Check out the preview capsules for SOL teams in action in the District One Tournament.
Class 6A
#18 SOUDERTON at #2 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH
- 15-1 overall
- 10-0 SOL Liberty Division champions
- Colonials boast a balanced attack led by senior Anna McTamney (13.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and junior point guard Kaitlyn Flanagan (9.3 ppg, 4.8 apg, 3 rpg, 2 spg)
- The Colonials go seven deep without missing a beat and also making important contributions are sophomores Erin Daley (8.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg) and Abby Sharpe (7.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg), senior Gabby Cooper (6.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2 spg) and juniors Jordyn Thomas (6.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1 bpg) and Lainey Allen (4.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
- Brings an impressive resume to the tournament with two wins over #4 Upper Dublin (46-31, 31-23), two wins over #8 Abington (44-43, 60-47) as well as wins over #10 Central Bucks West (62-51), #18 Souderton (45-31), 4A #3 Pope John Paul II (37-32) and District 3’s second-seeded 6A squad Central Dauphin (47-44)
- Colonials only loss came at the hands of #3 Central Bucks East (29-32) when they were without junior point guard Kaitlyn Flanagan.
How they got here: Opening round bye
Coach Dan Dougherty says: “The first round bye is allowing us to get healthy and return to some fundamentals that we weren’t able to practice during a hectic regular season. Really feel like this year’s District One tournament is as wide open as ever with as many as 8-10 teams that could win it all. We have a very experienced group, so we will be relying on that experience to maintain focus during each game, really each possession within each game. Every game will be a difficult test.”
SOUDERTON
- 8-8 overall
- 6-4 SOL Colonial Division third place
- Balanced lineup includes sophomore point guard Casey Harter (8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists), senior Olivia Schneider (7.6 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.9 apg), sophomore Teya McConnaha (7.2 ppg, 7 rpg), senior Jordan Zimmerman (6.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.8 apg) and sophomore Erin Bohmueller (5.1 ppg., 3.1, 1.5 apg)
- Swept season series with #19 Central Bucks South (40-39 & 44-28)
- The Indians played a tough schedule with all eight of its losses to District One 6A Tournament teams ranked in the top 10 (#2 Plymouth Whitemarsh, #3 Central Bucks East, #4 Upper Dublin, #8 Abington, #9 Methacton and #10 Central Bucks West)
- Moved from #21 to #18 with 44-18 win over Council Rock North on final day of regular season.
How they got here: Souderton defeated #15 Neshaminy 36-15 in an opening round game. Sophomores Teya McConnaha (11 points, 12 rebounds) and Erin Bohmueller (11 points) led the way.
#19 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH at #3 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST
- 15-1 overall
- 10-0 SOL Colonial Division champions
- Program’s first league title since 2012
- Led by Chestnut Hill College recruit 6-0 senior Emily Chmiel, a force in the paint who averages 17.7 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks a game.
- Senior point guard Mia Salvati is the Patriots’ engine and averages 11.8 points, five rebounds and 4.7 assists.
- Senior Emily Barry averages 5.1 points and is the team’s top defender.
- Pair of wins of #10 Central Bucks West (36-31, 41-37), #18 Souderton (43-27, 49-35), #19 Central Bucks South (52-44, 40-30), wins over #2 Plymouth Whitemarsh (32-29), #11 Pennsbury (46-32) and #15 Neshaminy (47-28).
- Only loss at the hands of #4 Upper Dublin (25-38)
How they got here: Opening round bye
Coach Liz Potash says: “The team has been laser focused since we learned of the new format that only the top team makes it to states. We are excited to participate in district playoffs and see how many more games we can get in this year.”
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH
- 9-8 overall
- 4-6 SOL Colonial Division
- Led by junior Taylor Hinkle (13.4 points a game), who along with junior Mackenzie Erb, sophomore Allison Sauers and freshman YoYo Samayoa combined to lead the Titans statistically in all categories: points, assists, rebounds, steals and lowest turnover percentage.
- Split season series with #10 Central Bucks West (49-44, 32-46)
- All eight of South’s losses were to teams in the District One 6A Tournament.
How they got here: CB South defeated #14 West Chester Henderson 46-28. Junior Taylor Hinkle’s 21 points – 16 in the first half – led the Titans.
#13 HAVERFORD at #4 UPPER DUBLIN (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)
UPPER DUBLIN
- 18-3 overall
- 8-2 SOL Liberty Division second place
- Played an ambitious 21-game schedule that included 13 games against teams in the District One 6A Tournament
- Led by the senior duo of Jess Polin and Dayna Balasa, both four-year varsity veterans. Polin recently surpassed the 500-assist mark and Balasa reached the 1,000-point milestone. Balasa, who has 53 3-pointers this season and more than 250 for her career, averages 11.8 points while Polin averages 8.5 points and 5.7 assists.
- Sophomore Amy Ngo averages 10.8 points and senior Sarah Eskew 7.2 points. Bliss Brenner is a defensive stopper and also a key contributor.
- Wins over #8 Abington (49-38, 49-40), #9 Methacton (65-30), #10 Central Bucks West (37-31), #15 Neshaminy (42-31), #17 Penn Wood (68-33), #18 Souderton (43-36)
- Only losses of the season to #1 Spring-Ford (49-46 OT) and #2 Plymouth Whitemarsh (31-46, 23-31)
- Won 9 of 10 games to close out regular season.
How they got here: Opening round bye
HAVERFORD
- 9-5 overall
- Led by 6-1 sophomore forward Caroline Dotsey and 5-6 senior guard Chiara MacGillivray
- Lost junior point guard Maddie Williams to a season-ending injury
- Wins over Class 5A #2 Harriton (25-21) and #7 Marple Newtown (56-49, 36-28)
How they got here: Haverford opened up a 29-15 halftime lead on its way to a 56-44 win over #20 Kennett 56-44 in a first round game. Caroline Dotsey’s 22 points led the Fords.
#9 METHACTON at #8 ABINGTON (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)
ABINGTON
- 12-4 overall
- 6-4 SOL Liberty Division third place
- Junior Khalis Whiting, a Temple commit, is the floor general of a dangerous Ghost squad, averaging 9.5 points and 5 assists a game.
- Attack is led by sophomores Cire Worley (17.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Jaida Helm (12 ppg, 11 rpg)
- Defeated Methacton 75-66 in a high-scoring game on March 2
- Wins over #16 Penn Wood (79-60) and #18 Souderton (49-47)
- All four of its losses were to conference foes and district powers #2 Plymouth Whitemarsh (43-44, 47-60) and #4 Upper Dublin (38-49, 40-49)
How they got here: Opening round bye
Coach Dan Marsh says: “We’re looking forward to playing Methacton again. It should be a great game. Whichever team makes the best adjustments from the last game will move on.”
METHACTON
- 14-5 overall
- 6-2 PAC Liberty Division second place
- Led by 5-9 junior guard Nicole Timko, who averages 16.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals and has 42 3-pointers this season.
- Also a threat for the Warriors are 6-1 sophomore forward Mairi Smith (9.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg), 5-8 sophomore guard Cassidy Kropp (9.7 ppg) and 6-0 senior forward Allison Hazlett (6.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg).
- Wins over #16 Penn Wood (62-33), #17 Perk Valley (51-36, 57-52), #18 Souderton (53-42), Class 5A #6 Phoenixville (56-36), #8 Pottsgrove (57-51) and 4A #3 Pope John Paul II (39-37).
- Losses are to some of the district’s top teams: 6A #1 Spring-Ford (44-67, 41-64), #3 Central Bucks East (39-40), #4 Upper Dublin (30-65).
How they got here: Opening round bye
#10 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST at #7 UNIONVILLE (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST
- 11-5 overall
- 7-3 SOL Colonial Division second place
- Junior Emily Spratt has been coming on strong and averages 15 points and 8 rebounds.
- Senior Paige Gilbert, a lacrosse commit to William & Mary, is a force under the basket, averaging 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
- Also making important contributions are sophomore Katie Finnan (6 ppg), seniors Anna Blue (5 ppg) and Maggie McCusker (4 ppg).
- Wins over #11 Pennsbury (44-28) and #18 Souderton (40-21, 47-36)
- Split season series with #19 Central Bucks South (44-49, 46-32)
- Four of its losses to #2 Plymouth Whitemarsh, #3 Central Bucks East and #4 Upper Dublin.
- Won six straight to close out regular season
How they got here: Opening round bye
UNIONVILLE
- 7-2 overall
- Led by 5-10 senior guard Emma Dempsey
- Defeated #20 Kennett 39-34 on Feb. 9 and did not play again until March 1 in an abbreviated season.
- Wins over #12 West Chester Rustin (46-43), #20 Kennett (39-34, 35-28), Class 5A #3 West Chester East (44-42).
How they got here: Opening round bye
#11 PENNSBURY at #6 RIDLEY (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)
PENNSBURY
- 15-4 overall
- 9-1 SOL Patriot Division champions
- Led by junior Ava Sciolla, a University of Maryland recruit, who averages 17.5 points, 8 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
- Seniors Bella Arcuri and Abbi Nassivera are also key players. Kutztown University recruit Arcuri is the Falcons’ veteran point guard, who averages eight points, 3 assists and 2.3 steals. Nassiveri averages 6 points, 5 rebounds and two assists.
- Wins over #19 Central Bucks South (44-34) and Class 5A #4 Upper Moreland (36-23),.
- Split season series with Neshaminy (38-40, 51-33)
- Ten straight wins since healthy to close out regular season after a rash of injuries.
RIDLEY
- 12-3 overall
- Winners of the 2020 Central League title
- All three losses to the Class 5A #1 seed, Springfield (Delco), including a 59-44 loss to the Cougars in the Central League championship game.
- Five of top six players are seniors, led by Lindsey Boyd, Kylie McNicholas and Shannen Hinchey, who also account for the majority of the Raiders’ points.
- Senior class is 33-7 over the last two years.
- Wins over Class 6A #13 Haverford (36-26) and Class 5A #2 Harriton (41-29, 39-26) #7 Marple Newtown (37-31) and #10 Radnor (45-29, 47-38).
How they got here: Opening round bye
Coach Frank Sciolla says: “Ridley has really good overall size and athleticism with multiple girls that will play college basketball. Like most Ridley kids, they are physical but also play smart. Second year coach and Ridley native Roe Falcone has done a terrific job establishing what she wants.”
Class 5A
#5 BISHOP SHANAHAN at #4 UPPER MORELAND (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)
UPPER MORELAND
- 12-4 overall
- 9-1 SOL Freedom Division co-champions
- First league championship since 1999
- Third straight trip to the postseason but have not advanced.
- First year UM hosting playoff game in recent memory.
- Led by senior guard Kaiya Herb, a four-year starter, who covers the opposition’s best guard,
- Offensively led by a pair of underclassmen, sophomore EmmyFaith Wood (12.4 ppg) and freshman Holly Gohl (12.9 ppg).
- Split season series with Freedom Division co-champion and Class 4A #2 New Hope-Solebury (44-39, 21-39).
- Three losses were to Class 6A teams #4 Upper Dublin, #11 Pennsbury & Hatboro-Horsham.
How they got here: Opening round bye
BISHOP SHANAHAN
- 9-7 overall
- Led by 5-7 guard Jacey Petruno, one of six seniors on a squad
- Split season series with Class 6A #5 Downingtown East (64-59, 38-51) and #14 West Chester Henderson (53-50, 33-43) as well as 5A #3 West Chester East (49-40, 32-39)
- Lost three of four games and four of six to close out regular season.
How they got here: Opening round bye
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