Quakertown defeated Hatboro-Horsham in overtime in SOL girls’ basketball action Monday. Photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of game photos.
QUAKERTOWN 51, HATBORO-HORSHAM 46 (OT)
Katie Catalano saved her best for last, scoring six of her 12 points in overtime to propel the Panthers to the big win. In the extra period, the sophomore scored a basket and buried 4-of-6 at the foul line.
“We needed this,” Quakertown coach Brittany Bamford said. “It’s a good league win for us. I think some of the girls were in a slump offensively, and they executed offensively.
“They also executed defensively. We have practiced this defense, but we haven’t been able to execute it in a game. I’m very proud of them for being able to do both.”
All told, the Panthers connected on 12-of-16 from the foul line.
“That definitely helped us,” Bamford said.
The Hatters opened up a 13-6 lead after one quarter only to see the Panthers – behind a pair of 3-pointers from Catalano – outscore their hosts 14-8 in the second to pull to within one at halftime, 20-19.
The two teams were deadlocked after three quarters, and in the fourth quarter, the Panthers opened up a 41-36 advantage only to watch the Hatters answer with a 6-0 run to go on top 42-41. The Panthers broke the run with a basket, but sophomore Caroline Shegogue sank 1-of-2 at the foul line, knotting the score 43-43 at the end of regulation.
“Each team had chances in the last minute to break the tie but couldn’t get anything to fall,” HH coach Dennis Steinly said. “We couldn’t get into any rhythm on offense – Quakertown really made it difficult for us to get what we wanted. They played tough defense and hit some timely shots in the second and third quarters.”
The Panthers outscored the Hatters 8-3 in overtime with Catalano scoring six of those points.
“They listened – they still made some mistakes at the end of the game, but we didn’t take shots that we shouldn’t be taking, and that’s a huge thing that we’ve had a problem with in the past,” Bamford said. “Defensively and offensively, they executed what they needed to do to win.”
Last year, the two teams met in a non-league game, and it was the Hatters – on their Senior Night – notching a 54-33 win.
“This was a huge, huge win for us confidence booster-wise,” Bamford said.
Sophomore Carolyn Sipprell led a balanced Panther attack with 13 points, which included a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line. She also had nine rebounds, five blocks and four steals in a standout effort. Catalano added 12 points and four steals. Kayla Horning had eight points – six in the third quarter. Katie Offner also had eight points to go along with nine rebounds. Abby McCaskey had a team high 12 rebounds and four deflections.
“Katie Offner had a really solid game tonight,” Bamford said. “They had a technical foul, and she stepped to the line and made two foul shots.
“They switched up their defense, similar to what we were doing, denying their offensive threats. Kayla Horning did a great job in the third quarter – she had three baskets.
“Laney Mitchell doesn’t score a lot – she’s a quiet player, but defensively, we were leaning on her a lot tonight, and then the usual Katie (Catalano) and Carolyn (Sipprell) – you can’t deny that dynamic duo.”
For the Hatters, Alice Hall scored a game high 18. Ava McKinney had 11 points, including three 3-pointers, and Emily Thomas had eight, burying a pair of threes. Leah Harrington chipped in six points.
The two teams will meet again Tuesday at Quakertown.
“I’m watching the film tonight, so we can learn from our mistakes,” Bamford said. “We’re definitely going to need to switch things up tomorrow.”
Quakertown upped its record to 3-5 overall and 2-4 in SOL play. Hatboro-Horsham is 3-6 overall (1-6 SOL).
Quakertown 6-14-15-8-8 51
Hatboro-Horsham 13-8-14-8-3 46
Quakertown (51) – Carolyn Sipprell 4 4-4 13; Katie Catalano 3 4-7 12; Laney Mitchell 2 0-1 4; Kayla Horning 4 0-0 8; Katie Offner 2 4-4 8; Abby McClaskey 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 18 12-16 51
Hatboro-Horsham (46) – Caroline Shegogue 1 1-2 3; Ava McKinney 4 0-0 11; Alice Hall 6 6-9 18; Leah Harrington 2 2-4 6; Emily Thomas 3 0-0 8 TOTALS 16 9-15 46
3-point goals: Q – Sipprell, Catalano 2 HH – McKinney 3, Thomas 2.
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