Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Saturday. PW/Upper Dublin photos provided courtesy of Larry Small. Click on the link to view game photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p736670491
SOL American Conference
UPPER DUBLIN 39, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 26
Upper Dublin’s calling card under coach Morgan Funsten has always b
een and always will be defense. On Saturday, the Flying Cardinals put on a defensive clinic for the large crowd that turned out for the key conference battle.
With just under three minutes remaining in the opening quarter, Gabby Cooper nailed her second 3-pointer of the game to give the Colonials a 10-5 lead. It turned out to be the Colonials’ last hurrah, if there is such a thing in the first quarter.
The Colonials scored just 16 points over the final 26-plus minutes of the game, falling for only the second time this season.
It was a far cry from the initial meeting between the two teams – a 47-25 PW win.
“I don’t think we were in a great mental state the first time we played them, and they were obviously rolling ” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “They didn’t think they could ever lose the first time we played them.
“I think we were easily distracted in that game. When one thing went wrong, we couldn’t focus on the next play. I think that’s what our group of girls does so well. They really look at each possession one at a time offensively and defensively and try to avoid letting previous possessions affect them. At that point in the year, we weren’t doing that and we were getting disconnected defensively.
“(The) right hand straight line drives that they had to the basket first game when we watched the video this past week – it was embarrassing on all levels. The girls didn’t even want to watch it because it was so embarrassing.
“Tonight you could count on one or two fingers the number of times they got some momentum going to the right. If you ever look at the shot chart at the end of the game for that team, about 90 percent of their shots are from the right side of the court.”
In the first meeting between the two teams, Jackie Vargas suffered a foot injury in the second quarter and score nine points. A healthy Vargas dominated play at both ends of the court in Saturday’s rematch, finishing with 18 points, six blocked shots and six rebounds.
“The big difference today was that I got a little more confidence back since I got hurt in that game,” Vargas said. “The rest of the game I was trying, but I wasn’t a full 100 percent because I was in pain – it was hurting.
“Even if it wasn’t that bad, sometimes if you get out of that rhythm – I missed four games, and you have to build back into what you had before. I think the difference today was I got my confidence back. As a team, we’ve been doing a lot better. We lost a couple of tough games, but we knew as a team that we’re good, and we can do anything we put our minds to.”
Vargas was at her dominating best in the first half, blocking four shots and scoring 12 points.
“We need Jackie engaged at all times, and I thought she was fantastic tonight,” Funsten said.
Jess Polin had a pair of clutch 3s in the corner in the second quarter – the first broke a 10-10 tie and the second gave the Cardinals a 19-12 lead. A bucket by Vargas at the buzzer off the dribble sent UD into halftime with a 23-12 lead.
“Even if she’s injured and not having her best game, she is always a dominant player on the floor,” Polin said of Vargas. “Especially when she’s on like she was tonight with the buzzer beater – a lot of teams have trouble stopping her because she’s a very good player.
“She’s a huge asset, especially on defense because teams are scared to drive into the lane on her and they pull it back out, and that’s great for us. If they do go in, they have to go over her.”
In the third quarter, the Colonials – pressuring the length of the court – began to crawl back into the game and trailed by just six after Cooper scored on a drive midway through the quarter.
“This is probably the best pressing team we’ve faced all year and may be the best pressing team in the district,” Funsten said. “That’s the key. You have to break the pressure. I thought Jackie Vargas and Jess Polin did a great job, and I thought the other girls made themselves available and were able to relieve pressure at times.
“We tried to take away what they do well, and I thought the girls did a great job.”
Vargas converted a drive at the other end to bring an end to a five-minute scoring drought for UD to open the second half. Jordyn Thomas buried a three at the other end to pull the Colonials within five, 25-20, but a Bliss Brenner three gave the Cardinals a 28-20 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Colonials would get no closer.
“The single most important shot may have been Bliss’ three from the right wing,” Funsten said. “Thomas had just made a three, and that’s another opportunity for them to feel extra good about themselves. I thought Bliss made a confident decision to shoot the ball, and she made them pay.”
In addition to Vargas, Polin had 10 points, three assists and two steals. Kara Grebe had six rebounds. Dayna Balasa had six points on two 3s, four rebounds and three steals.
“What we did today showed all of us – not the audience – but the girls on the team and the coaches that we can play the full 32 minutes,” Vargas said. “We’ve been talking about how sometimes it’s 30 minutes, 20 minutes.
“This time it was a full 32 minutes, and we know we can do it. It’s just a matter of whether we really want to do it because we know we can. Sometimes as the season goes on you get tired – it’s long, but I think as long as we stick together and motivate each other, then we’ll be fine.”
“I just think right now as a team we’re getting better,” Polin said. “And that’s good because it’s before playoffs, and we want to keep getting better.
“The last game – as unfortunate as it was when they beat us by 22 – it did help us. Obviously, it didn’t feel good then, but it taught us a lot. We came out today, and we didn’t want to have that feeling again.”
Cooper and Thomas led the Colonials with nine points each. Anna McTamney had six points.
Upper Dublin (14-6, 10-2 SOL) – the sixth seed in the District One 6A power rankings – will host Wissahickon on Tuesday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (18-2, 11-1) will be on the road at Upper Moreland. The Colonials – despite the loss – are the top seed in the district.
Upper Dublin 8-15-5-11 39
Plymouth Whitemarsh 10-2-8-6 26
Upper Dublin (39) – Bliss Brenner 1 1-2 4; Anajae Smith 0 1-2 1; Jess Polin 4 0-1 10; Dayna Balasa 2 0-0 6; Jackie Vargas 5 7-8 18; Totals 12 9-13 39.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (26) – Kaitlyn Flanagan 1 0-0 2; Gabby Cooper 3 1-2 9; Anna McTamney 2 2-2 6; Jordyn Thomas 3 2-5 9; Totals 9 5-9 26.
3-point goals: UD – Jess Polin 2, Dayna Balasa 2, Jackie Vargas, Bliss Brenner, PW – Gabby Cooper 2.
BENSALEM 42, NAZARETH ACADEMY 38
Senior Haley Keenan and Chloe Munyon combined for 27 points to lead the Owls to yet another important win down the stretch. Bensalem is 22nd in the latest District One 6A power rankings heading into the final week of the regular season.
“We played great defensively despite missing our senior shot blocker, Emily Wineburg, who was out a second game in a row,” assistant coach Steve Johnson said. “On the offensive end, we got a lot of great looks but just couldn’t convert.”
The Owls trailed by one at halftime but took a 26-25 lead into a final quarter that saw them outscore their visitors 16-13.
“The game was going back and forth for just about the entire first three quarters,” Johnson said. “With five second left in the third quarter, freshman guard Averi McCoy got a steal and went coast to coast for a layup. The steal and bucket gave us a little boost of confidence to close out the fourth.”
Keenan led the Owls with 14 points and Munyon had 13. Sam Daut added six.
Bensalem (10-9, 6-5 SOL) will host Council Rock North on Tuesday.
Nazareth Academy 10-7-8-13 38
Bensalem 9-7-10-16 42
Nazareth Academy (38) – D’Aulerio 13, Rhoades 15, Lamplaugh 5, Berctzki 5.
Bensalem (42) – Averi McCoy 2, Sam Daut 6, Pooja Singameni 2, Mia Parker 2, Haley Keenan 14, Chloe Munyon 13, Erin Devlin 3.
ABINGTON 64, GOVERNOR MIFFLIN 51
The Ghosts held a two-point lead after one quarter but put some distance between themselves and the Mustangs with a 16-2 second quarter to go into halftime with a 35-19 lead. They held off the Mustangs in the second half.
“They were 16-4 coming in, so we knew it could help us stay in the playoffs,” coach Dan Marsh said. “We know that we can’t win a league championship. We know we can’t go to SOLs, so we’re trying to really get ready for the playoffs.
“I thought we really played well against Wissahickon and we played well tonight. We’re communicating better. Our defense was good. They have four kids who have 30 or more 3s this year, so we knew they shoot a bunch of 3s, so we had to defend that which we did. We held them to two points in the second quarter, and that’s when we took control and just went from there. They made a couple of runs at us, but we were able to hold on.”
Amanda Jackson buried five 3-pointers and scored a team-high 17 points. She had three of those 3s in the first quarter.
“When she’s not knocking shots down, she’s focusing on other parts of her game which has really helped her not focus on the misses but focus on doing other parts,” Marsh said. “Amanda needs to realize that her just being on the floor helps us keep spacing because they have to pay attention to her because if they don’t, she can drop seven 3s on you.”
Cire Worley contributed eight points in the first quarter, including a pair of 3s. Worley had a team-high 11 points by halftime.
The Mustangs outscored the Ghosts 12-4 in the third quarter, but the Ghosts closed it out with a 25-point fourth quarter that included eight points from Jackson.
“We’re still learning,” Marsh said. “Tonight we were up 11 or 12, and they’re trying to press and trap. There’s under a minute, and one of our freshmen took an ill-advised 3-pointer. I’m like, ‘We don’t even need to shoot here.’
“It’s all learning moments, and we know it’s going to help us for the future because we really don’t have anybody except Khalis Whiting who has played in these moments. Last year, to be fair, she was surrounded by four really good players. I still think we can cause some problems for some people in the district playoffs.”
Worley finished the game with 16 points. Whiting had seven points and 12 assists. The sophomore point guard had 11 assists in Friday’s win over Wissahickon.
“The thing people don’t understand about Khalis – last year was the first time she played point guard,” Marsh said. “So she’s still learning too.
“When I saw her and saw the way she saw the floor, I told her, ‘You’re going to play point guard for us.’ She’s doing that now and learning. It’s all about getting better and learning because that’s where we’re at.”
Jaida Helm collected a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Krysten Brown added six points.
Abington (10-10, 7-5 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.
Governor Mifflin 19-16-4-25 64
Abington 17-2-12-20 51
Governor Mifflin (51) – Mollica 2 4-5 9; Payne 3 1-3 8; Serrano 9 1-2 22; Orosch 3 1-3 8; Ortiz 0 2-2 2; Totals 9 8-13 51.
Abington (64) – Cire Worley 5 2-2 16; Krysten Brown 3 0-1 6; Abril Bowser 2 0-0 5; Jaida Helm 5 3-4 13; Amanda Jackson 6 0-0 17; Khalis Whiting 1 3-4 7; Totals 22 8-11 64.
3-point goals: Governor Mifflin – Mollica, Payne, Abington – Amanda Jackson 5, Cire Worley 3, Abril Bowser.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 46, PERKIOMEN VALLEY 29
The Titans – winners of four straight – have quietly played themselves onto the district playoff bubble. With Saturday’s win, they are 9-11 after a 4-11 start.
“I’m really happy with how we’ve been playing and the energy we’ve been bringing to the court the last couple of weeks,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “We had really nice balanced scoring today, and I thought our defensive effort was good, especially on the boards.
“I think any team that’s young and trying to figure out this Suburban One League basketball – it’s intense, and it’s great to see that they’ve been able to rise to challenges and really try and keep learning and progressing. There was a point in our schedule where they could have shut down and they didn’t. They kept fighting and working through it. We have one week left in the regular season. We’ll see what we can do.”
Eight players contributed scoring for the Titans, who led 12-8 after one quarter and extended that to 21-12 by halftime. They went on to outscore the visiting Vikings in all four quarters.
“I just think we were consistent,” Mattern said. “We did have some foul trouble in the first half especially, and everyone who came in stepped into their role and did a great job.
“I thought Allie Burke had one of her better defensive efforts from blocks to rebounds, and that was really a key that she was stepping up in those spots.”
Taylor Hinkle led a balanced attack with 11 points – nine in the third quarter. Mackenzie Erb added 10 – seven in the fourth quarter. Alyssa D’Orazio and Caroline McSorley both had seven points.
Central Bucks South (9-11, 3-7 SOL) will host North Penn on Tuesday.
Perk Valley 8-4-10-7 29
Central Bucks South 12-9-12-13 46
Perk Valley (29) – Jennifer Beattie 3 2-4 10; Naiya Daisey 1 0-0 2; Emma Miley 1 5-6 8; Gabby Marinacci 0 2-2 2; Anna Hallissey 1 0-0 2; Grace Ramsey 1 0-0 2; Lily Sherman 1 0-0 3; Allysion Loveless 0 0-1 0; Totals 8 9-13 29.
Central Bucks South (46) – Maddie White 1 2-2 5; Mary Kate McShane 0 1-2 1; Taylor Hinkle 5 0-0 11; Alyssa D’Orazio 3 0-0 7; Mackenzie Erb 3 2-3 10; Allie Burke 0 0-2 0; Allison Sauers 0 3-5 3; Samantha Waltrich 0 2-2 2; Caroline McSorley 2 2-2 7; Totals 14 12-18 46.
3-point goals: PV – Jennifer Beattie 2, Emma Miley, Lily Sherman, CBS – Mackenzie Erb 2, Maddie White, Taylor Hinkle, Alyssa D’Orazio, Caroline McSorley.
PENNRIDGE 48, KENNETT 33
The Rams – who are without point guard Corinn Mart – ended the week on a high note, opening up a 22-3 lead after one quarter on their way to the non-league win.
“Corinn plays a significant role on our team and is missed, but other players are stepping up and accepting the challenge – we will be a stronger team as a result,” said coach Mike Elton, noting the Mart could return for the district playoffs.
Kennett outscored its visitors 12-4 in the second quarter to make it a 24-15 game at the intermission, but the Blue Demons never seriously threatened.
Evelyn Loughery’s 15 points led the Rams. Sophie Cweiber added 13 points. Julia Kreider (eight points) and Katie Yoder (seven points) also contributed.
Pennridge (11-8, 4-6 SOL) – 17th in the latest District One 6A power rankings – will host Central Bucks East on Tuesday.
Kennett 3-12-9-9 33
Pennridge 22-4-7-15 48
Pennridge (48) – Sophie Cweiber 13, Katie Yoder 7, Julia Kreider 8, Evelyn Loughery 15, Ryan Hodder 1, Ashley Gordon 2, Chelsea King 2.
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 53, DELAWARE COUNTY CHRISTIAN 27
Emily Smith scored 17 points and Maddie Yoder added 12 to lead the Spartans to the convincing non-league win. The Spartans outscored their hosts in all four quarters, opening up a 28-13 halftime lead and coasting to the lopsided win.
Also for the Spartans, Rileigh Serroni added nine points and Annie Coll had six.
Springfield Township (3-16 0-12 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham Tuesday.
Springfield Twp 12-16-10-15 53
Delco 7-6-7-7 27
Springfield Twp (53) – Annie Coll 2 2-4 6; Rileigh Serroni 3 3-6 9; Maddie Yoder 6 0-3 12; Emily Smith 8 1-3 17; Meghan O’Hara 1 0-0 3; Emily Guicheteau 2 0-0 4; Allison Briggs 1 0-0 2; Totals 22 6-16 53.
Delco (27) – Sarah Stahl 3 0-0 7; Anna Ritchie 1 0-0 2; Emily Smith 2 0-0 6; Caitlyn Goneau 3 4-10 9; Sadahya Addy 0 1-2 1; Evezie Omuyeh 1 0-0 2; Totals 10 4-14 27.
3-point goals: Springfield – Meghan O’Hara, Delco – Emily Smith 2, Sarah Stahl.
SAINT BASIL ACADEMY 48, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 43
The Patriots trailed by four at halftime but outscored the Panthers 14-7 in the third quarter to go into the final quarter with a 33-30 lead. Mia Salvati’s three 3-pointers ignited the Patriots’ third-quarter comeback.
The Panthers – behind eight points from Shannon Remolde and five from Denae Carter – outscored the visiting Patriots 18-8 in the final quarter to earn the non-league win. Saint Basil upped its record to 20-2 with the win.
Salvati and Emily Chmiel both scored 15 points to lead the Patriots. Gabby Wilga added seven.
Central Bucks East (14-7, 7-4 SOL) will travel to Pennridge on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 8-11-14-8 43
Saint Basil Academy 11-12-7-18 48
Central Bucks East (43) – Gabby Wilga 3 0-1 7; Mia Salvati 6 0-0 15; Elise Duffy 2 0-0 4; Emily Chmiel 3-4 13; Emily Barry 1 0-0 2; Totals 17 3-5 41.
Saint Basil Academy (48) – Shannon Remolde 3 4-7 11; Kelly Grant 2 0-0 5; Denae Carter 6 3-4 15; Samantha White 3 0-0 7; Lizzie Deal 3 1-2 8; Hannah Hunter 0 2-2 2; Totals 16 10-15 48
3-point goals: CBE – Mia Salvati 3, Gabby Wilga, Saint Basil – Shannon Remolde, Kelly Grant, Samantha White, Lizzie Deal.
ST. ELIZABETH 61, NESHAMINY 51
The Redskins hung tough against a strong Viking squad. They trailed 27-24 at halftime, and it was still a four-point game heading into the final quarter when the Vikings closed it out with a 23-16 tear.
“I loved our intensity,” Neshaminy coach Joe Lally said. “We played a very good team after playing the night before.
“It was really a three-point game, and we had to foul to get possession. We would have loved to win, but I am really happy with the way our team is playing right now.”
The Vikings buried 12-of-15 shots from the foul line in the fourth quarter. Ber’nyah Ward-May – who scored a game-high 24 points – scored 12 points in the fourth quarter.
Kristin Curley kept the Redskins in it in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of her team-high 18 points in the frame. Olivia Scotti and Kelli Kowalick both had 10 points, and Emily Tantala added eight points.
Neshaminy (10-9, 6-5 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury on Thursday with the SOL National title at stake. If the defending champion Redskins win, they will have sole possession of the title.
St. Elizabeth 12-12-11-16 51
Neshaminy 19-7-12-23 61
St. Elizabeth (61) – Naia Pulliam 5 3-4 15; Juliann McCarron 3 1-3 7; Ber’nyah Ward-Mayo 8 6-13 24; Libby Lynch 3 1-1 7; Rory Diszkowski 0 2-2 2; Ashley Campbell 2 2-2 6; Totals 21 15-25 61.
Neshaminy (61) – Sydney Tryon 2 1-3 5; Emily Tantala 3 2-4 8; Kacie Sienko 0 0-2 0; Olivia Scotti 3 4-6 10; Kristin Curley 7 2-2 18; Kelli Kowalick 4 2-4 10; Totals 18 13-21 51.
3-point goals: St. Elizabeth – Naia Pulliam 2, Ber’nyah Ward-Mayo 2, Neshaminy – Kristin Curley 2.
MOUNT SAINT JOSEPH 61, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 37
For one half, the Indians more than just hung with the Magic – they took a 31-30 lead into halftime. Anna Cairone’s 13 first-half points ignited the Indians. Jaden Wan added 12 points in the opening half.
The Magic tightened up their defense in the second half, allowing just seven points.
Wan led the Indians with 14 points while Cairone had 13. The duo was limited to just two second-half points – a pair of foul shots by Wan in the fourth quarter.
Council Rock North (4-16, 3-7 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Tuesday.
Mount Saint Joseph 17-14-16-14 61
Council Rock North 19-11-5-2 37
Mount Saint Joseph (61) – Lauren Hoffman 1 2-2 4; Lauren Vesey 4 0-0 9; Kelly Rothenberg 5 0-2 11; Taylor Sistrunk 1 3-4 5; Audry Bryce 4 0-0 8; Grace Niekelski 8 4-6 21; Georgia Pickett 1 1-2 3; Totals 24 10-16 61.
Council Rock North (37) – Lizzie Lustig 1 0-0 3; Anna Cairone 4 2-2 13; Riley Hamilton 1 0-0 2; Emma Benson 1 0-0 3; Jaden Wan 5 4-5 14; Abby Jones 0 2-2 2; Totals 12 8-9 37.
3-point goals: Mount – Lauren Vasey, Kelly Rothenberg, Grace Niekelski, CRN – Anna Cairone 3, Lizzi Lustig, Emma Benson.
BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC 65, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 51
Less than 24 hours after an emotional Senior Night win that gave the Bucks sole possession of the SOL Continental title, they travelled to Bethlehem for a contest against the defending PIAA 4A state champions, who brought a 19-0 record into the contest.
The Bucks struggled to find their offensive stride in a first half that saw only two players score all 19 of their points. Maddie Burke had 13 points – all six of West’s first-quarter points. Jess Broskey accounted for the other six, and the Bucks trailed 24-19 at the intermission.
The Hawks outscored the Bucks 18-12 in the third quarter and took a 42-31 lead into the final quarter. They sealed the Bucks’ fate at the foul line, burying 15-of-19 in the quarter. For the game, Bethlehem Catholic converted 18-of-22 foul shots into points.
Burke’s 19 points, which included four 3s, led the Bucks. Irons added 12 points in the second half, including two 3s. Emily Spratt contributed eight points, and Broskey had six.
Central Bucks West (16-4, 10-0 SOL) will travel to Quakertown on Tuesday.
Central Bucks West 6-13-12-20 51
Bethlehem Catholic 16-8-18-23 65
Central Bucks West (51) – Paige Gilbert 0 4-6 4; Olivia Irons 5 0-0 12; Anna Blue 1 0-0 2; Emily Spratt 2 4-6 8; Jess Broskey 2 1-1 6; Maddie Burke 6 3-6 19; Totals 16 12-19 51.
Bethlehem Catholic (65) – Isabelle Rosario 0 3-4 3; Juleesa Lanier 2 0-0 4; Keyara Walters 3 0-0 7; Kourtney Wilson 2 6-8 12; Stephanie Donato 1 0-0 2; Taliyah Medina 6 2-2 16; Abigail Brown 5 7-11 18; Emily Sekerak 1 0-1 2; Totals 20 18-22 65.
3-point goals: CBW – Maddie Burke 4, Olivia Irons 2, Jess Broskey, Bethlehem Catholic – Kourtney Wilson 2, Taliyah Medina 2, Abigail Brown, Keyara Walters.
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