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Norristown 40, Bensalem 36
The Eagles rallied from a 12-2 deficit at the end of one quarter to trail by just two at the intermission (18-16). They scored the first basket of the second half to knot the score, and after exchanging baskets, the Eagles took the lead for good to earn the win.
“I think it was just nerves,” coach Ashlee Harrison said of her team’s slow start. “It was our first home game. We have girls that are young, and they were excited and anxious.
“They fell behind, but they were very determined. They were relentless. They didn’t give up, and that’s what actually kept their confidence – they realized they could come back to be down by only two at halftime. They scored the first basket in the third quarter in transition, and they kept the momentum going.”
Juniors Nicole Graham and Stephanie DiNolfi each scored 12 points to lead the Eagles. Sophomore forward Sydney Morse also turned in a solid outing, contributing seven points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.
Cheltenham 61, Abington Heights 40
Junior Ciara ‘CC’ Andrews exploded for 18 first-half points and finished with a game-high 30 points in a dazzling performance to lead the Lady Panthers.
“I’m constantly telling her that she’s our go-to player, and she has to step up and really make a mark and take control – be aggressive and want the ball on offense,” coach Bob Schaefer said. “Quite honestly, she hasn’t been doing it up until now, but tonight she just stepped right up.
“She had 10 points in the first quarter, another eight in the second and just went on. It was something. It really was.”
Andrews, according to Schaefer, had plenty of support.
“Tiffany Johnson controlled the ball real nicely,” the Lady Panthers’ coach said of his West Chester-bound senior point guard. “Austen Hamler and Christina Coleman did a pretty nice job inside controlling the boards, and Shayla Peoples – our third guard – had a nice all-around game.”
Johnson had 10 points, Peoples contributed nine points, Hamler added eight and Coleman chipped in with six.
“Our substitutes – Artavia Sheffield at guard and Jiana Clark at forward – also did a nice job,” Schaefer said. “Ming Seawright and Samira Gray got in and contributed. We were just happy that we got off to a good start.
“We wanted to control the loose balls, and we did that. We were just very effective shooting for a change.”
In a preview of things to come, the Lady Panthers led 19-5 at the end of one quarter and stretched that lead to 34-13 by halftime. Abington Heights had only four field goals in the first half.
“We were delighted tonight,” Schaefer said. “We hadn’t been practicing like this, and we didn’t scrimmage like this.
“Abington Heights wasn’t a real strong team – they’re normally stronger than what they were, and they were inexperienced too. Our kids - right from beginning - came out and played tough, and they just couldn’t get in it. We didn’t miss, and they couldn’t buy a basket.”
The Lady Panthers will face Spring-Ford in Saturday’s title game. The Rams won in a 50-22 rout over Hazleton in Friday’s opening round.
North Penn 40, Methacton 26
Junior Steph Knauer was unstoppable in the paint, contributing 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Maidens to the no-doubt-about-it win in a tournament that has not been especially kind to the Maidens.
“We never start out good here, we never really win – this was our bad luck tournament,” Knauer said. “Finally, we can pull out a win, and we’re glad it was against them too.”
The win was the first in four tries in season openers for coach Maggie deMarteleire since taking over the helm at North Penn.
“I thought we played really good halfcourt defense, and I think our interior passing against the zone was very good,” the Maidens’ coach said. “I was very pleased with our overall performance.
“I thought the younger kids came off the bench and, for the first time out, did okay, and they’ll just get better. The better they get, the better we will be because we have a very solid (starting) five. We need to get a little depth.”
Sophomore Lauren Crisler added eight points – six in the second quarter – while Meg Gallgher contributed three points, five rebounds and five assists.
“I thought Meg (Gallagher) and Steph Knauer worked well together,” deMarteleire said. “There were a lot of really good passes. Emily Hagan had a really good pass inside. Steph has really good hands, and if you get the ball in her general vicinity, she will usually come down with it.”
The Maidens took care of business in a hurry in Friday’s win, taking a 3-0 lead when Emily Hagan buried a trey on the Maidens’ first possession of the game and never looking back. They led 10-2 at the end of one quarter and by halftime found themselves on top 22-4.
When it was over, Knauer acknowledged the significance of Hagan hitting an outside shot to open the game.
“Emily Hagan is a real good player,” Knauer said. “She was real nervous before the game, and then she got that three-point shot, which really helped us because we’re really not a three-point shooting team. For us to start out that way was really important.”
The Maidens will face Downingtown West in Saturday’s title game at 4:30 p.m. The Whippets defeated Council Rock South 35-27 on Friday night.
Harry S. Truman 47, Bristol 45
Elisha Dupree scored 13 points while teammate Nieyana Brooks added 10 points and Shannon McDuffy, eight points for the Tigers, who will face Conwell Egan in Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. title game of the Bristol Tournament.
In the boys’ title game that will follow at 5:15 p.m., the Tigers also will face Conwell Egan in what promises to be a spirited double header. Truman routed Morristown 72-46 in boys’ action.
Central Bucks East 41, Plymouth Whitemarsh 27
The Patriots jumped out to a 13-4 lead at the end of one quarter and led 20-9 at the half on their way to the convincing win. Courtney McManus and Lindsey Kelly led a balanced East attack with eight points each. McManus buried a pair of treys in the first quarter. Kelly had all eight of her points in the second half. PW's Alyssa Butcher had game scoring honors with 12 points, eight in the second half.
Abington 47, Wissahickon 18
Aiyannah Peal scored 16 points while Chynna West added seven points in a contest that saw the defending district champion Ghosts open up an early lead and never look back in their win over an inexperienced Trojan squad.
Neshaminy 43, Villa Joseph Marie 32
The Redskins – sparked by the 19-rebound effort of Shannon Barlow under the boards – won the battle between the neighboring rivals.
Downingtown West 35, Council Rock South 27
The Golden Hawks suffered through a forgettable shooting half, falling behind 26-10 by the intermission in Friday’s opening round game of the Methacton Tip-Off Tournament. The Hawks made things interesting the second half before falling by eight. Alex Wheatley accounted for 16 of Rock South’s points.
Haverford 62, Pennsbury 53
The Falcons scored enough points to win on most nights but could not contain the Fords in Friday’s opening round game of the Haverford Tip-Off Tournament. Jae Jackson led the Falcons with 14 points and nine rebounds while Sajanna Bethea added 13 points.
Lansdale Catholic 64, Hatboro-Horsham 54
Alicia Hayes scored 16 points for the Hatters, but it wasn’t enough as LC earned the win in Friday night’s opening round of the Hatters’ Tip-Off Tournament. Shea Wassel scored 17 points to lead the Crusaders, who also received 16 points from Kate Greenhalgh and 13 points from Mary Kate Brokans.
Christopher Dock 39, Pennridge 27
The Rams fell behind 14-3 at the end of one quarter but rallied to make it a 19-11 game at halftime before falling by 12. Alyssa Marchunsky scored seven points to lead the Rams while Bria Randell added five points.
Central Bucks South 66, Penn Wood 28
Maura Kane scored a team-high 14 points, connecting for 12 of them in the second quarter. Tyler Vitelli had 11 points and was a catalyst on defense. Shannon Senour added 10 points, five steals and five assists while Brittany Kaewell contributed six points, five assists and four steals. Kate McMenamin added 10 points and eight rebounds.
"Overall, it was a true team effort," said coach Beth Mattern, who did not play anyone for more than half of the game.
The Titans shot 50 percent from the field.
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