Eight SOL teams will be in action in Wednesday’s second round of the District One AAAA Tournament. One squad – Upper Merion – has a first round bye when District One AAA action begins on Wednesday but will see its first postseason action on Friday.
It was a good start for the SOL in last weekend’s opening round of the District One AAAA Tournament. Of the 16 teams remaining, eight are from the SOL. Only four of the league’s 12 teams in the tournament lost in the opening round, and two of those – Council Rock North and Plymouth Whitemarsh – played other SOL schools.
Central Bucks South, seeded 19th, pulled off one of just three opening round upsets, sending 14th-seeded Great Valley home for the season. Making that win especially impressive was the fact that the Titans rallied from a 10-point second half deficit to earn the win in front of a decidedly hostile crowd that packed the gym for the girls/boys doubleheader.
Also coming up big in the opening round were PAC-10 squads, which were a perfect 3-0 in the opening round. While third-seeded Spring-Ford and eighth-seeded Methacton rolled to big wins, Boyertown, the tournament’s 23rd seed, pulled off the stunner of the opening round when the Bears upset 10th-seeded Lower Merion 31-27 to give the PAC-10 a clean sweep.
Hardly unexpected was the fact that the Delaware Valley League squads were 0-2 with Chichester and Interboro making opening round exits. The Ches-Mont and Central Leagues didn’t fare a whole lot better with both leagues finishing the opening round with 2-5 records. Downingtown East pulled off a mild opening round upset, defeating 16th-seeded Avon Grove 40-29 in the 16-17 game. Mount St. Joseph Academy, the lone representative from the Catholic Academies League, picked up an opening round win.
Look for things to get real interesting on Wednesday with SOL schools involved in six of the eight second round games. Winners will earn automatic berths in the upcoming state tournament while the eight losing teams will battle it out for the ninth and final state berth.
#17 Downingtown East at #1 Cheltenham, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
This contest pits two of Pennsylvania’s most prolific coaches in Cheltenham’s Bob Schaefer and Downingtown East’s Bob Schnure. Schaefer picked up win number 752 of an unparalleled coaching career on Friday night while Schnure surpassed the 700-win mark in December of 2010. Between them, the two coaches boast close to 1500 wins, seven state titles and nine district crowns.
Cheltenham
- 22-1 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)
Last game: Cheltenham defeated American Conference foe Plymouth Whitemarsh 55-39. The Lady Panthers, who led just 10-8 at the end of one quarter, blew the game open with a 19-5 second-quarter outburst. Ciara ‘CC’ Andrews scored 16 of her game-high 23 points in the opening half. She also had eight rebounds and seven steals. Seniors Shayla Peoples and Jiana Clark each added 10 points.
Players to watch: Ciara ‘CC’ Andrews is averaging close to 22 points and five steals a game; Christina Coleman is averaging close to 13 points a game and 9 rebounds.
Coach Bob Schaefer says: “It’s never easy. We’re talking about one of the most successful coaches in state history (Schnure). I’ve seen them three times, and I think he’s seen us three or four times. We’ve seen each other enough that we could coach each other’s teams. I know that no matter what he has and no matter what we have it’s always going to be down to the wire, it’s going to be a very competitive game. It will be an interesting game to coach. I don’t care what they’re ranked or what we’re ranked. I know he’s the kind of coach and they’re the kind of kids that they could be spoilers. They could easily knock us off, and they could knock anybody else off.
“They play slow ball, and we’re the opposite, so the game will be a test of wills. A key for us will be to control the boards and to not allow them to hold the ball two or three minutes before they shoot. We need the game to be moving, and obviously, they want to slow the game down. If the game ends up being slow, then we’re going to have to shoot better than we normally do.”
Downingtown East
- 16-9 overall
- A highlight of the Cougars season was a 40-23 win over 15th-seeded Great Valley
Players to watch: Michelle Kolonauski, Noelle Alicea
Last game: The Cougars defeated 16th-seeded Avon Grove 40-29 in the opening round. Noelle Alicea led a balanced attack with 14 points while Michelle Kolonauski added 10 and Nikki Thompson, eight points.
#15 Central Bucks West at #2 Council Rock South, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
This contest is a rematch of a mid-January game that saw the Golden Hawks sprint to a 17-3 lead at the end of one quarter. They took a 33-10 lead into halftime and rolled to a 49-34 win.
Central Bucks West
- 17-6 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 have won nine of their last 10 games.
Players to watch: Seniors Jen Fabian (12.4 PPG), Sam Colloi and Amanda Parker, junior Maggie Gratz, freshmen Nicole Munger (8.4 PPG) and Mackenzie Carroll
Last game: The Bucks led 15-10 at the end of one quarter but blew the game wide open with a 22-13 second quarter surge on their way to the 80-48 win over Garnet Valley. Freshman Mackenzie Carroll scored a team-high 14 points while freshman point guard Nicole Munger added 12. Senior Jen Fabian (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Sam Colloi (11 points) also came up big.
Coach Terry Rakowsky says: “The last time we played (Council Rock South) we couldn’t buy a shot, and they hit their first six shots. Their bigs were hitting three’s, Alex Wheatley was hitting everything, which she does anyway, but the other kids were hitting all their shots, and we didn’t hit anything. We’ve been telling them the whole time to just execute. It doesn’t matter who, when, where we’re playing – if you just execute and do what you’re supposed to do, you win whether you win on the scoreboard or not. We have been trying to mantra that the whole time. There’s going to be emotion, but we’re trying to take the emotion out of that part and doing what they’re supposed to do. We were in this tournament last year, and I told them before the game on Friday that the way to beat pressure and stress is to work together as a team. Count on your teammates, lean on your teammates, talk to your teammates.”
Council Rock South
- 23-0 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.
Last game: The Golden Hawks – despite losing junior Caitlin Jackson – just moments into the game - dominated play in a 62-23 opening round win over Interboro. Alex Wheatley led the way with 17 points, 19 rebounds and five steals, but she had plenty of help as Courtney Brown contributed 16 points and Taylor Hunt, 13 points off the bench. Alexis Hofstaedter had five assists.
Coach Monica Stolic says: "We have an inside presence that people struggle to match (Alex Wheatley). Alex and Alexis (Hofstaedter) have played every game since they were freshmen. They're captains and leaders, plus the game is on our court. West didn't shoot well the last time we played them, and I don't expect that to happen again, but I thought our transition game was key the last time."
#11 Haverford at #6 Upper Dublin, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
The Flying Cardinals earned a berth to states last year, and they hope to duplicate that feat with a win over the Fords.
Upper Dublin
- 19-4 overall, 10-2 SOL
- Finished second to Cheltenham in SOL American Conference standings
- Highlights of the season included 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 boast an eight-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.
Last game: Upper Dublin took a 24-13 lead into halftime and blew the game wide open with a 26-6 third quarter on its way to a 56-30 win. Curtrena Goff led the way with 15 points while Lauren Rothfeld had nine points and Brianna Spector, eight points.
Coach Vince Catanzaro says: “I saw Haverford play, and they start all seniors except for one. They are an evenly tall team. I don’t think they have any six-footers, but there were a lot of 5-10 and 5-9 girls on the team. They have a senior (Jaclyn Gantz) who’s a very good shooter. They seem like they’ve been playing together a long time. We don’t take any team lightly. We always prepare well for these teams. We have to play our game every time we step out on the court. This team is a little bit bigger than we are, but we might have a little bit more skill on our team. I think it will be a good game. The girls know what it took to win to go to states last year. They’re very aware of it. They’re pretty psyched. I just hope they don’t go overboard and use a lot of energy thinking about it and not have any for the game. We’re looking forward to the game.”
Haverford
- 21-5 overall
- The Fords boast a pair of wins over 18th-seeded Garnet Valley (49-39, 57-53) as well as wins over 10th-seeded Lower Merion (41-22) and seventh-seeded Upper Darby (57-30).
- Haverford has won nine of its last 10 games
Players to watch: Sharee Halstead, Jaclyn Gantz, Maura O’Connell
Last game: The Fords took a 22-14 lead into halftime and then outscored Unionville 12-4 in the third quarter on their way to a 51-35 opening round win. Jaclyn Gantz led the Fords with 15 points while Maura O’Connell added 14 and Sharee Halstead, 10 points.
#9 North Penn at #8 Methacton, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
The Warriors have won 15 of 17 games down the stretch. Their only two losses during that span have come at the hands of third-seeded Spring-Ford (58-45, 62-33). The Maidens have been equally red hot down the stretch, winning 12 of their last 13 games and six in a row heading into Wednesday’s showdown.
North Penn
- 18-5 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).
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).
Last game: The Maidens took their first lead in Saturday’s opening round game against Council Rock North midway through the fourth quarter on a Crisler jumper from just inside the arc (39-38). They went on to earn a hard-fought 48-42 win. Steph Knauer led all scorers with 14 points while Emily Hagan added 11 and Vicky Tumasz, nine points.
Coach Maggie deMarteleire says: “We’re going to have to do the little things right. They’re a very fundamentally sound team. They like to push the ball up the court, and if they get a lead, they can really get rolling. We need to make sure that we play good, sound defense and make sure we’re helping and being active off the ball. We also need to take care of the ball. They’re very, very active offensively and defensively. They don’t have a superstar, but they have several very solid basketball players.”
Methacton
- 19-6 overall, 11-2 PAC-10
- Finished second to third-seeded Spring-Ford, which handed the Warriors three of their six losses
- Opened season 4-4 and then won 10 in a row and 15 of 17 to close out the season
Players to watch: Kelly Glatthorn (10.2 PPG), Kelsey Watson (10.1 PPG), Jenna Carroll (9.7 PPG)
Last game: The Warriors opened up a 27-13 halftime lead on their way to a convincing 66-42 opening round win over Ridley. Kelsey Watson (18 points, 14 rebounds) led the Warriors while Jenna Carroll added 12 points and Glatthorn, 11 points.
#12 Central Bucks East at #5 Mount St. Joseph Academy, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Patriot coach Tom Lonergan has never matched wits with Mount coach John Miller in a high school game, but the two have more than a passing acquaintance. During Miller’s tenure at the helm at La Salle University, he recruited numerous players from Bishop McDevitt where Lonergan was the varsity coach.
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)
- Boast an eight-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
Last game: The Patriots opened up a 24-16 lead over Conestoga and then withstood a second-half rally by the Pioneers to earn a 46-40 win. Lindsey Kelly had a big game, contributing 22 points to lead all scorers. Margaret Anne Hubbell added 11 points.
Coach Tom Lonergan says: “The key will be - can we dominate the paint and limit our turnovers which they’re going to try to force on us. It will be a battle of our bigs inside. It all is going to come down to what we do from eight feet and in. We’re hoping Lindsey Kelly can bring her ‘A’ game as she’s been doing, and I think the other factor will be what Lexi (Scrivano), Courtney (Webster) and Margaret Ann (Hubbell) do. If they have big games for us, that will hopefully more than offset what (Bridget) Higgins and (Alex) Louin bring for the Mount.”
Mount St. Joseph Academy
- 19-4 overall
- Runner-up to Villa Maria Academy in Catholic Academies League
- Opened season with a 12-game winning streak
Players to watch: Cailin Schmeer, Alex Louin, Meg Geaten, Kelsey Jones, Bridget Higgins
Last game: The Magic opened up a 29-15 halftime lead over Radnor and then put the game completely out of reach with a 19-4 third quarter on their way to a 58-21 win in Saturday’s opening round. Cailin Schmeer and Alex Louin led a balanced attack with 14 points each. Meg Geaten added 12 points.
#13 Abington at #4 Downingtown West, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Abington will once again be without sophomore center Michael Harris, who was lost for the season to a knee injury, but everyone else is healthy for the Ghosts, who were minus a pair of starters in Friday’s opening round win over Bayard Rustin. Sarah Listenbee, who did not practice the week prior to the Rustin game because of an injury, is back at full strength.
Abington
- 17-6 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 will be led by Aiyannah Peal (15.2 PPG), Deja Rawls (9.6 PPG), Sarah Listenbee (8.3 PPG)
Last game: The Ghosts opened up an early lead but then had to rally late for a come-from-behind 50-46 win over Bayard Rustin. Aiyannah Peal, who finished with a game-high 23 points, singlehandedly brought the Ghosts back with 11 fourth quarter points. Freshman point guard Deja Rawls added 12 points while freshman Gabby Nolan buried a pair of treys.
Coach Dan Marsh says: “Downingtown West is very good. They’re very disciplined both offensively and defensively. We have to obviously stop (Brittany Sicinski) who is a very good player. I think defense is going to be the key. If we can stop them from doing what they’re trying to do and get them to settle for jump shots, I think it should be a very good game. We have a size advantage with Sarah Listenbee and Aiyannah Peal. The key is going to be defensively – who can stop who. Because we play such a tough schedule, I’d like to think it prepares us for games like this. It definitely prepared us for the West Chester game. We have been in close games all year, and we were able to close that game out. Our girls are excited to go out there. They’re not intimidated or afraid, and they believe they can win. Whether we do or not is going to be determined by how well we play defense.”
Downingtown West
- 23-2 overall
- Ches-Mont champions
- Notched big wins over ninth-seeded North Penn (45-29) and eighth-seeded Methacton (42-36)
- Only two losses came at the hands to top-seeded Cheltenham (49-36) and second-seeded Council Rock South (56-43)
Players to watch: Brittany Sicinski, Kayla Feairheller
Last game: The Whippets opened up a 25-12 lead on their way to a 46-26 win over William Tennent. Brittany Sicinski scored a game-high 20 points while Kayla Fearheller added 14.
#19 Central Bucks South at #3 Spring-Ford, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Wednesday’s game is a rematch of a non-league contest in late December that saw the Rams roll to 68-29 win over the Titans. The Rams took a 26-20 lead into halftime and then outscored the Titans 42-9 in the second half. Sarah Payonk led a balanced attack with 17 points while Jaida Burgess added 12 and Brittany Moore, 11 points. Wednesday’s game will be the fifth time the Titans are playing at Spring-Ford this season, which included a scrimmage and three holiday tournament games.
Central Bucks South
- 15-8 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 non-league 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
Last game: The Titans rode the second-half heroics of sophomore Alysha Lofton to the impressive 42-39 come-from-behind win. Lofton scored 10 points and pulled down all but two of her game-high 10 rebounds in the second half. Tori Steinberg added 11 points, including her third trey to make it a two-point game late. Point guard Madi Vitelli scored the game-winning basket on a drive to the hoop out of a timeout.
Coach Beth Mattern says: “For things to be different this time, we need to execute and have a lot of court awareness because Spring-Ford plays with a high intensity and a lot of pressure. If we’re able to handle the pressure and execute, I think things will go a lot differently than they did the last time. Their defensive pressure rattled us, and we just weren’t able to execute. The kids are looking forward to getting another crack at Spring-Ford because they know the first time we played wasn’t a good representation of our team.”
Spring-Ford
- 23-2 overall, 13-0 PAC-10
- PAC-10 champions
- Only losses of the season came at the hands of Cheltenham (60-46) and Notre Dame Academy (64-60)
- The Rams boast impressive wins over fifth-seeded Mount St. Joseph (46-38), sixth-seeded Upper Dublin (56-46) and PCL powerhouse Cardinal O’Hara (42-33)
- Spring-Ford takes a 19-game winning streak into Wednesday’s game.
Players to watch: Mariah Traywick (11 PPG), Sammy Stipa (10.9 PPG), Sarah Payonk (10.4 PPG)
Last game: The Rams seized early control of their opening round game against Chichester, opening up a 37-18 halftime lead en route to a 63-49 win. Mariah Traywick led a balanced attack with 13 points while Brittany Moore and Sarah Payonk both added 12 points. Payonk also had 11 rebounds in a game that saw the Rams force 30 turnovers.
#5 Nazareth Academy at #4 Upper Merion, Friday, 7p.m.
This is a rematch of last year’s quarter final match-up, which Nazareth Academy won 43-35. In last year’s game the 7 seeded Upper Merion traveled to the 2 seed Nazareth Academy. Upper Merion led for 28 minutes of last year’s contest before wavering late in the game. Nazareth returns Danielle Gasperi who led all scorers in last year’s match-up with 16 points.
Upper Merion
- 16-6 overall, 8-4 SOL
- 3rd place American Conference
- Sweep of #32 seed PW in conference play (35-32; 44-33 OT)
- Win over #28 seed Radnor in non-league match-up (50-36)
- Win over Girls High, 4th place finisher in Public League (43-27 )
Last game: Upper Merion earned a bye into the quarter finals, has not played a game since 2/9 win over Upper Moreland (59-39)
Players to Watch: Cassidy Koenig is averaging 14.0ppg and leads eastern Pennsylvania with 68 made three pointes in 22 games. Kristina O’Sullivan is averaging 11.2ppg, 8.7 rpg and 5.3 apg.
Nazareth Academy
- 15-8 overall, 7-7 Catholic Academy League
- 5th place Catholic Academy League
- Win over St. Basil Academy 2 seed in District 1 AAA (55-42)
- Win over Villa Joseph Marie 3 seed in District 1 AAA (52-38)
- Win over Pope John Paul II 7 seed in District 1 AAA (48-43)
Last game: Nazareth cruised to a first round 61-38 victory over 12 seed Pottstown. Nazareth led 20 to 3 at the end of the first quarter, three players finished in double figures (two more finished with 9 points).
Players to Watch: Nazareth is led by three seniors: Nicole Dombrowski (center), Danielle Gasperi (small forward), and Bridget Sobon (point guard). Each of the seniors is averaging around double figures and combine to average nearly 35 ppg for the Pandas.
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