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QUAKERTOWN – Colleen Gavin’s eyes widen as she recalls her rookie season as a member of Quakertown’s varsity basketball squad.“Whoa – my freshman year we were 4-20,” the Panthers’ senior center said. “I was the baby on the team.”
A baby no longer, Gavin is a force in the paint for a Panther team that has its sights set decidedly high this season. Just how far this team will go is resting firmly on the shoulders of Gavin and junior point guard Daniella Ciccarone.
“Daniella and Colleen have been the foundation on which we turned this program around,” said Panther coach Greg Swavely, whose teams have won 26 games over the last two years combined. “They play hard, they give 100 percent, and their desire is to get better every day.
“That spirit, that attitude has caught on with most of our other girls.”
On Wednesday, the Panthers won their third game of the young season, rallying from an eight-point deficit to down a pesky Upper Perkiomen squad 59-48.
Ciccarone had a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds while Gavin had 18 points and eight rebounds. Gavin is a three-year varsity starter who was a part-time starter as a freshman. Ciccarone – whose knee pads tell the story of a player who is not afraid to get down and dirty – stepped into a starting role as a freshman.
“I knew things were going to change,” Gavin said. “Team chemistry was a lot of our problem when I was a freshman.
“The next year we had 12 seniors, and they were like a family. We had a chance to see what it was like to have that kind of chemistry. It was a good example for us. “
Both are veterans of the AAU circuit – Ciccarone is playing for the Rebels while Gavin played for the Outcasts.
“I think in those two we have got as good as any one-two punch, inside-outside in the league,” Swavely said. “Our challenge is to get the other three girls to step up and support those girls.”
In Wednesday’s win, Kristine Jackiewicz added 14 points in a solid supporting role. Upper Perk was led by the 18-point effort of Morgan Ricapito while freshman Deanna Mayza added 13 points.
It was the play of Ciccarone and Gavin down the stretch that sealed the win for the Panthers. The dangerous duo accounted for 15 of Quakertown’s 17 fourth quarter points.
A sequence that underscored their value came late in the game when a Gavin steal resulted in Cicccarone finding herself on the foul line where she buried a pair.
On the next trip down the court, Gavin deflected the ball to Ciccarone, who was fouled going in for a fast break. She sank one-of-two from the foul line.
“We have that really good inside-outside combo, and we’re really good friends, so we know who’s going to do what,” Ciccarone said. “Even on the court, we have excellent communication.”
Early on, it looked as though the Panthers were ready to roll to an easy win when – behind Gavin’s eight points – they opened up a 17-13 lead at the end of one quarter. That lead grew to 20-13 after a Kyra Ames trey, but the Tribe rallied to go on top 25-22 after a Ricapito basket.
The Panthers took a 28-25 lead into halftime after Ciccarone completed a three-point play at the end of a fast break.
“She’s an incredible ball handler,” Swavely said. “She’s hard to stop when she gets running.”
The Tribe appeared to seize control of the game in the third quarter, opening up a 41-33 lead after a Roni Janton three-pointer.
“I don’t think we were mentally ready today,” Ciccarone said. “I think we had a mental collapse, and that’s what really hurt us.
“We shouldn’t take anything for granted. We all have to be mentally ready. We can’t break down like that.”
Jackiewicz immediately answered with a trey for the Panthers, and when Ciccarone, who was a near-perfect 11-for-12 from the foul line, sank a pair of foul shots, it was a 41-38 game.
The two teams were deadlocked 41-41 after Gavin pulled down an offensive board of a missed foul shot and found Ciccarone for a bucket. A Gavin foul shot sent the Panthers into the fourth quarter with a 42-41 lead.
The Indians used a Mayza bucket to go on top by one, but Gavin – showing good range on her jump shot – scored from deep. A pair of Ciccarone foul shots were followed by Gavin sinking one-of-two from the line, giving the Panthers a 47-43 lead.
Upper Perk trimmed the lead to 47-45 after an Addie Long bucket, but Gavin’s foul line jumper put the Panthers on top 49-47. A Jackiewicz trey made it a 52-47 game, and the Indians would get no closer than four the rest of the way.
“We didn’t play to our full potential, but we stepped it up and came away with a win,” Gavin said.
The win came on the heels of a 57-49 loss to Central Bucks East last Friday in a game that saw the two teams deadlocked with five minutes remaining.
“I actually thought we should have won,” Gavin said. “It was a disappointment.
“I think people overlook Quakertown, but I think we did earn a little bit of respect.”
“It was disappointing that we lost,” Ciccarone said. “It does give us confidence because they’re an awesome team, and I think we showed that Quakertown can play with anyone.
“This should be one of our best years. We’re hoping to go farther than we have in the past.”
QUAKERTOWN 59, UPPER PERKIOMEN 48
Upper Perkiomen (48) – Deanna Mayza 5 1-15 13, Addie Long 4 0-0 8, Morgan Ricapito 8 2-5 18, Emily Cota 1 0-2 2, Jolyn Adam 0 0-0 0, roni Janton 2 2-2 7, Shanel Dunaway 0 0-0 0, Amber Long 0 0-0 0, Becca Connor 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 5-14 48.
Quakertown (59) – Lauren Starzecky 0 5-6 5, Daniella Ciccarone 4 11-12 19, Kristine Jackiewicz 4 3-4 14, Colleen Gavin 6 6-8 18, Kyra Ames 1 0-2 3; Juli King 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 25-32 59.
Upper Perkiomen 13 12 16 7-48
Quakertown 17 11 14 17-59
Three-point goals: Mayza 2, Janton, Jackiewicz 3, Ames.
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