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HOLLAND – Council Rock South had reached a crossroads in its season.
The Golden Hawks saw a sure win slip away last Tuesday when Neshaminy’s Brianna Hires connected on a miracle shot at the buzzer, giving the Redskins a stunning 47-46 win.
The heartbreaking loss could have sent the Golden Hawks’ season into a death spiral.
It hasn’t.
Rock South responded by winning its next three games, capping the week with an impressive 58-39 non-league win over Quakertown in the SOL Challenge to benefit Coaches vs. Cancer.
“After the Neshaminy game, we all sat in the locker room, and it was dead silence,” junior co-captain Lea Britton said. “I know for the past two season, it’s just been disappointing. In our freshman year, we lost a game like that. There was .5 seconds on the clock, and (William) Tennent inbounded the ball and won it.
“I just said to the girls, ‘We’re never losing a game like that again.’ I think everyone had a renewed sense of hope for the week, and we wanted to come out and show the other teams basically.”
The Golden Hawks went out the following night and defeated Pennsbury (46-32) and followed that with a hard-fought 44-42 win at Bensalem on Friday night. Less than 24 hours later, they defeated the Panthers.
“We have never beaten Pennsbury since I’ve been here, and we’re always big rivals, so that was huge for us,” Britton said. “Also Bensalem – Sharmane Hall is a great player, and we knew it was going to be a tough game.
“Quakertown is second in their league, and we knew if we beat these teams, people would start taking us seriously and show that we weren’t winning just by luck that we were a good team.”
In their win over the Panthers, the Golden Hawks took a 23-21 lead into the halftime locker room. They owned the second half, outscoring the Panthers 35-18.
Rock South controlled the backboards and repeatedly had multiple shot opportunities. Alex Wheatley led the way with 14 rebounds while Chelsea Allen had 11.
“We had scouted Quakertown, and they aren’t real big,” Rock South coach Monica Young said. “I told them to hit the offensive boards.
“Alex is a freshman, and the sky’s the limit for her, and Chelsea’s been playing real well.”
“Alex and Chelsea are having tremendous years,” Britton added. “We know we can beat teams inside with our height. When we have that advantage, we definitely want to go to them.
“Once the other team realizes we’re taking the ball inside, they kick it out to us. I always know if I miss a shot, Alex and Chelsea will be there for the rebound and put it right back up.”
Allen had a team-high 13 points while Britton and Wheatley each had 10. The Golden Hawks connected on 16-of-21 from the foul line. Britton was six-for-seven while Steph Gillio came off the bench and was a perfect four-for-four.
“It’s great because we lost a heartbreaker on Tuesday night,” Young said. “We had to play the next day, and I didn’t know how they would respond, and they really stepped it up.
“I said, ‘You know what, it’s going to make or break our season.’ We won three in a row after that, and that shows they have a lot of character.”
As a result of Saturday’s win, the Golden Hawks, who won only five games last year, are 11-6, but they are not celebrating yet.
“It’s not over yet,” Britton said. “My ultimate goal – knock on wood – is to beat North, and we have Pennsbury again next week, so the season’s not over.
“I really want to make playoffs, especially for Ann (Silverthorn) and the seniors because they haven’t had a chance to go to playoffs yet. I think it would mean a lot to them. We’re building our program.”
The Panthers, after a 10-2 start, have lost four of their last five games. Daniella Ciccarone led Quakertown with 19 points and Colleen Gavin added 12.
The Golden Hawks’ game against Quakertown was part of the five-game SOL Challenge schedule at Rock South. SOL Challenge games were also played at Council Rock South and Central Bucks West.
“It’s for a great cause,” Young said. “It’s good because you get to see other teams from the (league) play.”
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 58, QUAKERTOWN 39
Quakertown (39) – Ames 4, Starzecky 4, Ciccarone 19, Gavin 12.
Council Rock South (58) – Allen 13, Britton 10, Wheatley 10, Silverthorn 8, Gillio 6, Nowicke 6, Weber 5.
Quakertown 11 10 10 8-39
Council Rock South 13 10 16 19-58
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