Check out the results for girls’ basketball teams in Saturday’s SOL Challenge. Photos of the Souderton/CR South game provided courtesy of Kathy Leister Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Eighteen teams participated in this year’s SOL Challenge.
North Penn and Upper Dublin squared off last Saturday since both are competing in the Maggie Lucas Classic at Philadelphia University on Sunday. Eight games were played on Saturday.
The Continental Conference put on the best showing with its teams compiling a 5-1 record while the National Conference saw its teams go 3-4 on the day. Quakertown was the lone American Conference team to emerge a winner.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 47, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 40
The Patriots and Indians – despite playing in different conferences – are more than a little familiar with each other. Many players were teammates on the AAU circuit with the Rebel Basketball Academy. Saturday’s game at Council Rock North figured to be a war. It was.
“It’s a big win – they’re a good team,” East senior Bridget Birkhead said. “They beat Neshaminy, they beat Abington, so we knew this was going to be a hard game.
“We also know all of the girls on that team pretty much. Half of our team plays AAU with their whole starting lineup. We know how they play, they know how we play, and it was a fun game. It was awesome to win.”
Birkhead was once again a difference maker, exploding for 11 points – including three 3-pointers – in the second quarter to turn a 13-12 deficit after one quarter into a 25-20 halftime lead.
“I got a little bit mad at myself in the first quarter, but at the same time, we were still in the game,” said Birkhead, who did not score in the opening frame. “There wasn’t anything that was happening that was different (in the second quarter).
“I guess I just looked for my shot a little more. My teammates were looking for me, which was helpful. Everyone was sharing the ball, giving each other good shots. We ran our offense, and that’s exactly what we want to do. We want to share the ball and play a team game.”
While Birkhead was burning the Indians from the outside, Bri Talbot – who scored a game-high 14 -was twisting and spinning her way to the basket, either finishing the shot or drawing a foul. She had six points in the first half.
“That’s always been my (shot) since I was little,” said Talbot, who was 6-for-8 from the foul line in the game. “If I feel they’re going one way, I’m usually pretty good at reading it and spinning off.”
North sophomore Dana Bandurick scored eight of her team-high 13 points in the opening half, including six in the first quarter when she also dominated the paint with five rebounds.
Megan Haggerty made it a 25-23 game when she connected on a three-pointer on the Indians’ opening possession of the second half, but Megan Browne answered with an outside shot that ignited an 8-0 East run. A steal by Browne set up a pair of Bailey McManus foul shots, and after a North turnover, Talbot – despite being fouled – banked home a tough shot on a drive and then completed the three-point play. After a North miss, Talbot buried one-of-two from the foul line, and the Patriots led 33-23.
“Our defense was a little quiet,” North point guard Becca Margolis said. “We weren’t communicating quite as much.
“We needed to communicate more, switching screens, because they were all pretty decent shooters.”
A pair of foul shots by Hannah Weiler made it a 37-29 game at the end of three quarters.
The Patriots went back on top 39-29 after a pair of Birkhead foul shots. Bandurick answered with two foul shots for the Indians and then delivered a block and gained possession, setting the stage for another Haggerty trey that made it a 39-34 game with six minutes remaining.
“I feel like throughout the game we took a little time to adjust and weren’t playing as hard as we should have been or getting the looks we should have been for a good amount of time,” Bandurick said. “We adapted and we changed in response.”
McManus broke the Indians’ run with a pair of foul shots, but Bandurick did the same for the Indians, who made it a 42-40 game after Margolis connected on a pair of baskets, the second after a steal near midcourt.
The Indians’ momentum took a hit when Bandurick – a force at both ends of the court – was whistled for her fifth foul with 3:10 remaining.
“I felt awful,” Bandurick said. “I really wanted to be out there playing with my team and push us to the end because we were right there.”
The Patriots missed the front end of the ensuing one-and-one, but the Indians’ shot for the tie fell short, and Talbot, who was fouled, sank a pair at the foul line. The Patriots closed it out with five unanswered points.
“They hit some big shots, which we were trying not to let shake us up, and I think we did a good job of that,” Birkhead said. “We showed our experience and our composure.
“It did become a two-point game, which was a little scary, but we knew they were in foul trouble. We took care of the ball, let them foul us and then we won it at the line.”
Bandurick – who also had 10 rebounds – led the Indians with a double-double while Margolis added 12 points and Haggerty had eight.
“That showed our true potential that we were able to bounce back after being down so much,” Margolis said. “We don’t quit. We all worked our butts off.
“It also helped us gain a little more confidence. I feel like we came out a little bit timid in the beginning, but we realized we can play with them, we’re just as good as them. I think that was important that we were able to get that close.”
While Talbot led the Patriots with 14, Birkhead had 13 – only two foul shots after halftime.
“We know what she’s capable of doing, and the fact that she’s having such a great season,” said coach Liz Potash. “She worked so hard for it. She deserves it.
“The biggest thing that I was proud of in the second half was when they started face guarding and denying her, all the girls stepped up around her. Everyone was hitting little shots here and there, and that makes it a lot harder to play that defense.”
Browne quietly contributed seven points and several clutch steals in a solid supporting role as the Patriots – who were 18-of-24 at the foul line – won for the sixth time in their last seven games.
“This is really big for us because we know that they’ve been winning and beating a lot of good teams,” Talbot said. “It proves to us that we can play with all these good teams and come out on top.”
Central Bucks East (7-5, 3-3 SOL) will host Souderton on Tuesday, and Council Rock North (9-3, 6-0) will be at Council Rock South on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 12-13-12-10 47
Council Rock North 13-7-9-11 40
Central Bucks East (47) – Bridget Birkhead 13, Megan Browne 7, Bailey McManus 5, Bri Talbot 14, Grace Stewart 5, Sophia Mancuso 4.
Council Rock North (47) – Becca Margolis 12, Megan Haggerty 8, Emily Mackin 2, Hannah Weiler 5, Dana Bandurick 13.
WILLIAM TENNENT 46, PENNSBURY 43
The Panthers opened up a 9-2 lead after one quarter and took a 19-11 lead into halftime. The Falcons, who refused to go away, outscored the Panthers 18-13 in the third quarter to make it a 32-29 game heading into the final quarter.
“I think both teams got off to a slow start,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “Honestly, I think the whole game we didn’t really play that well defensively, for whatever reason, so it was a game of runs.
“Whenever we would get a double-digit lead, we would give it up. It was a good game. It went back and forth. I was proud of our girls because they responded every time Pennsbury went on a run, and we would go on a run ourselves.”
The Panthers, who led by as many as 12 midway through the third quarter, led by only four with just over a minute remaining.
“Brianna Broccardi stepped up and hit a couple of clutch free throws,” Whitney said.
Broccardi sank both ends of a one-and-one to give the Panthers a six-point lead. A late three-pointer by the Falcons trimmed that lead to three, but that’s as close as they would get.
Kyla Gibson led the Panthers with 13 points and Bryn Evans added 12. Broccardi added eight.
“The last four games Kyla has really stepped up for us,” Whitney said. “She’s been playing with a lot of energy, just being a great senior leader and giving us the offense we need.
“Even more impressive with her is the way she’s playing defensively. She’s just flying around the court and making a lot of good things happen for us.”
The win came on the heels of a loss to Central Bucks West that saw the Panthers limit the high-scoring Bucks to just 12 points in the second half – none in the third quarter.
“It’s been a long week with four games in one week,” Whitney said. “I’ve been telling people – if there’s a way that you can win without actually winning, I felt that we did that last night.
“Going up against West – one of the top-ranked teams in the state, and what we were able to do in the second half defensively was unbelievable. Coming off the back-to-back games and just the energy and the high the girls were on yesterday, it’s kind of hard to come back out the next night and back it up. We wanted to. We still executed and played pretty well, but defensively, we gave up a lot of easy baskets.”
The Falcons were led by sophomore Kate Mix’s 15-point effort. Freshman Cami Wiegand added 12 points, and senior Meredith Webber had seven.
William Tennent (5-9, 0-6 SOL) will be on the road at Harry S Truman Tuesday for a non-league game, and Pennsbury (4-7, 1-4) will travel to Abington Tuesday.
Pennsbury 2-9-18-14 43
William Tennent 9-10-13-14 46
Pennsbury (43) – Nicole Baionno 2, Sydney Buell 4, Kate Mix 15, Mary Miller 2, Meredith Webber 7, Cami Wiegand 12.
Williams Tennent (46) – Kelly Scipione 3, Kyla Gibson 13, Emma Stanfield 5, Bryn Evans 12, Jess Rutkowsky 5, Brianna Broccardi 8.
HARRY S TRUMAN 63, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 45
The Tigers – who led 24-22 at halftime – exploded for 24 points in the third quarter, opening up a 48-32 lead over the Spartans on their way to the big win.
The day belonged to the team’s veterans as senior Sabria Lytes and Daeja Moore combined for 41 points. Lytes led the way with 22 and Moore added 19. Senior Jayda Campbell had 10 points while sophomore Daisha Campbell contributed eight.
Spartan senior Molly Dugan led all scorers with 28 points.
Harry S Truman (8-4, 1-4 SOL) will host William Tennent in a non-league game on Tuesday, and Springfield (5-9, 3-5) will be on the road at Cheltenham Tuesday.
Springfield 9-13-10-13 45
Harry S Truman 14-10-24-15 63
Springfield (45) – Molly Dugan 28, Jameson Krewson 1, Mary Kate Smith 3, Grace Barraclough 5, Siana Wynn 4, Rileigh Serroni 4.
Harry S Truman (63) – Daea Moore 19, Daisha Campbell 8, Jayda Campbell 10, Alexis McCoy 4, Sabria Lytes 22.
QUAKERTOWN 51, BENSALEM 34
The Panthers, who led 15-12 after one quarter, took control of the game with an 18-7 second quarter to go into halftime with a 33-19 lead.
Despite her team’s decisive win, coach Brittany Remmey had high praise for the young Owls.
“Bensalem has a bright future with all those freshmen,” the Panthers’ coach said. “Their work ethic throughout the entire game showed.”
For the Panthers, senior Marina Cooke and junior point guard Maggie Garlick both scored 15 points and shared game scoring honors. Freshman Caitlin Rosenberger added 11 points, and senior Jill Martin had six.
The Owls were led by the promising duo of Sydney Bawuah (13 points) and Haley Keenan (10 points).
Quakertown (6-7, 2-4 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Tuesday, and Bensalem (2-12, 0-6) will host Neshaminy.
Bensalem 12-7-4-11 34
Quakertown 15-18-6-12 51
Bensalem (34) – Sydney Bawuah 13, Haley Keenan 10, Emily Wineburg 4, Chloe Munyan 2, Alayna McSeed 2.
Quakertown (51) – Sam Howard 1, Maggie Garlick 15, Roni Best 3, Marina Cooke 15, Caitlin Rosenberger 11, Jill Martin 6.
SOUDERTON 39, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 32
The Golden Hawks – sparked by a pair of Kasey Schlupp 3-pointers – opened up a 13-8 lead after one quarter. The Indians rallied to knot the score 15-15 at halftime. Schlupp led the Hawks with eight points. The Indians, who managed just three field goals in the half, scored most of their points at the foul line, connecting on 8-of-15. Tori Dowd led the Indians with six points.
In the third quarter, the Indians found their offense, equaling their output of the entire first half when they outscored the Golden Hawks 15-6 to go on top 30-21. Sophomore Megan Walbrandt ignited the Indians with seven points. Sami Falencki buried a three, and Kate Connolly had a three-point play.
The Golden Hawks outscored the Indians 11-9 in the fourth quarter but couldn’t make up the ground they lost.
Dowd led the Indians with 10 points while Walbrandt had nine and Connolly, eight points. Falencki added six. The Indians – less than 24 hours after a 15-for-19 effort in a win over Central Bucks South – were 18-of-33 from the foul line.
For the Golden Hawks, Schlupp led the way with 10 points while Faith Turner added seven.
Souderton (10-3, 4-2 SOL) will be on the road at Central Bucks East on Tuesday, and Council Rock South (6-8, 3-3) will host Council Rock North on Tuesday.
Souderton 8-7-15-9 39
Council Rock South 13-2-6-11 32
Souderton (39) – Tori Dowd 10, Megan Bealer 2, Megan Walbrandt 9, Erica Stephens 2, Curran O’Donnell 2, Sami Falencki 6, Kate Connolly 8.
Council Rock South (32) – India Mayo 2, Payton Spadaccino 3, Emma ones 2, Claudia Steinmetz 4, Kasey Schlupp 10, Faith Turner 7, Allison McGowan 2, Hannah Binder 2.
ABINGTON 76, PENNRIDGE 50
The Ghosts raced out of the gate to an 18-9 lead after one quarter and took a 44-24 lead into the intermission after a half that featured a whole lot of offense. The Rams had no answer for Liz O’Leary, who scored 14 of her game-high 21 points in the first half. Sam Brusha added nine points and Britney James had six on a pair of threes.
The Ghosts outscored the Rams 32-26 in a high-scoring second half.
O’Leary was one of four Ghosts in double figures. Brusha added 16, Kassondra Brown had 11 and Tamia Wessels added 10. Jordyn Alen finished with eight points and James, six.
For the Rams, Rose McCormick led the way with nine while Brooke Bachtle and Madison Stolarski both added eight. Gillian Anderson, Corinn Mart and Claire Podraza each had six.
Abington (9-4, 4-2 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Tuesday, and Pennridge (5-10, 1-5) will be on the road at Central Bucks South Tuesday.
Abington 18-26-18-14 76
Pennridge 9-15-11-15 50
Abington (76) – Britney James 6, Cam Lexow 4, Lizzie O’Leary 21, Tamia Wessels 10, Kassondra Brown 11, Jordyn Alen 8, Sam Brusha 16.
Pennridge (50) – Samantha Muredda 7, Brooke Bachtle 8, Gillian Anderson 6, Corinn Mart 6, Madison Stolarski 8, Rose McCormick 9, Claire Podraza 6.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 33, HATBORO-HORSHAM 26
The Titans snapped a two-game losing streak in a contest that saw some new faces put their names in the scoring column. Haley Meinel and Lexi Edwards led the way with six points each.
South led 10-7 after one quarter and took a 19-13 lead into halftime.
Julia Thornton led all scorers with nine points, and Lexie Brett added seven.
Central Bucks South (12-2, 4-2 SOL) will host Pennridge on Tuesday, and Hatboro-Horsham (4-11, 3-5) will host Upper Moreland Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 10-9-4-10 33
Hatboro-Horsham 7-6-5-8 26
Central Bucks South (33) – Lindsay Scott 5, Maddy Maletz 3, Melissa Veal 4, Meghan Kuypers 3, Haley Meinel 6, Maddie McShane 4, Sofia Sonnet 2, Lexi Edwards 6.
Hatboro-Horsham (26) – Bergen Sims 3, Julia Thornton 9, Kylie Halko 3, Lexie Brett 7, Cam Ryan 4.
NESHAMINY 44, WISSAHICKON 13
The Trojans saw their seven-game winning streak snapped at the hands of a Redskin team that raced to a 13-2 lead after one quarter and controlled play from start to finish.
Coach Rodney Cline credited the Redskins.
“Losing is your best teacher,” the Trojans’ coach said. “It’s a good experience, we’ll learn from it. It’s something to strive for.
“They’re on another level. We have no problem giving them the credit. We definitely progressed from last year, and it’s good to play teams like that. If you’re going to lose to somebody, that’s a good team to lose to because they’re well coached and they’re well balanced from top to bottom. Give them all the credit in the world. We’ve got a lot of work to do. Losing is a great teacher. We have to move on.”
For the Redskins, Kristin Curley and Allison Harvey led a balanced attack with nine points each. Hannah Stonkus added seven.
Brianna Tilghman led the Trojans with six.
Neshaminy (10-2, 5-1 SOL) will travel to Bensalem, and Wissahickon (8-5, 4-3) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Neshaminy 13-5-12-14 44
Wissahickon 2-5-4-2 13
Neshaminy (44) – Alex Ziegler 2, Hannah Stonkus 7, Olivia Scotti 5, Brooke Mullin 4, Kristin Curley 9, Meghan Ansel 2, Kelli Kowalick 2, Devon Storms 4, Allison Harvey 9.
Wissahickon (13) – Brianna Tilghman 6, Sydney Ott 1, Julianne Griffin 2, Victoria Selverian 4
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