SOL Girls’ Basketball Wrap (1-8-25)

William Tennent & Lower Moreland were winners in SOL girls’ basketball action Wednesday.

Non-league

WILLIAM TENNENT 54, BOYERTOWN 43

Avery Kocur turned in a glittering 26-point effort to lead the visiting Panthers to the non-league win.

Behind eight points from both Kocur and Megan Volz, the Panthers jumped out to a 19-7 lead after one quarter and took a 29-18 lead into halftime. The Bears battled but never could dig their way out of that early hole.

Key stretch: There’s no mistaking the significance of a fast start, and the Panthers opened up a 12-point lead after one quarter and led the rest of the way.

Key players: Avery Kocur’s 26 points – 10 in the opening half – included four 3-pointers and a 6-for-6 effort at the foul line. Megan Volz added 11 points and Halie Staub finished in double figures with 10.

For the Bears, Chloe Engler’s 23 points led the way.

William Tennent coach Laura Whitney on the win: “I’m really proud of how our girls responded tonight and bounced back after two tough losses. Even being shorthanded, our girls showed a lot of fight and everyone that played contributed.

“I thought we got out to a fast start and did a nice job of dictating the tempo. The last two games we didn’t show much energy, but tonight we were playing at a high level. We had some great ball movement and made the extra passes for open shots. It was great team basketball, and it was a lot of fun to watch.

“We had a few breakdowns defensively the second half and allowed Boyertown to cut the lead to two in the fourth quarter. But credit to our girls, they didn’t panic and kept their composure. We had some big possessions to push the lead back up to seven and then executed down the stretch and made big free throws to seal the game.”

–Props: “Avery (Kocur) led the way with 26 points and came up with one big shot after another.

“(Halie) Staub chipped in with 10 and was being aggressive at both ends of the court.

“Meg Volz added 11. She had a big first quarter on the offensive end and came up with some big defensive rebounds late in the game.”

Up next: William Tennent (7-5, 1-4 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham in a non-league game Friday.

William Tennent 19-10-14-11 54

Boyertown 13-6-16-8 43

William Tennent (54) – Lindsey Catoni 2 0-0 6; Avery Kocur 8 6-6 26; Carissa Malpezzi 0 1-2 1; Halie Staub 3 3-4 10; Megan Volz 5 1-3 11; TOTALS 18 11-15 54.

Boyertown (43). – Rhian Harper 1 4-6 6; Chloe Engler 8 5-5 23; Callie Wieber 1 0-0 3; Madelyn Weaver 4 2-3 11; TOTALS 14 11-14 43.

3-point goals: WT- Avery Kocur 4, Lindsey Catoni 2, Halie Staub; B – ChloeEngler 2, Callie Wieber, Madelyn Weaver.

LOWER MORELAND 61, RENAISSANCE ACADEMY 33

The Lions – behind 10 points from Dani Brusha – led 18-7 after one quarter and upped that advantage to 33-18 at halftime. If there were any doubts about the outcome, those doubts were put to rest in a 24-point third quarter for the Lions.

Key stretch: The Lions had an answer for every comeback attempt by Renaissance.

Key players: Dani Brusha led the Lions with 19 points, which included three 3-pointers. Nikki Sahl had a big night, scoring 14 points, including two 3s. Also finishing in double figures were Bri McFerran and Emma DiJoseph with 10 points each.

Lower Moreland coach Rich Becker on the win: “After expending a lot of mental and physical energy on an OT win (over Upper Moreland) last night, I was a little nervous that we might come out flat. Renaissance likes to play a physical up and down style that we have not seen yet this year, so I was proud that the girls played poised and played our game and not theirs.

“Another coach told me that they were an ‘overly physical’ team, but it didn’t faze our girls. I thought that the refs did a nice job controlling the game, and our poise allowed us to get a few of their girls in foul trouble. Once that happened, we were able to open it up.

“Tomorrow will be a very light practice before we get ready for Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday.”

–Key moment #1: “After getting up 15-4 to start the game, Renaissance made a run and closed the gap to 15-11, and at the end of the quarter, Sofia Fey hit a big 3 to put us up 18-11 and that settled us down.”

–Key Moment #2: “At the start of the third quarter, we were finally patient on offense in the half court, and the girls ran their lanes in transition, and the result was some high percentage baskets and we outscored them 24-10.”

–Props: “Once again, Dani (Brusha) continues to be our leader on the court. After a 21-point and 16-rebound game last night, she had 19 points and six steals tonight.

“Bri McFerran is struggling a bit on offense, but she continues to battle and rebound for us. In the nine full games she’s played this season, she has seven double-doubles. Tonight, she had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

“Nikki Sahl had a career high 14 points tonight. She was 6-for-9 from the floor, and she just competes. Night after night we task her with defending the other team’s best perimeter player, and she continues to rise to the occasion. She frustrated their best player which contributed to her getting in early foul trouble and us being able to take advantage of the situation.”

Up next: Lower Moreland (6-6, 3-2 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh in a non-league game Friday.

Renaissance 7-11-10-5 33

Lower Moreland 18-15-24-4 61

Renaissance (33) – Brilan Biesecker 4 0-0 11; Kasira Barber 3 3-10 9; Dallis Stewart 0 2-2 2; Roslyn Jones 1 0-0 2; Aniyah Jones 2 3-4 7; Allison Sautr 1 0-0 2; Singleton 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 11 8-18 33.

Lower Moreland (61) – Briana McFerran 5 0-0 10; Dani Brusha 6 4-7 19; Emma DiJoseph 5 0-0 10; Nikki Sahl 6 0-0 14; Maddie Broderick 1 1-2 3; Sofia Fey 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 25 5-9 61.

3-point goals: R – Brilan Biesecker 3; LM – Dani Brusha 3, Nikki Sahl 2, Sofia Fey.