Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Saturday. (CB East/CR South photos provided courtesy of Seal Pla)
Non-league
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 65, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 25
Eleven players saw action for the Patriots in Saturday’s non-league win. All 11 put their names in the scoring column.
“A lot of teams play with five, six, seven players,” East senior Caroline Pla said. “I know that we’re 12 players deep, and if one of us gets in trouble, the next person on the bench is ready to come on and step up, so I’m just confident in everyone on the team, and I know if anyone gets in trouble, the rest of the team has their back.”
In a foul-plagued first half, both teams went deep down their benches, and for the second time in as many days, Emily Chmiel came up big off the bench for the Patriots.
“I think our chemistry is really good, and with having a bunch of subs coming in, that didn’t really affect us,” Chmiel said. “We just played like a team.”
The sophomore forward had 14 points and 10 rebounds in Friday’s win over North Penn, and she had a team-high 13 points and seven rebounds in Saturday’s win.
“She’s been playing well off the bench,” East coach Liz Potash said. “She’s coming in and giving us a little versatility that we can play with two forwards or we can play with one if Gabby (Wilga) needs a break.
“She had a good start to the season and now she’s picking it up at a good time.”
Chmiel had seven first-half points and Pla had eight, propelling the Patriots to a 31-17 halftime lead. In a first half that saw the two teams combine for 21 fouls, the Patriots connected on 14-of-18 at the charity stripe. Pla was 5-for-6 at the line and Wilga was a perfect 4-for-4.
“It is tough to get in a flow when the game is stopped like that,” Potash said. “It’s also hard to get in the flow when the team’s playing a zone. You just naturally kind of slow down your movement, but that was their goal to come out and do that.
“Once Emily (Chmiel) came in, we were able to get some things inside and get them in foul trouble, and we were able to get to the line and get the scoring started.”
Three Rock South players were whistled for their third foul in the opening half.
“Coming in, I knew they had several girls that can shoot it, especialIy Caroline (Pla) and Aubrey DeAngelis,” South coach Blair Klumpp said. “Mia (Salvati) was coming off a nice game versus North Penn. I think we defended the perimeter well in the first half. They did a good job in the lane and converting foul try opportunities.
“My other concern coming in was if their bigs got rolling, coupled with their shooting and if we got into foul trouble. Two out of those three happened in the first half – bigs and foul trouble. You add in too many turnovers and teams capitalize on that so East deserves credit. They run their man offense so well that if we had to play them man for extended periods I didn’t think that would bode well match-wise for us for long durations. Liz (Potash) does a real good job with them and they play well together.
“Their execution for stretches of the game was impressive. It’s a shame Elyse (Shine) is out for them. She had a real good summer and fall coming off a strong junior year. That changes their makeup a bit, but she still was part of their team, supporting both jayvee and varsity from the bench and engaged in the game. She’s a real good player and better kid with a bright future ahead of her.”
Montanna Chambers buried a three to open the second half, but the Patriots closed out the third quarter with a 16-2 tear that featured a whole lot of high octane fast breaks. The first came after Salvati delivered a block on the defensive end, and it was Pla finding Salvati to finish off the break. A Chmiel block set the stage for another Pla to Salvati connection on the break, and then it was Chmiel finishing off a break. A block by Aubrey DeAngelis set up another fast break for Salvati – her third of the quarter.
“Mia got out in transition well and was able to run the floor and finish some things,” Potash said. “We were able to take that halftime score and just keep raising it.
“I thought everyone came in and was able to contribute off the bench. It was a nice team effort.”
Salvati finished with nine points, and Wilga had eight. DeAngelis contributed seven.
The Patriots are 6-1 in their last seven games after a 3-7 start. Pla pointed to the development of the team’s young players as key after opening the season against some of the district’s top teams.
“What I thought would happen is they would play in those tough games and they would build, and they would be prepared for the upcoming games, and that’s what happened,” the Patriots’ senior point guard said. “So the second half of the season after we went 3-7, I knew we had a chance to turn that record around, especially considering how much experience they had.
“They were put in big games like Upper Dublin, Neshaminy, CB West right away, so it got them ready for the rest of the season. Even though we didn’t win those games, I still think they were really good for us because they shaped us into the stronger team that we are right now.”
For the Golden Hawks – who were without point guard Carley Irvin for the second consecutive game, Chambers and Nicole Blaustein both had six points.
“We were coming off a really good effort versus Neshaminy, a game that was closer than the final score indicated,” Klumpp said of his team’s 67-51 loss to the Redskins. “We had a lead late in third, and it was a two-possession game with under three left – the effort and execution of the game plan was so good that game that we just need to find a way to carry those efforts over.
“I was so proud of their effort and focus in that one I was hoping it would carry through to today, and we got derailed a bit but we still have a critical stretch of games coming up, starting Monday versus Villa and the girls will be ready.”
Central Bucks East (9-8, 5-4 SOL) will host Souderton on Tuesday, and Council Rock South (6-10, 3-5) will host Villa Joseph Marie in a non-league game on Monday.
Council Rock South 6-11-5-3 25
Central Bucks East 16-15-16-18 65
Council Rock South (25) – Montanna Chambers 6, Chelsea Jameson 3, Madison Broaddus 2, Nicole Blaustein 6, Bailey Vetter 2, Jenna Culp 3, Hannah Binder 3
Central Bucks East (65) – Mia Salvati 9, Sydney Ives 2, Devon Burns 4, Riley Van Aken 2, Gabby Wilga 8, Caroline Pla 11, Elise Duffy 2, Emily Chmiel 13, Skylar Krause 5, Aubrey DeAngelis 7, Emily Barry 2.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 51, TRINITY 40
Trinity – with two 1,000-point scorers on its roster – brought a 16-1 record into Saturday’s game in the Trinity Play-by-Play Classic. The Bucks handed the defending District 3 3A champions their second loss, and they did it in convincing fashion.
“Overall, it was probably the most disciplined we played all year (with) limited turnovers,” coach Terry Rakowsky said. “It was a little slow start because of the two-hour drive and you’re there for an hour before the game.
“We started a little slow, but it was more because we just weren’t hitting shots. We were getting some good open shots and then they started to drop. Our defense was real, real solid. It was a good game.”
The Bucks trailed by one after the first quarter but seized control of the game in the second, outscoring Trinity 18-4 to go into halftime with a 30-17 lead. Izzy Treon led the second-quarter charge, scoring nine points in the frame and 11 in the first half. Maddie Burke had eight first-half points, which included a pair of threes.
The Bucks upped their lead to 42-27 heading into the final quarter.
“We were up by 20 at one point,” Rakowsky said. “We did a good job rebounding. If we got open shots, the kids were making them.
“We played pretty good defense, and more than anything, it was just very mature. If they went zone, we held it, pulled them out and attacked them to score. Whatever they did, we will able to sort of defeat it, more from a mental way. The kids were real strong today in that sense.”
Treon led the Bucks with 16 points, which included one three.
“Izzy was very, very good,” Rakowsky said. “They had two bigs, and one of their bigs (Sunshine McCrae) is going to North Carolina-Wilmington. She’s a pretty good player, and they brought her out on Izzy, and Izzy went by her for a lot. She played a really good game today, and so did Maddie (Burke).”
Burke added 11 points while Jess Broskey and Emily Spratt both added seven.
The Bucks, according to Rakowsky, played three quarters without point guard Olivia Irons, who picked up three quick fouls. Paige Gilbert and Emily Spratt stepped in and filled that role.
Trinity’s two Division I recruits – McCrae and Kassidy Ingram (Jacksonville University) – combined for 28 of their team’s points.
Central Bucks West (11-6, 6-3 SOL) will travel to West Catholic on Sunday for a non-league game at 2:30 p.m. against the PCL power. The Bucks entered Saturday’s game the 10th seed in the District One 6A power rankings.
Central Bucks West 12-18-12-9 51
Trinity13-4-10-13 40
Central Bucks West (51) – Paige Gilbert 2, Olivia Irons 4, Jess Broskey 7, Maddie Burke 11, Emily Spratt 7, Izzy Treon 16, Tori Abelson 4.
Trinity (40) – Ava Stevenson 2, Jaylin Moore 1, Jocelyn Dorsey 2, Lauren Trumpy 2, Braylee Fetterolf 5, Sunshine McCrae 11, Kassidy Ingram 17.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 45, MOUNT ST. JOSEPH 34
The Titans capped a strong week by notching their third win in as many games, this one less than 24 hours after Friday night’s emotional overtime win over conference-leading Souderton.
“We pretty much controlled the game today,” coach Beth Mattern said. “As for our team, we had two big wins this week, and last night was really exciting, so I wasn’t sure how we were going to respond because I could tell we were a little tired.
“Overall, I was really happy with how we performed. I thought Alexa (Brodie) was fantastic again, and I thought everyone contributed, played great defense, and we won the game.”
Brodie led all scorers with 20 points, and Sofia Sonnet also finished in double figures with 10. Taylor Hinkle chipped in six points.
“Sofia Sonnet was huge on the offensive boards,” Mattern said. “I thought everyone contributed something.
“Alyssa D’Orazio came off the bench in the fourth quarter and went 2-for-2 at the line and hit a jumper. Allie (Burke) was a presence in the lane.”
The visiting Titans led 8-6 after one quarter – Brodie accounted for six of those points. Five points from freshman Mackenzie Erb highlighted a 13-point second quarter for the Titans, who led 21-15 at the intermission. They went on to outscore the Mount in all four quarters.
“Obviously, it helps when you have a player of Alexa’s caliber, but she can’t do it alone,” Mattern said. “The others are just growing into their roles as varsity players.
“We changed our practice a little bit and have tried to be a little bit more competitive because I just didn’t feel we were competing hard enough at one point, and I think that helped. We’re trying to keep building on our skills and our ability to work as a team.”
Central Bucks South (9-8, 6-3 SOL) will host Pennridge on Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 8-13-9-15 45
Mount St. Joseph 6-9-6-13 34
Central Bucks South (45) – Alyssa D’Orazio 4, Taylor Hinkle 6, Mackenzie Erb 5, Alexa Brodie 20, Sofia Sonnet 10.
Mount St. Joseph (34) – Lauren Vesey 6, Kelly Rothenberg 1, Lauren Cunningham 8, Grace Niekelski 19.
SOUDERTON 56, LOWER MERION 16
The Indians bounced back from just their second loss of the season on Friday to soundly defeat the visiting Aces. Senior Megan Bealer led the charge with 18 points, which included a pair of threes. Junior Mikaela Reese also had a big game, finishing with 16 points, which included a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the foul line. Curran O’Donnell added 10 points with a pair of three-pointers. Erica Stephens had six points.
The Indians led 14-6 after one quarter and blew the game wide open with a 21-3 second quarter to go into halftime with a 35-9 lead.
Souderton (15-2, 8-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks East on Tuesday.
Lower Merion 6-3-4-3 16
Souderton 14-21-13-8 56
Souderton (56) – Megan Bealer 18, Olivia Schneider 4, Erica Stephens 6, Curran O’Donnell 10, Mikaela Reese 16, Hayley Fenchel 2.
Lower Merion (16) – Stallings 3, Shub 3, Dowdall 3, Rinkind 2, McCann 3, O’Keefe 2.
GWYNEDD MERCY 53, NORTH PENN 32
The Knights trailed by just one after one quarter (13-12) but saw the Monarchs extend their lead to 22-18 at halftime. The Monarchs outscored the Knights 31-14 in the second half.
Sophomore point guard Alli Lindsay’s eight points led the Knights. Alaina Mullaly and Carley Adams both added six points.
For the Monarchs, Reganne Flannery led the way with 11 points, which included three threes. Sarah White added nine points, and Bianca Coleman had eight, including two three-pointers in the first quarter.
North Penn (7-11, 3-5 SOL) will travel to Quakertown on Tuesday.
Gwynedd Mercy 13-9-16-15 53
North Penn 12-6-7-7 32
Gwynedd Mercy (53) – Kaylie Griffin 6, Sarah White 9, Alyssa Martin 6, Reganne Flannery 11, Bianca Coleman 8, Carly Bachinsky 13.
North Penn (32) – Cayla Sharkey 2, Alayna Faison 2, Laynie Doran 1, Alli Lindsay 8, Rachel Dunne 2, Alaina Mullaly 6, Carley Adams 6, Val McGriff 4, Imani Plaza 1.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 55, QUAKERTOWN 28
Freshman Alice Hall scored 21 points to lead the Hatters to the convincing non-league win on Saturday. Kylie Halko had nine points, and Cam Ryan added six points for the Hatters, who received scoring from eight different players.
The Hatters opened up a 23-5 lead after one quarter and never looked back.
For the Panthers, Bri Lefkoski scored a team-high 12 points.
Hatboro-Horsham (8-10, 4-6 SOL) will travel to Springfield Township on Tuesday, and Quakertown (2-15, 0-8) will host Pen Argyl in a non-league game on Monday.
Hatboro-Horsham 23-16-9-7 55
Quakertown 5-7-10-6 28
Hatboro-Horsham (55) – Cam Ryan 6, Kylie Halko 9, Sydney Kemp 3, Sarah Mahoney 3, Maddie Throne 2, Graceanne Griffis 3, Sam Hollish 3, Kara Kaminski 5, Alice Hall 21.
Quakertown (28) – Bri Lefkoski 12, Abigail Dickson 2, Laney Mitchell 5, Katie Offner 3, Fallon Grandinetti 1, Abigail McClaskey 5.
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