Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday.
American Conference
HATBORO-HORSHAM 41, QUAKERTOWN 21
The Hatters capped a perfect week by winning for the third time in as many games. The win gave the Hatters a sweep of their season series with the Panthers.
After one quarter of play, the Hatters led 9-4, and they took a 13-10 lead into halftime. They put some distance between themselves and their visitors with a 16-7 third quarter and iced the win by outscoring the Panthers 12-4 in the final quarter.
Bergen Sims led all scorers with 11 points. Lexie Brett added eight points and six rebounds. Kylie Halko also had eight points. Katie Fisher had seven points and six rebounds. Julia Thornton had five assists to go along with three points, and Cam Ryan led the defense with four steals and two points.
Senior Marina Cooke led the Panthers with 10 while Jill Martin added six.
Hatboro-Horsham (7-11, 5-5 SOL) will be on the road at Wissahickon on Tuesday, and Quakertown (6-9, 2-6) travel to Cheltenham Tuesday.
Quakertown 4-6-7-4 21
Hatboro-Horsham 9-4-16-12 41
Quakertown (21) – Maggie Garlick 2, Marina Cooke 10, Caitlin Rosenberger 1, Jill Martin 6, Roni Best 2.
Hatboro-Horsham (41) – Bergen Sims 11, Julia Thornton 3, Lexie Brett 8, Kylie Halko 8, Nikki Williams 2, Katie Fisher 7, Cam Ryan 2.
CHELTENHAM 45, UPPER MORELAND 18
Caitlin Wallace had a breakout performance for the Lady Panthers, burying five three-pointers and scoring a game-high 19 points. She also had four assists. Mia Leonard added eight points and once again owned the paint with 16 rebounds and eight blocked shots.
The Lady Panthers led 2-1 after an opening quarter that featured just one field goal, and that was by Leonard. Wallace went to work in the second quarter, burying a pair of three-pointers and leading the Panthers with eight points as they opened up an 18-7 halftime lead. They went on to outscore the Bears 27-11 in the second half with Wallace burying three threes and scoring 11 points.
Also for the Panthers, Nashira Brown added eight points.
Hannah Stainback and Noelle Woodman each scored four points to lead the Bears.
Cheltenham (10-7, 6-3 SOL) will host Quakertown on Tuesday, and Upper Moreland (0-16, 0-9) will be on the road at Springfield.
Cheltenham 2-16-15-12 45
Upper Moreland 1-6-8-3 18
Cheltenham (45) – Mia Leonard 8, Caitlin Wallace 19, Courtney Murray 4, Danielle Brown 4, Kai Williams 2, Nashira Brown 8.
Upper Moreland (18) – Phoebe Longstreth 2, Caitlin Corr 3, Hannah Stainback 4, Noelle Woodmand 4, Kim Benge 2, Cassidy Murphy 2, Hannah Finn 1.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 64, SPRINGFIELD 21
The stage has been set.
A month after a Dec. 23 contest that saw PW defeat Upper Dublin 50-37, the two conference powers will meet again on Tuesday. The Colonials are perfect on the season while the Flying Cardinals have lost just once in conference play. An Upper Dublin win would set up a tie atop the standings while a PW win would all but assure the Colonials the conference crown. Upper Dublin boasts a string of four consecutive SOL American Conference titles but needs a win Tuesday for a chance to keep that streak alive.
The Colonials took care of business early on Friday. They led 14-2 at halftime and upped that advantage to 31-4 by halftime over a Spartan squad that is without Molly Dugan. The high-scoring senior is sidelined with an injury she sustained in Tuesday’s contest against Cheltenham.
Taylor O’Brien led the Colonials with 23 points, which included three three-pointers. Ali Diamond added 11 points, Laurel Suchsland had nine, and Lauren Fortescue contributed seven. All three had a three-pointer. Victoria Betterly added six points.
For the Spartans, Grace Barraclough led the way with 11 points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (14-0, 5-0 SOL) will be on the road at Upper Dublin on Tuesday, and Springfield (5-11, 3-7) will host Upper Moreland on Tuesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14-17-17-16 64
Springfield 2-2-6-11 21
Plymouth Whitemarsh (65) – Taylor O’Brien 23, Lauren Fortescue 7, Gia Schweitzer 2, Ali Diamond 11, Haley Zygmunt 4, Laurel Suchsland 9, Alyse Caffrey 2, Victoria Betterly 6, Lauren Coscia 2.
Springfield (21) – Jameson Krewson 2, Mary Kate Smith 3, Siana Wynn 3, Grace Barraclough 11, Rileigh Serroni 3.
UPPER DUBLIN 61, WISSAHICKON 21
Senior Nicole Kaiser had another big game for the Flying Cardinals, finishing with 18 points, three rebounds, three steals and three assists. Freshman Jackie Vargas added 10 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Josie Barrett had 10 points, and Kara Grebe finished with eight points and three assists. Maggie Weglos contributed six points, six assists and three steals.
The Flying Cardinals jumped out of the gate to a 19-0 lead, and although the Trojans played them all but even the remainder of the first half, they never threatened.
“They’re just on another level in comparison to us,” Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline said. “We’re better, but we’re not there yet.
“You’ve got to give that team all the credit in the world. They’re well coached, they have a nice feeder program. They have four girls in their eighth grade class that can play varsity next year. I teach in middle school, so I get to see them. All the power to them. I give them nothing but credit.”
The Flying Cardinals led 21-6 after one quarter and took a 33-16 lead into halftime. They outscored the Trojans 28-5 in the second half.
“After they went up 19-0, we went on a run and played great defense,” Cline said. “We just don’t make the right decisions. Our skills aren’t up there yet, but we’re going to get there.
“It’s a process. Our culture is changing. You want it yesterday, but you’ve got to be patient. This loss by 40 points hurts. I don’t like winning as much as I dislike losing. Watching the girls and the sour taste they have in their mouth – it’s hard to lose three games in a row when you’ve just won seven in a row. It’s tough on my girls, but it’s about perseverance, it’s about fighting through and picking yourself up. It’s part of life, and we’ll only get stronger because you learn more from losing than you do from winning.”
Julianne Griffin led the Trojans with nine points.
Upper Dublin (11-4, 7-1 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh in a key conference showdown Tuesday. Wissahickon (8-7, 4-5 SOL) will be on the road at Great Valley on Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. non-league contest.
Upper Dublin 21-12-14-14 61
Wissahickon 6-10-3-2 21
Upper Dublin (61) – Meghan Barbera 4, Nicole Kaiser 18, Josie Barrett 10, Hannah Reape 2, Kara Grebe 6, Maggie Weglos 6, Jackie Vargas 10.
Wissahickon (21) – Brianna Tilghmann 4, Sydney Ott 3, Hilma Meiby 3, Julianne Griffin 6, Victoria Selverian 5.
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 37, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 34
After a contest that included plenty of dry spells for both teams, Maggie Rakowsky – the lone senior starter in a lineup that featured three sophomores and a freshman – was asked if the Bucks’ offensive lapses could be the result of its youth.
“I think that could be a good excuse,” the senior captain said with a laugh.
Perhaps it was a credit to the defense of both squads in a rematch of a game South won on an Alexa Brodie buzzer beater near midcourt.
“Baskets were at a premium,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “We definitely had looks at the basket. We were running our sets and getting shots. We didn’t do well enough controlling the boards and that really, at the end of the day, made the difference.”
The game started out as though it might be high scoring but bogged down rather quickly after a first quarter that saw the Titans open up a 15-12 lead. Both teams were remarkably efficient on offense and spent the opening frame exchanging best shots. Back-to-back baskets by Haley Meinel – who had eight points in the quarter – gave the Titans a 15-10 lead, but Tori Abelson scored a late basket to make it a three-point game.
Brodie’s three-pointer two minutes into the second quarter gave the Titans an 18-12 lead. They’d manage just one point in the final six minutes while the Bucks closed out the quarter with a 12-1 tear.
The run began with Diane Nicholson finding Abelson for a bucket, and after a South turnover, freshman Maddie Burke buried a three-pointer. A Nicholson three gave the Bucks a 20-18 lead, and then it was Rakowsky scoring on a drive. Maddie McShane sank one-of-two at the foul line to break a scoreless stretch of more than five minutes for the Titans, but Burke closed out the half with a highlight reel drive, backing down her defender and scoring with a nifty move to send West into halftime with a 24-19 lead.
After Veal scored to open the third quarter, the Titans’ offense went silent for more than six minutes. By that time, the Bucks had opened up a seemingly commanding 31-21 lead after an Abelson score with 1:30 remaining in the quarter. The Bucks would not score again until three minutes remained in regulation when Nicholson buried a three from the top of the circle.
“I think the same thing happened with South,” Rakowsky said of her team’s scoring drought. “I think we both play very good defense, and I think they adjusted to our offense.”
The Titans managed just seven points in that stretch – three foul shots and baskets by Veal and Meinel to make it a 31-28 game before Nicholson’s clutch shot put the Bucks on top 34-28.
"Once we're cold, we're cold, and once we're stuck on a number, we're stuck on it for minutes, so I knew I had to break it," Nicholson said.
Lexi Edwards buried her second three of the game with 1:19 remaining, but after the teams exchanged turnovers, Abelson converted both ends of a one-and-one to give the Bucks a 36-31 lead. Meghan Kuypers banked home a three with 24.4 seconds, and suddenly, it was a 36-34 game. With 14 seconds remaining, Nicholson sank the front end of a one-and-one, and South’s shot for the tie fell short.
“I don’t think we controlled the ball as well as we should have,” Maggie Rakowsky said. “Instead of holding it and letting the time run off, we were dribbling around, and obviously, we had a bunch of turnovers, and that probably is part of being young.”
Rakowsky – while relieved to escape with the win and a split with South – admitted to feeling a bit nostalgic.
“I’m sad that this is the last time I’ll ever play South or at least play them here – we have such good competition,” the senior captain said.
The win helped break the logjam at the top of the conference standings. Four teams – including South and West – entered the game with two losses in conference play.
“A win’s a win – with this group, you don’t know what you’re getting sometimes,” said coach Terry Rakowsky. “I’m not sure if we turned them over more than a couple of times. It turns into a game like this when you’re not getting the turnovers, you’re not getting the long rebounds and they’re getting back. It wasn’t pretty.”
Extra shots: In a marked contrast to CB West’s game against North Penn on Tuesday that saw 19 fouls called in the first half, neither team was whistled for a foul until 5:34 remained in the second quarter on Friday.
Central Bucks South 15-4-5-10 34
Central Bucks West 12-12-7-6 37
Central Bucks South (34) – Melissa Veal 6, Meghan Kuypers 3, Alexa Brodie 7, Haley Meinel 11, Lexi Edwards 6, Maddie McShane 1.
Central Bucks West (37) – Diane Nicholson 9, Maddie Burke 5, Tori Abelson 12, Maggie Rakowsky 8, Alex Burkauskas 3.
National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 63, BENSALEM 17
Becca Margolis led a balanced North attack with 13 while Megan Haggerty add nine. Hanna Weiler had seven points, and Camryn Polinsky, six points.
For the Owls, Haley Keenan (six points), Sydney Bawuah (five points) and Emily Wineburg (four points) led the way.
Council Rock North (11-4, 8-0 SOL) returns to action Saturday when it will face North Penn at Lower Merion at 1 p.m. as part of the Kobe Bryant Boosters Classic. Bensalem (0-8, 2-14) will be on the road at Harry S Truman on Tuesday.
Non-league
SOUDERTON 51, JENKINTOWN 35
Kate Connolly – showing no ill effects from a broken nose – led all scorers with 16 points, but it was the duo of Megan Bealer and Alana Cardona that jumpstarted the Indians in the opening quarter. Bealer scored seven points in the frame while Cardona added six as the Indians opened up an 18-7 lead over the Drakes. By halftime, the Indians’ lead had grown to 35-19. Bealer – who had three three-pointers – accounted for 15 of those points while Connolly added 10. Both teams scored 16 points in the second half.
The Indians, who were without Megan Walbrandt, were led by the double-figure scoring efforts of Connolly (16), Bealer (15) and Cardona (10). Point guard Tori Dowd added nine – six after halftime.
The Drakes were led by their two sets of twins. Junior twins Jennifer and Ashley Kremp each had eight points while sophomore twins Mia and Natalie Kolb combined for 10 with Mia scoring seven of those.
Souderton (12-3, 5-2 SOL) will be on the road at Harriton for a non-league contest at 1 p.m.
Jenkintown 7-12-11-5 35
Souderton 18-17-8-8 51
Jenkintown (35) – Jennifer Kremp 8, Mia Kolb 7, Ashley Kremp 8, Natalie Kolb 3, Caroline Arena 5, Amelia Mulvaney 4.
Souderton (51) – Tori Dowd 9, Megan Bealer 15, Alana Cardona 10, Curran O’Donnell 1, Kate Connolly 16.
PENNSBURY 48, NAZARETH ACADEMY 36
Sparked by five points from sophomore Katie Mix and four more from junior Danielle Cady, the Falcons opened up a 13-10 lead after one quarter over their visitors. They turned up the defense in the second quarter, limiting the Pandas to just one point while scoring 10 of their own to go into halftime with a 23-11 lead.
Pennsbury took a 38-19 lead into the fourth quarter before the Pandas – who never threatened – staged a late rally.
Sydney Buell led a balanced Falcon attack with 11 points. The junior forward scored all of her points in the second half, including eight in the fourth quarter. Mix finished with nine points – all in the first half. Freshman Cami Wiegand added seven points, and freshman Skyler Sulby added six. The Falcons sank three three-pointers.
Pennsbury (5-8, 1-5) will host Neshaminy on Tuesday.
Nazareth Academy 10-1-8-11 36
Pennsbury 13-10-15-10 48
Nazareth Academy (36) – Molly Boyd 3, Sydney Corcoran 3, Emily Gindele 3, Maria D’Aulerio 3, Katie Saulsby 9, Becca Rhoades 6, Maggie Dykan 6, Mel Clark 3.
Pennsbury (48) – Nicole Baionno 3, Danielle Cady 4, Katie Mix 9, Mary Miller 4, Sydney Buell 11, Cami Wiegand 7, Meredith Webber 4, Skyler Sulby 6.
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