2014 SOL Girls' BB District Preview (Opening Round)

Fourteen SOL teams will be in action in this weekend’s District One AAAA Tournament.

By Mary Jane Souder

This year’s 32-team District One AAAA Tournament includes 14 teams from the SOL – two less than last year. All 32 teams will be battling for 10 state berths. The SOL’s top-seeded team is SOL Continental Conference champion North Penn. Central Bucks West, Upper Dublin and Neshaminy are also seeded among the top 10 teams at fifth, sixth and 10^th respectively.

With a great deal of parity in the area, the district tournament promises to be an interesting one. Expect some upsets in the opening round.

Lady Knights back at top – Maggie deMarteleire never doubted that her team could repeat as Continental Conference champions, but with the graduation of all-state senior Lauren Crisler, who is seeing playing time at American University, many doubted they could pull off the encore.

“Between losing Lauren Crisler, who had an extremely strong postseason last year and she’s a D-1 player, and CB West had a lot of good players back, and Souderton had a senior-laden team, I just don’t think people thought we could do it,” deMarteleire said. “We always thought we could do it. If you don’t always think you’re going to win, then don’t even play.”

There have been several keys to the Lady Knights’ success this season. For starters, they have received outstanding leadership from their senior tri-captains – Vicky Tumasz, Erin Maher and Bri Cullen. Tumasz is the team’s top scorer, and Maher has been a presence in the paint as the team’s top rebounder.

“Vicky last year proved she could step up in big games, and she has done the same thing this year,” deMarteleire said. “Erin has just improved pretty much in every facet of the game. She’s become a lot tougher, and she has become a presence in the paint. She protects the basket well, and she rebounds well.

“Bri and Mikaela (Giuliani) also improved. Each individual improved their game from last year to this year, so it did make us better. That’s what you hope every year. You hope everybody gets better in the offseason, so you are going to be better.”

The Lady Knights also inherited a standout floor general in freshman point guard Sam Carangi.

“I think the little things she does as a freshman – they get overlooked,” deMarteleire said. “She’s just such a smart basketball player.

“Sometimes my expectations of her are too high, and I forget that she’s a freshman, but she has definitely been phenomenal. To have someone distribute the ball the way she does and handle the pressure the way she does, and she plays smart defense.

“Freshmen sometimes you have to spoon feed them – boxing out, playing good defense and those kinds of things. Those are things she already knows because she’s played so much basketball, and she’s from a basketball family.”

The Lady Knights have won five straight games to close out the regular season, averaging 62.5 points a game in those five wins.

“They’ve played with purpose,” deMarteleire said. “After the CB South loss, I feel like we’ve been very focused. If that continues, positive things will happen for us.

“There are times this season this team has just played unbelievably well, and I don’t know if people have seen our best basketball yet. Hopefully, that comes out during the playoffs.”

Redskins repeat – It was one thing for Neshaminy to win a championship last year when it was least expected, but it’s quite another for the Redskins to duplicate that feat this year.

“No one thought we were going to win last year, and it was really cool to prove everyone wrong,” senior Steph Donohue said. “This year was even cooler because everyone expected us to be good, and we didn’t go away.

“It wasn’t just a joke last year. We were serious.”

The Redskins lost just one game in National Conference play, and that came late in the year when they were upset by a streaking Council Rock South squad. They closed out the regular season with a 17-3 record.

“Coming from no one seeing us as a potential contender for our league last year to having the ability to defend the title successfully, it’s just been a tremendous experience,” coach Joe Lally said.

Defense is the name of the game for the Redskins, who like to pressure the length of the court.

“We’ve worked really hard at practice, and we run a lot,” Donohue said. “We know what it takes to win – how hard you have to push.

“We changed our style from my freshman and sophomore years to run a lot. That’s helped us.”

Anchoring this year’s squad is a strong senior class that includes Donohue, Megan Schafer, Sarah Oliveira and McKenna Mullin.

“I’ve been with these girls for four years as an assistant or as a head coach,” Lally said. “What’s important to me is the friendship and bond that I have with the four of them.

“I’m really confident that’s going to carry on past basketball. Whether they come back to coach or work with other kids, it’s just the relationship that we’ve built with each other that’s really special.”

This year’s team, according to Lally, has taken its lead from the four seniors.

“Their leadership has helped us prevail throughout the year,” he said. “There are so many highs and lows, and the seniors do a great job keeping us balanced.

“They do a great job with some of the younger talent. They’re allowing kids like Maddie Murray and Morgan Goldenbaum to really blossom because the seniors are really leading the way.”

The four seniors have been together since eighth grade. Donohue, Mullin and Schafer, all members of Neshaminy’s state championship soccer team last fall, have been together since third grade.

“We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and that really helps us,” Donohue said.

All four seniors are major contributors. Schafer is the team’s floor general at point guard. Mullin is a starting guard, and Oliveira starts at forward with Donohue giving the ‘Skins a spark off the bench.

“You can’t replace a kid like her,” Lally said of Donohue. “She understands her role. She never complains about not starting a game, and when we put her in the game, she just jumps in, and she’s instant energy.

“She’s a great defender. Her value flies under the radar in newspaper articles, but it sure doesn’t fly under the radar with the coaching staff and her teammates. She’s very valuable.”

Neshaminy, seeded 10^th in the 32-team field, will host Strath Haven in Saturday’s opening round game at 1:30 p.m.

“Every game could be your last, so you always have to go out and give it your best because you never want your season to end,” Donohue said. “You don’t want your senior year to be over.

“It’s sad because this is our last season together ever after six years, and that’s a long time. For a lot of us, we’re not playing basketball in college, so it could be the last time we ever play a real basketball game. It’s a lot of work for that, and you don’t want it to be over.”

Cardinals fly to conference title – Regan Gallagher and her Upper Dublin teammates have gone through the gamut of emotions this season. There was the euphoria that accompanied the team’s 11-0 start after losing several key players from last year’s SOL American Conference championship squad to graduation.

“Going into the season, we were really underestimated,” Gallagher said. “No one thought we were going to be good. Kayla (McAneney) was kind of the player who stepped up the most, and she was the one that made our team feel good about ourselves again.”

The team’s jubilation faded in one season-changing moment when McAneney, who was averaging 18 points a game, went down in the Cardinals’ Jan. 10 game against PW.

“I saw the whole thing, and right when she went down, I knew exactly what it was,” Gallagher said. “We were all at the bench when they were taking Kayla off the floor, and I was like, ‘Guys, I don’t want to say this, but worst case scenario, she’s done for the season, and we need to figure out how to play without her.’”

The Cardinals went on to defeat the Colonials 53-33.

“We won that game completely for her,” Gallagher said. “That win definitely was a shock. I kind of expected us to crumble, but everyone stepped up after that.”

One night later, the shorthanded Cardinals pulled off an upset of North Penn in the Play by Play Classic at Philadelphia University, but McAneney, who was diagnosed with a torn ACL, was lost for the season.

“Losing her was catastrophic,” Gallagher said. “Everyone was in shock. We played PW and then we played North Penn, and I know in those two games we still had a lot of adrenaline and were still hyped about it and wanted to play for her.

“It’s definitely a different game without her on the court. We have had to completely rework our whole offense and defense. Without her, it’s a completely different game.”

Three days after their win over North Penn, the Flying Cardinals lost to Upper Merion 49-47.

“We lost it within the last few seconds, and it was such an unexpected loss,” Gallagher said. “The worst part of that whole game was watching Kayla on the bench and just being like, ‘She could come in and make that three right now, but she can’t.’ It was really hard seeing her on the bench.”

In their second last conference game, the Cardinals fell by one point to Plymouth Whitemarsh, setting up a must-win against Upper Merion in their final game if they wanted to clinch sole possession of the conference title.

They avenged their early season loss to the Vikings with a convincing 45-29 win to clinch sole possession of the conference crown, a conference crown that was hard-earned.

“That was the best win,” Gallagher said. “I remember saying after the game – at the beginning of the season we were ranked fourth in the predictions. The best part was proving everybody wrong.

“This year we didn’t have the pressure to be the best team, so that almost made it more enjoyable when we actually won the league.”

Adding to the enjoyment was seeing other players step up in McAneney’s absence.

“Julie Cross would come in last year in the last two minutes of the game, and she would have six points,” Gallagher said. “She comes in this year, and she has double digits all the time, which is awesome. She has obviously stepped up.

“Taylor (Linus) doesn’t necessarily score as much, but she’s the one person on the floor – when she’s not playing, it is such a noticeable difference. She’s the playmaker, and she’s really stepped up, which is awesome.”

Coach Morgan Funsten was not surprised to see his players answer the call after McAneney went down.

“I have a group of girls that have totally committed themselves since I took over last July,” he said. “We took a couple of months off after our season ended last year, but if I ever called a shoot-around or a spring or summer or fall open gym, you could count on 10-15 girls consistently being there. It shows that they care and that they’re committed. You can see the last two seasons, the commitment paid off big time.

“People around Upper Dublin and outside of Upper Dublin just in the basketball community – they all told my girls we weren’t going to be any good this year because of who we lost from last year. They didn’t believe it, and we didn’t believe it as a team.”

The Cardinals were 12-2 in SOL play and 18-4 overall.

“Our first loss of the year wasn’t a game – it was an injury,” Funsten said. “The rest of the year we found ways to get it done. That’s the best way to describe this group of girls – they find a way to get it done. The one goal we had at the beginning of the season was to play as consistently as possible throughout a quarter, a game, the season, and I think that’s exactly what we’ve done.

“If you ever watch any of our games, regardless of how well we play, we play 32 full minutes, and the effort is never in question with my girls. They love to compete. It comes out in practice, and it also comes out in the games. They’re competitors, they’re winners, they find ways to win. Winners find ways to win, and that’s what we did this year, and that’s what we hope to continue to do.”

The Flying Cardinals will face a familiar foe in Saturday’s opening round district game when they take on Upper Merion.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Gallagher said. “It’s exciting to even be here. It’s kind of unexpected. Our team is once again determined to prove everyone wrong. It’s kind of like the start of a new season, and it’s the exact situation again.”

#30 Council Rock South at #3 North Penn (Saturday, Feb. 15, 1 p.m.)
North Penn

• 19-3 overall
• 12-2 SOL Continental Conference champions
• Highlights of the season included a 58-43 win over fifth-seeded Central Bucks West to clinch sole possession of the conference crown as well as a 48-36 win over Inter-Ac champion Episcopal Academy
• Only losses have come at the hands of fifth-seeded Central Bucks West (44-36), sixth-seeded Upper Dublin (35-34) and 14^th-seeded Central Bucks South (61-53).
• Led by senior tri-captains Vicky Tumasz, Erin Maher and Bri Cullen.
• Won 10 of 11 games to close out regular season.
• Defeated Council Rock South 60-27 in SOL Challenge on Jan. 18.

Players to watch:  Vicky Tumasz (Sr., Guard, 14.6 PPG with 46 three pointers), Erin Maher (Sr., Forward, 8.2 PPG, 9.3 rebounds), Sam Carangi (Fr., Point Guard, 9.1 PPG with 38 three-pointers)
Coach Maggie deMarteleire says:  “We have improved as a team over the past two weeks, particularly offensively. If we continue to work hard at practice and improve individually and collectively, we will reach our goals.”

Council Rock South

• 10-12 overall
• 8-6 SOL National Conference to tie CR North for third place
• Won seven of last 10 games after a 3-9 start
• Highlight of season was a 40-39 win over SOL National Conference champion Neshaminy on Jan. 31.
• Senior point guard Taylor Dillon is the floor general with junior Allison Taub finishing the season strong under the basket for the Golden Hawks.

#28 Norristown at #5 Central Bucks West, Saturday, Feb. 15, 7 p.m.
Central Bucks West

• 17-5 overall
• 10-4 SOL, tied for second in Continental with CB South and Souderton
• Won two of three games at Boo Williams Holiday Tournament against some of Virginia’s top teams.
• Defeated SOL Continental Conference champion North Penn 44-36 in the initial meeting between the two teams
• A highlight of the season was an impressive 68-52 win over perennial state power Mount Lebanon at the Scholastic Play by Play Classic.
• Strong core of juniors provides the nucleus of the team that is led by University of Michigan bound Nicole Munger

Norristown

• 11-11 overall
• 8-6 SOL, tied for fourth place in American Conference with Upper Merion
• Highlights of the season included a 45-42 win over Abington in its season opener and a 58-48 win over Souderton on the Indians’ home court in a late season non-league contest.
• Led by senior Keifonna Ferguson (13 PPG) and Briana Hedgepath (10.5 PPG)

#27 Upper Merion at #6 Upper Dublin, Saturday, Feb. 15, 1:30 p.m.

Upper Dublin

• 18-4 overall
• 12-2 SOL American Conference champions
• Overcame a season-ending injury to Kayla McAneney (18 PPG) to capture the program’s second consecutive conference crown.
• Highlight of season was 35-34 win over North Penn at Scholastic Play by Play at Philadelphia University
• Split season series with Upper Merion, falling to the Vikings 49-47 in the initial meeting but defeating them 45-29 in the conference finale to clinch title.

Players to watch:  Regan Gallagher (Sr., F), Larissa Leyes (Sr., G), Jackie Lillo (Sr., F), Taylor Linus (Sr., G), Cate Senior (Sr., G), Julie Cross (Jr., F), Allison Chernow (Soph., G)
Coach Morgan Funsten says:  “Tom Schurtz does a great job over there. He always gets his team ready to play. When we played them earlier in the year at their place, that was really Upper Merion’s breakout game. They struggled early in the season, and they came out and played a really, really solid game against us. Part of it was us, but most of it was them. They played a really great game. They had a really good game plan, and they beat us that night. This past Friday we were playing for our league title lives, at least the league outright title lives, so the game had a playoff feel. It was Senior Night, and it was a very emotional night. My girls came out and played a really solid, full game. We won every quarter. We know we’re in for a battle on Saturday. We know it’s not going to be easy. We can’t just show up and play Saturday and look ahead, and we’re not. It’s going to be a good atmosphere, and it should be a very competitive game on Saturday. Two teams that know each other really, really well. We didn’t have to go too far to find tape or scouting reports or anything like that. We know each other pretty well.”

Upper Merion

• 13-9 overall
• 8-6 SOL, tied with Norristown for fourth place in American Conference
• Highlight of season was 49-47 win over then previously undefeated Upper Dublin
• 11-5 in last 16 games after a 2-4 start
• Junior Regie Robinson averages 18 PPG to lead the Vikings

Players to watch:  Regie Robinson, Katherine Bailey, Shekema Gentles, Anna Davis, Tatiana Pleasant, Eryn Brady, Jessie Michael
Coach Tom Schurtz says:  “While on the surface it seems that Robinson’s 18.0 ppg makes Upper Merion a one-player team, what is often overlooked is the balance from the contributing players. The opening matchup between these two teams was decided in the paint as was the end-of-the-season contest. In the opening game, Gentles, Brady and Pleasant combined for 20 points and 36 rebounds. In the game at Upper Dublin at the end of the year, those post players were held scoreless. Since both Upper Merion and Upper Dublin are SOL American opponents, each team is familiar with the other. This game will more than likely be decided by the team that is able to manufacture points in the paint.”

#23 Strath Haven at #10 Neshaminy (Saturday, Feb. 15, 1 p.m.)

Neshaminy

• 17-3 overall
• 13-1 SOL, National Conference champions
• Won first back-to-back championships in program history
• Highlights of season include a pair of wins over Abington (16-39 & 44-36)
• Only losses came at the hands of third-seeded North Penn (41-33), fifth-seeded Central Bucks West (62-39) and Council Rock South (40-39)

Players to watch: Megan Schafer (Sr., G); Sarah Oliveira (Sr., F), Steph Donohue (Sr., F), McKenna Mullin (Sr., G), Maddie Murray (Jr., C), Morgan Goldenbaum (Soph., G/F)
Coach Joe Lally says:  “Strath Haven plays in a tough league, so we think they’re going to be battle tested. We need to play our style of game. We need to defend like we’re capable of. We feel we’ll be in every game if we play defense the way we’re capable of playing.”

#19 Plymouth Whitemarsh at #14 Central Bucks South (Saturday, Feb. 15, 2 p.m.)
Central Bucks South

• 17-5 overall
• 10-4 SOL, tied for second place in Continental Conference with Souderton and CB West.
• Captured title of season-opening Springfield-Delco Tournament with 72-38 win over 13^th-seeded Penn Wood in championship game
• Highlights of season included wins over third-seeded North Penn (61-53) and fifth-seeded Central Bucks West (53-46).

Players to watch:  Alysha Lofton (Sr., G/F, 10 PPG), Lauren Mosher (Sr., F, 10 PPG). Lofton and Mosher also are the team’s top rebounders.
Coach Beth Mattern says:  “After having a few days to practice together, our team has been able to get back to basics and work on what we think we do best. We are excited for the district playoffs to start. There are a lot of great teams in District One, and I am anxious to see how it all pans out.”

Plymouth Whitemarsh

• 17-5 overall
• 11-3 SOL, second to Upper Dublin in American Conference
• Opened season with nine straight wins
• Highlight of season was a 36-35 win over sixth-seeded Upper Dublin
• Led by the high-scoring duo of Asia Baker (16 PPG) and Alynna Williams (16 PPG)

Players to watch:  Asia Baker (5-10 Sr. Guard/Forward, 16 PPG, 8 Rebounds), Alynna Williams (5-3 Point Guard, 16 PPG, 5 rebounds)
Coach Daniel Dougherty says:  “We’re excited to be in the playoffs after such a fun season. Playing a familiar team (scrimmaged CB South each of the past three years). They really beat us convincingly during the scrimmage with their press, physical defense and up-tempo style of play. Hopefully, we will be better prepared for it this time around. Alynna and Asia have been getting played in a triangle-and-two or box-and-one lately, so we’ve spent a lot of time this week going against those defenses in practice, so our kids will feel comfortable attacking them. We are going to need our supporting cast to have a great game to have a shot (Rachel Konowal, Chrissie Mesunas, Cara Sweeney, and Khadijah Hickson).”

#17 Souderton at #16 Boyertown (Monday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m.)
Souderton

• 16-6 overall
• 10-4 SOL, tied for second in Continental Conference with CB West and CB South
• Highlight of the season was a 62-57 win over fifth-seeded Central Bucks West. The Indians also twice defeated 14^th-seeded Central Bucks South (29-27 & 45-34)
• Led by senior point guard Bianca Picard (13.0 PPG) and senior guard Allison Gallagher (13.4 PPG)

Players to watch:  Bianca Picard (Sr., G, 13.0 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.3 APG), Allison Gallagher (Sr., G, 13.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.6 SPG), Sarah Derstein (Jr., F, 8.0 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.5 blocks), Katie O’Connor (Sr., G, 6.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.2 APG), Devon Boehm (Sr., G/F, 5.5 PPG)
Coach Lynn Carroll says:  “We’re matched up against a talented Boyertown team. They have a couple of very good players, and they pressure the ball well. We’re looking forward to a very competitive game.”

Boyertown

• 16-6 overall
• 7-6 PAC-10, tied for third with Owen J Roberts in the Liberty Division behind Spring-Ford and Methacton
• Highlight of season was 51-26 win over 15^th-seeded Downingtown East
• Lost three of four games to close regular season.
• Averaged 47 PPG and allowed an average of 37.8 PPG
• Led by senior point guard Dee Terry (7.1 PPG), freshman forward Abby Kapp (11.1 PPG) and sophomore forward Maria Garofolo (7.5 PPG)

#18 Abington at #15 Downingtown East (Saturday, Feb. 15, 7 p.m.)
Abington

• 16-6 overall
• 12-2 SOL, second to Neshaminy in National Conference
• Won nine of 10 games to close out regular season and take a six-game winning streak into district play.
• Led by American University-bound Michael Harris and junior point guard Deja Rawls

Players to watch:  Deja Rawls (Jr., G, 14 PPG), Michael Harris (Sr., 14 PPG, 12 RPG), Sammy Lochner (Soph., 8 PPG), Gabby Nolan (6 assists, 3 steals per game), Leah Simmons (8 PPG, 8 RPG)
Coach Dan Marsh says:  “We have a difficult first round draw playing the greatest coach in the history of girls’ basketball in Pennsylvania. We know we have to play smart, limit our turnovers and play great team defense. If we do these things, it should be one heck of a game.”

Downingtown East

• 18-5 overall
• 10-2 Ches-Mont National Division champion
• Lost to West Chester Rustin 49-29 in the Ches-Mont final
• Starting lineup features three sophomores and one junior, including star sophomore guard Paige Warfel

#21 Cheltenham at #12 Methacton (Saturday, Feb. 15, 1 p.m.)
Cheltenham

• 15-7 overall
• 10-4 SOL, third place behind Upper Dublin & PW in American Conference
• 6-1 in second go round in conference play after going 4-3 in first go round with wins over every team in the conference except champion Upper Dublin
• Made a dramatic turnaround from a 7-15 season last year (6-8 SOL)
• Led by the backcourt of junior point guard Amarri Trueheart and freshman guard Ashley Jones
• Fell to Methacton 52-50 in regular season finale on Tuesday.

Players to watch:  Ashley Jones (22 PPG, 5 RPG, 2.5 APG), Amarri Trueheart (14.1 PPG, 4.1 APG), Gabrielle Wright (7.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG)
Coach Brendan Nolan says:  “The Lady Panthers enter Districts excited about the chance to show how much we have improved as a team since the beginning of the season. We have a tough opponent on the road in round one, but we will draw from the experience of playing some very good teams with some great players on the road this season. Methacton has two experienced scorers in Carroll and Glatthorn, who will be difficult to contain in their own gym. We are going to need to defend at a high level, be efficient in transition and get a lot of movement on offense if we are going to advance.”

Methacton

• 17-7 overall
• 12-2 PAC-10, finished second to Spring-Ford in Liberty Division
• Fell to Spring-Ford 47-35 in PAC-10 title game
• Led by senior wing Kelly Glatthorn (13.8 PPG with 25 three pointers), senior center Jenna Carroll (12.7 PPG) and freshman guard Ryan DeOrio (7.9 PPG with 17 three pointers)

#22 Central Bucks East at #11 Harriton (Saturday, Feb. 15, 6 p.m.)
Central Bucks East

• 14-7 overall
• 8-6 SOL, fifth place in Continental Conference
• Highlights of season were late season wins over fifth-seeded Central Bucks West (49-48) and sixth-seeded Upper Dublin (29-24)
• Led by strong senior nucleus

Players to watch:  Courtney Webster (Sr., C, 14.5 PPG, 8 RPG, 2 blocks), Karoline White (Sr., PG, 6 assists, 2.5 steals, 5 PPG), Katelyn Miller (Sr., G, averaging 9.4 PPG over last five games)
Coach Liz Potash says:  “We’ve grown as a team through the course of the season and experienced our share of highs and lows, but we have proven that we can play with top competition. This is a tremendous senior class that is ready to make a postseason run.”

Harriton

• 18-4 overall
• 13-3 Central League, second to Garnet Valley
• Advanced to the Central League playoffs for the first time.
• Lost regular season finale to Ridley (57-50). Prior to that loss, Harriton won 12 of 13 games.
• Led by seniors Katie Melvin and Sabrina Tabasso, both of whom became just the second and third players in the history of the girls’ basketball program to surpass the 1,000-point mark.

#31 Council Rock North at #2 Garnet Valley (Saturday, Feb. 15, 7 p.m.)
Council Rock North

• 10-11 overall
• 8-6 SOL, tied with Council Rock South for third place in National Conference
• Captured the title of its bracket at the Boardwalk Classic in Wildwood
• Roster includes just one senior, Katie Budny
• Led offensively by junior Jessica Gerber

Players to watch:  Katie Budny, Jess Gerber, Madison Attanasio, Michaela Finneyfrock, Hailey Burns, Emily Mackin
Coach Lou Palkovics says:  “We’re happy to be in districts. As far as our matchup – obviously, you never want to play a two seed. I have a lot of respect for Garnet Valley. You look at some comparable scores. We both played Haverford, we both played Conestoga, and they’ve all been close games. We’re excited. I think the years of 40-50 point wins in the first round are gone. I think there’s a lot more parity. We’re not happy to just be in districts. We’re playing to win the game, and we want to move on. That’s how we prepared at practice. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”