Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. PW/Quakertown photos provided courtesy of Larry Smalls. Upper Moreland/William Tennent photos courtesy of Dan Beck. Check back for galleries of both games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f884733941
SOL Patriot Division
BENSALEM 30, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 28
The Owls picked up their first win of the young season, and they did it in dramatic fashion. They trailed at the end of the first three quarters but outscored their hosts 12-7 in the fourth quarter to eke out the win.”
“It was a great come-from-behind team win,” Bensalem coach Steve Johnson said. “We had a tough loss on Friday (to Council Rock South), and it seemed as soon as our girls saw we were losing, they stopped fighting. Today, we didn’t stop one bit.”
The Indians, who led 6-4 after one quarter, took a 17-12 lead into halftime. Kiera Katz led the Indians with six points. Amber Howard’s seven points paced the Owls. Rock North took a 21-18 lead into the final quarter when the Owls – sparked by five points from Kylie Smith, four from Howard and a clutch 3-pointer from Sydney McCoy – rallied to take the lead. A big defensive play by the Owls prevented the Indians from taking a shot for the tie or win as time was about to expire.
“Kylie Smith, our lone senior, had very timely steal with a few seconds on the clock to help secure the win,” Johnson said. “Amber Howard played an awesome game. She is really stepping up into that leader role and it showed tonight.
“Sydney McCoy played stellar minutes off the bench. It’s great to have a player like Sydney come off the bench and spark the team defensively. TEAM WIN! Every girl in our program, regardless of time or stats, helped in some way. On to undefeated Pennsbury Thursday night at home.”
Howard’s 15 points – which included a 4-for-5 effort at the foul line – led the Owls. McCoy and Smith each had seven points.
For the Indians, Lizzie Lustig led the way with 10 points while Delaney McCaffery added nine, and Katz had six points.
“North is a very scrappy and tough team,” Johnson said. “Our division is so strong – each and every night you have to give it your all. Coach (Jack) Kelly did a phenomenal job getting his girls ready for our actions.”
Bensalem (1-2, 1-1 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Thursday, and Council Rock North (3-2, 0-1) will host Council Rock South on Friday.
Bensalem 4-8-6-12 30
Council Rock North 6-11-4-7 28
Bensalem (30) – McKenzie Kramer 0 1-2 1; Sydney McCoy 3 0-0 7; Kylie Smith 2 3-4 7; Amber Howard 5 4-5 15; TOTALS 10 8-11 30.
Council Rock North (28) – Kiera Katz 3 0-0 6; Lizzy Lustig 5 0-0 10; Delaney McCaffery 2 4-4 9; Jaden Wan 1 1-4 3; TOTALS 11 5-8 28.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Sydney McCoy, Amber Howard; CR North – Delaney McCaffery.
NESHAMINY 46, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 29
On the heels of facing a pair of tough teams at last weekend’s She Got Game Classic in Washington, D.C., the Redskins were staring at their second early season league showdown in as many games when they traveled to Council Rock South.
“We played two really good teams (in DC) – Spotswood was very, very good, and Ursuline with their young guards is just phenomenal,” said coach John Gallagher, whose team was 1-1 in the classic. “I watched the video when Rock South played Bensalem. Bensalem had them – I think – 23-9, and in the blink of an eye, South was out to a commanding lead. They have great spacing, they have multiple kids that can shoot it, multiple kids that can handle it, and Karissa Smedley is like the transmission inside. She makes everything click and work together.
“I was very concerned about this game. Five minutes before the game, I decided to go man. We were going to play a little more zone to start off. We came out man, and it worked. We did a really good job of it. We didn’t really stop them from shooting their typical shots, but we did get a hand in their face, and I think it had an adverse effect on some of their shots.”
The Redskins, who led 10-6 after one quarter, took a 16-9 lead into halftime.
“In the first half, we gave up only nine points, but they had eight offensive rebounds, and in the second half, they had none,” Gallagher said. “We discussed it at halftime. We explained to them – they’re shooting flat corners, so if it goes in, it’s wonderful, but it comes off, it’s coming off hard, and we needed to do a better job of checking out, along with bringing some of our guards down in to help out inside. I think that was the difference in the second half – our ability to rebound the ball a lot better.”
It was still a seven-point game heading into the final quarter when the Redskins erupted for 21 points. Junior point guard Lola Ibarrondo led the offensive charge, scoring 12 of her game-high 17 points after the intermission.
“Obviously, Lola was phenomenal,” Gallagher said. “She had five steals, four assists, and she finished with 17 points coming off a 22-point game against Ursuline, who had two of the best guards covering her. I was really happy she was able to put back-to-back games like that together.”
Reese Zemitis was limited to just one field goal and finished with 10 points, which included a 6-for-6 effort at the foul line. She also had eight rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. Lindsay Little added nine points on three 3 -pointers, including a pair in the fourth quarter. Taylor Gurysh had six points and 13 rebounds.
“They just dead denied Reese,” Gallagher said. “They were very physical with Taylor (Gurysh) inside – nothing cheap or crazy, but this is how we’re going to play you. It took us a little while to adjust, and once we did, we got to the foul line a lot as some of that physical play resulted in some fouls.
“Taylor had 13 rebounds, three of them offensive. Thirteen rebounds in a high school game is pretty crazy. Reese came up with eight.”
Rock South was led by the six-point efforts of Kathryn O’Kane and Cam Gregor, who had a pair of 3s.
“They are very, very good,” Gallagher said of the Golden Hawks. “Did I think we were going to win by 17? I told the kids before the game – this is going to be a couple possession game. It might come down to foul shots. We just got out in front, and we were able to use their fouls against us, and we did a pretty good job from the foul line.
“Before the game, they were extremely focused, they were chattering about the JV game, and they wanted to make sure we had a strong game. They took that focus onto the court, especially at the defensive end. I don’t know what we shot, but we shot average, but our defense was really, really good.”
Neshaminy (2-2, 1-1 SOL) will travel to Lansdale Catholic for a non-league game on Thursday, and Council Rock South (2-1, 1-1) will travel to Council Rock North for an early season meeting against their neighboring rival.
Neshaminy 10-6-9-21 46
Council Rock North 6-3-9-11 29
Neshaminy (46) – Alena Cofield 2 0-2 4; Lola Ibarrondo 6 4-5 17; Taylor Guryst 2 2-3 6; Reese Zemitis 2 6-6 10; Lindsay Little 3 0-0 9; TOTALS 15 12-16 46.
Council Rock South (29) – Kathryn OKane 2 1-3 6; Sarah Freeman 1 0-0 3; Liliana Metrick 2 0-0 5; Miranda Cantor 1 0-0 2; Cam Gregory 2 0-0 6; Fiona Reckner 1 0-0 2; Jess Mangoni 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 11 1-3 29.
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Lindsay Little 3, Lola Ibarrondo; CRS – Cam Gregory 2, Kathryn Okane, Sarah Freeman, Liliana Metrick.
PENNSBURY 52, HARRY S TRUMAN 7
Eleven different players put their names in the scorebook for the Falcons, who were led by the 11-point effort of Sofia Vitucci. Freshman Emily Panara added nine points, and Maggie Burns had seven.
Layla Matthias and Vitucci both had three assists in limited action, and Panaro pulled down four rebounds.
Pennsbury (5-0, 2-0 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Thursday, and Harry S Truman (0-4, 0-1) will be on the road at Neshaminy on Friday.
Harry S Truman 0-1-4-2 7
Pennsbury 10-19-13-10 52
Harry S Truman (7) – Erynn Bond 2 1-3 5; Ya’mazijah Thomas 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 3 1-3 7.
Pennsbury (52) – Emily Panara 3 3-3 9; Presley Foote 2 0-0 4; Layla Matthias 0 1-4 1; Danielle Sherman 2 0-0 4; Maggie Burns 2 3-4 7; Sofia Vitucci 5 1-2 11; Oliveah Gilchrist 2 0-0 4; Nevaeh Dash 2 0-1 5; Ava Jordan 0 0-2 0; Neve Davis 1 1-4 3; Izzy Ruta 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 21 9-20 52.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Nevaeh Dash.
SOL Colonial Division
NORTH PENN 42, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 28
The Knights have shown they can put points on the board in their early season games. On Tuesday, they proved they can play some serious defense as well.
“The biggest piece of tonight is that coach (Zach) Sibel had West really prepared, and they came out really hard and aggressive, but we were able to adjust, and that’s something we didn’t see a lot of last year,” NP coach Bri Cullen said. “We adapted to a team that has a very strong game plan.”
From the outset, it was obvious that points would not be easy to come by for either team, and the Bucks led 6-3 after one quarter. The Knights outscored their visitors 10-4 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 13-10 lead.
In the second half, the Knights’ offense came alive. They outscored the Bucks 15-9 in the third quarter and 29-18 in the half. Caleigh Sperling, whose 15 points led all scorers, had 13 points after the intermission. She was 9-for-12 from the foul line in the second half. Abby Plaugher and Olivia Stone each added seven points while Cameron Crowley had six.
“Caleigh led the scoring – she came out strong, but it wasn’t a high-scoring game,” Cullen said. “Liv Stone deserves recognition defensively. She had a hard defensive matchup against Tai Henkels.”
Henkels scored eight points to lead the Bucks while Katie Finnan added six.
North Penn (3-2, 2-0 SOL) will travel to Souderton on Friday for a 6 p.m. game, and Central Bucks West (1-3, 0-2) will host Central Bucks South on Friday.
Central Bucks West 6-4-9-9 28
North Penn 3-10-15-14 42
Central Bucks West (28) – Gabi Senior 1 0-2 2; Tai Henkels 3 1-2 8; Katie Finna 3 0-0 6; Meg Blue 0 1-2 1; Alexis Castro 1 2-4 4; Ava Longo 1 2-4 4; Gabby Reichner 0 3-6 3; TOTALS 9 9-20 28.
North Penn (42) – Cameron Crowley 2 2-2 6; Emily Orth 1 1-2 4; Caleigh Sperling 3 9-13 15; Abby Plaugher 2 2-2 7; Oliva Stone 3 1-1 7; Tallie Smink 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 12 16-22 42.
3-point field goals: CBW-Tai Henkels; NP – Emily Orth, Abby Plaugher.
SOUDERTON 54, PENNRIDGE 34
The Rams came out of the gate inspired and led for the entire the opening quarter until the closing seconds when senior Casey Harter – whose 23 points led the Indians – connected on a 3-pointer at the buzzer to even the score. Souderton outscored their visitors 41-21 the rest of the way. .
“It was 8 or 9-0 in the first couple minutes of the game – we were down,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “They scored on their first three possessions, but you couldn’t tell. There were no nerves, no ‘Oh my god, we’re going to crumble.’ They just moved on to the next play, handled it like the veterans that they are. We tied it up. Casey (Harter) hit a step-back three at the buzzer at the end of the first to tie it up. Then we just took control from there.
“Pennridge came out – they had a lot of energy, they were playing really well. I think we’re in a position where we’re going to be getting the team’s best every night, and we’re going to have to be able to manage that, but our girls handled it with a lot of maturity and intelligence. At no point did I feel like I needed to call a timeout to settle them down because they just didn’t need it. They’re smart enough to realize – move on to the next play.”
In the opening quarter, the Rams were led by the six-point effort of Katie Yoder, who buried a pair of 3-pointers. Teya McConnaha had six points for the Indians. In the second quarter. Erin Bohmueller connected on a pair of 3s and scored seven points as the Indians outscored their visitors 16-7 to go into halftime with a 29-20 lead. The Indians held a 25-14 scoring advantage in the second half, limiting the Rams to just four field goals.
“Throughout the game, our team defense was really good, starting with what Casey (Harter) and Erin (Bohmueller) did on the ball on (Katie) Yoder and (Anna) Croyle and then good help defense, good closeouts, good everything really,” Carroll said. “Mikayla McGillian is a perfect example. She’s a post player who probably defends three post players all year and otherwise is defending guards. She has just worked extremely hard to turn herself into a good perimeter defender. At any given time, we have five kids on the court who can do that.
“We held them to single digits over quarters two, three and four. They really had to earn their baskets, for sure.”
Harter, who had four 3-pointers, connected on 8 of 11 shots from the field – she was 4-for-4 from beyond the arc and 3-for-3 at the foul line in a stellar offensive outing. She also had six rebounds. McConnaha added 14 points and pulled down nine rebounds. She was 6-for-9 from the field. Mikayla McGillian added eight points, and Bohmueller had seven points, six assists and two blocked shots.
“Offensively, we have seen a little bit of zone this year, but Pennridge played three quarters of zone,” Carroll said. “I think people would say maybe that’s been our kryptonite, and last year in the postseason, it probably was.
“They executed, they made good decisions. We were getting the ball in the paint, and we were kicking it out to shooters, really making the possessions with five or six passes to get a good look. It was just from start to finish – we played good team basketball.”
For the Rams, Ella Brown’s 11 points led the way. Yoder finished with 11 points, including three 3-pointers. She had only one field goal after the first quarter. Anna Croyle added seven.
Souderton (3-1, 2-0 SOL) will host North Penn on Friday at 6 p.m., and Pennridge (2-2, 0-2) will host Central Bucks East on Friday.
Pennridge 13-7-6-8 34
Souderton 13-16-11-14 54
Pennridge (34) – Ella Brown 4 3-4 12; Grace Rosica 1 0-0 2; Anna Croyle 3 1-2 7; Katie Yoder 3 2-2 11; Abby Huskin 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 12 6-8 34.
Souderton (54) – Erin Bohmueller 2 1-2 7; Mikayla McGillian 4 0-0 8; Casey Harter 8 3-3 23; Alexis Stefanowicz 1 0-0 2; Teya McConnaha 6 2-3 14; TOTALS 21 6-8 54.
3-point goals: Souderton – Casey Harter 4, Erin Bohmueller 2; Pennridge – Katie Yoder 3, Ella Brown.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 41, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 27
Natalie Berndt scored 15 points – eight in a first half that saw the Patriots open up a 24-12 lead over the Titans. Included in the freshman’s 15-point effort were four 3-pointers.
“Natalie Berndt had a breakout game, leading us on offense,” East coach Liz Potash said.
While Berndt was leading the way offensively, the Patriots were getting an outstanding defensive effort from junior sharpshooter Anna Barry, who also scored nine points.
“Anna Barry did a great job defensively on Yoyo (Samayoa), holding her to two points,” Potash said. “(It was) good execution of our game plan on offense and defense.”
Erin LeRay also was a defensive force, leading the Patriots with six steals.
In addition to Berndt and Barry, Kendall Gregor scored 11 points, including a pair of 3s.
For the Titans, Mia Klein’s 11 points, which included two 3s, led the way offensively. Juliana Tropea added eight points.
Central Bucks East (3-0, 2-0 SOL) will travel to Villa Joseph Marie for a non-league game on Thursday, and Central Bucks South (1-3, 0-2) will be on the road at Central Bucks West on Friday.
Central Bucks South 10-2-6-9 27
Central Bucks East 13-11-9-8 41
Central Bucks South (27) – Casey Balkir 1 2-2 4; Juliana Tropea 4 0-1 8; Yoyo Samayoa 1 0-0 2; Mia Klein 4 1-4 11; Gabby Tropea 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 11 3-7 27.
Central Bucks East (41) – Erin LeRay 1 0-0 2; Natalie Berndt 5 1-2 15; Anna Barry 2 4-4 9; Chantal Van Dongeren 1 1-2 4; Kendall Gregor 4 1-2 11; TOTALS 13 7-10 41.
3-point goals: CBS – Mia Klein 2; CBE – Natalie Berndt 4, Kendall Gregor 2, Anna Barry, Chantal Van Dongeren.
SOL Liberty Division
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 57, QUAKERTOWN 28
It’s been almost eight months since Plymouth Whitemarsh capped a magical postseason run with a 60-40 win over Lebanon Valley to capture the coveted PIAA 6A state title. The win was the 34th without a loss for the Colonials, who were ranked 23rd in the nation.
Prior to Tuesday’s home opener against Quakertown, the state championship banner was unveiled, and the rings recognizing a once-in-a-lifetime season were presented to the players.
“Again, going all the way back to last year in March when we did win the state championship – that was just such a surreal moment,” PW senior Erin Daley said. “It was very big for us right then and there, and it was all anyone talked about, but then it went away for a little.
“To just have this special moment again right at the start of our new season, it reminded not only the returning players from last year but the new freshmen what kind of team we are, how hard we work and what we strive for.”
For Daley and her teammates, it was their first glimpse of the championship rings.
“I knew what they were going to look like, but I didn’t see it in person,” Daley said. “Just to see it in person, it was actually the coolest thing ever. It was jaw-dropping. You’re like, ‘Wow, they’re extremely heavy. Oh my god, is this real?’
“It was very cool in a way for our younger players, our new players to see how hard we work, and this is what 
we get. Overall, it was just a great way to open up our 2023 season. It was just all positive and good vibes overall.”
On the inside of the ring, there is a one-word inscription – together, a word that says as much about last year’s team as its 34 wins.
“That word is what we were last year – we were just one big family,” Daley said. “It’s another great moment to relive again.”
“Kind of a mantra of our program is – after every time out, before and after every game we come together and we say ‘Together,’” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “It was just a nice day – the final bow on last season and now we’re ready to move forward.
“I really thank our athletic director, our building principal and our facilities manager – they really did a nice job with everything. There was such a nice group of our local township league – WGBL. They really followed our
team last year, they were at the state championship game. There was a nice group of those young girls there tonight, and they can dream one day of having their names on a banner.”
The Colonials went on to defeat the visiting Panthers. Daley scored 18 points and Abby Sharpe finished with a game high 23, which included four 3-pointers. Both were mainstays of last year’s state title squad.
Behind 12 points from Sharpe and six from Daley, the Colonials opened up a 23-16 halftime lead. In the second half, the Colonials outscored their visitors 34-12. Daley had 12 points in the half while Sharpe added 11.
For the Panthers, Carolyn Sipprell had 12 points, which included a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line. Ava Pistone added 10, and Katie Catalano contributed six.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-1, 1-1 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday, and Quakertown (2-4 0-2) will host Wissahickon on Friday.
Quakertown 9-7-5-7 28
Plymouth Whitemarsh 12-11-16-18 57
Quakertown (28) – Carolyn Sipprell 4 4-4 12; Katie Catalano 2 0-0 6; Ava Pistone 4 1-1 10; TOTALS 10 5-5 28.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (57) – Azzy Crumpton 1 0-0 2; Angelina Balcer 2 0-0 4; AJ Avery 1 3-6 5; McKenna Winland 1 3-4 5; Erin Daley 9 0-0 18; Abby Sharpe 8 3-4 23; Quinn Daley 0 0-3 0; TOTALS 22 9-17 57.
3-point goals: Quakertown – Katie Catalino 2, Ava Pistone; PW – Abby Sharpe 4.
ABINGTON 71, HATBORO-HORSHAM 56
Jordyn Reynolds turned in a glittering 21-point effort that included six 3-pointers to lead the Ghosts to the road win. Cire Worley added 17 points, and Piper McGinley had 11 as three Abington players finished the game in double figures.
The Ghosts raced out of the gate to a 22-11 lead after one quarter only to watch the Hatters rally to trail by just three at halftime, 34-31. It was still a three-point game entering the fourth quarter when the Ghosts – behind eight points (two 3s) from Reynolds – closed out the game with a 23-point frame.
“We were in the game until the last five minutes,” HH assistant coach Nicole Miletto said. “Abington was shooting the ball extremely well, and we were short some girls, but it was an exciting game.”
The Hatters got some big offensive performances as well. Four players finished the game in double figures, led by Alli Hewish with 14 points. Kitty Randa added 12, which included a perfect 6-for-6 effort at the foul line. Caroline Shegogue and Abby Waeltz both added 11 points. Leah Harrington contributed eight points.
“Alli Hewish knocked down some big shots for us, and Abby Waeltz’s defense and rebounding kept us in it,” Miletto said. “Kitty Randa had some nice blocks and went strong to the basket, but we ran out of steam in the final minutes.
“Caroline Shegogue handled the ball well and their pressure. It was a really exciting game, and everyone contributed, even the girls on the bench were great support and encouragement for the girls on the floor.”
Also for the Ghosts, Maya Johnson had seven points and Abril Bowser had six on a pair of 3-pointers.
Abington (4-0, 2-0 SOL) will face Albertus Magnus High School (NY) Friday in the She Got Game Classic at Middletown High School (Del.). Hatboro-Horsham (3-2, 1-1) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday.
Abington 22-12-14-23 71
Hatboro-Horsham 11-20-14-11 56
Abington (71) Cire Worley 5 6-8 17; Maya Johnson 3 1-3 7; Abril Bowser 2 0-0 6; Mikayla Durham 2 0-0 4; Jordyn Reynolds 7 1-2 21; Pipe McGinley 4 1-2 11; Kara Slavin 1 0-0 2; Florence Ajunwa 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 25 9-15 71.
Hatboro-Horsham (56) – Caroline Shegogue 3 5-5 11; Abby Waeltz 4 2-4 11; Kitty Randa 3 6-6 12; Alli Hewish 5 1-2 14; Leah Harrington 2 3-4 8; TOTALS 17 17-21 56.
3-point goals: Abington -Jordyn Reynolds 6, Piper McGinley 2, Abril Bowser 2, Cire Worley, Florence Ajunwa; H-H – Allie Hewish 3, Abby Waeltz, Leah Harrington.
UPPER DUBLIN 53, WISSAHICKON 31
Colleen Beshachio looked anything but the part of a freshman, burying one shot after another – including five 3-pointers – on her way to a brilliant 28-point performance. The freshman standout scored 10 points in the first quarter, propelling the Cardinals to a 13-4 lead. By halftime, she had 19 points – four 3s, and the Cardinals led 26-9.
“It was a great team win tonight,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “Colleen Besachio had a hot hand all night and especially in the first half where she hit four three-pointers and finished with 28 points in less than three full quarters of game action.
“Megan Ngo continues to play at a high level with eight assists while only having one turnover. Alaina Sanders did a great job on (Kaitlyn) McGeary. We did a good job on taking care of the ball on offense and creating turnovers on defense.”
Besachio also had nine rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots. Ngo had nine points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals.
For the Trojans, Kaitlyn McGeary led the way with 10 points, three rebounds and one block while Kylie Friedman added nine points, one assist and one steal. Adding four points each were Eva Schools and Julia Lettieri. Lettieri also had one rebound and one blocked shot.
Upper Dublin (3-1, 2-0 SOL) is off until Tuesday when the Cardinals will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh. Wissahickon (2-2, 0-2) will travel to Quakertown on Friday.
Wissahickon 4-5-4-18 31
Upper Dublin 13-13-21-6 53
Wissahickon (31) – Eva Schools 1 1-2 4; Kaitlyn McGeary 5 0-2 10; Julia Lettieri 1 2-4 4; Kylie Friedman 3 1-2 9; Chloe Acuna 1 0-0 2; Claira Baldasano 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 12 5-9 31.
Upper Dublin (53) – Brighid Brady 2 0-0 4; Alaina Sanders 2 0-0 4; MaKyla Keyes 1 0-0 2; Kaylee Fitzkee 1 0-0 2; Megan Ngo 3 3-3 9; Sofia Machado 0 1-2 1; Maisie McGarvy 1 0-0 3; Colleen Besachio 11 1-2 28; TOTALS 21 5-7 53.
3-point goals: Wissahickon – Kylie Friedman 2, UD – Colleen Besachio 5, Maisie McGarvy.
SOL Freedom Division
CHELTENHAM 42, LOWER MORELAND 39
The visiting Lions had the upper hand in the first half of Tuesday’s contest, but the Lady Panthers had the better of play in the second half, eking out a win in SOL play Tuesday.
“It was the tale of two halves,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said. “We came out sluggish, and LM took advantage. At halftime we challenged the girls and they stepped up.”
The Lady Panthers – who trailed 28-17 at the intermission – played some inspired defense out of halftime, limiting the visiting Lions to just one point at the foul line in the third quarter while scoring 19 points of their own to go on top 36-29. Maya Simmons had the hot hand for the Panthers, scoring nine of her game-high 16 points in the frame.
Lower Moreland had a 10-6 scoring edge in the final quarter, but the Lady Panthers held on for the win.
“Paige Powell set the tone defensively, and we got some easy baskets to help get us the lead,” Bowman said. “Solid effort from the team and now we look to carry this momentum into two games this weekend.”
In addition to Powell’s 16 points, which included a pair of 3’s, Cassie Bugg had 10 points and Jiah Price had eight points.
Liz Neeld’s 13 points led the Lions. Jess Shein added seven points while Briana McFerran and Amelia Brown each added six points.
Cheltenham (3-1, 1-1 SOL) will travel to William Tennent Friday for a 5:30 p.m. contest, and Lower Moreland (2-3, 0-2) will be on the road at New Hope-Solebury on Friday.
Lower Moreland 19-9-1-10 39
Cheltenham 6-11-19-6 42
Lower Moreland (39) – Briana McFerran 2 3-4 7; Maddy Rossiter 1 0-0 3; Amelia Brown 2 0-0 6; Jess Shein 3 1-2 7; Liz Neeld 4 4-6 13; Nikki Sahl 1 0-2 3; TOTALS 13 8-16 39.
Cheltenham (42) – Jiah Price 4 0-1 8; Paige Powell 1 0-0 2; Maya Simmons 7 0-3 16; Arianna Davis 1 0-0 2; Ijeoma Ojukwu 2 0-1 4; Cassie Bugg 4 2-2 10; TOTALS 19 2-7 42.
3-point goals: LM – Amelia Brown 2, Liz Neeld, Maddy Rossiter, Nikki Sahl. Cheltenham – Maya Simmons 2.
UPPER MORELAND 45, WILLIAM TENNENT 24
The Golden Bears upped their early season record to a perfect 5-0 with Tuesday’s win. Senior EmmyFaith Wood’s 11 points – nine in the second half – led a balanced UM attack. The Golden Bears opened up a 13-5 lead after one quarter and took an 18-12 lead into halftime. They never
looked back.
“We came out of the gates strong with Allie (LaRocco) and Alyssa (Wiley) getting and making easy baskets to put us up 6-0 early, but then it just stalled, which has been a common trend for our first halves so far this year,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “These are games where we feel we should be up comfortably but are only up a couple baskets. Even though we only gave up 12 points, I thought are on-the-ball defense was really bad. Tennent has some good, young and skilled players and they were aggressive, but I thought they were in the lane way too easily.
“We challenged the girls at halftime to have more pride in their defense and take it personally when they get beat off the dribble, and they responded as we expected.”
The Golden Bears turned a six-point halftime lead into a 31-17 advantage heading into the final quarter. Wood had five points in the third quarter, and Mikel Lancit added four.
“Our starters came out really focused and aggressive and we were able to extend our lead pretty quickly,” Carroll said. “Another issue that we had in the first half was EmmyFaith’s unselfishness. She only took five first half shots which isn’t enough for me. There were too many times where she passed up a good shot for a pretty good shot. She’s so skilled and has worked so hard on her game since I met her in sixth grade. She’s the nicest kid and the ultimate teammate but sometimes she’s too unselfish.
“We told her at halftime that she has to shoot more and you could see a difference in the second half. She got to the foul line a little more and set her teammates up for some easy baskets. We have 3 more games before we get a little break over the holidays, and we would like to be playing near our best before that break.”
In addition to Wood, Holly Gohl had eight points, Marie Meyers added seven while LaRocco, Wiley and Lancit each had six.
For the Panthers, Avery Kocur and Halie Staub led the way with six points each.
“Disappointed with the outcome, but extremely proud of our effort and the fact that our girls continued to fight to the end,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “I thought the first half our girls did a great job of executing our game plan defensively. Holly (Gohl) and EmmyFaith (Wood) are both such great players that we knew we had to slow them down and force someone else to beat us. We were able to hold them to six points combined in the first half. Offensively, we battled and managed to keep it a two-possession game at the half.
“Unfortunately, in the second half, our lack of experience showed, and Upper Moreland was the more physical and aggressive team. We knew it was going to be tough to shut down EmmyFaith and Holly for two halves, and sure enough, EmmyFaith stepped up and made some big plays in the third quarter to help them pull away.”
The Panthers, according to the Panthers’ coach, found out 20 minutes before the game that Morgan Volz was a little under the weather. Jess Whisler started in place of Volz.
“I thought Jess really stepped up and gave us some big minutes the first half and played with a ton of energy,” Whitney said. “A lot of credit also to Alyssa Lewicki who played the entire first half and was tasked with guarding Holly. I thought she did a great job of making Holly work for her shots and limited her to just four points each half.
“Even though we didn’t get the win, there’s a lot to learn and take away from tonight. Our girls are playing hard, and we’ve shown flashes of what we can be. Once we figure out how to put it all together I think we are capable of being very competitive.”
Upper Moreland (5-0, 2-0 SOL) will host Springfield Township Friday, and William Tennent (2-2, 1-1) will host Cheltenham on Friday.
William Tennent 5-7-5-7 24
Upper Moreland 13-5-13-14 45
William Tennent (24) – Ella Mednick 1 0-0 2; Avery Kocur 3 0-0 6; Halie Staub 2 1-2 6; Alyssa Lewicki 1 0-2 2; Hailey Lorenzon 0 0-2 0; Haley Dickson 1 0-0 2; Jess Whisler 2 1-4 5; Morgan Volz 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 10 3-12 24.
Upper Moreland (45) – Mmikel Lancit 2 1-2 6; Alyssa Wiley 2 1-4 6; EmmyFaith Wood 4 3-7 11; Lily Hansen 0 1-2 1; Holly Gohl 4 0-0 8; Marie Meyers 2 2-2 7; Allie LaRocco 2 1-2 6; TOTALS 16 9-19 45.
3-point goals: WT – Halie Staub; UM – Mikel Lancit, Alyssa Wiley, Marie Meyers, Allie LaRocco.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 70, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 27
The visiting Lions were in some kind of offensive groove, scoring in double digits in each of the four quarters on their way to the decisive win. Three players – Reagan Chrencik, Gabby D’Agostino and Emily Wilson – finished the game in double figures.
“We shoot so well in that gym for some reason,” NH-S coach Steve Polinsky said. “(Coach) Dave Giordano does a great job at Springfield.”
Chrencik’s 21 points led the Lions’ offensive onslaught while D’Agostino added 15, and Wilson added 14 points. D’Agostino and Wilson both had three 3-pointers.
The Lions set the tone for the contest by opening up a 23-7 lead after one quarter. Chrencik’s 10 points led the Lions while Wilson added seven. By halftime, the Lions had a 36-13 lead, and they never looked back.
Jayla Daniels led the Spartans with 12 points, and Delaney Lake added six.
Also for the Lions, sophomore Izzy Elizondo added seven points.
New Hope-Solebury (3-2, 2-0 SOL) will host Lower Moreland Friday, and Springfield Township (2-2, 0-2) will be on the road at Upper Moreland.
New Hope-Solebury 23-13-17-17 70
Springfield Township 7-6-10-4 27
New Hope-Solebury (70) – Gabby D’Agostino 6 0-0 15; Ella Dudick 1 0-0 2; Izzy Elizondo 2 3-3 7; Emily Wilson 5 1-2 14; Reagan Chrencik 6 8-9 21; Kayla Fennell 1 0-0 2; Isha Mukherjee 1 0-0 2; Devon Maguire 1 0-0 2; Elena Shire 1 0-0 3; Anna-Charlotte Arnould 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 25 12-14 70
Springfield Township (27) – Alana Decker 1 0-0 3; Grace Dailey 0 1-2 1; Delaney Lake 2 2-2 6; Ashley Jenkins 2 1-2 5; Jayla Daniels 6 0-0 12; TOTALS 11 4-6 27.
3-point goals: NH-S – Gabby D’Agostino 3, Emily Wilson 3, Reagan Chrencik, Elena Shire; Springfield Twp – Alana Decker.
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