Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Monday. All SOS photo galleries for GIRLS’ BASKETBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Freedom Division
LOWER MORELAND 47, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 21
The Lions seized control of this one early, opening up a 36-14 halftime advantage on their way to the division win.
“The score does not indicate how competitive Springfield was,” LM coach Rich Becker said. “We were up by 22 at the half, but the coaches and girls agreed that it did not feel like we were up that much. Dave (Giordano) had his girls playing tough. They just could not convert on offense, and we were able to take advantage of some long rebounds to get some easy transition points.”
Jess Dugo (17 points) and Tori Finnegan (12 points) led the Lions in scoring. Briana McFerran added six.
“It was nice to see Tori Finnegan score,” Becker said. “She does so many things well on the defensive end, I was happy to see her score in double digits.
“I was most happy with our defensive effort. We held them to three field goals in the first three quarters, five for the entire game. Liz Neeld, Jess Dugo and Amelia Brown were responsible for that. The three of them did a great job at the top of our zone and were able to dictate where the ball went, and that allowed the back of our defense to play aggressively.”
Jayda Daniels led the Spartans with seven points.
Lower Moreland (7-5, 5-5 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday, and Springfield Township (2-10, 0-9) will be on the road at Wissahickon.
Springfield Township 8-6-0-7 21
Lower Moreland 16-20-9-2 47
Springfield Township (21) – Annie Coll 0 4-4 4; Samiyyah Thompson 1 0-0 2; Jayda Daniels 3 3-7 9; Delaney Lake 1 0-0 3; Kayla Parson 0 0-2 0; Lauren Hussey 0 1-1 1; Paige Robinson 0 2-2 2. TOTALS 5 10-16 21.
Lower Moreland (47) – Tori Finnegan 5 2-2 12; Amelia Brown 1 2-2 4; Jess Shein 1 3-4 5; Liz Neeld 1 0-2 3; Jess Dugo 6 3-3 17; Brian McFerran 2 2-2 6. TOTALS 16 12-15 47.
3-point goals: Springfield – Delaney Lake; LM – Jess Dugo 2, Liz Neeld.
SOL Patriot Colonial crossover
PENNRIDGE 65, HARRY S TRUMAN 35
Eleven players contributed scoring for the visiting Rams, who opened up a 22-6 lead after one quarter and took a 38-12 advantage into halftime on their way to the decisive win.
“Their coach has them playing to the end of the game,” said Pennridge coach Michael Elton of Truman first-year coach Ashida Cooper. “We were able to use our bench, and everyone contributed.”
Katie Yoder and Anna Croyle led the Rams with 13 points each. Ella Brown added eight points while Emma Pyne and Ryan Hodder both had six.
Pennridge (9-8, 4-6 SOL) will host Council Rock North on Tuesday, and Harry S Truman (0-12, 0-9) will host North Penn on Tuesday.
Pennridge 22-16-15-12 65
Harry S Truman 6-6-15-8 35
Pennridge (65) – Ella Brown 4 0-0 8; Anna Croyle 5 2-2 13; Katie Yoder 5 2-2 13; Ava Fantaskey 1 0-0 2; Ava Unzicker 2 1-1 5; Olivia Poole 1 1-2 3; Emma Pyne 3 0-0 6; Katie Loughran 0 2-2 2; Ryan Hodder 3 0-0 6; Abby Huskin 2 0-0 5; Layla Verbit 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 27 8-9 65.
Harry S Truman (35) – Mayah Alford 1 1-4 4; Saniya Blount 2 1-4 6; Hannah Smith 4 1-2 12; Patricia Monroe 4 1-2 9; Shylah McCleve 1 0-0 2; Yamazjiah Thomas 1 0-1 2. TOTALS 13 4-13 35.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Anna Croyle, Katie Yoder, Abby Huskin; HST – Hannah Smith 3, Saniya Blount, Mayah Alford.
Non-league
QUAKERTOWN 52, SAUCON VALLEY 29
Laney Mitchell is a perfect fit for the 1-3-1 defense.
Brittany Bamford recognized as much when she saw the now senior playing for her middle school team.
“In seventh grade, she was always flying around, especially at the top of the key for the 1-3-1,” the Quakertown coach said. “She was always jumping the passing lanes – in the air. That’s her spot. When I told her we would play 1-3-1, she was excited about that.”
And with good reason.
Mitchell opened the second half with three steals that resulted in three easy baskets.
“She’s our little hustler, disrupting things – just getting the (opposing) offense to make bad passes,” Bamford said. “She created a lot of havoc on the defensive end.”
Mitchell ended up with five steals and five deflections.
“It was a lot of fun,” Mitchell said. “We have a lot of close games, but when we’re up like that, it’s just a lot of fun to get some steals and show what Quakertown basketball is all about.”
Katie Hagerty also had a steal and sank a pair of the foul line between a pair of Mitchell steals early in the third quarter, and the Panthers led 41-20 after their impressive tear.
The Panthers were coming off a heartbreaking loss to Lower Moreland on Friday, falling 50-47 in a contest they led by 25.
“This was definitely important,” Mitchell added of Monday’s bounce-back win. “Coming off a tough loss like that, the whole team’s mentality is a little down low, but games like this bring us back up. We’re all ready to go for our next game.”
Monday’s no-doubt-about-it win lifted the Panthers to within one game of the .500 mark at 7-8.
“We’re doing much better this year,” Mitchell said. “I think this is the most wins we’ve had in close to a decade. This is definitely a turning point. I think Quakertown basketball is on the rise, the same with every Quakertown sport right now.”
There’s no mistaking the spirit of this Panther squad, and it was impossible to miss the cheers and celebration in their postgame locker room meeting.
“We were just cheering the win,” Mitchell said. “We always do that – home games we always bang on the lockers. We’re excited.”
The Panthers led Monday’s non-league game wire to wire, and the tone was set when Katie Hagerty scored off the opening tap. She finished with six points in a first quarter that saw the Panthers open up a 14-11 advantage. Carolyn Sipprell added five points, including a three.
In the second quarter, Katie Catalano had the hot hand, connecting on a pair of 3-pointers and scoring eight of her team’s 19 points. The Panthers took a 33-20 lead into halftime.
Mitchell and Hagerty set the tone for the third quarter, combining to reel off eight straight points to put the Panthers on top by 21. A 3-pointer by Catalano upped the Panthers lead to 46-20 before Saucon Valley got on the board in the second half.
Sipprell led the Panthers with 13 points, connecting on 4-of-5 shots from the field. She also had six offensive rebounds. Mitchell and Catalano both had 11 points with Catalano burying three 3-pointers. Mitchell finishing with 10 points, the fourth Panthers in double figures.
“We needed this after the deflation of Friday,” Bamford said. “This was good for us all around.”
Quakertown (7-8, 3-6 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Saucon Valley 11-9-3-6 29
Quakertown 14-19-14-5 52
Saucon Valley (29) – Liz Miller 3 0-0 6; Aubrey Petersen 1 0-0 2; Allison Cort 5 3-7 13; Sophie Babashak 1 0-0 2; Emma Rudolph 2 0-0 6. TOTALS 12 3-7 29.
Quakertown (52) – Carolyn Sipprell 4 4-8 13; Katie Hagerty 4 2-2 10; Katie Catalano 4 0-0 11; Laney Mitchell 5 0-1 11; Ava Pistone 1 0-2 3; Katie Offner 1 0-0 2; Truly Heft 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 20 6-13 52.
3-point goals: Saucon Valley – Emma Rudolph 2; Quakertown – Katie Catalano 3, Carolyn Sipprell, Laney Mitchell, Ava Pistone.
SOUDERTON 45, VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 36
Casey Harter scored a game-high 16 points while Erin Bohmueller and Teya McConnaha both added 11 points to lead the Indians to the non-league win.
“As always, Casey (Harter)on both ends of the court played extremely hard, earned every basket she got – they were all over her,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “Erin stepped up and played really well. She was 6-for-6 from the line. She was aggressive, looking to get to the basket, which we’ve been needing her to do.
“Teya (McConnaha) had a big three in the second quarter. We played great in the second quarter. Erin had a three that quarter. Grace McDonough came off the bench and had a career high 10 rebounds. She steps on the court and is just a difference maker. Her length and her desire to go after the ball on shots is just getting better and better.”
The Indians led 9-4 after one quarter and, thanks to an 18-point second quarter, extended that to 27-15 by halftime. McConnaha had nine first-half points, and Harter scored eight. The Jems held a 13-6 scoring edge in the third quarter to pull to within 33-28, but the Indians outscored their hots 12-8 in the final frame.
In addition to leading the Indians in scoring, Harter also had six rebounds and three assists. McConnaha had two blocks, and Bohmueller had three assists. The Indians assisted on 10 of 16 field goals.
Point guard Tori Nigro’s nine points led the Jems.
“Tori Nigro – I haven’t seen her play since she was a sophomore, and she is about the quickest kid I can remember coaching against,” Carroll said. “She is so, so quick. The way she’s able to get shots off is incredible – in traffic with multiple players defending her.
“This is a big week, and it’s great to start it off with a win. We don’t have much time to waste thinking about it. We have Bensalem who is playing really, really well right now.
“In this final stretch, we want to be playing our best basketball as much as possible. We were pretty good tonight. I’m happy with another win.”
Souderton (13-2, 9-1 SOL) will host Bensalem on Tuesday.
Souderton 9-18-6-12 45
Villa Joseph Marie 4-11-13-8 36
Souderton (45) – Brooke Fenchel 0 0-2 0; Erin Bohmueller 2 6-6 11; Mikayla McGilllian 1 2-2 4; Casey Harter 8 0-1 16; Alexis Stefanowicz 0 1-2 1; Grace McDonough 1 0-2 2; Teya McConnaha 4 2-2 11. TOTALS 16-11-18 45.
Villa Joseph Marie (36) – Tori Nigro 4 0-0 9; Carly Austin 2 3-4 8; Emma Hagan 0 0-2 0; Sienna Fidducia 0 1-2 1; Isolov 2 0-0 6; Sam White 4 0-2 8; Michaela Joniec 1 1-2 4; TOTALS 13-5-11 36.
3-point goals: Souderton – Erin Bohmueller, Teya McConnaha; VJM – Isolov 2, Tori Nigro, Sam Austin, Michaela Joniec.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 49, GREAT VALLEY 42
The Hatters took a three-point lead into the fourth quarter and then buried 6-of-9 from the foul line to seal the Patriots’ fate.
“We hit free throws down the stretch and pulled away,” HH coach Eric Glemser said. “It was kind of the first time we had the lead with a few minutes to go – we’re usually playing catchup. They cut it to three, but we made the free throws when it counted. We played loose tonight.
“Great Valley played hard, and we played hard. It was a really good game. We haven’t been playing hard consistently. It was good team effort. We did a good job – which we haven’t done all year – of rebounding defensively. Offensively, they were really boxing us out.”
The two teams battled to a 25-25 halftime tie. Alice Hall’s nine points led the Hatters. Leah Harrington added seven. The Hatters outscored their visitors 8-5 in the third quarter to go on top 33-30. Hall accounted for five of those points. Sam Hollish added a 3-pointer.
In the fourth quarter, the Hatters outscored the Patriots 16-12. Caroline Shegogue had all six of her points in the final quarter. Emily Thomas buried 4-of-6 from the foul line, and sophomore Kitty Randa had a pair of big baskets.
“It’s her first year playing basketball, and she played really well,” Glemser said of Randa. “She hit a big bank shot for us in the fourth quarter. She played great defense.
“Caroline (Shegogue) has been struggling a little bit, and she came alive in the fourth quarter. She played like she’s capable of playing.”
Hall’s 16 points, which included a 6-of-7 effort at the foul line, led the Hatters. Thomas added nine points while Shegogue had six.
Great Valley’s Laura Lum led all scorers with 19 points.
“She hit a couple of 3s early, and we held her to no 3s until there was about a minute-and-a-half to go,” Glemser said.
Hatboro-Horsham (7-5, 5-4 SOL) will travel to William Tennent on Tuesday.
Great Valley 13-12-5-12 42
Hatboro-Horsham 17-8-8-16 49
Great Valley (42) – Abbie Eisenhardt 0 1-2 1; Gia Sioutis 7 0-1 14; Laura Lum 4 8-10 19; Frederick 1 0-0 2; Gracen Curley 2 2-2 6. TOTALS 14 11-15 42.
Hatboro-Horsham (49) – Caroline Shegogue 2 2-3 6; Alice Hall 5 6-7 16; Kitty Randa 2 0-0 4; Leah Harrington 2 2-4 7; Alyssa Tooley 0 2-2 2; Emily Thomas 2 4-6 9; Sam Hollish 2 0-0 5. TOTALS 15 16-22 49.
3-point goals: GV – Laura Lum 3; HH – Leah Harrington, Emily Thomas, Sam Hollish.
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