Abington advanced to the Sweet 16 of the PIAA 6A Tournament while Upper Moreland saw its successful season end.
#1-6 ABINGTON 69, #4-1 WYOMING VALLEY WEST 56
The Spartan Warriors never knew what hit them.
Before their fans had settled in their seats, the visiting Ghosts led 9-0, thanks to three straight three-pointers by Abril Bowser, Jordyn Reynolds and Cire Worley.
“It was a great way to start the game, hitting them 3s,” Bowser said. “It was like – okay, we’re locked in. Everyone was focused, everyone was ready to show up when we needed them to show up.
“We came in like we’re in somebody else’s house, but we just have to come in here and play our game, play strong, play together and do what we have to do to win.”
By the end of the first quarter, the Ghosts – who connected on five 3s – had a 25-14 lead over the District 4 champions, whose only advantage was their ranking. If the Ghosts were the underdog, they didn’t mind a bit.
“That makes the winning process even better,” Bowser said. “They thought they were going to be in the game with us, and all of a sudden, it was like, ‘Oh shoot, they came out hot.’”
The Spartan Warriors didn’t go away and trailed 37-30 at the intermission. Worley’s 15 points led the Ghosts while Bowser added 11.
“We actually just came out like gangbusters at the beginning of the game with our press and our 3s,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “Their crowd was really into it, and Piper (McGinley) said to me (after the early 3s), ‘That quieted them down,’ and it did, but they kept fighting.
“It’s funny because these teams – I don’t know if they don’t scout us, but they came out in a packed in 2-3 zone, and it was 9-0 right off the bat. They came out of their zone and went man, but he put his big girl on Cire, and she took her to the hole at will. They weren’t really calling any fouls. I told the kids – we can’t worry about it. Play through it.”
The Ghosts took a 55-42 lead into the final quarter on their way to the win.
“We were up 20 a couple of times,” Marsh said. “They just didn’t quit. “There was a couple of times we could have put them away. They had a huge crowd and a huge student section. They just fought and clawed the whole time. The key again was our pressure. The pressure really bothered them. When we’re scoring 70 points, there’s not many teams that are going to beat us.”
Worley scored 29 points – which included three 3s – in another brilliant performance. Bowser added 19 with four 3-pointers. Mikiaya Durham had nine points, and Maya Johnson had six.
“Abril had a really nice game,” Marsh said. “Mikiaya Durham and Sarah Oleary provided a nice punch off the bench again. “
Abington (24-6, 14-2 SOL) will face Springfield-Delco, the eighth-place team out of District 1, in Wednesday’s second round.
“This is very exciting,” Bowser said. “It just feels good to keep playing and keep going with my girls.”
“The key is going to be playing the way we play and not letting them dictate pace,” Marsh said. “We have to make sure we dictate tempo.”
Abington 25-12-18-14. 69
Wyoming Valley West 14-16-12-14. 56
Abington (69) – Cire Worley 11 4-5 29; Maya Johnson 2 2-3 6; Abril Bowser 6 3-3 19; Mikiaya Durham 4 0-0 9; Jordyn Reynolds 1 0-0 3; Sarah Oleary 0 3-5 3; TOTALS 24 12-16 69.
Wyoming Valley West (56) – Haylie Oliphant 4 0-0 9; Mackenzie Perluke 5 0-0 13; Gabby Marsola 1 0-0 2; Anya Richet 6 6-8 18; Gabby Novitski 1 0-1 2; Thalia Irizarry 4 0-0 10; Colleran 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 22 6-9 56.
3-point goals: Abington – Abril Bowser 4, Cire Worley 3, Mikiaya Durham, Jordyn Reynolds; WVW – Mackenzie Perluke 3, Thalie Irizarry 2, Haylie Oliphant.
CLASS 5A
#11-1 BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC 46, #1-5 UPPER MORELAND 36
The Golden Bears knew they would have their hands full in Saturday’s opener against perennial Disitrct 3 power Becahi. They fell behind 18-10 after one quarter and then all but played the Golden Hawks even the rest of the way but never could dig themselves out of that early hole.
“This one stings,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “We knew they were good. Cici (Hernandez) is really good, and she raises everyone else’s game. They can score inside and out.
“We came out of the gates sloppy on offense and a little undisciplined on defense. We gave up 18 first-quarter points, and that is very unlike us. We are a very good defensive team, and the key to the game was making them take shots that they don’t want to. We took way too long to do that tonight and it put us into a hole we couldn’t climb out of.”
UM trailed 22-14 at halftime but hung tough, battling the Golden Hawks to the final whistle.
“We cut it to three at one point in the fourth, but it seemed like every time we had momentum, something happened that stopped our momentum,” Carroll said. “We eventually had to foul, and they were great from the line.
“We knew this run was going to come to an end at some point, and we obviously wanted to postpone the ending as long as possible. That being said, this was a great run. I can’t emphasize enough how proud I am of these girls. They’ve been amazing all year as far as basketball goes, but I haven’t coached a team that is more fun to be around.
“They’re such great kids, amazing teammates, and I’m blessed to have been given the opportunity to coach them. If you told me before the season that we would get 21 wins, win the league, and make it states, I would have signed up for that immediately. It doesn’t make today any easier but give me today if it means I get to experience the past 4-plus months. We plan on being back next year to take the next step.”
Senior EmmyFaith Wood’s 13 points – which included eight in the fourth quarter – led the Golden Bears. Holly Gohl added eight.
Hernandez led all scorers with 19 points, which included an 8-for-8 effort at the foul line.
Upper Moreland closed out its season with an 21-7 record overall, 14-3 in the SOL on its way to a share of the Freedom Division title.
Upper Moreland 10-4-11-11 36
Bethlehem Catholic 18-4-9-15 46
Upper Moreland (36) – Mikel Lancit 2 0-2 4; Alyssa Wiley 1 0-0 3; EmmyFaith Wood 4 3-6 13; Holly Gohl 3 0-0 8; Marie Meyers 2 1-1 5; Allie LaRocco 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 13 4-9 36.
Bethlehem Catholic (46) – Akasha Santos 2 1-1 5; Mirynet Colon 1 2-2 4; Yanah Fernadez 2 3-4 8; Cici Hernandez 4 8-8 19; Ella Bincarosky 1 0-0 3; Kendra Rigo 2 3-4 7; TOTALS 12 17-20 46.
3-point goals: UM – EmmyFaith Wood 2, Alyssa Wiley, Allie LaRocco, Holly Gohl 2; Becahi – Kendra Rigo 2, Cici Hernandez, Yanah Fernandez, Mirynet Colon.
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