Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. Bensalem/Truman photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Pennridge/North Penn photos courtesy of Tracy Valko, and PW/Hatboro-Horsham photos courtesy of Larry Small. Check back for galleries of all three games. CB East/Souderton photos courtesy of Diane Barry/CB East basketball. All SOS photo galleries for GIRLS’ BASKETBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Patriot Division
NESHAMINY 36, PENNSBURY 27
Pennsbury notched a convincing 46-30 win over Neshaminy in an early season meeting, establishing the tempo and leading wire to wire. On Tuesday, the Redskins returned the favor, turning down the tempo considerably and opening up a 6-0 lead after one quarter. They led the rest of the way.
“We knew that Neshaminy would come out strong tonight,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. They were coming off a tough loss (to Council Rock South) last Thursday and ready to go at home in a rivalry game.
“We were immediately nervous on the first possession because we were on defense for 90 seconds, and we knew the pace of the game was going to be difficult. Neshaminy did a tremendous job defensively, and in a game with very limited possessions, it’s imperative to take advantage of the opportunities that you have.”
Neshaminy led 14-5 after a low-scoring first half. Jess Purdy buried a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter while Skylar Lall added four points to lead the Redskins.
“When the season started, Skylar Lall and Jess Purdy were probably seventh, eighth or ninth on the team,” Neshaminy coach John Gallagher said. “Jess and Skylar have been in and out of the lineup the last couple of games with mixed results.
“Tonight, they both played wonderfully. I was so happy for Skylar, it’s her senior year, and you get a nice win against Pennsbury.”
Neshaminy took a 22-14 lead into the final quarter.
“Jess Purdy hit one of the more clutch shots I’ve seen so far this year,” Gallagher said. “We were up 15 at one point in the third quarter. However, in the third quarter, they chopped it down to seven, and we were beginning to buckle a little bit under their pressure, and Jess hit a three that put it back up to 10. I just thought that was a tremendous shot at the time.”
In the fourth quarter, Taylor Gurysh and Lola Ibarrondo both scored six points for the Redskins. Ibarrondo was a perfect 4-for-4 at the foul line.
The Redskins had just six turnovers against an aggressive Falcons’ defense. Neshaminy’s improved play under the basket was also key and is underscored by the fact that – in the initial meeting between the two teams – the Falcons had 15 offensive rebounds in the first half and finished with 19 offensive boards. The Redskins, meanwhile, had just 19 rebounds total in the entire game.
“The effort that Pennsbury exuded that night – we matched it tonight,” Gallagher said. “It was good for us.”
Gurysh’s 10 points and nine rebounds led Neshaminy.
“Taylor was a physical force,” Gallagher said. “I was really happy with her – nine rebounds and 10 points, and she just added a sense of physicalness which we didn’t have the first time we played them.”
Purdy added nine points on three 3s while Lall had six points and six rebounds. Ibarrondo had six points to go along with five assists, four steals and four rebounds. Reese Zeimitis added five points, eight rebounds, four steals and two blocks.
“Reese (Zemitis) just played a spectacular game also,” Gallagher said. “Lola just runs the team like a senior. It’s ridiculous. No turnovers against Pennsbury which changes defenses often, switches, doubles, all that stuff, and she was just so mature.
“Again, Skylar and Jess – they were the ones that got a shoutout after the game. I was just really happy for them. They grind away, grind away – okay, now a couple of kids are hurt. All right, let’s see what you’ve got, and they couldn’t be any bigger.”
Sciolla tipped his hat to several Neshaminy players.
“Jess Purdy was really good for them,” the Falcons’ coach said. “She made three 3-pointers, and Taylor Gurysh was really solid operating out of the high post.
“Tonight was a good experience for us in a week filled with difficult road games.”
Sofia Vitucci’s 11 points led the Falcons while Ava Sciolla added eight.
Neshaminy (13-4, 10-3 SOL) will host Upper Dublin in a non-league game on Thursday, and Pennsbury (15-2, 10-2) will be on the road at Harry S Truman on Wednesday.
Pennsbury 0-5-9-13 27
Neshaminy 6-8-8-14 36
Pennsbury (27) – Ava Sciolla 2 2-2 8; Layla Matthias 1 0-2 2; Sofia Vitucci 4 1-2 11; Nicole Pompili 0 2-2 2; Nevaeh Dash 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 9 5-8 27.
Neshaminy (36) – Skylar Lall 3 0-0 6; Taylor Gurysh 4 1-4 10; Jess Purdy 3 0-0 9; Lola Ibarrondo 1 4-4 6; Reese Zemitis 2 0-0 5. TOTALS 13 5-8 36.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Ava Sciolla 2, Sofia Vitucci 2; Neshaminy – Jess Purdy 3, Taylor Gurysh, Reese Zemitis.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 38, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 37
The visiting Golden Hawks trailed 20-17 at halftime but used a 12-7 third quarter to take the lead and then held on, eking out a win over their neighboring rival.
“We knew coming into this game they were better than their record was,” Rock South coach Blair Klumpp said. “They have been really crippled with injuries and bad luck this year, and you feel for the girls and coaches in that situation.
“In a competitive environment, we always say to our girls no one is going to feel sorry for us, but their injuries this year – you do feel sorry for those unfortunate circumstances. Talking to Jaden Wan you really hope things work out for her and she gets a full recovery. Their staff has done a good job with a lot of moving parts this year. There was a little concern on our end on how we would come out tonight off the Neshaminy win into a rivalry game, their Senior Night. This was a really big game for them, and they had energy from the jump. Their senior class is a real good group of kids, I hope they have a strong finish to the year – they’re just classy kids.”
Kiera Katz led the Indians with eight first-half points. The Golden Hawks connected on five 3-pointers in the first half, accounting for 15 of their 17 points. Lily Bross had two 3s to lead the Hawks.
“They brought a lot of energy from the opening tip,” Klumpp said. “And we really struggled offensively throughout, but especially in the first quarter. We were not aggressive, and we didn’t score outside of Lily’s two threes.
“I thought our pressure got to them a little in second half, but the game was back and forth throughout. This is the first time since 2012-2013 we swept North and that wasn’t lost upon our girls in prepping for them, and to win when we struggled offensively is a good job by them. Credit to North they did some things defensively and really played physical and kind of got us out of any rhythm.”
Karissa Smedley led the Golden Hawks with nine points, four rebounds, three blocks and two assists. Bross and Cam Gregory both added seven points and two assists in a contest that saw the Golden Hawks assist on eight of 10 made field goals. Kathryn O’Kane also had a pair of assists. Katie Purpura led the Indians under the backboards with eight rebounds. She also had two steals. Mia Stock added four rebounds and five points, and Fiona Reckner also had a pair of steals.
“I thought KP’s energy was really big tonight especially in second half,” Klumpp said of Purpura. “It was another game where we were really good valuing the ball – we had less than 10 turnovers. Now the flip side is some decision making and execution of making free throws down the stretch needs to improve, but the girls know that, and they’ve responded really well to coaching and working on things we have emphasized in practice. That needs to continue tomorrow because we had one practice then three straight games.
“I thought defensively KP, Cam and LB (Bross) did a really good job on their perimeter girls and Mia (Stock) and Smed (Karissa Smedley) made good adjustments on help lines in the second half. Kathryn O’Kane gave us a spark off the bench in our pressure, getting downhill and hit a big free throw late. She stayed ready and answered the call in a really positive way tonight. We did what we had to do to secure a win, and in our league, you don’t take them for granted. The girls deserve credit for executing the adjustments at halftime, and we need to work on some things as we get ready for Wissahickon Thursday.”
Riley Hamilton and Ruth O’Keefe both scored nine points to lead the Indians. Katz finished with eight, and Lizzie Lustig had six.
Council Rock South (10-7, 6-7 SOL) will host Wissahickon for a non-league game on Thursday, and Council Rock North (3-14, 2-11) will travel to Bensalem on Friday.
Council Rock South 6-11-12-9 38
Council Rock North 9-11-7-10 37
Council Rock South (38) – Kathryn O’Kane 1 1-2 3; Liliana Metrick 1 0-0 3; Lily Bross 2 1-6 7; Katie Purpura 1 2-2 4; Cam Gregory 2 2-3 7; Mia Stock 1 2-4 5; Karissa Smedley 2 4-7 9. TOTALS 10 12-24 38.
Council Rock North (37) – Kiera Katz 4 0-0 8; Lizzie Lustig 2 2-2 6; Delaney McCaffery 1 0-0 2; Riley Hamilton 4 0-0 9; Sofia Shields 1 0-0 2; Kristen Polinsky 0 1-2 1; Ruth O’Keefe 3 3-4 9. TOTALS 15 6-8 37.
3-point goals: CRS – Lily Bross 2, Liliana Metrick, Cam Gregory, Mia Stock, Karissa Smedley; CRN – Riley Hamilton.
BENSALEM 54, HARRY S TRUMAN 21
The Owls – sparked by eight points from sophomore Amber Howard – raced out of the gate to a 25-4 lead after one quarter, and they never looked back. The win came on the heels of a non-league win over St. Hubert’s 24 hours earlier.
“It’s always tough to play two games in two days, but I’m proud with the way our girls came out to start,” Bensalem coach Steve Johnson said. “As a team, our ball movement was great, and it resulted in high percentage shots.”
Howard’s 15 points led a balanced Bensalem attack. Point guard Averi McCoy added 12 points, and Delaney Bell – who had a pair of 3s – finished with nine points. Maddie McDougall had a pair of first-quarter 3-pointers and contributed eight points. Talia DiMichele had six points on a pair of 3s in the second quarter.
Mayah Alford had a big game for the Tigers, finishing with 15 points, which included all eight of her team’s points in the second quarter.
Bensalem (10-8, 5-8 SOL) will celebrate Senior Night on Friday when the Owls host Council Rock North.
“Senior night on Friday which I am NOT looking forward to,” Johnson said. “I will miss these seniors immensely.”
Harry S Truman (0-15, 0-12) will host Pennsbury on Wednesday.
Harry S Truman 4-8-6-3 21
Bensalem 25-13-16-0 54
Harry S Truman (21) – Mayah Alford 6 2-2 14; Hannah Smith 2 1-4 5; Patricia Monroe 0 2-2 2; Shylah McCleve 0 0-1 0. TOTALS 8 5-8 21.
Bensalem (54) – Delaney Bell 3 1-1 9; Maddie MacDougall 2 2-2 8; Erin Devlin 1 0-0 2; Averi McCoy 6 0-0 12; Amber Howard 7 0-0 15; Peyton Miller 1 0-2 2; Talia DiMichele 2 0-0 6. TOTALS 22 3-5 54.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Talia DiMichele 2, Maddie MacDougall 2, Delaney Bell 2, Amber Howard.
SOL Colonial Division
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 43, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 41
A short-handed Titans’ squad gave the Bucks all they could handle, but the Bucks used some clutch foul shooting down the stretch to eke out the win in another classic battle between the sister schools.
“South was undermanned with the injuries to Alyssa D’Orazio and Mackenzie (Erb),” West coach Zach Sibel said. “When things like that happen – oftentimes, especially coming off an emotional Senior Night game and a thousand points for Emily (Spratt) – that can be a lull-you-to-sleep game.
“We knew South was going to come out – and you know the way Beth (Mattern) coaches that they’re going to come out and battle. We had it to a nine or 10-point lead at one point, but they didn’t go anywhere. They continued to play really tough basketball as they always do, pressuring the ball and running their stuff. So full credit to them for honoring those two seniors, those two captains, but we did what we needed to do.”
What the Bucks needed to do was bury foul shots in the fourth quarter and bury foul shots they did. Emily Spratt sank 3-of-4 at the foul line down the stretch, and sophomore Gabi Senior’s two foul shots with 11 seconds remaining in regulation gave the Bucks a 43-39 advantage.
“It was great to see her step up to the line as a sophomore,” Sibel said. “We’re 18 games in. I see her as a junior. I do think Gabi Senior can be an all-league player. I just think that’s her potential and that’s her talent. It was good to see her step up and make those plays.”
As time was about to expire, the Titans converted a putback to pull to within two, but it was too little too late.
Early on, the Bucks – behind six points from Spratt and five from Katie Finnan – made it a 13-8 game after one quarter. They took a 25-21 lead into halftime and went on to open up a second-half lead only to watch the Titans come back to make things interesting.
The Bucks are the 11th seed in the latest District One 6A rankings while the Titans are 13th.
“We know the adjustments that we have to make, we know the areas we have to be a little bit better, but all things considered, a win’s a win and against a team that’s sitting at 13 in the district – you’ll take it,” Sibel said. “As we round into the end of this league season and into districts, it’s good to get tested like that, and our girls did respond.
“Taylor Hinkle comes out and has the first five points in the third quarter when we held her to five points in the first half. I called a timeout and said, ‘What are we doing different? You know the game plan, you know what we need to do,’ and then we limited her to two points the remainder of the game.
“It’s cool to see girls respond when you have the talent like South has with Hinkle and Yoyo (Samayoa) and the role players they have and how they play. It’s good to see the girls weather the storm a little bit. Tai Henkels made a huge three when it was tied up. Although it’s one possession, the difference between and two-point game and a three-point game is huge in high school basketball, so it was good to see the girls’ basketball IQ grow there. We got a huge three from Tai and responded.”
Spratt delivered another double-double to lead the Titans, finishing with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. Henkels added 11 points and three steals, and Finnan contributed seven points and six steals.
For the Titans, Hinkle led the way with 12 points. Sammy Schiesser also finished in double figures with 11 points. Yoyo Samayoa added 10 points.
Central Bucks West (14-4, 9-4 SOL) will travel to Pennridge on Friday, and Central Bucks South 10-7, 6-7) will host Central Bucks East for Friday’s Senior Night.
Central Bucks South 8-13-9-11 41
Central Bucks West 13-12-8-10 43
Central Bucks South (41) – Taylor Hinkle 3 5-6 12; Maddie Tantum 0 0-2 0; Sammy Schiesser 4 3-3 11; Allison Sauers 2 0-0 4; Yoyo Samayoa 4 0-0 10; Kristen Conway 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 15 8-11 41.
Central Bucks West (43) – Tai Henkels 3 4-4 11; Katie Finnan 3 0-0 7; Emily Spratt 4 7-8 15; Alexis Castro 1 0-0 2; Ava Longo 1 2-4 4; Gabi Senior 1 2-4 4. TOTALS 13 15-20 43.
3-point goals: CBS – Yoyo Samayoa 2, Taylor Hinkle; CBW – Tai Henkels, Katie Finnan.
SOUDERTON 44, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 33
Lynn Carroll knew the implications of a win on Tuesday, but the Indians’ coach wasn’t quite sure she wanted to let her players know they’d clinched at least a share of the SOL Colonial title with three league games remaining.
“I went back and forth about it, but I trust them enough – they deserve to be congratulated on doing it at this point in the season, and they’re mature enough to understand the next game is just as important as the one we played tonight and so is the one after that,” Carroll said.
Tuesday’s win avenged an early season 30-27 loss to the Patriots.
“Maybe the kids wanted to redeem themselves,” Carroll said. “For me from a coach’s standpoint, this game was much more about – how are we going to score – than any ‘we lost the last time.’
“We want to play well. It’s about executing and playing well right now. I think for the girls – they wanted some redemption, but quite honestly what the coaches planned for offensively – we put it in our players’ hands to make good decisions and find the open person and to be a little more patient on offense than we’ve been, and that’s what happened. Our girls played really well. We had two kids in double figures and three more with six, seven and eight. It’s hard to defend a team that’s willing to share the ball as much as our girls are. And we have willing shooters and willing scorers.”
Behind five points from Casey Harter, the Indians led 13-5 after one quarter, and they took a 22-13 lead into halftime. Not a whole lot changed in the second half as the Indians went on to notch the 44-33 win.
Harter’s 12 points and nine rebounds led the Indians. Erin Bohmueller contributed 10 points and five assists. Teya McConnaha added eight rebounds and two blocks. Brooke Fenchel had eight points, Grace McDonough contributed seven and Mikayla McGillian had six in a balanced scoring effort.
“Grace McDonough was great off the bench,” Carroll said. “She had seven points and a big and-one where she made the foul shot in the fourth quarter.
“Erin and Casey offensively – Erin hit a three in the first quarter, and in the third quarter, there was a little bit of a drought, and Brooke (Fenchel) had a big pull-up jumper that she made. Erin hit a three in that span, and we were able to stretch it a little bit going into halftime.
“It came down to the fourth quarter and we made foul shots. We were 7-for-8 from the line in the fourth quarter. Erin was 4-for-5 but again just good contributions from all six kids. Defensively, we played really well.”
Elise Duffy’s 14 points led the Patriots who also received 10 points from Anna Barry.
“Elise Duffy played really well for them,” Carroll said. “She ended up with 14, and the way she uses her athleticism and gets to the baskets – we kept putting her on the foul line. Anna Barry got loose a couple of times and hit a couple of 3s.
“We needed to execute better than we did the first time we played them, but that’s just the deal right now. We need to execute right now. The sentence could end there. We need to execute on both sides of the ball at a consistently high level. I’m really, really happy for the girls that they’ve put themselves in the position that we’re in right now, but I think we’ve already forgotten about that and we’re ready for the next one.”
The Indians’ coach went on to credit her counterpart.
“The job that Liz (Potash) is doing after losing what she lost to graduation last year – the lack of experience,” Carroll said. “She has this team buying in to what she wants them to do defensively, and they played extremely hard for 32 minutes. They played really hard.
“Every time we thought maybe we could get a bigger lead on them, they would come down and hit a shot.”
Souderton (16-2, 12-1 SOL) will host North Penn on Friday, and Central Bucks East (7-9, 5-7) will host Pennridge on Wednesday. The Indians are second in the latest District One 6A power rankings while the Patriots are 23rd .
Central Bucks East 5-8-10-10 33
Souderton 13-9-9-13 44
Central Bucks East (33) – Chantal Van Dongeren 0 1-2 1; Anna Barry 3 2-2 10; Elise Duffy 3 8-13 14; Kendall Gregor 1 2-2 4; Emily Curran 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 9 13-19 33.
Souderton (44) – Brooke Fenchel 4 0-0 8; Erin Bohmueller 2 4-5 10; Mikayla McGillian 2 2-2 6; Casey Harter 5 1-1 12; Grace McDonough 3 1-3 7; Teya McConnaha 0 1-2 1. TOTALS 16 9-13 44.
3-point goals: CBE – Anna Barry 2; Souderton – Erin Bohmueller 2, Casey Harter.
PENNRIDGE 53, NORTH PENN 40
Katie Yoder scored 18 points and Emma Pyne added 13 to lead the Rams to the important Senior Night win over the Knights as they continue their push for a district playoff berth.
“You’re getting to that point of the year where you’ve got to pick up some games,” Elton said. “Everybody has got an eyeball on the rankings, and everybody is positioning.
“We’ve had close games, we’ve had tough games, but I feel like we’re kind of coming into our own. It was nice to get another win. We have East tomorrow and West on Friday, so it makes for a busy week.”
The Rams, who led 13-12 after one quarter, took a 25-21 lead into halftime. Yoder and Pyne both had six points while freshman Cam Crowley led the Knights with seven points in the half.
In the third quarter, Yoder scored six points and the Rams outscored their visitors 12-6 to go on top 37-27 on their way to the win.
“It was Senior Night so the seniors got to play a decent amount,” Elton said. “It’s a lot of just a team effort. Yoder had a great game. She got on the foul line.
“Emma Pyne had 13 so she had a good game as well. Defensively, they stuck with the game plan. Bottom line, I think we kept their shooters down. For us, it starts with defense, but I started to see a lot of positives on the offensive side as well. We’re starting to get – I 
wouldn’t say balance because we have a couple of players that hit the big numbers, but we’re generally getting production out of everybody we’re putting in the game.”
Included in Yoder’s 18 points was a 7-for-9 effort at the foul line. Pyne was 3-for-4 and had a pair of 3s in her 12-point effort. Ryan Hodder added six points for the Rams, who connected on 13-of-16 foul shots.
Crowley’s 12-point effort led the Knights, who also received nine points from both Caleigh Sperling and Olivia Stone. Kelly Donnelly chipped in six points.
Pennridge (11-8, 6-6 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks East on Wednesday, and North Penn (7-10, 5-8) will be on the road at Souderton on Friday. The Rams are 27th in the latest District One 6A power rankings while the Knights are 21st.
North Penn 12-9-6-13 40
Pennridge 13-12-12-16 53
North Penn (40) – Caleigh Sperling 4 1-2 9; Cam Crowley 5 0-0 12; Abby Plaugher 2 0-0 4; Kelly Donnelly 2 0-2 6; Olivia Stone 1 7-8 9. TOTALS 14 8-12 40.
Pennridge (53) – Ella Brown 2 1-1 5; Anna Croyle 2 0-0 5; Kaite Yoder 5 7-9 18; Ava Fantaskey 1 0-0 2; Ava Unzicker 0 2-2 2; Emma Pyne 4 3-4 13; Kaite Loughran 1 0-0 2; Ryan Hodder 3 0-0 6. TOTALS 18 13-16 53.
3-point goals: NP – Cam Crowley 2, Kelly Donnelly 2; Pennridge – Emma Pyne 2, Kaite Yoder, Anna Croyle.
SOL Liberty Division
UPPER DUBLIN 46, QUAKERTOWN 30
The Panthers – behind a pair of Katie Catalano 3-pointers – opened up a 12-8 lead over the visiting Flying Cardinals after one quarter. The Cardinals responded with a 15-0 second quarter that featured five points from Bliss Brenner to go into halftime with a 23-12 lead. They led the rest of the way.
“I thought our girls responded well to a slow start with a strong 15-0 second quarter,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “Geena Sarnoski had a big game with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Amy Ngo broke out with a strong second half to finish with 16 points and six assists. Colleen Klammer led us defensively with five blocks. We are excited about a big challenge on Thursday against Neshaminy.”
Brenner added four assists, three rebounds, five deflections, four steals and one block. Aditi Foster had seven rebounds, two deflections and three steals.
Carolyn Sippell’s 14 points – which included an 8-for-10 effort at the foul line – led the Panthers. Catalano added eight points.
Upper Dublin (12-7, 10-4 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Thursday, and Quakertown (8-10, 4-8) will be on the road at New Hope-Solebury Wednesday.
Upper Dublin 8-15-13-10 46
Quakertown 12-0-8-10 30
Upper Dublin (46) – Bliss Brenner 2 1-1 5; Aditi Foster 3 0-2 6; Geena Sarnoski 6 0-0 15; Colleen Klammer 1 2-2 4; Amy Ngo 5 4-5 16. TOTALS 17 7-10 46.
Quakertown (46) – Carolyn Sipprell 3 8-10 14; Katie Hagerty 1 0-0 2; Katie Catalano 3 0-0 8; Laney Mitchell 2 0-0 4; Addyson Davis 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 10 8-10 30.
3-point goals: UD – Geena Sarnoski 3, Amy Ngo 2; Quakertown – Katie Catalano 2.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 64, HATBORO-HORSHAM 24
Alice Hall reached the 1,000-point milestone when she buried a jumper at the buzzer ending the first half. The Hatters’ senior had nine first half points and finished with 11 for the game.
“Congratulations to Hatboro-Horsham senior Alice Hall for scoring her 1,000th career point,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said, going on to laud the efforts of his squad. “Our starting five shared the ball so well. Each of them had dominant stretches tonight.”
The Colonials, who led 19-7 after one quarter, took a 34-10 lead into halftime. Senior Jordyn Thomas led the Colonials with 10 points in the half while Abby Sharpe added nine.
Sharpe, who connected on three 3-pointers, finished with 17 points to earn game scoring honors. Kaitlyn Flanagan, who had two 3s, added 13 points, Jordyn Thomas finished with 12 and Lainey Allen contributed 11 points. Erin Daley added eight points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (19-0, 14-0 SOL) – first in the latest District On 6A power rankings – will host Cardinal O’Hara in a non-league game on Friday at 4 p.m. Hatboro-Horsham (9-7, 7-6) will be on the road at Abington Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 19-15-18-12 64
Hatboro-Horsham 7-3-9-5 24
Plymouth Whitemarsh (64) – Kaitlyn Flanagan 4 3-6 13; Fiona Gooneratne 1 0-0 3; Erin Daley 3 2-2 8; Abby Sharpe 7 0-0 17; Lainey Allen 4 3-4 11; Jordyn Thomas 5 2-2 12. TOTALS 24 10-14 64.
Hatboro-Horsham (24) – Caroline Shegogue 2 1-1 5; Alice Hall 5 1-2 11; Kitty Randa 1 0-0 2; Leah Harrington 0 0-2 0; Emily Nelson 1 0-0 3; Emily Thomas 1 0-0 2; Sam Hollish 0 1-2 1. TOTALS 10 3-7 24.
3-point goals: PW – Abby Sharpe 3, Kaitlyn Flanagan 2, Fiona Gooneratne; HH – Emily Nelson.
ABINGTON 74, WISSAHICKON 41
Cire Worley needed nine points to reach the 1,000-point plateau, and it took the Ghosts’ junior sharpshooter less than a quarter to reach the milestone.
“She had three two-point baskets, and, of course, everyone is like ‘Shoot a three,’ and she hit a three to get the nine,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “It was typical of her Cire – she scores in multiple ways. She had nine of our first 13 points, but the kids were really looking for her.”
Worley scored 13 points in a first quarter that saw the Ghosts open up a commanding 21-5 lead. By halftime, they led 37-15 and never looked back.
Worley shared team scoring honors with Jaida Helm. Both players had 16 points. Abril Bowser and Piper McGinley each scored nine points with McGinley connecting on three 3-ponters. Jordyn Reynolds chipped in six points.
Kaitlyn McGeary earned game scoring honors, leading the Trojans with 23 points that included a 10-for-13 effort at the foul line. Kenya Williams added eight points and Kylie Friedman had six.
Abington (16-2, 12-1 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Friday, and Wissahickon (7-11, 4-9) will travel to Council Rock South for a non-league game on Thursday.
Wissahickon 5-10-16-10 41
Abington 21-16-17-20 74
Wissahickon (41) – Eva Schools 2 0-0 4; Kylie Friedman 3 0-0 6; Kenya Williams 4 0-0 8; Kaitlyn McGeary 6 10-13 23. TOTALS 15 10-13 41.
Abington (74) – Cire Worley 6 3-4 16; Abril Bowser 4 0-0 9; Jaida Helm 6 3-4 16; Dani Brusha 2 0-0 5; Jordyn Reynolds 1 3-4 6; Piper McGinley 3 0-0 9; Krysten Brown 1 0-2 2; Ashley Reilly 2 0-1 5; Tara Hughes 1 0-0 2; Sarah Oleary 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 28 9-15 74.
3-point goals: Wissahickon – Kaitlyn McGeary; Abington – Piper McGinley 3, Cire Worley, Abril Bowser, Jaida Helm, Dani Brusha , Jordyn Reynolds, Ashley Reilly.
SOL Freedom Division
WILLIAM TENNENT 41, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 22
The Panthers – sparked by the glittering 20-point effort of senior Courtney Bragen – celebrated Senior Night with a welcome win over the Spartans.
“We needed this win,” coach Laura Whitney said. “It feels good to be back in the win column. Especially with it being Senior Night it was just a win-win all around. I’m happy for all the girls but especially the seniors.
“They definitely led us tonight. Both girls – Courtney Bragen and Chase Dubzak – played extremely well. Specifically, Courtney – she just had this determined look in her eye tonight, and she couldn’t be stopped. Whatever she wanted to do, she basically got to where she wanted to get to on the court, and she made tough, aggressive plays around the basket. We don’t keep track necessarily of rebounds, but she easily had to have had a double-double with points and rebounds.”
Bragen – in a preview of things to come – scored seven points in the Panthers’ 17-5 opening quarter. Dubzak also made her presence felt, burying a pair of 3s. The Panthers took a 24-11 lead into halftime and added to that in the second half.
“This was just an important win for us,” Whitney said. “Tonight was the start of seven games in 12 days, two of those are make-ups because of the weather. I’m just hoping we can build off this game and carry this momentum for the remaining six games we have.
“We’d love to finish strong on a positive note. The season hasn’t necessarily gone the way we would have liked. We’ve been in a lot of close games and let some games slip away from us. It would be a good way to end the season on a positive note. Especially with the girls we have coming back next year because we do have a good core group coming back, so it would be important for them. It was a good win tonight.”
In addition to Bragen, Dubzak added 10 points. Not to be ignored was the standout defensive effort of the Panthers.
“I was really proud of how we executed our game plan defensively, which was to hold them to single digits in each quarter and draw at least two charges – we got one,” Whitney said. “The girls really bought in and held their best players #13 (Jayla Daniels) and #11 (Samiyyah Thompson) in check.”
Daniels and Thompson combined for just seven points. Annie Coll and Alana Decker both had six points to lead the Spartans.
William Tennent (3-13, 3-9 SOL) will host New Hope-Solebury on Friday, and Springfield Township (3-13, 0-12) will host Upper Moreland on Friday.
Springfield Township 5-6-2-9 22
William Tennent 17-7-9-8 41
Springfield Twp (22) – Annie Coll 1 3-7 6; Samiyyah Thompson 2 0-1 4; Jayla Daniels 1 1-2 3; Delaney Lake 1 0-0 3; Alana Decker 2 0-1 6. TOTALS 7 4-11 22.
William Tennent (41) – Savannah Zeaman 1 3-4 5; Chase Dubzak 2 4-7 10; Courtney Bragen 7 6-10 20; Alyssa Lewicki 0 2-2 2; Morgan Volz 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 12 15-23 41.
3-point goals: Springfield Twp – Alana Decker 2, Annie Coll, Delaney Lake; WT – Chase Dubzak 2.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 40, LOWER MORELAND 28
Tuesday night’s game between Lower Moreland and New Hope Solebury was a war of attrition. Fortunately for the New Hope Solebury Lions, they had junior Reagan Chrencik on their side. The junior standout scored a game-high 21 points, including 14 in the second half, to pace the Lions past a game Lower Moreland squad.
“Reagan was a consummate leader out there tonight,” said assistant coach John Turner, who was filling in for head coach Steve Polinsky who was attending his daughter’s Senior Night at Council Rock North. “The first half was really a grind for us offensively, but Reagan really put us on her back in the second half. Her leadership abilities are really something special.”
New Hope, according to Turner, was caught off guard early by Lower Moreland’s 1-3-1 trapping zone, scoring only three points in the first frame and trailing 6-3. The offense picked up for the Lions in the second behind seven points from Chrencik and three by freshman Emily Wilson to turn a three-point deficit into a four-point lead at the half (13-9).
“We were up most of the first half,” LM coach Rich Becker said. “Reagan (Chrencik) made a few to put them up four. Coming out to start the third quarter, my gut was saying to change defenses. I knew that John Turner, who was stepping in for Steve Polinksy tonight, would make some changes, and unfortunately, I was right.
“He made some nice adjustments, and they scored the first couple of baskets to start the half. The turning point came when one of our girls got called for a block against Chrencik, she disagreed the wrong way and we got a technical. It ended up being a five-point play plus possession. That made it a double-digit lead. With our struggles on the offensive end along with how well they play defense, it was tough to overcome.”
Chrencik’s second half, combined with two big three-pointers from senior captain Madi Fasti, helped New Hope establish a double-digit advantage and keep Lower Moreland at arms length the rest of the night.
“Coach (Rich) Becker did and awesome job throwing us off balance with the zone early,” Turner said. “It was the type of game where we really needed to dig in and rely on our defense and that’s what we did. While they might not have scored a lot this evening, Emily Wilson, Izzy Elizondo and Emma Ives really brought their A game on the defensive side of the ball, and that’s a huge part of why we were able to win tonight.”
In addition to Chrencik, Fasti buried three 3-pointers to finish with nine points, and Emily Wilson added six.
Liz Neeld’s 11 points led Lower Moreland. Jess Dugo added eight.
“Liz Neeld was great for us on both ends of the floor and kept us in the game,” Becker said. “It was her best all-around game.
“We played our best game in a while, and I feel like we’re in a good spot as we head down the home stretch. Last night we held a very good Perkiomen Valley team to 47, and tonight we held a strong New Hope team to 13 in the first half.
“Unfortunately, we were still down by four. That’s been the story of our past few games. Tonight, I thought we executed well on both ends, we just couldn’t get the ball to go in the net. When you have to play Reagan Chrencik, it’s tough to get the W shooting the way we’ve been. It’s not for lack of effort, it’s just one of those things the girls have to play through.”
The Lions (8-8, 7-5 SOL) won’t have much time to savor this victory as they host Quakertown on Wednesday for senior night. Lower Moreland (7-9, 5-8) will celebrate Senior Nights on Friday when the Lions will host Cheltenham.
Lower Moreland 6-3-9-10 28
New Hope-Solebury 3-10-15-12 40
New Hope-Solebury (40) – Emily Wilson 2 0-0 6; Izzy Elizondo 1 0-0 2; Reagan Chrencik 7 6-7 21; Emma Ives 1 0-0 2; Madi Fasti 3 0-0 9. TOTALS 14 6-7 40.
Lower Moreland (28) – Tori Finnegan 1 0-0 2; Jess Shein 1 0-2 2; Liz Neeld 4 1-3 11; Jess Dugo 2 3-4 8; Briana McFerran 2 1-4 5. TOTALS 10 5-13 28.
3-point goals: LM – Liz Neeld 2, Jess Dugo; NHS – Madi Fasti 3, Emily Wilson 2, Reagan Chrencik.
UPPER MORELAND 63, CHELTENHAM 37
Holly Gohl had herself a night for the Golden Bears, burying five 3-pointers and finishing with a game high 27 points. EmmyFaith Wood added 18 points in a standout effort of her own. Included in her 18 points was a perfect 8-for-8 effort at the foul line.
The duo proved to be double trouble for the visiting Panthers, combining for six 3s and 30 points in a first half that saw the Golden Bears race out of the gate to a 36-16 halftime advantage.
“We usually rely on our defense to win games, but last night and tonight our offense carried us,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “Both games we made a lot of big shots by just playing basketball.
“Tonight we probably ran four called plays the entire game. We wanted to push in transition, space the floor, and let it fly. EmmyFaith and Holly were unreal in the first half. If EmmyFaith wasn’t scoring on her own, she was finding Holly and Holly couldn’t miss. Combined they were 6-for-9 from three in the first half and it gave us a nice cushion.
“We started the year off shooting horribly from three. Last night we hit 10 threes and tonight we hit nine. It really opens up our offense and gives us more room in the lane when we are making threes.”
For the Lady Panthers, Mikahila Leighton’s 13 points led the way. Freshman Cassie Bugg also finished in double figures with 10 points. Tyrina Ragsdale chipped in six.
“We competed but #11, EmmyFaith Wood, and #24, Holly Gohl, dominated and were too much for us,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said.
“Cheltenham didn’t quit and fought until the very end,” Carroll said. “Leighton and Bugg did a great job running their offense and made a lot of contested shots. I know record-wise they aren’t where they want to be, but they’re playing so much better than the beginning of the year, and Coach Bo has those girls working hard. As a Cheltenham alum, it’s good to see those girls working hard, improving, and not giving up. That builds a lot of character. We’ve been there as a program and it’s gotta start somewhere.”
Upper Moreland (12-4, 10-3 SOL) – third in the latest District One 5A power rankings – will host Jenkintown in a non-league game Thursday, and Cheltenham (3-14, 0-11) will host William Tennent on Thursday.
Cheltenham 8-8-11-10 37
Upper Moreland 20-16-11-16 63
Cheltenham (37) – Mikahila Leighton 6 1-3 13; Arianna Davis 1 0-0 2; Tyrina Ragsdale 2 2-2 6; Cassie Bugg 5 0-0 10; Amelia Yevoli 2 0-0 4; Simmons 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 17 3-5 37.
Upper Moreland (63) – Lianna Adames 1 0-0 3; Alyssa Wiley 2 0-0 4; Kyli Gaul 1 0-0 3; EmmyFaith Wood 4 8-8 18; Kiera Coyle 1 1-2 3; Marie Meyers 1 0-0 2; Abby Engart 1 0-0 3; Holly Gaul 10 2-2 27. TOTALS 21 11-12 63.
3-point goals: UM – Holly Gohl 5, EmmyFaith Wood 2, Abby Engart, Kylie Gaul, Lianna Adames.
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