Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. Pennsbury/CR North photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos. CB East/North Penn photos provided courtesy of Diane Barry. (Saxton 1,000-point photo provided by New Hope-Solebury basketball.)
SOL Patriot Division
PENNSBURY 47, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 32
A team photo taken before Pennsbury entered last year’s PIAA 6A state tournament effectively sums up the story of the season for the Falcons. The six players in the front row were all returning this season – not one of them played in Tuesday’s win over the visiting Indians.
“I’m a big believer that life rises up to meet us when we least expect it,” coach Frank Sciolla said. “Coaching has certainly taught me that, and the last few years has taught me lessons like that in spades.
A couple weeks ago when we played Neshaminy – I looked behind me and I saw Nicole Pompili in street clothes. I felt bad for her because she had missed the first Neshaminy game last year, and I know she won’t play in either this year. The game means so much to her. She is like our pulse. Sometimes you get caught feeling sorry for yourself even though you really shouldn’t. I learned that days later when the Twilight Zone hit.”
Sciolla and the Falcons knew their team had taken a big hit when Nicole Pompili was lost for the season to an injury, but that turned out to be only the beginning. For starters, there was the not-so-little matter of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Like most teams, we had a couple returning varsity rotation members that didn’t come back due to events involving the shutdown,” Sciolla said. “Then last week we lost key players on consecutive days. On Friday night before we played Truman, all I told the girls was ‘please, no one get hurt.’”
That didn’t happen. The Falcons suffered another huge loss when senior point guard Bella Arcuri – a Kutztown University commit – went down and left the gym on crutches.
“As she walked out of the gym on her way to the hospital, it was hard to control the team’s emotions because of all the things that has already happened that week, but we had a game to play on Saturday night and so we did,” Sciolla said. “We went to Upper Dublin and some new girls had opportunities to play. We kept it close to the vest, and while we were tempted to let Ava go full ‘Diamond Johnson,’ we decided instead to just finish the game and she only took nine shots.”
Sciolla’s main concern was Tuesday’s league game, but between Saturday night and Tuesday afternoon, the Falcons lost two more varsity players.
“Twenty-five years simply wasn’t enough time in coaching to prepare for that,” Sciolla said. “However, we brought up another freshman for tonight, but there was a collision in the pregame warm-ups for the jayvee game that led to her loss for the varsity game.
“At this point, I felt as if I was either in the middle of a sequel to one of the Final Destination movies or I was in need to drive to church immediately and light a candle. Nine people down. This led to a slight problem as we had no varsity uniforms left, but we were able to scrounge one up so we could have a bench.”
On a night when the Falcons had every reason to throw in the towel, they answered the call. They led 7-5 after one quarter and began to seize control in the second to go into halftime with a 19-9 lead. Ava Sciolla had 10 of her team’s first-half points, but four other players contributed scoring.
Pennsbury added to its lead with a 16-9 third quarter. Sciolla connected on a pair of three’s, and Kiley Haws and Danielle Sherman each had a three as the Falcons opened up a 35-18 advantage on their way to the win.
“Kids stepped up,” Sciolla said. “Mia Spinelli was really strong inside, and Lauren Dignan was really active and did the things she is always capable of doing. Abbi Nassivera was awesome on the offensive glass, and Kiley Haws rebounded well. “Ava was Ava and kept everything on the rails, and freshmen Dani Sherman and Sofia Vitucci stepped up. Three different people 
have worn the same jersey in the last 24 hours, and the latest to wear it was Presley Foote and she scored her first career basket.”
Sciolla led all scorers with 18 points while Vitucci and Sherman – both freshmen – had eight and seven points respectively.
Junior Kristen Polinsky had a big game for the Indians, finishing with 15 points, which included three 3-pointers.
“Council Rock North was without a key player in Delaney McCaffery,” Sciolla said. “She helps get them into their offense.”
The veteran coach looked down the road.
“The game teaches us so many incredible lessons,” Sciolla said. “As coaches, we are definitely seriously concerned with our numbers and with our health. Back-to-back games at this point will simply not happen, but as I’ve said all along, it’s great that kids get to play.
“I just wish the ones that waited so long to play would have a little bit better luck with getting on the floor. They’ve already had so many things taken from them that you want them to have any good experience they can get. Because we still have six weeks before district seeding, the hope is that at some point we can have more people in uniform than street clothes, but for now, we are really proud of our kids.”
Sciolla tipped his hat to his junior varsity coaches.
“We have to give major credit to Sean Ryan and Logan Klock for what they have done with our jayvee,” he said. “They have really prepared this stream of kids that we keep bringing up and are still young enough to watch Nickelodeon.”
Pennsbury (4-3, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Friday, and Council Rock North (2-2) will host Harry S Truman on Friday.
Council Rock North 5-4-9-14 32
Pennsbury 7-12-16-12 47
Council Rock North (32) – Kiera Katz 2 0-0 4; Claire Pirkle 1 0-0 2; Ella Cairone 1 0-0 3; Riley Hamilton 1 0-0 3; Erica Martin 0 1-2 1; Mara Penner 10-0 2; Kristen Polinsky 5 2-2 15, Jaden Wan 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 12 3-4 32.
Pennsbury (47) – Sofia Vitucci 4 0-2 8; Ava Sciolla 7 0-0 18; Abbi Nassivera 2 1-1 5; Kelly Haws 2 0-0 5; Presley Foote 1 0-0 2; Mia Spinelli 1 0-0 2; Danielle Sherman 3 0-0 7; TOTALS 20 1-3 47.
3-point goals: CRN –Kristen Polinskky 3, Riley Hamilton, Ella Cairone; Pennsbury – Ava Sciolla 4, Kelly Haws, Danielle Sherman.
NESHAMINY 48, BENSALEM 29
Freshman Reese Zemitis and sophomore Taylor Gursyh combined for 40 points, leading the Redskins to the big win. Zemitis led all scorers with 24 points, which included three 3-pointers. Gurysh added 16, and senior Kacie Sienko had six for the Redskins, who took a 34-12 lead over the young Owls into halftime.
“It was a complete team effort, and our team played well defensively in the first half and that set the tone,” Neshaminy coach Joe Lally said. “(Bensalem coach) Steve (Johnson) is doing a great job with his team.”
For the Owls, Delaney Bell’s 11 points, which included three 3-pointers, led the way. She scored all of her points in a second half that saw the Owls edge the Redskins 17-14. Freshman Amber Howard added 10 points, including a three.
Neshaminy (4-2, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South on Friday for a 6 p.m. contest. Bensalem (1-5, 0-4) will host Pennsbury on Friday.
Bensalem 6-6-11-6 29
Neshaminy 19-15-8-6 48
Bensalem (29) – Delaney Bell 4 0-0 11, Amber Howard 4 1-2 10, Maddie MacDougall 1 0-0 3, Mackenzie Kramer 0 1-2 1, Pooja Singamneni 1 2-2 4; TOTALS 10 4-6 29.
Neshaminy (48) – Kacie Sienko 2 4-7 6, Skylar Lall 1 0-0 2, Taylor Gurysh 7 2-2 16, Reese Zemitis 9 3-4 24; TOTALS 19 7-10 48.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Delaney Bell 3, Amber Howard, Maddie MacDougall, Neshaminy – Reese Zemitis 3.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 63, HARRY S TRUMAN 46
Nicole Blaustein scored 17 points and Montanna Chambers had 14 to lead the visiting Golden Hawks to the big win. The duo combined for five 3-pointers, including three by Chambers.
“Overall I was proud of the physicality we played with,” Rock South coach Blair Klumpp said. “They brought an element of physicality to the game, and we kept our composure and played through some things and I am proud of them for that. It showed some mental toughness and maturity.
“The gym was loud for a gym with no fans. Their staff, team and cheerleaders were pretty vocal, it’s the loudest gym we played in this year. Again we forced a lot of turnovers, the steal numbers look good. Our rotations were sound and that led to a lot of deflections, unsettling them.”
The Golden Hawks led 9-6 after one quarter and extended that to 29-17 by halftime.
“We have talked to them about when you have 9-11 girls who can play on a given night,” Klumpp said. “There are some roles that need to be accepted for teams to reach their full potential. There are roles within certain lineups and overall roles, and some girls are really embracing that.
“Montanna (Chambers) is someone who the last week we have had a couple of conversations with regarding this. Being a captain, how will you respond? She possibly played her best all around game for us in three years tonight. She gave us a lift offensively, and she was active on D and made several good passes and decisions with the ball. Her approach was exactly what we talked about. I was proud of her.”
Also for the Golden Hawks, Karisssa Smedley contributed 11 points to go along with a team high eight rebounds. Jess Mangoni was the fourth player in double figures for South with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
In addition to scoring 14 points, Chambers had three rebounds and two steals, and Blaustein had three rebounds and six steals. Ryann Szydlik and Carley Irvin both added three rebounds and a team high five assists and seven steals. Cam Gregory added five points and two assists while Kim Speiser had a pair of blocked shots.
“Ryann (Szydlik) and Kim (Speiser) have also bought into (their roles) as well as have some of the freshmen,” Klumpp said. “For teams to reach their full potential, these things are important. Everyone talks about putting ‘we before me,’ but are you actually willing to do it?
“We showed some willingness to do that the last couple games and need to keep buying in. Our senior guards again provided sturdy leadership after a slow start, and keyed us defensively. Jess (Mangoni) and Karissa (Smedley) did a great job on the backboards.
“For Truman, Gianna Johnson had a real strong game (16 points and a few blocks). I thought (Mia) Stock played her well and adjusted to what we wanted her to do. When she got in foul trouble, Ryann, Kim, Jess and even Karissa took turns on her. It was also good to see Haniyyahh (Jones) back on the court for them. She’s had some injuries the last two years, and she just plays hard and competes.
“Overall, we did some things well. We have some things we need to work on the next two days and we need to prepare for Neshaminy and keep taking this one day at a time.”
Jones and Johnson had big games for the Tigers – both finished with 16 points.
Council Rock South (5-2, 3-2 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Thursday, and Harry S Truman (1-5, 1-4) will be on the road at Council Rock North on Friday.
Council Rock South 9-20-20-14 63
Harry S Truman 6-11-16-13 46
Council Rock South (63) – Montanna Chambers 5 1-5 14; Ryann Szydlik 1 0-3 2; Cam Gregory 1 3-4 5 Nicole Blaustein 6 3-4 17; Carley Irvin 0 1-2 1; Mia Stock 1 0-0 2; Karissa Smedley 3 4-6 11; Rianna Shields 0 1-2 1; Jess Mangoni 4 1-2 10; TOTALS 21 14-28 63.
Harry S Truman (46) – Haniyyah Jones 5 6-13 16; Hannah Smith 1 0-0 2; Mayah Alford 2 1-2 5; Gianna Johnson 7 2-5 16; Saniya Blount 1 1-3 3; Secret McCleve 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 18 10-23 46.
3-point goals: CRS – Montanna Chambers 3, Nicole Blaustein 2, Jess Mangoni, Karissa Smedley.
SOL Colonial
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 40, PENNRIDGE 38
With time about to expire and her team deadlocked with the visiting Rams, freshman Yoyo Samayoa – fearless with the game on the line – scored a clutch bucket to propel the Titans to a win in Tuesday’s thriller.
“It was a pretty intense game,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “Our freshman, Yoyo, had a nice floater with four seconds left in the game.
“Obviously, everyone is going to jump to (Taylor) Hinkle, and Yoyo just really did a nice job of reading that situation. The girls were running the offense, there was a breakdown, and Yoyo took advantage of it. She had a beautiful floater, and it went in – swish. They called a timeout, and we just had to keep them in front of us.”
The Rams managed only a desperation shot that fell short, and the Titans escaped with the win. The key, according to Mattern, was her team’s composure at the end.
“Also not giving up on ourselves,” the Titans’ coach said. “Pennridge definitely played a tough game. They were really physical, they made some nice shots and had some big moments.
“We countered with some as well, and in the last minute I think there were two lead changes. It really did come down to the very end.”
Early on, the Rams – behind five points from Katie Yoder and four from Ava Unzicker – led 9-6 after one quarter, but the Titans received seven points from Caroline McSorley and closed out the half with a 14-9 quarter to go into halftime with a 20-18 lead. The Titans led by one heading into the final quarter, and the stage was set for the dramatic ending.
Hinkle’s 14 points led the Titans, and McSorley added 13, including a pair of three’s.
“Taylor Hinkle was again consistent every quarter, and Caroline McSorley – in the middle quarters – had a great offensive outing,” Mattern said. “She scored 12 points in those two quarters, and offensively, she did a lot of nice things for us.
“Again, we got contributions from a number of people, and it was our Senior Night, and it was nice to get all three of our seniors (McSorley, Madelynn White and Sam Waltrich) in the scoring column to celebrate them at the end.”
For the Rams, Unzicker – who had three 3-pointers – scored a team high 15. Yoder added seven points while Emma Pyne had six.
Central Bucks South (3-2 SOL) will travel to Souderton on Friday, and Pennridge (1-4, 0-4) will host Central Bucks East on Friday.
Pennridge 9-9-11-9 38
Central Bucks South 6-14-10-10 40
Pennridge (38) – Grace Rosica 0 0-3 0;Katie Yoder 3 0-0 7; Ava Unzicker 6 0-0 15; Kiersten Moyer 1 0-0 2; Emma Pyne 1 4-6 6; Ryan Hodder 2 0-0 4; Anna Croyle 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 15 4-9 38.
Central Bucks South (40) – Madelynn White 1 0-0 3; Taylor Hinkle 5 4-5 14; Madelyn Tantum 0 1-2 1; Yoyo Samayoa 3 1-3 7; Sam Waltrich 1 0-0 2; Caroline McSorley 5 1-2 13; TOTALS 15 7-12 40.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Ava Unzicker 3, Katie Yoder, CBS – Caroline McSorley 2, Madelynn White.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 40, SOUDERTON 21
Defense was a point of emphasis for the Bucks entering Tuesday’s game, and they delivered in a big way, limiting the visiting Indians to single digits in each of the four quarters to pave the way for the important win.
“Lynn (Carroll) does a great job with that group, and they play so under control, and they’re disciplined,” West coach Zach Sibel said. “The focus for us was just being solid defensively.”
The Bucks’ second-year coach pointed to junior Emily Spratt as the defensive catalyst.
“She was really disruptive,” Sibel said. “(Point guard Casey) Harter is an awesome player, and I really like her game. Emily was really focused in getting them out of position in their sets, not letting them set up exactly the way they wanted to.
“We did a really nice job communicating on screens, and we just got back to the basics. We talked after our game on Friday and at practice on Saturday and said – we’ve got to look in the mirror and tighten things up.
“It’s nothing monumental. It’s doing the little things, it’s communicating and making sure all five girls are on the same page at the same time, and I think we had that tonight. Girls were communicating. They were in good positions, and that defense led to offense.”
The Indians led 4-3 after one quarter, suggesting it was going to be a very low scoring affair, but the Bucks – behind six points from Paige Gilbert and five from sophomore Katie Finnan, scored 13 points in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 16-8 lead.
“It was a defensive showdown, but we made some adjustments,” Sibel said. “We talked to our girls about some different reads. It’s a testament to this group in terms of their ability to read and react and to take something we’re teaching them and to really apply it.”
Maggie McCusker buried a pair of three’s in a third quarter that saw the Bucks edge the Indians 11-9 to go into the final quarter with a 27-17 advantage. The Bucks won the third quarter 13-4 with Gilbert scoring six and Finnan adding five.
Gilbert scored 14 points to lead the Bucks while Finnan added nine, including a three.
“I think this was Finnan’s game to get her feet under her,” Sibel said. “She hit a couple of shots, and every game she’s feeling a little bit more comfortable out there. I think this is a big one for her confidence-wise.
“She was making the right reads on offense with the ball in her hands, slowing herself down a little bit, and that opened up the offense for her. We had teammates that were finding her – Maggie McCusker making the extra pass.
“I think that’s big for this team. It’s win by committee, and that’s what they did again tonight, committing on the defensive end and then staying with it offensively and not letting up after a tough hard fought first quarter.”
Teya McConnaha’s seven points led the Indians.
Central Bucks West (3-2, 2-2 SOL) will travel to North Penn on Friday, and Souderton (3-2) will be on the road for a non-league game at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday.
Souderton 4-4-9-4 21
Central Bucks West 3-13-11-13 40
Souderton (21) – Jordan Zimmerman 2 0-0 4; Erin Bohmueller 2 0-0 4; Olivia Schneider 1 3-4 5; Casey Harter 0 0-4 0; Teya McConnaha 3 1-2 7; Hayley Fenchel 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 8 5-12 21.
Central Bucks West (40) – Tai Henkels 1 0-0 2; Katie Finnan 3 2-2 9; Anna Blue 1 0-0 3; Emily Spratt 1 4-6 6; Maggie McCusker 2 0-1 6; Paige Gilbert 6 2-3 14; TOTALS 14 8-12 40.
3-point goals: CBW – Maggie McCusker 2, Katie Finnan, Anna Blue.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 52, NORTH PENN 39
The Patriots are perfect after one go-round in division play, upping their record to 5-0 with a win over the visiting Knights.
Anna Barry and Emily Chmiel shared scoring honors with 14 points each, and it was Barry – a freshman – giving the Patriots a major boost in the first half with four 3-pointers.
“Anna Barry was a big spark in the first half, coming off the bench with four three’s,” East coach Liz Potash said. “It was a team effort.”
The Patriots, who led 17-11 after one quarter, took a 28-17 lead into halftime. They added to that in the second half.
Emily Barry was the third Patriot in double figures with 10, which included an 8-for-10 effort at the foul line. Mia Salvati added six points.
Senior Alli Lindsay’s nine points led the Knights. Olivia Stone scored eight points, and Rachel Strobel added six.
Central Bucks East (5-0 SOL) will travel to Pennridge on Friday, and North Penn (0-3) will host Central Bucks West on Friday.
North Penn 11-6-7-15 39
Central Bucks East 17-11-14-10 52
North Penn (39) – Laynie Doran 0 1-2 1; Ali Johns 1 0-0 2; Abby Plaugher 1 0-0 2; Alli Lindsay 4 0-1 9; Imani Plaza 1 2-2 5; Rachel Strobel 3 0-0 6; Caleigh Sperling 2 1-2 5; Olivia Stone 2 2-4 7; Kylie Voeks 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 15 6-11 39.
Central Bucks East (52) – Devon Burns 1 0-1 2; Anna Barry 5 0-0 14; Mia Salvati 2 1-2 6; Elise Duffy 1 2-2 4; Erin LeRay 0 0-1 0; Emily Chmiel 6 2-4 14; Emily Barry 1 8-10 10; Curran 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 17 13-20 52.
3-point goals: NP – Alli Lindsay, Imani Plaza, Olivia Stone, CBE – Anna Barry 4, Mia Salvati
SOL Liberty
UPPER DUBLIN 70, HATBORO-HORSHAM 42
It was raining three’s on Tuesday night at Upper Dublin as the Hatters and Flying Cardinals put on an impressive shooting display from long range. The Cardinals buried 10-of-21 shots from beyond the arc while the visiting Hatters connected on seven.
The fun started early for both teams as they battled to a 14-14 tie after one quarter. Emily Thomas connected on three treys for the Hatters and teammate Caroline Shegogue had one. For the Flying Cardinals, Jess Polin – who had seven points in the quarter – and Bliss Brenner each had one.
In the second quarter, the Cardinals exploded for 25 points to go into halftime with a 39-25 lead. Five different players had 3-pointers for the Cards with one each from Brenner, Polin, Geena Sarnoski, Amy Ngo and Dayna Balasa. The Cardinals went on to outscore their visitors 31-17 in the second half to earn their sixth win in as many games.
Polin’s 16 points – which included a pair of three’s – led a balanced Cardinal attack. Brenner added 15 points with three 3-pointers. Both had 12 points in the first half. Balasa, in her return to the lineup, had three treys and finished with 13 points while Ngo also had 13 points. For the game, the Cardinals connected on 27 of 52 shots from the floor (52 percent).
Brenner led the Cardinals with five rebounds to go with four deflections, two assists, one steal and one block. Rachel Bilger had four boards, two assists and one steal. Polin had three rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. Ngo contributed three rebounds, four deflections, three steals and one assist.
Only three players scored for the Hatters – all three had big performances. Emily Thomas led the way with 17 points, including five three’s. Shegogue added 13 points while Alice Hall had 12.
Upper Dublin (6-0, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Abington on Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (1-3, 0-3) will be on the road at Springfield Township on Thursday.
Hatboro-Horsham 14-11-3-14 42
Upper Dublin 14-25-17-14 70
Hatboro-Horsham (42) – Caroline Shegogue 5 1-3 13; Alice Hall 3 6-11 12; Emily Thomas 6 0-0 17; TOTALS 14 7-14 42.
Upper Dublin (70) – Bliss Brenner 6 0-0 15; Geena Sarnoski 1 0-0 3; Jess Polin 6 2-2 16; Colleen Klammer 1 0-3 2; Amy Ngo 5 2-2 13; Sarah Eskew 2 0-0 4; Kylie Elliott 2 0-1 4; Dayna Balasa 4 2-2 13; TOTALS 27 6-10 70.
3-point goals: HH – Emily Thomas 5, Carolin Shegogue 2, UD – Dayna Balasa 3, Bliss Brenner 3, Jess Polin 2, Geena Sarnoski, Amy Ngo.
ABINGTON 58, QUAKERTOWN 30
Sophomore Cire Worley scored 16 points to lead nine Abington players who put their names in the scoring column in Tuesday’s win.
In the first half, the Panthers hung with the visiting Ghosts. The two teams battled to an 8-8 tie after one quarter, but the Ghosts closed out the half with a 16-10 burst to go into halftime with a 24-18 lead. They outscored the Panthers 34-12 in the second half.
In addition to Worley, Amanda Jackson also finished in double figures with 10 points while Jaida Helm had eight. Khalis Whiting and Maura Day both chipped in six points. Worley, Jackson and Day each had a pair of 3-pointers.
For the Panthers, Carolyn Sipprell’s eight points led the way. The sophomore scored all eight of her points in the first half to keep the Panthers close. Katie Catalano added seven points.
Abington (4-0, 3-0 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Friday, and Quakertown (0-3, 0-2) will be on the road at Wissahickon for a non-league game Wednesday.
Abington 8-16-15-19 58
Quakertown 8-10-7-5 30
Abington (58) – Cire Worley 7 0-0 16; Krysten Brown 1 2-4 4; Jaida Helm 4 0-2 8; Amanda Jackson 4 0-0 10; Khalis Whiting 2 2-4 6; Jordyn Reynolds 1 0-0 2; Allison Holden 0 1-3 1; Maura Day 2 0-0 6; Abril Browser 2 0-0 5; Piper McGinley 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 23 5-15 58
Quakertown (30) – Carolyn Sipprell 3 2-2 8; Katie Catalano 3 1-3 7; Laney Mitchell 1 2-2 4; Kayla Horning 2 0-0 4; Fallon Grandinetti 1 0-2 2; Abigail McClaskey 0 1-2 1; Katie Offner 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 12 6-11 30.
3-point goals: Abington – Cire Worley, Amanda Jackson, Maura Day 2, Abril Browser.
SOL Freedom
UPPER MORELAND 44, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 39
In a classic battle between a pair of teams favored to vie for the Freedom Division crown, it was the Golden Bears rallying from a 33-27 deficit heading into the final quarter to earn the hard fought win.
“It was games like today where you feel like an idiot as a coach but so thankful,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “We spent about two hours watching film and running through their sets yesterday at practice. We felt prepared until (Rachel) Saxton stepped on the court and the game plan went out the window.
“I give coach (Steve) Polinsky so much credit. That team was really prepared for us and gave us a hard time offensively. Saxton made everything we did difficult on the offensive end, and their help defense, length, and closeouts make things nearly impossible.”
Saxton had 12 first-half points, propelling the Lions to a 22-19 advantage.
“Our girls really adjusted well to the different defenses we threw out there that we didn’t work on,” Carroll said. “This is a game where the coaches give advice and let the players play. Less is more, and man did our girls step up.”
The Lions – behind six points from Reagan Chrencik – added to their lead in the third quarter, but the Golden Bears came roaring back.
It was a pair of underclassmen leading the comeback. Holly Gohl – a rookie in name only – scored nine of her game high 18 points in the quarter. Sophomore EmmyFaith Wood added seven points, including a clutch three and a 4-for-5 effort at the charity stripe.
“Our two leading scorers led the way in the box score but our others were huge,” Carroll said. “Kaiya (Herb), Kylie (Gaul), and Kaitie (Opferman) hit some huge three’s to keep us in it early and help us crawl back. Kat (Morrow) played really intelligent defense throughout the game and gave us big time minutes. “EmmyFaith hit a big three to extend our lead at the end, and Holly was dominant in the fourth. We are kind of lucky to have a freshman who can take over a fourth quarter the way she did.”
In addition to Gohl, Wood scored 13 points, and Opferman had six.
For the Lions, Saxton led the way with 17 points and Chrencik had 12, including a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line.
“It was a very well played game,” NHS coach Steve Polinsky said. “Give them credit – they hit shots at the end of the game and we did not. Wood and Gohl are nice players and hit big shots in the fourth quarter.
“I like our effort, and we will learn from this loss. Matt Carroll does an excellent job with his team, and they did a nice job pushing the pace of the game, and it affected us in the fourth quarter.
“Losing makes you grow, and we need to grow. I can’t wait for practice tomorrow.”
*****
A highlight of the night was Saxton reaching the elusive 1,000-point milestone.
“I’m very proud of her and all the success she has had in her NHS basketball career,” Polinsky said. “She’s a great player but an even better young lady.
“She’s an incredible leader and brings it every practice and every game, and she’s an absolute joy to coach. I’m very thankful.”
Saxton drew equally high praise from Carroll.
“Rachel Saxton was unreal,” the UM coach said. “She affects the game in so many ways besides scoring, and she can really score it. She scored her 1,000th tonight, and it really couldn’t have happened to a nicer kid. The way she carries herself on and off the court is really special. Muhlenberg got a good one.”
Upper Moreland (4-1, 3-0 SOL) will host Lower Moreland on Friday, and New Hope-Solebury (4-2, 2-1) will be on the road at Springfield Township on Friday.
Upper Moreland 8-11-8-17 44
New Hope-Solelbury 14-8-11-6 39
Upper Moreland (44) – Kaiya Herb 1 1-2 4; Kaitie Opferman 2 0-0 6; EmmyFaith Wood 2 8-11 13; Kylie Gaul 1 0-0 3 Holly Gohl 8 0-0 18; Totals 14 9-13 44.
New Hope-Solebury (39) – Madi Fasti 1 0-0 3; Reagan Chrencik 3 6-6 12; Julianna Covino 1 0-0 3; Kate Dougherty 2 0-3 4; Rachel Saxton 6 2-3 17; TOTALS 13 8-12 39.
3-point goals: UM – Kaitie Opferman 2, Holly Gohl 2, Kaiya Herb, EmmyFaith Wood, Kylie Gaul, NHS – Rachel Saxton 3, Madi Fasti, Julianna Covino.
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 41, CHELTENHAM 38
Maddie Yoder turned in another big offensive performance for the Spartans, scoring a team high 21 points on the heels of a 27-point effort in Friday’s 53-50 overtime loss to Lower Moreland.
“She has the team on her back right now,” Springfield coach Dave Giordano said. “She had 21 and she probably had 15 rebounds. She’s rebounding at both ends of the floor.
“We got some help tonight from some young players. We have a young squad as far as experience, and we had some girls step up. A couple of them scored their first varsity points, which was awesome.”
The Spartans trailed 8-6 after one quarter but outscored their hosts 14-4 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 20-12 advantage. Yoder accounted for 10 of Springfield’s points, but five other players each contributed a bucket.
The Lady Panthers cut into the Spartans’ lead in the third quarter, outscoring their visitors 13-8. Umayrah Sulayman scored 10 of her team’s points in the quarter. The two teams exchanged baskets in the final quarter with each team scoring 13 points.
“We slugged it out with them,” Giordano said. “They’re a talented team, and they play hard. They play aggressive defense. We did what we needed to do.
“I think we learned a bit from our last game where we lost in OT, and we finished tonight. We did well. I couldn’t be happier. I think we all breathed a big sigh of relief when the horn went off, but I’ll take it.”
Sulayman’s 22 points led the Lady Panthers. Assata Robinson added seven.
Springfield Township (1-4, 1-3 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday, and Cheltenham (0-2) will be on the road at William Tennent Friday.
Springfield Twp 6-14-8-13 41
Cheltenham 8-4-13-13 38
Springfield Twp (41) – Raya Davis 2 0-0 5; Alana Decker 1 0-1 3; Delaney Lake 1 0-0 3; Maddie Yoder 8 5-14 21; Kayla Parsons 1 0-0 2; Lauren Hussie 1 0-0 2; Ashley Jenkins 1 1-2 3; Emma Cawley 1 0-0 2; Totals 16 6-17 41.
Cheltenham (38) – Arianna Davis 1 0-0 2; Angel Vample 1 0-0 2; Assata Robinson 2 1-2 7; Janiya Townes-Wakefield 2 0-0 4; Umayrah Sulayman 7 8-13 22; Mikahila Leighton 0 1-4 1; TOTALS 13 10-19 38.
3-point goals: Springfield – Raya Davis, Alana Decker, Delaney Lake, Cheltenham – Assata Robinson.
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