Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Thursday. Souderton/Pennsbury photos courtesy of Larry Small. ALL SOS GALLERIES FOR GIRLS’ BASKETBALL CAN BE VIEWED BY CLICKING HERE!
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
SOUDERTON 40, PENNSBURY 34
Casey Harter smiled when asked about the impact of having Teya McConnaha patrolling the paint.
“We are lucky to have Teya,” Souderton’s junior point guard said. “She is always down there getting the rebounds, she’s always hustling, and you can count on her to get the ball in – she’ll body up the defender and try to get the best shot possible. She’s a beast.”
McConnaha set the tone for the Indians against a much smaller Falcon squad, influencing shots, pulling down 13 rebounds and scoring 12 points. Her 3-pointer midway through the third quarter capped an 8-0 run to open the second half and put the Indians on top 30-19. The Falcons never really recuperated.
“Obviously, what she does for us offensively is huge,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “Even if she’s not scoring, she’s attracting so much attention, but it’s the other stuff that has just been so key in our success so far this year. She treats a shot like a pass – she is getting the rebound. It’s like the other team is passing her the ball, and she’s not going to miss.
“Defensively, she played so smart and so well tonight, and offensively, we needed her to score some points, and she did. She has really set the tone in terms of the clear hustle plays that we’re seeing night in and night out.”
Carroll went on to recount a play in Souderton’s decisive win over Truman on Tuesday.
“We’re up 30 (points), and she is laying out, diving on the floor for a loose ball,” the Indians’ coach said. “There are plays like that in every single game. She just plays so hard with so much heart.”
Souderton had plenty of heroes in Thursday’s win over a previously unbeaten Pennsbury squad, and they needed every one of them. Sophomore Brooke Fenchel had 10 first-half points, and the Indians led 22-19 at halftime.
“How about Brooke Fenchel in the first half?” Carroll said. “At our first stoppage during a timeout, we said, ‘If teams think this is going to be the Teya and Casey show and they don’t think we have other weapons, they’re going to be mistaken.’
“Brooke certainly proved that in the first half. For her to have 10 first-half points, she hasn’t been scoring a lot. We haven’t been getting her enough shots, and she hit some big ones in the first half.”
“It’s definitely a confidence booster,” Harter said of her teammate’s strong first half. “It boosted the energy of the whole first half, and we kept the lead once she started making shots.”
For Fenchel, it was a breakout half.
“I’ve been really struggling to get things off offensively, and I just wanted to come in this game and have confidence and make big plays because this is one of our biggest games of the season,” Fenchel said. “I wanted to have an impact on the game and the results of the game and really come in defensively too and shut down my player and really help on (Ava) Sciolla and see what I could do about that.”
The Indians opened the second half with an 8-0 run that – in addition to McConnaha’s 3 – included a putback by McConnaha and a 3-pointer by Erin 
Bohmueller. The Indians led 34-24 heading into the final quarter when the Falcons staged a comeback. A 6-0 run by Ava Sciolla – the first a shot off the dribble, the second after a steal by the senior standout, the third banked in over a defender from an impossible angle – trimmed the Indians’ lead to 36-32 with 3:20 remaining.
Neither team scored until freshman Grace McDonough converted a layup at the end of the press with just over a minute remaining. Erin Bohmueller buried both ends of a one-and-one to all but seal the Falcons’ fate.
“We knew in the fourth quarter Ava was going to take over, and she can do it better than anybody, and she hit some tough, tough shots,” Carroll said. “But they cut it to four and our girls hung in and got a bucket the next time down the court.
“We made a couple of foul shots down the stretch and finished around the basket a little bit better than we have been. I’ve been saying we have yet to play our best basketball, and I still don’t think this is it. I still think we can continue to get better, but this is pretty darn good.”
Sciolla led all scorers with 18 points – eight in the fourth quarter. She also had 12 rebounds.
“We had a game plan, (and) they committed to it and executed it,” Carroll said. “I say this every game, but what Casey Harter is able to do defensively is simply remarkable. You cannot defend Ava Sciolla one-on-one, and we didn’t.
“Her teammates were there to help. There were a few possessions where we put freshman Grace McDonough on Ava. She used her length, and she’s quicker than she appears to be. She used that, and in some ways, she’s probably still feeling a little in over her head, but that was team defense from start to finish.”
The importance of help defense is not lost on Carroll’s players.
“That’s one of the biggest things in our program that we focus on, the biggest thing that we practice,” Fenchel said. “We strive and push for that so much because if there’s no help defense, you’re not going to win the game. (This) is so huge for us.”
In addition to scoring 10 points, Fenchel had six rebounds and two assists. Bohmueller and Harter both had four assists in a contest that saw the Indians assist on 12 of 16 field goals.
In addition to Sciolla, Nicole Pompili had eight points.
“Obviously, they were ranked at the top of the (District One 6A) list coming into this game so we wanted to hand them the first loss and it worked out,” Harter said.
A familiar defensive scheme – Containing Ava Sciolla is the game plan of every team that takes the court against the Falcons. Souderton was certainly no different. The Pennsbury senior attracted a crowd every time she touched the ball and plenty of attention even when she didn’t, but the University of Maryland-bound star does a whole lot more than score points.
“Like every game, Ava got us a lot of wide open shots, and that was the key,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “This was the first night we were not very proficient in knocking down those shots. You have to give credit that they limited us to one shot, and you have to give credit to their length.
“For a lot of these 10th graders, they’re playing on the road in a bigger game, and it’s a good experience. Then Ava came around, she made some plays. You have to be careful – it’s not like you can force it against them because they pack the lane, but it was such a fantastic learning experience for our 10th graders.”
Sciolla pointed to the Indians’ dominance under the basket.
“In the case of (Souderton), they were so impressive on the backboard,” the Falcons’ coach said. “I realize that’s our Achilles heel. We’re giving up so much size at every position, but we play hard, and you have to credit Souderton for being physical. So many of their points came off second chances.
“That was a really good game for us at this point in the season. I have a feeling we’ll probably see them again, maybe a couple of times.”
Size a difference maker – Coach Frank Sciolla has come up with catchy names for his young – and short – lineup.
“No matter what pithy or funny comment you can say to the kids – you’re going to dance on that size line only so long,” the Falcons’ coach said. “When you have a team that’s smart and does a good job defensively – the game for us was the first 10 minutes. Ava (Sciolla) kept getting in the gaps or kicking, and those shots that at times have fallen – if they don’t fall, you get a little bit tight, then you’re playing from behind.
“Souderton had the good run at the beginning of the third quarter – they were so good in the basket area and really mauled us on the backboards, and in the case of Ava, she’s at the top of our pressure, and we’re asking her to handle the ball. I think we can learn a lot from this, and rather now than in February.”
There’s no denying the Indians’ length made life difficult for the Falcons.
“A clear advantage that we have over a lot of teams – and certainly this team – is our length, and we wanted to use that as best as we could,” Carroll said. “We have 5-10 players on 5-4 and 5-5 players.
“We thought if they’re going to shoot 3s over us and that’s how they win the game, they deserve to win the game, but we wanted to commit to keep people in front and force them to shoot over top of us in the lane. The girls committed to it. There were very few mistakes that we made defensively.”
Souderton (10-2, 7-1 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Tuesday, and Pennsbury (9-1, 6-1) will host Executive Education Academy in a non-league game on Friday at 7 p.m.
Pennsbury 8-11-5-10 34
Souderton 12-10-12-6 40
Pennsbury (34) – Ava Sciolla 8 1-3 18; Layla Matthias 1 1-2 3; Daniella MacDonald 1 0-0 3; Sofia Vitucci 1 0-0 2; Nicole Pompili 2 2-2 8; TOTALS 13 4-7 34.
Souderton (40) – Brooke Fenchel 4 0-0 10; Erin Bohmueller 1 2-2 5; Mikayla McGillian 1 0-0 2; Casey Harter 2 1-2 5; Grace McDonough 3 0-0 6; Teya McConnaha 5 1-2 12; TOTALS 16 4-6 40.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Nicole Pompili 2, Ava Sciolla, Daniella MacDonald; Souderton – Brooke Fenchel 2, Erin Bohmueller, Teya McConnaha.
NORTH PENN 62, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 48
Abby Plaugher turned in a dazzling 26-point effort that included five 3-pointers, leading the Knights to the impressive win.
“Abby came in and played the most composed game she’s had all season,” NP coach Bri Cullen said. “She’s a pretty consistent scorer, but her game developed a little bit further. She had at least three or four steals, her rebounding has improved, and she took more of a leadership role on the floor.”
In a preview of things to come, Plaugher buried a pair of 3s and scored 10 first-quarter points, propelling the Knights to a 17-12 lead. By halftime, Palugher had 15 points (including four 3s) and the Knights led 31-20.
“The last couple of games we’ve had pretty slow starts, so for us to come out and start at a much faster pace was critical for the whole game,” Cullen said.
The Knights took a 47-35 lead into the final quarter on their way to the big win.
In addition to Plaugher, Cam Crowley added 12 points while Caleigh Sperling and Liv Stone both had nine.
Cullen saw a lot of things she liked in Thursday’s win.
“Our defense improved a lot tonight,” the Knights’ first-year coach said. “Cameron Crowley, as a freshman, has started to come into her own. I put a lot of pressure on her as a freshman point guard, but she’s really improving.
“Our starting five is starting to mesh. Council Rock South was very well prepared. They had a very strong game plan, and you could tell. I think the difference tonight was we hit big shots, and previously, we haven’t been hitting those shots.”
The Knights are 3-3 in their last six games after a 1-4 start.
“It’s hard when you’re in constant close games and you don’t come out on the winning side,” Cullen said. “Now they know what it feels like to win a little bit more frequently, so they’re taking those lessons and growing.
“It was a great atmosphere tonight, and it was nice to get a home win.”
For the Golden Hawks, Karissa Smedley’s 16 points led the way. Cam Gregory added 13 points, which included three 3-pointers. Mia Stock added seven points.
North Penn (4-7, 3-5 SOL) will host Bensalem on Tuesday, and Council Rock South (7-4, 4-4) will be on the road at Pennridge on Tuesday.
Council Rock South 12-8-12-16 48
North Penn 17-14-16-15 62
Council Rock South (48) – Kathryn O’Kane 1 0-0 2; Liliana Metrick 1 0-0 3; Lily Bross 2 0-0 5; Katie Purpura 1 0-0 2; Cam Gregory 5 0-2 13; Mia Stock 3 1-2 7; Karissa Smedley 6 4-6 16; TOTALS 19 5-10 48.
North Penn (62) – Caleigh Sperling 3 3-6 9; Cam Crowley 5 2-2 12; Abby Plaugher 9 3-4 26; Kelly Donnelly 2 1-2 6; Liv Stone 4 1-2 9; TOTALS 23 10-16 62.
3-point goals: CRS – Cam Gregory 3, Liliana Metrick, Lily Bross; NP – Abby Plaugher 5, Kelly Donnelly.
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
UPPER DUBLIN 43, HATBORO-HORSHAM 36
It was the tale of two halves.
The Flying Cardinals owned the first half, and the Hatters had the better of play in the second half. UD took a seemingly comfortable 29-10 lead into halftime. It turned out to be anything secure as the Hatters outscored their visitors 26-14 in the second half, pulling to within five late, but the Cardinals held on for the win.
“We try to emphasize coming out and getting off to a good start because the past week-and-a-half we’ve played some tough games and not always gotten off to a great start,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “We came out and played an okay first quarter, and in the second quarter, we played great – outscored them 18-5. We really had all the momentum going into halftime. In the second half, they were making shots and we were not. They’re a talented team, they chipped away at the lead.”
With 20 seconds remaining, the Hatters pulled to within five.
“That made it very interesting, more interesting than we wanted,” Funsten said. “We have Upper Moreland tomorrow, which is a huge game, so we’re trying to have a short memory on what transpired in the second half. Just take the positives out of tonight, and by far the number one positive, we held Alice Hall to one point tonight.”
Hall’s only point came at the foul line in the first quarter. She did not score the rest of the way.
“We thought the key to kind of containing her was to keep her off the offensive glass,” Funsten said. “We played about half the game man and half the game zone, but it seemed like every time a shot went up, Colleen Klammer put a body on (Hall).
“The other girls were blocking out as well, and our guards would fill the area and get a rebound. Amy Ngo had nine rebounds tonight, but it really started with Colleen Klammer. Alice Hall is such a great offensive rebounder, and that’s where she gets so many of her points.”
The Cardinals were led by Ngo’s 13 points – 12 in the first half, eight in the 18-point second quarter. She also had nine rebounds and four deflections. Geena Sarnoski added 11 points, four rebounds and two steals. Aditi Foster had 10 points, connecting on 5-of-8 shots from the field. She also had five rebounds, two deflections and two steals.
“Aditi Foster had a good game for us,” Funsten said. “She had 10 points and made some important baskets in the first half and an important basket in the fourth quarter.”
For the Hatters, Caroline Shegogue’s 13 points led the way. Sam Hollish, who had a pair of 3s, added eight points. Emily Thomas had seven points.
Upper Dublin (6-6, 4-3 SOL) will travel to Upper Moreland on Friday, capping a brutal stretch of 7 games in 11 days.
“We played on Sunday, so we’re on 12 or 13 days in a row of basketball, so we – myself included – are physically and mentally exhausted,” Funsten said. “Included in that list are two PWs and Westtown and three other games. We’re physically and mentally limping to this game, and it’s a big game. We’re excited about the challenge, but we do know we’ll have our hands full.”
Hatboro-Horsham (4-3, 3-3) will host Cheltenham on Friday.
Upper Dublin 11-18-7-7 43
Hatboro-Horsham 5-5-16-10 36
Upper Dublin (43) – Bliss Brenner 1 2-3 4; Aditi Foster 5 0-2 10; Geena Sarnoski 3 2-4 11; Lilli Kleiman 0 1-2 1; Colleen Klammer 2 0-0 4; Amy Ngo 5 3-4 13; TOTALS 16 8-15 43.
Hatboro-Horsham (36) – Caroline Shegogue 6 0-0 13; Alice Hall 0 1-2 1; Leah Harrington 1 2-2 5; Emily Nelson 1 0-0 2; Emily Thomas 3 0-0 7; Sam Hollish 2 2-4 8; TOTALS 13 5-8 36.
3-point goals: UD – Geena Sarnoski 3; HH – Sam Hollish 2, Caroline Shegogue, Leah Harrington, Emily Thomas.
Non-league
CHELTENHAM 40, JENKINTOWN 35
The Lady Panthers notched their biggest win of the season, upending a Jenkintown squad that brought an impressive 7-2 record into Thursday’s non-league game. Cheltenham recuperated from a forgettable first half to turn a 17-9 deficit into the big win.
“We played an awful first half but were able to regroup and refocus in the second half,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said.
Mikahila Leighton’s eight points sparked the Lady Panthers in a 12-point third quarter, but they still trailed 26-21. They erased that deficit by closing out the game with a 19-9 burst that featured nine points from senior Amelia Yevoli.
“We made shots harder for (Katie) McGrath and stepped our defense up,” Bowman said. “Mikahila lead us with 16 points and 7 steals. Amelia Yevoli had another double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
“We hope to carry this second half momentum into tomorrow’s game versus Hatboro.”
McGrath’s 17 points led all scorers.
Cheltenham (2-6, 0-4 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Friday.
Jenkintown 9-8-9-9 35
Cheltenham 3-6-12-19 40
Jenkintown (35) – Sarah Cummings 1 0-0 3; Lily O’Brien 2 0-0 4; Katie McGrath 5 4-6 17; Morgan Bolds 0 1-2 1; Julia Walsh 4 2-2 10; TOTALS 12 7-11 35.
Cheltenham (40) – Mikahila Leighton 6 4-10 16; Arianna Davis 3 0-2 6; Tyrine Ragsdale 2 1-2 5; Cassie Bugg 0 0-2 0; Amelia Yevoli 5 2-2 13; TOTALS 16 7-18 40.
3-point goals: Jenkintown – Katie McGrath 3, Sarah Cummings; Cheltenham – Amelia Yevoli.
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