Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. CB East/CB West photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to view Suburban One Sports’ GIRLS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
SOL Patriot Division
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 35, BENSALEM 32
Lil Metrick and Fiona Reckner combined for 30 points to lead the visiting Golden Hawks – who led 14-10 at halftime – to a win over the Owls in a tightly contested defensive battle.
Key players: Lil Metrick shared team scoring honors with 16 points, which included four 3-pointers. Fiona Reckner added 14 points.
For the Owls, Talia DiMichele led the way with 16 points, which included a pair of 3s.
Council Rock South assistant coach Blair Klumpp: “The first half was a bit slower paced than we would prefer, and I think even slower than Bensalem would prefer, knowing Steve (Johnson) and watching them this year. They scored on two nice screen sets towards the end of the half for Talia DiMichele to pull Bensalem to within four.
“I thought we got hung up on some of their action in the second half, and they capitalized and stayed within striking distance. They had a shot at the end to tie it that came up a little short but was a pretty good look.
“We know it’s not easy winning in our league or our division, and we knew Steve and his girls would be ready to play. The girls also had a chip on their shoulder from last year’s loss here. We had some bumps in the road tonight but really proud of the girls for trusting each other and coming out with a win. Two important practices coming up prior to Pennsbury on Tuesday.”
Stingy defense: “Overall, we were very pleased with how we played collectively defensively tonight. We respect the heck out of Steve as a coach and their guard play. Devon (Bell) and Talia (DiMichele) are all-league players and Grace (McShane) should’ve been all-league last year in my opinion. She has had some monster games this year, and Talia is always capable of having a big night. Bensalem runs a lot of good stuff, and no matter how hard you prep for it, to their credit, they executed on some of it and got clean looks. I thought our girls’ focus on the defensive end was very good.”
–Props: “We struggled at times finding a rhythm offensively and had more turnovers than we would like, but Bensalem deserves some credit for that as well. I thought both Grace and Talia played very well defensively.”
“Fiona (Reckner) and Maria (Freeman) were the two primary defenders on Grace, and they made her work really hard. Maria was so engaged in the game even on the bench, talking through stuff scout-wise as well, and as a group – in the first half in particular and early in third, we did a tremendous job with all of those things we emphasized.
“Kat (O’Kane) was really good on Talia prior to picking up two fouls. Maria gave us good minutes with Kat in some foul trouble in the first half. Fiona has done a really, really good job defensively all year. Against girls with varying skill sets, she just tries to lock in on what’s asked and has done a good job all year. Tonight was much of the same.
“I thought Bella (Hettler) was really good in rim protection and impacted the game in some big spots with her attention to how we wanted her to defend on ball and in space. Fi (Reckner) had a good balanced game offensively and did a good job attacking her mismatches based on who was guarding her.
“Lil (Metrick) is getting closer to form and did a really good job hitting shots, attacking the rim a bit, and setting up others within the offense as a primary ball handler. Sarah Freeman hit a really big 3 in the second half that extended us a bit when the game was in that back-and-forth stretch. She was also active on offensive glass and loose balls tonight.”
Up next: Council Rock South (7-3, 3-1 SOL) will host Pennsbury Tuesday, and Bensalem (4-4, 2-2) will host Neshaminy Tuesday.
Council Rock South 9-5-14-7 35
Bensalem 6-4-13-9 32
Council Rock South (35) – Bella Hettler 1 0-0 2; Sarah Freeman 1 0-2 3; Lil Metrick 6 0-0 16; Fiona Reckner 6 1-2 14; TOTALS 14 1-4 35.
Bensalem (32) – Talia DiMichele 7 0-1 16; Grace McShane 2 1-2 5; Jordyn Bell 1 0-0 3; Devon Bell 2 2-2 6; Sydney Daut 1 0-0 2; Ariana Jenkins 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 13 3-7 32
3-point goals: CRS – Lil Metrick 4, Sarah Freeman, Fiona Reckner; B – Talia DiMichele 2, Jordyn Bell.
PENNSBURY 42, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 35
Another day, another comeback.
That’s rapidly becoming the theme for a young Pennsbury squad that found itself trailing by three at halftime and seven heading into the fourth quarter. In the final frame, the Falcons equaled their point total for the three preceding quarters with a 21-point gem that propelled Pennsbury to the win.
Key stretch: In the fourth quarter, the Falcons, who outscored the Indians 21-7, were 10-for-11 from the foul line. Maggie Burns was 4-for-4, Alyssa Thomas was 3-for-3 and had eight points (including a clutch 3), Emily Panaro had four points, Ava Jordan was 2-for-2, and Sammie Haws had three points.
Kay players: Alyssa Thomas led the way with 14 points, Emily Panaro had eight points and 10 rebounds, and Maggie Burns added nine points.
For the Indians, Amara Arroyo scored 10 points.
Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla on the game: “So, it was a long day at the nest for the middle school game, followed by the junior varsity and in the locker room before the varsity game where we had 30 of our middle school players sitting on the floor in front of me as we talked to the team.
“We only mentioned one point in that locker room, and that was to move our feet, to not reach in, and that our job on defense when guarding the ball is to create deflections and get the ball thrown out of scoring areas. It’s not our job to try to steal the ball. I obviously did a terrible job communicating that as we picked up seven reach-in fouls in just the first quarter, and all seven of them were fouls. Four of our top six in the rotation had two fouls and were done for the half one minute into the second quarter.
“Now understandably, we were excited. It’s a fantastic crowd and a great atmosphere, and we realize it’s a completely new experience for so many of them. When you throw in the fact that Rock did a fantastic job executing at the end of quarters on defense and offense from quarters one through three, we were in trouble.
“Coach (Jack) Kelly always is one of the best around when it comes to preparing his team, and they played the game the way they wanted to play it and forced us to adjust and we scuffled.
–The comeback: “At the end of the third quarter, Rock did a magnificent job of running the final minute off the clock before making a long jumper with two seconds to go, and they entered the fourth quarter up seven points. Fortunately, for us, we’ve already been in so many of those type of games this year and the girls were poised.
“A big part of the poise comes from Emily Panaro. She was fantastic at keeping possessions alive and pulled down 10 rebounds. She had some big finishes for us. Her basketball IQ helps bring our less experienced players along. She’s been extremely clutch, and we had to play without her for a chunk in the first half because of the foul trouble, and it’s not easy.
“Alyssa Thomas saw that we needed someone else to step up and score tonight, and she did it. Whether it was clutch perimeter shooting or getting to the rim and finishing or getting fouled, she made really big baskets and played much older than her 14 years.
“Ava Jordan did a really good job navigating foul trouble all game, which she has avoided the past couple weeks, and she was able to make some big plays. She and Maggie Burns were really clutch at the foul line.
“We are stacking some pretty big building blocks in terms of our experience, and it’s hard not to be impressed by our poise late in the games. We are certainly proud of them because Rock refused to go away. When we came back and took the lead, it was still a one possession game with under a minute to go. We got a big-time deflection on defense from Sammie Haws and secured the ball and we were able to win from there.
“Sometimes when we play games this year, it’s as if there are three or four different games within a game because of how we can be so up and down. Our biggest hope is that we can just hang in long enough to make a run and at this point we’ve been able to survive, but we are very well aware that’s not a way that we want to live.
“Nothing is going to be easy for us, but we knew that last March, most certainly in July and we will just keep trying to get better every day.”
Up next: Pennsbury (9-3, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South Tuesday, and Council Rock North (2-9, 0-4) will host Harry S Truman Tuesday.
Council Rock North 9-8-11-7 35
Pennsbury 7-7-7-21 42
Council Rock North (35) – Skyler Wright 3 0-0 8; Julia Koval 3 1-2 7; Amara Arroyo 3 2-2 10; Sasha Galarza 2 0-0 5; Alexa Bondra 2 0-0 4; Mega Reichenbach 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 13 4-6 35.
Pennsbury (42) – Emily Panaro 4 0-0 8; Maggie Burns 1 6-6 9; Sammie Hawes 1 1-2 3; Alyssa Thomas 4 4-5 14; Adrianna Oberto 1 0-0 2; Ava Jordan 2 2-2 6; Caroline Stover 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 13 13-17 42.
3-point goals: CRN – Amara Arroyo 2, Skyler Wright 2, Sash Galarza; P – Alyssa Thomas 2, Maggie Burns.
NESHAMINY 56, HARRY S TRUMAN 34
The Redskins – behind 11 points from Hayley Kolk – opened up a 25-16 halftime lead, and they put the game out of reach with a 19-7 third quarter burst that included seven points from Kolk and six from Alena Cofield.
Key players: Hayley Kolk (22 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals) and Alena Cofield (19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals) led the Redskins.
For the Tigers, Niya Lynch had nine points.
Neshaminy coach John Gallagher on the game: “It felt good to be back on an SOL court after the holiday break.
“It also feels good to have Alena Cofield and her non-stop energy that clearly has a direct effect on her underclass teammates. We got open shots, several of which were rushed, but the offense was in a good groove most of the game.
“Truman hit us with several three-point baskets from Steph Curry range, but our interior defense vs (Shyla) McCleave was very good. On the other hand, we had too many unforced turnovers from a couple of players that need to be corrected.”
–Props: “I was impressed with Truman (#0) Niya Lynch and her ability to get to the rim. She caused us several help situations that had us scrambling at times.”
Up next: Neshaminy (7-2, 3-1 SOL) will host Coatesville in a non-league game Saturday at noon, and Harry S Truman (0-6, 0-4) will be on the road at Villa Joseph Marie for a non-league game Monday (5:15 pm).
Neshaminy 14-11-19-12 56
Harry S Truman 6-10-7-11 34
Neshaminy (56) – Grace Weyler 1 1-2 3; Alena Cofield 9 0-0 19; Ashlyn Duffy 2 0-0 6; Mia Raivitch 1 0-0 2; Auslyn Wilkins 1 0-0 2; Hayley Kolk 8 4-5 22; Camryn Rodriguez 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 22 7-10 56.
Harry S Truman (34) – Niya Lynch 3 2-2 9, Julianna Romer 3 0-0 8; Shyla McCleave 4 0-2 8; Brianna Philemond 1 2-4 5; McKensie Compton 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 13 4-8 34.
3-point goals: N – Hayley Kolk 2, Ashlyn Duffy 2, Alena Cofield; HST – Julianna Romer 2, Niya Lynch, Brianna Philemond.
SOL Colonial Division
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 55, PENNRIDGE 51
The visiting Titans opened the game with a 19-11 first quarter and took a 47-31 lead into the fourth quarter when they held off a tenacious fourth-quarter comeback attempt by the Lady Rams.
Three CB South players finished the game in double figures. Jules Tropea led the way 21 points, including an 11-point first quarter. Mia Klein spearheaded the 19-point third quarter with 11 points of her own.
Key stretch: The Titans bookended a nine-point second quarter with 19-point first and third quarters.
Key players: Jules Tropea (21 points), Mmia Klein (18 points) and Ella Wheeler (14 points) led the Titans.
For the Lady Rams, Ella Brown had 16 points, Layla Verbit had 15, and Madison Lapp added 12.
Central Bucks South coach Beth Mattern: “I was really proud of the confidence and composure our team showed as a whole tonight. The way we started the game and the second half is the type of play we have been working towards all season.
“Having Jules (Tropea), Mia (Klein), and Ella (Wheeler) all in double digits while playing tough on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.
“Pennridge is a hardworking team who is tough to keep off of the boards and finished well tonight as a whole.”
Pennridge coach Jason Rapp: “South did a really good job executing their game plan versus Ella (Brown) tonight. They made her work. They also hit some shots early and put us in a big hole.
“We struggled with turning the ball over in the first quarter and ended up having to try and claw our way back.
“Our girls battled, just couldn’t overcome the early miscues.
–Props: “Kudos to Jules Tropea and Mia Klein who gave us trouble in the first and second half respectively.
“I thought Layla Verbit was terrific for us tonight and Maddie Lapp had her best game of the season.”
Up next: Pennridge (5-4, 1-3 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West Tuesday, and Central Bucks South (5-7, 2-2) will host Souderton on Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 19-9-19-8 55
Pennridge 11-11-9-20 51
Central Bucks South (55) – Ella Wheeler 5 2-2 14; Jules Tropea 8 4-10 21; Rylie DiCesare 0 0-2 0; Alexandra Tropea 1 0-0 2; Mia Klein 6 4-4 18; Anna Granito 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 20 10-20 55.
Pennridge (51) – Ella Brown 7 2-2 16; Emily DeHaven 1 0-0 3; Madison Lapp 6 0-0 12; Peyton Rabinowitz 1 1-1 3; Allie Smith 1 0-0 2; Layla Verbit 4 7-13 15; TOTALS 20 10-19 51.
3-point goals: CBS – Ella Wheeler 2, Mia Klein 2, Jules Tropea; P – Emily DeHaven.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 56, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 29
The Patriots trailed by two after one quarter but erased that deficit in a hurry in the second, outscoring their hosts 23-7 to seize control of Friday’s rivalry game on the way to the big win. East allowed just 12 points in the second half.
In a contest that featured 16 baskets from beyond the arc, East had 11 3-pointers with Jess Lockwood contributing four while Sydney Ralph and Natalie Berdnt both had two.
Emily Ladley’s four 3-pointers led the Bucks.
Key stretch: A 23-point second quarter featured 11 points from Jess Lockwood and sent the Patriots into halftime with a 31-17 lead.
Key players: Jess Lockwood (16 points, 4 steals, 4 assists) & Haley Moran (15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, 6 assists) led the charge for the Patriots.
For the Bucks, Emily Ladley had 12 points.
Central Bucks East coach Liz Potash: “It was a total team effort to get the win tonight in the big rivalry game. We got off to a slow start but used a big second quarter to get some separation going into halftime.
“The defense was able to create 19 turnovers that led to some easy baskets.
“We have a quick turnaround traveling out to Downingtown East in the morning for another good test.”
–Props: “Haley Moran filled a stat sheet tonight. Aside from the points, she led the team in rebounds, steals and assists.”
Up next: Central Bucks East (8-1, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Downingtown East for a non-league game Saturday (12:30 pm), and Central Bucks West (2-9, 0-4) will host Pennridge Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 8-23-15-10 56
Central Bucks West 10-7-7-5 29
Central Bucks East (56) – Sydney Ralph 3 0-0 8; Haley Moran 6 2-2 15; Cece Hayes 1 0-0 3; Emma Penecale 1 2-4 5; Natalie Berndt 3 1-1 9; Jess Lockwood 5 2-2 16; TOTALS 19 7-9 56.
Central Bucks West (29) – Peyton Cramer 1 0-0 2; Ally Fay 1 2-3 4; Emily Ladley 4 0-0 12; Scarlett Baumgardner 2 1-2 6; Janelle Blokker 1 3-3 5; TOTALS 9 6-7 29.
3-point goals: CBE – Jess Lockwood 4, Natalie Berndt 2, Sydney Ralph 2, Haley Moran, Cece Hayes, Emma Penecale; CBW – Emily Ladley 4, Scarlett Baumgardner.
NORTH PENN 47, SOUDERTON 24
The visiting Knights raced out of the gate to a 17-4 lead after one quarter and added to that lead in the second quarter, opening up a 30-6 halftime lead on their way to the big win.
Key stretch: The Knights allowed just six points in a standout defensive effort in the first half.
Key players: Lily Brown (16 points) & Cam Crowley (13 points) led the Knights.
North Penn coach Bri Cullen: “I was definitely most pleased with our defense tonight. We needed to bounce back after a rough weekend at Ridley (for the Ridley Holiday Tournament). We needed to make a few shots, we needed to get a few stops just to build some confidence back up. We had two rough losses over the weekend, so now to step up get back into it – I’m happy with the adjustments that we made, and our offense just looked more cohesive.
“Lily Brown and Cam (Crowley) led us in scoring, but it’s nice to see multiple names in the book after every game. It’s definitely more distributed offensively. In the past couple of years, we’ve had one, two and maybe three people scoring. Now it’s more spaced out, which is nice to see.”
Up next: North Penn (5-5, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Dallastown for a non-league game Saturday (1:30 pm), and Souderton (8-4, 1-3) will be on the road at Central Bucks South Tuesday.
North Penn 17-13-5-12 47
Souderton 4-2-9-9 24
North Penn (47) – Saniah Hammond 1 0-0 3; Cam Crowley 4 5-5 13; Paityn Debro 0 0-2 0; Lily Brown 7 1-1 16; Leah Mikulski 2 2-2 6; Lacie Haddock 1 0-0 2; Lailani Williams 1 0-0 2; Tallie Smink 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 18 8-10 47.
Souderton (24) – Julia Purvy 5 0-2 10; Olivia Herron 0 2-4 2; Madison Bealer 1 1 -2 3; Liz Word 1 0-1 2; Alaina Picard 1 0-0 2; Emily Dick 1 3-6 5; TOTALS 9 6-15 24.
3-point goals: NP – Saniah Hammond, Lily Brown, Tallie Smink.
SOL Liberty Division
ABINGTON 43, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 35
The Ghosts knocked PW from the ranks of the undefeated, opening up a 24-19 halftime lead and outscoring the Colonials 19-14 in the second half to seal their fate.
Aniyah Williams’ double-double led the Ghosts.
“Everyone on the team contributed to our win today,” Abington coach Allison Lawson said. “Maya (Johnson) was in foul trouble in the second quarter and fouled out in the fourth, but our other guards protected the ball and made sure we kept the lead with Maya on the bench today.”
Key players: Aniyah Williams (18 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists), Mikiaya Durham (9 points, 4 rebounds), Maya Johnson (6 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds), Shya Crafton (4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists)
Abington coach Allison Lawson: “PW was undefeated, but I told them, ‘We were tested. We’ve played really, really hard teams, and looking at their schedule, they didn’t. They haven’t been tested yet, so I don’t think they’ll be ready for our physicality and speed.’ I said, ‘Don’t look at our record. The teams we played are top five, top 10 in the district.’ For us to come together as a team and trust people, sharing the ball. Obviously, this is a really big win for us.”
–A team effort: “Aniyah (Williams) had an off night, but she still scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds and three assists. She also had to handle the ball because Maya (Johnson) fouled out in the beginning of the fourth quarter.
“Maya did great – she had six points and four assists, but she was in foul trouble. I sat her almost the whole second quarter. Kiaya (Durham), Aniya (Williams) and Hailey Hernandez stepped up and handled the ball pretty well under pressure, and they’re not used to doing that because Maya is our floor general. They did a great job handling the ball, handling the pressure and keeping our lead – we never lost the lead.
“Kiaya did a great job rebounding. She had nine points, four rebounds and played great defense. It literally was a team effort.”
Getting defensive: “The key was two of our girls coming off the bench – Shya Crafton and Hannah Gilchrist. They both came in and played great defense. Hannah played great defense on the ball and made it hard for (AJ) Avery and McKenna Winland to run the offense, and Shya did good on the boards, grabbing the rebounds, finding our guards, running the floor. They did a great job.”
PW coach Dan Dougherty: “Frustrating loss today. (We’ve) been telling our kids for weeks, you can’t practice the way we practice (soft/lazy), you can’t start games the way we’ve been starting games and beat good teams. It finally bit us today.
“We won the turnover battle, outrebounded them. Maya Johnson was in foul trouble practically the entire game and we still lost. Honestly, the game was not as close as the score. Abington should have won by 15-20.
“Our top four scorers were a combined 6-for-44 from the floor; many of them were wide open looks/layups. We shot 4-for-10 from the foul line in fourth quarter, including 0-for-2 after a pivotal technical foul.
“The biggest reason for the misses was our inability to get quality scrimmaging in practice – they are nowhere near the speed or intensity the kids face in games. Credit Durham and Williams for rising to the occasion for them. Our kids failed every test today (mentally, emotionally, and physically). We just don’t have the leadership on the floor you need to win games like today. Kids are completely reliant on being told what to do every pass/possession.
“Short turnaround to a game Sunday against West Catholic, start of the game will be very telling of what we can expect second half of our season.”
Up next: Abington (5-4, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Upper Moreland on Friday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-1, 2-1) will face West Catholic as part of the Blue Star Classic at Thomas Jefferson University Sunday (10:50 am).
Plymouth Whitemarsh 11-6-7-11 35
Abington 14-10-7-12 43
Plymouth Whitemarsh (35) – Taylor Williams 1 3-4 6; Olivia Patete 2 0-2 4; AJ Avery 1 6-10 8; McKenna Winland 3 0-2 8; Eliza Meersman 1 5-6 7; Grace Harvey 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 9 14-24 35.
Abington (43) – Maya Johnson 3 0-2 6; Mikiaya Durham 4 0-0 9; Shya Crafton 1 2-2 4; Hannah Gilchrist 1 0-2 2; Vanessa Griffin 1 0-0 2; Hailey Hernandez 1 0-0 2; Aniyah Williams 7 4-6 18; TOTALS 18 6-12 43.
3-point goals: PW – McKenna Winland 2, Taylor Williams; A – Mikiaya Durham.
UPPER DUBLIN 86, HATBORO-HORSHAM 33
The Flying Cardinals opened up a 25-9 lead after one quarter and extended that to 47-19 by halftime on their way to the big win.
Five Cards finished the game in double figures, led by the 23-point effort of junior Emilia Coleman.
In a dazzling offensive display, UD shot close to 50 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on 14 of 30 from long range and 34 of 60 overall.
Kay players: UD was led by the double-figure efforts of Emilia Coleman (23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks), Tamia Clark (19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists), Bridget DiMartile (12 points, 5 assists, 3 steals), Megan Ngo (12 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) & Kaitlyn Zacharia (12 points, 4 assists)
For the Hatters, Maddy Patel scored 13 points.
Up next: Upper Dublin (9-2, 3-0 SOL) will face Rutgers Prep in a non-league game at Thomas Jefferson University on Sunday (1:30 pm). Hatboro-Horsham (2-7, 0-3) will host Wissahickon Tuesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 9-10-5-9 33
Upper Dublin 25-22-24-15 86
Hatboro-Horsham (33) – Angelica Visceglia 3 0-0 8; Madison Duggan 1 0-0 3; Maddy Patel 5 0-0 13; Gabby Fisher 0 2-2 2; Madison Siegfried 2 1-2 5; Olivia Grant 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 12 3-4 33.
Upper Dublin (86) – Bridget DiMartile 5 1-1 12; Tamia Clark 9 1-2 19; Megan Ngo 4 2-2 12; L Ngo 1 0-0 3; Siegel 1 0-0 3; Emilia Coleman 9 0-0 23; Kaitlyn Zacharia 4 0-0 12; Morris 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 34 4-5 86.
3-point goals: HH – Angelica Visceglia 2; Madison Duggan; Maddie Patel 3. UD – Bridget DiMartile, Megan Ngo 2, L Ngo, Siegel, Emilia Coleman 5, Kaitlyn Zacharia 4.
SOL Freedom Division
CHELTENHAM 59, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 29
Cheltenham has been the surprise team of the SOL this season.
If there was any question whether they were the favorite to capture the Freedom Division title, the Lady Panthers emphatically answered that question with a decisive win over the Lions. Both teams entered the game without a loss in division play. Maya Simmons scored a game-high 26 points, and Zoe Thompson added 19 points to lead the Lady Panthers.
Cheltenham owned this one from start to finish, opening up an 18-10 lead after one quarter and extending its advantage to 36-15 at halftime. The Lady Panthers outscored their opponent in all four quarters, and they did all of this without their leading scorer, Jiah Price.
With the win, Cheltenham is 7-1, the program’s best start since the 2015-16 season when the Lady Panthers opened the season with a 9-1 record.
Key stretch: The Lady Panthers established their dominance from the outset.
Key players: Maya Simmons (26 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals), Zoe Thompson (19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals), Paige Powell 8 points, 3 assists, 3 steals), Cassie Bugg 6 points, 11 rebounds.
For the Lions, Kayla Fennell (7 points, 8 rebounds) led the way.
Up next: Cheltenham (7-1, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Springfield Twp on Tuesday, and New Hope-Solebury (7-2, 3-1) will host William Tennent Tuesday.
New Hope-Solebury 10-5-10-4 29
Cheltenham 18-18-13-10 59
New Hope-Solebury (29) – Kayla Fennell 7, Izzy Elizondo 6, Emily Wlson 7, Mary Tressler 3, Ella Dudick 6.
Cheltenham (59) – Maya Simmons 26, Paige Powell 8, Cassie Bugg 6, Zoe Thompson 19.
3-point goals: NH-S – Izzy Elizondo 2, Emily Wilson, Kayla Fennell; C – Maya Simmons 4, Zoe Thompson 2.
UPPER MORELAND 43, SPRINGFIELD TWP 38
Sparked by the 21-point effort of Mikel Lancit, the Golden Bears notched a win over the visiting Spartans.
The Spartans – behind eight points from Ava Culler – led 14-13 after one quarter, but the Golden Bears took a lead they would not lose with a 14-6 second quarter to go into halftime with a 27-22 lead. They added to that lead in the third quarter on their way to the win.
Key stretch: The Golden Bears outscored the Spartans 29-16 in the middle two quarters.
Key players. Mikel Lancit led UM with 21 points, which included four 3-pointers. Lancit had three 3-pointers in a 15-8 third quarter. Lianna Adames added eight points.
For the Spartans, Ava Culler led the way with 18 points.
Upper Moreland coach Josh Adelman: “We fell behind early tonight 10-2 but fought back to make it 14-13 after one on a corner three at the buzzer by Mikel Lancit. Mikel led us with 21 points which included four 3s. She played a great game on both ends of the floor. Lianna Adames also chipped in eight points and was all over the floor tonight as well.”
Bench delivers: “The story for us was we had two starters get into foul trouble, but our players off the bench – Tierney Hogan, Emma Kramer, and Parker Kurtz – really stepped up and helped us keep the lead once we jumped ahead 27-22 at the half. We didn’t play a game over the break and were a little rusty, but we gained the lead and won an important league game.
“Besides a tough loss to Cheltenham, we have lost some close games to start the season. The girls are working hard at practice, and we just have to learn to play 32 minutes. They are continuing to improve, and I know we will figure it out as the season progresses. Getting our bench involved will definitely pay dividends for us moving forward.
–Props for Spartans: “I thought Ava Culler played a nice game for Springfield. And (Julia) Guicheteau and (Keira) Brandon were extremely active for them the entire night. We did just enough to hold them off. Always great to get a win in the league. Nothing is easy, that’s for sure.”
Up next: Upper Moreland (6-4, 1-3 SOL) will travel to Pottsgrove for a non-league game Saturday (1:30 pm), and Springfield Twp (2-8, 0-4) will host Cheltenham Tuesday.
Springfield Twp 14-8-8-8 38
Upper Moreland 13-14-15-1 43
Springfield Twp (38) – Caitlin Lewis 2 0-0 4; Chloe Kaczor 1 0-0 2; Keira Brandon 2 0-0 4; julia Guicheteau 4 0-0 10; Ava Culler 8 2-9 18; TOTALS 17 2-9 38.
Upper Moreland (43) – Mike Lancit 7 3-4 21; Lianna Adames 2 2-2 8; Marie Meyers 2 0-0 4; Hailey Kramer 2 1-4 5; Parker Kurtz 1 0-2 3; Tierney Hogan 1 0-2 2; TOTALS 15 6-14 43.
3-point goals: S – Julia Guicheteau 2; UM – Mikel Lancit 4, Parker Kurtz, Lianna Adames 2.
LOWER MORELAND 55, WILLIAM TENNENT 49 (OT)
Tennent rallied from a 29-22 halftime deficit to send the game into overtime where the Lions held an 8-2 edge and earned the hard-fought win.
Listening to LM coach Rich Becker tell it, close games are nothing new when the two teams do battle on the hardwood.
“This is the ninth time we’ve played Tennent since we’ve been in Suburban One, and it seems like every time we play them, the games are always tight and this was no exception,” the Lions’ coach said.
The Lions – behind eight points from Bri McFerran and seven from Emma DiJoseph – led 19-15 after one quarter and took a 29-22 lead into halftime.
The Panthers came roaring back and propelled by the 15-point effort of Avery Kocur knotted the score at the end of regulation, setting the stage for the overtime.
Key players: Three players finished in double figures for the Lions – Bri McFerran (16), Emma DiJoseph (15) and Dani Brusha (13). Mady Rossiter’s three-point play off the opening tap in OT ignited the Lions.
For the Panthers, Avery Kocur scored a career high 29 points, and Meg Volz added 10.
Lower Moreland coach Rich Becker: “We were fortunate to walk out of there with an overtime win. Nikki Sahl and Dani Brusha both got into early trouble, and that really impacted our perimeter defense, and Avery Kocur, who was great for them tonight, was able to take advantage of that and scored 29 points including a late 3-pointer that tied the game.
“Despite not having good practices leading up to the game and playing unfocused at times, our girls showed up in overtime. Dani fouled out with over two minutes left in regulation, so I was happy to see that we found a way to pull out the win.
“The first game after the break is usually sloppy. We’ll need to be sharper next week when we play Upper Moreland, PW and Renaissance Academy.”
–Props: “Mady Rossiter converted an and -one’ off of the tap and set the tone for us in overtime. This was her first game back since the second game of the year.
“Emma DiJoseph is continuing to get back into form. After missing the last two games with injury, she scored 13 points for us tonight, and Bri McFerran continues to be a force on offense and defense for us.”
William Tennent coach Laura Whitney: “Tough one tonight, but super proud of the grit our girls showed and how they kept fighting.
“We came out flat and were a little careless with the ball. So, we were playing catch up from the beginning. On top of that, our two starting bigs each picked up two quick fouls. Once we settled down, we found a nice rhythm and managed to tie it up. Credit to Lower Moreland – they shot the ball extremely well, and it seemed like every time we’d make a run or tie it up – they hit a big shot.
“We played well the second half and continued to battle despite the hot shooting of Lower Moreland. We found ourselves down 46-38 with just over three minutes left in the game, and our girls never quit. We went on a 6-1 run to get it to three with 29.5 seconds left. Lower Moreland had possession and Avery (Kocur) stole the inbounds pass and drains a 3 to tie it up and force OT. Unfortunately, we ran out of gas and had two more girls foul out to make any real push in OT.
“It’s certainly a tough loss – every game means a lot, but especially a division game. We have to find a way to bounce back and stay positive. We’ve had a great season so far and there’s still a lot of games left to be played.”
–Props: “Avery was unbelievable tonight. She scored a career high 29 points and literally did it all. On a night where we had several girls in foul trouble and others struggling to get themselves going offensively, she put the team on her back, gritting through leg cramps and being denied most of the game. We came up just a little short.”
Up next: Lower Moreland (4-6, 2-2 SOL) will host Renaissance Academy in a non-league game Monday (6 pm), and William Tennent (6-4, 2-2) will travel to New Hope-Solebury Tuesday.
Lower Moreland 19-10-12-6-8 55
William Tennent 15-7-16-9-2 49
Lower Moreland (55) – Briana McFerran 4 6-12 16; Dani Brusha 4 4-6 13; Emma DiJoseph 6 1-2 15; Nikki Sahl 2 2-3 6; Maddie Broderick 1 2-2 5; TOTALS 17 15-25 55.
William Tennent (49) – Lindsay Catoni 2 0-0 4; Avery Kocur 11 3-4 129; Halie Staub 2 2-2 6; Meg Volz 5 0-0 10; TOTALS 20 5-6 49.
3-point goals: LM – Briana McFerran 2, Emma DiJoseph 2, Dani Brusha, Maddie Broderick; WT – Avery Kocur 4.
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