The conference races became more clearly defined after an interesting week of SOL action.
Council Rock North – which appeared to be on its way to a certain defeat – rallied from a nine-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to down Abington 63-52 in overtime last Friday night.
Defense – the in-your-face fullcourt pressure defense – was the story in this one as Devin and Lauren Gold forced one turnover after another down the stretch while Kelly Scull was making impossible shots and Sarah Kiely was pulling down every big rebound.
With the win, the Indians took over sole possession of first place in the National Conference standings. One night later, they fell to Harvest Prep by one point in a non-league game that saw Kiely surpass the 1,000-point plateau. On Tuesday, the Indians solidified their stronghold on first place with an overtime win over archrival Council Rock South.
Central Bucks East established itself as the premiere team in the Continental Conference with its convincing 55-39 win over Central Bucks South on Tuesday night. Liz Martin – who generously lists herself as 5-9 ½ - had a monster game in the paint, contributing 18 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Patriots. The Titans never could find their offensive stride against the Patriots’ two-three zone, and without their three-point arsenal attack in gear, they struggled.
Cheltenham did not face any serious challenges in its first go-round in the American Conference, although coach Bob Schaefer insists that the first half of every game has been ‘ugly.’
Saturday’s SOL shootout offers some interesting games. Below is a list:
Saturday, Jan. 23, 12 noon
Hatboro-Horsham vs. Bensalem @ Council Rock South
Central Bucks South vs. William Tennent @ Council Rock North
Pennridge vs. Upper Dublin @ Wissahickon
Quakertown vs. Neshaminy @ Norristown
Saturday, Jan. 23, 1:30 p.m.
Central Bucks West vs. Truman @ Central Bucks West
Wissahickon vs. Abington @ Wissahickon
Norristown vs. North Penn @ Norristown
Saturday, Jan. 23, 3 p.m.
Council Rock North vs. Central Bucks East @ Council Rock North
Saturday, Jan. 23, 4:30 p.m.
Council Rock South vs. Cheltenham @ Council Rock South
Check www. SuburbanOneSports.com for a complete wrap of the day’s games.
Bright future for Golden Bears – Jane Meade knows a little bit about winning basketball.
After all, her Voorheesville High School team captured the New York state championship, and Meade turned her talents into a scholarship to play basketball at St. Joseph’s University where she was the starting point guard.
So, it must have been a daunting task for the former standout – who is now a teacher at Upper Moreland – to inherit a program that is unfamiliar with winning, right?
Wrong.
“It’s been great,” the Golden Bears’ first-year coach said. “We improve every day. The girls are doing a great job. They impress me with how hard they work.
“It’s really been a great experience. We’re just focusing on us – getting ourselves better, and we’re getting there.”
This is Meade’s second year teaching at Upper Moreland, and when the position of head coach came open, Meade – who has worked as an assistant at both Gwynedd Mercy and Neumann Colleges – seized the opportunity.
“It was always one of my goals to teach and coach,” she said.
These days Meade is teaching both in the classroom and on the court.
“I was lucky in the fact that I met most of the girls last year,” she said. “I kept the clock at the home games, so I had a chance to see them.
“I knew it was just a matter of focusing on the fundamentals – keeping it simple and teaching them the game of basketball and having them learn how to play. I knew I was inheriting a good group of girls just from having them in school and seeing them play last year.
“They have a great attitude, and they work very hard. I’m very lucky that way.”
The Golden Bears, who have a pair of non-league wins this season, are 0-7 in league play, but they have shown improvement. They fell by just two (44-42) in a game against Springfield last Friday.
“We’re getting closer,” Meade said. “I knew it was just a matter of teaching them the fundamentals, and I knew if they learned the game that they’d pick it up because they’re smart kids and good athletes.
“It’s just a matter of learning how to play.”
Meade was hired at the close of the 2008-09 school year, too late to enroll her team in a summer league. The first-year coach held open gyms as well as lifting sessions throughout the fall.
“A lot of them play a fall sport, so I didn’t have necessarily everyone on the team,” she said. “Hopefully, at the end of this season, we can get them involved in a summer league and encourage a couple of them to play AAU.
“They’re good athletes, and they work hard. It’s just a matter of playing basketball. You have to start somewhere, and if we get a couple to play all year, it will greatly influence them.”
Meade has visited the middle schools and is working to get the younger players involved as well.
“It’s a work in progress,” she said. “You have to start somewhere, even if it’s small, and hopefully, it will have a snowball effect.”
Christie Graf is not only the senior captain of the Golden Bears, she is one of the team’s top offensive weapons, but that’s just the beginning.
“I can’t take her out of the game,” Meade said. “She does everything for us, and she keeps us together out there.
“In some of the games, her numbers may not necessarily show it, but it’s her leadership and all the other things she does on the court.”
Chelsea Beaver has been an unsung hero for the Golden Bears.
“She’s working on the boards, setting the good screens and things like that,” Meade said. “The girls are all working so hard, and everyone is filling their roles very well.
“Katie Costello is all over the boards as well. She and Chelsea get most of our rebounds.”
Erin Dixon, according to Meade, has given glimpses of good things to come.
“I look forward to her improving as well,” the first-year coach said. “Trisha Connolly has been a spark. She’s very intense and has picked our whole level up.”
Freshman Amanda Getz is also getting varsity minutes.
“She’s been doing a great job,” Meade said. “Lily Smith is a guard and is doing very well.
“These girls impress me every day.”
Meade says her team has taught her some lessons along the way.
“I’m used to winning,” she said. “When I was in high school, we were in the state tournament.
“We’re competitive, and the girls feel great about the way they’re playing. They’re seeing their improvement, and they feel great about that. Sure, wins are a measure in some sense, but I was never going to measure the success of our season on wins and losses.”
No matter what may happen the rest of the way, the season has been a success for the Golden Bears.
“We set goals each game we try to attain, just focusing on Upper Moreland,” Meade said. “As long as it’s a good experience for the girls and they’re getting a lot out of it – and they are. Their attitudes are great. It’s just a matter of tightening up a couple of things, and maybe the second time through we’ll pull out some of these wins.
“The only thing you can control is your effort, and they go above and beyond that every day. You can’t really control if the ball goes in the hoop, but you can control your effort. My girls certainly do that. It’s been a very rewarding experience for me.”
Tigers looking to rebuild – Dave Wisniewski knew he would face a challenge when he took over the helm of a struggling Truman program.
“You’re really starting at the bottom, and you have to work your way up,” the Tigers’ coach said. “I inherited five seniors who came back, and that showed me some character that they had gone through all those years of losing but they still wanted to play and represent their school.
“They’re good kids, they’re really good kids. They have just had a bad history of losing for four years.”
The first-year coach brings 20 years of experience to his position. He has been involved with the Lower Bucks AAU program for the last decade and coached middle school basketball at Pen Ryn Middle School for seven years and, more recently, coached the jayvee girls’ team at the George School.
Last week, the Tigers picked up their first home win in five years when they defeated Robbinsville (NJ) 49-24.
“That’s just a confidence booster, but you have to take it one step at a time,” Wisniewski said. “It was a big win for us.
“One girl had not won on her home floor since seventh grade, so that was big.”
Shalaya Lynch, Erica Rogers, Shakeya Palmer, Dominique Hudson and Selinda Killing are the five seniors who persevered with the program. Palmer had 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Tigers in their recent win. Killing was the leading scorer in Truman’s four games last week, and Lynch and Killing are the team’s top offensive weapons.
“The workhorse of our team is Shakeya Palmer,” Wisniewski said. “She’s our post player. Right now Rogers and Palmer are our post players, but Rogers is out with a foot injury. I probably won’t have her for a couple of weeks, so Palmer has been doing a lot of the work. She’s doing a good job inside.
“She’s only 5-10, but she’s a worker.”
A pair of juniors also are in the Tigers’ starting lineup this year and will be a major part of the program next year. Several sophomores are also on a roster that includes just 14 players.
“I had to take a couple girls off my freshmen team,” Wisniewski said. “It’s a little bit different culture here because a lot of these kids have to work.
“They want to participate, but they don’t have time.”
The Tigers are 0-7 in league play and 2-11 overall.
“You just try and do the little things,” Wisniewski said of his efforts to keep morale up on the team. “You point out all the positive things and help them see that sports isn’t just wins and losses.
“It’s the character building you go through. “
SOS.com’s Fab Five
- Cheltenham (14-0) (The Lady Panthers, who have yet to be tested in SOL play, will face CR South in Saturday’s SOL Challenge.)
- Council Rock North (10-4) (The Indians notched huge wins over Abington and Council Rock South but fell by one point to Harvest Prep. They will face Central Bucks East in the SOL Challenge.)
- Abington (11-1) (The Ghosts watched a win slip away in Friday night’s showdown at CR North but will face the Indians in what promises to be a fascinating rematch in the second go-round.)
- Central Bucks East (10-1) (The Patriots proved they are still the class of the Continental Conference with their convincing win over Central Bucks South.)
- Council Rock South (10-4) (The Golden Hawks extended CR North to overtime before falling on Tuesday, and they will face another tough test on Saturday when they take on Cheltenham.)
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