Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Thursday. Pennsbury/Bensalem photos courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos. All SOS photo galleries for GIRLS’ BASKETBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Liberty Division
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 64, ABINGTON 57
The Ghosts are masters at creating chaos on the court, applying relentless pressure and playing at warp speed that more often than not brings opponents to their knees.
So when the Colonials roared out of the gate to a 10-0 lead, thanks to four consecutive steals created by pressure of their own, the Ghosts were not concerned.
“When a team gets up by 10, we’ve just got to keep our composure,” said Abington junior Cire Worley, who turned in a brilliant 33-point effort. “I have confidence in our team because I think we wear teams down, so in the second half is when they become tired. I think they were tired at the end, but they were able to hit free throws. Our tactic worked, but they were able to hit them at the end.”
Composure was undeniably a key for both sides, and the Colonials had an ace in their pocket in senior point guard Kaitlyn Flanagan.
“It’s very frantic, a lot of traps, a lot of aggressive defense, but it’s nice to play competition like that to get us ready for the next level,” PW senior Lainey Allen said. “It’s a different type of intensity, and I think it raises our game level, and it makes us play harder than against any other team we’ve played.
“We kept our cool, we stayed level, we stayed with our emotions – we didn’t go crazy. We had our set plays. When we would do our press breaks, me and Jordyn (Thomas) would go up and help Kaitlyn (Flanagan) with our screens. We just relied on Kaitlyn, and she got us through.”
Flanagan was certainly a difference maker in a contest that pitted the SOL Liberty’s finest. Both teams were undefeated in SOL play, and while Flanagan finished the game with eight points and six assists, it was the leadership of the Colonials’ floor general that was her biggest contribution.
“They’re a great team, they’re good at what they do,” Flanagan said. “It’s about keeping your head. We try and talk to each other when there’s breaks – foul shots and stuff like that, just look at each other like – we got this – and just stay calm.
“We just tried to run offense until we get the best look – a layup or a wide open shot. We run it a little bit and then we get those looks.”
“Kaitlyn Flanagan was the difference in the game, handling the relentless Abington pressure,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “
Flanagan was a catalyst in the Colonials’ 10-0 tear in the opening 90 seconds of the game. She collected a pair of steals and four points while Abby Sharpe also had a steal and a bucket.
The Ghosts came roaring back, rallying to make it a 17-15 game when Worley – who had seven points in the frame – scored on a drive. A driving basket by Sharpe to close out the quarter kept the Colonials on top 19-15.
A putback and resulting three-point play by Worley pulled the Ghosts to within one. Abril Bowser knotted the score 23-23 when she turned a steal into a basket. A triple by Jaida Helm gave the Ghosts their first lead three minutes into the quarter. They led by six after Worley scored from the top of the circle, but the Colonials rallied to knot the score 33-33 at halftime, thanks to a basket by Sharpe and two foul shots from Flanagan in the final 45 seconds. Worley’s 18 points led the Ghosts in the half while Sharpe had 10 points for PW, including a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the foul line.
“We were down right before half,” Flanagan said. “I was telling Jordyn (Thomas) – we need to get up before halftime, and we ended up tie. We were good with that. We knew if we played our game and we stayed composed that we could come back and win.”
If there was a turning point in the game, it came in the third quarter when the Colonials – behind six points from Thomas – outscored their hosts 13-4 and took a 46-37 lead into the final quarter.
The Ghosts remained within striking distance but were assessed a pair of technicals. Sharpe – who scored a team high 21 points in a standout offensive effort – buried 3-of-4. Worley kept her team in it, scoring 11 points in the quarter, but each time the Ghosts came close, the Colonials had an answer.
“We knew they’re a very, very good shooting team, so we knew when they hit those shots, we had to keep our heads up high,” junior Erin Daley said. “We had to get to the other end of the court and get those shots right back at them.”
Sharpe’s 21 points included a 9-for-11 effort at the foul line. She converted 6-of-8 in the pivotal fourth quarter and had eight points in the frame. Allen turned in a stellar outing, posting a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Thomas was a force in the paint, finishing with eight points and 13 rebounds. Daley added seven points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots.
“This game was definitely one we have been looking forward to since the beginning of the season,” Daley said. “It was unfortunately put on hold before Christmas break, so we were even more fired up when the time finally came.
“We knew we were going to be in their gym, we knew the type of environment we were coming into. We just came off a huge win on Sunday (over Archbishop Carroll). Not only did we have that kick in us to get this game going, but we also are used to this environment, and we knew how to handle ourselves in this situation. I think we took over in that third quarter.”
For the Ghosts in addition to Worley, Helm added 10 points and Bowser had eight. Both players had a pair of 3s.
“They’re talented,” Dougherty said. “They’re incredibly talented. Worley is incredibly talented, and the pieces around her suit their game well.”
Included in Worley’s 33 points were three 3-pointers and a 4-for-5 showing at the foul line.
“Cire has a complete game,” Marsh said. “And when she’s engaged like that defensively, it’s contagious to everybody.
“Unfortunately, we got some fouls, and that hurt us in the third quarter because it took away from Jaida and Cire’s aggressiveness, and I think that’s when they took control. One, we got a little selfish on offense in the third quarter, and two, our intensity wasn’t as strong because of their passiveness with the fouls.”
“(The Colonials) were tired – we wore them down. We did what we wanted to do. It’s just we couldn’t capitalize. They did a good job of making sure they took care of possessions when they had to. Our youth hurt us a little bit too, but our kids played their butts off, and that’s all we want them to do.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (17-0, 12-0 SOL) will travel to Quakertown on Friday, and Abington (14-2, 10-1) will be on the road at Upper Dublin for a 6 p.m. contest Friday.
Foul shots – The Ghosts were assessed a pair of technical fouls in the fourth quarter. The fouls netted the Colonials three points from the foul line, and they also maintained possession of the ball. The first technical according to coach Dan Marsh, was called when one of his players – after making a shot in traffic – said ‘and-one.’ The second was assessed when one of his players – who believed she was fouled – stared a girl down.
For both Abington players, the technical was their fourth foul.
“Yes, some people might view that as disrespectful, but neither of our kids were trying to be disrespectful,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “They’re just emotional kids who were playing in a great game. As a coach of young females, I think girls should be allowed to express themselves without it being viewed negatively.
“I coach young women, and I allow them to express themselves. If they call techs like they did in our game in a boys’ game for expressing themselves – girls should be allowed to express themselves too.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh 19-14-13-18 64
Abington 15-18-4-20 57
Plymouth Whitemarsh (64) – Kaitlyn Flanagan 1 6-6 8; Fiona Gooneratne 1 0-0 2; Erin Daley 3 1-2 7; Abby Sharpe 5 9-11 21; Lainey Allen 7 4-6 18; Jordyn Thomas 3 2-2 8. TOTALS 20 23-28 64.
Abington (57) – Cire Worley 13 4-5 33; Abril Bowser 3 0-0 8; Jaida Helm 4 0-0 10; Maya Johnson 1 0-0 2; Dani Brusha 2 0-1 4; TOTALS 23 4-8 57.
3-point goals: PW – Abby Sharpe; Abington – Cire Worley 3, Abril Bowser 2, Jaida Helm 2.
SOL Patriot Division
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 59, NESHAMINY 57
On Dec. 14, Rock South lost to Neshaminy in its SOL opener 51-37.
Just over a month later, the Golden Hawks avenged that loss, snapping a four-game Redskin winning streak and solidifying their spot in the District One 6A power rankings.
“I am incredibly happy for our girls and tremendously proud of them- their focus and approach yesterday at practice, along with the execution of that tonight was really impressive,” Rock South coach Blair Klumpp said. “This was a great road win for us. They are a really good team with three potential all-league players in Reese (Zemitis), Taylor (Gurysh), and Lola (Ibarrondo). To hold those three to 10 field goals combined, our group deserves a lot of credit. I thought our toughness both physically and mentally really stood out tonight.”
The Golden Hawks were coming off a 52-41 loss to Central Bucks South in a game they led at halftime.
“As a staff after our loss to CB South, we met for a while postgame, really thought about our four losses the last two weeks and even our wins and reflected how we can be better for the girls,” Klumpp said. “We threw a lot at them on Wednesday at practice, and on one day prep, I am incredibly proud at how they responded. We were honest with them in some areas, and they really trusted us and executed. They showed what they are capable of when locked in and executing for close to 32 minutes.
“It was a very close game throughout. (Neshaminy) actually took the lead in third and went up four. I called a timeout to settle us in a bit and let the girls know we were okay, we just needed to slow ourselves down offensively – our turnovers were giving them scoring opportunities.
“Cam Gregory, Lil Metrick, and KP (Katie Purpura) hit some big threes in the third. Late in the game we did a pretty good job using clock, and they did a pretty good job, getting two big steals. We were up one with about 30 seconds left. They had the ball and Smed (Karissa Smedley) got a steal on the baseline.
“They pressed and LB (point guard Lily Bross) was really good at inviting the pressure and getting through it and hit Mia (Stock) on a throw ahead, and she finished it off from two feet to put us up three. With 15 seconds left, they called timeout. We switched defenses and did a good job, Lola (Ibarrondo) shook free for a three off doubling Reese (Zemitis), and it didn’t fall, The ball went off them (out of bounds). We got it in and missed the front end (of a one-and-one) but did a nice job creating back pressure and made them throw back and retreat a little.
“Lola got off a shot from right around half court that was dead on line and hit the back of rim.”
For the Redskins, Zemitis led the way with 10 points while Ibarrondo and Gurysh each had nine points.
“John (Gallagher) did a good job getting Reese going in the third quarter, and Lola made some tough plays to get them the lead,” Klump said. “Those two can really be a handful if they get going and are as tough as they come, and they have nice supporting pieces. We answered their punch and we didn’t back down – this was a really good win.”
Purpura’s 11 points, including three 3s, led a balanced Rock South attack. She also had two steals. Cam Gregory also had three 3s for nine points. Stock had eight points, five rebounds and two blocks, and Smedley stuffed a stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals. Metrick had six points on a pair of 3-pointers. Bross finished with six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Fiona Reckner also had two steals.
“We played nine girls and all nine had contributions in different ways,” Klumpp said. “KP (Pupura) gave us a big lift offensively and kept her composure at times when she could have gotten really upset. She has learned positively from some experiences and made some big plays for us tonight and is understanding what we want/need from her. Cam Gregory hit some big threes in the second half and made tough plays on the defensive end. She’s done a great job of impacting other areas when her shot isn’t always dropping. Two freshman, Metrick and Fiona Reckner, both hit threes. Fiona’s communication defensively was really good, and that carried over from practice. Lil Metrick didn’t even get in the last game. I thought she had been putting a lot of pressure on herself and just needed to see the game slow down and come to her, and we got her a good run at practice and she saw some shots go in, She got some confidence back and deserves a lot of credit for being ready.
“Darcy Leight has been playing spot minutes, but in her stretch tonight she was in different spots and matchups defensively and had great awareness of where Reese was. Ryann Szydlik gave us good bench minutes tonight. There is a kid who’s a senior and played more as a sophomore than the last two years, and she hasn’t complained or felt sorry for herself. She’s just been a great teammate and presence daily for us. She and her sister Riana have had such an unsung role in our successes this year because they are just incredible teammates- not a selfish bone in them, great attitudes, inclusive teammates. I’ve been around teams with a lot of disgruntled upperclassmen – they are the total opposite. And Ryann gave us real solid minutes tonight in relief of Mia (Stock) with foul trouble. My assistant (Ray Horn) will ask: ‘Who do you trust defensively (in what seems like a tight spot/pressure spot),’ and multiple times that answer has been Ryann. She doesn’t get long runs, but she’s ready and she plays hard.
“Mia Stock is another girl who really took well to some adjustments we made. She put herself in good spots, was aggressive on the offensive glass and let the game come to her, and again, her rotational defense was fantastic. She was very efficient tonight on her opportunities. Smed (Karissa Smedley) and LB (Bross) had good stats in multiple areas outside the box score tonight. We always say to the girls – it’s not all about scoring, find a way to impact the game. Get lost in a good way in another area. Lily played the best possible game you could play without scoring a point tonight. She’s valued the ball really well (seven turnovers the last four games combined) and has a great assist-to-turnover ratio. She’s getting teammates the ball in good spots. She handled their pressure well and came up with a lot of tough plays. She has responded really well to the coaching points made with her (jump stopping and defensively on ball), and it’s helped her a lot.
“Smed made some big plays on D late and was really steady. Our girls feed off of her- her personality, attitude, energy, effort, and they follow her lead, and she was good in all those areas tonight. She’s embraced the leadership role this year and really kept the girls confident tonight. Our girls deserve all the credit, they executed and took to our changes and coaching points, and at the end of the day, they make the plays. I’m very proud of them and very excited for them. It proves what they are capable of, and if we can get some good practices in and build off of this, it’ll be beneficial because we have a very busy week ahead.”
Klumpp deflected credit for his team’s performance to his players.
“John (Gallagher) was very complimentary of the hard work by myself and staff, and it’s paying off, but while appreciative, all that credit goes to the girls and their trust in us and their execution,” Klumpp said. “And it was ALL of them- the girls that played, other girls have been playing well lately and their number wasn’t called tonight, but every single girl on the bench was engaged, and they were into the game. Our JV girls were into the game. I’ve said all year – they embody what a team should be- there is no separation by grade, no agendas, they have come together for something bigger than any one of them individually, and they saw what that can turn into tonight. I’m VERY proud of them.”
Council Rock South (9-7, 5-7 SOL) will host Souderton on Friday at 4:30 p.m., and Neshaminy (12-4, 9-3) will travel to Methacton for a non-league game Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Council Rock South 12-11-12-10 45
Neshaminy 12-9-12-9 42
Council Rock South (45) – Liliana Metrick 2 0-0 6; Lily Bross 0 0-1 0; Katie Purpura 4 0-0 11; Ryann Szydlik 0 0-2 0; Cam Gregory 3 0-0 9; Fiona Reckner 1 0-0 3; Mia Stock 3 2-2 8; Karissa Smedley 3 2-2 8. TOTALS 16 4-7 45.
Neshaminy (42) – Skylar Lall 2 0-0 5; Taylor Gurysh 4 0-2 9; Anna Soska 1 2-6 4; Jess Purdy 2 0-1 5; Lola Ibarrondo 2 4-4 9; Reese Zemitis 4 0-0 10. TOTALS 15 6-13 42
3-point goals: CRS – Katie Purpura 3, Cam Gregory 3, Liliana Metrick 2, Fiona Reckner; Neshaminy – Reese Zemitis 2, Skylar Lall, Taylor Gurysh, Jess Purdy, Lola Ibarrondo.
PENNSBURY 51, BENSALEM 32
The Falcons seized early control of Thursday’s division contest, holding the Owls scoreless in the first quarter and allowing just six first-half points. Pennsbury took a 25-6 lead into halftime on its way to the decisive win.
Ava Sciolla’s 15-point effort led the Falcons, who put three players in double figures. Navaeh Dash added 13 points while Nicole Pompili had 11, including a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line.
“This is the time of year when players and coaches get fatigued,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “You will see upsets or games that are closer than you would imagine. It’s important to navigate practice time and the emotional and physical wear and tear that along season brings
We talked about that a great deal as a group this week, and we had the added factor of final exams. I think we were fortunate to play two home games, and tonight, again, we came out prepared.
“Bensalem has secured some really good wins over the past two weeks and they’re executing their offense really well. Delaney Bell gives them a perimeter threat, and Amber Howard has been really effective in the basket area. Obviously, anything in the paint is going to be an issue for us because of size, but the girls did a really good job as they always do of taking the other team out of their initial looks in their sets.
“We came out and really pushed the ball and passed it, well and we had some fantastic looks that wouldn’t go down. I feel as if we are at a point right now where we understand who we are offensively and what we need to do to succeed. Very soon we’re going to have one of those nights where we put it together for 32 minutes and knock down shots.”
In the second half, the Owls found their offense as the two teams exchanged baskets.
“Bensalem in the second half did a great job of knocking down perimeter shots,” Sciolla said. “I think they had four different people that made three-pointers. They moved the ball really well, and they showed some of the things that they have used during recent wins. They are not a team someone will want to see in the first round of the playoffs.”
In addition to scoring 15 points, Sciolla had seven rebounds and six assists. Layla Matthias had six points, and Dash added four assists.
“Nevaeh Dash was active attacking the rim, and Nicole Pompili got out on the break and scored,” Sciolla said. “Ava was Ava and got us into our offense and spread the ball around. Neve Davis came in again and gave us some good minutes, and Liv Gilchrist earned an opportunity tonight and she came in and rebounded and communicated.
“At this point in the season, we are looking for people that understand their role and that can be trusted to compete and execute. We have so many people that are battling to get playing time, but it makes for a good situation for us at practice. That’s another factor that helps when you hit the wall in the year where sometimes people battle fatigue both mentally and physically.”
Delaney Bell and Maddie MacDougall both scored eight points to lead the Owls.
Pennsbury (15-1, 10-1 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Tuesday, and Bensalem (8-8, 4-8) will host St. Hubert’s in a non-league game on Monday.
Bensalem 0-6-15-11 32
Pennsbury 10-15-12-14 51
Bensalem (32) – Talia DiMichele 1 0-0 3; Averi McCoy 2 0-0 5; Maddie McDougall 3 0-0 8; Erin Devlin 1 0-0 2; Devon Bell 1 0-0 2; Delaney Bell 3 0-0 8; Amber Howard 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 13 0-4 32.
Pennsbury (51) – Ava Sciolla 6 0-0 15; Layla Matthias 2 2-4 6; Daniella MacDonald 1 0-0 2; Sofia Vitucci 1 2-2 4; Nicole Pompili 3 4-4 11; Nevaeh Dash 4 3-4 13; TOTALS 17 11-14 51.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Delaney Bell 2, Maddie MacDougall 2, Averi McCoy, Talie DiMichele; Pennsbury – Ava Sciolla 3, Nevaeh Dash 2, Nicole Pompili.
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