Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Thursday. Pennsbury/CB East photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography.
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 43, PENNSBURY 39
Sydney Ralph might not typically be a headliner, but the East junior stole the spotlight – and also saved the day – for the visiting Patriots in Thursday night’s crossover game that came down to the wire.
Twice in the game’s final 23 seconds – with the Patriots leading by two each time – Ralph buried a pair at the foul line.
“I firmly believe this, and I’ve said it forever – you can shoot all the 3s you want, and I know my girls love to shoot them, but high school girls’ basketball comes down to layups and free throws,” East coach Liz Potash said. “Which team is going to make more layups and free throws than the other team?
“If you want to throw a couple 3s in, that’s fine, but we are shooting almost 80 percent at the foul line on the season.”
Ralph’s first pair of foul shots came with 23.1 seconds remaining in regulation to give East a 40-36 lead, and after a Pennsbury turnover, Anna Barry sank 1-of-2 to give East a 41-36 advantage with 14.8 seconds on the scoreboard clock.
The game, however, was far from over.
Sofia Vitucci saw to that, burying a 3-pointer from long distance at the other end to make it a 41-39 game with 10 seconds remaining.
Ralph was fouled yet again, and with seven seconds remaining, the junior calmly buried a pair to seal the Falcons’ fate.”
“We shoot a lot of foul shots, they shoot them under high pressure, so when Syd stepped to the line, I was like, ‘No problem,’ but I’m telling you what – to go 4-for-4 on those foul shots, that is big time,” Potash said.
In terms of the standings, Thursday’s game was a big one for both squads, but the Falcons had the added motivation of trying to win on their home court for coach Frank Sciolla, who – in his 28th season – is just one win away from the 500th of a stellar coaching career.
It didn’t happen on Thursday night, and Pennsbury assistant Kaitlin Kelly credited the Patriots.
“They have very experienced players on the floor who play well together,” Kelly said. “They have three shot makers that can give them a bucket at any given time. They
made some big shots, but we also got some great stops on defense.
“What got us were some costly turnovers. It was also Sydney Ralph who stepped up and played very well for them tonight, going perfect from the line all within the second half. We’re going to have to come together and dig deep for the remainder of the season. We never give up easily. We’re just going to have to work harder now to achieve our goals.”
The game belonged to the respective defenses, and nothing came easily for either side.
“We know the kind of defensive pressure they put on teams, and they’re going to make you work, and we knew they were going to take Anna (Barry) out of it – all the things we see all year, and they’re able to do it at a really high level,” Potash said. “We came off a game yesterday, and we didn’t have a practice to prepare for them, and that is not a team you want to go in playing without a practice, but to the girls’ credit, I sent them the scout, they watched the film, and we went over everything.
“There was so little you could do in the pregame without a practice that it was – ‘Maintain your composure on offense, you know they’re going to come at you hard on defense. They’re going to switch up their defenses – all these things, but we’ve just got to maintain our composure. We’ve been in this situation.’ As such a key thing to be able to say – but it’s obviously a lot harder to execute. Obviously, in the first half, we were a little bit more frazzled trying to run our stuff, not really being able to run it.”
Both teams struggled in the first half, although the Falcons had the better of play early with Daniella MacDonald connecting on a pair of 3-pointers. Vitucci, who had seven first-quarter points, buried a 3, turned a steal into an easy bucket and later connected on a pair from the foul line to give Pennsbury – which opened up a quick 9-3 lead – a 13-7 lead after one quarter.
“This is something we’ve talked about all season in terms of coming out slow,” Potash said. “We lost MacDonald on one, and she’s been shooting so well. The scout was – know where Vitucci is but play MacDonald tight I didn’t think we were tight enough on her, and she burned us. We made the adjustment after that.”
The Patriots – behind five points from Anna Barry – outscored the Falcons 8-3 in the second quarter to pull to within one at halftime, 16-15.
“The first half was a little rough, even though we went into the locker room up by one,” Kelly said. “We were not disciplined on defense and our shot selection was not great. Against a talented CB East team, that can’t happen.”
In the third quarter, Jess Lockwood had the hot hand for East, connecting on a pair of 3s and scoring eight points. The Patriots outscored their hosts 14-11 to go into the final quarter with a 29-27 advantage.
“Jess Lockwood had a big third quarter,” Potash said. “I can’t say it enough, but these girls – they legit don’t care who’s scoring. If you have the hot hand, they’re going to give you the ball. They’re just happy when someone scores. They celebrate as a team. They do everything as a team. It’s so refreshing to see.”
East led by seven after a Barry 3 (34-27), but the Falcons – behind 10 fourth-quarter points from Vitucci – stayed in it until the final horn.
“I thought we made some good adjustments offensively because what we were able to do was get a lot of action between Anna (Barry), Jess (Lockwood) and Nat (Berndt),” Potash said. “If you leave any one of them, any one of them can be real dangerous, and then you open it up, and Syd (Ralph) gets that floater in the fourth quarter – that was a huge shot that she made. You just start to open up things.
“Their defense is tough, and I really give the girls a lot of credit. It’s a tough place to play, but they were able to do just enough to be able to come away with a win. They’re a tough team – literally tough. They’ll beat you to every ball. You’ve got to fight for every single possession when you play them. It was a really good win for the girls. I’m really proud of them.”
Lockwood and Barry led the Patriots’ balanced attack with 12 points each while Natalie Berndt added nine. Ralph had eight points – all in the second half with six coming in the pivotal fourth quarter. She was 6-for-6 from the foul line, and the Patriots were 12-for-15 as a team.
“We knew it was going to be tight both ways coming down the stretch,” Potash said. “I give them a lot of credit defensively. They have some kids that hit some big-time shots. Danielle Sherman came in and hit a big 3, (Layla) Matthias is tough on the boards.
“I thought Nat’s defense on Vitucci – I know she got hot a little bit in the fourth quarter, but man, did she play her tough. She held her to seven points going into the fourth.”
Vitucci’s 17 points led all scorers, and MacDonald had 12. No other Falcon had more than four.
Central Bucks East (11-2, 7-2 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy for a crossover game on Tuesday, and Pennsbury (7-4, 5-3) will be on the road at Central Bucks West on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 7-8-14-14 43
Pennsbury 13-3-11-12 39
Central Bucks East (43) – Sydney Ralph 1 6-6 8; Natalie Berndt 4 1-2 9; Anna Barry 3 3-5 12; Jess Lockwood 4 2-2 12; Chantal Van Dongeren 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 13 12-15 43.
Pennsbury (39) – Layla Matthias 2 0-1 4; Danielle Sherman 1 0-0 3; Maggie Burns 1 0-0 3; Sofia Vitucci 4 7-7 17; Daniella MacDonald 4 1-1 12; TOTALS 12 8-9 39.
3-point goals: CBE – Anna Barry 3, Jess Lockwood 2; Pennsbury – Dnaiella MacDonald 3, Sofia Vitucci 2, Anielle Sherman, Maggie Burns.
BENSALEM 47, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 40
The Owls took a tenuous 21-18 lead into halftime but used a 13-3 third quarter to go on top 34-21 on their way to the big win in crossover play.
“I could not be more proud of the way our girls have been playing lately,” Bensalem coach Steve Johnson said. “I want to make sure everyone on our team knows that everyone matters – our starting five down to the last person off our bench, regardless, if you get in the game and score or applaud every single rebound, defensive stop, deflection, assist, and hustle play. We have played such complimentary basketball, and I am very excited to see what’s in store our second half of the season.”
Leading the way in the Owls’ strong showing was senior Amber Howard. The senior standout kept her team afloat in the first half, scoring 12 of her team’s 21 points. Talia DiMichele added seven – all in the second quarter.
Then came the third quarter that saw the Owls hold the visiting Titans to just three points. The Titans battled – scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter, but the Owls would not be denied.
Howard’s 23 points led all scorers while DiMichele added 14 points.
“I’ve seen Amber play countless games where I sit back when I get home and say ‘wow,’” Johnson said. “This had to be the icing on the cake. The 23 points are great, but the play that really made me say ‘wow’ was last two minutes of third quarter when Amber catches mid post, gets doubled and finds Grace cutting from the corner for a layup. Beautiful basketball.
“Talia also had her season high while juggling the feat of staying with Yoyo (Samayoa), who is such a great shooter. She has been playing really well for us this season. We love what she brings each and every night. Peyton (Miller) had a great overall game, getting some pretty big steals and rebounds for us when we needed them.”
Samayoa’s 13 points – which included three 3-pointers – led the Titans. Mia Klein added nine points, and Jules Tropea had six.
“Hats off coach Beth Mattern and her staff and players,” Johnson said. “They run great stuff, do it well and played tough the entire game.”
Bensalem (7-4, 5-3 SOL) will host Wissahickon in a non-league game on Saturday at 12:30 p.m., and Central Bucks South (7-6, 4-4) will host Harry S Truman on Tuesday in a crossover game.
Central Bucks South 7-11-3-19 40
Bensalem 6-15-13-13 47
Central Bucks South (40) – Megan Schmidt 2 0-0 4; Ella Wheeler 1 2-2 4; Jules Tropea 2 2-2 6; Yoyo Samayoa 5 0-2 13; Mia Klein 3 1-6 9; Gabby Tropea 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 15 5-12 40.
Bensalem (47) – Grace McShane 2 1-2 5; Talia DiMichele 5 2-3 14; Mikayla Donahue 1 0-0 3; Amber Howard 10 3-6 23; Peyton Miller 1 0-4 2; TOTALS 19 6-15 47.
3-point goals: CBS – Yoyo Samayoa 3, Mia Klein 2; Bensalem – Talia DiMichele 2, Mikayla Donahue.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 53, PENNRIDGE 38
Delaney McCaffery scored 21 points to lead the Indians to the impressive road win. Included in those 21 points was a perfect 8-for-8 effort at the foul line as well as three 3-pointers.
“This was a really good win tonight on the road and a great response coming off the tough loss Friday,” said Rock North coach Jack Kelly of his team’s 54-50 loss to Central Bucks South. “Tonight’s win is a reflection of our practice yesterday.
“The hard work Amelia Furman, Kayla Smith, Sasha Galarza, Frannie Boyle and Skyler Wright have been putting day in and day out doesn’t show up in the box score. But their play yesterday in replicating Pennridge was just exceptional, and it played a pivotal role in tonight’s success.”
The Indians – behind five points from McCaffery and four from Julia Koval – opened up a 14-7 lead after one quarter. McCaffery added seven points in the second quarter and Amara Arroyo had five, and the Indians extended their lead to 30-12 on their way to the big win.
Koval and Arroyo joined McCaffery in double figures as both players scored 10 points.
“Ultimately, we are proud of the commitment our players are making to get better,” Kelly said. “Julia Koval was not feeling 100 percent, but Julia, Ruth (O’Keeffe) and Delaney (McCaffery) did a tremendous job rebounding the basketball.
“Coach (Jason) Rapp does a great job of getting his players in position to score. (Ella) Brown is a great scorer, and (Abby) Huskin showed tonight she can too. However, I thought overall we were very connected defensively. Amara (Arroyo) did a great job of keeping their guards out of the lane, and Megan Reichenbach played her best defensive game of the season. Now we have to refocus our attention to getting better at practice tomorrow and preparing for Avon Grove.”
For the Lady Rams, Ella Brown’s 15 points led the way, and Abby Huskin added 14, which included four 3-pointers. Madison Lapp added seven points.
Council Rock North (5-7, 2-6 SOL) will travel to Avon Grove for a non-league game on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Pennridge (7-5, 3-5) will be on the road at Methacton for a non-league game Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Council Rock North 14-14-8-17 53
Pennridge 7-5-11-15 38
Council Rock North (53) – Julia Koval 4 2-2 10; Amara Arroyo 4 1-1 10; Delaney McCaffery 5 8-8 21; Megan Reichenback 1 2-2 4; Ruth O’Keeffe 1 2-4 4; Frannie Boyle 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 17 15-17 53.
Pennridge (38) – Ella Brown 5 4-5 15; Ava Fantaskey 0 0-2 0; Madison Lapp 2 0-2 7; Abby Huskin 5 0-0 14; Layla Verbit 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 14 4-9 38.
3-point goals: CRN – Delaney McCaffery 3, Amara Arroyo; Pennridge – Abby Huskin 4, Ella Brown, Madison Lapp.
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 50, WISSAHICKON 31
Sparked by the 20-point effort of Izzy Elizondo, the Lions led wire to wire on their way to the crossover win.
“I think this game was our best shooting effort of the year,” Lions’ coach Steve Polinsky said. “We shot the three ball well tonight.
“Izzy Elizondo played a great game for us once again. I really loved how Izzy played defense tonight, and we moved the ball really well.”
The Lions seized early control of the game, opening up an 18-4 lead after one quarter. Three players – Kayla Fennell, Emily Wilson and Samantha McAndrew – scored six points each with Wilson and McAndrew both burying a pair of 3-pointers in the frame. The Lions took a 31-9 lead into halftime and never looked back.
Included in Elizondo’s 20 points were four 3-pointers. Wilson added 11 points while McAndrew had nine on three 3s. Fennell finished with eight points.
“A big shout out to senior Samantha McAndrew who got her first start of the season,” Polinsky said. “She got us going in the first quarter and really had a nice overall game. I’m very happy for Sami.”
For the Trojans, Ava Stout finished in double figures with 10 points and also had four rebounds. Maura Jacob added six points on a pair of 3s. Ashley Klein had five points, seven rebounds and three blocks, and Kristen DiGiovanni had six rebounds to go along with four points.
New Hope-Solebury (6-5, 3-4 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Tuesday, and Wissahickon (2-10, 1-7) will travel to Bensalem for non-league game Saturday at noon.
New Hope-Solebury 18-13-11-8 50
Wissahickon 4-5-11-11 31
New Hope-Solebury (50) – Kayla Fennel 3 2-2 8; Isabella Elizondo 6 4-4 20; Emily Dudick 1 0-2 2; Samantha McAndrew 3 0-0 9; TOTALS 16 9-11 50.
Wissahickon (31) – Maura Jacob 2 0-0 6; Julia Lettieri 1 0-0 2; Kristen DiGiovanni 1 1-2 4; Skye Sydney 2 0-0 4; Ava Stout 4 0-0 10; Ashley Klein 2 1-6 5; Totals – 12 2-8 31.
3-point goals: NH-S – Izzy Elizondo 4, Samantha McAndrew 3, Emily Wilson 2; Wissahickon – Maura Jacob 2, Ava Stout 2, Kristen DiGiovani.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 36, SPRINGFIELD TWP 30
The Colonials opened up a 10-0 lead after one quarter, and the Spartans, who spent the rest of the game playing catchup, never could get over the hump.
PW connected on a pair of 3s in the 10-0 first quarter – one each by siblings Joslyn and Marissa Perez on their way to the early lead.
“Maybe it was the time – I’m not making excuses, but it was a four o’clock start,” Springfield coach Dave Giordano said. “But credit PW. As always, they played hard. They played pressing man-to-man defense full court. We had some opportunities in the first quarter, and we just didn’t take care of the ball the way we should.”
At halftime, the Colonials led 15-8 as the Spartans began to battle their way back into the game. It was a 22-16 game after three quarters. The Spartans kept it close, but the Colonials held on for their ninth win of the season.
AJ Avery’s 13 points – which included a 7-for-8 effort at the foul line – led the Colonials. Kenna Winland added nine points, and Joslyn Perez had eight.
For the Spartans, Keira Brandon’s 10 points led the way. Jayla Daniels added seven points.
“Dan Dougherty’s got a great program over there with those kids,” Giordano said. “They do a great job. We fought back. We cut it to seven at halftime. We kind of went back and forth in the second half. It was difficult to overcome being down 10-0, but they didn’t give up.
“We had the ball 32-30 with under two minutes and couldn’t convert. Credit to their defense as far as shutting down the people they needed to shut down and playing really, really aggressive, which they always do. We will get better by playing a team like that. That’s all we can do. We’ll turn the page.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-3, 6-2 SOL) will host William Tennent in a crossover game Tuesday, and Springfield Twp (6-6, 3-5 SOL) will host Abington on Tuesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 10-5-7-14 36
Springfield Twp 0-8-8-14 30
Plymouth Whitemarsh (36) – Joslyn Perez 3 0-2 8; AJ Avery 3 7-8 13; Kenna Winland 3 1-4 9; Eliza Meersman 0 3-7 3; Marissa Perez 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 10 11-21 36.
Springfield Twp (30) – Alana Decker 1 0-0 2; Hannah Brandon 1 0-0 2; Catlin Lewis 2 0-0 4; Jayla Daniels 3 0-0 7; Keira Brandon 5 0-0 10; Ava Culler 2 1-2 5; TOTALS 14 1-2 30.
3-point goals: PW – Joslyn Perez 2, Kenna Winland 2, Marissa Perez; Springfield Twp – Jayla Daniels.
Non-league
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 47, UPPER MORELAND 46
Alexis Castro is has come through in big moments on the soccer pitch.
In Thursday’s non-league game against the Golden Bears, the West senior displayed that same clutch play on the basketball court when – with her team trailing by one – she stepped to the foul line with five seconds remaining and buried a pair.
“Alexis made two huge foul shots, and Upper Moreland got the ball full-court – their girl number one (Mikel Lancit) can boogie, but we stayed hip to hip with her and forced a contested layup,” West coach Zach Sibel said.
The non-league win was in the books for the Bucks, who spent the day raining 3-pointers. All told, they connected on 12 shots from beyond the arc and just three from two-point range. Leading the charge was Peyton Cramer with five 3s while Scarlett Baumgardner had four.
“We got a huge game from Peyton Cramer, who has been steady eddy all year,” Sibel said. “She’s taking care of the ball, she’s gotten more confident, and she knocked down some really big shots for us tonight.
“It was really a great shooting night for her. It was awesome to see her make some shots, make some big shots in big moments.”
The Bucks found themselves on the short end of a 15-9 score after one quarter. Lianna Adames buried a pair of 3s and scored eight points in the quarter to lead the Golden Bears.
UM took a 22-15 lead into halftime.
“I thought we started out very flat,” Sibel said. “This is a group of kids that always defends and always brings it defensively, and I thought we were a little bit off our game in the first half defensively.
“It kind of left us in a position we were punching up, and we had to get some things going, so after a nice talk at halftime, the girls really stepped up, and that was the challenge for them.”
Cramer’s three 3-pointers in the first half kept the Bucks within striking distance, and they trimmed two points off UM’s lead in the third quarter. Cramer added two more 3s, and Baumgardner, who was scoreless in the first half, also had a pair of 3-pointers.
West closed out the game with an 18-12 fourth quarter that featured a whole lot of Baumgardner, who scored eight points in the frame, setting the stage for Castro’s clutch finish at the foul line.
“Scarlett Baumgardner struggled offensively in the first half but showed resilience in the second half and got some shots to fall, got her confidence back up and made some big plays,” Sibel said.
Cramer’s 15 points led the Bucks while Baumgardner added 14. Castro contributed six points.
“The tale of the tape for us is – some girls off the bench are really stepping up,” Sibel said. “Janelle Blokker came in and played some huge minutes and hit a big-time 3.
“Erica Madden has really made a name for herself this year – she took care of the ball and made some shots, and she had a huge steal to give us momentum. I think we were down six, and she had a big steal to get us down four and really gave us a puncher’s chance.”
Lancit’s 14 points led the Golden Bears while Holly Gohl had 12 – 10 in the second half. Adames added eight points while Marie Meyers and Lillian Hansen both had six points.
“You have to give Upper Moreland a lot of credit,” Sibel said. “They came in ready to play. They hit shots, they played their game and played it well. We were able to just hang in there and finish it up.
Central Bucks West (4-8, 2-5 SOL) will be on the road for a crossover game at Harry S Truman on Saturday at 11 a.m. Upper Moreland (8-5, 4-3) will host Quakertown on Friday.
Upper Moreland 15-7-12-12 46
Central Bucks West 9-6-14-18 47
Upper Moreland (46) – Mikel Lancit 6 1-2 14; Lianna Adames 3 0-2 8; Marie Meyers 2 1-2 6; Lillian Hansen 3 0-0 6; Holly Gohl 4 4-5 12; TOTALS 18 6-11 46.
Central Bucks West (47) – Gabi Senior 1 0-0 2; Erica Madden 2 0-0 5; Peyton Cramer 5 0-0 15; Alexis Castro 1 3-6 6; Gabby Reichner 0 2-2 2; Janelle Blokker 1 0-0 3; Scarlett Baumgardner 5 0-0 14; TOTALS 15 5-8 47.
3-point goals: UM – Lianna Adames 2, Mikel Lancit, Marie Meyers; CBW – Peyton Cramer 5, Scarlett Baumgardner 4, Erica Madden, Alexis Castro, Janelle Blocker.
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