Eleven SOL teams will be competing in the District One Class AAAA Tournament. Check out the brief capsule previews of the SOL teams in action.
#32 Plymouth Whitemarsh at #1 Cheltenham, Friday, 6 p.m.
Cheltenham
- 21-1 overall, 12-0 SOL
- American Conference champions – 24th conference title in 26 years
- Highlights of the season included a 60-46 win over third-seeded Spring-Ford in the opening game of the season en route to the title of the Hazleton Tournament, a pair of wins over sixth-seeded Upper Dublin (51-41, 50-48) as well as wins over fourth-seeded Downingtown West (49-36), 13th-seeded Abington (71-61) and Notre Dame (71-63).
- The Lady Panthers only loss came at the hands of North Penn (56-43)
- Defeated PW twice during the league season (53-44, 58-42)
Players to watch: Ciara ‘CC’ Andrews is averaging 21.7 points and five steals a game; Christina Coleman, who is an outstanding rebounder and very quick to the ball, is averaging 12.6 points a game and 9 rebounds.
Coach Bob Schaefer says: “We’ve played PW twice and will try to play a steady game and control the boards. They are a strong rebounding team with a very good outside shooter. We’ll have to keep them off the boards and be sure to cover their scorers. We’ll be looking to have some outside scoring.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh
- 9-13 overall, 4-8 SOL
- Highlight of the season was a 56-44 win over eighth-seeded Methacton.
- Second consecutive trip to the district playoffs under coach Becky Duffy after a six-year absence from the postseason tournament.
Players to watch: Erin Martin (9.7 PPG), Gabby Schumacher (8.4 PPG)
Coach Becky Duffy says: “Our goal is to go to Cheltenham and play a tough game and execute our game plan. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to play in the postseason and are looking forward to it.”
#31 Interboro at #2 Council Rock South, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Council Rock South
- 22-0 overall, 14-0 SOL
- Captured first SOL National Conference title in school history
- Highlights of the season included a 56-43 win over fourth-seeded Downingtown West in the title game of the Methacton Tournament, a pair of wins over #13 Abington (36-31, 63-32), a 49-34 win over 15th-seeded Central Bucks West and a 44-39 win over New Jersey power Red Bank Catholic.
Players to watch: Alex Wheatley, who surpassed the 1,000-rebound mark this season after surpassing the 1,000-point plateau as a junior, averages 17.8 points a game. Alexis Hofstaedter, the team’s playmaker at point guard, averages 9.3 points a game. Taylor Dillon, Cait Jackson, Courtney Brown
Coach Monica Stolic says: “I think our schedule and league play has us ready for a run in districts. We like having home court advantage.”
Interboro
- 12-8 overall, 3-4 Delaware Valley League
- Highlight of the season was a 57-49 win over Harriton to capture the title in its own tournament
- Won three of four games to close out the regular season
Players to watch: Senior point guard Nicole Hallinan directs the offense. Junior forward Olivia Encarnacion and sophomore forward Stacie Hallinan are two of the team’s top offensive weapons.
#27 Sun Valley at #6 Upper Dublin, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Upper Dublin
- 18-4 overall, 10-2 SOL
- Finished second to Cheltenham in SOL American Conference standings
- Highlights of the season include capturing the championship of the Upper Darby Tournament as well as non-league wins over eighth-seeded Methacton (54-42) and 24th-seeded Council Rock North (43-25).
- Flying Cardinals take a seven-game winning streak into districts
Players to watch: Senior Taylor Bryant, who averages 16.4 points a game, and junior Curtrena Goff (9.0 PPG) combine to form a dangerous backcourt.
Coach Vince Catanzaro says: “The girls are very excited. We have practice at 10 o’clock tomorrow morning, and they’re raring and ready to go. Some of them will be going to the game with me to see Haverford on Friday since that could be the team we face in our next game. The kids are thriving on this. They know what it felt like to get into states last year, and they definitely want to get back. I was fortunate enough to go and watch Sun Valley play Great Valley, and now we’re playing Sun Valley. It’s a very winnable game for us. We just have to go out and do the job.”
Sun Valley
- 14-8 overall, 7-5 Ches-Mont League American Conference
- Won eight of nine games to open season but then won only five of 12 to close out the season
- Highlight of the season was a 49-37 non-league win over 31st-seeded Interboro
Players to watch: Gia DeAngelo and Alie Alkins are the Vanguards’ top guns.
#24 Council Rock North at #9 North Penn, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
North Penn
- 17-5 overall, 11-3 SOL
- Finished second to Central Bucks East in the Continental Conference standings
- Handed top-seeded Cheltenham its only loss of the season (56-43)
- Highlights included wins over 12th-seeded Central Bucks East (37-21), 15th-seeded Central Bucks West (53-44) and 19th-seeded Central Bucks South (32-23).
- The Maidens won 11 of 12 games to close out the season and take a five-game winning streak into the playoffs
- Defeated Council Rock North 50-32 during the regular season.
Players to watch: Senior Brenda McDermott directs a Maiden offense that is led by senior Steph Knauer (11.4 PPG) and junior Lauren Crisler (13.3 PPG).
Council Rock North
- 12-10 overall, 9-5 SOL
- Finished third in SOL National Conference behind CR South and Abington
- Highlights included a pair of wins over both 26th-seeded Pennsbury (44-32, 36-29) and 29th-seeded William Tennent (51-35, 40-30) as well as a 51-41 non-league win over Sanford (Del.).
Players to watch: Emily Grundman (14.4 PPG), Alyssa Dumont (8.1), Helena Gemmell (7.5 PPG)
Coach Liz Potash says: “We are looking to have a better showing this time around with North Penn. They are a very good team, and we’d like to believe that our tough regular season schedule prepared us for this part of the season.”
#21 Conestoga at #12 Central Bucks East, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Central Bucks East
- 17-5 overall, 13-1 SOL
- Captured the SOL Continental Conference championship
- Highlights of the season included a win over ninth-seeded North Penn (32-24) as well as two wins over both 15th-seeded Central Bucks West (36-34, 51-43) and 19th-seeded Central Bucks South (38-34, 47-26)
- Enter the postseason with a seven-game winning streak
Players to watch: Seniors Lindsey Kelly (14.3 PPG), Lexi Scrivano (7.4 PPG), Shannon Devlin, Sophomores Margaret Ann Hubbell and Karoline White
Coach Tom Lonergan says: “The first round game is always the hardest – getting over that hump is always a difficult hurdle. Conestoga is a good team. They have a nice post inside and a very good point guard on the wing. We hope we can play the kind of defense we have played throughout the season and not only win the first round but also make a deep run in this year’s playoffs.”
Conestoga
- 12-10 overall, 10-6 Central League
- Highlights of the season included a pair of wins over 11th-seeded Haverford (53-50, 35-29) as well as wins over 18th-seeded Garnet Valley (38-32), 25th-seeded Ridley (28-37), 28th-seeded Radnor (41-30) as well as an Upper Merion squad that is the fourth-seeded Class AAA team (47-33).
- The Fords lost three of their last four games
Players to watch: Maddie Tessier-Kay and Ali Grundy lead a balanced Pioneer attack
#20 Bayard Rustin at #13 Abington, Friday, 6 p.m.
Abington
- 16-6 overall, 12-2 SOL
- Finished second to Council Rock South in the SOL National Conference standings
- Highlights of the season included a 31-21 win over 10th-seeded Lower Merion and a 52-43 win over 15th-seeded Central Bucks West. The Ghosts also swept 24th-seeded Council Rock North (38-31, 43-40), 26th-seeded Pennsbury (39-25, 56-46) and 29th-seeded William Tennent (44-32, 37-31).
- The Ghosts have won five of six games to close out the regular season
Players to watch: The Ghosts, who will be without sophomore center Michael Harris (knee injury), will be led by Aiyannah Peal (15.2 PPG), Deja Rawls (9.6 PPG), Sarah Listenbee (8.3 PPG)
Bayard Rustin
- 15-7 overall, 9-3 Ches-Mont League
- Highlights of the season included a 37-33 win over 18th-seeded Garnet Valley and a 50-27 win over 27th-seeded Sun Valley (50-27).
- Rustin dropped its last two games of the season after winning seven in a row and 12 of 13 games.
Players to watch: Rustin’s big guns are Adaja Franklin and Noelle Powell
#18 Garnet Valley at #15 Central Bucks West, Friday, 6 p.m.
Central Bucks West
- 16-6 overall, 10-4 SOL
- Finished third in the SOL Continental Conference standings behind CB East and North Penn
- Highlights of the season included a pair of wins over 19th-seeded Central Bucks South (50-27, 46-45) as well as a win over 26th-seeded Pennsbury (48-38)
- The Bucks won eight of nine games to close out the regular season.
Players to watch: Seniors Jen Fabian (12.4 PPG), Sam Colloi and Amanda Parker, juniors Maggie Gratz and Calypso Carter, freshman Nicole Munger (8.4 PPG)
Coach Terry Rakowsky says: “If we do things the right way and execute on both sides of the floor, we will get the results we want. The atmosphere is going to be great with the girls/boys doubleheader. The girls are really looking forward to it.”
Garnet Valley
- 12-10 overall, 10-6 Central League
- Highlights of the season included a pair of wins over 25th-seeded Ridley (46-36, 59-40) as well as important wins over seventh-seeded Upper Darby (48-34) and #11th-seeded Central Bucks East in the season opener for both teams. The Jaguars also have wins over 21st-seeded Conestoga (37-29) and 28th-seeded Radnor (60-42).
Players to watch: Junior guard Coley Ricci and senior forward Missy Koscinski are the team’s most dangerous offensive weapons.
#19 Central Bucks South at #14 Great Valley, Friday, 6 p.m.
Central Bucks South
- 14-8 overall, 9-5 SOL
- Finished fourth in the SOL Continental Conference standings
- Highlights included a 44-41 win over ninth-seeded North Penn as well as wins over 13th-seeded Abington (46-41) and 21st-seeded Conestoga (41-29). The Titans also notched an impressive 49-47 win at the buzzer over Notre Dame Academy
- CB South captured the Springfield Tournament title for the first time.
- The Titans won nine of 11 games to open their season.
Players to watch: Alysha Lofton (8.8 PPG), Madi Vitelli, Kate McMenamin, Tori Steinberg, Shannon Senour
Coach Beth Mattern says: “Our first round match-up with Great Valley is interesting. For once it is a team that we are just as big as, if not bigger than. I find it an interesting match-up because they can score points, and Great Valley has won a good amount of games. We are looking to play disciplined basketball with a strong defensive presence and hope to move on to the second round.”
Great Valley
- 16-5 overall, 11-1 Ches-Mont League
- Ches-Mont American Conference champions
- Highlights include a pair of wins over 20th-seeded Bayard Rustin (41-31, 44-39) and 27th-seeded Sun Valley (41-25, 52-36) as well as a 38-36 win over 21st-seeded Conestoga.
Players to watch: Danielle DiSanto, Karen Davison, Danielle Strang, Kelly Sugalski
#26 Pennsbury at #10 Lower Merion
Pennsbury
- 12-10 overall, 7-7 SOL
- The Falcons finished fourth in the SOL National Conference standings
- Highlights included a non-league win over Holy Spirit (47-40) as well as a pair of wins over 29th-seeded William Tennent (52-41, 44-41)
- The Falcons won seven of 10 games to close out the season after a 5-7 start.
Players to watch: Sajanna Bethea (14.4 PPG, 9.4 rebounds), Jae Jackson (8.1 PPG, 7.9 rebounds), Kaitlin Kelly (8.5 PPG – 40 three-pointers)
Coach Donna Nicholson says: “We are excited about earning a spot in the playoffs and are looking forward to competing and representing the National Conference in District One.”
Lower Merion
- 13-8 overall, 10-6 Central League
- The Aces have a pair of wins over seventh-seeded Upper Darby (34-32, 35-29), Highlights have included a pair of wins over 18th-seeded Garnet Valley (44-36, 41-29) as well as wins over 11th-seeded Haverford (46-37), 21st-seeded Conestoga (32-29) and 25th-seeded Ridley (40-39).
- The Aces have won three of their last four games but just four of their last eight.
Players to watch: Tessa Wade, Rosie Stahler, Jessie Porter
#29 William Tennent at #4 Downingtown West, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
William Tennent
- 12-9 overall, 5-9 SOL
- Finished fifth in the SOL National Conference
- Won seven of nine games to open the season
- A highlight of the season was capturing the title of the Quakertown Holiday Tournament
- Won six of seven games before dropping final two games of regular season
Players to watch: Emily O’Donnell (15.0), Allison Chatburn (8.9 PPG), Nikki Alden
Downingtown West
- 21-2 overall, 13-0 Ches-Mont
- Captured the Ches-Mont League title
- Closed out the regular season with a 17-game winning streak
- Highlights included wins over eighth-seeded Methacton (42-36) and ninth-seeded North Penn (45-29). The Whippets also notched three wins over 17th-seeded Downingtown East (55-20, 37-32, 43-36) as well as a pair of wins over 20th-seeded Bayard Rustin (59-36, 48-45).
Players to watch: The Whippets are led by high-scoring senior guard Brittany Sicinski. Kayla Feairheller is also capable of putting points on the board.
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