CB West & Pennsbury will do battle in Saturday’s District One 6A title game at Temple. Pennsbury/PW and CB West/Spring-Ford photos provided courtesy of Larry Small. CLICK HERE for the gallery of photos.
District One 6A semifinals
#4 PENNSBURY 50, #1 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 41
As the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard clock and with a win well in hand, the Falcons paid little attention to a meaningless shot by the Colonials, sprinting toward their team’s bench where the players converged for an emotional celebration as the final horn sounded. It wasn’t long before the players disappeared in a throng of jubilant students that made the trek to Souderton.
With the win, the Falcons advanced to Saturday’s District One 6A title game at Temple University.
“I’m not typically one to jump around, and the second I looked up and the clock said zero, I probably was three feet in the air,” sophomore Ava Sciolla said.
“It’s amazing,” senior Mary Miller said. “I have never felt anything like this. It’s my dream to play at Temple, and I’m so excited it’s coming true, especially with the girls on the team. I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.”
Miller was a freshman when Frank Sciolla took over the helm of a struggling program.
“My freshman year we didn’t even make playoffs,” Miller said. “That was even a huge thing. Never would I have thought that we’d be playing in the semifinal for districts, and now we’re going to the finals.
“It’s truly an amazing feeling, and I’m excited for the season to keep going because it’s not over.”
Sciolla was understandably proud of his team’s performance.
“We came in here and we handled the moment,” the Falcons’ coach said. “We acted like we had been here before, and we stepped up in the biggest game of their lives, and we played well.
“(This) is big for our community. It’s been big for our little girls who come and watch. We’re living the moment, and we’ll be ready to go Saturday night.”
Ava Sciolla turned in a magnificent 24-point performance, which included four 3s, to lead the Falcons.
“A lot of people didn’t think our season was going to be as successful as it has been,” the sophomore point guard said. “On Oct. 1, my dad sat our whole team down and told us that he would bet anything that we would be in this position now because he believes in us, and I know that my dad and I believe in each other. The confidence we have in each other flows through everybody else, and it’s helped us on this incredible ride.”
The Falcons seized control of the game in the fourth quarter, reeling off 10 straight points after a Jordyn Thomas bucket gave the Colonials a 35-32 lead. The game-changing run began with Sciolla burying a 3-pointer to knot the score, and after a PW miss, Bella Arcuri completed a three-point play that gave the Falcons a 38-35 lead. Then it was Miller scoring after a PW miss, and Sciolla capped the run, beating her defender for a layup that put the Falcons on top 42-35.
“I think the key tonight was knowing where the ball needed to be and being smart with the ball,” Ava Sciolla said. “I think we rebounded pretty well. I think people who typically don’t rebound were in there, going at every ball.
“It was kind of an unspoken thing that we said to each other – ‘We’re going to win this game, and we’re going to win this game for Pennsbury, LFE (Lady Falcons Elite), for our coaching staff and for our gigantic student section that drove an hour to be here for us.’”
Earlier, the Falcons opened up a 12-8 lead after Arcuri scored on a drive. Sciolla connected on a 3-pointer to open the second quarter, upping that lead to 15-8. Anna McTamney answered with a basket for the Colonials, but Miller scored on a drive, and after a PW turnover, Sciolla scored on the low post, giving the Falcons a 19-10 lead.
The Colonials came roaring back, scoring eight straight points that included a three by Abby Sharpe as well as Kaitlyn Flanagan burying 5-of-6 at the foul line to pull the Colonials to within one at halftime (19-18).
Sciolla connected on a three to open the third quarter, but Sharpe returned the favor at the other end, hitting nothing but net on a three. The Colonials went on to open up a 32-28 lead after McTamney buried a pair at the foul line, but baskets by Abbi Nassivera and Sciolla knotted the score.
“Sciolla made big-time plays/shots to win the game, and other kids stepped up and made plays,” said PW coach Daniel Dougherty, whose shorthanded team is minus three regulars. “
The Thomas bucket to open the fourth was PW’s last hurrah as the Falcons finished strong to earn a big win.
“I’ve never experienced nerves like before this game, if I’m being completely honest,” Miller said. “I’ve never been in this position before, but you can’t let the nerves get the best of you. You have to keep playing your game, no matter what the name of the team is.
“We got a text today from an alumni, telling us to play our hearts out. We just got a text telling us she watched the entire game, telling us we did an amazing job, and she wished she could have experienced it.”
“We do it for the alumni,” Arcuri said. “We do it for the little girls in the LFE community, and we do it for each other. It’s awesome. The connection that we all have together because we’re so close off the court as we are on the court – it just helps when we’re playing together because we know each other so well.
“We have the whole community behind us – the support’s awesome.”
In addition to scoring a game-high 24, Sciolla also had a team-high nine rebounds and two assists and was once again a catalyst.
“We are a good team against pressure,” coach Frank Sciolla said. “Teams in our league don’t press us.
“You look at (Ava’s) ability to pass the ball against pressure and find people. The way she rebounds at her position, the way she’s able to create. She’s playing as well as anybody, and that gives us an opportunity against pressure, and in the biggest game of her life, she was really good.”
Miller added nine points, four rebounds and two steals, and Arcuri had eight points, four rebounds and three assists.
“You have Bell Arcuri, who handles pressure, who plays with tremendous poise and toughness,” coach Sciolla said. “I thought Nicole Pompili, our other 10th grade guard, played really intelligently, and you have to guard them.
“We’re not rolling in with a lot of powerhouses. As we run out there in warm-ups, we may not intimidate you, but if we can space the floor and we can get the game where it’s almost a little bit ugly, it’s to our advantage.”
Abbi Nassivera added five rebounds.
“I thought we battled well enough on the backboards to not get overwhelmed,” coach Sciolla said. “And again, we took care of the ball which is one of our strengths.”
For the Colonials, Flanagan and McTamney both had 10 points. Sharpe finished with nine on three 3s, and Thomas added seven.
Pennsbury (22-4, 11-1 SOL) will take on #2 Central Bucks West in Saturday’s District One 6A title game at Temple University (5 p.m.).
“Our focus has always been on just trying to build our program and get ourselves to the point where we can play in games like this and against teams like this,” coach Sciolla said. “You walk in – there’s Spring-Ford, there’s CB West, PW. These are historically really good programs.
“We’re trying to knock into that by building up through kindergarten through 12th grade.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (22-4, 13-1) will host #3 Spring-Ford in the third place game Friday at 7 p.m.
Pennsbury 12-7-13-18 50
Plymouth Whitemarsh 8-10-14-9 41
Pennsbury (50) – Ava Sciolla 10 0-0 24; Abbi Nassivera 1 0-0 2; Bella Arcuri 2 4-5 8; Lauren Dignan 1 0-0 2; Mary Miller 4 1-2 9; Nicole Pompili 1 3-4 5; Totals 19 8-11 50.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (41) – Kaitlyn Flanagan 2 6-9 10 Abby Sharpe 3 0-0 9; Gabby Cooper 2 0-0 5; Anna McTamney 3 4-5 10; Jordyn Thomas 3 1-2 7; Totals 13 11-16 41.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Ava Sciolla 4, PW – Abby Sharpe 3, Gabby Cooper.
#2 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 49, #3 SPRING-FORD 45
With the Bucks clinging to a one-point lead and 12 seconds remaining in regulation in Wednesday’s District One 6A semifinal, Emily Spratt stepped to the foul line for arguably the biggest one-and-one of her young career. The sophomore guard calmly sank a pair, and the Bucks led 48-45.
“I was very nervous, but my main thought was – do you know what you’re doing this for? You’re doing it for your best friends. I really just wanted to do it for them,” Spratt said.
Seconds later, Spratt sealed the Rams’ fate on the defensive end, blocking a 3-point attempt by junior Lucy Olsen. Jess Broskey came up with the rebound, connected on 1-of-2 at the foul line with 1.8 seconds remaining, and the come-from-behind win was in the books.
The Bucks are going to Saturday’s district title game at Temple.
“I’m just so happy for the seniors, honestly,” Spratt said. “To be able to experience this. We’re playing for everybody, but I really feel like we went out there and we were like – we have to do this for the seniors because they deserve this.”
The 15-point effort of senior point guard Olivia Irons led the Bucks.
“It’s amazing,” Irons said. “Our team – we’re best friends, and it shows on the court. We’re always picking each other up. Everyone does their job, and as a senior, this season has been like a dream come true for me. It can’t get better than this.”
The Bucks found themselves staring at a 29-22 deficit after Alyssa Yuan scored with three minutes remaining in the third period, prompting coach Zach Sibel to call a quick timeout.
“We’ve faced adversity this year,” Sibel said. “I told them during the timeout – ‘We’ve been here before. This isn’t anything we’re not used to. We’ve played really good teams, and we’re a really good team ourselves. We can handle anything that’s thrown at us.’”
“Sibel and coach Jen (Fabian) did a great job of helping us keep our composure,” Spratt said. “Having Sibel on the sideline saying, ‘It’s okay, we’re going to get back into it. We’re going to be fine.’ For a moment, of course, you’re a little nervous because we were down seven, but you can’t get frantic for a long period of time in a game like that.”
Paige Gilbert scored on a drive out of the timeout, and it was a 29-26 game after Irons connected on a pair at the foul line. Gabs Alessandroni buried a three, and the Rams led by six, but Irons banked home a three from the top of the circle to pull the Bucks within three heading into the final quarter, 32-29.
“I actually yelled ‘off,’ hoping someone would rebound it, and then it went in,” Irons said. “I was like, ‘All right, whatever works.’ I can’t complain.”
“Olivia Irons is incredible,” coach Zach Sibel said. “For her to step up when her time was called was awesome. We’re down seven, and she hits that three (to end the third quarter). We get things going in our direction. We’re an energy team, they all feed off that.”
Spratt scored on a drive to open the fourth quarter, and after Irons came up with a steal on the defensive end, Gilbert took it to the hole for a basket that gave the Bucks a 33-32 lead. The Rams regained the lead, but a three by junior Anna Blue off the bench gave the Bucks a 38-36 advantage. Olsen knotted the score on a foul line jumper, but Spratt answered with a pair at the foul line.
Irons broke a 40-40 tie when she connected on a three from NBA range. The Bucks’ led by just one with a minute remaining when Burke buried both ends of a one-and-one to give them a three-point edge. Yuan scored on a putback that pulled the Rams to within one, and then both teams had empty possessions, setting the stage for Spratt to close it out for the Bucks.
“She’s a sophomore, but she certainly doesn’t play like it,” Sibel said of Spratt. “She plays so much bigger. She covers the other team’s best player every game. She steps in and plays that role unbelievably well.”
Spratt also pulled down six rebounds and had a pair of blocked shots.
“I’m so thankful that this got to be my sophomore year,” Spratt said. “Last year was kind of rough going into it. I was kind of nervous going into this year, but I’m so thankful for my teammates and how good they are to me.
“The upperclassmen are such good leaders, so it really helps us see what we’re supposed to do when we’re older.”
Gilbert, who battled foul woes in the second half, finished with eight points and five rebounds. Broskey led the Bucks under the boards with eight rebounds. Burke added six boards, a block and an important steal in the fourth quarter.
Olsen’s 14 points led the Rams. Skylar Sullivan added 10.
“They’re a tough team to prepare for,” Sibel said. “We went after Olsen, and she still got points. That’s a testament to her as a player.
“Other girls definitely stepped up around her. No easy game, and a team that’s going to do some damage in states, for sure.”
Central Bucks West (22-4, 12-0 SOL) will face #4 Pennsbury in Saturday’s District One 6A title game at Temple University at 5 p.m.
Spring-Ford 11-7-14-13 45
Central Bucks West 9-11-9-20 49
Spring-Ford (45) – Gabs Alessandroni 3 0-0 7; Abbey Boyer 0 0-2 0; Mac Maloney 1 0-0 2; Lucy Olsen 6 2-2 14; Skylar Sullivan 4 0-0 10; Emily Tiffan 2 0-0 4; Alyssa Yuan 3 2-6 8; Totals 19 4-10 45.
Central Bucks West (49) – Anna Blue 1 0-0 3; Jess Broskey 1 1-2 3; Maddie Burke 1 2-3 4; Lily Evans 1 0-0 2; Paige Gilbert 4 0-1 8; Olivia Irons 4 4-6 15; Maddy McGarry 0 2-2 2; Emily Spratt 2 8-10 12; Totals 14 17-24 49.
3-point goals: SF – Skylar Sullivan 2, Gabs Alessandroni, CBW – Olivia Irons 3, Anna Blue.
District One 6A playbacks
#12 SOUDERTON 54, #9 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 47
An upstart Indian squad with just one returning starter from last year’s conference championship squad punched its ticket to the state tournament on Wednesday night.
Someone apparently forgot to tell them that going to the state tournament doesn’t happen every year. As a matter of fact, Souderton had only gone three times in coach Lynn Carroll’s 16-year tenure. Those three years happened to be the last three.
“This doesn’t happen without Tori Dowd, Kate Connolly, Alana Cardona, Megan Bealer, Megan Walbrandt,” Carroll said. “This doesn’t happen if those teams don’t happen. I really firmly believe that.
“They put this program where it is, and now it’s the expectation, no matter what. Those kids got us over the hump, put us on the map, and the younger kids want to do the same thing. A lot of the kids we’re putting on the court watched those other teams from the stands. I just think that’s really a big part of it.”
Wednesday’s playback game was won in an inspired first quarter that saw the visiting Indians outscore the Cougars 23-6. Senior Mikaela Reese led the way with eight points, including a pair of threes, and freshman Erin Bohmueller also had a three and added five points.
“I thought they were going to have a hard time matching up with us,” Carroll said. “Erin Bohmueller has come off the bench every game this year. We started her tonight, primarily because I thought it would be a tough matchup for them off the jump. She’s starting to really look to score, and she can – she’s very skilled.
“We got a mismatch on Erin, and she got five points in the first two minutes of the game. They stayed in the man, changed the matchups a little bit. Mikaela had a mismatch. They played man the entire first quarter, and we were very good offensively.”
The Indians took a 34-21 lead into halftime and withstood every Cougar comeback attempt.
“They cut it to four at one point in the fourth quarter,” Carroll said. “We struggled for stretches throughout the rest of the game, but we were great from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
“It felt like we would go long stretches without hitting a shot, and a couple of times Jordan (Zimmerman) stepped up and hit a shot. It was like this collective sigh of relief. Every time we desperately needed a basket – someone stepped up and made one for us.”
Freshman point guard Casey Harter was 5-for-6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter while Reese was 3-for-4. Bohmueller was perfect on two tries.
“It was important to me that they understand how big of a deal this is,” Carroll said. “Coming out of District One, the only teams that qualify for states are very good teams. That means they’re a very good team.
“I’ve been doing this for 16 years, and it’s not like it happens all the time. It feels like it now. I’m happy for them, I’m proud of them. They were great.”
Reese led the Indians with 20 points and eight rebounds. Zimmerman added 14, and Harter contributed nine points and eight assists. Bohmueller finished with seven points.
Bella Smuda – the Cougars’ Liberty University-bound center – led all scorers with 25 points. She had just two in the first quarter but eight in the second and 15 in the second half.
“There’s no way to practice to make it realistic that you’re going up against a kid that’s 6-5,” Carroll said. “She is a good solid player. She’s not just height, and she was dominant in the second through fourth quarters. She was absolutely dominant.
“We were lucky we played as well as we did in the first quarter. We played great for the first eight minutes and we played great for the last three minutes, and that was all we needed to win.”
Souderton (19-7, 7-5 SOL) will host Owen J Roberts in the ninth place game for state seeding purposes Friday at 7 p.m.
Souderton 23-11-7-13 54
Downingtown East 6-15-12-14 47
Souderton (54) – Jordan Zimmerman 6 1-2 14; Erin Bohmueller 2 2-2 7; Olivia Schneider 1 0-4 2; Casey Harter 1 7-8 9; Mikaela Reese 7 3-4 20; Teya McConnaha 1 0-0 2; Totals 18 13-20 54.
Downingtown East (47) – Mary McFillin 1 2-4 5; Lauren Kent 4 1-6 9; Caroline Brennan 1 0-0 3; Bella Smuda 9 7-9 25; Sara Geary 2 0-0 5; Totals 17 10-19 47.
3-point goals: Souderton – Mikaela Reese 3, Erin Bohmueller, Jordan Zimmerman, DE – Mary McFillin, Caroline Brennan, Sara Geary.
#8 UPPER DUBLIN 47, #5 METHACTON 45
The Flying Cardinals needed a bounce-back win after last Saturday’s 35-21 quarterfinal loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh, and they got just that.
“We needed to find a way to win the game tonight, and we found a way,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “It wasn’t the prettiest, but we’re very excited to get the win. We think Methacton’s very good, and we’re very excited.”
Dayna Balasa’s 18-point effort, which included four 3s, led the Flying Cardinals.
“Dayna is a girl who works so hard at her game,” Funsten said. “You love to see when it pays off, and tonight it paid off. Not only did she put the points up – some of the shots she made were huge.”
Balasa kept the Cardinals in it in the opening half, scoring 12 of her teams 23 points. UD took a 23-20 lead into halftime, but that lead was erased in a third quarter that saw the Warriors outscore their visitors 18-13 to take a 38-36 lead into the final quarter.
“We had an eight-point lead – we were up 30-22, and we were up 36-29,” Funsten said. “They actually scored the last eight points of the third quarter. They have a great shooter, Nicole Timko, and she made three 3s. We would like to have those defensive possessions back, but she’s a great shooter and made some big shots.”
The Cardinals still trailed by three with two and a half minutes remaining in regulation.
“Dayna stepped into a three and knocked it down to tie the game,” Funsten said. “We had a great defensive possession, and we got a stop. Jackie (Vargas) was taking the ball to the basket, and they kind of collapsed on her. Kara Grebe made a cut to the basket, Jackie Vargas hit Kara, and Kara power dribbled and finished. That put us up 46-44, and they never tied it the rest of the way.”
Also for the Cardinals, Vargas had nine points, eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and a block. Sarah Eskew added seven points and three rebounds while Anajae Smith and Grebe both had six points. Grebe added four rebounds and one block. Smith had five boards, two steals and one assist.
“We got back to our balance – we were obviously not very balanced against PW,” Funsten said of a contest that saw Vargas score 17 of UD’s 21 points. “Tonight we were much more balanced. All the girls made big plays. It was a great team win.”
Bliss Brenner did not score but had five rebounds, four deflections and one assist. Balasa had five deflections, one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block.
“Bliss Brenner made a couple of nice plays down the stretch to keep the game within reach in the fourth quarter,” Funsten said. “Dayna took a charge and then made a three, so down by three, she took a charge and offensively she made a three. She also battled some foul trouble. She picked up her fourth in the third quarter. Otherwise, she may have had more points. It was one of those nights – she was hot.”
Upper Dublin (19-8, 12-2 SOL) will host North Penn in the fifth place game on Friday at 7 p.m.
“It’s a quick turnaround,” Funsten said. “We know they have nice balance as well. It’s going to be our seniors’ last home game, which I know they’re excited about, and it gives us another chance to get ready for states.”
Upper Dublin 11-9-18-7 47
Methacton 12-11-13-11 45
Upper Dublin (47) – Anajae Smith 3 0-0 6; Jess Polin 0 1-3 1; Kara Grebe 3 0-0 6; Sarah Eskew 2 2-2 7; Dayna Balasa 7 0-0 18; Jackie Vargas 4 1-2 9; Totals 19 4-7 47.
Methacton (45) – Cassidy Kropp 3 1-3 7; Sydney Tornetta 3 0-2 6; Caroline Pellicano 3 3-4 9; Sydney Hargrove 0 1-2 1; Nicole Timko 6 2-2 18; Tori Bockrath 1 0-0 3; Allison Hazlett 0 1-2 1; Totals 16 8-15 45.
3-point goals: UD – Dayna Balasa 4, Sarah Eskew, Methacton – Nicole Timko 4, Tori Bockroth.
#10 NORTH PENN 58, #11 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 41
The Knights showed no ill effects from their district quarterfinal loss to Central Bucks West. They limited the visiting Patriots to just four points in the first quarter, opening up a 12-4 lead and stretching that to 32-19 by halftime. They outscored their visitors 20-9 in the third quarter on their way to the win.
“We were obviously disappointed after our tough loss on Saturday, but the girls came out tonight and played a great game,” North Penn coach Jen Carangi said. “It started on defense, really limiting East to one shot and then rebounding the ball, and on offense, we ran our sets, made good decisions and knocked down shots.”
Alli Lindsay had a big game for the Knights, leading all scorers with 21 points. She had 12 first-half points, eight – including two 3s – in the 20-point second quarter. Val McGriff also finished in double figures with 12 points.
“Alli Lindsay had another strong outing and Val McGriff really controlled the paint offensively and defensively,” Carangi said. “Kate Early was a spark offensively, and, as usual, we got contributions from everyone.
“Heading into states, we talked a lot about playing hard, executing our game plan, and focusing on our goals. I was really happy with how the girls responded.”
Kate Early added seven points, including a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line. Carley Adams also was 4-for-4 at the line and had six points. Alaina Mullaly also contributed six points.
For the Patriots, Emily Chmiel’s 19 points led the way. Mia Salvati added seven points.
North Penn (18-7, 8-4 SOL) will travel to #8 Upper Dublin for the fifth place game Friday, and Central Bucks East (17-9, 8-4) will be on the road at #4 Methacton Friday.
Central Bucks East 4-15-9-13 41
North Penn 12-20-20-6 58
Central Bucks East (41) – Katie Finnan 1 0-0 3; Devon Burns 1 0-0 2; Gabby Wilga 2 1-2 5; Mia Salvati 3 0-0 7; Emily Chmiel 8 3-6 19; Aubrey DeAngelis 1 3-3 5; Totals 16 7-11 41.
North Penn (58) – Laynie Doran 1 0-0 2; Alli Lindsay 9 0-1 21; Rachel Dunn 2 0-0 4; Alaina Mullaly 2 2-4 6; Kate Early 1 4-4 7; Carley Adams 1 4-4 6; Val McGriff 5 1-1 12; Totals 21 11-14 58.
3-point goals: CBE – Katie Finnan, Mia Salvati, NP – Alli Lindsay 3, Kate Early, Val McGriff.
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