A pair of SOL girls’ basketball teams were in action. Cheltenham earned an impressive come-from-behind non-league win.
CHELTENHAM 57, ACADEMY PARK 47 (2 OT)
The Lady Panthers – trailing 27-15 at halftime – appeared to be down for the count, but they rose from the ashes of what appeared to be a certain defeat, turning in an inspired second-half performance and earning the dramatic come-from-behind non-league win.
“We were down 26-11 at one point,” said coach Brendan Nolan, who was without senior captain Mia Leonard (injury). “We were dead, we had nothing, and I thought, ‘This is going to be a long second half.’
“Then all of a sudden in the third quarter we just slowly started chipping away, got a little run and they got into some foul trouble. I kept saying, ‘If we can get to overtime, we really have the advantage.’ One of their best players fouled out, and (Mahya) Woodton, their best player, fouled out right at the end of the fourth quarter, so I knew we had a chance.”
The first overtime could not determine a winner as both teams scored seven points. Caitlin Wallace accounted for all seven of the Panthers’ points. In the second OT, Danielle Brown – who scored a game-high 21 points – took charge, scoring six points as the Panthers outscored their visitors 10-0.
“Danielle Brown was spectacular,” Nolan said. “We switched to a zone in the second half, and that slowed them down a little bit.
“I moved Danielle out to the top of the zone, and she’s just such a presence up there. She got a few steals up top, which she then turned into transition layups. I think four of her six points in overtime were off steals that she went in for a layup.”
Nashira Brown also came up big for the Panthers, finishing with just six points but pulling down 10 rebounds and seven assists.
“For Nashira, our center, to have seven assists – she was working the high post and really distributing from there,” Nolan said. “It was nice.
“All of these little things that we had been doing incorrectly for the first five-and-a-half games – all of a sudden, we started getting them right, and it was really fun to see. The kids were really pumped up. It was a lot of fun.”
Wallace also gave the team a huge boost, finishing with 17 points, which included three three-pointers.
“Caitlin was our starting shooting guard last year, and last year a lot of kids got overshadowed,” Nolan said. “She’s been kind of cold. In our first three games, she was 2-for-32 from the floor. She just couldn’t make a shot, and all of a sudden, a three-pointer went in at the beginning. She got the confidence, we started looking for her, and they started falling. It was another senior who I was happy to see have a big moment.”
Kelin Holmes added nine points for the Panthers.
Cheltenham (3-3, 2-0 SOL) will be on the road at Quakertown on Friday night.
Academy Park 12-15-7-6-7-0 47
Cheltenham 9-6-14-11-7-10 57
Academy Park (47) – Mahya Woodton 19, Elisha Hernandez 10, Terae Mason 4, Riley Street 7, Taylor Smith 4, Taylor Flores 3.
Cheltenham (57) – Caitlin Wallace 17, Courtney Murray 2, Danielle Brown 21, Kelin Holmes 9, Kai Williams 2, Nashira Brown 6.
LOWER MORELAND 57, UPPER MORELAND 39
The visiting Golden Bears trailed by just three (18-15) at the end of one quarter, but the Lions pulled away with a 19-6 second quarter burst. The Bears had no answer for Rachel Millan, who scored 11 of her game-high 23 points in the first half.
Noelle Woodman led the Golden Bears with 10 points on a pair of field goals and a 6-for-10 effort at the foul line. Hannah Stainback contributed nine points, which included a pair of three-pointers. Phoebe Longstreth had eight points – seven in the first quarter. Brianna Huges also had eight points, which included a perfect 6-for-6 at the charity stripe.
Upper Moreland (0-6, 0-2 SOL) will host Springfield Township on Thursday night.
Upper Moreland 15-6-7-11 39
Lower Moreland 18-19-9-9 57
Upper Moreland (39) – Phoebe Longstreth 8, Caitlin Corr 3, Hannah Stainback 9, Brianna Hughes 8, Noelle Woodman 10, Cassidy Murphy 1.
Lower Moreland (57) – Jordan Cohen 6, Allison Asman 5, Nicole Castor 1, Ceili Corduff 9, Rachel Millan 23, Jimia Davis 4, Riley Malone 4.
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