Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. To view photos of the CB South/Pennridge game and CB East/HH, please visit the Photo Gallery.
American Conference
UPPER MERION 41, NORRISTOWN 40
In a game that was all but a carbon copy of the initial meeting between the neighboring rivals, Friday’s game came down to the wire, and once again, the Vikings eked out a one-point win that had plenty of drama.
“We’ve had two one-point games with Norristown,” said UM coach Tom Schurtz, whose squad won the initial meeting 43-42. “Tonight was a big night. It was our Hall of Fame Night. It was a boy-girl doubleheader.
“There were a lot of people there. We had our full bleachers out. This had to be our biggest attended game all season, and certainly by halftime is when the crowd really picked up. I don’t know if the girls were rattled or too amped up on adrenaline, but there were shots we got that we shouldn't have made.”
Many of the Vikings’ missed shots came in a third quarter that saw the Eagles outscore their hosts 12-4, turning a 26-22 Upper Merion halftime lead into a 34-30 deficit heading into the final quarter.
“We had 26 at the half, and it was a very consistent offensive effort, and then we came out and – according to my stats – missed eight layups within four feet in the third quarter,” Schurtz said. “You can’t miss that many point blank shots. We had one trip where we missed four layups – we got multiple rebounds and multiple chances for the putback and just couldn’t get the ball to go in the basket. It wasn’t just one player. We go ahead, and we spread that around.
“We are what we are right now. There are moments when we look very solid, very complete and very controlled, and there are moments when we do not. The third quarter was a big glass of – we do not.”
The Vikings battled their way back to take a 41-40 lead late in the fourth.
“They had three fouls to give with 50 seconds to go, so we absorbed their fouls – they took their three fouls, and we needed one more to go to the bonus,” Schurtz said. “With 20 seconds on the clock, we got a clean inbounds. They didn’t foul right away, and we passed them the ball.
“They had a breakaway layup to take the lead, and Regie Robinson made a tremendous hustle play to contest a layup by Brianna Schools. We boarded the miss and dribbled the clock out after that..”
Both teams dealt with foul trouble. Freshman Tatiana Jones fouled out for the Eagles while senior Eryn Brady was lost to fouls for the Vikings.
“Eryn didn’t score today, but I thought today might be her best defensive effort of the season,” Schurtz said. “I thought she was spectacular playing the paint for us.
“She had nine rebounds, so she was a force, but she just couldn’t get the ball to roll in.”
Robinson led all scorers with 16 points to go along with 13 rebounds, picking up her 12th double-double of the season. Sophomore Jessica Michael added 12 points while Tatiana Pleasant had 10.
For the Eagles, Lauren Fortescue led the way with 15 while Jones added 10 and Schools, nine points.
“That had to be the loudest 10 points I’ve ever seen somebody go get,” said Schurtz of Jones. “She was spectacular tonight, and Lauren Fortescue – they have multiple freshmen that make contributions. I think he had three freshmen playing substantial minutes, and they were competitive, aggressive and physical.
“We were happy to get out of here with a win.”
The Vikings are 5-5 in league play (11-7 overall) while the Eagles are 4-6 in the league (7-10 overall).
“Tonight was an important game for us,” Schurtz said. “It was a hard fought game both ways back and forth. This is a crosstown rivalry.
“I never, ever expect to walk out of a Norristown-Upper Merion game without having to put it all out there. There are no blowouts in this rivalry. Two points in two games separated the winner. It was a lot of fun.
“I always enjoy coaching against Vinnie (Catanzaro). I think he did a lot of nice things against us that forced us in a lot of bad situations. We tried to do the same against him.”
Norristown 14-8-12-6 40
Upper Merion13-13-4-11 41
Norristown (40) – Tatiana Dewalt 2, Brianna Schools 9, Lauren Fortescue 15, Devon Morse 4, Tatiana Jones 10.
Upper Merion (41) – Katie Valeri 2, Jordyn Wilson 1, Regie Robinson 16, Jessica Michael 12, Tatiana Pleasant 10.
CHELTENHAM 62, SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 43
Ashley Jones and Amarri Trueheart combined for 42 points with Jones scoring a game-high 22.
The Lady Panthers seized control of this one early, outscoring the Spartans 18-9 in the first quarter. Trueheart led the Panthers with eight points while Jones had six. By halftime, the Lady Panthers – sparked by 14 points from Trueheart – led 37-17. Their lead grew to 56-23 after three quarters before the Spartans closed it out with a 20-6 fourth quarter.
Gabrielle Wright added eight points for the Lady Panthers.
Molly Dugan led the Spartans with 14 points while Maura Ryan had nine points. Jewell Ringgold contributed six points.
Cheltenham is 8-2 in the league (12-4 overall) while the Spartans are 4-10 in the league (9-9 SOL).
Springfield 9-8-6-20 43
Cheltenham 18-19-19-6 62
Springfield (43) – Jayla Greene 4, Bailey Krewson 2, Jewell Ringgold 6, Molly Dugan 14, Maura Ryan 9, Savanna Shackleford 2, Mary Kate Smith 2.
Cheltenham (62) – Ashley Jones 22, D’jah Bourchereau 2, Monet McGorda 2, Amarri Trueheart 20, Caitlyn Wallace 4, Gabrielle Wright 8, Nashira Brown 2.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 69, WISSAHICKON 51
Alynna Williams turned in a dazzling performance, scoring a career-high 28 points to lead the Colonials to the win. The Philadelphia University-bound senior guard connected on five three-pointers.
“We made some adjustments in our offense,” PW coach Daniel Dougherty said. “With Taylor O’Brien becoming so much more confident with the ball and driving so much more with the ball, Alynna is now able to play off of that.
“Taylor is getting so much attention, and Khadijah (Hickson) with her three-point shooting is getting so much more attention, and it’s opening things up for Alynna. Her three-point shooting has just been amazing.”
Williams also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
“Her defense and rebounding is just turning into transition points for her,” Dougherty said. “She led the team in rebounds tonight, and she’s barely 5-3.
“She’s able to take rebounds, and in our transition offense, she’s getting to the basket, or the team is doing a great job of moving the ball, and she’s able to knock down her shots. She had two of her three’s in transition tonight.”
Hickson finished with 15 points while O’Brien added 13.
“Taylor O’Brien, Khadijah Hickson and Ali Diamond – all of them are playing really, really well and spreading the floor out,” Dougherty said.
Laurel Suchsland added five points, five rebounds and three steals and also defended Alisha Kelly.
“She gave up a foot and a lot of pounds, and she held her to six points until the fourth quarter,” Dougherty said. “In the fourth quarter, Laurel came out of the game, but it was a tremendous job by a kid like her holding her to six points for three quarter.”
The Colonials led 18-11 after one quarter and stretched that lead to 39-18 by halftime. The Trojans didn’t go down quietly, outscoring the Colonials 33-30 in the second half.
Kelly and Julie Weber led the Trojans with 14 points each while Daria Earland added 11 points.
PW upped its league mark to 7-3 (11-5 overall) while the Trojans are 2-8 in the league (2-15 overall).
Wissahickon 11-7-13-20 51
Plymouth Whitemarsh 18-21-16-14 69
Wissahickon (51) – Lexi Carradorini 1, Daria Earland 11, Sydney Ott 4, Julie Weber 14, Brittany Gelman 5, Anna Morgan 2, Alisah Kelly 14.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (69) – Alynna Williams 28, Khadijah Hickson 15, Taylor O’Brien 13, Laurel Suchsland 5, Alison Spinelli 3, Ali Diamond 5
UPPER DUBLIN 55, UPPER MORELAND 12
The Cardinals displayed their prowess from long range on Friday night, burying 11 three-pointers.
Allison Chernow contributed 10 points, six assists and three steals while Josie Barrett had 10 points and four rebounds. Maggie Weglos added nine points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals.
The Flying Cardinals remain perfect in league play with a 10-0 record (13-4 overall) while the Golden Bears are 0-10 in the league (1-15 overall).
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 44, PENNRIDGE 40 (2 OT)
The Titans made sure theirs was a Senior Night to remember, eking out a win in double overtime. Prior to the game, the team’s three seniors – Kaley Smith, Sam Clevenstine and Emma Gardy – were honored.
“I remember when we were freshmen – we all made jayvee today, and now it’s our Senior Night,” Smith said.
The Titans needed to come from behind to earn this one. They led 11-10 heading into the second quarter, but six straight points from junior Ashley George turned a 13-12 Pennridge deficit into an 18-13 lead for the Rams. They extended that lead to seven after Monika Brill buried a pair from the foul line, but the Titans – sparked by a Tricia DeCesare trey – rallied to make it a 20-18 game at the intermission.
Gardy – who connected on three three-pointers – scored all of her game-high 14 points in the opening half.
The Rams – thanks to seven points from senior Shelby Schoonover – led by four heading into the final quarter (31-27), and when Kaeli White buried a jumper with 3:20 remaining, the Rams led 37-32.
South point guard Chloe Entenberg found Clevenstine down low, and the senior converted a three-point play to make it a 37-35 game. Taylor Dunn (10 points) tied things up with a pair of foul shots after a Rams’ turnover, and a five-second call – forced by Gardy – gave the Titans the ball with 1:22 remaining.
“I think our defense was really good,” Gardy said. “We struggled a little bit in the first half, but we came together and started helping more on the drivers.”
“Communicating is key,” Smith added. “We have to call out picks, cuts, backscreens, and that helps us shift our defense and helps each other out.”
With 20 seconds remaining, junior Jordan Vitelli banked a drive high off the glass to give the Titans the lead, but George converted an offensive rebound into a bucket just before the buzzer, setting the stage for OT.
Neither team scored in the first overtime, and the Rams got on the scoreboard first in the second when Schoonover sank one-of-two from the foul line. Entenberg found Clevenstine for a bucket that turned out to be the game winner. The Rams had their chances, but Dunn iced the win by burying 3-of-4 foul shots in the final minute.
“Pennridge really played a great game tonight,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “They can shoot, they like to drive, they’re very athletic, and I thought they played a great game.
“You always have to be pleased after a win. It wasn’t an easy one, but they battled through it.”
The Rams weren’t satisfied with playing the Titans tough.
“These are the kind of games that kill you,” coach Lindsey Tennett said. “These are the games you know you could have won. These are the games you think about over and over again- what could I have done differently? If we would have made one more free throw, what would have happened.”
Schoonover led the Rams with 13 points to go along with five rebounds while George added eight, and Devan Rimmer, had seven points, five assists and three steals. Lydia Konstanzer led the Rams under the backboards with nine rebounds.
For the Titans, Clevenstine added seven points.
The Titans upped their league mark to 8-2 (14-3 overall) while the Rams are 4-6 in the league (9-7 overall).
“This whole season is a big progression every game,” Tennett said. “We lost to them the last time by seven, and tonight we could have won it.
“East we lost by a point the first time, and the second time around we won. It’s baby steps. It’s taken a lot of years – now we’re finally running instead of walking. The girls see it, but this was a tough one.”
Pennridge 10-10-11-8-0-1 44
Central Bucks South 11-7-9-12-0-5 40
Pennridge (44) – Monika Brill 2, Shelby Schoonover 13, Devan Rimmer 7, Kaeli White 2, Jenna Dominic 4, Lydia Konstanzer 4, Ashley George 8.
Central Bucks South (44) – Taylor Dunn 10, Chloe Entenberg 2, Sam Clevenstine 7, Emma Gardy 14, MacKenzie Ehresman 2, Jordan Vitelli 3, Haley Meinel 1, Courtney Dietzel 2, Tricia DeCesare 3.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 47, HATBORO-HORSHAM 33
Sophomore Bridget Birkhead turned in another big offensive performance, scoring a game-high 19 points to lead the Patriots to the big win.
The Patriots owned the game from start to finish, sprinting to a 17-5 lead at the end of one quarter and taking a 29-7 lead into the intermission.
In addition to Birkhead, Melanie Wetzel had seven points and Bailey McManus added six.
The Hatters were led by the 11-point effort of Bergen Sims while Julia Thornton and Cassidy Quattro both scored six points.
The Patriots improved to 5-5 in league play (10-8 overall) while the Hatters are 1-9 in the league (5-12 overall).
Hatboro-Horsham 5-2-14-12 33
Central Bucks East 17-12-12-6 47
Hatboro-Horsham (33) – Rachel Helton 5, Bergen Sims 11, Haley Seifert 3, Amanda Brett 2, Julia Thornton 6, Cassidy Quattro 6.
Central Bucks East (47) – Bridget Birkhead 19, Megan Browne 4, Bailey McManus 6, Melanie Wetzel 7, Brianna Talbot 4, Abby Charlton 3, Amanda Conley 4.
NORTH PENN 72, QUAKERTOWN 39
Sam Carangi came within one assist of finishing with a triple-double, collecting a game-high 17 points, 11 steals and nine assists to lead the Lady Knights to the big win on Senior Night.
Bri Hewlett also had 11 points while Irisa Ye had 10 points, and Mikaela Giuliani and Jess Huber both had eight.
Contributing six points each were senior Taylor Thames, Taylor Putnam and Mia Melchior.
The Lady Knights led 27-5 after one quarter and took a 56-21 lead into halftime.
North Penn is 8-2 in league play (13-4 overall) while the Panthers are 0-10 in the league (2-15 overall).
Quakertown 5-16-8-10 39
North Penn 27-28-12-5 72
Quakertown (39) – Brooke Alwine 4, Makenna Kressley 2, Spenser Gray 1, Megan Lynn 2, Olivia Morano 5, Marina Cooke 7, Meghan Klee 7, Jill Martin 11.
North Penn (72) – Irisa Ye 10, Taylor Thames 6, Mikaela Giuliani 8, Jess Huber 8, Taylor Putnam 6, Sam Carangi 17, Bri Hewlett 11, Mia Melchior 6.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 66, SOUDERTON 32
The Bucks wasted little time taking control of Friday’s contest, racing to a 26-9 lead after one quarter and extending that lead to 42-19.
Nicole Munger (17 points), Mackenzie Carroll (15 points) and Makenzie Mason (13 points) led the Bucks.
For the Indians, junior Kirsta Schneider led the way with 14 points, and freshman point guard had six points.
The Bucks are 10-0 in league play (17-1 overall) while the Indians are 4-6 in the league (6-12 overall).
Souderton 9-10-3-10 32
Central Bucks West 26-16-27-7 66
Souderton (32) – Tori Dowd 6, Krista Schneider 14, Alana Cardona 5, Noelle Noble 2, Marissa Sandone 5.
Central Bucks West (66) – Mackenzie Carroll 15, Maddie Maio 2, Peyton Traina 2, Makenzie Mason 13, Abby Spratt 2, Corrinne Godshall 6, Nicole Munger 17, Meghan Tillger 4, Maggie Rakowsky 2, Molly Rodenbauch 3.
National Conference
ABINGTON 50, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 29
On a night that saw Deja Rawls play limited minutes, Sammy Lochner picked up the slack, leading the Ghosts with 15 points. Liz O’Leary added eight points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Gabby Nolan had five points, five steals and six assists.
The Ghosts led 12-4 after one quarter and put the game all but out of reach with a 17-4 second quarter to go into halftime with a 29-8 lead.
Abington is a perfect 10-0 in league play (14-3 overall) while the Golden Hawks are 7-3 in the league (10-8 overall).
Council Rock South 4-4-13-8 29
Abington 12-17-9-12 50
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 68, HARRY S TRUMAN 34
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