Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. Abington/Lower Moreland photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. William Tennent/Hatboro-Horsham photos courtesy of Dan Beck. Check back for galleries of both games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f913170668
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
UPPER DUBLIN 64, CHELTENHAM 30
Talk about perfect scripts – this was it.
Entering Friday’s home game, Amy Ngo needed 20 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone. Certainly a doable number for the senior sharpshooter, but no one could have imagined that Ngo would score the historic basket with more than six minutes still remaining in the first half, but that’s exactly what happened.
“She missed her first shot and then made 11 of her next 12,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “She scored her 20th point with 6:14 still to go in the second quarter.
“With 4:06 to go in the second quarter, she had 26 points on 12 shots on 10-for-12 from the field. This is a storybook type ending, for sure. All the attention and accolades she’s getting is totally deserved because of the type of kid, the type of teammate and the type of person she is.”
The accomplishment is also a tribute to an athlete who not only had a COVID-shortened freshman season but lost four games her sophomore year and 15 her junior year after suffering a devastating knee injury during district play.
The groundwork for the historic night was laid two nights earlier when UD travelled to Upper Moreland with Ngo needing 35 points to reach the milestone
“She had a good first half and had 10 points, and we were up by 28,” Funsten said. “I don’t regret telling her and the team at a time when we were up 28 that I wanted to get Amy the ball as much as possible, and I wanted her to play a little different than how we had been playing and just try to get her comfortably there and to set her up for tonight.
“It was very awkward in the fourth quarter at Upper Moreland with her doing that. She did not feel comfortable, and she missed some shots and needed 20 points tonight, certainly something she’s capable of doing, but it’s not an easy thing to do.”
Unless, that is, you’re capable of having a night like Ngo had on Friday.
“It reminded me of Wissahickon last year,” Funsten said of a game that saw Ngo connect on 11 of 11 shots for 31 points in a brilliant offensive outing. “We were a little nervous – we had a home game tonight, and our next game was away. We really wanted her to get it at home
“A lot of her past coaches and family were in attendance just in case she was able to score 20 tonight. To score 26 points in the first 12 minutes of the game is just insane, but it was totally natural, there was no forced anything. She had a few assists also mixed in. It was not the type of thing where we were feeding her over and over again.”
Appropriately, it was a pass from her sister, point guard Megan Ngo, that set up the basket that vaulted her to the milestone.
“It was a backdoor layup with a backdoor pass from Megan,” Funsten said. “It was perfect. They’ve connected on a couple of those in the past. It was a great, great night.”
Ngo and twins Brighid and Nora Brady are the lone seniors on this year’s squad.
“The Brady twins and Amy combined have put so much time into their games over the years,” Funsten said. “I talked to the team in the locker room about how special this senior class is with the type of role models who show what it takes to be successful.
“I feel so lucky to have this type of team this year and the leadership on the team. It sets the program up for future success because of the example they set.”
*****
Amy Ngo wasn’t the only Cardinal to have a big night in Friday’s win. Freshman Tamia Clark had a monster game of her own.
“She had a double-double – 17 points and 16 rebounds, and she was a big part of our success,” Funsten said. “She had a double-double in the first half alone.”
Clark had 11 of her 17 points in the first half and owned the backboards.
In the first quarter, Ngo set the tone for a remarkable offensive performance with 16 points – which included four 3-pointers, propelling the Cardinals to a 25-9 lead. By halftime, the Cardinals had 51 points on the scoreboard on their way to their 13th win in 14 games.
“Our team shot 67 percent from the field in the first half,” Funsten said. “It was an efficient night offensively and definitely an emotional night and a special night and a very deserving celebration for Amy. Her teammates were very excited, and you would expect that because she’s a great teammate herself.”
In addition to scoring 26 points, Ngo had four steals, three assists and one block. Clark had a team-high three blocks. Megan Ngo added seven points and dished out nine assists.
For the Lady Panthers, Paige Powell led the way with 13 points while Jiah Price added nine points, and Maya Simmons had six.
“It was a disappointing effort tonight but another chance to learn,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said. “UD is a great team for a reason, and we want to get there sooner than later.
“Congrats to Amy Ngo on reaching 1000 points. Coming back from injury and reaching that milestone is impressive.
“We now focus on our next eight games and seeing if we can play consistent basketball.”
Upper Dublin (13-1, 9-0 SOL) will travel to New Hope-Solebury for a crossover game Tuesday, and Cheltenham (6-8, 2-6) will be on the road at Quakertown Tuesday.
Cheltenham 9-7-13-1 30
Upper Dublin 25-26-4-9 64
Cheltenham (30) – Jiah Price 4 1-1 9; Paige Powell 5 2-5 13; Maya Simmons 2 2-4 6; Arianna Davis 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 12 5-10 30.
Upper Dublin (64) – Brighid Brady 1 0-0 3; Bridget DiMartile 1 1-2 3; Makayla Keyes 1 0-0 2; Maeve Hogan 1 0-0 3; Megan Ngo 2 2-2 7; Tamia Clark 6 5-6 17; Amy Ngo 10 1-3 26; Nora Brady 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 23 9-13 64.
3-point goals: Cheltenham – Paige Powell; UD – Amy Ngo 5, Brighid Brady, Maeve Hagan, Megan Ngo, Nora Brady.
WILLIAM TENNENT 58, HATBORO-HORSHAM 38
The Panthers hadn’t forgotten.
How one year ago almost to the day, they took a double-digit lead into the fourth quarter of their game at Hatboro-Horsham and wound up losing 52-46. If they were looking for revenge, the Panthers certainly got it in Friday’s rematch, opening up a commanding
lead after one quarter and never looking back.
“It was a fun matchup,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “(H-H coach) Eric Glemser was an assistant at Wood when I played there, so anytime we get to coach against each other – it’s always fun, a little rivalry.
“He’s had the advantage the last two years of beating us. There might have been a little bit of revenge going into tonight because last year we were up 11 to start the fourth quarter, and we kind of collapsed. Give them credit – they fought back and ended up beating us.
“Definitely, going into this game, there was still a little sour taste in your mouth from last year. We really wanted to come out and play well. I was proud of our girls for being able to do that.”
Behind seven points from both Avery Kocur and Morgan Volz, the Panthers raced out of the gate to a 22-4 lead after one quarter.
“We had a big first quarter,” Whitney said. “We came out really strong. The girls really bought into the defensive game plan and were very
disciplined. I thought we did a good job early on of forcing someone else besides (Kitty) Randa and (Maddy) Patel to beat us.
“Offensively, we came out with a lot of poise and were able to get some easy transition baskets and even in the halfcourt ,moving the ball well, getting some good shots, and obviously, being able to hit open shots was big for us to get that early lead.”
At halftime, the Panthers led 33-14. Halie Staub led the way with 12 first-half points, which included a perfect 8-for-8 at the foul line. She finished the game connecting on 11 of 13 at the foul line and shared team scoring honors with 17 points.
“I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t start the second and third quarters as strong,” Whitney said. “We kind of got a little bit away from our game plan and let Hatboro-Horsham hang around or get back in the game. I was really pleased with how they closed out both the second and third quarters.
“We really have been playing team basketball the last four or five games, getting contributions from everyone. Some of the contributions don’t always show up in the box score, but everyone’s understanding what their role is, and they’re coming in and getting the job done for us.”
Kocur shared team scoring honors with Staub, finishing with 17 points.
“Avery has been so impressive in her sophomore season and has shown such maturity as a player,” Whitney said. “She has had some incredible games already,
but this may have been the best game of her career so far. She was all over the court and impacted the game at both ends of the floor. She recorded eight blocks tonight to go along with her 17 points.”
Morgan Volz also finished in double figures with 11 points while Ella Mednick added seven.
“Morgan had one of her best performances of the season,” Whitney said. “She was active offensively and played with great balance. She recorded four blocks to go along with her 11 points.
“Overall, it was a great team win. We have a tough week next week with PW and Abington, and I’m really hoping we can keep the momentum and finish the last few weeks strong and see where we stand and see if we can possibly get ourselves in the playoffs. It’s definitely a goal. There’s still a lot of basketball to be played, and we’re hoping we can keep it going.”
For the Hatters, Kitty Randa (15 points) and Maddy Patel (11 points) led the way.
William Tennent (7-7, 5-4 SOL) will be on the road for a crossover game at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday, and Hatboro-Horsham (5-9, 2-6) will host Upper Moreland on Tuesday.
Extra points: Audio difficulties prior to the game resulted in a show of unity by the two squads. “We had a little trouble with the audio playing the National Anthem,” Whitney said. “It sounded like the players from Hatboro-Horsham started singing first, and then our girls chimed in and everyone else in the stands. It was really a neat moment. The funny thing is – our girls from Tennent are always singing the National Anthem on the bus when we get back. It’s kind of their thing. A couple of the seniors said recently – I think they were kind of joking, but they were saying, ‘Maybe on Senior Night – we’ll sing the National Anthem,’ so it was like – ‘Girls, you got your moment tonight.’ It was really kind of neat.”
Hatboro-Horsham 4-10-14-10 38
William Tennent 22-11-14-11 58
Hatboro-Horsham (38) – Angelica Visceglia 2 0-0 4; Kitty Randa 6 2-2 15; Maddy Patel 5 0-0 11; Madison Duggan 1 1-2 3; Madison Siegfried 2 0-0 4; Natalie Linn 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 16 4-6 38.
William Tennent (58) – Sofia Jakimoski 0 0-4 0; Ella Mednick 3 0-0 7; Avery Kocur 7 0-0 17; Halie Staub 2 11-13 17; Jess Whisler 1 0-1 2; Megan Volz 1 2-4 4; Morgan Volz 5 0-0 11; TOTALS 19 13-22 58.
3-point goals: H-H – Kitty Randa, Maddy Patel; WT – Avery Kocur 3, Halie Staub 2, Ella Mednick, Morgan Volz.
ABINGTON 55, LOWER MORELAND 30
Sarah Oleary scored 13 of her team-high 15 points in a dominant first-half performance, propelling the Ghosts to a 48-13 halftime lead on their way to the decisive win.
“We came out focused today, and we played great,” Abington coach Allison Lawson said. “Sarah had a great game, capitalizing on her height advantage and finishing
around the rim. Our guards played great attacking the rim and finding the open player.”
The 5-11 Oleary – who also had seven rebounds – set the tone for the contest with eight points in the first quarter. Piper McGinley added six points in the frame, and the Ghosts led 23-6 after one quarter. In the second quarter, Mikiaya Durham had the hot hand, scoring 10 points while Oleary added five.
Also for the Ghosts, Durham contributed 12 points and five assists while Zyn McClain had seven poionts – all in the first half. Piper McGinley added six points and five assists. Point guard Maya Johnson had eight assists and four rebounds, and Jordyn Reynolds had six assists in a contest that saw nine Abington players put their names in the scoring column.
Friday’s win snapped an impressive seven-game winning streak for the SOL Freedom Division leading Lions.
“Before the game when we listed the keys to the game, the top three were Poise, Poise and Poise,” LM coach Rich Becker said. “Unfortunately, we failed on all three counts. I’d like to be able to say that had Bri McFerran not been out with the flu or had Dani not picked up two fouls in the first two minutes we’d have been more competitive, but the fact is it was one of those games.
“I think the game was 7-7 when Dani had to take a seat due to early fouls, a few minutes later it was 18-7, and we were never able to get back into it. This was the first game all year that our freshmen showed their
inexperience. Abington did a nice job of getting us out of our rhythm and we did not respond the way we would have liked to.
“At halftime, we told the girls that the fact that they were appropriately embarrassed and angry at how they played was good and the challenge was to react the right way and to take away something positive into the second half. Even though the game was well out of reach at that point, we were encouraged that they played together the second half and continued to compete and showed some pride. Hopefully, this was just a bump in the road and it’s something that we can build off of moving forward.”
Brusha’s 12 points – 11 after the break – led the Lions. Mollie Martin added six points.
Abington (9-2, 7-1 SOL) will travel to George School for a non-league game on Saturday at 3 p.m., and Lower Moreland (8-4, 6-2) will host Wissahickon in a crossover game Tuesday.
Lower Moreland 6-7-11-6 30
Abington 23-25-2-5 55
Lower Moreland (30) – Dani Brusha 3 4-6 12; Amelia Brown 1 0-0 2; Sydney Santora 1 0-4 2; Mollie Martin 3 0-0 6; Emma DiJoseph 2 0-0 4; Nikki Sahl 1 1-4 3; Mady Rossiter 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 12 5-14 30.
Abington (55) – Maya Johnson 1 0-0 3; Harper McGinley 1 0-0 3; Kyla Day 0 2-2 2; Mikiaya Durham 5 0-2 12; Jordyn Reynolds 2 0-0 4; Piper McGinley 2 1-2 6; Sarah Oleary 7 1-2 15; Zyn McClain 3 1-4 7; Aniyah Williams 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 22 5-12 55.
3-point goals: LM – Dani Brusha 2; Abington – Mikiaya Durham 2, Maya Johnson, Harper McGinley, Piper McGinley, Aniyah Williams.
UPPER MORELAND 48, QUAKERTOWN 8
Ten players contributed scoring for the Golden Bears, led by Lianna Adames and Mikel Lancit who combined for 22 points.
“It was nice to see the girls bounce back from a tough loss to CB West last night,” UM coach Josh Adelman said. “It was great to get many girls that have been working so hard in practice into the game and to watch them contribute in a varsity game.”
Adames – who had three 3-pointers – led a balanced UM attack with 12 points while Lancit added 10. Molly Meakim had six points.
Charlie Clements, Maggie Brophy and Hailey Kramer each scored their first varsity points in Friday’s game.
Truly Heft’s four points led the shorthanded Panthers.
Upper Moreland (9-5, 4-3 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham for a crossover game on Tuesday, and Quakertown (1-13, 0-9) will host Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Quakertown 2-2-0-4 8
Upper Moreland 19-13-10-6 48
Quakertown (8) – Ambri Dager 1 0-0 2; Carli Maha 0 0-2 0; Maeve Henry 1 0-0 2; Truly Heft 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 4 0-2 8.
Upper Moreland (48) – Mikel Lancit 4 1-1 10; Lianna Adames 4 1-2 12; Marie Meyers 1 0-0 2; Lilly Hansen 2 0-0 4; Olivia Meakim 1 0-0 3; Molly Meakim 2 1-2 6; Makaila Allen 2 1-1 5; Charlie Clements 1 0-0 3; Maggie Brophy 1 0-0 2; Hailey Kramer 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 18 5-8 48.
3-point goals: UM – Lianna Adames 3, Mikel Lancit, Olivia Meakim, Molly Meakim, Charlie Clements.
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
NORTH PENN 44, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 42
The Golden Hawks appeared to be in command.
Midway through the third quarter, Katie Purpura buried a 3-pointer to cap a 13-4 run out of halftime that gave the Golden Hawks a seemingly comfortable 36-23 lead.
“I just felt like we weren’t finding open shots, and we needed more composure because they were high pressure,” NP point guard Cameron Crowley said. “We needed to keep our composure, get into an offense and set it back up because we just couldn’t find the right shot.”
The Knights proved to be remarkably resilient. They allowed their visitors just six points the rest of the way and staged a gutsy comeback to eke out the hard-fought win, delighting the large Community Night crowd in attendance.
“We adjusted our offense a little bit,” North Penn coach Bri Cullen said. “(Rock South) just came very well prepared. That’s something that we’ve seen all year – very well-coached teams constantly.
“Cameron (Crowley) really took the game over, so that helps. The biggest piece was when you start hitting shots – obviously, the game turns around a little bit, and our defense started to fuel our offense a little bit.”
The Knights broke the Hawks’ run when Kelly Donnelly scored on a drive, and then – after back-to-back-to-back misses – Lilly Brown scored on a putback. By the time the quarter had ended, the Knights had pulled to within seven, 38-31.
Crowley opened the fourth quarter by burying a 3-pointer, and after a Caleigh Sperling steal, Crowley scored after pulling down an offensive rebound. Just like that, the Hawks’ lead was trimmed to 38-36.
A bucket by Sperling knotted the score, but Fiona Reckner answered with a driving basket at the other end. Sperling scored the equalizer, and after a Rock South miss, Crowley –
– who measures in at 5-6 but wasn’t afraid to mix it up under the basket – scored on another putback to give the Knights a 42-40 lead midway through the quarter.
“In practice, we do a lot of crash the boards, box out drills, so everyone goes hard and pushes each other in practice, and I felt that showed in the game,” Crowley said.
Neither team scored during a wild three-minute span that was broken when Donnelly connected on 1 of 2 at the foul line with 1:25 remaining. Kathryn O’Kane scored on a drive at the other end to make it a 43-42 game.
The final minute saw both teams misfire on two-shot opportunities at the foul line. Olivia Stone came up with a well-timed blocked shot and then – with 4.8 seconds remaining – connected on 1 of 2 at the foul line for the 44-42 final
“The crowd had our backs with all the free throws,” Crowley said. “It was the end of the game and the pressure.”
The Knights were an uncharacteristic 2 for 6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.
“We’re shooting 80-something percent from the foul line for the year, but it’s tough,” Cullen said. “You have a high-pressure game, go the line, and it just happens that way.”
Friday’s crossover game figured to be a high-scoring game between two teams who like to get up and down the court. The Knights came into the contest averaging over 55 points a game. Take away a pair of mid-December losses, and the Golden Hawks were averaging close to 54 points a game.
The respective defenses, however, were the story of this one.
“We are proud of how our girls defended and rebounded for the majority of the game and that put us in position to win,” Rock South coach Jesse Krasna said. “Cam Gregory drew the difficult assignment of guarding Caleigh Sperling.
“Caleigh is such a tough, smart and skilled player who can beat you in so many different ways, but Cam really battled and made it difficult to get an easy look.”
Crowley’s 14 points led the Knights, and Stone added 10 while Sperling was held to nine points. Brown had six points.
“North Penn is a terrific team, and they clawed their way back into the game late in the third quarter,” Krasna said. “They came up with some big putbacks in the second half and hit key shots down the stretch to swing the momentum in their favor and take the lead in the fourth quarter. We tried switching our defenses late in the game but weren’t able to stop the bleeding, and ultimately, the second chance points is what did us in.
“They have a lot of skilled and athletic players and Coach Cullen gets them playing with great chemistry, so it’s hard to key on one specific girl because the others are ready to step up. Point guard Cameron Crowley sat behind a ball screen and knocked down a dagger three in the fourth. She hit another shot in the corner with one of our defenders all over her. That kid is fun to watch. Freshman Lily Brown was also so impressive. She plays with a ton of confidence, is so explosive and attacks the rim without fear.”
For the Golden Hawks, Reckner’s nine points led the way. O’Kane and Liliana Metrick each had eight while Gregor had seven.
“The good news is we were right there, and all we have to do is make one more play to change the outcome,” Krasna said. “We are improving and still have lots of room for growth, so we are excited about that. I think this loss is only going to help us in the long run.”
North Penn (9-2, 7-1 SOL) will play Haverford in a non-league game in the Hoops for Hope Tournament at Arcadia University on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Council Rock South (8-4, 5-3) will host Pennridge in a crossover game Tuesday.
Council Rock South 13-10-13-6 42
North Penn 12-7-12-13 44
North Penn (44) – Cameron Crowley 6 1-4 14; Caleigh Sperling 4 1-1 9; Lilly Brown 3 0-0 6; Kelly Donnelly 2 1-2 5; Olivia Stone 2 5-6 10; TOTALS 17 8-13 44.
Council Rock South (42) – Liliana Metrick 3 1-2 8; Miranda Cantor 2 0-0 5; Katie Purpura 2 0-0 5; Kathryn O’Kane 3 2-4 8; Camryn Gregory 3 1-2 7; Fiona Reckner 4 0-2 9; TOTALS 17 4-10 42.
3-point goals: CRS –Liliana Metrick, Miranda Cantor, Katie Purpura, Fiona Reckner. NP – Cameron Crowley, Olivia Stone.
NESHAMINY 61, SOUDERTON 43
Sparked by the 17-point efforts of Alena Cofield and Reese Zemitis, the Redskins – who led by six at the break – put 37 points on the board in the second half on their way to the crossover road win.
“This was a good win for us after being off since last Friday,” Neshaminy coach John Donnelly said. “It has been a weird week with the rainout on Tuesday and then practice time and sites being changed based upon the Tuesday rain.
“I heard Reese tell the team on the bus ride home we should write off this week due to the peculiarities of the week.”
The Redskins – behind seven points from Cofield – took a 24-18 lead into halftime. Brooke Fenchel’s 10 points led the Indians.
Neshaminy erupted for 20 points in the third quarter with Zemitis scoring seven while Cofield and Ava Irizarry both had five.
For the game, Cofield not only had 17 points but also shared the team lead with nine rebounds and led the Redskins with four assists and four steals.
“Alena Cofield was the sparkplug for us tonight as she stood out as our most outstanding player on both ends of the floor,” Gallagher said.
Zemitis finished with 17 points and nine boards as well as two assists and four blocked shots.
“Our interior defense is being led by Reese who has a wonderful skill of blocking shots without fouling,” Gallagher said. “She is so smart in this aspect of her game it is often overlooked due to her offensive skills. Reese has improved with ability to guard the ball on the perimeter and stabilize us on the inside.”
Irizarry added 11 points – seven in the second half. Grace Weyler contributed seven points. Lola Ibarrondo had three steals.
“Getting three players in double figures and Reese or Lola not being two of them was notable,” Gallagher said. “This has been a welcome addition to our team since our Tampa trip.
“We were also helped by huge contributions off the bench from Mia Raivitch, Grace Weyler and sophomore Erin Dougherty. I turned to Erin early in the third to give her a heads up I was going to go to her and she needed to focus on minutes she might not have anticipated. She gave us very good defense and a welcome maturity with the ball.
“Ashlyn Duffy kicked off the game by getting three offensive rebounds in the first two minutes of the game getting us extra possessions early in the game.”
For the Indians, Fenchel led the way with 12 points. Madison Bealer added eight points while Kiera Fadden and Emily Dick both had six points.
“Souderton is very young with Brooke Fenchel giving them senior leadership,” Gallagher said. “I would think that this Souderton team is not the same from December. The poise the younger team members played with was impressive, and Lynn (Carroll) has them executing at both ends.”
Neshaminy (9-3, 7-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks East in a crossover game on Tuesday, and Souderton (3-10 1-7) will face Villa Maria Academy in a non-league game Sunday at the Hoops for Hope Tournament at Arcadia University at 5:25 p.m.
Neshaminy 10-14-20-17 61
Souderton 7-11-12-13 43
Neshaminy (61) – Grace Weyler 2 2-5 7; Alena Cofield 7 0-1 16; Lola Ibarrondo 2 0-0 4; Ava Irizarry 5 0-0 11; Mia Raivich 1 1-1 3; Reese Zemitis 7 1-1 17; Erin Dougherty 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 25 4-8 61.
Souderton (43) – Jacquelyn Bermel 2 0-0 5; Julia Purvy 1 0-0 2; Olivia Herron 1 2-2 4; Madison Bealer 2 2-2 8; Brooke Fenchel 4 2-2 12; Kiera Fadden 3 0-2 6; Emily Dick 2 2-2 6; TOTALS 15 8-10 43.
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Alena Cofield 2, Reese Zemitis 2, Ava Irizarry, Erin Dougherty, Grace Weyler; Souderton – Madison Bealer 2, Brooke Fenchel 2, Jacquelyn Bermel.
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