Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. William Tennent/Cheltenham photos provided courtesy of Jon Sklut. (Senior Night photos provided by PW basketball.
SOL Patriot Division
NESHAMINY 40, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 38
The Golden Hawks gave the Redskins all they could handle, knotting the score 38-38 after Montanna Chambers turned a steal near midcourt into a layup with 17 seconds remaining. But freshman Reese Zemitis had an answer at the other end, burying two at the charity stripe to give the Redskins the dramatic win.
“Blair (Klumpp) has his girls playing really well,” Neshaminy coach Joe Lally said of the Rock South coach. “There was no quit in them.”
The Redskins rallied from an early 7-4 deficit to go on top 15-7 only to watch the Golden Hawks reel off seven straight points to pull to within one. The Redskins appeared to regain control, opening up a 23-16 advantage, but again the Hawks rallied and trailed by just one at the intermission, 25-24.
“It felt like we were going to be able to get away, but that didn’t happen,” Lally said. “They not only kept it close, they were up five with three-and-a-half left.”
Rock South took took a 27-25 lead when Mia Stock buried a 3-pointer, marking the beginning of a seesaw battle down the stretch. The Golden Hawks went on to open up a 33-28 lead, but after a Neshaminy timeout, senior Kacie Sienko turned a steal on the press into a layup to cut that lead to two. Zemitis connected on a pair at the foul line, and sophomore Taylor Gurysh buried four straight to give the Redskins a 36-33 lead with 1:27 remaining.
The Hawks didn’t go away, and the stage was set for the wild finish.
“The game was really helter skelter down the stretch is the best way to describe it,” Lally said. “Blair’s team made plays. We were up 36-33, and they made a 3-pointer. They called a hold on us and put them on the line in a tie game with a one-and-one. We were fortunate they missed it.
“Down the stretch, it was getting some stops, getting some rebounds. It’s 38-38, and that’s when we got the ball to Reese on the wing, and she got fouled. She makes two free throws and we were able to get a stop down at the end.”
Zemitis scored 13 points and Gurysh had 12 to lead the Redskins. Maya Lewis added eight.
For the Golden Hawks, Stock’s 12 points – which included three 3-pointers – led the way. Nicole Blaustein and Montanna Chambers both added seven points, and Carley Irvin had six points on a pair of treys.
A highlight of the game came midway through the opening quarter when Blaustein turned a pass from teammate Karissa Smedley into a fast-break layup that vaulted the senior guard to the 1,000-point milestone. The basket gave the Golden Hawks an early 5-2 lead.
“We were very happy for her,” Neshaminy coach Joe Lally said. “We’ve competed against Nicole for four years. She’s a competitor, she’s a great athlete, a good player, and we’re sincerely very happy for her that she got her 1,000th point.”
Neshaminy (5-2, 5-1 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury Tuesday, and Council Rock South (5-3, 3-3) will host Council Rock North on Tuesday.
Blaustein finished the game with six points.
Neshaminy 15-8-5-12 40
Council Rock South 7-9-12-10 38
Neshaminy (40) – Kacie Sienko 1 0-0 2; Maya Lewis 4 0-0 8; Skylar Lall 2 0-0 5; Taylor Gurysh 3 5-5 12; Reese Zemitis 3 7-9 13; TOTALS 13 12-14 40.
Council Rock South (38) – Montanna Chambers 3 0-2 7; Nicole Blaustein 1 5-6 7; Carley Irvin 2 0-0 6; Mia Stock 4 2-4 13; Karissa Smedley 0 2-2 2; Jess Mangoni 1 0-1 3; TOTALS 11 9-15 38.
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Taylor Gurysh, Skylar Lall; CRS – Mia Stock 3, Carley Irvin 2, Jess Mangoni, Montanna Chambers.
PENNSBURY 47, BENSALEM 37
The Owls have just one win to their credit through seven games, but they hardly looked like a one-win team on Friday, opening up a 14-7 lead after one quarter and still leading by four at the intermission. The defending co-conference champions – despite a lot of new faces in their lineup – rallied in the second half to earn the win.
“It was our best effort of the season,” Bensalem coach Steve Johnson said. “We competed for 32 minutes.
“The last two days at practice we pushed being competitive after a lopsided loss to Neshaminy. Girls dove on the floor and played with a sense of urgency.”
In the first quarter, the Owls connected on four 3-pointers – one each by Gianna Paglaiccetti, Delaney Bell, Kylie Smith and Amber Howard. The Falcons, behind six points from Ava Sciolla, outscored their hosts 13-10 in the second quarter to make it a 24-20 game at the intermission.
“Bensalem came out ready to roll and played well,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “They had success again knocking down 3’s.
“They were successful in getting into the lane and were very active in rolling their defense into double teams toward Ava. Steve continues to do a great job getting his girls to buy into what he wants.”
In the second half, the Falcons threw some defense at the Owls, allowing just 13 points. They took a 34-33 lead into the final quarter, and sparked by nine points from freshman Sofia Vitucci, the Falcons outscored the Owls 13-4 in the fourth quarter.”
Sciolla had a solid all-around game with 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Vitucci had nine points while Abbi Nassivera had seven. Kiley Haws and Dani Sherman both had six points. Haws also had three assists and four steals.
“We had a very difficult time at the free throw line,” Sciolla said. “We shot 19-30 and missed the front end of four one-and-one ones.
“Early on, Abbi Nassivera had a couple of nice finishes, and all of our girls had nice finishes coming off jump stops. Lauren Dignan had a great take away midway through the fourth. It’s been a wild ride rolling so many new kids into the lineup. At one point I looked up and we had three freshmen out there. It’s great to see kids get opportunities.”
Howard led the Owls with 12 points while Delaney Bell had 10. Both buried a pair of 3-pointers.
“Sophomore Kylie Smith played great minutes off the bench,” Johnson said.
Smith contributed five points.
Pennsbury (5-3, 5-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks East in a non-league game Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Bensalem (1-6, 0-5) will travel to Upper Moreland for a non-league contest Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Pennsbury 7-13-14-13 47
Bensalem 14-10-9-4 37
Pennsbury (47) – Sofia Vitucci 2 5-6 9; Ava Sciolla 3 3-4 10; Abbi Nassivera 3 1-5 7; Kiley Haws 0 6-11 6; Lauren Dignan 2 0-0 4; Mia Spinelli 2 1-3 5; Dani Sherman 2 1-1 6; TOTALS 14 17-30 47.
Bensalem (37) – Gianna Paglaiccetti 1 0-0 3; Delaney Bell 2 4-4 10; Maddie MacDougall 1 0-0 3; Erin Devlin 1 0-0 2; Sam Daut 0 2-2 2; Kylie Smith 2 0-0 5; Amber Howard 5 0-0 12; TOTALS 12 6-8 37.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Ava Sciolla, Dani Sherman, Bensalem – Amber Howard 2, Delaney Smith 2, Kylie Smith, Gianna Paglaiccetti, Maddie MacDougall.
SOL Colonial
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 40, NORTH PENN 38
The Bucks – trailing by five late in the fourth quarter – staged a gutsy comeback to edge the Knights. A new face in this year’s lineup, Katie Finnan, played a key role in the Bucks’ rally and finished with a game-high 15 points.
“Katie Finnan came up with a big steal and finish off a stop, and we were able to get things going off of that,” West coach Zach Sibel said. “We really clamped down defensively in the last two minutes.”
Paige Gilbert – despite being fouled – scored on an inbounds play and converted the foul shot to give the Bucks a one-point advantage. A Finnan foul shot gave the Bucks their final margin of victory.
“North Penn is young, they’re aggressive, and they’re super physical,” Sibel said. “Jen (Carangi) is awesome. I love how she coaches – she always throws something different out there.
“You know going into that game you’re going to get a physical team, a team that plays super hard every possession from the first quarter through the fourth and a team that’s well coached. Their record shouldn’t fool people. That’s a good team, and they’re going to be a force moving forward, and they’re getting better every game. We told the girls the last two days at practice – this is a good team, and our girls knew that.”
In a first half that saw North Penn open up a 26-25 halftime advantage, freshman Caleigh Sperling, who led the Knights with 10 points, had eight points in the first two quarters. Abby Plaugher had all eight of her points – which included two 3’s – in the opening half.
“Our girls played so hard and so well for 90 percent of the game, but that 10 percent at the end killed us,” NP coach Jen Carangi said. “We are young and still learning how to win close games, and I’m so frustrated for them because this game was winnable. Turnovers in the last three minutes really hurt us, and you can’t do that against a team like West and win.
“I’m proud of the girls for the way they battled and competed. We just have to figure out a way to get over the hump and win one of these close games. Caleigh Sperling and Olivia Stone both played a great game and, as freshmen, they are learning and getting better every day.”
Finnan’s nine first-half points on three 3-pointers led the Knights.
“She’s definitely finding her rhythm offensively for us, which is big,” Sibel said. “Now it’s just getting everyone on the same page, everyone flowing, and that’s our next step. I think if we do that, we’ll be in really good shape.”
Anna Blue had a pair of 3’s for six points. Emily Spratt also finished in double figures for the Bucks with 10 points, which included a perfect 6-for-6 effort in the opening half.
“Spratt got things really going – being aggressive going to the basket,” Sibel said. “Paige Gilbert did what she did. Anna Blue made shots, Finnan really stepped up, and girls are really stepping in and playing their role.
“Tai Henkel had a huge block on the last possession of the game when we were going offense-defense. It was a huge block – we were able to secure that and get free throws from it.”
Also for the Knights, Olivia Stone had a pair of 3’s and finished with eight points while Rachel Strobel had six points.
Central Bucks West (4-2, 3-2 SOL) will host Upper Dublin in a non-league game Saturday (3 p.m.) North Penn (0-4) will host Pennridge on Tuesday.
Central Bucks West 15-10-4-11 40
North Penn 13-13-3-9 38
Central Bucks West (40) – Tai Henkels 1 0-0 2; Katie Finnan 5 1-3 15; Anna Blue 2 0-0 6; Emily Spratt 2 6-7 10; Ava Longo 1 0-0 2; Paige Gilbert 2 1-3 5; TOTALS 13 8-13 40.
North Penn (38) – Laynie Doran 1 0-0 2; Abby Plaugher 3 0-0 8; Alli Lindsay 0 1-2 1; Imani Plaza 1 1-2 3; Rachel Strobel 2 2-4 6; Caleigh Sperling 4 1-2 10; Oliva Stone 3 0-0 8; TOTALS 14 5-10 38.
3-point goals: CBW – Katie Finnen 4, Anna Blue 2, NP – Abby Plaugher 2, Olivia Stone 2, Caleigh Sperling.
SOUDERTON 44, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 28
The Indians rebounded from a tough loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh 24 hours earlier – a loss that came on the heels of a setback at the hands of Central Bucks West on Tuesday – to earn their most impressive win of the season.
“We’ve had a rough week, and to come out and play – it was by far our best game of the season,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “Everybody was playing well on both ends of the court.
“We struggled to score the last two games out and even a little before that. We’ve been asking several people to step up and score more, we’ve been asking several people to look for types of shots a little bit out of their comfort zone, and all of that happened tonight. Our scoring was so balanced.”
Jordan Zimmerman and Erin Bohmueller both had 10 points to lead the balanced attack, Casey Harter contributed nine while Teya McConnaha had seven and Olivia Schneider, six points.
“It seemed like every time down the court somebody else hit a shot,” Carroll said. “Shots were falling. We have not been shooting well. We’re trying to devote more time at practice to just getting up shots.
“Last night, in particular, we took a bit of a whooping, especially in the first half (the Indians trailed 29-11 at halftime of a 45-31 loss), and you would never know last night happened. I do think last night was actually good for us – the way we battled in the second half.
“You’re looking at an 0-3 week potentially. Going into tonight, I didn’t know my team well enough to know how they would respond to starting out the week 0-2, but they really, really responded. It’s like what we’ve all kind of been waiting for. One of my assistants before the game said, ‘I can’t wait until everybody is playing well at the same time,’ and that is exactly what happened. Everybody played well tonight.”
The Indians, who led 10-8 after one quarter, took a 20-16 lead into halftime and then seized control with a 12-2 third quarter effort that saw the Titans manage just a pair of foul shots. Souderton held a 12-10 edge in the fourth quarter and allowed just three field goals in the second half.
“We did a great job defensively,” Carroll said. “All five kids on the court were very, very solid defensively for 32 minutes.
“Obviously, we had to keep the ball out of (Taylor) Hinkle’s hands as much as possible. She did get a few, but they have other kids stepping up for them. Yoyo Samayoa has really been stepping up, and Erin Bohmueller was fantastic on her. She was so, so good. She had three or four blocked shots.”
Hinkle’s nine points led the Titans. No other player scored more than four.
Souderton (4-3, 4-2 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks East on Tuesday, and Central Bucks South (3-3) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh in a non-league game Saturday (11:30 a.m.).
Central Bucks South 8-8-2-10 28
Souderton 10-10-12-12 44
Central Bucks South (28) – Taylor Hinkle 3 2-4 9; Alyssa D’Orazio 1 1-1 3; Mackenzie Erb 1 1-2 4; Maddie Tantum 0 1-2 1; Allison Sauers 2 0-0 4; Yoyo Samayoa 1 1-1 4; Caroline McSorley 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 9 6-10 28.
Souderton (44) – Jordan Zimmerman 3 2-2 10; Erin Bohmueller 3 4-4 10; Olivia Schneider 2 2-2 6; Casey Harter 3 2-2 9; Teya McConnaha 2 3-4 7; Hayley Fenchel 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 14 13-14 44.
3-point goals: CBS – Taylor Hinkle, Mackenzie Erb Yoyo Samayoa, Caroline McSorley, Souderotn – Jordan Zimmerman 2, Casey Harter.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 44, PENNRIDGE 29
The Patriots opened up a 21-11 halftime lead on their way to their sixth win without a loss. They outscored the Rams in all four quarters.
Seniors Emily Chmiel and Mia Salvatti both had big offensive games with 17 and 13 points respectively, and it was Chmiel with nine points and Salvatti with six propelling the Patriots to the double-digit halftime lead.
The Patriots also threw some serious defense at the Rams.
“It was a great team defensive effort and individually from Elise Duffy holding Katie Yoder to five points,” East coach Liz Potash said.
Freshman Anna Croyle had a big game for the Rams, finishing with 15 points which included a 3-pointer and a 4-for-5 effort at the foul line.
Central Bucks East (6-0 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury for a non-league game Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Pennridge (1-5, 0-5) will be on the road at North Penn Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 10-11-13-10 44
Pennridge 5-6-10-8 29
Central Bucks East (44) – Devon Burns 0 2-2 2; Anna Barry 0 0-2 0; Mia Salvati 4 5-1013; Elise Duffy 2 1-2 5; Emily Chmiel 6 5-6 17; Emily Barry 1 3-3 5; Emily Curran 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 13 18-27 44.
Pennridge (29) – Grace Rusica 2 0-0 4; Katie Yoder 0 5-6 5; Ava Unzicker 0 2-2 2; Emma Pyne 1 0-0 3; Anna Croyle 5 4-5 15; TOTALS 8 11-13 29.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Emma Pyne, Anna Croyle.
SOL Liberty Division
UPPER DUBLIN 49, ABINGTON 38
In a battle of undefeated squads, it was the Flying Cardinals using a big second quarter to turn an early deficit into a lead they would not lose. Jess Polin was the catalyst for the Cardinals, scoring a career high 19 points, which included four 3-pointers.
“It was a big game for both teams,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “I was expecting things to be a little crazy because our games with Abington are usually a little crazy.
“It was a different atmosphere. Our seniors have played so many games against them it feels like, and we know each other so well. It’s a big rivalry. It was a big game for both teams to kind of see where each team is at.
“I would say it was a bit of a sloppy game for both teams. We shot the ball really well, which made us feel like we played a little better than we did.”
The Ghosts – behind five points from Khalis Whiting – led 9-4 after a low-scoring first quarter. The Cardinals’ offense came to life in the second quarter or, more specifically, Polin had a hot hand, burying three 3-pointers and converting a pair of foul shots for 11 points and a 24-21 UD lead at the intermission.
“We really struggled to score the first quarter – Khalis (Whiting) hit a three at the buzzer, so we weren’t feeling great about ourselves,” Funsten said. “In the second quarter we outscored Abington 20-12.”
The Flying Cardinals took a 35-28 lead into the fourth quarter and outscored the Ghosts 14-10 to close out the game.
“In the fourth quarter, Amy Ngo made a big three to push the lead up to 10,” Funsten said. “After Abington cut it to about six, she grabbed a rebound and went the length of the court and finished. Amy has been a great addition to the team this year.”
Ngo also finished in double figures with 11. The freshman also had three rebounds and two steals. Bliss Brenner led the Cardinals with six rebounds to go along with three assists, four deflections and four points. Rachel Bilger had three assists and four points. Polin had three rebounds four deflections. Sarah Eskew had three rebounds, three steals, two blocks and four points. Dayna Balasa had four rebounds and five points.
The Cardinals connected on 16-of-33 shots from the field (48.4 percent). They buried 6-of-13 from beyond the arc.
Funsten lauded the defensive effort of Brenner, who was assigned the task of containing Jaida Helm.
“Bliss did a great job down low against her, and she made some big plays offensively, not just scoring herself but also creating some shots for other girls,” the Cardinals’ coach said. “Bliss had a great game.”
Cire Worley led the Ghosts with 13 points while Helm added 11 and Whiting, nine points.
Upper Dublin (7-0, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West for a non-league game Saturday at 3 p.m.
“We’re looking forward to that challenge,” Funsten said. “It’s going to be tough coming off of playing the night before. We know they played the night before too. What CB West does best is they play with such great energy, so we have to find a way to match their energy at their place.”
Abington (4-1, 3-1) will be on the road at Penn Wood for a non-league game at 1 p.m.
Upper Dublin 4-20-11-14 49
Abington 9-12-7-10 38
Upper Dublin (49) – Bliss Brenner 2 0-1 4; Rachel Bilger 1 2-2 4; Geena Sarnoski 0 2-2 2; Jess Polin 5 5-6 19; Amy Ngo 5 0-0 11; Sarah Eskew 1 2-4 4; Dayna Balasa 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 16 11-15 49.
Abington (38) – Cire Worley 5 3-4 13; Abril Browser 1 0-1 2; Jaida Helm 5 0-0 11; Jordyn Reynolds 1 0-0 3; Khalis Whiting 3 2-4 9; TOTALS 15 5-9 38.
3-point goals: UD – Jess Polin 4, Amy Ngo, Dayna Balasa, Abington – Khalis Whiting, Jaida Helm, Jordyn Reynolds.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 49, WISSAHICKON 39
It hasn’t been the easiest of weeks for the Hatters, but they closed out the week on a high note with their second win in as many days.
“I am proud of these players – we have 13 girls on our roster and two are in quarantine so we had 11 players for three games this week,” HH coach Dennis Steinly said. “Six girls play jayvee and become the subs for our varsity starting five. I’ve tried to utilize my timeouts to give them breaks during the games, and they just keep on going.
“In the fourth quarter of our third game this week, we shot 7-8 from the foul line to seal this win tonight – that may be my favorite stat of the night.”
The Hatters led 12-8 after one quarter and took a 22-16 lead into halftime. The outscored their visitors 27-23 in the second half.
“Wissahickon has a nice team – I like how they share the ball, and they play solid defense,” Steinly said. “We had to work hard to earn this win. They are going to win some games.
“Looking at the box score you’ll see (Caroline) Shegogue was held to six points, but this was the type of game we needed from her. I said last night that the scoring is a bonus. Tonight she was our floor general – she brought the ball up against some pretty good pressure and got us into our offense.”
Alice Hall scored a game-high 20 points on the heels of a 20-point game one night earlier.
“Alice Hall scored our first eight points and ended with 20 for the game including six in the fourth quarter,” Steinly said. “Sam Hollish played another night of tough defense and hit two huge 3’s in the third quarter to stifle a Wissahickon comeback.
“And that was the way the game went – we got up 22-12 in the second quarter and Wissahickon battled back to 22-16 at the half. We’d extend the lead and they would go on a four or six-point run to hang in there. We couldn’t pull away, but I was proud of our toughness in answering their comebacks. Emily Thomas scored nine of her 11 in the second half.”
Ava McKinney added six points.
“Ava McKinney – our only senior on Senior Night – hit 3-of-4 from the line and played some good defense on Lily Hyatt in the first half – holding her scoreless,” Steinly said. “I thought that was a big boost for us. Hyatt ended with 11 points, but she had to work to earn them.
“Winning these last two games has given us a nice shot of confidence. We have a tough week next week with PW and Abington, but I like the way things are coming together for us.”
Also for the Trojans, Julia Verrier scored nine points, Kaitlyn McGeary had eight, and Kylie Friedman added six points.
Hatboro-Horsham (3-3, 1-3 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday, and Wissahickon (1-6, 0-4) will host PW on Monday.
Wissahickon 8-8-12-11 39
Hatboro-Horsham 12-10-12-15 49
Wissahickon (39) Lily Hyatt 4 3-3 11; Kylie Friedman 3 0-0 6; Julia Verrier 4 1-2 9; Vyctoria Casaca 1 0-0 2; Libby Kunzier 1 0-0 3; Kaitlyn McGeary 3 2-4 8; TOTALS 16 6-9 39
Hatboro-Horsham (49) – Caroline Shegogue 2 2-5 6; Ava McKinney 1 3-4 6; Alice Hall 8 4-7 20; Emily Thomas 4 2-2 11; Sam Hollish 2 0-0 6 Totals 17 11-18 49.
3-point goals: W- Kunzier; HH – McKinney, Thomas, Hollish 2
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 73, QUAKERTOWN 8
PW celebrated Senior Night, honoring Gabby Cooper, Lily Belle, McGrorty, Anna McTamney, and Ally Zolty with their second win in as many days.
“These four have led our program to states each of the past three years, won two conference championships, and have been just as excellent in the classroom as on the court,” coach Dan Dougherty said. “Hoping the world is in a better place soon, so that our entire school community can join in honoring this special group.”
Zolty’s 12 points on four 3-pointers led the Colonials, who buried 13 threes in the game. McTamney had 12 points, including a pair of 3s. Abby Sharpe added nine while Lainey Allen had eight and Erin Daley and Jordyn Thomas both had seven.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (3-0, 2-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South for a non-league game Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Quakertown (1-4, 1-3) will be on the road at Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
Quakertown 0-4-2-4 8
Plymouth Whitemarsh 24-15-24-10 73
Quakertown (8) – Katie Catalano 1 0-0 2; Kennedi Pellegrini 1 0-0 2; Abigail McClaskey 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 4 0-0 8.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (73) – Ally Zolty 4 0-0 12; Giona Gooneratne 1 0-0 3; Erin Daley 2 2-2 7; Abby Sharpe 4 0-0 9; Gabby Cooper 1 2-4 5; Anna McTamney 5 0-0 12; Lainey Allen 3 2-2 8; Jordyn Thomas 3 0-0 7; Lily Belle McGrorty 1 0-1 3; TOTALS 26 8-11 73.
3- point goals: PW – Ally Zolty 4, Anna McTamney 2, Kaitllyn Flanagan, Fiona Gooneratne, Erin Daley, Abby Sharpe, Gabby Cooper, Jordyn Thomas, Lily Belle McGrorty.
SOL Freedom
WILLIAM TENNENT 37, CHELTENHAM 34 (OT)
In a battle of teams sharing the same mascot, it was the home Panthers eking out a win over Cheltenham’s Lady Panthers.
“It was a gutsy win by our girls,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “I give them credit for not hanging their heads and finding a way to eke out 
the win, making plays and free throws when we did need them. A win’s a win, we’ll take it. It was good for the girls.”
Giving the Panthers a huge lift in the win was freshman Morgan Volz, who came off the bench to score a game high 17. She gave an immediate lift, scoring 11 points in a first half that saw Tennent open up 14-13 advantage.
“Especially in the first half, she basically kept us in the game,” Whitney said. “She ended the game with 17 points. It was unfortunate – she went down late in regulation and ended up getting injured. If it wasn’t for her – she came in and was strong around the basket. She probably had five or six offensive rebounds, so she was huge for us.”
Tennent struggled out of the gate, falling behind 9-4 after one quarter before Volz ignited them in the second.
“Aside from our Springfield game, we haven’t had great starts,” Whitney said. “Even tonight our first two possessions – we made poor decisions that ended up in turnovers where we gave up two fast-break layups.
“It’s not the way you want to start a game. It’s been a struggle all year on offense to get good looks and just to finish. In the first half, we had 15 shots in the paint and we only made four – just not finishing baskets that we should, not capitalizing on opportunities. We were fighting from behind most of the game.”
With time winding down in regulation, Tennent actually led by two with possession, but the Lady Panthers turned a bad pass into the game-tying bucket.
“We made a little push in the third quarter,” Whitney said. “We went on a run and were up 32-28, and they answered. Again, it was the lack of experience down the stretch, not making good decisions to close out the game.”
Tennent did not have a field goal in overtime, connecting on 3-of-6 at the foul line, which included 2-of-4 by Courtney Bragen.
Bragen and Chase Dubzak both had seven points for Tennent while Kailyn Hansen had six.
Umayrah Sulayman was the undisputed catalyst for the Lady Panthers, scoring 16 of her game high 22 points in the second half. Assata Robinson had six points on a pair of treys.
“It was another tough loss for us,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said. “We have to find a way to win these close games.”
William Tennent (3-3, 3-2 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Monday in a non-league game, and Cheltenham (0-3) will host Upper Moreland Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Cheltenham 9-4-10-11-0 34
William Tennent 4-10-11-9-3 37
Cheltenham (34) – Arianna Davis 0 3-4 3; Assata Robinson 2 0-0 6; Janiya Townes-Wakefield 0 1-2 1 Umayrah Sulayman 10 1-3 22; Mikahila Leighton 0 0-2 0;Crae Wise 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 13 5-10 34.
William Tennent (37) – Kailyn Hansen 3 0-0 6; Courtney Bragen 2 3-7 7; Chase Dubzak 1 4-6 7; 8 1-4 17; TOTALS 14 8-17 37.
3-point goals: Cheltenham – Assata Robinson 2, Umayrah Sulayman, WT – Chase Dubzak.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 59, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 30
Reagan Chrencik, Rachel Saxton and Madi Fasti proved to be a triple threat for the Spartans in Friday’s win. Chrencik led all scorers with 18 while Saxton had 17 and completed an impressive double-double with 10 assists. Fasti added 15 points as the trio combined for 50 points.
“Reagan got three early fouls but played so smart and finished with three fouls,” NHS coach Steve Polinsky said. “She had 18 points and got it going in the fourth quarter with 10 points.
“Rachel Saxton played an outstanding game, and Madi Fasti was great in transition. She is fitting in and playing some very good basketball.”
The Lions led by just a 13-10 score after one quarter but outscored the Spartans 16-7 in the second to go into halftime with a 29-17 lead. Saxton ignited the Lions with 15 first-half points. Fasti added eight. The two teams exchanged baskets in the third quarter, and the Lions – behind Chrencik’s 10 points – put the game out of reach with a 22-point fourth quarter.
“Springfield played really hard and got us in foul trouble early,” Polinsky said.
J Covino had 10 rebounds to lead the Lions under the boards.
“J ignited us with her hustle plays,” Polinsky said. “We needed a spark, and she provided it.”
For the Spartans, Annie Coll’s 11 points led the way while Maddie Yoder added 10, and Emma Cawley had seven points.
New Hope-Solebury 5-2, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Lower Moreland on Tuesday, and Springfield Township (1-6, 1-4) will host William Tennent on Tuesday.
New Hope-Solebury 13-16-8-22 59
Springfield Twp 10-7-8-5 30
New Hope-Solebury (59) – Madi Fasti 6 2-2 15; Reagan Chrencik 8 2-3 18; J Covino 2 1-2 5; Kate Dougherty 1 2-2 4; Rachel Saxton 6 3-4 17; Emma Ives 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 23 10-15 59.
Springfield Twp (30) – Annie Coll 3 4-8 11; Raya Davis 1 0-0 2; Maddie Yoder 4 2-6 10; Emma Crawley 3 0-0 7; TOTALS 11 6-14 30.
3-point goals: NHS – Reagan Chrencik 2, Rachel Saxton 2, Madi Fasti,
UPPER MORELAND 51, LOWER MORELAND 26
The Golden Bears celebrated the team’s three seniors – Kat Morrow, Kaiya Herb and Kaitie Opferman – with a no-doubt-about-it Senior Night win over their neighboring rival. All three made contributions.
“Today was a great night to celebrate our three seniors, Kat, Kaiya, and Kaitie,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “They’ve been the winningest class our program has had in quite some time and they’ve been instrumental in that success. I’m just really happy that we have even made it this far in this season and that we are able to celebrate their success, and I know they are as well. Senior nights are always strange, but this early in the season made it even more weird.”
The Golden Bears took care of business in a hurry, opening up a 16-6 lead after one quarter and a 29-10 advantage by halftime Holly Gohl and Kiera Coyle led the Bears with eight points each. EmmyFaith Wood added seven points while Morrow had five points in the opening quarter.
“We came out strong but struggled to finish in the first half,” Carroll said. “I give Coach (Rich) Becker and his players a lot of credit. They are young and inexperienced, but you can tell they’re already improving from game to game.
“(Jess) Dugo is going to be a solid player for them and continue to get better. Overall we had 15 steals, 10 assists and only three turnovers, and that kept our lead comfortable for most of the game.”
Gohl’s 16 points led the Bears while Coyle added 10, which included a pair of 3s. Wood added eight points.
For the Lions, Jess Dugo had nine points and Tori Finnegan had eight.
“UM’s such a tough matchup for us,” LM coach Rich Becker said. “They are deep, talented, athletic and well coached. They had too many options for us to defend them all. Even though we knew what to expect, we just can’t duplicate that in practice.
“After a poor showing in the first half, our goal was to win the third quarter, which we did. As disappointed as I was at how we responded to some adversity in the first half of the game, I was proud of how the girls competed in the second half. Hopefully, we can learn from this and close the gap when we see them again in a few weeks.”
Upper Moreland (5-1, 4-0 SOL) will host Bensalem in a non-league game Saturday (1:30 p.m.). Lower Moreland (1-2) will host New Hope-Solebury Tuesday.
Lower Moreland 6-4-12-4 26
Upper Moreland 16-13-8-14 51
Lower Moreland (26) – Tori Finnegan 4 0-0 8; Ofek Gur 1 0-2 2; Liz Neeld 1 1-3 3; Jess Dugo 3 3-4 9; Zoe Alden 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 11 5-8 26.
Upper Moreland (51) – Kat Morrow 2 0-0 5; Kaiya Herb 2 0-0 4; Kaitie Opferman 1 0-0 3; EmmyFaith Wood 3 1-2 8; Kiera Coyle 4 0-1 10; Holly Gohl 8 0-0 16; Emma Hurley 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 22 1-3 51.
3-point goals: UM – Kiera Coyle 2, EmmyFaith Wood, Kaitie Opferman, Kat Morrow.
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