Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Saturday. Cheltenham/Wissahickon photos provided by Keith Clemens Photography. Check back for a gallery of action photos…CLICK HERE.
American Conference
CHELTENHAM 43, WISSAHICKON 29
The Lady Panthers had a score to settle when they faced Wissahickon on Saturday. It turns out they hadn’t forgotten their 32-20 loss at the hands of the Trojans earlier this season.
“We just have that in us – we’ve done it three times this year,” said coach Brendan Nolan of his team’s lack of offensive production. “At Unionville, against Wissahickon and, unfortunately, Tuesday, against Quakertown where our offense just gets so out of sync and we can’t make shots.
“Tuesday we outshot Quakertown 61-39. Usually if you get 22 more shots than your opponent, you’re going to win that game, and we lost.”
The Lady Panthers brought a new defensive scheme into Saturday’s rematch with the Trojans.
“Even though we did a nice job defensively against them up there, we changed a little bit and put a little more pressure on them, and it helped us create a little more offense out of our defense, so that was big,” Nolan said.
Caitlin Wallace delivered a big defensive performance for the Lady Panthers, scoring a game high 17 points, which included three three-pointers and a 6-for-8 effort at the foul line. She also had seven rebounds.
“She’s really starting to fill it up, and I put that challenge out to them – teams are really trying to take away Mia Leonard and Nashira Brown, so the guards have to loosen that up for them, and Caitlin did a real nice job,” Nolan said. “In the second half, she did a real nice job attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line, and that’s important for us.”
The two teams were deadlocked 8-8 after one quarter, but the Lady Panthers began to take charge in the second quarter. Sparked by five points from Wallace, they outscored the Trojans by nine to go into halftime with a 21-12 halftime lead. They went on to outscore their visitors 22-17 in the second half.
Leonard was limited to just three points, but she was a force in the paint, finishing with a double-double that included 18 rebounds and 12 blocked shots.
“Mia had a great game,” Nolan said. “In the back of the press, we call her the eraser back there.
“If we make mistakes on the press and teams get run-outs, she just blocks shots or alters shots and erases the mistake we made. While she only had three points, she dominated the game on the defensive end.”
Nashira Brown added eight points and nine rebounds while Courtney Murray and Danielle Brown both added six points.
For the Trojans, Julianne Griffin led the way with 10 points, and Victoria Selverian added eight.
“My girls played really well today,” Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline said. “We were fundamentally sound, and that’s what we’re preaching. We boxed out well, we crashed the boards, we passed the ball well, we broke the press well, we played great defense – we held Mia Leonard to three points.
“We did everything well except shoot the basketball. We had open look after open look, and we just didn’t shoot the basketball well. You can’t go 10-for-51 and expect to win the basketball game, you can’t shoot 19.6 percent and expect to win the game. It’s not going to happen. I give all the credit in the world to them.
“(Caitlin) Wallace knocked down shots. She hit shots at big moments. I’m disappointed for my girls who played really well. We just couldn’t shoot the ball today.”
Cheltenham (11-8, 7-4 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday, and Wissahickon (8-10, 4-7) will be on the road at Upper Moreland.
Wissahickon 8-4-4-13 29
Cheltenham 8-13-8-14 43
Wissahickon (29) – Jasmine Bishop 2 0-0 4; Lexi Carradorini 0 1-2 1; Sydney Ott 1 1-2 3; Hilma Meiby 0 1-2 1; Julianne Griffin 3 3-4 10; Victoria Selverian 3 2-4 8; Carly Fadel 1 0-0 2; Totals 10 8-14 29.
Cheltenham (43) – Mia Leonard 1 1-2 3; Caitlin Wallace 4 6-8 17 Courtney Murray 2 1-3 6; Danielle Brown 2 2-6 6; Kelin Holmes 1 0-0 3; Nashira Brown 2 4-6 8; Totals 12 14-25 45.
Non-league
PENNRIDGE 47, QUAKERTOWN 38
The Rams – who trailed 25-23 at the intermission – turned in an inspired second-half performance, outscoring the Panthers 24-13 to earn the non-league win in a battle of neighboring rivals.
“We were in trouble, and the wheels came off for a little while,” said Pennridge coach Mike Elton, whose team was outscored 17-8 in the second quarter. “It was almost like I couldn’t wait to get into the locker room just to make adjustments. We came out in the second half and turned it around.”
The Panthers, who trailed 15-8 after one quarter, buried 9-of-12 shots from the foul line in the second quarter.
“Brittany (Remmey) has done a nice job over there,” Elton said. “They deserved that second quarter. They worked hard, and they kind of took us out of our game.”
The visiting Rams outscored the Panthers 10-5 in the third quarter to go on top 33-30 heading into the final frame. They sealed the win in the fourth quarter.
“We came out pretty hot – we hit a lot of baskets in the first quarter,” said Elton. “Sam (Muredda) had three threes, and she was pretty instrumental in the first half and added in the second half.
“Brooke Bachtle was big in the second half – she had six of her points in the fourth quarter and hit a pretty big three. It was at the point in the game where we were getting a pretty big lead, and it was kind of like the dagger. That was the one that got us over the top.
“Gillian Anderson is just pretty consistent all the way through. She hit a big basket in the fourth quarter, and Rose McCormick had a nice game. It was a team effort. We got big baskets when we needed them, and they picked up the defense in the second half. We held them to five points in the third quarter. It was nice to get the win.”
The Rams came into Saturday’s game at Quakertown on the heels of a loss to Central Bucks West that saw them trail by 11 heading into the final quarter when the Bucks exploded for 20 points.
“We had a pretty nice game at West yesterday,” Elton said of his team’s 48-29 loss the Bucks. “We played them pretty good for three quarters, and in the fourth quarter, they ran away with it a little bit.
“From our standpoint, it was a really good game because we competed through most of the game.”
Anderson led a balanced Ram attack with 12 points, Muredda added 11 points and McCormick, 10 points. Bachtle chipped in with nine points.
Senior Marina Cooke led the Panthers with 17 points. Jill Martin and Maggie Garlick both added seven.
Pennridge (9-10, 4-6 SOL) will be on the road at William Tennent on Tuesday, and Quakertown (5-12, 3-7) will host Springfield Tuesday.
Pennridge 15-8-10-14 47
Quakertown 8-17-5-8 38
Pennridge (47) – Samantha Muredda 11, Brooke Bachtle 9, Gillian Anderson 12, Madison Stolarski 3, Rose McCormick Claire Podraza 2.
Quakertown (38) – Sam Howard 2, Maggie Garlick 7, Marina Cooke 17, Caitlin Rosenberger 3, Jill Martin 7.
PENNSBURY 53, LAWRENCEVILLE 36
It’s been a year of transition under first-year coach Frank Sciolla.
Two seniors – Meredith Webber and Jo Tennant – opted to be positive parts of that change, and both were recognized at Saturday’s Senior Day.
Webber – a standout soccer player – has been a significant piece of that transition on and off the court.
“It was really important to our program that she come out this year,” Sciolla said. “I would have understood if she didn’t, especially in today’s day and age where more and more you see kids leaving for their senior year or not playing because they have another sport they want to focus on for college.
“We really needed her leadership. She has come out and she has competed. I look at her every day, and in every drill, she always brings it. I think that is an unteachable skill. You know you’re blessed when you have something like that, especially in your first year with a program and you’re trying to get things off the ground. Kids are going to take their leadership from their seniors, and this was a girl that was a phenomenal soccer player. Basketball does not come as natural to her. She’s dominating in soccer – is she going to come out and play a sport where she doesn’t have that level of dominance, and is she going to be okay with that?
“She’s come out and she’s played hard, and she’s always great for us defensively, she very often covers the other team’s best guard. She’s knocked down big shots for us, and most of all, she gives us that leadership on the bus, in the locker room and on the court.”
Tennant – a newcomer not only to the team but to the sport of basketball – is also a soccer player, and she got her first career start Saturday.
“She immediately ripped a rebound down,” Sciolla said. “We ran a play to get her a three. Jo’s not someone that shoots the ball. She caught it and it went in and out. We had another great crowd, and the place was ready to go crazy.
“Jo’s parents are from South Africa, and she lived in England for her first seven years. She had never played basketball before this year and didn’t know the rules of the game, but she learned it really quickly and picked things up. A couple weeks in she knew our defensive concept, and we actually put her out during key spots in games on the defensive end because she’s such a good athlete, and she’s really tough. She’s able to compete there.”
The Falcons, who led 8-6 after one quarter, took control of the game with a 20-7 second quarter that included a 14-for-17 effort at the foul line. Sydney Buell was a perfect 5-for-5. Kate Mix – who had six points in the first quarter – added seven more in the second and was 5-for-6 at the line. Mary Miller led the Falcons with eight points in the quarter and converted 4-of-6 at the line.
“We were really good on the foul line in the first half,” Sciolli said. “That kind of spring boarded us.
“We were up 15 at the half (28-13), which for us is not a normal thing. The game always hovered around that 10-point to 16-point area, but we were able to hold them at bay.”
Mix finished with a team-high 16 points that included a three while Buell added 13, and Mary Miller had 12. Cami Wiegand contributed eight points.
“Cami Wiegand again had a nice day and made some big plays,” Sciolla said. “Mary Miller shot the ball well from the perimeter against their zone. She was really solid.
“Meredith (Webber) was really good on the backboards. She rebounds really well from her guard position.”
Pennsbury (7-9, 2-6 SOL) will host Council Rock North on Tuesday night.
Lawrenceville (36) – Janean Cuffee 3 3-4 11; Chloe Jones 0 4-5 4; Jordyn Ford 1 1-4 3; Joelle Floyd 1 0-0 2; Alex Browne 1 0-0 2; Victoria Dugan 1 2-3 4; Totals 7 10-17 36.
Pennsbury (53) – Nicole Baionno 0 2-2 2; Kate Mix 4 9-7 16; Mary Miller 4 4-6 12; Sydney Buell 4 5-7 13; Cami Wiegand 2 3-3 8; Skyler Sulby 1 0-0 2; Totals 15 21-27 53.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 60, MERION MERCY 35
The Indians, who led 14-10 after one quarter, blew the game wide open with 24-point second quarter to go into halftime with a 38-21 lead. The Golden Bears never threatened.
Dana Bandurik had six steals and two blocked shots to lead an aggressive defensive effort that limited the Golden Bears to just eight field goals the entire game. She also had 10 points. Becca Margolis added five steals to go along with a game-high 18 points, which included three three-pointers. Mackenzie Tinner added eight points in a contest that saw 10 North players contribute scoring.
The two teams were whistled for a combined 37 fouls – 23 of those were assessed to North.
Council Rock North (13-6, 9-1 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury on Tuesday night.
Merion Mercy 10-11-5-9 35
Council Rock North 14-24-12-10 60
Merion Mercy (35) – Jada Smith 3 4-6 10; Annie Dombronski 0 2-3 2; Pilar Jackson 0 0-2 0; Annie Butler 0 2-2 2; Julianne Shea 0 0-1 0; Meredith Shields 0 2-2 2; Shannon Carroll 3 4-4 10; Maida Pannepacker 1 2-2 4; Elise Bastian 1 3-6 5; Totals 8 19-28 35.
Council Rock North (60) – Becca Margolis 7 1-2 18; Camryn Polinsky 2 1-1 5; Megan Haggerty 1 0-0 3; Sydney Blum 2 0-0 5; Olivia Blum 1 0-0 2; Abby Jett 1 0-0 3; Dana Bandurick 4 2-3 10; Kaelin Mealy 1 2-2 4; Hannah Weiler 1 0-0 2; Mackenzie Tinner 4 0-2 8; Totals 24 6-10 60.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 52, EPISCOPAL ACADEMY 41
Alexa Brodie and Haley Meinel combined for 36 points to lead the Titans to the win in Saturday’s Blue Chip Super Showcase at Harriton High School. Brodie led the Titans with 19 points, which included a 9-for-11 effort at the foul line, while Meinel added 17. Meghan Kuypers also finished the game in double figures with 10 points.
“We played well and executed very well on the offensive end,” coach Beth Mattern said.
Brodie, Meinel and Kuypers each scored five points in a first quarter that saw the Titans open up a 15-11 lead. Meinel added seven points in the second quarter, and the Titans took a 26-23 lead into halftime. They went on to outscore the Churchwomen 26-18 in a second half. The Titans – led by Brodie’s 6-for-6 effort – were a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.
EA’s Seanna McNamara led all scorers with 22 points.
Central Bucks South (16-3, 6-3 SOL) will host North Penn in a key conference battle Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 15-11-12-14 52
Episcopal Academy 11-12-9-9 41
Central Bucks South (52) – Melissa Veal 1 0-0 2; Meghan Kuypers 3 3-4 10; Haley Meinel 7 2-4 17; Alexa Brodie 5 9-11, 19 Lexi Edwards 1 1-2 4.
Episcopal Academy (41) – Reilly Wright 2 0-0 4; Luca Mamula 2 0-0 4; Seanna McNamara 8 3-3 22; Elodie Furey 2 4-5 8; Olivia Dirks 0 2-2 2; Raeleen Keffer-Scharpf 0 1-1 1.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 52, HARRITON 41
Bailey McManus ignited a second-half comeback for the Patriots at Saturday’s Blue Chip Super Showcase at Harriton High School, scoring 18 of her team-high 20 points after the intermission.
The Patriots trailed 23-15 heading into halftime, and a buzzer beater by McManus near midcourt pulled East to within one heading into the final quarter (31-30). The Patriots owned the fourth quarter, outscoring the Rams 22-10 to earn the win.
Bri Talbot also finished in double figures with 13 while Bridget Birkhead added eight. Grace Stewart had a big day under the basket, pulling down a team-high 11 rebounds. She also had four blocked shots, four assists and three points.
Central Bucks East (11-7, 5-5 SOL) is off until Thursday when the Patriots will host Central Bucks South.
Central Bucks East 7-8-15-22 52
Harriton 8-15-8-10 41
Central Bucks East (52) – Sophia Mancuso 5, Bridget Birkhead 8, Megan Browne 2, Bailey McManus 20, Mel Wetzel 1, Bri Talbot 13, Grace Stewart 3.
Harriton (41) – DePillis 3, Brown 7, Grady 22, Wilcox 6, Short 3.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 57, MARPLE NEWTOWN 26
Taylor O’Brien (23 points) and Lauren Fortescue (17 points) are proving to be a deadly one-two punch for the Colonials. One day after combining for 43 points in a win over Hatboro-Horsham, the backcourt duo combined for 40. Included in Saturday’s performance were five three-pointers – three by Fortescue and two from O’Brien.
The Colonials led 11-3 after one quarter and buried the Tigers with a 24-5 second quarter explosion to go into halftime with a 35-8 lead.
Lauren Coscia added eight points for the Colonials, who once again received a defensive lift from Laurel Suchsland. The senior captain – who stands all of 5-4 – limited 6-3 Devon Adams, who averages close to 16 points a game, to just four points in three quarters.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (17-0, 11-0 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Marple Newtown 3-5-7-11 26
Plymouth Whitemarsh 11-24-15-7 57
Marple Newtown (26) – Cristello 5, McCarthy 2, Robinson 2, Rutecki 2, Ayoub 2, Bolpi 2, Coaury 2, Young 5, Adams 2.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (57) – Taylor O’Brien 23, Shallyn Dickson 2, Lauren Fortescue 17, Gia Schweitzer 3, Ali Diamond 2, Victoria Betterly 2, Lauren Coscia 8.
NAZARETH ACADEMY 53, BENSALEM 41
The Owls have put up 95 points in their past two games combined, but they came up short in both. Leading the Owls’ improved offense are Haley Keenan and Chloe Munyon. The duo combined for 29 points on Saturday – Keenan led the way with 15 while Munyon had 14. Emily Wineburg added seven points.
Bensalem (2-16, 0-9 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Tuesday.
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