Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Saturday. Upper Dublin/North Penn photos courtesy of Gregory Lindsay. Check back for a photo gallery.
Non-league
UPPER DUBLIN 58, NORTH PENN 26
The Flying Cardinals led from wire to wire in Saturday’s non-league game against the visiting Knights. They led 13-6 after one quarter but then blew the game wide open, outscoring their visitors 38-7 in the middle two quarters to win going away.
Key stretch: Sparked by 11 points from Tamia Clark, the Cardinals outscored the Knights 17-2 in the second quarter on their way to the win.
By the numbers: Tamia Clark (17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block), Emilia Coleman (15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, two steals, 1 block), Lexi Ngo (10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals), Megan Ngo (9 assists, two steals), Bridget DiMartile (6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals), Ella Morris (7 points, 2 assists, 2 steals)
Upper Dublin coach Morgan Funsten: “This was probably the most complete game we have played so far, and I think we showed some flashes of how good we can be this year.
“Very excited about the improvements this group is already making and excited to get back to practice on Monday to ride the momentum from this weekend.
–Props: “The girls are very talented, but what makes them so fun is how unselfish they are. Megan Ngo took one shot all game but had nine assists and we had a fourth different high scorer in our first five games. Tamia Clark was on fire in the first half and brought a ton of energy to the defensive end as well. Emilia Coleman was flying around all over the place and scored an efficient 15 points on nine shots. Maeve Hogan came off the bench and had four steals while helping us get a big separation in the second quarter.”
Up next: Upper Dublin (4-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Abington Tuesday, and North Penn (2-3, 1-0) will host Central Bucks South on Tuesday (5:30 pm).
North Penn 6-2-5-13 26
Upper Dublin 13-17-21-7 58
North Penn (26) – Cam Crowley 2 0-0 4; Paityn Debro 3 2-3 8; Lily Brown 3 0-0 6; Cailin Halfpenny 1 0-0 2; Jadyn Sperling 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 12 2-3 26.
Upper Dublin (58) – Bridget DiMartile 3 0-0 6; Tamia Clark 7 3-4 17; Maeve Hogan 0 0-2 0; Lexi Ngo 4 1-1 10; Emilia Coleman 5 2-2 15; Kaitlyn Zacharia 1 0-0 3; Ella Morris 2 2-2 7; TOTALS 22 8-11 58.
3-point goals: UD – Lexi Ngo, Emilia Coleman 3, Kaitlyn Zacharia, Ella Morris.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 51, NAZARETH ACADEMY 46
The Patriots, who led 11-10 after one quarter, erupted for a 17-3 second quarter to go into halftime with a 28-13 advantage. They took a 40-24 lead into the final quarter when the Pandas came roaring back, scoring 22 points.
The Patriots refused to lose and helped their own cause with some clutch foul shooting. Jess Lockwood was 6-for-6 from the line in the fourth quarter while Haley Moran buried three of four and also had a basket.
Key stretch: The Patriots used a 17-3 second quarter to take a big enough lead that allowed them to withstand a late Pandas’ comeback.
Key players: Jess Lockwood scored a game-high 22 points – which included five 3-pointers – over the final three quarters. She also had 10 rebounds to complete her double-double. Haley Moran added 18 points.
Central Bucks East coach Liz Potash: “It took a gutsy performance to pull out a win tonight. We surrendered a late third quarter 18-point lead but dug deep to hold on for the win.
–Props: “Jess Lockwood had a big night for us with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Haley Moran continues to be our floor general. She had 18 points but is a true point guard in every sense, looking to attack and kick and take care of the ball. Jess and Haley went 4-for-4 from the line to close out the game.
“Savannah Hayes has been giving us some great minutes off the bench and stepped up tonight when we got into some foul trouble. We’re continuing to get contributions on both ends from many different players.”
–Getting defensive: “Natalie Berndt had another outstanding defensive performance holding their leading scorer Reese Power to 12 points.”
Up next: Central Bucks East (3-1, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Pennridge on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 11-17-12-11 51
Nazareth Academy 10-3-11-22 46
Central Bucks East (51) – Haley Moran 6 4-5 18; Natalie Berndt 2 1-2 7; Savannah Hayes 1 0-2 2; Jess Lockwood 7 6-6 22; Hailey Helmstetter 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 16 13-18 51.
Nazareth Academy (46) – Reese Power 4 3-4 12; Gracie Sullivan 4 1-3 9; Abby Rock 8 0-0 20; Rileigh Donohue 1 1-2 3; Natalie D’Alfonso 1 0-1 2; TOTALS 18 5-10 46.
3-point goals: CBE – Haley Moran 2, Natalie Berndt 2, Jess Lockwood 2; NA – Abby Rock 4, Reese Power
PENNSBURY 46, PHOENIXVILLE 26
The Falcons turned in another outstanding defensive effort and received scoring from eight different players to earn the non-league road win Saturday. With the win, Pennsbury evened its record at 3-3.
Key stretch: The tone for Saturday’s game was set in a first quarter that saw the Falcons – behind six points from Ava Jordan – open up a 12-2 lead.
Key players: Ava Jordan’s 13 points, which included a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the foul line, led the Falcons. She also sparked the Falcons’ stingy defense with seven deflections. Sammi Haws added eight points and four rebounds, and freshman point guard Alyssa Thomas had four assists and zero turnovers.
Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla on the game: “Phoenixville has one of the better scorers in district one in Kayden Baratta, and we knew we would have to locate her at all three levels, and we did a tremendous job as a team and individually, starting with Ava Jordan, who was good offensively, but more importantly, a complete menace up top in our pressure with her hand activity and then with her intelligence in the half court on defense.
“Emily Panero gave us her normal intelligent play that most people do not recognize and our Disney XD backward of Alyssa Thomas and Keira Socha continue to grow leaps and bounds every day. I was really happy for Sammie Haws in the first half because she came out and looked more relaxed than she had all year, and she knocked down some tough shots for us in big spots, and she continues to accept the challenge of rebounding the ball and handling it more. Maggie Burns, who is simply an all-timer in terms of toughness, continues to make winning plays. I realize that we are going to have some wild ups and downs over the course of this year, but today was a good learning experience in another team’s gym for a team that seems to love the learning experience.”
–This is Pennsbury basketball: “Every day is a learning experience for this crew. And do I have to admit that I’m not sure if I’ve ever walked into a more receptive audience. I will admit that there are times our practices and locker room resemble more of a party at Chuck E. Cheese than basketball, but that’s probably because most of them were still doing their birthday parties there up until last year.
“We didn’t go on the floor for practice on Wednesday. Instead, we sat for an hour and talked about what it means to play for Pennsbury basketball, and ultimately, that means creating an atmosphere at practice that is challenging, positive and at times uncomfortable.
“At the beginning of yesterday‘s practice, which was really where today’s game was won , Grace Schaufler – a freshman who came into tryouts in fantastic shape in the fashion that one should do – made it clear that she had understood the assignment, and she went after our older players and she challenged them. And it changed the temperature in the room and brought back memories of the things that we’ve done in the past. We wound up cutting practice short because every session was so spirited, and we realize that it’s difficult for so many new players to understand that they’ve got to practice at a certain level, but we told them yesterday that it was the first time we had truly practiced like a Pennsbury basketball team, and when we took the floor today, we had tremendous energy and we were focused.”
Up next: Pennsbury (3-3, 1-0 SOL) will host Bensalem on Tuesday.
Pennsbury 12-20-7-7 46
Phoenixville 2-9-8-7 26
Pennsbury (46) – Emily Panaro 2 2-4 4; Bella Stewart 0 2-3 2; Maggie Burns 3 1-2 7; Sammie Haws 2 3-5 8; Alyssa Thomas 2 1-4 5; Adrianna Oberto 1 0-0 2; Ava Jordan 4 4-4 13; Keira Socha 1 2-4 5; TOTALS 14 15-26 46.
Phoenixville (26) – Kayden Barathu 0 6-10 6; Ernine Ulcay 1 0-0 2; Riley Ford-Bey 2 3-3 7; Ava Gnias 1 0-0 3; Taylor Schneider 0 2-2 2; Charlie Campbell 2 0-0 4; Maggie McCoy 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 7 11-15 26.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Sammie Hawes, Ava Jordan, Keira Socha; Phoenixville – Ava Gnias.
CONESTOGA 45, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 12
The Indians were defeated by visiting Conestoga in a non-league game on Saturday. Army-commit Janie Preston led Conestoga with 14 points, while Ryann Jennings chipped in 11 points. Kayla Smith led North with five points.
Council Rock North coach Jack Kelly: “Hats off to A.J. Thompson and his Conestoga squad for a well-played game – we knew they had some top-end talent in Jennings and Preston, but their athleticism overmatched us from the start. It was a really good learning experience for our players, and we just have to remain patient and keep working to get better.
“On an individual level, credit to Kayla Smith who helped us find some offense in the second half. Kayla’s impact on our team doesn’t always show up in the box score, but her hard work, enthusiasm, and positive energy have been non-stop throughout the season, so it was good to see it pay off.”
Up next: Council Rock North (1-5, 0-1 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Tuesday.
Conestoga 23-11-9-2 45
Council Rock North 0-1-4-7 12
Conestoga (45) – L.Brown 2 1-2 5; R.Schmidt 2 0-0 4; R.Jennings 4 1-2 11; M.Neary 3 0-0 7; L.Misener 2 0-0 4; J.Preston 5 4-5 14; TOTALS 18 6-9 45.
Council Rock North (12) – Kayla Smith 2 1-4 5; Amara Arroyo 1 0-0 2; Addie Martin 1 1-2 3; Alexa Bondra 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 4 4-8 12.
3-point goals: C – R.Jennings 2, M.Neary.
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