Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Saturday.
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
PENNSBURY 37, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 33
This was the story of two halves.
After roaring out of the gate to a 27-15 halftime lead, the visiting Falcons scored just 10 points in the second half but held on for the hard-fought win in Saturday’s crossover game.
“We came out strong in the first half, and it’s normally hard to get going like that with an early morning weekend game,” Pennsbury assistant coach Kaitlin Kelly said. “You got to give it to CB West though – they are a team of athletes who play from start to finish. They never roll over, and that showed with a strong second-half performance by them.”
Sofia Vitucci was a catalyst in the Falcons’ strong start, scoring 12 first-half points – eight in the second quarter. Daniella MacDonald added five.
The Bucks limited the Falcons to just four points in the third quarter and trimmed five points off West’s lead. Aniya McDaniel ignited the Bucks with six points in the quarter. Pennsbury took a 31-24 lead into the final quarter and held off a late West surge.
“Sofia did a great job being a leader on the court – getting her team into the offense and making shots just when we needed them,” Kelly said, going on to credit Vitucci’s defense as well. “We were only up two with 20 seconds left, and she was guarding the girl with the ball. She came up with a huge steal which gave us the momentum to finish out the game strong.
“Layla (Matthias) did a fantastic job on defense, causing chaos and giving us second chance opportunities with her rebounds. Many of the plays start with her because of toughness and heart. A lot of our girls who came off the bench stepped up as well and made a positive contribution to the game.
“One notable achievement for us was we shot well from the free throw line, going 8-for-10.”
Vitucci led all scorers with 16 points, which included a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line. Maggie Burns added eight points, and MacDonald had seven points.
For the Bucks, Alexis Castro led the way with nine points, Scarlett Baumgardner added eight, and McDaniel had six points.
Pennsbury (9-4, 7-3 SOL) will face Conwell-Egan in a non-league game Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Maggie Lucas Classic at Jefferson University. Central Bucks West (5-10, 3-7) will travel to Central Bucks East on Tuesday for a 5:30 p.m. contest.
Pennsbury 15-12-4-6 37
Central Bucks West 7-8-9-9 33
Pennsbury (37) – Danielle Sherman 1 0-0 2; Maggie Burns 3 2-2 8; Sofia Vitucci 6 4-4 16; Daniella MacDonald 3 0-2 7; Joley Hohman.1 0-0 2; Ava Jordan 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 14 8-10 37.
Central Bucks West (33) – Gabi Senior 1 2-2 4; Aniya McDaniel 2 2-2 6; Alexis Castro 4 0-0 9; Emily Ladley 1 0-0 3; Scarlett Baumgardner 3 0-0 8; Janelle Blokker 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 12 4-4 33.
3-Point goals: Pennsbury – Daniella MacDonald; CBW – Scarlett Baumgardner 2, Alexis Castro, Emily Ladley, Janelle Blokker.
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
ABINGTON 65, WILLIAM TENNENT 61
The Ghosts opened up a 37-27 halftime lead and then held off a Panthers’ second-half rally for the road win in Saturday’s crossover game.
“We played without our point guard, Maya (Johnson), today but Piper (McGinley) did a great job controlling the offense,’ Abington coach Allison Lawson said. “This was a good team win with everyone contributing on the offensive and defensive end. All 14 players got in the game.”
Piper McGinley’s eight points – which included two 3s – led a balanced Ghost attack in the first half. Mikiaya Durham and Jordyn Reynolds both had seven points. Morgan Volz kept the Panthers in it with 12 first-half points while Halie Staub added nine.
“We managed to jump out to a 10-3 lead, but credit to Abington for forcing some turnovers and hitting some big shots,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “Once Abington took the lead, we had a few stretches where our offense kind of stalled and we made some poor decisions. They do a great job of speeding you up and pushing the pace.”
In the second half, the Panthers – behind 13 points from Volz and 12 from Avery Kocur – outscored the Ghosts 34-28 but would get no closer than four.
“The second half we did a nice job of hanging tight, and every time it seemed like Abington was going to pull away with the game, we continued to answer with our own run to keep it close,” Whitney said. “We’re always stressing to our girls to just keep playing, it’s a long game, and if you make a mistake or miss a shot, you need to move on to the next possession. Today our girls were able to do that.
“We came up a little short, but I’m so proud of the way our girls battled today. It’s been eight days since we last played due to the snowstorms, so I was definitely concerned with how we would come out to play. I thought our girls did a great job of playing with lots of energy and were focused.”
Abington’s Durham, Reynolds and Sarah Oleary shared team scoring honors with 11 points each. Harper McGinley and Piper McGinley each added eight points while Ava Teich and Zyn McClain both had six. Both McGinleys stuffed the stat sheet. Harper McGinley led the Ghosts with 10 rebounds and also had two steals while Piper McGinley had 10 assists, six steals and six rebounds.
“Harper stepped up in a big way defensively,” Lawson said. “We came out in the third quarter and got some key steals in our pressure.”
Volz led all scorers with 25 points in a huge offensive showing. Kocur added 18 points, and Staub added 15.
Despite the outcome, Whitney liked her team’s effort.
“When we played Abington earlier this year in the championship of the tip-off tourney, we got deflated when things didn’t go our way, and we kind of shut down and stopped playing,” said Whitney of her team’s 69-48 loss to the Ghosts in the second game of the season. “I thought today we showed a lot of grit and resiliency. We’ve come a long way since the beginning of the season, and we hope to keep improving and finish the season strong.
“I thought Staub did a great job of being in attack mode and putting pressure on the defense. She had some great finishes around the basket. They made Avery have to work for her points, but she did a nice job of staying patient and putting her imprint on the game. Morgan had an impressive game today. I thought she did a great job of imposing her will inside and was really strong around the basket.”
Abington (11-3, 8-1 SOL) will face Haverford on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson University as part of the Maggie Lucas Classic. William Tennent (7-8, 5-5) will host Academy of the New Church in a non-league game on Monday.
Abington 17-20-12-14 65
William Tennent 14-13-14-20 61
Abington (65) – Ava Teich 2 0-0 6; Harper McGinley 3 1-2 8; Mikiaya Durham 5 0-2 11; Jordyn Reynolds 4 2-4 11; Piper McGinley 3 0-0 8; Sarah Oleary 4 3-6 11; Zyn McClain 3 0-0 6; Kaylia Rice 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 26 6-14 65.
William Tennent (61) – Avery Kocur 5 5-6 18; Halie Staub 6 2-6 15; Jess Whisler 1 1-2 3; Morgan Volz 12 0-1 25; TOTALS 24 8-15 61.
3-point goals: Abington – Piper McGinley 2, Ava Teich 2, Harper McGinley, Mikiaya Durham, Jordyn Reynolds; WT – Avery Kocur 3, Halie Staub, Morgan Volz.
Non-league
BENSALEM 61, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 57
Bensalem came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, opening up a 22-11 lead over the visiting Lions, and although their scoring slowed down considerably in the second quarter, the Owls – behind 13 points from Amber Howard – took a 31-22 lead into halftime.
The second half became a shootout with the Lions’ Izzy Elizondo leading the charge, burying five 3-pointers and scoring 20 of her game high 28 points to keep things interesting until the final horn.
“What a game to be a part of,” Bensalem coach Steve Johnson said. “I’m glad we came out on the winning side. Izzy was absolutely unconscious the entire game. The craziest part – I think we played good defense on her. The majority of her shots had a hand in her face, but it didn’t matter. She shot the ball tremendously well. Emily Wilson had a strong all-around game for them as well. Coach P (Steve Polinsky) always has his girls ready to run and play a fast pace.”
Elizondo connected on a pair of 3s and had eight first-quarter points while Wilson had six. For the Owls, in addition to Howard, Grace McShane had seven first-half points and Devon Bell had six on a pair of 3s.
In the third quarter, Elizondo’s nine points ignited the Lions, who outscored the Owls 17-14. Ella Dudick scored all six of her points in the third quarter, and the Lions trailed by seven (45-38) heading into the final quarter.
Elizondo continued her torrid offensive showing with three more 3s and 11 points in the fourth quarter. Howard’s seven points led the Owls in the final frame. The Lions held a 19-16 edge in the fourth quarter, but they could not dig their way out of the first-half hole.
Howard’s 24 points led the Owls. Also finishing in double figures were McShane with 13 points and Bell with 12 on four 3-pointers. Talia DiMichele added seven.
“I’m happy with the way we are playing,” Johnson said. “It seems like each game we as a team and individually are getting better. Amber (Howard) had a strong game and had some very important foul shots and rebounds when we needed them in the fourth.
“Talia (DiMichele) had a career high in assists with 10, more than likely the most a player had in a game under our four years together. She’s playing pass-first basketball that’s helping our team out big time. Devon (Bell) shot 4/4 from deep and has been getting more and more confidence as the season progresses. Grace McShane showed up for us offensively and defensively tonight. We couldn’t be happier with the way our sophomore has been playing.”
In addition to leading her team in scoring, Howard has also been a force under the backboards.
“Amber has been scoring at a very high clip for us this season,” Johnson said. “On Tuesday, she had 20 and 15 (rebounds), today she has 24 and 8. We are ready for our second half of league play and are looking forward to what’s to come. We have a big week next week.”
Included in Elizondo’s 28 points were seven 3-pointers. Wilson also finished in double figures with 11, and Kayla Fennell added eight points.
“Coach Johnson has his team playing some really good basketball,” New Hope-Solebury coach Steve Polinsky said. “They have a lot of weapons on the court along with Amber. Talia, Grace and Devon can all shoot the 3 ball. and Peyton can score driving to the basketball. New Hope has played Bensalem the last four years, and I think this is their best team we have played against. I’m happy for Steve because he works really hard and loves the game.
“I thought we played a very good game, but we are shooting ourselves in the foot.We started slow and we cannot chase the game against a team like Bensalem. I’m proud how we fought to get back in the game. We will learn from this one and get better. Izzy Elizondo had a huge shooting night with 28 points. She was on fire today. I give credit our point guard Emily Wilson for finding Izzy when she is that hot. Emily is a smart point guard.”
Bensalem (9-5, 5-4 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Tuesday, and New Hope-Solebury (6-6, 3-4) will host Cheltenham on Tuesday.
New Hope-Solebury 11-10-17-19 57
Bensalem 22-9-14-16 61
New Hope-Solebury (57) – Nina Meixler 2 0-0 4; Kayla Fennell 3 1-2 8; Izzy Elzondo 9 3-6 28; Emily Wilson 4 2-2 11; Ella Dudick 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 21 6-10 57.
Bensalem (61) – Grace McShane 4 4-6 13; Talie DiMichele 2 2-2 7; Devon Bell 4 0-0 12; Amber Howard 9 4-7 24; Ariana Jenkins 1 0-0 2; Peyton Miller 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 21 11-17 61.
3-point goals: NH-S – Izzy Elizondo 7, Kayla Fennell, Emily Wilson; Bensalem – Devon Bell 4, Amber Howard 2, Grace McShane, Talia DiMichele.
NORTH PENN 56, METHACTON 34
The Knights took care of business in a hurry, opening up a 21-5 lead after one quarter and never looking back on their way to the decisive win over the visiting Warriors.
“It was just a great all-around team win,” North Penn’s Bri Cullen said. “Liv Stone led us with 14 points, and they all played very unselfish basketball.”
In the opening quarter, Kelly Donnelly led a balanced attack with five points while Cameron Crowley, Caleigh Sperling and Leah Mikulski each contributed four.
Stone’s 14 points, which included two three-pointers, led the Knights, and Crowley also finished in double figures with 10 points. Sperling and Mikulski both had eight points while Donnelly had seven.
North Penn (13-2, 9-1 SOL) will host Pennridge on Tuesday.
Methacton 5-8-13-8 34
North Penn 21-11-9-15 56
Methacton (34) – Sasha Forde 0 2-2 2; Abby Masotta 1 0-2 2; Abby Arnold 3 8-11 14; Kaley Fisher 2 0-0 4; Jenna Kaufman 1 0-0 2; Sydney Hockenbrock 2 0-1 4; Olivia Organtini 1 2-2 4; TOTALS 11 12-18 34.
North Penn (56) – Kaylee Hervioux 0 1-2 1; Cameron Crowley 4 2-2 10; Lailani Williams 1 0-0 2; Caleigh Sperling 4 0-0 8; Lily Brown 1 0-0 2; Kelly Donnelly 2 2-2 7; Leah Mikulski 3 2-2 8; Olivia Stone 6 0-0 14; Olivia Stevens 1 0-0 2; Tallie Smink 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 22 9-10 56.
3-point goals: NP – Olivia Stone 2, Kelly Donnelly.
CONESTOGA 53, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 24
The Indians did not score a field goal and found themselves trailing 12-2 after one quarter. The Pioneers – undefeated and the top seed in the District 1 6A power rankings – took a 21-10 lead into halftime and then put the game out of reach with a 17-8 third quarter.
“Tough loss today,” Rock North coach Jack Kelly said. “We are disappointed because we felt we could have played better, but credit to Conestoga.
“A.J. Thompson and his staff have done a remarkable job building that program. They are talented, they know their roles, and defensively, they did a tremendous job. While we felt we could have played better, there were still some positives we can take away from today. We have to build on those and learn and correct our mistakes quickly because we have a big three-game week ahead.”
Delaney McCaffery scored 11 points to lead the Indians. No other player had more than five points.
Council Rock North (5-9, 3-6 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman on Tuesday, the first of three games in four days for the Indians.
Council Rock North 2-8-6-8 24
Conestoga 12-9-15-17 53
Council Rock North (24) – Skyler Wright 1 0-0 3; Julia Koval 1 0-0 2; Amaro Arroyo 0 0-2 0; Delaney McCaffery 4 2-2 11; Sasha Galarza 0 1-2 1; Ruth O’Keeffe 2 1-3 5; Frannie Boyle 1 0-2 2; TOTALS 9 4-11 24.
Conestoga (53) – Libby Brown 3 0-0 7; Ruth Lanouette 3 0-0 7; Marissa Francione 1 3-4 5; Katrina Valencia 1 0-0 2; Ryann Jennings 6 3-3 17; Janie Preston 2 3-5 7; Bella Valencia 2 1-2 5; Dani Ostroff 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 19 10-14 53.
3-point goals: CRN – Delaney McCaffery, Skyler Wright; Conestoga – Ryan Jennings 2, Libby Brown, Ruth Lanouette, Dani Ostroff.
POPE JOHN PAUL II 69, QUAKERTOWN 25
The Golden Panthers opened up a 23-4 lead after one quarter on their way to the non-league win.
Carli Maha’s seven points led the visitors while Addyson Davis and Truly Heft both had six points.
“Mackenzie Clayton had some beautiful inbounds passes to Carli Maha for two layups and also got Carli to the foul line,” Quakertown coach Brittany Bamford said.
Quakertown (1-15, 0-10 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
Quakertown 4-7-7-7 25
Pope John Paul II 23-14-19-13 69
Quakertown (25) – Machkenzie Clayton 1 0-0 2; Addyson Davis 3 0-2 6; Maeve Henry 0 1-1 1; Carli Maha 3 1-3 7; Truly Heft 3 0-0 6; Alexa Seneca 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 11 2-6 25.
Pope John Paul II (69) – Rylee Derecola 5 1-2 15; Grace Fitzgerald 3 0-2 6; Katie Nilles 3 1-4 7; Brooke Albeck 1 4-6 7; Jen Todd 1 0-0 2; Reese McCoy 3 0-0 6; Sophie Vigliotta 3 2-2 10; Sadie Vigliotta 1 2-2 4; Katie Hagmann 1 1-3 3; Elena Collicouri 2 0-1 4; Grace DiBricida 1 0-0 3; Kiera Satalin 1 0-0 2; TOTAL 25 11-22 69.
3-point goals: Quakertown – Alexa Seneca; PJP – Rylee Derecola 4, Sophie Vigliotta 2, Grace DiBricida, Brooke Albeck.
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