Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Thursday. New Hope-Solebury/Upper Moreland photos provided courtesy of Jon Sklut. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL Freedom Division
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 39, UPPER MORELAND 21
Rachel Saxton and her Lion teammates had just emerged from their postgame meeting when UM coach Matt Carroll had a message for the crafty floor general.
“Rachel, go home,” the Golden Bears’ coach said.
Saxton laughed and had an immediate response. It was all part of a light-hearted exchange between the UM coach and the NHS captain. In truth, Carroll has undoubtedly seen enough of Saxton, the engine of a New Hope squad that – thanks to a 24-6 second half – turned a 15-15 halftime tie into a resounding victory.
The win avenged a 44-39 loss to Upper Moreland on Jan. 26, a night Saxton – who scored her 1,000th point in that game – and her teammates had not forgotten.
“We wanted it so badly, you have no idea – I wanted this game so badly,” Saxton said. “They have great coaches, they have great players, and they have a great program, so I knew this was going to be a game where as a team we all had to step up, and that’s exactly what we did.”
Saxton scored 10 of her game high 17 points in the second half. She also had six rebounds and five steals. It was Saxton’s baseline jumper to open the third quarter that broke the halftime tie and gave the Lions a lead they would not lose. A reverse layup by Reagan Chrencik with a Kate Dougherty assist put the Lions on top 19-14, but a one-minute stretch late in the third quarter effectively put the game out of reach. It began with a Chrencik three, and after a UM turnover, J Covino buried a baseline three. Saxton came up with a steal on the defensive end and turned it into a layup. The Lions led 27-15 and were on their way to the big win.
Covino – who also finished in double figures with 11 points – scored six in the opening quarter when Lions were struggling to score, propelling the Lions to an 8-4 lead.
“That was very important,” Saxton said. “When one person or even the whole team can’t get going, you just really need someone to start it, and that’s what J did. Not only were her shots falling, but the energy coming off those shots brought us up.”
Chrencik added seven points for the Lions, and Kate Dougherty had four assists.
According to Covino, the Lions’ successful season has been a team effort.
“Rachel and Reagan are amazing shooters, and we love them for that, but I think the greatest thing about our team is our ball movement and all of us working together,” she said. “We’re all a team together. It’s five people on the court and five people can shoot.
“Tonight was really about stepping up. I was in that position. They gave me great passes, and we just capitalized on that as a team. Coach (Steve) Polinsky has done such a great job of really encouraging us to shoot and be our best selves. We’re all comfortable with each other, and we all trust each other. That’s the best thing about playing on this team.”
With just two games remaining, the Lions – if they win out – will own at least a share of the division title in their first year of competition in the SOL.
“I’ve enjoyed it so much,” Saxton said. “Coming from a school with a little over 500 kids and you’re playing all these big schools – these big schools are going to look down on you and be like, ‘Oh, we’re going to kill them.’
“So we come out every game and we play our game, and we show that no matter how big your school is – little schools can always compete.”
The Lions and Golden Bears both have one loss in division play. A co-championship is a very real possibility.
“We talked before the game – the pressure was kind of on them,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “If they lost, they had no chance to win it, and if we lose, we still have an opportunity if we win the rest of our league games.
“We played pretty well the first half. I’m not really sure what happened. We had seven turnovers in the second half and six shot attempts. It’s pretty impossible win like that. We forced too many looks inside when they were fronting – they had weak-side help. Our two most skilled players are a sophomore and freshman, and they looked like a sophomore and freshman tonight. Most of the games we’ve won have been 20-point victories. This is something we weren’t used to, but in the end, I think it’s going to help us, but tonight it stinks.”
EmmyFaith Wood led the Golden Bears with 10 points while Kaiya Herb had six points. Kaitie Opferman had six rebounds, and Holly Gohl had five.
New Hope-Solebury (9-2, 7-1 SOL) will host Lower Moreland on Tuesday, and Upper Moreland (8-2, 6-1) will be on the road at Lower Moreland on Saturday for a 1 p.m. contest.
New Hope-Solebury 8-7-12-12 39
Upper Moreland 7-8-2-4 21
New Hope-Solebury (39) – Reagan Chrencik 3 0-0 7; J Covino 5 0-0 11; Kate Dougherty 1 0-0 2; Rachel Saxton 6 4-5 17; Emily Primavera 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 15 6-7 39.
Upper Moreland (21) – Kaiya Herb 2 2-2 6; Kaitie Opferman 1 0-0 3; EmmyFaith Wood 4 0-0 10; Holly Gohl 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 8 2-2 21.
3-point goals: NHS – Reagan Chrencik, J Covino, Rachel Saxton, UM – EmmyFaith Wood 2, Kaitie Oopferman.
CHELTENHAM 61, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 57 (OT)
It hasn’t been an easy season for the Lady Panthers, but behind the dazzling 38-point effort of senior Umayrah Sulayman, they gutted out an overtime win over the Spartans for their first win of the season in seven games.
“I’m really happy for the girls,” coach Ben Bowman said. “We are short players and fighting injuries, but they give their all every game. They need to remember this and do it again tomorrow.”
The Lady Panthers had just seven players dressed for Thursday’s game, but that’s all they needed, although it was a battle from start to finish.
Springfield – sparked by six points from Maddie Yoder and four from Annie Coll – led 13-11 after one quarter. They took a 26-23 lead into halftime. Yoder accounted for 11 of those points while Sulayman had 11 for the Lady Panthers and Assata Robinson had eight.
Sparked by 11 points from Sulayman, the Lady Panthers outscored the Spartans 18-14 in the third quarter and took a tenuous 41-40 advantage into the final frame that saw the Spartans knot the score.
Sulayman carried the team on her back in overtime, scoring eight of her team’s 10 points.
“It really felt good to get a win tonight,” Bowman said. “This game is a copy of almost all the games we’ve played this year, and it’s nice to finally be on the winning side.
“I’m most pleased with the girls finally seeing their hard work paying off. To compete and see games slip away takes its toll. Winning this hopefully teaches them they can win regardless of our numbers.”
Sulayman scored 27 of her 38 points after halftime in a stellar individual effort. She was 14-of-22 from the foul line but 8-of-9 in the fourth quarter and overtime combined.
“Umayrah is a special player,” Bowman said. “Her 38 points tonight was something else.”
Robinson added 13 points, and Janiya Townes-Wakefield had seven.
For the Spartans, Yoder had a big game, finishing with 21 points. Jayla Daniels added 14, and Coll had 11. Raya Davis contributed six points.
Cheltenham (1-6, 1-5 SOL) will host William Tennent on Friday at 6 p.m., and Springfield Township (1-10, 1-8) will host William Tennent on Wednesday.
Cheltenham 11-12-18-10-10 61
Springfield Twp 13-13-14-11-6 57
Cheltenham (61) – Assata Robinson 3 5-10 13; Janiya Townes-Wakefield 3 1-4 7; Umayrah Sulayman 11 14-22 38; Crae Wise 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 18 21-38 61.
Springfield Twp (57) – Annie Coll 2 6-9 11; Raya Davis 2 1-2 6; Alana Decker 1 0-0 2; Jayla Daniels 6 2-3 14; Maddie Yoder 8 5-10 21; Lauren Hussie 0 0-2 0; Emma Cawley 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 20 15-28 57.
3-point goals: Cheltenham – Assata Robinson 2, Umayrah Sulayman 2, Springfield Twp – Annie Coll, Raya Davis.
LOWER MORELAND 33, WILLIAM TENNENT 25
Points didn’t come easily for either side in Thursday’s division contest. The Lions led 9-7 after one quarter and took a 16-12 lead into halftime. Not a whole lot changed in the second half.
“We won an ugly game against a stronger more physical team,” LM coach Rich Becker said. “We told the girls that learning how to win these types of games is one of the steps you need to go through to become better team.
“On a night when we did not play well offensively – Tennant had a lot to do with that – we still found away to win every quarter by one, two or three points.”
Jess Dugo’s 10 points led the Lions. Ofek Gur and Amelia Brown each added seven.
“Ofek Gur played great post defense and freshmen Amelia Brown gave us seven points off the bench and was our second leading scorer,” Becker said.
For the Panthers, Emily Thran led the way with 10 points, and Kailyn Hansen added seven.
Lower Moreland (4-2 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Saturday (1 p.m.). William Tennent (3-7, 3-5) will travel to Cheltenham on Friday.
Lower Moreland 9-7-5-12 33
William Tennent 7-5-4-9 25
Lower Moreland (33) – Tori Finnegan 0 1-2 1; Ofek Gur 3 1-2 7; Jess Shein 2 0-2 4; Liz Neeld 2 0-0 4; Jess Dugo 4 1-1 10; Amelia Brown 3 0-0 7; TOTALS 14 3-6 33.
William Tennent (25) – Kailyn Hansen 1 1-4 3 Emily Thran 4 1-4 10; Courtney Bragen 3 1-3 7; Chase Dubzak 1 2-4 5; TOTALS 9 5-15 25.
3-point goals: LM – Jess Dugo, Amelia Brown, WT – Emily Thran, Chase Dubzak.
SOL Liberty Division
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 61, WISSAHICKON 21
Anna McTamney put her name in the record books, surpassing the 1,000-point mark with a glittering 21-point performance. She scored the historic basket in the fourth quarter – despite being fouled – on a driving layup and then completed the three-point play.
“At halftime she had eight, and we said, ‘Let’s see what happens in the third quarter,’” Dougherty said. “We weren’t pushing too much. She got eight pretty quick points in the third quarter. Then it became ‘Let’s get Anna 21, let’s get her to a thousand tonight.’
“Everybody was over-sharing the ball the closer she got. She is absolutely beloved by her teammates.”
The Colonials seized control of this one from the outset, opening up a 22-4 lead after one quarter and putting 40 points on the board by halftime.
“We had a rough game Tuesday night with Abington,” Dougherty said of his team’s 44-43 win. “We didn’t shoot the ball well, and we were all out of sorts. Tonight we got back to really playing with a lot of energy and really pushing the tempo.
“Wissahickon likes to play slow, so we really tried to push the tempo. We put Anna up at the top of our pressure defense, and she really got it started. Everyone got involved. The first half was really, really balanced scoring.”
Kaitlyn McGeary’s 10 points led the Trojans, who also received seven points from Leah Dubin.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-0, 6-0 SOL) will host Upper Dublin Friday in a key division battle, and Wissahickon (3-9, 1-7) will host Hatboro-Horsham for its Senior Night on Friday.
Wissahickon 4-0-6-11 21
Plymouth Whitemarsh 22-18-10-11 61
ABINGTON 59, QUAKERTOWN 34
The Ghosts celebrated Senior Night with a convincing win over the Panthers, opening up a 29-15 halftime lead and never looking back.
“All three seniors are tremendous leaders and amazing young women,” coach Dan Marsh said of Amanda Jackson, Rachel Muller and Allison Holden. “They all play different roles, and they all take them seriously and perform them perfectly. They’re a coach’s dream.”
Holden shared game scoring honors with 12 points, which included a pair of 3’s. Jackson added eight points.
Rachel Muller, who doesn’t usually see a whole lot of playing time, made her minutes count with a basket and five steals to lead the Ghosts defensively.
“She’s a great kid,” Marsh said of Muller.
Also for the Ghosts, Cire Worley had 12 points, including a 3. Jaida Helm finished in double figures with 11. Khalis Whiting added eight points.
For the visiting Panthers, sophomores Katie Catalano and Carolyn Sipprell led the way, finishing with 11 and nine points respectively.
Abington (8-2, 6-2 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin on Tuesday, and Quakertown (4-6, 2-6) will be on the road at Upper Dublin on Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. contest.
Quakertown 6-9-9-10 34
Abington 10-19-21-9 59
Quakertown (34) – Carolyn Sipprell 4 1-1 9; Katie Catalano 4 0-0 11 Kennedi Pellegrini 1 0-1 2 Fallon Grandinetti 0 2-2 2; Abigail McClaskey 2 1-4 5; Rachel Sanchez 0 2-2; Katie Offner 1 1-3 3; TOTALS 12 7-12 34.
Abington (59) – Cire Worley 4 2-3 12; Allison Holden 5 2-2 12; Rachel Muller 1 0-0 2; Amanda Jackson 3 2-2 8; Khalis Whiting 2 4-4 8; Maura Day 1 0-2 3; Abril Browser 1 0-0 3; Jaida Helm 4 3-4 11; TOTALS 21 11-17 59.
3-point goals: Quakertown – Katie Catalano 3, Abington – Cire Worley 2, Allison Holden 2, Maura Day, Abril Browser.
SOL Colonial Division
PENNRIDGE 54, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 52
With four seconds remaining in regulation in a tie game, sophomore Katie Yoder turned an inbounds pass from Grace Rosica under her team’s own basket into the game-winner. For the Rams, it was a payback for a heartbreaking loss that saw freshman Yoyo Samayoa score with four seconds showing on the scoreboard clock to give the Titans a 40-38 win in the Jan. 26 meeting between the two squads.
“It ended the way the other game did only it was in our favor this time – two buzzer beaters, I think we’re even,” Pennridge coach Mike Elton said. “It came right down to the wire.
“It was a great team win. They really worked hard. It was everything you want in a game.”
The thrilling victory came on the heels of a disappointing 51-33 loss to Souderton two days earlier.
“We had a pretty rough game against Souderton on Tuesday,” Elton said. “We kind of went back to the drawing board. We only had one day to prepare, but I thought they really prepared hard. I felt like the Souderton game we didn’t play as a team as much as we could. That was really the focus tonight – get back to playing as a team and being accountable to each other and just working together. It was fun.”
Yoder and freshman Anna Croyle jumpstarted the Rams in a 20-point first quarter. Croyle had a pair of 3’s and eight points while Yoder had a trey and seven points. Taylor Hinkle kept the Titans close, scoring 13 of her team’s 15 points. Included in Hinkle’s strong start were three 3-pointers.
“We got off to a decent start – we were up five at the end of the first quarter,” Elton said. “Hinkle just went off on us. We’d get a lead, and she would hit a shot. The first quarter it was pretty much Anna (Croyle) and Katie (Yoder) keeping us in the game.”
The Rams took a 33-27 lead into halftime and still led 42-37 after three quarters. The fourth quarter was not without its anxious moments as the Titans – behind seven points from Hinkle – rallied to knot the score.
“We pretty much maintained the lead – at one point I think we got it up to 10,” Elton said. “They hit us right at the beginning of the third quarter and got to within one.
“We would go up maybe three, four or five, and they’d come right back at us. It was like a one-point game, and at the end it was tied.”
Hinkle led all scorers with 25 points, which included four 3-pointers. Mackenzie Erb added 11, and Caroline McSorley had six.
For the Rams, Croyle’s 15 points led the way. Yoder finished with 13 points, and Emma Pyne added 11. Ryan Hopper chipped in with six points.
“These games are great,” Elton said. “South just keeps battling back – they keep coming at you and coming at you. At one point, they got within one, and they panicked a little bit. I said, ‘All you can do is one possession at a time. Look to the next play.’ They just gutted it out.”
Pennridge (3-7, 2-7 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South Tuesday for a non-league game, and Central Bucks South (4-6, 4-5) will host Bensalem in a non-league game Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 15-12-10-15 52
Pennridge 20-13-9-12 54
Central Bucks South (52) – Taylor Hinkle 10 1-1 25; Mackenzie Erb 5 0-0 11; Madelyn Tantum 1 2-2 4; Allison Sauers 1 1-2 3; Yoyo Samayoa 1 0-0 3; Caroline McSorley 2 0-0 6; TOTALS 20 4-5 52.
Pennridge (54) – Grace Rosica 0 2-2 2; Katie Yoder 6 0-0 13; Ava Unzicker 2 0-0 5; Emma Pyne 3 2-2 11; Ryan Hodder 3 0-0 6; Anna Croyle 6 0-0 15; Ava Fantaskey 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 21 4-4 54.
3-point goals: CBS – Taylor Hinkle 4, Caroline McSorley 2, Mackenzie Erb, Yoyo Samayoa. Pennridge – Katie Yoder, Ava Unzicker, Emma Pyne 3, Anna Croyle 3.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 69, NORTH PENN 60
Emily Chmiel was all but unstoppable in Thursday’s win, erupting for 29 points in brilliant outing to lead the Patriots to the important win.
“Emily didn’t really miss much tonight,” East coach Liz Potash said. “They had a hard time stopping her from a size matchup-wise.”
Senior point guard Mia Salvati added 18 points in another standout effort, and the Patriots – as a result of their win – own sole possession of the SOL Colonial Division title.
“North Penn called a timeout with 7.6 seconds left, and I think we were up nine,” Potash said. “We had a turnover, and the girls were like defeated. I said, ‘Listen, in 7.6 seconds, you’re going to be league champs, so it’s okay. We’ll work on things at practice, but you did what you set out to do tonight.”
At halftime, it looked as though the visiting Patriots – who took a 35-24 lead into halftime – were on their way to another big win. Chmiel had 15 points while Salvati had 11, including three 3-pointers. Abby Plaugher’s nine points helped to keep the Knights in it. The Knights outscored the Patriots 21-11 in the third quarter, trimming East’s lead to 46-45 heading into the final quarter.
The Patriots responded with a 23-point fourth quarter that included a 7-for-8 effort at the foul line by Salvati, six points from Devon Burns and five from Chmiel.
“We got into some foul trouble – Elise Duffy and Emily Barry each ended the game with four fouls, and Anna Barry went down with an injury. She’s okay, but she had to sit for the rest of the game,” Potash said. “We did get a little bit thin, but I can’t blame it on that.
“North Penn made shots. Give them credit. I know what their record is, but you would never know it playing them. They pretty much played everyone tough. They just kept battling back, and they made a bunch of shots We had a lot of uncharacteristic turnovers and just some things we had not been doing all season, but with all of that said, I do give us a lot of credit because even when it was a one-point game, the girls weren’t rattled.
“It was a close, but I just never felt we were going to lose, and maybe that’s just because of the way the season’s gone, and it’s nothing against North Penn. It’s just the maturity and experience of what the girls have done so far. They took it in stride.”
The Knights were led by the 16-point effort of Plaugher while Alli Lindsay added 15. Plaugher had a pair of 3s while Lindsay had three treys. Caileigh Sperling added eight points, and Laynie Doran had six.
“I am so proud of my team and the way they battled tonight,” North Penn coach Jen Carangi said. “I told them after the game that this is the first game where I felt like the other team beat us – we didn’t lose because of mistakes we made or inexperience rearing its ugly head.
“There have been other games when the final score was closer and I walked out of the gym feeling more frustrated than I did tonight. Losing is tough; growing and learning from the losses is hard, but we know it will make us better next year. Moral victories can get old during a season like this, but the team is learning and getting better everyday. I choose to focus on the positives.”
Allowing 60 points was uncharacteristic for a Patriot squad that had kept every team under 40 since East’s 52-44 win over CB South in the third game of the season.
“We’ve been really priding ourselves defensively on holding teams in the mid-30s, so that was really frustrating, but we know at the end of the night it’s the team that has more points. It’s not the way we would have liked it, but it was a win.
“The girls know we have not played well at North Penn in like a million years. They kept saying that yesterday. I told them before the game, ‘This is a new year, a lot of things are different. We play well at North Penn this year.’ We were trying everything we could. Offensively was not the issue. We just really struggled getting stops, and North Penn battles. They’re not playing like a team that hasn’t won a game yet. They definitely play hard. We don’t expect any easy games ever, but this was a little closer than we’d like it to be, but we’ll take it.”
Also for the Patriots, Burns had eight points and Duffy had six.
Central Bucks East (10-0, 9-0 SOL) will host Souderton on Tuesday, and North Penn (0-8) will travel to Central Bucks West for a 1:30 p.m. game Saturday.
Central Bucks East 17-18-11-23 69
North Penn 9-15-21-15 60
Central Bucks East (69) – Devon Burns 3 2-3 8; Anna Barry 1 2-2 4; Mia Salvati 4 7-8 18; Elise Duffy 3 0-1 6; Emily Chmiel 11 7-11 29; Emily Barry 1 2-4 4; TOTALS 23 20-29 69.
North Penn (60) – Laynie Doran 2 2-4 6; Ali Johns 2 0-0 4; Abby Plaugher 6 2-2 16; Alli Lindsay 5 2-4 15; Imani Plaza 2 1-1 5; Rachel Strobel 1 0-0 2; Caleigh Sperling 3 1-2 8; Olivia Stone 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 23 8-13 60.
3-point goals: CBE – Mia Salvati 3, NP – Alli Lindsay 3, Abby Plaugher 2, Caleigh Sperling.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 47, SOUDERTON 36
The Bucks were coming off back-to-back losses to a pair of team’s in the top five of the District One 6A rankings, including a heartbreaker to Central Bucks East on Tuesday. They showed no ill effects, opening up a 10-3 lead after one quarter and maintaining a lead for four quarters.
“We responded really well,” West coach Zach Sibel said. “We’ve had tough games, and they make you better.
“When you have some tough losses against tough teams, you find yourself saying the same things over and over again, and you just hope the message is getting through, and the girls showed today that it is. They responded so well to it.”
The Bucks – behind seven points from Emily Spratt – led 20-15 at halftime. They upped their lead to double digits with a 14-9 third quarter that again featured a whole lot of Spratt, who had six of her team’s points.
“We were playing team basketball,” Sibel said. “Emily Spratt had another 19, and around her we were making the right plays. Teams have been sinking in on our dribble drives a little bit, and we were able to make extra passes and sacrifice good shots for great shots.
“We had a little bit of a lull in the second quarter, but they responded to everything we said at halftime. They accepted the challenges. You saw that leadership from seniors and our junior, Emily Spratt. We asked them to be more vocal on the court.
“They did that at practice yesterday. It’s just accepting challenges and roles and being the best version of themselves, and they showed that tonight, which I think is huge.”
Spratt led the way for the Bucks with 19 points, including a near-perfect 10-for-11 effort at the foul line. It was her fourth straight game with 19 or more points.
“She’s playing great basketball,” Sibel said. “She’s able to score it, but she’s also finding girls. Every drive she has her head up, and she’s able to distribute well. That’s always been a strong suit of her game. She’s a very unselfish player.”
Also for the Bucks, Paige Gilbert added eight points and Katie Finnan had seven. Anna Blue and Maggie McCusker each had six points with Blue burying a pair of 3s for her six.
For the Indians, Teya McConnaha’s 11 points led the way. Jordan Zimmerman had eight points and Olivia Schneider, seven. Erin Bohmueller had six points, including 4-for-4 at the foul line.
Central Bucks West (6-5, 5-3 SOL) will host North Penn Saturday at 1 p.m., and Souderton (6-4, 6-3) will be on the road at Central Bucks East on Tuesday.
Central Bucks West 10-10-14-13 47
Souderton 3-12-9-12 36
Central Bucks West (47) – Katie Finnan 2 2-5 7; Anna Blue 2 0-0 6; Emily Spratt 4 10-11 19; Ava Longo 0 0-2 0; Maggie McCusker 2 0-0 6; Paige Gilbert 4 0-1 8; Alexis Castro 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 14 13-21 47.
Souderton (36) – Jordan Zimmerman 3 0-0 8; Erin Bohmueller 1 4-4 6; Olivia Schneider 3 1-2 7; Casey Harter 1 0-0 2; Teya McConnaha 4 3-4 11; Hayley Fenchel 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 13 8-10 36.
3-point goals: CBW – Anna Blue 2, Emily Spratt, Maggie McCusker 2, Katie Finnan, Souderton – Jordan Zimmerman 2.
SOL Patriot Division
PENNSBURY 62, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 37
The Falcons are getting healthy at exactly the right time. Junior Nicole Pompili – who has been out the entire season – was the lone player sidelined for Thursday’s game.
“We practiced the past two days with our entire team for the first this year,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “It’s been a different vibe as we’ve added players back, and it’s allowed us to get the tempo where we want it, and it’s kept people from triple teaming or packing the lane.”
Three Falcons finished the game in double figures, and while the Falcons are getting healthy, the Indians suffered a major loss and were without sophomore standout Jaden Wan.
“The main story of the game is that Council Rock North was without their leading scorer and rebounder, Jaden Wan,” Sciolla said. “At the time of her injury on Tuesday, they were playing great. Our major concern is that she is okay.”
The Falcons led by just one after the first quarter (11-10), but they outscored the Indians 44-29 over the middle two quarters. A 20-point second quarter sent them into halftime with a 31-17 advantage. Ava Sciolla led the Falcons with 10 first-half points. Kiley Haws and Abbi Nassivera both had eight while Bella Arcuri marked her return to the starting lineup with five points. All four had a 3-pointer in the opening half, Nassivera had two.
Pennsbury scored 24 points in the third quarter – led by Sciolla’s seven points.
“We forced 29 turnovers in the game and Abbi Nass was once again a whirling dervish on the offensive backboard,” Sciolla said. “It was great to see Lauren ‘Diggy’ Dignan be so active and she scored a career high nine points. She is so easy to coach and we’re overjoyed to see her have her night.”
Sciolla led all scorers with 17 points while Nassivera added 12 and Haws, 11 points.
Junior Kristen Polinsky and freshman Ruth O’Keefe – who started her first varsity game in place of Wan – both scored 10 points to lead the Indians. Delaney McCaffery had eight.
“North will need time to adjust as it’s not easy putting people into new roles on a moment’s notice, but I really liked what I saw from Ruth O’Keefe tonight, and Kristen Pollinsky was solid as usual.”
Pennsbury (7-4, 7-1 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Wednesday in a contest with a division title at stake.
Pennsbury 11-20-24-7 62
Council Rock North 10-7-12-8 37
Pennsbury (62) – Ava Sciolla 6 2-4 17; Abbi Nassivera 4 2-2 12; Kiley Haws 4 1-2 11; Bella Arcuri 3 0-0 7; Lauren Dignan 4 1-1 9; Mia Spinelli 1 1-2 3; Dani Sherman 1 0-0 3; Nevaeh Dash 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 24 7-13 62.
Council Rock North (37) – Sofia Shields 1 0-0 2; Ella Cairone 0 1-2 1; Delaney McCaffery 3 1-1 8; Riley Hamilton 1 1-2 4; Mara Penner 1 0-0 2; Kristen Polinsky 4 0-0 10; Ruth O’Keefe 5 0-0 10; TOTALS 15 3-5 37.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Abbi Nassivera 2, Kiley Haws 2, Ava Sciolla, Bella Arcuri, Mia Spinelli, CRN – Kristen Polinsky 2, Delaney McCaffery, Riley Hamilton.
NESHAMINY 35, BENSALEM 30
Sparked by 13 points from senior Kacie Sienko, the Redskins earned a hard fought win over the young Owls.
“They really do battle,” Neshaminy coach Joe Lally said of the Owls. “(Steve Johnson) is a good coach, and his impact is very visible.
“We are both young teams. Bensalem was right there, and I was proud of the way our girls battled too. The girls made plays when we needed to.”
It was Sienko, the team’s lone senior, scoring five points and leading the Redskins to an 8-3 lead after one quarter. She had nine points by halftime, and Neshaminy led 19-11.
The teams exchanged baskets in the third quarter, and the Owls – behind five points from Kylie Smith outscored their visitors 13-10 in the final quarter.
Also for the Redskins, freshman Reese Zemitis had 11 points and Taylor Gurysh had nine.
For the Owls. Smith’s nine points led the way. Amber Howard added seven.
Neshaminy (7-2, 7-1 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury for a showdown with Pennsbury on Wednesday. Bensalem (1-10, 0-8) will host Council Rock North on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Neshaminy 8-11-6-10 35
Bensalem 3-8-6-13 30
Neshaminy (35) – Kacie Sienko 4 5-7 13; Maya Lewis 1 0-0 2; Taylor Gurysh 4 0-3 9; Reese Zemitis 5 1-4 11; TOTALS 14 6-14 35.
Bensalem (30) – Gianna Paglaiccetti 2 0-0 5; Delaney Bell 0 0-1 0; Erin Devlin 1 0-0 2; Sam Daut 2 0-3 4; Kylie Smith 4 0-1 9; Amber Howard 2 3-4 7; Mackenzie Kramer 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 12 4-11 30.
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Taylor Gurysh, Bensalem – Gianna Paglaiccetti, Kylie Smith.
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