Upper Dublin & Pennsbury advanced to the District 1 6A title game at St. Joe’s on Sunday. Bensalem and Neshaminy punched their tickets to states, and CB East won its playback game. Upper Dublin/Downingtown West photos courtesy of Jon Sklut, Neshaminy/Conestoga photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for galleries of both games. (CB East/Spring-Ford photos courtesy of Diane Barry/CB East BB). CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ GIRLS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
District 1 6A semifinals
#1 UPPER DUBLIN 57, #5 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 36
They have made it look easy, rolling to wins of 39 and 32 points in their first two district games and then punching their ticket to the title game at St. Joseph’s University with a 21-point win over Downingtown East.
Yet the first question senior Megan Ngo fielded after Wednesday’s semifinal win over the Cougars was not about reaching the championship game for the first time in coach Morgan Funsten’s tenure but rather – did it feel like the Cardinals were a bit out of sync despite the win.
“Yeah, definitely,” the senior captain said. “I mean it’s really exciting getting to the district final, but we know we can play better than that.
“All that matters is that we won that game, and now we have things to work on for the championship.”
Make no mistake about it, this is a UD team that’s laser focused. They take nothing for granted, and the level of excellence they’ve achieved is underscored by the fact that a 21-point win was not quite as smooth as many expected.
“We had a little trouble on our press – that’s actually normally one of our strong areas,” Ngo said. “I thought we were a little slow to rotate sometimes, and they made some tough shots.
“Offensively, maybe (we took) some quick shots sometimes, but we always do a good job of just getting to the next play, and I thought we did a good job of that still.”
The bottom line is the Cardinals are St. Joe’s bound where they will meet Pennsbury in an All-SOL district final.
UD did get off to a relatively slow start – they trailed 5-4 but closed out the opening quarter with an 8-2 mini run to go on top 12-7.
“We always try to win the first quarter – that’s always a goal of ours,” Ngo said. “We did that, and from there on, we won every other quarter.
“Maybe it wasn’t by as much as we’ve been winning some games but as long as we won the quarter, that’s all that matters.”
It was a 29-17 game at halftime with Tamia Clark’s nine points leading the way while Ngo had seven points.
Ngo’s back-to-back 3s in the third quarter turned a 10-point lead into a 16-point advantage (41-25). The Cougars never threatened.
As for the lopsided scores, they’re not a concern.
“We just try to play the way that we do and try to forget about the score,” Ngo said. “I think in some of our games, it has gotten to a point where it’s been a pretty big lead, but a big focus in some of those games – just focusing on us, working on us, so in these games like today and Sunday, we’re ready for those games.”
By the numbers: Senior Megan Ngo’s 21 points led all scorers and included three 3-pointers on 3-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc. She also had seven rebounds, five assists and one steal. Tamia Clark added 16 points and three steals, and Emilia Coleman – who was forced to sit out last year’s postseason (transfer ineligible) – made her presence felt with nine points a team-high 12 rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Bridget DiMartile added seven points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field. She also had four rebounds and two blocked shots.
Upper Dublin coach Morgan Funsten:
–Another big win: “We have a group of girls who are just really consistent in everything they do. I didn’t think we were at our best tonight. I would chalk it up for the girls wanting to get to St. Joe’s so bad, and you could kind of see it in some of their decision making and definitely their shooting, and it’s coming from a good place. You want it so bad sometimes and you forget about some little things, but I think it was a good learning experience.
“It’s great to win by 20 and talk about what we still need to work on. The girls have been really focused. We’re looking forward to the experience on Sunday. I know for me – this is my fifth time in the final four, and none of my teams have gotten there, so it feels good to get over the hump.
“These girls are very confident, and they’re fun to be around. They calm me down sometimes because of their coolness.”
Upper Dublin senior Megan Ngo:
–Coleman – chairman of the boards: “I don’t even know what her scoring numbers were, but from the beginning, she was in there rebounding. I literally said to her the first timeout – I was like, ‘Great job rebounding. Keep it up.’ And that’s something I think our team sometimes struggles with, and she’s the main one that is always doing that, and it’s very important for our team.”
Up next: Upper Dublin will face #7 Pennsbury in an All-SOL District 1 6A final at St. Joseph’s University Sunday at 1 p.m.
“We played at their place (a 50-37 win), and they were missing (Joley) Hohman, and it
was kind of a weird game,” Funsten said. “We got up 27 early in the third quarter, and they don’t give up, they keep fighting. We gave up some offensive rebounds. They definitely finished the game with some momentum.
“We don’t take anybody lightly. We have prepared like crazy for every one of these district games, and obviously, we’ve come out with a couple lopsided scores. We know that Pennsbury is going to be ready to play. We know how tough physically and mentally they are, so whatever happens, we know we’ve got to play 32 full minutes, and we’re excited about the challenge and we’re excited about the experience that we’re going to have.”
Downingtown East 7-10-12-9 38
Upper Dublin 12-17-13-15 57
Downingtown East (38) – Charlotte Aldridge 3 3-4 10; Jazlyn Boyd 3 2-2 9; Chloe Hunold 2 2-2 7; Grace Hodges 4 0-0 10; Sam Schildknecht 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 13 7-8 38.
Upper Dublin (57) – Bridget DiMartile 3 0-0 7; Tamia Clark 5 5-7 16; Megan Ngo 5 8-8 21; Lexi Ngo 1 0-0 2; Emilia Coleman 4 0-0 9; Ella Morris 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 19 13-15 57.
3-point goals: Grace Hodges 2, Charlotte Aldridge, Jazlyn Boyd, Chloe Hunold; UD – Megan Ngo 3, Emilia Coleman, Bridget DiMartile, Tamia Clark,
#7 PENNSBURY 43, #3 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 19
No one saw this coming.
Except for the players who – according to Sammie Haws – are not surprised to find the Falcons in the District 1 6A final at St. Joseph’s University on Sunday.
“I could see us going pretty far,” Haws said. “I’ve always believed in our team.
“We have a lot of younger players, but we always have worked together. We bond on and off the court, we’re always hanging out with each other, and we always have each other’s backs.”
The key to Wednesday’s win is hardly a secret. Defense has been the Falcons’ calling card under coach Frank Sciolla, and holding any team to 19 points is usually a ticket to a win.
“Defense has always been the main thing for Pennsbury girls’ basketball,” Haws said. “We always have lockdown defense. It’s something we work on a lot.
“We definitely gave it our all and just made sure we locked down, knew the personnel, knew the shooters – where they were, and we just executed on the floor.”
The Falcons took a tenuous 12-10 lead into halftime but then erupted for 17 points in the third quarter. Haws buried a pair of clutch 3s, and Alyssa Thomas was 6-for-6 from the foul line. Pennsbury took a 29-16 lead into the fourth quarter when they destroyed the Whippets strategy of fouling by burying 12 of 16 from the charity stripe (22 of 26 for the game).
The only thing that remained was the bus trip home that, according to Haws, including a lot of singing and dancing.
As for Sunday’s trip to St. Joe’s, there’s no hiding their enthusiasm.
“It’s really exciting.” Haws said. “We all pretty much deserve it with how much work we put in. We always are giving our best and we’re there for each other.”
The Falcons will face a formidable opponent – top-seeded Upper Dublin, which defeated Pennsbury 50-37 on Jan. 13.
“They’re definitely a great team,” Haws said. “But so are we. It comes down to making the right decisions, the right shots. It comes down to passing up the good shots for better shots, and just definitely playing together as a team because we’re both good teams.”
Key players: Alyssa Thomas led the Falcons with 16 points, which included an 11-for-14 effort at the foul line. Sammie Haws added 11 points – a pair of huge 3s in the third quarter and a 3-for-4 effort at the foul line in the fourth. Joley Hohman had eight points, including a pair of 3s.
Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla:
–Preparing for the Whippets: “When we came out and watched Downingtown live on Saturday, we were definitely concerned because of their height and length. They also get great guard play from (Hayden) Blair.
“We were fortunate to be able to watch seven of their games, and that gave us a really good cross-section of what they like to do offensively and defensively, and our girls do such a good job preparing. They partnered up, and we had them share their notes from each game onto a Google doc, and even though they were working in different places because of the snow on Monday , so many of them had similar observations and we knew that ultimately this game was going to come down to whether or not we’d be able to compete on the backboard. Fortunately, we were able to do that.”
–The game: “Everyone did a solid job checking out, and Sammie Haws pulled seven rebounds and battled in the second half for us underneath and hit a dagger of a 3.
“We struggled shooting the ball in the first half even though we got some good looks, but we felt okay because, as always, we were defending, and at halftime, we just talked about making a strong effort to get the ball into the basket area and just to make sure we were really solid defensively and tried to limit them to one shot. We are normally very good coming out of the halftime locker room, and that is especially true the last couple games. The girls had a great energy level, and they were able to get some stops and make some shots and create some distance and force them to come away from the basket.
“Once again tonight, Alyssa (Thomas) was sensational. She handled the ball well, and she also knocked down a big 3 and her free throws. Joley (Hohman) was physical and really passed the ball well and knocked down a couple of big-time shots for us. Keira Socha also hit a big shot in a big spot and was terrific as usual on the foul line. Overall, we were really able to ice the game on the line because they came out early in the fourth quarter and fouled really quick to try to put the game into the bonus in an attempt to get back that way.”
Mission possible: “We understand how we are perceived. We’ve had to go on the road back to back and beat the two seed and the three seeds, and they are really good teams And we also realized that because of the age makeup of our team that we may be considered underdogs, but we never look at ourselves like that.
“Honestly, it’s just a group that has so much fun playing together. These are girls that grew up in our community, going to our elementary schools and middle schools and these are the same girls that used to sit on the floor in the locker room before the game and at halftime and watch the talks of the girls that came before them. Now they’re doing the same thing for the next generation, many of whom were there tonight and they do make us proud with how hard they compete. We absolutely understand the challenge that we have in front of us on Sunday, and we are blessed to have the opportunity.”
Shoutout to Patriots Division: “We have three teams that have qualified for the state playoffs already, and our league play really helped all of us get ready for the playoffs.”
Up next: Pennsbury will face top-seeded Upper Dublin in the District 1 6A title game at St. Joseph’s University on Sunday (1 pm).
Pennsbury 4-8-17-14 43
Downingtown West 7-3-6-3 19
Pennsbury (43) – Grace Schaufler 1 0-0 2; Sammie Haws 2 5-6 11; Alyssa Thomas 2 11-14 16; Joley Hohman 2 2-2 8; Keira Socha 1 4-4 6; TOTALS 8 22-26 43
Downingtown West (19) – Hayden Blair 0 3-4 3; Ellie Dexter 2 0-0 6; Addy Lefever 2 1-2 5; Kylee Domsohn 1 0-0 2; Kelsey Meenan 1 1-1 3; TOTALS 6 5-7 19.
3-point goals: P – Sammie Haws 2, Joley Hohman 2, Alyssa Thomas; DW – Ellie Dexter 2.
District 1 6A playbacks
#10 NESHAMINY 49, #11 CONESTOGA 44
Neshaminy is heading to states for the third time in the last five years.
For Nicole Trespalacios, this is her first taste of life in the postseason as a key member of the Redskins’ varsity, and she’s looking anything but the part of a rookie.
“It’s been a lot of fun – I’ve had fun with my teammates, and it’s a great environment,” the Redskins’ freshman said. “As a freshman, I’m really excited for the opportunity.”
Trespalacios scored a team-high 15 points and also played an important role on defense as well, sharing responsibilities for containing Lehigh-bound Ryann Jennings.
“I came into the game, and I was really focused,” Trespalacios said. “I knew the scout, and I was ready,
“We played very good team defense.”
The Redskins trailed 15-12 after one quarter but limited the Pioneers to just three points – a desperation shot as time expired in the half. They took a 23-18 lead into halftime.
“That was a big turning point for us,” Trespalacios said.
The two teams were deadlocked at 33 after three quarters, but the Redskins – sparked by eight points from Trespalacios – won it with a 16-7 fourth quarter.
Conestoga won the Central League Tournament title and, according to coach John Gallagher, won 15 of 16 games entering Wednesday’s playback at Neshaminy. The win was anything but easy against a Pioneer squad that was in the game until the final horn.
“It was a really big win tonight,” the Redskins’ coach said. “We qualified for states for the third time in five years, and we’re pretty happy with that. It’s been a goal of ours since June and July when we met the team in the summer, so anything less than that would be a little disappointing, so to get there was really nice.”
Key players: Nicole Trespalacios scored 15 points to lead the Redskins. She also had three assists. Hayley Kolk added 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Grace Weyler had eight points and four rebounds.
Conestoga’s Ryann Jennings led all scorers with 18 points.
Neshaminy coach John Gallagher:
–The game: “Conestoga is a very good team. They have a stud play in Ryann Jennings, who two games ago had 47 points against Lower Merion. We tracked her last two games, and she was 7-for-10 from the 3-point line, so she’s a legit player.
“Nicole (Trespalacios) had the assignment initially to start on her and really did a fantastic job. She was aided by her teammates a lot. We gave a lot of help.
“We got off to a rough start. They turned us over on their press a couple times, and we were down 7-3. Nicole got an offensive rebound and cut it to 7-5. Hayley (Kolk) hit a 3, and Grace (Weyler) had two free throws, and then Hayley got a layup out of the press.
“We were down 15-12 at the end of the first quarter, and I told the girls, ‘They’re on pace for 60 right now, and we’re not going to be able to score 60.’ Little did I know we would hold them scoreless for seven minutes and 58 seconds in the second quarter when they scored on a heave just outside the volleyball line, and it went in for them to end the second quarter.
“That second quarter was a little bit of a turning point. Not that it got us the win, but we got in the locker room and were like, ‘All right, we can stop these guys from scoring at least.’ But the 3 gave them a little momentum. They hit two 3s to start the second half, so they went on a 9-0 run between the last possession of the first half and the first two of the second.
“We were down 24-23 and Ashlyn Duffy answers with a 3-ponter, and we go up 26-24. Conestoga went up 33-28. Nicole – with a big drive – gets it to 33-30, and Mia (Raivitch) hit a gigantic 3 to tie the game, and I was hoping that we could either grab the lead or take it from there, and they just kept coming back at us.
“We had the ball to start the fourth quarter, and we got Hayley a back door layup from a really nice pass from Mia, and then Nicole gets an open drive to put us up 37-33. We were leading 41-35, and they cut it to 41-39.
“Jennings went from playing Hayley in the first half to guarding Nicole in the second half. Nicole scored eight points in the fourth quarter. Her best move was – we were running a set where she’s a little bit wide, and Jennings is up on her, and she just spins baseline and gets a layup off that.
“It was 43-42 with two minutes left. We catch them in a switch and we run a clear out for Niocle, and she’s gets a layup, and we go up 45-42. Jennings hits a post-up and cuts it to 45-44. Then one of the biggest plays of the game – Ashlyn Duffy hits Grace Weyler on a back door with 52 seconds. Next time down the court, they catch us in a switch. Hayley jumps out on Jennings, gets a deflection. Nicole picks it up, goes the length of the court and scores to give us the final score with 12 seconds to go for the 49-44 final.”
–Getting defensive: “Our defense was really good after the first quarter. The second quarter was ridiculous how well we defended. Girls knew their assignments, and they did a great job with that. Conestoga is probably the best team we beat all year. They’re a quality team, and they shot extremely well.”
Up next: Neshaminy will host #16 Bensalem in the ninth place game Friday (3 pm).
Conestoga 15-3-15-11 44
Neshaminy 12-11-10-16 49
Conestoga (44) – Natalie Garzio 3 0-0 8; Ryann Jennings 6 4-4 18; Maggie Neary 2 0-0 5; Libby Brown 2 0-0 5; Maren Gallagher 3 0-0 8; TOTALS 16 4-4 44.
Neshaminy (49) – Grace Weyler 2 4-4 8; Ashlyn Duffy 1 0-0 3; Mia Raivitch 2 0-0 5; Nicole Trespalacios 7 1-4 15; Hayley Kolk 6 0-0 14; Camryn Rodriguez 1 2-4 4; TOTALS 19 7-12 49.
3-point goals: C – Natalie Garzio 2, Ryann Jennings 2, Maren Gallagher 2, Maggie Neary, Libby Brown; N – Hayley Kolk 2, Mia Riavitch, Ashlyn Duffy.
#16 BENSALEM 57, #13 METHACTON 48 (OT)
It didn’t take long for Grace McShane to realize this might be a good night. The senior sharpshooter buried a mid-range jumper in the first quarter. It was a modest beginning to a brilliant performance.
“Once I make one, I get a good feeling,” McShane said. “It just makes you confident to keep shooting, and my teammates are always passing me the ball – getting it to me and hyping me up when I make a shot. It just makes you so much more going for it.”
McShane had seven first-quarter points, and by the time the dust had settled on the Owls’ overtime road win, the Rowan-bound senior had a career high 36 points, and Bensalem had earned its first trip to the state tournament since 1983.
“We had a set goal,” McShane said. “Our first was to win the SOL, which, unfortunately, didn’t go in our favor, but we still did really good during our SOL games.
“Then our other goal was a home playoff game, which we also received, and then our goal was to win a home playoff game, which we were capable of doing. Our last goal was to make it to states, so it’s really good to just check those all off our list and just makes us so much more confident in ourselves.”
McShane had 16 points in a first half that saw the Owls battle the Warriors to a 28-28 tie. The second half was as evenly matched, and it took an off-balance shot by Jordyn Bell with time winding down in regulation to force overtime.
“Jordyn hit a really big shot – she caught it in the post and turned and faced and hit the mid-range, which made it 48-48 with a minute left,” McShane said. “That really just told us we have to play lockdown defense to make it into overtime.”
Listening to coach Steve Johnson tell it, Bell’s shot was anything but easy.
“She was at the foul line, she caught it at the high post,” he said. “She lost her footing, and so she wouldn’t travel, she one-handed it and it went in with a minute left. She pulled her hands back and was like, ‘Terrible shot.’ And it went in. That’s Bensalem basketball this year in a nutshell.”
In overtime, McShane scored all nine of her team’s points, which included a 5-for-6 effort at the foul line. Methacton, meanwhile, was shut out.
“We’re all really happy,” McShane said. “We were very excited in the locker room, and on the way home, we were all hyping each other up.”
Kay players: Grace McShane torched the Warriors’ defense for 36 points. She also had seven steals, six blocks and five rebounds. Jordyn Bell added seven points..
Bensalem coach Steve Johnson:
–The Marvelous McShane: “She shot 12-for-21 from the field, so that’s above 50 percent. For 21 shots, she was insanely accurate. She had three 3s, she was 9-for-10 from the foul line. I can’t really even put it into words. She’s such a special basketball player. She’s had games where she was just in control a lot of times throughout the season, but this was just something special. Just watching from the sidelines, every shot she shot I thought was going in.
“She had just had a complete game. She trusted her team – she passed it, she made the right basketball play every single time down the floor. When her teammates were open, she passed it to her teammates. She did a nice job of consoling her teammates when they missed shots. It was just a complete game from her from start to finish. She had a really exceptional game.”
–Supporting cast: “We’re not going to win a playoff game especially against a team like Methacton who likes to score and has firepower with her scoring 36 points. We need some other players to step up, and I think we did just that, especially on the defensive end. We did a nice job of just playing team defense. Methacton went on their runs. It’s a tough place to play, and we never faltered. We stayed true to ourselves, we stayed true to each other, and we finished it.”
–A historic win: “This was a monumental win for our program. We haven’t been in states since 1983. That’s a long time. It’s really nice for the girls because a lot of teachers are invested, a lot of people in our community, a lot of the girls’ friends came who don’t play basketball. It’s just nice to show these girls what happens when you buy into something. It doesn’t happen in November. Basketball nowadays is 11 months of the year. Stacking days, stacking workouts and being together – that really helps when it’s an overtime game and you’re on the road.”
–Seizing the moment: “Coaches preach in every sport – you never know when it’s going to be your opportunity, next man up type of thing. Always be positive, next play. We have Grace who’s our leading scorer, but everybody else on our team contributes when they go in. It’s not just their role to pass Grace the ball. If they’re open, shoot it. If the layup is there, go take it. All those little things. We have Gianna Creque off the bench, who’s a senior and doesn’t play a lot of minutes, but when she’s in there, she’s a tough defender. She guards one of the better players on the other team. Little things like that are just what make basketball so beautiful.”
Up next: Bensalem will travel to #10 Neshaminy for Friday’s ninth place game at 3 pm.
Bensalem 12-16-12-8-9 57
Methacton 17-11-13-7-0 48
Bensalem (57) -Mary Beck 2 0-0 5; Mischa Ellzy 1 3-5 5; Grace McShane 12 9-10 36; Jordyn Bell 3 0-0 7; Sydney Daut 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 20 12-15 57.
Methacton (48) – Avery Kenney 1 0-0 3; Penny Wolf 5 0-0 11; Lila Cingasir 1 0-0 3; Abby Masotta 4 4-6 13; Ava Wolf 5 0-0 13; Jenna Goodley 2 1-2 5; TOTALS 18 5-8 48.
3-point goals: B – Grace McShane 3, Mary Beck, Jordyn Bell; M – Ava Wolf 3, Avery Kenney, Penny Wolf , Lila Cingiser, Abby Masotta.
#2 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 43, #6 SPRING-FORD 27
(Check back for an article highlighting Moran and several other SOL 1,000-point scorers.)
Haley Moran surpassing the 1,000-point milestone highlighted Wednesday’s playback game for the Patriots, who rebounded from a heartbreaking loss to Pennsbury in Saturday’s quarterfinal contest.
“Haley Moran led us offensively and scored her 1,000th career point,” East coach Liz Potash said. “It’s such a big accomplishment for any player but to do that as a junior is just so impressive. We’re so proud of her.”
Points were difficult to come by for both sides in an opening half that saw the Patriots outscore their visitors 14-12.
In the second half, the Patriots found their offensive stride, outscoring the Rams 13-8 in a third quarter that saw Moran reach the elusive 1,000-point milestone on her second bucket of her eight-point frame. The Patriots took a 27-20 lead into the fourth quarter when they put 16 points on the board on their way to the win.
Key players: Haley Moran’s 14 points led the Patriots and included the historic bucket in the third quarter. Payton Williams also finished in double figures with 13, which included a 5-for-6 effort at the foul line. The freshman scored seven of her team’s nine second-quarter points, and she also had a team-high 12 rebounds. Natalie Berndt and Jess Lockwood both had eight points – both connected on a pair of 3-pointers. Lockwood led the Patriots under the boards with 14 rebounds.
Central Bucks East coach Liz Potash:
“It was a nice bounce back win to continue to put ourselves in the best position for states. We defended well and were able to finish better in the second half.”
Up next: Central Bucks East will face #4 Perkiomen Valley in Friday’s fifth place game (6 pm).
Spring-Ford 5-7-8-7 27
Central Bucks East 5-9-13-16 43
Spring-Ford (27) – Ciara Finney 0 1-2 1; Ciena Platt 1 1-1 3; Miley Maloney 5 2-3 12; Renee Lewis 1 0-0 2; Teagan Finney 2 3-3 9; TOTALS 9 7-9 27.
Central Bucks East (43) – Haley Moran 5 3-4 14; Natalie Berndt 3 0-0 8; Payton Williams 4 5-6 13; Jess Lockwood 3 0-0 8; Hailey Helmstetter 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 15 8-12 43.
3-point goals: SF – Teagan Finney 2; CBE – Natalie Berndt 2, Jess Lockwood 2, Haley Moran.
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