Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. PW/Upper Dublin photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL Patriot
PENNSBURY 37, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 28
The Indians trailed by just three heading into the final quarter, but the division-leading Falcons dialed up their defense and outscored their hosts 11-4 to close out the game and earn their seventh victory without a loss.
“In a normal year when you go on the road in January in your league against a rival, you always know it’s going to be a battle,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “But obviously this isn’t a normal year. Council Rock North is very fortunate as they are allowed spectators and they had a very vocal crowd.
“Their size, length and athleticism presents a unique challenge for us. We jumped out early, but we had a difficult time getting the pace of the game fast. At times, we were successful with our pressure and pushing the ball, but they did a nice job defensively and we had our poorest shooting night of the year.
“We were happy to be able to play a game like that and have it go down to the wire because our girls really did a good job keeping their composure. Most of our games are going to be very close this year. That’s just the way it is in our league and with our team.”
The Falcons – behind five points from Ava Sciolla and four from Sofia Vitucci – led 9-2 after one quarter. The Indians managed only a pair of foul shots by Kristen Polinsky in the opening frame.
In the second quarter, the Indians outscored the Falcons 11-6 to pull to within two at halftime (15-13). The Indians suffered a setback when – with three seconds remaining in the half – Jaden Wan went down with an injury and did not play in the second half, but they hung tough.
With 2:06 remaining in the third period, the Indians took a short-lived 23-22 lead when Riley Hamilton buried a 3-point basket. The Falcons regrouped and took a 26-23 lead into the final quarter. With 3:04 remaining in regulation, Lizzie Lustig buried a three that pulled the Indians to within 30-28, but that’s as close as they would get.
Nevaeh Dash’s five points, which included a 3-for-4 effort at the foul line, led the Falcons in the fourth quarter.
“Nevaeh, Nicole (Pompili) and Sofia (Vitucci) all made big plays on the offensive end and Ava was more patient than Job in the second half,” Sciolla said. “It’s been interesting watching her transition into playing point guard full-time because we love the passes and the plays that she makes while at the same time wanting her to remember her ability as a scorer. We are thankful for her poise.
“I continue to be impressed by the effort of Nevaeh Dash. She is filling so many roles for us, and tonight there were shots that she wanted to go down that didn’t go, but she is just being so consistent with her level.
“Every game will be like tonight from here on out. It has to be really fun for the kids, and I know it is for the coaches.”
Dash’s 10 points – eight in the second half – led the Falcons. Vitucci and Sciolla both added nine, and Pompili had seven points.
For the Indians, Lustig scored 10 points, and Hamilton added seven.
Pennsbury (7-0, 4-0 SOL) will travel to North Penn for a crossover game on Friday, and Council Rock North (2-5, 1-4) will host Souderton on Friday.
Pennsbury 9-6-11-11 37
Council Rock North 2-11-10-5 28
Pennsbury (37) – Ava Sciolla 3 3-4 9; Layla Matthias 0 2-4 2; Sofia Vitucci 4 1-2 9; Nicole Pompili 3 0-0 7; Nevaeh Dash 3 4-5 10; TOTALS 13 10-15 37.
Council Rock North (28) – Lizzie Lustig 4 0-0 10; Delaney McCaffrey 1 0-0 2; Riley Hamilton 2 2-2 7; Kristen Polinsky 0 2-2 2; Jaden Wan 1 2-2 4; Ruth O’Keefe 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 9 6-6 28.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Nicole Pompili; CRN – Lizzie Lustig 2, Riley Hamilton, Ruth O’Keefe.
NESHAMINY 48, BENSALEM 28
In a contest that saw both teams down a starter – Bensalem was minus Mackenzie Kramer while Neshaminy was without Mimi Smith, the visiting Redskins opened up an early lead and never looked back.
Sophomore point guard Lola Ibarrondo was the catalyst in an early Neshaminy run.
“Lola either scored or assisted on our first five baskets as we went up 10-2,” Neshaminy coach John Gallagher said.
The Redskins – who led 15-4 after one quarter – received five first-quarter points from Taylor Gurysh and four from Ibarrondo while Jess Purdy and Lindsay Little each buried a 3-pointer.
“Jess Purdy slipped into a starting spot, hitting two 3s while playing significant minutes,” Gallagher said.
The Owls – behind a pair of 3s and eight points from Talia DiMichele – outscored the Redskins 12-9 in the second quarter to make it a 24-16 game at halftime. Behind a pair of Reese Zemitis 3-pointers and four 3s overall, the Redskins outscored the Owls 14-7 in the third quarter to go on top 38-23 on their way to the win.
“When Bensalem went to a zone, we hit six 3s,” Gallagher said.
Gurysh led a balanced Redskin attack with 11 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists in a standout effort.
“Taylor had a monster game,” Gallagher said. “She is playing above my expectations in recent games. I’m very happy with her.”
Zemitis added nine points and nine rebounds.
“Reese dominated the boards and opened up their zone with two 3-pointers early in the third quarter,” Gallagher said.
Little contributed eight points while Ibarrondo added seven points, seven rebounds and eight assists in a strong outing of her own. Purdy scored six points on a pair of 3s.
“My early season concern about our bench is fading,” Gallagher said. “We are getting excellent minutes from Lindsay Little, Skylar Lall and Anna Soska. The same with Purdy who we needed to start tonight.”
For the Owls, DiMichele had eight points – all in the second quarter – while Howard added seven.
Neshaminy (6-1, 4-1 SOL) will host North Penn on Tuesday, and Bensalem (5-3, 2-3) will host Central Bucks South on Friday.
Neshaminy 15-9-14-10 48
Bensalem 4-12-7-4 28
Neshaminy (48) – Taylor Gurysh 5 1-1 11; Anna Soska 2 0-0 4; Maya Lewis 1 0-0 3; Jess Purdy 2 0-0 6; Lindsay Little 3 0-0 8; Lola Ibarrondo 3 0-0 7; Reese Zemitis 3 1-1 9; TOTALS 19 2-2 48.
Bensalem (28) – Delaney Bell 2 0-0 4; Maddie MacDougall 1 0-0 3; Averi McCoy 1 0-0 2; Amber Howard 3 1-1 7; Peyton Miller 2 0-2 4; Talia DiMichele 3 0-0 8; TOTALS 12 1-3 28.
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Jess Purdy 2, Lindsay Little 2, Reese Zemitis 2, Maya Lewis, Lola Ibarrondo; Bensalem – Talia DiMichele 2, Maddie MacDougall.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 51, HARRY S TRUMAN 26
The Golden Hawks erupted for 21 points in the first quarter and added 18 in the second to open up a 39-13 halftime lead on their way to the convincing win.
“Overall, I thought our energy and activity was really good in first half,” Rock South coach Blair Klumpp said. “We were using our length and speed, getting deflections, creating extra possessions, dictating pace and tempo. We got a lot of good looks both in half court and transition, and we moved the ball well.
“Not all the looks fell, we missed a lot of shots in the lane and some open looks, but they were good looks within how we want to play. We had some real good stretches in first half. We hit eight threes in the first half, really controlled the glass and didn’t turn the ball over. We played 11 girls in the first half, and I think all that played a part into our halftime lead.”
The Tigers edged the Hawks 13-12 in the second half, but by that time, the outcome had already been decided.
“We were kind of stagnant in the second half energy-wise,” Klumpp said. “I probably could have utilized our depth and bench a little better to provide a spark, and I think all of that is part of our growth together. I continue to reflect daily in how I can improve, and we can improve individually but more so collectively.”
Cam Gregory’s 13 points led a balanced Golden Hawk attack. Lily Bross also finished in double figures with 10 to go along with four assists and four rebounds. Both players had three 3-pointers. Mia Stock added nine points and a team high eight rebounds. Karissa Smedley contributed eight points, five rebounds and five steals. Katie Purpura and Fiona Reckner both had four rebounds. Purpura also shared the team lead with Smedley with five steals.
“Cam and Lil Bross halved six 3s early and created some separation, and Mia Stock and Smed did a real good job on the glass,” Klumpp said. “Katie (Purpura) did a good job contributing in other areas as well as evidenced by her steals, rebounds and deflections. Katie and Lil Bross had a bunch of deflections early on to set a good tone for us. We just need to keep working and have that energy translate for 32 mins as a group.
“Our bench deserved a lot of credit for sustaining the energy level in the first half. We have a group (our bench plus our JV girls) who are really competing in practice and working to get better and pushing one another. All that stuff is really good to see daily and positive building blocks. The next step will be doing it consistently day to day and applying it to game situations. This game was good for us in the sense we got a win which is always good, we did some things well that we can build off of, and we can take away some areas to improve. The girls have been working hard and we will get back tomorrow to prepare for Hatboro-Horsham.”
Patricia Monroe’s 12 points led the Tigers while Dahlia Gumaa added six.
Council Rock South (6-2, 3-2 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham in a non-league game on Thursday, and Harry S Truman (0-5, 0-4) will host Pennridge in a crossover game Friday.
Harry S Truman 5-8-8-5 26
Council Rock South 21-18-4-8 51
Harry S Truman (26) – Mayah Alford 2 0-4 4; Patricia Monroe 3 6-9 12; Dahlia Gumaa 3 0-0 6; Secret McCleve 2 0-3 4; TOTALS 10 6-16 26.
Council Rock South (51) – Kathryn O’Kane 1 0-0 2; Liliana Metrick 1 2-2 5; Lily Bross 3 1-2 10; Haley Thompson 1 0-0 2; Katie Purpura 1 0-0 2; Cam Gregory 5 0-0 13; Mia Stock 3 2-2 9; Karissa Smedley 3 2-3 8; TOTALS 18 7-9 51.
3-point goals: CRS – Lily Bross 3, Cam Gregory 3, Mia Stock, Liliana Metrick.
SOL Colonial
SOUDERTON 38, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 31
The sequence looked like it could be a backbreaker.
With the Indians trailing 29-27 and three minutes remaining in a contest that saw points of any kind hard to come by, Casey Harter’s 3-point attempt on the baseline sailed over the basket but – fortunately for Harter and the Indians – fell into the waiting hands of freshman Grace McDonough who was fouled putting up a shot.
McDonough misfired on both foul shots but – thanks to some hustle – came up with the rebound of her own miss and kicked the ball out to Harter, who calmly hit nothing but net on a 3-pointer that gave the Indians a lead they would not lose.
“Grace is a freshman, and she has her moments, but that was definitely a big rebound,” Souderton junior Erin Bohmueller said. “Her not giving up on the foul shot was definitely good. I knew right when the shot left Casey’s hands it was going in. It was a really good look.”
Harter – the Indians’ fearless floor general – never hesitated when it came time to take the big shot just moments after she’d put up an airball.
“It was a pass – let’s call it a pass,” Harter said with a laugh of her initial miss. “Grace played so well, and she could tell where my shot was going. She got the rebound and saw me.
“I just shot – I had confidence. I knew I was open. It was an important part of the game. You have to forget about (the shot you missed).”
Harter’s clutch bucket gave the Indians the lead, but their defense and some clutch foul shooting in the final 49 seconds allowed them to maintain it. With the game on the line, the Indians were a perfect 8-for-8 at the foul line, including both ends of three one-and-one’s. Prior to that, Souderton had made just 2-of-6 foul shots.
With 49 seconds remaining, Bohmueller began the Indians’ parade to the foul line, hitting nothing but net on a pair.
“We talk with each other and say, ‘It’s just practice,’ and we get into the mindset at the end of the game because we really wanted this win because our class has not had a win against CB West,” Bohmueller said.
The Bucks answered at the other end when Katie Finnan found Gabi Senior for an easy bucket to make it a 32-31 game. Then it was Harter’s turn to step to the line and bury a pair to give the Indians a three-point advantage.
What was going through her mind with the game on the line?
“Just shoot,” Harter said. “I’m just going to walk up to the foul line and shoot, not let it get to me.
“We all had confidence stepping to the foul line. We know we’re all good foul shooters, and we can knock them down when the time comes.”
After a pair of West misses, Harter was back at the line and once again buried a pair to all but seal the Bucks’ fate with 22 seconds remaining. Another McConough block set the stage for Teya McConnaha to sink a pair as time expired for the 38-31 final.
“We have not been consistently shooting well down the stretch, and obviously, it was as crucial as ever tonight,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “I feel like they were stepping to the line as though it was going in instead of worrying and hoping it was going in, which is the expectation especially out of Erin, Teya and Casey at this point in the season.”
Getting defensive
Both teams turned in a relentless defensive effort, making life difficult for the respective offenses.
The Indians took a 14-10 lead into halftime and still led by three heading into the final quarter, but Katie Finnan erased that advantage with a bucket after a Souderton turnover and then – on her team’s second shot of the possession – connected on a 3-pointer to give the Bucks a 24-22 lead. Moments later that was erased when Bohmueller buried a three-pointer.
“They definitely have a very strong defense, and we just weren’t getting the looks that we wanted to,” Bohmueller said. “We switched up and got it to the basket when we needed to.”
The teams took turns exchanging the lead until Harter’s huge 3-pointer with 3:10 remaining, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
Carroll lauded the play of her defense in the win.
“Erin (Bohmueller) basically face-guarded Tai Henkels for 32 minutes, ran around and chased her around the gym, and Casey (was) on Emily (Spratt) for 32 minutes and never seems to run out of steam and handles the ball 90 percent of the time for us,” the Indians’ coach said. “To hold them to 31 points – you can’t play that well if you don’t have help (defense).
“I thought Katie Finnan played great for them. She really stepped up, and she played really really well.”
While Spratt was held to just five points, Henkels had only one.
“We knew what we had to stop on certain players after watching film,” Bohmueller said. “Tai’s definitely a knockdown shooter, so faceguarding her definitely helped with that.
“Casey played amazing defense on Emily Spratt. It was really good to have that, and Mikayla (McGillian) and Teya (McConnaha) are definitely very key help defenders. They see everything, and it’s so good to know you have help in the lane.”
“It’s hard because Emily’s a really good player,” Harter said. “I knew coming into the game I was going to guard her, and I was preparing. I knew that she would drive, but I trusted my teammates because we all worked on it at practice, and they’ll help and be there, so it’s really a team effort, but she’s definitely work.”
Round one goes to the Indians
After a wild first go-round in Colonial Division play where not a whole lot separates the top from the bottom, the Indians hold a tenuous one-game lead in the division standings.
For the players, the win over West was especially sweet.
“Not having any seniors and with us being the leaders, it’s definitely a really good feeling, and it shows what we’re capable of for this season,” Bohmueller said
“It’s so exciting,” Harter said. “We wanted to win this game so bad. We were really ready to play. We had never beaten West, and this is one of the biggest games of the year, so it was really fun. Everyone gave a good effort.
“We played really well as a team. We had enough composure at the end to win. It was a really good game.”
Bohmueller’s 13 points led the Indians. Harter added nine points and six assists while McConnaha had seven points and eight boards. McDonough finished with five points and eight rebounds.
“She’s still trying to figure out how she fits in on the court, but she is very talented,” Carroll said. “It just hasn’t become apparent yet to other people, but it’s only a matter of time.
“She’s been very hesitant to shoot the ball, and she had five points tonight, and one of them was a short corner shot that I felt was a big shot. She had eight rebounds and finished it with a blocked shot at the end.”
For the Bucks, who have just one senior on their roster, Finnan’s 11 points led the way. Longo had eight.
“The SOL is so tough on both ends,” West coach Zach Sibel said. “You have so many good teams playing such good basketball.
“Souderton had a great game plan and forced us to play a different style and we kept adjusting. They defended so well, and I think we did too. It was an exciting second half that went back and forth, those are the games you get in this league this year. It’s another learning experience and we keep moving on. Give credit where credit is due to Souderton, they are extremely well coached and really executed. From our standpoint, it was awesome to see Ava Longo take the next step and Finnan to have some big plays.”
Souderton (7-2, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North on Friday for a crossover game, and Central Bucks West (8-2, 3-2) will be on the road at Council Rock South on Tuesday.
Central Bucks West 7-3-9-12 31
Souderton 8-6-8-16 38
Central Bucks West (31) – Tai Henkels 0 1-2 1; Katie Finnan 4 1-2 11; Nia Perry 1 0-0 2; Emily Spratt 1 3-8 5; Alexis Castro 2 0-0 4; Ava Longo 4 0-1 8; TOTALS 12 5-15 31.
Souderton (38) – Brooke Fenchel 1 0-0 2; Erin Bohmueller 4 4-4 13; Mikayla McGillian 1 0-0 2; Casey Harter 3 2-2 9; Grace McConnaha 2 1-4 5; Teya McConnaha 2 3-4 7; TOTALS 13 10-14 38.
3-point goals: CBW – Katie Finnan 2, Souderton – Erin Bohmueller, Casey Harter.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 30, PENNRIDGE 28
Beth Mattern knew there might be some ups and downs when her team played its first game in a week with no practices since capturing the title of the Garnet Valley Holiday Tournament last Tuesday.
“Coming into the game, I was really happy with the girls and the mental work that they’d done because we haven’t practiced in over a week,” the Titans’ coach said. “We played our games Monday and Tuesday of last week and then so many of them weren’t feeling well and we didn’t practice. Then we didn’t have school yesterday, so we weren’t allowed to practice, so it’s been a week since we really played as a team.
“Going in, I was trying to prep them – ‘You have to show yourself some grace. Especially in that first quarter, find a rhythm again, work hard, allow the things to happen, but just know we’re going to play four quarters. We’re just going to do the best we can in the first quarter.’ Then we only scored one point, which wasn’t exactly what we drew up, but they were playing really hard, and they were very engaged. I just knew – you know what, they’re in this.”
Despite scoring just one point on an Allison Sauers foul shot, the Titans trailed by just a 9-1 score, a deficit that was all but erased in a 17-point second quarter. Yoyo Samayoa was the offensive catalyst, burying a pair of 3s and scoring 10 of her team’s points in the frame.
“Yoyo hit some big shots for us, and that did help,” said Mattern, whose team trailed 19-18 at halftime. “Maddie T (Tantum) had four points, and Alyssa D’Orazio hit a three. That was great. We really obviously needed that.
“We were able to get ourselves in a much better rhythm, but it really started on the defensive end for us tonight.”
Neither team generated all the much offense in a second half that saw the Titans outscore their hosts 12-10.
“We came out of halftime and took the lead and then kind of gave it back to them, and we were down one heading into the fourth,” Mattern said.
The game came down to the wire. Taylor Hinkle, who accounted for 10 of her team’s 12 second-half points, connected on a pair of foul shots to knot the score, and Sauers saved the day when – after a Pennridge timeout with 39 seconds remaining – she came up with a steal near midcourt and beat a pair of Ram defenders for a layup that turned out to be the game-winner.
“Allison had a nice steal and maybe had the only layup we made all night,” Mattern said. “She took it and went right to the hoop and put it in.
“I thought both teams played really hard and physical, and I think that did alter the offense for the other team both ways because it was physical. Obviously, I think it’s fun because we came out on the winning end, but I liked the intensity both teams had. For my team, I was happy to see them grow and step up to that challenge.”
Hinkle and Samayoa both scored 10 points to lead the Titans.
Pennridge junior Katie Yoder’s 11 points led all scorers and included an 8-for-10 effort at the foul line. Anna Croyle added eight points in a contest that saw just four players score for the Rams.
Central Bucks South (6-3, 2-3 SOL) will be on the road at Bensalem for a crossover game on Friday, and Pennridge (6-4, 2-3) will travel to Harry S Truman on Friday.
Central Bucks South 1-17-6-6 30
Pennridge 9-10-6-3 28
Central Bucks South (30) – Taylor Hinkle 4 2-2 10; Alyssa D’Orazio 1 0-0 3; Maddie Tantum 1 2-5 4; Allison Sauers 1 1-2 3; Yoyo Samayoa 3 2-3 10; TOTALS 10 7-12 30.
Pennridge (28) – Anna Croyle 3 2-2 8; Katie Yoder 1 8-10 11; Ava Fantaskey 2 0-0 5; Emma Pyne 2 00 4; TOTALS 8 10-12 28.
3-point goals: CBS – Yoyo Samayoa 2, Alyssa D’Orazio; Pennridge – Katie Yoder, Ava Fantaskey.
SOL Liberty
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 52, UPPER DUBLIN 21
Defense has been a calling card of Upper Dublin under coach Morgan Funsten. On Tuesday, it was the Colonials turning in a defensive clinic of their own, allowing just nine first-half points on their way to the convincing win.
“All five starters did so well tonight,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “And the two kids we have coming off the bench – Angelina Balcer and Rhianna Gooneratne – they don’t score, but they each play four to six minutes each half, and it keeps the starters fresh.
“When they come in, they just give all this defensive energy and just disrupt things. They both had shots that went in and out tonight, but their defensive energy – when you have kids that accept their role on a team, each of the five starters has a role and these two kids coming off the bench. They all have a role, and they embrace their role. It’s fun to coach, and if you can beat Upper Dublin by 30 points – I don’t care what the roster says, that’s an impressive win.”
Behind 10 points from Kaitlyn Flanagan, the Colonials, who led 10-6 after one quarter, took a 22-9 lead into halftime.
“The first half was played at a slower pace,” Dougherty said. “We did try and come out and press at the beginning of the game, but it was just a little disorganized.
“The first half we played Upper Dublin’s style – half court, possessions were longer, but I thought defensively the first half – Abby Sharpe got two fouls in the first quarter and then picked up her third foul in the second quarter, and that slowed things down even more.
“Both teams were really cold in the first quarter. It was good defense, but it was also teams just missing open shots.”
Sharpe had the hot hand after halftime, scoring 13 of her 14 points after the intermission. Lainey Allen added nine points.
“In the second half, Abby shook off the foul trouble,” Dougherty said. “They were packing in a real tight zone against us, really collapsing on us. Any time Lainey Allen or Jordyn Thomas caught the ball in the middle, there were four kids collapsing, trying to get a jump ball on them.
“Abby Sharpe comes back in the second half, and all three of her 3s were in the second half. She has just really deep range on her 3s too, and one of her 3s she’s taking from almost the volleyball line. Once she starts to stretch it out, things opened up a little bit 
more.”
Sharpe’s 14 points led the Colonials while Allen added 11 and Flanagan had 10. Erin Daley contributed nine points, and Jordyn Thomas had eight.
“Erin Daley really played well in the first half with Abby out, and in the second half, she continued to play well,” Dougherty said. “The other big difference in the second half – we made a little change in the press, and Lainey Allen used all six-foot two of her frame.
“It’s just so hard to get the ball past that kid. She was able to get a couple of easy buckets for herself and Abby (Sharpe) out of the press, and the next thing you know – a 13-point lead turns into a 20-point lead.
“In the fourth quarter, we stopped pressing and we just walked the ball up the floor. We know that we play them again on Thursday night. The fourth quarter we just dug in, didn’t do anything special, just started to get ready for Thursday night. The girls really did well.”
For the Cardinals, Amy Ngo’s 10 points led the way. She also had four rebounds and three deflections. Geena Sarnoski added six points. The Cardinals connected on just 2-of-18 shots from beyond the arc.
“Upper Dublin is in a change-over process – they have young kids, they’re learning,” Dougherty said. “They’re getting better. Watching their film against Abington before break and then watching them play over break and seeing them come out the first half tonight, they are definitely getting better.
“We expect to have our hands full with this quick of a turnaround and this familiarity for Thursday night. They’re getting better.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-0, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin (3-4, 1-2) for a rematch on Thursday.
Upper Dublin 6-3-12-0 21
Plymouth Whitemarsh 10-12-15-15 52
Upper Dublin (21) – Bliss Brenner 1 0-0 3; Geena Sarnoski 2 1-2 6; Colleen Klammer 1 0-0 2; Amy Ngo 5 0-1 10; TOTALS 9 1-3 21.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (52) – Kaitlyn Flanagan 3 3-3 10; Erin Daley 3 2-5 9; Abby Sharpe 5 1-2 14; Lainey Allen 4 3-5 11; Jordyn Thomas 4 0-0 8; TOTALS 19 9-15 52.
3-point goals: UD – Bliss Brenner, Geena Sarnoski, PW – Abby Sharpe 3, Kaitlyn Flanagan, Erin Daley.
ABINGTON 67, QUAKERTOWN 22
Cire Worley scored a game-high 23 points in three quarters to propel the Ghosts to the decisive win. The Ghosts held a 15-12 lead after one quarter but blew the game wide open with a 23-2 second quarter. They scored 40 points in the middle two frames with Worley leading the charge, pouring in 11 points in each of those two quarters.
Piper McGinley also finished in double figures with 11 points, which included a pair of 3s. Jaida Helm and Jordyn Reynolds each added seven points and five steals.
For the Panthers, Katie Hagerty and Katie Catalano each had eight points.
Abington (7-0, 4-0 SOL) will host Lower Moreland on Friday in a crossover game, and Quakertown (3-5, 1-4) will be on the road at New Hope-Solebury Friday.
Quakertown 12-2-0-8 22
Abington 15-23-17-12 67
Quakertown (22) – Carolyn Sipprell 1 1-2 4; Katie Hagerty 4 0-4 8; Katie Catalano 3 0-0 8; Kayla Sicher 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 9 1-6 22.
Abington (67) – Cire Worley 9 4-5 23; Abril Bowser 2 0-0 5; Maura Day 1 0-0 2; Jaida Helm 3 1-2 7; Dani Brusha 2 0-0 4; Piper McGinley 4 1-4 11; Jordyn Reynolds 3 0-0 7; Ashley Reilly 2 0-2 5; Sarah Oleary 0 3-4 3; TOTALS 26 9-17 67.
3-point goals: Quakertown – Katie Catalano 2, Carolyn Sipprell; Abington – Piper McGinley 2, Jordyn Reynolds, Cire Worley, Abril Bowser, Ashley Reilly.
SOL Freedom
LOWER MORELAND 29, WILLIAM TENNENT 27
Jess Dugo buried four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 18 points in a standout performance. Her nine-point fourth quarter sparked the Lions, who trailed by nine early in the fourth quarter but closed out the game with a 13-2 tear.
Making the win especially sweet was the fact that it came after a long shutdown for the Lions, who were still without one of their top players.
“We were able to pull out a tough game where neither team’s offense was able to get much going,” LM coach Rich Becker said. “For us, it was a rewarding win.
“Due to COVID cancellations, we haven’t played a game since December 17, and we’ve only been able to practice once in the past week. In addition to that, we were missing Briana McFerran, who is our second leading scorer. She is such a versatile player that not having her in the line-up really impacts our rotations and what we’re comfortable running. In spite of that, the girls battled and pulled out a nice win against a well-coached and physically tough team.”
For the Panthers, who took a seven-point lead into the final quarter, it was a heartbreaking defeat.
“We lost a tough one,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “I didn’t ever feel comfortable, and whenever we play them, it’s always a close, competitive game.
“You thought you had the game right in front of you to win, and it just kind of slowly got away from us. We had a couple chances at the end – a couple turnovers, a couple of offensive possessions the ball just didn’t bounce our way.
“Most of the first half, it had a strange rhythm to the game. Their defense affected us early, and we got off to a slow start and weren’t hitting our shots. I thought defensively for the whole game – aside from a few possessions that ended up hurting us – the girls bought into the game plan. We were able to lock them down, but those few missed rotations or few missed assignments defensively – they definitely stepped up and made some big shots, and that was the difference in the game.”
The Lions trailed 25-16 early in the fourth quarter, but sparked by Dugo’s hot hand, they closed out the game strong.
“The girls really played well defensively,” Becker said. “Jess Dugo was huge for us in the fourth quarter when she scored nine of her 18 points. Tori Finnegan and Jess Shein really played tough in the post against physically stronger players, I give them a lot of credit for being willing to get in there and mix it up with them.”
For the Panthers, Morgan Volz scored eight points, Alyssa Lewicki added seven and Courtney Bragen had six.
“We played the first three quarters of the game with a men’s ball,” Whitney said. “I don’t know how that happened. It was just a strange game, but credit to Lower Moreland. They played hard to the end. This one definitely hurts, but we have to put it behind us, and we have to learn from it as a team.
“We’re a young team, so we’re not in these game situations a lot where you have the lead and just learning how to put the game away, so it’s a growing experience for us, but we’ll be all right. We just have to regroup.”
Lower Moreland (3-2, 1-2 SOL) will travel to Abington for a crossover game on Friday, and William Tennent (2-5, 2-2) will be on the road at Upper Dublin next Tuesday.
Lower Moreland 9-3-4-13 29
William Tennent 2-11-10-4 27
Lower Moreland (29) – Tori Finnegan 2 0-0 4; Jess Shein 1 0-0 2; Liz Neeld 2 0-1 5; Jess Dugo 6 2-5 18; TOTALS 11 2-6 29.
William Tennent (27) – Ella Mednick 1 0-2 2; Chase Dubzak 2 0-1 4; Courtney Bragen 2 2-5 6; Alyssa Lewicki 3 0-2 7; Morgan Volz 4 0-0 8; TOTALS 12 2-9 27.
3-point goal: LM – Jess Dugo 4, Liz Neeld; WT – Alyssa Lewicki.
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