Lower Moreland earned a win to advance to the state tournament. New Hope-Solebury fell in its district contest but remains alive. Lower Moreland/Marple Newtown photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ GIRLS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
District 1 5A seventh place game
#3 LOWER MORELAND 52, #5 MARPLE NEWTOWN 46
The Lions – in a win or go home contest – notched the big win over the visiting Tigers. With the win, Lower Moreland earned its first bid to the state tournament in six years.
Highlighting the win was senior Dani Brusha reaching the 1,000-point milestone.
“To qualify for States on the same night that Dani scored her 1000th point just seemed appropriate,” LM coach Rich Becker said. “Dani only needed five points, and I think her nerves contributed to slow start – she started 0-for-8 from the floor, but she was 3-for-4 from the foul line, and with 21 seconds to go in the first half, she made a layup in traffic to reach the milestone.
“Dani definitely has earned this. She missed her sophomore season with an ACL tear, and the fact that she got it in three seasons is reflective of her work ethic and commitment to her game.”
Key stretch: The Lions, who led 13-6 after one quarter, opened up a 28-17 lead at halftime. Bri McFerran led the Lions with 11 points.
Dani Brush had the hot hand in the third quarter, scoring nine of her team’s 15 points. She was 4-for-5 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.
Key players: Senior Dani Brusha led the Lions with 17 points, which included an 8-for-10 effort at the foul line and two 3s. Bri McFerran added 14 points, and Emma DiJoseph finished with nine.
Lower Moreland coach Rich Becker on the game: “It was a good night. We qualified for States for the first time since the 2019 season, and Dani Brusha scored her 1000th career point.
“We were coming off back-to-back losses, so it was nice to not end the game losing three in a row.
“In spite of Dani’s slow start, we went into the half up by 11, and a lot of that was due to Bri McFerran, who had 11 first-half points while shooting 5-for-6 from the floor. In addition to her offense, her help defense was huge. Our starting center, Mady Rossiter, was limited tonight with illness, so we had to play a smaller player on one of their post players, and Bri really did a nice job helping off her girl.
“Also, a shoutout to Emma DiJoseph who once again showed up in the playoffs. She contributed 12 points after scoring 21 against Strath Haven.”
Up next; Lower Moreland (14-11, 6-4 SOL) will face the District XII champion in the opening round of the PIAA 5A Tournament on Saturday, March 8.
Marple Newtown 6-11-15-14 46
Lower Moreland 13-15-15-9 52
Marple Newtown (46) – Olivia Gicking 5 2-5 14; Taylor Marrin 1 1-2 3; Rowan Hilden 4 1-5 9; Kirsten Miliken 2 3-4 8; Evie Grimste 2 0-0 6; Wark 1 0-0 2; Lee 2 0-2 4; TOTALS 17 7-18 46.
Lower Moreland (52) – Bri McFerran 6 1-6 14; Dani Brusha 4 8-10 13; Emma DiJoseph 3 2-2 9; Mady Rossiter 2 0-0 4; Nikki Sahl 1 2-4 4; Maddie Broderick 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 17 13-22 52.
3-point goals: MN – Evie Grimste 2, Olivia Gicking 2, Kirsten Miliken; LM – Dani Brusha 2, Bri McFerran, Emma DiJoseph, Maddie Broderick.
District 1/XI Regional semifinal
#2 SCHUYLKILL HAVEN 51, #3 NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 26
Schuylkill Haven entered Tuesday’s regional semifinal at Martz Hall in Pottsville with 22 wins and a six-game winning streak. In that span, opposing teams have averaged 30 points a game, so the fact that the Hurricanes threw some game-changing defense at the Lions was hardly a surprise.
The Hurricanes, who led 18-5 after one quarter, extended that lead to 32-10 by halftime on their way to the win.
“Schuylkill Haven jumped on us with their incredible defensive speed and athleticism,” New Hope-Solebury coach Andy Krasna said. “We found ourselves down 10 before I was able to call a timeout.”
Freshman Mary Tresler led the Lions with nine points. Kayla Fennel and Izzy Elizondo both had seven points.
Up next: New Hope-Solebury (14-10, 6-4 SOL) will play the loser of the #1 Notre Dame Green Pond/#4 Executive Education on Friday for seeding purposes. Both teams will advance to the state tournament.
New Hope-Solebury 5-5-11-5 26
Schuylkill Haven 18-14-11-8 51
New Hope-Solebury (26) – Kayla Fennel 3 0-0 7; Izzy Elizondo 3 0-0 7; Emily Wilson 1 0-0 3; Mary Tresler 3 3-4 9; TOTALS 10 3-4 26.
Schuylkill Haven (51) – McKenna Runkle 2 3-4 7; Audrey Hutchinson 3 0-0 6; Kylie Siket 4 0-0 12 Anna Schaeffer 4 2-2 10; Alex Porter 3 0-0 7; Kelly Ulsh 1 1-2 3; Ava Terefenncko 2 0-0 4; Lilly McDonald 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 20 6-8 51.
3-point goals: NH-S – Kayla Fennel, Izzy Elizondo, Emily Wilson; SH – Kylie Siket 4, Alex Porter.
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