Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Thursday. PW/Springfield photos provided courtesy of Richard Owens Photography. North Penn/CR South photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for galleries of both games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f884733941
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 74, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 25
Abby Sharpe added her name to the illustrious list of 1,000-point scorers in Plymouth Whitemarsh program history, burying three straight foul shots in the first quarter of Thursday night’s contest. The third vaulted her to the prestigious milestone.
“I’m so happy for her,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said of Sharpe, who entered the game needing just five points. “She is a true testament to a kid that has just worked on her game every year and is truly an elite, elite scorer. It’s also a testament to her character.
“As talented as she is, she didn’t start her first two years – played a lot but didn’t start. In this day and age of ‘me first, transfer out,’ she didn’t. Now she has a state title, All-American, 1000 points and leaves a legacy of how to conduct yourself for the next generation.”
Sharpe finished with 24 points while teammate Erin Daley added a game high 33, which included five 3-pointers.
Only eight players dressed for the Colonials.
“Our depleted team played hard throughout,” Dougherty said. “Any time we started to let up, the game would get too physical, and we had to turn it back up again. Seven of eight kids scored.”
The Colonials, who led 17-7 after one quarter, took a 41-9 lead into halftime on their way to the win.
For the Spartans, Alana Decker led the way with 15 points, which included a pair of 3-pointers.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (12-2, 8-1 SOL) will travel to William Tennent on Tuesday, and Springfield Township (3-9, 0-9) will be on the road at Abington Tuesday.
Springfield Township 7-2-7-9 25
Plymouth Whitemarsh 17-24-15-18 74
Springfield Twp (25) – Alana Decker 5 2-2 15; Hannah Brandon 2 0-0 4; Grace Daily 2 0-2 4; Ashley Jenkins 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 10 2-4 25.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (74) – Azzy Crumpton 3 0-2 6; McKenna Winland 2 0-0 5; Haley O’Hara 0 1-2 1; Erin Daley 14 0-1 33; Abby Sharpe 9 3-4 24; Joslyn Perez 1 1-3 3; Quinn Daley 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 30 5-12 74.
3-point goals: Springfield – Alana Decker 3; PW – Erin Daley 5, Abby Sharpe 3, McKenna Winland.
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
NORTH PENN 50, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 45
Caleigh Sperling continued her streak of torrid offensive performances, putting up 24 points on the heels of her 29-point performance on Tuesday.
“She’s really taken a step forward,” North Penn coach Bri Cullen said. “She’s playing unselfish basketball, which is opening her up to a lot more opportunities.
“She’s added layers to her game. She’s found more of an inside game, and she’s finding ways to get her teammates involved down the stretch. She’s taking a leadership role, knowing when to step back and when to be aggressive.”
The game came down to the wire and was a 3-point game until the North Penn’s Cam Crowley buried a pair at the foul line with less than a second remaining.
“Council Rock did not give up at any point,” Cullen said. “They stuck with it until the last minute.”
Thursday’s game marked the return to the lineup of senior Abby Plaugher, who was sidelined after suffering an injury in the Knights’ game at Pennsbury last week.
“When she was out, it gave an opportunity for a few girls to earn some minutes, which is beneficial because now we can go a little bit deeper on the bench.”
The two teams were deadlocked 26-26 at halftime. Sperling’s 12 points led the Knights, who also received eight second-quarter points from Olivia Stone. For the Golden Hawks, Lil Metrick scored eight in the second quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers. Katie Purpura and Karissa Smedley both added five points in the first half.
The Knights edged their hosts 8-7 in the third quarter to go into the final quarter with a 34-33 advantage. Sperling scored six of her team’s points, and Plaugher put her name in the scorebook with a big basket.
The Knights – benefitting from 15 trips to the foul line in the final quarter– outscored the Hawks 16-12 in the fourth. Sperling had six points – four at the foul line, and Stone was 3-for-4 at the line.
“Liv Stone played a really, really hard game,” Cullen said. “We’ve consistently been putting her on the toughest matchups, and tonight she was able to complete her defensive assignment but also was an offensive threat, which is something we were missing from her.”
Stone also finished in double figures with 11 points, and Crowley added six.
For the Golden Hawks, Smedley (11 points) and Metrick (10 points) both finished in double figures while Lily Bross added six.
North Penn (6-6, 5-4 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin for a non-league contest Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Council Rock South (8-3, 6-3) will be on the road at Pennridge on Tuesday.
North Penn 10-16-8-16 50
Council Rock South 14-12-7-12 45
North Penn (50) – Cam Crowley 2 2-2 6; Caleigh Sperling 8 6-11 24; Kelly Donnelly 1 0-0 2; Liv Stone 3 3-4 11; Tallie Smink 1 0-0 3; Abby Plaugher 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 17 11-18 50.
Council Rock South (45) – Lil Metrick 3 2-2 10; Lily Bross 2 1-2 6; Katie Purpura 2 0-0 5; Cam Gregory 2 0-0 4; Fiona Reckner 2 1-3 7; Karissa Smedley 5 1-4 11; Darcy Leight 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 17 5-11 45.
3-point goals: NP – Caleigh Sperling 2, Liv Stone 2, Tallie Smink; CRS – Lil Metrick 2, Fiona Reckner 2, Lily Bross, Katie Purpura.
Non-league
UPPER MORELAND 36, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 33
Mikel Lancit was clutch when it mattered most, burying a corner 3 as time expired to break a 33-33 tie and propel the Golden Bears to the heartstopping win.
It was not the play coach Matt Carroll diagrammed during a timeout after West’s Katie Finnan knotted the score, but the veteran coach didn’t mind a bit.
“In the timeout, we wanted Holly (Gohl) to set a pick for EmmyFaith (Wood) but jump out, assuming they would try to double to get the ball out of her hands,” Carroll said. “EmmyFaith made a great pass to Holly, but West rotated nicely. Holly ball faked and threw a pass to the corner to Mikel, who was open because of a great screen by Allie (LaRocco). Mikel caught it with confidence and drilled it as time expired.
“I couldn’t be happier that Mikel was the one to make that shot. She’s a great kid and an amazing teammate and she more than deserves her shining moment. CB West is a really tough team, and their record doesn’t really show how good they are. They’ve been handed a fair share of injuries, and they’re going to be a tough game for any team they face the rest of the season and playoffs. I’m glad we survived our battle with them tonight.”
When the Golden Bears took a 17-8 lead into halftime, they appeared to be in command.
“We just really, really defended them – we could not have played better defense,” Carroll said. “Mikel Lancit was covering (Tai) Henkels and really made life difficult for her. Allie LaRocco was covering (Alexis) Castro and really did a great job of keeping her off the boards the first half. Holly (Gohl) had good help defense as always.
“Holding West to eight points with the players they have was really impressive, but we knew it wasn’t going to last for four quarters. We told the girls at halftime – ‘They’re going to go on a run, they’re going to come back.’ We actually told them – ‘You’re probably going to need 35 points to win this game. They’re too good to not make shots.’
“They started to chip away, chip away, chip away. They turned up the pressure a little more. We had a hard time running our offense the second half. They were pretty physical with us, the refs were letting them play on both ends. It was a pretty physical game. It was fun to watch actually.”
The teams exchanged baskets in the third quarter, and the Golden Bears took a 26-16 lead into the final quarter when the Bucks came roaring back. West’s Katie Finnan scored all eight of her points in the second half, including a basket to knot the score 33 all with 17 seconds remaining. That set the stage for Lancit’s last-second heroics.
“Finnan decided to take over and we really didn’t have any answers for her,” Carroll said. “The last couple minutes seemed like we continued to stay up 1-3 points. They cut it to one late and Alyssa (Wiley) got fouled and sank both free throws.
“West came back and scored and then fouled EmmyFaith who also made both free throws. To make those free throws under that stress says a lot about the resilience of those two. To be up 10-plus and to see the lead evaporate would make a lot of people wilt under the pressure.
“We kept them at arm’s length up until the fourth quarter and then they really attacked. I kind of left my starters out to dry by not subbing enough. They were exhausted by the end of the game, and I could’ve helped them out a little better throughout the game.”
Wood’s 11 points led the Golden Bears while Gohl added 11. Lancit finishes with seven and the game’s biggest basket.
“It was the tale of two halves as far as the game went, but it was the Mikel Lancit game when it was all said and done,” Carroll said. “The defensive effort she displayed against Henkels was really good. Henkels is a really solid player and a lights-out shooter. And then Mikel made the biggest shot for UM Girls basketball in the seven years I’ve been here.”
For the Bucks, Ava Longo’s nine points, which included two 3s, all came in the second half. Finnan and Gabi Senior added eight points each.
Upper Moreland (11-1, 7-1 SOL) will travel to Quakertown on Friday, and Central Bucks West (5-7, 4-4) will host Harry S Truman Friday.
Central Bucks West 6-2-8-17 33
Upper Moreland 9-8-9-10 36
Central Bucks West (33) – Gabi Senior 3 1-4 8; Tai Henkels 1 2-2 4; Katie Finnan 3 1-2 8; Alexis Castro 1 0-2 2; Ava Longo 3 1-2 9; Gabby Reichner 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 12 5-13 33.
Upper Moreland (36) – Mikel Lancis 2 1-3 7; Alyssa Wiley 1 2-4 4; EmmyFaith Wood 4 5-8 14; Holly Gohl 4 0-0 11; TOTALS 11 8-15 36.
3-point goals: CBW – Ava Longo 2, Gabi Senior, Katie Finnan; UM – Holly Gohl 3, Mikel Lancir 2, EmmyFaith Wood.
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