Four teams captured division championships this winter. Only one of the four was a repeat champion from last year. For two squads, the titles broke droughts of over a decade. Each team took a decidedly direct path to the top of the standings.
—Lady Panthers are winners: ‘We all we got, we all we need.’
It’s a cheer the Lady Panthers use to break their huddle, and they’ve certainly proved it to be true during a year that saw the team capture the program’s first title in 13 years.
“We go on the court together, that’s all we got – we got each other,” senior Jiah Price said. “If don’t got each other, there’s nothing.”
Watching her teammates cut down the net after an undefeated league season, junior Maya Simmons admitted it was not an outcome she anticipated when she joined the program as a freshman.
“I wouldn’t have believed it,” said Simmons, who surpassed the 1,000-point mark in the team’s league finale. “We definitely started as the underdogs, and we’re still the underdogs, but we’re coming up. People don’t have to believe in us, but we believe in ourselves.
“It’s a very special moment for everyone, something we’re going to remember for years to come. The seniors for sure, they’re definitely going to remember this team, the players, our coaching staff, how we pushed each other in practice, in the classroom. Everything matters, we hold each other accountable.”
Price has been part of the lean years, and she savored every minute of her team’s postgame celebration after finishing the league season without a loss.
“It feels good,” she said. “It feels good. Last year, we didn’t go so far. We were like, ‘We have to come back better. We have to improve.’ People thought we were not good, so we had to show something different this year. I’m speechless right now.”
The team’s ascent to the top coincided with Monique Boykins taking over the helm of a program that is just four years removed from a one-win season.
“I believe in this team,” the first-year coach said. “Let me tell you – we don’t have to have the biggest team, we don’t have to have the strongest team, we just have to have work ethic, and we have to be coachable and willing to listen, and that’s what they do. Every day every practice they’re willing to listen, they’re willing to grind, and that’s what it’s about.
“Another thing is – everybody is valuable. I emphasize what they can give, and we work on the things that are weak.”
So, what’s been the key to the remarkable turnaround?
“Preparation was a big part,” Simmons said. “Again, staying accountable with one another. Being prepared. A lot of that played a big part.
“Our coach filling our heads with positive things. Every morning our coach sends us a message, and it’s to empower us throughout the day. She’ll tell us – have a good day in school, something that will empower us every day. I loved that.”
“I gotta say – it takes a team,” Price said. “We all wanted to win, we all came together to win, and we won.
“We pray before every game, we come together, we talk – we work things out. When things go wrong, we fix it. We don’t put our heads down for nothing. We just keep going – everything is next play, next play.”
On Wednesday, Cheltenham will face Abington in a rivalry district game with a berth in states on the line.
—Golden Hawks had an eye on the prize: Winning a division title was the singular goal of a Council Rock South squad that was playing for its third coach in three years. The transition to former New Hope-Solebury coach Steve Polinsky was seamless, and the Golden Hawks did what no Rock South team had done in over a decade – they captured the SOL Patriot Division title.
“From the very first practice, (coach Polinskky) looked up at the banner we have hanging at our school,” senior captain Lil Metrick said. “He said, ‘The last time this school has done this was 2012, and this year we’re going to put another year on the banner.’
“It really stuck in our heads. We stayed focused, and our year is going up there now.”
The key, according to Metrick, was simple.
“We’ve been more connected this year than we’ve ever been,” the senior captain said. “Coach P came in, and he watched us, and he knew exactly how we worked as a team and our personnel, and he used us to our strengths as best he could, and that really helped us.”
There’s no mistaking the significance of the title for the team’s five seniors who were the heart and soul of this year’s squad.
“It’s definitely a special moment and one I’ll remember for a lifetime, honestly,” said Metrick, who will continue her basketball career at Widener University. “I’m going to miss playing with these girls. Fi (Reckner) and Kat (O’Kane) I played with basically my whole life. I played AAU with them, and then Sarah and Maria (Freeman) I played against for so long, and just for it to come together senior year is definitely really special.”
The Golden Hawks return to action Wednesday when they host ninth seeded Conestoga, their first game in 11 days.
“Coach P did give us a day or two off, but we ran our (butts) off the past several practices, so we’re prepared to run as much as we can,” Metrick said. “It was definitely good to take a day to prepare our minds and get ready for the postseason, but we’ve been working really hard. I think the break helps us.”
—Young Patriots had sights set high: Central Bucks East entered the season three years removed from their last division crown. The Patriots – despite just one senior in their starting lineup – entered the season with lofty goals.
“For the past three years, we’ve come up short,” senior captain Sydney Ralph said. “Coming into this season, we definitely had a lot of lofty goals. Winning the league was one of goals we thought we could achieve.
“We knew all the other teams would be coming out hard too, especially North Penn trying to take it back-to-back. We just put in the work every single day, we came together, and we’re glad we could come out with a title this year.”
The key, according to Ralph, was taking it one game at a time.
“Especially this year, we had a lot of three-game weeks, and especially the league games, we knew we had to take care of them one at a time,” Ralph said. “If we had a bad previous game, we had to reset and have a short memory to come into the next game focused.”
The Patriots advanced to the title game of the SOL Tournament against Upper Dublin, a game they led at halftime only to see the Flying Cardinals rally for the win.
“We were disappointed that we couldn’t come out with a win in that game, especially after playing a good first half, but we definitely realized that we want to put that game behind us,” Ralph said. “We were just happy that we were able to play three good teams in the SOL Tournament to get us ready for districts.
“We have had good practices heading into our game against Spring-Ford on Wednesday. I think it was good to have a few days off without games to get our legs back especially because we played those three games in a row almost, so it was good to have a few days to get back to fundamentals in practice.”
—Flying Cardinals repeat: The Cardinals entered the season heavy favorites to win a Liberty Division title they owned, and they did not disappoint, rolling through league play without a loss and capping the season with the SOL Tournament title.
Their dominance in league play is underscored by the fact that they won their eight division games by an average margin of 35 points. Their closest game in division play was a 20-point win over Plymouth Whitemarsh (55-35) on Jan. 7.
The addition of junior transfer Emilia Coleman made a dangerous team even more dangerous.
“I thought our success had to start in practice and coming focused every day on the game that was next and not looking ahead,” UD junior Megan Ngo said. “It means a lot to our team to win both the league and SOL(Tournament) especially because we put a lot of time into preparing for games.”
The Cardinals enter district play as the fourth seed and will host Pennsbury in an all-SOL second round game Wednesday.
End of an era – Lynn Carroll has been a fixture on the sidelines as the head coach of the Souderton girls’ basketball program for 21 years. The veteran coach this week announced she would be stepping down.
“When I had my son, I didn’t really know how basketball would fit, and I think I was just really lucky with the support system I had that I was able to do it for seven more years,” Carroll said. “I can’t thank Tom Quintois, Brad Clemens and Sam Varano enough for giving me a chance. I was – in many ways – a young, clueless 23-year-old, and it turned into a teaching career in what I think is one of the best districts in the State of Pennsylvania.
“Ultimately, the commute – at least 45 minutes each way – and the fact that my son is now in elementary school, it’s gotten me to a point where the decision that I have to make right now is to step away from coaching.”
It was not an easy decision for Carroll, who led her team to four SOL championships, one SOL Tournament title, a district title and two state semifinal appearances.
“I loved my time there,” Carroll said. “I really feel so lucky that I have been able to do it as long as I did. Basketball has been wonderful to me. It’s always been a part of my life. I went right from playing in college (at Holy Family University) to coaching. I feel really fortunate that Souderton was the place I was able to do it for all these years.”
On Monday, Carroll broke the news to her team.
“Telling the team was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do,” Carroll said. “I loved this group. I enjoyed every single practice that we had together. They gave me everything they could give me, and I truly, truly loved coaching them and will miss coaching them.
“I think the future is bright. There’s some incoming talent that’s very good. Whoever is lucky enough to coach them next is going to get a good group that’s going to find ways to win. As hard as it was, I know that right now it was the right thing for me and for my family.”
Carroll has not ruled out the possibility of one day returning to the sidelines.
“I don’t think I’m done,” she said. “I think I’ll find my way back in a program at some point down the road if it’s the right situation. I feel lucky. I feel lucky about the people I’ve met, the relationships that I’ve made from administration – it doesn’t get better than Dennis Stanton, the coaches I’ve coached with, the coaches I’ve coached against, the players that I’ve coached and their families. It’s just given me so many amazing positive things, and I could not be more grateful.”
DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT PREVIEW CAPSULESClass 6A
#14 PENNSBURY at #3 UPPER DUBLIN
Upper Dublin
—21-4 overall
—8-0 SOL Patriot Division champions
—SOL Tournament champion with 38-30 come-from-behind win over Central Bucks East
—Junior point guard Megan Ngo is the engine who averages 8.5 points, 6.4 assists and three rebounds.
—Sophomore Tamia Clark (14.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and junior Emilia Coleman (14.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg) lead the Cards’ attack.
—Sophomore Bridget DiMartile (6.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and freshman Ella Morris (6.2 ppg) are also key contributors.
—Wins over Class 6A #6 Cheltenham (62-48), #8 Council Rock South (52-42), #15 North Penn (58-26), #22 Abington (67-45, 67-36)
How they got here: Opening round bye
Upper Dublin coach Morgan Funsten: “We are excited to start the playoffs having already accomplished two of our goals in winning the Liberty Division and the SOL title. We knew going into the season that our players were very talented, but it is our balance and unselfishness that makes this team so unique. We know that Pennsbury will come in with a plan to win and we need to make sure we match their intensity and energy.”
Pennsbury
—15-8 overall
—7-3 SOL Patriot Division third place
—Key players include freshman Alyssa Thomas (6.4 ppg, 3.1 apg, 2.6 rpg), senior Maggie Burns (6.4 ppg, 3 rpg), senior Ava Jordan (9.1 ppg, 1.5 spg) & Sammie Haws (7.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
—Wins over #4 Central Bucks East (35-31), #18 Phoenixville (46-26) & #22 Abington (43-33)
—Split with #11 Neshaminy (30-24, 29-39)
How they got here: Pennsbury defeated #19 William Tennent 53-28. Sammie Haws scored 15 to lead the Falcons. Ava Jordan added 13, and Maggie Burns had 10.
#13 SPRING-FORD at #4 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST
Central Bucks East
—-9-1 SOL Colonial Division champions
—Fell to Upper Dublin 38-30 in the SOL Tournament title game.
—Sophomore Haley Moran is the floor general who averages a team-high 15.5 points —(45.2% field goals, 83.3% FT)
—Junior Jess Lockwood averages 13.5 points (40.4% from beyond the arc) and 6.5 rebounds. Junior Nat Berndt averages 8.8 points (40.4% from 3) and senior Syd Ralph averages 6.5 points
—The Patriots boast a 48.2% effective field goal, holding teams to an average of 38.3 points a game while averaging 51 points and 12 assists and forcing teams into 14.8 turnovers a game.
—Wins over #3 Upper Dublin (47-43), #9 Conestoga (40-28), #17 Pennridge (49-38, 62-31), #22 Abington (55-24), #23 Central Bucks South (62-34, 61-29) & Class 5A #1 Gwynedd Mercy (44-42).
—Split with #15 North Penn (61-49, 44-54)
Central Bucks East coach Liz Potash: “After coming off a successful regular season and playing for the SOL championship, we’re looking forward to making a district playoff run. We played a very competitive non-league schedule to prepare us for this time of year and we’re excited for the opportunity to be back in this position.”
How they got here: Opening round bye.
Spring-Ford
—19-5 overall
—10-2 PAC Liberty Division second place
—Led by senior Kareena Preuss who averages 11.8 points and 7 rebounds a game.
—Sophomore Miley Maloney (8.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg), senior Lilly Bescia (7.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and senior Devon Chamberlain (6.9 ppg) are also contributors.
—Wins over Class 6A #19 Phoenixville (75-47, 48-43) & #22 Abington (69-48) & Class 5A #6 Villa Maria Academy (56-32)
—Split With #21 Methacton (41-42, 70-32)
How they got here: Spring-Ford defeated #20 Lower Merion 57-29. Kareena Preuss led the Rams with 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Next up: Winner will face the winner of #5 Downingtown East/#12 Chester.
#22 ABINGTON at #6 CHELTENHAM (Wednesday, 7 pm).
Cheltenham
—20-3 overall
—10-0 SOL Freedom Division champion
—First league title since 2012
—Junior Maya Simmons, who averages 18 points a game, surpassed the 1,000-point mark
—Senior Jiah Price (15 ppg), junior Paie Powell (12 ppg), junior Zoe Thompson (10 ppg) and senior Cassie Bugg (5 ppg) are also major contributors.
—Wins over Class 6A #19 William Tennent (65-37, 65-37), #22 Abington (57-49), #23 Central Bucks South (49-36), Class 5A #3 Lower Moreland (58-49, 66-35).
How they got here: Opening round bye
Abington
—13-8 overall
—6-2 SOL Liberty Division second place
—Led by point guard Maya Johnson (12 ppg, 6 apg), Aniyah Williams (15 ppg, 8 rpg) & Mikiaya Durham (11 ppg).
–Wins over Class 6A #11 Neshaminy (44-41) & #16 Plymouth Whitemarsh (43-35, 51-48)
How they got here: Abington upset #11 Neshaminy 50-35. Mikiaya Durham led the Ghosts with 18 points while Maya Johnson added 14.
Next up: Winner will face the winner of #3 Upper Dublin/#11 Pennsbury
#9 CONESTOGA at #8 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH (Wednesday, 7 pm).
Council Rock South
—20-4 overall
—11-1 SOL Patriot Division champions
—First league title since 2014
—Anchored by a strong senior class that includes Fiona Reckner, Kathryn O’Kane and Lil Metrick, all of whom are averaging in double figures.
—Seniors Sarah and Maria Freeman have also made important contributions.
—Junior Bella Hettler is averaging close to 10 rebounds a game.
—Wins over Class 6 #17 Pennridge (58-41), ), #14 Pennsbury (69-37, 40-35), #17 Plymouth Whitemarsh (48-45), Class 5A #3 Lower Moreland (62-36), #8 Villa Maria Academy (69-28).
—Split with Class A #11 Neshaminy (34-50, 48-42.
Coach Steve Polinsky says: “We are excited to play in districts, and our goal is to get to states. Our team is connected and excited to play. The girls are on a mission to keep playing basketball into March.
How they got here: Opening round bye.
Conestoga
—19-6 overall
—14-2 Central League second place
—Lost to Garnet Valley 40-36 in the Central League Tournament championship game.
—Led by junior Ryann Jennings, a Lehigh University commit who surpassed the 1,000-point mark and was MVP of the Central League.
—Senior point guard Marisa Francione, a first team All-Central League selection, will continue her basketball career at the University of Scranton.
—Senior Janie Preston, a 6-1 forward and second team All-Central League selection, will continue her basketball career at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
—Wins over Class 6A #10 Haverford (38-34, 36-32), #11 Neshaminy (55-33), #20 Lower Merion (54-33, 60-40) Class 5A #2 Radnor 57-41.
How they got here: Conestoga defeated #24 Coatesville 56-25 in an opening round contest. Ryann Jennings scored 28 points and Janie Preston added 14.
Next up: Winner will face winner of #8 Council Rock South/#9 Conestoga.
#16 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH at #1 PERKIOMEN VALLEY (Wednesday, 5:30 pm)
Plymouth Whitemarsh
—15-9 overall
—-4 SOL Liberty Division
—Players to watch include Eliza Meersman (11 ppg, 7 rpg, 1 bpg), AJ Avery (12 ppg), Kenna Winland (8.5 ppg) and Taylor Williams.
—Other contributors are freshman Grace Harvey, who leads the team in steals, Live Patete, who has started every game and is third in minutes played, and sophomore Gracie Kerns.
—Win over Class 6A #20 Lower Merion (51-34)
How they got here: PW rallied from a 22-19 halftime deficit to defeat #17 Pennridge 47-35. AJ Avery led the Colonials with 15 points.
Perkiomen Valley
—20-3 overall
—13-3 PAC Liberty champions
—Pioneer Athletic Conference Tournament champion with 61-27 win over Spring-Ford
—Anchored by senior class that is led by Grace Galbavy (15.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg) & Quinn Boettinger (14.5 ppg). Galbavy, who will take her talents to Wake Forest, is the program’s all-time leading scorer. Boettinger will attend the United States Naval Academy. Both are 1,000-point scorers.
—Senior point Bella Bacini, a Thomas Jefferson University commit, is also a major contributor, averaging 12.7 points a game.
—Seniors Grace Miley (8.6 ppg) and Lena Stein (6.6 ppg) also excel in supporting roles.
—Wins over PCL regular season runner up Archbishop Wood (82-45), Class 6A #13 Spring-Ford (64-31, 83-40), #18 Phoenixville (88-39, 82-45), #21 Methacton (65-26, 67-41), Class 4A #1 Pope John Paul II (86-24).
—Only losses to Long Island Lutheran (62-58), Pewaukee (WI) (66-26) & Westtown School (76-38). All three were nationally ranked.
How they got here: Opening round bye
Up next: The winner will face the winner of the #8 Council Rock South/#9 Conestoga game.
Class 3A
#6 NORTHERN LEHIGH at #3 NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY (Friday, 6 pm)
New Hope-Solebury
–13-9 overall
—6-4 SOL Freedom Division third place
—Senior Emily Wilson averages 13 points and 4.6 assists while shooting 82 percent from the foul line. Surpassed 1,000-point milestone.
—Senior Izzy Elizondo averages 12 points and 3.2 assists and also surpassed the 1,000-point milestone.
—Freshman Mary Tresler is averaging close to a double-double with 8.3 points and 11 rebounds a game. She also has 27 blocked shots and leads the team in free throw attempts, shooting 74 percent from the line.
—Wins over Class 6A #11 Pennsbury (39-36), Class 4A #4 Springfield Twp (51-42, 56-43)
—Split with Class 6A #19 William Tennent (45-32, 45-50) & Class 5A #3 Lower Moreland (53-42, 42-44)
Coach Andy Krasna: “Our team is battle tested because of the 6A competition we faced all season, and we came through with flying colors. Competing with Marion Catholic, Upper Dublin, CB East, Cheltenham, and Pennsbury (to name a few) has helped us get ready for the postseason. Our senior leaders Ella Dudick, Emily Wilson, and Izzy Elizondo are diamonds in the rough. They are precious kids, and it pains me to think of our season ending at some point. I hit the jackpot when I was rehired at New Hope, and these three seniors have done more for me than I could ever have done for them.”
How they got here: Opening round bye.
Northern Lehigh
—14-7 overall
—5-3 Colonial League second place
How they got here: Northern Lehigh defeated #11 Lehigh Valley Academy 69-27.
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