Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. Upper Dublin/UM photos provided courtesy of Geanine Jamison. PW/Abington photos courtesy of Larry Small. CLICK HERE for galleries of both games. (Neshaminy photo provided courtesy of Neshaminy basketball.)
Non-league
NESHAMINY 72, VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 31
Brooke Mullin wasn’t all that concerned about when or where it happened, but when she found out that just 150
points separated her from the 1,000-point milestone entering her final high school season, the Bucknell-bound senior was determined make it happen.
She entered Friday’s non-league game at Villa Joseph Marie needing 14 points. It took her less than a quarter to take care of business. Mullin reached the elusive milestone on a drive to the basket.
“From the beginning of my senior year, that was always my goal, and once it got closer and closer, it was just more motivating to me to get to that exciting milestone,” said Mullin.
The game was halted for an impromptu celebration.
“My teammates supported me since the beginning,” Mullin said. “I love them. They’re my best friends, and it was so exciting to share it with them and for them to support me.”
Mullin is the first Neshaminy female to reach the historic 1,000-point plateau since Kelsey Ryan did it almost a decade ago in 2010.
“There’s a lot of people that get a thousand points by taking 25 shots a game, and that’s how they get it,” coach Joe Lally said. “Brooke has done it within a system that’s been based on trying to win, and I think that makes it extra special.
“What I’m proud of most is that it was never about Brooke getting a thousand points. It was about us becoming a better team, and along the way, what more can she do to make us better, and that got her a thousand points.”
Mullin led all scorers with 17 points – 15 in a 31-point first quarter for the Redskins. Allison Harvey added 11 while Kacie Sienko had nine. Kelli Kowalick and Meghan Ansel both had eight points.
Neshaminy (10-1, 4-0 SOL) will host Abington in a non-league contest on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Neshaminy 31-21-10-10 72
Villa Joseph Marie 7-4-17-3 31
Neshaminy (72) – Sydney Tryon 1, Emily Tantala 4, Kacie Sienko 9, Olivia Scotti 4, Brooke Mullin 17, Kristin Curley 4, Alex Ziegler 6, Kelli Kowalick 8, Allison Harvey 11, Meghan Ansel 8.
Villa Joseph Marie (31) – Maggie Tomaselli 12, Jackie Skalski 4, Austin 6, McGlaughlin 2, Zink 4, Postowski 3.
JENKINTOWN 64, HARRY S TRUMAN 29
SOL National Conference
BENSALEM 50, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 38
Bensalem’s turnaround continues.
Two years ago, the Owls did not win a game in conference play. Last year, they won two, and with Friday’s win, they’ve already equaled last year’s total.
The Owls, who led by four after one quarter, took a 24-17 lead into halftime. The Golden Hawks trimmed one point off that lead in the third quarter, but the Owls closed it out with a 17-point final quarter.
“We led throughout,” co-coach Sheldon Per said.
Junior Haley Keenan led all scorers with 21 points, and junior Chloe Munyon added 14.
“I thought Keenan and Munyon played well, (Emily) Wineburg did well with blocked shots,” Per said. “We started a freshman in Delaney (Bell). It was her second game, and she did fine. She only had two points, but she played great defense.”
Hannah Binder’s 16 points led the Golden Hawks. Nicole Blaustein added 12 points.
Bensalem (6-3, 2-2 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman for a rivalry game on Tuesday at 5 p.m. Council Rock South (4-6, 1-2) will be on the road at Pennsbury on Tuesday.
Bensalem 12-12-9-17 50
Council Rock South 8-9-10-11 38
Bensalem (50) – Emily Wineburg 5, Michaela Sit 3, Mia Parker 2, Haley Keenan 21, Delaney Bell 2, Chloe Munyon 14, Devlin 3.
Council Rock South (38) – Montanna Chambers 2, Aubrey Hondros 1, Bailey Vetter 4, Carley Irvin 2, Nicole Blaustein 12, Madison Broaddus 1, Jenna Culp 1, Hannah Binder 16.
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 39, PENNRIDGE 35
The visiting Titans led for the better part of 32 minutes only to watch the Rams stage a late rally, pulling to within one before the Titans pulled away for the win.
“Honestly, my goal is always to get out of there with a win – whatever it takes,” coach Beth Mattern said. “I just feel like Pennridge plays really, really well in their gym.
“They’re a nice team – they’re young, they’ve got energy. I was really proud of my girls. We executed at the end, and we made foul shots when we needed to. For the young group we have – I challenged a couple of them early in the game to step up, and I thought they did.”
Early on, the Titans had everything going their way. Behind four points from both Taylor Hinkle and Alexa Brodie, they opened up a 12-4 lead at the end of one quarter. The Rams began clawing their way back in the game in the second.
“Pennridge started hitting some shots,” Mattern said. “They regrouped a little bit. Pennridge did what Pennridge does – they’re tough in their gym.
“They are aggressive, they can shoot, and they really crash the offensive boards. When we struggled to box them out and control the boards, that’s when they made a run.”
The Titans took a 31-23 lead into the fourth quarter only to watch the Rams pull to within one very late.
“Alexa (Brodie) hit a runner down the lane to put us up by three,” Mattern said. “We hit a foul shot to go up by four, and they got a runner in the lane to cut it to two. Mackenzie Erb hit two foul shots with under 10 seconds left to give us a four-point lead.”
Brodie led all scorers with 15 points while Hinkle added nine – all in the first half. Sofia Sonnet had eight points. For the Rams, Emilee Cramer led the way with 11 points, and Corinn Mart had six. The Rams connected on 10-of-13 from the foul line.
Central Bucks South (4-4, 2-2 SOL) will travel to Jefferson University on Sunday to take on Ursuline Academy in the Blue Star Tournament at 9:30 a.m. Pennridge will be on the road at Souderton on Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 12-10-9-8 39
Pennridge 4-13-6-12 35
Central Bucks South (39) – Taylor Hinkle 9, Mackenzie Erb 4, Kirsten Schaller 1, Fatima Cervera 2, Alexa Brodie 15, Sofia Sonnet 8.
Pennridge (35) – Corinn Mart 6, Sam Muredda 5, Sophie Cweiber 2, Julia Kreider 4, Evelyn Loughery 2, Ashley Gordon 2, Emilee Cramer 11, Megan Kriney 3.
SOUDERTON 54, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 35
The Indians opened up a 15-7 lead after one quarter, took a 10-point lead into halftime and then outscored their visitors 23-14 in the second half.
“In the second quarter, we struggled a little bit with their pressure,” coach Lynn Carroll said. “We made an adjustment but something we never practiced before, and our girls really executed well in the second half. They made it look like something we work on a lot, and it’s not. I was really happy with that.
“Offensively, for most of the second half once we had a nicer cushion, we wanted long possessions, high percentage passes, high percentage shots. I think the girls did a nice job of accomplishing that pretty consistently in the second half.”
Megan Walbrandt led a balanced attack with 11 points while Curran O’Donnell and Mikaela Reese each added nine. Megan O’Donnell had eight points and Olivia Schneider chipped in six.
“I thought Erica Stephens gave us really good minutes off the bench,” Carroll said. “Defensively, she played really well, and she hit a couple of shots for us.
“Obviously, teams are really focused in on Megan Bealer and Megan Walbrandt. They got more looks last year than they’re getting this year, and the fact that they’re not forcing the issue and other people are stepping up is allowing us to have three, four five kids scoring eight to 12 points.”
Carroll credited the contributions of Curran O’Donnell.
“Curran is one of the players who has stepped up and taken some of the pressure off of Megan Bealer and Megan Walbrandt,” the Indians’ coach said. “She’s versatile – she can shoot the three, she can attack the basket, she has a mid-range game, and she’s playing the best defense she’s ever played. She’s really stepped up for us and has really been playing well and giving us good minutes.”
Gabby Wilga led the Patriots with 11 points, and Skylar Krause had nine.
“(Wilga) played a great game for them,” Carroll said. “She made it tough on our post defenders. I thought we played perfect defense a couple of times, and she still scored. She played really well for them.”
Souderton (8-1, 4-0 SOL) will host Pennridge on Tuesday, and Central Bucks East (3-6, 1-3) will host St. Basil Academy in a non-league game on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Central Bucks East 7-14-7-7 35
Souderton 15-16-14-9 54
Central Bucks East (35) – Sydney Ives 3, Gabby Wilga 11, Caroline Pla 3, Emily Chmiel 3, Skylar Krause 9, Aubrey DeAngelis 2, Emily Barry 4.
Souderton (54) – Megan Bealer 5, Olivia Schneider 6, Megan Walbrandt 11, Erica Stephens 4, Gabby Ziegler 2, Curran O’Donnell 9, Megan O’Donnell 8, Mikaela Reese 9.
NORTH PENN 61, QUAKERTOWN 8
Valerie McGriff’s 11 points led a balanced North Penn attack, and Cayla Sharkey added 10 points. Alli Lindsay and Alaina Mullaly both had eight points while Carley Adams and Rachel Strobel had six each.
North Penn (5-3, 2-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Tuesday, and Quakertown (1-8, 0-3) will be on the road at Saucon Valley for a non-league game on Saturday at 12:15 p.m.
Quakertown 2-0-3-3 8
North Penn 28-16-11-6 61
Quakertown (8) – Brianna Lefkoski 4, Maddie 1, Kayla Horning 2, Emma Pizzullo 1.
North Penn (61) – Cayla Sharkey 10, Alayna Faisen 4, Laynie Doran 4, Alli Lindsay 8, Rachel Dunne 2, Megan Polenik 2, Alaina Mullaly 8, Rachel Strobel 6, Carley Adams 6, Valerie McGriff 11.
SOL American Conference
ABINGTON 63, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 40
Kassondra Brown is a handful for any team, and against a young Colonial squad, the URI-bound senior was at her dominating best, finishing the night with 30 points, 11 rebounds, three blocked shots and four steals in a brilliant performance.
“Kassondra had a monster night,” coach Dan Marsh said. “She was totally focused and just said, ‘I’m going to give them 30 tonight,’ and she did.”
Behind seven points from Brown and six from Tami Wessels, the Ghosts opened up a 17-9 lead after one quarter and took a 29-16 lead into halftime. Brown had 14 points in the half.
“We have a senior team, and they have a really young team, but they’re going to be a team to be reckoned with in the next couple of years, even probably by February or March,” Marsh said. “We were just too much for them tonight.”
Also for the Ghosts, Wessels finished with 10 points. Freshman point guard Khalis Whiting had nine points and six assists, and Camryn Lexow added eight points.
For the Colonials, freshman Lainey Allen had 14 points and freshman Kaitlyn Flanagan added 11. Sophomore Anna McTamney had six.
Abington (8-1, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy for a non-league game on Saturday at 1 p.m. Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-1, 3-1) will host Downingtown West on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in a non-league tilt.
Abington 17-12-16-18 63
Plymouth Whitemarsh 9-7-9-15 40
Abington (63) – Tamia Wessels 10, Kassondra Brown 30, Camryn Lexow 8, Miranda Liebtag 4, Khalis Whiting 9, Becca Pohle 2.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (40) – Kaitlyn Flanagan 11, Gabby Cooper 4, Anna McTamney 6, Lainey Allen 14, Jordyn Thomas 2, Lily Belle McGrorty 3.
WISSAHICKON 36 CHELTENHAM 26
Anna Schools scored a game-high 16 points and Brianna Tilghman added 10 to lead the visiting Trojans to the conference win over their neighboring rival.
The Trojans led 9-5 after one quarter, but the Lady Panthers – sparked by eight points from Madison Rorer – outscored their visitors 15-8 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 20-17 lead. They still led by three heading into the final quarter when they were outscored by the Trojans 13-0. While the Lady Panthers were 0-for-5 from the foul line in the final frame, the Trojans were 9-for-11 from the charity striple. Tilghman was 3-for-4.
“We still have a lot to work on,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said. “It was another game we played well for three quarters but mentally fell apart in the fourth.
“We need to learn how to handle adversity and finish games strong.”
Rorer led the Lady Panthers with 12 points and nine rebounds while Kai Williams added nine points and 12 rebounds.
Wissahickon (3-4, 2-2 SOL) will travel to Great Valley on Saturday for a non-league game at 7 p.m. Cheltenham (1-8, 0-4) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.
Wissahickon 9-8-6-13 36
Cheltenham 5-15-6-0 26
Wissahickon (36) – Lily Hyatt 4, Anna Schools 16, Brianna Tilghman 10, Victoria Williams 4, Gabby Zeber 2.
Cheltenham (26) – Madison Rorer 12, Yanisha Dormil 3, Kelia Holmes 2, Kai Williams 9.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 63, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 41
Kylie Halko turned in another glittering offensive performance, scoring a game-high 21 points to lead the Hatters to the convincing win. Freshman Alice Hall also finished in double figures with 12 while Sydney Kemp had nine and Camryn Ryan, seven points.
For the Spartans, Grace Barraclough led the way with 15 points, and Emily Smith added 13.
The Hatters, who led 18-8 after one quarter, seized early control of the game, opening up a commanding 37-16 halftime lead and never looking back.
Hatboro-Horsham (5-6, 2-2 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham on Tuesday, and Springfield Township (1-9, 0-4) will be on the road at Upper Moreland on Tuesday.
Springfield Township8-8-15-10 41
Hatboro-Horsham 18-19-14-12 63
Springfield Township (41) – Annie Coll 2, Grace Barraclough 15, Leajah Sistrunk 2, Rileigh Serroni 5, Maddie Yoder 1, Emily Smith 13, Emily Guicheteau 3.
Hatboro-Horsham (63) – Emily Thomas 5, Camryn Ryan 7, Sydney Kemp 9, Sarah Mahoney 4, Logan Cummings 1, Kylie Halko 21, Graceanne Griffis 4, Alice Hall 12.
UPPER DUBLIN 51, UPPER MORELAND 12
Jackie Vargas was a dominant force in the paint, scoring 17 points and also adding six rebounds and three blocked shots. Anajae Smith added 12 points and five rebounds, and Sarah Eskew added eight points, four steals, three assists and three rebounds to lead the Flying Cardinals, who led 15-2 after one quarter and never looked back.
Bean Hughes had five points to lead the Golden Bears.
Upper Dublin (7-2, 4-0 SOL) will face Conrad (Del.) on Sunday in the Blue Star Tournament at Jefferson University (8:15 p.m.), and Upper Moreland (6-3, 2-2) will be on the road at MaST Community Charter for a non-league game on Monday.
Upper Moreland 2-3-4-3 12
Upper Dublin 15-12-12-12 51
Upper Moreland (12) – Bean Hughes 5, Emma Meakim 4, Kelley Leighton 2, Kathryn Morrow 1.
Upper Dublin (51) – Bliss Brenner 2, Jess Sobieski 2, Angajae Smith 12, Meg Barbera 3, Jess Polin 3, Jackie Gorman 4, Sarah Eskew 8, Jackie Vargas 17.
About the Author
