Seven SOL teams will take the court in opening round games of the PIAA Tournament on Friday night.
It’s the time of year when stars have to be stars, and role players have to fill their roles. The SOL teams still alive have both stars and role players on their rosters, and all of them will have to come up big if they hope to see their seasons continue.
(1-1) Abington vs. (3-7) Hershey
When Abington takes the court against Hershey on Friday night, it’s a safe bet Emily Leer will be the focal point of the Trojans’ defense. Aiyannah Peal figures to get some serious attention as well, but the Trojans would be wise to also include Chynna West in their scouting report.
Granted, West might not put up big numbers offensively, but the junior guard sure can make her presence felt on the basketball court, particularly on the defensive end.
“She does a lot for our team that people might not recognize,” coach Dan Marsh said. “She’s our defensive leader.
“She’s such a hard worker, and she loves to play defense.”
The task of containing Hershey’s top scorer – guard/forward Caroline Suminski – will fall on West, who will undoubtedly relish the challenge.
“It’s funny because Chynna comes up to me before every game and whoever she’s guarding – she’ll say, ‘Okay, coach, what’s the goal today?’” Marsh said. “I’ll say,’ You have to hold her under five points’ or something like that, and she does.”
West has been making a habit of coming up with the big plays for the Ghosts in recent weeks, and it was her back-to-back-to-back steals that gave Abington the momentum in its big district quarterfinal win over Central Bucks East.
“She really just took the ball away from them and put us back up by 10 (points),” Marsh said. “That’s the kind of kid she is. Even when she’s not stealing the ball, she disrupts the other team’s offense. She gets in the passing lanes and is starting double teams. If she’s trapping somebody, she might not get the steal, but she’s definitely creating it.
“Every piece fits together, but Chynna has definitely made us a better defensive team. We’re able to do more things defensively because she defends so well, and she’s so long. I don’t think people realize how long and athletic she is.”
It was not a coincidence that as West improved this season, so did Abington’s fortunes.
“I think it was a matter of confidence,” Marsh said. “Chynna has played varsity since she was a freshman, but she didn’t play a ton of minutes. She was just somebody we used here and there.
“Her development really came about through this year. It wasn’t that she didn’t have the talent, but she needed to have the confidence. Now, she’s comfortable, she’s confident, and she knows what we expect of her. She’s a real coachable kid and has real supportive parents.”
(1-1) Abington (23-4) vs. (3-7) Hershey (16-10)
Friday, March 12, 7:30 p.m. at Wissahickon
Last game: Abington 54, Cheltenham 34 (Emily Leer – 20 points, 12 rebounds; Aiyannah Peal – 14 points)
Hershey 35, Governor Mifflin 33 (Caroline Suminski - 13 points, Kendall Benovy - 8 points)
Coach Dan Marsh says: “They’re big – their front line is 6-0, 6-0 and 5-10. They won a game people didn’t expect them to win to get into the state tournament, so they’re playing well. I’ve seen tape of them, and it’s tough to tell by tape, but they remind me a little bit of William Tennent – that’s the kind of style. They play a zone, and they’re not real strong ball handlers.
“Their big girl (Benovy) is a solid post player, and they have (Suminski) who is a shooter. We know who we have to stop. Those two girls are their main weapons, and they’re pretty good players.”
(1-2) Cheltenham vs. (3-5) Central Dauphin East
Tiffany Johnson doesn’t put up numbers that will jump out at you, but according to coach Bob Schaefer, his junior guard is a money player.
“Tiffany seems to get stronger and play harder when the playoff games come along,” the Lady Panthers’ coach said. “Although she’s not a scorer, she doesn’t back down from teams.
“Even though the game is at a higher level of competition, she seems to rise to the occasion rather than backing off or making less of an effort. She does a nice job that way, both defensively and handling the ball.”
Johnson’s ability to handle the ball at point guard helps alleviate the pressure on American Conference MVP Shayla Felder.
“In some games, we end up holding the ball, and Shayla’s the one who’s getting fouled, but often it’s Tiffany who gets the ball and gets out of situations so Shayla can get the ball and make her moves to get fouled.
“She’s been an unsung hero, but she’s been a solid player all season.”
Just as Johnson doesn’t put up big numbers offensively, she isn’t at the top of her team’s list for steals, but she is a defensive presence for a Lady Panther squad that relies heavily on its pressure defense.
“She surprises people by coming up on them all of a sudden, and they end up throwing the ball away or walking,” Schaefer said.
Offensively, Johnson is capable of penetrating the paint and either dishing the ball to an open teammate or taking the shot.
“Especially on Friday night, I hope she’s going to be one of the players who will step up because their guards are 5-4 or 5-5, so she’s not at a disadvantage where she’s playing against 5-9 kids,” Schaefer said of Central Dauphin East.
The Lady Panthers boast the least number of losses of any team in the state tournament with two while Central Dauphin East is tied for the most losses with 12.
(1-2) Cheltenham (25-2) vs. (3-5) Central Dauphin East (15-12)
Friday, March 12, 6:30 p.m., at Norristown High School
Last game: Abington 54, Cheltenham 44 (Shayla Felder – 19 points; Ciara Andrews – 12 points)
Central Dauphin East 40, Red Lion 38
Coach Bob Schaefer says: “They have got to be the best 15-12 team out there, that’s all that I can figure. They play a very competitive schedule, a real tough schedule. They’ve had some good wins, and they’ve had some bad losses. From everything I hear, it’s going to be a pretty good matchup.
“They’re not a real big team. They’re aggressive, and it looks like we were made to play each other. It should be a pretty good game.
“They’re well coached, they’re a very spirited team, and they’re going to come in here and be very aggressive. I hope we can rise to the occasion. I’m just hoping we play our game. We have to shoot better than we have been shooting the last couple of games. We shot 16 percent in the district championship.”
(1-3) Council Rock North vs. (3-4) Mechanicsburg
Lauren Gold has a laidback personality.
Until, that is, the Council Rock North sophomore sets foot on the basketball court.
“If you see her during practice or before games, she loves to laugh, and she loves to fool around,” coach Lou Palkovics said. “As a sophomore, being my point guard and being my leader out there, it takes a special kind of player, a special kind of personality, and she kind of fits that.
“The toughness that she has - I’ll say sometimes, ‘The best player on the other team is in between a guard and forward,’ and she’ll just look at me and say, ‘I want to cover her.’ She has a toughness she brings to the team.”
Gold averages 3.3 steals a game, and she’s also scoring 10.6 points a game.
“She’s added a dimension – I feel there are not too many girls she can’t break down off the dribble, and that just opens a lot more options for our team,” Palkovics said.
It was Gold burying a pair of foul shots with 1.6 seconds remaining to seal Rock North’s 35-32 win over Downingtown East in last Saturday’s third place game, and Palkovics acknowledges that it’s rare to find a sophomore with Gold’s poise and leadership ability.
“When Addie Micir was a sophomore, I could talk to her almost like an assistant coach,” the Indians’ coach said of the now Princeton University junior. “I can do the same thing with Lauren.”
Defensively, Lauren and sister Devin Gold combine to form one of the area’s most dangerous defensive duos in the backcourt.
“They definitely feed off of each other,” Palkovics said. “I’m usually one of those coaches that like to be a little more controlling, but with these two, it’s not telling them what to do – it’s a look. The two of them know they have the freedom out front to run and jump when they think they can.
“Defensively, they know when to switch, when to double. They’re just so quick and knowing each other so well – they’ve definitely been a plus for us.”
The Indians’ sophomore point guard will be a key when the Indians take on Mechanicsburg in an opening round state tournament game on Friday.
“Mechanicsburg is a good defensive team, and if we can spread them out a little bit and have Lauren break her girl down, it will hurt them,” Palkovics said.
(1-3) Council Rock North (22-5) vs. (3-4) Mechanicsburg (23-5)
Friday, March 12, 2010, 6 p.m., at Wissahickon High School
Last game: Council Rock North 35, Downingtown East 32 (Devin Gold – 12 points; Sarah Kiely – 10 points)
Reading 42, Mechanicsburg 41 (Kaila Baughman – 15 points; Taylor Miller – 13 points)
Coach Lou Palkovics said: “(Beating Downingtown East in the district’s third place game) wasn’t so important in terms of who you’re going to draw next because we didn’t know how good Mechanicsburg was compared to O’Hara, but it was more important for the psyche of the team not to go into the state tournament on a low.
“The way we came back –down one with two minutes to go and doing the little things at the end of game against Downingtown East that we didn’t do against Abington was important for us. We’re definitely on an emotional high going into the state tournament this year compared to last year when we were on an emotional low.
“Mechanicsburg plays great team defense. They have a great player in (Taylor) Miller, who has scored over 1,000 points. They’re just a tough, hard-nosed team, and I think their biggest attribute is that they play great team defense. We’re definitely going to look to turn it into a 90-foot game and see if we can get up and down the floor a little bit and force them to play more fullcourt defense rather than halfcourt defense.”
(1-5) Council Rock South vs. (3-3) Reading
Chelsea Allen doesn’t live in the limelight on a Council Rock South squad that includes one of the area’s brightest young stars in Alex Wheatley, but don’t underestimate the senior forward’s significance to the success of this year’s Golden Hawk squad that has put its name in the record books.
A three-sport athlete, Allen is averaging 10.6 points a game to go along with 9.4 rebounds – which is mighty close to a double, double. She’s done all of this without any fanfare.
“She’s our blue collar player,” coach Monica Young said. “She’s our second leading scorer and our second leading rebounder, and for the second year in a row, she’s second team all-league.
“A lot of teams focus on Alex, and if they double Alex, Chelsea gets herself in position for an offensive board. She’s such a hard worker.”
Underscoring that work ethic is the fact that Allen has drawn the most charging fouls on the squad this season.
In last Saturday’s fifth place district game against Central Bucks East, it was Allen going to the charity stripe as time was about to expire in a tie game and connecting on the front end of a one-and-one to propel the Golden Hawks to a 39-38 win over the Patriots.
Allen, who’s also a standout student, will be a key in Friday night’s opening round game against Reading.
“She’s going to be important because teams are going to try to get Alex Wheatley in foul trouble,” Young said. “She’s a leader on the court. She always gets the girls in a huddle and will talk to them.
“Her rebounding will be a key.”
(1-5) Council Rock South (20-7) vs. (3-3) Reading (23-4)
Friday, March 12, 6 p.m., at Conrad Weiser High School, Robesonia
Last game: Reading 42, Mechanicsburg 41 (Reading rallied from a 29-17 halftime lead to earn the upset. Mercedes Copeland – 8 points; Elizabeth Fisher – 8 points)
Council Rock South 39, Central Bucks East 38 (Alex Wheatley – 15 points; Chelsea Allen - 8 points; Alex Hofstaedter – 8 points)
Reading team leaders: Reading – Deva’Nyar Workman averages 19.5 PPG, Mercedes Copeland averages 11.3 PPG
Coach Monica Young says: “They’re similar to Cheltenham – they’re quick, they’re athletic, and they play really tough man-to-man defense. We’re going to have to play like we did against Cheltenham – pack it in and slow down the tempo a little bit because they like to go. They push the ball up a lot.
“They’re not real big though. We need a good game from my ‘bigs’ and also my girls handling the ball. I think that’s going to be key.
“We’re driving 87 miles to get to the game, and they have to drive 13. When we went to Wildwood (over Christmas break), we beat Holy Spirit that night after driving two hours to get there. Hopefully, we’ll be able to play the same way on Friday night.”
(3-6) Central Bucks East vs. (12-2) Central
Liz Martin measures in at just 5-9, but the Central Bucks East senior has carried a considerable load on her shoulders this season.
“There’s no question there was a lot of pressure put on her coming into the season,” coach Tom Lonergan said. “She’s been a three-year starter for us, and coming into the season, she was our leading scorer for the previous two seasons, so there was a lot of pressure obviously to repeat that for the third straight year, which she did in convincing fashion.”
Martin averaged close to 11 points a game as a junior and this year averaged over 16 points a game.
“Averaging 16-plus points a game with added focus on her was an amazing increase of what she did the past two years,” Lonergan said. “The other big thing she’s been able to do – she’s been able to elevate the players around her.
“Her sister (Sarah Martin) is having a tremendous season, and they play off each other. Liz has also given confidence to our two perimeter players, Courtney McManus and Kristina Pogue, who saw limited time last year. The skills she brings – she does a tremendous job of elevating the skills of everyone else.”
Martin is just the fourth player under Lonergan and sixth female player at East to surpass the 1,000-point plateau.
“She’s been very consistent for us,” the Patriots’ coach said. “Consistency nowadays has been hard to find, but she’s been pretty consistent game in and game out.”
(3-6) Central Bucks East (22-5) vs. (12-2) Central (18-6)
Friday, March 12, 6 p.m., at Germantown High school
Last game: Council Rock South 39, Central Bucks East 38 (Liz Martin – 14 points; Sarah Martin – 10 points)
Archbishop Ryan 48, Central 42 (Najah Jacobs – 19 points; Alina Gaffney – 12 points)
Coach Tom Lonergan says: “Their best player is Najah Jacobs, and she’s extremely quick and very aggressive off the bounce. One of our keys defensively is to stay in front of her and try and crowd her as much as possible when she has the basketball.
“The next strength would be their front court, and mainly in their front court is a 5-11 post player named (Isabella) Ross, who’s doing a pretty good job for them and is averaging pretty close to double figures. Our second key is trying to control the paint.
“We haven’t won a state game for a few years now. We have been to states quite a bit, but we have come up short the last few years in states. We were very confident going into our Red Lion game last year and came up short. You’re down to the top 32 Quad-A teams in the state, so anyone who thinks they’ll have an easy game is going to be sadly mistaken.
“Our main goal is to come up with a first round victory and hope that from there we can get on a roll. That’s the whole key. A tournament is a short series and usually it goes to a team that’s on a roll. In order to get on a roll, you have to focus on your first one. We’re just focused on Central. If you don’t come ready to play, you’ll be going home early.”
(1-9) North Penn vs. (3-1) Central Dauphin
At 6-2, Taylour Alston is an intimidating presence under the basket.
In a pair of recent outings, North Penn’s senior center has blocked seven shots, but when North Penn takes on District 3 champion Central Dauphin in the opening round of the state tournament, coach Maggie deMarteleire is not looking for Alston to deliver a lot of blocks.
As a matter of fact, just the opposite will be true if the Maidens follow their coach’s game plan as the Maidens try to contain University of Maryland-bound Alyssa Thomas.
“We told Taylour, ‘You need to contain this girl without getting into foul trouble,”” coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “We don’t want her to go for blocks.”
Thomas has been averaging over 20 points a game to lead the District 3 champions.
“Taylour is our best defender,” deMarteleire said. “I know this girl (Thomas) is more of a wing player, but we’re pretty much challenging Taylour, and I’m pretty sure she’s up to the task.
“I’m counting on it. It’s going to be Taylour’s time to shine, and I think she’s ready.”
Interestingly, Alston, who is bound to IUP on a basketball scholarship, enjoys the defensive part of the game far more than the offensive aspect.
“She’s the anchor of our defense,” deMarteleire said. “When she is in the game, the other team is really challenged to score baskets in close because she does such a great job protecting the basket.
“Now we’re actually asking her to do something else. We’re asking her to play a girl (Thomas) that will get a defensive rebound and go coast to coast, and she’s on the point half the game.
“The thing the stats don’t show is how many shots Taylour alters and how many times people can’t drive to the basket because she’s there. She’s just been really outstanding for us this year.”
(1-9) North Penn (19-9) vs. (3-1) Central Dauphin (23-6)
Friday, March 12, 2010, 8 p.m., at Lebanon High School
Last game: North Penn 51, Wyoming Valley West 39 (Steph Knauer – 17 points, Shannon Knauer – 12 points)
Central Dauphin 51, Harrisburg 38 (Alyssa Thomas – 23 points, 12 rebounds; Caitlyn Bassett – 10 points, 9 rebounds)
Coach Maggie deMarteleire says: “Central Dauphin is a team that has been to the playoffs, and they have tremendous playoff experience. We have just given our kids a game plan and said, ‘Follow the game plan.’ If we lose, then the game plan wasn’t great, and it’s on us. The girls have really bought into what we’re teaching them. They’ve been terrific.
“I don’t want them to get intimidated by the crowd. We have had nice crowds at our games, but my kids haven’t been in this circumstance before. That’s when they need to pull together and overcome that.”
CLASS AA
(1-1) Springfield v. (2-3) Lake Lehman
Morgan Smith’s passion for the game of basketball is unmistakable.
So, it’s hardly a surprise to find out that Springfield coach Sarah Constable will be looking to her senior captain to help contain high-scoring Selena Adamschick when the Spartans take on Lake Lehman in Friday night’s opening round state playoff game.
“Morgan’s defense is just unbelievable,” Constable said. “She’s such a physical player, she’s so strong, and she works hard. She doesn’t give up for one second when she’s out there.
“She sometimes flies under the radar of not getting enough credit for what she actually has accomplished and done for our team. She’s our speaking captain, and she’s such a leader. She just wants it. You can’t talk to her about a game without seeing the excitement in her eyes. She really wants to win and keep playing.”
Smith has been averaging seven points a game for the Spartans, but that doesn’t begin to tell the story of her offensive contributions.
“She usually hits big shots for us,” Constable said. “It seems like her points typically come at a really important time.
“It’s not always a standout point, and she doesn’t have a high average, but she really seems to come through big time for us. She gives it her all.”
(1-1) Springfield (15-9) vs. (2-3) Lake Lehman (21-5)
Friday, March 12, 5 p.m., at Norristown High School
Last game: Springfield 38, St. Pius X 27 (Elise DiFilippo – 14 points; Annie Crudele – 9 points)
Lake Lehman 45, Meyers 29 (Selena Adamschick – 14 points; Gaby Olshemski – 10 points0
Coach Sarah Constable says: “Lake Lehman has had a very successful season. They have one big player that is their main offensive threat. Their go-to player is Selena Adamschick, who averages about 22 points a game, and she’s also a great foul shooter.
“They also have some guards who score points for them. Senior guard Gaby Olshemski has been scoring points for them and is a three-point threat as well.
“The key for our team is continuing to play strong defensively and really shutting down Adamschick and making sure that we’re boxing out and not giving them any second shot opportunities. Offensively, we just have to get our offense going and running and taking advantage of the opportunities that we’re given, executing on everything.
“I think the experience we had last year and this year has made us so much more ready for the tournament. We have to come out playing our best basketball.”
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