Abington and Upper Dublin participated in the prestigious 14th Annual Blue Star High School Invitational.
14th Annual Blue Star High School Invitational
RED BANK CATHOLIC 57, ABINGTON 43
Coach Dan Marsh knew his team would be in for a battle when it took on a Red Bank Catholic squad that is ranked fourth in the latest NJ.com top 20. The Caseys not only brought a six-game winning streak into Sunday’s game, they also have a pair of Division 1 signees on their roster.
Justine Possett is a 6-4 sharpshooting wing who is committed to the University of Tennessee. Ally Carman, a 6-5 protector of the paint, has signed to continue her basketball career at Boston College.
Coming as no surprise, the Ghosts didn’t have a lot of success getting the ball inside against a taller Red Bank squad with every player 5-11 or taller.
“They were so big and long in a 2-3 zone, and we only had four two-point field goals,” Marsh said.
The Caseys – behind eight points from Possett – opened up a 21-13 lead after one quarter and took a 25-19 advantage into halftime. Jaida Helm’s eight points led the Ghosts in the opening half.
Any thoughts of an Abington comeback were all but put to rest when the Caseys came out of halftime and put 21 points on the board in the third quarter to go on top 46-26. Helm scored 11 of her team high 19 points after the intermission. Abril Bowser buried three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
Bowser finished with 12 points on four 3- pointers while Cire Worley had nine. All told, the Ghosts had 10 3-pointers.
“It was a good experience,” Marsh said.
Possett’s 18 points led Red Bank Catholic. Christina Liggio added 14.
Abington (7-1, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Abington 13-6-7-17 43
Red Bank Catholic 21-4-21-11 57
Abington (43) – 3 2-2 9; Abril Bowser 4 0-0 12; Jaida Helm 6 3-5 19; Maya Johnson 1 0-1 3; Krysten Brown 0 0-1 0; TOTALS 14 5-9 43.
Red Bank Catholic (57) – Justine Possett 6 4-4 18; Emma Carman 2 0-0 4; Ally Carman 4 0-3 8; Casey Prior 1 1-2 3; Molly Kelly 0 2-4 2; Tesssa Carman 2 3-4 8; Christina Liggio 5 2-4 14; TOTALS 20 12-21 57.
3-point goals: Abington – Abril Bowser 4, Jaida Helm 4, Cire Worley, Maya Johnson; Red Bank – Justine Possett 2, Christina Liggio 2, Tessa Carman.
WESTTOWN 60, UPPER DUBLIN 29
Sunday’s Blue Star Classic featured an impressive lineup of high school basketball squads, and the Flying Cardinals had the unenviable task of trying to contain a high-powered Westtown squad.
“We knew we had a big challenge ahead of ourselves today with Westtown,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “They were 6-3 coming into today but have played a national level schedule and have had success against top level competition.
“They have six players on their roster over six foot, and size is not a strength of ours. Add in the athleticism they have, and we knew the key to today was to keep them off the offensive glass. Unfortunately, we struggled in that department, but it was not for a lack of effort.”
Westtown opened up a 21-4 lead after one quarter and took a 36-14 lead into halftime on their way to the decisive win.
Despite the outcome, Funsten saw some positives.
“Offensively, Bliss Brenner did a good job running our offense and finished with six assists and only one turnover,” the Flying Cardinals’ coach said. “Amy Ngo made some tough shots throughout the day and finished with 16 points. Geena Sarnoski led us with eight rebounds.
“It was certainly a tough week results-wise, but we are hoping these games made us a better team. This upcoming week is a really big week for us. We need to have a focused week in practice, take it one day at a time, and play with confidence in our games this week.”
Westtown features Rutgers commit Kaylene Smikle, an All-America Games nominee, and University of Pennsylvania signee Helena Lasic.
Upper Dublin (4-6, 2-3 SOL) will host William Tennent on Tuesday.
Upper Dublin 4-10-5-10 29
Westtown 21-15-14-10 60
Upper Dublin (29) – Bliss Brenner 0 2-3 2; Aditi Foster 1 0-0 2; Geena Sarnoski 2 0-0 5; Colleen Klammer 2 0-1 4; Amy Ngo 7 0-1 16; TOTALS 12 2-5 29.
Westtown (60) – Meliah Van-otoo 3 0-0 7; Zahra King 5 0-0 13; Mara Donnelly 3 1-2 7; Olivia Wiggins 2 0-0 6; Grace Sundback 2 0-0 4; Kaylene Smikle 7 4-5 21; TOTALS 23 5-7 60.
3-point goals: UD – Amy Ngo 2, Geena Sarnoski; Westtown – Zahra King 3, Kaylene Smikle 3, Olivia Wiggins 2, Meliah Van-otoo.
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