Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Saturday. Neshaminy/Abington photos provided courtesy of Jesse Garber (https://JSGarber.zenfolio.com/p788382532)
Non-league
NESHAMINY 59, ABINGTON 57 (OT)
This game was destined to be a classic.
Last year the Redskins and Ghosts split their two regular seasons meetings, and both shared the SOL National Conference championship with Council Rock North. On Saturday, a conference title was no longer at stake since Abington’s move to the American Conference. Still, it figured to be a war between two teams ranked second and third in the latest District One 6A rankings, and it certainly was.
It took overtime to determine a winner, and it still came down to the final shot.
“It was a great team win – all-around, everyone played good,” Redskin senior Brooke Mullin said.
No one played better than the Bucknell-bound senior, who scored a game-high 26 points and also pulled down 10 rebounds. It was Mullin scoring eight of her team’s nine points in overtime, benefitting from the fact that Ghost center Kassondra Brown was whistled for her fifth foul with 1:08 remaining in regulation.
“Once Kassondra was out, we knew we could get to the basket more, and that was the goal,” Mullin said. “We could run 5-out and just attack the basket and look for the kicks.”
With one minute remaining in OT, Mullin scored a bucket that gave the Redskins a 58-57 lead and turned out to be the game-winner. The play was set up by an Emily Tantala steal on the defensive end with the Ghosts holding a one-point lead. Tantala’s shot for the lead was blocked, but moments later, Mullin – who was fouled – connected on a shot in close.
“This year a really big focus is our team defense,” Tantala said. “We want to be identified as a defensive team, so we’re really focusing on that – talking on defense and not letting our player beat us and taking everything personal.”
Mullin missed the foul shot to complete the three-point play, but the Redskins got the rebound and Kelli Kowalick sank one-of-two at the foul line to give the Redskins a 59-57 lead. The Ghosts misfired on a shot at the other end, and the big win was in the books.
“We were pretty composed,” Neshaminy coach Joe Lally said. “We know they’re talented. We know how talented Kassondra (Brown) is, we know they’re well coached.
“I’m glad that we kept a good game like this on our schedule for both schools. It’s a good, fun rivalry. The players and coaches embrace it, and we have a good time with it.”
The game itself was an emotional roller coaster for both sides. The Ghosts led 9-2 after Tamia Wessels buried a three just over two minutes into the game, but behind five points from Kristin Curley, the Redskins pulled to within four at the end of one quarter.
The Redskins owned the second quarter, outscoring the Ghosts 14-6 to go into halftime with a 25-21 lead. The third quarter was more of the same, and when Curley turned a Mullin steal into a layup, the Redskins led 41-28.
They still led 44-31 early in the final quarter after a Kowalick foul shot, but then the Ghosts went to work. A Khalis Whiting bucket was followed by Camryn Lexow turning a steal into a layup. It marked the beginning of a 19-2 Ghost run that was capped when Brown – who had 10 points in the tear – sank a pair at the foul line to give Abington a 50-46 lead with 1:15 remaining.
“Neshaminy does a really good job of dictating pace,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “We started out dictating the pace, and it was in our favor.
“Then we allowed them to lull us to sleep, and so we had to break out of that. We were able to do that, and we showed that when we dictated the pace the game will go our way.”
Eight seconds after giving the Ghosts a four-point lead, Brown was whistled for her fifth foul, and the Redskins capitalized. Mullin scored on a turnaround to pull the ‘Skins to within two. The Ghosts had a chance to add to their lead but twice misfired on the front end of one-and-one opportunities. With five seconds remaining, Mullin was fouled and calmly buried a pair, knotting the score and setting the stage for overtime.
“There are nerves, but I had to push that aside,” the Neshaminy senior said. “I just had to take a deep breath and just trust my muscle memory, focus and block everything out and finish the shot.”
Four straight points by Mullin to open overtime gave the Redskins a 54-50 lead, but Miranda Liebtag – after coming up with an offensive rebound – buried a baseline three. Mullin scored on a drive at the other end, but Whiting sank one-of-two at the foul line to make it a two-point game. Lexow came up with the rebound of a Redskin miss, and a Whiting three gave the Ghosts a 57-56 lead. The Ghosts regained possession after another Neshaminy miss, but Tantala delivered a steal that marked the beginning of the end for the Ghosts.
“This is a game we learn from,” Liebtag said. “They controlled the pace, and we need to learn how to play at our pace and have defensive discipline.
“When we lose one of these games, we want to win even more the next time.”
Both coaches saw room for improvement.
“We still have to work on that lull that we have in the game where offensively we’re just dragging, and then out of nowhere we pick it back up and we seem like we’re alive,” Lally said.
“I just told them that we have to learn two things – defensive discipline and make free throws,” Marsh said. “They’re the two things that hurt us against Upper Dublin and hurt us today. I told them – promise me this isn’t going to happen again.
“It was a good game, and it was one of those we have to learn from.”
Also for the Redskins, Curley also came up big, scoring 11 points and directing the team from her point guard position. Kowalick added 10 points, and Allison Harvey had a pair of threes for six points.
For the Ghosts, Brown led the way with 22 points and 18 rebounds in another dominant performance in the paint. Whiting added 15 points, Wessels had 11 and Liebtag contributed seven.
Neshaminy (11-1, 4-0 SOL) will be on the road at William Tennent Tuesday, and Abington (8-2, 3-1) will travel to Wissahickon on Tuesday.
Abington 15-6-10-19-7 57
Neshaminy 11-14-18-7-9 59
Abington (57) –Tamia Wessels 11, Camryn Lexow 2, Kassondra Brown 22, Miranda Liebtag 7, Khalis Whiting 15.
Neshaminy (59) – Olivia Scotti 4, Brooke Mullin 26, Kristin Curley 11, Kelli Kowalick 10, Allison Harvey 6, Meghan Ansel 2.
QUAKERTOWN 47, SAUCON VALLEY 40
In a testament to the character of a young Panthers’ squad, Quakertown bounced back from a humbling 61-8 loss to North Penn less than 24 hours earlier to earn a non-league road win.
“Today was all about bouncing back and doing the things that we can control,” coach Brittany Bamford said. “And we can control our hustle and our attitude. We had a great honest talk before the game about motivation and playing together no matter what.”
The visiting Panthers led 13-9 after one quarter and took a 28-19 lead into halftime. Quakertown went into the final quarter with a 38-28 lead and refused to relinquish that advantage.
“We preach all of the time that we need to be consistent in our execution of defense and hustle all four quarters and not just every other,” Bamford said. “As their coach, I was very proud of everyone’s efforts.
“We were able to put enough pressure on them to cause some turnovers, and we beat their press today and stayed composed at the end of the game when it was close. We also had a great outside performance from Kimmy Best.”
Best led all scorers with 15 points, which included a pair of threes.
“She played well today and not just offensively,” Bamford said of Best. “She was stepping in the passing lanes on defense and rotating the way we needed. We are very proud of her efforts today and looking forward to Kimmy continuing to play this way the rest of the season.”
Katie Offner added seven points, and Bri Lefkoski had six in a game that saw 10 Panthers put their names in the scoring column.
“It was impressive for us to rebound after a tough loss last night, but it just shows the kind of character that these young ladies have and the fight that they aren’t going to give up,” Bamford said.
Quakertown (2-8, 0-3 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks East on Tuesday.
Quakertown 13-15-10-9 47
Saucon Valley 9-10-9-12 40
Quakertown (47) – Bri Lefkoski 6, Abigail Dickson 2, Kimmy Best 15, Laney Mitchell 2, Kayla Horning 5, Morgan Sipprell 5, Katie Offner 7, Emma Pizzullo 1, Abigail McClaskey 1, Fallon Grandinetti 3.
Saucon Valley (40) – Naiburg 3, Kramer 3, Kramer 13, Frace 7, Riefenstahl 6, Williams 7, Albano 7.
CHELTENHAM 59, ENGINEERING & SCIENCE 37
The Lady Panthers raced out of the gate to a 25-5 lead and never looked back on their way to the decisive win.
“We had a solid team effort from everyone,” coach Ben Bowman said. “After a tough loss (Friday to Wissahickon), it was nice to see the girls come out focused.”
Madison Rorer ignited the Lady Panthers in the opening quarter, burying three 3-pointers and scoring 13 of her team’s 25 points. Kai Williams added six points in the frame.
The Lady Panthers took a 31-16 lead into halftime and outscored their visitors 28-21 in the second half.
Williams led the Lady Panthers with 16 points while Rorer and Kelia Holmes both finished with 13. Umayrah Sulayman added 10 points, and Mayce Cedeno contributed seven points – all in the second half.
Cheltenham (2-8, 0-4 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.
Engineering & Science 5-11-12-9 37
Cheltenham 25-6-16-12 59
Engineering & Science (37) – Mattelyn Bullock 24, Rashay Fogle 5, Jayla Thompson 4, Sanaa Williams 4.
Cheltenham (59) – Madison Rorer 13, Maycie Cedeno 7, Umayrah Sulayman 10, Kelia Holmes 13, Kai Williams 16.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 73, COATESVILLE 30
Picking up where they left off at the Boo Williams Christmas Classic, the Bucks – who appeared to find their stride in a pair of wins in Hampton, Va. – outscored the visiting Raiders 57-14 over the final three quarters.
Granted, for a while, it looked like the Raiders would give the Bucks all they could handle, battling to a 16-16 tie at the end of one quarter. Then came a second quarter that saw the Bucks – behind nine points from Maddie Burke and eight from Izzy Treon – erupt for 26 points to go into halftime with a 42-22 lead. The second half was more of the same.
Burke led all scorers with 22 points, which included three three-pointers. Treon added 18 – all in the first three quarters. Tori Abelson had nine points, Emily Spratt chipped in eight and Lilly Evans had six.
The Raiders, who were without senior point guard Sarah Huston (injury), were led by Neveyah Chester’s eight points. The sophomore standout had just two points in the second half.
Central Bucks West (5-3, 2-1 SOL) will host North Penn on Tuesday.
Coatesville 16-6-5-3 30
Central Bucks West 16-26-14-17 73
Coatesville (30) – Olivia Ellzy 4, Dasani Peoples 8, Kiana Brown 7, Shyne Boggs 2, Neveyah Chester 9.
Central Bucks West (73) – Paige Gilbert 1, Olivia Irons 3, Jess Broskey 5, Maddie Burke 22, Emily Spratt 8, Izzy Treon 18, Lilly Evans 6, Tori Abelson 9.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 60, DOWNINGTOWN WEST 27
The Colonials rebounded from their first loss of the season one night earlier to make easy business of the visiting Whippets. PW led 11-5 after one quarter and then blew the game wide open with a 23-4 second quarter.
Sophomore Anna McTamney led a balanced attack with 11 points while sophomore Ally Zolty and freshman Kaitlyn Flanagan both added 10. Freshman Lainey Allen contributed eight points, and sophomore Gabby Cooper had six.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-1, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
Downingtown West 5-4-10-8 27
Plymouth Whitemarsh 11-23-12-14 60
Plymouth Whitemarsh (60) – Allly Zolty 10, Kaitlyn Flanagan 10, Sydney Kesselman 5, Gabby Cooper 6, Haley Felgoise 2, Anna McTamney 11, Lainey Allen 8, Jordyn Thomas 1, Lily Belle McGrorty 5.
NEW HOPE-ACADEMY 39, WILLIAM TENNENT 29
The visiting Lions took a 20-9 lead into halftime and then exchanged baskets with the Panthers in the second half.
“We knew going into the game that it was going to be tough,” coach Laura Whitney said. “Andy (Krasna) does a great job with his team. They are fundamentally sound and play smart. They really force you to play their style and are extremely patient offensively. We didn’t help ourselves with the slow start and early foul trouble. We missed too many open layups and didn’t take advantage of some early opportunities.”
Haley Crossley and Chelsea Meltzer both scored 10 points to lead the Panthers, who suffered their ninth loss of the season in 11 games.
“It’s been a tough start to the season,” Whitney said. “We have girls who have played very little varsity stepping into much bigger roles this year, and on top of that, we have dealt with one injury after another. We have been at full strength for only four of our 11 games. So it has been difficult to build any consistency.
“Despite our struggles, our girls continue to play hard and never quit. Today’s game was no different. We picked up our defensive intensity the second half and did a great job of putting pressure on the ball. We were able to cause some turnovers and cut the lead to nine, but weren’t able to get any closer.”
William Tennent (2-9, 0-3 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Tuesday.
New Hope-Solebury 9-11-10-9 39
William Tennent 5-4-7-13 29
New Hope-Solebury (39) – Kate Dougherty 9, Rachel Saxton 16, Sabrina Vlahovic 4, Zoe Palau 7, Jordyn Sherman 3.
William Tennent (29) – Chelsea Meltzer 10, Haley Crossley 10, Jenna Rodebaugh 3, Kirstin Hansen 2, Caitlin Somerville 2, Chase Dubzak 2.
ST. BASIL ACADEMY 55, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 37
St. Basil opened up a 17-9 lead after one quarter, but the Patriots were still very much in it at halftime, trailing the undefeated Panthers by just five, 26-21. They were ultimately doomed by a 22-point third quarter by their visitors.
Mia Salvati’s nine points – eight in the first half – led the Patriots. Gabby Wilga and Aubrey DeAngelis both added seven. Caroline Pla and Skylar Krause each had six points.
Central Bucks East (3-7, 1-3 SOL) will host Quakertown on Tuesday.
St. Basil Academy 17-9-22-7 55
Central Bucks East 9-12-8-8 37
St. Basil Academy (55) – Shannon Remolde 8, Kelly Grant 3, Lizzie Deal 5, Lauren Ems 3, Casey Remolde 12, Denae Carter 24.
Central Bucks East (37) – Mia Salvati 9, Gabby Wilga 7, Caroline Pla 6, Emily Chmiel 2, Skylar Krause 6, Aubrey DeAngelis 7.
GREAT VALLEY 51, WISSAHICKON 41
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