Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action on Friday.
ABINGTON 60, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 35
“Joy of Giving” Night
Erin Snyder hasn’t seen one minute of playing time this season. Sidelined with a concussion, the junior guard has still been an integral part of the team, and when it came time for the Ghosts to organize their annual Christmas project for a local family, Snyder was happy to volunteer.
“The family usually writes up a list, and they give it to our school,” Snyder said. “I haven’t been playing, so I volunteered to take the list and separate it for everybody on the team. Each member of the family had three girls from the basketball team.
“This is honestly one of the greatest feelings because you can see the joy in their faces and just their appreciation. Just knowing that such a little thing for us is such a big thing for them.”
Cheryl Poe-McLaughlin’s family was selected by the school to be on the receiving end. It was an unfamiliar spot for the mother of seven.
“I’m a doer – I’m always helping everybody else,” she said. “Even when I don’t have a way to help, I’ll give up my last dollar. My dad says that I need to learn how to say no.
“(The school) asked if I was interested in having my family adopted for Christmas, and when she said to include everybody, regardless of age, it touched my heart.”
Topping Poe-McLaughlin’s wish list this year were two very practical items – a broom and steam mop. She received both.
“It’s overwhelmingly special,” Poe-McLaughlin said. “I was just happy to get a couple of school supplies for my grandson.
“When she said, ‘Send over a list’ – you send over a list, and I was just worried about what I need, not what I want. I put down a broom and a steam mop because I’m in pain management – I suffer from a spinal problem. I know it sounds corny, but I was so excited just to see a broom. The kids break them all the time, and they’re so expensive. I can’t even describe – it’s still hitting me. It’s way more than what I expected.”
Council Rock South – Abington’s opponent – also contributed to a night that saw the two teams contribute gifts as well as gift cards.
“These last couple of years, she’s ran into a rough spot,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “I told her, ‘It’s coming back to you,’ and she felt so blessed and happy.”
To say the showering of gifts from both squads changed the complexion of the family’s Christmas would be an understatement.
“My kids are old enough to understand, so I always tell them, ‘I’ll do the best I can,’” Poe-McLaughlin said. “It’s really a time of getting what they need first, and if there’s any way to get what they want, I try.
“We’re always close, but it’s going to be a lot of tears and a lot of joy this year. I just am ecstatic for what they pulled together for such young girls to understand. I couldn’t believe I was picked. My feeling was there are other people even more worthy than I that should have been picked, but it really just did take a lot of stress off me for the first time in six years – just not having to worry anything to prepare for Christmas.
“I haven’t even put a Christmas tree up yet, and I used to be the Griswalds with all the lights right after Thanksgiving. Tomorrow I’m getting a tree from the attic.”
The night changed more than just one family’s Christmas.
“It’s emotional – tears of joy,” Snyder said. “It impacts me a lot because it makes me realize everything I have and to not take things for granted because someone always has it worse.”
As for the game itself, the Ghosts opened up a 13-4 lead after one quarter and took a 27-16 lead into halftime. Lizzie O’Leary led the Ghosts with 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Sammy Lochner added 15 points, four assists and two steals.
“Their kids played hard,” Marsh said of the Golden Hawks. “We’re young, and we foul too much.
“We played well in D.C., but these last two games, we have not looked very good, so we have a lot of work to do.”
For the Golden Hawks, Caroline McGovern led the way with 15 points. Faith Turner added seven.
Abington (3-3, 2-1 SOL) will host Truman on Tuesday while Council Rock South (4-2, 2-1) will host William Tennent on Tuesday.
Council Rock South 4-12-12-7 35
Abington 13-14-13-20 60
Abington: Sammy Lochner 15, Lizzie O’Leary 18, Tamia Wessels 3, Leah Simmons 10, Sam Brusha 5, Miranda Liebtage 5, Kassondra Brown 4.
Council Rock South: Caroline McGovern 15, Payton Spadaccino 5, Emma Jones 3, Kasey Schlupp 2, Faith Turner 7, Christiana Deo 3.
BENSALEM 46, PENNSBURY 34
Owls’ coach Geoff Per called it the tale of two halves, and that pretty much summed up a game that saw Bensalem take a 14-12 lead into halftime but then outscore their visitors 19-9 in the third quarter on their way to the big win.
“I think Pennsbury controlled the tempo in the first half,” Per said. “At halftime, I stressed I wanted to make it more of a track meet. I wanted to press and get up and down the court and get transition points and kind of make Pennsbury play at a speed where I thought they were uncomfortable.
“We outscored them 19-9 in the third quarter. I thought we did a nice job of getting the ball up and down the court and playing more to our style, our speed.”
The Owls got big performances from Lyric Lewis and Savannah Jordan. Both players finished with 17 points. Jordan scored 14 of her points in the second half while Lewis had 11 after the intermission.
Jordan, a junior transfer from Conwell Egan, is the Owls’ point guard.
“She definitely dictated the tempo a little bit more in the second half,” Per said. “It’s always nice to get your first league win.
“We played Neshaminy okay for a half, and they beat us pretty good in the second half. We played Council Rock South on the road without Lyric, and we were down one at the half, but I think we got tired.”
Sydney Buell led the Falcons with nine points while Naiasia Boone had eight.
Bensalem (3-3, 1-2 SOL) will be on the road at Abington on Tuesday, and Pennsbury (0-6, 0-3) will travel to Truman.
Pennsbury 8-4-9-13 34
Bensalem 8-6-19-13 46
Pennsbury: Niasia Boone 8, Sydney Buell 9, Kate Mix 4, Abby Wick 6, Baionno 7.
Bensalem: Samantha Werth 6, Destiny Rogers 6, Lyric Lewis 17, Savannah Jordan 17.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 58, HARRY S TRUMAN 32
The Indians led 23-11 at halftime and then outscored the visiting Tigers 35-21 in the second half to win going away.
Ten players contributed scoring for the Indians, who were led by Camryn Polinsky with 12 points. Hannah Weiler added nine points and Becca Margolis eight. Dana Bandurick chipped in with six points.
For the Tigers, Jayda Campbell (12 points) and Daeja Moore (11 points) led the way.
Council Rock North (3-2, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Tuesday for a key National Conference battle. Truman (2-4, 0-3) will travel to Pennridge for a non-league game on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Harry S Truman 2-9-15-6 32
Council Rock North 14-9-18-17 58
Harry S Truman: Daeja Moore 11, Jayda Campbell 12, Maylissa Clarke 2, Alexis McCoy 2, Sabria Lytes 3, Briana Cliney 2.
Council Rock North: Becca Margolis 8, Camryn Polinsky 12, Megan Haggerty 3, Tara McGuigan 10, Kaelin Mealey 5, Dana Bandurick 6, Samantha Saifer 1, Olivia Boyle 2, Mackenzie Tinner 2, Hannah Weiler 9.
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 53, SOUDERTON 40
The Bucks might not have the high-powered offense they had in recent years, but they still can throw some serious defense at their opponents.
“Overall, we’re just a really different team,” junior Maggie Rakowsky said. “Defense is one of our strengths. Last year we were good at defense, but that was one of our goals – to work on defense. This year, we really need to work on our offensive game where last year that was our strength.”
The Bucks are at their best in the open court, and their penchant for running kept the Indians on their heels.
“We’re definitely faster and quick on defense, so we want to run the ball,” senior Makenzie Mason said. “In the first half tonight, we were missing layups and missing layups. The thing we did very good – I think we owned the boards tonight as a team, which we’ve been working on.”
Rakowsky led the Bucks’ scrappy defense with seven steals while Mason and Tori Abelson each had three.
“We had a total of 14 steals as a team,” West coach Terry Rakowsky said. “Our kids defensively play hard – hustle and play fast. They do everything we want them to do.”
Mason – who finished with a game-high 18 points – dominated the backboards, finishing with 13 rebounds to complete her double-double. Maddie Maio had seven rebounds while Rakowsky had six boards and Abelson and Abby Spratt had five each.
The Bucks dominance on the backboards is underscored by the fact that the Indians, according to coach Lynn Carroll, had just three offensive rebounds.
“You can’t go for the offensive rebounds because you’re so concerned about getting back on defense,” the Indians’ coach said. “You can’t hang around for that extra second or you’re in trouble.”
The Bucks led 9-6 after one quarter and took a 21-15 lead into halftime.
““We just didn’t make our inside shots in the first half,” coach Rakowsky said. “We missed a lot of putbacks – not that the first half decides the game, but we missed a lot.”
West won the game with a late burst in the third quarter that included three consecutive three-pointers after Marissa Sandone, who led the Indians with 13 points, buried a trey to make it a 31-27 game with 2:45 remaining. Seconds later, Mason hit nothing but net on a three from the top of the circle, and when Maio connected on a three-pointer, the Bucks led 37-27. Another three – this one by Alex Burkauskas – gave the Bucks a 40-27 advantage. Back-to-back buckets by Tori Dowd pulled the Indians to within nine, but they would get no closer than eight the rest of the way.
Central Bucks West (5-0, 3-0 SOL) will host North Penn in a battle of the conference’s lone undefeated squads on Tuesday. Souderton (3-3, 2-1) will host Pennridge.
Souderton 6-9-14-11 40
Central Bucks West 9-12-19-13 53
Souderton: Tori Dowd 8, Krista Schneider 7, Alana Cardona 6, Megan Walbrandt 2, Mia Sherer 4, Marissa Sandone 13.
Central Bucks West: Makenzie Mason 18, Maggie Rakowsky 7, Maddie Maio 8, Tori Abelson 6, Alex Burkauskas 8, Abby Spratt 6.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 67, PENNRIDGE 32
All 12 players on CB South’s roster got into the scoring column in Friday’s win. Haley Meinel and Jordan Vitelli led the Titans with 14 points each. Taylor Dunn, Meghan Kuypers and Alexa Brodie each added six points to the balanced attack.
The Rams kept things interesting for one quarter, opening up a 13-12 lead, but the Titans seized control in the second quarter with a 22-9 tear to go into halftime with a 34-22 lead. The Titans outscored their visitors 33-10 in a dominant second half.
Pennridge was led by the 12-point effort of Lydia Konstanzer. Sam Muredda added seven points.
Central Bucks South (5-1, 2-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Tuesday while Pennridge (3-3, 0-3) will host Truman in a non-league game on Saturday (1 p.m.).
Pennridge 13-9-5-5 32
Central Bucks South 12-22-19-14 67
Pennridge: Devan Rimmer 5, Claire Podraza 4, Sam Muredda 7, Brooke Bachtle 1, Lydia Konstanzer 12, Gillian Anderson 2, Rose McCormick 1.
Central Bucks South: Mackenzie Ehresman 2, Melissa Veal 1, Courtney Taylor 4, Haley Meinel 14, Madeleine McShane 4, Meghan Kuypers 6, Chloe Entenberg 3, Jordan Vitelli 14, Taylor Dunn 6, Courtney Dietzel 3, Tricia DeCesare 4, Alexa Brodie 6.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 51, HATBORO-HORSHAM 33
Bri Talbot scored a game-high 14 points and teammate Bridget Birkhead added 10 to lead the Patriots to a win over the visiting Hatters. Grace Stewart had eight points, and Audrey LaBouliere added six.
The Patriots, who led 15-8 after one quarter, took a 27-14 lead into halftime and went into the final quarter with a 42-16 lead. The Hatters closed out the game with a 17-9 fourth quarter.
Cassidy Quattro led the Hatters with nine points while Haley Seifert had seven and Erin Wingen, six points.
Central Bucks East (5-1, 2-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South on Tuesday for a 5 p.m. contest. Hatboro-Horsham (2-4, 0-3) will host Quakertown Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Hatboro-Horsham 8-6-2-17 33
Central Bucks East 15-12-15-9 51
Hatboro-Horsham: Cassidy Quattro 9, Haley Seifert 7, Erin Wingen 6, Julia Thornton 4, Bergen Sims 2, Laura Marvin 2, Kylie Halkko
Central Bucks East: Bri Talbot 14, Grace Stewart 8, Megan Lapioli 4, Kyra Scaliti 4, Audrey LaBouliere 6, Bailey McManus 5.
NORTH PENN 73, QUAKERTOWN 29
The Lady Knights raced out of the gate to a 30-8 lead at the end of one quarter and took a commanding 47-14 lead into halftime on their way to the decisive win.
Mikaela Giuliani led the offense with 17 points, and Sam Carangi added 14 points. Irisa Ye had 13 points and led the Lady Knights defensively with six steals. Bri Hewlett contributed 10 points. Jess Huber and Jess McKenzie both added six points. Huber also dished out 11 assists. Mia Melchior had five points, and freshman Madison Stotler connected for her first varsity basket.
For the Panthers, Jill Martin was the lone player in double figures with 10 points while Meghan Klee had eight.
North Penn (6-2, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West for a showdown with last year’s conference champions on Tuesday. Quakertown (1-5, 0-3) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham Tuesday.
Quakertown 8-6-9-6 29
North Penn 30-17-17-9 73
Quakertown: Brooke Alwine 3, Spenser Gray 2, Olivia Morano, Marina Cooke 2, Meghan Klee 8, Jill Martin 10.
North Penn: Madison Stotler 2, Irisa Ye 13, Mikaela Giuliani 17, Jess Huber 6, Bri Hewlett 10, Sam Carangi 14, Jess McKenzie 6, Mia Melchior 5.
American Conference
CHELTENHAM 74, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 55
Sparked by the hot hand of Ashley Jones, the Lady Panthers opened up a 22-11 lead at the end of one quarter. Jones – who finished with a game-high 30 – accounted for 11 of those points. Molly Dugan had seven for the Spartans.
Cheltenham led 33-23 at halftime, but the Spartans didn’t go down quietly, scoring in double digits in all four quarters.
Jones also had 10 assists and six steals. Gabbi Wright had another big game for the Lady Panthers, finishing with 15 points and eight rebounds. Mia Leonard was once again a force in the paint, pulling down 13 rebounds to go along with five points. Caitlyn Wallace added seven points.
Dugan had a huge night for the Spartans, finishing with 26 points, which included a 10-for-14 effort at the charity stripe. Maura Ryan added 13 points, and Grace Barraclough, 12 points.
Cheltenham (5-1, 2-1 SOL) will travel to Norristown on Tuesday night while Springfield (2-4, 1-2) will host Christopher Dock in a non-league game on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.).
Springfield 11-12-12-20 55
Cheltenham 22-11-18-23 74
Springfield: Grace Barraclough 12, Molly Dugan 26, Jamy Krewson 2, Maura Ryan 13, Siana Wynn 2
Cheltenham: Ashley Jones 30, Savannah Roberts 2, D’ejah Bouchereau 2, Amaiya Sinclair 3, Mia Leonard, Caitlyn Wallace 7, Gabrielle Wright 15, Nashira Brown 9.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 47, WISSAHICKON 17
The Colonials’ defense limited the Trojans to single digits in all four quarters. Taylor O’Brien had another big night for the Colonials, finishing with 21 points, five rebounds and four steals. Laurel Suchsland collected her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Ali Diamond, according to coach Daniel Dougherty, handled the Trojans’ pressure defense with great poise, scoring eight points, pulling down four rebounds and collecting three steals. The Colonials’ coach credited Lauren Coscia, Sarah Putsch and Victoria Betterly for playing great team defense to secure the league win.
Julianne Griffin led the Trojans with seven points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-1, 3-0 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Tuesday night. Wissahickon (0-6, 0-3) is off until after Christmas.
Wissahickon 4-5-6-2 17
Plymouth Whitemarsh 17-11-8-11 47
Wissahickon: Brianna Tilghman 2, Sydney Ott 2, Julie Weber 2, Julianne Griffin 7, Carly Fadel 2, Victoria Selverian 2.
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Taylor O’Brien 21, Ali Diamond 8, Sarah Putsch 2, Haley Zygmunt 1, Laurel Suchsland 11, Lauren Coscia 4.
UPPER DUBLIN 50, UPPER MORELAND 14
The Flying Cardinals controlled Friday’s game from start to finish, opening up a 26-8 lead by halftime and then exploding for 20 points in the third quarter.
Josie Barrett led a balanced Cardinal attack with 14 points and four steals. Ashley Barber added 11 points and eight rebounds, and Allison Chernow contributed seven points, seven steals and six assists.
Upper Dublin (4-2, 3-0 SOL) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday, and Upper Moreland (3-3, 1-2) will be at Springfield Tuesday.
Upper Moreland 3-5-4-2 14
Upper Dublin 10-16-20-4 50
NORRISTOWN 48, UPPER MERION 32
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