CR North & Cheltenham notched non-league wins Monday. Check the recaps.
Non-league
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 46, WISSAHICKON 35
Propelled by the 19-point performance of senior Lizzie Lustig, the Indians notched the non-league road win on Monday.
“Tonight was a crucial win for us,” Rock North coach Jack Kelly said. “We really felt that we showed a lot of growth in our crossover games, but we really had nothing to show for it. After an emotional loss Friday, I am really proud of how we responded tonight.
“Lizzie Lustig had a huge night – she is such an unselfish teammate, but tonight she was way more aggressive when we needed her to be. She was excellent on both ends of the floor.”
The two teams battled to a 10-10 tie after one quarter, and after the Indians opened up a four-point advantage, Kaitlyn McGeary scored on a layup to make it a 16-14 game. The Indians responded with an 8-0 run to close out the quarter and went into halftime with a 24-14 lead.
The Indians’ run was sparked by a three-point play by Jaden Wan in transition, a play that was set up by a Lustig steal and outlet for the assist. Then Claire Pirkle forced a jump ball, and with 30 seconds remaining in the half, Delaney McCaffery found Lustig for a 3 at the buzzer.
McCaffery had seven first-quarter points, including two 3-pointers, and Wan’s 11 points led all scorers in the half. McGeary had 10 points to lead the Trojans in the first half.
“I thought Delaney was a sparkplug for us in the first half – she hit two 3’s for us early on and that settled us into the game,” Kelly said. “She also made a great read and found Lizzie at the end of the half for a 3 that put us up 10, and she was very active defensively and came up with multiple deflections and steals. She, Jaden, and Ruth (O’Keefe) did a great job of working together to neutralize McGeary as the game wore on.”
In the third quarter, Wissahickon made it a 26-22 game after Julia Lettieri buried a 3-pointer from the corner. Later in the frame, Lustig followed her own miss from beyond the arc with a basket that made it a 31-25 game, and she connected on a three on the Indians’ ensuing possession.
With time winding down, Wan sank 1-of-2 at the foul line but tracked down the rebound of her miss and found Lustig, whose and-one gave the Indians a 38-25 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Wissahickon cut the Indians’ lead to nine (38-29) with 6:30 to go, but an Ella Cairone 3 sealed the win for the Indians.
In addition to Lustig’s 19, Wan finished with 12 and McCaffery had nine on three 3-pointers.
“I thought our bench gave us great minutes – they all can help us in different ways,” Kelly said. “Claire Pirkle made some huge plays defensively for us in the first half which brought up our energy. Then Ella Cairone did a nice job of handling pressure in the fourth, and she knocked down a crucial 3 to put us back up double-digits. Overall, we are happy to get a win on the road.”
For the Trojans, McGeary led the way with a double-double that included 18 points and 14 rebounds. The East Stroudsburg-bound senior was recognized prior to the game for reaching the 1,000-point milestone in the Trojans’ previous game.
“Congrats to Kaitlyn McGeary on earning her 1,000th point last week – she is a tremendous player, and she has a really bright future for herself ahead,” Kelly said.
Also for the Trojans, Claira Baldasano added four points, four rebounds and two assists. Kylie Friedman had a team-high three steals.
Council Rock North (7-10, 2-9 SOL) will host Harry S Truman on Tuesday, and Wissahickon (5-11, 3-8) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham Tuesday.
Council Rock North 10-14-14-8 46
Wissahickon 10-4-11-10 35
Council Rock North (46) – Kiera Katz 0 1-3 1; Lizzie Lustig 7 3-3 19; Ella Cairone 1 0-0 3; Delaney McCaffery 3 0-2 9; Jaden Wan 4 4-5 12; Ruth O’Keefe 1 0-1 2; TOTALS 16 8-14 46.
Wissahickon (35) – Eva Schools 2 0-0 5; Julia Lettieri 1 0-0 3; Kylie Friedman 0 3-3 3; Claira Baldasano 2 0-0 4; Chloe Acuna 1 0-0 2; Kaitlyn McGeary 7 4-5 18; TOTALS 13 7-8 35.
3-point goals: CRN – Delaney McCaffery 3, Lizzie Lustig 2, Ella Cairone; Wissahickon – Eva Schools, Julia Lettieri.
CHELTENHAM 47, JENKINTOWN 17
The Lady Panthers raced out to the gate to a 12-3 lead after one quarter, and they never looked back on their way to the non-league win over the visiting Drakes.
“It was a much -needed win for us,” coach Ben Bowman said. “We have been struggling since the New Year started and needed to come out and play well. Now we need to carry this win and mindset into tomorrow’s game vs New Hope.”
Maya Simmons scored five points and Cassie Bugg added four to ignite the Lady Panthers in the first quarter. By halftime, Cheltenham led 21-9, and a 12-0 third quarter run sealed the Drakes’ fate.
Arianna Davis scored 13 points – eight in the second half – to lead the Lady Panthers. Bugg added nine points while Simmons and Janiya Townes-Wakefield both had eight points.
Cheltenham (6-10, 2-9 SOL) will host New Hope-Solebury on Tuesday.
Jenkintown 3-6-0-8 17
Cheltenham 12-9-12-14 47
Jenkintown (17) – Chase Shakoor 0 2-4 2; Nina Costandino 1 0-0 2; Savanna Morrin 2 0-1 4; Morgan Bolds 3 3-6 9; TOTALS 6 5-11 17.
Cheltenham (47) – Maya Simmons 3 0-0 8; Janiya Townes-Wakefield 3 1-2 8; Amelia Kopp 1 0-0 2; Arianna Davis 5 3-8 13; Cassie Bugg 3 3-6 9; Tori Simmons 1 2-2 5; TOTALS 16 9-18 47.
3-point goals: Cheltenham – Maya Simmons 2, Janiya Townes-Wakefield, Tori Simmons
Sunday, Jan. 22
EPISCOPAL ACADEMY 37, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 29
The Bucks capped a grueling three-games-in-three-days stretch with an early morning game Sunday against Episcopal in the Maggie Lucas Classic at Jefferson University.
The Bucks came up short, but there were bright spots in the loss, including the 15-point effort of senior Tai Henkels.
“Tai’s been on fire,” West coach Zach Sibel said. “She’s had 15 (points) in the last two games against Governor Mifflin and Episcopal and really plays with that West heart. She’s rebounding all over the floor, she’s in passing lanes and bringing energy on both ends of the floor. I think it’s been neat.
“We proved on Saturday if we play together, we can make things happen. When you have your biggest player step up when they need to – you see that. It’s never easy playing three good opponents in a row Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We’re looking forward to taking some of the momentum from the weekend into this week as league play gets started again.”
The Bucks managed just one point in the opening quarter but rebounded with a 12-point second quarter that was sparked by 10 points – including 2 3s – from Henkels.
Episcopal took a 20-13 lead into halftime, and the Bucks, who played EA all but even in the second half, never could dig their way out of that first-half hole.
Sibel credited the play of Janelle Blokker.
“She’s a freshman who’s seeing more time for us,” the West coach said. “She’s a standout soccer player but is the quintessential dual-sport athlete who’s really invested in both sports, which is neat in a world of specialization.
“She’s coming in, and she had two good games. We came out with a win in one of those, but it’s cool to see a trend and those habits being formed.”
Central Bucks West (7-10, 5-6 SOL) will host Central Bucks East Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
Central Bucks West 1-12-8-8 29
Episcopal Academy 4-16-9-8 37
Central Bucks West (29) – Gabi Senior 1 0-0 2; Tai Henkels 5 3-4 15; Alexis Castro 2 1-1 5; Ava Longo 2 0-0 4; Gabby Reichner 0 1-2 1; Janelle Blokker 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 11 5-7 29.
Episcopal Academy (37) – Riley Thibedeau 3 0-0 6; Gaeli Keffer-Scharpf 1 3-3 5; Anna Maloney 1 0-0 3; Natalie Magnotta 3 4-4 12; Bella Notaro 2 1-2 5; Taylor Hammond 1 0-0 2; Brynn Kehl 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 13 8-9 37.
3-point field goals: CBW – Tai Henkels 2; Episcopal – Natalie Magnotta 2, Anna Maloney.
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