Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action at the Maggie Lucas Classic at Philadelphia University on Sunday.
Non-league
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 66, URSULINE ACADEMY 62
The Golden Hawks rallied from a 37-33 halftime deficit to defeat the defending Delaware state champions.
“We knew Ursuline has a roster that featured a 5-star recruit (Jazelle ‘GG’ Banks) and other girls who are committed or getting interest,” Rock South assistant coach Blair Klumpp said. “We told our girls during film – ‘Going into this game, we know a lot of people are going to talk about their roster. Let’s stick to what we do and have people talk about us after the game.’”
It was mission accomplished for the Golden Hawks, who proved early on they could play with Ursuline.
The two teams exchanged best shots in a high-scoring first quarter, and Neshaminy trailed by just a 23-22 score heading into the second. Fiona Reckner and Lil Metrick both had eight points in the quarter. Kathryn O’Kane had six.
A key moment in the game came when Ursuline’s Jezelle ‘GG’ Banks – a Freshman All-American last year – was lost for the game midway through the second quarter when was whistled for her second technical. Frustration, according to Reckner, played a role in Banks’ early departure.
“I think that was purely what it was if I’m going to be completely honest,” the Rock South senior said. “I was honestly surprised. She was playing well. I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but her last technical – I ended up miraculously blocking one of her layups.
“I was running down the court, and I was like – ‘Oh no.’ I knew it was going to happen. It was definitely pure frustration from her. She was super frustrated, especially when we were scoring.”
Key stretch: The Golden Hawks trailed 37-33 after a high-scoring first half but outscored Ursuline 17-7 in the third quarter. Fiona Reckner’s seven points led the Hawks in the frame. They took a 50-44 lead into the fourth quarter and held on for the win.
Key players: Fiona Reckner led the Golden Hawks with 24 points that included a 9-for-10 effort at the foul line. Kathryn O’Kane contributed 14 points (6-for-8 FT), and Lil Metrick added 12 points – all in the first half.
For Ursuline, Naiya Murphy scored 18 points, and GG Banks added 13 in a quarter and half of action.
Council Rock South assistant coach Blair Klumpp: “Overall, we are really happy with how we played. We were okay with the pace because we play similar. We had some hiccups in transition D early, and they were up 7-2 or 9-2. We were actually happy with how we were guarding them despite the high scoring first quarter. Banks made some really tough and deep 3s in the half, but Fi (Reckner) was executing the assignment, and the girls were guarding their matchups correctly. Lil (Metrick), Fi, Kat (O’Kane) combined for 22 in the first quarter, and we were moving the ball really well. We felt we could get quality looks if we moved the ball efficiently, and our girls did that. A lot of people will point to Banks getting ejected as a turning point, and that did obviously impact the game. But we were up when that happened, and Ursuline had some girls step up in the second quarter after that (Johnson), and Nayia Murphy had a really good all-around game and a very strong second half.
“The third quarter was a big turning point as we won the quarter by 10 and really refocused on defensive assignments and personnel. All eight girls contributed to the win today.”
–Props:
•”Kat (O’Kane) withstood some foul trouble and took care of the ball down the stretch and hit some big free throws. Her reads of how she was being guarded and her teammates were being guarded was very good.”
•”Lil- probably her best all-around game of the season. She was all over the place early on. She was efficient on offense, but her points weren’t even the most valuable part of her game. She guarded Johnson well for chunks of the second half, and when she was on their shooters, she locked into those assignments with no mishaps. She played point guard when Kat was out with fouls and didn’t turn the ball over and kept the offense flowing and steady.”
•”Fi- very physical game for her. She played with some, and she received some. Just another very strong all-around game for her. When she had favorable matchups, she took advantage. She was aggressive and got to the foul line and converted. She has had a very good season, and it was confirmed today.”
•”Bella- she had some tougher assignments today but really stepped up to the challenge. She responded to physicality and rebounded the ball with such toughness. Her ability to play vertical and not foul has been such a critical part of our defensive success.”
•”Sarah- guarded bigs today and played so tough and followed the game plan. She hit a big 3 in second half from very deep, but all game made tough winning plays with multiple offensive rebounds and tons of hustle plays and loose balls. We talked about getting back to doing what she does really well, and she did that today. “
•”Maria- she continues to have a knack for hitting a big shots; today. She hit a really big 3 in the second half.”
•”Emerson- didn’t get in the scoring column today but gave us some good minutes that were productive. She was crashing the glass and got some deflections. In a high paced game, you need productive minutes from anyone you use, and she gave us that.”
•”Gill- we are so happy for her. She works hard and just got back from injury, and we told her be ready when called on and be ready to shoot. She answered the call and hit two huge 3s in the fourth.
“Overall, we are really pleased with our girls’ approach and response to a high paced physical game. We showed physical and mental toughness and a lot of poise. This is a group that has been through a lot, and to see them have the success they are having is good to see. Our message has been coming in daily with the right approach and focusing on the next game at hand. This is a great start to a busy week for us and, the girls deserve all the credit .”
Senior Fiona Reckner on the game: “From the beginning, it definitely was a very physical, intense game. We knew going into it that transition was going to be huge and that they had really good players, and they were going to want to push the ball, but a lot of our film and scout was focused on pushing the ball in transition and rebounding, getting on the offensive boards. I think those two things helped us get off to a great start. Lil Metrick was playing great the whole game but especially in the first quarter, she was playing super well.
“I would compare this game a lot to an AAU game. I play for Heat Hoops AAU, and we’ve played against some of the top players in the country. I actually played against GG Banks when I was in eighth grade at Nike Nationals in Chicago, so I knew who she was. It felt so much like an AAU game. Part of it was the atmosphere with two courts but then also – we go in with the mentality of there’s nothing to lose. Just go in and play your best. If you win, great. If you lose, you get the next one.”
–On going against GG Banks: “(In the first quarter), GG Banks had most of their points if not all of them, so we knew she was going to be a really great player going into the game. She’s ranked in the top players in the country, something ridiculous like that, so we knew we were going to have to play hard against her, and it would have to be a team effort, but we had to control what we can control. I don’t think we made it easy for her at all. She did hit some really low percentage shots and was a really great player for them, but we just focused on – what can we do to control the game? She’s going to score – she’s a really great player, but we also have really good players on our team that can score too.”
–On the importance of the win: “This was definitely big. We knew it was going to be a tough game, no matter what. Not even just because they were the Delaware state champions – I think it was good because every single player that stepped on the floor contributed something from rebounding to shooting to hustling. It was a super physical game, and that’s why I consider it closer to an AAU game because it was more physical than most high school games that we play in. I think the composure we had and the way we were able to – even when they were creeping back a little bit – stay calm, knowing our matchups and taking control of the game when we needed to was just huge.”
Up next: Council Rock South (14-3, 6-1 SOL) will host Council Rock North Tuesday.
Council Rock South 22-11-17-16 66
Ursuline Academy 23-14-7-18 62
Council Rock South (66) – Sarah Freeman 1 1-2 4; Lil Metrick 3 4-5 12; Maria Freeman 1 0-0 3; Gillian Martin 2 0-0 6; Kathryn O’Kane 4 6-8 14; Bella Hettler 1 1-2 3; Fiona Recker 7 9-10 24; TOTALS 19 21-27 66.
Ursuline Academy (62) – Jezelle ‘GG’ Banks 5 0-1 13; Senai Johnson 3 3-7 10; Naiya Murphy 6 5-7 18; Katherine Lange 3 0-0 7; Claire Gordon 1 0-0 3; Jasmine Butler 3 0-0 6; Olivia O’Hara 1 0-0 2; Lopez 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 23 8-15 62.
3-point goals: CRS – Gillian Martin 2, Lil Metrick 2, Sarah Freeman, Maria Freeman, Fiona Reckner; UA – Jezelle Banks 3, Senai Johnson, Naiya Murphy, Katherine Lange, Claire Gordon, Lopez.
NESHAMINY 34, SPRING-FORD 29
Hayley Kolk is making up for lost time.
The Neshaminy sophomore was sidelined with a knee injury for basically the entire season last year. Kolk would have figured into Neshaminy’s plans significantly last season, and she has played a key role in the Redskins’ 14 wins this season. In Sunday’s win, she buried three 3-pointers and scored a game-high 16 points.
“Last year was definitely really hard,” Kolk said. “I had put in a lot of rehab on the side and worked really hard, and I ended up really not being able to play, but it was also nice to be able to cheer everybody on from the sidelines and just have the really supportive environment we have at Neshaminy.
“This season is definitely really fun. We have a really good environment and a really good group of girls, and we have really good chemistry going right now.”
The Redskins, who led 7-3 after one quarter, trailed by one at halftime. The two teams were deadlocked at 21 heading into the final quarter when the Redskins outscored the Rams 13-8 to earn the big win.
Neshaminy and Spring-Ford are 12th and 13th respectively in the latest District 1 6A rankings.
Key stretch: The Redskins won the defensive battle with a 13-point fourth quarter that was highlighted by six points from Hayley Kolk, who buried a 3 and three foul shots in the quarter.
Key players: Hayley Kolk’s 16 points included three 3-pointers and a 5-for-7 effort at the foul line. She also had three blocks. Grace Weyler added eight points – six in the second half. She also had four rebounds.
Neshaminy coach John Gallagher on the game: “Spring-Ford is an assertive man-to-man defensive team and does not allow you much space with or without the ball. The fact that this game was our lowest in turnover total for the year was the difference in this game. The game was huge for both teams in regard to district seeding, and both teams played with urgency in an effort to secure the win. The fourth quarter showed our team as being resilient in our focus and execution in a possession-by-possession game.
“Alena (Cofield) sacrificed her scoring to look for her teammates and notched several important assists along with her numerous in-traffic rebounding.”
—Props: “Grace Weyler had an outstanding game controlling the offense while scoring eight points and spreading them across each quarter. Grace stepped to the foul line late in the game and hit two big foul shots to keep Spring-Ford more than one possession away. As she did last year, Grace is growing better and better each game and will play a significant role for us as the season winds down and we hopefully enter playoffs.
“It is easy to recognize Hayley and her scoring, but the other four players work extremely hard to ensure she gets clean looks. Hayley also put the ball on the floor and got downhill when Spring-Ford chased her off the three-point line, allowing her to get to the free throw line.”
Neshaminy’s Hayley Kolk: “It was a really low scoring game – both teams really played hard at both ends. Especially our team, we had a really good defensive game. We were struggling a little bit offensively in the first half, but in the second half, we just converted some shots, and we were able to pull out the game.
“Coming into this game – Coach Gal had just reinforced how big this game was in terms of (district) standing, and everyone wanted the game. Grace (Weyler) was really good. She was the second leading scorer. She had a really good night for us, and Alena (Cofield) brought her contagious energy again like she’s been doing all season, and everybody just played really hard. We played really good on the defensive end, and we were able to pull out the win.”
–Importance of win: “This game was huge, and definitely having this win is really important going forward. This will help us for our next game because we have a really big game Tuesday against Pennsbury, and having won this game and playing really hard, that will definitely lead into the rest of the season.”
Up next: Neshaminy (14-5, 5-2 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury for a key division contest Tuesday.
Neshaminy 7-7-7-13 34
Spring-Ford 3-12-6-8 29
Neshaminy (34) – Grace Weyler 3 2-2 8; Alena Cofield 1 1-2 3; Ashlyn Duffy 1 0-0 3; Mia Raivitch 1 0-0 2; Auslyn Wilkins 1 0-0 2; Hayley Kolk 4 5-7 16; TOTALS 11 8-11 34.
Spring-Ford (29) – Kareena Preuss 5 1-2 12; Miley Maloney 3 7-8 13; Christina Tiffan 0 4-5 4; TOTALS 8 12-15 29.
3-point goals: N-Hayley Kolk 3, Ashlyn Duffy; S-F – Kareena Preuss
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 62, WEST CATHOLIC 55
The Patriots outscored West Catholic in three of four quarters, taking an early lead and going on to notch the win.
Key stretch: The Patriots took a two-point lead into the second quarter when they outscored West Catholic 16-10 to go into halftime with a 26-18 lead. Haley Moran, Natalie Berndt and Jess Lockwood each scored eight points in the first half.
Key players: Jess Lockwood had another big game, scoring a team-high 22 points – 11 in the fourth quarter. She also led the Patriots with nine rebounds. She buried 6 of 6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. Haley Moran added 18 points, which included an 11-for-14 effort at the foul line, and Natalie Berndt added 13 points.
Central Bucks East coach Liz Potash: “We showed grit against a physical and athletic team to pull out today’s win. We’re coming off a four-game week, and the team stuck together when playing through adversity. We played team basketball and shot well from beyond the arc, which always helps. We made foul shots down the stretch and kept our composure against their aggressive style of play. We are in the home stretch of the regular season and know how important it is to finish strong going into the post season.”
Props: “It’s repetitive, but Haley Moran is such a steady presence for us handling pressure with two and three kids on her at times. Her ability to handle the ball is the reason we are able to have so many open looks from 3, and we’re fortunate to have shooters like Jess (Lockwood), Nat (Berndt) and Syd (Ralph) that can make teams pay for collapsing on her. Jess Lockwood hit five 3s and finished the night with 22 points and nine rebounds. Natalie Berndt gave us her steady game on both ends of the floor, allowing us to have balanced scoring while always being a lockdown defender.”
Up next: Central Bucks East (15-3, 7-0 SOL) will host Souderton on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 10-16-16-20 62
West Catholic 8-10-19-18 55
Central Bucks East (62) – Sydney Ralph 3 0-0 8; Haley Moran 4 11-14 19; Natalie Berndt 4 2-3 13; Jess Lockwood 6 5-8 22. TOTALS 17 18-25 62.
West Catholic (55) – Milan Trusty 5 0-0 12; Ciana Blake 4 0-0 10; Jamee Johnson 3 0-0 7; Jessica Canty 2 0-0 5; Kiajah Henry 1 0-0 2; Ciani Scott 4 1-3 9; Nyla Coleman 4 2-4 10; TOTALS 23 3-7 55.
3-point goals: CBE – Jess Lockwood 5, Natalie Berndt 3, Sydney Ralph 2; WC – Milan Trusty 2, Ciana Blake 2, Jamee Johnson, Jessica Canty.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 41, MASTERMAN 22
Sparked by a double-double from AJ Avery, the Colonials took an early lead and never looked back.
Key stretch: The Colonials led by just a 6-4 score after one quarter but outscored Masterman 35-18 the rest of the way.
Key players: AJ Avery – PW’s player of the game – led the Colonials with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Eliza Meersman added 10 points. Kenna Winland had five assists and two steals.
Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Dan Dougherty: “We had a sluggish start but battled through rough shooting. Their big is very good and was really affecting our shots at the rim. AJ Avery had really good game, finished with a double/double.”
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh (13-6, 3-2 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 6-11-12-12 41
Masterman 4-4-8-6 22
Plymouth Whitemarsh (41) – Liv Patete 1 0-0 2; AJ Avery 7 2-2 16; Kenna Winland 2 0-0 5; Bailey Riley 1 0-0 2; Eliza Meersman 5 0-0 10; Grace Harvey 2 2-2 6; TOTALS 18 4-4 41
Masterman (22) – Simmons 1 0-0 3; Ilhomova 1 0-0 2; Brunelli 1 0-0 2; Goldstein 6 2-5 15; TOTALS 9 2-5 22
3-point goals: PW – Kenna Winland; M – Simmons, Goldstein.
LANSDALE CATHOLIC 49, UPPER DUBLIN 43
The Cardinals found themselves on the short end of a 25-17 score at halftime and spent the rest of the game playing catchup but came up just short.
Lexi Ngo’s 11 points – which included three 3s – led the Cardinals. Megan Ngo added nine points and eight assists. Emilia Coleman had nine points and eight rebounds.
Upper Dublin coach Morgan Funsten: “Tough loss to a very good Lansdale Catholic team today. I thought we came out a little unfocused in the first half and made some uncharacteristic mental mistakes. Combine that with shooting the ball poorly, and it was not a good combination against a team as talented as LC. Grace McDonough really hurt us in the paint, and I have to do a better job preparing our girls for a player as good as her.
“We played a way better second half, and I couldn’t be more proud with how we fought until the end. Early in the third quarter, we got down as many as 12 but fought back and got it to 37-36 midway through the fourth quarter after a Lexi Ngo 3-pointer. We had a miscommunication on our press and gave up an easy basket. We chased all day and unfortunately didn’t have a lot of room for error in the second half.”
–Props: “Lexi Ngo gave us a huge lift in the second half with 11 points as she got hot on a day that we only shot 29 percent from the field while LC shot 53 percent. We did a great job of taking care of the ball and only had five turnovers. Megan Ngo finished with eight assists to zero turnovers while also doing a great job on Sanyiah Littlejohn. It is a great sign that we were still in the game despite a lot going wrong.”
Up next: Upper Dublin (16-4, 6-0 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Friday.
Upper Dublin 7-10-12-14 43
Lansdale Catholic 8-17-8-16 49
Upper Dublin (43) – Bridget DiMartile 2 0-0 5; Tamia Clark 3 0-0 6; Megan Ngo 2 5-7 9; Lexi Ngo 4 0-0 11; Emilia Coleman 4 0-0 9; Ella Morris 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 16 5-7 43.
Lansdale Catholic (49) – Sanyiah Littlejohn 4 0-0 8; Allie Esposito 0 1-2 1; Nadia Yemola 3 0-0 8; Grace McDonough 10 2-2 22; Ali Kaltenbacher 3 3-6 9; Aubrey Mobley 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 20 7-12 49.
3-point goals: UD – Lexi Ngo 3, Bridget DiMartile, Emilia Coleman, Ella Morris: LC – Nadia Yemola 2.
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