Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action in Friday’s season openers. Abington/WC Rustin photos courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography. To view the photo gallery, please click on the following link: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p738632880
Pennridge Tipoff Tournament
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 44, QUAKERTOWN 27
Talk about a change of fortunes. This was it.
The Indians trailed for the better part of the first half and found themselves on the short end of a 21-15 score at the intermission. Then came an inspired third quarter that saw the Indians outscore the Panthers 21-2 on their way to the win.
“We are really proud of the resilience our team showed tonight, and it was great to start off the season with a win,” first-year coach John Kelly said. “Our players played with a tremendous amount of energy and effort – everyone program-wide was incredibly enthusiastic and engaged.”
In the Indians’ third quarter explosion, Delaney McCaffery and Amara Arroyo both buried a pair of 3-pointers. Jaden Wan – in her return after being sidelined most of last season with an injury – also had six points in the frame.
“After half, I thought we were able to settle into the game, we made better decisions, and we played much more together offensively while taking care of the ball,” Kelly said. “We were able to get Delaney and Jaden more involved offensively and our ball movement was much better. Amara hit some big shots for us, too.
“Defensively, Lizzie Lustig did a really nice job of limiting Carolyn Sipprell who we were really impressed with – she is a great player. Kiera (Katz) and Delaney both brought tremendous energy defensively and were able to help us shut down their perimeter threats, and Ruth O’Keefe was a force on the boards. It truly was a team win.”
McCaffery’s 15 points led the Indians – she scored 13 of those after halftime. Wan finished with 11 points.
“A huge amount of credit goes to the performance of our bench players for stepping up and keeping us in it in the first half and third quarter,” Kellly said. “Skyler Wright, Amara Arroyo, Josie Boyle, and Claire Pirkle were sparkplugs off the bench and really stepped up to keep us in it while we dealt with some foul trouble.”
Ava Pistone’s seven points led the Panthers while Sipprell, Katie Catalano and Kayla Sicher each had six.
“A credit to Quakertown – they really came out ready to play,” Kelly said. “Coach (Brittany) Bamford did an excellent job of mixing it up defensively and disguising defenses. They forced us into some quick shots and turnovers in the first half. Offensively, we lost Catalano and Pistone a few times, and they made us pay.”
Council Rock North (1-0) will face Villa Joseph Marie on Saturday at 6 p.m. while Quakertown will face Pennridge at 3 p.m.
Quakertown (27) – Carolyn Sipprell 3 0-1 6; Katie Catalano 2 0-0 6; Ava Pistone 3 0-0 7; Kayla Sicher 3 0-0 6; Julia Henry 1 0-0 2; Truly Heft 0 0-3 0; TOTALS 12 0-4 27.
Council Rock North (44) – Skyler Wright 1 0-0 3; Kiera Katz 0 1-5 1; Lizzie Lustig 1 1-1 3; Amara Arroyo 2 0-0 6; Delaney McCaffery 5 4-4 16; Josie Boyle 1 0-0 3; Jaden Wan 4 3-5 11; Ruth O’Keefe 1 0-2 2; TOTALS 15 8-17 44.
Quakertown 11-10-2-4 27
Council Rock North 6-9-21-8 44
PENNRIDGE 43, VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 20
The Rams – sparked by a solid defensive effort – opened up a 13-6 lead after one quarter and extended that to 25-8 by halftime on their way to the no-doubt-about-it win in Friday’s season opener.
Katie Yoder led a balanced attack with 14 points while Ava Fantaskey added nine. Ella Brown had eight points, and Anna Croyle, six.
Pennridge will face Quakertown on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Villa Joseph Marie 6-2-4-8 20
Pennridge 13-12-3-15 43
Villa Joseph Marie (20) – Deal 3, Pizzica 4, Grunwell 3, Gumienny 7, Mack 3.
Pennridge (43) – Katie Yoder 14, Ava Fantaskey 9, Ella Brown 8, Anna Croyle 6, Olivia Poole 5, Grace Rosica.
3-point goals: VJM – DealGrunwell, Gumienny.
Unionville Tipoff Tournament
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 51, HATBORO-HORSHAM 33
Freshman Gabby D’Agostino had a debut to remember.
The rookie scored a game-high 15 points – all in a first half that saw the Lions put 36 points on the board on their way to the win in Friday’s season opener. Included in D’Agostino’s 15-point effort were a pair of 3-pointers and a perfect 5-for-5 effort at the foul line.
The game actually started on a promising note for the Hatters, who raced out of the gate to a 7-3 lead. In addition, the Hatters were able to get senior standout Reagan Chrencik in foul trouble – she was whistled for her third foul early in the second quarter.
The Lions battled back from that early deficit to take a 15-9 lead after one quarter, marking the beginning of a 33-6 run that sent them into halftime with a 36-13 lead.
D’Agostino had 10 points in the second quarter while sophomore Izzy Elizondo had six of her eight first-half points in the frame.
“I thought we played tremendous team basketball tonight,” said Lions’ head coach Steve Polinsky. “Our younger girls really responded to the challenge tonight.”
Chrencik returned in the third quarter and finished the game with 12 points, and sophomore starter Ella Dudick helped control the glass with eight rebounds and four blocks. Emily Wilson added nine points as the trio of underclassmen – Wilson, D’Agostino and Elizondo – combined for 33 points.
The Hatters, thanks to some tough defensive pressure that – according to Polinsky – frustrated New Hope’s guards, outscored the Lions 12-4 in the fourth quarter.
“Hatboro is a really well coached team,” the Lions’ coach said. “Even when they were down, they kept coming and made us earn what we got on each possession.”
Chrencik wasn’t the only player dealing with foul trouble. The Hatters’ leading scorer, junior center Kitty Randa, saw limited time in the first half as she was saddled with three fouls as was senior guard Abby Waeltz.
“The second quarter is where we really showed our inexperience and the effort wasn’t there,” HH assistant Nicole Miletto said. “After an honest talk at halftime where coach (Eric) Glemser expressed his disappointment with the girls’ effort, they responded in the second half.
“A couple of great possessions and they held NHS scoreless for about three minutes, but the deficit was too much to overcome even with a much better second half. It’s the first game of a long season and we have lots of things to work on and we’ll get better.”
H-H senior guard Leah Harrington had the hot hand in the second half scoring seven of her team-high nine points in the third quarter. Randa finished with eight points while Alli Hewish had six.
“The defense was led by junior guard Alyssa Tooley, and senior forward Maggie Smith gave us good productive minutes,” Miletto said. “While it was a loss, there were lots of positives we hope to build on.”
The Lions will not have much time to celebrate the victory as they will travel to Unionville on Saturday to face the winner of Unionville/Conestoga Valley game. The Hatters will take on the loser of that contest.
Hatboro-Horsham 9-4-8-12 33
New Hope-Solebury 15-21-11-4 51
Hatboro-Horsham (33) – Abby Waeltz 1 0-2 2; Maggie Smith 0 0-2 0; Kitty Randa 4 0-0 8; Allison Hewish 2 1-1 6; Leah Harrington 3 1-2 9; Madalyn Patel 1 0-0 2; Alyssa Tooley 1 1-2 4; Mia Fisher 1 02 2; TOTALS 12 3-11 33.
New Hope-Solebury (51) – Nina Mexler 1 0-0 2; Izzy Elizondo 4 0-1 8; Emily Wilson 4 0-0 9; Reagan Chrencik 3 6-6 12; Kayla Fennel 2 0-0 4; Ella Dudick 0 1-2 1; Gabby D’Agostino 4 5-5 13; TOTALS 15 12-14 51.
3-point goals: HH – Leah Harrington 2, Alyssa Tooley; NH-S – Gabby D’Agostino 2, Emily Wilson.
9th Annual Jim Church Classic
ABINGTON 69, WEST CHESTER RUSTIN 62 (OT)
The Ghosts won a thriller, overcoming a glittering 35-point effort by Laine McGurk to defeat the Golden Knights in overtime.
“It was a great test early on,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “It was back and forth all game.
“We had a really tough time stopping Laine McGurk.”
Four Abington players finished in double figures with Cire Worley’s 21 points leading the way. Sophomore point guard Maya Johnson added 20 while Jordyn Reynolds had 12 and Abril Bowser had 11.
The Ghosts took a 30-29 lead into halftime but trailed 47-41 heading into the final quarter.
“They were playing at our pace with us,” Marsh said. “We were hoping to wear them down, and then they took the lead in the third quarter. I said, ‘That’s it. We can’t let (McGurk) score no more,’ so every time she touched the ball, we were running doubles at her. I said, ‘If somebody else beats us, somebody else beats us.’ We kind of took the ball out of her hands, and they kind of panicked. We ended up turning them over a lot and got back in it.”
The Ghosts had a shot with 1.4 seconds remaining in regulation but came up empty. They dominated overtime, outscoring Rustin 11-4. Johnson’s seven points, including five points at the foul line, led the Ghosts.
“Harper McGinley did a great job on McGurk,” Marsh said. “We were having Harper deny her the ball, but it was more about our defense than it was about our offense.
“Sarah Oleary came in and provided some good minutes for us to and our freshman Flo Ajunwa, but it was a team effort. It’s going to take more of the same tomorrow to compete.”
Abington will face Souderton in Saturday’s title game at 3 p.m.
West Chester Rustin 10-19-18-11-4 62
Abington 15-15-11-17-11 69
SOUDERTON 48, MOUNT ST. JOSEPH 33
Casey Harter turned in a strong all-around effort in Friday’s season opener. The Northwestern-bound senior scored a game-high 18 points, handed out seven assists and pulled down a team high six rebounds.
“We played great team basketball from start to finish,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “The girls played defense with determination and intelligence.
“Offensively, we assisted on 15 of 20 field goals. Casey set the tone offensively and defensively.”
Harter – whose 12 first-half points propelled the Indians to a commanding 28-10 halftime lead – was hardly a one-woman show. Mikayla McGillian added 10 points and five rebounds while Brooke Fenchel added eight points, four assists and three blocks. Erin Bohmueller contributed seven points, three assists and two blocks.
“Erin is playing with so much more aggression,” Carroll said of Bohmueller. “Brooke (Fenchel’s) defense was some of the best I’ve seen her play.
“Mikayla (McGillian) was so solid on both ends of the court. Teya (McConnaha) played as tough as ever, and we got contributions off the bench from Alexis (Stefanowicz), Jac (Bermel) and Emily (Dick). It was a long offseason, and it was nice to be back on the court tonight.”
Souderton will face Abington in Saturday’s title game at 3 p.m.
Mount St. Joseph 5-5-7-16 33
Souderton 13-15-12-8 48
Mount St. Joseph (33) – Pumilia 2 0-2 5; Hoffman 3 0-0 8; McGrorty 2 3-4 7; Birmingham 0 0-2 0; Pickett 4 0-0 9; Smith 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 13 3-8 33.
Souderton (48) – Erin Bohmueller 3 1-4 7; Brooke Fenchel 3 0-2 8; Mikayla McGilian 5 0-0 10; Casey Harter 8 2-2 18; Teya McConnaha 1 3-4 5; TOTALS 20 6-12 48.
3-point goals: MSJ – Hoffman 2, Pumilia; Souderton – Fenchel 2.
West York Tournament
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 53, BERKS CATHOLIC 47
The Colonials got a trio of big offensive performances. Two were familiar faces.
Seniors Erin Daley and Abby Sharpe picked up where they left off in last season’s state title run. Daley led the way with 19 points while Sharpe added 16.
The third in the trio – senior Angelina Balcer – spent last season providing energy off the bench for the Colonials. In Friday’s opener, Balcer had 16 points – six in the pivotal fourth quarter.
“She was outstanding,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “She took over the game in the fourth quarter with fullcourt pressure, and offensively, she really saved us.
“There’s lots of attention on Sharpe and Daley, and Balcer scored on drives, catch and shoot and transition.”
Berks Catholic opened up a 16-9 lead after one quarter, but the Colonials responded with a 19-9 second-quarter burst to go into halftime with a 28-25 lead. Daley had the hot hand in the frame, burying a pair of 3’s and scoring 10 points. Balcer added five points.
Berks Catholic regained the lead with an 18-11 third quarter to go into the final quarter with a 43-39 lead. That’s when Balcer took charge.
Nine 3-pointers kept Berks Catholic in the game.
“We weren’t ready for how well they shot the three,” Dougherty said.
Plymouth Whitemarsh will face Delone Catholic in Saturday’s title game at 7:15 p.m.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 9-19-11-14 53
Berks Catholic 16-9-18-4 47
PW (53) – Angelina Balcer 6 2-6 16; Erin Daley 7 3-4 19; Abby Sharpe 6 4-4 16; Quinn Daley 1 0-1 2; TOTALS 20 9-15 53.
Berks Catholic (47) – Roberts 1 0-0 3; Corado 1 0-0 3; McFadden 7 0-0 18; Herb 5 0-0 14;; Langdon 4 1-1 9; TOTALS 18 1-1 47.
3-point goals: PW – Angelina Balcer 2, Erin Daley 2; BC – McFadden 4, Herb 4, Roberts, Corado.
Oreland Lions Tournament
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 36, JENKINTOWN 7
The Spartans raced out to an early lead and never looked back on their way to the decisive win.
“We came out of the gate really playing strong,” coach David Giordano said. “We were up 11-0 at the beginning of the game, and I think that set the tone as far as our girls having confidence because obviously Jenkintown is a very strong program. We respect their ability and how they play the game.
“We just clicked into a gear defensively and made open shots, and at the end of the first quarter it was 17-2, and we never looked back. It was a balanced effort.”
Jayla Daniels led the Spartans with 12 points, Alana Decker added nine points and Ashley Jenkins had six points.
“The girls spread the wealth around,” Giordano said. “All 10 girls played, and all 10 contributed. It was a complete team effort defensively.”
Springfield Township will play in Saturday’s title game at 5 p.m.
Jenkintown 2-2-0-3 7
Springfield Twp 17-3-14-2 36
Cheltenham Tipoff Tournament
CHELTENHAM 55, NORTHEAST 22
A young Lady Panther squad raced out of the gate to a 15-5 lead after one quarter and took a 30-14 advantage into halftime on their way to the big win.
Three players finished the game in double figures, led by the 17-point effort of freshman Maya Simmons, who also pulled down 12 rebounds in an impressive debut. Sophomore Joah Price also had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds while freshman Paige Powell had 12 points and eight boards.
“(It was a) great win but even better team energy,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said. “The girls came out ready to go and it showed from start to finish. We are a you team and it’s good to build confidence early in the season. Hope to carry that confidence into tomorrow’s game vs Simon Gratz.”
Price set the tone for a big game with eight first-quarter points while Simmons had five. Powell’s six points led the way in the second quarter. The Panthers outscored Northeast 25-8 in the second half.
Arianna Davis and Marguerite Reimer each added six points.
Cheltenham will face Simon Gratz in Saturday’s championship game at 4:15 p.m.
Northeast 5-9-4-4 22
Cheltenham 15-15-10-15 55
Northeast (22) -Taslim Sabil 0 1-3 1; Tasnim Sabil 1 0-2 2; Tiyana Cooper 1 3-4 5; Sanaa Gulledge 1 0-0 2; Skylynn Rivera 4 1-4 10; Raquelle Dandy 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 7 6-15 24.
Cheltenham (55) – Jiah Price 4 3-7 11; Paige Powell 5 0-1 12; Maya Simmons 7 1-2 17; Arianna Davis 3 0-0 6; Marguerite Reimer 3 0-1 6; Ali Charles 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 23 4-11 55.
3-point goals: Cheltenham – Paige Powell 2, Maya Simmons 2, Ali Charles.
Bristol Tipoff Tournament
LOWER MORELAND 41, BRISTOL 18
The Lions – who opened up a 21-2 halftime lead – used a balanced scoring attack to defeat the host Warriors in Friday’s opener. Brianna McFerran’s 10 points led Lower Moreland.
“It was a nice way to start the season,” coach Rich Becker said. “We were able to play all 14 girls on our roster. After a slow start we were able to get into a rhythm on the defensive and offensive ends. Sophomore Brianna McFerran set the tone on offense and defensive ends of the court. We also got eight points from Liz Neeld and were able to get nine different girls to score.
“As a young team where eleven of our 14 players are in either 9th or 10th grade, I was very happy with our intensity and the decisions that the girls made. Considering that we’ve only had eight practices, I was happy for the girls that the hard work and focus that we’ve had in practice seemed to transfer over to the game.”
The Lions outscored the Warriors 19-16 in the second half.
“The only downside was that the final score did not reflect how hard Bristol played,” Becker said. “Rocco (Bristol head coach) has his girls playing with a lot of effort.
“Scheme-wise, we were ahead of them and were able to put them in some situations they were not ready for, but all in all, I thought that both teams had some positives that they could take out of the game and there is still a lot that we both need to improve on.”
Lower Moreland will play in Saturday’s championship game at 2:30 p.m.
Lower Moreland 10-11-11-8 41
Bristol 2-0-6-10 18
Lower Moreland (41) – Brianna McFerran 5 0-1 10; Amelia Brown 2 1-2 6; Jess Shein 1 2-2 4; Liz Neeld 3 0-0 8; Nikki Sahl 1 1-3 3; Alexis MacPhee 1 0-2 2; Kayla Quirk 1 1-2 3; Ashley Avington 1 0-0 2; Anabela Reivas 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 16 5-14 41.
Bristol (18) – Costello 4 1-5 9; Smith 1 0-0 2; Bell 0 2-3 3; Moore 1 0-0 2; Coleman 1 0-0 2; Gonzalez 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 7 4-10 18.
3-point goals: LM – Liz Neeld 2, Amelia Brown.
State College Tipoff Tournament
CEDAR CLIFF 46, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 20
The Bucks struggled to find their offense in Friday’s opener. They hung tough for one quarter, trailing 9-6, but Cedar Cliff outscored the Bucks 11-5 in the second quarter and added to their lead with a 15-point third quarter.
Ava Longo’s 11 points led the Bucks.
Central Bucks West will return to action on Saturday.
Central Bucks West 6-5-4-5 20
Cedar Cliff 9-11-15-11 46
Central Bucks West (20) – Gabi Senior 1 1-2 3; Tai Henkels 1 0-2 2; Meg Blue 0 2-2 2; Nia Perry 0 2-2 2; Ava Longo 4 2-2 11; Gabby Reichner 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 6 7-12 20.
Cedar Cliff (46) – Taylor Ferraro 3 1-2 7; Sydney Weyant 2 0-0 5; Bryn Cravener 1 1-2 3; Alexis Buie 2 0-2 4; Kathryn Sansom 3 3-6 9; Jaelyn Brown 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 17 11-20 46.
3-point goals: CBW – Ava Longo.
Non-league
WISSAHICKON 39, HARRY S TRUMAN 23
Kaitlyn McGeary battled early foul trouble but finished strong in the second half, leading the visiting Trojans with 13 points and 12 rebounds – 10 defensive.
“The team was eager to get a win to start off the season,” Wissahickon coach Kathie Sims said. “Kaitlyn McGeary got into foul trouble but came in the second half and played her heart out and led out team to our first win.”
The key to the game – according to the Trojans’ coach – was the team effort.
Ashley Klein also finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and pulling down 11 rebounds – four offensive and seven defensive. Chloe Acuna added six rebounds to go along with two points while Eva School dished out five assists and also scored four points.
Julia Lettieri added four points while Claira Baldasano and Ava Stout each had four points.
Wissahickon will travel to Norristown for a non-league game Monday at 6 p.m.
WILLIAM TENNENT 55, DOCK MENNONITE ACADEMY 12
Morgan Volz scored 14 points to lead a balanced Tennent attack in a contest that saw six Panthers score six or more points.
“It was a good team win to start the season,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “We had balanced scoring and were able to get contributions from everyone. Now we need to get back to work tomorrow and continue to improve.”
Seven players contributed scoring in a first half that saw the Panthers open the game with an 18-0 tear. Not a whole lot changed in the second quarter, and the Panthers – behind eight points from Volz and six by Hailey Lorenzon – took a 33-1 lead into halftime over a Dock squad that is competing at a varsity level after shutting down its program for a year.
In addition to Volz, Halie Staub had nine points on three 3-pointers. Lorenzon added eight while Jess Whisler and Avery Kocur both had seven points. Alyssa Lewicki chipped in with six points.
William Tennent will host Central Bucks South in a non-league game Tuesday.
William Tennent 18-15-9-13 55
Dock Mennonite 0-1-4-7 12
William Tennent (55) – Ella Mednick 2 0-1 4; Avery Kocur 3 0-0 7; Halie Staub 3 0-0 9; Alyssa Lewicki 3 0-0 6; Hailey Lorenzon 3 0-0 8; Haley Dickson 0 0-2 0; Jess Whisler 2 3-4 7; Morban Volz 7 0-0 14; TOTALS 23 3-7 55.
3-point goals: WT – Halie Staub 3, Hailey Lorenzon 2, Avery Kocur; Dock – Ceara Barnes 3.
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