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LOWER GWYNEDD – Gab Vass says she measures in at 5-6 ‘on a good day.’
“I blame my parents,” the Central Bucks South senior said. “I always tell them, ‘If you were just a little taller, it would be great.’”
Vass might not be blessed with height, but that doesn’t prevent her from playing as if she was. “I love to bang,” she said. “I used to be tall when I was little, and I grew out of that, but I still love to bang.
“I don’t care if I’m short. It’s all about hustle and heart.”
Vass has plenty of both.
Wissahickon can certainly vouch for that.
The Titans’ senior forward scored 13 of her game-high 19 points in the first half of Friday night’s District One AAAA opener at Wissahickon, propelling the Titans to a 24-20 halftime lead on their way to an impressive 50-28 win in a battle of the tournaments 16th and 17th seeds.
“It’s what she does all season,” South coach Beth Mattern said of Vass. “Whether it’s rebounding, making baskets or stepping up defensively – she really helps keep us in games.
“She was blistering, she was red hot in today’s game, and we needed that.”
Teammate Katelyn Schneider added 15 points – 10 in the pivotal second half.
“This is such a big win,” she said. “It brings a smile to all of our faces. To get past this first round is such a big accomplishment. It’s an amazing feeling to know we have a chance to go on to states.
“We came out with a lot of heart tonight. Everybody played 110 percent, and we came out with a really big win. I think it showed everybody – ‘You know what, they may be the 17th seed, but they can be a big threat.’”
The Trojans – fresh off a huge win over previously undefeated Cheltenham six days earlier – never could find their stride offensively. They connected on 8-of-17 shots in the first half but couldn’t maintain that pace in the second half, and for the game, they were just 6-of-17 from the foul line.
“Nothing was falling for us – even our foul shots,” senior Colleen Hinde said. “The other day against Cheltenham (a 51-49 Trojan win) everything we put up was going in. “We practice foul shots all the time. We got to the point at the end of the season where it was consistent, but today they just weren’t falling.”
The Titans – sparked by seven points from Vass – opened up a 10-4 lead and still led 11-9 at the end of one quarter. South extended its lead to 22-14 after point guard Kaycee Schaefer converted a three-point play midway through the second quarter.
Kristy Ragbir, who led the Trojans with 11 points, scored off the dribble, and when Jessica Keller sank her first of two three’s on the day, South’s lead had been trimmed to 22-19. South took a 24-20 lead into halftime.
Schneider buried a three to open the third quarter, but Ragbir answered with a trey for the Trojans. The Titans led 31-23 after back-to-back Schneider layups to cap a pair of fast breaks.
“It’s those left-handed little layups of hers down there,” Mattern said. “They were clutch.
“I thought we did a nice job of creating transition and really trying to make the most of our transition.”
Brittany Kaewell buried a baseline jumper, giving the Titans a 33-23 lead. The Trojans pulled to within seven after a basket by Jessica Scannapieco (35-28), but Vass scored on an outside jumper to make it a 37-28 game heading into the final quarter.
“We wanted to get a lot of pressure on their guards,” Schneider said. “We knew they could shoot, and we knew they could drive, and we were hoping our posts could step in. They did exactly that.
“Everybody did exactly what they were supposed to do tonight. We worked hard all this week, and we came up really big.”
A Keller three to open the fourth quarter made it a six-point game, but Brittany Kaewell scored from just inside the three-point arc, and any chance the Trojans had of getting back into the game went out the window when they misfired on four straight foul shots, including the front end of two one-and-one’s.
Vass scored to put the Titans on top 41-31, and although the Trojans pulled to within seven (43-36) after a Hinde bucket, Schaefer iced the win for the Titans, connecting on 5-of-7 from the foul line in the final quarter.
“This is why we worked so hard during the season,” Mattern said. “There are two seasons, and you want to be prepared for the second season.
“Playing a tough schedule for the season paid off for today. Wissahickon has a lot of fight in them. They’re scrappy, and they go for the ball. It was a nice win for the team and the program.”
“This is a big win,” Vass said. “We’re really excited. We wanted to come out and win after last year. We lost in the first round (to Perk Valley), and we wanted to prove ourselves.”
Wissahickon closed out its season with a 14-8 record overall, but they were 12-2 in Suburban One League play, finishing just a game behind the district’s top-seeded Lady Panthers in the American Conference.
“We were three points from tying Cheltenham for a championship,” coach Jerry Hartman said. “I don’t think anybody in our league thought that would happen.
“I’m proud of the way our girls played. We played hard. We gave everything we had. Coach (Rodney) Cline and I are trying to build a program, and I think we took some big steps this year.”
The Titans have earned a date with Cheltenham in the second round. Earlier this season, they extended the Lady Panthers to the limit before falling 51-50.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 50, WISSASHICKON 38
Central Bucks South 11 13 13 13-50
Wissahickon 9 11 8 10-38
Central Bucks South (50) – Schneider 6 1-4 15; Eife 1 0-0 2; Vitelli 0 0-0 0; Mummert 0 1-2 1; Schaefer 2 7-10 11; Kaewell 1 0-2 2; Herrmann 0 0-0 0; Vass 7 4-4 19. TOTALS 17 13-22 50.
Wissahckon (38) – Schaefer 1 1-3 3; Keller 2 0-0 6; Rabir 5 0-1 11; Scannapieco 4 0-0 8; Bill 0 0-2 0; Earland 0 1-2 1; Hinde 2 4-9 9. TOTALS 14 6-17 38.
3-point goals: CB South – Schneider 2, Vass. Wissahickon – Keller 2, Ragbir, Hinde.
#1 Cheltenham 67, #32 Owen J. Roberts 32
Cheltenham’s opening round game against the Wildcats was over almost before it began as the Lady Panthers sprinted to a 25-4 lead at the end of one quarter and never looked back.
“My main players played pretty well,” coach Bob Schaefer said of a game that saw him empty his bench. “We decided we were not going to show too much today.
“We took a 25-4 lead without doing the ‘T’ (trapping defense). It got ugly real quick. It was not a good warm-up for our next game.”
Shayla Felder led a balanced Lady Panther attack with 14 points while Tiffany Johnson added 13 points and Ciara Andrews, 11 points.
“Tiffany Johnson played well, and that was a good sign,” Schaefer said.
No Wildcat player had more than five points.
The Lady Panthers will have a decidedly more difficult challenge on their hands when they host a Central Bucks South squad they defeated by just one point during the regular season.
#6 Abington 56, #27 Ridley 34
Emily Leer turned in a monster performance for Abington – contributing 20 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots to lead the Ghosts to the big win.
“Emily played awesome,” coach Dan Marsh said. “We wore them down, but they were game.
“I didn’t pull my starters until a minute and a half to go. They (the Green Raiders) were playing well. They shot the ball well, they hit a couple of three’s, and they moved the ball well, but Emily was too much for them.”Aiyannah Peal (13 points, five assists) and Jess Schmidt (8 points) also came up big. Chynna West added five points and also turned in a superb defensive effort against Ridley’s top player.
The Ghosts held a slim 14-12 lead at the end of one quarter but stretched that lead to 30-20 by halftime.
“They were a lot better than I thought,” Marsh said. “They were tough, they were aggressive, they were smart, they were well-coached, and they played hard.
“They came out and hit some shots, but they couldn’t stop us scoring-wise. They have a young coach and a young team, and they were impressive. It was a good win for us. We played well. It was a team effort.”
Abington will face the winner of Saturday’s Souderton/Lower Merion contest.
#2 Council Rock North 68, #31 Academy Park 39
The Indians led 19-8 at the end of one quarter and then turned on the afterburners, outscoring Academy Park 24-7 in the second quarter on their way to a 43-15 halftime lead.
Lauren Gold led the Indians with 17 points while Sarah Kiely added 16 and Devin Gold, 10 points. Kelly Scull had nine points for the Indians, who will face the winner of Saturday’s Upper Dublin/Chester game.
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