Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Thursday. CB East/CR South photos provided courtesy of Diane Barry/CB East basketball.
SOL Crossover Patriot/Colonial
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 51, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 47
Blair Klumpp hasn’t forgotten some of the beatings his teams have taken at the hands of CB East. The two teams didn’t meet last year, but in 2020, the Patriots defeated the Golden Hawks by 23 points and, one year earlier, rolled to a 40-point win.
In Thursday’s crossover game, the Golden Hawks led by as many as 15 only to watch the Patriots rally back to take a 46-45 lead on an Elise Duffy basket with 3:52 remaining. It would have been easy to fold, but the Golden Hawks refused to lose, holding on for the hard fought win.
“I’m very excited and happy for the girls,” Klumpp said. “This was a good win, against a really well coached and good team on the road. Their two top players (Anna Barry and Elise Duffy) have been playing really, really good.
“They’re always well coached. And historically, albeit with not the same rosters, East has had its way versus South. Liz (Potash) does such a good job from a preparation standpoint, and they run their stuff really well.
“We got rattled a little bit in the fourth quarter – I don’t think it was their pressure. I think it was us just trying to play too fast not realizing we could control the game with time to score. The last two minutes we did a good job of settling down.”
With the score tied 46-46 after Rock South’s Lily Bross sank the front end of a one-and-one, Karissa Smedley came up with a steal and was fouled going to the basket. She connected on one-of-two to give the Golden Hawks a one-point lead, and after an East miss, Mia Stock scored in the paint despite being fouled, giving the Golden Hawks a 49-46 lead.
East’s Chantal Van Dongeren buried the front end of a one-and-one to pull her team to within two with 1:06 remaining, but another bucket by Stock in close gave the Goldens a 51-47 lead with 21 seconds remaining. That score stood to the final horn.
“This is a really big win,” said Stock. “We came out really strong. Some things didn’t go our way in the second half, but we stayed in it.
“When they came back, we just said, ‘Keep your head up, keep going.’”
The Patriots trailed 45-34 heading into the final quarter. Duffy and Barry were catalysts in East’s comeback with Duffy scoring six points in the quarter and Barry adding four. Van Dongeren also had a big basket.
“I expected them to make a run when we were up double digits,” Klumpp said. “We have a young team fairly speaking, so learning to expand on leads, taking advantage of mismatches, closing out games – you kind of learn that by experience as you go. We practice it and go through situation stuff, but games it’s different and one of those things that you learn with experience and going through it.
“I thought Duffy for them was a prime example of a kid who’s been in those spots, and it showed. She made some really tough plays to eventually get them a lead. To their credit they played one stop, one score very well to take a lead in the fourth. I was really proud of our girls mental and physical toughness the last 2:30 or so. To go down on the road against a good team and come back and hold on for a win is a very big step for us.”
The Golden Hawks’ coach lauded the play of Stock, whose team high 14 points also included a pair of clutch 3s.
“We’ve been working on her just trying to recognize those mismatches – are they on the perimeter where you can get by your defender or are they in the post where you can manipulate your physicality a little bit to take advantage of that,” Klumpp said. “We called a couple of plays late to get her the ball for those mismatches. She did a really good job converting. She played through some contact which is good for her. It shows that she’s getting stronger and more confident in her moves.
“We talked about developing a go-to move and a counter move, and she’s doing a really good job at those things, and she’s really, really coachable. She’s played really well the last two games, 
she’s done a good job of playing through some struggles offensively, but she’s been very sound defensively and she’s been one of our better defenders all year.”
Klumpp had high praise for numerous other players as well.
“LB had a real good floor game tonight, finding girls in transition and also locating mismatches,” he said of sophomore point guard Lily Bross. “She was fantastic defensively on Barry as well. Other girls also guarded her at times, but I don’t know if she got a three off with Lil on her.
“Cam Gregory was really good tonight, making tough plays and hustle plays. She’s led us in scoring multiple games, and they were clearly aware of her, and she didn’t force anything and impacted the game in other areas, another thing we preach to them about.
“KP (Katie Purpura) fouled out but still was making hustle and energy plays early on when we were trying to get our feet under us. I thought it was fitting Smed (Smedley) came up with a huge steal when East had the ball down four with nine seconds left. It just embodies who she is and what our team is growing into. Struggle offensively a bit at times? Okay, find somewhere else to make a play. She did that with steals and rebounds tonight.”
The Golden Hawks’ coach credited the contributions of his bench as well. Fiona Reckner came off the bench to score 10 points seven in a 17-point second quarter.
“I thought Fi (Reckner) gave us a huge lift in the first half offensively and defensively and played well,” Klumpp said. “Haley (Thompson), Jenna (Waterman), and Lil Metrick didn’t impact the game scoring but also were very active and contributed to a nice spurt in the second quarter.
“Lil Metrick was very sound defensively late in the game as well. And Ryann Szydlik played a three-minute run and contributed by blowing up a screen, getting in floor for a loose ball and recognizing personal. It shows that when you stay engaged in the game and the prep that you can make an impact.
“We have told them for months our depth is a strength. Now as a player, that’s not always great – everyone wants to play and play a lot. But on a given night we have shown multiple girls can lead us in scoring, another handful can get double digits, and any girl on our roster can contribute to wins. It can be tough as a player not having a set role or a consistent spot in rotation, but these girls deserve a ton of credit for staying ready. It says a lot about them and how they are good teammates and there to pick each other up. They are really buying into what we are trying to do, buying into each other, and having each other’s back- I’m really excited for them as a group that they got this win.”
In a contest that saw Rock South bury 10 3-pointers, Gregory added nine points on three 3-pointers. She also had three steals and three assists. Bross finished with seven points and seven assists while Purpura had six points and a team high seven rebounds. Smedley added five rebounds, four steals and three assists.
For the Patriots, Duffy’s 15 points led the way while Barry added 12. Shayne LeRay contributed nine points on three 3-pointers, and Van Dongeren had six.
“I’m proud of the fight we showed in the fourth quarter to battle back from a double-digit deficit to take a brief lead,” Potash said. “South shot the ball well, especially in the first half and we dug ourselves too big of a hole to recover from.
“Elise Duffy had some huge tips in transition to stop layups to give us a chance to get back in the game. This is another close game that we’ll learn from as we continue to battle against tough competition.”
Council Rock South (7-2, 4-2 SOL) will host Central Bucks West on Tuesday, and Central Bucks East (3-5, 2-3) will travel to North Penn on Monday.
Council Rock South 15-17-13-6 51
Central Bucks East 16-6-12-13 47
Council Rock South (51) – Lil Bross 2 1-3 7; Katie Purpura 2 1-4 6; Cam Gregory 3 0-0 9; Fiona Reckner 4 0-0 10; Mia Stock 5 2-4 14; Karissa Smedley 1 3-8 5; TOTALS 17 7-19 51.
Central Bucks East (47) – Erin LeRay 0 0-3 0; Chantal Fan Dongeren 2 2-3 6; Shayne LeRay 3 0-0 9; Anna Barry 3 4-4 12; Elise Duffy 6 2-6 15; Kendall Gregor 1 0-0 3; Emily Curran 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 16 8-16 47.
3-point goals: CRS – Cam Gregory 3, Lil Bross 2, Fiona Reckner 2, Mia Stock 2, Katie Purpura; CBE – Shayne LeRay 3, Anna Barry 2, Kendall Gregor, Elise Duffy.
PENNSBURY 52, NORTH PENN 34
Nicole Pompili was all but unstoppable, torching the Knights for a game-high 22 points. Her 14 first-half points propelled the visiting Falcons to a 25-16 lead on their way to the crossover win.
“Nicole Pompili was sensational, and it was great to see her hard work rewarded,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “She sacrifices for us in so many different ways. She took advantage of matchups tonight and did great job finishing with either hand and also knocking down shots from the perimeter.
“No one questions her toughness. At 5-4, grabbing nine rebounds is a serious thing. She is rounding back into form after missing last season, and her effectiveness at both ends really helps us. It’s a dream to be able to coach someone like her. We never take it for granted.”
While Pompili stole the spotlight, Ava Sciolla was turning in a routinely excellent performance of her own, stuffing the stat sheet with 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four steals.
“Ava keeps messing around with triple doubles,” Sciolla said. “It was one of those nights where if she wasn’t already committed to college, we would’ve cut up the highlights of just the passes and sent it out. Instead, we will do the same thing and send it to our middle schools and travel teams.”
Sofia Vittuci added eight points and Navaeh Dash had six.
“Our bench gave us nice minutes tonight,” Sciolla said. “Neve Davis and Presley Foote in particular give us different things, and Oliveah Gilchrist scored her first varsity basket on her 16th birthday. It’s fun playing games at places where they allow fans. The girls enjoy that atmosphere and they deserve it.”
For the Knights, Caleigh Sperling led the way with 13 points. Her nine first-half points kept the Knights within striking distance. Abby Plaugher added 10, and Leah Mikulski had six.
“North Penn had our attention and rightfully so,” Sciolla said. “Coach (Bri) Cullen has them competing and they’ve been in so many close games this year. I think they understand her ties to the tradition of North Penn, and they are playing for her.
“But we had a very good practice yesterday, and since so many of our games so far this year have been on the road, we settled in quickly. It won’t be long before North Penn is a factor again. Trust me.”
Pennsbury (8-0, 5-0 SOL) will host Pennridge on Tuesday, and North Penn (2-5, 1-4) will travel to Methacton on Saturday for a non-league game at 2 p.m.
Pennsbury 12-13-13-14 52
North Penn 5-11-7-11 34
Pennsbury (52) – Ava Sciolla 5 3-4 14; Sofia Vitucci 4 0-0 8; Nicole Pompili 7 7-10 22; Navaeh Dash 2 1-2 6; Oliveah Gilchrist 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 19 11-16 52.
North Penn (34) – Caleigh Sperling 5 2-4 13; Abby Plaugher 4 1-1 10; Kelsie Macintosh 0 2-2 2; Leah Mikulski 3 0-0 6; Keira Sparango 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 13 6-9 34.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Ava Sciolla, Nicole Pompili, Nevaeh Dash; NP – Caleigh Sperling, Abby Plaugher.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 50, BENSALEM 38
The visiting Titans trailed by one after the opening quarter but regrouped to go into halftime with a 23-19 lead on their way to the crossover win. Taylor Hinkle’s 15 points led all scorers.
“Bensalem came out and started strong,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “I thought the second half of the first quarter and into the second quarter our defensive intensity started to kick in a little bit, and we were also more aggressive on offense.”
In the first quarter, Delaney Bell scored five points and Averi McCoy added four while Hinkle led the Titans.
“Taylor (Hinkle) had eight points in the first quarter, and she got fouls in the second quarter and came out,” Mattern said. “Sammy Schiesser had six points in the second quarter, and it was a real team effort. Sammy came in with six points, and Jenna McCartin had three points, and I thought those two off the bench did a great job of giving us the spark we needed.”
The Owls didn’t go away, but the Titans – behind seven points from Hinkle and six from Mackenzie Erb – outscored their hosts 27-19 after the intermission.
“I was most pleased with our effort at the end,” Mattern said. “It wasn’t always pretty, we didn’t always execute the way we wanted to, but I thought especially as we went further in the game they really stepped up.
“Maddie T (Tantum) had some boards that were huge, and she was just tough in there. It was everyone on the court doing that extra thing and hustling and really trying to leave it all out on the floor.”
In addition to Hinkle, Schiesser had 11 points, which included a 7-for-8 effort at the foul line. Yoyo Samayoa added nine points, and Erb finished with six.
For the Owls, Amber Howard had 13 points, which included a 6-for-8 effort at the foul line. Bell added 12 points, and McCoy had seven.
“I’m proud of our effort tonight, real proud,” Bensalem coach Steve Johnson said. “We just have to put four quarters together.
“Kudos to Taylor Hinkle. We had her in foul trouble in the first half and she turned around and played a real composed second half. Sammy (Schiesser) crushed us from the foul line.”
Central Bucks South (7-3, 3-3 SOL) will host Council Rock North on Tuesday, and Bensalem (5-4, 2-4) will be on the road at Central Bucks East on Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 10-13-12-15 50
Bensalem 11-8-10-9 38
Central Bucks South (50) – Taylor Hinkle 7 0-3 15; Alyssa D’Orazio 2 0-0 4; Mackenzie Erb 2 1-2 6; Jenna McCartin 1 1-1 3; Maddie Tantum 0 2-4 2; Sammy Schiesser 2 7-8 11; Yoyo Samayoa 3 2-3 9; TOTALS 17 13-21 50.
Bensalem (38) – Delaney Bell 5 1-1 12; Maddie MacDougall 2 0-0 5; Averi McCoy 3 1-2 7; Amber Howard 3 6-8 13; Talia DiMichele 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 13 9-13 38.
3-point goals: CBS – Taylor Hinkle, Mackenzie Erb, Yoyo Samayoa; Bensalem – Delaney Bell, Maddie MacDougall, Amber Howard.
SOUDERTON 31, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 26
It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t easy, but Souderton escaped with a win in a battle of the Indians.
“I’m not sure that we deserved to win the game, but we were lucky enough and made enough plays at the end, but I’m not sure we deserved to win,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “We struggled to finish. Part of it was Council Rock North played really hard. They had kids that hit shots.”
The two teams were deadlocked 9-9 after one quarter with Lizzie Lustig accounting for seven of Rock North’s points. Sparked by seven points from Teya McConnaha, the visiting Indians outscored their hosts 11-7 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 20-14 advantage.
It was still a six-point game heading into the fourth quarter (27-21), but the host Indians – who were without Jaden Wan – certainly made things interesting.
“It was a one-point game a couple of times in the last couple of minutes,” Carroll said. “Erin (Bohmueller) hit two foul shots to extend it to three.
“(Later), they came down and made a layup and we were up two, and then Casey (Harter) hit 2-of-2 at the foul line at the end. We made 4-of-5 foul shots in the fourth quarter, our only four points of the quarter.”
McConnaha’s 11 points led the visitors. She also had six rebounds Harter added eight points, three assists and three steals. Bohmueller had five points, six assists and two blocks.
“Obviously, we’re happy with our defense, holding them to 27,” Carroll said. “Casey Harter was magnificent on Delaney McCaffry. She hit two 3s when Casey wasn’t on her. Casey basically held her scoreless.”
“We were 3-for-13 from the field in the second half. Honestly, our defense and Teya (McConnaha) hitting some outside shots in the first half – that’s why we won the game. We’re not executing well enough, and part of it is – it’s the first time we faced a zone defense. We have to work the kinks out a little bit. When we were getting good looks, the shots weren’t falling, but Rock North did a nice job. They had kids hit shots for them down the stretch.”
For Rock North, Lustig’s nine points led the way. McCaffry and Ruth O’Keefe both had six points.
Souderton (8-2, 5-1 SOL) will host Harry S Truman on Tuesday, and Council Rock North (2-6, 1-5) will travel to Gwynedd Mercy Academy on Saturday for a non-league game at 12:30 p.m.
Souderton 9-11-7-4 31
Council Rock North 9-5-7-6 27
Souderton (31) – Brooke Fenchel 1 0-0 3; Erin Bohmueller 1 2-2 5; Mikayla McGillian 1 0-0 2; Casey Harter 3 2-3 8; Alexis Stefanowicz 1 0-0 2; Grace McDonough 0 0-2 0; Teya McConnaha 5 0-0 11; TOTALS 12 4-7 31.
Council Rock North (27) – Kiera Katz 1 0-0 2; Lizzie Lustig 4 0-1 9; Delaney McCaffry 2 0-0 6; Kristen Polinsky 0 4-4 4; Ruth O’Keefe 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 10 4-5 27.
3-point goals: Souderton – Brooke Fenchel, Erin Bohmueller, Teya McConnaha; CRN – Delaney McCaffry 2, Lizzie Lustig.
SOL Crossover Liberty/Freedom
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 47, UPPER DUBLIN 28
Just two days after pinning a 31-point loss on the Flying Cardinals, the Colonials traveled to Upper Dublin for a rematch. The Colonials made it a sweep of the Flying Cardinals in what has been a spirited rivalry, but this one was a lot harder earned.
“Morgan and I were talking before the game – this isn’t ideal, but in the world we’re living in, you’ve got to get games in,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “It proved to be a good challenge, and I appreciate his willingness to play.
“Morgan made adjustments. He had his girls ready tonight. They’re getting better. We’re trying to work the ball inside and get good shots against zones, and we just went through some stagnant possessions, but it was a good learning experience for our kids tonight.”
It looked as though it might well be a rerun of Tuesday’s meeting when the Colonials – behind seven points from Abby Sharpe and six from Erin Daley – opened up a 17-2 lead after one quarter. In the second quarter, the Cardinals and Colonials exchanged baskets, and the Colonials took a 28-13 lead into halftime.
“The first quarter we went up 17-2, things were going well,” Dougherty said. “The second quarter we had a few mental mistake turnovers, and Upper Dublin made shots. Tuesday night they couldn’t make a shot, and if you leave a good shooter open, they’re going to make shots.
“Defensively, we had a couple of breakdowns in the second quarter and gave up open shots. Amy Ngo hit an open three in transition.”
The Cardinals came out of halftime and outscored the Colonials 12-6 in the third quarter to pull to within 34-25.
“Our offensive decision making was really bad,” Dougherty said. “(Geena) Sarnoski hits a three, (Amy Ngo) hits a three, so they started to make a couple of shots.”
Making the situation most concerning to Dougherty was the fact that his team had shot just three foul shots through three quarters, and he instructed his team to pull the ball out to start the fourth quarter.
“I told the girls afterwards – it probably would have benefitted us to play through it and have the experience of playing through a close game, but I was seeing red, and it was more a break for me than it was for them,” Dougherty said. “Luckily, they let us sit in it for two-and-a-half minutes so I could calm myself down and get through it. Eventually, Upper Dublin came out and played us in man and we win the fourth quarter 17-3.
“You play Morgan Funsten twice in three days, he’s going to have a plan, his kids are making shots – you take the first quarter and the fourth quarter, we win 30-5, but the second and third quarters – it was a good experience, but we had bad decision making offensively, a lack of communication and mental breakdowns defensively.”
Funsten, meanwhile, saw positives in Thursday’s rematch.
“Coming off a 31-point loss, we got down 21-3 tonight and then went on a 22-12 run and got to single digits going into the fourth quarter,” Funsten said. “The mental toughness of our girls to be able to bounce back two days later – it would have been so easy to just run into the locker room and cry after the first quarter and just give up, and the girls did the exact opposite, and for that, we’re extremely proud.
“There were so many positives to take out of tonight, but at the same time, we can’t be celebrating. We still lost by 19 points tonight, but there were so many positives to take out of the game.”
One of those positives was on the backboards. In Tuesday’s loss, the Colonials had 22 offensive rebounds on 35 missed shots. On Thursday, the Colonials had just one offensive board in the second half. UD also had only one turnover in the second half.
“That was one place where we absolutely had to improve,” Funsten said. “We gave up 10 offensive rebounds in the first half tonight and one in the second half.
“The one turnover in the second half and one offensive rebound in the second were examples of positive things that we did, but at the same time – we think we’re getting better, but we just need to keep plugging away, stay positive, and that’s one thing I have not questioned recently with our girls – just their outlook, their mindset and their mental makeup, and we think that’s the most important thing. I feel like we’re trending in the right direction – disappointed to lose but a lot of positives.”
Daley led the Colonials with 16 points and four rebounds. Lainey Allen added 12 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Abby Sharpe scored nine of her 11 points in the first half. Jordyn Thomas, according to Dougherty, was once again the ‘captain’ of the team at both ends of the floor with six points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
“The star of the game was Erin Daley – she was really special tonight,” Dougherty said. “She had 16 points and only missed one shot all night.
“Defensively, I thought Jordyn Thomas was outstanding. Lainey Allen was outstanding at both ends. All five starters play their roles to perfections. While Kaitlyn Flanagan was held to just two points, she ran the offense well and dished out five assists. Fiona Gooneratne and Angelina Balcer contributed important minutes to the big win.
“We have some really difficult non-conference games coming up with Scranton Prep, Archbishop Carroll, Cardinal O’Hara. I think tonight is a good step in that direction – okay, we need to clean some things up here.”
For the Cardinals, Ngo’s 10 points led the way. Sarnoski added eight points while Colleen Klammer had six. Aditi Foster contributed seven rebounds, three deflections and two steals. Bliss Brenner had three assists.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (7-0, 4-0 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Friday at 5:30 p.m., and Upper Dublin (3-5, 1-3) will be on the road at Springfield Township Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 17-11-6-13 47
Upper Dublin 2-12-12-3 28
Plymouth Whitemarsh (47) – Kaitlyn Flanagan 1 0-0 2; Erin Daley 6 1-2 16; Abby Sharpe 5 0-0 11; Lainey Allen 6 0-2 12; Jordyn Thomas 2 1-2 6; TOTALS 20 2-5 47
Upper Dublin (28) – Aditi Foster 1 2-4 4; Geena Sarnoski 3 0-0 8; Colleen Klammer 2 1-4 6; Amy Ngo 3 2-3 10; TOTALS 9 5-11 28.
3-point goals: PW – Erin Daley 3, Abby Sharpe, Jordyn Thomas; UD – Geena Sarnoski 2, Amy Ngo 2, Colleen Klammer.
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