CB West Defeats SOL Rival Pennsbury to Capture District Crown

CB West defeated Pennsbury to capture the District One 6A title. Photos provided courtesy of Larry Small. CLICK HERE for a gallery of photos.

 

 

#2 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 42, #4 PENNSBURY 38

The postgame scene was one of pure joy, and in that giddy scene were a million little moments. Moments they’ll remember for a lifetime. They’ll forget about the foul shot they missed – and even the foul shots they made, the pass out of bounds that eluded the hands of a teammate – and even the pass that resulted in an easy basket.

 

What they’ll never forget is the feeling they had in those unforgettable moments after the final horn sounded and they celebrated together a District One 6A title they’d been dreaming about.

 

Maddy McGarry will smile when she remembers standing in line for the medal ceremony and laughing with teammate Olivia Irons as the senior point guard – who says she never cries – shed tears of joy.

 

Maddie Burke undoubtedly will never forget twin sister Allie seeking her out in the sea of fans and exchanging an emotional hug. And Jess Broskey – she’ll someday tell her children and grandchildren how it felt when the dream came to life.

 

“This is what happens when girls work really hard and when girls really want something and when you share a common goal,” first-year West coach Zach Sibel said. “All these girls lined up their goals. Did I see this coming – being an assistant and then being a middle schools girls coach, I can’t say I did, but when I got in the gym and started working with these girls, I knew this was a real possibility.”

 

With a coveted district title in their possession, the Bucks can check another goal off their list, but the young Falcons – led by the inspired 18-point effort of sophomore Ava Sciolla – certainly didn’t make it easy, trimming a once 15-point lead to four three minutes into the fourth quarter when senior Mary Miller scored on a drive.

 

Paige Gilbert – who was fouled going back up after pulling down an offensive rebound - sank one-of-two at the foul line to make it a five-point game, and after a Falcon miss, the Bucks’ misfired on the front end of a one-and-one, but Gilbert was fouled pulling down the offensive board, and she sank both ends of a one-and-one to put the Bucks on top 35-28.

 

“My mind set it just do it for the team,” Gilbert said. “I just have to believe in myself when I go up (to the line). If I miss one, they’re picking me right back up. It’s all about the team.”

 

Again, Miller scored on a drive to the hole, and the Bucks’ lead was down to five. After a jump ball was awarded to the Falcons, Gilbert drew a charge on the defensive end, and sophomore Emily Spratt connected on a pair at the line to put the Bucks on top 37-30. Another Pennsbury miss was followed by Irons sinking one of two at the line with 56.6 seconds remaining.

 

Sciolla hit nothing but net on a three from deep to make it a 38-33 game. Gilbert connected on 1-of-2 at the line, and when Spratt sank a pair, the Bucks led 41-33 with 29 seconds remaining. A win was all but assured.

 

For his part, Sibel said he never lost confidence in his players when the Falcons staged their rally.

 

“These girls give me a lot to be confident in,” the Bucks’ coach said. “They work so hard, and to see their growth, not only as individuals but as players.

 

“We’ve handled adversity this year. We knew Pennsbury was not going away. These girls keep stepping up and doing their thing.”

 

The pivotal stretch in Saturday’s game came early. After Broskey completed a conventional three-point play, Burke – on the heels of a Falcon turnover – buried her second 3-pointer of the game, spotting the Bucks an 11-3 lead.

 

Pompili connected on a pair of foul shots, and after a West turnover, Sciolla completed a three-point play to pull the Falcons to within 11-8.

 

The second quarter was highlighted by the Bucks’ defense. They allowed just one point – a foul shot by Mia Spinelli and scored 10, a sequence that was capped when Irons buried a three that put the Bucks on top 21-9.

 

“We’ve talked since May about defense being our identity, and that’s really a testament to this group of girls,” Sibel said. “For them to lock in defensively in the second quarter was awesome. It was them saying they can get stops and rebounds and that will kick start our offense. You saw that happen tonight.”

 

Gilbert was assigned the task of defending Sciolla and effectively limited her touches.

 

“She’s an amazing player, so we wanted to take her out of the game so that she couldn’t fuel their offense,” Gilbert said of Sciolla. “It’s our job to shut her down, so she can’t perform at her best, which is a very hard task. We knew if we come together – if she goes backdoor, my team is there to help.”

 

The Falcons trailed by eight three minutes into the third quarter after Sciolla took it coast to coast, but Gilbert scored on a drive at the other end, sparking a 7-0 West run that included a Broskey three and a pair of Irons foul shots that put the Bucks on top 29-14.

 

A bucket by Sciolla over a pair of defenders made it a 30-19 game heading into the final quarter. Miller ignited a Falcon run with a basket just inside the arc, and then it was Nicole Pompili burying a three. Irons scored on a runner, but baskets by Sciolla and Miller made it a 32-28 game. The stage was set for the exciting finish.

 

“I was never nervous,” Irons said of the Falcons’ comeback. “We have a lot of trust in each other, we have all year, and we knew they were going to throw a punch. They’re a great team.

 

“We said, ‘Just keep getting stops, just keep staying focused.’ We played a lot of tough games where we’ve been in those situations where – get to the foul line, make free throws and get stops. I think that experience has helped a lot in districts and playoffs.”

 

That experience paid off on Saturday, and the Bucks added a district crown to their list of accomplishments in what has been a memorable season.

 

“I’m just so happy to do it with this team,” Burke said. “It’s just amazing because we’ve all become really close, the chemistry is there, and we have so much fun together. It’s just great to be a District One champion with them.”

 

“It felt surreal,” McGarry said. “I was really excited to be winning this with my best friends.”

 

“It honestly means everything,” Broskey said. “The seniors and I waited four years to feel like this. If that’s what it takes – waiting for four years of working hard constantly in the gym and pushing each other, we’ll take it because it feels amazing.

 

“I remember growing up – I was watching Nicole Munger’s year. I watched them succeed, and just as a little kid, I always remember thinking – I want to be like that someday at West basketball, and I think that dream came to life today.”

 

The district title was the program’s first since Munger’s West team won it in 2015.

 

Central Bucks West (24-4, 12-0 SOL) will face Hempfield, the seventh place team from District 3, in Friday’s opening round of the PIAA 6A Tournament.

 

Pennsbury (22-5, 11-1) will face District 3’s fourth place team, Red Lion, in Friday’s state opener.

 

Pennsbury                   8-1-10-19   38

Central Bucks West    11-10-9-12   42

Pennsbury (38) – Ava Sciolla 5 2-3 18; Abbi Nassivera 1 0-0 2; Kiley Haws 0 1-2 1; Mary Miller  40-0 8; Mia Spinelli 0 1-2 1; Nicole Pompili 2 2-2 8; Totals 14 6-9 38.

Central Bucks West (42) – Paige Gilbert 3 4-6 10; Olivia Irons 2 3-4 8; Emily Spratt 0 7-9  7; Jess Broskey 3 3-5 10; Maddie Burke 2 1-2 7; Totals 10 18-26 42.

3-point goals: Pennsbury – Ava Sciolla 2, Nicole Pompilli 2, CBW – Maddie Burke 2, Olivia Irons, Jess Broskey.

 

Balanced Bucks spread it around – All five CB West starters scored between seven and 10 points. Broskey and Gilbert both scored 10, Irons had eight while Burke and Spratt both had seven.

 

“We went out there a little bit before the game and soaked in the entire environment,” Broskey said of playing at Temple. “Coach said – think how grateful you are to be here. How many people get to play for a district championship, and take that percent and divide it in half – that’s how many people get to win.”

 

Just as Sciolla was the focal point of the Bucks’ defense, Burke was focus for the Falcons. After scoring a pair of early 3s, she made just one foul shot the rest of the way but found other ways to contribute.

 

“If they’re face guarding me, it’s open for someone else, and that’s awesome,” Burke said. “It just opens up opportunities for other people to make plays.”

 

Burke also contributed seven rebounds and three steals.

 

The Bucks connected on 18-of-26 at the foul line.

 

Incredible journey for Falcons – It’s easy to forget where the Falcons came from, but four years ago, coach Frank Sciolla inherited a Pennsbury team that had won just four games.

 

In his fourth year at the helm, the Falcons were playing at Temple University for a district title.

 

“Two years ago, there was two minutes to go in a game at Wildwood – we were playing Radnor, and we had five points,” Sciolla said. “So I’m pretty understanding of where we’ve come and how fast we’ve come, and I also know where we’re going to be.

 

“What we said to them after the game was – we’ve got a week, we can work on things, we can still make a run. You would have to think we’re one of the better teams in the state, so you come out and you compete. I think this was nothing but a positive experience.”

 

For Sciolla, the game had the added emotion of going against his former player, first-year West coach Zach Sibel.

 

“I feel so good for him because he’s so passionate,” the Falcons’ coach said. “I think the kids mean a great deal to him. I think he coached tonight not because he wants to say – I have a district title. I think he coached tonight because of the feeling that those kids can say that they have a district title.”

 

Fans, they’ve got fans – Both teams had a wildly enthusiastic student sections, and the Bucks wasted no time celebrating with theirs, making a beeline to celebrate with them moments after receiving their trophy.

 

“That was awesome,” Burke said. “They were texting us all week – ‘We’re taking the train up, and we’re supporting you guys.’ That meant so much to us, and it gave us confidence that our school is behind us.”

 

Pennsbury has been packing the Falcons Nest this season, and they brought a large crowd of supporters to Temple on Saturday.

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