Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Thursday.
American Conference
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 49, HATBORO-HORSHAM 38
Molly Dugan and her teammates breathed a sigh of relief after Thursday’s game was in the win column.
“It’s like a weight off our shoulders,” the Spartans’ senior captain said. “We’ve been calling this game the turning point of our season.
“After the rough loss to Wissahickon on Tuesday, which we were all really upset about, we said – the next game is going to be our turning point. We can either lose and struggle, or we can win and get some good momentum going into the rest of the season.
“I don’t think we’ve ever lost to Wissahickon since we’ve been in high school. It’s always been really tough defense between the two of us, and it’s always been so competitive and physical, and to come out with a loss in that one really hit us.”
“It was a wake-up call,” senior captain Jameson Krewson added. “There was no other option – we couldn’t lose. Like she said – it was the turning point for our season, and we really worked hard.”
Junior captain Siana Wynn – pointing at her fellow captains – had another reason for calling Thursday’s game a must-win.
“For these two, I definitely wouldn’t want another loss because they’re our two seniors,” she said. “We’ve already disappointed them enough, so we couldn’t let that happen.
“We made sure we worked really hard at practice yesterday because we knew we had to win this.”
The first half was a roller coaster for both squads. The Spartans broke a 5-5 tie by reeling off seven straight points that included five points from Grace Barraclough as well as a basket by Krewson. The Hatters came roaring back with an 11-0 run to go on top 16-12. Bergen Sims accounted for five of those points, and Katie Fisher capped the tear with back-to-back three-pointers, the first after a Sims steal. Dugan closed out the quarter with a drive to make it a 16-14 game.
In the opening minute of the second quarter, the Spartans knotted the score on a Rileigh Serroni basket after an offensive rebound, but five straight points from Bergen put the Hatters on top 21-16 at the 6:10 mark of the frame. The rest of the quarter belonged to the Spartans, who outscored their visitors 9-2 to go into halftime with a 25-23 lead. Barraclough had a pair of threes and seven points in the frame.
“Grace played beautifully tonight,” coach Bill Krewson said. “It was an all-around team win, but the really nice thing is when Grace is scoring, when Molly is scoring, when Mary Kate (Smith) is scoring, now who do you shut down.”
Dugan’s steal and layup to open the second half ignited an 8-0 run that put the Spartans on top 33-23 and included another Barraclough three.
“The last time we played them too, we came out really strong in the third quarter,” Dugan said. “That’s where we took our lead in both games, where we really were dominant. I think coming out strong after halftime was the difference.”
“Also, keeping our composure,” Wynn added. “We didn’t get down when they hit a shot. We didn’t get upset with each other. We just kept pushing it and put a shot right back.”
The Hatters pulled to within seven (37-30) on a basket by Lexie Brett, but Dugan answered with a three-point play to close out the quarter, sending the Spartans into the final quarter with a 40-30 lead.
“We really came together and communicated with each other, and it all worked out,” senior Jameson Krewson said.
Coach Krewson was pleased with the play of his point guard down the stretch.
“The big credit goes to Siana Wynn at the end,” he said. “I tell her all the time – the point guard has to take control of the game at the end, and she took control, didn’t let them trap her and kept the ball moving for us.”
On the other side of the court, coach Kathie Sims pointed to her team’s mental mistakes as a key factor in the loss.
“They were positive and they were feeling good, but once they do one or two things wrong, then everything collapses on us,” she said. “They’ve got to know – you’re going to make mistakes in the game, but you have to keep coming back and working. We fell apart.”
Bergen Sims led the Hatters with 11 points – 10 in the first half. Fisher added 10 points while Kylie Halko had seven.
“Specifically in this game, we did have a lot of turnovers,” said Bergen Sims. “I felt like we lost a little bit of focus. In the second half, we came out flat.
“I felt as though our shooting was lacking in the second half. We were hot in the first half, and in the second half, we didn’t really drive as much as we could have. We were living and dying on outside shots.”
Dugan led all scorers with 22 points, which included a 5-for-5 effort at the foul line. Barraclough added 17 points.
“Hopefully, this is the night where we turned the corner and start taking things the other way again,” coach Krewson said. “The one thing we did really well tonight and we didn’t against Wissahickon was we transitioned well. We went from one defense to the next defense to the next defense, which really helped us, but the number one thing is they played with joy and love for one another.”
Springfield (5-8, 3-5 SOL) will face Harry S Truman in Saturday’s SOL Challenge at Plymouth Whitemarsh at 5:30 p.m., and Hatboro-Horsham (4-10, 3-5) will face Central Bucks South at Central Bucks West at 11 a.m.
Hatboro-Horsham 16-7-7-8 38
Springfield 14-11-15-9 49
Hatboro-Horsham (38) – Bergen Sims 11, Julia Thornton 3, Kylie Halko 7, Lexie Brett 4, Katie Fisher 10, Sydney Kemp 3.
Springfield (49) – Molly Dugan 22, Jameson Krewson 2, Mary Kate Smith 3, Siena Wynn 3, Grace Barraclough 17, Rileigh Serroni 2.
National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 60, HARRY S TRUMAN 46
Sparked by nine points from Dana Bandurick and six from Mackenzie Tinner, the Indians raced out of the gate to a 24-12 lead after one quarter. The Tigers didn’t go down quietly, all but battling the Indians evenly the rest of the way.
“Truman is a different team this year,” said Rock North coach Lou Palkovics, whose team led 33-18 at halftime and took a 50-33 lead into the final quarter. “I give their coaches credit.
“They made good adjustments, and their kids played hard.”
Four North players finished the game in double figures. Mackenzie Tinner was a force at both ends of the floor, leading the Indians with 15 points, seven rebounds and seven blocked shots.
“Mackenzie was great,” Palkovics said.
Becca Margolis added 14 points while Dana Bandurick and Emily Mackin both added 11 points. Bandurick also had six rebounds and three steals, and Mackin had four steals and four assists.
The hard-fought defensive battle saw the teams whistled for a combined 41 fouls with 24 of those assessed to the Indians. In the fourth quarter, the Indians buried 6-of-8 shots from the foul line while the Tigers connected on just 3-of-13.
Sophomore Alexis McCoy led the Tigers with 11 points and five rebounds. Daisha Campbell had nine points and two assists. Daeja Moore and Sabria Lytes both had eight points. Lytes had a game-high 12 rebounds while Moore also had four steals and two assists. Jayda Campbell added six points, and Roneisha James had six rebounds.
Council Rock North (9-2, 6-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the SOL Challenge, and Harry S Truman (7-4, 1-4) will face Springfield at Plymouth Whitemarsh at 5:30 p.m.
Council Rock North 24-9-17-10 60
Harry S Truman 12-6-15-13 46
Council Rock North (60) – Becca Margolis 14, Camryn Polinsky 5, Sydney Blum 2, Emily Mackin 11, Dana Bandurick 11, Kaelin Mealy 2, Mackenzie Tinner 15.
Harry S Truman (46) – Daeja Moore 8, Daisha Campbell 9, Jayda Campbell 6, Roneisha James 2, Briana Cliney 2, Alexis McCoy 11, Sabria Lytes 8.
PENNBURY 36, BENSALEM 26
Sydney Buell scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Falcons to their first conference win. Kate Mix added nine points.
For the Owls, Haley Keenan’s seven points led the way. Chloe Munyon added six.
Pennsbury (4-6, 1-4 SOL) will face William Tennent at Tennent in Saturday’s SOL Challenge at 7 p.m. Bensalem (2-11, 0-6) will travel to Quakertown to take on the Panthers on their home court Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Bensalem (26) – Haley Keenan 7, Chloe Munyon 6, Sydney Bawauh 5, Alayna McSeed 5, Michela Sit 3.
Pennsbury (36) – Danielle Cady 2, Kate Mix 9, Mary Miller 2, Sydney Buell 18, Meredith Webber 5.
ABINGTON 51, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 38
The Ghosts opened up a 19-12 lead on their way to a 31-19 halftime advantage. They outscored their visitors 20-16 in the second half.
Lizzie O’Leary and Jordyn Allen led a balanced attack with 10 points each. Tamia Wessels and Sam Brusha both added eight points while Kassondra Brown had six.
Wessels gave the Ghosts a big lift when point guard Britney James got in early foul trouble and eventually fouled out.
“Tamia Wessels did a phenomenal job today – I gave her the imaginary game ball,” said coach Dan Marsh. “She came in and did a good job of guarding number 11 (Payton Spadaccino). I was really happy with the way Tamia ran our team.
“Council Rock South didn’t quit. We were up 20 a couple of times in the game, and they fought hard. They made us earn the victory. I was proud that we had to fight through a little bit of adversity.”
Spadaccino led all scorers with 15 points while Faith Turner added 11.
Both squads will compete in Saturday’s SOL Challenge. Abington (8-4, 4-2 SOL) will face Pennridge at Central Bucks West at 1 p.m., and Council Rock South (6-7, 3-3) will face Souderton at William Tennent at 3 p.m.
Council Rock South 8-11-5-14 38
Abington 19-12-10-10 51
Council Rock South (38) – Payton Spadaccino 15, Emma Jones 2, Allison McGowan 2, Faith Turner 11, Hannah Binder 5, India Mayo 3.
Abington (51) – Britney James 2, Camryn Lexow 4, Lizzie O’Leary 10, Tamia Wessels 8, Kassondra Brown 6, Miranda Liebtag 3, Jordyn Alen 10, Sam Brusha 8.
About the Author
