Check Saturday’s SOL Challenge results for girls’ basketball teams in action. Check back for Karen Discavage’s photo gallery of the CR North/Souderton contest and Keith Clemens’ gallery of the Abington/CB South game.
NORTH PENN 42, UPPER DUBLIN 35
The Lady Knights raced out to a 15-3 lead early in the second quarter of Saturday’s showdown between a pair of SOL conference leaders, and while things didn’t look promising for the Flying Cardinals, they staged a gutsy comeback and knotted the score in the fourth quarter. The Lady Knights, however, would not be denied.
“They can beat you in so many ways,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said of the Lady Knights. “Their schedule has been tougher than ours, and this is nothing new for them to play another good team.
“We kind of view this weekend as a fun weekend, a way to see where we are as a team. Early on, it looked like we didn’t belong in the same gym with them. We settled in a little bit. They’re so good on defense, but if we did get clean looks, nothing was going down. They had three different girls make a three in the first quarter, and I know they’re a great shooting team anyway. To make your first one makes you feel even better. Their first shots all went down, our first shots did not go down. I was proud of the way my players didn’t give up. They kept battling. The difference in the game was the first quarter.”
The Lady Knights, who led 12-3 after one quarter, took a 19-12 lead into halftime as the Cardinals began to battle their way back into the game.
“Upper Dublin is well coached,” coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “They were playing man against us in the beginning, and late in the first, they switched to a zone.
“We got open looks, but we weren’t making shots.”
North Penn took a 29-26 lead into the final quarter, but the Flying Cardinals knotted things up 31-31.
“When we tied it at 31, we had a defensive possession where they got two offensive rebounds, and then finally we got a rebound,” Funsten said. “It looked like we were going to go down and have a chance to take the lead and really make them think about us coming back.
“(We) got a defensive rebound, and they tied us up for a jump ball. It was their possession arrow. I thought we played a great defensive possession, and they swung the ball to (Sam) Carangi. We were on her, and she was six-seven feet behind the three-point line. It couldn’t have been any more of a contested three, and she drained it, and that was kind of it. There were still three or four minutes to go when that happened. The game was not over, but it was so deflating to our girls. It looked like we were finally going to have a chance to take the lead, and that was just a dagger.”
North Penn went on to open up a 40-31 lead, and a key was the strong play of Irisa Ye.
“I pretty much said to Irisa Ye, ‘You need to pick up your defense on (Allison) Chernow. You need to really get after her,’ and she did,” deMarteleire said. “Offensively, Mikaela (Giuliani) was in the middle on offense at the high post, and we pushed her to a baseline and put Irisa in the middle, and Irisa scored six points in the fourth quarter.
“Irisa really had a great fourth quarter offensively and defensively. She had a great game for us.”
Ye led a balanced North Penn attack with 12 points while Carangi added 11. Bri Hewlett had nine points.
The Lady Knights protected the basketball – they had just eight turnovers.
“That’s our goal – to keep our turnovers in single digits from now on,” deMarteleire said.
Demi Balasa and Josie Barrett both had nine points to lead the Flying Cardinals. Balasa also had six rebounds while Barrett added three rebounds and three steals. Chernow finished with seven points, five assists and three rebounds, and Ashley Barber had seven points and seven rebounds.
“The energy required to come back against a team like North Penn – you just exert so much,” Funsten said. “I was looking at my girls during a timeout near the end of the game, and there was not much left. That’s a testament to the type of team North Penn is.
“It was a fun game. I was glad we could make it interesting, make it competitive. We play another team that’s just as good tomorrow in GA. I’m hoping today we proved ourselves that we can play with the top teams.”
North Penn (13-2, 8-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks East on Tuesday night while Upper Dublin (12-3, 8-0) returns to action Sunday when the Flying Cardinals will face Germantown Academy in the Blue Star Basketball Invitational at Cabrini College.
North Penn 13-6-10-13 42
Upper Dublin 3-9-14-9 35
North Penn: Irisa Ye 12, Mikaela Giuliani 5, Jess Huber 5, Bri Hewlett 9, Sam Carangi 11.
Upper Dublin: Nicole Kaiser 3, Josie Barrett 9, Allison Chernow 7, Demi Balasa 9, Ashley Barber 7.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 49, ABINGTON 38
Courtney Dietzel scored eight points and pulled down five rebounds. Although those are hardly eye-popping numbers, the Titans’ senior forward – bound for Drexel University on a lacrosse scholarship – was a presence in the paint and played a key role in the Titans’ impressive win over the Ghosts.
“I thought Courtney Dietzel just played fantastic tonight,” coach Beth Mattern said. “I know (Lizzie) O’Leary had 14 points, but I think she had to work really hard for those 14 points.
“Courtney Dietzel is one of the most athletic individuals who can play sports, and she works so hard at making herself better in that fashion. I have a lot of confidence in her playing post, no matter what their size.”
Dietzel – who measures in at 5-10 – spent the day banging in the paint with 6-2 center Lizzie O’Leary and more than held her own.
“We just have to stay tough, and everyone working together is so important,” Dietzel said. “I was just trying my hardest to make myself as big as she is because she’s so strong. It doesn’t always work out.”
While Dietzel was manning the paint, freshman Alexa Brodie spent the game delivering plays that broke the Ghosts’ collective backs. Her first came in the final minute of the opening half when – with the Ghosts holding for the final shot – she came up with a steal. With two seconds remaining, Brodie hit nothing but net on a three-pointer to send the Titans into halftime with a 26-20 lead.
South opened the second half with a 5-0 run that began with a bucket by Jordan Vitelli (Taylor Dunn assist) and was followed by Mackenzie Ehresman connecting on 3-of-4 from the foul line – the first two after she came up with a steal on the defensive end.
“Arguably, that could have won us the game,” Mattern said of that pivotal stretch. “It was huge. Any time you can get the last word at the end of the half and you start the (second) half on your own terms, it just creates a nice little cushion. That Abington team is good – they’re athletic, they’ve got size, they can shoot. Just to be able to control that was what we had to have in order to win.”
The Titans went on to open up a 37-26 lead at the end of three quarters with Brodie putting the finishing touches on the frame by burying a pair at the foul line with two seconds remaining. O’Leary completed a three-point play to open the fourth quarter to make it an eight-point game, but on the Titans’ ensuing possession, Brodie somehow found her way through the trees and finished a nifty drive to up the lead to 10.
“I don’t know how that happened,” Brodie said. “I did that little fake that (Sam) Carangi did on us the first time we played them.”
Sam Brusha drilled a three-pointer at the other end, and when O’Leary connected on a pair from the foul line, the Titans’ lead was trimmed to 39-34 with 5:13 remaining. On the Ghosts’ next possession, Brodie penetrated, drew the defense and then kicked the ball out to Taylor Dunn, who buried a three that gave the Titans a 42-34 lead.
“It was close at that point, and time of possession is the most important thing at that point in the game,” Brodie said. “I knew that sometimes my shot was going to get blocked, especially with Lizzie in there, so I thought the best option was to kick it to a shooter – a wide open shooter, and she knocked it down.
“There are so many options and so many players on our team that are a threat to score. That’s what makes us so tough, and we just wanted to use all of our options and we did that today.”
A drive by Britney James pulled the Ghosts to within six, but they would get no closer.
“I’m just really proud of our decision making today and our ability to execute what we wanted to do,” Mattern said. “You have to limit your mistakes when we play a team like this where the matchups are so tight for us.
“They obviously have a size advantage, and we had to use our athleticism. Today what I was most proud of – obviously other than the effort after a long week – was their decision making, their mental toughness and their ability to finish it off.”
Mattern was asked about her team’s defensive effort that limited a potentially dangerous Ghosts squad to just 38 points.
“More than anything, we just played our typical defense,” she said. “I thought about all the different ways we could change it up or junk it up, but we do certain things well, and we went with it.
“Obviously, we had to make a couple of adjustments on their bigs. I think Chloe Entenberg and Alexa (Brodie) do a great job of putting pressure on the ball, but also that meant that anyone who was on the floor had to also keep up that pressure as well.”
Dan Marsh credited the Titans for never allowing the Ghosts to find a rhythm.
“They sped us up – at one point we had seven points and five turnovers,” he said. “I didn’t think it would be an issue, but it was.
“We turned the ball over way too much, and once they got up 10 with their ball handlers, they had us by the throat. I told the girls – right now we have to focus on our league.”
While O’Leary led the Ghosts with 14 points and six rebounds, Brusha added 11 points and three steals and Sammy Lochner had seven points.
Vitelli led the Titans with 12 points to go along with four steals while Ehresman added 11. Brodie finished with nine points.
For the Titans, the win capped a challenging eight-day stretch that included games against Perkiomen Valley, Central Bucks West, North Penn and Abington.
“We came off a tough loss (to North Penn), and it was important that we just kept our confidence,” Dietzel said. “We couldn’t let the loss to North Penn get in our heads.
“We just wanted to come out hard and finish out the week with a strong win.”
“We knew all four games were tough,” Brodie added. “We came off a tough loss, and we got back in the gym the day after and worked our butts off and came out with a win.”
Central Bucks South (11-4, 6-2 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday while Abington (10-5, 7-1) will host Neshaminy in a key SOL National Conference battle.
Central Bucks South 12-14-11-12 49
Abington 7-13-6-12 38
Central Bucks South: Alexa Brodie 9, Taylor Dunn 5, Chloe Entenberg 2, Haley Meinel 2, Jordan Vitelli 12, Courtney Dietzel 8, Mackenzie Ehresman 11.
Abington: Britney James 2, Sammy Lochner 7, Lizzie O’Leary 14, Leah Simmons 2, Sam Brusha 11, Kassondra Brown 2.
HARRY S TRUMAN 48, HATBORO-HORSHAM 44
The Tigers found themselves on the short end of a 16-12 score after one quarter but outscored the Hatters 12-7 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 24-23 lead. They led by four heading into the final quarter (35-31) and ended up winning by that margin.
Despite the win, Truman coach Collette Munford remains concerned about her team’s inability to convert layups and foul shots into points.
“That is what kills us every game,” the Tigers’ coach said. “I don’t know what to do.
“I told them, ‘You’re missing too many layups and foul shots – the two easiest shots in the game.’”
The Tigers limited the Hatters to just 15 points in the second and third quarters combined after allowing 16 in the opening frame.
“We didn’t change any defenses because what was hurting us was us,” Munford said. “It was tight when it didn’t have to be. I told the girls, ‘When are you going to get sick of this?’ I told them for every easy layup they miss, they’re going to pay for it at practice and every missed foul shot. Maybe that will work.”
The Tigers received a big boost from Jayda Campbell, whose 17 points led all scorers.
“This is her first game this year she’s been in double figures, and she was my leading scorer last year,” Munford said.
Sabria Lytes added 13 points, and Alexis McCoy – who returned to the lineup after being sidelined for two games with an injury – scored seven points.
“I was down two starters for the last two or three games, and I told the girls, ‘You really have to step up and just play as a team, talk and make these layups and foul shots,’” Munford said. “We did tighten up our defense a little bit. We played a two-three most of the game.
“I’m only playing seven girls, so we didn’t do too much pressing, but we picked them up halfcourt man and created a lot of turnovers. We were getting turnovers, but we weren’t capitalizing, so it kept them in the game. They’re bailing us out, and we’re bailing them out, but the score isn’t going anywhere. Layups and foul shots have been killing us the whole season.”
For the Hatters, Cassidy Quattro (13 points) and Haley Seifert (12 points) led the way. Julia Thornton added nine points and Erin Wingen, eight.
Harry S Truman (4-10, 1-7 SOL) will host William Tennent on Tuesday while Hatboro-Horsham (5-10, 1-7) will be at Central Bucks South.
“We needed this win,” Munford said. “It was a booster. Hopefully, we can take it into next week and we can build off of it and see what happens.”
Hatboro-Horsham 16-7-8-13 44
Harry S Truman 12-12-11-13 48
Hatboro-Horsham: Bergen Sims 2, Erin Wingen 8, Julia Thornton 9, Haley Seifert 12, Cassidy Quattro 13.
Harry S Truman: Darnella McMillan 8, Jayda Campbell 17, Rooneisha James 2, Alexis McCoy 7, Sabria Lytes 13, Briana Cliney 1.
BENSALEM 39, UPPER MORELAND 20
Defense, according to coach Geoff Per, was the story of his team’s win over the Golden Bears. The Owls allowed just six points in the first half but led by only a 10-6 score.
“The girls were in the locker room like we just lost, and I said to them, ‘You just gave up six points in a half of basketball. Let’s be proud of our defense right now,’” Per said. “I also want to give Upper Moreland credit.
“We want to get up and down the court, and they want to play a halfcourt set. I tried three different presses and then I went fullcourt man, and they really didn’t turn the ball over. We played good halfcourt defense once they broke the press.”
The Owls were without high scorer Lyric Lewis for much of the game due to foul problems, and both teams were coming off games less than 24 hours earlier.
“I thought we did a lot of good things last night against Neshaminy, and Upper Moreland was in the same boat,” Per said. “They had a tough game with PW last night.
“You have a 16-hour turnaround in a big gym that’s not very crowded on a Saturday afternoon, and it’s tough to get going.”
The Owls took control of the game in the third quarter, turning a 10-6 halftime lead into a 22-8 advantage with a 12-3 tear. They outscored their visitors 29-14 in the second half.
“I know our record isn’t great, but we have scored every game this year,” Per said. “Our defense has been suspect, to say the least.
“I told the girls after the game – ‘Lyric didn’t play, and we put up 40 points.’ We average between 48-52 a game, but our defense has been horrific at times. Today they played good defense, and that was nice.”
Samantha Werth led the Owls with 15 points, which included three threes. Destiny Rogers and Savannah Jordan both added 10 points. Lewis had six points – all in the fourth quarter.
“Alayna McFeed came off the bench and gave us great energy,” Per said. “She had three or four offensive rebounds.
“Destiny Rogers did a great job on the boards. Although Upper Moreland didn’t shoot well, Destiny limited them to one shot by getting every defensive rebound.
“Savannah Jordan had 10 points, and she wants to score. I told her at the beginning of the season, ‘I need you to play defense for this team.’ We didn’t have a lot of points, but she had six or seven assists. I was proud of her for that.
“Last night we lost (to Neshaminy), but that was the most unselfish we’ve played on offense the entire year, and I think it continued today. The girls are really starting to pass the ball to one another. I’m hoping we can finish strong. We’re 6-8 and we’re battling.”
For the Golden Bears, Jenna Getz led the way with six points.
Bensalem (6-8, 2-6 SOL) will host a tripleheader on Monday. Wildwood Catholic (N.J.) will face Central High School at 1 p.m., and Bensalem will take on Abington Friends at 3 p.m. William Tennent will play Harriton to cap off the tripleheader at 5 p.m. Upper Moreland (4-11, 1-7) will travel to Wissahickon on Tuesday.
Upper Moreland 1-5-3-11 20
Bensalem 7-3-12-17 39
Upper Moreland: Jenna Getz 6, Madison Pisut 5, Emily Zanine 4, Noelle Woodman 1, Elizabeth Magaha 2, Kim Benge 2.
Bensalem: Samantha Werth 15, Destiny Rogers 10, Lyric Lewis 6, Savannah Jordan 10.
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 57, UPPER MERION 54
Molly Dugan continued her torrid offensive production, torching the Vikings for 34 points in Saturday’s Coaches vs. Cancer game at Upper Merion High School. Included in her glittering performance was a 17-for-21 effort at the foul line.
Saturday’s contest – the first league meeting between the conference rivals – was a battle from the opening tap. The Vikings led 18-17 after one quarter, and the two teams were deadlocked 30-30 at halftime.
The visiting Spartans appeared to gain control in the third quarter, opening up a 45-39 lead heading into the final frame, but the Vikings didn’t go down quietly.
“It was a well-fought game on both sides of the ball,” Springfield coach Bill Krewson said. “While we had some mistakes, we did play four hard quarters and managed to stay focused, played good defense and used everyone on the court.
“Strong help off the bench allowed us to stay consistent.”
Jessica Michael (18 points) Tatiana Pleasant (16 points) turned in strong performances to lead the Vikings. Tatum Thomas added nine and Jordan Wilson, eight points.
For the Spartans, Maura Ryan added 10 points, combining with Dugan for all except three of Springfield’s points.
Springfield (6-9, 4-4 SOL) will travel to Norristown on Tuesday, and Upper Merion (4-11, 2-6) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Springfield 17-13-15-12 57
Upper Merion18-12-9-15 57
Springfield: Molly Dugan 34, Grace Barraclough 1, Emily Giampietro 2, Maura Ryan 10.
Upper Merion: Tatiana Pleasant 16, Amya Anthoney 2, Jordan Wilson 8, Andrea Davis 1, Jessica Michael 18, Tatum Thomas 9.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 46, SOUDERTON 31
Souderton kept things close for a while, battling the Indians to a 6-6 tie after one quarter in Saturday’s Coaches vs. Cancer contest at Rock North. A three-point play by Mackenzie Tinner in the opening minute of the second quarter gave the hosts a lead they would not lose.
Rock North led 17-7 after a basket by Dana Bandurick, and they upped their advantage to 12 after Becca Margolis scored on a driving basket. A three-pointer by Megan Haggerty put the Indians on top 24-9 before Marissa Sandone scored for the visitors to make it a 24-11 game at halftime. Rock North outscored Souderton 22-20 in the second half.
Bandurick led all scorers with 13 points – seven in the pivotal second quarter. Megan Haggerty added 10, which included three three-pointers. She completed an unorthodox four-point play when – in the fourth quarter – she connected on the front end of a one-and-one and then tracked down the long rebound in the corner and buried her third trey of the game. Margolis added nine points for the host Indians.
Souderton was led by Alana Cardona’s 11-point effort. Krista Schneider added eight points.
Council Rock North (8-6, 6-2 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Tuesday, and Souderton (5-10, 2-6) will host Quakertown.
Souderton 6-5-8-12 31
Council Rock North 6-18-10-12 46
Souderton: Tori Dowd 2, Krista Schneider 8, Alana Cardona 11, Megan Walbrandt 4, Mia Sherer 1, Marissa Sandone 5.
Council Rock North: Becca Margolis 9, Camryn Polinsky 5, Megan Haggerty 10, Kaelin Mealey 4, Dana Bandurick 13, Mackenzie Tinner 5.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 42, WISSAHICKON 29
The Patriots and Trojans were tied at nine at the end of one quarter, but the Patriots used a 12-4 second quarter run to go into halftime with a 21-13 lead. They never looked back.
Bailey McManus led the Patriots with 12 points while Grace Stewart added eight. Kyra Scaliti contributed six points and a team high nine rebounds.
Daria Earland turned in another strong performance for the Trojans, leading all scorers with 15 points. Lexi Carradorni added seven points.
Central Bucks East (10-5, 5-3 SOL) will host North Penn on Tuesday night, and Wissahickon (0-13, 0-8) will host Upper Moreland.
Wissahickon 9-4-5-11 29
Central Bucks East 9-12-11-10 42
Wissahickon: Brianna Tilghman 4, Daria Earland 15, Helma Meiby 2, Victoria Selverian 1, Lexi Carradorini 7.
Central Bucks East: Bridget Birkhead 2, Kyra Scaliti 6, Megan Browne 5, Bailey McManus 12, Melanie Wetzel 2, Bri Talbot 5, Abby Charlton 2, Grace Stewart 8.
NESHAMINY 65, QUAKERTOWN 41
Brooke Mullin turned in another stellar performance to lead the Redskins to the win. The freshman guard compiled an impressive stat line that included 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals.
“She played a phenomenal game,” coach Joe Lally said. “I’m so proud of her.”
Mullin wasn’t the only Redskin player to come up big. Morgan Goldenbaum scored 13 points, Thyra Tuttle added 12, Devon Storms had 11 and Allison Harvey scored 10 points as five Neshaminy players finished the game in double figures.
For the Panthers, Meghan Klee and Jill Martin both scored 10 points while Spenser Gray had seven and Maggie Garlick, six points.
Goldenbaum scored seven first quarter points to propel the visiting ‘Skins to an 11-9 lead. They buried four three-pointers in the second quarter – two by Tuttle – and scored 22 points, opening up a 33-23 halftime advantage. A 17-5 third quarter by the ‘Skins sealed the Panthers’ fate.
Neshaminy (12-3, 8-0 SOL) will travel to Abington Tuesday for a key conference battle, and Quakertown (3-11, 1-7) will be on the road at Souderton.
Neshaminy 11-22-17-16 65
Quakertown 9-16-5-11 41
Neshaminy: Morgan Goldenbaum 13, Tiara Porterfield 3, Devon Storms 11, Thyra Tuttle 12, Allison Harvey 10, Brooke Mullin 16.
Quakertown: Brooke Alwine 2, Sam Howard 3, Maggie Garlick 6, Spenser Gray 7, Olivia Morano 1, Marina Cooke 2, Meghan Klee 10, Jill Martin 10.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 37, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 24
Maggie Rakowsky scored 13 points and Makenzie Mason added 11, and although no other West player scored more than four points, it was enough to lead the Bucks to a non-league win over the Golden Hawks in a contest played at Upper Merion.
The Bucks led 7-2 after one quarter and took a 17-11 lead into halftime. They outscored the Hawks 20-13 in the second half.
Faith Turner scored seven points to lead the Golden Hawks while Payton Spadaccino added six.
Central Bucks West (11-4, 6-2 SOL) will host Pennridge on Tuesday, and Council Rock South (7-8, 5-3) will be on the road at Bensalem.
Council Rock South 2-9-5-8 24
Central Bucks West 7-10-10-10 37
Council Rock South: Caroline McGovern 4, Payton Spadaccino 6, Kasey Schlupp 2, Faith Turner 7, Christiana Deo 5.
Central Bucks West: Alex Baurkauskas 3, Maddie Maio 4, Makenzie Mason 11, Tori Abelson 2, Izzy Treon 4, Maggie Rakowsky 13.
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