Pennsbury upset second-seeded Central Bucks East in a District 1 6A quarterfinal game Friday. Check out the recap. Photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography.
District 1 6A quarterfinals
#7 PENNSBURY 44, #2 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 35
It’s a safe bet not many prognosticators would have picked a young Pennsbury squad to find its way into the District 1 6A semifinals. Yet, here they are, and one person who is not the least bit surprised is Alyssa Thomas.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all because our team just works so hard, and we have so much confidence in each other and the amount of preparation we have in every game,” Thomas said. “I really think we’re capable of beating a team at any level.”
And that was the prevailing mood, according to the sophomore guard, entering Friday’s game despite their underdog status.
“We were definitely all really confident,” Thomas said. “We put so much time and effort in preparing for this game, especially on our defensive approach. We definitely went for something different.
“In our last game, they went on a really big run in the beginning, so we didn’t let them. We knew we just couldn’t let them get hot like they did the last game.”
In Friday’s quarterfinal contest, the Patriots couldn’t have felt comfortable with their 19-16 halftime lead. After all, in the regular season meeting between the two teams, the Patriots raced out of the gate to a 22-0 lead but won the game by just four, 45-41.
If the Falcons needed an extra spark, they got it when their boys’ team – in the opening game of the doubleheader – earned a double overtime win in front of the packed house.
“Tonight really started when we saw our boys come out with a really gutsy double overtime win,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “It was motivating .”
If there was a turning point in the game, it came in the third quarter when the Falcons limited the Patriots to just six points with those coming late in the frame.
“We just didn’t let them get off the shots they like to take,” Thomas said. “They’re a very talented 3-point (shooting) team, and that is their thing.
“We just knew we couldn’t let them get on a roll, so we made sure we came out on shooters, and we played the 3-point line and kind of just left them in the middle because we knew what they wanted was the 3-point line.”
While the Falcons’ defense was limiting the Patriots’ scoring opportunities, their offense – behind six points from Joley Hohman and four from Grace Schaufler – outscored their hosts 12-6 in the third quarter to go into the final frame with a 28-25 lead.
Pennsbury outscored the Patriots 16-10 in the fourth quarter – 28-16 in the second half.
“Our team does a really good job of getting downhill and drawing people, and in the first half, some of our shots weren’t falling, but in the second half, they did,” Thomas said. “Part of that was opening up the lane because they have a shot blocker.
“People off the ball were always moving, like Sammie Haws, Joley (Hohman) and Keira (Socha), who have the ability to shoot and score. It created an open lane for us to be able to score.”
Thomas scored 10 of her team-high 14 in the second half.
“I made sure to get downhill and attack the gaps in the floor because I felt like that was where it was open tonight, that’s where we were scoring from,” Thomas said.
It all added up to a remarkable win for the Falcons.
“This obviously feels amazing,” Thomas said. “We’re all so happy, and it was a full team effort. Everybody who went in contributed, including our bench. Everyone’s just so happy. We’re on top of the world right now.”
Key players: Alyssa Thomas led the Falcons with 14 points. Sammie Haws and Grace Schaufler both had eight points, and Shea Quenzer had seven.
Frank Sciolla:
The game – “We came up here a couple weeks ago on a Saturday, and we were down 22-0 out of the gate. But no one was upset on the bench, in the locker room or after the game because to be honest – the day worked out perfectly for us. We made a run to come back a little bit in the game, came out healthy and got to rest up.
“We have incredible respect for Central Bucks East, and we’ve had so many good games with them over the years. They are really well coached, and they always have experience and tremendous players. That experience was certainly a concern, but we just always have a mantra in games where we know we are playing from underneath, and that’s just to try and drag the game into deep water and then see if we can make good decisions.
“We were in a battle the other night (in a win over Neshaminy), but we knew that the tempo would be different tonight. We were also concerned because we lost Milan Reaves to injury, and she is such an enormous part of our pressure defense. We are not here without her.”
–Getting defensive – “Tonight, we really had to be ready to defend well because they can put five people on the floor that can score, and they stretch you out with 3-point shooting. Since September, we have been working on a defense that we have used sporadically throughout the season, and tonight we knew we would have to go to it. We were able to play versions of it during the game, and the girls were fantastic executing and rotating and locating shooters. When you play them, it is so difficult to contain Haley Moran, but tonight we were able to make her work for everything and that takes a team effort.”
–Thomas delivers – “I think there’s a big part of Alyssa Thomas that took tonight very personally. She always does and she’s extremely conscientious, but I called her over yesterday and we talked about our need for her to be more aggressive in looking to shoot about. She’s incredibly efficient with her shot making, but she passes up so many shots because she tries to create opportunities for our team. In doing that, she sometimes loses sight of her own ability which is not unusual for a 15-year-old. In the fourth quarter, she just put on an absolutely clinic of finishing and handling the ball in really big spots.”
–Props – “Joley Hohman really gave us a spark in the third quarter with some big time finishes around the rim that we needed, and they gave us our first lead of the game. They were timely and clutch.
“I think Shea Quenzer has been fantastic all year long for us off the bench. She plays with such toughness and energy, and she kept us in the game with a couple big buckets early and pulled down rebounds and played great defense. Her style of play makes her a crowd favorite for sure.
“Sammie Haws was really attacking the rim tonight, and while they were definitely ready to meet her underneath there, she was able to knock down two really big three-pointers for us in the first half that kept us in the game when we could’ve lost pace. We also needed her to handle the ball more tonight and she did it well. I thought tonight was the best defensive game she’s played all year.
“Grace Schaufler knocked down a couple big jump shots and really defended well, and Emily Panaro showed incredible leadership and played the whole way down the stretch just to calm us down. Bella Stewart and Keira Socha also gave us good minutes. We realize that we play more people than most teams, and all nine that played tonight really made good contributions.
“Sometimes you look out there on the floor and you see three sophomores on the road in big spots and you’re never quite sure how they may handle the emotions of a packed house. But I think that’s one of the reasons we play so many games on the road, and we definitely have been fortunate over the years to win these types of games. We take none of it for granted. The girls prepared well, played well and handled the moment against a terrific team.”
Credit to coaches: “I am really grateful for the effort of the coaches on our staff. We had a quick turnaround to play this game, and their dedication and patience and willingness to challenge ideas during the game and before and after the game are such a big part of what we’re able to do. Last summer, it was Sean Ryan, who talked about making some changes to the way we defend, and this was his baby since Labor Day, and he put so much time and passion and effort into it, and to see the girls execute it tonight, there was a great feeling for them but also for him because I’m not sure how many teams have someone like him on their staff on the boys or girls side.”
Pennsbury sophomore Alyssa Thomas:
–Playing in front of a packed house on the road: “We’re definitely used to playing in with big crowds, and I think because we have such great supporters, especially with the younger girls’ league – Lady Falcons Elite – they have such a great program, and they have all the girls coming to our game, so we’re used to having a large amount of people here.
“Also, I think our team does well under pressure, and that really helped us play to our fullest ability.”
Up next: Pennsbury will face the winner of #3 Downingtown West/#6 Spring-Ford in a District 1 6A semifinal game Wednesday, and Central Bucks East will play the loser of that game.
Pennsbury 8-8-12-16 44
Central Bucks East 10-9-6-10 35
Pennsbury (44) Emily Panaro 0 1-2 1; Grace Schaufler 3 2-2 8; Sammie Haws 2 2-2 8; Alyssa Thomas 5 3-7 14; Shea Quenzer 2 3-4 7; Joley Hohman 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 15 11-17 44.
Central Bucks East (35) – Haley Moran 5 1-1 11; Natalie Berndt 2 0-0 5; Payton Williams 6 3-4 17; Jess Lockwood 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 14 4-5 35
3-point goals: P – Sammie Haws 2, Alyssa Thomas; CBE – Natalie Berndt, Payton Williams 2.
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