Check out the recaps for SOL teams in action Saturday. Upper Moreland/Truman photos provided courtesy of Kathy Leister Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Non-league
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 44, PENNSBURY 28
It was a sequence that redefined hustle, a sequence that didn’t end in a basket but rather a turnover, but it was a telling stretch three minutes into the third quarter that effectively captured the Bucks’ tenacity under the basket that – on this day – the Falcons could not match.
Three times the Bucks took a shot, three times they came up empty, but all three times they came up with the ball. None were conventional offensive boards but rather included a player diving on the floor, lunging out of bounds to save the ball off a Falcon or something equally aggressive.
The Bucks ended the game plus eight in the rebounding department. That plus eight doesn’t tell the story, but that third quarter sequence that won’t show up in the box score does.
No one personified that hustle more than Paige Gilbert, who somehow – despite measuring in at 5-8 – believes every rebound belongs to her.
“It’s an easy way to get the ball down the court, get someone an open shot,” Gilbert said.
In Saturday’s win, the West senior – bound for William & Mary on a lacrosse scholarship – had a game high 13 rebounds and was in the middle of that third quarter sequence.
“She plays like she’s six foot,” said teammate Emily Spratt, who had five boards of her own. “It’s awesome to have her on our team.”
Saturday’s win came less than 24 hours after a season-opening loss to Central Bucks South.
“I think we were maybe more relaxed today,” Spratt said. “We got our first game jitters out, but I think mostly we were in help (defense). We learned from our mistakes.
“We talked, we communicated. Mostly, we just trusted each other a little bit more, got used to each other how we played.”
“We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy, a lot of intensity,” senior Marge McCusker said. “So we knew our defensive intensity had to be high against this team. They’re fast. Ava (Sciolla) is a very good player, a very good shooter. We had to switch off screens and get out on the shooters.
“Our defense today was definitely better than last night. We focused on the smaller things. I think last night we had a hard time getting out on shooters and closing out, and we did a much better job tonight.”
The Bucks’ defense held all-state junior Ava Sciolla to just six points and a limited number of shots.
“I think the most important thing is – guarding her we have to talk, we have to communicate and know where she is at all times,” Spratt said.
“At times they had three girls on her,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “At times, Ava did a good job getting to gaps and kicking. I think those shots are going to go down as the year goes on.”
Saturday’s non-league game featured a matchup of last year’s district finalists. That was secondary to the fact the both squads are just happy to be back on the court, and both were coming off disappointing losses the preceding night.
“I’m really impressed with the attitudes and the IQ of this team,” West coach Zach Sibel said. “During film sessions, they’re locked in.
“Last night was a really emotional one – you get a game (against North Penn) postponed on Tuesday, so you don’t have a chance to see everything in action. You’re only playing against each other for past 11 months.
“Before we talked to them at the end of the game last night, you saw the leadership of Emily Spratt, you saw the leadership of Maggie McCusker, Paige Gilbert and Anna Blue, and as we were walking out the door, all I hear is, ‘We’ll learn from it and get better tomorrow.’ A quick turnaround and the way this season is going to be – you don’t really have time to dwell on it, and they didn’t. They learned from their mistakes and they stepped up. You lose the players from last year, and we won’t even pretend to replace them, but you see girls stepping up and filling roles. That was the story of last year, and that will be the story of this year too.”
There were early signs the game might be tilting in West’s favor. McCusker put the Bucks on the board with a three-pointer, and then it was Spratt scoring. The Falcons evened the score 6-6 on a drive by Sciolla, but then Anna Blue buried her first of three 3-pointers on the day. Bella Arcuri answered with a three at the other end, and the two teams were deadlocked after one.
The Bucks opened up a 19-12 halftime lead, limiting the Falcons to just an Arcuri three in the second quarter. Blue sparked the Bucks with five points. The third quarter was more of the same with the Falcons managing just one field goal and six points while the Bucks put 16 points on the board to go on top 35-18. The Falcons never threatened.
“I love how we’re playing as a team right now,” said McCusker, who had three assists. “We’re really sharing the ball well, having great energy, great communication on defense.”
“We did that last year, so I think we’re just used to now bringing everyone in,” Spratt said. “We have a lot of newcomers coming up, and I think they’re getting that sense too that we play as a team.”
Blue and Spratt led the Bucks with 13 points each. Gilbert added eight points. Spratt and Gilbert were a combined 9-for-14 from the foul line. The Falcons were 4-for-6 as a team.
“They do a really good job of being physical,” coach Sciolla said. “I think they are always very physical. It was a really physical game, and as physical as it was, we couldn’t get to the line, and that was a big piece.
“We’re in a situation where we’re trying to replace two all-league guards (Mary Miller to graduation and Nicole Pompili to an injury). The Nicole piece is big because of the scoring, the ball handling and the toughness in a game like this. But to be honest, the three freshmen – Sofia Vitucci, Layla Matthias and Danielle Sherman – did a lot of good stuff. You’re trying to get them experience.”
Arcuri led the Falcons with 14 points.
Central Bucks West (1-1, 0-1 SOL) will travel to Pennridge on Tuesday, and Pennsbury (1-2, 1-1) will be on the road at Council Rock South on Tuesday.
Pennsbury 6-10-5-6 28
Central Bucks West 16-15-16-7 44
Pennsbury (28) – Sofia Vitucci 1 0-0 3; Ava Sciolla 3 0-0 6; Abbi Nassivera 2 0-0 4; Kelly Haws 1 0-0 2; Bella Arcuri 4 4-6 14; totals 11 4-6 28.
Central Bucks West (44) – Tai Henkels 1 0-0 3; Katie Finnan 0 2-2 2; Anna Blue 5 0-0 13; Emily Spratt 5-8 13; Ava Longo 0 1-2 1; Maggie McCusker 1 0-0 3; Paige Gilbert 2 4-6 8; Alexis Castro 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 13 13-20 44.
3-point goals – Pennsbury – Bella Arcuri 2, CBW – Anna Blue 3, Tai Henkels, Maggie McCusker.
UPPER MORELAND 53, HARRY S TRUMAN 27
The Lions opened their 2021 season Saturday with an impressive non-league win over the visiting Tigers. They did it with some new faces in their lineup and without a player who had been at the heart of the squad for four years – Bean Hughes.
A pair of young players – sophomore Emmy Faith Wood and freshman Holly Gohl – turned in performances that suggested the program is in good hands. Both scored 15 points to lead the Golden Bears.
“Playing today was pretty strange but really therapeutic for everyone involved,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “Our players were excited, our coaches were excited and I know Mr. Feeley, our AD, was pumped.
“We never knew if we would get to this point and are very grateful for the opportunity. We got shut down from Montgomery County, then by our school district, and then again by Governor Wolf, but our girls have been so resilient and just keep doing what they’re asked. We understood the reasoning behind each shut down because at the end of the day everyone’s health and wellbeing is most important.”
The Golden Bears set the tone with a 16-6 first-quarter burst. Gohl made her presence felt immediately, scoring eight points in the frame. Wood had five, including her first the three 3-pointers in the contest. Kiera Coyle also had a three. By halftime, the Bears had upped their lead to 31-16.
“We had a bit of an advantage going into the game because Truman played last night, so it was a quick turnaround for them,” Carroll said. “We also had the opportunity to scout them since they’ve already had two games.
“I give our players a ton of credit though. For 90 percent of our team, this is the first time they’ve played an opponent outside of Upper Moreland since last February. It looked like we didn’t miss a beat, and I was really impressed.
“Defensively, the girls did a great trying to control Haniyyah Jones from Truman. She’s hard to keep out of the lane, but our team defense really focused in on her in the half court and in transition. Kaiya (Herb) and Kat (Morrow) were awesome against her and it really helped our defense turn into offense.”
In addition to Wood and Gohl, Coyle had nine points on three 3-pointers, and Kaiya Herb added seven points.
“Offensively, we played really well and stayed within ourselves,” Carroll said. “Emmy Faith was unreal for us on the offensive end. She had 15 points to lead our team, but she made great plays that led to open looks from others that extended our lead. She had six assists on plays where she was open, including a few key assists to Kiera Coyle in the third quarter. She’s so selfless and our team really benefitted from it today.
“We have a lot of capable scorers this year, and if teams try to focus in on one player, we have others who can step up. We have a long way to go, but it was a great start. Looking forward to continuing to make the most out of whatever happens this season.”
Upper Moreland (1-0) will travel to Springfield Township on Tuesday, and Harry S Truman (1-2, 1-1) will host Neshaminy on Tuesday.
Harry S Truman 6-10-5-6 27
Upper Moreland 16-15-16-7 53
Harry S Truman (27) – Haniyyah Jones 2 3-4 7; Hannah Smith 1 0-0 2; Mayah Alford 0 1-2 1; Gianna Johnson 5; Saniya Blount 1 0-0 2; Ariana Frank 0 3-4 3; Secret McCleve 3 1-2 7; TOTALS 9 9-18 27.
Upper Moreland (53) – Kaiya Herb 2 3-6 7; Alyssa Wiley 0 2-2 2; Kaitie Opferman 1 0-0 3; Emmy Faith Wood 6 0-0 15; Kylie Gaul 1 0-0 2; Kiera Coyle 3 0-0 9; Holly Gohl 6 3-4 15; TOTALS 18 7-12 53.
3-point goals: UM – Emmy Faith Wood 3, Kiera Coyle 3, Kaitie Opferman.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 54, WISSAHICKON 38
Rachel Saxton had a hot hand in the first half, and Reagan Chrencik owned the second half, propelling the visiting Lions to a convincing non-league win over the Trojans. Both players shared game scoring honors with 20 points.
“They’re well coached, they’re skilled too,” Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline said of the Lions. “Some of those girls can shoot the ball, especially off the dribble. They have great footwork, and they can shoot. I give all the credit to them.”
Saxton couldn’t miss in the opening quarter, burying a pair of 3-pointers and scoring 12 points as the Lions opened up an 18-6 lead.
“We came out flat at the beginning of the game, and that’s on me as a coach,” Cline said. “We have to make sure we get up and we’re ready to go in the beginning of the game. We do all right in the second half. We get off to slow starts, put ourselves in a hole, which makes it difficult to climb back up.”
The Lions took a 28-13 lead into halftime and added to that in the second half. Chrencik had 14 second half points, including three 3-pointers. NHS also threw some serious defense at the Trojans.
“Kate Dougherty played (Kaitlyn) McGeary real tough,” NHS coach Steve Polinsky said. “She scored, but we made her work. I thought Kate Dougherty and Jay Covino did a great job on her.”
McGeary ‘s 14 points led the Trojans. Leah Dubin added 11 while Julia Verrier had six.
In addition to the 20-point efforts of Saxton and Chrencik, Madi Fasti chipped in six.
“This was Madi Fasti’s first game with us, and she did a great job running the point for Rachel and did a really good job on (Leah) Dubin their point guard, played her really good,” Polinsky said.
Fasti is seeing her first game action for the Lions after transferring from Archbishop Wood and then sitting out last year.
“She had a good game overall,” Polinsky said. “It’s a nice addition that she can give Rachel a rest at the point guard position every once in a while.”
New Hope-Solebury (1-1) will travel to William Tennent Tuesday for the SOL opener for both squads. Wissahickon (1-2, 0-1) will host Quakertown on Tuesday.
New Hope-Solebury 18-10-13-13 54
Wissahickon 6-7-12-13 38
New Hope-Solebury (54) – Madi Fasti 3 0-1 6; Reagan Chrencik 7 3-4 20; Julianna Covino 2 0-0 4; Rachel Saxton 8 2-2 20; Kate Dougherty 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 22 5-7 54
Wissahickon (38) – Lily Hyatt 1 0-0 2; Julia Verrier 3 0-0 6; Leah Dubin 4 2-4 11; Kylie Friedman 2 0-0 5; Kaitlyn McGeary 5 4-7 14; TOTALS 15 6-11 38.
3-point goals: NHS – Reagan Chrencik 3, Rachel Saxton 2, Wissahickon – Leah Dubin, Kylie Friedman.
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