PW’s Taylor O’Brien and Abington’s Sam Brusha put their names in their program’s record books. Check out Tuesday’s recaps. Neshaminy/CR North photos provided courtesy of Jess Garber (http://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p397869003). (Taylor O'Brien photo provided courtesy of PW basketball.)
SOL American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 63, HATBORO-HORSHAM 31
Taylor O’Brien has spent the last several days rewriting the record books at Plymouth Whitemarsh. Three days 
after breaking the career scoring record for the girls’ program, the senior standout eclipsed the school record of 1,641 career points set by Thomas Young in 2005.
“There was a huge crowd out there tonight,” PW coach Daniel Dougherty said. “Taylor is such a legend within the community, and they’re such a beloved family.
“There were a couple of the youth girls’ teams there tonight, and a couple of little girls came up to her asking for her autograph. It was really special. There are some big-time names coming through PW, girls and boys, and she’s done it in so many fewer games.”
O’Brien entered the game needing 19 points to become the school’s all-time leading scorer, and the gifted guard scored the milestone basket in the third quarter when she buried a 3-pointer.
“It’s so special,” Dougherty said. “I really don’t think she was forcing things tonight.
“When she only needed one more shot to do it, she had two (3-pointers) just rattle in and out. She finally got one to go down in the third quarter to break the record. It’s super special. Right after she scored the basket for the record, she scored six straight points. It was a nice weight off her shoulders.”
O’Brien finished the game with 29 points – 16 in a first half that saw the Colonials open up a 30-17 lead. They went on to outscore the Hatters 15-1 in the third quarter to go on top 45-18.
“Hatboro came out in a full-court double team on her, and Taylor got called for an offensive foul our first possession,” Dougherty said. “Their full-out game plan was every time down the court – don’t let her touch the ball, don’t let her touch the ball.
“Stuff like that fires her up even more. Once we saw what the game plan from them was to not let her touch the ball or double team her every time she got it, I pulled her aside and said, ‘Just let your defense create your offense tonight. Try and score in transition.’ That’s exactly what she was able to do. She got three steals in the second quarter and turned them all into buckets and got an and-one out of one of them. It was good.”
Also for the Colonials, freshman Anna McTamney scored 11 points. Junior Sydney Kesselman added eight, which included a pair of threes, and senior Lauren Fortescue had seven.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (10-1, 5-0 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (4-6, 3-1) will travel to Wissahickon on Wednesday and then will host William Penn Charter in a non-league game on Thursday.
Hatboro-Horsham 9-8-1-13 31
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14-16-15-18 63
Hatboro-Horsham (31) – Cam Ryan 8, Sara Mahoney 5, Kylie Halko 10, Sydney Kemp 6, Sarah Sciubba 1, Grace Griffis 1.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (63) – Issa Crawley 2, Jordan O’Brien 2, Taylor O’Brien 29, Ally Zolty 2, Lauren Fortescue 7, Ali Diamond 1, Bria Rivers 1, Anna McTamney 11, Sydney Kesselman 8
WISSAHICKON 52, CHELTENHAM 23
Sparked by the 16-point effort of Victoria Selverian and a tenacious defense, the Trojans rolled to a win over the visiting Lady Panthers.
“My staff and I put together a game plan,” coach Rodney Cline said. “Ever since that Upper Dublin game when these girls came out and executed what we asked them to do, they just found a sense of confidence ever since that game.
“We may have lost by a lot against Upper Dublin (58-24), but we executed defensively what we wanted to do. We just couldn’t put the ball in the basket that game. Tonight we went out and executed defensively, and the girls just put the ball in the basket. They were poised, they were confident in themselves. I think we’re finally starting to get our game presence.”
Selverian set the tone for a big night with eight points in an opening quarter the Trojans won 17-6.
“Victoria Selverian came out tonight, and she penetrated and finished,” Cline said. “We found holes, we found each other, and we put the ball in the basket.
“Defensively, we forced 33 turnovers. At the beginning of the season, I give the girls the autonomy to choose – what’s our identity? What type of team do we want to be? And the girls said, ‘We want to be a defensive team.’ That’s our staple, and they went out there and they executed how they want to be. They were just focused and locked in, and to do that after a four-five day break with three games cancelled, I give them a lot of credit.”
By halftime, the Trojans led 35-13, and they outscored the Lady Panthers 17-10 in the second half.
Also for the Trojans, Brianna Tilghman had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Carly Fadel added eight points, and Anna Schools had six.
According to Cline, it took time for the Trojans to find their stride after starting the season much later than most teams.
“We were still figuring things out, making adjustments as a staff,” the Trojans’ coach said. “As a team, they’re starting to get into a groove. We didn’t start until (Dec.) 18th, so it took about three or four games for us to really get into it and understand what it takes to compete at the varsity level.
“We have a couple of first-year girls playing at the varsity level, and they had to get accustomed to the speed and physicality and mentality. Now they’re starting to get into the groove, and they’re starting to have that confidence and understand where their teammates are and building that cohesion. When you start to do that and everyone is on the same page, it starts to show. I’m proud of them.”
Taylor Johnson led the Lady Panthers with six points.
Wissahickon (2-5, 2-2 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Wednesday in a rescheduled game, and Cheltenham (5-4, 1-2) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday.
Wissahickon 17-18-10-7 52
Cheltenham 6-7-2-8 23
Wissahickon (52) – Anna Schools 6, Brianna Tilghman 10, Lauren Fadel 1, Sydney Ott 5, Macey Segal 2, Victoria Selverian 16, Victoria Wiliams 2, Kellly Dickson 2, Carly Fadel 8.
Cheltenham (23) – Savannah Roberts 3, Taylor Johnson 6, Tamara Choitz 2, Kelia Holmes 4, Kai Williams 4.
UPPER MORELAND 47, QUAKERTOWN 22
Cassidy Murphy turned in a dominant performance in the paint, scoring a game-high 15 points to lead the visiting Golden Bears to the big win.
“Going into the game we knew we had a size advantage with Cassidy Murphy and told her that she should look to dominate on every possession,” coach Matt Carroll said. “She left Saturday’s game due to an illness and wasn’t 100 percent coming into the game but gave us that and more.
“She finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but her presence in the post opened up a lot of drives for our guards.”
The Golden Bears led 6-2 after one quarter and then took control of the game with a 16-point second quarter to go into halftime with a 22-8 lead. They led the rest of the way.
In addition to Murphy, Kaiya Herb had nine points, and Phoebe Longstreth added eight. Hannah Stainback had seven.
AbbyEllen Wood came off the bench and recorded 10 rebounds.
“She knows she needs to be a better rebounder and has made that a priority and it’s great to see her hard work paying off,” Carroll said. “We had a 22-8 halftime lead but Quakertown never stopped fighting. They are without their leader (Maggie Garlick) and she makes a big difference for that team. That’s a much different game if she plays, but they never stopped fighting. This was our first league win in two years but we are hoping one of many.”
For the Panthers, Brianna Leftkoski led the way with 10 points.
The win brought an end to a losing streak in SOL play dating back to Jan. 19, 2016, when the Golden Bears defeated Wissahickon 33-26.
Upper Moreland (3-5, 1-3 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Friday, and Quakertown (1-10, 0-4) will be on the road at Springfield Township on Thursday.
Upper Moreland 6-16-12-13 47
Quakertown 2-6-13-1 22
Upper Moreland (47) – Emma Meakim 2, Phoebe Longstreth 8, Kaiya Herb 9, Hannah Stainback 7, Hannah Finn 4, Cassidy Murphy 15, Kelley Leighton 2.
Quakertown (22) – Abigail Dickson 4, Kimmy Best 2, Samantha Howard 3, Emma Pizzullo 2, Brianna Leftkoski 10, Hannah LaBonge 1.
UPPER DUBLIN 67, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 22
The Flying Cardinals opened up a 22-6 lead after one quarter and never looked back on their way to the big win over the Spartans.
Jackie Vargas was a presence in the paint, leading the Cardinals with 15 points, six rebounds and five blocked shots. Freshman Dayna Balasa had 12 points on four 3-pointers. The Flying Cardinals spent the game setting up their teammates, racking up 23 assists on 27 baskets.
Rileigh Serroni led the Spartans with eight points.
Upper Dublin (9-3, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Friday, and Springfield (1-7, 0-3) will host Quakertown on Thursday.
Upper Dublin 22-8-18-19 67
Springfield 6-2-5-9 22
Upper Dublin (67) – Nicole Kaiser 8, Jess Polin 2, Sarah Eskey 9, Maggie Weglos 7, Kara Grebe 6, Meghan Barbera 3, Dayna Balasa 12, Lindsey Schreiber 3, Kayla Wolf 2, Jackie Vargas 15.
Springfield (22) – Grace Barraclough 4, Mary Kate Smith 2, Emily Rodriguez 2, Rileigh Serroni 8, Emily Guicheteau 5, Sydney Hannings 1
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 62, WILLIAM TENNENT 30
In an impressive offensive performance, the Patriots connected on 50 percent of their shots from the floor in Tuesday’s contest – including an 8-for-16 effort from beyond the arc. The result was a no-doubt-about-it win over the visiting Panthers, who found themselves on the short end of a 37-20 score at halftime.
Bailey McManus – whose 16 points led the Patriots – scored 12 points in the first half. Four players – Sophia Mancuso, Skylar Krause, Gina Russo and Caroline Pla had eight each. Elyse Shine added six points as everybody had a hand in the offensive onslaught.
Haley Crossley’s 13 points led the Panthers while Emma Stanfield had eight.
Central Bucks East (8-4, 3-2 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. as part of the SOL Challenge. William Tennent (6-4, 1-3) will be on the road at Pennridge on Friday.
William Tennent 11-9-6-4 30
Central Bucks East 17-20-15-10 62
William Tennent (30) – Kelly Scipione 5, Emma Stanfield 8, Bryn Evans 4, Haley Crossley 13.
Central Bucks East (62) – Sophia Mancuso 9, Skylar Krause 9, Gina Russo 9, Caroline Pla 9, Madi Gregor 2, Bailey McManus 16, Gabby Wilga 2, Elyse Shine 6.
SOUDERTON 55, NORTH PENN 27
Triple doubles are rare indeed, but when they occur, it’s typically for points, rebounds and assists. Kate Connolly opted to go a much more difficult route, blocking 10 shots to go along with 16 points and 10 rebounds for an impressive triple double
“Kate had a monster game,” coach Lynn Carroll said. “She was so disruptive on defense and really made it difficult for North Penn to penetrate with any kind of success.
“Offensively, I think that Bri Hewlett made things as difficult as possible on Kate by denying her the ball and really making her work, but she still found ways to create shots.”
The Indians led 11-6 after one quarter and took a 27-13 lead into halftime. The Knights held a 10-8 edge in the third quarter, but the Indians closed it out with a 20-point fourth quarter to put an exclamation point on the win.
Megan Walbrandt also had a big day with 15 points, which include three 3-pointers. All told, the Indians had six threes.
“Megan Walbrandt played really well,” Carroll said. “She shot well from the perimeter and was getting out in the open floor and scoring in transition.”
Alana Cardona also finished in double figures with 12 points.
Carroll credited point guard Tori Dowd for sparking the defense.
“Tori set the tone defensively with her relentless ball pressure,” the Indians’ coach said. “She had five steals and bunch of deflections.”
Bri Hewlett’s eight points led the Knights, who dropped their sixth straight after opening the season with four straight wins.
Souderton (8-2, 2-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks West on Thursday in a key contest. North Penn (4-6, 0-4) will be on the road at Central Bucks South on Friday.
North Penn 6-7-10-4 27
Souderton 11-16-8-20 55
North Penn (27) – Jenny Hulmes 3, Cayla Sharkey 4, Alayna Faison 4, Alaina Mullaly 2, Carley Adams 4, Jess McKenzie 2, Bri Hewlett 8.
Souderton (55) – Tori Dowd 2, Megan Bealer 4, Alana Cardona 12, Megan Walbrandt 15, Sami Falenki 3, Kate Connolly 16, Jordan Zimmerman 3.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 50, PENNRIDGE 31
Maddie Burke and Diane Nicholson are proving to be a dangerous one-two punch for the Bucks. Two days after the duo combined for 38 points in the Bucks’ win over Westtown in the Blue Star Showcase where Nicholson – who had 20 points – earned team MVP honors, the duo teamed up to score 31.
This time it was Burke with 20 points to go along with 12 rebounds while Nicholson had 11. Izzy Treon added nine points in a solid outing for a Bucks’ squad that appears to be finding its rhythm.
“It was iffy at the beginning of the year,” Treon said. “We graduated a lot of seniors, so we were really young coming in this year.
“That was a hard thing to getting these younger girls the confidence to play at a higher level that they might never have played at in the past. That was something we really struggled with, and I think we’re getting better with it as the season is continuing.”
For one quarter, the Rams – behind six points from Gill Anderson – hung with the Bucks, and it was 7-7 late in the frame. Burke scored on the follow of her own miss, and the Bucks had a lead they would not lose.
It was still a three-point game (14-11) after Rose McCormick scored two minutes into the second quarter, but the Bucks answered with a 13-0 run that was broken when Sam Muredda scored late in the quarter.
“We had that second quarter lull where we look up at the clock and say, ‘Oh my god, we’re competing with this team,’ and it’s like they tighten up,” Pennridge coach Mike Elton said. “We just have work to do.
“The second half of the game I told them to try and take something away from the game. There were some periods where we picked up the intensity, and it made a difference. Now we have to learn how to sustain it.”
Burke had 11 points in the first half while Nicholson had eight as the Bucks opened up a 27-13 halftime lead.
“I feel like the more games we play, the better we’re becoming,” senior point guard Abbey Spratt said. “In the beginning of the year, it was a little unorganized at times.
“A lot of these girls are young – the girls coming off the bench are super young. As we start to play with each other, we’re meshing.”
Eight players scored for the Bucks, who led 41- 19 after three quarters.
“I thought we played very well,” coach Terry Rakowsky said. “We passed to open people, we were disciplined in our screens, we were disciplined in our offense.
“We’re not good enough defensively, but we’re getting better and more disciplined.”
Anderson led the Rams with nine points while Maddie Stolarski added six.
Central Bucks West (6-5, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Souderton on Thursday, and Pennridge (4-5, 0-3) will host William Tennent on Friday.
Pennridge 9-4-6-12 31
Central Bucks West 12-15-14-9 50
Pennridge (31) – Corinn Mart 4, Sam Muredda 3, Sophie Cweiber 4, Brooke Bachtle 1, Gill Anderson 9, Maddie Stolarski 6, Rose McCormick 4.
Central Bucks West (50) – Abbey Spratt 2, Diane Nicholson 11, Paige Gilbert 2, Jess Broskey 2, Maddie Burke 20, Erin McIlhinney 9, Lilly Evans 2, Julia Kreider 2.
SOL National Conference
NESHAMINY 41, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 29
The Redskins threw some serious defense at the Indians, limiting the defending conference champions to single digits in all four quarters and a season-low 29 points.
“We did a good job playing defense on Becca (Margolis) and Mackenzie (Tinner),” Neshaminy coach Joe Lally said. “They both did get into a little bit of foul trouble, but I have to give our girls credit – they executed the game plan.
“They’re a great team, they’re league champions, they’re really well coached, and you’re going to have to really play a 32-minute game to beat them. There were still a couple minutes in the game where we didn’t play really well, but they’re learning to minimize that damage.”
The Redskins wasted little time taking control of Tuesday’s contest, opening up a 16-8 lead after one quarter. They took a 24-14 advantage into halftime. Allison Harvey’s nine points – which included a pair of threes – led the Redskins.
“In the third quarter, we only scored five points, but the good news was we only gave up six,” said Lally, whose team took a 29-20 lead into the final quarter. “We were still defending really hard.
“The game was physical. They pressed and trapped. I think we both know each other so well, so that plays into it too. We’re running sets that they know, and they’re running sets we know.
“It’s one of those games we know we really have to prepare to play against North. We know the history of the team and that program. Our girls understand that, and going into the game, it wasn’t a hard sell for them because they know how good the program has been.”
Harvey led the Redskins with 14 points, including a clutch 3-pointer in the fourth quarter after the Indians pulled to within eight.
“She’s definitely feeling better, defending better, attacking the basket more,” Lally said.
Brooke Mullin added 10 points and also led the team in rebounding. Olivia Scotti added eight points and Curley had six.
“Kristen Curley has been phenomenal,” Lally said. “She won’t light it up on the scoreboard, but she made some fabulous passes tonight.
“We have the utmost respect for Becca Margolis. She was the player of the year in our area last year, and Kristen really played a nice game against her. That was important for us.”
With the win, the Redskins own sole possession of first place in the conference standings with a one-game lead over Rock North and Abington.
“We just have to keep working on improving,” Lally said. “We have to continue to work on finishing games because there’s still a lot of inexperience.”
Tinner and Camryn Polinsky led the Indians with eight points while Dana Bandurick had six. Bandurick led the Indians with nine rebounds and three blocked shots, and
Tinner had five rebounds and four blocked shots.
Neshaminy (7-3, 4-0 SOL) will host Harry S Truman on Thursday, and Council Rock North (5-5, 3-1) will be on the road at Pennsbury on Thursday.
Council Rock North 8-6-6-9 29
Neshaminy 16-8-5-12 41
Council Rock North (29) – Becca Margolis 5, Camryn Polinsky 8, Dana Bandurick 6, Olivia Boyle 2, Mackenzie Tinner 8.
Neshaminy (41) – Emily Tantala 1, Olivia Scotti 8, Brooke Mullin 10, Kristen Curley 6, Meghan Ansel 2, Allison Harvey 14.
ABINGTON 90, HARRY S TRUMAN 37
Sam Brusha put her name in the record books at Abington, burying a 3-pointer in the first quarter that gave her 117 for her career. The senior sharpshooter broke the record of 116 set by Jen Kelly in 2009.
“I think it shows how hard Sam has worked,” coach Dan Marsh said. “She really didn’t play her freshman year. Her freshman year was 2015 when we lost to CB West in the district championship, and she had Deja Rawls and Sammy Lochner in front of her, two D-I kids, so she basically broke this record in three years, which is pretty amazing.
“It just shows her dedication and hard work to become the shooter she is. She shoots more than anybody I know. She’s in the gym constantly working on her shot. If she misses a couple, she’ll want to come in early and she’ll want to stay late. That’s why records break when people work hard.”
Brusha – who had just one three on the night – erupted for 14 points in the opening quarter, propelling he Ghosts to a 27-15 lead. Kassondra Brown took over in the second quarter, scoring eight points while Camryn Lexow had six as the Ghosts opened up a 52-21 halftime lead.
Both Brusha and Brown finished with 18 points. Tamia Wessels and Britney James – who had a pair of 3-pointers – each added 11 points, and Lexow finished with 10 on a night that saw five players finish in double figures. Morgan Benson added seven points.
For the Tigers, Haniyyah Jones led the way with 11 points, and Daisha Campbell had 10. Briana Cliney contributed nine points and Roneshia James had seven.
Abington (6-4, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. game in the SOL Challenge. Harry S Truman (2-7, 0-2) will be on the road at Neshaminy on Thursday.
Harry S Truman 15-6-6-10 37
Abington 27-25-26-12 90
PENNSBURY 47, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 41
The Falcons received a pair of big offensive performances from Sydney Buell (21 points) and Cami Wiegand (15 points) in their road win over the Golden Hawks.
The duo combined for 12 points – both scored six – in a first quarter that saw the Falcons open up a 13-10 lead. They extended their lead in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 31-20 advantage. Buell – who had 12 points in the second quarter – accounted for 18 first-half points. She connected on a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter.
The Golden Hawks made things interesting with a 16-point third quarter, trimming the Falcons’ lead to 40-36 heading into the final quarter. Freshman Nicole Blaustein scored seven of her game-high 11 points in the quarter. The Falcons scored seven points at the foul line in the fourth quarter and held on for the win.
Also for the Golden Hawks, Claudie Steinmetz finished with eight points.
Pennsbury (5-6, 2-3 SOL) will host Council Rock North on Thursday, and Council Rock South (3-6, 0-3) will be on the road at Bensalem on Thursday.
Pennsbury 13-18-9-7 47
Council Rock South 10-10-16-5 41
Pennsbury (47) – Abbi Nassivera 2, Bella Arcuri 4, Mary Miller 4, Sydney Buell 21, Cami Wiegand 15, Skyler Sulby 1.
Council Rock South (41) – Claudia Steinmetz 8, Bailey Vetter 5, Emma Jones 3, Nicole Blaustein 11, Allison McGowan 4, Hannah Binder 5, Jenna Kulp 5.
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