Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. Check back for photos of the CR North/CR South and Wissahickon/Norristown games…CLICK HERE.
National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 43, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 35
It was anybody’s game heading into the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s showdown between the neighboring rivals. The Golden Hawks held a tenuous 24-23 lead over the Indians after three quarters, but the Indians exploded for 20 points in the fourth quarter to earn the hard fought win.
“You can throw out all records when North and South play – it’s always a battle,” Rock North coach Lou Palkovics said. “The final score doesn’t even justify the game.
“We were up two at the end of the first quarter (10-8), and it was tie at halftime (15-15). It was a (one-point game) after the third quarter. I knew it was going to be a battle, but I’m happy with the way the kids responded.
“I don’t like saying we’re young, but we have six freshman, three juniors, two sophomores and a senior right now, and they’re going through some growing pains.”
Palkovics got some big performances from some of those young players, who grew up in a hurry in Tuesday night’s war. Freshman Dana Bandurick (10 points, five rebounds, one steal, one assist) and sophomore Becca Margolis (10 points, five rebounds, two steals, one assist) led the Indians. Sophomore Mackenzie Tinner and junior Megan Haggerty – who connected on three treys – each added nine points. Samantha Saifer had six rebounds and two steals.
“We scored 20 points in the last quarter, and a lot of it had to do with Dana Bandurick and Mackenzie Tinner – our big girls – stepping up,” Palkovics said.
Margolis led the fourth quarter charge with eight points while Bandurick added six. The Indians scored 10 of their points in the frame from the foul line.
Caroline McGovern led the Golden Hawks with 12 points, including three three-pointers. Payton Spadaccino added eight and Christiana Deo had six.
“We made a little bit of an adjustment,” Palkovics said. “We went to a triangle-and-two on McGovern and Spadaccino, who were killing us. I think it confused them a little bit.”
Council Rock North (5-4, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Abington on Thursday night, and Council Rock South (5-6, 3-2) will be at Pennsbury on Thrusday night.
Council Rock North 10-5-8-20 43
Council Rock South 8-7-9-11 35
Council Rock North: Becca Margolis 10, Camryn Polinsky 2, Megan Haggerty 9, Kaelin Mealey 3, Dana Bandurick 10, Samantha Saifer 2, Mackenzie Tinner 7.
Council Rock South: Caroline McGovern 12, Payton Spadaccinio 8, Rachel Millstein 4, Faith Turner 5, Christiana Deo 6.
BENSALEM 60, HARRY S TRUMAN 54
The Owls opened up a 14-5 lead after one quarter an took a 32-24 lead into halftime but then had to hold off a second half comeback attempt by the Tigers, who led by one late.
“I told my girls before the game – I coached boys 12 years, and that’s 24 games Bensalem versus Truman,” Bensalem coach Geoff Per said. “There were times when they won the league and times when we won the league, and it just doesn’t matter.
“When Bensalem plays Truman, it doesn’t matter who’s supposed to win or who the experts think is going to win – it’s going to be a dog fight to the end. We jumped on them early – I thought our pressure bothered them. I thought we executed in the halfcourt set, and Truman turned the game into a helter skelter, crazy Bensalem-Truman game. Give credit to Collette (Munford) and her coaching staff for that.”
Bensalem ultimately won the game at the foul line, connecting on 26-of-37. Truman took just 11 fouls shots.
“I had four starters with three fouls in the second quarter,” Truman coach Collette Munford said. “We had 20-some turnovers, and we still could have won the game.
“I told the girls we have to play two halves.”
Lyric Lewis was all but unstoppable, finishing with a game high 35 points, which included a 15-for-16 effort at the foul line.
“Lyric’s strong,” Per said. “She can take contact, she can jump stop, get a girl in midair and she absorbs contact where other girls aren’t as physical so they get blocked shots or turnovers.
“I had a good conversation with Lyric at the practice the other day. I said, ‘You should be a better rebounder. You’re a 1,000-point scorer. I know you like the three-ball, but you have to go to the rim, get layups and free throws.’ She did a nice job going to the rim. She also had more rebounds tonight than any game all year. That’s how I need her to play the last 12 games of the season.”
Savannah Jordan also came up big for the Owls, finishing with 16 points – which included eight points at the foul line.
“She got to the rim at will,” Per said. “I want to give a lot of credit. She went 4-for-4 from the foul line in the last 30 seconds of the game.
“She controlled the last three minutes of the game.”
Coming up huge for the Tigers was Sabria Lytes, who finished with 18 points and 19 rebounds. Daeja Moore added nine points while Alexis McCoy had eight, Maylissa Clarke, seven and Darnella McMillan , six.
Bensalem (5-5, 2-3 SOL) will host William Tennent on Friday night, and Truman (3-7, 1-4) will travel to Neshaminy on Thursday night.
Bensalem 14-18-9-19 60
Truman 5-19-8-22 54
Bensalem: Samantha Werth 4, Destiny Rogers 4, Lyric Lewis 35, Julia Rymarczuk 1, Savannah Jordan 16.
Truman: Darnella McMillan 6, Daeja Moore 9, Jayda Campbell 2, Maylissa Clarke 7, Alexis McCoy 8, Tykira Rogers 2, Sabria Lytes 18, Briana Cliney 2.
NESHAMINY 50, PENNSBURY 30
Morgan Goldenbaum scored 15 points and also had eight rebounds and four steals to lead a balanced Redskin attack in Tuesday’s battle at Pennsbury. Freshman Allison Harvey added 13 points while Thyra Tuttle contributed 12 points on four three-pointers.
Freshman Brooke Mullin led the ‘Skins under the backboards with seven rebounds to go along with five assists, five steals and three blocked shots. Devon Storms had six points.
The Redskins wasted little time before seizing control of the game, opening up a 17-8 lead after one quarter and extending that to 28-10 by halftime on their way to the win.
Sydney Buell led the Falcons with 12 points. Mackenzie McGill added six.
Neshaminy (8-3, 5-0 SOL) will host Truman on Thursday and Pennsbury (0-9, 0-5) will host Council Rock South on Thursday.
Neshaminy 17-11-10-12 50
Pennsbury 8-2-7-13 30
Neshaminy: Morgan Goldenbaum 15, Devon Storms 6, Thyra Tuttle 12, Fiona McDonald 2, Megan Ansel 2, Allison Harvey 13.
Pennsbury: Abby Wick 3, Niasia Boone 4, Mackenzie McGill 6, Kate Mix 5, Sydney Buell 12.
ABINGTON 66, WILLIAM TENNENT 22
The visiting Ghosts raced to a 21-4 lead at the end of one quarter and took a 43-12 lead into halftime.
Sammy Lochner led a balanced attack with 12 points. Lizzie O’Leary (nine points), Leah Simmons (eight points), Toni Washington (seven points) and Kassondra Brown (seven points) also contributed. Brown – a 6-2 freshman – led the Ghosts with 13 rebounds.
Tennent was led by the six-point effort of Kyla Gibson.
Abington (6-4, 4-1 SOL) will host Council Rock North on Thursday night, William Tennent (5-6, 1-4) will travel to Bensalem on Friday night.
Abington 21-22-9-14 66
William Tennent 4-8-4-6 22
Abington: Britney James 2, Sammy Lochner 12, Lizzie O’Leary 9, Tami Wessels 3, Toni Washington 7, Leah Simmons 8, Miranda Liebtage 5, Kassondra Brown 7.
William Tennent: Kelly Scipione 3, Kyla Gibson 6, Sarah Richie 3, Jenna Rodebaugh 4, Paige Schmidt 2, Brianna Broccardi 4.
Continental Conference
NORTH PENN 50, PENNRIDGE 40
The Lady Knights boast a strong inside-outside game, but in Tuesday’s game at Pennridge, they connected on just one shot from beyond the arc.
“They really hustle on defense,” North Penn coach Maggie deMarteleire said of the Lady Rams. “We made one three, and not only were we missing threes, we were missing shots inside, and again, that was a credit to them because you always know they’re going to get back on defense.”
One player who wasn’t missing shots was Mikaela Giuliani. The senior captain, despite battling foul problems, finished with a game high 14 points. She was close to perfect from the floor, connecting on 6-of-7 shots from the field and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.
“She’s very key – she does a lot of things for us,” junior Irisa Ye said of Giuliani. “She rebounds, she helps on defense, and she’s a presence in the middle.”
Ye also finished in double figures with 11 points while Sam Carangi added nine points, six rebounds and three assists.
It was Ye and Carangi that helped the Lady Knights rally after the Lady Rams jumped out of the gate to a 10-4 lead, thanks to a 10-2 Pennridge run that began with a three-pointer by freshman Sam Muredda and included a fast break basket by Devan Rimmer, a three by Brooke Bachtle and a pair of foul shots by Gillian Anderson.
Ye had seven of her points in the first half – five straight late in the half to put the Lady Knights on top 24-14 – while Carangi had six first-half points.
North Penn led 24-18 at halftime, but six straight points from Giuliani to open the third quarter put the Lady Knights on top 30-18. It was a 38-26 game heading into the final frame, but the Lady Rams opened the quarter with a 12-4 tear that included five points from Rimmer as well as four from Muredda. The run was capped with Lydia Konstanzer finding Anderson, who converted a three-point play to make it a 42-38 game.
A bucket by Giuliani was followed by a Pennridge miss, and then it was Giuliani burying both ends of a one-and-one at the foul line. The Lady Knights sealed the win with a layup off the spread by Mia Melchoir and a pair of foul shots by Carangi.
All told, the Lady Knights connected on 13-of-14 from the foul line in the game. They were 8-of-8 in the fourth quarter.
“Foul shots win games,” said Ye, who was a perfect 5-for-5 from the line. “Especially in close games like this one, it’s very important to make those foul shots.
“We weren’t dependent (on outside) shots today. It’s a good sign we were able to win without hitting all of our shots.”
Coach Lindsey Tennett lauded her team’s defensive effort.
“The biggest thing we have been emphasizing is defense,” the Lady Rams’ coach said. “Tonight the girls did an awesome job.
“Our biggest thing was closing up the gaps and then coming out on the shooters. I don’t think they hit very many shots from the outside. They just did a great job all around, and that sparked the offense.”
Konstanzer led the Lady Rams with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
“That’s why she’s a captain,” Tennett said. “We can count on her every night. Her and Dev (Rimmer) we count on every night. Lyd just cleans up the boards and plays a vital role for us.”
Muredda also had 10 points – which included three three-pointers. Rimmer added nine.
“Tonight instead of having just one player putting up all the points, I think everyone contributed equally,” Konstanzer said. “If you look at the stats, everyone contributed in some way – rebounds, points.
“We passed the ball so much better than we normally do. Before we came out to play, the coaches said – we have to play as a team. We all took that to heart and decided to go out there and do exactly that.”
Pennridge is just 1-5 in conference play, but Tennett is hoping her team’s performance against the conference’s top squad is a sign of things to come.
“If we’re down by four with three minutes to go – they need to learn that they’re a good team,” she said. “That’s the biggest thing. This should prove they can hang in with a top-ranked team.
“It was all positive thoughts, all positive comments at the end. I couldn’t be more proud of them. Against Boyertown we had a great game, we came out tonight had a great game. It’s only halfway through. We see all these teams again.”
North Penn (8-2, 5-0 SOL) will host Souderton on Friday night, and Pennride (6-5, 1-5) will host Hatboro-Horsham.
North Penn 13-11-14-12 50
Pennridge 10-8-8-14 30
North Penn: Irisa Ye 11, Mikaela Giuliani 14, Bri Hewlett 4, Sam Carangi 9, Mia Melchior 7, Jess Huber 5.
Pennridge: Brooke Bachtle 4, Gillian Anderson 5, Sam Muredda 10, Rose McCormick 2, Devan Rimmer 9, Lydia Konstanzer 10.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 49, HATBORO-HORSHAM 34
Tori Abelson scored 18 points, and Makenzie Mason added 11 to lead the visiting Bucks to the win. Alex Burkauskas added seven points for the winners.
West led 8-4 after one quarter and took a 25-16 lead into halftime. A 20-10 third quarter burst put the Bucks on top 45-26 heading into the final frame.
The Hatters were led by Haley Seifert (10 points, eight rebounds), Cassidy Quattro (nine points, 12 rebounds) and Kylie Halko (seven points).
Central Bucks West (7-3, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks East on Friday night while Hatboro-Horsham (3-7, 0-5) will be on the road at Pennridge.
Central Bucks West 8-17-20-4 49
Hatboro-Horsham 4-12-10-8 34
Central Bucks West: Makenzie Mason 11, Maddie Maio 3, Tori Abelson 18, Abby Spratt 5, Alex Burkauskas 7, Izzy Treon 5.
Hatboro-Horsham: Kylie Halko 7, Bergen Sims 4, Erin Wingen 2, Cassidy Quattro 9, Haley Seifert 10, Julia Thornton 2.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 56, SOUDERTON 41
The Titans and Indians were deadlocked 10-10 after one quarter, and the Titans had only a 21-19 lead at halftime. They blew the game wide open with a 24-8 third quarter burst to go on top 45-27 on their way to the win.
Taylor Dunn led a balanced South attack with 12 points, and Jordan Vitelli also finished in double figures with 10. Alexa Brodie, Melissa Veal and Mackenzie Ehresman all added eight points.
For the Indians, Alana Cardona led the way with 11 points. Krista Schneider added nine points and Megan Walbrandt, eight points. Marissa Sandone and Tori Dowd both had six.
Central Bucks South (8-2, 4-1 SOL) will host Quakertown on Friday night, and Souderton (5-6, 2-3) will be on the road at North Penn.
Central Bucks South 10-11-24-11 56
Souderton 10-9-8-14 41
Central Bucks South: Alexa Brodie 8, Taylor Dunn 12, Melissa Veal 8, Tricia DeCeasare 5, Haley Meinel 5, Jordan Vitelli 10, Mackenzie Ehresman 8.
Souderton: Tori Dowd 6, Krista Schneider 9, Alana Cardona 11, Megan Walbrandt 8, Mia Sherer 1, Marissa Sandone 6.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 67, QUAKERTOWN 38
Senior Kyra Scaliti had the hot hand for the Patriots, finishing with a game high 16 points, which included four three-pointers. Bridget Birkhead added 12 points for the winners while Melanie Wetzel had nine. Bri Talbot, Sophia Mancuso and Grace Stewart all contributed six points.
The visiting Patriots led 17-11 after one quarter and took a 36-21 lead into halftime. A 16-4 third quarter upped that advantage to 52-25.
The Panthers were led by the double-digit efforts of Jill Martin (12 points) and Meghan Klee (11 points). Marina Cooke added seven points.
Central Bucks East (7-3, 3-2 SOL) will host Central Bucks West on Friday night, and Quakertown (3-7, 1-4) will be on the road at Central Bucks South.
Central Bucks East 17-19-16-15 67
Quakertown 11-10-4-13 38
Central Bucks East: Sophia Mancuso 6, Megan Lapioli 2, Bridget Birkhead 12, Kyra Scaliti 16, Megan Browne 2, Bailey McManus 4, Melanie Wetzel 9, Bri Talbot 6, Abby Charlton 4, Grace Stewart 6.
Quakertown: Maggie Garlick 4, Spenser Gray 2, Veronica Best 2, Marina Cooke 7, Meghan Klee 11, Jill Martin 12.
American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 44, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 43
Ali Diamond stepped to the foul line with 3.3 seconds remaining in regulation and her team staring at a 43-42 deficit. The sophomore guard calmly buried both ends of a one-and-one, and when a desperation three by the Spartans fell short, the Colonials had earned the heartstopping win.
“We were winning by one point with 10 seconds to go, and Molly Dugan scored on an inbounds play for them,” PW coach Daniel Dougherty said. “Ali Diamond went the length of the floor, and while she was driving, she got fouled. She’s our best free throw shooter by far. As she was shooting, I turned to my assistant and said, ‘There’s no one I’d rather have at the line right now.’ No doubt about it for both of them – right through the net.”
Diamond finished with a career high 14 points, which included a 4-for-6 effort at the line.
“Tonight was a breakout game for her,” Dougherty said. “Ali really pulled it together for us at the end.”
Taylor O’Brien added 12 points, Lauren Coscia had nine and Sarah Putsch had six points.
“They’re a good team, and it’s always tough to play in their gym,” Dougherty said. “We don’t take them lightly. We had two very, very tough games against them last year, and tonight was another battle.
“We had a good first half to go up 11 at halftime, but we got in a lot of foul trouble the second half. Lauren Coscia fouled out of the game. Not to take anything away from them. Molly Dugan and Maura Ryan just really gave us fits in the second half.”
The Colonials, who led 15-10 after one quarter, took a seemingly comfortable 28-17 lead into halftime. Sparked by the play of Dugan (21 points) and Ryan (17 points), the Spartans came roaring back in the second half, outscoring their visitors 13-8 in both quarters. They led 43-42 after Dugan’s basket with 10 seconds remaining only to watch the Colonials escape with the win.
“I guess it’s games like these that test your true colors,” Springfield coach Bill Krewson said. “Our team – and I mean team – from the number one player on the team to the girl who played one minute or maybe 30 seconds or even the player who gave the starters a tough workout in practice – matters.
“I guess what I would like to say is – too many times today people only recognize and see the big picture, the stars and the win or loss. I would like to recognize how engaged and invested the whole team was tonight – including assistant coaches and even our trainer. We played with love and joy for each other, and I hope the close loss makes it grow. I am so proud and heartbroken at the same time.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (7-3, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham on Friday, and Springfield (4-7, 2-3) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday for a non-league contest.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 15-13-8-8 44
Springfield 10-7-13-13 43
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Taylor O’Brien 12, Ali Diamond 14, Sarah Putsch 6, Laurel Suchsland 3, Lauren Coscia 9.
Springfield: Grace Barraclough 5, Molly Dugan 24, Maura Ryan 14.
UPPER DUBLIN 46, UPPER MERION 39
The Vikings gave the visiting Flying Cardinals everything they could handle and then some in Tuesday’s American Conference battle. The two teams were deadlocked 15-15 after one quarter, and the Vikings took a 26-23 lead into halftime. The Flying Cardinals outscored their hosts 13-9 in the third quarter to go on top 36-35 heading into the final frame where they held a 10-4 scoring advantage.
Demi Balasa led the Cardinals with 13 points, four rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Josie Barrett added 11 points – which included three three-point baskets. Allison Chernow had 10 points and seven assists while Ashley Barber contributed six points and six rebounds.
Sophomore Jordan Wilson led the Vikings with 10 points. Tatiana Pleasant added nine. Jessica Michael contributed eight points while Amya Anthoney and Tatum Thomas both chipped in six points.
Upper Dublin (8-2, 5-0 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Friday night, and Upper Merion (3-7, 1-4) will host Pottstown in a non-league game on Thursday night.
Upper Dublin 15-8-13-10 46
Upper Merion 15-11-9-4 39
Upper Dublin: Nicole Kaiser 4, Josie Barrett 11, Alison Gouveia 2, Allison Chernow 10, Demi Balasa 13, Ashley Barber 6.
Upper Merion: Tatiana Pleasant 9, Amya Anthoney 6, Jordan Wilson 10, Jessica Michael 8, Tatum Thomas 6.
NORRISTOWN 45, WISSAHICKON 20
The night belonged to the Eagles or, more specifically, the Fortescue sisters. Lauren Fortescue led all scorers with 19 points while Patti Fortescue added 13 in a contest that saw the visiting Eagles open up an 18-3 lead after one quarter on their way to a 31-9 halftime lead.
Sydney Morse added six points for the Eagles. Julianne Griffin’s eight points led the Trojans, who had no other player with more than four points.
Norristown (8-4, 3-2 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Friday, and Wissahickon (0-9, 0-5) will travel to Upper Dublin.
Norristown 18-13-10-4 45
Wissahickon 3-6-4-7 20
Norristown: Beyonce Collins 3, Patti Fortescue 13, Taijah James 4, Lauren Fortescue 19, Sydney Morse 6.
Wissahickon: Megan Oberholtzer 2, Brianna Tilghman 2, Carolina Mack 2, Julie Weber 4, Julianne Griffin 8, Lexi Carradorini 1, Victoria Selverian 1.
CHELTENHAM 73, UPPER MORELAND 28
The visiting Lady Panthers exploded for 32 points in the first quarter and never looked back. Ashley Jones scored 10 of her game high 20 points in the frame while Caitlyn Warren – who had three three-pointers – and Gabbi Wright both had nine. Wallace finished with 16 points, which included four threes while Wright added 15, including a pair of treys. Savannah Roberts added eight points to a balanced Panther attack.
Jenna Getz led the Golden Bears with seven points while Julia Gatto and Maddie Pisut each had six.
Cheltenham (8-1, 4-1 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday, and Upper Moreland (4-6, 1-4) will travel to Norristown.
Cheltenham 32-16-10-15 73
Upper Moreland 13-6-6-3 28
Cheltenham: Janiece Baldwin 2, Ashley Jones 20, Savannah Roberts 8, Amaiya Sinclair 2, Mia Leonard 4, Caitlyn Wallace 16, Dejah China 4, Gabrielle Wright 15, Nashira Brown 2.
Upper Moreland: Jenna Getz 7, Phoebe Longstreth 1, Julia Gatto 6, Maddie Pisut 6, Sydney Bachmayer 2, Noelle Wordman 4, Kim Benge 2.
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