Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. Pennridge/CB East photos courtesy of Tracy Valko. CR South/CR North photos courtesy of John Gleeson, CB South/CB West photos courtesy of Jon Sklut, and PW/Hatboro-Horsham photos provided courtesy of Larry Small. Check back for galleries of all four games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f884733941
SOL Patriot Division
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 44, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 36
The Golden Hawks outscored the Indians 13-4 in the third quarter, breaking a halftime tie and going on to earn the win in a tightly contested battle of the neighboring rivals.
“Overall, this was a good win,” Rock South coach Blair Klumpp said. “We knew we were going to get their best punch coming in – we won the last three meetings, and they are really battling and
trying to take down someone ahead of them for a playoff spot.
“Jack (Kelly) always has his teams prepared and tonight was no different. We got off to a really quick start, just like at Neshaminy, and then some things stalled for us offensively. A big difference for them in the second quarter, I thought, was Ruth O’Keefe, who was just playing extremely hard and earning extra possessions and opportunities for them.”
The Golden Hawks led 10-4 after one quarter only to see the Indians use an 11-5 second quarter to knot the score 25-25. The Golden Hawks outscored the visiting Indians 29-21 in the second half.
“To our girls’ credit, in the second half, we locked into all of our halftime talking points and had a strong third quarter,” Klumpp said. “We held them without a field goal in the third.
“When we were locked in defensively to our game plan, we did a really good job. KP and Bross (Katie Purpura and Lily Bross) did a good job on (Lizzie) Lustig , (Lil) Metrick was good on Delaney (McCaffery). She made some tough shots late. Kat (O’Kane) and LB (Lily Bross) kept (Kiera) Katz out of the lane for most the night where she can hurt you. Jess (Mangoni) and Fi Reckner really battled Jaden (Wan) too- she scored a few on broken plays, but otherwise had to work. She’s a kid I will miss coaching against just because she’s a talented player, but she’s a really, really nice kid, and it’s just good to see her back in the court for a full season for the first time in a couple years.”
The Golden Hawks were led by the 13-point effort of Liliana Metrick. Karissa Smedley added eight points and four steals while Kat O’Kane contributed seven points, seven assists and three rebounds. Katie Purpura had a pair of assists to go along with six rebounds. Jess Mangoni had four boards.
“For us, I thought Smed (Karissa Smedley) was really good in spots defensively with steals and deflections and jumping to help, taking a charge,” Klumpp said. “I’m still pushing her to be more aggressive offensively, but I thought tonight she set a tone defensively for us in effort plays. “Katie (Purpura) has brought that all year as well. Kat (O’Kane) was really good in getting her teammates looks and knowing where to get the ball too. North made two runs – one in second quarter and then one in fourth. We gained some separation in third – KP had three, Cam (Gregory) had three, Metrick had one. Bross had an early fourth quarter three. They battled back, but we did a really good job.
“The last 3:30 we used the clock and knocked down free throws. All but one of our free throws came down the stretch with them fouling and we shot a good percent. I’m proud of the girls for their execution tonight in a rivalry game where emotions can run high. We did a really good job down the stretch.”
For the Indians, Ruth O’Keefe led the way with 12 points while Delaney McCaffery and Jaden Wan both had 11 points.
Council Rock South (12-6, 8-6 SOL) – 16th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – will travel to Wissahickon for a non-league game Wednesday, and Council Rock North (9-11, 4-10) – 27th in the rankings – will host Neshaminy on Friday.
Council Rock North 4-11-4-17 36
Council Rock South 10-5-13-16 44
Council Rock North (36) – Lizzie Lustig 1 0-0 2; Delaney McCaffrey 4 0-0 11; Jaden Wan 4 2-2 11; Ruth O’Keefe 5 2-2 12; TOTALS 14 4-4 36.
Council Rock South(44) – Kathryn O’Kane 2 3-4 7;Lil Metrick 4 2-3 13; Lily Bross 1 0-0 3; Katie Purpura 1 2-2 5; Cam Gregory 1 0-0 3; Fiona Reckner 2 0-0 5; Karissa Smedley 3 2-2 8; TOTALS 14 9-11 44.
3-point goals: CRN – Delaney McCaffrey 3, Jaden Wan; CRS – Lil Metrick 3, Lily Bross, Katie Purpura, Cam Gregory, Fiona Reckner.
PENNSBURY 49, BENSALEM 28
Sofia Vitucci scored a game-high 20 points while Nevaeah Dash added 16 to lead the Falcons to the decisive win over the visiting Owls.
“Once again defense leads the way for us,” Pennsbury assistant coach Kaitlin Kelly said. “But tonight, we got it done on the offensive end as well. When you can execute on both ends, that’s when you
win ball games.
“Overall, it was a great team win. We played tough and smart from start to finish and never let up.”
Vitucci buried a pair of 3s and scored 10 points in the first quarter to jumpstart the Falcons, who led 15-8 after one quarter and took a 26-11 lead into halftime.
“We held them to 11 points in the first half while also containing (Amber) Howard to only six points at the end of the second quarter and four points in the third,” Kelly said. “Our girls did a tremendous job locating and helping off the ball.”
Dash’s 12 points in the third quarter, which included a pair of 3s, ignited the Falcons, who outscored their visitors 18-4 to go into the final quarter with a 44-15 advantage
“Let’s take a moment to talk about Nevaeh Dash – what a night for her,” Kelly said. “Nevaeh is always given the difficult defensive assignment, often giving up a couple inches to the girl she has to guard, but she gives 100 percent on every possession of defense, and seems to always be in the right place and making the right decisions.
“And that comes from experience. Her performance on offense tonight was especially great to see. Being aggressive, knocking down shots, and finding her teammates for the open look. She finished with 16 points, three assists, and two steals. She and Sofia have been playing very well together and stepping into their leadership roles.”
Howard’s 14 points led the Owls. Devon Bell added six points on a pair of 3-pointers.
Pennsbury (16-4, 11-3 SOL) – 11th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – will host Council Rock South Friday, and Bensalem (7-13, 2-12) will host Harry S Truman Friday.
Bensalem 8-3-4-13 28
Pennsbury 15-11-18-5 49
Bensalem (28) – Talia DiMichele 1 0-0 2; Mary Beck 1 0-0 3; Devon Bell 2 0-0 6; Ariana Jenkins 1 0-0 3; Amber Howard 5 4-9 14; TOTALS 10 4-11 28.
Pennsbury (49) – Emily Panaro 3 0-0 6; Danielle Sherman 2 0-0 5; Sofia Vitucci 8 1-1 20; Daniella MacDonald 0 2-2 2; Nevaeh Dash 6 2-2 16; TOTALS 19 5-5 49.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Devon Bell 2, Mary Beck, Ariana Jenkins; Pennsbury – Sofia Vitucci 3, Nevaeh Dash 2, Danielle Sherman.
NESHAMINY 53, HARRY S TRUMAN 26
The visiting Redskins opened up a 21-8 lead after one quarter and never looked back on their way to a win that saw 10 different players put their names in the scoring column.
Reese Zemitis, Alena Cofield and Lola Ibarrondo led the way with eight points each. Zemitis also had five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots. For Cofield, it was a season high, and she also had three steals.
Taylor Gurysh added seven points, three rebounds and three assists while Ava Irizzary and Erin Dougherty both had six points.
“Frosh Erin Dougherty played very well for us off the bench, showing a nice level of maturity while playing significant minutes with players in our regular rotation,” Neshaminy coach John Gallagher said.
Truman’s Shylah McCleve’s 14 points led all scorers.
“Truman center Shylah McCleve has really improved in her rebounding and scoring around the basket since our first game this season,” Gallagher said.
Neshaminy (14-5, 11-3 SOL) – eighth in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – will be on the road at Council Rock North Friday, and Harry S Truman (0-18, 0-14) will travel to Bensalem on Friday.
Neshaminy 21-20-3-9 53
Harry S Truman 8-5-6-7 26
Neshaminy (53) – Jasmin Davis 1 0-1 2; Alena Cofield 4 0-1 8; Lola Ibarrondo 2 4-6 8; Taylor Gurysh 2 2-4 7; Ava Irizzary 3 0-0 6; Reese Zemitis 2 4-4 8; Jess Purdy 2 0-0 4; Lindsay Little 1 1-3 3; Erin Dougherty 1 4-8 6; Camryn Rodriguez 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 18 16-29 53.
Harry S Truman (26) – Terrion Hurt 2 1-2 5; Saniya Blount 1 0-0 2; Erynn Bond 2 0-0 4; Shylah McCleve 6 2-3 14; Ya’mazijah Thomas 0 1-4 1; TOTALS 11 4-9 26.
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Taylor Gurysh.
SOL Colonial Division
PENNRIDGE 47, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 38
The visiting Rams found themselves on the short end of a 23-15 score at halftime. The second half was another story entirely. The Rams came out of halftime and outscored their hosts 22-2 in the
third quarter to seize control of the contest.
Katie Yoder was a catalyst, scoring 15 of her game-high 19 points in the second half.
“We didn’t shoot the ball well in the first half,” coach Jason Rapp said. “I thought we had good looks. We were 1-for-9 from 3. We came out in the third quarter – we defended, we rebounded, and we were 9-for-9 from the floor.
“I thought we defended well in the first half, but we couldn’t get points. They hit a couple of shots. I told our girls – stay aggressive. They’ve done that all year, and they made shots. This is a nice win. We needed this one tonight. Playing at East, being down at halftime – our kids did a great job. They punched us in the face early, and we responded. I’m really proud of how we played.”
The Patriots had things going their way in the first half. Kendall Gregor led a balanced attack with six points while Shayne LeRay and Anna Barry both had five, and East led by eight at the half.
In the pivotal 22-point third quarter. Yoder led the way with nine points as the Rams took control of the game, turning an eight-point halftime deficit into a 37-25 advantage.
“Five out of our six players scored in the third quarter,” Rapp said. “Katie got a couple layups. Olivia Poole hits a 3, (Grace) Rosica hits a 3, Yoder hits a 3, and it kind of steamrolled.
“I thought we really did a good job defensively again. No one scored in double figures for them. We were able to rebound tonight in the second half. We said to our kids – we defend really well, we just don’t finish the possessions, and I thought tonight we did that.”
In addition to Yoder’s 19 points, Anna Croyle had nine points, and Ella Brown added six.
For the Patriots, Barry’s nine points led the way. Shayne LeRay and Gregor each added eight while Erin LeRay had six.
Pennridge (14-6, 9-5 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Friday, and Central Bucks East (14-5, 10-4) will be on the road at Souderton Friday for a 6:30 p.m. contest. The Patriots are 14th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings, and the Rams are 15th.
Pennridge 6-9-22-10 47
Central Bucks East 11-12-2-13 38
Pennridge (47) – Ella Brown 3 0-0 6; Grace Rosica 2 0-0 5; Anna Croyle 4 1-4 9; Katie Yoder 8 2-5 19; Ava Fantaskey 1 0-2 3; Olivia Poole 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 20 3-11 47.
Central Bucks East (38) – Erin LeRay 2 2-2 6; Natalie Berndt 1 2-2 5; Shayne LeRay 3 0-0 8; Anna Barry 3 2-2 9; Chantal Van Dongeren 0 2-2 2; Kendall Gregor 3 1-2 8; TOTALS 12 9-10 38.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Grace Rosica, Katie Yoder, Ava Fantaskey, Olivia Poole; CBE – Shayne LeRay 2, Anna Barry, Natalie Berndt, Kendall Gregor.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 38, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 27
What a difference a half can make.
The Titans struggled mightily to find their offense in the first half, scoring six points in the first quarter and zero in the second. It was the kind of offensive showing that could spell disaster, but they
trailed by just a 13-6 score at the intermission.
Ignited by the 20-point effort of Yoyo Samayoa – 18 in an inspired second half, the Titans exploded for 32 second-half points and outscored the Bucks 17-3 in the fourth quarter to earn the win.
“Obviously, we struggled to score in the first half, and I think a lot of that’s a credit to CB West’s defense – they play with a lot of tenacity,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “We struggled to get things to drop even when we had some open looks.
“In the second half, we made a couple of adjustments the girls really bought into, and we were able to execute. I thought we played more like a team, and that allowed some really good things to happen on the court for us.”
And what exactly did the Titans’ coach tell her players at halftime?
“I just reminded them about what we’ve been working on and why we’ve been working on it, and I kind of thought they were selling themselves short on the court,” Mattern said. “I guess that little reminder ended up being good for them.
“We were a completely different team in the second half. I was pretty happy with our defensive effort in both halves. We did make a little defensive adjustment in the second half, which I thought helped us, and we made foul shots in the fourth quarter when we needed them.”
The low-scoring first half didn’t have a whole lot of highlights for either team. Katie Finnan’s six points on a pair of 3s led the Bucks.
The Titans – behind seven points from Samayoa and four from Casey Balkir – outscored the Bucks 15-11 in the third quarter but still trailed 24-21 heading into the final quarter when they erupted for 17 points and allowed just three. Samayoa’s 11 points – which included a 6-for-8 effort at the foul line – led the Titans.
“Wins haven’t come easy for us this season,” Mattern said. “This was a nice game for the team to leave here tonight with a win in our division. I’m really proud of our effort and the way they battled, especially in the second half.
“I’m proud of them all the time, but I thought the second half was really well done. West played really hard. This was a tough game. Both of us are around the same place. I feel grateful that we came out on top tonight.”
In addition to Samayoa’s 20 points, Ella Wheeler added nine, but this win – according to the Titans’ coach – represented the consummate team effort.
“Especially in the second half, Yoyo came alive,” Mattern said. “It was a tough go in the first half. She had some misses I think she would really like back, but she battled and made sure we played as a team in the second half. She knocked down foul shots – she came up big for us tonight.
“When I look at our three captains – Yoyo had a great scoring second half. Jenna McCartin (sidelined with an injury) was huge on the bench in keeping them engaged, and Casey Balkir created some turnovers on the defensive end that really helped stoke us and created some offense. When I look at our three leaders, they all three were big for us tonight, and the younger ones followed, so that was perfect.
“We had some freshmen who pulled some great boards. In the first half, Mia Klein was huge for us on the boards. I thought everyone did something pretty great tonight.”
For the Bucks, Tai Henkels and Finnan led the way with nine points each. Gabi Senior added six.
Central Bucks South (7-12, 3-11 SOL) will travel to North Penn Friday, and Central Bucks West (7-13, 5-9) will host Pennridge on Friday.
Central Bucks West 8-5-11-3 27
Central Bucks South 6-0-15-17 38
Central Bucks West (27) – Gabi Senior 2 1-2 6; Tai Henkels 4 0-1 9; Katie Finnan 2 3-4 9; Gabby Reichner 0 1-2 1; Janelle Blokker 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 9 5-9 27.
Central Bucks South (38) – Ella Wheeler 3 2-4 9; Casey Balkir 1 2-2 4; Jules Tropea 0 2-6 2; Yoyo Samayoa 6 6-8 20; Mmia Klein 1 1-3 3; TOTALS 11 13-23 38.
3-point goals: CBW – Katie Finnan 2, Gabi Senior, Tai Henkels; CBS – Yoyo Samayoa 2, Ella Wheeler.
SOUDERTON 45, NORTH PENN 35
It was the Teyha McConnaha show for the Indians.
The Souderton senior was playing without a mask for the first time in 2023 after suffering a broken nose in the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational where the Indians captured the championship and McConnaha was MVP.
McConnaha celebrated her first maskless game in over a month with 24 points and 14 rebounds, dominating the paint and leading that Indians to a win that clinched sole possession of the program’s fourth title in six years. She also had two steals and a blocked shot.
“Every single shot she takes is contested, and she finished a high percentage of them,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “We have her down for 14 rebounds. It’s definitely more than that. She was just a force. They had no answer.
“Between girls getting her the ball and her going after the rebounds, just about every field goal she made was in the paint. She’s relentless, and she doesn’t care what happens to her body along the way. Pain is not a deterrent. She just finds a way to get it done. We weren’t shooting particularly well from the outside, but it was okay because Teya was just getting it done down low.”
In a preview of things to come, McConnaha scored eight first-quarter points, and the Indians led 12-6. By halftime, she had 12 points, and the Indians led 22-14. The senior was growing increasingly frustrated playing with a mask, and if this was her way of celebrating, Carroll will happily take it.
“She’s been dying to get rid of that thing,” the Indians’ coach said. “She has not been herself. No one has proven capable of playing like themselves while wearing something that obstructs their vision, and she was still contributing. It’s not like she was a non-factor when she had a facemask on – she more than contributed.
“It would be totally normal for that to impact a player. She had a pretty bad injury and has been wearing the facemask to protect it, and she has been hit in the face several times with the facemask on, which is very painful.
“You would think she might have some fear going into this game playing for the first time without it. If you didn’t know it ever happened, you wouldn’t know. She was just relentless. It’s just really nice to see the double-double version of Teya playing free and not afraid to put the ball on the floor, which was the biggest issue because you kind of lose sight of the ball on the dribble. She just played determined.”
The Knights outscored the Indians 8-7 in the third quarter but still trailed 29-25. The Indians – behind – nine points from McConnaha – put the finishing touches on the win with a 16-10 fourth quarter.
“We didn’t settle for outside shots because we didn’t have to,” Carroll said. “We were having success with pass penetration and some dribble penetration. Our shooters probably passed up some looks for high percentage shots.
“Our defense was great – to hold them to 35 points, they can put up numbers. We were trading 2s for 3s. They were hitting some 3s, which kept them in it, but our defense was very good for most of the game.”
In addition to McConnaha, Harter stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Brooke Fenchel added five points.
For the Knights, Caleigh Sperling’s 13 points, which included a 5-for-5 effort at the foul line, led the way. Olivia Stone added 10 points while Abby Plaugher had nine.
“I don’t know how Caleigh Sperling does it, and I said that to her at the end of the game – she just finds a way to score,” Carroll said. “It’s not flashy, nothing looks all that complicated. She just finds a way to get to the basket and finish.
“Casey Harter was in perfect defensive position multiple times, and Caleigh still found a way to get off a pretty good look. There’s not that many people who can do that. She kept them in the game.
“Olivia Stone played well for them – she hit some shots. Abby Plaugher hits some shots, but I think we kept every kid under their season average.”
Souderton (17-3, 13-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks East Friday at 6:30 p.m., and North Penn (10-10, 8-6) will host Central Bucks South Friday. The Indians are fourth in the latest District One 6A power rankings while the Knights are 22nd.
Souderton 12-10-7-16 45
North Penn 6-11-8-10 35
Souderton (45) – Erin Bohmueller 0 2-3 2; Brooke Fenchel 2 0-0 5; Casey Harter 6 0-0 12; Grace McDonough 1 0-0 2; Teya McConnaha 11 2-4 24; TOTALS 20 4-7 45.
North Penn (35) – Caleigh Sperling 4 5-5 13; Abby Plaugher 2 3-4 9; Kelly Donnelly 1 0-0 3; Olivia Stone 4 0-0 10; TOTALS 11 8-9 35.
3-point goals: Souderton – Brooke Fenchel; NP – Abby Plaugher 2, Olivia Stone 2, Kelly Donnelly.
SOL Liberty Division
QUAKERTOWN 52, WISSAHICKON 49 (OT)
Carolyn Sipprell put her name in the program record books, surpassing the 1,000-point milestone in overtime in Tuesday’s tightly contested win. The standout senior is the first Quakertown girls’ basketball player to reach that milestone in more than a decade. Her glittering 30-point, 12-rebound performance led the Panthers to a hard-fought win that made celebrating Sipprell’s accomplishment secondary to winning the road game.
“I did have one timeout left, which I wanted to use for Carolyn’s 1000th, but selfishly wanted to keep that in my pocket just in case since it was such a close game,” Quakertown coach Brittany Bamford said. “We weren’t quite ready to celebrate this moment for Carolyn as we were preparing for Friday as she deserves a big celebration.
“She’s worked hard over the last four years, and the coaching staff and her teammates are very proud of this accomplishment. It’s something that hasn’t been done in many years. We hope to do an official celebration for her at home next Tuesday.”
The overtime was an exciting one as the two teams exchanged baskets.
“We won the tap and then Carolyn drove to the basket and drew the foul to get the and-1, which put us up by three,” Bamford said. “Kaitlyn McGeary took advantage of us helping and made a bucket under the basket. On the other end, Carolyn Sipprell got a memorable moment, scoring her 1000th point on an assist from Kayla Sicher using a screen from Katie Catalano from the elbow.
“Then on the other end (Claira) Baldasano hit a jump shot when we were focused on helping on McGeary. We were still up by one, so we went into a stall which forced them to foul. Unfortunately, we didn’t make the foul shot, but Katie Catalano ended up getting the steal on the other end and made the breakaway layup putting us up by three.”
The visiting Panthers found themselves in an early hole as the Trojans, who led 12-10 after one quarter, outscored their visitors 16-5 in the second to go into halftime with a 28-15 lead.
“We had a slow start in the first half,” Bamford said. “We made too many mistakes on offense and defense in the second quarter. Carolyn Sipprell and Katie Catalano were both in foul trouble in the second quarter, which makes our offense and defense suffer, and Wissahickon took advantage with a 16-point second quarter.
“In the second half, we were able to adjust our defense and step in the passing lanes which our team thrives on. We were able to execute our plays and make our shots.”
Also contributing for the Panthers was Catalano, who finished with 10 points while Kayla Sicher had eight points. Carli Maha led the defense with three steals, and Addyson Davis had eight rebounds.
For the Trojans, McGeary led the way with 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
“Kaitlyn McGeary was tough to stop tonight,” Bamford said.
Also for the Trojans, Kylie Friedman had 13 points, one assist and one steal. Claira Baldasano added eight points, three steals and two assists. Julia Lettieri had three assists while Eva Schools had three steals and two rebounds.
Quakertown (10-10, 7-7 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham Friday, and Wissahickon (5-14, 3-11) will host Council Rock South on Wednesday. The Panthers are still very much alive in the hunt for a district berth. They are 25th in what will be a 24-team field in District 1 Class 6A.
Quakertown 10-5-15-15-7 52
Wissahickon 12-16-8-9-4 49
Quakertown (52) – Carolyn Sipprell 11 7-9 30; Carli Maha 0 2-2 2; Katie Catalano 3 3-4 10; Kayla Sicher 4 0-0 8; TOTALS 19 12-15 52.
Wissahickon (49) – Eva Schools 1 0-0 2; Kaitlyn McGeary 9 5-6 24; Julia Lettieri 1 0-0 2; Claira Baldasano 4 0-0 8; Kylie Friedman 4 2-3 13; TOTALS 19 7-9 49.
3-point goals: Quakertown – Carolyn Sipprell, Katie Catalano; Wissahickon – Kaitlyn McGeary, Kylie Friedman 3.
ABINGTON 46, UPPER DUBLIN 34
Chaos.
It’s the undoing for most teams, but for the Ghosts, it’s become their trademark. Abington went into the fourth quarter trailing 30-27 after a third quarter that saw UD go on a 14-4 tear. It took no time at all for the Ghosts to turn the tide in the fourth quarter. All it took was a dose of chaos, creating the kind of defensive pressure that brings teams to their knees, and things were never the same for either side.
“Our chaos came back a little bit,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “Upper Dublin can be really frustrating to play against because they always take away what you do well offensively.
“In the third quarter, they were taking away what we do offensively, and they were executing on offense and outscored us 14-4. We had to step it up in the fourth quarter.”
And step it up they did, erasing that three-point deficit in the blink of an eye.
“In the fourth quarter, it was a 50-second stretch where we went from up one to being down nine, and that’s not an exaggeration at all,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “We didn’t get the ball over halfcourt in that amount of time.”
The UD coach recounts the sequence that proved to be his team’s undoing.
“We were up one, we got three good shots at the basket,” Funsten said. “We made a mistake defensively in transition. (Abril) Bowser made us pay with a 3. We called timeout, we turned the ball over three straight times, and they scored seven points.
“So, it went from 30-29, Bowser makes a 3 to make it 32-30, and then we didn’t get the ball over halfcourt, and they scored seven points. It was frustrating to play well for as long of stretches as we did tonight. We played a great third quarter.”
The Ghosts, who led 15-10 after one quarter, took a 23-16 lead into halftime. Cire Worley’s eight points led the way while Bowser had seven. For the Cardinals, Megan Ngo had seven points in the half, and Nora Brady had five.
In the third quarter, the Cardinals – who led by as many as five in the frame – benefitted from a pair of Amy Ngo 3s as well as six points from Colleen Besachio to go on top 30-27. The fourth quarter belonged to the Ghosts.
Bowser had a pair of 3s and eight points in the quarter, and Worley had five points while Piper McGinley had four.
“I told them – we were starting to panic,” Marsh said. “This hasn’t been a great stretch for us, and we were starting to panic and bickering at each other in the huddle, even myself. Finally, we said, ‘Look, we need to calm down, we need to do what we do best. We’re only down three. We have to go out and do our chaos.’
“Abril (Bowser) and Piper (McGinley) took over. Abril was getting open court steals against a very good point guard and getting layups. What we call our chaos, thriving in chaos, was able to fluster Upper Dublin, and we took a double-digit lead.
“I think our kids finally hit a sense of desperation. It’s crazy because we were playing so well early (in the season), and that doesn’t usually happen to our teams – we usually play well late. We were playing so well, and then we had that lull in the schedule – the crossovers, and we were playing teams we didn’t have to be at our best to compete with, and then we roll back into these tougher games, and we have to readjust. I think tonight really helped us – now we’re back to what we need to do.”
Worley and Bowser each had three 3s and both had 15 points to lead the Ghosts. Piper McGinley added nine points.
For the Cardinals, Megan Ngo’s 13 points and four assists led the way. She also had a pair of steals. Amy Ngo and Besachio both added eight points. Bescachio had a team-high nine rebounds to go along with four blocked shots and two assists while Amy Ngo had five rebounds and three assists. Nora Brady added seven rebounds.
“In the third quarter, we played great,” Funsten said. “Unfortunately, we’ve had three games this way – our first PW game we made a great run in the third quarter and just couldn’t sustain it. Upper Moreland we made a great run in the third quarter and couldn’t sustain it. The PW and Upper Moreland games were a slower death.
“We have to get better mentally. It seems pretty clear that one mistake leads to another mistake. That’s something we need to clean up very quickly, and we’re running out of time to clean these mistakes up.”
Abington (17-4, 12-2 SOL) – ranked sixth in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – will host Wissahickon on Friday, and Upper Dublin (13-6, 10-4) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday. The Flying Cardinals are 17th in the latest power rankings.
Abington 15-8-4-19 46
Upper Dublin 10-6-14-4 34
Abington (46) – Cire Worley 5 5-8 15; Maya Johnson 2 0-0 4; Abril Bowser 4 4-4 15; Jordyn Reynolds 1 0-0 3; Piper McGinley 4 0-0 9; TOTALS 16 9-12 46.
Upper Dublin (34) – Megan Ngo 6 1-3 13; Amy Ngo 3 0-1 8; Colleen Besachio 4 0-0 8; Nora Brady 1 2-2 5; TOTALS 14 3-6 34.
3-point goals: Abington – Abril Bowser 3, Jordyn Reynolds, Piper McGinley; UD – Amy Ngo 2, Nora Brady.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 58, HATBORO-HORSHAM 26
The Colonials hosted their local youth league – the Whitemarsh Girls Basketball League, and over 100 aspiring young girls were in attendance, lining up for autographs and photos with the players.
When the game began, the Colonials put on quite a performance for their young fans, and after opening up a 12-5 lead after one quarter, the Colonials outscored their visitors 19-10 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 31-15 lead. Sharpe’s 14 points, including a pair of 3s, led the Colonials in the half. Erin Daley added 12 points in the first half.
The Colonials erupted for 39 points over the middle two frames to go on top 51-24 heading into the final quarter.
“It was kind of a sloppy start by our girls tonight – very poor shooting to start the game,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “Eventually, we started to knock down shots in the second and third quarters to pull away.”
Abby Sharpe’s 25 points led the Colonials, who put three players in double figures. Sharpe also had eight rebounds. Erin Daley added 17 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, and Angelina Balcer had nine on three 3-pointers.
“That’s going to be very important for Angelina and our team moving forward,” said Dougherty of his senior’s success beyond the arc.
Kitty Randa’s 11 points led the Hatters.
“I’ll give our girls credit they played hard tonight for a majority of the game,” HH assistant coach Nicole Miletto said. “We came out and hit our first two shots and 
handled their pressure. We were aggressive on defense most of the game with a few miscommunications on defense.
“We were down two seniors again tonight. It seems like when we get someone back, we lose another. Not having our point guard hurts, especially playing an aggressive, fast-paced game. PW has a lot of real nice players who don’t make many mistakes and can hit shots from all over. They do all the little things. If we went for loose balls and rebounds, they went a little bit harder. The got a lot of good looks and they knocked them down. Abby and Erin are such nice players. They are well rounded and shot the ball with confidence and didn’t miss many.
The Hatters’ assistant lauded the play of senior Allie Hewish.
“She did a great job for us on defense and really gave her all,” Miletto said. “She’s been playing tough defense all year and tonight was no different.
“This is a long week for us with three games in four days and only one of those games at home. We have to work to fix some of our mistakes and end the season on a high note.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (17-2, 13-1 SOL) – third in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – will be on the road at Upper Dublin on Thursday, and Hatboro-Horsham (7-12, 5-9) will be on the road at Great Valley for a non-league game Thursday.
Hatboro-Horsham 5-10-9-2 26
Plymouth Whitemarsh 12-19-20-7 58
Hatboro-Horsham (26) – Abby Waeltz 1 0-0 2; Kitty Randa 5 1-1 11; Leah Harrington 2 0-2 5; Alyssa Tooley 1 0-0 2; Maddy Patel 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 10 1-3 26.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (58) – Azzy Crumpton 0 1-2 1; Angelina Balcer 3 0-1 9; AJ Avery 2 1-2 5; Kenna Winland 0 1-2 1; Erin Daley 7 0-0 17; Abby Sharpe 11 1-5 25; TOTALS 23 4-12 58.
3-point goals: HH – Caroline Shegogue, Allie Hewish; PW – Erin Daley 3, Angelina Balcer 3, Abby Sharpe 2.
SOL Freedom Division
WILLIAM TENNENT 45, CHELTENHAM 38
The Panthers raced out of the gate to a 25-15 halftime lead and then withstood a comeback rally by the Lady Panthers to earn the hard-fought win.
“We were glad to escape with the win,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “It wasn’t pretty, but a win’s a win and a much-needed win at that. A lot of credit to Cheltenham for playing so hard and fighting till the end even when they battled foul trouble. I thought at times they were the more aggressive team.”
Tennent rode the hot hand of Halie Staub in the first half. The freshman has been coming on strong, and she scored all 12 of her points in the opening half. Arianna Davis had six points to lead the host Lady Panthers.
Maya Simmons scored all eight of Cheltenham’s third-quarter points, and Tennent took a 32-23 lead into the final quarter on their way to the win.
“I was happy for our girls to grind it out and get the well-deserved win tonight after how well we have played the last few games despite not finishing them off,” Whitney said. “However, we have to do a better job of taking care of the ball. We had too many unforced turnovers and got careless at times.
“Again, we didn’t shoot well from the free throw line and left a ton of points out there. To shoot 20-for-40 from the line is just unacceptable, and it’s going to cost you games. Luckily, we made some big ones in the fourth quarter when it mattered most.”
Staub’s 12 points led Tennent. Avery Kocur added eight points while Alyssa Lewicki and Haley Dickson each had seven points.
For the Lady Panthers, Simmons had 11 points while Arianna Davis and Cassie Bugg each had seven points.
“It was a battle from the start,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said. “We competed for four quarters but just couldn’t make plays down the stretch to win the game.”
William Tennent (9-11, 4-8 SOL) will travel to New Hope-Solebury on Friday, and Cheltenham (6-13, 2-12) will be on the road at Upper Moreland Friday.
William Tennent 11-14-7-13 45
Cheltenham 7-8-8-15 38
William Tennent (45) – Ella Mednick 1 2-5 5; Avery Kocur 2 4-10 8; Halie Staub 3 5-9 12; Alyssa Lewicki 1 5-7 7; Hailey Lorenzon 1 0-1 2; Haley Dickson 1 4-6 7; Morgan Volz 2 0-2 4; TOTALS 11 20-40 45.
Cheltenham (38) – Paige Powell 1 1-4 3; Maya Simmons 6 1-3 13; Janiya Townes-Wakefield 1 0-0 3; Amelia Kopp 0 2-2 2; Arianna Davis 2 1-2 5; Ije Ojukwu 1 0-0 2; Cassie Bugg 3 1-3 7; Ali Charles 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 15 6-14 38.
3-point goals: WT – Ella Mednick, Halie Staub, Haley Dickson; Cheltenham – Janiya Townes-Wakefield, Ali Charles.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 51, LOWER MORELAND 38
Sparked by the 19-point effort of freshman Gabby D’Agostino, New Hope notched an important road win. The visiting Lions, who led 15-5, after one quarter, took a commanding 33-14 lead into halftime. Senior Reagan Chrencik’s 12 points led the visitors in the first half while D’Agositino, the Lions’ freshman point guard, added 10 points.
“I loved our ball movement tonight against the zone,” New Hope coach Steve Polinsky said. “Gabby did a nice job not only scoring but setting her teammates up tonight.
“If we run our lanes, Gabby will get you the ball. Reagan was her usual self, leading the offense in the first half, but I liked how she is talking on defense, getting defensively connected with her communicating with everyone on the floor.”
Chrencik finished with 13 points, and Izzy Elizondo marked her return with 10 points.
“It was great having a Izzy Elizondo back in the lineup,” Polinsky said. “She missed four games with an ankle injury, and she was playing really well tonight.
“You always have to have your team ready for Coach (Rich) Becker’s teams. Lower Moreland plays hard till the end of the game.”
Becker tipped his hat to the visiting Lions.
“Tonight we just got beat by a better team,” the LM coach said. “When we were putting together our game plan, we knew it would be a pick-your-poison situation, so we told the girls that we would have to change defenses to try to keep them a little off balance. Turns out it didn’t matter.
“Knowing that we could not match their speed on the perimeter, we decided to play our zone and try to get out on their shooters. That worked for about the first four minutes. Once they warmed up, they made three consecutive 3s, including an NBA range three by Chrencik. Once we went man defense, D’Agostino pretty much got into the lane at will. Even when we would roll our help defense towards her, she found an open teammate who would get a good look at the net.”
For Lower Moreland, Liz Neeld led the way with 12 points, including two 3s. Alexis MacPhee added nine points.
“On our end, other than getting beat in transition a few times, I can’t say that we played poorly,” Becker said. “They are just ahead of us. New Hope had a good game plan. We had a tough time with their length and speed on the perimeter.
“We were happy to see Liz Neeld get back on track offensively, and freshmen Alexis MacPhee continues to impress us with her poise and decision making.”
New Hope-Solebury (13-7, 11-3 SOL) will host William Tennent on Friday, and Lower Moreland (5-14, 3-11) will host Jenkintown in a non-league game Thursday.
New Hope-Solebury 15-18-14-4 51
Lower Moreland 5-9-10-14 38
New Hope-Solebury (51) – Emily Wilson 1 0-0 3; Gabby D’Agostino 7 1-2 19; Reagan Chrencik 4 4-4 13; Izzy Elizando 4 2-2 10; Nina Meixler 1 0-0 2; Devon McGuire 1 0-0 2; Anne-Charlotte Arnould 1 0-0 2; 19 7-8 51.
Lower Moreland (38) – Brianna McFerran 1 0-0 2; Maddy Rossiter 1 0-0 2; Amelia Brown 2 0-2 5; Jess Shein 1 1-2 3; Liz Neeld 5 0-0 12; Alexis MacPhee 3 1-2 9; Haylee Huber 1 0-0 3; Ashley Avington 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 15 2-6 38.
3-point goals: NHS – Gabby D’Agostinio 4, Emily Wilson, Reagan Chrencik; LM – Liz Neeld 2, Alexis MacPhee 2, Amelia Brown, Haylee Huber.
UPPER MORELAND 49, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 18
The visiting Golden Bears – ignited by seven points from Holly Gohl – set the tone for a strong outing with a 15-0 opening quarter. They led wire to wire on their way to the decisive win.
“We had gotten away from doing the little things the last couple games, and we tried to focus on getting back to the basics,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “Everything about our team has been kind of off recently.
“Whether it was defensive positioning, boxing out, taking care of the ball, shot selection, or fouling on drives, it just hasn’t been good enough for what we want this time of year. I thought all of those things were really good tonight, and the girls were super focused in on doing them well and you could tell.”
Gohl’s 22 points, which included three 3s, led the Golden Bears. She did all of her damage in three quarters. Lilly Hansen added nine points.
Alana Decker’s 10 points led the Spartans.
“There was one spurt where we lost (Alana) Decker a couple times and she made us pay,” Carroll said. “She was very aggressive offensively and is a good spark for them. (Jayla) Daniels can be a difficult cover offensively and Mikel (Lancit) was great on her throughout the night.
“Our post players did a great job anticipating the drive and helping straight up. We have three regular season games left, but we anticipate a lot more games after that and we want to start hitting our stride soon. Tonight was a good fundamental start.”
Upper Moreland (17-2, 12-2 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Friday, and Springfield Twp (4-14, 0-14) will host Bristol in a non-league game Thursday.
Upper Moreland 15-12-14-8 49
Springfield Twp 0-8-5-5 18
Upper Moreland (49) – Mikel Lancit 2 0-0 4; Zoe Longstreth 1 0-2 3; Alyssa Wiley 0 1-2 1; EmmyFaith Wood 1 0-0 2; Lilly Hansen 4 0-0 9; Holly Gohl 8 3-3 22; Marie Meyers 2 0-2 5; Allie LaRocco 1 1-4 3; TOTALS 19 5-13 49.
Springfield Twp (18) – Alana Decker 4 0-0 10; Delaney Lake 1 0-0 3; Devan Nolan 1 0-0 2; Ava Culler 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 7 1-2 18.
3-point goals: UM – Holly Gohl 3, Zoe Longstreth, Lilly Hansen, Marie Meyers; Springfield Twp – Alana Decker 2, Delaney Lake.
About the Author
