Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Thursday.
Non-league
NORTH PENN 60, ABINGTON 25
Sparked by Lily Brown’s career high 24 points, the Knights rolled to the big road win that snapped an eight-game winning streak for the Ghosts.
Key stretch: The Knights led 13-2 after one quarter and blew the game wide open with a 27-point second quarter to go into halftime with a 40-10 lead. Lily Brown had the hot hand for the Knights, burying four 3-pointers and scoring 18 points. Sophomore Mehya Godhania scored all 10 of her points in the opening half.
Key players: Lily Brown’s 24 points led the Knights. Cam Crowley and Mehya Godhania both added 10 points.
For the Ghosts, Maya Johnson had 13 points.
North Penn coach Bri Cullen: “We hit a lot of shots tonight, and that was a big piece to it, but the biggest piece was we played team basketball, and we executed the game plan really well. We’ve been waiting for a game to come together for us on both ends, so it’s nice to see that all the hard work for these girls is paying off, and they finally could get a win on both ends of the floor.
--A strong start: “We held them to 10 points in the first half. Abington is very athletic, they’re a really well-coached team, but (the players) really bought into the game plan, and it showed. Obviously, by the score, we hit a few shots, and we’re starting to play as more of a team. The last three seasons, we had multiple starters returning, so now that this team has had a little bit of time to play together – they’re starting to mold.
--Brown on fire: “Lily Brown had 24 points tonight and also had 24 points on Tuesday – it’s a career high. She played a really efficient game. She didn’t miss a whole lot of shots today. She’s been rebounding the ball really well. It’s starting to come together for her a little bit more. It’s more natural.”
--Rookie excels: “Mehya Godhania is doing well. She’s getting such good experience. Obviously, last year, she didn’t have any varsity experience at all. The beginning of this season, she was on JV, and she’s gone from that to starting. She’s taken really big leaps forward just based on effort alone. I’m super happy that she’s playing well and getting the experience that she is.”
Up next: North Penn (8-8, 4-1 SOL) will face Gwynedd Mercy Academy in the Hoops for Hope Classic at Arcadia University Sunday (12 noon). Abington (9-5, 3-1) will face Lansdale Catholic at Cristo Rey High School Saturday (3:30 pm).
North Penn 13-27-13-7 60
Abington 2-8-6-9 25
North Penn (60) – Cam Crowley 4 2-2 10; Paityn Debro 2 1-1 6; Lily Brown 8 4-5 24; Leah Mikulski 2 0-0 4; Jadyn Sperling 2 0-0 4; Mehya Godhania 4 1-1 10; Tallie Smink 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 23 8-9 60.
Abington (25) – Maya Johnson 5 2-2 13; Mikiaya Durham 1 2-2 4; Vanessa Griffin 1 0-0 3; Aniyah Williams 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 10 4-4 25.
3-point goals: NP – Lily Brown 4, Paityn Debro, Mehya Godhania; A – Maya Johnson.
SPRINGFIELD TWP 50, HATBORO-HORSHAM 26
The Spartans – sparked by six points from Julia Guicheteau – raced out of the gate to a 12-2 lead after one quarter. They took a 21-10 lead into halftime and then outscored the visiting Hatters 29-16 in the second half.
Key players: Ava Culler had another big game for the Spartans. She led all scorers with 21 points – 14 in the second half. Julia Guicheteau added 13 points, and Keira Brandon finished with 10 points.
For the Hatters, Olivia Grant had nine points, which included a 5-for-6 effort at the foul line. Maddy Patel added eight points, including a pair of 3s.
Springfield Twp coach Aileen Wetton: “We played well as a team – they’re coming together really nicely. Our points were distributed mainly between three girls. We looked to run the ball. We did a good job rebounding.
“Every starter got at least one basket, and we were 7-for-10 from the foul line. Keira Brandon stepped up the last game and this game and got to double digits, and Julia (Guicheteau) had a better game tonight. Our defense was really good.”
Hatboro-Horsham assistant coach Nicole Miletto: “We played pretty good defense, but we let up a ton of offensive rebounds. Junior Madison Duggan played a great game defensively for us. We just can’t find our offense right now.”
Up next: Springfield Twp (5-10, 0-5 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman Friday for a non-league game, and Hatboro-Horsham (3-11, 1-3) will host Pennridge Friday in a non-league game.
Hatboro-Horsham 2-8-9-7 26
Springfield Twp 12-9-13-16 50
Hatboro-Horsham (26) – Angelica Visceglia 2 0-0 4; Madison Duggan 1 0-0 2; Mia Fisher 1 0-0 2; Maddy Paten 2 2-24 8; Gabby Fisher 0 1-2 1; Olvia Grant 2 5-6 9; TOTALS 8 8-12 26.
Springfield Twp (50) – Caitlin Lewis 1 0-0 2; Chloe Koczor 1 0-0 2; Keira Brandon 4 2-2 10; Julia Guicheteau 4 4-6 13; Ava Culler 10 1-3 21; Karly Hartman 1 0-1 2; TOTALS 21 7-11 50.
3-point goals: HH – Maddy Patel 2; S – Julia Guicheteau.
BENSALEM 47, CONWELL EGAN 42
In a hard-fought non-league contest, the two teams battled to a 23-23 halftime tie. The Owls outscored their hosts 11-6 in the third quarter to take the lead on their way to the win.
Key stretch: In the pivotal third quarter, Mary Beck led the Owls with six points on a pair of 3-pointers.
Kay players: In the absence of a pair of regulars - Jordyn Bell and Grace McShane (both out with injuries), Talia DiMichele (22 points) and Mary Beck (19 points) both came up huge. DiMichele’s had 10 points in the fourth quarter on one basket and an 8-for-9 effort at the foul line. Her 22 points included an 11-for-12 showing at the charity stripe. Mary Beck was spot on from beyond the arc, burying six 3-pointers. She had four 3s in the first half.
Bensalem coach Steve Johnson: “Wonderful team win! Especially with Grace and Jordyn not playing tonight. Coaches at every level constantly preach ‘be the best at your role’ and ‘next man up,’ and this game couldn’t have been any more than that.
“The box score truly is not a testament to how a player played. We preach that to our girls each and every practice/game, and I really hope they listen and take in that information. We had huge plays come from everyone who played in our game even though they may not have scored a ton of points.”
--Taking a charge: “Egan’s best player (Lily Milewski) was driving to the rim down six with a minute left in the game, Devon Bell had the guts to step up, step in, and take a charge. That takes heart, especially with how strong Milewski is. She could have easily bailed out, reached in, and maybe given up an and-one, but she decided to sacrifice a tough fall for the betterment of the team. This also gave our bench a ton of energy which was important in crunch time.”
--Props: “Talia had a typical Talia DiMichele game. I called her a Swiss Army knife the other day, and she hated it, so I’m going to call her a Swiss Army knife again! She does everything and then some, finishing with 22 points, five steals, five rebounds, and three assists. Talia really took control in the fourth quarter when Egan was fouling, knocking down 9 of 10 in the fourth (11 of 12 for the game).
“Ariana Jenkins and Sydney Daut shared responsibility on Milewski and gave it their all. It takes a team effort and those two battled all night long. “
--Story of the night: “Our story of the night had to be Mary Beck. Mary has always been a good shooter for us, but tonight she really got a lot of shots up and capitalized on her increased minutes. She knocked down 6 of 9 three-pointers. I couldn’t be happier for her. She is an amazing kid. She smiles 24/7 and is always a kid I can count on to lift up my spirits when I’m in a mood after a tough loss or a not so good practice. The shots were great, and I’m sure everyone enjoyed seeing her shoot the ball, but her play of the game had to be her beautiful backdoor pass to a cutting Ariana Jenkins. Overall, I am proud of how this group responded to two of our big time players being out.”
Up next: Bensalem (8-6, 2-3 SOL) will host William Tennent in a non-league game Friday.
Bensalem 8-15-11-13 47
Conwell Egan 9-14-6-13 42
Bensalem (47) – Talia DiMichele 5 11-12 22; Mary Beck 6 1-2 19; Mischa Ellzy 0 1-2 1; Devon Bell 0 1-2 1; Sydney Daut 0 1-2 1; Anna Marks 1 1-4 3; TOTALS 12 16-24 47.
Conwell Egan (42) – Olivia DellaVecchio 2 0-2 4; Brianna Jackson 4 0-2 10; Jayla Butler 2 0-0 4; Ariella Parks 1 0-0 2; Lily Milewski 8 2-2 20; TOTALS 17 4-6 42.
3-point goals: B – Mary Beck 6, Talia DiMichele; CEC – Brianna.Jackson 2, LilyMilewski 2.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 69, VILLA MARIA ACADEMY 28
The Golden Hawks led 17-13 after one quarter and extended that to 36-23 by halftime. They allowed just five points in the second half on their way to their eighth straight win.
Key players: Fiona Reckner scored a game-high 23 points, which included three 3-pointers. Her 12 first-half points led the Hawks. Kat O’Kane added 16 points – 10 in the first half. Lil Metrick and Sarah Freeman both had nine points on three 3-pointers.
Council Rock South coach Steve Polinsky: “We shot the ball very well tonight. Fiona Reckner had a career high with 23 points. Fiona has been shooting the ball so well lately. She also had a great defensive game against one of VMA’s top players. She works so hard, and it is nice to see her playing so well this season. Sarah Freeman and Lil Metrick both shot the ball well tonight. We have won nine games in a row, and the girls are all working so hard at practice. The seniors Fiona, Kat, Lil, Sarah and Maria set the standard at practice.”
--Props: “Great bounce-back game from Kat O’Kane who scored 16 points tonight. We are a better team when Kat plays aggressively on offense. She was looking to score and doing a great job running the offense. She also was a lockdown defender tonight. Great game by Kat tonight.”
Next up: Council Rock South (11-3, 4-1 SOL) will face Haverford on Sunday (1 pm) at Arcadia University in the Hoops for Hope Classic.
Council Rock South 17-19-17-16 69
Villa Maria Academy 13-10-2-3 28
Council Rock South (69) – Bella Hettler 2 0-0 4; Sarah Freeman 3 0-0 9; Lil Metrick 3 0-0 9; Kathryn O’Kane 8 0-0 16; Fiona Reckner 10 0-0 23; Emerson Gunther 1 0-0 3; Anabelle Kusch 1 0-0 2; Carly Coretto 0 0-2 0; Noelle Lamb 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 29 0-2 69
Villa Maria Academy (28) – Sophia Tray 2 2-2 6; Becca Croft 3 0-0 8; Abby Ferry 2 0-0 4; Ava Broadhurst 3 0-0 6; Erin Urbanski 1 0-0 2; Sierra Dean 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 11 4-4 28
3-point goals: CRS – Sarah Freeman 3, Lil Metrick 3, Fiona Reckner 3, Emerson Gunther, Noelle Lamb; VMA – Becca Croft 2.
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