Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Saturday. Cheltenham/West Catholic photos provided courtesy of Mark Allen. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ GIRLS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
SOL non-league crossover
WILLIAM TENNENT 80, NORTH PENN 64
(Check back for a follow-up on Halie Staub’s milestone.)
Halie Staub had herself quite a day.
The Tennent senior torched the Knights for a game-high 29 points and – in the process – surpassed the 1,000-point mark. Staub played a starring role in a win that capped off a week that saw the Panthers clinch the program’s first SOL title in 38 years Wednesday and followed that with a big win Friday night on their home court.
“It’s been quite the 24 hours,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “I feel like I’ve been riding this emotional high, and I’m just waiting to crash. To win the way we did on Friday night and celebrate the division title by cutting down the net, and then to come out and have the kind of dominating performance we did today is unbelievable.
“To cap it off, we got to celebrate another 1,000-point scorer, Halie Staub, today. She joins teammate Avery Kocur, who accomplished this milestone earlier this season, and now becomes just the fifth player in program history to reach this milestone. Coming into today’s game, Staub needed 11 points. You would never know she had some pregame nerves with the way she came out and just went off.”
Those nerves were nowhere to be found when Staub took the court and scored 14 points in the opening quarter
“We tried to get her going on the first possession but ended up turning it over,” Whitney said. “After getting a couple of stops, Staub just took over and rattled off 12 straight points to give us the 17-7 lead.
“The really cool part was that it was Avery who had the assist on the 3-pointer that launched her over the 1,000 career point mark, because it was Staub who had the assist on Avery’s 3-pointer for her 1,000 career points.”
At the end of one quarter, the Panthers had a 19-12 lead, and after a 26-point second quarter that saw Megan Volz erupt for 12 points, Tennent took a 45-24 lead into halftime on their way to the big win.
Key players: Tennent’s ‘big three’ combined for 72 points with Staub’s 29 points leading the charge. Megan Volz added 25 points, and Avery Kocur had 18.
For the Knights, Lily Brown led the way with 24 points. Paityn Debro had 10 points, and Saniah Hammond had nine.
William Tennent coach Laura Whitney:
–The turnaround: “I feel like the fact that Staub was able to get it going so early in the game, it allowed all of us to play much more loosely and just play our game. A few weeks ago, we hit a rough stretch and weren’t playing like ourselves. I think the Cheltenham loss was a key moment in getting things turned around. Our girls seemed to come back after that game with a more determined focus and are playing some great team basketball right now.
“It’s been so much fun coaching this group of girls, and we’re looking forward to what’s still left of this season. We still have some goals in mind, and hopefully, we can continue to play with that grit and confidence we have shown lately. It was a great team effort tonight, and we had contributions from everyone who played.”
–Props: “Our ‘big three’ stepped up in a big way again today and continue to impress me with each game. Big V had her best performance of the season and set a new career high in points with 25. She plays with no fear, and it doesn’t matter that she’s always going up against someone taller than her. She uses her strengths well and does a great job of getting to her spots and is such a great finisher.
“Avery sets the tone for us, and her playmaking ability is unmatched. The last few games, she has done a tremendous job of setting up her teammates, while still hunting her shots and making big plays.
“Staub has been locked in the last few games. It’s almost as if she knows her high school career is winding down, and she’s playing with a sense of urgency and purpose. For me personally, it’s been incredible to see Avery and Staub both score 1,000 career points. It’s been 34 years since our program had a 1,000-point scorer, and now having 2 in one season is just incredible. They aren’t just great basketball players; they are great individuals. They have been playing basketball together since second grade, so to see them both accomplish this milestone this season has been pretty special.”
Up next: William Tennent will travel to Lower Moreland on Tuesday, and North Penn will be on the road at Unionville for a non-league game Monday.
North Penn 12-12-17-23 64
William Tennent 19-26-20-15 80
North Penn (64) – Sanniah Hammond 3 0-0 9; Ava Wood 0 1-2 1; Paityn Debro 4 1-6 10; Lily Brown 10 3-4 24; Ryan Copeland 1 1-4 3; Emelia Schneider 1 0-0 3; t. Lee 1 2-4 4; Mehya Godhania 2 0-0 6; Tallie Smink 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 24 8-20 64.
William Tennent (80) – Devon MacDonald 2 0-0 5; Avery Kocur 6 5-5 18; Halie Staub 11 5-8 29; Hannah Wong 1 0-0 3; Megan Volz 12 1-6 25; TOTALS 32 11-19 80.
3-point goals: NP – Saniah Hammond 3, Mehya Godhania 2, Paityn Debro, Lily Brown, Emelia Schneider; WT – Halie Staub 2, Hannah Wong, Avery Kocur, Devon MacDonald.
Non-league
CHELTENHAM 68, WEST PHILADELPHIA 36
The Lady Panthers celebrated Senior Day in style, opening up a 22-7 lead after one quarter on their way to the decisive win.
Key players: Senior Paige Powell led all scorers with 23 points. Senior Maya Simmons added a double-double with 16 point and 10 rebounds. She also had five assists and four steals. Isabella Brown added 15 points.
Up next: Cheltenham will travel to Springfield Twp on Tuesday.
West Philadelphia 7-12-8-9 36
Cheltenham 22-15-22-9 68
West Philadelphia (36) – Cancash 7, Rahkia Bundy 11, Charley Lancaster Williams 5, Donajah Tindle 13.
Cheltenham (68) – Autumn Kimble 2, Isabella Brown 15, Paige Powell 23, Kaylyn Washington 16, Maya Simmons 16, Kennedy Tolbert 4, #34 4.
3-point goals: C – Isabella Brown 4, Paige Powell 3, Maya Simmons 2.
UPPER MERION 54, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 40
The Indians trailed by 14 after one quarter of Saturday’s Senior Day game, and it proved costly as they lost by that exact amount.
Alexa Bondra and Ella Carroll both scored 10 points to lead the Indians. Julia Koval added nine.
Council Rock North coach Jack Kelly:
–Honoring the seniors: “Today we celebrated Senior Day at North. Julia Koval, Chloe Ranck, and Laney Duchnowski have been key parts of our program for four years. No matter the circumstance, they have shown up and demonstrated resilience and commitment to our team. Grace Kelly and Chloe Fazio have been our managers for two years, and they have gone above and beyond helping our team.”
–Tip of the hat to the Vikings: Credit to Upper Merion – they got off to a hot start, and it was too much for us to overcome. Kennedy Coles played an outstanding game, and we were unable to overcome our own mistakes. We have one more home game vs. Truman on Tuesday – we will work hard to prepare and have a great finish to the season.”
Up next: Council Rock North will host Harry S Truman on Tuesday.
Upper Merion 18-10-13-13 54
Council Rock North 4-14-14-8 40
Upper Merion (54) – Levayda Fuqua 3 4-6 10; Kennedy Coles 6 6-10 20; Alexis Parson 0 2-2 2; Lorelei Bonifanti 0 0-2 0; Gabriella Callison 3 1-2 9; Piper Edge 1 4-5 6; Winnie Devers 0 1-2 1; Lauren Hirshorn 2 2-2 6; TOTALS 15 20-31 54.
Council Rock North (40) – Laney Duchnowski 0 1-2 1; Lauren Smith 2 0-0 6; Brynn Rodgers 1 1-2 4; Alexa Dondra 4 2-4 10; Julia Koval 3 2-2 9; Ella Carroll 4 0-3 10; TOTALS 14 6-13 40.
3-point goals: UM – Kennedy Coles 2, Gabriella Calison 2; CRN – Lauren Smith 2, Ella Carroll 2, Brynn Rodgers, Julia Koval.
WILSON 54, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 52
In a battle of two of the top teams in District 1 and District 3, it was Wilson eking out the win with a late comeback. Both boasted identical 18-2 records, and both were the third seeds in their respective district rankings.
Wilson, which led 17-11 after one quarter, took a 27-18 lead into halftime. The Patriots erased that deficit in hurry in the third quarter, outscoring their hosts 26-12 to go into the final quarter with a 44-39 advantage.
Haley Moran was the offensive catalyst, scoring 15 points in the third quarter. Jess Lockwood buried a pair of 3s in the frame and added seven points.
“We were up five with a minute to go and couldn’t close it out,” Potash said. “It was a great battle and learning lesson for the postseason.”
Moran had another glittering performance, leading the Patriots with 26 points and five assists.
“Haley was unbelievable,” Potash said. “Her play at both ends was really impressive – she held their point guard, who averages 12.5, to four points and had tough finishes around the basket.”
Natalie Berndt and Jess Lockwood both added nine points.
Up next: Central Bucks East will travel to North Penn on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 11-7-26-8 52
Wilson 17-10-12-15 54
Central Bucks East (52) – Delaney Long 0 1-2 1; Haley Moran 11 3-3 26; Natalie Berndt 4 0-0 9; Payton Williams 2 3-4 7; Jess Lockwood 3 1-2 9; TOTALS 20 8-11 52.
Wilson (54) – Laila Jones 1 0-0 3; Laura Crocona 2 0-0 6; Kailana Hardy 8 3-5 20; Jade Lee 9 5-8 23; Mariam Osumanu 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 21 8-13 54.
3-point goals: CBE – Jess Lockwood 2, Haley Moran, Natalie Berndt; W – Laura Crocona 2, Kailana Hardy, Laila Jones.
KENNETT 48, QUAKERTOWN 37
The visiting Panthers, who led 8-6 after one quarter, took a 20-16 lead into halftime. Kennett erased that deficit in the third quarter and went on to win Saturday’s non-league contest.
Quakertown coach Dan Cymerman:
–The game: “We came into the game with a clear focus on generating quality shots and getting to the free-throw line—something we didn’t do well the night before against Wissahickon. I thought we executed that plan effectively early and went into halftime with a 20–16 lead.
“ In the second half, we had a few defensive breakdowns and were unable to recover from them. Credit to Kennett, who played sound, complete team basketball after the break and caught us off guard. We knew this would be a good test for us, so the loss is disappointing, but it’s also a learning opportunity. The biggest takeaway for us today is that we can never take our foot off the gas.”
–Props: “Alexa Seneca had a big game for us, scoring 19 points. Paisley Heft chipped in with 10 points and continues to block shots for us. “
Up next: Quakertown will host Abington Tuesday.
Kennett- 6-10-16-16 48
Quakertown- 8-12-9-8 37
Quakertown (37)- Alexa Seneca- 5 8-13 19, Aleena Flores- 0 3-4 3, Alexa Reich- 2 0-1 5, Paisley Heft- 5 0-2 10 TOTALS: 12 11-20 37
Kennett (48)- Laki Frazier- 8 0-0 16, Lorena Diaz- 1 0-0 2, Ari Peterson- 7 0-0 14, Mackenzie Kelly- 4 4-4 12, Ellie Harper- 1 0-0 2, Daylia Winter 1 0-0 2 TOTALS: 22 4-4 48
3-point goals: Q – Alexa Seneca, Alexa Reich.
METHACTON 54, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 35
The Colonials, who trailed by just one at halftime, saw the game slip away in a third quarter that saw the Warriors go on a 20-5 tear.
The Warriors buried 11 3-pointers in the contest – four in the pivotal third quarter.
Eliza Meersman led the Colonials with 14 points and six rebounds. Kenna Winland added 10 points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Dan Dougherty:
“Rough loss at Methacton tonight. Both teams are fighting to try to be a top 16 seed for district playoffs. The game got away from us in a hurry in the third quarter. In the first half, we played well, it was a one-point game, felt like we were right there. But in the third, I could see that we were emotionally and physically spent from the night before. We weren’t able to keep the rebounding effort up, and we couldn’t get shots to drop; meanwhile Methacton was just on fire from 3 all game.
“From a scheduling perspective, this was a bad spot (by me) to schedule this game. Told the girls afterwards that we just have to let it go and do our best with two regular season games we have left. District playoffs will be a crap shoot of good teams from 9-24; anyone can beat anyone. Hopefully we can still get a home game, but if not, I’m confident in this group and their willingness to prepare and compete.”
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh will host Upper Dublin Tuesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 13-6-5-11 35
Methacton 13-7-20-14 54
Plymouth Whitemarsh (35) – Joslyn Perez 0 1-2 1; Liv Patete 1 1-2 4; Kenna Winland 3 2-4 10; Eliza Meersman 4 4-6 14; L Brodzinski 2 2-3 6; TOTALS 10 10-17 35.
Methacton (54) – Penny Wolf 2 2-2 7; Lilla Cingiser 4 0-0 11; Abby Masotta 1 2-3 4; Alexis George 0 1-2 1; Lindsay McCann 3 1-2 10; Ava Wolf 3 0-0 7; Sydney Hockenbrock 1 0-0 2;Olivia Organtini 2 0-0 6; Janna Goodley 2 0-0 5; Taylor 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 18 7-11 54.
3-point goals: PW – Eliza Meersman 2, Kenna Winland 2, Liv Patete; M – McCann 3, Cingiser 3, Organtini 2, P.Wolf, A. Wolf, Goodley.
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