Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action on Tuesday. UM/Hatboro-Horsham photos provided courtesy of Jon Sklut. Springfield/Cheltenham courtesy of Kim Supko and Souderton/CB East provided by Keith Clemens Photography. CLICK HERE for Photo Galleries of all three games.
SOL American Conference
UPPER MORELAND 31, HATBORO-HORSHAM 25
The Golden Bears scored just 12 points through three quarters, but the good news for UM fans was that they still clung to a 12-11 lead. The scoring picked up for both sides in the fourth quarter with the Golden Bears – who outscored the Hatters 19-14 – earning the hard-fought win.
“Playing Hatboro-Horsham – it’s our neighbor,” coach Matt Carroll said. “I think the last time we played them it was the worst we’ve played and coached since I’ve been here.
“It was just everything. We did not play well, we did not coach well. This time the girls were really, really pumped up for it. It was a big win for them, something they really wanted.”
The win avenged a 44-39 loss to the Hatters on Dec. 21. The difference this time around, according to Carroll, was the fact that the Golden Bears were healthy.
“We were missing Bean Hughes the last time we played them,” the Golden Bears’ coach said. “Offensively tonight, she didn’t give us a lot, but she had eight offensive rebounds, deflections, tipping loose balls out, so she probably got us 12 extra possessions, which kept us off defense for 12 extra possessions.”
Phoebe Longstreth and Kaiya Herb both scored eight points to lead the Bears.
"Kaiya Herb played her best game as a freshman starter," Carroll said. "She made six straight free throws in the fourth quarter to put the game away and played with a lot of poise."
Longstreth also had seven boards.
“Phoebe Longstreth was 3-for-14 (from the floor), but she was so calm when it got chaotic,” Carroll said. “When the pace was kind of getting hectic, she would just get the ball, relax and slow everybody down.
“She had seven rebounds, which for a small point guard was huge for us. At times, she was covering post players, and she defended them well.”
Hughes and Abby Ellen Wood both had six points.
“Abby Ellen Wood had a huge steal and rebound that kind of got us going,” said Carroll, whose team trailed 8-1 after one quarter. “In the fourth quarter, we got some easy baskets, we got some transition baskets, we got to the free throw line a lot.
“We shot over 20 free throws in the second hall. Once we eventually took the lead, everyone eased up a little bit.”
The Golden Bears’ defense allowed just three points in the middle two quarters.
“The girls’ defense was absolutely amazing – they were in the face but without fouling, we were fronting the post, we were weak-side helping,” Carroll said. “Our spacing on defense was really, really good. The girls played tough, intelligent defensive basketball the entire game.
“They’re very excited. We told them afterwards, ‘Be happy, be excited, but our goal wasn’t to beat Hatboro-Horsham and the season’s over.’ We have a good amount of games coming up that we think we can compete and continue to play well, so we’ll be back at it again tomorrow.”
For the Hatters, Kyle Halko led the way with 11 points – seven in the fourth quarter. Lexie Brett added six.
Upper Moreland (5-9, 2-6 SOL) will travel to Springfield Township on Thursday, and Hatboro-Horsham (5-12, 4-5) will be on the road at Quakertown on Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 8-2-1-14 25
Upper Moreland 1-7-4-19 31
Hatboro-Horsham (25) – Lexie Brett 6, Cam Ryan 2, Kylie Halko 11, Sarah Sciubba 5, Sarah Mahoney 1.
Upper Moreland (31) – Phoebe Longstreth 8, Caitlin Corr 1, Kaiya Herb 8, Abby Ellen Wood 6, Bean Hughes 6, Kathryn Morrow 1, Cassidy Murphy 1.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 62, WISSAHICKON 34
Taylor O’Brien got off to a rare slow start in Tuesday’s game, but the senior standout closed out the game with a brilliant second half, scoring 20 points after the intermission and finishing with 31 points, nine rebounds, four steals and four assists.
“Taylor O’Brien had a super special night,” coach Dan Dougherty said. “She picked up her second foul in the second quarter, and it took us out of rhythm a little bit in the second quarter.
“We couldn’t buy a shot in the first half. We were missing layups and making some uncharacteristic mistakes. Taylor and Lauren Fortescue were really, really special in the second half. It was an exciting game. Wissahickon definitely came out fired up playing in their gym.”
Fortescuse finished with 13 points – nine in the second half. She also had four rebounds and two assists.
A spirited Trojan squad held the Colonials to 20 first-half points and trailed by just a 20-14 score at the intermission. The Colonials – behind 15 points from O’Brien – outscored the Trojans 25-11 in the third quarter. They went on to outscore their hosts 42-20 in the second half.
“In the third quarter, defensively, we kind of locked down,” Dougherty said. “We really executed defensively.
“Wissahickon is typically a good defensive team, so to put 25 points up in a quarter against them is good.”
Also for the Colonials, freshman Anna McTamney added six points, nine rebounds and two steals.
Despite the outcome, Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline was pleased with his team’s performance.
“We shut them down the first half,” the Trojans’ coach said. “We were winning in the first quarter, and then they went on a little run.
“We had key players get hurt. Sydney (Ott) hurt her ankle in the second quarter, so that took momentum away. Then Karly (Fadel) got in foul trouble, so they were both out. Bri (Tilghman) got hurt in the third quarter when they went on their run, but we had them frustrated.
“Taylor O’Brien only had (11) points in the first half. She was frustrated – she didn’t score the first five minutes of the game. The girls played well. With all the different factors that occurred throughout the game, they continued to fight.”
Macey Segal (eight points) led the Trojans. Anna Schools added seven points while Brianna Tilghman and Rebecca Selverian each had six.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (14-1, 9-0 SOL) will host Springfield Township on Friday, and Wissahickon (6-8, 6-3) will travel to Pennridge on Wednesday.
Plymouth Whiteamrsh 10-10-25-17 62
Wissahickon 5-9-11-9 34
Plymouth Whitemarsh (62) – Taylor O’Brien 31, Lauren Fortescue 13, Gia Schweitzer 3, Haley Zygmunt 1, Gabby Cooper 2, Bria Rivers 3, Anna McTamney 6, Sydney Kesselman 3.
Wissahickon (34) – Anna Schools 7, Brianna Tilghman 6, Macey Segal 8, Rebecca Selverian 6, Victoria Selverian 4, Carly Fadel 3.
UPPER DUBLIN 68, QUAKERTOWN 8
Senior Nicole Kaiser scored a game-high 18 points to lead a balanced Upper Dublin attack. Sophomore Jackie Vargas and freshman Dayna Balasa both added 14 points. Vargas also had seven rebounds and four blocked shots while Balasa – who buried four 3-pointers – had four rebounds and three blocks. Kara Grebe added seven points and seven rebounds.
Samantha Howard’s five points led the Panthers, who trailed 38-5 at the intermission.
Upper Dublin (14-3, 8-1 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Friday, and Quakertown (1-15, 0-8) will host Hatboro-Horsham that same day.
Quakertown 0-5-0-3 8
Upper Dublin 23-15-18-12 68
Quakertown (8) – Samantha Howard 5, Kayla Horning 3.
Upper Dublin (68) – Meg Barbera 2, Nicole Kaiser 18, Sarah Eskew 4, Kara Grebe 7, Maggie Weglos 2, Dayna Balasa 14, Kayla Wolf 5, Lindsey Schreiber 2, Jackie Vargas 14.
CHELTENHAM 57, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 46
Behind the hot hand of Savannah Roberts, who buried four 3-pointers and scored all 13 of her points in the first quarter, the Lady Panthers opened up a 19-14 lead. They outscored their visitors in each of the four quarters.
“We did a better job playing all four quarters this time,” coach Brendan Nolan said. “Savannah Roberts was on fire in the first quarter, but we still struggled defensively keeping the girls in front of us.”
Roberts also had seven rebounds. Kai Williams led the Lady Panthers, collecting an impressive double-double that included 15 points and 15 rebounds. Courtney Murray added seven points and six assists.
“Courtney Murray did a nice job defending Grace Barraclough,” Nolan said. “It was a good win. We are on the bubble for district playoffs so every win is important.”
Also for the Lady Panthers, Madison Rorer, Yanish Dormil and Kelia Holmes each had six points.
Mary Kate Smith had a big night for the Spartans, finishing with a game-high 21 points. Grace Barraclough added 14.
Cheltenham (9-6, 4-4 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Friday, and Springfield Township (3-11, 1-7) will host Upper Moreland on Thursday.
Cheltenham 19-15-12-11 57
Springfield Township 14-14-9-9 46
Cheltenham (57) – Savannah Roberts 13, Yanisha Dormil 6, Taylor Johnson 4, Courtney Murray 7, Madison Rorer 6, Kelia Holmes 6, Kai Williams 15.
Springfield Township (46) – Grace Barraclough 14, Mary Kate Smith 21, Rileigh Serroni 3, Emily Guicheteau4, Sydney Hannings 4.
SOL Continental Conference
SOUDERTON 48, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 45 (2 OT)
It was an interesting day for the Souderton girls’ basketball team.
Two-and-a-half hours after coach Lynn Carroll Drury gave birth to son Jack Henry Drury, the Indians – under interim coach Ben Bowman – took the court for a riveting contest that needed a pair of overtimes to determine a winner.
“It’s a different environment now without coach here,” junior Megan Walbrandt said. “We’ve been working with coach Bo for a long time, and we know his style.
“He knows coach’s coaching style, but it was just a big transition. We had one day. I think we’re going to get back to how we used to play. I think we honestly needed this to let us know we need to work for every win.”
The Indians certainly had to work for this one, although it looked as though they might be able to coast to the finish line when they opened up a 31-20 lead midway through the third quarter after back-to-back putbacks by Alana Cardona and Kate Connolly.
But they did not score again until 6:05 remained in the fourth quarter when Connolly scored on a drive to that knotted the score 33-33, bringing to an end a six-minute scoring drought and a 13-0 East run.
The Patriots’ run began with a Sophia Mancuso three, and then Bailey McManus scored on a drive. The Indians misfired on three straight possessions, and the Patriots closed out the quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds by McManus an Mancuso, knotting the score 31-31.
“I think we lost focus a little bit,” Walbrandt said. “We kind of lost the fact that they all shoot threes and they all shoot them pretty well. I just think we needed to recollect ourselves and know they’re going to shoot from five feet beyond the 3-point line and just work that much harder to stop them from shooting because they made three threes in a row at one point and just frustrated us.”
“I think when we went up by 11 – not that we thought we won the game or anything, but just that we had a little bit of a cushion, and I think we started to step back a little bit on defense, but those threes were wake-up calls that the game is not just handed to us – we have to keep working.”
In the opening minutes of the final quarter, Elyse Shine turned an offensive rebound into a basket before Connolly scored to break the Patriots’ run.
Gina Russo buried a three to put the Patriots on top 36-33, but the Indians had an answer. Megan Bealer scored on a putback, and the Indians scored off an East miss to go on top by one when Walbrandt found Cardona for a bucket.
Junior Skylar Krause buried a three for the Patriots, but the Indians converted on one-of-two from the line. A Walbrandt bucket at the end of a drive knotted the score 40-40 with 1:15 remaining. Both teams had a chance to win in regulation, but both came up empty.
In the first overtime, the Patriots led 43-42 after a Caroline Pla three, but Bealer found Cardona for a basket to give the Indians a one-point lead. Mancuso sank one-of-two at the line to knot the score with 1:38 remaining. Again, both teams had chances to win it.
In the second OT, Bealer came up with a steal on the defensive end and then scored on a tough drive to put the Indians on top 46-44. An East turnover set the stage for Cardona to bury both ends of a one-and-one with 30.7 seconds remaining. The Patriots connected on one-of-two at the charity stripe, and after the Indians misfired on the front end of a one-and-one, the Patriots saw their shot for a tie fall short.
“I actually thought we had two good looks at the end of regulation and overtime,” East coach Liz Potash said. “We needed one more shot to fall.
Lost in the shuffle of the dramatic ending was a second quarter that saw Walbrandt reel off eight straight points – which included a pair of threes – in a personal 8-0 tear that put the Indians on top 19-10.
“Everything just felt natural,” Walbrandt said.
The Patriots came roaring back behind a Mancuso 3-pointer and a pair of buckets by Shine to make it a 19-17 game. Connolly sent the Indians into halftime with a 22-17 lead when she hit nothing but net on a shot from just over half court at the buzzer.
The Patriots hurt the Indians on the boards, pulling down 18 offensive rebounds.
“It just felt that every time they shot the ball, they just got it right back,” Walbrandt said. “We have to do a much better job of boxing out because that’s what killed us.
“If they didn’t get 18 (offensive) rebounds, I feel like it would have been a completely different game because they got a lot of second chance points.”
“They outworked us in every aspect on the boards,” Bowman said. “Even when we boxed out, they had people running through and getting loose balls.
“We talked about it – limit them to one shot. For whatever reason, it wasn’t there. They really killed us on the boards, but again, we fought through. We kept battling. We didn’t hang our heads. We came back and finished it off.”
Walbrandt led a balanced Indians attack with 15, Connolly added 13 points and six rebounds. Cardona added 10 points and five rebounds and Bealer had nine, including the game winner.
Mancuso led the Patriots with 13 points, which included three 3-pointers, Shine had 11 and Russo added 10 in a contest that saw the Patriots connect on eight 3-pointers and just nine two-point baskets.
“We know we have to get on their shooters, and we let them have wide open threes to climb back in the game,” Bowman said. “Offensively, we were settling for outside shots instead of driving through the lane and being patient.”
Both teams struggled from the foul line – the Patriots were 3-for-8 while the Indians were 7-for-14.
Souderton (13-2, 6-1 SOL) will be on the road at Jenkintown for a non-league game on Wednesday, and Central Bucks East (12-5, 5-3) will host Pennridge on Friday.
Central Bucks East 8-9-14-9-4-1 45
Souderton 10-12-9-9-4-4 48
Central Bucks East (45) – Sophia Mancuso 13, Skylar Krause 3, Gina Russo 10, Caroline Pla 3, Bailey McManus 5, Elyse Shine 11.
Souderton (48) – Tori Dowd 1, Megan Bealer 4 0-1 8, Alana Cardona, 10, Megan Walbrandt 15, Kate Connolly 13.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 59, PENNRIDGE 40
Haley Meinel scored 31-points in a dazzling offensive performance for the Titans. The Jefferson University-bound senior had 19 points in the first half – 10 in a first quarter that saw the visiting Titans outscore the Rams 19-5. Alexa Brodie, who finished with 15 points, added seven points in the opening quarter. By halftime, the Titans led 34-17.
For the Rams, Rose McCormick led the way with 14 points. Gill Anderson had eight, and Sam Muredda and Brooke Bachtle both added seven.
Central Bucks South (15-2, 6-3 SOL) will host Central Bucks West on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., and Pennridge (7-6, 2-4) will host Wissahickon on Wedneday.
Central Bucks South 19-15-12-14 59
Pennridge 5-12-12-11 40
Central Bucks South (59) – Lindsay Scott 2, Haley Meinel 31, Alexa Brodie 15, Maddie McShane 3, Mackenzie Ehresman 1, Madison Aldinger 3.
Pennridge (40) – Corinn Mart 1, Sam Muredda 7, Brooke Bachtle 7, Gill Anderson 8, Rose McCormick 14, Evelyn Loughery 1, Emilee Cramer 2.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 48, NORTH PENN 33
Maddie Burke was in some kind of zone on Tuesday night. The sophomore sharpshooter connected on six 3-pointers en route to a game-high 20 points to lead the Bucks, who are without junior Diane Nicholson(injury). Burke had a pair of threes – and eight points – in a first quarter that saw the visitors go on top 14-8. By halftime, she had four thrrees, and the Bucks led 28-14. Junior Izzy Treon added 12 points, which included two 3-pointers.
Senior Bri Hewlett led the Knights with 11 points, which included a three and a 2-for-2 effort at the foul line. Freshman Alli Lindsay added nine points.
Central Bucks West (10-7, 6-2 SOL) will be at Central Bucks South on Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. contest, and North Penn (4-12, 0-8) will host William Tennent on Thursday.
Central Bucks West 14-14-13-7 48
North Penn 6-8-14-5 33
Central Bucks West (48) – Abby Spratt 2, Olivia Irons 4, Jess Borskey 4, Maddie Burke 22, Erin McIlhinney 2, Izzy Treon 12, Julia Kreider 2.
North Penn (33) – Alayna Faison 5, Alli Lindsay 9, Alaina Mullaly 4, Carley Adams 2, Bri Hewlett 11.
SOL National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 61, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 18
The Indians opened the game with a 12-0 run and never looked back. They led 16-3 after one quarter and took a 38-8 lead into halftime.
Dana Bandurick was the lone player in double figures, finishing with 16 points – 14 in the first half. She also had four steals and three assists. Mackenzie Tinner contributed nine points – seven in the opening half. Becca Margolis added eight points, five assists and three steals, and Camryn Polinsky had seven points, six rebounds and four assists. Juliana Shields also had three steals to go along with four points.
For the Golden Hawks, Karly Wunder and Nicole Blaustein both had six points.
Council Rock North (13-4, 7-1 SOL) will host Bensalem on Thursday, and Council Rock South (5-10, 1-6) will host Harry S Truman on Friday.
Council Rock South 3-5-6-4 18
Council Rock North 16-22-13-10 61
Council Rock South (18) – Emma Jones 1, Karly Wunder 6, Nicole Blaustein 6, Hannah Binder 5.
Council Rock North (61) – Becca Margolis 8, Juliana Shields 4, Camryn Polinsky 7, Anna Cairone 2, Dana Bandurick 16, Sydney Bum 2, Olivia Boyle 4, Jillian Hopkins 4, Abby Jones 2, Kaelin Mealey 3, Mackenzie Tinner 9.
NESHAMINY 50, BENSALEM 21
The Redskins – led by an inspired defensive effort – opened up a 15-0 lead after one quarter and extended that to 32-3 by halftime on their way to the no-doubt-about-it win.
“The girls played awesome defense,” coach Joe Lally said.
Neshaminy got the job done offensively as well. Allison Harvey buried a pair of 3-pointers to spark the first-quarter surge. Brooke Mullin had six points in the second quarter and seven more in the third. She finished with a game-high 13 points, which included a pair of 3-pointers.
Allison Harvey and Olivia Scotti added eight points each while Kelli Kowalick had seven.
Emily Wineburg led the Owls with 10 points.
Neshaminy (12-3, 7-0 SOL) will be on the road at Abington on Friday, and Bensalem (3-11, 0-7) will travel to Council Rock South on Thursday.
Bensalem 0-3-6-12 21
Neshaminy 15-17-13-5 50
Bensalem (21) – Parker 2, Emily Wineburg 10, Michaela Sit 2, Haley Keenan 2, Alayna McSeed 2, Chloe Munyon 3.
Neshaminy (50) – Brooke Mullin 13, Allison Harvey 8, Kristin Curley 8, Kelli Kowalick 7, Meghan Ansel 4, Emily Tantala 2, Sydney Tyron 2.
ABINGTON 63, PENNSBURY 29
The Ghosts opened up a 13-5 lead after one quarter and took a 31-13 lead into halftime on their way to the convincing road win.
Kassondra Brown (16 points) and Sam Brusha (15 points) combined for 31 points. Miranda Liebtag also finished the game in double figures with 10.
Cami Wiegan’s 13 points led the Falcons. Bella Arcuri added seven.
Abington 13-18-17-15 63
Pennsbury 5-8-10-7 29
Abington (63) – Jordyn Allen 2, Britney James 3, Cam Lexow 3, Salena Marrero 3, Tamia Wessels 4, Becca Pohle 2, Kassondra 16, Miranda Liebtag 10, Hope Brower-Ancher 2, Morgan Benson 4, Sam Brusha 15.
Pennsbury (29) – Abbi Nassivera 4, Bella Arcuri 7, Mary Miller 4, Sydney Buell 3, Cami Wiegand 13.
Non-league
WILLIAM TENNENT 50, HARRY S TRUMAN 33
Three Panthers finished the game in double figures. Haley Crossley led the way, collecting a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three steals. Brianna Broccardi added 12 and four steals while Emma Stanfield scored 11 points and also had a pair of steals. Bryn Evans and Kelly Skipione both chipped in with six for the Panthers, who led 19-7 after one quarter. The Tigers played them all but even the rest of the way but never could make up the ground they lost.
Daisha Campbell led the Tigers with 10 points, and Haniyyah Jones had seven.
William Tennent (9-7, 1-6 SOL) will travel to North Penn on Thursday, and Harry S Truman (2-12, 0-5) will be on the road at Council Rock South on Friday.
Harry S Truman 7-11-7-8 33
William Tennent 19-12-7-12 50
Harry S Truman (33) – Haniyyah Jones 7, Zuri Clarke 2, Daisha Campbell 10, Roneshia James 8, Keys 2, Briana Cliney 4.
William Tennent (50) – Emma Stanfield 11, Kelly Scipione 6, Brianna Broccardi 12, Haley Crossley 13, Jess Rutkowsky 2, Bryn Evans 6.
About the Author
