Neshaminy & CR South were winners in SOL girls’ basketball action Wednesday night. Neshaminy/CR North photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL Patriot Division
NESHAMINY 59, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 41
Lola Ibarrondo didn’t score a point in the opening quarter, and her team trailed Rock North 9-8. The sophomore point guard had seven points in the second quarter, and it’s not a coincidence the Redskins outscored the Indians 20-11.
Ibarrondo was undeniably a difference maker, scoring 15 of her game high 17 points in the second and third quarters, a span that saw Neshaminy outscore Rock North 37-23 to seize control of the game.
“Early in the game, she wasn’t involved as much as I wanted. We got her out early, and she came back in at the end of the first quarter, and she was just dynamite after that,” Neshaminy coach John Gallagher said. “She’s the engine, Reese (Zemitis) is the transmission, and Taylor (Gurysh) does all the dirty work.
“Lola works so hard in practice every day. She never cheats herself or the team. Her work ethic is outstanding. She’s a joy to coach when you walk inside the gym because you know she’s going to give you everything she has.”
Ibarrondo was scoring from just about everywhere, connecting on a three in the third quarter. She was a perfect 4-for-4 at the foul line.
“One of her better shots is a teardrop in the lane,” Gallagher said. “We call it a floater. She hasn’t had much success with it in games or practice. We did a couple of drills yesterday, and we took her off and said – ‘Why don’t you work on the floater,’ and she made one tonight, and I think that spurred her on.
“’It was also good she was able to hit a nice three for us as she has done consistently this year. I would like to see her take that outside shot more often as it makes us a better team. Once she starts to shoot it more and defenders start to get out on her more, it will make her ability to drive that much more of a threat.”
Gallagher also had high praise for the defensive play of Maya Lewis.
“If you look at the box score point-wise, she’s not going to overwhelm you,” Gallagher said. “I had her playing (Ava) Sciolla in the first game. 
I knew Ava wasn’t 100 percent, but Maya did a nice job on her. Tonight she covered number 21 (Delaney McCaffry) who was their leading scorer until Jaden (Wan) came back.”
In the absence of Kristen Polinsky, Wan – who is easing her way back in the lineup after an injury – was in the starting lineup on Wednesday.
“She was really good tonight,” Gallagher said of Wan. “She hit a three, and she posted up strong inside. She’s just a really good kid, and she’s really starting to round into form.”
Wan finished with seven points. Ruth O’Keefe led the Indians with 13 points, which included three 3-pointers. Lizzie Lustig added six points.
For the Redskins, Gurysh also finished in double figures with 12 – six in the pivotal second quarter. She stuffed the stat sheet with four assists, four steals and four rebounds. Zeimitis added nine points, and Mimi Smith had seven.
Neshaminy (5-1, 3-1 SOL) is off until Tuesday, Jan. 4, when the Redskins will travel to Bensalem. Council Rock North (2-4, 1-3) is also off until it hosts Pennsbury on Tuesday, Jan. 4
Neshaminy 8-20-17-14 59
Council Rock North 7-11-12-11 41
Neshaminy (59) – Skylar Lall 0 0-2 0; Taylor Gurysh 5 2-2 12; Emma Candy 0 2-2 2; Anna Soska 2 0-0 4; Maya Lewis 1 0-0 2; Jessica Purdy 1 0-0 3; Lindsay Little 1 0-0 3; Mimi Smith 3 0-0 7; Lola Ibarrondo 6 4-4 17; Reese Zemitis 2 4-6 9; TOTALS 21 12-16 59.
Council Rock North (41) – Claire Pirkle 0 1-3 1; Kiera Katz 2 2-3 6; Lizzie Lustig 2 0-0 5; Delaney McCaffry 1 2-2 5; Riley Hamilton 2 0-0 4; Jaden Wan 3 0-0 7; Ruth O’Keefe 5 0-2 13; TOTALS 15 5-10 41.
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Jessica Purdy, Lindsay Little, Mimi Smith, Lola Ibarrondo, Reese Zemitis; CRN – Ruth O’Keefe 3, Jaden Wan, Delaney McCaffry Lizzi Lustig.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 50, BENSALEM 41
Rock South and Bensalem battled to a 12-12 tie after one quarter, but the game was decided in the middle two quarters that saw the Golden Hawks outscore the Owls 29-12.
“I’m really proud of the composure we kept as a group,” Rock South coach Blair Klumpp said. “We had some foul trouble and then had to play a smaller lineup to counter Steve’s adjustment and dictate the pace we felt the game had to be at.
“I have such a great amount of respect for Steve as a coach and person – he is very passionate, he’s well prepared, his teams are well coached, and his teams feed off of his energy. Every time you play them you know you’re going to be in for a battle and that’s a credit to him and how he gets his team ready. Our girls really were mentally tough today and executed down the stretch minus a few learning experiences.”
The Golden Hawks’ coach lauded the play of a pair of rookies.
“We talked to them after Pennsbury about getting more out of practice and earning playing time by how hard we practice and compete,” Klumpp said. “Two freshmen really answered that call Tuesday and it carried over today. Lil Metrick and Fiona Reckner gave us huge minutes. Lil didn’t play the first half but was 7-for-8 from the line second half and played fantastic defense. Fiona just gave us real quality minutes in multiple positions.”
Katie Purpura – who led a balanced offensive attack – notched an impressive triple-double, scoring a game high 13 points to go along with 10 rebounds and a school record 11 steals.
“Karissa (Smedley) fouled out with over seven minutes left in the game, and we had a lot of girls step up,” Klumpp said. “KP (Purpura) had a triple-double, I believe it’s the first one since Alex Wheatley, and Katie was all over the floor and played with a lot of good energy. She has a lot of skill and the ability to touch all areas of the game – it’s just the process of channeling those emotions and energy for the good – which she obviously was fantastic at today.
The Golden Hawks’ coach credited the play of reserves Jenna Waterman and Haley Thompson.
“We just have girls who have been ready to go when they have been called, and it’s a credit to them because it has not been set on the back end of our rotation,” Klumpp said. “Lil Bross (10 points and 2 assists) was really good with the ball today – I don’t think she had a turnover in the second half and really executed our delay offense well. Lil, Cam Gregory, Metrick and KP shot fouls well in the fourth. We have had four different leading scorers in seven games and two other girls who were second leading scorers not in that mix. We have told them all off season we like our depth and balance and this game really spoke to that. The girls deserve a ton of credit for buying into what we are trying to do and executing.
“I was talking to Frank (Sciolla) Monday night, and he and I have coached against each other for well over a decade going back to PCL, and we both said this year with how scheduling worked out we were able to give our teams off for like five days, which is not common, but it is definitely needed and well deserved for our group. I was really proud of their composure and toughness today and look forward to getting better when we reconvene after the holiday.”
Smedley finished with five points, nine rebounds and two assists. Mia Stock had seven rebounds.
Council Rock South (5-2, 2-2 SOL) will return to action Tuesday, Jan. 4, against Harry S Truman. Bensalem (5-2, 2-2) will be on the road at Marple Newtown on Tuesday for a non-league game.
Bensalem 12-7-5-17 41
Council Rock South 12-9-11-18 50
Bensalem (41) – Talie DiMichele 2 0-0 6; Sam Daut 1 0-0 2; Maddie Macdougall 2 2-4 7; Erin Devlin 0 0-4 0; Mikayla Donahue 1 0-0 2; Mackenzie Kramer 0 0-2 0; Delaney Bell 4 4-4 13; Amber Howard 1 9-12 11; TOTALS 11 15-26 41.
Council Rock South (50) – Lilliana Metrick 0 7-8 7; Lily Bross 2 4-7 10; Jenna Waterman 1 0-0 3; Katie Purpura 5 2-2 13; Cam Gregory 2 4-4 8; Fiona Reckner 0 1-2 1; Mia Stock 1 0-0 3;; Karissa Smedley 2 1-4 5; TOTALS 13 19-27 50.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Talie DiMichele 2, Erin Devlin, Delaney Bell; CRS – Lily Bross 2, Jenna Waterman, Katie Purpura, Mia Stock.
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