Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. Upper Moreland/GMA photos provided courtesy of Jon Sklut. New Hope/Morrisville photos provided courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for galleries of both games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f884733941
CLASS 5A
#4 GWYNEDD MERCY 48, #5 UPPER MORELAND 34
One team’s fast start is another team’s slow start, and while teams never want to find themselves in an early hole, it’s an especially undesirable position to find yourself in against a GMA squad best known for its stingy defense.
“It’s impossible,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “I think the impossible thing is they play good defense, and playing them, you’re on defense forever. You could be down five with six minutes left in the game, and you’re still down five with three minutes left because you’ve only had two chances to shoot the ball.
“But it works for them. That’s what makes them very successful. They’re very patient, they always have five capable scorers on the floor.”
The game couldn’t have started much better for the Monarchs, who led 13-0 when Megan McDonnell scored on a drive to the basket.
The tone for the quarter was set when – on GMA’s opening possession -freshman Emilia Coleman scored on a cut to the basket, and then it was freshman Bailey Balkir, who also had a 3 in her team’s early run, scoring on a similar play.
“It was all cuts that we knew were coming,” Carroll said. “It’s all out of the offense that they run.
“The issue is – in girls’ basketball in Pennsylvania, you can be on offense for two minutes, and unless you can really put good ball pressure on, eventually, somebody’s going to get open. I feel like every time one of ours let up, one of theirs made an open shot.”
UM’s Mikel Lancit broke the Monarchs’ run when she buried a 3-pointer with 90 seconds remaining in the half. She scored on a runner in the final minutes to make it a 13-5 game after one quarter.
“The fast start to the game – we had a lot of points in the paint which was one of our keys,” said GMA assistant coach Bill Coleman. “Defensively in the first quarter we were just fantastic. We stayed true to our game plan, and the girls executed it fantastically in the first quarter.”
A three-point play by Lancit was followed by a Holly Gohl steal and basket, and it was a 15-10 game, but Coleman connected on a 3, making that the beginning of a 9-0 GMA run to go on top 24-10. The Monarchs took a 29-16 lead into halftime.
“I told the girls at halftime – part of it was my fault,” Carroll said. “I didn’t get them moving enough. I called too many – ‘try and score on this play’ type of things instead of letting them move around and get in the flow, so that was my fault. We were getting open shots, and we just didn’t make them, and they did.”
With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, UM cut GMA’s lead to 30-24 after a 3-pointer by Gohl, who had eight straight points in the frame.
“We did lose 24 and 11 (Holly Gohl and EmmyFaith Wood) a little bit in the third quarter and the fourth quarter, but we recovered from that,” Coleman said. “When all five of us are tied together defensively like we were, we did take them out of their stuff and made everything difficult.”
Four straight points by Coleman to close out the quarter upped GMA’s lead to 34-24. It was a 36-29 game after Lancit connected on a baseline 3, but the Monarchs responded with a 9-0 run, and the Golden Bears never threatened the rest of the way.
Lancit’s 11 points led the Golden Bears while Gohl had 10 points and Wood added eight.
For the Monarchs, Coleman led the way with 15 points – which included two 3s and a 5-for-6 effort at the foul line. Balkir and Dylan Burke both had eight, and Hannah Griffin finished with seven.
With the win, GMA earned a coveted state tournament berth.
“That was a big monkey off our backs,” Coleman said. “We wanted to be sure we got our spot in states. We’re going to play Rustin on Friday, which is going to be a good test for us with Laine McGurk, who’s going to Drexel. It will be a good challenge for the girls.”
Coleman had ties with the SOL for many years as the head coach of the Pennsbury boys’ squad. His daughter, Emelia, is a freshman at GMA.
Upper Moreland (19-6, 13-3 SOL) will host #9 West Chester East in a playback game for one of two remaining state berths. East was routed by WC Rustin 68-34.
“We have to win Friday,” Carroll said. “I told them the hardest thing to do is to do what they did for this game again after disappointment. It’s just as hard for them as it is for me.
“I have to tell myself – ‘Here we go.’ We have to go home, watch film and prepare, make a practice schedule for tomorrow. Figure out West Chester East as much as we’ve figured out Gwynedd and all the other teams we played. But whoever we play is in the same boat as us, so we can’t feel bad for ourselves because no one else is feeling bad for us. We had many goals. One of our goals was to make it to states, and that goal is still accomplishable.”
Upper Moreland 5-11-8-10 34
Gwynedd Mercy 13-16-5-14 48
Upper Moreland (34) – Mikel Lancit 4 1-1 11; Alyssa Wiley 1 0-0 3; EmmyFaith Wood 3 0-0 8; Lilly Hansen 0 2-2 2; Holly Gohl 4 0-0 10; TOTALS 12 3-3 34.
Gwynedd Mercy (48) – Morgan Newell 2 0-0 5; Bailey Balkir 2 3-4 8; Megan McDonnell 2 1-3 5; Emilia Coleman 4 5-6 15; Hannah Griffin 2 3-4 7; Dylan Burke 4 0-0 8; TOTALS 16 12-17 48.
3-point goals: UM – Mikel Lancit 2, Holly Gohl 2, EmmyFaith Wood 2, Alyssa Wiley; GMA – Emelia Coleman 2, Megan McDonnell, Morgan Newell.
CLASS 3A semifinal
#1 NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 59, #4 MORRISVILLE 31
Ten players contributed scoring to a balanced attack in a contest the Lions owned from the outset, opening up a 25-4 lead after one quarter and extending that to 42-15 by halftime on their way to the no-doubt-about it win. 
“I’m really happy how we came out and played from the start of game,” New Hope coach Steve Polinsky said. “We have not played a game in two weeks. The team came out with a ton of energy and effort.”
In the opening frame, senior Reagan Chrencik led the way with 10 points. Emily Wilson added seven and Gabby D’Agostino had six. Chrencik and D’Agostino were a combined 8-for-8 from the foul line in the first quarter.
“Reagan and Gabby set the tone in the first half – really getting after it,” Polinsky said. “Our ball movement was great with all of our starters. Great passing game from Emily Wilson and Izzy Elizondo. Ella Dudick had a great game rebounding the ball.”
Chrencik and D’Agostino shared team scoring honors with 12 points each. Chrencik was a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line, and D’Agostino was 5-for-5. Kayla Fennell added eight points – all in the second half – while Elizondo and Wilson both had seven points.
To say Morrisville was a one-woman show would not be an exaggeration as Ella Quince scored 29 of her team’s 31 points.
New Hope-Solebury (16-7, 13-3 SOL) will face #3 Bristol in Saturday’s District 1 3A title game at Bensalem (3:30 p.m.).
“We are excited about playing in a championship on Saturday,” Polinsky said.
Morrisville 4-11-6-10 31
New Hope-Solebury 25-17-11-6 59
Morrisville (31) – Ella Quince 9 7-16 29; Miyonna Lynch 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 10 7-16 31.
New Hope-Solebury (59) – Gabby D’Agostino 3 5-5 12; Ella Dudick 1 0-0 2; Izzy Elizondo 2 2-2 7; Emily Wilson 3 0-0 7; Reagan Chrencik 3 6-6 12; Kayla Fennell 3 1-2 8; Nina Meixler 1 0-0 3; Devon McGuire 1 0-0 2; Isha Murcheje 2 0-0 4; Elena Shira 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 20 14-15 59.
3-point goals: Morrisville – Ella Quince 4; NHS – Gabby D’Agostino, Izzy Elizondo, Emily Wilson, Kayla Fennell, Nina Meixler.
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