Check out Saturday’s results for SOL girls basketball teams in the opening round of the District One AAAA Tournament. To view photos of the Pennsbury/CR South game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
When the dust had settled and all the first round District One AAAA games were in the books, eight SOL teams were still standing. The Continental Conference was the biggest winner with four of its teams – (#6) North Penn, (#8) Central Bucks West, (#11) Souderton and (#18) Central Bucks East - still alive. Three National Conference teams are still playing – (#4) Neshaminy, (#14) Abington and (#20) Pennsbury. Upper Dublin, the tournament’s third-seeded team, is the lone American Conference team still standing.
Of the eight remaining teams still alive, three – (#1) Spring-Ford, (#5) Methacton, and (#7) Boyertown - are from the PAC-10 with two each from the Ches-Mont League – (#12) West Chester Rustin and (16) Downingtown West - and the Central League – (#10) Garnet Valley and (#24) Springfield-Delco. Second-seeded Mount St. Joseph Academy, the lone Catholic Academies team to compete at the 4A level, completes the 16-team field.
Second round games are schedule for Wednesday, Feb. 20.
#3 UPPER DUBLIN 46, #30 RIDLEY 32
The Flying Cardinals were in command for the better part of Saturday’s district opener. They led by double digits in the first half only to watch the pesky Green Raiders battle back to make it a four-point game at halftime. The Flying Cardinals outscored the Raiders 23-13 in the second half.
“We had played Upper Merion earlier in the week, which was the most physical team we played all year,” coach Morgan Funsten said. “Ridley was very similar. They were very, very physical, and it took a little bit of adjusting.
“The first quarter was a pretty slow quarter, but in the second quarter (Curtrena Goff) just went off. She had a rough first quarter, and in the second quarter, she scored 11 straight points for us.”
Goff’s final bucket in that 11-point run vaulted the senior point guard over the magical 1,000-point plateau.
“With about seven minutes to go in the second quarter, she had not scored yet, and with about three minutes to go, she had 11 and she had her thousand,” Funsten said. “Her great run put us up 10, and it looked like we were on our way to maybe a comfortable game.
“Lauren Rothfeld hit a three, and we went up by 11, and it looked like it was going to start to get a little comfortable, but they were very scrappy.”
The Green Raiders buried a three-pointer at the buzzer to make it a 23-19 game at the intermission.
“We have plenty to work on from the game today, but that three-point shot before halftime was just a great shot,” Funsten said. “It was contested. We couldn’t have done anything better than we did. It was just unfortunate for us it went in, and it really gave them a lot of momentum.”
The Flying Cardinals outscored the Green Raiders 9-5 in the third quarter to go on top 32-24.
“I thought we played really well, but we missed shots,” Funsten said. “The story of the day and the reason the game was a little closer than we were hoping was we shot 11-for-27 from the foul line, and we missed layups.
“That’s very uncharacteristic of us. You don’t get bonus points for looking good in the playoffs. The only thing that matters is that you win. We certainly didn’t get any pretty points, but we won the game, and we know we have a huge, huge game against Abington on Wednesday.”
Goff led the Cards (22-1) with 18 points and four assists. Rothfeld had 11 points and four steals. Regan Gallagher added seven points, seven rebounds, four assists and four blocks in a solid all-around performance.
#4 NESHAMINY 60, #29 PENN WOOD 47
The Redskins owned Saturday’s opening round game from start to finish, sprinting to a 40-23 lead on their way to the decisive win. It was the program’s first postseason win since 2005.
“The kids played a great first half,” coach Joe Lally said. “The press was extremely effective, and we shot the ball very well.
“We basically played some different players in the second half, but our starters continued to score. It was good teamwork.”
Unfortunately, the game took an ugly turn when a Penn Wood player was tossed from the game for committing a flagrant foul on guard Megan Schaffer, taking the junior point guard down hard as she went in for a breakaway layup early in the fourth quarter.
“It wasn’t a good scene,” Lally said. “We actually played well after that. It woke our kids back up. I put a lot of other kids in, and they held their own.
“We’ll take this. The girls are happy, and we’re looking forward to our Pennsbury rematch.”
Senior Lori Paulits led the Redskins with 19 points while teammate McKenna Mullen had 16 points and six steals. Sarah Oliveira contributed 11 points, and Schafer had 10 points and six steals.
The Redskins (19-3) will face neighboring Pennsbury in Wednesday’s second round.
#6 NORTH PENN 47, #27 UPPER MERION 28
The Vikings had no answer for Lauren Crisler in Saturday’s district opener. The 6-2 American University-bound senior led the Maidens with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Junior Vicky Tumasz added 10 points.
“The story really was our size was too much,” coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “We reached a point where the game plan was to dump the ball inside because Lauren was getting their girls in foul trouble. Whoever they put on her was having a difficult time defending her.”
The Vikings lost Regie Robinson to five fouls, and seniors Kristina O’Sullivan and Dominique Gambone both had four fouls. The Vikings were led by the 12-point effort of freshman Anna Davis, who connected on a pair of three-pointers.
The Maidens led 12-6 at the end of one quarter and extended that lead to 28-15 by halftime.
“Vicky (Tumasz) hit two big three’s in the second quarter, and Erin (Maher) hit a three, and that’s when Davis hit two three’s for them,” deMarteleire said. “At one point, the score was 15-12 in the second quarter.
“Then we woke up a little bit and outscored them 13-3 the last four minutes of the quarter. I thought we rebounded really well defensively, and we shot fouls well.”
The Maidens were 14-for-19 from the charity stripe, led by Crisler’s 9-for-11 effort.
“There were some things we need to do better,” deMarteleire said. “Our offense needs to flow better, and it really didn’t. I would like to see our kids communicate on the floor more offensively. That’s something we need to fix.”
The Vikings closed out their season with a 14-9 record. The Maidens (20-3) will face neighboring Souderton in Wednesday’s second round game.
#20 PENNSBURY 54, #13 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 48 (OT)
Sajanna Bethea owned Saturday’s district opener against the Golden Hawks. The Pennsbury junior scored a game-high 30 points, which included four three-pointers and a trey to knot the score with less than a minute remaining in regulation. For good measure, she also pulled down 19 rebounds in a brilliant individual effort.
“Bethea killed us,” Rock South coach Monica Stolic said. “Their rebounding killed us. Sajanna was just tremendous. She had 30 of their 54 points.”
“She played big,” Pennsbury coach Donna Nicholson said. “She had an awesome game for us.
“In the second half, she carried us. She had 22 points after halftime – eight in the third, eight in the fourth and six in overtime. We put the challenge out – who’s going to stop you? I don’t think they had a player who could match up with her with her size and the touch she had. She took advantage of the opportunities, whether it was inside or outside. She just kept battling on the boards. It probably was the best game I’ve seen her play in three years. She just got after it. When we needed her, she got a big bucket or a rebound. She played her heart out at both ends.”
The game was a seesaw affair with the Falcons leading by as many as 11 in the first half only to watch the Golden Hawks trim that lead to 22-16 at the intermission. The two teams were deadlocked 32-32 at the end of three quarters.
“Their press disrupted us a little bit, and we had a lot of turnovers,” Nicholson said. “When it came down to the last two minutes, they just dug deep and battled through it, took it one possession at a time and took advantage of some opportunities and knocked down some big shots.”
It looked as though the Golden Hawks were in control when they led by six late in regulation. Big buckets by Kaitlin Kelly and Bethea knotted the score.
“(CJ) Kruscavage set a nice screen, and Sajanna came off of it and hit the three-pointer” Nicholson said. “At that point, it’s tie with 40-some seconds to go. They had a couple of opportunities to win it, but we played good defense and their shots didn’t fall.
“We came out strong in overtime and scored a couple of baskets. It was a whirlwind. We just kept battling back, we never gave up, and we had some good defensive stops and knocked down some shots.”
Taylor Dillon led the Golden Hawks with 16 points while Alexis Hofstaedter added 15 and Courtney Brown, 10 points.
“We were down 10 in the third quarter, and we came back,” Stolic said. “I said to the girls, ‘Are you having fun?’
“We knew this was going to be a competitive game coming in.”
Saturday’s first round exit marked the end of a string of successful postseason runs for the Golden Hawks, and it was a dramatic contrast to last year’s state playoff run that ended on March 16 in the state quarterfinals.
“It’s the first time in five years we’re finished this early,” Stolic said. “It’s so different.
“I said to them after the game – we didn’t lose because of a lack of effort. They left everything on the court, and that’s important. It’s different if you’re crying because you didn’t feel like you tried or if you’re crying because it’s over.”
Stolic bids farewell to Hofstaedter, a four-year starter, and Brown, a three-year varsity starter.
“You lose Alex (Wheatley) and her 18 rebounds a game with nobody over 5-8 or 5-9, and we knew that was going to be a problem,” Stolic said. “To come in with the 13th seed – I was proud of them.
“This could have been anybody’s game. You have to be proud of the way they finished. They left everything on the court.”
The Golden Hawks closed out the season with a 13-9 record while the Falcons improved to 13-10. Pennsbury will face Neshaminy in another rivalry game in Wednesday’s second round.
“This is big,” Nicholson said. “To go into their place and to play as well as we did – it was a game of runs, and we had a good run when we needed to the last minute and a half of the fourth quarter and carried that into overtime. It’s just a great feeling. We’re just glad to still be playing and looking forward to a real good game on Wednesday night. We’re excited.”
#14 ABINGTON 53, #19 PERKIOMEN VALLEY 42
Sophomore Deja Rawls stole the spotlight in Saturday’s win, erupting for a game-high 26 points – which included a 6-for-8 effort at the foul line and four three-pointers. She also had six assists.
“She was very good the whole game, and it all came within the flow,” coach Dan Marsh said. “She wasn’t forcing things. As a matter of fact, my assistant coach said, ‘Deja had a quiet 26.’ She just played an all-around good game.”
The Ghosts trailed 11-9 at the end of the first quarter but regrouped to go on top 22-18 by the intermission. They added to their lead with an 11-8 third quarter.
“In the beginning of the game, they came out in a zone like we expected and really dictated the pace,” Marsh said. “It was slow, methodical – not the way we want to play.
“We were able to turn up the pace a little bit, and the second and third quarters were really key. At that point, we had a 10-point lead, and the whole fourth quarter we were up 10. We were in control. When we went up 13-11, they never led again. They were good, and we knew they were good coming in.”
The Vikings received a pair of big performances from Mikki Guitton (20 points) and Katie Armstrong (13 points).
“That Armstrong kid is a freshman, and she’s going to be unbelievable,” Marsh said. “We watched film on her, and she’s ambidextrous. On the left side of the floor, she shoots lefthanded, and on the right side, she shoots righthanded, and she’s a 6-1 guard.
“Their big girl (Guitton) scored 20 points, but most of those came after we had a lead and were exchanging buckets. Our whole objective with her was – she’s so strong down low and such a good offensive rebounder, so we gave her jumpers. She started hitting them in the second half, but we were fine with it because she wasn’t banging inside and getting anybody into foul trouble. We were very happy with Michael Harris and the way she guarded her.”
Harris finished the day with 13 rebounds and eight points. The Ghosts connected on 19-of-26 shots from the free throw line, which included a 10-for-15 effort in the fourth quarter.
The Ghosts (16-7) will faced third-seeded Upper Dublin in Wednesday’ second round.
#18 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 52, #15 CONESTOGA 40
BERWYN – Morgan Kelly’s timing was impeccable.
The senior guard spent the afternoon burying three-pointers at the most opportune times for the Patriots, and with the Pioneers threatening to make things real interesting after trimming a once 10-point deficit to three, Kelly raised up and hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded ending the third quarter.
With one sweet flick of her wrists, Kelly had stretched East’s lead to six and effectively deflated the Pioneers, who would get no closer than six the rest of the way.
Conestoga partisans questioned whether Kelly’s shot had, in fact, beaten the buzzer. The senior guard had no doubts.
“I definitely thought I beat the buzzer,” she said. “I shot and I looked at the ref. He said it was good, so I was happy.”
Kelly finished the day with a game-high 20 points, which included five three-pointers on a day that saw her bury 5-of-7 shots from the field – all from beyond the arc. She also was a catalyst on defense, effectively silencing senior point guard Aly Grundy, the engine that makes the Pioneers run.
“She definitely was their main girl,” Kelly said. “She made everything happen for them. We knew going into this if we shut her down we had a pretty good chance of winning this game.”
While Kelly stole the spotlight, she had plenty of help. Junior Courtney Webster, who was saddled with foul woes, added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Kyra Scaliti had nine rebounds to go along with four points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
“We knew we had to keep them to one and done, and on offense, we had to stay composed,” Kelly said.
Junior point guard Karoline White effectively ran the show for the Patriots and also scored 10 points.
“We just had to make sure we marked their key players,” White said. “Our goal every game is to get all the offensive and defensive rebounds. Our key to the game is usually hitting the glass.
“We also wanted to push the ball in transition, but mainly, we just wanted to play hard. We knew we were coming in as the underdogs, and we just had to be ready to go.”
The Patriots certainly were ready to go, sprinting to an 11-4 lead at the end of a first quarter that featured five points from Webster and four from Scaliti. The Pioneers pulled to within two (14-12), but the Patriots took an 18-14 lead into halftime.
Kelly opened the third quarter with back-to-back three’s, and just like that, the Patriots led 18-14. The Pioneers weren’t about to go down without a fight and made it a 30-27 game after freshman Ellie Mack buried a foul line jumper with 55 seconds remaining in the quarter. That set the stage for Kelly’s buzzer beater that sent the Patriots into the final quarter with a 33-27 lead.
“That was big,” coach Melissa Carr said. “Morgan definitely came through with her shots today. To open the third quarter with two three’s and to finish with a three at the buzzer – I thought that was smart on Karoline’s part to come down and recognize the clock and work to get the shot off quickly. She made good decisions, and she kept her head.
“I think collectively we just played well today. Even being in foul trouble, they really came through and played well together. This is a good win for us.”
The Patriots (16-7) will face Mount St. Joseph Academy in Wednesday’s second round.
#16 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 60, #17 NORRISTOWN 47
Sydney Morse scored 18 points while teammates Briana Hedgepeth (11 points) and Essence Milligan-Williams (10 points) also finished the game in double figures, but it wasn’t enough to defeat the Whippets.
Downingtown West led 15-8 at the end of one quarter and extended that lead to 38-26 by halftime on their way to the win. Sophomore Maddie Dew led the Whippets with 22 points while Kayla Feairheller added 15.
The Eagles closed out their year with a 16-7 record.
#5 METHACTON 46, #28 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 38
The Indians didn’t win Saturday’s opener, but they proved that they certainly belonged in the tournament, matching the Warriors basket for basket in the first half. They were ultimately doomed by a third quarter that saw the Warriors hold a 12-5 edge.
“It was a tough one today,” said coach Lou Palkovics, whose team trailed 19-18 at halftime. “I thought we had them. We were ready, but a bad third quarter really cost us.
“I was happy with the way the girls played. We had a shot to win.”
Katie Budny led the Indians with 13 points, which included a pair of three-pointers. She scored 11 of those points in the fourth quarter. Madison Attanasio added 10 points, which also included a pair of three’s. She also had four rebounds and three assists and accounted for all five of her team’s points in the third quarter.
“Madison Attanasio just played so good,” Palkovics said. “I don’t even know if I subbed for her today, which is unusual. She was hitting three’s and going to the basket, and defensively, she was tenacious.”
Jessica Gerber scored nine points and also had five rebounds, five assists and one steal. Michaela Finneyfrock had six rebounds, two steals, two blocks, two assists and two points for the Indians, who were without center Krista Campbell (injury).
“I start usually start three guards and two bigs, but today we had to start four guards and a big,” Palkovics said. “We just gave up way too many second and third shots, and that’s what really, really killed us.
“I give them credit. They played that third quarter when they needed to play and answer our run, but I’m happy with the way we played.”
The Indians, who return their entire lineup next year, closed out the season with an 11-12 record.
#2 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH 73, #31 BENSALEM 37
The Owls knew they would have their hands full against a Mount squad that captured the Catholic Academies title earlier this week. The Magic led 17-11 at the end of one quarter and then blew the game wide open with a 26-8 second quarter explosion to go into halftime with a 43-19 lead on their way to the big win.
“Regardless of how the season ended, I’m very proud of what this group of girls accomplished – making the playoffs for the first time in four years,” coach Don Bogan said. “Mount Saint Joseph is a very good team, and we played with them during the first quarter, but both Ashida (Cooper) and Tyra (Roberts) had three fouls early in the second quarter, and the game got away from us.”
Cooper finished with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds while Roberts added 18 points and eight rebounds for the Owls, who closed out their season with a 9-13 record.
“It has been a great season that I hated to see end,” Bogan said.
#1 SPRING-FORD 70, #32 WILLIAM TENNENT 32
The Rams looked every bit the part of the district’s top seed, sprinting to a 22-4 lead at the end of one quarter and going into halftime with a 47-16 advantage. Ten players contributed scoring for the defending district champions.
The Panthers, who closed out their season with a 13-10 record, were led by the nine-point efforts of Nikki Alden and Allison Chatburn.
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