Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action. Pennsbury/CB East photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f884733941 (Hatboro-Horsham/Tennent photos courtesy of Courtney Hewish/HH basketball)
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
PENNSBURY 25, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 24
Tightly contested games are becoming all but routine for the Falcons.
On Friday night, they played their third game decided by one point, their second this month, and they have won all three.
“It was a tremendous nail-biter of a win tonight,” Pennsbury assistant coach Kaitlyn Kelly said. “At this point, we are used to games coming down to the wire, and our girls will always play until the very last second.”
There was very little separation between the two teams all night. The Falcons, who led 6-2 after one quarter, took an 11-10 lead into halftime. They were on top 17-15 heading into the final quarter.
Kelly recounts the dramatic finish.
“East went on a little run, and we climbed our way back until the final minutes of the game,” the Falcons’ assistant said. “With about 30 seconds left in the game and down one point, Sofia (Vitucci) found Liv Gilchrist cutting down the lane, and Liv finished through contact.
“At the end, with three seconds to go, East was inbounding the ball. We decided to put freshman Emily Panaro on the ball. We told her to have active hands and make things difficult for the in-bounder, and she did just that. She tipped the inbounds pass, allowing the ball to be inbounds and bouncing around until the time expired. Heck of a play for a ninth grader.”
Vitucci’s 12 points – six in the fourth quarter – led the Falcons. Layla Matthias had six points.
For the Patriots, Erin LeRay led the way with 14 points.
“CB East is a really tough, well coached team,” Kelly said. “Their physicality gave us some difficulty in the first half, but we really adjusted after halftime by limiting our turnovers.
“We knew we wanted to contain (Anna) Barry and (Natalie) Berndt, and Sofia and Nevaeh (Dash) did a great job doing so. Layla Matthias played tenacious defense with six rebounds and three steals. And whatever rebounds Layla couldn’t get to, Liv Gilchrist and Danielle Sherman grabbed.”
Pennsbury (11-4, 6-3 SOL) will host Central Bucks West Tuesday, and Central Bucks East (10-3, 6-3) will host Neshaminy on Tuesday.
Pennsbury 6-5-4-10 25
Central Bucks East 2-8-7-7 24
Pennsbury (25) – Layla Matthias 3 0-3 6; Danielle Sherman 1 0-0 2; Sofia Vitucci 4 4-4 12; Oliveah Gilchrist 1 0-1 2; Navaeh Dash 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 10 5-10 25.
Central Bucks East (24) – Erin LeRay 6 2-2 14; Natalie Berndt 1 0-0 3; Chantal VanDongeren 1 0-0 2; Kendall Gregor 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 10 2-2 24;
3-point goals: CBE – Kendall Gregor, Natalie Berndt.
NESHAMINY 37, SOUDERTON 32
Call it just a little bit of redemption.
With the Redskins clinging to a 35-32 lead and 34.2 seconds remaining in regulation in Friday’s showdown between the SOL division leaders, Lola Ibarrondo uncharacteristically missed a pair of foul shots, leaving the door open for the Indians to tie the game with a 3.
The Indians went on the attack, and after a miss on their first attempt at a 3, Casey Harter grabbed the offensive rebound, and when Souderton’s second attempt also clanged off the rim, Ibarrondo was there to grab the rebound. She was fouled immediately, and with 4.1 seconds remaining, the junior guard sealed the Indians’ fate by burying both shots for the Redskins’ final margin of victory.
“I used to be a little nervous, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve worked and I’ve gotten better,” Ibarrondo said of taking foul shots with the game on the line. “Honestly, I just knew the team needed it. I was trying my best not to think about it and just put it up. I thought too hard about it the first time. I wanted to get them back, I really had to get those back, and I knew I could ice it.”
The loss was the first in SOL play for the Indians, who brough an 11-game winning streak into the contest.
“This is huge,” Ibarrondo said. “This could help clinch us the division, this could move us up in the district rankings. This was a huge one for us.”
The two teams battled to a 14-14 tie after an uneventful first half, and Ibarrondo was an undeniable catalyst in the Redskins’ change of fortunes in the second half, scoring 12 of her team high 16 points after halftime.
“I was just trying to attack them, especially when they got in the one-and-one – that’s when we knew we had to keep attacking them and get foul shots up,” Ibarrondo said. “We just rebounded really well.
“Defensively all game – we played really well. Both teams played well defensively. It just came down to us clamping down and getting rebounds.”
Early in the game, Ibarrondo threw a bit of a scare in her coach.
“I was concerned at the end of the first quarter when Lola twisted her ankle,” Neshaminy coach John Gallagher said. “I knew she would brush it off; however, the next time up and down court she was favoring it. Lola has a different mindset than most and knew the importance of the game and her importance to the team.”
One of the game’s unsung heroes was Alena Cofield. The box score will show that the diminutive – and very speedy – sophomore scored just four points, but they were big ones in a first half when points were hard to come by for both squads. Beyond the points was the hustle and fire Cofield brought to the court, repeatedly battling for rebounds and loose balls among the trees in the paint.
“Shortest girl on the court, and she’s like a little fireball,” Ibarrondo said. “She gets us so much momentum – so many steals and rebounds. She’s awesome to play with. You know if you need a rebound, you can count on her to get a big offensive board.”
Cofield’s contributions – which included sharing the team lead in rebounds with Ibarrondo and Taylor Gurysh with five each – were not lost on her coach.
“To the untrained eye, it is easy to disregard sophomore Alena Cofield and her contributions to our team,” Gallagher said. “However, it had to be obvious this evening to everyone what a key addition she has been to this year’s team. We do things on the defensive side this year that we were incapable of doing before. At her size, I can say without hesitation she is the anchor of the Neshaminy defense.”
The Redskins opened the second half with an 8-0 run and kept the Indians off the scoreboard until Harter, who had nine of the Indians’ first-half points, connected on a pair at the foul line.
Gallagher recounts the stretch that set the tone for the win.
“Souderton had the first possession of the second half and ran a fade for Harter, which was read by Lola who gained a jump ball,” the Redskins’ coach said. “We got consecutive stops at the defensive end and found Lola in transition who took it at the Souderton defenders and finished with different hands on back-to-back possessions. When Souderton beat her to the baseline spot, Lola took an extra dribble and scored on a difficult reverse layup that highlighted her athleticism.”
The Indians, who trailed by as many as eight in the third quarter, trimmed that to three, 24-21, after back-to-back baskets by Teya McConnaha and Harter, who turned a steal into an easy layup.
The Indians pulled to within two after Harter – who delivered a block on the defensive end – sank one of two at the line, but Ibarronda took a rebound coast to coast for an easy bucket, and then – after a Souderton miss – connected on a pair at the foul line.
“The biggest basket of the fourth quarter was Taylor hitting Jess Purdy on a skip pass, and Jess buried a three to put us up 10,” said Gallagher, whose team led 34-24 midway through the fourth quarter. “Taylor had a similar skip pass last game versus North Penn and found Alena who banged a three to put us up six at NP. The Purdy basket put us up 10, and Souderton already with seven team fouls. I felt pretty good with us already in the bonus.”
The Indians battled back yet again and pulled to within two (34-32) after Erin Bohmueller found Grace McDonough for an easy basket in close with 1:25 remaining, but they never could get over the hump as the Redskins held on for the big win.
“I was happy for the players and the fans who came out to the game,” Gallagher said. “There were quite a few younger fans in the stands, and I think we gave them a good idea of what it is like to be in a challenging game and coming out on top.”
In addition to Ibarrondo’s 16 points, Reese Zemitis had eight but only one field goal as Harter spent the night making life difficult for the junior standout. Gurysh had six points.
Harter finished with a game-high 18 points and five rebounds. McConnaha had seven points and six rebounds. Bohmueller added four assists and three rebounds.
“When we show up tomorrow, there’s no doubt in my mind that every girl on our team has a goal of making sure they don’t feel this way again,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “This loss, to me, is not a big deal. In the end, I think this will end up being good for us. We learned a little bit more what we need to be doing.
“They played really well both ends of the court. Neshaminy deserved to win the game. I was happy we made it a game. I think Alexis (Stefanowicz) was a big part of that – putting her in on defense, she got couple of deflections, and Casey (Harter) just willing her way to the basket and finding a way to get the ball to go through the net. Obviously, we struggled finishing tonight, didn’t shoot well from the perimeter. That’s life in high school basketball. You’re not going to win a ton of games just by shooting 3s. They deserved to win, we’ve got to get better.”
Neshaminy (10-2, 8-1 SOL) will face Villa Maria Academy at Hope for Hoops at Ursinus College on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Souderton (12-2, 8-1) will host Council Rock North on Tuesday (6:30 pm).
Souderton 6-8-7-11 32
Neshaminy 6-8-10-13 37
Souderton (32) – Erin Bohmueller 1 0-0 3; Mikayla McGillian 1 0-0 2; Casey Harter 7 3-4 18; Grace McDonough 1 0-0 2; Teya McConnaha 2 2-4 7; TOTALS 12 5-8 32.
Neshaminy (37) – Alena Cofield 2 0-0 4; Lola Ibarrondo 6 4-6 16; Taylor Gurysh 3 0-3 6; Anna Soska 0 0-2 0; Reese Zemitis 1 6-8 8; Jess Purdy 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 13 10-19 37.
3-point goals: Souderton – Erin Bohmueller, Casey Harter, Teya McConnaha; Neshaminy – Jess Purdy.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 47, BENSALEM 35
Since winning the Garnet Valley Holiday Tournament, the Titans came up just short in three straight games, dropping the three games by a combined total of seven points.
It was a stretch that made Friday’s win over the visiting Owls especially gratifying.
“I was just really proud of the girls the way they battled throughout,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “I don’t think there was one thing that sparked us tonight – I think it was finding success early and just continuing to play hard.
“The one thing I will say – regardless if we lost by 20 or one point, these girls have really battled, and they’re trying to get better and prove what they can do. I thought tonight was a step in the right direction for them being able to finish a game off.”
The Titans, who led 10-9 after one quarter, outscored the Owls 14-2 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 24-11 lead. Mia Klein’s eight points led the way in the quarter.
The Owls didn’t go down quietly, and sparked by eight points from Talia DiMichele and six points from Devon Bell, Bensalem outscored South 15-9 in the third quarter and trailed 33-26 heading into the final quarter.
“We had a 13-point lead at halftime, and in the third quarter, Bensalem fought back, knocked down some big shots, and we kind of got a little undisciplined in what we were trying to do,” Mattern said. “I thought the girls really pulled it back together, took control again, knocked down some big foul shots. Yoyo (Samayoa) went 6-for-6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.
“We started executing what we wanted to do a little bit more, and we were able to finish off with a nice win.”
Samayoa’s 18 points, which included two 3s and an 8-for-11 effort at the foul line, led the Titans. Mia Klein added 13 points while Ella Wheeler had eight.
“We did a decent job on the defensive boards,” Mattern said. “I’m pretty sure Mia Klein was a double-digit rebounder again.”
For the Owls, who were without Mackenzie Kramer, Amber Howard led the way with 16 points, which included three 3-pointers. DiMichele added eight points while Bell had six points on two 3-pointers.
Central Bucks South (4-9, 1-8 SOL) will host Owen J Roberts in a non-league game Saturday at 12:30 p.m., and Bensalem (5-8, 2-7) will travel to Wissahickon Saturday for a non-league game at noon.
Bensalem 9-2-15-9 35
Central Bucks South 10-14-9-14 47
Bensalem (35) – Talia DiMichele 3 0-0 8; Devon Bell 2 0-0 6; Kylie Smith 2 1-1 5; Amber Howard 6 1-3 16; TOTALS 13 2-4 35
Central Bucks South (47) – Meg Schmidt 1 0-0 2; Ella Wheeler 2 3-5 8; Jules Tropea 2 0-0 4; Yoyo Samayoa 4 8-11 18; Mia Klein 6 1-3 13; Addy Geary 0 0-2 0; Gabby Tropea 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 16 12-21 47
3-point goals: Bensalem – Amber Howard 3, Talia DiMichele 2, Devon Bell 2; CBS –Yoyo Samayoa 2, Ella Wheeler.
PENNRIDGE 59, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 44
The visiting Rams brought their long-range shooting touch to Friday’s crossover game, burying a season-high 12 3-pointers on their way to the big road win.
Olivia Poole led the charge, burying five 3-pointers. Katie Yoder had three triples and scored a team-high 22 points. Ella Brown and Anna Croyle joined the fun with two 3-pointers each.
“Olivia Poole was unbelievable for us tonight,” Pennridge coach Jason Rapp said. “She had five 3s, 17 points. She was fantastic. Katie Yoder with 22 was great again. We shot the ball, and we executed.”
The Rams, who led 17-11 after one quarter, took a 32-22 lead into halftime. Yoder’s 15 points led the way for Pennridge. Jaden Wan’s eight points kept the Indians in the game.
Pennridge held a 27-23 advantage in the second half, but according to Rapp, the win was anything but easy.
“We tried to put them away, and Council Rock North would not go away,” the Rams’ coach said. “They battled. I think both teams shot the ball as well as they could have.
“North plays hard. (Coach) Jack (Kelly) is a good guy, and he does a great job with them. They fought. They guard you, and tonight they hit shots when they had to, to keep the game close. We were able to make a few more shots than them. We hit some big shots.”
In addition to Yoder and Poole, Brown had 10 points while Croyle added nine.
Wan led the Indians with 18 points. Delaney McCaffery added nine points on three 3s, and Ruth O’Keefe also had nine points.
Pennridge (10-5, 5-4 SOL) will host Council Rock South Tuesday, and Council Rock North (5-8, 2-7) will host Gwynedd Mercy in a non-league game Saturday at noon.
Pennridge 17-15-14-13 59
Council Rock North 11-10-13-10 44
Pennridge (59) – Ella Brown 4 0-0 10; Anna Croyle 3 1-2 9; Katie Yoder 7 5-6 22; Ava Fantaskey 0 1-2 1; Olivia Poole 6 0-0 17; TOTALS 20 7-10 59.
Council Rock North (44) – Skylar Wright 1 0-0 3; Lizzie Lustig 2 0-0 5; Delaney McCaffery 3 0-0 9; Jaden Wan 9 0-0 18; Ruth O’Keefe 4 0-0 9; TOTALS 19 0-0 44.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Olivia Poole 5, Katie Yoder 3, Ella Brown 2, Anna Croyle 2; CRN – Delaney McCaffery 3, Skylar Wright, Lizzie Lustig, Ruth O’Keefe.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 61, HARRY S TRUMAN 43
In an outing that was the very definition of a team effort, 16 West players put their names in the scoring column in Friday’s crossover win over the Tigers.
“We had a good win over Truman – all of our players scored, which was great,” West coach Zach Sibel said. “Tai Henkels showed senior leadership, and Emily Ladley, Fallon Darrows, Addy Fay and Eve Damsker all got their first varsity points, which I thought was really neat – to see girls get in the game, be active. They practice so hard, and they play so hard for JV – it’s cool to give them a shot and to see them kind of own it. It was a good game.”
The Bucks opened up a 27-11 halftime lead. Gabi Senior led the way, scoring nine of her team high 11 points.
Also for the Bucks, Henkels added nine points while Katie Finnan and Meg Blue both had six.
For the Tigers, Patricia Monroe’s 14 points – 12 in the second half – led the way. Ya’mazijah Thomas added 12 points while Shylah McCleve had nine.
Sibel tipped his hat to Truman coach Ashida Cooper and her players.
“You have to give Truman credit – they’ve got athletes, and they’re playing really well,” Sibel said. “That was the most disciplined, organized and attacking Truman team that we’ve seen in a while, and that’s all a credit to their coach. I think she’s really doing a good job there. There’s definitely a bright future at Truman for that group.”
Central Bucks West (6-7, 5-4 SOL) will be on the road at Pennsbury Tuesday, and Harry S Truman (0-12, 0-9) will host Central Bucks South Tuesday.
Harry S Truman 4-11-11-17 43
Central Bucks West 15-12-16-18 61
Harry S Truman (43) – Patricia Monroe 2 10-10 14; Shylah McClever 3 3-4 9; Ya’mazijah Thomas 5 1-1 12; Secret McCleve 4 0-3 8; TOTALS 14 14-18 43.
Central Bucks West (61) – Gabi Senior 4 2-3 11; Tai Henkels 3 2-3 9; Taylor Madden 1 0-0 2; Katie Finnan 2 1-2 6; Peyton Cramer 0 1-2 1; Meg Blue 2 2-2 6; Nia Perry 1 0-0 2; Alexis Castro 1 0-0 2; Ava Longo 1 0-0 3; Gabby Reichner 0 2-2 2; Scarlette Baumgardner 1 0-1 2; Janelle Blokker 2 0-0 5; Fallon Darrows 1 2-3 4; Emily Ladley 1 0-2 2; Addy Fay 1 2-2 4; Eve Damsker 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 22 14-22 61.
3-point goals: HST – Ya’mazijah Thomas; CBW – Gabby Senior, Tai Henkels, Katie Finnan, Ava Longo, Janelle Blokker, Gabby Reichner.
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
HATBORO-HORSHAM 52, WILLIAM TENNENT 46
The Hatters had reason to celebrate Friday.
They not only defeated the visiting Panthers, but they rallied from a 10-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter, outscoring the Panthers 18-1 to earn their second win of the week.
“The energy was just different tonight,” HH assistant coach Nicole Miletto said. “We started off the first quarter being patient, pressuring on defense, and knocking down shots. Leah Harrington hit two quick 3s and got us started.”
The Hatters, behind eight points from Harrington, led 17-10 after one quarter, but they managed just six points in the second quarter while the Panthers scored 17 to go into halftime with a 27-23 advantage. Avery Kocur and Alyssa Lewicki led the Panthers in the opening half with eight points each.
Morgan Volz had a huge third quarter for the Panthers, scoring eight points while Ella Mednick added seven, and the Panthers outscored the Hatters 18-11 to go into the final quarter with a 45-34 advantage. That lead evaporated in a fourth quarter that saw the Hatters – behind the 10-point effort of Kitty Randa – outscore the Panthers 18-1. Harrington was a perfect 4-for-4 at the foul line in the quarter.
“This one definitely hurts, especially after Tuesday,” said Tennent coach Laura Whitney, whose team fell to Quakertown Tuesday 46-41. “We were hoping to come out and respond tonight.
“We started off a little bit slow – had a little trouble finding our rhythm. Defensively, we missed a few assignments, and we gave up a couple of easy shots. Finally, halfway through the first quarter, we started settling down and we got much better ball movement, started making more shots.
“We were still down 17-10 after the first, but the second and third quarters, it was probably one of the best I’ve seen us play this season – playing with a lot of confidence, making a lot of nice offensive plays. We hit some big shots, got good stops defensively. Unfortunately, we were battling foul trouble throughout the game – especially our point guard Avery Kocur, who was battling foul trouble the whole game.”
Kocur picked up her fourth foul early in the fourth quarter, and the Panthers watched their 11-point lead disappear.
“Obviously, we were forced to pull her out,” Whitney said of Kocur. “She’s a catalyst for our team. She’s our best ball handler, and we really had control in the second half. For whatever reason after she came out, we really just collapsed as a team.
“I knew Hatboro-Horsham wasn’t going to go away easily. They’re a tough, gritty team. They play you hard, they’re physical. Especially in that fourth quarter, I thought they out-toughed us, and they wanted the game a little bit more than us. We started to play tight in the fourth quarter, and you could just feel the momentum swing in their direction.
“Give Hatboro-Horsham credit. They just chipped away and chipped away. They were being super aggressive. They took (15) free throws in the fourth quarter. Fouls were definitely a problem. We were putting them on the line, giving them free points.”
The Panthers’ one-point fourth quarter was the difference in the game.
“It was a combination of just playing tight, some turnovers,” Whitney said. “We started rushing on offense, gave up a couple of offensive rebounds, and the combination of the fouls. This one definitely hurts because you felt you had control of the game. To lose this way – not the way we wanted to see this game go, but we have to find a way to pick our heads up.
“It never gets easier, next week playing two of the top teams in the state in PW and Abington. We have to find a way to take some positives, pick our heads up and keep grinding. There’s still a good amount of games left, and maybe if we finish strong, we give ourselves a chance to maybe squeak into the playoffs. We just have to take it one game at a time.”
For the Hatters, Randa scored 19 points to lead the way. Harrington added 14 points while Caroline Shegogue also finished in double figures with 10. Allie Hewish contributed seven.
“Tennent had some nice young players that could shoot,” Miletto said. “They are going to be nice players for them. They were getting open shots when we were in our zone. They played tough and were aggressive on the boards.
“We had another dismal second quarter only scoring six leaving us down four at the half, but we bounced back on the second half. We were down 11 at one point, but the girls dug deep and rallied back. They turned up the pressure. Alli Hewish and Abby Waeltz were strong for us on defense and were able to get some steals. Kitty Randa got her groove in the fourth quarter, getting huge defensive rebounds and scoring 10 in the fourth. It was a good win for us. We needed this one and to hold a team to one point in a quarter is an accomplishment. We should know – it has happened to us a number of times this season, and it’s hard to overcome. It was a good team win and the energy from the team really helped us tonight and got us to overcome one of our largest deficits.”
Kocur’s 15 points led the Panthers while Lewicki added 11, and Volz finished with eight.
“Avery Kocur was the best player on the floor for us tonight,” Whitney said. “I’ve been so impressed with the poise she plays with, as well as her playmaking ability. She plays with such maturity for a freshman. She was a big reason for the runs we made in both the second and third quarters. It was unfortunate that she battled foul trouble and had to sit a good part of the fourth quarter.
“I thought Alyssa Lewicki stepped up big tonight. Alyssa hit some huge 3’s and came up with some big rebounds and steals throughout the game.”
Hatboro-Horsham (5-9, 3-6 SOL) will travel to Upper Moreland on Tuesday, and William Tennent (7-7, 4-5) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday.
William Tennent 10-17-18-1 46
Hatboro-Horsham 17-6-11-18 52
William Tennent (46) – Ella Mednick 1 1-2 3; Avery Kocur 6 1-1 15; Halie Staub 2 0-0 4; Alyssa Lewicki 2 5-8 11; Hailey Lorenzen 1 0-0 3; Jess Whisler 1 0-0 2; Morgan Volz 4 0-1 8; TOTALS 17 7-11 46.
Hatboro-Horsham (52) – Caroline Shegogue 3 4-9 10; Kitty Randa 6 7-11 19; Allie Hewish 3 0-1 7; Leah Harrington 3 6-8 14; Mia Fisher 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 16 17-29 52.
3-point goals: WT – Avery Kocur 2, Alyssa Lewicki 2, Hailey Lorenzon; HH – Leah Harrington 2, Allie Hewish.
UPPER MORELAND 47, QUAKERTOWN 32
The Golden Bears capped an impressive week with their third win in four days, this one on the road at Quakertown.
“After two big wins for our program this week, we knew we couldn’t just show up and win tonight,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “We had to play well in order to beat Quakertown.
“They mix up their defenses well and (Carolyn) Sipprell and (Katie) Catalano are a problem offensively. Sipprell can do it all and Catalano’s quick release from 3 is tough to defend. I thought we played very good defense against them, and they still had 32 points.”
Sipprell’s 24 points led all scorers while Catalano added eight, but no other Quakertown player had their name in the scoring column. UM, meanwhile, featured a balanced attack that saw three players finish in double figures – EmmyFaith Wood (12 points), Holly Gohl (11 points) and Alyssa Wiley (10 points). Wiley had eight points in the first quarter, 10 in the opening half that saw the Golden Bears take control of the game.
“We shot the ball really well in the first half and jumped on them early,” Carroll said. “Alyssa had a great first quarter to get us started, and we made six first half 3s as a team.
“Quakertown works really hard, and we couldn’t completely put them away. They go hard for offensive rebounds, and it seemed like every time they got one in the first half, we ended up fouling. Sipprell got us in foul trouble as well and it made it hard to get in rhythm offensively. I’m really proud of how the girls just continued to push through. I’m sure they’re tired. A lot of people played a lot of minutes this week, but we came out with three big wins. We have a huge week next week. Time to get some rest and come back ready to hit on all cylinders next week.”
The Golden Bears, who opened the game with an 18-5 first quarter, led from wire to wire, and although the Panthers all but played them even over the remaining three quarters, they never could make up the ground they lost.
“Upper Moreland is a disciplined team offensively and defensively,” Quakertown coach Brittany Bamford said. “Their team shot the three so well tonight.
“Emmy Faith is a nice all-around player and Holly Gohl is tough to defend as a post that can shoot the three, forcing one of our bigs out of the paint and making our guards rebound.”
In addition to scoring 24 points, which included a 7-for-9 effort at the foul line, Sipprell also had 13 rebounds.
“She shot the ball well from the free throw line today,” Bamford said of Sipprell. “Kayla Sicher got some good shots tonight, but just didn’t drop; however, she pulled down 12 rebounds, eight of them on the defensive end.
“Ava Pistone’s shots weren’t falling tonight, but she made some nice aggressive defensive plays, and she is improving tremendously on her rotations. She had three steals and two deflections. Katie Catalano couldn’t quite get the shots in the first half, but she was able to create her own in the second. I have such confidence with her running the point and never have to worry is she giving me her all. If it weren’t for our first quarter hole that we dug ourselves. We needed to make our adjustments earlier which we were able to do in the remaining quarters.”
Upper Moreland (12-1, 8-1 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham Tuesday, and Quakertown (8-6, 5-4) will travel to Cheltenham Tuesday.
Upper Moreland 18-9-10-10 47
Quakertown 5-8-11-8 32
Upper Moreland (47) – Mikel Lancit 2 0-0 4; Alyssa Wiley 4 0-0 10; EmmyFaith Wood 5 1-2 12; Lilly Hansen 1 0-0 2; Holly Gohl 4 0-0 11; Marie Meyers 2 0-0 5; Allie LaRocco 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 19 1-2 47.
Quakertown (32) – Carolyn Sipprell 8 7-9 24; Katie Catalano 3 0-0 8; TOTALS 11 7-11 32.
3-point goals: UM – Holly Gohl 3, Alyssa Wiley 2, EmmyFaith Wood, Marie Meyers, Allie LaRocco; Quakertown – Katie Catalano 2, Carolyn Siipprell.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 52, WISSAHICKON 30
The Lions opened up a 13-2 lead over the visiting Trojans and never looked back on their way to the crossover win. At halftime, they led 26-12 with six 3s, just one two-point basket, and they were a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line.
“We had no letdown after their big win against Abington,” coach Steve Polinsky said.
All told, the Lions had 12 3-pointers. Gabby D’Agostino led four players in double figures with 15 points. Reagan Chrencik added 13 points while Emily Wilson and Izzy Elizondo both scored 11 points each. All four players connected on four 3-pointers in an impressive display of long-range shooting.
“Emily Wilson had a real nice game both scoring and setting her teammates up for good shots,” Polinsky said. “We really moved the ball around well tonight, and Gabby pushed the pace to set up her teammates. She did a great job running the point. Ella Dudick did not score a lot of points, but she led the team with 10 rebounds.”
Kaitlyn McGeary led the Trojans with 21 points, four rebounds and one blocked shot.
“McGeary is a very good player, and East Stroudsburg got a good one with her,” Polinsky said. “She had a nice game against us.”
Eva Schools (4 points, 4 rebounds), Julia Lettieri (5 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) and Claira Baldasano (5 rebounds) also contributed for the Trojans.
New Hope-Solebury (8-5, 7-2 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin on Tuesday, and Wissahickon (3-9, 1-8) will host Bensalem in a non-league game Saturday at noon.
Wissahickon 2-10-10-8 30
New Hope-Solebury 13-13-18-8 52
Wissahickon (30) – Eva Schools 2 0-0 4; Kaitlyn McGeary 9 3-6 21; Julia Lettieri 2 0-0 5; Claira Baldasano 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 13 3-8 30.
New Hope-Solebury (52) – Gabby D’Agostino 5 2-2 15; Ella Dudick 1 0-0 2; Izzy Elizondo 4 0-0 11; Emily Wilson 4 0-0 11; Reagan Chrencik 3 4-4 13; TOTALS 17 6-6 52.
3-point goals: Wissahickon – Julia Lettieri, NHS – Gabby D’Agostino 3, Izzy Elizondo 3, Reagan Chrencik 3, Emily Wilson 3.
ABINGTON 58, LOWER MORELAND 24
The Ghosts seized early control of Friday’s crossover contest, opening up a 22-8 lead after one quarter and extending that to 40-10 by halftime on their way to the decisive win.
“Going into the game, we knew that we’d have our hands full,” Lower Moreland coach Rich Becker said. “Abington had just been upset three days ago, we had one starter, Amelia Brown, out with injury and there was very little chance that Abington would have back-to-back games of shooting 1-for-24 from the 3-point line.
“When you combine that with one of your two most important players getting in foul trouble within the first three minutes of the game, you end up on the wrong end of a 37-point loss. To be honest, if Dan Marsh were not such a class act, it could have been even more one-sided.”
Cire Worley scored all of her game-high 17 points in the first half. Her nine points in the opening quarter ignited the Ghosts. Piper McGinley had nine of her 11 points in the first half, and Abril Bowser, who finished with nine points, connected one two of her 3-pointers in the first half. Florence Ajunwa and Sarah Oleary chipped in with six points each.
“Abington came out with a lot of energy,” Becker said. “Initially, we were okay handling their pressure, but we could not overcome the combination of being down one starter and another in foul trouble. Realistically, at the end of the day, it would not have impacted the outcome, but being able to keep some experience on the floor would have allowed us to be competitive longer than we were.”
For the Lions, Liz Neeld led the way with 10 points, and Brianna McFerran added eight.
“If there was a positive from the game, it was that this was the first time all but two or three of our girls had seen this type of pressure,” Becker said. “Abington pressured us into our share of mistakes both physical and mental, but we also saw a lot of growth from some of our younger players.
“Tonight we played nine players, two were seniors, the rest were 9th and 10th graders, all of whom are resilient and coachable. We’ll learn from tonight and hopefully take away some things that will make us a better team.”
Abington (13-2, 8-1 SOL) will host Springfield Township on Tuesday, and Lower Moreland (4-9, 2-7) will be on the road at Wissahickon.
Abington 22-18-6-12 58
Lower Moreland 8-2-8-6 24
Abington (58) – 8 0-1 17; Harper McGinley 1 0-0 2; Abril Bowser 3 0-0 9; Mikiaya Durham 1 1-2 4; Jordyn Reynolds 1 0-0 3; Piper McGinley 5 0-0 11; Sarah O’Leary 2 2-2 6; Florence Ajunwa 2 1-2 6; TOTALS 23 4-7 58
Lower Moreland (24) – Brianna McFerran 3 2-2 8; Maddy Rossiter 1 00 2; Jess Shein 1 0-0 2; Liz Neeld 5 0-0 10; Kayla Quirk 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 11 2-2 24.
3-point goals: Abington – Abril Bowser 3, Cire Worley, Jordyn Reynolds, Piper McGinley, Mikiaya Durham, Florence Ajunwa.
UPPER DUBLIN 49, CHELTENHAM 28
The Flying Cardinals put three players in double figures in Friday’s road win.
Freshman Colleen Besachio dominated play in the paint, leading the way with 17 points and completing an impressive double-double with 19 rebounds. She also had seven blocked shots, two steals and two assists in a glittering effort. Her 11-first half points propelled the Cardinals to a 30-16 halftime lead.
Also for UD, junior Nora Brady added 13 points, which included three 3-pointers. She also had six rebounds, two steals and a block. Freshman point guard Megan Ngo added 10 points, six assists and five rebounds.
For the Lady Panthers, Paige Powell and Maya Simmons shared scoring honors with 13 points each.
“Another tough loss for us as we struggle to find an identity,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said. “Morgan (Funsten) does a great job with his team, and they had us off our game all night defensively.
“Though we lost, I loved that both the Cheltenham and Upper Dublin community came together tonight to help a family struggling with cancer. We raised a good amount of money to help a family in need and I’m proud of that.”
Upper Dublin (8-4, 6-3 SOL) will host North Penn in a non-league game Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Cheltenham (5-8, 2-7) will host Quakertown on Tuesday.
Upper Dublin 20-10-7-12 49
Cheltenham 11-6-7-4 28
Upper Dublin (49) – Brighid Brady 1 0-0 2; Alaina Sanders 1 2-2 4; Megan Ngo 3 3-6 10; Kaitlyn Zacharia 0 3-3 3; Colleen Besachio 7 2-4 17; Nora Brady 3 4-7 13; TOTALS 15 14-22 49.
Cheltenham (28) – Paige Powell 5 2-2 13 Maya Simmons 5 2-2 13; Cassie Bugg 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 11 4-4 28.
3-point goals: UD – Nora Brady 3, Colleen Besachio, Megan Ngo; Cheltenham – Paige Powell, Maya Simmons.
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