Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of Kathy Leister Photography)
American Conference
Upper Moreland 46, Abington 45
Upper Moreland coach Matt Carroll knows full well that there’s more to a basketball game than the final score. And there’s more to an individual player’s performance than what she contributes to the scoring.
Sometimes, however, there’s no denying when someone stands head and shoulders above the rest.
“As a coach, I find it really important to try to talk about every player when recapping a game,” said Carroll after a win that avenged a 47-23 loss to the Ghosts earlier this season. “They’re all so important to everything we do. It’s not just about who scores the most or has the best stats.
“But whew – Bean Hughes was just awesome tonight. She finished the game with 27 points and 20 rebounds and played most of the game in foul trouble. She had three in the first and we left her in. It probably wasn’t the smartest of ideas, but I’m not sure we would have won if we didn’t survive the first half.”
Hughes scored 13 in the first half, including 7-for-8 shooting from the foul line. She was also tasked with guarding Abington’s Jaida Helm, who finished the game with a team-high 17 points. And though Hughes’ night ended early, having fouled out in the final 30 seconds, her teammates withstood the furious final minute from Abington to preserve the heart-stopping win.
“Our girls did everything we could to win that game for about 31 minutes,” Carroll said. “Their pressure in the last minute gave us fits and if the game was any longer it may be a different story. We made enough plays to be able to have one very bad minute-and-a-half and still win the game.
“Helm was awesome for them. She attacked Bean knowing Bean couldn’t foul.”
EmmyFaith Wood scored 14 for the Golden Bears, including four 3-pointers. She drained a trio of treys in a key 17-point third quarter for the hosts.
“EmmyFaith hit some big-time shots to give us a bit of separation,” Carroll said.
For the Ghosts, Helm scored 10 in the second half. Khalis Whiting added 13, including eight in the fourth quarter.
Upper Moreland (9-7, 5-4 SOL) will visit neighborhood archrival Hatboro-Horsham for a 7 p.m. Friday game. The Ghosts (8-8, 6-3) will look to rebound against a visiting Upper Dublin squad at 7 p.m. Friday.
Abington 9-11-12-13 45
Upper Moreland 7-11-17-11 46
Abington (45)—Cire Worley 2 1-2 5, Krysten Brown 1 0-0 2, Abril Bowser 2 1-2 6, Jaida Helm 8 1-4 17, Amanda Jackson 1 0-0 2, Khalis Whiting 6 0-0 13; Totals 20 3-8 45.
Upper Moreland (46)—Kaiya Herb 0 1-2 1, EmmyFaith Wood 6 0-0 14, Emma Meakim 1 1-4 4, Bean Hughes 8 9-13 27; 15 11-20 46.
3-point goals: Abington – Abril Bowser, Khalis Whiting, UM – EmmyFaith Wood 4, Bean Hughes 2, Emma Meakim.
Upper Dublin 64, Cheltenham 15
Dayna Balasa (15 points) led a spread-out Upper Dublin offense, while the Flying Cardinal defense held visiting Cheltenham to single-digit scoring in all four quarters en route to a decisive victory in Tuesday’s American Conference game. Balasa scored 10 points in the first quarter on the strength of three 3-pointers and 1-for-2 shooting from the foul line.
Kara Grebe joined Balasa in double digits with 10 points for the Cardinals, who led 20-5 after one quarter. Rachel Bilger scored all eight of her points in the second half. Anajae Smith had eight points in her return to the lineup.
Jess Polin led the Cardinals with six assists while Bliss Brenner had five. Brenner also had five rebounds.
Cashmear Moore led the Panthers with six points, while Umayrah Sulayman added five.
“Tonight was a rough night against a really good team,” said Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman. “We have to stay positive, learn from our mistakes and keep working hard.”
The Cards (10-6, 7-2 SOL) are back in action when they visit Abington at 5 p.m. Friday for a battle between two teams jockeying for a spot near the top of the conference standings. The Panthers (6-9, 2-7) visit undefeated Plymouth Whitemarsh at 7 p.m. Friday.
Cheltenham 5-5-1-4 15
Upper Dublin 20-10-21-13 64
Cheltenham (15)—Mikahila Leighton 1 0-0 2, Umayrah Sulayman 2 0-0 5, Cashmear Moore 2 1-2 6, Katie Denyer 0 2-2 2; Totals 5 3-4 15.
Upper Dublin (64)—Anajae Smith 4 0-0 8, Rachel Bilger 3 2-2 8, Brianna Felgoise 2 0-0 5, Jess Polin 1 2-2 4, Kara Grebe 4 1-3 10, Sarah Eskew 3 2-2 8, Dayna Balasa 5 1-2 15, Jackie Vargas 3 0-0 6; Totals 25 8-11 64.
3-point goals: Cheltenham – Umayrah Sulayman, Cashmear Moore, UD – Dayna Balasa 4, Kara Grebe, Brianna Felgoise.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 70, Springfield Twp 15
Undefeated Plymouth Whitemarsh kept rolling with a dominating in Tuesday’s American Conference game. The Colonials outscored their hosts 36-8 in the opening frame and never looked back.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Flanagan (18 points) and junior Anna McTamney (16) combined for 34 points for the Colonials. Freshman Erin Daley joined with two in double digits with 12 points.
Rileigh Serroni led Springfield with 10 points.
The Spartans (1-12, 0-9 SOL) will host Interboro in a nonleague matchup on Thursday at 7 p.m., then will seek out their first league victory when they visit Wissahickon at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
The Colonials (16-0, 9-0) look to extend their undefeated record when they host Cheltenham at 7 p.m. Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 36-14-15-5 70
Springfield Twp 8-2-3-2 15
Plymouth Whitemarsh (70)—Ally Zolty 1 0-0 2; Kaitlyn Flanagan 8 1-3 18; Abby Sharpe 1 0-0 3; Erin Daley 6 0-0 12; Gabrielle Cooper 2 1-2 5; Anna McTamney 5 5-8 16; Lainey Allen 3 0-1 6; Jordyn Thomas 0 1-2 1; Lily Belle McGrorty 1 0-0 2; Deja Evans 1 3-4 5.
Springfield Township (15)—Raya Davis 1 0-0 2; Rileigh Serroni 4 0-1 10; Maddie Yoder 0 1-2 1; Mary Kate Smith 1 0-0 2.
Hatboro-Horsham 60, Wissahickon 37
Behind a 15-point effort from Alice Hall, Hatboro-Horsham overcame a sluggish start and pulled away for a victory over Wissahickon. The win snaps a five-game losing streak for the Hatters.
“This was a welcome result,” said H-H coach Dennis Steinly. “I was nervous all day—we’ve had a rough stretch and I wasn’t sure how our confidence level would be. We played some strong, well-coached competition in the last 10 days.
“I know we beat Wissahickon the first time, but we’ve been sick and banged up. We gave the players off yesterday, so I haven’t seen them since Saturday morning. Playing at Wissahickon was tough for us last year. (Coach) Rodney (Cline) works hard, and I knew he’d have some tricks up his sleeve. His team is well-prepared, and they move the ball well on offense – they’re very unselfish.”
The Trojans led 14-10 after one quarter, but the Hatters answered with a 16-8 second quarter to go into halftime with a 26-22 lead.
“We fell behind in the first quarter but we didn’t panic,” Steinly said. “We worked the ball in to Alice Hall in the second quarter—she had six of her 15 and we took the lead at the half.”
Ava McKinney netted nine points in her first start. Sydney Kemp added seven.
“We received contributions from a lot of players,” Steinly said of the Hatters, who outscored Wissahickon 34-15 in the second half.
Anna Schools led Wissahickon with 12 points. Marie Dreyer and Kaitlyn McGeary each added 8.
“We’re going to keep on fighting and keep playing together and for each other and keep trying to get better each game,” Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline.
The Trojans (5-10, 2-7 SOL) will look to bounce back when they travel to Council Rock South for a nonleague game at 7 p.m. Thursday, then return home for Senior Night against Springfield Twp at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
The Hatters (5-4, 8-8) return to action on Wednesday in a nonleague game against Quakertown at 7 p.m., then the Hatters will host archrival Upper Moreland at 7 p.m. Friday in a matchup of teams sporting identical league records.
Hatboro-Horsham 10-16-20-14 60
Wissahickon 14-8-12-3 37
Hatboro-Horsham (60)—Emily Thomas 8, Cam Ryan 8, Caroline Shegogue 3, Sydney Kemp 7, Ava McKinney 9, Alice Hall 15, Jada Mills 5, Sam Hollish 5.
Wissahickon (37)—Anna Schools 12, Leah Dubin 1, Lauren Fadel 1, Rebecca Selverian 2, Julia Verrier 4, Marie Dreyer 8, Libby Kunzier 1, Kaitlyn McGeary 8.
National Conference
Bensalem 35, William Tennent 31
William Tennent hung tough, but could not keep Bensalem from slipping ahead and taking a 35-31 win in Tuesday’s National Conference matchup.
“I thought we came out well and battled the first half,” said Tennent coach Laura Whitney. “We got a little careless with the ball the second quarter and gave up some easy baskets, but we did a good job of closing out the half and not letting them open up the game.”
Bensalem led 16-10 at the half, but the Panthers came out strong in the third quarter and battled to a 19-18 lead in the third. The Owls, however, regained the lead and would not relinquish it the remainder of the contest.
Chloe Munyon led Bensalem with 13 points. Delaney Bell scored all of her six points in the second half, including 2-for-3 shooting from the foul line in the fourth quarter. Emily Wineburg also had six points.
Erin Hart scored nine of her 13 in the second half for the Panthers. Courtney Bragen added 11.
“Timely turnovers, poor free-throw shooting, and missed box-outs were the difference in the game,” Whitney said. “It’s disappointing that we weren’t able to pull it out, but I’m proud of the fight our girls showed. When we gave up the lead, we let them go up as many as 11, but our girls just kept playing. Two things we always preach to our girls is to keep playing and compete, and that’s what they did tonight. I feel like we are making progress and going in the right direction. It’s just a matter of time before it all comes together.”
The Panthers (1-6 SOL National, 4-10 overall) will attempt to build off the positives and earn a notch in the win column when they visit Council Rock North at 7 p.m. Friday. The Owls (4-4, 7-8) host Pennsbury at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Bensalem 6-10-8-11 35
William Tennent 6-4-9-12 31
Bensalem (35)—Averi McCoy 3, Pooja Singameni 5, Emily Wineburg 6, Haley Keenan 2, Chloe Munyon 13, Delaney Bell 6.
William Tennent (31)—Direidy Serrano 2, Hannah Reimel 4, Courtney Bragen 11, Erin Hart 13, Kailyn Hansen 1.
Council Rock North 59, Harry S Truman 33
Council Rock North junior Anna Cairone put on a remarkable performance, scoring a career-best 29 points. Senior Sarah Khantzanian’s mere presence in the game was remarkable.
Khantzian saw her first action of the year after recovering from a serious foot injury this fall and went 2 for 4 from the foul line and added two blocks and a rebound in three minutes of fourth-quarter action.
Khantzian’s ability to see some game action with the final well in hand came in large part to the efforts of Cairone. The junior scored 19 of her game-high 29 in the first half and sank 4 three-pointers to give the Indians fast start in a physical National Conference matchup.
In all, eight players scored for North, with Jaden Wan (14 points) joining Cairone in double digits.
“Abby Jones’ interior defense and rebounding was key to the win,” Rock North coach Jim Roynan said. “She blocked several shots and battled Truman’s post players all night.”
Hannah Smith led Truman with 11 points. Nai Keys added 8.
The teams combined for 42 fouls as well as three technical fouls. Neither team found much luck at the charity stripe, shooting a combined 27-for-59 from the line.
North (4-12, 3-5 SOL) will host William Tennent at 7 p.m. Friday. Truman (4-12, 0-8) visits conference frontrunner Neshaminy at 7 p.m. Thursday, then travel to Chester for a nonleague matchup at 5 p.m. Friday.
Council Rock North 22-12-10-15 59
Harry S Truman 10-7-13-3 33
Council Rock North (59)—Kiera Katz 2 1-3 5, Anna Cairone 10 5-11 29, Sofia Shields 0 0-2 0; Mara Penner 1 0-0 2, Kristen Polinsky 1 0-2 2, Emma Benson 1 0-1 3, Sarah Khantzian 0 2-4 2, Jaden Wan 6 2-2 14, Abby Jones 0 2-5 2; Totals 21 12-31 59.
Harry S Truman (33)—Nai Nai Keys 3 2-6 8, Hannah Smith 1 9-16 11, Secret McCleve 1 3-4 5, Macey Matlock 2 0-0 4, Dahlia Gumma 1 0-1 2, Saniya Blount 0 1-1 1, Tina Collins 1 0-0 2; Totals 9 15-23 33.
3-point goals: CRN – Anna Cairone 4, Emma Benson.
Neshaminy 65, Council Rock South 34
Senior Kelli Kowalick led the way with 15 points as Neshaminy remained undefeated in the National Conference.
Neshaminy led 18-4 after one quarter and held South to single digits in three quarters in a standout defensive effort.
Kristin Curley (13) and Olivia Scotti (11) joined Kowalick in double-digit scoring for Neshaminy. Kacie Sienko added nine, and Emily Tantala had eight points.
Nicole Blaustein’s 15 points led South.
Neshaminy (11-4, 8-0 SOL) is back in action when it hosts Harry S Truman at 7 p.m. Thursday, then travels to Lansdale Catholic for a nonleague matchup at 5:30 p.m. Friday. South (5-3, 9-7) visits Wissahickon at 7 p.m. Thursday, then hosts Central Bucks South at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Council Rock South 4-18-4-8 34
Neshaminy 18-19-19-9 65
Council Rock South (34)—Nicole Blaustein 7 0-0 15, Hannah Binder 1 0-1 2, Montanna Chambers 1 0-0 3, Karissa Smedley 0 2-2 2, Kim Speiser 1 0-3 2, Ryann Szydlik 2 0-0 4, Riana Szydlik 0 2-5 2, Bree Gillio 1 1-4 3, Corinne Troy 0 1-2 1; Totals 13 6-19 34.
Neshaminy (65)—Sydney Tryon 1 0-1 2, Emily Tantala4 0-2 8, Kacie Sienko 4 1-1 9, Olivia Scotti 4 3-4 11, Kristin Curley 5 2-2 13, Alex Ziegler 1 2-4 5, Kelli Kowalick 6 2-5 15, Metcalf 1 0-0 2, Lewis 0 0-1 0; 26 10-20 65.
3-point goals: CRN – Nicole Blaustein , Montanna Chambers, Neshaminy – Kristin Curley, Alex Ziegler, Kelli Kowalick.
Continental Conference
Central Bucks West 58, Souderton 50
Continental Conference frontrunner Central Bucks West received all it could handle from Souderton in Tuesday’s tilt. The league rivals battled back and forth for three quarters, but a stellar fourth quarter with clutch shooting from multiple players pushed the Bucks to a hard-earned victory over the host Indians.
“Souderton ran great stuff, and they were ready to play on their home court,” said West coach Zach Sibel. “We knew it was going to be a tough one. It was a great game and a grind-it-out game at that.”
Olivia Irons and Emily Spratt gave the Bucks a boost in the first half. Irons netted eight of her 13 points before the break, and Spratt scored all eight of her points in the first half.
“We got things going a little bit with shots from Liv and Emily,” Sibel said. “Spratt was great on the glass and kept us going energy-wise.”
Mikaela Reese scored 13 of her game-high 26 points in the third quarter as Souderton came roaring back and took a 37-36 lead into the fourth quarter. Olivia Schneider added nine for Souderton, including six in the second half.
“Souderton came out firing and made a strong push. Then Maddie (Burke) took over and hit tough shot after tough shot,” Sibel said.
Burke netted eight points in the third quarter and added seven in the fourth to bring her team-high to 22. The Bucks also received a clutch three-pointer from Paige Gilbert (five points) and Irons sank 5 of 6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to help lift the Bucks to the victory.
“Maddie McGarry also stepped up big on the defensive end and had two threes of her own,” Sibel said. “A road win against a team like Souderton and how tough and well coached they are – that always counts as double. It was good to see the girls’ toughness down the stretch.”
The Bucks were without Jess Broskey (injury) in the win.
West (12-3, 8-0 SOL) will visit Pennridge at 7 p.m. Friday. Souderton (10-6, 3-5) 3 will look to rebound in a road game at Central Bucks South at 7 p.m. Friday.
Central Bucks West 11-14-11-22 58
Souderton 10-8-19-13 50
Central Bucks West (58)—Paige Gilbert 2 0-0 5; Olivia Irons 3 5-6 13; Anna Blue 1 2-3 4; Emily Spratt 3 2-2 8; Maddie Burke 8 4-4 22, Maddie McGarry 2 0-0 6. Totals 19 13-15 58.
Souderton (50)—Jordan Zimmerman 1 0-0 3; Erin Bohmueller 2 2-4 7; Olivia Schneider 4 1-3 9; Casey Harter 0 1-2 1; Hannah Alderfer 1 0-0 2; Hayley Fenchel 0 0-0 0; Teya McConnaha 1 0-0 2; Mikaela Reese 11 2-2 26. Totals 20 6-11 50.
3-point goals: CB West – Maddie Burke 2, Maddie McGarry 2, Paige Gilbert, Olivia Irons, Souderton – Mikaela Reese 2, Jordan Zimmerman, Erin Bohmueller.
Central Bucks East 57, Central Bucks South 30
Central Bucks East pulled away in the middle two quarters to cruise to a victory over its neighborhood rival.
Leading by four after the opening quarter, East outscored the visitors by a count of 38-14 over the middle two frames to put the contest out of reach.
Juniors Emily Chmiel (20 points) and Mia Salvati (18) led the scoring for the Patriots. Chmiel scored 11 points in the second and third quarters combined while Salvati had 13 in that same span.
Taylor Hinkle led the Titans with nine points. Mackenzie Erb added eight.
Central Bucks East (11-4, 6-2 SOL) will visit North Penn at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Knights sit two points behind the Patriots in the conference standings. East will then host Perkiomen Valley at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in a nonleague contest.
South (5-10, 2-6) will host Souderton at 7 p.m. Friday for Senior Night, then will visit Council Rock South at 1:30 p.m. Saturday for a nonleague game.
Central Bucks South 12-8-6-4 30
Central Bucks East 16-14-24-4 57
Central Bucks South (30)—Mary Kate McShane 0 2-2 2, Taylor Hinkle 3 3-4 9, Alyssa D’Orazio 1 0-0 2, Mackenzie Erb 3 2-2 8, Allie Burke 1 0-0 2, Kirsten Schaller 1 1-2 3, Allison Sauers 1 0-0 2, Caroline McSorley 1 0-0 2; 11 8-10.
Central Bucks East (57)—Katie Finnan 1 0-0 2, Gabby Wilga 1 2-2 5, Mia Salvati 5 5-6 18, Emily Chmiel 8 4-6 20, Emily Barry 2 2-2 6, Aubrey DeAngelis2 2-2 6; Totals 19 15-18 57.
3-point goals: CBE – Mia Salvati 3, Gabby Wilga.
Pennridge 37, Quakertown 28
In a low-scoring affair, Pennridge moved above .500 in the Continental Conference with a 37-28 victory over the neighboring Panthers.
The Rams improved to 4-3 in the division aided by an offense that saw seven players contribute to the scoring. Ashley Gordon led the Rams with eight points, while Katie Yoder and Julia Kreider each added seven.
Carolyn Sipprell netted a game-high 12 points for the Panthers. Kennedi Pellegrini added six for the Panthers (3-11, 0-8 SOL), who have no time to dwell on the loss. Quakertown will visit Hatboro-Horsham for a nonleague game at 7 p.m. Wednesday, then will host Norristown in a nonleague contest at 7 p.m. Friday.
The Rams (9-5, 4-3) face a big test in their next outing, as they will host league-leading Central Bucks West at 7 p.m. Friday.
Pennridge 5-11-13-8 37
Quakertown 2-6-12-8 28
Pennridge (37)—Sophie Cweiber 3, Katie Yoder 7, Julia Kreider 7, Kiersten Moyer 6, Emma Pyne 2, Evelyn Loughery 4, Ashley Gordon 8.
Quakertown (28)—Carolyn Sipprell 12, Abigail Dickson 2, Katie Catalano 2, Laney Mitchell 1, Kennedi Pellegrini 6, Katie Offner 5.
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