Abington, Upper Dublin and Souderton were winners on Tuesday’s District 1 6A Tournament. Upper Dublin/PW photos provided courtesy of Larry Small. Abington/CB West photos courtesy of Geanine Jamison. Check back for galleries of both games.
CLASS 6A
#1-3 ABINGTON 62, #1-14 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 50
The Ghosts – who outscored the Bucks in each of the four quarters –opened up a 30-23 halftime lead and never looked back. Although his team led from wire to wire, coach Dan Marsh insisted this win was anything but easy.
“Coming in, I knew it was going to be a good game,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “We knew CB West was good, we knew what their potential was, and I was legitimately concerned about the game.
“However, our kids weren’t. They were confident. Having four seniors who have played in every kind of competition makes a big difference.”
The win not only punched the Ghosts’ ticket into Friday’s quarterfinal round but also guaranteed them a spot in the state tournament.
“If you ask any coach, they’ll tell you the same thing – this is the pressure game,” Marsh said. “This is the one you want to get in and get over with.
“I felt we had the toughest second round match. I really do. I know Neshaminy didn’t want to play Pennsbury, and I know Upper Dublin didn’t want to play PW, but with 16 teams left, if I had to pick from the bottom eight, I’m not picking West.
“In a testament to how well we played, West played well. They did not play bad. They hit shots, they did what they do. I just felt we were the better team tonight.”
The Ghosts opened up an early 8-2 lead when Tamia Wessels sank a pair at the foul line, but the Bucks pulled to within one, 10-9, when Maddie Burke – despite being fouled – scored on a putback and completed the three-point play. A bucket by Miranda Liebtag put the Ghosts on top 13-9, and when Cam Lexow turned a Khalis Whiting pass into a fast break bucket after a West turnover, the Ghosts led by six.
The second quarter followed a similar pattern. The Bucks pulled to within three after a basket by Olivia Irons, but Wessels answered with a three for the Ghosts. Again, the Bucks made it a four-point game, but Liebtag connected on her second three of the half to give Abington a seven-point lead midway through the frame.
“We share the ball really well, and we shared it really well again today,” Marsh said. “We were finding the open players. We have five kids that can score, and teams are going to have to pick their poison.
“Early on, they were really collapsing on Kassondra (Brown) which leaves Miranda with some open shots, and she knocked them down.”
The Ghosts took a seven-point lead into halftime and then outscored the Bucks 15-12 in the third quarter. Brown did most of the damage, scoring nine of her game-high 20 points in the frame. Abington took a 45-35 lead into the final quarter. The Bucks never seriously threatened.
“It was a good win,” Marsh said. “It was a great defensive win. We did everything we needed to do.
“Burke got hot towards the end of the game, but it was too late. She ran off seven straight points in the fourth quarter, but there was only a minute left, so we had a pretty solid lead.
“That’s the thing about Miranda – she’s not like Cam (Lexow) where you’re going to see all these great amazing plays – a steal, a block or a deflection. Every time you play against Miranda, you’re going to have to earn your shots, and you’re going to have to shoot contested. That’s what she does really, really well. That’s a kid (Burke) who’s a legitimate 6-1 and a legitimate Division I player, and Miranda did a good job on her.”
Burke led the Bucks with 17 points – 10 came in the final quarter. Izzy Treon added 12 points and Irons had seven.
Brown collected another double-double with 11 rebounds in addition to her 20 points. Lexow added 15 points and Wessels had 13. Liebtag finished with eight and Whiting had six.
Abington (22-3, 13-1 SOL) will host Souderton in Friday’s quarterfinal at 6 p.m. in the opening game of a girls/boys doubleheader. Central Bucks West (15-9, 9-3) will travel to Owen J Roberts for a playback game. The Bucks are one of eight teams vying for three state berths.
Central Bucks West 9-14-12-15 50
Abington 15-15-15-17 62
Central Bucks West (50) – Olivia Irons 3 0-0 7; Jess Broskey 2 1-4 5; Maddie Burke 6 3-3 17; Emily Spratt 1 2-2 4; Izzy Treon 5 0-2 12; Lilly Evans 1 0-0 2; Tori Abelson 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 21 6-11 50.
Abington (62) – Tamia Wessels 5 2-2 13; Cam Lexow 5 5-6 15; Kassondra Brown 7 5-5 20; Miranda Liebtag 3 0-0 8; Khalis Whiting 1 4-4 6; TOTALS 21 11-17 62.
3-point goals: CBW – Maddie Burke 2, Izzy Treon 2, Olivia Irons, Tori Abelson; Abington – Miranda Liebtag 2, Kassondra Brown, Tamia Wessels.
#1-5 UPPER DUBLIN 34, #1-12 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 18
The Flying Cardinals wear the title of defending state champions, and on Tuesday night, thanks to their win over the Colonials, they earned a coveted spot in the state tournament, ensuring they will have a chance to defend their crown.
“Qualifying for states is something we don’t take for granted,” coach Morgan Funsten said. “Winning the state championship last year was pretty magical, and you’re afraid of how the girls are going to react with expectations.
“The message I tried to get across to the team this week was just – ‘Hey, any season is a successful season if you qualify for states. If we have reached the point as a team where we don’t truly believe that, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment, you’re setting yourselves up for a season that’s not going to be that much fun.’
“We tried to really value the opportunity we had tonight – win and we’re in states, and the pressure’s off a little bit with the season.”
As pleased as he was to see his team earn a state berth, the Cardinals’ coach was equally pleased with his team’s response to the game plan.
“I was extremely proud of the approach the girls took tonight,” Funsten said. “With us playing zone against them, it had the potential to be an extremely low-scoring game. Whereas earlier in the year, I think our girls would have had an issue with that because for whatever reason they would have been embarrassed or self-conscious with how low-scoring the game was.
“Tonight they embraced it, and they were all about just winning. I think that’s why we have the potential to do something special again this year. I’m looking forward to playing Saturday against the winner of Haverford-Spring-Ford.”
Tuesday’s game against the Colonials was the third meeting between the archrivals this season. The Flying Cardinals have won all three, and sparked by their defense, they opened up an 18-10 halftime lead.
“Obviously, it’s a team that we know well, they know us well, and they do a great job of scouting us,” Funsten said. “We try to work hard and take advantage of their weaknesses and our strengths.
“I thought our girls did a great job of buying into our game plan. They had great energy all night.”
The Cardinals did not allow a point in the third quarter and took a 28-10 lead into the final quarter on their way to the win.
Jackie Vargas led the Cardinals with 13 points – eight in the second half. Jess Polin added 11 points, including three three-pointers. Sarah Eskew had a pair of threes and eight points.
“Jackie Vargas picked up her third foul early in the second quarter – it changed the game a little bit in terms of what we were trying to do and what they were trying to do, but I thought the girls responded really well,” Funsten said. It was just a grind-it-out game – two teams that are very familiar with each other and are familiar with what the other team is trying to do.
“I was extremely impressed with the patience of our girls defensively. Offensively, we didn’t shoot the ball all that well tonight, but defensively, it was there.”
The Colonials were led by sophomore Anna McTamney’s nine points.
Upper Dublin (20-4, 13-1 SOL) will take on the winner of Thursday’s Spring-Ford/Haverford game. Plymouth Whitemarsh will face the loser with a chance to stay alive in the hunt for a state berth.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 7-3-0-8 18
Upper Dublin 8-10-10-6 34
Plymouth Whitemarsh (18) – Gabby Cooper 2 0-0 4, Anna McTamney 3 3-6 9, Lainey Allen 1 1-2 3, Jordyn Thomas 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 7 4-8 18.
Upper Dublin (34) – Jess Polin 4 0-0 11; Kara Grebe 1 0-0 2; Sarah Eskey 2 2-4 8; Jackie Vargas 5 3-5 13; TOTALS 12 5-9 34.
3-point goals: UD – Jess Polin 3, Sarah Eskew 2,
#1-6 SOUDERTON 49, #1-11 OWEN J ROBERTS 28
The Indians wasted little time before seizing control of Tuesday’s second round game, racing out to a 13-0 lead almost before fans had settled in their seats. They had a commanding 17-3 lead after one quarter.
“We were playing well defensively, but they were missing everything, and offensively, it was like we couldn’t miss in the first quarter, so that was a part of it,” coach Lynn Carroll said. “I told the girls between the first and second quarter, ‘We banked in two jump shots, and they struggled to finish. That’s not going to continue. They’re going to make a run – just make sure we handle it well.’
“They made a little run – it was a 10-6 quarter the second quarter, and they cut it to 10 (23-13) by halftime. There were things at halftime we needed to fix. They were getting too many offensive rebounds. We were putting them at the foul line a little too much. That part we really didn’t fix, but we were much better with box-outs in the second half. They run some really good sets, and they execute them well. I knew that was going to be a key to the game – how we defended their sets, and I think we defended them pretty well.”
In the pivotal first quarter, Curran O’Donnell’s five points led the way. Megan Bealer had four points, Megan Walbrandt buried a three, Mikaela Reese had a three-point play, and Megan O’Donnell had a basket as all five starters scored.
The Indians all but put to rest any thoughts of a Wildcat comeback with a 16-9 third quarter that once again saw five different players contribute. Walbrandt had five points, including another three, and Reese had four. Olivia Schneider had a three-point play off the bench.
Walbrandt led a balanced Souderton attack with 10 points.
“Megan Walbrandt was great,” said Carroll. “When it’s a big game, and she knows we need her to produce – she does it. We don’t have to ask, we don’t have to remind her. She was looking to take big shots.
“She hit two threes, and the shots that she was hitting – it felt like it came at a point when we really needed them.”
Bealer, Curran O’Donnell and Reese each had nine points. Schneider had seven off the bench.
“It was another one of those games where there’s not one person that Owen J could focus on,” Carroll said. “Offensively, we were just moving the ball around, trying not to settle for a shot we didn’t want.
“We came out in the third quarter and really executed well offensively. Other than sending them to the foul line too much in the third quarter, we played great defense too.”
The win vaulted the Indians into the state tournament for the third consecutive year.
“This is the (game) that’s the most important,” Carroll said. “I’m pretty sure our seniors think it just happens because it’s all they’re used to.
“They maybe don’t quite realize how big of a deal this is, and every team has this as a goal heading into the season. To do this three years in a row, I feel very fortunate that we are where we are and happy for the girls. Their reaction to that was – ‘Okay, let’s start getting ready for the next game.’ There was no celebrating because we qualified for states.”
Souderton (21-3, 11-1 SOL) will travel to Abington for Friday’s quarterfinal game at 6 p.m.
Owen J Roberts 3-10-9-6 28
Souderton 17-6-16-10 49
Owen J Roberts (28) – Avery White 0 2-2 2; Olivia LeClaire 3 5-8 11; Brooke Greenawald 0 1-4 1; Maddi Koury 2 0-0 6; Diana Rantz 2 1-2 6; Allie Lyoob 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 7 11-18 28.
Souderton (49) – Megan Bealer 4 1-2 9; Olivia Schneider 3 1-1 7; Megan Walbrandt 4 0-0 10; Erica Stephens 1 0-0 2; Curran O’Donnell 4 0-0 9; Megan O’Donnell 1 1-2 3; Mikaela Reese 3 3-3 9; TOTALS 20 6-8 49.
3-point goals: Souderton – Megan Walbrandt 2, Curran O’Donnell; OJR – Maddie Koury 2, Diana Rantz.
#1-1 GARNET VALLEY 46, #1-17 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 37
The Patriots fell to the Jaguars 57-23 on Dec. 28. Tuesday’s second round district game was a dramatic improvement, but the Patriots still came out on the short end of the score.
The Jaguars took a 25-17 lead into halftime, and it was an uphill battle for the Patriots, who remained within striking distance but could not get over the hump.
Emily Chmiel had a big night for the Patriots, collecting a double-double with a game-high 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Emily McAteer – Garnet Valley’s all-time leading scorer – led the Jaguars with 13 points. Brianna Borcky added 11.
Central Bucks East (14-10, 7-5 SOL) will play the loser of the Downingtown East/Methacton game. The Patriots are one of eight teams competing for three state berths.
Central Bucks East 8-9-7-13 37
Garnet Valley 15-10-11-10 46
Central Bucks East (37) – Mia Salvati 2 0-0 4; Gabby Wilga 1 3-6 6; Caroline Pla 1 0-0 2; Emily Chmiel 7 2-4 16; Skylar Krause 3 0-0 7; Emily Barry 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 15 5-10 37.
Garnet Valley (46) – Morgan Falcone 1 2-3 4; Emily McAteer 4 4-7 13; Madison McKee 4 0-0 8; Jillian Nagy 1 2-4 4; Liesl Dentinger 2 0-0 4; Brianna Borcky 5 1-2 11; Kendall DiCamilla 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 18 9-16 46.
CLASS 5A
#1-7 HARRITON 53, #1-10 UPPER MORELAND 34
The Rams- in a preview of things to come – buried four three-pointers in the opening quarter. By halftime, they had six (they had 10 for the game), and while the Golden Bears hung tough for one quarter, trailing by just a 14-12 score, they managed just four points in the second quarter and trailed 28-16 by halftime.
“As we were trying to figure out who we would face in the first round, we knew Harriton would be the toughest match-up,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “They have it all – guards who can score and get in your face defensively, post players who are physical, and two really good scorers surrounded by great role players.
“Unfortunately, our biggest concerns came true tonight. (Annie) Apesi and (Christina) Brown really hurt us from the perimeter. At times it was us not recognizing where they were, and at times it was just them making plays. We played them tough the first quarter but the second quarter really hurt us.”
Brown had 11 of her game-high 24 points in the second quarter. She had 17 points in the first half.
“The game had to stay in the 30s for us to compete,” Carroll said. “We missed a lot of open looks in the second, and things started to fall apart from there. We put ourselves in a hole in the third that we couldn’t dig out of.
“All credit goes to Harriton. They took advantage of every advantage and deserved to win that game. This is our coaching staff’s third year with this program, and we went from zero to 10 to 14 wins in those three years.
“We told our girls after the game the next step is the hardest. I know we have players on this team that will do whatever it takes to feel what Harriton is feeling at this point next year. Tonight, this stinks. Tomorrow it will stink. Not sure when, but when we get back after it this offseason, there will be four dedicated coaches and a ton of dedicated players who will do whatever it takes to get to that next level. The future is bright here at Upper Moreland and we have the players to thank.”
Bean Hughes led the Golden Bears with 14 points. No other player had more than four on a night that saw eight different players contribute scoring.
Upper Moreland – two years removed from an 0-22 season – closed out the year with a 14-9 record over (8-6 SOL)
Upper Moreland 12-4-9-9 34
Harriton 14-14-18-7 53
Upper Moreland (53) – Phoebe Longstreth 1 0-1 3; Kathryn Morrow 1 0-0 2; Kaiya Herb 1 0-1 3; Kaitie Opferman 1 0-0 2; Emma Meakim 1 2-3 4; AbbyEllen Wood 1 0-2 2; Bean Hughes 4 5-9 14, Hannah Fin 2 0-0 4; Kiera Coyle 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 11 7-16 34.
Harriton (53) – Christina Brown 8 4-5 24, Maretta Smith 1 2-3 4; Lexy Calhoun 1 0-0 3; Annie Aspesi 6 0-1 18; Kira Parmer 0 0-2 0; Ava Paternoster 2 0-4 4; TOTALS 18 6-15 53.
3-point goals: UM – Phoebe Longstreth, Kaitie Opferman, Bean Hughes; Harriton – Annie Aspesi 5, Christina Brown 4, Lexy Calhoun.
#1-1 SPRINGFIELD-DELCO 49, #1-16 WISSAHICKON 24
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