Pennsbury advanced to Wednesday’s District 1 6A semifinal contest. Pennsbury/UD photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. PW/Abington photos courtesy of Larry Small. Check back for galleries of both games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f884733941
CLASS 6A Quarterfinals
#11 PENNSBURY 32, #19 UPPER DUBLIN 27 (OT)
They’d heard the dire predictions – how their Falcon squad would surely struggle with the graduation of the team’s top two players to graduation. Even after a regular season that was better than most outside the program expected, Pennsbury was not projected by many to make noise in the postseason.
“It was a huge loss losing Ava (Sciolla) and Nicole (Pompili), but the chemistry on our team is undeniable,” junior Layla Matthias said. “We’re able to lock in and push through every game. It’s the motivation of people saying – ‘You’re not going to be good without Ava, you’re not going to be able to go far.’ Well, look at us now.”
Look at them now indeed.
Pennsbury is in the final four of District 1 6A, and the players – and their fans who filled the Falcons’ Nest – are enjoying every minute of it. On Saturday, the Falcons needed overtime to defeat a pesky Upper Dublin squad that was also an underdog to make it to the quarterfinals.
“(I) tend to not look backwards a lot, but it was brought to our attention that if we got (to the district semifinals) – it would be three out of four years which is obviously unique in Pennsbury and probably maybe even throughout District 1 but definitely Pennsbury,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “I understand there’s a narrative out there that we’re the little engine that could, but I just want to say –our girls are really smart. If you’re going to beat us – and this has been pretty much always our MO – you’re going to have to beat us more so than we’re going to beat ourselves.”
The Falcons used a familiar formula in their most recent win – keep the game close, play stingy defense, and win it at the end. With just over three minutes remaining in regulation, they trailed by three (24-21) after UD freshman Megan Ngo turned a pass from Colleen Besachio into a clutch 3-pointer. The Falcons had an immediate answer, thanks to a basket in close by Nevaeh Dash.
“One thing we always preach is getting a stop after we score,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “Obviously, with the way the game was so low scoring, any score was a huge score. We made the 3 with 3:06 to go. We needed a stop afterwards, and they got a score right away within seven seconds, which is incredible in a game like this that they were able to score so quickly. They called timeout, and from there on out, they had some momentum.”
Clinging to a one-point lead, the Flying Cardinals looked to run time off the clock, but several costly turnovers resulted in Dash sinking one of two at the foul line with 29.9 seconds remaining. The Cardinals held for the last shot but turned the ball over with one second remaining, setting the stage for overtime.
“I thought our decision making in the last minute-and-a-half when we were trying to maintain possession of the ball – we had a couple of tough turnovers,” Funsten said. “In the overtime, I thought Vitucci made some really tough shots.”
Vitucci – as in Sophia Vitucci – was once again the offensive catalyst for the Falcons. After a UD miss on the opening possession of overtime, Vitucci scored on a pullup. On the Cardinals very next possession, Matthias stripped the ball from a UD player, and Vitucci scored on a drive, putting the Falcons on top 28-24.
“The foul calls weren’t as high as they were in previous games, so we were able to be a lot more aggressive,” Matthias said. “That’s what (Sciolla) told us in a huddle.”
The Cardinals never got closer than three the rest of the way.
Vitucci had all eight of her team’s point in OT and finished with a game-high 17, unfazed by the ‘ball hog ‘chants of the UD student section.
“It doesn’t get to me,” she said. “It kind of fuels me like – okay, I’ll prove you wrong. I’m just out there playing my game. I don’t really care what they’re saying. I’m on the floor and I have to produce for me team.”
Big performances have been the norm for Vitucci this season.
“I understand when we come out on the floor we don’t look particularly big, and I get it,” Sciolla said. “I hear it from everyone, but let’s start with this. We normally have the best player on the floor (Vitucci), and if you can get a game into deep water and you have that, then you’re going to have a chance.
“The other thing is our girls do a really good job of taking other teams out of what they want to run and making it a different more a one-on-one type of game. They are so smart, so disciplined, and that’s their MO, and if you allow them to get looks, you’re going to have a hard time, and for today, what we wanted to do was use Layla’s length because that’s our one girl with some size, use her length to make it difficult for Megan (Ngo) to go back and forth to Amy (Ngo) and maybe make the game be played in the corner where they could take shots.”
Life was difficult for both offenses in Saturday’s game. The Falcons, behind five points from Vituccii and a 3 from Danielle Sherman, led 8-3 after one quarter. That lead grew to 10-3 after a bucket from Vitucci just inside the arc, but the Cardinals knotted the score 10-10, thanks to five points from Besachio and two from Amy Ngo. A basket by Vitucci with 43 seconds remaining sent the Cardinals into halftime with a 12-10 lead.
The Falcons led 19-15 after Vitucci, who drew a crowd in the paint, kicked the ball to Sherman at the top of the circle, and she calmly drained a 3.
“We realized that they were obviously playing really heavy defense on (Vitucci) because they know the kind of shots she can make, especially in very high pressure situations where the momentum can tip if the shot goes in or not,” Sherman said. “I saw the ball come to me, and for some reason, it just felt right. I was really grateful she saw that.”
Besachio answered with a 3 for UD, but the Falcons led 21-18 after a basket by Daniella MacDonald. A Nora Brady three knotted the score 21-21 after three quarters, setting the stage for the final eight minutes that saw the two teams score just three points each.
“We pride ourselves on our defense,” Vitucci said. “We keep scores very low, and we come out with wins by close margins a lot. We played so many of these games. We knew what we wanted to do.”
“In practice, we practice these scenarios a whole bunch,” Matthias said. “It’s half of our practice because we’ve been in countless games like this, so my mindset in that situation – I trust in my teammates. I know if I get the ball, I know we’ll get it down.
“This (win) feels great for a couple of minutes, but then we’ve got practice Monday, and we’ve got to go hard the next two practices.”
While Vitucci, who also had four rebounds, did the bulk of the scoring, Matthias did the grunt work, finishing with nine rebounds, five steals and three assists.
“Layla’s effect is so understated – getting extra possessions, deflecting balls, using angles,” Sciolla said. “We’ve played this type of game 12 times this year. It’s the same game – okay, here we are. Because we play the same game, it’s what we do a chunk of the practice, so these end game situations – we’re like ‘Here we go, they might stop us, they might not.’ We get the initial stop, Sof makes a really tough shot. They had defended her really well. Then she was able to get loose.”
Sherman added six points on two 3-pointers and also had four rebounds. Freshman Emily Panaro had four straight points in the third period.
“Teams with size are certainly an issue for everyone and certainly for us, but on that end, Emily Panaro was really good defensively,” Sciolla said. “Danielle Sherman had a tremendous game off the bench today. Rebounded the ball really well, knocked down a couple of shots, which she has the ability to do.
“To be able to go and beat Abington and Upper Dublin back-to-back who both are 180 degrees different in how you prepare – I’m very proud of my girls.”
For the Cardinals, Amy Ngo’s eight points led the way. Besachio added eight points, eight rebounds and one blocked shot. Megan Ngo added five points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Listening to Sherman tell it, there’s no place like home for the Falcons, who once again played in front of a large and spirited crowd.
“We’re just grateful to be home,” she said. “Two games ago we didn’t think we’d be back here, and here we are. We’ve had two games here already. It’s an incredible feeling. The atmosphere is unmatched and I’m just really grateful for all the people that come out and show out for us. I’m really grateful for my team for holding everything together and the coaching staff – everyone works together so well.”
Pennsbury (20-6, 12-4 SOL) will travel to Haverford for Wednesday’s District 1 6A semifinal contest.
“It’s great, you know,” Vitucci said. “People didn’t really expect it. It’s always great to prove people wrong, but we’re just going to come out and play our game.”
Upper Dublin (16-9, 11-5) will travel to Springfield-Delco for a playback game for district seeding on Wednesday.
“It’s tough,” Funsten said. “The message (after the game) was – hey, because of how well we played leading up to this moment, we’ve bought ourselves at least three more games.
“I think it’s important that on Monday at practice every girl in the room comes in with a mindset – I’m going to get better individually, we’re going to get better as a team. I think if you have that mindset, keep the energy level high at practice, I’m confident the leadership on our team is going to keep the girls positive and continue to stay hungry.”
Upper Dublin 3-7-11-3-3 27
Pennsbury 8-4-9-3-8 32
Upper Dublin (27) – Alaina Sanders 0 1-2 1; Megan Ngo 2 0-0 5; Amy Ngo 4 0-0 10; Colleen Besachio 3 0-0 8; Nora Brady 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 10 1-2 27.
Pennsbury (32) – Emily Panaro 2 0-0 4; Layla Matthias 0 0-2 0; Danielle Sherman 2 0-0 6; Sofia Vitucci 6 4-5 17; Daniella MacDonald 1 0-0 2; Nevaeh Dash 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 12 5-9 32
3-point goals: UD – Amy Ngo 2, Megan Ngo, Colleen Besachio 2, Nora Brady; Pennsbury – Danielle Sherman 2, Sofia Vitucci.
#5 SPRING-FORD 41, #4 SOUDERTON 37
Souderton could not have been happy to see Spring-Ford as a potential quarterfinal matchup after falling to the Rams in the District 1 6A semifinals last season. On Saturday, the Rams once again came out on top, but the Indians were in this one until the end.
Spring-Ford led 11-9 after one quarter, but the Indians used a 10-5 second quarter to go into halftime with a 19-16 lead. Casey Harter’s eight points led the Indians in the half.
That lead disappeared in a third quarter that saw the Rams go on a bonafide tear, outscoring Souderton 17-7 to go into the final quarter with a 33-26 lead. The Indians battled back – thanks to five points from both Harter and Erin Bohmueller, but they could not make up the ground they lost.
Harter’s 15 points led the Indians, and Bohmueller added 10. No one else had more than four points for the Indians.
“Casey scores 15 and Erin scores 10 – I feel good about our chances,” Carroll said. “But unfortunately, we made a few too many mistakes defensively, and that combined with some turnovers in the third quarter and into the fourth when they went on a 15-3 run.
“Credit to our girls. They came right back at them and got right back in the game. It was a one-point game with under a minute. I thought we did a lot of things well throughout the game. It was a good basketball game. I think everybody that was there would say it was a good basketball game between two good teams. There was just a stretch where a couple turnovers and a few defensive mistakes ended up being the difference maker.”
Despite the outcome, Carroll saw a lot of things she liked.
“One of the biggest positives to come out of this game was the way Erin (Bohmueller) played,” the Indians’ coach said. “When she shot the ball, she shot it and looked like she knew it was going to go in, and she aggressively attacked the basket a couple of times. We need her to keep doing that moving forward. She is playing with a lot of confidence.
“Grace (McDonough) is continuing to give us really, really good minutes. Casey (Harter) offensively found a way to score the way that she always does and was just a steady presence, getting out in transition, attacking the basket in the halfcourt set, mid-range stuff. She hit a big 3 in the fourth quarter.
“We did a lot of good things today. Now it’s the tough part of playing two playback games. It’s hard to make them feel meaningful, but I think we have to because we have to continue to form good habits. We’ll take a look at the game again and see what we can learn from it. We already did the really tough thing, which is qualify for states and extend our season, so we live to play another day. We’ll get back to work Monday. We’re not going to settle.”
The Rams were led by the 18-point effort of Katie Tiffan. Anna Azzara added 12 and Megan Robbins had nine.
“Katie Tiffen for them really stepped up,” Carroll said. “You have to focus a lot on (Anna) Azzaro and (Mackenzie) Pettinelli. A really good team has somebody else that is willing to and can step up, and that’s what Katie Tiffen did for them today.”
Souderton (22-5, 15-1 SOL) will host #8 Neshaminy in a playback game for district seeding on Wednesday.
Spring-Ford 11-5-17-8 41
Souderton 9-10-7-11 37
Spring-Ford (41) – Anna Azzara 4 4-6 12; Katie Tiffan 5 5-8 18; Mackenzie Pettinelli 0 2-2 2; Megan Robbins 4 1-3 9; TOTALS 13 12-19 41.
Souderton (37) – Erin Bohmueller 3 2-2 10; Brooke Fenchel 1 0-0 3; Mikayla McGillian 1 0-0 3; Casey Harter 7 0-0 15; Grace McDonough 1 0-2 2; Teya McConnaha 1 2-4 4; TOTALS 14 4-8 37.
3-point goals: SF – Katie Tiffan 3; Souderton – Erin Bohmueller 2, Brooke Fenchel, Mikayla McGillian, Casey Harter.
Class 6A Playback
#6 ABINGTON 46, #3 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 38
The stakes were high when two of the SOL’s premier teams met for the fourth time this season. It was a meeting most anticipated in the district quarterfinals but instead – as a result of upset losses to Upper Dublin and Pennsbury – PW and Abington found themselves in Saturday’s playback contest. One team would go home, the other would earn a berth to the state tournament.
“I was scared,” said Abington sophomore point Maya Johnson when asked about the magnitude of Saturday’s game. “I did it for my seniors though. They needed a win.”
Johnson played a starring role for the Ghosts. The diminutive point guard is usually content to distribute the ball to her teammates. In Saturday’s win, she scored 15 points, which included a near-perfect 5-for-6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter when the Colonials were forced to foul.
“I knew what I had to do,” Johnson said. “I had to execute the offense and run the game at my pace, and that’s what I did.
“We had to hold the ball to make sure they didn’t come back because the last two games they came back on us, so I knew we would have to hold the ball and take longer possessions.”
The Ghosts were coming off an upset loss on their homecourt to Pennsbury, and that came on the heels of a 45-44 overtime loss to PW in the SOL Tournament semifinals.
“We’ve had some major setbacks,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “We had a team meeting the other day, and I just gave it to them.
“I said, ‘Look, this season is not over. You guys have got to figure out what path you want to take. Do you want to give up or do you want to go for it?’ They all bought in and said they wanted to go for it. I said, ‘Well, this needs to be we over me, and we all need to play our roles to the best of their ability, and they did.”
“I think that was important to us,” Worley said of the team meeting. “Everyone shared their feelings how they felt. I think that was important because that really had everybody take accountability.
“At times we get selfish, and we have to play more together. That’s what we really focused on.”
Johnson echoed a similar sentiment.
“He made us realize it isn’t an individual game and that we have to work as a team,” the junior point guard said. “And the Pennsbury game – it wasn’t a team thing. I think we were out of it.
“The team meeting really brought us together and made us realize we have to work as a team and not individuals.”
Jordyn Reynolds hit nothing but net on a 3 on the Ghosts’ opening possession, and Abby Sharpe answered with a basket for PW that made it a 3-2 game only to watch the Ghosts reel off eight straight points to go on top . Included in that run was a drive by Johnson sandwiched between a pair of Cire Worley 3-pointers.
“Those first three minutes tonight were really rough,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “We had a game plan, we know how Abington plays. I thought we came out flat and did not get back on defense tonight. We didn’t get back on defense to start in that first quarter, and Abington makes you pay.
“We talked about how to handle the pressure, trying to get to a set play. We were able to run two sets to start the first quarter, and neither one of them worked out.”
Erin Daley found Kenna Winland for an easy bucket, but Worley scored a fastbreak basket off a PW miss, and the Ghosts led 13-4 after one quarter. The Ghosts opened up a 19-4 lead after back-to-back 3-pointers by Abril Bowser, but Azzy Crumpton and Sharpe connected on back-to-back 3s to close out the half. Abington took a 19-10 lead into halftime.
Twice in the third quarter the Colonials trimmed the Ghosts’ lead to six, and they pulled to within seven in the fourth quarter, but the Ghosts had an answer for every comeback attempt.
“Our team is known for coming out at halftime and not starting off good,” Worley said. “I think once we came out good in the third quarter to start the second half – that’s how we knew we would be able to keep that lead for the rest of the game.”
Worley’s 16 points led the Ghosts. She scored eight of those points in the fourth quarter, which included a 6-for-6 effort at the foul line. Reynolds added eight points.
For the Colonials, Daley’s 12 points – 10 in the fourth quarter – led the way. Sharpe finished with 10. Both have been fixtures and excelled in PW’s lineup for four years. Winland had eight and Crumpton, six points.
“I thought the girls showed a lot of fight,” Dougherty said. “I think we cut it (six) in the third or fourth quarter. I thought Kenna Winland came off the bench tonight and gave us a shot in the arm, someone who was going to go out there with no fear and battle.
“I thought their number two (Johnson) was just special tonight. She was able to get to the basket at will. We were just a step slow out there defensively too. The other part of it was something we work on a lot during the season is how to finish during contact, how to get to the basket and finish through contact, and it just took us too long to be able to do that tonight. When we were able to get that run in the third quarter, it was just too little too late. “
Abington (21-6, 14-2 SOL) will host #10 Conestoga in a playback game on Wednesday (7 pm). Plymouth Whitemarsh closed out a successful season with a 23-4 record, 15-1 in SOL play.
“I told the girls – the two losses this week sting right now,” Dougherty said. “We used that word sting on purpose. It will wear off and they’ll be able to look back and see they really were able to accomplish a lot of things this season that I didn’t think going into the season were there.
“To win the league for the fourth straight year, winning the SOL Tournament for the second straight year. The seniors got 100 wins in four years. A lot of really special accomplishments that are hard to see right now because it hurts so bad. This was a frustrating end to what was otherwise a successful year.”
EXTRA POINTS: The game was not without drama. With 2:26 remaining in the game and his team trailing 35-28, Dougherty was whistled for his second technical of the game, this one for leaving the bench to call a timeout. Worley sank both foul shots, and the Ghosts kept possession of the ball, a possession that resulted in Johnson connecting on both ends of a one-and-one.
Abington 13-6-10-17 46
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4-6-10-18 38
Abington (46) – Cire Worley 4 6-6 16; Maya Johnson 4 5-6 15; Abril Bowser 1 2-4 5; Jordyn Reynolds 2 2-2 8; Piper McGinley 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 12 15-18 46.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (38) – Azzy Crumpton 2 0-0 6; Angelina Balcer 0 2-2 2; AJ Avery 0 0-4 0; Kenna Winland 2 3-4 8; Erin Daley 4 3-3 12; Abby Sharpe 3 2-5 10; TOTALS 11 10-18 38.
3-point goals: Abington – Cire Worley 2, Maya Johnson 2, Abril Bowser, Jordyn Reynolds 2; PW – Azzy Crumpton 2, Kenna Winland, Erin Daley, Abby Sharpe 2.
#9 UNIONVILLE 52, #17 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 47
The Patriots – after the long trek to Unionville – fell behind early and spent the rest of the game playing catchup.
“It was a tough ending to a remarkable season,” East coach Liz Potash said. “Just like every game this year we battled until the end. This group overachieved in many ways, and we couldn’t have done it without the strong senior group that we will miss – Kendall Gregor, Bella Haurin, Erin LeRay, Shayne LeRay and Keira Shea.”
The Longhorns, who led 14-11 after one quarter, took a 29-21 lead into halftime. Anna Barry’s eight points led the Patriots in the opening half. The Patriots – sparked by nine points on three 3-pointers by freshman Natalie Berndt – trimmed two points off that lead in the third quarter and outscored the Longhorns by one in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough.
Barry’s 19 points – which included three 3s and a 6-for-6 effort at the foul line – led the Patriots. Berndt added 15 points on five 3-pointers – she had 12 points in the second half. Shayne LeRay added seven points.
Central Bucks East closed out its season with a 16-9 record overall (10-6 SOL).
Central Bucks East 11-10-13-13 47
Unionville 14-15-11-12 52
Central Bucks East (47) – Erin LeRay 0 1-2 1; Natalie Berndt 5 0-0 15; Shayne LeRay 3 0-0 7; Anna Barry 5 6-6 19; Chantal Van Dongeren 1 0-0 2; Kendall Gregor 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 15 8-10 47.
Unionville (52) – Savannah Lang 2 4-6 8; Milana Amoss 2 4-5 8; Maddie Baughan 1 0-0 3; Elle Johnson 7 0-1 17; Riley Angstadt 4 1-3 9; Shannon Megill 3 1-1 7; TOTALS 19 10-16 52.
3-point goals: CBE – Natalie Berndt 5, Anna Barry 3, Shayne LeRay; Unionville – Elle Johnson 3, Maddie Baughan.
#20 GARNET VALLEY 44, #21 NORTH PENN 41
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