Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Monday, Pennsbury/CR South photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Wissahickon/Norristown photos courtesy of Kim Supko Photography. Check back for galleries of both games.
SOL Patriot Division
BENSALEM 50, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 43
The Owls had a built-in excuse if they had lost.
They were not only without Averi McCoy, but Kylie Smith, who filled in for McCoy, went down in the opening minute of the game and did not return. Instead of using that as an excuse, the Owls rode the hot hand of Delaney Bell, who scored 18 points, and found a way to win.
“In terms of our game, the key was us just coming together,” Bensalem coach Steve Johnson said. “I threw a freshman, Talia DiMichele, who’s probably only played six minutes a game on varsity. She played the whole first half for us, and she scored five in the first half.
“It was just an awesome game to be a part of. We had a 14-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. North came back, and they took the lead. That was the type of game it was. (To win) this game was huge, especially not having Averi and then Kylie going down. It was just nice because when you have girls go down, it’s tough – the belief factor, and they believed in each other, which I’m happy about.”
The Indians outscored the Owls 13-8 in the second quarter and took a 27-21 lead into halftime. Jaden Wan buried four 3-pointers in the half and accounted for 12 of her team’s points. Lizzie Lustig added six. For the Owls, Bell had six points on a pair of 3’s.
“Jaden didn’t start for them, but she came off the bench and had a huge game,” Johnson said. “Credit to her and her teammates, she was shooting the lights out.
“They just move the ball so well. Their offense is never stagnant. They always have someone cutting, someone moving, and that was a big emphasis in our walk-through today – weakside help had to be there. Coach Jim (Roynan) does a great job with them.”
The Owls came out of halftime and outscored the Indians 15-8 to go on top 36-35. Bell buried three 3-pointers in the third quarter.
“Delaney was shooting the lights out,” Johnson said. “I knew this game was coming. It had to come sometime soon. She played good games earlier in the season, but she wasn’t really shooting like Delaney Bell shoots. She had five big 3’s, and she had that shooter’s mentality, which is what we talk about in practice – the next one is always going in whether you’re 5-for-5 or 0-for-5.”
The Owls went on to outscore the Indians 14-8 in the fourth quarter to notch the big win.
In addition to Bell, Amber Howard had 13 points – eight in the second half. Maddie MacDougall added eight points, which included a pair of 3-pointers.
“I think this was Amber’s best game in black and blue, our school colors, since she’s been here,” Johnson said. “She got it at the high post, and she backed her girl down. She shot the mid-range jump shot, she kicked it out to Delaney (Bell) and Maddie MacDougall who were hitting shots. It was just a complete game by her.”
The Owls’ coach also gave a shoutout to one of his assistants, coach Candy.
“We got into halftime down six, and he suggested a different lineup that we’re never even practiced with,” Johnsons said. “I was kind of hesitant to put it in, but he’s like my brother, so I had to trust him, and it worked out to perfection. He did a nice job with that.”
For the Indians, Wan led the way with 16 points while Lustig had 12 points, which included three 3-pointers. Riley Hamilton added eight points.
Bensalem (5-1, 2-1 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Wednesday, and Council Rock North (2-3, 1-2) will be on the road at Neshaminy on Wednesday.
Council Rock North 14-13-8-8 43
Bensalem 13-8-15-14 50
Bensalem (50) – Delaney Bell 5 3-4 18; Maddie MacDougall 3 0-0 8; Sam Daut 2 0-0 4; Erin Devlin 1 0-0 2; Amber Howard 5 3-4 13; Talia DiMichele 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 18 6-8 50.
Council Rock North (43) – Kiera Katz 0 0-2 0; Kiera Katz 4 1-2 12; Delaney McCaffrey 2 0-1 5; Riley Hamilton 3 0-0 8; Kristen Polinsky 1 0-0 2; Jaden Wan 6 0-0 16; TOTALS 16 1-5 43.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Delaney Bell 5, Maddie MacDougall 2, Talia DiMichele; CRN – Jaden Wan 4, Lizzie Lustig 3, Riley Hamilton 2, Delaney McCaffry.
PENNSBURY 64, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 36
Ava Sciolla – slowed by a knee injury – spent Thursday’s win over Neshaminy serving as facilitator for her teammates. The senior standout looked mighty healthy in Monday’s win, torching the visiting Golden Hawks for 28 points, and that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to her contributions.
“Ava is Ava,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “As always … forget the points. She had seven assists and it could have been 12-13.
“She just sees (the floor) so well and puts the ball on hands. I’m not sure I’ve ever had anyone like that, and it makes me feel weird saying it because I’ve been so lucky to coach so many great guards.”
Sciolla’s 10 first-quarter points, which included a pair of 3-pointers, propelled the Falcons to a commanding 20-6 lead after one quarter. The Golden Hawks found their offense in the second quarter and behind six points from Karissa Smedley scored 12 points, but the Falcons scored 17 and took a 37-18 lead into halftime.
Sciolla’s 15 first-half points led the Falcons, who connected on eight 3-pointers in the half with Sciolla accounting for three of those. Nevaeh Dash added eight points with a pair of 3’s, and Daniella MacDonald also had two 3-pointers in the half.
In the third quarter, the Golden Hawks, propelled by 10 points from Mia Stock, outscored the Falcons 14-12, but the second half also belonged to the Falcons, who outscored their visitors 27-18.
In addition to Sciolla, Dash finished with 12 points while Sofia Vitucci had seven. MacDonald and Nicole Pompili both had six points.
“Izzy Ruta had her first career start as we lost starting center Dani Sherman to an injury on Saturday in practice, and she was solid,” Sciolla said. “Nevaeh Dash was active at both ends and knocked down shots.
“Daniella MacDonald again sparked us off the bench. We are really proud of her focus and how she has responded to the challenges we’ve given her. Layla Matthias continued to dominate the glass, and Nicole Pompili had some excellent finishes.”
For the Golden Hawks, Stock (16 points) and Smedley (10 points) led the way.
“Watching CR South early on showed us that this game would be different, and the score is not indicative of the game,” Sciolla said. “I think this is Blair’s best group and they seem to be playing the way he wants. They are connected on offense and do a really good job finding each other.
“Mia Stock is moving really well and was effective inside and out tonight for them. They have a playoff team. South is going to be a factor.”
Pennsbury (5-0, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman on Wednesday, and Council Rock South (4-2, 1-2) will travel to Bensalem on Wednesday.
Council Rock South 6-12-14-4 36
Pennsbury 20-17-12-15 64
Council Rock South (36) – Kathryn O’Kane 1 2-2 4; Lily Bross 0 1-3 1; Cam Gregory 2 0-0 5; Mia Stock 5 4-6 16; Karissa Smedley 3 4-6 10; TOTALS 11 11-17 36.
Pennsbury (64) – Ava Sciolla 9 6-6 28; Layla Matthias 1 1-2 3; Daniella MacDonald 2 0-0 6; Sofia Vitucci 1 4-4 7; Nicole Pompili 2 2-3 6; Nevaeh Dash 5 0-0 12; Maggie Burns 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 21 13-15 64.
3-point goals: CRS – Mia Stock 2, Cam Gregory; Pennsbury – Ava Sciolla 4, Daniella MacDonald 2, Neveah Dash 2, Sofia Vitucci.
NESHAMINY 61, HARRY S TRUMAN 28
Reese Zemitis had the hot hand, burying four 3-pointers and finishing with a game-high 22 points to lead the Redskins to the decisive win. Zemitis scored 16 points in a first half that saw Neshaminy open up a 41-13 halftime lead.
Sophomore Lola Ibarrondo also finished in double figures with 10 points to go along with four assists and four steals. Taylor Gurysh added eight points, seven rebounds and five assists. Lindsay Little had six points, connecting on a pair of 3-pointers. Anna Soskas contributed four steals, six rebounds and four points.
Patricia Monroe and Mayah Alford – both sophomores – led Truman with 13 and 11 points respectively. Only three players scored for the Tigers.
Neshaminy (4-1, 2-1 SOL) will host Council Rock North on Wednesday, and Harry S Truman (0-3) will host Pennsbury on Wednesday.
Harry S Truman 9-4-7-8 28
Neshaminy 19-22-13-7 61
Harry S Truman (28) – Mayah Alford 4 2-4 11; Patricia Monroe 4 5-9 13; Shylah McCleve 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 10 7-13 28.
Neshaminy (61) – Maddie Stockunas 0 1-2 1; Skylar Lall 1 0-2 2; Taylor Gurysh 3 2-2 8; Anna Soska 2 0-0 4; Maya Lewis 1 0-0 2; Jess Purdy 1 0-0 2; Lindsay Little 2 0-0 6; Mimi Smith 2 0-0 4; Lola Ibarrondo 3 3-4 10; Reese Zemitis 7 4-6 22; TOTALS 22 10-16 61.
3-point goals: HST – Mayah Alford; Neshaminy – Reese Zemitis 4, Lindsay Little 2, Lola Ibarrondo.
SOL Colonial Division
SOUDERTON 38, NORTH PENN 33
These Knights have not made things easy for their opponents, and that certainly was the case in Monday’s game against their neighboring rival.
The Indians opened up an early 10-1 lead only to watch the Knights answer with a 21-12 tear to knot the score 22-22 at halftime. Casey Harter’s nine first-half points led the Indians while Abby Plougher had nine for the Knights.
“They hit a couple of 3s in that stretch, we had a couple of turnovers, we missed a couple of easy ones, they got a few offensive rebounds and putbacks,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “On our end, we have to clean some things up. For stretches, we did that tonight. We’re not doing the little things consistently, and that needs to happen as soon as possible.
“Offensively, I have to help them be a little bit more successful based on how teams are playing us right now. I know I keep saying this – we’re going to be okay, but we definitely have some things that we need to figure out and some things we need to start doing better.”
Souderton managed just five points in the third quarter and trailed the Knights 30-27 heading into the final frame that saw the Indians close out the game with an 11-3 frame. Teya McConnaha had five points and several big plays under the basket.
“Teya had two big offensive rebounds of missed foul shots – on two separate occasions, she got the rebounds and we kept possession,” Carroll said. “This was all probably in the last minute of the game. Eventually, we were able to get up two possessions.
“Under 30 seconds, we were up four. We played great defense – the look of determination on our girls’ faces in that defensive possession right there is one thing we need more of consistently from everybody. We defended really, really well down the stretch.
“An important note is that (North Penn’s) Abby Plaugher was in foul trouble and eventually did foul out. She had played really, really well in the first half.”
Harter finished with a game high 15 points to go along with four rebounds, three blocked shots and three assists. McConnaha contributed nine points and nine rebounds while Mikayla McGillian had six points. The Indians had 10 blocked shots as a team and assists on 10 of 14 field goals.
Plaugher’s nine points led the Knights while Caleigh Sperling contributed seven. Cameron Crowley and Kelly Donnelly both added six points. Six of the Knights’ 10 field goals were 3-pointers.
Souderton (4-2, 2-1 SOL) will travel to Pennridge on Thursday, and North Penn (1-4, 0-3) will be on the road at Central Bucks South on Thursday.
Souderton 10-12-5-11 38
North Penn 4-18-8-3 33
Souderton (38) – Brooke Fenchel 2 0-2 5; Erin Bohmueller 1 1-2 3; Mikayla McGillian 3 0-0 6; Casey Harter 4 6-11 15; Teya McConnaha 4 1-2 9; TOTALS 14 8-17 38.
North Penn (33) – Caleigh Sperling 2 1-2 7; Cameron Crowley 2 0-0 6; Abby Plaugher 2 5-6 9; Kelly Donnelly 2 0-0 6; Olivia Stone 2 1-2 5; TOTALS 10 7-10 33.
3-point goals: Souderton – Brooke Fenchel, Casey Harter; NP – Caleigh Sperling 2, Cameron Crowley 2, Kelly Donnelly 2.
Non-league
UPPER MORELAND 49, POPE JOHN PAUL II 22
EmmyFaith Wood and Holly Gohl both contributed double-digit scoring efforts, but in Monday’s non-league win, it was the defense – which did not allow more than seven points in any of the four quarters – that stole the spotlight.
“Tonight was more of what we anticipated as the season started,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “Get after it defensively and understanding our strengths offensively.
“Tess Crossan is a really skilled player for them. Amelia Kennedy is out, so we knew we had to put more pressure on Crossan and make it difficult for her for four quarters. Mikel (Lancit) and Brooke (Albeck) full court denied her for nearly the entire game, and it paid dividends for us defensively. We had 14 steals, forced them into some quick shots and tried to make things as difficult as possible. Crossan still got hers, but it wasn’t easy.”
Crossan’s 15 points led PJP and included a 5-for-8 effort at the foul line. Her teammates managed just seven points between them.
The Golden Bears, who led 12-5 after one quarter, took a 24-11 lead into halftime. Wood’s 11 points led the way. They added to that lead in the second half with Gohl scoring eight points to lead the Bears. Ten players contributed scoring for UM.
“I’m most impressed that our girls bought into their roles,” Carroll said. “Emma Hurley really battled for us down low and got some key rebounds and put backs.
“Abby Engart played really sound defense and hit a big three in the first half to get some separation. We have some games coming up that we have had circled on the calendar for a while. We need to keep improving and defending in order to beat the teams we want to. Tonight was a great start to getting closer to what we know we can be.”
Upper Moreland (3-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Springfield Township on Tuesday.
Pope John Paul II 5-6-7-4 22
Upper Moreland 12-12-13-12 49
Pope John Paul II (22) – Brooke Albeck 1 0-0 3; Nadia Platt 1 0-0 2; Katie Nilles 0 2-2 2; Tess Crossan 5 5-8 15; TOTALS 7 7-10 22.
Upper Moreland (49) – Lianna Adames 0 3-4 3; Brook Lobban 1 0-0 2; Alyssa Wiley 2 0-0 4; Kylie Gaul 1 0-0 2; EmmyFaith Wood 4 4-7 13; Marie Meyers 1 0-0 2; Abby Engart 1 0-0 3; Holly Gohl 6 0-0 12; Emma Hurley 2 0-0 4; Mikel Lancit 1 2-2 4; TOTALS 19 9-13 49.
3-point goals: PJP – Brooke Albeck; UM – EmmyFaith Wood, Abby Engart.
WISSAHICKON 65, NORRISTOWN 25
Kaitlyn McGeary and Kylie Friedman combined for 45 points with McGeary scoring 24 to lead the way while Friedman added 21. Julia Verrier added nine points.
The Trojans took control of this one from the outset, roaring out of the gate to a 22-3 lead after one quarter and never looking back on their way to the no-doubt-about-it non-league win.
“Our staple is our defense,” Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline said. “They’re a little depleted due to injury as well, but we have to respect them and not fear them, try to better our game. Whatever they throw at us, we just have to make sure we execute on the defensive and offensive sides of the court.
“Collectively, we’re trying to get better at what we do. It’s all about progress. We want to be better from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. We take it one play, one practice, one drill at a time. That’s how we have to prepare, and that’s how we have to visualize things.”
Wissahickon (3-2, 0-2 SOL) will host Quakertown on Tuesday.
Norristown 3-11-9-2 25
Wissahickon 22-17-21-5 65
Norristown (25) – Douglas 11, Goldston 9, Hines 2, Bennett 1, Boynes 2.
Wissahickon (65) – Eva Schools 2, Kylie Friedman 21, Julia Verrier 9, Claira Baldasano 2, Emlyn Ebert 2, Kenya Williams 2, Ashley Klein 3, Kaitlyn McGeary 24.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 50, BRISTOL 11
Nine players contributed scoring for the Hatters, who led 11-2 after one quarter and took a 21-11 lead into halftime. The visiting Warriors did not score a point in the second half as the Hatters rolled to the win.
Alice Hall’s 11 points led a balanced Hatters’ attack. Leah Harrington added nine, Kitty Randa had seven while Caroline Shegogue and Emily Thomas both had six.
Hatboro-Horsham (2-1, 1-1 SOL) will host Abington Tuesday.
Hatboro-Horsham (50) – Alice Hall 11; Leah Harrington 9; Kitty Randa 7; Caroline Shegogue 6; Emily Thomas 6; Abby Waeltz 5; Paige Cole 2; Emily Nelson 2; Alli Hewish 2
3-point goals: HH – Leah Harrington 2; Abby Waeltz 1
Bristol 2-9-0-0 11
Hatboro-Horsham 11-10-23-6 50
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