Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ teams in action Friday. Upper Dublin/Wissahickon photos courtesy of Geanine Jamison. CLICK HERE for a gallery of photos.
SOL American Conference
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 57, CHELTENHAM 35
The Spartans had four players in double figures, and the result was a conference win – the team’s first of the season. Junior Rileigh Serroni’s 16 points led a balanced attack while freshman Emily Smith added 14. Senior Grace Barraclough (11 points) and sophomore Maddie Yoder (10 points) also finished in double figures.
“That is what did it for us – we put the ball in the basket,” coach David Giordano said. “We saw the ball go in the basket, and we got confident.
“Even in the third quarter, when Cheltenham started making some of their shots, our girls just kept playing. They played steady.”
The Spartans were a study in consistency, scoring 15 points in three of the four quarters. They led 15-8 after one quarter, sparked by a pair of Smith three-pointers. Emily Guicheteau also had a three in the frame.
“Having the ball go in the basket – it sounds as simple as can be, but for them, their confidence just kept growing during the first half and they just kept playing,” Giordano said. “They played sound basketball. They’ve been working really hard.
“I’ve been concerned for them because your confidence gets shaken for a long season, and to have them have the ball simply go in the basket, everything changed. We had a chance to play a little pressure defense, we rebounded as a team really well, and they played hard.”
The Spartans took a 30-13 lead into halftime. Smith had 10 points in the half while Serroni had eight.
Yoder had six points in a 12-point third quarter. Madison Rorer’s three three-pointers sparked the Lady Panthers in the frame. Serroni’s eight points led the Spartans in the final quarter.
“Rileigh Serroni probably had her steadiest game and ran the offense really well,” Giordano said. “Grace Barraclough was very aggressive as she always is, and Emily Smith did not play like a freshman.
“They all decided this was the game they would play together, and it paid off.”
For the Lady Panthers, Rorer’s 15 points led the way. Kelia Holmes added 11 points, and Kai Williams had six.
“A rough second quarter put us in a hole that we never could recover from,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said. “We have to keep working and learning.”
Springfield Township (2-10, 1-5 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin on Tuesday, and Cheltenham (2-10, 0-6) will be on the road at Bensalem on Saturday for a non-league game at 1:30 p.m.
Cheltenham 8-5-13-9 35
Springfield Township15-15-12-15 57
Cheltenham (35) – Madison Rorer 15, Cashmear Moore 1, Katie Denyer 2, Kelia Holmes 11, Kai Williams 6.
Springfield Township (57) – Annie Coll 1, Grace Barraclough 11, Rileigh Serroni 16, Maddie Yoder 10, Emily Smith 14, Emily Guicheteau 3, Sydney Hannings 2.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 33, UPPER MORELAND 29
A pesky Golden Bear squad refused to go away and trailed by just two late, but the Colonials held on for the hard-fought win.
“I’m proud of our young team for making just enough plays to hold off Upper Moreland,” PW coach Daniel Dougherty said. “Lots of credit to coach (Matt) Carroll for the job he has done with that program.
“We didn’t take them lightly, we put just as much time and preparation in for them as we did for Upper Dublin and Abington. They are well coached, the girls play with great energy and enthusiasm, and we are lucky to have escaped with a win.”
The Colonials’ coach – whose team led 27-19 heading into the final quarter – lauded the play of several players and described the dramatic finish.
“Kate Flanagan was outstanding defensively, and Anna McTamney came up with a huge block and rebound at the end of the game (when it was 31-29 with under 30 seconds to go),” Dougherty said. “Anna was then fouled, missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Lainey Allen came up with the offensive rebound, kicked it back out to Anna who was fouled again. She sank both to seal the win. We’re obviously a very young team going through some tough growing pains right now, but I’m very happy to see them pull out the win.”
McTamney led the Colonials with 14 points, which included an 8-for-10 effort at the foul line. Flanagan added seven points.
For the Golden Bears, Bean Hughes led the way with 14 points while Phoebe Longstreth added 13.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (10-2, 4-2 SOL) will travel to Central for a non-league game on Monday, and Upper Moreland (8-4, 3-3) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday.
Upper Moreland 4-6-9-10 29
Plymouth Whitemarsh 10-10-7-6 33
Upper Moreland (29) – Phoebe Longstreth 13, Kaiya Herb 2, Bean Hughes 14.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (33) – Kaitlyn Flanagan 7, Gabby Cooper 3, Anna McTamney 14, Lainey Allen 2, Jordyn Thomas 4, Lily Belle McGrorty 3.
ABINGTON 78, HATBORO-HORSHAM 31
Khalis Whiting and Kassondra Brown each scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Ghosts. Junior Becca Poole added 13 points – including three threes – off the bench. Tamia Wessels added nine points and Cam Lexow had seven for the Ghosts.
Behind six points from both Brown and Whiting, the Ghosts opened up a 16-8 lead after one quarter. They took a 37-21 lead into halftime and then erupted for 27 points in the third quarter.
Sydney Kemp’s seven points led the Hatters. Emily Thomas and Cam Ryan each added six points.
Abington (10-2, 5-1 SOL) is off until Thursday when the Ghosts will travel to Cheltenham. Hatboro-Horsham (6-7, 3-3) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 8-13-7-3 31
Abington 16-21-27-14 78
Hatboro-Horsham (31) – Emily Thomas 6, Cam Ryan 6, Sydney Kemp 7, Kylie Halko 2, Maddie Throne 4, Graceanne Griffis 1, Alice Hall 5.
Abington (78) – Tamia Wessels 9, Cam Lexow 7, Kassondra Brown 19, Miranda Liebtag 5, Khalis Whiting 19, Becca Poole 13, Kaeleigh Serianni 2, Krysten Brown 2, Hope Brower-Ancher 2.
UPPER DUBLIN 60, WISSAHICKON 10
The Flying Cardinals received scoring from nine different players. Jackie Vargas led the way with 15 points to go along with six rebounds, four blocks and three assists. Dayna Balasa had 12 points on four three-pointers – all in the first half. She also had three assists. Meg Barbera added eight points, five rebounds and three steals while Jackie Forman contributed six points and five rebounds.
The Flying Cardinals led 14-2 after one quarter and extended that lead in the second quarter.
Upper Dublin (10-2, 6-0 SOL) will take on Imhotep at Jefferson University on Sunday at 1 p.m. as part of the Maggie Lucas Play-by-Play Classic. Wissahickon (3-7, 2-4) will travel to Fels High School on Monday for a non-league game.
Wissahickon 2-4-0-4 10
Upper Dublin 14-23-8-15 60
Wissahickon (10) – Anna Schools 2, Lauren Fadel 2, Macey Segal 2, Victoria Williams 4.
Upper Dublin (60) – Bliss Brenner 2, Anajae Smith 5, Meg Barbera 8, Jess Polin 3, Kara Grebe 4, Jackie Gorman 6, Sarah Eskew 5, Dayna Balasa 12, Jackie Vargas 15.
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 48, NORTH PENN 40
Alexa Brodie reached yet another milestone in a stellar career when she sank a pair of foul shots in the closing
seconds of Friday’s win over the Knights. The first of the two shots vaulted the senior point guard to the top of the leader board as the program’s all-time leading scorer, breaking Haley Meinel’s record of 1,125. Brodie now has 1,127 points with a good portion of the season still remaining.
“I think this is just a testament to her work ethic and the dedication she’s put into basketball since she started playing because her basic basketball skills are so far above most players at her age and her level that it’s really paid off,” coach Beth Mattern said.
Brodie led all scorers with 20 points in the win.
“Tonight was an important game, and the best part about Alexa – she knew she was close to the record, but it wasn’t about the record,” Mattern said. “She would take 20 assists before the 20 points if it meant the team won tonight.
“We’re working really hard to get ourselves on track and keep improving, and I thought we did that tonight. I thought we showed signs of growth from the last time we were in this situation, and that’s all you can ask from the team, and that’s the best part of Alexa. She’s willing to do whatever it takes.”
The Titans, who led 7-4 after one quarter, took a 21-13 lead into halftime. Brodie scored 10 of her team’s 14 points in the second quarter and went into halftime with 12 points.
In the third quarter, the Titans blew the game open with a 16-8 tear. A pair of freshmen – Taylor Hinkle and Mackenzie Erb – provided the spark. Erb buried a pair of threes and had eight points in the frame while Hinkle also had a three and chipped in five points.
“Both our freshmen did a great job,” Mattern said. “Mac (Erb) had 13 points tonight, and they were huge because when they were doubling Alexa, she was knocking down threes, and that was just what we needed to keep us moving in the right direction.”
The Knights made a late run, but the Titans would not be denied, connecting on 9-of-14 at the foul line in the final quarter. Brodie was 5-for-6 from the charity stripe in the quarter, 8-for 10 in the game.
“What we did tonight – we were able to keep our composure,” Mattern said. “North Penn knocked down a couple of shots in the fourth quarter. They started to play with a little more energy. They found their groove a little bit.
“Unlike games previously when we struggled to find composure when we needed it most, we had that composure, and we were able to control the ball, get ourselves to the foul line and knock down just enough to keep it an eight-point game.”
Cayla Sharkey’s 14 points – seven in the fourth quarter – led the Knights. Sharkey connected on a pair of three-pointers. Alli Lindsay added nine points, five in the fourth quarter. Alaina Mullaly had eight points, and Carley Adams contributed seven.
Central Bucks South (5-6, 3-2 SOL) will host Central Bucks West on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., and North Penn (5-5, 2-3) will face Pennsbury at Jefferson University on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. as part of the Maggie Lucas Play-by-Play Classic.
North Penn 4-9-8-19 40
Central Bucks South 7-14-16-11 48
North Penn (40) – Cayla Sharkey 14, Alli Lindsay 9, Alaina Mullaly 8, Carley Adams 7, Val McGriff 2.
Central Bucks South (48) – Mary Kate McShane 1, Taylor Hinkle 9, Mackenzie Erb 13, Allie Burke 5, Alexa Brodie 20.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 46, PENNRIDGE 40
In a battle of two teams searching for a win, it was the visiting Patriots holding on for the hard fought victory over the Rams.
“This was very important, especially for our league record to get back to .500 and just to get a solid win overall,” East freshman Gabby Wilga said. “We’ve been playing a lot of great teams close but just not all four quarters. Today we did, and I think that made a huge difference.”
It also didn’t hurt that the Patriots got off to a good start, opening up an 11-6 lead after one quarter. Wilga and Skylar Krause each had four points in the quarter.
“I think the key especially was defense,” Wilga said. “We haven’t been performing as well on the defensive end.
“Our main focus tonight definitely was defense, and coming out strong in the first quarter defensively made a huge impact. I think that – for our morale – set the tone for the whole game.”
It was still a five-point game at halftime (22-17), and the Rams pulled to within three (32-29) heading into the final quarter. It was a 34-33 game after a bucket by Pennridge’s Evelyn Doughery. Krause sank one-of-two at the foul line, and after the two teams exchanged misses, it was Krause burying a huge three at the 4:10 mark that gave the Patriots a 38-33 lead and might well have been the backbreaker.
Krause scored nine of her team-high 14 points in the final quarter.
“Sky’s an experienced player, and we always want the ball in her hands,” East coach Liz Potash said. “We have no problem with her taking that shot in that situation.
“Last year we always kind of joked that she was the one willing to take those big shots at big times. She had the buzzer beater against CB South this year, so we always want the ball in her hands in big situations She’s doing a great job for us.”
The Patriots connected on 11-of-18 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to seal the Rams’ fate.
“This was a huge game for us,” Potash said. “We tried to downplay it a little bit to the girls. It was just, ‘Okay, get us back on track, another league game.’
“We actually think this is a team that’s pretty similar to us in terms of – they’re playing some kids that aren’t experienced, they play five guards, they play at a fast pace, so we were interested to see the test. I was really proud of the defensive effort because when I watched them play on film – they get curl cut after curl cut after curl cut, and that was our biggest thing to stop it, and I can’t think of one curl cut they got uncontested tonight. That was a huge goal for us.”
With the win, the Patriots have taken another step toward finding a new identity after losing senior Elyse Shine to a torn ACL three games into the season.
“Coming into the season, everything is set around Elyse – this is Elyse’s year,” Potash said. “She just signed a full ride to Jefferson (University). We miss her.
“However, the girls have rebounded well. We just had to figure out a new style of play. Now that we’re five, six, seven games without her, we’re figuring out our identity.”
Krause’s 14-point effort led the Patriots, and Wilga added 12 points – eight in the second half. Caroline Pla had 11 points, which included four three-pointers.
For the Rams, Julia Kreider led the way with 14 points. Ashley Gordon added nine, and Sam Muredda had eight.
The loss was another heartbreaker for a young Pennridge squad.
“We’ve learned how to fight, and we’ve learned how to get back into game,” coach Mike Elton said. “We’re able to do a lot of those things, but where we’re really struggling – and some of it has to do with the inexperience we have at the varsity level – is how to finish these games.
“We’ve had three or four really tough games in the last couple of weeks. In the second quarter tonight, we kind of changed the pace of the game, and we did the same thing against Souderton. We changed the pace, stopped them for a little while, and it gave us a chance to rebound back, but when it comes down to the game stuff in the end – the fouls are killing us. There are just too many fouls.
“Our girls play really hard, and I think this is a learning experience for them. At least they’re at the point where they know they have a shot and can actually beat these teams. If they put it together and they’re consistent for four quarters, they can win, and they know that now.”
Central Bucks East (5-7, 3-3 SOL) will host Perkiomen Valley in a non-league game on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Pennridge (7-6, 1-4) will travel to North Penn on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 11-11-10-14 46
Pennridge 6-11-12-11 40
Central Bucks East (46) – Mia Salvati 5, Gabby Wilga 12, Caroline Pla 11, Emily Chmiel 1, Skylar Krause 15, Aubrey DeAngelis 2.
Pennridge (40) – Corinn Mart 5, Sam Muredda 8, Julia Kreider 14, Evelyn Loughery 2, Ashley Gordon 9, Emilee Cramer 2.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 64, QUAKERTOWN 16
Freshman Emily Spratt scored a season-high 16 points – all over the final three quarters of Friday’s contest. Tori Abelson added 11 points, which included a pair of three-pointers. She scored all of her points in the first half. Izzy Treon also had 11 points while Maddie Burke had nine for the Bucks, who opened up a 17-4 lead at the end of one quarter on their way to the decisive win.
Fallon Grandinetti’s five points led the Panthers.
Central Bucks West (7-4, 4-1 SOL) will take on Springfield at Jefferson University on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. as part of the Maggie Lucas Play-by-Play Classic. Quakertown (2-10, 0-5) will travel to Souderton on Tuesday.
Central Bucks West 17-22-13-12 64
Quakertown 4-4-7-1 16
Central Bucks West (64) – Paige Gilbert 2, Olivia Irons 2, Anna Blue 8, Maddie Burke 9, Emily Spratt 16, Izzy Treon 11, Lilly Evans 5, Tori Abelson 11.
Quakertown (16) – Bri Lefkoski 1, Abigail Dickson 3, Laney Mitchell 2, Morgan Sipprell 4, Fallon grandinetti 5, Abigail McClaskey 1.
SOL National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 47, WILLIAM TENNENT 38
A strong second half propelled the Golden Hawks to the win. They led 19-15 at the intermission and then outscored their visitors 28-23 in the second half.
“A few things stood out in this one – first and foremost, our effort on the glass and on 50/50 balls was fantastic,” coach Blair Klumpp said. “That was something we stressed getting back to like earlier in season, and we did that tonight.”
The Golden Hawks’ coach was especially pleased with his team’s defensive effort.
“The execution of our defensive game plan was also a building block,” Klumpp said. “(Haley) Crossley is a really good well-rounded player for them. She really hurt us last year, so she was our focal point tonight. The girls deserve credit for executing that and also recognizing personnel on occasion and where she was at.
“We had two girls try to take charges on her (Bailey Vetter and Jenna Culp), That’s a tough task. She’s a tough, physical kid, but as a group, we really bought into both ends of the floor tonight. They’re a physical team. (Coach) Laura (Whitney) does a really good job of getting them to play hard and tough. I was proud we matched that tonight and initiated it at times, especially on the glass.”
Nicole Blaustein’s 12 points led a balanced Golden Hawk scoring effort. Hannah Binder and Montanna Chambers both had nine points, and Carley Irvin added eight. The Hawks converted their foul shots, connecting on 8-of-11 in the fourth quarter.
“We have emphasized all year it’s harder to guard teams who have balanced scoring, and we got that tonight,” Klumpp said. “All seven girls who saw major minutes scored and contributed in other areas. We have preached efficiency on shot selection and ball movement and we did that tonight.
“Last year we blew a 23-point fourth quarter lead to them at home. Tonight we showed great poise, controlled clock and knocked down fouls. We showed a lot of intangibles tonight. The girls did a good job focusing on the next play. I’m proud of that.”
The Golden Hawks coach went on to laud the efforts of his players.
“Blaustein is someone who was very efficient tonight,” Klumpp said. “She got her points on about half the attempts she’s been averaging, and I thought her decisions were good in picking her spots to attack. Our staff talked to her about letting the game come to you a bit and survey the landscape. She did that night and I think her confidence in her role off the ball will continue to grow. She did a good job applying pressure to the ball defensively as well.
“Carley Irvin had a real solid all-around game. She’s been really good communicating defensively for us and quarterbacking our defense along with (Bailey) Vetter. Irvin Is always dialed in on the scout report and other teams personnel and that’s really helped us.”
Binder had a team-high 10 rebounds Vetter pulled down eight rebounds and added a block while Jenna Kulp added six rebounds, and Irvin, five. Kulp also had two steals, two assists and one block. Irvin added a pair of assists.
“Binder missed a double-double again by a point,” Klumpp said. “She’s averaging about a double-double, and she came up with some big rebounds in both ends.
“Chambers played some big fourth quarter minutes for us after Vetter fouled out and hit some shots throughout the game. She got some good experience in a physical game late.
“The other three girls don’t jump out from the point total aspect, but we don’t win this game without them. Jenna Culp was fantastic throughout defensively she is someone who’s been very good on the defensive end of the floor in particular. Even when she didn’t get the rebound, she had great checkouts on several plays. She hit fouls down stretch and did a great job filling Bailey’s void down the stretch.”
Klumpp acknowledged several of his team’s unsung heroes.
“Broaddus played sound defense, had several deflections and made several nice entry passes into the post,” he said. “I said last year a lot how valuable Bailey Vetter is and she is, in a lot of areas. She impacts the game more than anyone (realizes). And she really battled physically all game prior to fouling out.
“I’m really proud of the group for closing it out with her on the bench. There have been games where if I tried to sit her for a minute or so it’s impacted us, so the girls deserve a ton of credit for closing this one out with her on the bench. I’m just really proud of their overall toughness and effort as a group. Execution was sound, we played together, and the bench was engaged.”
The win brought a welcome end to a three-game skid for the Golden Hawks.
“The girls enjoyed it and they deserve it because we have been playing really hard and they’ve stayed positive,” Klumpp said. “They’ve done a lot of what I asked in the effort department. They’re a great group to be around daily. Even after several losses, I thoroughly enjoy coaching them every day. It’s tough to keep selling the girls on what we are preaching and why if they aren’t seeing results…in wins.
“We are really looking at big picture while trying to win this year but really establish what we want to hang our hat on. I’m glad they got to see the result tonight. It feels like a while since we had a win, so I was happy we put together a total team effort tonight and came out with a win.”
Haley Crossley’s 12 points led the Panthers. Hannah Reimel added 11 points and Jenna Rodebaugh, nine points.
Council Rock South (5-7, 2-3 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South on Tuesday, and William Tennent (2-11, 0-5) will host Lansdale Catholic in a non-league game on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
William Tennent 7-8-11-12 38
Council Rock South10-9-14-14 47
William Tennent (38) – Caitlin Somerville 2, Chelsea Meltzer 4, Hannah Reimel 11, Jenna Rodebaugh 9, Haley Crossley 12.
Council Rock South (47) – Montanna Chambers 9, Madison Broaddus 2, Carley Irvin 8, Nicole Blaustein 12, Bailey Vetter 4, Jenna Culp 3, Hannah Binder 9.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 55, BENSALEM 29
The Indians raced out of the starting gate to a 19-5 lead after one quarter and took a 31-12 lead into halftime on their way to the conference win.
Olivia Boyle scored a game-high 17 points, which included three three-pointers. Dana Bandurick added 15 points, four rebounds, four blocked shots and four steals. Sydney Blum contributed seven points and seven rebounds. Camryn Polinsky also had seven points. Abby Jones had a team-high eight rebounds for the Indians.
The Indians connected on 21-of-51 shots from the floor (41 percent) but only found the net on 4-of-21 shots from beyond the arc.
Bensalem shot just 24 percent (10-for-41) from the field but buried 3-of-9 three-pointers.
Council Rock North (9-3, 4-1 SOL) will face Bonner-Prendergast on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at Jefferson University as part of the Maggie Lucas Play-by-Play Classic. Bensalem (8-4, 3-3) will host Cheltenham in a non-league contest Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Council Rock North 19-12-11-13 55
Bensalem 5-7-2-15 29
Council Rock North (55) – Camryn Polinsky 7, Sydney Blum 7, Olivia Boyle 17, Jill Hopkins 4, Dana Bandurick 15, Abby Jones 2, Julia Murphy 2, Sofia Shields 1.
Bensalem (29) – Maddie Macdougall 3, Emily Wineburg 2, Michaela Sit 1, Haley Keenan 14, Samantha Daut 2, Chloe Munyon 5, Erin Devlin 2.
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