Wheatley reaches historic milestone
Alex Wheatley’s father gave her an unusual goal heading into Friday night’s showdown against Council Rock North.
“My dad said before the game, ‘There are 16 days left in the (regular) season, try to get 16 points tonight,” the Council Rock South junior recalled. “Usually he tells me to get 20, so I was like, ‘Okay, 16 points - I’ll try and do that.’”
Wheatley, who was averaging close to 19 points a game during a dazzling season, happily obliged, and she got the surprise of her life when – with 1:07 remaining in the third quarter – she effortlessly converted a left-handed drive into a bucket for her 16th and 17th points of the night only to have the horn sound and play halted.
“I had no idea,” Wheatley said. “I was like, ‘Why are they calling a timeout?’”
It was only after hearing the public address announcer say that she had just reached the 1,000-point milestone that Wheatley finally understood. Her surprise was genuine as she was mobbed by ecstatic teammates and accepted flowers, balloons and the prized game ball.
Wheatley – who was unstoppable - went on to score 15 more points in the final nine minutes of Rock South’s 53-40 upset win over previously undefeated Rock North. With Rock North center Emily Grundman battling foul trouble, Wheatley spent the evening breaking down one Indian defender after another with left-handed drives to the hole that looked effortless. She even buried a foul line jumper off the dribble, and on this night, everything Wheatley touched turned to gold.
She finished the game with 31 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Talk to her coach, and it’s clear that Wheatley has no interest in personal accomplishments.
“We played (Archbishop) Ryan, and she got MVP of that game,” coach Monica Stolic said. “She got a big trophy, and she says, ‘This is not mine. This is the team’s.’
“You don’t really get a kid like that who comes along and is ‘team first.’ She set that milestone (Friday night) and played brilliantly, but I think she was happier that we beat North than about her own accomplishment. That’s a special type of kid. If you ever get a kid like that, you have to treasure it. That’s the type of kid she is.”
Stolic took over the helm of a struggling Rock South program two years ago. Wheatley came on board as a freshman that same year. The Golden Hawks’ coach knew she’d inherited a treasure.
“She started every game since she walked in the door,” Stolic said. “Lou (Palkovics) and I go way back, and he was the one that talked me into going to Council Rock South.
“He said to me, ‘You’re going to have a stud coming in.’ He was right.”
Wheatley is the first player in Rock South history to reach the 1,000-point plateau, and she already is the school’s all-time leading rebounder and closing in on the 1,000-rebound mark as well.
So far, it’s been quite a career for Wheatley, and it’s a long way from over.
Saturday, Feb. 5, 2010
Koenig puts name in record books…again
Junior Cassidy Koenig shattered the mark for career three-pointers at Upper Merion several weeks ago. In Saturday night’s 42-35 non-league win over Harry S. Truman, the junior sharpshooter was back at it again, burying nine three-pointers to establish a new school mark in that category as well.
“What was amazing – she made 9-for-15,” coach Tom Schurtz said. “That was what was really remarkable.
“She did not make another shot from the field. She only made three’s, but when you’re shooting that well, why not keep shooting?”
Koenig finished the game with 29 points, which included a pair of foul shots near the end of the game.
“Truman plays really hard,” Schurtz said. “They really battled around the rim. A lot of the girls were really spent from last night. We had a really tough night shooting the ball other than Cassidy, and she really bailed us out tonight.
“She had one of those games. It was a pretty special night.”
Koenig broke Kate Brobson’s record of eight three-pointers that was established in the 2002-03 season. It was Brobson’s record of 54 three’s in a season that Koenig also shattered. She now has 77 three’s this season.
“I have coached her for a long time, and she’s just stone cold,” Schurtz said. “She wants to make the shot. She wants to take the big shot.
“There were a couple of times when Truman made a run, and she would make another shot and put the lead back to eight. You could just see when the game’s on the line she wants to take a shot. She had a really nice day shooting the ball.”
Cheltenham 67, Methacton 44
Ciara ‘CC’ Andrews, showing no ill effects from last week’s sprained ankle, exploded for 32 points - 13 in a dazzling second quarter that saw the Lady Panthers outscore the Warriors 23-7 to go into halftime with a 40-20 lead. Andrews accounted for 22 of those points.
Senior Austen Hamler also had a big game, adding 17 points.
Souderton 56, Pennridge 31
Carley Kendall sat out the second quarter after picking up her second foul with just seconds remaining in the first quarter. The Souderton junior still had time to score a game-high 17 points.
“Carley Kendall killed us down low,” Pennridge coach Dave Martin said. “She’s a very tough player. When she wasn’t in, they had Libby Wetzler. They were the twin towers.
“We don’t have the twin towers.”
Gabby McAndrews added 10 points, which included a pair of treys, and Libby Wetzler and Bianca Picard each added nine points.
“That’s the best I have seen them play,” Martin said of the Indians. “They’re playing really well.
“Our defense hung with them, but it’s the same thing all year – it’s our offense. Our offense has been a struggle, and we can’t practice. We haven’t had practice in two weeks.”
On the other side of the court, Souderton coach Lynn Carroll tipped her hat to the Rams for their effort.
“They play so hard, no matter what,” she said. “No matter what the score is, no matter who they’re playing, they’re so scrappy, and they work really hard. It always impresses me when I see them.”
The difference in the game was the Indians’ ability to make shots while the Rams did not. The Indians, sparked by five points from Kendall, led 15-7 at the end of one quarter. The Rams trimmed the Indians’ lead to two (16-14) after Jen Cooley turned a steal on the defensive end into a bucket.
Despite the absence of Kendall in the second quarter, the Indians outscored the Rams 12-11 to go into halftime with a 27-18 lead.
“We’re really working the ball around which gives everybody an opportunity to score,” said McAndews, who had seven first-half points. “We’re very unselfish.”
The pesky Rams pulled to within five after a Jordan Rimmer bucket to open the third quarter, but the Indians stretched their lead to 39-28 by the end of the quarter. They led 43-28 after a foul line jumper by Erin Reagan, and the Rams would get no closer the rest of the way.
“I think they have a lot of heart,” Souderton senior Nicole Perna said of the Rams. “You wouldn’t know what the score was if you saw the game because they’re always working, no matter how much they’re down by.”
Despite her team’s strong offensive showing, Carroll acknowledged that the snow days have taken away valuable practice time from her young squad.
“The limited number of practices we have had shows up on the defensive end,” she said. “With such a young team and everything we talked about in December – you need review, and it’s showing up a little bit, but offensively, we’re continuing to improve. It’s a confidence thing also.”
Molly McGuire and Alyssa Marchunsky each scored six points to lead the Rams.
Upper Dublin 70, Chester 50
Taylor Bryant scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Flying Cardinals while teammate Curtrena Goff added 17 points.
“That was huge for Taylor,” coach Vince Catanzaro said. “One of the keys is (Goff) is always looking to get the kids the ball. She’s just doing so many more things out there than you can imagine.
“Taylor can break her player down, and her game is just really coming on because she’s just figuring out how good she can be. Twenty-six points is an awesome game for Taylor.”
The Flying Cardinals got off to a decidedly shaky start, turning the ball over on their first seven possessions of the game.
“It was unusual to see,” Catanzaro said. “The kids were rushing through everything. They weren’t under control.
“Once they got under control, they did a very good job of moving the ball. (Goff) was just unbelievable, and Taylor had a significant game.”
Despite their slow start, the Flying Cardinals led 11-6 at the end of one quarter and upped that lead to 33-23 by halftime.
“They have two guards on their team that are very good – they have skill, but they’re out of control,” Catanzaro said. “In the long run, when we got going, we played very solid.
“They scored 50 points, but they can’t stop anyone from scoring.”
Quakertown 40, Faith Christian 23
Lauren Starzecky scored 16 points and teammate Kathryne Vetter added 10 as the Panthers earned a 40-23 non-league win on Saturday.
Friday, Feb. 4, 2010
National Conference
Neshaminy 32, William Tennent 26
The Redskins turned up their defensive pressure in the second half, limited the visiting Panthers to just four points. Megan Schaefer – who had five steals – led the defensive charge as the Redskins, who trailed 22-16 at the intermission, outscored the Panthers 16-4 in the second half, this despite a third quarter that saw the Redskins manage just two points as well.
Schaefer and Lori Paulits led the Redskins with eight points each. Alison Malatesta led the Panthers with nine points.
Abington 46, Bensalem 39
The Owls battled the Ghosts to an 11-11 tie after one quarter, but the Ghosts took a 22-18 lead into halftime and then outscored the Owls 27-18 in the second half.
Aiyannah Peal led all scorers with 14 points while Jamie Schectman and Jessica Schmidt both added eight points. Sarah Listenbee had eight points. Maxine Dixon led the Owls with eight points.
Pennsbury 56, Harry S. Truman 27
Sajanna Bethea and Kaitlin Kelly both scored 16 points to lead the Falcons to the win. For the Tigers, Shannon McDuffie, Elisha Dupree and Khristaijan Jackson each had eight points.
The Falcons sprinted to a 19-6 lead at the end of one quarter and extended that lead to 37-11 by halftime on their way to the big win.
Continental Conference
Central Bucks East 45, Central Bucks South 34
Senior co-captains Melissa Remmey and Courtney McManus had big nights for the Patriots. Remmey led all scorers with 17 points while McManus added 10. For the Titans, Shannon Senour led the way with 12 points while Brittany Kaewell added nine.
The Patriots, who led 36-31 at the end of three quarters, blew open a close game with an 11-3 fourth quarter.
Central Bucks West 58, Hatboro-Horsham 44
Jen Fabian turned in a monster 28-point effort to lead the Bucks to the big win. For the Hatters, Alicia Hayes and Becca Purtell both contributed 12 points.
The Bucks led 17-13 at the end of one quarter but then outscored the Hatters 29-11 over the middle two quarters to seize control of the game.
North Penn 55, Quakertown 34
Freshman Vicky Tumasz scored 14 points while Steph Knauer added 11 and Jen Halcovage chipped in with eight to lead the Maidens. Senior Lauren Starzecky led the Panthers with 21 points.
The Maidens took control of this one early, opening up a 13-4 lead at the end of one quarter and stretching that lead to 33-7 by halftime.
American Conference
Upper Merion 30, Wissahickon 26
The Vikings scored just seven points in the first half – none in the second quarter – but still managed to find a way to win on a night that saw Upper Merion pay tribute to former player Jessica Moore, who was killed in a shooting at Seton Hall University in September of 2010.
“Wissahickon played a very controlled style, and they were dictating the tempo in the first half,” said Schurtz, whose team was trailing 14-7 at the intermission. “To make things more interesting, Cassidy Koenig picked up her fourth foul early in the third quarter, and she had to go to the bench.
“We were losing by seven at that point, and I didn’t know if there was any way we would pull it together because we were asking so many young players to do so much. We made a 10-0 run without Koenig on the floor and were led by players who hadn’t scored much this season. They rallied around each other.”
Koenig came into the game with five seconds left in the third quarter and buried a three-pointer that put the Vikings on top 20-18. The Vikings went on to earn the big win.
“Kristina O’Sullivan and M.J. Valeri sort of rallied the troops, and so did the play of Amanda McAteer,” Schurtz said. “She had a clutch steal and played solid defensively.
“Wissahickon has a very controlled offense, and Casey Bill is a prototypical point guard – she’s impossible to turn over. They’ll grind the clock for a minute or a minute and 30 seconds on offense.
“The team really had to find a way to step up, and they did.”
O’Sullivan led the Vikings with 10 points while Koenig added eight and Valeri, six points. Rachel Stone led the Trojans with seven points.
Cheltenham 70, Norristown 26
Three players scored in double figures for the streaking Lady Panthers. Ciara ‘CC’ Andrews led the way with 16 points, including eight in the third quarter. Christina Coleman added 15 while Austen Hamler had 14, seven in a first quarter that saw the Lady Panthers open up a 19-12 lead.
By halftime, Cheltenham led 36-18, and the Lady Panthers outscored the Eagles 34-8 in the second half.
Upper Dublin 62, Upper Moreland 33
Sarah Hallowell scored a game-high 16 points, and Taylor Bryant had 13 while Megan Deetscreek added 12 points for the Flying Cardinals. Erin Dixon led the Golden Bears with 11 points.
Upper Dublin led 10-4 at the end of one quarter and took a 29-17 lead into halftime before outscoring the Golden Bears 20-10 in the third quarter.
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