; Jess Polin 2 5-6 10; Kara Grebe 2 3-4 7; Sarah Eskew 1 2-2 5; Dayna Balasa 4 1-1 12; Jackie Vargas 4 4-4 12; Totals 14 15-19 48.
Highlands Ranch (47) – Payton Muma 4 0-0 9; Alex Pirog 4 0-0 8; Sarah Mitchell 3 1-3 7; Taylor Ray 6 1-1 16; Deidre Lassiter 1 0-2 2; Chelsea Grover 1 3-3 5; Totals 19 5-9 47.
3-point goals: UD – Dayna Balasa 3, Sarah Eskey, Jess Polin, Highland Ranch – Taylor Ray 3, Payton Muma.
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