Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action in the District 1 6A Tournament on Wednesday. Pennsbury was the SOL’s lone winner.
District 1 6A semifinal
#1 PERKIOMEN VALLEY 67, #5 NORTH PENN 36
Sometimes, you just have to tip your hat to your opponent.
That’s exactly what the Knights did after Wednesday’s loss to the Vikings in District 1 6A semifinal contest.
“After the game, the message was that we got here, we earned the right to be here,” NP coach Bri Cullen said. “That’s an incredibly talented team.
“I just think it’s their depth. Most teams at this level have two offensive threats, and they have five offensive threats. There’s not a lot of defenses that are going to work on somebody when you have a 6-3 center and a 6-1 guard that can shoot beyond the arc. It makes it a little challenging.”
PV’s 6-3 center – Quinn Boettinger – and 6-1 guard – Grace Galbavy – combined for 38 points, and from the outset, they also had plenty of help.
Lena Stein hit nothing but net on a 3-pointer on the Vikings’ first possession, and after a two-minute scoring drought for both teams, Bella Bacani connected on a 3 to put the Vikings on top 6-0. Boettinger buried a pair at the foul line, then then it was Bacani scoring to give the Vikings a 10-0 lead.
“It’s really tough because when you try and focus on the bigs in the post because they have a lot of height – they also have the ability to score from the outside,” NP senior Caleigh Sperling said. “Every player on their team can score. It was hard just trying to focus on one person, and then the rest of the team stepped up and did a really nice job.”
By the time the first quarter ended, the Vikings had a 17-5 lead, and they added to their lead in the second quarter, taking a 33-14 lead into halftime. Boettinger and Galbavy combined for 17 of their team’s points.
“We weren’t playing like ourselves – we weren’t as aggressive,” Sperling said. “I think we were focusing on their team a little bit more than how we play.
“That is probably one of the toughest teams we’ll play all year, and I think that will really help us moving forward in the states when we have to play tough teams. I think it was really good to have this experience.”
The Knights’ high-scoring senior had six first-half points while freshman Lily Brown – who was fearless – had a pair of three-point plays and led the Knights with eight.
“I think she just loves to compete, and going in there is just natural for her,” Cullen said of Brown. “It’s great experience for a freshman to play in a game like this.”
“She’s relentless,” Sperling said of her freshman teammate. “She just loves to play, and she doesn’t really care who she’s playing against – she’ll just play her own game and go as hard as she can. She really stepped up this game, especially when things weren’t really going our way, and we weren’t making shots.”
In the third quarter, Galbavy showcased her smooth-as-silk shot, burying a pair of 3s and scoring nine points as the Vikings outscored their visitors 18-11. The Knights battled, but they could not put a dent in the Vikings’ advantage as they struggled to find their offensive flow.
“Especially because they’re big, it’s kind of hard to focus on shooting it normally when they’re closing out on you,” Sperling said. “I also think our lack of defensive awareness they got a few pretty open shots.”
Sperling (14 points) and King (11 points) led the Knights.
Boettinger scored a game-high 20, and Galbavy finished with 18. Bacani added 14 points.
North Penn (23-4, 15-1 SOL) will travel to #2 Conestoga for Friday’s third place game.
“I’ve seen them play a few times,” Cullen said of Conestoga. “I’m excited for a different team.
“We have something to play for on Friday. It’s not over. We have a home state playoff game to look forward to. We’re just super proud of them.”
North Penn 5-9-11-11 36
Perkiomen Valley 17-16-18-16 67
North Penn (36) – Cam Crowley 0 2-2 2; Caleigh Sperling 5 4-7 14; Lily Brown 4 2-2 11; Leah Mikulski 0 2-4 2; Olivia Stone 2 0-0 4; Talia Smink 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 12 10-15 36.
Perkiomen Valley (67) – Anna Stein 2 0-0 5; Bella Bacani 5 2-2 14; Kate Nemic 1 0-0 2; Lena Stein 2 0-0 5; Grace Miley 1 0-0 3; Quinn Boettinger 9 2-2 20; Grace Galbavy 7 1-1 18; TOTALS 27 5-5 67.
3-point goals: NP – Lily Brown, Tallie Smink; PV – Grace Galbavy 3, Bella Bacani 2, Anna Stein, Lena Stein, Grace Miley.
District 1 6A playback (3rd to 8th place)
#7 GARNET VALLEY 50, #3 UPPER DUBLIN 46
The Flying Cardinals came up just short in Friday’s back and forth playback game against the visiting Jaguars.
“The positives to take out of it were that some of the mistakes that we were concerned about that we made on Saturday against Spring-Ford – I thought we cleaned them up a bit, but at the same time, we created some new things to work on,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “These playback games are opportunities to get better against good competition.
“Garnet Valley – what they did a little differently than most teams we’ve seen this year – even though they didn’t press the entire game, they’re very long, physical and athletic, and they pressured in the half court. We’ve taken care of the ball really well all season, but we turned the ball over more than we’d like tonight.”
The Jaguars led 12-9 after one quarter and took a 26-24 advantage into halftime. Amy Ngo’s eight points – all in the second quarter – led the Cardinals in the half.
Sparked by seven points from Tamia Clark, UD outscored its visitors 14-9 in the third quarter only to see the game slip away in the fourth when they managed just eight points.
“The positives to take out of it were that we cleaned up mistakes from Saturday,” Funsten said. “They made some shots down the stretch. We were up two with a few minutes to go in the game, (Kylie) Mulholland, their point guard, made a 3 to put them up one, and we were down the rest of the game.
“One thing we need to work on as a team is we have to make sure that the best players on the other team don’t beat us. Their three best players tonight were their three leading scorers, and they combined for 46 of their 50 points. That’s definitely something we need to focus on moving forward as we play good competition. We have to be sure the best players on the other team are not beating us.”
Clark was less than 100 percent in Wednesday’s game, but her 17 points led the Flying Cardinals.
“Tamia Clark, who did not play against East the first time, reinjured her ankle on Monday,” Funsten said. “We didn’t think she would be able to play at all. She played on a minutes-restriction tonight, and she was spectacular. She had 17 points and 12 rebounds. She had a double-double on basically one foot.
“I don’t think she was happy with how she played against Spring-Ford Saturday. She had a nice fourth quarter, but up until then, I don’t think she was happy. I was really pleased with the fight she showed. Even to be able to play – as a freshman, when things don’t go your way, it’s really easy to take the easy way out of things and make excuses and whatever else. The way she competed tonight was really a step in the right direction for her. I’m excited to see how she finishes the season out.”
In addition to Clark, Ngo added 12 points with three 3 pointers and also had five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Bridget DiMartile and Nora Brady both added six points.
Upper Dublin (24-4, 16-0 SOL) will host #8 Central Bucks East in a playback game for seventh place.
Garnet Valley 9-17-9-15 50
Upper Dublin 12-12-14-8 46
Garnet Valley (50) – Emily Olsen 4 2-4 10; Kylie Mulholland 7 1-2 17; Haylie Adamski 6 7-8 19; Addie Adamski 1 0-2 2; Kylie Adamski 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 19 10-16 50.
Upper Dublin (46) – Brighid Brady 2 0-0 5; Bridget DiMartile 3 0-0 6; Tamia Clark 5 6-8 17; Amy Ngo 4 3-4 12; Nora Brady 2 0-0 6; TOTALS 16 9-12 46
3-point goals: GV – Kylie Mulholland 2; UD – Nora Brady 2, Amy Ngo, Tamia Clark, Brighid Brady.
#4 HAVERFORD 53, #8 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 42
The visiting Patriots struggled to find their offensive stride and managed just three points in the first quarter. The Fords, who led 14-3 after one, took a 24-16 lead into halftime after the Patriots rallied with a 13-point second quarter that included 10 points by Anna Barry.
Any thoughts of a comeback were all but put to rest when the Fords came out of halftime to outscore the Patriots 17-8 in the third quarter to go into the final frame with a 41-24 lead on their way to the win.
Barry’s 18 points included four 3-pointers and led the Patriots. Natalie Berndt had nine points on three 3s, and Sydney Ralph added eight points, which included a pair of 3s. As a team, the Patriots connected on 11 3-pointers and just three shots from inside the arc.
Central Bucks East (19-8, 11-5 SOL) will travel to #3 Upper Dublin on Friday for the seventh place game.
Central Bucks East 3-13-8-18 42
Haverford 14-10-17-12 53
Central Bucks East (42) – Marley Metz 1 0-0 3; Sydney Ralph 2 2-2 8; Haley Moran 0 1-4 1; Natalie Berndt 3 0-0 9; Anna Barry 7 0-0 18; Jess Lockwood 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 14 3-6 42.
Haverford (53) – Amaya Cash 1 0-0 2; Aniya Eberthart 3 7-8 13; Megan Kelly 3 1-2 10; Tess Durfee 1 0-0 2; Ashley Wright 1 0-2 2; Natalie Wright 2 0-0 4; Rian Dotsey 9 2-2 20; TOTALS 20 10-14 53.
3-point goals: CBE – Anna Barry 4, Natalie Berndt 3, Sydney Ralph 2, Marley Metz, Jess Lockwood; Haverford – Megan Kelly 3.
District 1 6A playbacks (9th to 12th place)
#16 PENNSBURY 36, #12 KENNETT 27
The Falcons made the long trip to Kennett worth their while, surviving a slow start to earn the win in Wednesday’s playback game.
“In a season full of road games, the ride to Kennett Square is not to be trifled with and can only be topped by a trip to Downingtown East on Friday afternoon, but honestly, we are not complaining because we are really grateful that we are still together as a group,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “The reason why we play such an unbalanced schedule in terms of being on the road during the regular season is because we want to be prepared to play in other people’s gyms in important games.”
The Falcons, who trailed 9-6 after one quarter, found themselves on the short end of a 19-15 halftime score. In the third quarter, the Falcons limited Kennett to one basket and evened the score 22-22 heading into the final period when they outscored their hosts 14-5 to earn the 36-27 win. The Blue Demons managed just two second-half field goals.
“Kennett was just coming off a really emotional went over Abington on Saturday, and we had our own emotional win and both teams got off to a slow start,” Sciolla said. “They play a style at both ends that we hadn’t seen much of lately, and we really struggled shooting the ball in the first half.
“At halftime, we continue to repeat what we had preached all week in terms of getting them all inside out on offense, and we continued to get good looks and some of them started to fall. We were really solid defensively, and we only gave up eight points in the second half.”
Sofia Vitucci’s 13 points led the Falcons. Daniella MacDonald added seven points for the Falcons.
“Much like us, Kennett is not the biggest team in the world, and so tonight was one of those rare nights where we had an advantage on the glass. and we were able to get a number of second chance opportunities,” Sciolla said. “Layla Matthias, Maggie Burns, and Ava Jordan were able to extend possessions for us and that was helpful.”
The Falcons’ coach went on to credit the contributions of several other players in the win.
“Joley Hohman has continued to improve over the last few weeks,” Sciolla said. “Last night at the end of practice I told her that she is doing such a better job, communicating at both ends, and she’s finding her voice, and that has a direct correlation to her improvement on the practice floor, which is then translating to the game floor. She was really solid in terms of taking care of the ball tonight, and she mixed a big drive to the basket with a timely three to help us out.
“We also received really good minutes from Liv Gilchrist , who always comes in with an excellent understanding of who she is and what she needs to do, and she helped us out on both ends. I have to really credit Kennett because they played smart, and they are very physical It was a really ugly game, but we were fortunate to get out with the win and have a chance to play again on Friday on the road again, of course.”
Pennsbury (19-8, 11-5 SOL) will travel to #11 Downingtown East for Friday’s ninth place game.
Pennsbury 6-9-7-14 36
Kennett 9-10-3-5 27
Pennsbury (36) – Layla Matthias 1 1-2 3; Maggie Burns 2 0-0 4; Sofia Vitucci 4 3-4 13; Oliveah Gilchrist 2 0-2 4; Daniella MacDonald 3 0-0 7; Joley Hohman 1 0-0 3; Ava Jordan 1 0-1 2; TOTALS 14 4-11 36.
Kennett (27) – Mary Carroll 1 0-0 2; Quinn Simmons 3 0-0 8; Sarah Mullin 1 0-0 2; Mia Matthews 3 5-7 13; Bianca Comanda 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 9 5-7 27.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Sofia Vitucci 2, Daniella MacDonald, Joley Hohman; Kennett – Quinn Simmons 2, Mia Matthews 2.
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