Council Rock North 55, Sanford (Del.) 40
The Indians notched one of their most impressive wins of the season in Saturday’s Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic at Philadelphia University, downing a Sanford squad that was ranked second in the State of Delaware in the latest rankings.
“This team just had everything,” coach Lou Palkovics said. “They had three legit three-point shooters to take it to the basket, and they also had a big kid.
“This is probably the best all-around team we have played, and this was probably the best all-around game we’ve played.”
Two of Sanford’s guards have already committed to Central Florida and Loyola, and although Sanford boasted a 6-3 player under the basket, Rock North’s Emily Grundman – who measures in at 6-2 – won that battle.
“Emily played really well,” Palkovics said. “Their fifth starter struggled, so we were able to drop off of her a lot and give some help in the post, but Emily played great.”
Grundman finished with 14 points. Only junior Lauren Gold – named the Indians’ MVP – scored more points, finishing with 15 to go along with four steals and three assists. Devin Gold added eight points and seven assists while Helena Gimmel had eight points, seven rebounds and six steals. Alyssa Dumont contributed 10 points off the bench.
“We started off really struggling on offense,” said Palkovics. “We actually brought Alyssa Dumont off the bench, and she scored 10 of our next 12 points and really kind of gave us a lift off the bench.
“We had nice balanced scoring. The kids played really well as a team. I wasn’t happy with the way we played last night (in a 57-38 win over Bensalem). We played more as individuals and not as a cohesive group. I kind of really lit them up after the game last night. They played a lot better today.”
The Indians led 30-19 at halftime and never looked back.
“We usually don’t do this, but their three guards were very good, and they were all good shooters, so we went to a two-three zone, and it gave them a lot of problems,” Palkovics said.
The Indians – who will host Neshaminy on Tuesday night – upped their record to a perfect 10-0.
North Penn 57, Downingtown West 31
The Maidens, according to junior point guard Brenda McDermott, learned a lesson that has served them well in last week’s 36-32 loss to Central Bucks South.
“From our CB South game, we saw how effective they were pressuring us with their up in our face, intense defense,” North Penn’s junior point guard said. “We thought – if they can do it, we can do it.
“In practice, we foul and hack the crap out of each other just so we can work on our ball handling just to make sure we’re ready for it in the game.”
The Maidens took a 23-13 into halftime and then dominated play in a second half that saw them outscore the Whippets 34-18.
“This is the third game in a row we’ve scored more than 50 points, so I’m really happy about that – I don’t think we’ve ever done that before since I’ve been here,” coach Maggie deMarteleire said of her team’s three big wins since their loss to South. “I think it has to do with the girls picking up the tempo a little bit on offense, being very unselfish with the ball and attacking the basket.
“Brenda (McDermott) has picked up the defensive intensity and set the tone, and offensively, Lauren Crisler has picked it up and is attacking the basket and setting the tone on offense. Steph (Knauer) is doing her normal things under the basket.”
Those ‘normal things’ resulted in a dazzling 21-point, 11-rebound effort for Knauer. Crisler followed with 12 points and admits she is looking to go strong to the hole.
“I’m just looking to attack the basket a lot more,” Crisler said. “The coaches have really been stressing that because attacking the basket creates a lot of offensive boards, and the rebounds are usually easier to get.
“It’s just a mindset you have to have. You have to be aggressive all the time – wanting to get to the hole and scoring.”
The Maidens’ big win featured plenty of strong passing sequences, especially in the second half, and the Whippets – who were without standout Brittany Sicinski (death in the family) – struggled to find any kind of offensive rhythm against the Maidens’ stifling defensive pressure.
In the Maidens’ early season 43-35 win over the Whippets, Sicinski scored a game-high 23 points – 16 in the first half.
“I felt really bad that their best player wasn’t here,” deMarteleire said. “I give them credit. They were undermanned.
“I thought Downingtown West played harder than us in the first half, but I thought we fixed that in the second half.”
The Maidens had just eight turnovers in the game.
“If you look back at all the games we lost, we have had (a lot of turnovers) – we just couldn’t get the ball up the floor, and we couldn’t run our offense because we were turning the ball over so much,” said McDermott, who had just one turnover in a superb effort. “Today we scored over 50 points, and that proves that less turnovers equals more points.”
As a result of the win, North Penn improved to 7-4 on the season.
Engineering & Sciences 54, Abington 53
The Ghosts lost a heartbreaker in Saturday’s Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic at Philadelphia University when DePaul-bound guard Brittany Hrynko drove the length of the court and dished off to freshman Monique Whaley-Briggs for a layup at the buzzer.
With seven seconds remaining, Abington senior Chynna West sank a pair of shots from the foul line to put the Ghosts on top 53-52, setting the stage for the buzzer-beater by Whaley-Briggs.
“We were doing really well – we were dominating,” said coach Dan Marsh, whose team led 23-9 midway through the second quarter. “We were doing what we wanted to do. We were being patient, picking apart their press. We got into some foul trouble, and we got tired.
“(Hrynko) is phenomenal. She’s so good, and she really just brought them back. She was penetrating and dishing. She was doing it all.”
Hrynko led all scorers with 27 points, and according to Marsh, also handed out double-digit assists. Despite Hrynko’s dominance, the Ghosts still took a 30-23 lead into halftime. The led 40-38 heading into the final quarter, but it wasn’t long before they found themselves trailing by five.
“It was a packed house, and it was a real exciting game,” Marsh said. “It became an up and down game, which played to their strength, but with Aiyannah (Peal) and Chynna, we were able to hang in there going up and down the court with them.
“I really didn’t want to do it, but because they got the lead, (Hrynko) just stood at halfcourt, and we had to go out on her. She’s so good – she’ll go right by you and dish to her teammate.”
The Ghosts took a one-point lead on a Jess Schmidt layup with 20 seconds to go. Engineering & Sciences came back to take the lead with 11 seconds remaining, setting the stage for West to bury a pair of foul shots and the buzzer beater.
“Brittany dribbled through three of us, and then it was a three-on two,” Marsh said of the sequence that doomed the Ghosts. “She dished it off to a freshman who made a layup with no time left to win it. She’s an unbelievable player.
“I’d seen her play before, but she wasn’t that interested. She was interested today. She knows Chynna, she knows Aiyannah. There was a big crowd, and all the scouts were there. (Hrynko) put on a show, no doubt about it, but we played well. Everybody was highly entertained.”
West and Peal both finished with 14 points. Peal also had 10 boards. Schmidt – named the Ghosts’ MVP - added 10 points.
“We got tired and turned it over too much,” Marsh said. “William Tennent really wore us down last night.”
The Ghosts connected on just 21-of-34 from the foul line.
“That killed us,” Marsh said. “I tell them all the time – if you don’t make free throws, it will come back and bite you. It did today.”
The Ghosts boast an 8-4 record overall.
“With the type of competition we’re playing, I really think it will benefit us come playoff time,” Marsh said. “I don’t care where we’re seeded. If we’re 16th or 17th or fourth or fifth, we’re going to be a tough team to beat. We have been through the wars already, and we’re only halfway through the season.”
Central Bucks East 41, Methacton 18
Sparked by the 16-point effort of Melissa Remmey – who was a near-perfect 12-of-14 from the foul line, the Patriots rolled to a convincing win over the Warriors. Courtney McManus added 10 points, which included three three-pointers.
The Patriots led 12-10 at the end of one quarter and then held the Warriors off the scoreboard in the second quarter, taking a 16-10 lead into halftime. The Patriots went on a 14-4 run in the third quarter and outscored the Warriors 11-4 in the final quarter.
All-told, the Patriots (9-2) connected on 20-of-27 from the foul line. The Warriors were just one-of-six.
Archbishop Ryan 44, Council Rock South 33
Alex Wheatley was once again unstoppable, scoring 23 points and pulling down 12 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as Ryan earned the win in Saturday's Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic at Philadelphia University.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 52, Bensalem 35
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