Neshaminy and Upper Dublin were winners and advanced to Monday’s PIAA 6A semifinals. Neshaminy/O’Hara and CR North/Garnet Valley photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Abington/UD photos courtesy of Geanine Jamison. Check back for galleries of all three games.
#1-2 NESHAMINY 47, #12-1 CARDINAL O’HARA 35
Brooke Mullin was under the weather.
“She was on the bus with her head down, totally out of it,” coach Joe Lally said. “She had ice on her head when she was on the bench (during the game).”
Mullin – who is battling the flu – is the latest on what has been a long list of Redskins who have not been feeling up to speed. Olivia Scotti (illness) missed Friday’s game, and last week, Kristin Curley and Alexis McCoy were hit with a stomach bug.
It hasn’t been the smoothest of journeys for the Redskins, but they have persevered, getting over the hurdle of the state quarterfinals for the first time in program history. Twice in the past three years, the Redskins were sent packing in the quarterfinals.
“Honestly, if we had lost, my season and my career would have been over, and I don’t want it to end,” said Mullin, who scored a game-high 15 points. “I love this team, and we just want to keep this run going. That motivated me to do anything I could to get us past this.”
Nothing came easily for Mullin and her teammates in the first half of Friday’s quarterfinal, and a pesky Lions’ squad led 14-13 with just over two minutes remaining in the second quarter when Siobhan Boylan buried a pair at the foul line.
The Redskins misfired on back-to-back shots, and with her team in need of a big play, McCoy delivered, coming up with a steal under Neshaminy’s basket and converting a three-point play to give the Redskins a 16-14 advantage. O’Hara missed at the other end, and Brooke Mullin dove on the floor for a loose ball rebound. Kristin Curley took it coast to coast for a left-handed layup that gave the Redskins a four-point advantage. When Mullin buried a pair of foul shots with 4.9 seconds remaining in the half, the Redskins led 20-14.
“Kelli Kowalick took a charge with two fouls,” Lally said of a play midway through the second quarter. “Nobody talks about that, but she is a tough defender, and she lays it on the line for a team.”
There was no mistaking the fact that points were hard to come by for both teams in the opening half.
“It just happens like that in basketball,” Curley said. “You can’t let that affect your game too much because basketball is a game of ups and downs. If we’re not making shots one quarter, we just have to keep shooting.”
Mullin scored from the low post to open the third quarter, setting the tone for a dominant second half effort. She closed out the quarter with a tough shot that sent the Redskins into the final frame with a 33-28 lead. Allison Harvey buried a pair of foul shots on the Redskins’ opening possession of the fourth quarter.
“How about Allie being a thousand-point scorer and going offense/defense and not one word,” Lally said. “All she does is come in and knock down her foul shots and take care of the ball.”
After an O’Hara miss, Mullin completed a three-point play to give the Redskins’ a 38-28 lead. The Redskins sealed the Lions’ fate by burying 10-of-11 at the foul line. Emily Tantala led the Redskins, connecting on 5-of-6.
“We were talking about how we made it to the Elite Eight a lot,” Tantala said. “We’re not finishing eight again, we needed to get past that.
“Obviously, there’s always some nerves going into a big playoff games – it’s the Elite Eight, but we know we can overcome that. We trust in each other, and that kind of beats the nerves.”
Curley added, “Also, I think us playing together for so long has something to do with that because most of us have been playing together since we were in first or second grade.”
When the final horn sounded, the Redskins – who’ve been business-like throughout their state run – converged for a brief celebration.
“It’s exciting to get past (this round) because we’ve never gotten this far,” Mullin said. “No one in Neshaminy has gotten this far. We just want to keep pushing and going.”
Mullin, who scored 11 of her 15 points after the intermission, also had eight rebounds.
“She’s got faith in her teammates,” Lally said. “She came out in the second half and went to work, doing her thing.”
Curley finished with 12 points while Tantala had nine.
“I think our defensive attitude definitely won that game and our ability to close out the fourth quarter,” Curley said.
“Again, I thought it was great team defense,” Lally said. “They understood what we wanted to do. I think we did a really good job of keeping them off the boards because they’re very aggressive and they play fast. I think the kids did a great job.”
The Redskins lost in the state quarterfinals last year as well as three years ago.
“This just means everything for me for the girls,” Lally said. “I know how hard they’ve been working, so for me, it’s a thousand percent about them, and just being so happy for them because I know what they put in.”
Neshaminy (27-4, 12-0 SOL) will face Garnet Valley in Monday’s PIAA 6A semifinal in a rematch of the District One 6A title game.
Neshaminy 8-12-13-14 47
Cardinal O’Hara 7-7-14-7 35
Neshaminy (47) – Emily Tantala 2 5-6 9; Brooke Mullin 6 3-5 15; Kristin Curley 5 0-1 12; Alexis McCoy 2 1-1 5; Kelli Kowalick 1 0-0 2; Allison Harvey 0 4-4 4; TOTALS 11 13-17 47.
Cardinal O’Hara (35) – Kerry Patterson 0 2-2 2; Amaris Baker 3 0-0 7; Sydni Scott 3 3-4 12; Siobhan Boylan 3 5-5 12; Steph Huseby 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 10 10-11 35.
3-pointers: Neshaminy – Kristin Curley 2, Cardinal O’Hara – Sydni Scott 3, Amaris Baker, Siobhan Boylan.
#1-5 UPPER DUBLIN 41, #1-3 ABINGTON 31
Only a year removed from their magical 2018 state title run, the Cardinals are one win away from a return trip to Hershey. It took another heroic defensive effort by the Cardinals – who allowed just 11 second-half points – to defeat the Ghosts in the fourth meeting between the SOL rivals.
The reality that Upper Dublin is in the Final Four began to hit home in the closing moments of Friday’s quarterfinal.
“I can’t even describe it,” junior Kara Grebe said. “I just remember I was looking at the clock and there was 1:15 (left in the game), and my eyes got watery because I was like, ‘I think we did it.’
“Funsten pulled me out and Anajae Smith went in for me, and I just started hysterically crying because I was so happy. I hugged Funsten, we kind of knew we did it.
“You play (Abington) four times in one season. They took it to us two times, and one time we came back. One time we ended up losing at home, so this game was kind of a big moment for us. It showed what kind of team we are, how much we improved and how much we want to get better.”
Abington won two of the three previous meetings, but this is a different UD team, according to Grebe.
“Our team – we always look to improve,” the junior captain said. “When you look back to a month ago when we played them, our defense was good, but now I think our defense is very good.
“We box out on every play, and that’s one of our biggest improvements. We really focus on getting stops. Offense will come, but I think our biggest improvement is defense and communicating. We’re definitely playing more as a team. We’re really into it, and we’re always talking.”
After opening up an early 6-0 lead, the Cardinals, who were 0-for-7 from beyond the arc, trailed 20-16 at halftime. They suffered a setback when Jackie Vargas was whistled for her third foul with one second remaining in the second quarter.
“They made a run to get the lead in the second quarter,” Funsten said. “Combine that with Vargas picking up her third foul – our body language going into halftime wasn’t great.
“The message was just to try and stay positive and understand that we’re two baskets away from either having the lead or tying it up. As terrible as things seemed to be going, it’s not as bad as it feels, (the message) was to try to stay positive.”
Paying dividends for the Cardinals was a last-minute defensive switch that saw Grebe defend 6-2 center Kassondra Brown while Vargas – with three fouls – defended Cam Lexow.
“We didn’t even talk about it at halftime, but right before we went out in the third quarter, it was a quick decision – ‘Hey, let’s try this,’” Funsten said. “Kara did a great job. She played behind Kassondra, but every time Kassondra caught the ball – they were obviously trying to go to her since Vargas wasn’t playing her anymore – everybody collapsed down and really doubled and tripled and really disrupted what Kassondra was trying to do.”
Grebe is generously listed as 6-1. She says she’s closer to 5-11.
“In our original matchup, I was on (Cam) Lexow and Jackie was on Kassondra,” Grebe said. “Kassondra and Jackie get each other in foul trouble. When Jackie was in foul trouble, we switched up at halftime.
“I just tried to stay behind her and I kept my hands up the entire time because I was trying not to foul because I know she could make (foul shots). I was on her very tightly with my hands just up the entire time. I didn’t want the ball to even get in to her.”
Brown had the Ghosts’ lone basket in a third quarter that saw the Flying Cardinals hold an 11-2 advantage, turning a 20-16 deficit into a 27-22 lead. Dayna Balasa led the charge in the third quarter, scoring seven points. The Flying Cardinals put an exclamation point on the win by outscoring the Ghosts 14-9 in the final quarter. Vargas and Sarah Eskew both had four points in the quarter. Balasa had a clutch three.
Vargas led the Cardinals with 14 points. Balasa had 10 points, which included two three-pointers, and Eskew added eight points.
“It was once again a very balanced team effort,” Funsten said. “Jess Polin only scored one point and only had a couple of shots.
“When we scout Abington, they press teams, and they’ll turn teams over four possessions in a row, and it’s because of how long and athletic (Cam) Lexow is, and she has such good anticipation skills. They actually had to get out of their zone press because they were not getting any turnovers against us.
“In the fourth quarter when they were down and felt the need to press us, we continued to not turn the ball over. It starts with Jess Polin as our point guard. It’s all five players, but she’s so calm and understands the game so well. She really allows us to get into the half court, which, in the second half, our biggest strength was getting into the half court and executing our offense.
“There were some big-time plays made by Sarah Eskew, Jackie Vargas and Dayna Balasa. Dayna Balasa made two threes in the (second half) after Abington cut it to four. Jackie Vargas finished with 14, and she was 7-for-9 from the field, so she was as efficient as she normally is.
“Sarah Eskew finished at the rim and attacked their defense. We got great minutes off the bench from Anajae Smith, especially when Jackie Vargas was in foul trouble. Bliss Brenner came in and gave the guards a rest. She made a big basket in the first quarter, played great defense and handled the ball.”
Brown accounted for 20 of the Ghosts’ 31 points. No other player had more than three points.
“(Brown) is just so dominant of an offensive player,” Funsten said. “She has had such an incredible career and improved so much over the years. She is about as complete a post player as you can have now. I think she’s going to go on and have a great career at Rhode Island.”
The UD coach tipped his hat to the Flying Cardinal fans who showed up in force.
“They really are our sixth man,” Funsten said. “They bring a ton of energy to the game. They’re there a half hour before the game starts, they chanting a half hour before the game starts. They were fantastic. This ride would be fun with no fans, but then when you also have some fans come along, it makes it that much more fun. We’re hoping we can convince a few of them to take the three-hour drive out to Chambersburg on Monday night.”
According to Funsten, Friday’s win underscored his team’s improvement.
“The last time we played them we lost by 12, and at least my feeling after the game was the better team won,” the Cardinals’ coach said. “Our goal for the end of the season was to get better than them.
“If you watched the game tonight objectively, I think you would say the better team won tonight. I think it’s a testament to our girls. When things go wrong, our girls don’t point fingers. Our girls look for ways to improve and stick together. When you have that mindset, you give your team a chance to continue to improve this late in the year.”
Friday’s win, according to Grebe, was redemption of sorts for the Cardinals.
“To tie for the conference and then to meet them in the SOL Tournament, we were real excited because it was like who was going to be the real conference champion,” she said. “They kind of took it to us, and they won by 12. Tonight our primary focus was defense. We really tried to lock down and get stops. That’s kind of our new motto – we have to get stops and we have to limit them to one opportunity.”
Abington coach Dan Marsh offered his congratulations to Upper Dublin and paid tribute to a standout senior class.
“They were the better team tonight,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “This (loss) doesn’t take away the accomplishments of this amazing senior class: two league championships, one district championship and an overall record of 91-27.
“Thank you Miranda (Liebtag), Cam (Lexow), Tamia (Wessels) and Kassondra (Brown).”
Upper Dublin (24-5, 13-1 SOL) will face District 7 champion Peters Township in a state semifinal on Monday. Peters Township defeated Norwin 64-47 in a quarterfinal game. Abington (13-1 SOL) closed out its season with a 26-4 record and an SOL American co-championship.
Upper Dublin 10-6-11-14 41
Abington 9-11-2-9 31
Upper Dublin (41) – Bliss Brenner 1 0-0 2; Anajae Smith 1 0-0 2; Jess Polin 0 1-2 1; Kara Grebe 1 2-2 4; Sarah Eskew 4 0-0 8; Dayna Balasa 4 0-1 110; Jackie Vargas 7 0-0 14; TOTALS 18 3-5 41.
Abington (31) – Tamia Wessels 1 0-0 3; Cam Lexow 0 0-1 0; Kassandra Brown 8 6-9 20; Miranda Liebtag 1 0-0 3; KhalisWhiting 1 0-0 2; Ally Holden 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 12 4-7 31.
3-pointers: Upper Dublin – Dayna Balasa 2, Abington – Tamia Wessels, Miranda Liebtag, Ally Holden.
#1-1 GARNET VALLEY 47, #1-7 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 45
Endings are never easy, but this one was an especially cruel ending for a Rock North squad that appeared to be in the driver’s seat after an 18-8 third quarter that gave the Indians a seven-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Then came a fourth quarter that no one could have seen coming. The Indians – poised to knock off the District 1 6A champions – managed just two points, both from the foul line, and the Jaguars somehow escaped with the win when a good look for a three by the Indians fell short in the closing seconds.
There were plenty of tears for an Indians’ team that was not ready to see its season end.
“It’s just heartbreaking because I’ve played with these kids all my life,” Rock North senior Sydney Blum said. “The fact that this is my last game ever playing with all of them together is just the saddest moment.”
Friday’s game marked the end of the line for the four seniors – Blum, Olivia Boyle, Dana Bandurick and Camryn Polinsky – who represented the heart and soul of this year’s squad.
“I love these seniors,” junior Anna Cairone said. “They all felt like family to me. They were so welcoming. To be on the court with them was the best thing I could ask for.
“I’m going to miss playing with them and watching them play together because they have such good chemistry. It’s really, really difficult. These seniors are so close. I loved every moment with them. It was just an honor to be playing with them.”
“It’s a tough loss to take for our four seniors,” coach Lou Palkovics said. “I’ve known these four seniors since fourth grade coming to camp and driving down to the shore to see them play in their AAU tournaments, going over to Archbishop Wood to see them in their CYO championships.
“That’s the tough part to take. Not having another week with these kids is harder than losing the game.”
The Indians led 5-2 after a Polinsky three, but the Jaguars rallied to take a 10-9 lead at the end of one quarter and stretched that lead to 28-21 late in the second quarter. A Cairone steal set up a layup by Bandurick, who was on the receiving end of a long outlet pass from Polinsky. The senior captain’s basket made it a 28-25 game at the intermission.
The Indians owned the third quarter. Back-to-back threes by Boyle and Blum put the Indians on top 31-28. Blum’s second three of the quarter gave the Indians a four-point lead, and when Bandurick found Abby Jones for a bucket in close, the Indians led 37-30. Later in the quarter, Polinsky came up with a steal and burst through traffic for a bucket and a 41-34 lead. It was still a seven-point game (43-36) when Bandurick connected on a pair at the foul line with 4.3 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Bandurick buried the front end of a one-and-one to give the Indians a 44-36 advantage two minutes into the final quarter. They scored just one point the rest of the way.
“We haven’t really played many games that were this close,” Blum said. “Maybe when we were up seven or eight, we were too confident, and we didn’t finish the way we played the whole game.”
“When you’re up by eight in the fourth quarter, you expect to win the game,” Palkovics said. “I said – ‘When it gets around the four-minute mark, five-minute mark, we’re going to go spread but spread to score.’
“I don’t know if there’s anything I would have done different or the girls would have done different. I don’t think there was.”
Bandurick led the Indians with 13 points, and Blum had 12. Polinsky finished with seven points.
Council Rock North (10-2 SOL) closed out its season with a 21-7 record.
Council Rock North 9-16-18-2 45
Garnet Valley 10-18-8-11 47
Council Rock North (45) – Camryn Polinsky 3 0-1 7; Anna Cairone 2 0-0 4; Sydney Blum 2 6-8 12; Olivia Boyle 1 2-2 5; Dana Bandurick 3 7-14 13; Abby Jones 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 13 15-25 45.
Garnet Valley (47) – Morgan Falcone 5 2-2 13; Emily McAteer 5 0-0 10; Madison McKee 3 2-3 8; Jill Nagy 0 1-4 1; Abbey Anderson 1 0-0 2; Lesil Dentinger 1 1-1 3; Brianne Borcky 4 1-3 10; TOTALS 19 7-13 47.
3-pointers: CR North – Sydney Blum 2, Camryn Polinsky, Olivia Boyle, Garnet Valley – Morgan Falcone, Brianne Borcky.
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