SOUDERTON – There wasn't anything particularly significant about Jess Bard sinking a pair from the foul line with just under three minutes remaining in the opening quarter of Friday night's game against Central Bucks West.
Unless, of course, you played for Souderton.
Bard's foul shots gave the Indians a 36-9 lead.
Talk about unfamiliar territory. This was it.
“It’s fun,” Souderton senior Sarita Kundrod said. “I don’t think we have experienced this too often. It’s an awesome feeling.
“Our second string was even scoring. Some girls were scoring for the first time. It was pretty exciting.”
The Indians coasted to a 54-23 win over the Bucks, upping their early season mark to 3-0.
It’s a marked improvement over recent years.
Last year, the Indians staggered out of the gate to an 0-6 start before rallying to finish the season 11-13. Two years ago, Souderton won a total of six games.
“The 3-0 start in the long run is going to pay off for us,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “The last four years it’s been the opposite where we have been playing catch-up, and every win is a desperation win – we have to win, we have to win.
“For the girls to feel like winners, I can’t be happier for them.”
In truth, the game wasn’t nearly as close as the final score suggests. The Indians opened up a 23-4 lead at the end of one quarter and took a 36-12 lead into the intermission.
“What I’m most excited about is I think every single position is strong,” Kundrod said. “I don’t think we have any weak spots on the team. Everyone adds something different, which is what makes us better than last year.”
On the other side of the court, the young Bucks – who have no seniors on their roster and just three juniors – are trying to find an identity with the graduation of all-everything point guard Lauren Peters, who is now in the starting lineup at Holy Family University.
It also didn’t help that West was without junior point guard Meghan Vazquez (injury).
“I remember Souderton was young two or three years ago,” said West coach Heather Glemser, who has 11 sophomores and two freshmen on her varsity. “Those kids have been playing together for a while.
“They’re a good basketball team. You look at them, and their older girls are stepping up. That’s what we need to look forward to. We’re very athletic. The potential is there, but Souderton – they do all the right things. They’re fundamentally sound, and they move the ball well.”
While the Indians boasted more experience, they also had a whole lot more height. Senior Monica Schmidt (11 points, seven rebounds, three blocked shots), Bard (eight points, 11 rebounds) and Kundrod (four points, eight rebounds) controlled play in the paint.
“We’re taking advantage of our height advantage,” said the 6-0 Schmidt. “My dad always gets on me about that – he said, ‘You’re not going to play if you don’t rebound.’ That’s one thing you have to do.”
Schmidt (Kundrod assist) scored an easy bucket to put the Indians on the scoreboard 13 seconds into the contest. When freshman Liz Mower – who contributed eight points off the bench – scored on a drive at the 3:31 mark, the Indians led 13-0, and they were just getting started.
As time was about to expire in the opening quarter, Kundrod pulled down an offensive rebound of a missed foul shot and found teammate Brittany Sandone (11 points) for an easy deuce that put the Indians on top 23-4.
The Indians cruised the rest of the way, rolling to the decisive win and a 3-0 mark.
“Winning three games in a row is definitely a confidence booster, considering we haven’t done that in a while at the beginning of the season,” Schmidt said. “I think it’s going to give drive for the rest of the season.”
“It doesn’t happen without teamwork,” Kundrod said of the Indians’ strong start. “I think we’re really taking advantage of every single person on the team. It’s so exciting.”
SOUDERTON 54, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 23
Central Bucks West (23) – Ross 2 2-2 6, Kimberly 0 0-2 0, Jurema 3 0-1 6, Gordon 1 0-2 2, Blanchard 0 0-0 0, Gilmore 2 2-3 6, Klawiter 0 0-0 0, McAllister 0 0-0 0, Parker 0 0-0 0, Colloli 1 0-0 3. Totals 9 4-10 23.
Souderton (54) – Schmidt 5 1-3 11, Kundrod 1 2-2 4, Sandone 4 1-2 11, Price 2 1-2 6, Brittin 0 0-0 0, Mower 4 0-0 8, Bard 1 4-8 6, Walley 1 0-0 2, Regan 2 0-0 4, Connelly 0 1-2 1, Kendall 0 1-2 1, K.Kundrod 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 11-21 54.
Central Bucks West 4 8 6 5-23
Souderton 23 13 8 10-54
Three-point goals: Colloli, Sandone 2, Price.
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