Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action in Friday’s opening round of the PIAA 6A Tournament. CB West/CR South photos courtesy of Jon Sklut. CB South/Coatesville photos courtesy of Kim Supko. Upper Dublin/Downingtown West photos courtesy of Geanine Jamison Photography, and Neshaminy/Owen J Roberts photos courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Check back for galleries. (CB East/Spring-Ford photos courtesy of Diane Barry/CB East basketball). All SOS photo galleries for GIRLS' BASKETBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.
District One 6A (Opening round)
#10 NESHAMINY 51, #23 OWEN J ROBERTS 41
Sparked by the 22-point, nine-rebound effort of Reese Zemitis, the Redskins rallied from an early deficit to defeat the Wildcats in Friday’s opening round game. Neshaminy led 10-8 after one quarter but managed just six points in the second and trailed by one at halftime (17-16).
The Redskins received a spark from Maya Lewis and Mimi Smith in the third quarter and outscored the Wildcats 35-24 after the intermission.
“Taylor (Gurysh) was mired in foul trouble most of the game – I doubt she played more than 18 minutes,” Neshaminy coach John Gallagher said. “Maya (Lewis) and Mimi (Smith) hit 3s in the third quarter one or two possessions apart that gave us a really good boost.
“Owen J. Roberts had six team fouls at the very end of the third quarter when we were up by three, and I thought we were in a decent spot. We started to get the ball to the rim a lot more. We shot a lot of foul shots. I counted the ones that we shot after they started fouling us to try to shrink the lead, and it was 12 foul shots once we had a commanding lead.”
Zemitis spent the second half making one trip after another to the foul line. For the game, she was 11-for-15 at the charity 
stripe, 8-for-11 in the fourth quarter when she scored 10 points. Zemitis also had two assists, a steal and a block.
Also for the Redskins, Lola Ibarrondo had 12 points, four rebounds and three steals. Mimi Smith had 8 points – all in the second half when the Redskins put the Wildcats away. She also had four rebounds.
“Mimi’s eight points were unbelievable,” Gallagher said. “She just adds another dimension to our team, which is so sorely needed.”
Lewis added six points. Gurysh, who was hampered by fouls, had four assists, three rebounds, two blocks and one steal.
“We weren’t as clean as we’d like to be at the foul line – 21-for-32, but we did just enough to keep them at arm’s length,” Gallagher said.
The Redskins’ coach also credited the play of his defense, especially on Chestnut Hill College commit Avery White.
“Avery White picked up two early fouls in the first quarter,” Gallagher said. “We were unable to try to get a third on her. She’s a fabulous player. She finished with 11 points.
“Halfway through the third quarter, we put Maya Lewis man-to-man on her, and Maya – along with her teammates – held her scoreless the rest of the way.”
Neshaminy (17-7, 13-3 SOL) will travel to #7 Perkiomen Valley for a second round contest on Wednesday.
Owen J Roberts 8-9-11-13 41
Neshaminy 10-6-15-20 51
Owen J Roberts (41) – Ashly White 4 3-5 11; Avery White 5 0-0 11; Samantha Martins 1 2-2 4; Alexa Vogelman 0 2-2 2; Gabrielle Koury 6 1-2 13. TOTALS 16 8-11 41.
Neshaminy (51) – Taylor Gurysh 0 3-4 3; Maya Lewis 2 0-0 6; Mimi Smith 2 2-4 8; Lola Ibarrondo 3 5-9 12; Reese Zemitis 5 11-15 22. TOTALS 12 21-32 51.
3-point goals: OJR – Avery White; Neshaminy – Maya Lewis 2, Mimi Smith 2, Lola Ibarrondo, Reese Zemitis.
#12 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 52, #21 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 50
Big moments are nothing new to Emily Spratt.
The West senior was part of the Bucks’ run to league and district titles in 2020, so with the score deadlocked and the final seconds ticking off the scoreboard clock, Spratt was pretty much in her element, calmly dribbling the ball near midcourt and waiting for just the right moment to attack.
And attack she did. Few players do it better than Spratt who beat her defender and never stopped, going in for a layup with five seconds showing on the scoreboard clock and setting off a jubilant celebration for the large and partisan crowd.
“It definitely was crazy,” Spratt said. “It was so tense, but having my coaches and teammates believe in me to put me in that position to take that last shot just gave me the confidence.
“I think it definitely helps that I’ve had that experience before, and that experience is beneficial, but definitely having the support of my teammates and coaches gave me the confidence to be able to make that last shot.”
Spratt’s emotions when the shot fell through the net?
“First off – relief that it was over,” Spratt said. “I was just proud of my team and how hard we worked. It was just a really great feeling to win with my team.”
Coach Zach Sibel burned a pair of timeouts after his team gained possession with 54.4 seconds remaining after Cam Gregory buried a pair at the foul line to knot the score - the second timeout just before Spratt’s game-winner.
The Bucks’ coach didn’t have to think long and hard when it came time to choose a player to take the last shot.
“It’s funny because I didn’t really say anything – I just said, ‘Hey, we’re going to get you a play,” Sibel said of his message to Spratt. “With all she’s done from the time I’ve coached her, I knew she was the one to go to. I think she understands – that’s 
her role. The ball was going to be in her hands, and I thought we had a play where we could get her some space.”
Spratt’s game-winner capped a remarkable comeback by the Bucks, who trailed by as many as 12 in the second quarter.
“I never really thought throughout the game, ‘This could be it, this could be my last game,’” Spratt said. “I was just focusing on – let’s win this game, not just for me because it’s my last game but for the team.
“Definitely my teammates recognized at halftime that this could possibly be our last game of the season. They really showed up, they really worked hard not just for themselves but for me as a senior, and I think that just shows that if we work together and we move the ball and we communicate with each other, we’re a good team.”
The Bucks struggled out of the gate, falling behind 20-11 after one quarter. They trailed by as many as 12 in the second quarter but rallied to trim the Golden Hawks’ lead to 26-22 by halftime. Tai Henkels scored seven points in the half to lead the Bucks. Gregory had seven for the Hawks.
Rock South regrouped to go on top 40-32 heading into the final quarter, but the Bucks kept clawing their way back in the game. Gabi Senior connected on a pair at the foul line with 2:06 remaining to pull the Bucks to within one, 46-45. Karissa Smedley answered with a pair of foul shots at the other end to give the Golden Hawks a 48-45 lead, but not for long.
Katie Finnan – out of a West timeout – buried a baseline 3-pointer to knot the score 48-48.
“Sibel told me it would come back to me if I trusted my teammates,” Finnan said. “We just had to play team basketball. I think my goal was just to play good defense and trust in myself and my team. At that point in time, I had a feeling we were going to win.”
The game was far from over, and after a Rock miss, Spratt buried a pair at the foul line. Gregory did the same for the Golden Hawks, and with 54.4 seconds remaining, the Bucks had possession and held the ball until Spratt’s game-winner.
“I have so much confidence in her – she’s our senior,” Finnan said of Spratt. “We all have confidence in her. I knew it was going in.”
Spratt’s 16 points – which included a 10-for-16 effort at the foul line – led the Bucks. She also had a team high seven rebounds. Tai Henkels added 12 points and two steals.
“You have to credit Tai Henkels,” Sibel said. “She’s had a great year, and she made some big shots. I’m so proud of her. Tai Henkels and (Katie) Finnan who just hit that shot off the screen – the defense has got to go with her.”
Senior added 10 points, including a 5-for-6 effort at the foul line in the fourth quarter. She also had six rebounds. Finnan added eight points and two steals.
“I thought Gabi Senior pressured the ball really well at the end and was disruptive, and by the way, she was ice cold at the free throw line,” Sibel said. “Goes up there, not a worry in the world in front of the student section and hits those big shots.
“Alexis Castro brought so much energy, and it was just everybody coming together. Ava Longo got to the backboard for some tips. It was great to see.”
Friday’s opener was played in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd, including a spirited student section under the basket.
“It definitely meant a lot for everyone to come out and watch our game today,” Spratt said. “I’m really good friends with all the guys and girls that came out and supported us. It meant a lot to me, and it meant a lot to all of us as a team that they came out and supported us.”
For the Golden Hawks, both Smedley and Gregory – who had four 3-pointers - scored 17 points. Katie Purpura added six points.
Central Bucks West (17-7, 11-5 SOL) will travel to Abington for a second round game on Wednesday.
Council Rock South 20-6-14-10 50
Central Bucks West 11-11-10-20 52
Council Rock South (50) – Liliana Metrick 1 0-0 3; Lily Bross 1 0-0 3; Katie Purpura 2 0-0 6; Cam Gregory 4 5-6 17; Fiona Reckner 1 0-1 2; Mia Stock 1 0-0 2; Karissa Smedley 6 4-6 17. TOTALS 16 9-13 50.
Central Bucks West (52) – Tai Henkels 5 0-0 12; Katie Finnan 3 0-1 8; Nia Perry 0 3-3 3; Emily Spratt 3 10-15 16; Ava Longo 1 1-2 3; Gabi Senior 2 5-7 10. TOTALS 14 19-28 52.
3-point goals: CRS – Cam Gregory 4, Katie Purpura 2; Liliana Metrick, Lily Bross, Karissa Smedley; CBW – Tai Henkels 2, Katie Finnan 2, Gabi Senior.
#13 UPPER DUBLIN 37, #20 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 25
To say the Flying Cardinals got off to a less than promising start in Friday’s district opener would be an understatement. Upper Dublin connected on just one of its first 23 shots from the floor. Fortunately for UD, the Whippets weren’t doing a whole lot better, and they were able to recuperate from an abysmal offensive start to win the game.
“We had four points with 1:55 left to go in the second quarter,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “We finally got a shot to fall, and we proceeded to score 11 points in the next two minutes. We were down 12-4, and we ended up going up 15-14 at halftime. It was definitely the boost that we needed.”
The Cardinals began to pull away from the Whippets in the third quarter, outscoring their visitors 9-2 to go into the final quarter with a 24-16 lead. Aditi Foster’s six points led the Cardinals, who sealed the Whippets’ fate with a 13-point fourth quarter that included a 7-for-8 efforts at the foul line by Amy Ngo.
“It was a really great atmosphere because we had a doubleheader with our boys’ team,” Funsten said. “A lot of the community came out.
“In the first playoff game, I’ve seen teams in the past just struggle to shoot the ball because of the nerves. It shows how much they care, but also it’s nerveracking, and we definitely played nervous offensively. We played well defensively. I felt we could press them, and we had a lot of success with that. We forced 22 turnovers by them. We just pressed fullcourt man the whole time, and the girls did a great job turning 
Downingtown West over. We just couldn’t find a way to convert, but we stuck with it.”
Foster led the Cardinals with 12 points, eight rebounds, seven deflections and four steals.
“Aditi Foster probably played her best game of the season,” Funston said. “She was all over the place. Aditi only a sophomore, and she is one of the best lacrosse players in the area. She’s a great athlete, and it’s been really fun watching her develop as a basketball player this year. Her competitiveness is what gets her to improve as much as she had this year.
“I said to a couple of reporters at the game – it’s really cool because throughout the season, I felt her teammates picked her up at different times, and tonight she had her chance to pick her teammates up because we struggled making wide open layups.”
Ngo and Geena Sarnoski both scored nine points. Ngo added five rebounds, two assists, four deflections and two steals. Colleen Klammer had seven points, a game high nine rebounds, three deflections and three steals. Bliss Brenner added five assists, two deflections and one steal.
“After we got a one-point lead at halftime, Geena Sarnoski made a couple of 3s and got some distance,” Funsten said. “The rest of the game was relatively comfortable, especially compared to the first half coming out the way we shot.”
Lizzie Grant led the Whippets with 15 points. Standout freshman Sami Schurtz did not score, thanks in no small part to the defensive effort of Bliss Brenner.
“If you’re a player to watch and you’re a freshman and Bliss Brenner plays you, there’s a good chance you’re not getting much,” Funsten said.
Upper Dublin (16-8, 12-4 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury for a second round game on Wednesday.
Downingtown West 7-7-2-9 25
Upper Dublin 2-13-9-13 37
Downingtown West (25) – Sami Schurtz 0 0-2 0; Lizzie Grant 6 3-4 15; Kiersten Arrowsmith 2 0-0 5; Payton Forsyth 2 0-0 5; Kaitlin Meenan 0 0-2 0. TOTALS 10 3-8 25.
Upper Dublin (37) – Aditi Foster 4 4-4 12; Geena Sarnoski 3 0-0 9; Colleen Klammer 3 1-2 7; Amy Ngo 1 7-8 9. TOTALS 11 12-14 37.
3-point goals: DW – Kiersten Arrowsmith, Payton Forsyth; UD – Geena Sarnoski 3.
#15 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 57, #18 COATESVILLE 44
For four years, Taylor Hinkle has been a fixture in the Titans’ starting lineup, and the senior captain wasn’t about to let her final high school season come to an early end. Hinkle scored 24 points
and was the undeniable catalyst in the Titans’ opening round win.
“Taylor Hinkle was just a rock for us tonight,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “She scored 24 points, and she scored in every quarter. She was just a real nice stabilizer on the court.”
The Titans, who led 17-11 after one quarter, took a 29-24 lead into halftime. Hinkle’s 12 points led the Titans while Samantha Schiesser added eight, and Yoyo Samayoa had seven.
“The first half was filled with a lot of fouls on both sides,” Mattern said. “We didn’t quite execute the first half the way we wanted to, and our game plan wasn’t really executed the way we practiced it this week.
“We were up five at halftime, and the effort just wasn’t the effort that we wanted. We regrouped at halftime, and I thought we really played great in the second half. We held them to five points in the third quarter and really set the tone and took control of the game again.”
The Titans outscored their visitors 9-5 in the third quarter and sealed their fate with a 19-point fourth quarter that included 17 trips to the foul line. The Titans connected on 11 of those foul shots.
“We just executed better on the defensive end and on the boards like we wanted to,” Mattern said of the second half. “We weren’t getting the rotation that we wanted in the first half.”
In addition to Hinkle, Schiesser had 12 points and Samayoa added 11. Allison Sauers added seven points.
“Yoyo got in some foul trouble in the first half, which hurt us, but in the second half, I thought she played a great game,” Samayoa said. “Sammy Schiesser had a nice night offensively, and she gave us some big baskets when we needed.
“We made some foul shots at the very end because we were struggling from the line most of the game.”
Danae Ellzy’s 25 points led all scorers in the game.
Central Bucks South (13-10, 8-8 SOL) will be on the road at #2 Souderton on Wednesday for a second-round game. The SOL Colonial Division champion Indians defeated the Titans twice during the regular season. Win or lose, the Titans are guaranteed at least two more games.
“This was winner-go-home,” Mattern said. “Obviously, we want to win (Wednesday’s) game, but just knowing we can go out there and put it on the line, and there’s still a safety net that we get a second shot at it - it is kind of reassuring.”
Coatesville 11-13-5-15 44
Central Bucks South 17-12-9-19 57
Coatesville (44) – Libby Taggart 1 0-0 2; Alexis Fields 3 0-3 6; Danae Ellzy 7 8-9 25; Paityn Forest 1 3-6 5; Kylee Riggins 1 0-0 3; Fancy Wah 1 0-0 2; Kaitlyn Ward 0 1-2 1. TOTALS 14 12-20 44.
Central Bucks South (57) – Taylor Hinkle 9 4-4 24; Mackenzie Erb 1 0-0 3; Samantha Schiesser 4 4-6 12; Allison Sauers 2 3-9 7; Yoyo Samayoa 3 4-8 11. TOTALS 19 15-27 57.
3-point goals: Coatesville – Danae Elzzy 3, Kylee Riggins; CBS –Taylor Hinkle 2, Mackenzie Erb, Yoyo Samayoa.
#11 SPRING-FORD 42, #22 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 37
The Patriots found themselves staring at a 13-0 deficit before they knew what hit them, but they recuperated quite nicely, pulling to within 19-11 by the end of one quarter. They actually led late in
the third quarter and were in the game until the end, which didn’t surprise their coach.
“They came out hitting shots, and we were like – these kids have never been in playoffs except for Elise (Duffy), and it showed,” East coach Liz Potash said. “We settled down, and it was 17-11 but they hit a layup as time expired in the first quarter.
“By halftime, we had it to a three-point game. We’re actually up three late in the third quarter, and they hit a three to tie it at the buzzer heading into the fourth. We definitely had some chances. We did exactly what we’ve done all year – we battled, we clawed.”
Elise Duffy all but singlehandedly kept the Patriots afloat after they fell behind early, scoring eight of her game high 18 in the opening quarter.
“Elise was unbelievable,” Potash said. “She had the first eight points of the game.”
The Patriots – sparked by 12 points from Duffy – trailed by just a 23-20 score at halftime. They outscored the Rams 8-5 in the third quarter and kept them without a field goal until Aaliyah Solliday’s 3-pointer at the buzzer to knot the score 28-28. The Rams closed it out with a 14-9 fourth quarter, but the Rams were never out of it.
“We definitely had some chances,” Potash said. “We missed foul shots – obviously, in a five-point game, going 7-for-14 is a killer. There were things we could have done better.
“But we’re so proud of this group. What they did tonight is exactly what they did all year. They battled everyone close. They got down, they battled back, they took a lead. Other kids stepped up. It’s been the story of our season, just not enough plays in us to be able to get it to go our way, but we’ll take it.”
In addition to Duffy, Kendall Gregor added six points on a pair of 3s. No other player had more than five points.
“The kids gave everything they had,” Potash said. “They always do. We had one game this year that was pretty lopsided – CB South the first time we played, but even Pennsbury, we made a furious comeback to make it an 11-point game. We ended up with 12 losses on the year, and I believe nine of them were under six points to really good competition.”
“It’s hard. I said to the girls after the game, ‘I know I sound like a broken record at this point of the season, but we’re super proud of you. You guys just battle.’”
Central Bucks East closed out its season with a 10-12 record (7-9 SOL).
Central Bucks East 11-9-8-9 37
Spring-Ford 19-4-5-14 42
Central Bucks East (37) – Erin LeRay 2 0-0 4; Chantal Van Dongeren 1 2-2 4; Anna Barry 1 3-5 5; Elise Duffy 7 2-5 18; Kendall Gregor 2 0-0 6; Emily Curran 0 0-2 0. TOTALS 13 7-14 37.
Spring-Ford (42) – Aaliyah Solliday 4 0-0 9; Siena Miller 3 0-2 8; Anna Azzara 4 2-4 11; Kamryn Pufko 0 2-2 2; Katie Tiffan 3 0-0 8; Mac Pettinelli 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 16 4-8 42.
3-point goals: CBE – Elise Duffy 2, Kendall Gregor 2; SF – Katie Tiffan 2, Siena Miller 2, Aaliyah Solliday, Anna Azzara.
#14 GARNET VALLEY 55, #19 HATBORO-HORSHAM 21
The Hatters found themselves in an early hole and never could find their offense in an opening round loss to the Jaguars.
“We came out and we were down 6-0 before we knew what hit us,” HH coach Eric Glemser said. “We were panicking against the press and throwing the ball all over the place.
“It was 23-8 after the first quarter, and we had a two-point second quarter and could not recover.”
The Hatters did not shoot a foul shot in a game that saw the Jaguars connect on their only two free throws of the game.
Emily Thomas led the Hatters with eight points.
The contest was the final high school game of a strong senior class that included Thomas, Paige Cole, Alice Hall and Sam Hollish.
Hatboro-Horsham closed out its season with a 12-9 record overall (9-7 SOL).
Hatboro-Horsham 8-2-9-2 21
Garnet Valley 23-15-14-3 55
Hatboro-Horsham (21) – Caroline Shegogue 1 0-0 2; Alice Hall 2 0-0 4; Leah Harrington 2 0-0 4; Emily Thomas 3 0-0 8; Sam Hollish 1 0-0 3. TOTALS 9 0-0 11.
Garnet Valley (55) – Savannah Saunders 2 0-0 4; Kylie Mulholland 2 0-0 6; Haylie Adamski 6 0-0 13; Carly Discabtino 4 2-2 10; Katelyn Dugery 1 0-0 2; Emily Olsen 5 0-0 10; Ava Passenti 4 0-0 10. TOTALS 24 2-2 55.
3-point field goals: HH – Emily Thomas 2, Sam Hollish; GV – Kylie Mulholland 2, Ava Passenti 2, Haylie Adamski.
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