Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Wednesday. CR North/Souderton photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f226313402
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 39, PENNRIDGE 27
The Golden Hawks notched a bounce-back win after dropping back-to-back games, including an overtime loss to Bensalem 24 hours earlier. Their stifling defense kept the Lady Rams’ offense out of sync the entire game and also allowed the Hawks to survive a low offensive output of their own.
“We have been struggling mightily to knock down shots lately,” Rock South coach Jesse Krasna said. “Our last five games we are a combined 18 percent from the 3-point line, and the sample size is rather large because we shoot a plethora of 3’s.
“We are somehow 3-3 in that span with an overtime loss to Bensalem, a two-point loss to North Penn and an eight-point loss to Germantown Academy. I think that’s actually a really good sign because we’re learning how to give ourselves a chance to beat top level teams on nights when we can’t throw a rock in the ocean.
“It’s a credit to how much effort our girls are giving regardless of the story on the offensive end. Once we start shooting the ball at a respectable clip, good things will happen for us. We know we have girls who make shots, so it’s only a matter of time before the breakout happens.”
The Golden Hawks, who led 9-4 after one quarter, found themselves deadlocked 12-12 at halftime. Their offense came to life in a 16-point third quarter that included points from six different players. They took a 28-21 lead into the fourth and outscored their visitors 11-6 to close out the game.
“Tonight was a nice team win, and we were able to get 10 of our players in the mix,” Krasna said. “Coach Rapp and his team did a great job slowing the game down and defended us really well. They forced some turnovers and their length and activity in their zone defense gave us some trouble. Even though we didn’t shoot the ball well, I liked that we were patient and unselfish.”
Kathryn O’Kane’s 10 points led the Hawks while Sarah Freeman added seven.
“Sarah Freeman gave us a huge boost,” Krasna said. “She was tremendous defending on and off the basketball, and her toughness brought our team to life, especially in the third quarter. She’s often the shortest player on the court, but you won’t find a kid with more heart. Her role has changed a lot over the year, which can be really difficult for a player, but she’s always been ready when her number is called and she’s so supportive of her teammates when she’s not on the floor. She’s the player who is easy to play with and a nightmare to play/coach against.”
For the Rams, Layla Verbit’s nine points led the way, and despite seeing his team come up short, Pennridge coach Jason Rapp liked his team’s effort.
“I’m super proud of the way our girls competed tonight,” the Rams’ coach said. “Back-to-back great efforts against two high scoring offenses. CR South is really a tough matchup for teams.
“Jesse (Krasna) and his staff did a great job making things extremely difficult for us on the offensive end. Credit to them.”
Council Rock South (10-6, 7-4 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Friday, and Pennridge (8-8, 3-8) will travel to Souderton Friday.
Pennridge 4-8-9-6 27
Council Rock South 9-3-16-11 39
Pennridge (27) – Ella Brown 1 3-4 5; Ava Fantaskey 2 1-2 5; Emily DeHaven 1 0-0 3; Abby Huskin 2 0-0 5; Layla Verbit 4 1-4 9; TOTALS 10 5-10 27.
Council Rock South (39) – Sarah Freeman 2 2-2 7; Liliana Metrick 1 1-2 3; Lily Bross 2 0-1 4; Haley Thompson 2 0-0 5; Miranda Cantor 1 0-0 3; Kathryn O’Kane 2 6-8 10; Camryn Gregory 1 0-0 3; Fiona Reckner 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 13 9-13 39.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Emily DeHaven, Abby Huskin; CRS – Sarah Freeman, Miranda Cantor, Camryn Gregory, Haley Thompson.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 37, SOUDERTON 24
The Indians celebrated their four seniors – Frannie Boyle, Amelia Furman, Delaney McCaffery, and Ruth O’Keeffe – with a big win over Souderton. Furman and Boyle started for the first time at the varsity level, and Furman scored a career high five points. McCaffrey (11 points) and O’Keeffe (10 points) led the Indians, and Boyle added four
points on a night that belonged to the seniors.
“Tonight’s senior night was truly special – it is always a tough game because of the emotions, but our seniors set the tone for us early on,” Rock North coach Jack Kelly said. “Frannie Boyle had a big block on our first defensive possession, and she did a good job of posting on the offensive end. I thought her play really helped our team settle into the game.
“Amelia Furman had the game of her life. I could not be happier for her; she works so incredibly hard day in and day out, she always puts the good of the team first, and even though her playing time has been limited this year, she has not once let that affect her attitude. And, tonight she made the most of her moment. Aside from her five points, she had a great game defensively, and she was a strong rebounder for us.”
The Indians led 19-8 at halftime after shutting their visitors out in the second quarter, and the seniors accounted for 14 of the 19 points with McCaffrey and O’Keeffe combining for 10.
“Ruth and Delaney both provided offensive sparks for us, and they kept everyone focused throughout the game,” Kelly said. “We struggled a little bit towards the end, but Ruth was big on the boards, and
Delaney hit some big free throws down the stretch.
“We are very fortunate to have a very close-knit team, and that is a testament to the leadership of these four seniors. We had a lot of new faces join our roster this year, but it is our seniors who have brought everyone together. When their high school careers are over, they will leave a lasting legacy on our program that will be hard to replace.”
For the visiting Indians, who closed out the game with a 13-point fourth quarter, senior Brooke Fenchel’s nine points – all in the second half – led the attack.
“I just want to thank Lynn Carroll and Souderton for taking part in our ceremony tonight,” Kelly said. “I have so much respect for Lynn and the Souderton program – their kids just kept fighting. We were very fortunate that Brooke Fenchel wasn’t able to get it going until the fourth quarter – there is no doubt she is going to have a great career at Messiah.”
Council Rock North (8-8, 4-6 SOL) will host Bensalem on Friday, and Souderton (3-14, 1-10) will host Pennridge on Friday.
Souderton 8-0-3-13 24
Council Rock North 9-10-9-9 37
Souderton (24) – Julia Purvy 1 0-0 3; Olivia Herron 1 0-0 2; Madison Bealer 2 0-0 5; Brooke Fenchel 3 0-0 9; Kiera Fadden 0 1-4 1; Emily Dick 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 9 1-4 24.
Council Rock North (37) – Julia Koval 2 0-0 4; Amelia Furman 2 0-0 5; Delaney McCaffery 4 3-4 11; Megan Reichenbach 0 3-4 3; Ruth O’Keeffe 4 0-0 8; Frannie Boyle 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 15 6-8 37.
3-point goals: Souderton – Brooke Fenchel 3, Madison Bealer, Julia Purvy; CRN- Amelia Furman.
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