Abington and PW will meet in Saturday’s District One 6A title game at Villanova University. CB East & Upper Dublin punched their tickets to the state tournament. PW/CB South and Abington/CB West photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson and Donna Longacre. Check back for a gallery of both games.
Plymouth Whitemarsh and Abington will square off in Saturday night’s District One 6A title game at Villanova University. It is not a spot either team would have imagined finding themselves in when the season began.
Abington, the tournament’s ninth seed, defeated fifth-seeded Central Bucks West 55-48 in a semifinal game at Bensalem High School.
“I’m so proud of this team,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “We had a meeting in December with my coaches when we were 4-3, and I’m like, ‘Can we even make the playoffs?’
“Literally, that was the discussion we were having, and now we’re going to Villanova, beating Souderton, North Penn and CB West to get there. We went in 2010 and won, and we had to beat number one Cheltenham to do it. We lost to CB West (in the title game) in 2015. We’re back this year, and this is by far the most satisfying because this group has just worked since day one to get here.”
The third-seeded Colonials downed seventh-seeded Central Bucks South 43-42 in the other semifinal to advance to a district final that coach Dan Dougherty admitted was never part of the conversation.
“Our biggest goal for the year was to beat Upper Dublin and win a league championship, and the second biggest goal was to win a playoff game and qualify for states,” the Colonials coach said. “Not in our wildest dreams did we think we’d be here.”
Abington and PW will square off in the district title game at Villanova on Saturday at 6 p.m.
#3 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 43, #7 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 42
With 24 seconds showing on the scoreboard clock and the score deadlocked 42-42, Lauren Fortescue stepped to the foul line for a pair of shots. Her PW squad had just seen an eight-point lead disappear in a matter of 48 seconds, but when it mattered most, the junior guard buried one-of-two.
“The nerves were definitely going through me, I have to admit,” Fortescue said. “I just had to breathe and stay calm, and that’s pretty much what helped.”
The Titans misfired on a pair of shots for the win, and Laurel Suchsland pulled down the rebound of the second as time expired, setting off a jubilant celebration.
“I thought there was more time left,” Fortescue said. “Laurel was holding the ball, and I was just screaming, ‘Laurel, Laurel, hold onto the ball.
“Honestly, when everyone came running over, I couldn’t move almost. I was crying a little bit. It just feels unreal. It’s a dream come true. I didn’t think we’d be here. It’s just crazy to think we’ll be the ones moving on to Villanova. I’m so proud of my team.”
“This is surreal,” senior Lauren Coscia said. “Wow – that’s the only thing I could say really.”
“It’s so exciting,” added Suchsland. “I feel like everything we’ve come across this season – the Upper Dublin wins, winning the league championship, making it to the SOL Tournament.
“Every step of the way is just a new surprise, and every time you just get re-excited and re-determined to keep going.”
Suchsland – who scored a team-high 11 points – was an unlikely offensive hero. The senior captain is best known for her defensive play after assuming a new role this season with the addition of Fortescue to the lineup this season.
“A lot of this season I haven’t been shooting as much as I was last season, but today they were playing off of me more,” Suchsland said. “Lauren and I had a conversation earlier – no, my shot isn’t worse. That’s not why I’m not shooting as much. It’s a confidence thing.
“For us to have that conversation before the game, and then to go out and know – this is the time to step up for everyone. I think all together – it just worked out.”
Suchsland and company set the tone early. Ali Diamond scored on a drive, and then it was Suchsland burying her first three-pointer. When Taylor O’Brien found Coscia for an easy bucket, the Colonials led 7-0.
“Coming into this game, I was definitely concerned that they were the team with experience, and we were the team with no experience,” PW coach Daniel Dougherty said. “But for the first time in what seems like forever, we didn’t dig ourselves a hole to start the game.
“We came out and made shots, and they came out and missed a couple of good shots. Did we play solid defense at the start of the game? Yes, but they also missed some shots. Sometimes you need that in order to win a big game.”
Haley Meinel’s three-pointer put the Titans on the scoreboard, but when Suchsland buried her second three of the quarter – using a kick out from O’Brien, the Titans led 10-5. They twice led by nine in the second quarter but saw the Titans trim that lead to four after Meinel buried a baseline three to close out the first half (23-19).
Sophomore point guard Alexa Brodie buried a three from the top of the circle to open the second half, making it a one-point game, but Coscia scored on a putback. Meinel answered with a basket after a drive, but Fortescue found Coscia for an easy bucket, and after a South miss, Fortescue scored on a tough drive.
O’Brien converted a clutch three-point play, and when Suchsland hit nothing but net on her third three of the game, the Colonials led 35-26 heading into the final quarter.
“I thought the major, major thing offensively tonight was Laurel Suchsland’s three-point shooting,” Dougherty said. “She is a kid – it’s disgraceful that she’s not an all-conference player for as solid a job as she does on defense.
“It’s because she’s the fourth option offensively that she doesn’t shoot more threes. That kid’s an absolute knockdown three-point shooter when you help off of her. I thought her three-point shooting was the biggest difference in the game tonight.”
The Titans pulled to within three after a three-point play by Meinel midway through the fourth quarter, but Fortescue scored on a drive, and after a South miss, Suchsland buried a pair at the foul line to put the Colonials on top 42-34 with 1:04 remaining.
The Titans, however, weren’t finished yet.
A Meghan Kuypers three was followed by a Lexi Edwards steal on the inbounds, setting up an easy bucket for Meinel. Another South steal – this one by Kuypers resulted in Meinel going to the foul line. She sank both shots, and with 28 seconds remaining, it was a 42-42 game, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
“We just stuck with it,” Coscia said. “I knew we were going to win. I felt it. We just had to keep pushing.
“I told everyone – let’s stay focused. We can do it. Take care of the ball and keep your head in the game.”
“I think it was very much – okay, we have to stay calm and collected,” Suchsland said. “We’ve had the lead the whole game, we can win it. It’s just a matter of how much we want it and how much are we willing to be under control to get there.”
Although O’Brien (10 points) finished well below her average, Suchsland (11 points), Fortescue (nine points), Coscia (eight points) and Diamond (five points) picked up the slack.
“When they ramped up their defensive pressure – except for the last minute, I thought our kids handled it well,” Dougherty said. “They kept their heads and were able to find Lauren Coscia under the basket, which we anticipated.
“Lots of credit has to go to CB South to battle back like that.”
Dougherty also tipped his hat to his team’s defense.
“We really tried to mix up our defenses tonight – more so than we ever do,” the PW coach said. “We got caught a few times with kids not knowing what they were supposed to do.
“I really thought Lauren Fortescue did a tremendous job on Brodie. I know she scored, and I know she hits some threes, but I thought we did a good job of not letting her get to the basket too much. They’re such a talented team.”
Meinel led all scorers with 20 – 12 in the fourth quarter. Brodie finished with 10 and Kuypers, nine points.
“I thought PW played with nice intensity, they had a good game plan, and honestly, they finished more consistently than we did throughout the course of the game,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “Once we finally decided to be more aggressive and work hard at the end, we got ourselves back in.
“We scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, but we just needed to be more consistent throughout the game.
“I’m really proud of our defensive effort. Taylor O’Brien is obviously a dominant player, and they have nice role players who can score as well. They’re not a one-trick pony. Defensively, we played well enough to keep ourselves in the game. Unfortunately, we didn’t quite score enough in order to pull it out.”
While PW (25-1, 14-0 SOL) will advance to the district title game, Central Bucks South (19-6, 7-5) will travel to Central Bucks West on Friday for the third place game.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 10-13-12-8 43
Central Bucks South 5-14-7-16 42
Plymouth Whitemarsh (43) – Taylor O’Brien 3 4-10 10; Lauren Fortescue 2 5-7 9; Ali Diamond 1 2-2 5; Laurel Suchsland 3 2-2 11; Lauren Coscia 4 0-1 8; Totals 13 13-22 43.
Central Bucks South (42) – Natalie DiSandro 0 1-2 1; Melissa Veal 1 0-0 2; Meghan Kuypers 3 0-0 9; Haley Meinel 7 3-4 20; Alexa Brodie 3 2-2 10; Totals 14 6-8 42.
#9 ABINGTON 55, #5 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 48
Kassondra Brown – when asked if she and fellow post player Lizzie Oleary had a nickname – threw out the suggestion ‘Trouble.’ Oleary countered with ‘Double Trouble.’ The 6-2 post players were just that in Wednesday’s win, combining for 28 points and 32 rebounds, but Brown (16 points, 17 rebounds) and Oleary (12 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocked shots) weren’t the only difference makers.
Sam Brusha has quietly and without fanfare given the Ghosts a triple threat. The junior guard scored 16 points – including three three-pointers – and shared game scoring honors with Brown.
“Sam has really developed her game,” coach Dan Marsh said. “Last year she was a standstill shooter, and now, if you run at her, she’s going by you, and she’ll finish at the hole.
“Not only that – she’s playing defense. She had to play (Jess) Huber in the North Penn game and did a great job on her. I’m very, very proud of all of them.”
Wednesday’s win was the third straight over a higher seeded team for the Ghosts, who knocked off eighth-seeded Souderton, top-seeded North Penn and West.
“All of these games – Souderton, North Penn and now this game – have been so close, and we’ve dug down deep and played our hearts out and won,” Brusha said. “That’s just built up confidence.
“We came into this game – I know you have to have a short memory after we beat North Penn, but we were just feeling really confident. We were ready for this game and excited.”
The Bucks had things going their way for a while, opening up a 10-4 lead after Maggie Rakowsky, who was fouled shooting a three, buried all three foul shots. An Alex Burkauskas three – her second of the quarter – gave the Bucks a 13-8 lead after one quarter.
In a preview of things to come, Brown scored on a tough, tough move in traffic in the paint to open the second quarter, but Burkauskas answered with her third three of the game. Brusha had an immediate response, burying one of her own, and the score was deadlocked 16-16 after the Ghosts’ junior guard scored on a conventional three-point play.
The Bucks led 21-20 after Bailey Tracy buried a shot from just inside the three-point line. Brusha’s second three of the quarter ignited a 7-0 Ghost run that included a fastbreak basket by Camryn Lexow and another tough shot in traffic on the low post by Brown.
“That’s something that's unstoppable, and that’s how she always plays – even at practice,” said Oleary of Brown. “She goes out, powers up and gives everybody trouble.
“It’s really helped us throughout the whole season, and as we’ve gone along, she’s just gotten better at it and better at recognizing certain situations.”
“I just really wanted it,” Brown said. “That’s basically what I do every game. I just really want to get to the basket. I don’t really know how to explain it.”
The Ghosts outscored the Bucks 23-11 in the pivotal second quarter to go into halftime with a 31-24 lead. Brusha accounted for nine points in the frame, Brown had eight and Oleary had the final four.
Just over two minutes into the third quarter, Tori Abelson turned a Maddie Burke steal into an easy basket to make it a 34-31 game, but the Ghosts went back on top by nine and still led 46-41 heading into the final quarter.
With 2:30 remaining in the fourth quarter, Abelson buried a pair at the foul line to make it a 50-47 game, but Lexow – who had seven big points – scored to stretch the Ghosts’ lead to five. The Bucks would get no closer.
“This game was a hard-fought battle, but the second half was a lot easier than the Souderton and North Penn games,” Brusha said. “It was a little bit of relief. We led the whole second half. We had momentum, and everyone played so great. I’m so proud of them.”
When the final horn sounded, the celebration began in earnest for a Ghost squad that will join its boys’ team at Villanova.
“This is just amazing,” Oleary said. “Two years ago when we went to Temple (for the district title game), that was one of my favorite memories ever.
“Being able to do it again, twice in one high school career and having our boys there again, that’s just crazy to me. I didn’t think it would happen, but here we are. It’s just amazing.”
“It’s a really great feeling,” Brown added. “Last year we didn’t get real far, and the year before, I didn’t experience it, so it feels really good to know we’re going to Villanova.”
Not to be forgotten in the win were the performances of Britney James and – when the junior point guard found herself in foul trouble – sophomore Tamia Wessels.
“Britney and Tamia were both sick, and they’re fighting through it,” Marsh said. “Tamia is a sophomore, and she played like a sophomore a couple of times, but she’s one of the coolest characters I know. It’s like she has ice in her veins. Nothing bothers her.”
The Bucks were led by their two seniors – Burkauskas (14 points) and Rakowsky (10 points). No other player had more than four.
“We came in to try and stop their bigs and stop 33 (Brusha), and I thought we did a pretty good job,” West coach Terry Rakowsky said. “What hurt us – we didn’t make shots, missed some foul shots, and after playing good defense for 25-30 seconds, they’d take a shot, miss it, it hits the floor, and they’d get it back.
“At this level against good teams, all those little things add up.”
The Bucks connected on just 15-of-57 shots from the floor.
“Generally, we’re much more consistent than that,” coach Rakowsky said. “Give them credit – they played good defense. They ran at us, they did some really good things.
“I think the bigs got to us a little bit, but again, generally, we’re making those shots, but we didn’t, and we were still in the game.”
Central Bucks West (21-5, 9-3 SOL) will host Central Bucks South in the third place game on Friday, and Abington (21-5, 10-2) will face PW in the district title game on Saturday.
Abington 8-23-15-9 55
Central Bucks West 13-11-17-7 48
Abington (55) – Britney James 0 1-2 1; Camryn Lexow 3 0-0 7; Lizzie Oleary 4 4-7 12; Kassondra Brown 8 0-1 16; Sam Brusha 6 1-1 16; Tamia Wessels 1 1-3 3; Miranda Liebtag 0 0-0 0; Totals 22 7-14 55.
Central Bucks West (48) – Alex Burkauskas 5 0-0 14; Abbey Spratt 0 0-0 0; Diane Nicholson 1 1-2 3; Bailey Tracy 1 0-0 2; Molly Rodebaugh 0 0-0 0 Maddie Burke 1 2-4 4; Kaili Carey 0 0-0 0; Tori Abelson 4 4-4 12; Izzy Treon 0 3-4 3; Maggie Rakowsky 3 4-5 10; Totals 15 14-19 48.
Playback Games (5th through 8th)
#15 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 65, #14 COATESVILLE 46
The Patriots clinched a coveted state berth, seizing control of Wednesday’s playback game at Coatesville early and never letting up.
“This was definitely one of their goals this year,” coach Liz Potash said. “I think it means a lot because these guys were all freshmen the last time we made states, and just having that experience freshman year and remembering what a great experience that was – that really fueled them the last three years because that’s always been their goal to get back.
“For this group of seniors to accomplish it this year is exciting. I’m really happy for them.”
Senior Bri Talbot had another big outing for the Patriots, leading all scorers with 23 points. Bailey McManus added 14, and Sophia Mancuso had eight. Bridget Birkhead added seven points, nine rebounds and five assists. Gina Russo had six points.
“Bri had a great game – she was able to get to the basket a lot,” Potash said. “She was able to get a lot of good drives.
“Bailey hit some outside shots. They did well.”
The Patriots, who led 13-8 at the end of one quarter, took a 29-18 lead into halftime and added to that in each of the final two quarters.
“We had pretty good feel for Coatesville going in because we had watched some film on them,” Potash said. “Their point guard, (Dee Dee) Irwin is really quick, and she wants to get to the basket, so we knew we had to keep her away from the basket as much as we could.
“They do a really good job of crashing the offensive boards, so our big keys were boxing out and keep (Irwin) out of the lane. We were up by 11 at halftime but felt like we could have converted more. We came out and put them away in the second half.”
Central Bucks East (16-9, 6-6 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin for the ninth place game on Friday.
Central Bucks East 13-16-17-19 65
Coatesville 8-10-12-16 46
Central Bucks East (65) – Sophia Mancuso 8, Bridget Birkhead 7, Gina Russo 6, Megan Browne 2, Bailey McManus 14, Mel Wetzel 2, Bri Talbot 23, Abby Charlton 3.
Coatesville (46) – Dee Dee Irwin 14, Siani Brown 3, Amaya Douglas 5, Brianna White 13, Zhariah Torres 2, Megan Stanton 3.
#12 UPPER DUBLIN 34, #8 SOUDERTON 30
The Flying Cardinals clinched their third trip to states in as many years with a come-from-behind win.
“It’s the best,” coach Morgan Funsten said. “I always tell the girls – the worst practice of the year is the last day of tryouts, and the best practice of the year, if it happens, is the day after you qualify for states because the pressure is released.”
Making this year’s trip to states especially sweet is the fact that it is the third in as many years for the team’s two seniors – Josie Barrett and Demi Balasa.
“They’ve just been so instrumental in our runs the last three years,” Funsten said. “Never is one time qualifying any better than the other – they’re all equally awesome. Qualifying for states is always our number one goal.
“We won the league for four straight years, and for that streak to break and for the state streak to continue, I’m really excited for Demi and Josie and the entire team. It’s very special. Tonight they won their 10th district playoff game as starters on my team. I don’t know how many players in the state and definitely in our district can say that.”
Barrett and Balasa have also been part of two state playoff wins.
“Their resumes – in terms of just straight team – are remarkable,” Funsten said. “You’re not going to see Demi’s stats posted anywhere.
“Josie has already shattered the girls’ record for three-pointers made. She’s at 175 threes for her career. Those are huge numbers. What those two ultimately are about – they’re about the team, and they’re about winning. We’re not done, we’re not satisfied with what we accomplished, but qualifying for states gives me a chance to reflect on what they’ve meant to the program the last four years. Their unselfishness, their team-first attitude is what pops into my head immediately after the game tonight. Once you qualify for states you feel like you can finally breathe. My first thoughts were of Demi and Josie, and I really want to thank them for what they have meant to the program.
“As seniors who have poured everything into the program, they carried us tonight. Josie had 10 points in the third quarter, and Demi made two huge threes. It was a great team effort tonight, but if you had to say who were the two players that carried us tonight, it was Demi and Josie, which is so special because of what they’ve accomplished.”
There was nothing to suggest in the opening half that Upper Dublin would be the team that would be celebrating. The Indians – behind seven points from Megan Walbrandt and five from Alana Cardona – led 16-6 after one quarter. They took a 24-14 lead into halftime.”
“It was not looking good early,” Funsten said. “We were down 16-4 in the first quarter, we were down 21-9 in the second.
“We cut it down to seven with a three, and it looked like we had some momentum, but (Kate) Connolly answered with a three to get them back up 10 at halftime. We were disappointed. We didn’t have a great practice yesterday, and we thought it carried over into the game today. That’s what we talked to them at halftime about.
“In the future, when we prepare to play a team as good as Souderton, we need to have a better practice the day before the game. We talked about taking it one possession at a time. We forced some shots in the second quarter. It was almost like we were trying to make 10-point shots or 12-point shots, and some of them were far enough out that maybe they would have counted as 10-point or 12-point shots. Our decision-making offensively was not good.”
The Cardinals responded with an inspired defensive performance and exploded for 15 points in the third quarter after managing just 14 in the entire first half to go on top 29-28. They held the Indians to just six points and one field goal in the second half.
“What I was very proud of – the first possession of the second half we ran a set, and it kind of broke down. We probably possessed the ball for a minute, and Josie Barrett ended up making a great move to the basket and finishing,” Funsten said. “To be down in the second half and have the patience we did on the first possession to start the second half really set the tone that we were not going to panic being down against them.
“After getting down 16-4 and losing to them by 34 in a scrimmage at the beginning of the season – I know that we’re much better now than we were at the beginning of the season, but you have to convince your team. When you compare a game like tonight versus one of our first scrimmages, then I think it’s very clear to everybody how much we’ve improved.”
Barrett led the Cardinals with 15 points to go along with three assists while Balasa, Jackie Vargas and Nicole Kaiser added six each. Maggie Weglos had three assists and four rebounds.
For the Indians, Walbrandt had nine points and Cardona, eight.
Upper Dublin (20-6, 12-2 SOL) will host Central Bucks East in the ninth place game on Friday, and Souderton (18-7, 8-4) will play Coatesville at Quakertown for the 11th and final state berth.
Upper Dublin 6-8-15-5 34
Souderton 16-8-4-2 30
Upper Dublin (34) – Nicole Kaiser 3 0-1 6; Josie Barrett 6 0-0 15; Demi Balasa 3 0-0 8; Maggie Weglos 0 1-2 1; Jackie Vargas 1 2-3 4; Totals 13 3-6 34.
Souderton (30) – Tori Dowd 0 2-4 2; Megan Bealer 1 0-0 2; Alana Cardona 3 1-2 8; Megan Walbrandt 2 4-4 9; Sami Falencki 2 0-0 4; Kate Connolly 2 0-0 5; Totals 10 7-10 30.
Playback Games (5th through 8th)
#1 NORTH PENN 53, #4 GARNET VALLEY 25
Jess Huber surpassed the 1,000-point milestone, highlighting a 24-point performance by the senior standout. She entered the game needing 22 points and had 11 in the first half. She connected on the historic basket – a three-pointer – in the fourth quarter.
“We kept feeding her the ball, and she got there,” coach Maggie deMarteleire said.
The Knights’ coach was pleased with her team’s response after its quarterfinal loss to Abington.
“Obviously, I was concerned because we lost two out of the last three,” deMarteleire said. “Garnet Valley is good team, and I didn’t know how we were going to respond.”
The Knights raced out of the gate to a 17-6 lead after one quarter but then managed just two points in the second quarter. The Jaguars weren’t doing any better, scoring only four, and the Knights led 19-10 at halftime. North Penn outscored its visitors 24-15 in the second half to win going away.
“They played us in a zone, and in the second quarter, we started missing some shots, and things started to snowball,” deMarteleire said. “At halftime (assistant coach) Jen Carangi said, ‘We are good shooters. If they want to play us in a zone, we just have to take our shots, and they’ll start to fall.’
“That is what happened in the second half. We got more active on defense, and each one of my seniors – Irisa (Ye), Sam (Carangi) and Jess – each had five steals. We started knocking down shots and making better decisions and just really came out and played well.”
In addition to Huber, Bri Hewlett scored eight points while Ye and Jess McKenzie both had six.
North Penn (22-4, 10-2 SOL) will host Boyertown in a 6 p.m. contest on Friday in the fifth place game.
Garnet Valley 6-4-3-12 25
North Penn 17-2-10-14 53
North Penn (53) – Irisa Ye 1 3-4 6; Jess Huber 8 5-7 24; Alaina Mullaly 0 2-2 2; Sam Carangi 1 2-2 4; Carley Adams 1 2-2 4; Jess McKenzie 3 0-0 6; Bri Hewlett 3 0-0 7; Totals 17 14-17 53.
Garnet Valley (25) – Emily McAteer 4 0-0 10; Brianne Borcky 2 3-4 7; Sydney Fail 1 0-0 2; Jillian Nagy 2 0-0 4; Kristina Wallace 0 2-2 2; Totals 9 5-6 25.
#2 BOYERTOWN 40, #11 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 38
The Indians lost a heartbreaker when Katie Armstrong scored the game-winning basket on an inbounds play with three seconds remaining to break a 38-38 tie.
Rock North trailed 12-9 after one quarter and found itself on the short end of a 23-20 halftime score. Dana Bandurick led the Indians with 10 points in the half.
Sparked by five points from Becca Margolis, the Indians outscored their hosts 10-6 in the third quarter only to see the game slip away at the buzzer.
Margolis (14 points) and Bandurick (13 points) led the Indians. Mackenzie Tinner added six on a night that saw the squad combine for eight blocked shots.
The Bears, who converted 20-of-29 attempts from the free throw line, were led by Alli Marcus (14 points) and Abby Kapp (13).
Council Rock North (17-9, 11-1 SOL) will travel to Garnet Valley for the seventh place game on Friday.
Council Rock North 9-10-10-9 38
Boyertown 12-11-6-11 40
Council Rock North (38) – Becca Margolis 4 4-5 14; Camryn Polinsky 1 0-0 2; Megan Haggerty 1 0-0 3; Dana Bandurick 4 5-7 13; Kaelin Mealy 0 0-2 0; Mackenzie Tinner 1 4-5 6; Totals 11 13-19 38.
Boyertown (40) – Katie Armstrong 3 0-1 6; Tori Boalton 1 0-0 2; Alli Marcus 0 11-14 11; Kylie Webb 1 1-2 4; Abby Kapp 3 7-10 13, Jenn O’Connor 1 1-2 4; Totals 9, 20-29 40.
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