Upper Dublin rallied for a come-from-behind win in Monday’s SOL Tournament title game to capture the program’s first tournament crown. Photos provided courtesy of Michael Rice Photography & Greg Lindsay. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports' GIRLS' BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
SOL Tournament
#2 UPPER DUBLIN 38, #1 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 30
It was the tale of two halves.
While that’s a vastly overused phrase, there’s no better way to describe Monday’s title game at Bensalem High School.
Everything was going CB East’s way in the first half.
Sophomore point guard Haley Moran was nailing one shot after another, scoring 11 first-quarter points. Sydney Ralph connected on a 3, and the Patriots led 14-10 after one quarter. They extended that lead to 24-10
after Moran turned an Emma Penecale steal into a layup.
East had a 27-16 lead with time winding down in the first half when freshman Ella Morris – at the buzzer - banked home a 3 to not only trim East’s lead to single digits (27-19), it also sent the Cards into halftime with some much-needed momentum.
“She banked in the 3 going into the half, and it was a total gamechanger because we were not feeling great about ourselves,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “Obviously, nobody is trying to bank in a 3, but with some of the shots they made in the first half, I thought it kind of evened things up.”
“It was a good feeling going into the locker room,” Morris said. “We were more excited going into the half. It helped change the game for us.”
Upper Dublin owned the second half, and the Cards kept the Patriots off the scoreboard in the entire third quarter. They took their first lead since the game’s opening moments when Tamia Clark scored late in the quarter to send the Cardinals into the final frame with a 28-27 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter, Morris buried her third 3 of the game to put UD on top 31-27.
“I’m always confident when I’m shooting,” Morris said. “I’m always ready to shoot, and when they play off me, I’m always ready to take advantage of that.”
Megan Ngo scored on a drive to give Upper Dublin a 33-27 lead before Ralph sank 1 of 2 at the foul line with 4:50 remaining – it was East’s first
point of the second half.
Bridget DiMartile’s 3-pointer with 3:45 left in regulation gave UD a 36-28 lead. The Patriots never threatened, scoring their first bucket of the second half in the closing seconds when Jess Lockwood found the net for her first field goal of the night.
“Defensively, to give up one point the entire second half until they made a floater with three seconds to go is absolutely remarkable,” Funsten said. “I thought it started with Emilia (Coleman) on Lockwood. She had 16 in a quarter against us the last time, and Emilia took that personally.”
“I watched our last game against them today,” Coleman said. “I just watched what shots I let her get off, and I tried not to get beat on those shots again, knowing where she is at all times.
“I play with her during the summer, and I know her, so that’s to my advantage. Even the other girls that Funsten gives me – just knowing their strengths and where I can beat them and where they get their shots off helps me.”
Also coming up big defensively was Megan Ngo who took Moran out of the game in the second half.
“Haley Moran is just so good,” Funsten said. “She kind of got the better of Meg the first quarter and a half. I think I upset Meg because I switched someone else on Haley for a couple of possessions. I can picture Meg’s face in my head forever. It was a little bit of a challenge.
“I don’t think Moran scored the rest of the game once Meg went back on her. Meg is just such a great competitor, but also Haley Moran is so explosive and good. She’s got all the moves.”
Monday’s win gave Upper Dublin its first tile in the 10 years since the tournament began.
“It’s amazing,” DiMartile said. “Especially since last year we came up short, it was really exciting.”
On a night when points were hard to come by for both sides. Morris (11 points) and DiMartile (9 points) combined for 20 points.
“I’ve always said about Bridget DiMartile – she’s such a great athlete, and she’s such a great competitor,” Funsten said. “I still remember last year as a freshman I said my favorite thing is to watch her fail because of what her response is.
“To be honest, I kind of called her out at halftime because she had a really unfocussed first half, but her second half was awesome. She rebounded better, she defended better. She made some shots, and she helped handle the ball towards the end of the game. She’s just such a competitor.”
“In the locker room, he did mention something,” DiMartile said. “I was like - I just needed to mentally reset. Going into the second half, that was my goal. To step it up defensively first and let the offense come with it.
“I was a little upset with myself the first half obviously, and I just wanted to do what I could for the team and step up a little more.”
Key players: Ella Morris led UD with 11 points, which included three 3-pointers. Bridget DiMartile added nine, connecting on 4 of 6 shots. She also had four rebounds, two steals and one block. Tamia Clark finished with eight points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Megan Ngo
also had eight points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Emilia Coleman did not score but she had eight rebounds and was once again the Cards’ defensive stopper, keeping East’s Jess Lockwood off the scoreboard until the game’s closing seconds.
For East, sophomore Haley Moran scored a game-high 16 points – all in the first half.
Central Bucks East coach Liz Potash on the game: “They turned the pressure up (in the second half), but I thought we got the same looks that we got the first half. We couldn’t really make anything from the outside. We held them to 19 each half. We did exactly what we wanted to do defensively.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen us score three points in the second half. The last basket came with under 10 seconds to go. To be able to keep it that close with that little scoring is the most positive thing we can take away.”
--On Haley Moran: “That is what we know she’s capable of doing for us, which is why Saturday was so hard once she fouled out. Obviously, in the second half, they weren’t letting her get to the rim as easily, and we were having trouble kicking the ball out once she drew a second and third defender. We still got good looks outside and couldn’t make them. We shoot very well from 3 – not tonight.”
Bittersweet win for Cardinals
Morgan Funsten had mixed emotions after Monday’s win. The Upper Dublin coach was thrilled to see his team rally to defeat Central Bucks East for the SOL Tournament title, but the veteran coach and his players knew this was their final game of the season with Emilia Coleman in the lineup.
The junior standout, who transferred to Upper Dublin this year, is ineligible for the postseason due to PIAA transfer rule.
“Emilia has been such an incredible addition on and off the court,” Funsten said. “It’s a really, really bittersweet moment, knowing that this was her last game. It’s really tough. I personally think she’s having a really great experience here. The girls have been very accepting of her. She has established herself as the player she is. She plays the game the right way, and it’s been such a good influence on our entire team.
“I’m just really heartbroken for her. I understand why there’s rules in place, but this is a kid whose family has lived in our school district for 25 years. To me, she’s attending the local public school. She did not move from somewhere else. She’s just attending her local public school, so I have an issue with whatever the rule is. I understand why there’s rules in place, but I don’t think this was the intention of the rules, and I’m disappointed that people didn’t recognize that.”
Coleman knew this was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier.
“It’s a rule, and I can’t do anything about it,” the junior standout said. “Obviously, I want to keep on going. I’m really happy for the girls, and ending on the win, that’s what I wanted to do
“I’m excited for these girls to go far in districts and states. It’s going to be fun to watch. Obviously, I don’t want to be on the sidelines, but I have to do that, and I want to help in whatever way I can.
Funsten acknowledged that he certainly feels for Coleman.
“It’s crazy to say you’re feeling for someone after a championship,” the UD coach said. “Unfortunately, we have been down this road four of the last five years, losing a top player in the playoffs. We knew this was coming for a couple weeks now, but it doesn’t really make it any easier.
“I’m confident in our girls to step up. We’re going to have to redefine roles. We’ve been down this road before. We have some good players, and I’m confident we’ll still be able to give everybody our best punch. On a personal level, I’m really feeling for her.”
One thing is certain, Coleman will be hungry when she’s back on the court next year.
“Next year, all our starters are returning,” she said. “We’re going to come back stronger. I have one year playing with them under my belt, so it’s going to be good.
“We know how we play with each other and our style. This year was really good – it helped me grow a lot. It’s much different competition, stronger and more physical, and I think that really helped me grow my game. I’m excited for next year.”
Up next: Upper Dublin (21-4, 8-0 SOL) and Central Bucks East (20-5, 9-1) both have opening round byes and will return to action Wednesday, Feb. 19. Upper Dublin is the third ranked team while Central Bucks East is fourth.
Central Bucks East 14-13-0-3 11 4-8 30
Upper Dublin 10-9-9-10 14 6-11 38
Central Bucks East (30) – Sydney Ralph 1 3-4 6; Haley Moran 7 0-0 16; Natalie Berndt 1 1-4 4; Savannah Hayes 1 0-0 2; Jess Lockwood 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 11 4-8 30.
Upper Dublin (38) – Brigid DiMartile 4 0-0 9; Tamia Clark 3 2-6 8; Megan Kngo 3 2-2 8; Lexi Ngo.1 0-0 2; Ella Morris 3 2-3 11; TOTALS 14 6-11 38.
3-point goals: CBE – Haley Moran 2, Sydney Ralph, Natalie Berndt; UD – Ella Morris 3, Brigid DiMartile.
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