SOL Girls’ Basketball District Preview (2-16-24)

Nine SOL girls’ basketball teams will be in action in Friday’s opening round of the District Tournament. Check out the preview capsules for all 14 SOL teams in the postseason. Photo courtesy of Trish Sexton: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f913170668

Class 6A

#3 UPPER DUBLIN (Bye)

23-2 overall
16-0 SOL Liberty Division champions
Lost to Neshaminy 35-22 in SOL Tournament final
Players to watch: Amy Ngo (Sr/G), Brighid Brady (Sr/G), Nora Brady (Sr/G), Tamia Clark (Fr/G), Bridget DiMartile (Fr/F)
Amy Ngo, a Holy Family University signee, averages 15.3 points, 3.4 assists and has 72 3s on the season, Tamia Clark averages 15.5 points/8.9 rebounds, Megan Ngo stuffs a stat sheet, averaging 9.7 points, 7.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 3.6 steals. The sophomore point guard set a single season record with 171 assists before going down with an injury in the SOL Tournament
Wins over Class 6A #13 Abington (54-45, 63-47), #18 Council Rock South (50-28), #21 Plymouth Whitemarsh (53-15, 65-28), Class 5A #4 Lower Moreland (64-25), #6 Villa Maria (58-54), #8 Upper Moreland (63-45), Class 4A #4 Springfield Twp (55-22)

Coach Morgan Funsten says: “We are proud of the season we have had so far, but we are not satisfied. We are looking to take it one game at a time, improve as a team and make some noise in the playoffs.”

Next up: UD will face the winner of #19 Penncrest at #14 Coatesville

#5 NORTH PENN (Bye)

21-3 overall
15-1 SOL Colonial Division champions
Led by seniors Caleigh Sperling and Olivia Stone and junior point guard Cameron Crowley
Thomas Jefferson University commit Caleigh Sperling averages a team-high 17 points & seven rebounds while Olivia Stone leads the Knights defensively, averaging 8 deflections and 3 steals
Wins over Class 6A #4 Haverford (56-45), #8 Central Bucks East (65-56, 50-34), #9 Neshaminy (44-42), #16 Pennsbury (62-51), #17 Bensalem (51-46), #18 Council Rock South (44-42), #23 Central Bucks South (64-39, 48-30), #24 Ridley (44-21), Class 5A #4 West Chester Rustin (60-32) & #9 Bishop Shanahan (70-54)

Next up: North Penn will face the winner of #21 Plymouth Whitemarsh at #12 Kennett

#9 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST (Bye)

18-6 overall
11-5 SOL Colonial Division second place
Players to watch include Anna Barry (Sr/G), Chantal van Dongeren (Sr/F), Sydney Ralph (11/G), Natalie Berndt (So/G), Jess Lockhard (10/F), Haley Moran (Fr/G)
Anna Barry (13.3 ppg, 58 3s), Jess Lockwood (11.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg), Natalie Berndt (7.8 ppg) & Sydney Ralph (6.3 ppg) lead the Patriots.
East averages 45.9 points a game while holding opponents to 39.5 points a game.
Wins over Class 6A #13 Abington (51-39), #16 Pennsbury (43-39), #23 CB South (52-49, 53-28), Class 5A #1 Gwynedd Mercy (54-45), #4 West Chester Rustin (47-38)

Coach Liz Potash says: “After completing a very difficult non-league schedule and competing in the highly competitive Colonial and Patriot divisions, we are looking forward to the district playoffs to extend our season as long as possible for our senior captains Anna Barry and Chantal van Dongeren.”

Next up: CB East will face the winner of #24 Ridley at #9 Neshaminy

#24 RIDLEY at #9 NESHAMINY (Friday, 7 p.m.)

Neshaminy

21-5 overall
14-2 SOL Patriot Division champions
SOL Tournament champion with 35-22 win over Upper Dublin
Led by McDonalds All-American nominees Reese Zemitis and Lola Ibarrondo. Zemitis, a Bucknell signee, averages 19 points and 9.1 rebounds while shooting 86 percent from the foul line. Ibarrondo, a Holy Family signee, averages 11.3 points and leads the ‘Skins with 90 assists.
Junior Alena Cofield averages 5.0 points a game and leads the team in offensive rebounding and steals.
Held teams to under 33 points a game in last six games
11-1 in last 12 games.
Wins over Class 6A #8 Central Bucks East (40-25), #16 Pennsbury (36-33, 49-36), #17 Bensalem (48-35, 46-32), #23 Central Bucks South (47-40) & Class 5A #9 Bishop Shanahan (51-20)
Split season series with Class 6A #18 Council Rock South (48-43, 32-36)

Ridley

15-8 overall
8-8 Central League
Lost to Garnet Valley 50-23 in opening round of Central League playoffs
Seniors Kailyn Bell & Kyle Carney lead a young squad.
No wins over district playoff teams

Next up: Winner faces CB East in the second round.

#20 GREAT VALLEY at #13 ABINGTON (Friday, 5 p.m.)

Abington

17-6 overall
14-2 SOL Liberty Division second place
Players to watch include Piper McGinley (Sr), Maya Johnson (Jr/PG), Mikiaya Durham (So) & Sarah Oleary (Sr)
Abington averages 60 points, 12 assists and 11 steals a game.
Wins over Class 6A #21 Plymouth Whitemarsh (37-32, 52-30), Class 5A #4 Lower Moreland (55-30) & #8 Upper Moreland (55-27), Class 4A #4 Springfield Twp (87-55) & Class 3A #2 New Hope-Solebury (67-56)

Coach Allison Lawson says: “We are trying to play our best basketball right now, and I think the girls are focused and ready to play.”

Great Valley

11-11 overall
5-5 Central League
Led by senior point guard Julia Curran
Wins over Class 5A #11 Sun Valley (49-39, 50-35) & #12 Upper Merion (32-26)
Split with Class 6A #15 Unionville (30-27, 29-36)
Won 3 of 4 to close out the regular season.

Next up: Winner will travel to #4 Haverford for a second round game.

#17 BENSALEM at #16 PENNSBURY (Friday, 7 p.m.)

Pennsbury

16-7 overall
11-5 SOL Patriot Division
Lost to North Penn in opening round of SOL Tournament
Led by senior guard Sofia Vitucci (18 ppg), senior forward Layla Matthias (8 rpg) & senior guard Daniella MacDonald (9 ppg)
Wins over Class 6A #18 Council Rock South (53-27, 42-33), #23 Central Bucks South (43-31)
Split with Class 6A #17 Bensalem (55-39, 40-44)

Coach Frank Sciolla says: “We are excited to enter district play with another home game. We just played Bensalem a couple of weeks ago, so we know how good of a team they are. They received outstanding contributions from the seniors that night, and we are aware that we are going to have our hands full with them.”

Bensalem

15-8 overall
10-6 SOL Patriot Division
Players to watch include Amber Howard (Sr/F), Talia DiMichele (Jr/PG), Devon Bell (Jr/G), Peyton Miller (Sr/F), Mikayla Donahue (Sr/G), Ariana Jenkins (Jr/G) & Sydney Daut (Fr/F)
Amber Howard, a North Carolina A&T signee, averages 17 points & 8 rebounds to lead the Owls. Talia DiMichele averages 9 points, 3 assists & 3 steals. Devon Bell averages 8 points a game and has 40 3-pointers.
Wins over Class 6A #8 Central Bucks East (48-45), #15 Unionville (64-53), #23 Central Bucks South (47-40) & Class 2A #2 New Hope-Solebury (61-57)
Split season series with #17 Pennsbury (39-55, 44-40) & #18 Council Rock South (39-51, 41-34)
Winners of 12 of 13 during late season stretch.

Coach Steve Johnson says: “This is the first time in four years the Owls have made the district playoffs. We are excited to have accomplished our first step in making playoffs, but we hope to have more basketball left in the season. Sophomore Grace McShane was a huge part of our success this season but, unfortunately, got hurt last week and will not be playing this postseason. We have had the ‘next man up’ mentality all season long. I expect nothing different on Friday.”

Next up: Winner will travel to #1 Perkiomen Valley for a second round game.

#18 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH at #16 UNIONVILLE (Friday, 7 p.m.)

Council Rock South

14-8 overall
10-6 SOL Patriot Division
Players to watch: Haley Thompson (Sr/F), Miranda Cantor (Sr/G), Katie Purpura (Sr/G/F), Camryn Gregory (Sr/G/F), Lily Bross (Sr/G), Maria Freeman (Jr/G), Kathryn O’Kane (Jr/G), Sarah Freeman (Jr/G), Fiona Reckner (Jr/F), Liliana Metrick (Jr/G), Emerson Gunther (So/G), Bella Hettler (So/F), Gillian Martin (S/G)
Fiona Reckner leads a balanced attack, averaging 8.8 points a game. Kathryn O’Kane leads the Hawks with 3.2 assists, Katie Purpura averages 1.6 steals and 7 rebounds to lead the Hawks.
Wins over Class 6A #8 Central Bucks East (48-25), #13 Abington (67-40), Class 4A #1 Villa Joseph Marie (39-25)
Split season series with #9 Neshaminy (43-48, 36-32), #23 Central Bucks South (60-33) & #17 Bensalem (51-39, 34-41)

Coach Jesse Krasna says: “We are grateful for the opportunity to compete in the district playoffs and measure ourselves up against the best talent in District One. We feel our challenging regular season schedule has us well prepared, and we are playing our best basketball of the year. We have five seniors who have poured their heart and soul into the program, and the leadership and experience they provide with our junior class give us everything we need to be successful this time of year.”

Unionville

15-8 overall
8-2 SOL Ches-Mont National regular season co-champs with Kennett
Lost to West Chester Henderson 45-38 in Ches-Mont semifinals.
Junior Elle Johnson is the Longhorns biggest offensive threat.
Wins over Class 6A #12 Kennett (48-44), #20 Great Valley (36-29), Ridley #24 (49-41), Class 5A #4 West Chester Rustin (54-31, 43-40), #7 Phoenixville (57-25), #11 Sun Valley (60-35, 61-38)

Next up: Winner will travel to #2 Conestoga for a second round game.

#21 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH at #12 KENNETT (Friday, 7 p.m.)

Plymouth Whitemarsh

13-9 overall
8-8 SOL Liberty Division
Players to watch: Sophomore McKenna Winland has averaged 12 points and 3 steals over the final eight games, junior Taylor Williams is averaging 10 points and 2 steals over the last eight games, and sophomore Joslyn Perez has averaged 3 points and 5 rebounds over the final five games. Senior Marissa Perez is the team’s leading rebounder at 5 a game and almost 8 over the final stretch of the season.
Freshmen Olivia Patete, Eliza Meersman & Brooke Peduzzi have played important roles in getting the team to the postseason.
Wins over Class 4A #4 Springfield Twp 36-30 & Class 3A #2 New Hope-Solebury (38-36).

Coach Dan Dougherty says: “In the eight games since losing AJ Avery (ankle/unavailable for Friday’s game), the team went 4-4 against some quality opponents. Kennett will be another difficult test as they possess the size, age and experience we lack. We are taking advantage of the extended season to continue to gain the experience we so desperately need.”

Kennett

17-7 overall
8-2 Ches-Mont National regular season co-champs with Unionville
Lost to West Chester East 53-48 in Ches-Mont semifinals.
Led by four seniors who have between 7-10 points a game, Kennett possesses size and experience.
Led by 5-11 senior Mia Matthews (10 ppg) & speedy senior point guard Mary Carroll (7 ppg).
Program has been on the rise, earning a higher seed in districts each of the last three years – 24 seed, 23 seed and this year the 12 seed.
Won 10 in a row before falling to WC East in the Ches-Mont semis
Wins over Class 6A #20 Great Valley (29-26, 36-28), Class 5A #11 Sun Valley (44-23, 50-24)
Split season series with Class 6A #15 Unionville (44-48, 42-38) & Class 5A #4 West Chester Rustin (39-46, 35-32)

Next up: Winner will travel to #5 North Penn for a second round game.

#23 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH at #10 WEST CHESTER HENDERSON (Friday, 7 p.m.)

Central Bucks South

12-10 overall
8-8 SOL Colonial Division
Players to watch: Senior captains Yordana “Yoyo” Samayoa & Casey Balkir, juniors Mia Klein & Ella Wheeler, and sophomore Jules Tropea
Senior Yoyo Samayoa averages 10 points a game to lead a balanced attack. Mia Klein, Ella Wheeler and Jules Tropea average 8 points a game, and Mia Klein is the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 7 boards a game.
Wins over Class 7A #7 Garnet Valley (47-33) and #20 Great Valley (35-33)

Coach Beth Mattern says: “The team has worked hard to continue to make improvements as a group, and they are excited to be in the district playoffs.”

West Chester Henderson

20-5 overall
9-3 Ches-Mont National regular season co-champion with West Chester East
Ches-Mont Tournament champion with 51-44 win over West Chester East
Enter postseason with a 12-game winning streak
Led by 1,000-point scorer Whitney Evans.
Wins over Class 6A #12 Kennett (54-43), #22 Downingtown West (48-31, 31-25) & Class 5A #9 Bishop Shanahan (42-37, 55-42)
Split season series with Class 6A #11 Downingtown East (49-54, 44-39) & #14 Coatesville (38-41, 48-37) & Class 5A #4 West Chester East (46-51, 48-42)

Next up: Winner will travel to #7 Garnet Valley for a second round game.

Class 5A

#12 UPPER MERION at #5 LOWER MORELAND (Friday, 7 p.m.)

Lower Moreland

16-7 overall
12-4 SOL Freedom Division champions
Players to watch: Dani Brusha (Jr), Briana McFerran (Jr), Sydney Santora (Fr), Mollie Martin (Fr), Emma DiJoseph (Fr)
Briana McFerran & Dani Brusha both average 12 points a game, Sydney Santora averages 9 points & 7.5 rebounds. McFerran, Brusha & Santora average 3.1, 3 and 3 steals respectively.
Wins over Class 6A #21 Plymouth Whitemarsh (34-29), Class 4A #4 Springfield Twp (76-59, 53-47), Class 3A #4 Bristol (62-19), Class 2A #2 Sacred Heart (57-37)
Split with Class 5A #8 Upper Moreland (36-41, 45-31), Class 3A #2 New Hope-Solebury (36-45, 54-39)

Coach Rich Becker says; “When you look at the quality of the teams in the district playoffs, making it to States would be a great achievement for our team. We are typically undersized, but I like the resiliency our girls have shown all season and look forward to proving our team against some of the more established programs that we could potentially face in the districts.”

Upper Merion

12-10 overall
7-3 Ches-Mont American
Senior Katie Nilles is the team’s leading scorer.
Split season series with Class 4A #3 Pope John Paul II, Class 2A #2 Sacred Heart 36-35.

Next up: Winner will travel to #4 West Chester Rustin in the second round.

#9 BISHOP SHANAHAN at #8 UPPER MORELAND (Friday, 7 p.m.)

Upper Moreland

15-7 overall
11-5 SOL Freedom Division second place
Players to watch: Holly Gohl (Sr/F), Makaila Allen (Sr/F), Olivia Meakim (Sr/G), Molly Meakim (Sr/G), Lianna Adames (Jr/G), Lilly Hansen (Jr/F), Mikel Lancit (11/G), Marie Meyers (Jr/F)
Wins over Class 6A #21 Plymouth Whitemarsh (33-31), Class 5A #7 Phoenixville (53-37), Class 4A #4 Springfield Twp (41-40, 64-32)
Split season series with Class 5A #4 Lower Moreland (41-36, 31-45), Class 3A #2 New Hope-Solebury (45-37, 36-40)

Coach Josh Adelman says: “The team is really looking forward to our game Friday. Looking at them on tape, they are a very well-coached team. It will be a great challenge. The playoffs are always exciting, but when you have a boys/girls doubleheader at home, you look forward to an amazing atmosphere and an extremely large crowd. The girls have worked hard all season, continue to improve as a team and have earned the right to play in front of their home crowd. I believe the competitiveness of our league, non-league games, have really helped us prepare for the second season.”

Bishop Shanahan

12-11 overall
5-7 Ches-Mont National
Win over Class 5A #8 Villa Maria Academy (33-22)
Split season series with Class 6A #11 Downingtown East (53-41, 40-46), #22 Downingtown West (31-43, 48-36), Class 5A #2 West Chester East (56-45, 52-55)
Lost four straight to close out the regular season.

Next up: Winner will travel to #1 Gwynedd Mercy in the second round.

Class 4A

#4 SPRINGFIELD TWP at #1 VILLA JOSEPH MARIE (Tuesday, 7 p.m.)

Springfield Twp

10-12 overall
5-11 SOL Freedom Division
10 wins is program’s most wins since 2014-15
Jayla Daniels (Sr/G) averages 12.1 points and 4.6 rebounds, Ava Culler (So/F) averages 14.2 points & 12 rebounds. Captain Alana Decker (Sr/G) averages 8.2 points.
Senior captains Hannah Brandon & Grace Dailey also are key contributors.
Win over Class 2A #2 Sacred Heart
Split season series with Class 3A #2 New Hope-Solebury (55-50, 55-70)

Coach Dave Giordano says: “We’re excited to be back in the district playoffs for the first time since 2017-18, and we are looking for our first win in districts since 2014-15.”

Villa Joseph Marie

13-10 overall
4-4 Catholic Academies League
Win over Class 6A #20 Great Valley (45-34), Class 4A #2 MaST Charter (39-17), Class 2A #1 Faith Christian (50-19), #2 Sacred Heart (49-42), #4 Delco Christian (54-38).

Next up: Winner will face the winner of #3 Pope John Paul II at #2 MaST Charter game.

Class 3A

#3 MORRISVILLE at #2 NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY (Tuesday, 7 p.m.)

New Hope-Solebury

11-10 overall
8-8 SOL Freedom Division
Team receives strong leadership from captains Emily Wilson (Jr), Nina Meixler (Sr) and Isabella Elizondo (Jr)
Isabella Elizondo (16 ppg), Emily Wilson (12 ppg), and Nina Meixler (8 ppg) are offensive catalysts.. Junior Ella Dudick leads the Lions under the boards, averaging 8 rebounds a game.
Defeated Morrisville 44-21 in second game of the season.
Split season series with Class 5A #4 Lower Moreland (45-36, 39-60), #8 Upper Moreland (37-45, 40-36) & Class 4A #4 Springfield Twp (50-55, 70-55)

Coach Steve Polinsky says: “We are excited to be playing in districts again this year. We played our best team basketball the last five games of the season. It’s a great experience for our younger players and their growth moving forward.”

Morrisville