Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. Neshaminy/Pennsbury photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Hatboro-Horsham/Upper Dublin photos courtesy of Larry Small. Check back for a gallery of photos of both games.
SOL Patriot Division
NESHAMINY 40, PENNSBURY 38 (OT)
With the Redskins trailing by three and time winding down in regulation, freshman Reese Zemitis – displaying the poise of a seasoned veteran – buried a three at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.
“We had a timeout with eight seconds left,” Neshaminy coach Joe Lally said. “We were looking to run something, but they took it away. To Maya 
Lewis’ credit, she dribbled in to penetrate, and it almost looked like she was going to take the shot, and Reese just kept coming around for the ball because we were looking for a dribble handoff. She got it, and it was deep, but she didn’t hesitate. She knocked it down.”
In overtime, sophomore Taylor Gurysh went to work, scoring all five of her team’s points to give the young Redskins the heartstopping win. The Falcons – who shared the conference title with the Redskins – did not have a field goal in OT, scoring their three points at the foul line.
“Taylor Gurysh was great tonight,” Lally said. “She had three fouls in the first half. One of the key moments was – we had to bring in sophomore Lindsay Little in the second quarter because Taylor picked up her third.
“Lindsay went in, and she played really well in the zone defense, and she knocked down a three on top of it, so you have a sophomore come in and fill those minutes and do that, and Taylor did a great job in the second half. She did eventually foul out in overtime – I don’t know how many seconds were left, but she played with foul trouble all night and did a good job.”
Early on, the Falcons – behind six points from Ava Sciolla – opened up a 12-8 lead after one quarter. The Redskins answered with a 14-5 second quarter surge.
The Redskins took a 28-21 lead into the fourth quarter when Ava Sciolla went to work, scoring 12 of her team’s 14 points and giving the visiting Falcons a 35-30 lead late in regulation.
“Ava just went off in the fourth quarter,” Lally said. “We were playing a zone, and being young, we lost her with them moving her around, but they’re so experienced. I knew they were going to make a run.”
Kacie Sienko – the team’s lone senior – went coast to coast and converted a layup to make it a 35-32 game.
“It was Kacie’s Senior Night,” Lally said. “She played well defensively, and her one field goal late in the game was huge.”
The Redskins’ called an immediate timeout after Sienko’s basket to set up the press, and the stage was set for the dramatic finish.
“They missed the front end of a one-and-one, and that set up Reese for the game-tying three,” Lally said. “Our girls played so mentally tough, and that’s been a concern since the Upper Dublin game (a 42-31 loss) – that third quarter they came out and you could see they were more experienced, more mentally tough than we were. We knew Pennsbury had more big-game experience than us. It was just a matter of – when we get smacked in the mouth, we have to stand tall and be mentally tough. We took the hits, and we stood tall and gave ourselves a shot at the end, which is all you can ask for. “
Reese and Gurysh both scored 16 points to lead the Redskins.
“What can you say about Reese hitting that shot? A freshman in the moment,” Lally said. “That was no accident. They gave her a little too much space, and she knocked it down.
“Taylor and Reese were monsters – they were determined to keep us in the game. Reese was very unhappy with her game against Upper Dublin.
She let me know, and we had a very good conversation. For her to get that big shot and to see her teammates gather around her as a freshman, I just can’t give her enough credit.
“A lot of times Ava was on her one-on-on-one. Ava’s a great defensive player, and she’s able to limit some of the things Reese can do, but she stayed with it. That shot – for Reese to get us there and for Taylor to drive us home, a freshman and sophomore, it was nice. We’re going to enjoy it, and tomorrow morning at eight o’clock we’re back at it.”
The Redskins’ coach also had high praise for several players whose contributions don’t show up in the box score.
“Skylar Lall and Maya Lewis again played their roles and were excellent,” Lally said. “We were able to handle their press, which was key for us.
“The kids worked hard, and this game means so much to them. I didn’t grow up here, so I don’t get it, but man – do you feel it when you’re there. It’s a rivalry.”
For the Falcons, Sciolla led the way with 18 points and five rebounds. Bella Arcuri added four points, four rebounds, five assists and four steals. Abbi Nassivera had six points for the Falcons.
Neshaminy (2-1 SOL, 2-0) will travel to Harry S Truman on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. contest. Pennsbury (1-1) will be on the road at Central Bucks West on Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. non-league contest in a rematch of last year’s District One 6A final.
Pennsbury 12-5-4-14-3 38
Neshaminy 8-14-6-7-5 40
Pennsbury (38) – Sofia Vetucci 0 3-5 3; Ava Sciolla 7 0-0 18; Abbi Nassivera 2 2-6 6; Bella Arcuri 1 2-4 4; Lauren Dignan 0 0-2 0; Mia Spinelli 2 0-0 4 Neveah Dash 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 13 7-17 38.
Neshaminy (40) – Kacie Sienko 1 1-3 3; Maya Lewis 0 2-2 2; Taylor Gurysh 5 6-12 16; Lindsay Little 1 0-0 3; Reese Zemitis 4 5-5 16; TOTALS 11 14-22 40.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Ava Sciolla 4, Bella Arcuri, Neshaminy – Reese Zemitis 3, Lindsay Little.
HARRY S TRUMAN 43, BENSALEM 38
Arianna Frank didn’t look the part of a rookie with the outcome of Friday’s game at Bensalem hanging in the balance. In the final minute of a tightly contested game between the neighboring rivals, the freshman forward twice went to the foul line for two-shot fouls, and she delivered in a big way.
“She made three of four, and that was it,” Truman coach Collette Munford said. “I could tell she was nervous, and when she missed the first shot, I said, ‘Arianna, I know you’re nervous, but just relax.’ She made the last three.”
The Tigers, who trailed 7-5 after one quarter, took an 18-15 lead into halftime only to watch the Owls take a one-point lead into the fourth quarter, 25-24. Truman closed out the game with a 19-point fourth quarter to earn their first win of the young season.
“Most of our mistakes were because of us,” Munford said. “We missed a lot of easy layups, not closing out fast enough – little things that are on us, not the other team.
“When there was a timeout in the last quarter, I made them look at the score, and I said, ‘It’s time management now. We’ve got to finish this right. We’re in it, we’ve got to tighten up every little thing we’ve been doing wrong. If we do that, we’ll come out with a win.’ They managed to do that.”
Haniyyah Jones led all scorers with 19 points. The senior standout is healthy after two years of battling injuries. Frank also finished in double figures with 10, and Mayah Alford added six.
“We’re young,” Munford said. “We have one senior and one junior – the rest are freshmen and sophomores. We’re losing a lot of girls because parents didn’t want them to play because of COVID. This team that we have – they can do it. They’re just young, and we really haven’t had time to practice. We’re going to take what we can get and just build off it. We’re using these games as practice. That’s all we can do.”
For the Owls, Gianna Paglaiccetti led the way with 11 points. Amber Howard added eight while Sam Daut and Mackenzie Kramer both had six.
Harry S Truman (1-1 SOL) will travel to Upper Moreland for a non-league game Saturday at noon. Bensalem (0-2) will be on the road at Executive Education Academy Charter School for a non-league game Monday at 3 p.m.
Harry S Truman 5-13-6-19 43
Bensalem 7-8-10-13 38
Harry S Truman (43) – Haniyyah Jones 19, Mayah Alford 6, Arianna Frank 10, Saniya Blount 2, Ava Kilmer 4, Secret McCleve 2.
Bensalem (38) – Delaney Bell 3, Amber Howard 8, Kylie Smith 2, Maddie MacDougall 2, Sam Daut 6, Mackenzie Kramer 6, Gianna Paglaiccetti 11.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 46, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 43
It was another classic battle pitting the sister schools, and this one – like most – could have gone either way.
“Any time it is North/South, you can throw everything else out the window – winning streaks, records, experience, young personnel, whatever it is – nothing matters in these games,” said Rock South coach Blair Klumpp, whose team was coming off a 45-26 loss to Neshaminy in Tuesday’s opener. “A lot of our girls play multiple sports, so that rivalry for some of them is all year across multiple sports, and it carries a different competitive nature to it. When you can claim a win in this series, it’s a very good thing for our group.”
The Indians – behind 12 points from sophomore Jaden Wan and seven from junior Kristen Polinsky – took a 21-17 lead into halftime and extended that lead to nine in the third quarter. Sparked by six points from Nicole Blaustein, whose 10 first-half points kept the Hawks in it, they battled back, outscoring their hosts 16-13 to trail by just one heading into the final quarter.
“North took away some things we have been emphasizing and doing and we made a few adjustments on the fly, and the girls took it all great and adapted well,” Klumpp said. “They deserve all the credit, they took a strong stretch from North, we went from being down nine in third and we chipped away. The girls never packed it in. That has not been the case in years past.
“I told the girls Wednesday at practice – the Neshaminy game was on me. I need to do a better job of preparing them and putting them in good situations. The approach of this group is different from my previous years and a little bit of that mental toughness and resiliency was shown tonight.”
That resilience was on display in the fourth quarter that saw the Golden Hawks outscore the Indians 13-9 to eke out the win.
Blaustein led all scorers with 20 points, which included a 10-for-14 effort at the foul line. She also had three rebounds, three steals and a block.
“I feel good for our two seniors guards – Carley (Irvin) and Nicole (Blaustein),” Klumpp said. “There have been in some UGLY losses in this rivalry, and to get this one tonight in the nature we did was great for them and us as whole. Their leadership was very good.
“Nicole was good from the foul line when both teams struggled as a whole in that area, so that was big. Her ball pressure was important tonight too. I thought she played one of her best defensive games in four years for us. She didn’t gamble, she kept people in front and was disruptive. She and Kim (Speiser) were really good defensively especially when Carley and Karissa (Smedley) were in foul trouble.
“I thought our clock management at the end with Carley, Nicole, Kim, and Karissa controlling the ball was the best it’s been in my four years at the end of quarter/end of game situations. Karissa did a really good job on (Jaden) Wan. I think she hurt us a bit on the backboard when we had to move some lineups around, but our girls battled and adjusted.”
Smedley had a game-high eight rebounds to go along with two steals and five points. Speiser had six boards, two steals and a block. Irvin had four points and two steals.
Jess Mangoni and Mia Stock each had six points. Mangoni also had six rebounds and two blocks.
“Our two bigs, Jess (Mangoni) and Mia (Stock) played well together down the stretch and complemented each other really well,” Klumpp said. “Jess was physical on the backboards, especially in the first half, and it stabilized us in that area after a rough patch.
“Kim (Speiser) played a very active all around game. Coaches always talk about impacting a game without having to score. She did that tonight and was very impactful. Smedley took a big charge, Jess tried to take one in a big spot on Wan.
“These girls as a whole are doing a lot of little things for the betterment of the team, giving themselves up for one another, etc. Their daily effort and attitude has been great. We have some depth, and I think a lot of girls can do okay on a given night, so it’s important they stay ready. Cam Gregory had a big stretch for us as well and hit a three to get is within one and then made a runner in a big spot.”
Wan’s 18 points led the Indians while Polinsky had nine. Delaney McCaffery and Kiera Katz both had seven.
“North has some good pieces that play well with each other,” Klumpp said. “Wan is a smooth player who doesn’t get rattled. Their freshman guard (Delaney) McCaffery likes to get downhill with a physical presence. Kristin Polinsky made some key plays tonight.
“Both teams played really hard and we have some things we can clean up, but we got a lot of contributions tonight in varying ways so I was pleased that we implemented some things we have been practicing. Our girls deserve a lot of credit.”
Council Rock South (1-1 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Tuesday, and Council Rock North (1-1) will be on the road at Bensalem on Tuesday.
Council Rock South 11-6-16-13 46
Council Rock North 10-11-13-9 43
Council Rock South (46) – Kim Speiser 0 0-1 0; Cam Gregory 2 0-3 5; Nicole Blaustein 5 10-14 20; Carley Irvin 1 2-7 4; Karissa Smedley 1 3-6 5; Mia Stock 3 0-0 6; Jess Mangoni 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 15 15-31 46.
Council Rock North (43) – Kiera Katz 2 2-8 7; Sofia Shields 0 0-1 0; Delaney McCaffery 2 3-9 7 Erica Martin 0 2-3 2; Kristen Polinsky 4 0-3 9; Jaden Wan 8 2-2 18; Ruth O’Keefe 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 16 9-28 43.
SOL Colonial Division
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 49, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 44
The visiting Titans managed just 13 points in the first half and trailed the defending SOL champions 19-13 at the intermission. The second half – that was a different story entirely. Suddenly, the Titans were all but unstoppable, exploding for 36 points on their way to the important win.
“I think we just finished better in the second half,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “I thought our effort was great throughout the whole game.
“It was a physical game – it was fun to watch. It was almost sad that it wasn’t a full normal crowd because that would have been a tense gym with the student body there. People were diving on the floor. It was just a fun, physical, tense game.”
Four players accounted for all but two of the Titans’ points – two juniors, Taylor Hinkle and Mackenzie Erb, combined for 25 points with Hinkle’s 17 leading all scorers. A pair of freshman – Yoyo Samayoa and Brooke Edwards – combined for 22 with Samayoa also finishing in double figures with 14.
“My two little freshmen had themselves a night,” Mattern said. “I don’t think they knew to be nervous. They just went out and played basketball.
“Taylor Hinkle had 17 and had another great night. It was a nice all-around performance. I’m really proud of everyone’s effort. They really stepped up.”
The Titans led 9-6 after one quarter, but the Bucks – sparked by a pair of Tai Henkels three’s – closed out the half with a 13-4 tear to go into halftime with a six-point lead.
Edward had a pair of three-pointers and Hinkle scored five points in a third quarter that saw the Titans outscore their hosts 14-9 to trim West’s lead to one, 28-27.
In the fourth quarter, the Titans found their stride, and behind eight points from both Erb and Samayoa, they outscored the Bucks 22-16.
“We made some shots,” Mattern said. “We were able to force some turnovers and pulled down some defensive boards – they’re just so good on the offensive boards.
“In the first half, we really struggled with that, and in the second half, I thought we did a better job trying to control the boards. We did a better job executing and finishing. We let some opportunities in the first half get away. We made a couple stops in a row and we got a couple of scores, and it kind of turned our confidence.”
The Titans’ coach credited her team’s energy and mental composure in the second half.
“We started to fall apart a little,” Mattern said. “To West’s credit, they just kept battling. They don’t ever give up, but we were able to knock down some foul shots in the fourth quarter. We hit some big shots, and in the end, we were able to hold onto the ball.
“We were in our offseason Feb. 6 last year, and we were literally six weeks shy of a year since we had been on the court together. Those girls have worked so hard to erase last year’s memory and to create new ones. I think this is a testament to the work they put into themselves and to the team, and in an odd year, it still wasn’t an excuse to not get better.”
Paige Gilbert’s 13 points – 12 in the second half – led the Bucks. Henkels and Maggie McCusker finished with nine each. Both had three three-pointers.
The Bucks lost three key starters from last year’s District One 6A championship squad to graduation, including last year’s PA Sportswriters Class 6A Player of the Year Maddie Burke, who is getting major minutes at Penn State, as well as Jess Broskey and Olivia Irons.
“Obviously to make significant contributions at Penn State as a freshman – that’s a loss you don’t even try to make up for because you can’t recreate her,” Mattern said of Burke. “I will say – I thought they still played West basketball. They were intense, they were up-tempo, they had good energy, they were crashing the boards.
“Both teams hit big shots at times. It was just a fun game. We needed this win.”
Central Bucks South (1-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Tuesday, and Central Bucks West (0-1) will host Pennsbury in a non-league contest Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Central Bucks South 9-4-14-22 49
Central Bucks West 6-13-9-16 44
Central Bucks South (49) – Madelynn White 1 0-0 2; Taylor Hinkle 7 3-4 17; Mackenzie Erb 3 0-1 8; Yoyo Samayoa 3 5-8 14; Caroline McSorley 0 0-1 0; Brooke Edwards 3 0-0 8; TOTALS 17 8-14 49.
Central Bucks West (44) – Tai Henkels 3 0-0 9; Anna Blue 1 0-0 3; Emily Spratt 1 3-5 5; Ava Longo 1 0-0 3; Maggie McCusker 3 0-0 9; Paige Gilbert 6 3-8 15; TOTALS 15 6-13 44.
3-point goals: CBS – Yoyo Samayoa 3, Brooke Edwards 2, Mackenzie Erb 2, CBW – Tai Henkels 3, Maggie McCusker 3, Anna Blue, Ava Longo.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 43, SOUDERTON 27
The Patriots had just 10 field goals to 13 for the Indians, but that didn’t matter a whole lot in a contest that saw the visitors bury 21-of-25 from the foul line while the Indians were 0-for-3 from the charity stripe.
Senior center Emily Chmiel – a tough matchup for the Indians in the paint – did most of the damage at the line, burying 11-of-13 on her way to a game high 15 points.
“We were very happy with the game tonight because last year when we played them at their place they switched up some things defensively, and we really struggled to make adjustments and kind of got into our own heads,” East coach Liz Potash said. “We were really prepared for that this time, and the girls really responded well.
“It was a really nice team effort. It’s been a long time since we won a game at Souderton.”
It had been five years since the last East win at Souderton, and the Patriots, who led 8-6 after one quarter, began to take control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Indians 14-6 to go into halftime with a 22-12 advantage.
“A real key in the second quarter was Anna Barry, a freshman, came in and hit two three’s that really took them out of the defense they wanted to play because they had to come out and jump on us,” Potash said. “Anna had a bunch of foul shots at the end to kind of seal it in the fourth quarter.”
Chmiel had four points in the first half – all at the foul line – but had 11 in the second half.
“Emily Chmiel had a huge game on the boards,” Potash said. “I don’t have the numbers, but we were really struggling. They got a lot of offensive rebounds in the first half, and that was a big goal of ours in the second half. Emily did really well rebounding in the second half.”
Anna Barry finished the game with 11 points while Mia Salvati and Emily Barry both had six.
“Emily Barry’s defense on Casey Harter was great – she held (the Indians’ point guard) to six,” Potash said “Harter’s a really nice player, and one of our big keys was – if we can contain her and find a way of getting her out of her rhythm, we would have a good shot, and Emily is such a good defender.”
Jordan Zimmerman’s seven points led the Indians while Teya McConnaha added six points and 10 rebounds.
Central Bucks East (2-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South on Tuesday, and Souderton (1-1) will be on the road at North Penn for a 5 p.m. contest on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 8-14-13-8 43
Souderton 6-6-11-4 27
Central Bucks East (43) – Anna Barry 2 5-7 11; Mia Salvati 3 0-0 6; Elise Duffy 2 1-1 5; Emily Chmiel 2 11-13 15; Emily Barry 1 4-4 6; TOTALS 10 21-25 43.
Souderton (27) – Jordan Zimmerman 3 0-0 7; Erin Bohmueller 1 0-0 2; Olivia Schneider 2 0-2 4; Casey Harter 3 0-0 6; Teya McConnaha 3 0-2 6; Hayley Fenchel 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 13 0-3 27.
3-point goals: CB East – Anna Barry 2, Souderton – Jordan Zimmerman.
SOL Liberty Division
ABINGTON 58, WISSAHICKON 32
Dan Marsh is beginning his 16th year at the helm of the Abington girls’ basketball program. An amazing accomplishment for the veteran coach, who wasn’t convinced he’d even make it past his first.
“We were 10-14, and it was one of the most difficult seasons I’ve ever had because the Abington community is so into basketball, it’s so demanding,” Marsh said. “I remember towards the end of the season I broke down, and I started crying.
“I’m sitting in the corner by myself saying, ‘I don’t know if I can do this,’ and one of the parents – Jen Kelly’s dad, Phil Kelly, an interventionist – put his arm around me, gave me a hug and said, ‘You’re going to be all right. Don’t worry about it.’ I just kind of persevered after that.”
Marsh did more than persevere, he excelled, and on Friday night, the Ghosts notched win number 400 of his stellar coaching career – 300 of those came at Abington, the first 100 at Barrack Hebrew Academy.
“We’ve been pretty blessed at Abington with great assistant coaches and a lot of great players,” Marsh said. “We so appreciate it right now because of everything that’s going on.
“It’s mid-January and we’re playing our first game. It was great to get back out there. I love to be able to use basketball as a life teaching tool for the kids. I’m not so young anymore, and I can still reach them, identify with them and make connections with them, and that’s what’s most important. Of course I’m competitive – we like to win.”
The Ghosts made sure they took care of business early, racing to a 19-5 lead and taking a 32-8 lead into halftime on their way to the historic win.
“We’re just so happy to be playing,” Marsh said. “Especially for our three seniors – Amanda Jackson, Ally Holden and Rachael Muller. We’re such a young team, but we want to see that those three see the court as much possible.”
Jaida Helm (19 points) and Cire Worley (18 points) combined for 37 points to lead the Ghosts. Khalis Whiting added eight.
For the Trojans Leah Dubin led the way with 10 while Kaitlyn McGeary had eight and Lily Hyatt and Julia Verrier both had six.
Abington (1-0 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday, and Wissahickon (1-1, 0-1) will host New Hope-Solebury in a non-league game Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Abington 19-13-11-15 58
Wissahickon 5-3-11-15 32
Abington (58): Cire Worley 7 2-2 18, Jaida Helm 8 2-3 19, Khalis Whiting 4 0-2 8, Abril Bowser 1 0-0 2, Maura Day 0 2-4 2, Jordan Reynolds 2 0-0 5, Ashley Reilly 1 0-0 2, Lila Stonehouse 1 0-0 2, Sarah Oleary 0 0-2 0. Totals: 24 6-13 58
Wissahickon (32): Leah Dubin 3 4-6 10, Kylie Friedman 1 0-3 2, Julia Verrier 1 4-4 6, Kaitlyn McGeary 4 0-0 8, L Hyatt 2 0-0 6. Totals: 10 8-13 32
3-pointers: A – Worley 2, Helm, Reynolds; W- Hyatt 2.
UPPER DUBLIN 63, HATBORO-HORSHAM 39
The Flying Cardinals couldn’t buy a basket in the opening minutes of Friday’s contest. It was hardly an omen of things to come for the visiting Cards, who finished the game with 13 threes. Dayna Balasa led the charge, burying a career high seven three-pointers and finishing with 25 points 
in a dazzling offensive display.
“Dayna would be the first one to tell you that she’s struggled to shoot the ball this year,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “Everybody in our league is well aware of Dayna’s ability to shoot the ball. She has our school record for three-pointers in only three seasons.”
Friday’s game was a far cry from last Saturday’s season opening win against Neshaminy that saw the Cardinals connect on just 4-of-27 shots from beyond the arc.
“To be able to beat a respectable team like Neshaminy and shoot as poorly as we did, I thought that was a good sign,” Funsten said.
In Friday’s contest, the Flying Cardinals found themselves staring at an early 10-0 hole but rebounded to knot the score after one quarter. Freshman Amy Ngo ignited the Cardinals with seven points off the bench.
“Amy Ngo gave us a big spark,” Funsten said. “She scored seven points in the quarter when we were struggling to put the ball in the basket.
“Getting off to a better start is obviously something we want to work on in the future, but after that, it kind of woke us up.”
The Cardinals, who led 29-15 at halftime, outscored the Hatters 38-18 in the middle two frames, connecting on 10 three-pointers.
“Upper Dublin is so good at what they do,” HH coach Dennis Steinly said. “They have some veteran players who have played in some big-time games. They don’t rattle. We jumped up 10-0 using some first-game enthusiasm, but UD settled 
in and responded how you would expect good teams to respond. I’m guessing but I would say they shot close to 50 percent from three. Sometimes making shots is contagious, and it seemed that was the case for them tonight.
“It was apparent that we hadn’t played real competition since February. We were sloppy with the ball, and defensively, we have a lot of work to do. We have to get better, and I trust our players will step up their effort.”
In the Cardinals’ second and third quarter outburst, Balasa did most of the damage, burying three three-pointers in a 19-point second quarter. She added three more and 11 points in a 19-point third quarter. Jess Polin had a pair of three’s in the second quarter while Sarah Eskew had two in the third quarter.
“Sarah Eskew has had kind of a quiet, very efficient offensive season so far,” Funsten said. “She struggled to shoot the ball a little bit last year, and she shot the ball really well as a sophomore. She seems to be back in that sophomore form again with her shooting stroke.”
Eskew scored nine points – eight in the middle two frames. Polin also had a big night, finishing with six points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. She also had seven deflections, three steals and one block.
“Jess Polin – who just kind of makes everything happen – was four points away from a triple double,” Funsten said. “She is just so important for us, and she makes the game so much easier for her teammates. If there’s anybody who you’d ever want to be a teammate, it would be Jess Polin.”
In addition to scoring 25 points, Balasa had five rebounds, five deflections, one steal and one assist.
Ngo finished the game 13 points, which included a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line. She also had four deflections and three steals. Geena Sarnoski chipped in with eight points and a pair of steals.
“This is really a fun group to coach,” Funsten said. “I’m sure all coaches kind of have the same view right now – how grateful we are to be playing, don’t take anything for granted, come to play every day, work hard and enjoy the experience, and that’s what these girls are doing the most. They’re really enjoying the experience so far, and we’re just hoping we can continue to keep playing.”
Alice Hall had a huge game for the Hatters, finishing with 23 points. Emily Thomas added eight.
“There were some nice things to take away from this game,” Steinly said. “Alice Hall came up with an impressive opening game. I’m sure she felt confident knowing Jackie Vargas was no longer clogging the paint. It seemed UD was trying to collapse on her, but Alice was patient and let the game come to her. I don’t think she forced anything on the offensive end. Alice has worked hard on her game, and her confidence is growing. Confidence comes from preparation and Alice has done the work. I’m excited to see what she does this season.
“I thought Caroline Shegogue battled throughout the game. This was her first varsity game as our lead guard, and while she struggled at times, I was impressed with her resilience. She was going up against an all-league guard who has been running UD’s offense for three years now. That’s a tough task but Caroline didn’t back down.”
Upper Dublin (2-0, 1-0 SOL) was scheduled to travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday, but the Colonials join the list of teams that are shut down. Hatboro-Horsham (0-1) will travel to Abington Tuesday. Friday’s game was not on the original schedule but was arranged Friday morning when both teams found themselves without an opponent.
Upper Dublin 10-19-19-15 63
Hatboro-Horsham 10-5-13-11 39
Upper Dublin (63) – Geena Sarnoski 3 1-2 8; Jess Polin 2 0-0 6; Amy Ngo 3 6-6 13; Sarah Eskew 3 1-2 9; Kylie Elliott 1 0-2 2; Dayna Balasa 9 0-2 25; TOTALS 21 8-14 63.
Hatboro-Horsham (39) – Alice Hall 9 5-7 23; Alli Hewish 0 1-2 1; Caitlyn Carpenter 1 0-0 2 Emily Thompas 3 1-2 8; Sam Hollish 1 2-3 5; TOTALS 14 9-14 39.
3-point goals: UD – Dayna Balasa 7, Sarah Eskew 2, Jess Polin 2, Amy Ngo, Kylie Sarnoski, HH – Emily Thomas, Sam Hollish.
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