Check out the recaps for Tuesday’s SOL openers. Pennsbury/Bensalem photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. CB East/Pennridge photos courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for galleries of both games.
SOL Patriot
PENNSBURY 56, BENSALEM 38
The Falcons led by just one point over after one quarter but used a 17-6 second quarter to seize control of Tuesday’s season opener.
“It was great to play a high school basketball game,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “Hearing cheerleaders and the national anthem are reminders of a world once enjoyed and surely hoped for. It’s fun to play. I’m glad the girls got that chance.”
The Owls came out on fire, burying five 3-pointers in the first quarter to trail by just a 17-16 score. Delaney Bell led the Owls with a pair. Amber Howard, Gianna Paglaiccetti and Maddie MacDougall each had one.
“The Owls came out red hot and had five three’s in the first quarter,” Sciolla said. “In his coaching debut, Steve Johnson did a nice job of having his girls play well together. I think the game opened with four freshmen on the floor between the two teams, so at times things were ragged defensively.”
Kiley Haws gave the Falcons a boost in the second quarter, connecting for seven points, including a three. The Falcons also turned up their defensive pressure, limiting the Owls to just one field goal in the quarter. The Falcons took a 34-22 lead into halftime and then held the Owls to just five points in the third quarter, opening up a 43-27 advantage.
“Both teams are playing after five practices, and there were some issues, but the girls on both sides competed,” Sciolla said. “We held them to 11 points total in the middle quarters, so that spun the game.”
Junior Ava Sciolla led all scorers with 17 points and also pulled down eight rebounds. Freshman Sofia Vitucci added eight points while Haws had seven and Abbi Nassivera contributed six. Haws also had three steals. Bella Arcuri had five points, four assists and five steals.
“Sofia Vitucci was very good in her varsity debut, and we got really solid play from seniors Mia Spinelli, Abbi Nassivera and Lauren Dignan,” coach Sciolla said. “This is going to be a year where we judge things a little differently. I ran a shooting clinic two weeks ago, and I tried to go to a series of shooting drills while wearing my mask. I learned that is an adjustment, and it certainly is in regard to communication.
“We played 10 girls in the first 10 minutes and that helped as Ava, Sofia and Bella all had two fouls early in the second quarter.”
Bell’s 10 points led a balanced Bensalem attack. Howard finished with seven, and MacDougall added six.
“First and foremost, I am so excited that we finally got to play a legitimate game,” Bensalem coach Steve Johnson said. “We knew going up against Pennsbury in our first game without any scrimmages was going to be tough.
“I am pleased with the effort in the first quarter. Now we just need to get them to play that way all four quarters. Even though only two girls with varsity experience returned, we did a good job of staying calm and not playing rattled.”
Pennsbury (1-0 SOL) will be on the road at Neshaminy Friday for a 6 p.m. contest,
“Friday night will be a tremendous challenge,” Sciolla said. “Neshaminy has great size and athleticism. We will need to match that.”
Bensalem (0-1) will host Harry S Truman on Friday at 7 p.m.
Bensalem 16-6-5-11 38
Pennsbury 17-17-9-13 56
Bensalem (38) – Maddie MacDougall 2 0-0 6; Erin Devlin 0 2-4 2; Kylie Smith 1 3-4 5; Delaney Bell 3 1-3 10; Mackenzie Kramer 0 3-4 3; Amber Howard 3 0-5 7; Gianna Paglaiccetti 1 0-0 3; Sam Daut 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 10 11-22 38.
Pennsbury (56) – Sofia Vitucci 2 4-6 8; Ava Sciolla 6 5-7 17; Abbi Nassivera 1 4-5- 6; Kiley Haws 3 0-0 7; Bella Arcuri 1 3-4 5; Lauren Dignan 1 2-2 4; Mia Spinelli 1 2-7 4; Danielle Sherman 1 0-0 2; Neveah Dash 1 1-3 3; TOTALS 17 21-34 56.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Delaney Bell 3, Maddie MacDougall 2, Gianna Paglaiccetti, Amber Howard, Pennsbury – Kiley Haws.
NESHAMINY 45, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 26
Reese Zemitis wasted no time before making her presence felt. The Redskins’ freshman led all scorers with 18 points and teamed with senior Kacie Sienko, who added 12, to lead Neshaminy to the big win.
“It was a step in the right direction for this young group,” said Neshaminy coach Joe Lally, who has just one senior on his roster. “They are working hard and learning how to play with one another.”
The rookie and senior captain set the tone in the opening quarter with Zemitis scoring six and Sienko four as the Redskins opened up a 12-6 lead over their visitors. They took a 22-11 lead into halftime and put the game out of reach with a 15-6 third quarter burst. Zemitis led the charge, scoring seven points while Sienko and fellow captain Taylor Gurysh each had four.
Gurysh chipped in seven points for the Redskins.
Lally saw a lot of things he liked in the win.
“I loved the way Skylar Lall and Maya Lewis played tonight – Skylar had eight rebounds,” the Redskins’ coach said. “Reese Zemitis, Kacie Sienko and Taylor Gurysh were great at both ends of the floor. It was a team effort.”
For the Golden Hawks, Cam Gregory’s seven points led the way. Katie Purpura buried a pair of three’s for six points.
Neshaminy (1-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Friday, and Council Rock South (0-1) will travel to Council Rock North on Friday.
Council Rock South 6-5-6-9 26
Neshaminy 12-10-15-8 45
Council Rock South (26) – Nicole Blaustein 2 1-2 5; Carley Irvin 1 0-0 3; Riana Szydlik 0 0-2 0; Karissa Smedley 0 2-2 2; Cam Gregory 2 2-3 7; Katie Purpura 2 0-0 6; Jess Mangoni 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 8 5-9 26.
Neshaminy (45) – Kacie Sienko 4 3-4 12; Maya Lewis 1 3-3 6; Mackenzie Metcalfe 1 0-0 2 Skylar Lall 0 1-4 1; Taylor Gurysh 1 5-6 7; Reese Zemitis 7 2-3 18; TOTALS 14 14-20 45.
3-point goals: CR South – Katie Purpura 2, Cam Gregory, Carley Irvin, Jess Mangoni, Neshaminy – Reese Zemitis 2, Kacie Sienko.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 51, HARRY S TRUMAN 36
Sophomore Jaden Wan scored a game-high 18 points, freshman Delaney McCaffrey added 14 in her varsity debut, and junior Riley Hamilton had 11 as the trio combined for 43 points to lead the Indians.
Wan’s six first-quarter points propelled the Indians to a 14-11 lead. Truman’s Haniyyah Jones also had six points in the frame. McCaffrey went to work in the second quarter, scoring seven points and sending the Indians into halftime with a 27-19 advantage. Jones led the Tigers with 10 points in the half. Wan and McCaffrey also each had 10.
The Tigers rallied in the third quarter, outscoring the Indians 15-6 to go on top 34-33 heading into the final frame. The Indians – behind eight points from Wan and four each from Hamilton and McCaffrey – closed out the game with an 18-2 tear.
Kristen Polinsky added six points for the Indians.
Jones led the Tigers with 17 points. No other Tiger had more than four.
Council Rock North (1-0 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Friday, and Harry S Truman (0-1) will be on the road at Bensalem Friday.
Council Rock North 14-13-6-18 51
Harry S Truman 11-8-15-2 36
Council Rock North (51) – Delaney McCaffrey 5 4-6 14; Riley Hamilton 5 0-0 11; Erica Martin 1 0-0 2; Kristen Polinsky 2 2-4 6; Jaden Wan 7 4-6 18; TOTALS 20 10-16 51.
Harry S Truman (36) – Haniyyah Jones 8 1-3 17; Mayah Alford 0 1-3 1; Arianna Frank 2 0-0 4; Saniya Blount 2 0-0 4; Hannah Smith 1 1-3 3; Secret McCleve 2 0-0 4; Gianna Johnson 1 1-4 3; TOTALS 17 4-13 36.
3-point goals: CRN – Riley Hamilton.
SOL Colonial
SOUDERTON 40, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 39 (OT)
Casey Harter didn’t give a whole lot of thought to the fact that her squad was trailing by one and desperately needed a bucket. The sophomore point guard’s singular thought as time was winding down in overtime was that she had to make something happen, so she drove to the hole.
Two dribbles and two long strides later, she kissed the ball off the glass for a layup that gave Souderton the lead and – six seconds later – the dramatic win.
“I saw the lane was open except for the one girl, but she didn’t really step in, so I just went for the layup and put the ball over her,” Harter said. “I didn’t really think about it in the moment – I went for the layup and it went in. It didn’t really hit me that we had just won the game because we came down the court and Taylor (Hinkle) took a shot. It missed, and I looked at the scoreboard, and we’re up one.”
Not a bad finish for a player who had been sitting on the bench, hampered by cramps in both legs and feet.
“I was sitting there stretching, and Erin (Bohmueller) got hurt,” Harter said. “I was good enough to go in – I was like, ‘It’s fine.’ We were planning on running one of our plays, and if it broke down, we just kind of go and play basketball.”
Harter played basketball, and the outcome was a good one for the Indians.
“Just a great way to start the season, and even if we had lost this game, it’s just nice to be back on the court, playing a game that matters, playing against someone besides ourselves,” said Souderton coach Lynn Carroll, whose team showed no fatigue when the game went into OT. “Our girls put in work during the shutdown. They were at it six days a week conditioning. You’re limited with what you can do basketball-wise, but they came back in the gym last Monday, and they looked like they were in shape. You can’t get a team in shape in seven days – it’s not possible.”
It felt like a win for both sides simply to be back on the court.
“It was awesome,” said Hinkle, whose 19 points led all scorers. “It’s been almost a year since we’ve been playing, so not only me, but our whole team – we’ve been putting three hours in at practice every day, six days a week.
“We were really eager to get back out there. It was just great to get out there and play again.”
“It was awesome,” Souderton senior Jordan Zimmerman said. “We were sitting over here talking about it – it’s unbelievable. We’re still wrapping our heads around that this is our first game in January.
“You’re nervous because it’s the first game and usually, you have a trial tournament, and this is our first league game, and it’s just excitement because we didn’t even think we’d be here.”
The Indians led 10-8 after one quarter and opened up a 19-13 lead after Zimmerman sank a pair at the foul line midway through the second quarter. The Titans – sparked by a three-point play by Mackenzie Erb and a 3-pointer by Hinkle – went on top 20-19 only to see Harter score on a drive in the closing seconds to knot the score 21-21 at the intermission.
“We just went out and played,” Harter said. “A lot of us haven’t played for a while, and it’s been a while since we’ve all played together – it’s been like 10 months, so we went out, tried to have fun and came up with a win.
“We played as a team, went through the plays we’ve been running, and we guarded their offense pretty well. We didn’t practice their offense during practice, so we came out and just went with it. It worked for the most part.”
The Titans led 29-27 heading into the final quarter only to see the Indians go back on top 35-32 after a short pull-up by Zimmerman and a putback by Teya McConnaha. Hinkle answered with a three-point play at the other end to knot the score with 55 seconds remaining. Neither team scored the rest of the way, setting the stage for overtime.
The Indians led 38-37 after a Hayley Fenchel bucket with 2:24 remaining. Neither team scored until – with 32.3 seconds remaining – Hinkle connected on a tough putback in traffic of her own miss to give the Titans a one-point lead. All that remained were Harter’s last-second heroics.
“Obviously, Casey Harter showed from beginning to end how special of a player she is,” Carroll said. “Teya (McConnaha) stepped up big. She got minutes here and there last year, but eight points and 10 rebounds – she’s such a presence in the post, and the rebounds will be hers. She’s determined to get them.
“Mikayla (McGillian) coming off the bench – she’s somebody else who really didn’t get much time last year, and she’s showing us good things. We have Jordan, Hayley (Fenchel) and Liv (Schneider) who are giving us good leadership. My personality does not show this, but I’m so excited to just be doing this with the team, and I’m so happy that we’re here tonight, and even better, we got a win at the buzzer in overtime.”
Harter led a balanced Souderton attack with 12 points while McConnaha added eight points and 10 boards. Contributing six points each were Zimmerman, Bohmueller and Schneider. Bohmueller also was credited with five blocks.
In addition to Hinkle’s 17 points, Erb added eight points for the Titans.
“We definitely kept our energy up, and obviously, it’s a team sport, so we have to stay together,” Hinkle said. “If one of our teammates made a mistake, we just clapped them on the hand, told them to keep their head up.
“Obviously, we’re going to learn from this. We have plenty of games ahead. At practice, we’re going to have to work even harder to correct the mistakes that we made.”
“For 11 months off, it was a pretty competitive game,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “I was happy with our energy when we went on that one run that got us back in the game, especially at the end of the second quarter to tie it up. I thought we brought some energy at times.
“At times, I thought we looked pretty good. Other times, it wasn’t quite exactly how we wanted it to go, but that’s why you keep working. We’re going to keep learning and growing and hopefully keep working harder tomorrow.”
Souderton (1-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Friday, and Central Bucks South (0-1) will be on the road at Central Bucks West Friday.
Souderton 10-11-6-8-5 40
Central Bucks South 8-13-8-6-4 39
Souderton (40) – Jordan Zimmerman 2 2-2 6; Erin Bohmueller 2 2-2 6; Olivia Schneider 2 2-2 6; Casey Harter 6 0-2 12; Teya McConnah 3 2-4 8; Hayley Fenchel 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 16 8-12 40.
Central Bucks South (39) – Madelynn White 1 0-0 2; Taylor Hinkle 6 5-6 19; Alyssa D’Orazio 1 0-0 3; Mackenzie Erb 2 4-5 8; Allison Sauers 0 0-2 0; Yoyo Samayoa 1 0-0 3; Caroline McSorley 0 2-2 2; Kristen Conway 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 12 11-15 39.
3-point goals: CB South – Taylor Hinkle 2, Alyssa D’Orazio.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 63, PENNRIDGE 47
Mia Salvati got her game untracked early in Tuesday’s opener, erupting for 13 points in the first quarter and propelling the Patriots to a commanding 24-6 lead en route to the decisive win.
Salvati led all scorers with 21 points while Emily Chmiel added 16 and Emily Barry had 14. The Patriots ‘big three’ combined for 51 points.
“Those three will definitely score the majority of our points this year,” East coach Liz Potash said. “Emily Chmiel draws a lot of attention.
“Mia Salvati is a very good player in her own right, but there’s a lot of attention on Emily (Chmiel). When you put too much attention on Emily – you can’t leave Mia open. She’s a good shooter from the outside and can really get to the basket well. She’s a very good finisher around the basket.”
The Rams – sparked by six points from both Katie Yoder and Emma Pyne – outscored the Patriots 15-10 in the second but still trailed 34-21. Barry accounted for eight of East’s points and was a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line in the frame.
“We were really able to push the ball in transition tonight, and that was huge,” Potash said. “We also did a nice job on the offensive boards. We scored 63 points, but we missed a lot of shots around the basket.”
The Patriots – behind 10 points from Chmiel – outscored the Rams 18-12 in third quarter.
Potash had high praise for the defensive effort of Elise Duffy and Devon Burns.
“We talked about how important it was to come out strong the first couple minutes of the third quarter, and Elise was tipping everything that ended up being deflections for steals,” the Patriots’ coach said. “Her defense is really strong. It’s a big difference maker.
“The kids we brought off the bench did a nice job when they were in. For some of them, it was their first varsity experience. It was a good team win in every sense. Everyone contributed in some way. “
Yoder led the Rams with 10 points, Pyne added nine and Ryan Hodder had eight. Ava Unzicker contributed seven points, and Grace Rosica had six.
“Pennridge is young and they play hard,” Potash said. “Pennridge always plays us tough. We always have competitive games with them. They’re not going to give you anything.
“It was good to be back on the floor, definitely different, but good to be back on the floor.”
Central Bucks East (1-0 SOL) will travel to Souderton on Friday, and Pennridge (1-1, 0-1) will host Central Bucks West next Tuesday.
Pennridge (47) – Grace Rosica 1 4-6 6; Katie Yoder 4 2-3 11; Ava Unzicker 1 3-4 6; Olivia Poole 1 0-0 2; Kiersten Moyer 1 0-0 3; Emma Pyne 4 1-4 12; Ryan Hodder 2 0-0 5; Anna Croyle 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 14 10-18 47.
Central Bucks East (63) – Devon Burns 20-0 4; Anna Barry 0 3-4 3; Kendall Gregor 0 1-2 1; Mia Salvati 9 2-2 21; Elise Duffy 1 0-0 2; Emily Chmiel 6 4-7 16; Emily Barry 4 6-6 14; Emily Curran 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 23 16-23 63.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Emma Pyne 3, Katie Yoder, Ava Unzicker, Olivia Poole, Ryan Hodder, CB East – Mia Salvati.
SOL Liberty
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 76, QUAKERTOWN 25
The Colonials return their entire roster from last year’s squad that advanced to the state’s Elite Eight when the season was halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s no secret the Colonials enter the season with lofty expectations.
In Tuesday’s opener, they gave a glimpse of their immense talent, outscoring the Panthers 49-4 in the middle two frames after their hosts hung tough for one quarter.
Four Colonials finished the game in double figures, nine players contributed scoring. Senior Anna McTamney led all scorers with 21 points, which included four three-points. Abby Sharpe added 14 points, and Erin Daley had 13. Lainey Allen – healthy after an injury-plagued sophomore season – added 10, and Jordyn Thomas chipped in with six points.
For the Panthers, Kayla Horning had eight points, and Katie Catalano had six.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-0 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Friday, and Quakertown (0-2, 0-1) will host Upper Dublin on Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 23-26-23-4 76
Quakertown 15-0-4-6 25
Plymouth Whitemarsh (76) – Kaitlyn Flanagan 1 2-2 5; Fiona Gooneratne 1 0-0 3; Erin Daley 4 4-4 13; Abby Sharpe 5 4-5 14; Gabrielle Cooper 1 0-0 3; Anna McTamney 7 34 21; Lainey Allen 5 0-0 10; Jordyn Thomas 3 0-4 6; Deja Evans 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 28 13-19 76.
Quakertown (25) – Carolyn Sipprell 2 0-0 4; Katie Catalano 2 2-2 6; Kayla Horning 4 0-1 8; Fallon grandinetti 1 0-0 3; Abigail McClaskey 1 0-2 2;, Maureen Healy 0 0-2 0; Leah Mestayer 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 11 2-7 25.
3-point goals: PW – Anna McTamney 4, Fiona Gooneratne, Erin Daly, Quakertown – Fallon Grandinetti
Non-league
UPPER DUBLIN 41, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 27
The Flying Cardinals raced out of the gate to a 19-7 lead after one quarter and never looked back. In the opening eight-minute span, the visiting Cardinals buried five 3-pointers – each by a different player. Connecting from beyond the arc were Bliss Brenner, Geena Sarnoski, Jess Polin, Amy Ngo, Sarah Eskew and Dayna Balasa.
“As to be expected early in the season, we definitely had some positives and also several things we have to work on,” coach Morgan Funsten said. “What was exciting about the game – we had five different girls making a three-point shot, and that speaks to the balance. All eight girls who played scored, so we had good balance offensively.”
The Flying Cardinals limited the Lions to just seven points in the two middle quarters combined and took a 35-14 lead into the final quarter when the Lions – behind 10 points from Reagan Chrencik – closed out the game with a 13-6 frame.
“I thought Sarah Eskew did a great job guarding (Rachel) Saxton, held her to six,” Funsten said. “Bliss Brenner did a great job on Chrencik, held her scoreless in the first half. We kind of lost track of her in the fourth quarter, and she had 10 points in the fourth quarter alone.
“We just have to be a little more consistent defensively. Against Neshaminy on Saturday, we did a great job of taking care of the ball. We were a little sloppy today with our turnovers.”
Eskey led a balanced attack with 11 points to go along with three rebounds, four deflections and two steals. Brenner added six points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Rachel Bilger led the Cardinals under the boards with seven rebounds. Polin finished with five points, five rebounds, five assists, three deflections, one steal and one block. Sarnoski had five points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal. Balasa contributed five points, three rebounds, three assists, two deflections and two blocks. Ngo also had five points.
“We were excited we got the win,” Funsten said. “New Hope is a dangerous team. They have some really talented girls, but it was good balanced scoring. Overall, we think we know what we need to work on, so we’re kind of excited for practice the next couple of days to try to fix some things.”
Chrencik’s 13 points and nine rebounds led the Lions. Saxton added six points, and Kate Dougherty, five.
Upper Dublin (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will be on the road at Quakertown for Friday’s SOL opener, and New Hope-Solebury (0-1) will open league play Friday with a home game against former BAL foe Lower Moreland.
Upper Dublin 19-6-10-6 41
New Hope-Solebury 7-3-4-13 27
Upper Dublin (41) – Bliss Brenner 3 0-0 6; Rachel Bilger 1 0-0 2; Geena Sarnoski 2 0-0 5; Jess Polin 2 0-0 5; Colleen Klammer 1 0-0 2; Amy Ngo 2 0-0 5; Sarah Eskew 4 2-2 11; Dayna Balasa 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 17 2-2 41.
New Hope-Solebury (27) – Rachel Saxton 2 1-2 6 Madi Fasti 2 1-2 5; Kate Dougherty 0 1-2 1; Reagam Chrencik 5 0-0 13; Emily Primavera 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 10 3-6 27.
3-point goals: UD – Geena Sarnoski, Jess Polin, Amy Ngo, Sarah Eskew, Dayna Balasa, NHS – Rachel Chrencik 3, Rachel Saxton.
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