Upper Dublin, Pennsbury, Souderton & Neshaminy were winners in Wednesday’s second round of the District 1 6A Tournament. Upper Dublin/PW photos provided courtesy of Michael Rice & Larry Small. Neshaminy/Unionville photos courtesy of John Gleeson, and North Penn/Spring-Ford photos courtesy of Kadi Schenk. Check back for galleries of all three games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f884733941
CLASS 6A
#19 UPPER DUBLIN 40, #3 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 33
Amy Ngo didn’t hold out much hope that she’d be playing this season after suffering a devastating knee injury in UD’s second round district game at Pennsbury last year.
“I really didn’t think I was going to play at all this year,” she said. “Whenever anyone asked about my timeline, I just would be like, ‘I’m hoping for the best but expecting the worst.’
“I was expecting that maybe I would start AAU in March or April. I definitely did not think I’d be back mid-January.”
But that’s exactly what happened as the gifted junior guard was eased back into the lineup several weeks ago. Ngo is not only back on the court, she’s playing a key role 
in the Cardinals’ run to a state berth, which included an upset win of third-ranked PW in front of a full house on the Colonials’ home court.
“It feels amazing – I’m still on a high right now,” Ngo said in an interview over an hour after her team’s stunning win over the Colonials. “All three years, we’ve played PW twice every year, sometimes more, and I’ve never beaten them. This is just the perfect way to do it – in a district playoff game.”
Ngo wasn’t the only one celebrating Wednesday’s win.
“This one feels good,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “We’ve had trouble with them. They’ve had our number over the past few years.
“The team was so excited. I thought the practices leading up to CR South (in Friday’s opening round) we had finally become a team. I was feeling great going into CR South. I was just praying we could somehow beat them so these girls could continue to see how important that is. There were times early in the season that I didn’t think we were enough of a team, and they proved to me leading into CR South that we got to where we needed to be mentally. It’s really cool seeing that pay off now.”
Early on, it looked like the Colonials – who opened up an 11-0 lead – might roll to their 24th win of a remarkable season.
“The game definitely didn’t get off to a good start,” Funsten said. “We called timeout and talked to the girls – ‘Hey, we’re okay, we’re okay.’ We didn’t change anything, just tried to settle in a little bit.
“It was the biggest crowd we’ve played in front of all year, and I think only Amy has really played in that type of atmosphere. The girls handled it well. Obviously, the start was not great. They just stuck with it, stuck with it and made a nice run at the end of the first quarter, and then the game was really tight the rest of the way.”
If there was a turning point in the game, it came after the Colonials went up five early in the third quarter after an Erin Daley 3-pointer to close out the third quarter and a pair of foul shots by Abby Sharpe in the opening minute of the fourth.
On UD’s next possession, freshman Colleen Besachio banked home a shot from just inside the arc, and when the Colonials – attempting to take the ball in the paint had the ball deflected away by Amy Ngo, the Cardinals capitalized when Megan Ngo hit nothing but net on a 3 to knot the score.
“I think the fourth quarter was really about us coming together as a team,” Amy Ngo said. “We’ve been in the situation before where we’ve been down later in the game, and we know it’s not the end, and we have to keep playing.
“I think Col (Besachio) making that one shot got us fired up, and that just led us through the rest of the way. Meg made a 3 to tie it. It was a whole team effort. Everyone did their job really well.”
The two teams exchanged possessions – neither unable to break the tie until Besachio scored with 3:31 remaining. The Cardinals had a lead they would not lose.
“It was actually a nice pass from Amy, and Colleen made a great move in the post to get to 32-30,” Funsten said. “And in a game where points are such a premium and the tide had turned and we finally got momentum. We needed a big shot, and it was the game-winning shot. The Ngo family did a great job of making foul shots down the stretch.”
The Ngo sisters were a combined 8-for-8 at the foul line to cap a 15-0 UD run with Megan a perfect 6-for-6 and Amy 2-for-2. Erin Daley’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds broke a seven-minute scoring drought.
“Defensively, we prepare so much,” Amy said. “Obviously, our main goal was taking away Sharpe and Daley. We know what each player wants to do, so we know who to help off of, who we can’t let shoot, who’s going to drive and which way – left or right.
“Our preparation before games helps us be a really good team. Nora (Brady) did a great job on Sharpe – towards the end especially, forcing her to take really tough shots. Again, it’s a team effort. Everyone is in the right positions to help and do what we need to do to win.”
When the final horn sounded Ngo and her teammates celebrated with the student section that filled the bleachers behind their team bench.
“I was so happy and so proud of everyone,” Amy Ngo said. “We all believed we could do it, and actually doing it was amazing. It felt so good, and the crowd was great – everyone came to support us.
“All day at school, people were like, ‘We’ll be there,’ and we show up and there they are. It means a lot. Especially because PW had a huge student section, so it was good to even it out.”
Megan Ngo had a game-high 22 points to go along with six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Amy Ngo added nine points, and Besachio had six points and a team-high eight rebounds.
“I know Megan scored twice as many points as anyone in the game scored, but it was a great team win,” Funsten said. “Obviously, Megan is going to get the most attention because of how she scored, but we pride ourselves so much on our defense.
“The job Nora Brady did on Sharpe and the job Alaina Sanders did on Daley. Daley had 11 points, but she had three 3s and only one 2. The number of points she gets off offensive rebounds is really where she makes her living, and Alaina Sanders did such a great job. Alaina’s job was to box her out, and everybody else’s job was to get the rebound.
“We have really balanced rebounding numbers. I always think there’s nothing cooler in basketball than when the bigs box their girl out and then the guards sweep in and get the rebound, and everybody does their job. There were several possessions in the second half where that happened. It was cool to watch.”
Also, there was no mistaking the significance of Amy Ngo’s presence on the court.
“Amy didn’t shoot the ball as well as she typically does, but what was cool about it was I think she showed the rest of the team – ‘Hey, we’re not afraid of anything here,’” Funsten said. “At no point did Amy miss a couple of shots and then say – ‘I guess it’s not my night.’ She understood that shooters shoot, and she kept at it. I think it set the tone for the other girls – when you make mistakes, it’s okay to continue to stay aggressive. The lessons that she teaches the inexperienced players on our team are really valuable, and I think that was a good one tonight.”
For the Colonials, Sharpe and Daley each scored 11 points. AJ Avery added six on a pair of 3-pointers.
“We just couldn’t make a big shot in the fourth when we needed it,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “Our team has been playing with fire for too many games and keep thinking they’re going to pull it out in the fourth. We got burned tonight with an inability to defend and rebound in the halfcourt when it mattered most.”
Upper Dublin (16-8, 11-5 SOL) will travel to #11 Pennsbury for Saturday’s quarterfinal – one year and two days since the Cardinals – at Pennsbury for a district second round contest – lost 36-30 but far more heartbreaking was the loss of Amy to a knee injury.
“Amy was the first one – she said, ‘I cannot wait to go back there,’ so there was no hesitation from Amy, and you wouldn’t expect any – she’s a gamer,” Funsten said.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (23-3, 15-1 SOL) will host Abington in a playback game on Saturday with the winner earning a state berth and the loser going home. It will be the fourth meeting between the two teams with the previous three games – two wins for PW and one for Abington – decided by a total of four points.
“We got a rough draw this year with trying to make states,” Dougherty said. “It’s brutal to try to keep beating the same teams over and over, but you have to be able to beat a good team, and we didn’t do that tonight.”
Upper Dublin 8-7-10-15 40
Plymouth Whitemarsh 11-4-13-5 33
Upper Dublin (40) – Megan Ngo 5 9-10 22; Amy Ngo 2 3-4 9; Colleen Besachio 3 0-0 6; Nora Brady 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 11 12-14 40.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (33) – Azzy Crumpton 1 0-0 2; AJ Avery 2 0-0 6; Kenna Winland 1 0-0 3; Erin Daley 4 0-0 11; Abby Sharpe 3 5-5 11; TOTALS 11 5-5 33.
3-point goals: UD – Megan Ngo 3, Amy Ngo 2, Nora Brady; PW – AJ Avery 2, Erin Daley 3, Kenna Winland.
#4 SOUDERTON 53, #20 GARNET VALLEY 31
Casey Harter was in some kind of offensive groove, and it’s a good thing she was.
The Northwestern-bound senior’s 13 first-half points kept the Indians afloat in their first game action in eight days – they led by just a 23-20 score at halftime.
“I think it was two things – just coming off a long break and not playing any games for over a week, that didn’t help us, and we had to shake off some rust,” Harter said. “I think we came into this game underestimating them, which we shouldn’t have and that showed in the first half. We didn’t come out like we wanted it more – that’s why the score was what it was at halftime. We picked it up in the second half.”
While Harter was starring for the Indians, connecting on 6 of 7 shots from the field in the first half, sophomores Haylie Adamski and Kylie Mulholland were doing the same for the Jaguars, combining for 19 of their team’s 20 points.
“We said at halftime – all their points were from those two – we need help defense, and we need to talk on the screens because that’s how they’re scoring, and we picked it up in the second half,” Harter said.
It was on the defensive end that the Indians put the visiting Jaguars away, limiting them to just four points in the third quarter with a scoring drought of over five minutes between their two baskets.
“The combination of Grace (McDonough) and Casey defensively – just the length, the speed, the combination of the two of them being able to switch with one another – it was so good tonight in the second half,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “Sometimes Grace is the unsung hero. She does everything – she rebounds, she defends, she disrupts shots in the paint, she’s a great passer, she sees over the top of the defense and is able to make the good pass. She doesn’t always put points on the board, but her defense was just very, very good. You don’t see a 6-1 or 6-2 kid with footwork or speed the way that she has, and her wingspan is just never ending.”
Sparked by their defense, the Indians dominated play in the third quarter, outscoring the Jaguars 13-4 to go on top 37-24 on their way to a win that vaulted the Indians into the state tournament.
“We talked about it in the locker room, and the goal for every team every year is to make it to the state playoffs,” Carroll said. “Our seniors – it’s three out of four years that they’ve done it, so they may not understand how special it is, but it’s a big deal. The only year they didn’t make it was COVID year. It’s a special thing.
“Our second half defense was very, very good. I think we expect that out of this group at this point. To qualify for states and to get to the quarterfinal of districts playing the way we played in the second half, I’m really happy for the girls.”
The win was especially significant for the senior heavy squad.
“It’s amazing, and it’s one of the biggest goals on our list to be able to qualify for the state tournament and play as long as we can, especially being the group of seniors we have – we want to be able to play every game we possibly can with each other so it’s awesome to have done that today,” Harter said. “We want to keep that going as a program.”
Harter was a force at both ends of the court in the second half as well, scoring 12 points to finish with 25, which included a pair of 3s and a 3-for-3 effort at the foul line. The Indians’ senior point guard connected on 10 of 14 shots from the floor in the game and also had four assists.
“Casey played great,” Carroll said. “She just looked to be a threat on every possession. That kid – (Kylie) Mulholland – is a good defender. She is quick, she is up on you, but Casey is at her best when she’s in the open court.
“She was looking for her perimeter shot, she was attacking the basket with a lot of success. Her ability to score at all three levels just makes it so difficult to guard her. She’s added those pieces over the years. In her earlier years, her athleticism got her to the basket whenever she wanted.
“As of last year, she was becoming more of a threat from the perimeter and is now a serious threat from the perimeter, and between her junior and senior year, she spent a lot of time developing a mid-range game. There aren’t many defenders that can defend somebody who can do those things. You try and take away the drive, and she’ll pull up and rise over the defender and hit a mid-range shot. It used to be – go under screens on Harter, and people can’t do that anymore. Any weakness that she’s ever had she’s turned into a strength. It’s why she’s capable of having a successful night the way she did it tonight.”
Erin Bohmueller also finished in double figures with 10 points to go along with three assists.
“Erin stepped up offensively, particularly in the second half and wasn’t just settling for catch-and-shoot 3s,” Carroll said. “She looked to go to the basket a few times and hit some foul shots for us in the fourth quarter. It was nice to see that side of her. She knows that’s something we need her to do is to continue to look to score more, and I thought she did that tonight.”
Teya McConnaha stuffed a stat sheet with eight points, nine rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots. Brooke Fenchel had three assists.
Garnet Valley – fresh off an upset of #13 Pennridge – was led by Mulholland’s 13 points while Adamski added 12.
Souderton (22-4, 15-1 SOL) will host #5 Spring-Ford in Saturday’s quarterfinal round.
Garnet Valley 6-14-4-7 31
Souderton 11-13-13-16 53
Garnet Valley (31) – Kylie Mulholland 6 0-0 13; Savannah Saunders 0 1-2 1; Haylie Adamski 5 1-2 12; Katie Dwyer 1 0-0 2; Mia Zebley 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 13 3-6 31;
Souderton (53) – Erin Bohmueller 3 3-4 10; Brooke Fenchel 0 2-2 2; Mikayla McGillian 1 0-2 2; Casey Harter 10 3-3 25; Grace McDonough 2 2-2 6; Teya McConnaha 3 2-4 8; TOTALS 19 12-17 53.
3-point goals: GV – Kylie Mulholland, Haylie Adamski; Souderton – Casey Harter 2, Erin Bohmueller.
#11 PENNSBURY 51, #6 ABINGTON 39
Sofia Vitucci is one very cool customer.
The Falcons’ junior guard is unfazed by pressure, and in Wednesday’s second round contest against a favored Abington squad, she carried her teammates onto her shoulders offensively, scoring a game-high 24 points and leading the Falcons to the decisive win over the Ghosts on their home court.
“Ultimately, the game spun on the poise and leadership of Sof,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “At this point I can’t imagine her not being all state.
“She’s doubled and tripled, and her playmaking was great. She held onto the ball when she had to, and she stepped up and knocked down big free throws in the fourth quarter. There’s absolutely no secret to her success. It’s laid out for everyone to see. She scores 100 percent on her scouting quizzes. She was in the gym today an hour before the bus leaves to get up at least 200 shots. She shoots after practice and before practice. She’s every single thing you want in a player and she’s out there to win. Every day and every night. She was the best player in our league this season and she’s not letting up.”
The Falcons, who led 8-6 after one quarter, trailed by one at halftime, 25-24. Vitucci’s 11 second-quarter points kept the Falcons in it.
“We talked it over at halftime,” Vitucci said. “We were making a lot of errors in the first half that we corrected in the second. We were throwing the ball away a lot offensively. The pressure kind of got to us. We just needed to handle it better and be calm and confident. We had to utilize what we practiced all week in the second half.”
“At halftime, I was upset,” Sciolla said. “I don’t feel like the halftime locker room is the place to yell. It’s a place to be calm and thoughtful, but I wasn’t pleased with how we were handling the moment. Yet despite all that, we were only down one.
“We had to start the third quarter with Laylla (Matthias) on the bench because of fouls, and they pulled ahead 30-24, but we hung tough and started to value the ball. They also had foul issues as (Abril) Bowser, who picked up her fourth.”
The Falcons’ defense was a force all night long and limited the Ghosts to seven third-quarter points. Pennsbury only scored six and trailed 32-30 heading into the final quarter. The fourth quarter featured one trip to the foul line after another. Vitucci was 7-for-8 and also had a basket for nine points in the fourth quarter.
“I just keep my composure, handling what they throw at me with the face(guarding) and double teams, but really just finishing through contact, not forcing anything but finding my open shot or getting to a gap and kicking to an open shooter,” Vitucci said. “I’m pretty calm. Sometimes I have my moments, but I just like to move on from the mistake and go to the next play – that’s my mindset.”
Navaeh Dash also had a big fourth quarter, burying 6 of 7 at the line and scoring a team-high 12 points.
“We shoot a lot of foul shots,” Vitucci said. “It’s something we always do to end practice, and it really does pay off for us. In the middle of the year, we were coming in at 6 a.m. and shooting foul shots. We still could be a little better from there, and we need to be.”
While the Falcons – behind Vitucci and Dash – put 21 points on the board in the fourth quarter, the Ghosts managed just seven, and there’s no mistaking that the Falcons’ defense once again played a starring role in the win.
“(The key was) not losing their scorers,” Vitucci said. “They’re a really good shooting team. They’re quick, they’re crafty, and they move the ball up the floor very fast. We were just trying to control the tempo of the game, play our speed and contain who we needed to contain and knowing the personnel of the other team.”
Cire Worley, who averages over 18 points a game, was held to 13 points with six of those coming at the foul line. Abril Bowser added 12 points on four 3-pointers – three of those in the first half and the fourth in the third quarter. Piper McGinley added seven points.
“The girls did a great job locating Bowser and Worley and making all of their shots difficult,” Sciolla said. “Layla was big on the glass, and our freshman, Emily Panaro, played her best game of the year in her biggest game. She took two charges, and she was fantastic on the backboards and in contesting shots without fouling.
“Playing Abington is a tremendous challenge because they are so unique. Dan has had a legendary career, and he has been successful playing several different styles with all types of personnel. They force tempo so well and even with three days to prepare, we were upside down a bit in the first half and fighting major foul trouble with Matthias and MacDonald both having three.”
While Vitucci’s 24 points led all scorers, Dash added 15 points. Matthias had a team-high nine rebounds and four assists.
“We got a nice boost off the bench in the first half from Ava Jordan and Maggie Burns,” Sciolla said. “Nevaeh Dash scored 12 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter, including two big baskets off of side-out plays. She’s a senior and she stepped up like one. The first (basket) came off of spectacular pass from Daniella MacDonald.”
Sparked by the inspired play of Vitucci and her teammates, the Falcons find themselves in some elite company in the final eight in the district. Their back-to-back wins in districts come on the heels of a first-round exit in the SOL Tournament as the result of a 45-33 loss to Neshaminy.
“We just bounce back and correct what needs to be corrected and work to be better and go out the next game and win,” Vitucci said of her team’s mindset. “I don’t know if I thought we’d be this far. I knew we’d still be good. We do things well that get us to where we are but this far was questionable. I don’t think anyone expected it.”
While many expected Pennsbury to fall off the map with the graduation of PA 6A Player of the Year Ava Sciolla as well as Nicole Pompilli, the Falcons went out and silenced the doubters.
“I’m just happy,” Vitucci said. “I’m ready for Saturday. I think practices will be fun, and we’ll just do what needs to be done.”
The magnitude of his team’s accomplishments is not lost on Sciolla.
“We are not unaware of what we are doing,” the Falcons’ coach said. “This is the fourth year in a row we’ve won at this round after going 50 years without doing it twice in a row. We realize what the perception of us was before and even during the season, and we’re okay with that too. Every year is a new group with new challenges, and this group has given us more than everything. They play Pennsbury basketball.
“I wasn’t aware until last year about our history with Abington. I didn’t know that we had lost 24 straight times at least and that it probably goes back long before that. It’s a byproduct of the incredible job that coach (Dan) Marsh has done. They are an elite program in our state because of his leadership.
“When we took over the girls in 2016 and we were in dire straits, he showed so much class toward us in his games. I’ve never forgotten it, and I’ve followed and stolen ideas from him since then.”
Pennsbury (19-6, 12-4 SOL) will host #19 Upper Dublin in a quarterfinal game Saturday.
“Getting another home game was something we didn’t expect,” Sciolla said. “Playing another legendary program and coach is a great opportunity for our program. It’s been a blessing to be with this group. That we get at least another three weeks with them is incredible. I certainly don’t take it for granted.”
Abington (20-6, 14-2 SOL) will travel to #3 Plymouth Whitemarsh for a playback game with their season on the line.
“We got outplayed and outcoached tonight,” Marsh said. “Number 21 (Vitucci) killed us.”
Pennsbury 8-16-6-21 51
Abington 6-19-7-7 39
Abington (39) – Cire Worley 3 6-8 13; Maya Johnson 2 0-0 5; Abril Bowser 4 0-0 12; Jordyn Reynolds 0 2-4 2; Piper McGinley 2 3-4 7; Maura Day 0 0-1 0; TOTALS 11 11-17 39.
Pennsbury (51) – Emily Panaro 2 0-2 4; Layla Matthias 0 0-2 0; Maggie Burns 1 1-2 3; Sofia Vitucci 8 7-8 24; Oliveah Gilchrist 1 0-0 2; Daniella MacDonald 1 0-0 0; Nevaeh Dash 4 6-7 15; TOTALS 17 14-19 51.
3-point goals: Abington – Abril Bowser 4, Cire Worley, Maya Johnson; Pennsbury – Sofia Vitucci, Daniella MacDonald, Nevaeh Dash.
#8 NESHAMINY 42, #9 UNIONVILLE 25
Alena Cofield doesn’t find her way into the headlines, and the 5-3 sophomore guard’s name doesn’t jump out at you from the box scores, but Cofield has given the Redskins something every successful team needs – a valuable spark.
In Wednesday’s win that ensured the Redskins’ a state berth, Cofield had four points, two steals and five rebounds – four offensive.
“The place just explodes when she gets an offensive rebound or gets a steal,” Neshaminy coach John Gallagher said. “She’s just constant energy, and she’s really going to be a very, very good player for us. The amount of time she puts in – she’s there for every practice, every workout, every weight training.
“She came into our open gym in 2021 and I didn’t know anything about her. She’s flying around and the ball’s going all over the place. It was more soccer than basketball when she had the ball, but it’s a credit to her and all the amount of time she put in, and it’s really starting to pay off. She’s a very important part of our team.”
A sprinter for the track team, Cofield acknowledged she was rough around the edges when she came on board.
“Last season the open gyms we had at the beginning of the year – I was a really bad player,” she said. “I’d lose the ball, I was out of control. I was just really fast, and I knew how to move my feet a little bit but not really. I just worked really hard in the offseason. I tried to improve my shot, I tried to improve my ballhandling.
“I did AAU, and I think it really helped me improve, and then at the start of the year when we did the tournaments, the girls showed they had a lot of confidence me and helped run plays to get some shots. It just helped me realize this is something I really like to do, so I worked even harder to show that I was an asset to me team.”
As for her knack for grabbing offensive rebounds, Cofield explained.
“I know I’m one of the smallest players on the court, so I have to use it to my advantage,” she said. “Usually when the shot goes up and somebody goes to box out, I just use my speed to get to the board and I just jump as high as I can and grab the boards.”
In Wednesday’s win, Reese Zemitis buried a 3 on her team’s opening possession, and the Redskins were off and running, opening up a 13-6 lead after one quarter.
“Coach Gal made a really good scouting report, and we just knew what they were going to do. We just played our hardest knowing it would be an important game for us,” Cofield said. “We set the tone early and we just took it from there.”
By halftime, the Redskins had a 26-15 lead. Lola Ibarrondo had eight points in the half and Zemitis had seven. The Redskins had four 3-pointers, and they were a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line in the opening two quarters.
“We defended really, really well,” Gallagher said. “We got really good shots on offense. Reese started us off with a wide open 3. Lindsay Little hit a 3 at the end of the first quarter and then early in the second quarter for back-to-back 3s that gave us some really good spacing. Every time the ball leaves her hand you just believe it’s going in.
“Jess Purvy hit a 3 early in the game that helped us out a little bit. They had a hard time with Lola (Ibarrondo). When she gets into the lane, she’s either finishing, getting fouled or kicking it for open 3-pointers. Reese had five blocked shots, and just her defense inside – she just plays straight up, and they shoot the ball into her wrist or elbow. She gets a steal, and we start going the other way. We have Lindsay (Little) and Ava Irizarry coming off the bench, filling in, and we’re able to give our starters some minutes – not only taking time off but contributing in a big way.”
Zemitis – who had four 3-pointers – scored a game-high 19 points – in three quarters. She also had five blocked shots and a team-high six rebounds. Ibarrondo finished with eight points, six assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Little added six points, and Taylor Gurysh had seven rebounds.
“I thought Taylor had a really good game for us,” Gallagher said. “I don’t really track who scores during the game, and I looked – she had two points, but she had so many defensive rebounds. She does so much.
“I had in my head she had like 10 points, and I checked the book, and she has two. Her overall game was just really, really good.”
Neshaminy (19-6, 13-3 SOL) will travel to top-seeded Perkiomen Valley Friday night for the second game of a boys/girls twinbill.
Unionville 6-9-2-8 25
Neshaminy 13-13-14-2 42
Unionville (25) – Savannah Lang 2 1-2 5; Milana Amoss 1 1-2 3; Izzy Della Barba 1 0-0 3; Riley Angstadt 5 0-0 10; Shannon Megill 1 0-0 2; Kerri Menninger 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 11 2-4 25.
Neshaminy (42) – Alena Cofield 2 0-0 4; Lola Ibarrondo 2 4-4 8; Taylor Gurysh 1 0-0 2; Reese Zemitis 6 3-4 19; Jess Purdy 1 0-0 3; Lindsay Little 2 0-0 6; TOTALS 14 7-8 42.
3-point goals: Unionville – Izzy Della Barba; Neshaminy – Reese Zemitis 4, Lindsay Little 2, Jess Purdy.
#1 PERKIOMEN VALLEY 49, #17 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 42
The Patriots came up short in their bid for the upset of the tournament’s top seed, but they came out strong and never went away, trailing by three with less than a minute remaining before falling just short.
“All we talked about the past couple days was that we knew there were very few people that thought we could pull this game off, but it wasn’t us,” East coach Liz Potash said. “We know that we’ve been able to play with these top teams all year. If you can play defense, you can do it.”
The Patriots – sparked by five points from Kendall Gregor – led 12-4 after one quarter. The Vikings received six points from both Bella Bacani and Lena Stein in a 19-point second quarter to go into halftime with a 25-19 lead.
“Perk Valley is really good. They’re big – even when we boxed out, they were still getting the ball over us, but we got off to a fast start,” Potash said. “(Quinn) Boettinger didn’t start the game – I guess she tweaked her ankle over the weekend, and we got off to a 7-0 start, and it was a 12-4 game at the end of the first. Just to be able to know they had to put her in the game to win was a big confidence boost for us.
“Our whole game plan going in was play loose, shoot the ball with confidence, and we were able to do it.”
The Patriots still trailed by five heading into the final quarter, 38-33,
“It was exciting,” Potash said. “It was a three-point game with 30 seconds left. Erin LeRay hit a 3 that made it a three-point game. Anna Barry was really close to getting a steal off the press, and after we didn’t get it, then they made their foul shots.
“We’re really proud of the girls. We’re happy with the effort. We told them – we have to keep this momentum going into Saturday because we still get a chance to keep the season alive a couple more weeks. We have to have a good showing Saturday, but we’re really happy for the girls – a lot of heart, a lot of grit, a lot of determination tonight.”
Barry’s 15 points with three 3-pointers – all in the second and third quarters – led the Patriots. Natalie Berndt added eight points while Gregor and Erin LeRay both had seven.
“This is really cliché, but it really was such a team effort,” Potash said. “We really executed both offensively and defensively exactly how we wanted them to do it tonight.
“I just give everyone credit. There was good energy on the bench whether they were in the game or not. Anna (Barry) had a nice game and was shooting the ball well. I thought Kendall’s defense on Boettinger was really good. Chantal (Van Dongeren) took a charge on (Grace) Galbavy, who’s tough. The LeRays (Erin and Shayne) played hard, and even my freshman – Natalie Berndt – was shooting the ball with confidence. As much of a team effort as you could get – we got that tonight on both sides.”
Central Bucks East (16-8, 10-6 SOL) will travel to Unionville for Saturday’s playback game.
“When we saw where we were falling (in the tournament bracket), I said to (assistant coach) Lisa (Garner) – ‘I think we’re going to avoid the SOL for three rounds,’” Potash said. “It’s not like Perk Valley was going to be a walk in the park, but it’s still someone different.
“We went out and we saw all these teams play the last two weeks. We saw Henderson live, we saw Unionville live, we saw Perk Valley live. We knew what the path was looking like, so we’re ready. We just have to prepare for another long bus ride. We went from West Chester Henderson to Perk Valley and now to Unionville, but our girls love long bus rides, so we’ll give it a whirl.”
Central Bucks East 12-7-14-9 42
Perkiomen Valley 4-19-15-11 49
Central Bucks East (42) – Erin LeRay 2 2-2 7; Natlie Berndt 3 0-0 8; Shayne LeRay 2 0-0 5; Anna Barry 5 2-2 15; Kendall Gregor 3 0-0 7; TOTALS 15 4-4 42.
Perkiomen Valley (49) – Bella Bacani 5 0-0 12; Lena Stein 5 1-2 12; Quinn Boettinger 3 2-2 8; Grace Galbavy 6 4-6 12; TOTALS 19 7-10 49.
3-point goals: CBE – Anna Barry 3, Natalie Berndt 2, Erin LeRay, Shayne LeRay, Kendall Gregor; PV – Bella Bacani 2, Lena Stein, Grace Galbavy.
#5 SPRING-FORD 64, #21 NORTH PENN 45
The Knights, who trailed by just two after one quarter, found themselves on the short end of a 22-12 halftime score. The Rams outscored the Knights 25-14 in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.
Caleigh Sperling’s 12 points led the Knights, and Abby Plaugher also finished in double figures with 10. Olivia Stone had nine points and Kelly Donnelly added six.
North Penn (13-11, 10-6 SOL) will travel to #20 Garnet Valley on Saturday for a playback game at 1 p.m. The winner will earn a state berth.
North Penn 7-5-14-19 45
Spring-Ford 9-13-25-17 64
North Penn (45) – Cam Crowley 1 0-0 2; Emily Orth 0 2-2 2; Caleigh Sperling 2 8-12 12; Abby Plaugher 4 1-2 10; Lily McGee 0 2-2 2; Kelly Donnelly 2 0-0 6; Olivia Stone 4 1-2 9; Leah Mikulski 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 13 16-22 45.
Spring-Ford (64) – Lilly Brescia 2 0-0 4; Kareena Preuss 3 0-0 7; Siena Miller 3 0-0 9; Anna Azzara 9 1-1 20; Katie Tiffan 1 0-0 3; Christina Tiffan 0 0-1 0; Mac Pettinelli 5 0-0 12; Megan Robbins 4 1-2 9; TOTALS 27 2-4 64.
3-point goals: NP – Kelly Donnelly 2, Abby Plaugher; SF – Siena Miller 3; Mac Pettinelli 2, Anna Azzara, Katie Tiffan.
North Penn (13-11, 10-6 SOL) will travel to #20 Garnet Valley for a playback game on Saturday.
North Penn 7-5-14-19 45
Spring-ford 9-13-25-17 64
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