A tournament recap will be posted on the web site covering many of the teams that are not included in this notebook. To view game action photos of the Wissahickon/LC and Souderton/Gwynedd games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Call it a belated Christmas present. Call it anything you like.
Wissahickon will happily take its 47-45 win over Lansdale Catholic in the opening round of the Trojans’ own holiday tournament on Monday. When it was over, everyone on the Trojans’ sidelines seemed to agree that their squad was fortunate to escape with a win in a game that saw the Trojans miss six consecutive foul shots in the final 55 seconds of the game.
“We definitely got lucky,” Hinde said. “At halftime, we were winning (by 10), and we needed to put the game away, but we let them come back.”
“We have to shoot the ball better from the foul line,” coach Jerry Hartman added. “We’re a better team than that. The other day we beat PW (Plymouth Whitemarsh) because we were 11-for-15 from the line in the fourth quarter.”
While many of her teammates struggled, Colleen Hinde buried four straight from the foul line down the stretch to put the Trojans on top 47-41 with 1:09 remaining in regulation. She didn’t go to the charity stripe the rest of the way, but the senior captain had already done plenty, scoring a game-high 20 points to lead the Trojans.
“Colleen is a senior captain, and I want Colleen to have the ball at the end of the game,” Hartman said. “Colleen is a money player. If I need foul shots, she makes them.
“When I need someone to control the team, she does it. The good thing about Colleen is not only can she play down low, she can handle the ball. A lot of teams can’t match up with her out on the wing when they’re playing us man-to-man.”
Hinde, according to Hartman, is defined by her work ethic.
“Nobody has worked harder at her game at Wissahickon during my four years than Colleen,” the Trojans’ coach said. “She’s a leader on and off the court.“She really has the girls believing in themselves. We have some girls that haven’t played much before. Colleen has given them the confidence out there and the leadership to play well. She’s just a phenomenal kid and a great leader on and off the court.”
While Hinde stole the spotlight, teammate Kristy Ragbir added 13 points in a game that saw the Trojans open up a 28-18 halftime lead.
“We played as a team the first half,” Hinde said. “We picked each other up. We were there for each other. We started to lose that in the second half, but we pulled it together and got the win.”
The Trojans (4-2) have won four straight games since dropping a pair to open the season. They will face Souderton in Wednesday’s title game at 4 p.m. The Indians defeated Gwynedd Mercy 56-31 in the other opening round game.
Kendall a presence in the paint – Carley Kendall is the new kid on the block for the Souderton Indians this season, but it hasn’t taken long for the first-year varsity player to earn the respect of her teammates.The sophomore forward scored a career-high 22 points in Souderton 56-31 rout of Gwynedd Mercy, and Kendall’s teammates repeatedly opted to forgo the outside shot in favor of pumping it in to Kendall on the low post.
“When you have a teammate that plays as hard as Carley does, you like to see good things happen for her,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “She’s been great for us so far.
“She always works hard at both ends of the court. She never, ever stops. She’s becoming more and more intelligent, especially on the offensive end.”
Kendall also hauled down seven rebounds.
“It’s getting better every game,” she said. “In the beginning of the year, I was very nervous before every game.
”Now it’s kind of easy going out there and just having fun playing together. Our seniors are very welcoming with everyone. They don’t care how old you are – you’re a teammate.”
Senior guard Brittany Sandone admits that Kendall has taken some of the pressure off the guards.
“We just need to work together as a team,” Sandone said. “We practice a lot on getting it down low and passing it back out because it’s what works for us.“Our forwards are fast, and they get down the court and beat their forwards, and they can also shoot from the outside. Our guards can shoot the three and drive to the basket. We all kind of mix around and do everything. It’s not like we have a couple of people who have to score. Everyone on our team can score.”
In Monday’s win, Liz Mower led the guards with 12 points – including a pair of three-point baskets, while Sandone finished the game with nine points – eight in the second half.
“Brittany Sandone is a kid who could score 15 points a game easily, but she was giving up a lot of shots and allowing her teammates to get a better look as opposed to looking for herself,” Carroll said. “I think that kind of thing is contagious.
“I was really happy with the unselfishness we showed on the offensive end. I think our leaders started that.”
The Indians have won four straight since dropping their season opener to Boyertown.
Methacton an SOL nemesis - Methacton left the SOL for the PAC-10 last winter, and it seemed as though it might have been an upset when the Warriors downed North Penn and then Council Rock South to capture the title in their own season-opening tournament.
After Sunday’s 48-31 win over Central Bucks East in the Boardwalk Classic, it seems safe to say that the Warriors are, in fact, the real deal.
Cheltenham is the lone SOL team to solve the mystery of Methacton, and the Lady Panthers had their hands full before rallying for a 64-52 win.
Patriots feature a balanced attack – Central Bucks East has made winning Continental Conference championships look all but routine under coach Tom Lonergan, and it’s easy to forget that East, like all programs, has to deal with the not-so-little matter of rebuilding on occasion.
The Patriots are off to a 4-1 start this season (2-0 in SOL play), and their lone returning starter is Liz Martin.
“Coming into the season, Liz was a two-year starter for us, and the other four had played an average of eight to nine minutes, but now they’re forced to be in roles where they’re playing 28, 29 or 30 minutes,” Lonergan said. “They’re starting to gain some experience.
“I’m pleased so far with their efforts and their ability to stay focused throughout. I think that’s the toughest thing – it’s different playing eight or nine minutes and playing 28 or 29 minutes.”
The Patriots’ veteran coach elected to not participate in tip-off tournament.
“I’d rather have my team gradually get into the season and get itself prepared, especially when you have such a big turnover, and you don’t want to send them to the wolves right away,” Lonergan said.
Lonergan has been getting contributions from all five starters. In a recent 76-51 win over Quakertown, all five – Liz Martin, Sarah Martin, Courtney McManus, Melissa Remmey and Kristina Pogue – scored at least eight points or more. McManus led the way with 19 points.
“Right now they’re learning how to play a lot of minutes because that’s what they’ve been asked to do,” Lonergan said.
So far this season, Liz Martin is averaging close to 15 points a game to lead the Patriots, while twin sister Sarah is also averaging close to double figures. While the Martins control the paint, Remmey, Pogue and McManus are legitimate scoring threats from the perimeter.
“Right now we’re trying to build a bench,” Lonergan said. “(Sophomore) Shannon Devlin is getting a lot of meaningful minutes.
“It’s a big difference coming from middle school to high school, but right now she’s giving us 14-15 minutes a game. We’re trying to get Jenna Sanfilippo to come along as well.
“We still definitely need to gain a lot of experience.”
A look ahead – Abington and Council Rock South will square off in a key SOL National Conference game on Friday, Jan. 8. A week later, the Ghosts will travel to Council Rock North for another National Conference showdown.
Central Bucks East will host Council Rock South in what promises to be an interesting non-league game on Saturday, Jan. 9.
Souderton has a pair of big games in the first week of the New Year. The Indians will host North Penn on Jan. 5 and Central Bucks South on Jan. 8.
In American Conference play, Upper Dublin will travel to Wissahickon on Jan. 5 for a key matchup.
SOS.com’s Fab Five
- Cheltenham (6-0) (The Lady Panthers have a guard-dominated team that can create havoc for opponents defensively.)
- Council Rock North (3-1) (The Indians will be tested this week when they play in the prestigious Naples Holiday Shootout.)
- Abington (5-0) (Senior Emily Leer has been all but unstoppable for a Ghost squad that figures to be in the hunt for a National Conference crown.)
- Council Rock South (6-1) (The Golden Hawks have been impressive under second-year coach Monica Young, and if a 20-point win over St. Basil doesn’t convince critics that they are the real deal, nothing will.)
- Central Bucks East (4-1) (The Patriots stumbled in a holiday tournament loss to Methacton but still remain a favorite to capture another Continental Conference title.)
- Log in to post comments
0
