To view photos of the Springfield/Lake Lehman and Cheltenham/Central Dauphin East games, visit the photo gallery and click on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
Opening night was almost perfect for the SOL. Almost, but not quite.
Six out of seven SOL teams competing in Friday night’s opening round of the PIAA Tournament picked up wins. The seventh – North Penn – came within two seconds of pulling off the upset of the state tournament, but District 3 champion Central Dauphin used a three-point bucket at the buzzer to escape with a 37-36 win.
District champ Abington needed some late-game heroics to earn a 42-38 win over a pesky Hershey squad. (See complete game article.) District runner-up Cheltenham downed Central Dauphin East 65-49 while Council Rock North made easy business of Mechanicsburg, earning a 51-35 win. (See complete game article.) Central Bucks East downed Central 59-36, and Council Rock South defeated Reading 58-51.
In Class AA action, Springfield downed Lake Lehman 54-48 in a double overtime thriller.
(1-2) Cheltenham 65, (3-5) Central Dauphin East 39
Cheltenham received double-figure performances from sophomore Ciara Andrews (18 points) as well as seniors Shayla Felder (15 points) and Monet Constant (11 points) in its convincing 65-39 win over Central Dauphin East at Norristown High School. Constant also had 11 rebounds while Felder had six steals.
The Lady Panthers took a 25-20 lead into halftime and then went on a 22-15 third-quarter tear that saw both Felder and Constant bury a pair of three’s. “We changed up some defensive assignments, and we actually hit a few shots,” coach Bob Schaefer said of his team’s third quarter outburst. “We weren’t hitting anything, but then we hit four three’s in the third quarter, and we actually had a couple of fast breaks.”
The Panthers connected on just 25-of-97 shots from the floor as they once again struggled offensively, but they held a 53-35 edge under the boards.
“A lot of those were rebounds of our own misses,” Schaefer said. “We were coming down and missing four shots on one trip, all within three feet.
“It was unbelievable. We’re not just cold – we’re like an iceberg.”
Central Dauphin East wasn’t exactly lighting it up either, hitting on just 15-of-52 shots from the floor. Katie Lytle accounted for 21 of her team’s points.
The Lady Panthers will face Nazareth in a second round game on Tuesday. Nazareth rolled to a 45-26 win over Frankford in opening round action.
(1-5) Council Rock South 58, (3-3) Reading 51
Sophomore Alex Wheatley made sure Council Rock South’s first ever trip to the PIAA Tournament would be a memorable one, turning in a stellar 27-point, 18-rebound effort to lead the Golden Hawks to a 58-51 win over Reading at Conrad Weiser High School.
“They couldn’t stop her,” coach Monica Young said.
Emily Nowicke added 13 points while freshman Alexis Hofstaedter scored 11 points, including three three’s. Reading was led by the 23-point effort of senior Deva’Nyar Workman.
The Golden Hawks sprinted to a 19-6 lead at the end of one quarter.
“We scored right from the tip, and the next thing I knew we were up 8-0,” Young said. “I wish I knew what we did so we could do it again on Tuesday. Maybe they like long bus rides.
“They were a three seed, and this was basically a home game for them. I think our fast start helped take the crowd out right away because the crowd was all for them.”
Young acknowledged that playing Cheltenham twice prepared her team for Reading’s fullcourt pressure defense.
“I wasn’t happy when Buff scheduled them, but even though we lost by 25, it really helped us,” Young said of her team’s regular season meeting against the Lady Panthers.
Rock South will face Red Lion – the sixth place team from District Three – in Tuesday’s second round contest.
(1-6) Central Bucks East 59, (12-2) Central 36
Coach Tom Lonergan received big performances from both his inside and outside players in Friday night’s convincing 59-36 win over Central at Germantown High School.
Liz Martin led all scorers with 17 points while Kristina Pogue added 15 and Courtney McManus, 12 points, which included three three’s. Jenna Sanfilippo scored eight points off the bench.
“We got contributions from everywhere,” Lonergan said. “We had great play from Jenna Sanfilippo off the bench.
“When we got in foul trouble, our bench really came through, and Jenna kind of led that. For a team that struggled to score points in districts – we were very pleased that we were able to break out and put points on the board.”
The Patriots took the suspense out of this one early, opening up a 21-7 lead at the end of one quarter and extending that lead to 33-11 by halftime. Central did not score a field goal in the second quarter, collecting all four of its points from the foul line.
“The team did a great job of taking away their strengths. They held (Najah) Jacobs in check, and (Isabella) Ross didn’t get much near the glass. Defensively, I thought we did an absolutely tremendous job. They scored most of their points late when the game was already decided.”
The Patriots have earned a rematch with Abington in Tuesday’s second round.
(3-1) Central Dauphin 37, (1-9) North Penn 36
Looking for the definition of a devastating loss? This is it.
North Penn was just seconds away over a huge upset of District 3 champion Central Dauphin when Sarah Dowhower stunned the Maidens by burying a trey with two seconds remaining in Friday night’s state opener at Lebanon High School, propelling Central Dauphin to a 37-36 win.
“It was only her second shot of the whole game,” coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “We were paying attention to (Alyssa) Thomas, and she kicked it out. The girl was open, and she nailed it.
“It was a shame. The kids were just devastated. The reporter from the Harrisburg newspaper said, ‘Your kids didn’t deserve that fate,’ and they sure didn’t.”
The Maidens, who led 31-17 at the end of the third quarter, watched a six-point lead disappear in the final two minutes of the contest.
“We were doing a great job of running our offense and taking time off the clock,” deMarteleire said. “The kids did everything we asked them to do.
“They really executed the game plan to perfection. They did a great job.”
The Maidens didn’t help their own cause when they took – and missed – a three late in the game and then misfired on the front end of a one-and-one with 13 seconds remaining.
“We turned the ball over too often,” deMarteleire said. “We did so many things right the whole game, and we did a few things wrong in the last minute and a half. We had trouble with their pressure.”
Dara Nelson turned in an inspired 21-point effort, which included five three’s, in her final high school game to lead the Maidens.
Defensively, the Maidens’ limited Maryland-bound Alyssa Thomas to just 18 points, thanks in no small part to the effort of Taylour Alston.
“We played terrific defense,” deMarteleire said. “We were hoping to keep Thomas between 15 and 20. Their other two post players scored too many points in the first half, but we made some adjustments and did a better job in the second half.”
The Maidens closed out the year with a 19-10 record.
(1-1) Springfield 54, (2-3) Lake Lehman 48 (2 OT)
Springfield sprinted to a 19-4 lead at the end of one quarter but then needed a pair of overtime periods to down Lake Lehman 54-48 in an opening round game at Norristown High School.“We came out really, really strong,” coach Sarah Constable said. “Defensively, we were playing really well. We weren’t giving them any looks, we were really pressuring their guards and just making everything difficult for them. It felt a little surreal when we went up 19-4.
“Even in the second quarter, we held them to six points, but the second half was like a new game. They really controlled the pace of the game and executed what they wanted to do.
“The second half offensively our game just slowed down. I just knew going into halftime that Lake Lehman would come out a different team, would come out the team they truly are. Once they got the momentum, it was really hard for us to get it back.”
Annie Crudele came up big for the Spartans, connecting on 8-of-8 from the foul line – all in the fourth quarter and two overtime periods. She finished with 14 points. “She really was a standout player for us,” Constable said. “In the first half, she had a lot of great drives to the basket. At the end of the game, she was kind of our look-to person to get the ball in her hands to make things happen in the fourth quarter and overtime.”
Briana Scafidi, who had a game-high 16 points, also hit a pair of big foul shots at the end of the second OT.
“Annie had two foul shots that put us up by four with about 20 seconds left, and Molly Wheatley had a steal with six seconds left and scored a basket,” Constable said. “This (win) was huge.
“We said going into tonight that whatever happened from this point out is just a bonus, so just enjoy it, but this is the furthest we have gone. It’s really exciting to see they can make some progress in the state tournament. I’m really happy for them and proud of them.”
Elise DiFilippo added 11 points for the Spartans and Morgan Smith, 10 points.
Springfield will play the winner of the York Catholic/Bodine contest in a second round game on Tuesday.
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