Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. PW/Lower Moreland photos provided courtesy of Larry Small, and Pennsbury/CB West photos courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Check back for galleries of both games. Neshaminy/CB East photos courtesy of Diane Barry/CB East basketball. ALL SOS photo galleries for GIRLS’ BASKETBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
NESHAMINY 40, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 39
It was a gutsy call.
With his team trailing by two and 8.6 seconds showing on the scoreboard clock, John Gallagher drew up a play for a Reese Zemitis 3-pointer.
“I drew up the play and Reese looked at me and said, ‘Coach, we’re only down two,’” the Redskins’ coach said. “I said, ‘We’re going for three right now because we’ve been outcoached and
outplayed in every aspect of this game.’ I didn’t think we’d get them if we went into overtime. I wasn’t even thinking about it.”
Zemitis made Gallagher look like a genius, taking a pass from Lola Ibarrondo and calmly hitting nothing but net on a baseline three as time was about to expire, giving the Redskins the dramatic come-from-behind win.
The Redskins, on the short end of a 33-26 score heading into the final quarter, trailed by 10 early in the fourth quarter, but sparked by five points – including a three – from Zemitis as well as six points from Ibarrondo, Neshaminy battled back to knot the score 37-37.
“Lola got to the basket a ton in the fourth quarter and scored, which gave us life,” Gallagher said. “Taylor (Gurysh) controlled the glass to ensure one shot for each (East) possession.”
The Redskins’ coach recounts the sequence that led the the Zemitis game-winner.
“(Elise) Duffy had a hard drive to the basket to make it 39-37 with 2:10 left,” Gallagher said. “With 1:50 left, we miss a shot. They hold (the ball), but they turned it over at 1:12.
“We missed with 21 seconds left, but we had two fouls to give and the possession arrow. We foul at 19 seconds. At 16 seconds, we get the jump ball. They deflect one of our passes out of bounds, we called a timeout.”
The stage was set for the fantastic finish, and Gallagher was more than happy to escape with a win.
“They played extremely well,” he said of the Patriots. “Liz (Potash) just does a fabulous job. I don’t think my girls read the scouting report in regards to (Anna) Barry and (Elise) Duffy, and their kid (Shayne) LeRay had a really big third quarter. She had 10 points in the quarter when I thought we were clamping down a little bit on Barry and Duffy.
“Duffy got hurt late in the second quarter. She turned her ankle. We were trailing at the time, and we actually made some headway with her out. Second half I saw her getting taped up at halftime, so I knew she was coming back in. She just played really, really well.”
The Redskins took a tenuous 16-15 lead into halftime. The Patriots erased that with an 18-10 third quarter. The game, however, was far from over.
“When you play CB East, they don’t lose – you have to win,” Gallagher said. “That’s what I told the girls – they’re not going to lose, we’re going to have to win this game.
“They did a lot of things right to counter what we do. Credit to them. At the same time, we were very fortunate at the end.”
Neshaminy received scoring from just three players. Gurysh led the way with 15 points and completed her impressive double-double with 11 rebounds.
“Taylor Gurysh was exceptional tonight with not only rebounds, baskets, but she set a great screen for Reese (on the game-winner),” Gallagher said. “She’s been doing that all year. She had 10 or 11 rebounds, and she was just competing out there. More so than anybody else. When the shots go up, CB East checks out like nobody else’s business, and she was the only one fighting to get around those really strong checkouts.”
Zemitis added 14 points – eight in the fourth quarter. She also had eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Ibarrondo finished with 11 points and three rebounds. Skylar Lall also had a big night under the boards with seven rebounds.
“Skylar Lall had five offensive rebounds,” Gallagher said. “I think they were all in the first quarter. There were a lot of offensive rebounds because we missed a lot of shots, but Skylar stuck her nose in there and got a bunch of offensive rebounds in the first quarter if not the first half that kept us afloat.”
For the Patriots, sophomore Anna Barry led the way with 15 points, which included four 3-pointers. She scored nine in the first half and buried a pair of 3s in the third quarter. Shayne LeRay had 10 points, and Duffy finished with seven points.
Neshaminy (12-3, 9-2 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Thursday, and Central Bucks East (7-8, 5-6) will host Pennridge on Friday.
Central Bucks East 6-9-18-6 39
Neshaminy 6-10-10-14 40
Central Bucks East (39) – Erin LeRay 2 0-0 4; Shayne LeRay 4 0-0 10; Anna Barry 5 1-2 15; Elise Duffy 2 3-3 7; Kendall Gregor 1 0-0 3; Emily Curran 0 0-2 0. TOTALS 14 4-7 39.
Neshaminy (40) – Taylor Gurysh 6 0-0 15; Lola Ibarrondo 5-1-2 11; Reese Zemitis 4 4-5 14. TOTALS 15 5-7 40
3-point goals: CBE – Anna Barry 4, Shayne LeRay 2, Kendall Gregor; Neshaminy – Taylor Gurysh 3, Reese Zemitis 2.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 52, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 41
Trailing by five at halftime, the Titans came out of the intermission and turned up their defensive pressure. The result was a dominant performance on both ends of the court as they outscored the Golden Hawks 26-10 in the second half to earn the come-from-behind win.
“Council Rock South came out strong and they played really well and executed,” said CB South coach Beth Mattern, whose team trailed 31-26 at the half. “Obviously, I wasn’t thrilled with our defense because we gave up 31 points in the first half. That should be more of a game score than a halftime score, but Council Rock South executed and played smart and hard.”
In the opening half, senior Karissa Smedley was the catalyst for the Golden Hawks, scoring 12 of her team high 16 points. Mia Stock also was in double figures in the half, adding 10 points. For the Titans, Taylor Hinkle had eight points while Yoyo Samayoa had six.
“We still were scoring, but it wasn’t quite the style of game that we wanted to play,” Mattern said. “Luckily, at halftime, we were able to adjust and get refocused. We obviously came out and had a great third quarter, and even into the fourth quarter, I thought we really controlled play, and I was really happy with the execution on our end. We just executed offensively and defensively much better.”
The Titans outscored the Golden Hawks 14-2 in a third quarter, connecting on 6-of-6 at the foul line in the frame. They continued that trend in the fourth quarter, burying 7-of-8. Samayoa had seven points in the fourth quarter, which included a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line.
For the game, the Titans were a near-perfect 19-for-21 at the foul line. Hinkle’s 16 points led the Titans and Samayoa added 13. Alyssa D’Orazio had seven points while Maddie Tantum and Sammy Schiesser both had six.
“I was really happy with the team effort and what people did,” Mattern said. “We shot foul shots great tonight, and it’s been a while since we’ve done that. That second half – I could see us getting more engaged in the second quarter, and in the second half, it just came together.
“Mackenzie Erb went down in the second quarter, and I think that caught us off-guard a little bit. We kind of regrouped. In fact, when Mac came back to the bench in the second half, she said, ‘Wow, this is going great’ when in reality it was a struggle until halftime. We just needed to regroup.”
Smedley (16 points) and Stock (12 points) led the Golden Hawks. Cam Gregory added seven.
Central Bucks South (10-5, 6-5 SOL) will host Souderton on Friday, and Council Rock South (8-7, 4-7) will be on the road at Neshaminy on Thursday.
Central Bucks South 10-16-14-12 52
Council Rock South 13-18-2-8 41
Central Bucks South (52) – Taylor Hinkle 6 4-4 16; Alyssa D’Orazio 2 3-4 7; Mackenzie Erb 0 2-2 2; Maddie Tantum 1 4-5 6; Sammy Schiesser 2 2-2 6; Allison Sauers 1 0-0 2; Yoyo Samayoa 4 4-4 13. TOTALS 16 19-21 52.
Council Rock South (41) – Kathryn O’Kane 0 4-4 4; Cam Gregory 2 2-2 7; Fiona Reckner 1 0-0 2; Mia Stock 4 2-5 12; Karissa Smedley 7 2-4 16. TOTALS 14 10-15 41.
3-point goals: CBS – Yoyo Samayoa; CRS – Mia Stock 2, Cam Gregory.
PENNSBURY 44, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 36
Fans of hard-nosed, aggressive defense would have enjoyed Tuesday’s crossover game that saw the Falcons benefit from another Ava Sciolla double-double. The University of Maryland-bound
senior finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four assists.
The contest also featured the subplot of Frank Sciolla once again doing battle with his former player’s squad.
“I never schedule games against close friends so when I’m forced to play them it’s tough,” Sciolla said. “Zach (Sibel) has kept CB West at a high level, and he does it with a mix of commitment and passion to see young people succeed. He pushes and prods and demands maximum effort. He wants his teams to share and connect and value their opportunities.
“It’s the hallmark of their success. They were coming off a tough loss (to Neshaminy) in which they could not make an open shot, so we knew they would come out hard tonight. We were coming off an absolutely terrible practice that we cut short a mere 17 minutes in. The combination gave it a feel of a rock fight, and as I told him before the game, the first team to get to seven would probably win.”
The Falcons were the first team to seven, opening up a 10-5 lead after one quarter and taking a 20-14 lead into halftime. Sciolla’s eight points led the Falcons.
“We started out very aggressive to the basket, and the key with any game against CB West is the sea salt on the back porch because they go so hard there,” Sciolla said. “We rebounded well as a team, and obviously Ava’s double-double is key in that equation.”
In addition to Sciolla, Sofia Vitucci had nine points and three assists. Nevaeh Dash added eight while Layla Matthis had six points.
“Layla Matthias was really good up top on defense in both the half and full court,” Sciolla said. “Sof (Vitucci) made some shots in the half court and was physical on defense. Our defense did a nice job of stepping in and taking the basket away from Emily Spratt as Nicole Pompili and Nevaeh Dash both drew charges.
“When things started to go haywire a little bit, it was our hope to be able to get through the Colonial Division at 4-2. It’s such a good league with talent and excellent coaching, so 5-1 is very nice. Now we make the turn back into the Patriot, and every game will be really fun and intense.”
Tai Henkels (11 points) and Emily Spratt (10 points) led the Bucks. Henkels buried three 3-pointers, and Katie Finnan added nine points on three 3-pointers.
Pennsbury (14-1, 9-1 SOL) will host Bensalem on Thursday, and Central Bucks West (12-4, 7-4) will host North Penn on Friday.
Central Bucks West 5-9-9-13 36
Pennsbury 10-10-11-13 44
Central Bucks West (36) – Tai Henkels 5 0-0 11; Katie Finnan 3 0-0 9; Emily Spratt 3 3-4 10; Alexis Castro 1 0-0 2; Ava Longo 1 0-0 2; Gabi Senior 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 14 3-4 36.
Pennsbury (44) – Ava Sciolla 6 3-4 18; Layla Matthias 3 0-0 6; Sofia Vitucci 3 2-3 9; Nicole Pompili 0 1-2 1; Nevaeh Dash 2 3-4 8; Izzy Ruta 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 15 9-13 44.
3-point goals: CBW – Katie Finnan 3, Tai Henkels, Emily Spratt; Pennsbury – Ava Sciolla 3, Sofia Vitucci, Nevaeh Dash.
SOUDERTON 39, BENSALEM 28
Casey Harter scored 16 points to lead the Indians in Tuesday’s crossover game, but it was the junior point guard’s defense that her coach was talking about when the game was over.
Harter was assigned the task of containing Amber Howard. The standout sophomore averaged close to 20 points a game in the Owls’ three straight wins coming into Tuesday’s game.
“Casey Harter gave up one field goal, that was it – Howard had one field goal,” coach Lynn Carroll said. “Casey played her almost the whole game. She picked up her fourth foul with a couple of minutes to go in the fourth quarter, so we put Grace McDonough on her.
“Howard had one field goal in the third and went to the foul line twice, and that was it. I don’t know how many rebounds she had – she definitely had a few, but all things considered, we did a pretty good job keeping her off the offensive boards. She did a get a couple of timely ones in the second half.”
Defense has been the key to the Indians 14-2 start this season, and defense was once again the story of their most recent win.
“Our first half defense was very, very good,” Carroll said. “Really, our defense throughout the game was very solid.”
Souderton – sparked by six points from Harter – opened up a 14-4 lead after one quarter and took a 27-11 lead into halftime. They managed just five points in the third quarter but still led 32-15 heading into the final frame when the Owls – behind 10 points from Delaney Bell – outscored the Indians 13-7.
“Offensively, six different kids scored in the first half, so we were moving the ball around, taking good shots,” Carroll said. “The third quarter we didn’t play great offensively. We know we’re going to have stretches where we struggle to score, but we also know that if we defend the way we’re capable of it will be okay.
“On their end, the difference maker was in the fourth quarter Delaney Bell hit some 3s that were really good shots that she made. We should have contested them better, and we didn’t quite execute what we wanted to execute on those, but she hit three big 3s to keep them in it. Other than that, they had five field goals.
“In the fourth quarter, we hit foul shots, took care of the ball enough, got enough stops. Obviously, we’re very, very happy to come away with a win. They’ve been playing really well, beating a couple teams in our conference in their last two games. I think they’ve been playing their best basketball of the season.”
Included in Harter’s 16 points was a 10-for-11 effort at the foul line. She was 4-for-4 in a fourth quarter that saw the Indians bury 7-of-9 foul shots. Harter also had four rebounds and three assists. Erin Bohmueller added nine points on three 3-pointers. Teyha McConnaha was a force in the paint, finishing with eight rebounds and three blocks. McDonough had three rebounds and three blocks while Mikayla McGillian had six rebounds.
“Teya was great in the lane again, and Erin had a really great night shooting,” Carroll said. “Brooke Fenchel has been playing well defensively the last couple of games. She was on (point guard Averi) McCoy the whole game and did a really, really good job on her.”
Bell shared game scoring honors with Harter, finishing with 16 points – which included three 3-pointers and a 5-for-6 effort at the foul line.
“Souderton is a really, really good team – oh, and insanely tall,” Bensalem coach Steve Johnson said. “That was fun. It was a great experience to play a team like that.
“They are extremely well coached. Those Carroll siblings (Matt and Lynn) know a thing or two about basketball. We definitely didn’t have the best first half, but I was pleased with the way we executed some of our offense. It was a learning experience and back to the drawing board for Pennsbury on Thursday.”
Souderton (14-2, 10-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South on Friday, and Bensalem (8-7, 4-7) will be on the road at Pennsbury on Thursday.
Bensalem 4-7-4-13 28
Souderton 14-13-5-7 39
Bensalem (28) – Averi McCoy 1 0-2 2; Erin Devlin 1 1-2 3; Delaney Bell 4 5-6 16; Peyton Miller 2 0-0 4; Amber Howard 1 3-4 5. TOTALS 8 9-14 28.
Souderton (39) – Brooke Fenchel 1 2-2 4; Erin Bohmueller 3 0-0 9; Mikayla McGillian 2 0-0 4; Casey Harter 3 10-11 16; Grace McDonough 1 0-0 2; Teya McConnaha 1 1-3 4. TOTALS 11 13-16 39.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Delaney Bell 3, Souderton – Erin Bohmueller 3, Teyha McConnaha.
PENNRIDGE 54, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 42
Katie Yoder scored 20 points to lead the Rams to the win over the visiting Indians.
The Indians hung tough for one half, trailing by just two at the intermission (27-25). Yoder was the Catalyst for the Rams, scoring 11 points in the first half. Anna Croyle added seven. For the Indians, Lizzie Lustig led the way with nine points while Kristen Polinsky added seven.
In the third quarter, the Rams put some distance between themselves and their visitors, outscoring the Indians 14-5 to go into the final quarter with a 41-30 lead. Ella Brown buried a pair of 3s for six points to lead the Rams in the quarter.
Yoder scored nine fourth-quarter points, ensuring there would be no comeback for the Indians.
In addition to Yoder, Brown had 10 points and Croyle, nine points. Ryan Hodder added six points.
For the Indians, Lustig led the way with 13 points while Polinsky and Ruth O’Keefe both had eight points. Delaney McCaffery – back in the lineup for the Indians – scored seven points.
Pennridge (10-8, 5-6 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks East on Friday, and Council Rock North (2-13, 1-10) will be on the road at Harry S Truman on Friday.
Council Rock North 15-10-5-12 42
Pennridge 12-15-14-13 54
Council Rock North (42) – Lizzie Lustig 6 0-0 13; Delaney McCaffery 3 0-0 7; Riley Hamilton 0 0-2 0; Megan Reichenbach 1 1-2 4; Sofia Shields 1 0-0 2; Kristen Polinsky 2 2-4 8; Ruth O’Keefe 3 0-0 8. TOTALS 16 3-8 42.
Pennridge (54) – Ella Brown 4 0-0 10; Anna Croyle 1 6-6 9; Katie Yoder 8 2-3 20; Ava Fantaskey 0 2-2 2; Ava Unzicker 0 2-2 2; Emma Pyne 2 0-0 5; Ryan Hodder 2 2-3 6. TOTALS 17 14-16 54.
3-point goals: CRN – Kristen Polinsky 2, Ruth O’Keefe 2, Lizzie Lustig, Delaney McCaffery, Megan Reichenbach; Pennridge – Ella Brown 2, Katie Yoder 2, Anna Croyle, Emma Pyne.
NORTH PENN 53, HARRY S TRUMAN 24
The Knights led by just a 16-14 score at halftime, but they blew the game wide open with a 21-point third quarter and took a 37-19 lead into the final quarter on their way to the crossover win.
Four Knights finished the game in double figures. Sophomore Olivia Stone’s 15 points – including three 3-pointers – led the way. Her 10 third-quarter points included two 3s and ignited the Knights. Caleigh Sperling added 14 points – 10 in the first half. Abby Plaugher and Kelly Donnelly both added 11 points. Donnelly connected on three 3-pointers.
For the Tigers, Hannah Smith buried a pair of 3s and led her team with eight points. Shylah McCleve added six points.
North Penn (7-8, 5-6 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Friday, and Harry S Truman (0-13, 0-10) will host Council Rock North on Friday.
North Penn 11-5-21-16 53
Harry S Truman 6-8-5-5 24
North Penn (53) – Caleigh Sperling 6 2-2 14; Cam Crowley 1 0-0 2; Abby Plaugher 4 2-2 11; Kelly Donnelly 3 2-4 11; Olivia Stone 6 0-2 15. TOTALS 20 6-10 53.
Harry S Truman (24) – Mayah Alford 1 1-2 3; Hannah Smith 3 0-1 8; Patricia Monroe 2 0-0 4; Shylah McCleve 2 2-2 6; Dahlia Gumaa 1 1-5 3. TOTALS 9 4-10 24.
3-point goals: NP – Kelly Donnelly 3, Olivia Stone 3, Abby Plaugher; HST – Hannah Smith 2.
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
UPPER DUBLIN 57, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 35
The Flying Cardinals threw some serious defense at the Lions, who had averaged close to 70 points a game in their last four contests, but stealing the spotlight from the defense was the glittering 29-point offensive effort of senior Geena Sarnoski, who buried six 3-pointers.
“Geena kept doing what she’s been doing recently for us and consistently scored,” UD coach Morgan Fusnten said. “She had a career night. She’s a great kid, so it’s always special to see a senior who hasn’t always gotten a ton of recognition over her four-year career step up. She’s having a fantastic season for us all around. You’re just so happy for her when she has a night like this.”
The Cardinals’ coach was especially pleased with his team’s defensive effort.
“When we scouted them, they’ve been shooting the ball so well,” Funsten said. “They have four girls who all shoot the ball extremely well, and going in, we made sure that our players forced them to make tough shots, and if they make shots and you did everything right, you just have to tip your hat to them and move on instead of dwelling on – ‘Oh my goodness, my girl just scored’ and that type of thing.
“Defensively, it started with Bliss Brenner on (Reagan) Chrencik, and she did a really nice job, especially in the half court. She still had 15 points, but Bliss did a really nice job on her.”
The Lions – behind five points from Chrencik – scored 11 points in the first quarter, but they still trailed by double-digits, thanks to the hot hand of Sarnoski.
“Offensively, Geena Sarnoski was on fire,” Funsten said. “She had four 3s in the first quarter alone. She’s turned into a very consistent scorer for us. She made six 3s on the night and paced us offensively in the first quarter with 14 points and gave us a nice 21-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“We knew that wasn’t going to be enough. We had to continue to play well. In the second quarter, they outscored us by one, but I thought we played a really good, complete second half. Bliss did a great job on Chrencik. Amy Ngo did a nice job on their point guard (Madi) Fasti.”
Sarnoski connected on 6-of-9 shots from beyond the arc (10-of-16 overall). She also pulled down seven rebounds. Ngo added 19 points, six rebounds and four steals. Foster had nine points, four rebounds and two steals. Brenner handed out a team high seven assists and also had four rebounds, two steals and one block.
“Sarnoski had an incredible game and shot the lights out for them,” NHS coach Steve Polinsky said. “Ngo also had an excellent game. She is a very good point guard.
“Morgan is such a great coach, and they were really prepared for us. We did not respond defensively, and we were chasing the game the whole night. We are successful when we play team defense and team offense, and we did not do that tonight and that is on me.”
For the Lions, in addition to Chrencik, Madi Fasti had six points.
Upper Dublin (10-6, 8-3 SOL) will host Abington Friday, and New Hope-Solebury (6-8, 5-5) will host Springfield Township on Friday.
New Hope-Solebury 11-12-7-5 35
Upper Dublin 21-11-10-15 57
New Hope-Solebury (35) – Emily Wilson 2 0-0 4; Izzy Elizondo 1 3-4 5; Emma Ives 2 0-0 5; Reagan Chrencik 5 3-5 15; Madi Fasti 2 2-2 6. TOTALS 12 8-11 35.
Upper Dublin (57) – Aditi Foster 4 1-2 9; Geena Sarnoski 10 3-5 29; Colleen Klammer 0 0-2 0; Amy Ngo 6 5-6 19. TOTALS 20 9-15 57.
3-point goals: NHS – Reagan Chrencik 2, Emma Ives; UD – Geena Sarnoski 6, Amy Ngo 2.
WISSAHICKON 53, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 41
Kaitlyn McGeary scored 24 points and Kylie Friedman added 22 to lead the Trojans to the hard fought win over a spirited Spartan squad.
“McGeary finally got back on the scoring track, and Friedman and McGeary just complement each other,” Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline said. “It was definitely a team effort. Everyone played their role.
“I want to give Springfield a lot of credit. They had some athletes out there that could really play, and they knocked down some shots to keep the game close. We didn’t open it up until early fourth quarter, but it was a game. It was back and forth throughout the second and third period.
“I give them a lot of credit (Dave) Giordano is doing a good job over there with those girls. It was a fun game, it was a good win for us, but we still have a lot of work to do. There’s only six games left in the season, and they’re crucial for us to make the postseason.”
Wissahickon (7-8, 4-7 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Friday, and Springfield Township (2-11, 0-10) will travel to New Hope-Solebury on Friday.
Springfield Twp 9-14-15-3 41
Wissahickon 13-10-18-12 53
Springfield Township (41) – Annie Coll 5, Samiyyah Thompson 4, Jayla Daniels 12, Alana Decker 11, Lauren Hussey 2, Paige Robinson 5.
Wissahickon (53) – Eva Schools 5, Kylie Friedman 22, Claira Baldasano 2, Kaitlyn McGeary 24.
ABINGTON 70, UPPER MORELAND 49
The Golden Hawks trailed the high-flying Ghosts by just one at halftime, 29-28. Then came a second half that saw the Ghosts turn on the afterburners, outscoring their hosts 41-21.
“It’s always intense with (UM coach) Matt (Carroll) – they played a great first half,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “We came out a little too comfortable. I warned them. I said, – ‘They’re a well-coached team, they’re going to be prepared for us, they’re going to know your tendencies. We’ve got to go in there and play.’ It was a close first half.
“We gave it to them a little bit at halftime. We said, ‘You’ve got to get back to the way that you play,’ and we did. We took care of business in the second half.”
Cire Worley, Abril Bowser and Jaida Helm led the onslaught as each scored nine second-half points. Bowser, the offensive catalyst for the Ghosts, had a trio of 3-pointers in the half, five in the game. Jordyn Reynolds added a pair of 3s in a half that saw the Ghosts bury eight shots from beyond the arc.
“Cire (Worley) woke up defensively which always helps,” Marsh said. “It felt like she was sleepwalking a little bit early. They all did. It was one of those things.
“Dani Brusha did a phenomenal job on their point guard. Upper Moreland played really hard, they played well, and the game was closer than the score.”
Bowser’s 21 points led the Ghosts while Worley and Helm each had 15. Helm pulled down a team high 12 rebounds. Reynolds finished with eight points. Freshman Maya Johnson dished out seven assists.
UM sophomore Holly Gohl’s 22 points led all scorers and included three 3-pointers. EmmyFaith Wood added 12 points, and Mikel Lancit chipped in six points.
“I thought our girls were great, especially in the first half,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “We knew we were out-matched the last two games. Against PW, we played a 3-2 and tonight we played more of a match-up 3-2. “Regardless of the outcome of the score, we were able to work on two important defenses heading into playoffs. The second quarter they scored too much for our game plan, and they went on a little run to end the half. You could sense the deflation heading into half.
“We knew we had to come out of the 2nd half strong, but it was just the opposite and it spiraled out of control from there. I give Abington so much credit. The wear-you-down mentality they have is a real thing. They shoot and press, and shoot and press, and they’re really good at it. Dan has those kids buying in and they’re playing well. I’m glad our back-to-back against PW and Abington is over and I can’t wait to see them play Thursday.”
Abington (14-1, 10-0 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh in a key SOL showdown on Thursday, and Upper Moreland (9-4, 7-3) will be on the road at Lower Moreland on Friday.
Abington 8-21-24-17 70
Upper Moreland 10-18-11-10 49
Abington (70) – Cire Worley 6 0-0 15; Abril Bowser 7 2-2 21; Jaida Helm 6 3-3 15; Maya Johnson 1 0-0 3; Dani Brusha 2 0-0 5; Jordyn Reynolds 3 0-0 8; Krysten Brown 1 1-2 3. TOTALS 26 6-7 70.
Upper Moreland (49) – Kiley Gaul 0 1-2 1; EmmyFaith Wood 3 6-6 12; Kiera Coyle 1 0-0 3; Holly Gohl 9 1-2 22; Emma Hurley 2 1-2 5; Mihel Lancit 2 2-2 6. TOTALS 17 11-14 49.
3-point goals: Abington – Abril Bowser 5, Cire Worley 3, Jordyn Reynolds 2, Maya Johnson, Dani Brusha; UM – Holly Gohl 3, Kiera Coyle.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 50, WILLIAM TENNENT 37
Alice Hall scored 14 points and Emily Thomas added 11 to lead a balanced Hatters’ attack to the crossover win.
“William Tennent came out strong in the first quarter, and we were sluggish tonight on offense,” HH coach Eric Glemser said. “Coach Whit (Laura Whitney) had them playing hard on defense.
“Defensively, we weren’t talking or communicating very well and gave up some easy baskets. We need to do a better job defensively and hit the boards offensively.”
The Panthers led 13-11 after one quarter, but that lead was erased in a second quarter that saw the Hatters – behind eight points from Hall – outscore the Panthers 19-7 to go into halftime with a 30-20 lead.
“We got off to a great start,” Whitney said. “Our energy the first quarter – we came out strong. We kind of responded – any time they would make a big play, we would come back and get a big play.
“In the second quarter, I don’t know what happened. We were up 16-13, and they ended up hitting a three, and we fouled them. It just seemed for the rest of the first half and even the second half – things just stalled. We had some trouble offensively just trying to get some good looks. We didn’t execute well. You could feel the momentum completely shift to their side. Little by little, the game would get away.”
The Hatters added to their lead in a 14-9 third quarter that featured seven points from Thomas, and they took a 44-29 lead into the final quarter on their way to the win.
“We were only down 10 at halftime, but it felt like we were down more,” Whitney said. “In the second half, Hatboro came out strong to put us back on our heels. They hit a couple of big shots, and we were down 14 or 15.
“We clawed ourselves back into it. We were down eight, we had a bad possession that led to a transition basket for them and we fouled, and it was like a five-point swing – you’re down eight and now you’re down 11. Just a lot of little things. At times, it felt like we were down more than we were. Other times – ‘Hey, we’re right in this game. Get a few stops and some baskets and we’re right in this game,’ but just the little things we didn’t do well.”
In addition to Hall and Thomas, Shegogue added nine points and Sam Hollish had six on a pair of 3s.
Courtney Bragen’s 13-point effort led the Panthers.
“This was probably Courtney’s best game this season of putting a complete game together at both ends of the floor,” Whitney said. “I never have to question her effort or how hard she plays.
“She plays bigger than she is and leaves everything on the court. She made some tough, aggressive drives to the basket in the second half and was a big reason we were in the game.”
Chase Dubzak added seven points, and Savannah Zeaman had six.
“Alice Hall is a good player for them, and she hurt us inside,” Whitney said. “We didn’t do a good enough job of just kind of containing her or forcing her into tough shots, and we gave up too many offensive rebounds.
“I know Hatboro has had an up and down season, but I thought they executed well tonight. They came out and played hard. They deserved this win because they were the better team tonight.”
Hatboro-Horsham (8-5, 6-4 SOL) will travel to Wissahickon on Friday, and William Tennent (2-13, 2-9) will be on the road at Cheltenham on Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 11-19-14-6 50
William Tennent 13-7-9-8 37
Hatboro-Horsham (50) – Caroline Shegogue 3 2-6 9; Alice Hall 4 6-7 14; Abby Waeltz 2 0-0 4; Paige Cole 1 0-0 2; Kitty Randa 0 0-1 0; Leah Harrington 1 1-1 4; Emily Thomas 3 3-4 11; Sam Hollish 2 0-0 6. TOTALS 16 12-19 50.
Wiliam Tennent (37) – Ella Mednick 1 1-3 3; Savannah Zeaman 3 0-0 6; Chase Dubzak 2 1-4 7; Courtney Bragen 5 3-5 13; Alyssa Lewicki 1 0-0 3; Jess Whisler 1 0-0 3 Morgan Volz 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 14 5-12 37.
3-point goals: HH – Emily Thomas 2, Sam Hollish 2, Caroline Shegogue, Leah Harrington; WT – Chase Dubzak 2, Alyssa Lewicki, Jess Whisler.
QUAKERTOWN 38, CHELTENHAM 23
In a battle of the Panthers, it was Quakertown celebrating its four seniors with a big win. The home team – behind four points from Katie Catalano – opened up a 19-0 lead after one quarter. Quakertown took a 22-6 lead into halftime, and the Lady Panthers never threatened.
Catalano’s 10-point effort led a balanced Quakertown attack. Laney Mitchell added nine points.
For the visiting Lady Panthers, Arianna Davis had 10 points, and Tyrina Ragsdale added seven.
“We came out flat and put ourselves in a 19-point hole, and we couldn’t get out of it,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said. “I’m glad we competed to the end, but we need to find a way to start games faster.
Quakertown (8-8, 4-6 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday, and Cheltenham (2-12, 0-9) will host Phoenixville in a non-league game on Wednesday.
Cheltenham 0-6-14-3 23
Quakertown 19-3-8-8 38
Cheltenham (23) – Mikahila Leighton 1 1-2 3; Arianna Davis 4 2-2 10; Tyrina Ragsdale 3 1-2 7; Cassie Bugg 0 1-2 1; Reimer 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 9 5-8 23.
Quakertown (38) – Carolyn Sipprell 2 1-2 5; Katie Hagerty 2 1-3 5; Katie Catalano 4 0-1 10; Maureen Healy 1 0-0 2; Laney Mitchell 2 4-6 9; Leah Mestayer 1 0-0 2; Ava Pistone 1 0-0 2; Katie Offner 1 1-2 3. TOTALS 14 7-14 38.
3-point goals: Quakertown – Katie Catalano 2, Laney Mitchell.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 65, LOWER MORELAND 16
The Colonials celebrated their four seniors – Lainey Allen, Kaitlyn Flanagan, Fiona Gooneratne and Jordyn Thomas – with a no-doubt-about it win over the Lions.
“They all played great,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “The duo of Lainey Allen and Jordyn Thomas were unstoppable.”
Allen and Thomas each scored 17 points, and both set the tone for a big night in the first quarter when Thomas scored nine and Allen had eight, propelling the Colonials to a 20-5 lead over their visitors. By halftime the Colonials led 35-9, and they went on to outscore their visitors 30-7 in the second half.
LM coach Rich Becker tipped his hat to the Colonials.
“Some days you’re the bug and some days you’re the windshield – tonight we were the bug and there was nothing much that we could do about it,” the Lions’ coach said. “PW is just that far ahead of us. Aside from the talent that they have, they’re extremely well coached, it makes for a long night.
“After the game, I told the girls that playing teams like PW lets you see how much work needs to be done in the offseason just to be able to compete with teams at this level. That’s not a knock on our team, it’s just a testament to how well Dan’s team executes their fundamentals and how quickly they make smart basketball decisions. That only happens with putting in the work.”
Freshman Briana McFerran’s seven points led the Lions.
“For us, the positives were that I thought we handled their zone press relatively well, and our girls were not afraid to challenge PW,” Becker said. “They’re really just that much more advanced than us.”
Also for the Colonials, Flanagan added 13 points, including a 3-pointer, and Gooneratne buried a three in the opening quarter.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (16-0, 11-0 SOL) takes its perfect record to Abington on Thursday night for a SOL Liberty Division showdown. Lower Moreland (7-6, 5-6) will host Upper Moreland on Friday.
Lower Moreland 5-4-5-2 16
Plymouth Whitemarsh 20-15-18-12 65
Lower Moreland (16) – Amelia Brown 1 0-0 3; Jess Shein 1 0-0 2; Liz Neeld 2 0-0 4; Briana McFerran 3 0-2 7. TOTALS 7 0-2 16.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (65) – Angelina Balcer 1 0-0 3; Taylor Williams 1 0-0 2; Kaitlyn Flanagan 5 2-2 13; Remiah Stripling 1 0-0 3; Fiona Gooneratne 1 0-0 3; Erin Daley 1 0-0 2; Abby Sharpe 2 0-0 5; Lainey Allen 6 5-8 17; Jordyn Thomas 7 3-5 17. TOTALS 25 10-15 65.
3-point goals: LM – Amelia Brown, Briana McFerran; PW – Angelina Balcer, Kaitlyn Flanagan, Remiah Stripling, Fiona Gooneratne, Abby Sharpe.
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