Check out the reaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Saturday.
Non-league
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 35, UPPER DUBLIN 32
On a day when points didn’t come easily for either side, Olivia Irons stepped to the fore, scoring a game-high 17 to lead the Bucks to a hard fought win over the short-handed Flying Cardinals.
The Cardinals, who gave the Bucks all they could handle, were once again without Lehigh University-bound Jackie Vargas (injury).
“We’re a team that definitely wants to play fast – we want our games in the 50s and 60s, but Upper Dublin did a really nice job slowing us down,” coach Zach Sibel said. “They play at a slower place – a lot of their games are in the 30s, so we were in a situation where they took us out of our rhythm a little bit, but we made plays when we needed to.
“Liv Irons had a huge three and free throws in the fourth quarter alongside Emily Spratt, who had nine and had a big three in the fourth quarter to get some momentum back and two free throws at the end to ice it.”
Irons buried three three-pointers, and she scored seven of the Bucks’ 14 points in the pivotal fourth quarter.
“When we needed to get a basket, she was able to get some good dribble penetration and got a nice floater in the middle of the lane in the fourth, which allowed us to get back in the groove,” Sibel said. “Seeing the ball go in the basket does wonders for every girl on the squad.”
The Bucks – behind seven points from Irons – opened up an early 13-5 lead but managed just five points the remainder of the first half and went into halftime with a tenuous 18-16 lead. Dayna Balasa and Sarah Eskew both scored five points in the half.
The Cardinals refused to go away, ‘outscoring’ the Bucks 5-3 in the third quarter to knot the score 21-21 heading into the fourth quarter.
“We were just missing shots,” Sibel said. “We started out hot. For the most part, they played that 3-2, and it’s a good zone. We look at points per possession, and the three-point shot has been a really high statistical shot for us.
“We want to keep going with that and encouraging our girls to take that shot, but sometimes we’re getting good looks and they’re just not falling. Luckily, our defense kept us in it. I thought we were tremendous on the defensive end, and it gave us an opportunity to win a game against a really talented and well coached team.”
Balasa’s eight points led the Cardinals. Bliss Brenner, Jess Polin, Kara Grebe and Eskew each had six points. Grebe led the Cardinals under the backboards with nine rebounds while Brenner had seven rebounds, two steals and three blocks. Polin had four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
“Despite the loss, today was a step in the right direction,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “The girls played with an intensity and purpose unlike our other three losses this week.
“After the game, the girls expressed how proud they were of each other. All of these are great signs moving forward.”
Central Bucks West (9-3, 5-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South Tuesday, and Upper Dublin (7-6, 4-2) will be at Springfield Township Tuesday.
Central Bucks West 13-5-3-14 35
Upper Dublin 7-9-5-11 32
Central Bucks West (35) – Paige Gilbert 2 0-0 4; Olivia Irons 5 4-4 17; Emily Spratt 2 4-4 9; Jess Broskey 0 1-3 1; Maddie Burke 1 1-2 4; Totals 9 10-13 35.
Upper Dublin (32) – Bliss Brenner 3 0-0 6; Jess Polin 2 2-2 6; Kara Grebe 3 0-0 6, Sarah Eskey 1 3-4 6; Dayna Balasa 3 0-0 8; Totals 12 5-6 32.
3-point goals: CBW – Olivia Irons 3, Emily Spratt, UD – Dayna Balasa 2, Sarah Eskew.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 57, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 25
Ten players put their names in the scoring column for the Colonials, who opened up a 35-9 halftime lead on their way to the convincing non-league win.
Sophomore point guard Kaitlyn Flanagan led all scorers with 15 points. Erin Daley and Anna McTamney both added eight points. Jordyn Allen had six.
Taylor Hinkle’s five points led the Titans.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (13-0, 6-0 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday, and Central Bucks South (4-8, 1-4) will host Central Bucks West Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
Central Bucks South 7-2-7-9 25
Plymouth Whitemarsh 16-19-18-4 57
Central Bucks South (25) – Maddie White 1 0-0 2; Mary Kate McShane 1 0-0 3; Taylor Hinkle 2 0-0 5; Alyssa D’Orazio 0 1-2 1; Reilly Monson 2 0-0 4; Madelyn Tantum 1 0-0 2; Samantha Schiesser 1 0-1 2; Allison Sauers 0 1-3 1; Samantha Waltrich 1 0-0 2; Caroline McSorley 1 0-0 3.
Plymouth Whitemash (57) – Ally Zolty 1 0-0 3; Kaitlyn Flanagan 6 2-2 15; Gooneratne 0 1-2 1; Abby Sharpe 2 0-0 5; Erin Daley 2 3-4 8; Chloe McGrorty 1 0-0 3; Gabby Cooper 2 0-0 4; Anna McTamney 3 2-4 8; Lainey Allen 3 0-2 6; Jordyn Thomas 2 0-0 4.
CHELTENHAM 46, NEW FOUNDATIONS CHARTER 39
Umayrah Sulayman scored 13 points in the first quarter to propel the visiting Lady Panthers to a 17-6 lead in Saturday’s non-league game. The sophomore point guard turned in a glittering 22-point, 11-rebound effort. Taylor Johnson also collected a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
“It was a battle today, and we fought hard for this win,” coach Ben Bowman said. “We are gaining our confidence back, and it’s showing on and off the court. We need to carry this into this week and three tough games.”
The Lady Panthers scored just three points in the second quarter but still held a 20-17 lead at halftime. They led by four heading into the fourth quarter when they added three points to the lead.
Cheltenham (5-7, 1-5 SOL) will travel to Abington on Tuesday.
Cheltenham 17-3-12-14 46
New Foundations 6-11-11-11 39
Cheltenham (46) – Maycie Cedeno 0 2-4 2; Assata Robinson 0 2-4 2; Taylor Johnson 4 3-5 11; Umayrah Sulayman 8 4-12 22; Cashmear Moore 1 0-3 2; Tyrina Ragsdale 2 2-5 6; Katie Denyer 0 1-2 1; Totals 15 14-35 46.
New Foundations (39) – Velez 2 3-4 8; D.Little 2 1-3 5; A.Gilchrist 2 1-2 5; D. Knight 0 1-6 1; H.Gramm 2 0-1 4; A. Morris 1 3-4 5; T.Jones 3 1-3 7; K. Blossingale 2 0-0 4; Totals 14 10-23 39.
3-point goals: Cheltenham Umayrah Sulayman 2, New Foundations – B.Velez.
NESHAMINY 74, VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 40
The Redskins all but ran the visiting Jems off the court with a 32-point first quarter, opening up a 32-5 lead before fans had settled in their seats. Kelly Kowalick ignited the offensive onslaught, scoring 11 points in the opening quarter. Emily Tantala added seven, and Kristin Curley had six.
The Redskins, who took a 48-14 lead into halftime, coasted the rest of the way.
Curley’s 16-point effort – 14 in the first half – led the Redskins. Kowalick had 15, 13 in the opening half. Tantala added 13 points, and Olivia Scotti contributed 10 points, including a pair of threes. Sydney Tryon added seven.
Neshaminy (8-4, 5-0 SOL) will host Pennsbury in a key conference battle Tuesday.
Villa Joseph Marie 5-9-11-15 40
Neshaminy 32-16-19-7 74
Villa Joseph Marie (40) – Tomasetti 1 1-3 3; Weller 1 0-0 2; Hagan 2 1-2 6; McLaughlin 0 3-4 3; Austin 1 1-2 3; Solov 1 0-0 3; Ziak 0 2-4 2; Svalski 6 4-5 18; Totals 12 12-20 40.
Neshaminy (74) – Sydney Tryon 3 0-0 7; Emily Tantala 5 3-4 13; Kacie Sienko 2 0-0 4; Olivia Scotti 4 0-1 10; Kristin Curley 7 2-2 16; Kelli Kowalick 6 2-4 15; Taylor Gurysh 2 1-2 5; Soska 1 0-0 2; Roskos 1 0-0 2; Totals 31 8-13 74.
3-point goals: VJM – Svalski 2, McLaughlin, Solov, Neshaminy – Olivia Scotti 2, Kelly Kowalick.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 47, WILLIAM TENNENT 41
The Panthers came up just short in their non-league game against the Lions, but coach Laura Whitney was pleased with her team’s effort.
“It was not the final results we wanted, but it felt good to be back in a close competitive game,” the Panthers’ coach said. “We’ve had a rough few weeks were we really struggled offensively to score and have had some turnover issues.
“I give our girls a lot of credit. It would be easy to fold the tent, but they continue to come to practice every day with a positive attitude and just keep putting in the work.”
Courtney Bragen led three Panthers in double figures with 14. Hannah Reimel added 13, which included three three-pointers, and Erin Hart had 10 points, including a 6-for-7 effort at the foul line.
The Panthers, who trailed 9-6 after one quarter, found themselves on the short end of a 19-14 score at halftime. They outscored the Lions by one in the third quarter but could not make up the ground they lost in the opening half.
“I thought tonight we came out strong, which has been a downfall of ours lately,” Whitney said. “Erin Hart was a huge part of that. She provided us a big spark the first quarter with her aggressiveness and drawing some early fouls. Offensively, we stalled a little bit the second quarter when they switched up their defense, but we were able to get some key stops to keep it close at the half.
“The second half our girls showed a lot of fight. New Hope made a nice run to extend the game to nine, but we responded each time with our own run. We managed to cut the game to three on several occasions, but followed it up with turnovers on the next possessions, which killed us.
“As a team, we’re not used to being in close games like that and are still learning how to manage those situations. Nonetheless, it was a great team effort and everyone that came in contributed with big plays.”
William Tennent (3-8, 0-5 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman on Tuesday.
William Tennent 6-8-12-15 41
New Hope-Solebury 9-10-11-17 47
William Tennent (41) – Emily Thran 4, Hannah Reimel 13, Courtney Bragen 14, Erin Hart 10.
New Hope-Solebury (47) – S. Vlahovic 5, K.Dougherty 4, R.Chrencik 15, J.Covino 5, R.Saxton 14, E.Primavera 4.
WYOMISSING 67, HATBORO-HORSHAM 54
The Hatters battled and trailed by just a 36-32 score at halftime, but Wyomissing outscored its visitors 11-7 in the third quarter and 31-22 in the second half to earn the non-league win.
Alice Hall led a balanced Hatter attack with 14 points while Cam Ryan added 13. Emily Thomas had 11 points, and Jess Howard chipped in six points.
Hatboro-Horsham (7-5, 4-2 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 15-17-7-15 54
Wyomissing 18-18-11-20 67
Hatboro-Horsham (54) – Emily Thomas 3 4-4 11; Cam Ryan 5 2-2 13; Caroline Shegogue 1 0-0 3; Ava McKinney 1 0-0 3; Jess Howard 3 0-0 6; Graceanne Griffis 1 0-0 2; Alice Hall 6 2-3 14; Jada Mills 1 0-0 2; Totals 21 8-9 54.
Wyomissing (67) – Doyle 3 5-5 11; Gehman 5 3-5 14; Campbell 3 4-8 10; Rebe 2 0-0 4; Seyfert 9 6-9 24; Neff 2 0-0 4; Totals 24 18-27 67.
3-point goals: HH – Emily Thomas, Cam Ryan, Caroline Shegogue, Ava McKinney, Wyomissing – Gehman.
LIBERTY 59, QUAKERTOWN 30
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