Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Saturday. (CB East/Gwynedd photos courtesy of Diane Barry/CB East basketball)
Non-league
BENSALEM 64, UNIONVILLE 53
Scoring a thousand points doesn’t typically happen without fanfare.
It’s not unusual – and certainly understandable – for teams to take steps to ensure the milestone basket happens in front of the home fans, and players often feel the pressure of the countdown.
Amber Howard didn’t get caught up in any of that.
The Bensalem senior simply went with the flow, and coach Steve Johnson didn’t pull in the reins when his senior star – who needed 21 points entering Saturday’s game – approached the magical plateau in a non-league road game an hour bus ride from Bensalem.
“I knew I could get it today, but it wasn’t something where I was like – ‘I need to get it this game,’” Howard said. “My next game is my Senior Night, and it’s home, but it came today.
“I was knocking down shots, everyone was knocking down shots. When I looked up after the second quarter and I had 16, my coach looked at me and said, ‘You’re going to get your points today, but just keep playing smart, don’t force things.’”
Howard buried a three early in the third quarter, setting the stage for the historic basket.
“We gave Amber a little iso – one of our bigs went up and set a pick, but nothing was there, so Amber brought it back out, and kind of waved everybody through. She took two hard dribbles to the right and scored on a little step-back mid-range jump shot for her thousandth point. It was a beautiful move.”
Howard – whose parents were in attendance – certainly made it look easy on Saturday.
“It just happened,” the North Carolina A&T commit said. “There was no pressure, but it was definitely a relief to get it out of the way, so I don’t have to worry about it. It’s something that just came. I didn’t put pressure on myself.
“It feels good that I’ll be able to see my name on the banner. Not a lot of people can say they scored a thousand points, so it’s just an honor.”
Howard celebrated the milestone with her teammates, who were well aware of the countdown.
“We brought posters just in case she would hit it,” Johnson said. “A lot of times players just shoot the ball every time they catch it. Amber played such a complete game. She let the game come to her.
“She made every single right play. If she was one-on-one, she went to the basket. If she drew two people, she’d kick it out. One of our emphases lately is to pass the ball ahead. If she got a rebound and someone was open ahead of her, she pushed it ahead.”
Haley Keenan was the last Bensalem female to reach the milestone. She did it 2020 and recently surpassed the 1,000-point mark at Delaware Valley University. Howard, who arrived the year after Keenan graduated, has been a four-year varsity starter.
“Amber definitely has gotten better every single year,” Johnson said. “She works hard, she was with this trainer and that trainer, but what really separates her and makes her special – I just am so happy with the way she’s playing, but she’s really coachable.
“The big thing with that is she always gives me eye contact. I think that’s very important for a player-coach. We like to tell our players the truth, and sometimes maybe they don’t want to hear it. Whether it’s a positive or maybe a not-so-positive conversation, she’s giving me eye contact and nodding her head. She could totally agree with it or disagree with it, but she’s giving eye contact, and she seems like she’s being responsive to our conversations and being coached. That means a lot to me.
“It’s also a trickle-down effect, and maybe the seniors don’t know it, but the underclassmen look up to seniors. Whether you lead by example or you’re a vocal leader, that type of stuff matters, and she does that wonderfully. I’m really proud of her for that.”
Howard’s 26 points led to an impressive win over a Unionville squad that brought a 13-3 record into the game and is coached by Bensalem alum Fred Ellzy.
“We didn’t really know much about them,” Johnson said. “We just knew they were one of the best teams in the district. They had a really good record. We tried to get as much film on them as possible, but it was tough with playing Council Rock South and Council Rock North – we had to prepare for them this week.
“I crammed in some film by myself last night. They are very athletic, and they have a very big lineup. They had a small point guard, but two through five were huge. We just got off to a great start, and we never took the pedal off the metal. We played an unbelievable team basketball game.”
The host Indians didn’t know what hit them when the Owls – sparked by seven points from Howard and six from Devon Bell – opened up a 19-9 lead after one quarter. Howard, who was on fire, added nine points in a 20-point second quarter that included a pair of Grace McShane 3s and five points from Tara DiMichele. The Owls took a 39-18 lead into halftime and never looked back.
“We shot the lights out and assisted on 18 of our 24 baskets,” said Johnson. “As a coach, I’m on cloud nine. I sound like a broken record. After every game we play, I say – we’re getting better as a team, we’re trending in the right direction.
“Honestly, every one of our players is playing team basketball. We played such a team basketball game today. I’m really happy with the way we’re playing, especially this game. Unionville is a good team. You have to give them their flowers – they’re a very, very good, strong and well-coached team. We just played great.”
In addition to Howard, DiMichelle – who had three 3-pointers – contributed 14 points. Grace McShane and Devon Bell each added eight points with both drilling a pair of 3s. Mikayla Donohue added six points on two 3s in contest that saw the Owls bury 12 shots from beyond the arc.
Johnson took over the helm when this year’s seniors – Howard, Donohue and Peyton Miller – were freshmen.
“We had our peaks and valleys, we had our good moments and our down moments,” Johnson said. “I’m just proud of Amber and the other seniors for staying true to themselves. They never caved under pressure, they never turned on each other. We taught each other. I hope Amber takes one or two things we as a staff taught her. The big message is the stuff she taught me as a coach. I’m a better coach now than I was three years ago and even last year because of players like Amber. I’ve learned a lot about basketball from her. I’m a better coach because of her, and I think that’s only going to help our program out moving forward.”
Bensalem is 11th in the District 1 6A power rankings after Saturday’s big win, and Howard has been a cornerstone of the program’s growth under Johnson.
“Coming in freshman year, we didn’t go to playoffs. Sophomore year we didn’t go to playoffs, junior year we didn’t go to playoffs,” Howard said. “Coming into the year, (Johnson) made it big on changing the tradition and things that we do, how we play. We’ve got to want it more. It was a good experience because it really showed me we can do anything that we put our heart and mind into it.”
Bensalem (12-5, 7-4 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Tuesday.
Bensalem 19-20-15-9 64
Unionville 9-9-16-13 53
Bensalem (64) – Grace McShane 3 0-0 8; Talia DiMichele 5 1-2 14; Jordyn Bell 0 1-2 1; Mikayla Donahue 2 0-0 6; Devon Bell 3 0-0 8; Amber Howard 11 1-3 26; A Jenkins 0 1-2 1.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Amber Howard 3, Talia DiMichele 3, Grace McShane 2, Mikayla Donahue 2, Devon Bell 2.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 54, GWYNEDD MERCY 45
Anna Barry and Jess Lockwood combined for 38 points, leading the visiting Patriots to the non-league road win. Saturday’s win was the team’s sixth in as many non-league games this season.
“Gwynedd is a really tough team, and it took a full team effort to come away with a win,” East coach Liz Potash said. “The girls have battled through a really difficult non-league schedule, and we know it’ll help prepare them for the postseason. We have a big week coming up with four games, and we’re looking to finish out the regular season strong.”
The game was a bit of a roller coaster ride for both squads.
Barry torched the Monarchs for three 3-pointers in the first quarter, and the Patriots had an early 17-8 lead. Things changed in a hurry in a second quarter that saw the Monarchs go on a 20-7 tear to go into halftime with a 28-24 lead. Megan McDonnell had eight points in the quarter, and Emilia Colman had six.
“In the first, third and fourth quarters, we were able to use some fullcourt pressure – we did in the second too, but for whatever reason, we were losing them in the halfcourt, and we gave up a couple of 3s,” Potash said. “Coleman hit a couple, McDonnell hits a couple. It was a hot mess in the second.
“We were able to get some really good stops on the defensive end, and at halftime, it was just about making the adjustments – okay, if we don’t get something out of the press, we’ve got to play some halfcourt defense because we left Coleman open, and McDonnell had a big game. I said to the girls – ‘If we’re going to press, you’d better commit right now,’ and they were like, ‘We’ve got to keep
pressing,’ and that was the difference. If we didn’t get a steal, we just really tightened it up, and we started hitting shots.”
A key stretch in the second half came in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter when the Patriots turned a 37-37 tie into a 43-37 lead, reeling off six unanswered points that included a whole lot of Haley Moran, who began the run with a layup. Barry connected on 1-of-2 at the foul line, and Moran caused a tie-up for a jump ball. She then had an assist on a drive and kickout to Jess Lockwood, who connected on a 3 as time expired.
“Haley Moran had quite the 30 seconds,” said Potash, whose team led the rest of the way.
Barry’s 20 points – which included four 3s – led the Patriots. Lockwood added 18 points, which included two 3-pointers. Natalie Berndt had a pair of 3s and eight points.
“Anna Barry and Jess Lockwood had the hot hands on offense,” Potash said. “Natalie Berndt did a great job defending Emilia Coleman all day, and Haley Moran provided a huge spark in the third quarter to get us the lead heading into the fourth.”
For GMA, McDonnell led the way with 16 points while Coleman had 11.
Central Bucks East (15-2, 9-2 SOL) will travel to Pennridge on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 17-7-19-11 54
Gwynedd Mercy 8-20-9-8 45
Central Bucks East (54) – Sydney Ralph 1 3-4 5, Haley Moran 1 1-2 3; Natalie Berndt 3 0-0 8; Anna Barry 6 4-7 20; Jess Lockwood 8 0-0 18; TOTALS 19 8-13 54.
Gwynedd Mercy (45) – Bailey Balkier 3 2-4 8; Megan McDonnell 6 1-1 16; Emilia Coleman 5 0-0 11; Ali Katlenbacher 4 0-0 8; Dylan Burke 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 19 3-5 45.
3-point goals: CBE – Anna Barry 4, Natalie Berndt 2, Jess Lockwood 2; GMA – Megan McDonnell 3, Emilia Coleman.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 46, BOYERTOWN 22
The Titans scored just 12 points in the opening half but still took a seven-point lead into the break in Saturday’s non-league game against the visiting Bears. Their offense – behind the hot hand of Yoyo Samayoa – erupted for 22 points in the third quarter to seize control of the game.
“It was a great team effort that was sparked by our defensive effort,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “I’m proud of the effort the team brought to the court today.”
In the Titans’ big third quarter, Samayoa was the catalyst, burying three 3-pointers and scoring 11 points.
Samayoa’s 14 points led the Titans and included four 3s. Ella Wheeler and Gabby Tropea both added eight points.
Also for the Titans, Sophie Mills scored her first varsity points of the season.
Central Bucks South (10-8, 6-6 SOL) will host Central Bucks West on Tuesday.
Boyertown 0-7-5-10 22
Central Bucks South 5-7-22-12 46
Boyertown (22) – L.Heacock 1 0-0 2; Chloe Engler 2 0-2 5; Wieber 1 0-0 2; Tessa Wolfe 1 0-0 2; Isla Greaves 2 1-1 5; Madelyn Weaver 2 1-4 6; TOTALS 9 2-7 22.
Central Bucks South (46) – Megan Schmidt 0 1-2 1; Ella Wheeler 3 2-2 8; Yoyo Samayoa 5 0-0 14; Emma Carver 1 0- 2; Mia Klein 1 2-3 4; Gabby Tropea 4 0-1 8; Gianna Rahill 1 0-0 2; Morgan McKeever 2 1-2 5; Sophie Mills 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 18 6-12 46.
3-point goals: Boyertown – Chloe Engler, Madelyn Weaver; CBS – Yoyo Samayoa 4.
NORTH PENN 60, WEST CHESTER RUSTIN 32
The Knights notched their 16th win in 18 games on Saturday, making it look easy as they rolled to the no-doubt-about-it non-league win over the visiting Golden Knights.
Junior point guard Cameron Crowley was the offensive catalyst in the Knights’ strong start, igniting her team with 11 first-quarter points. North Penn led 27-8 after one quarter. Rustin never threatened.
“Cam is getting more comfortable and confident taking a game into her hands when we need it,” NP coach Bri Cullen said. “She has taken a huge step forward with her leadership.”
Crowley finished with 18 points – 16 in the first half. Caleigh Sperling led all scorers with 20 points – 12 in the second half. Lily Brown contributed seven points, and Tallie Smith had six for the Knights.
“Caleigh Sperling played very aggressive on the offensive side,” Cullen said. “And Lily Brown has been fantastic coming in for us.
“It was another great team effort against a very well-coached Rustin team.”
North Penn (16-2, 11-1 SOL) will travel to Souderton on Tuesday for a 6 p.m contest.
West Chester Rustin 8-11-7-6 32
North Penn 27-14-10-9 60
West Chester Rustin (32) – Jenna Kraft 2 2-2 6; Gia DeMichele 3 0-0 7; Ella Buttersby 1 0-0 2; Sara Betchyk 6 0-0 12; Victoria Puzzangara 1 0-0 2; RILEY STACKHOUSE 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 13 4-4 32.
North Penn (60) – Kylee Herviewux 1 0-0 3; Cameron Crowley 8 1-1 18; Caleigh Sperling 8 3-3 20; Lily Brown 2 3-4 7; Leah Mikulski 2 0-0 4; Olivia Stone 0 2-2 2-; Tallie Smink 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 24 9-10 60.
3-point goals: WCR – Gia DeMichele, Victoria Puzzangara; NP – Kaylee Hervieux, Cameron Crowley, Caleigh Sperling.
About the Author
