Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday night.
SOL Liberty Division
ABINGTON 54, UPPER DUBLIN 44
Less than 24 hours after an emotionally draining game against Plymouth Whitemarsh, the Ghosts were back on the court at Upper Dublin.
“It was a survival game really,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “I was really concerned about it because I know Morgan (Funsten), and I knew he was going to adjust from our first game, and I knew he would be super prepared for us, and they were.
“I also knew that we wouldn’t be able to have the same intensity (as Thursday night), and we didn’t, but we did have enough of it to win.”
Jaida Helm’s 19 points and 11 rebounds led the Ghosts, and her seven first-quarter points jumpstarted the visitors, who led 12-6 after one quarter. Jordyn Reynolds buried a pair of 3s in the second quarter and Cire Worley had five points, and the Ghosts outscored the Cardinals 13-9 to go into halftime with a 25-15 lead.
The Cardinals battled gamely but could never get over the hump.
In addition to Helm, Cire Worley had 13 points, Reynolds stepped up and had eight points off the bench, and Dani Brusha added seven.
For the Cardinals, Friday’s performance was an improvement over their previous outing against the Ghosts – a 52-27 loss.
“We really did not compete very well against them the first time,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “After the first game, I kind of questioned the girls’ togetherness, if they were really out there for each other, and that feels like it was three years ago at this point.
“I feel like we’ve made so much progress as a team. I’ll credit our seniors and especially Bliss Brenner for keeping us together and staying positive through especially the rough patch earlier in the month.”
The Cardinals came into Friday’s game with a six-game winning streak.
“Our competition was not as high level as it had been early in the year, but still, we were very excited about how we’ve been playing,” Funsten said. “Bliss played one of the best games she’s played in four years tonight.
“We probably turned the ball over against the press one or two times the whole night. All five girls on the team need to stay connected in order to handle the pressure Abington’s throwing at you. Once we got into half court, we had some turnovers, and Abington’s athleticism was really able to make us feel uncomfortable just like they do with everybody, but the full-court pressure we handled really well, and for that I was really proud of the girls.
“It was everybody, but I really thought it started with Bliss, and then she had to guard Worley on the other side of the court and did a really nice job and held her to 13. I think we saw against PW how special a scorer Worley is, and Bliss did a good job of trying to keep her in front and forcing her to make tough shots.”
Amy Ngo’s 23 points, which included three 3-pointers – led the Cardinals – she scored 16 in the second half that saw UD mount a comeback. She also led the Cardinals with five deflections. Geena Sarnoski added 14 points, including a pair of 3s. Ten of her points came in a 19-point fourth quarter. She also had a team high three steals.
Aditi Foster and Brenner led the Cardinals with seven rebounds each. Colleen Klammer had four boards. Brenner filled a stat sheet with five points, seven rebounds, four assists, three deflections, two steals and one blocked shot.
“The fight was great,” Funsten said. “The team has shown all year that they’re going to fight until the end. We made some shots in the fourth quarter to make things somewhat interesting. We feel like we’re pretty close. We feel like we’re close to getting over the hump and getting a huge win.
“We can string a couple of baskets together on offense, but then we can’t get the stops on defense. Or we can string a couple stops together on defense, but then we can’t get a basket on the offensive end. There was a couple of times in the game tonight where we were so close to really making things interesting. We still have some time to figure those things out, but the progress the girls have made is very clear, and I think the girls are excited with how far they’ve come.”
Abington (15-2, 11-1 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday, and Upper Dublin (10-7, 8-4 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham on Monday and will be on the road at Quakertown on Tuesday.
Abington 12-13-17-12 54
Upper Dublin 6-9-10-19 44
Abington (54) – Cire Worley 6 1-1 13; Abril Bowser 2 0-0 5; Jaida Helm 5 8-9 19; Maya Johnson 1 0-0 2; Dani Brusha 1 5-8 7; Jordyn Reynolds 3 0-0 8. TOTALS 18 14-18 54.
Upper Dublin (44) – Bliss Brenner 2 1-2 5; Geena Sarnoski 4 4-4 14; Colleen Klammer 1 0-2 2; Amy Ngo 7 6-7 23. TOTALS 14 11-15 44.
3-point goals: Abington – Jordyn Reynolds 2, Jaida Helm, Abril Bowser; UD – Amy Ngo 3, Geena Sarnoski 2.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 62, QUAKERTOWN 25
Lainey Allen scored a career high 21 points to lead the visiting Colonials to the convincing win.
The Colonials, who led 11-6 after one quarter, took a 25-13 lead into halftime and then outscored their hosts 37-12 in the second half.
Abby Sharpe (14 points) and Erin Daley (11 points) also finished the game in double figures.
“Kaitlyn Flanagan and Jordyn Thomas captained the strong defensive effort,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “Angelina Balcer and Fiona Gooneratne each gave inspired and much needed minutes off the bench.”
For the Panthers, Carolyn Sipprell led the way with 11 points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (18-0, 13-0 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday, and Quakertown (8-9, 4-7) will host Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 11-14-16-21 62
Quakertown 6-7-6-6 25
Plymouth Whitemarsh (62) – Angelina Balcer 1 0-0 2; Kaitlyn Flanagan 2 0-0 5; Erin Daley 5 0-0 11; Abby Sharpe 5 3-4 16; Lainey Allen 9 3-5 21; Jordyn Thomas 3 0-0 7. TOTALS 25 6-9 62.
Quakertown (25) – Carolyn Sipprell 4 3-4 11; Katie Hagerty 1 1-4 3; Katie Catalano 1 0-0 3; Laney Mitchell 1 0-0 2; Addyson Davis 1 0-0 2; Katie Offner 0 2-4 2; Leah Mestayer 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 9 6-12 25.
3-point goals: PW – Abby Sharpe 3, Kaitlyn Flanagan, Jordyn Thomas, Erin Daley; Quakertown – Katie Catalano.
SOL Freedom Division
HATBORO-HORSHAM 41, WISSSAHICKON 36
The senior duo of Alice Hall and Emily Thomas had a productive night for the Hatters, combining for 31 of their team’s points. Thomas earned game scoring honors with a 16-point effort that included three 3-pointers. Hall added 15 points. Leah Harrington contributed eight points.
Hall was the catalyst in the Hatters’ 20-point opening quarter, scoring 13 points. Thomas added five as the Hatters took a six-point lead into the second quarter. That’s when the points stopped coming with such regularity, and they led by just a 25-20 score at halftime. The two teams exchanged baskets in the second half with both teams scoring just 16 points.
“We were playing hard, but it has just been a tough game offensively for us tonight and this week,” said HH coach Eric Glemser, whose team scored just 21 points over the final three quarters. “I’m hoping we can start being more consistent and get some more balanced scoring. We have to just keep trying to get better in practice. We play four tough games next week.”
The Trojans, who are without three starters, gave Kenya Williams the starting nod.
“We are definitely an injured team – we’re down to maybe six players on varsity that are left, and she played really well,” Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline said. “Kenya normally swings jayvee and varsity. She doesn’t normally get a lot of time. She was knocking down some shots, rebounding and playing Alice Hall, limiting her to no points in the second half.
“She plays hard, and the best part about it is she’s such a coachable kid. She just wants to learn, she’s hungry, and she gives 150 percent every time she’s out there and every time she’s at practice. She’s a pleasure to coach. It’s just a blessing to see all that hard work come to fruition out there when it really counts, when the lights are on. My staff and I are happy for her.”
The Trojans were led by the 13-point effort of Kylie Friedman while Kaitlyn McGeary added 12. Williams added six points.
Hatboro-Horsham (9-5, 7-4 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Monday, and Wissahickon (7-9, 4-8) will travel to Downingtown West on Monday for a non-league game.
Hatboro-Horsham 20-5-6-10 41
Wissahickon 14-6-9-7 36
Hatboro-Horsham (41) – Caroline Shegogue 0 2-2 2; Alice Hall 7 1-1 15; Leah Harrington 3 1-2 8; Emily Thomas 6 1-4 16. Totals 16 5-9 41.
Wissahickon (36) – Eva Schools 1 0-0 2; Kylie Friedman 5 1-2 13; Emlyn Ebert 1 1-1 3; Kenya Williams 3 0-0 6; Kaitlyn McGeary 4 3-4 12. TOTALS 14 5-7 36.
3-point goals: HH – Emily Thomas 3, Leah Harrington; Wissahickon – Kylie Friedman 2, Kaitlyn McGeary.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 71, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 50
Regan Chrencik was unstoppable.
The Lions’ junior scored 34 points in just three quarters in a brilliant outing. She was a near perfect 12-for-13 at the foul line and buried two 3-pointers.
“Reagan had another stellar game,” NHS coach Steve Polinsky said. “While she is scoring inside and outside, I love how she and Madi (Fasti) are passing the ball – great ball movement on the fast break. Reagan is making others better on our team. Madi had a terrific floor game, and she is really hitting her 3s.”
Fasti added 13 points, which included three 3-pointers. Freshman Emily Wilson also had a big day, connecting on three 3-pointers and finishing with 17 points.
“Emily Wilson got us going early and she had a terrific game,” Polinsky said. “Both of our freshmen – Emily and Izzy – have been playing so well this season. Emily had 17 points, and while Isabella did not score, she had eight assists and played great defense.”
The Lions – behind 12 points from Chrencik – opened up a 24-10 lead after one quarter and took a 39-22 lead into halftime. Chrencik finished the first half with 16 points while Wilson added 12 and Fasti, eight. Samiyyah Thompson’s nine points led the Spartans in the opening half while Alana Decker had eight.
Thompson turned in an impressive 23-point effort – which included three 3-pointers – to lead the Spartans. Jayla Daniels added 11 and Decker finished with 10.
“I’m really thankful we got this game in today,” Polinsky said. “Thanks to Coach Giordano and his team for coming to New Hope on late notice. We played them real early in the season, and they are a different team, a really improved team. Samiyyah Thomas had a terrific game, scoring 23 points. She’s a really solid player.”
New Hope-Solebury (7-8, 6-5 SOL) will host Lower Moreland on Tuesday, and Springfield Township (2-12, 0-11) will host Upper Merion in a non-league game on Monday.
Springfield Township 10-12-14-14 50
New Hope-Solebury 24-15-22-10 71
Springfield Township (50) – Samiyyah Thompson 9 2-7 23; Jayla Daniels 3 4-6 11; Bridget Guicheteau 0 2-2 2; Alana Decker 4 0-0 10; Lauren Hussie 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 18 8-15 50.
New Hope-Solebury (71) – Emily Wilson 7 0-0 17; Reagan Chrencik 10 12-13 34; Emma Ives 0 3-6 3; Madi Fasti 5 0-0 13; Nina Mexler 0 0-2 0; Grace Fitzgerald 1 0-0 2; Naava Richlin 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 24 15-21 71.
3-point goals: Springfield Twp – Samiyyah Thompson 3, Alana Decker 2, Jayla Daniels; NHS – Emily Wilson 3, Madi Fasti 3, Reagan Chrencik 2.
UPPER MORELAND 48, LOWER MORELAND 7
EmmyFaith Wood scored 16 points and Holy Gohl added 13 to lead the Golden Bears to the no-doubt-about-it win over their neighboring rivals.
“It’s been a tough little stretch for us the last two games against Abington and PW,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “It would have been easy for our players and coaches to have some doubt or be down on themselves, but I actually thought we played really well those two games.
“Starting tonight, we have eight games and two practices left. To be able to build a comfortable lead at half and get a lot of girls minutes will be very valuable going forward. We wanted to start the second half of our divisional play off on the right note and I was more than happy with our effort tonight.
The Golden Bears, who led 15-3 after one quarter, took a 33-5 lead into halftime on their way to the win. Gohl had 11 points in the opening half while Wood added eight as UM rolled to the win.
Also for the Golden Bears, Mikel Lancit scored seven points.
“I thought this was Mikel’s best game for us in her freshman season,” Carroll said. “She picked her spots really well. She defended (Jess) Dugo very well, which isn’t easy. It’s not easy having to start as a freshman but she fills a need for us as a ball-handler, defender, and backup point guard. She was phenomenal tonight, and I couldn’t be happier for her.”
Upper Moreland (10-4, 8-3 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Monday, and Lower Moreland (7-7, 5-7) will be on the road at Perkiomen School for a non-league game on Monday.
Upper Moreland 15-18-8-7 48
Lower Moreland 3-2-2-0 7
Upper Moreland (48) – Kylie Gaul 0 1-2 1; EmmyFaith Wood 6 1-2 16; Kiera Coyle 1 0-0 3; Marie Meyers 1 2-2 4; Holly Gohl 5 1-1 13; Allie LaRocco 1 1-2 4; Mikel Lancit 2 2-4 7. TOTALS 16 8-13 48
Lower Moreland (7) – Jess Dugo 1 0-0 3; Kayla Romanick 1 0-0 2; Briana McFerran 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 3 0-0 7.
3-point goals: UM – EmmyFaith Wood 3, Holly Gohl 2, Kiera Coyle, Allie LaRocco, Mikel Lancit; LM – Jess Dugo.
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