Neshaminy & Souderton were winners in SOL girls’ basketball action Wednesday. (Photos provided courtesy of Jesse Garber: https://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p899693054 )
Non-league
SOUDERTON 55, SPRINGFIELD TWP 54
The Indians saved their best for last, rallying from a double-digit deficit to eke out a non-league road win when Alaina Picard scored on a layup at the buzzer.
“It was a competitive game in a great environment,” Souderton coach Eric Houston said. “I love environments where the crowd is loud, screaming. That’s my type of element, and the girls played through it.
“They battled, and they kept their composure, and we came out with a good road win. Those are not easy to come by.”
The Indians outscored the Spartans 19-12 in the final quarter. They buried four 3-pointers – one each from Maddie Nenstiel, Olivia Herron, Alaina Picard and Kiera Fadden. Nenstiel, Herron and Picard each scored five points in the frame.
For the game, the Indians connected on 13 shots from beyond the arc.
Kay players: Senior Alaina Picard led the Indians with 18 points, which included four 3-pointers. Freshman Maddie Nenstiel and junior Olivia Herron each added 14 points and combined for seven 3-pointers.
For the Spartans, Ava Culler had a huge day under the basket, leading all scorers with 35 points, which was a career high.
Souderton coach Eric Houston:
–The ending: “We were down, I think 12. in the fourth quarter when we made a run, and we chipped away. We did a great job. We got some defensive stops, drew up a diamond press, something that we’re going to work on tomorrow. It kind of slowed them down a bit and got some momentum shifting our way. We hit some key big shots.
“We turned the ball over with nine seconds left. They’re running down the court, and Maddie (Nenstiel) got the ball off a steal and threw it to Alaina (Picard), who got a buzzer-beater layup for the game.”
Up next: Souderton will be on the road at North Penn Friday (5:30pm).
Souderton 18-13-5-19 55
Springfield Tw 10-13-19-12 54
Souderton (55) – Maddie Nenstiel 14, Olivia Herron 14; Madison Bealer 3; Kiera Fadden 3, Avie Sackor 3, Alaina Picard 18
Springfield Twp (54) – Maddie Decker 1, Caitlin Lewis 3, MaryKate Garry 5, Keira Brandon 4, Julia Guicheteau 4, Ava Culler 35, Karly Hartman 2
3-point goals: Souderton – Herron 4, Picard 4, Nenstiel 3, Bealer, Fadden; Springfield – Garry, Guicheteau.
NESHAMINY 37, LANSDALE CATHOLIC 35
Twenty-four hours after a disappointing one-point loss to archrival Pennsbury, the Redskins found themselves back on the court to face Lansdale Catholic in a non-league contest.
In need of a bounce-back win, the Redskins – who trailed by three late – got just that, eking out a dramatic win over the Crusaders when Camryn Rodriguez completed a three-point play in the game’s closing seconds.
By the numbers: Hayley Kolk scored a team-high 13 points, which included four 3-pointers in the first half. She also had a team-high six rebounds. Ashlyn Duffy also buried four 3s for 12 points. Nicole Trespalacios led the ‘Skins with five assists to go along with five rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Neshaminy coach John Gallagher:
“Our players will have a well-deserved day off on Thursday after playing five games over the last six days. It was an extremely difficult part of our overall schedule, and we came away with a 3-2 record in those six days. Lansdale Catholic limped into our gym shorthanded, and we limped into the gym coming off the Pennsbury game the night before.”
–The game: “In the first quarter, both teams combined for 31 points, which is almost half the scoring of the entire game. The last three quarters saw some pretty stingy defense, combined with an inability for both teams to knock down makeable baskets. The largest lead for Lansdale was three points, and we had a five-point lead with four minutes left in the game. Lansdale guard #3 (Kyara Benjamin) knocked down a huge three-point basket to cut the lead to just two points.
“Our possession resulted in several close shots with some offensive rebounding work, but to no avail. These misses were followed by a Lansdale fast break basket to tie the game at 32. To complete the 7-0 run, Lansdale freshman guard Jade Fetz stepped into a three and a three-point lead with two minutes remaining. The run was ended when Grace Weyler hit an elbow jumper to claw back to within one point with 1:20 left in the game. With 35 seconds left and trailing by one point Grace and Hayley combined to create a turnover that led to a fast break. On the break Hayley hit senior Camryn Rodriguez, who scored the layup and drew a foul which Camryn converted to give us the final two-point victory.”
Key players: “Ashlyn Duffy was singled out after the game, not so much because of her scoring but rather the overall example on the way she played. Ashlyn was very aware of the verbiage in the scouting report and expended the most energy of any Lady Skin.
“Hayley Kolk was also singled out by a coach after the game due to the defensive effort she gave the team covering Allie Esposito. Allie, a junior, is an all-around player who has picked up a D1 offer from UMBC and will continue to draw additional collegiate interest. Hayley drew a couple of fouls on Allie while holding her to just five points including a scoreless second half.”
Up next: Neshaminy will host Harry S Truman on Friday.
Lansdale Catholic 13-7-7-8 35
Neshaminy 18-8-4-7 37
Lansdale Catholic (35) – Helena Larson 1 0-0 2; Kyara Benjamin 2 0-2 6; Allie Esposito 2 0-0 5; Celynn Picard 0 2-4 2; Jade Fretz 2 0-0 5; Ali Kaltenbacher 5 5-7 15; TOTALS 12 7-13 35
Neshaminy (37) – Grace Weyler 3 1-2 7; Ashlyn Duffy 4 0-2 12; Nicole Trespalacios 1 0-0 2; Hayley Kolk 4 1-2 13; Camryn Rodriguez 1 1-1 3; TOTALS 13 3-7 37.
3-point goals: LC – Benjamin 2, Esposito, Fretz; N – Kolk 4, Duffy 4.
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