Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. New Hope-Solebury/William Tennent photos courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for a gallery of photos. CB South/CB East photos courtesy of Diane Barry/CB East girls’ basketball.
SOL Colonial Division
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 50, PENNRIDGE 47 (OT)
This is rapidly becoming a habit, this insistence to eke out close wins.
The Bucks were back at it again on Tuesday, rallying to win in overtime and proving they just might be the ultimate closers. Tuesday’s win – their sixth without a loss – was the fourth game they’ve won by three points or less.
“Our girls just battle,” West coach Zach Sibel said. “You have to credit them for the experience they’ve gotten in these close games. There’s a poise about them. We were down at half, and I said, ’We’re right in it, we just need to make some adjustments.’
“Emily Spratt put her hand up and said, ‘We got this, let’s just go do it,’ and I think that was huge.”
Spratt led all scorers with 19 points – all but four after the intermission.
“She sets such a tone, and the confidence she has and the confidence she has in her teammates – it’s so contagious,” Sibel said. “The girls just respond to her so well.
“We were down Katie Finnan to the flu – she tested COVID negative, and everyone stepped up.”
Gabbi Senior found herself thrust into Finnan’s spot at point guard.
“She was running the point guard position for the first time ever as a sophomore and did a (heck) of a job,” Sibel said. “When you’re down an all-league player, it’s not easy, but everyone answered the bell.
“Ava Longo played her best game, Alexis Castro had 12 rebounds and huge ones the second half. Tai Henkels is under the weather – also COVID negative. We had two steals going into the second half. We had 12 at the end of the game. The girls made the decision to go into more of a pressure defense and kind of amped it up a bit.”
The Rams, who led 12-9 after one quarter, took a 21-16 lead into halftime. Katie Yoder’s seven points led the Rams in the half. The two teams were deadlocked 28-28 after three quarters.
“Pennridge went up four on a Coyle three with four minutes left,” Sibel said. “We got some big steals and big plays, and we were able to tie it.
“We got a huge stop with about 12 seconds left, got the ball over half court. We called a timeout with it knotted up. We ran a play and got something going to the basket. It was a no call, so it went into overtime.”
The Bucks, according to Sibel, threw the first punch in OT.
“And we rattled off three straight stops,” the Bucks’ coach said. “We’re getting good baskets, getting to the line and doing what we need to do.
“(Katie) Yoder hit an incredible step-back three. I feel like I say this all the time, but Mike (Elton) had them ready and kept them playing. They respond so well to him. This is the best his teams have played, and they’re a hard team to prep for because they just play. I think we followed scout really well and just answered the bell.”
The Bucks outscored the Rams 14-11 in OT with Spratt scoring eight of her team’s points. She finished with a game high 19 points, which included a 9-for-11 effort at the foul line.
Tai Henkels added nine points and five steals – all in the second half, Ava Longo had eight points and five rebounds and Gabi Senior had seven points and six rebounds. Nia Perry pulled down five boards in a contest that saw the Bucks collect 36 rebounds.
“That’s the cool thing about this team – there’s such a trust level that they have with each other, we have with them and they have with us, and we kind of just play,” Sibel said. “When you have a leader like Spratt and you have girls like Tai Henkels stepping up, Castro, Longo stepping up and Gabbi Senior doing what she does, it’s just so much fun to coach.”
Yoder’s 10 points, which included a pair of 3’s, led the Rams. Ella Brown had nine points, and Croyle had eight. Ava Fantaskey had seven points, and Ryan Hodder had six.
Central Bucks West (6-0, 3-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Thursday at 5 p.m., and Pennridge (4-1, 2-1) will host Souderton on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Pennridge 12-9-7-8-11 47
Central Bucks West 9-7-12-8-14 50
Pennridge (47) – Ella Brown 4 0-0 9; Anna Croyle 3 0-0 8; Katie Yoder 4 0-0 10; Ava Fantaskey 2 3-4 7; Ava Unzicker 1 0-0 2; Emma Pyne 2 0-0 5; Ryan Hodder 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 19 3-4 47.
Central Bucks West (50) – Tai Henkels 3 1-4 9; Nia Perry 2 0-0 5; Emily Spratt 5 9-11 19; Alexis Castro 1 0-0 2; Ava Longo 3 1-2 8; Gabi Senior 1 5-7 7; TOTALS 15 16-24 50.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Anna Croyle 2, Katie Yoder 2, Emma Pyne, Ella Brown; CBW – Tai Henkels 2, Nia Perry, Ava Long.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 54, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 34
The Titans were coming off a rough week, dropping a pair of games after opening the season with three straight wins. If they needed a confidence booster, they got it with Tuesday’s impressive division win.
“I felt like we played a complete game tonight,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “Some of the things we’ve been struggling to put together – after last week going 0-2, it kind of hit home what we weren’t executing, and we were able to do a lot more of that today.”
The Patriots – behind the hot hand of Anna Barry, who had four 3’s – led 17-16 after one quarter. They managed just two points in the second quarter while the Titans scored 11, including a pair of 3-pointers by Yoyo Samayoa.
“They came out and scored (17) points right off the bat, and Anna Barry had four 3’s,” Mattern said. “Obviously, we know she’s a great shooter, but I thought we weathered her hot hand in that first quarter and really were able to keep our composure, which I thought showed a lot of growth from previous games.
“Yoyo’s 3’s were important because we were down one at the end of the first quarter.”
The Titans came out of halftime and scored 13 in the third quarter to go on top 40-24 heading into the final quarter. The Patriots – after scoring 17 in the first quarter – managed just seven in the next two combined.
“I thought we played our defense the way we practice it,” Mattern said. “They were communicating, they were in passing lanes, boxing out – trying to play a complete defensive effort.”
Taylor Hinkle’s 14 points, which included a 6-for-7 effort at the foul line, led a balanced South attack. Samayoa added 10 while Samantha Schiesser had eight. Allison Sauers had seven points and Maddie Tantum, six.
“Taylor Hinkle had an and-one in the first quarter, which gave us a little momentum,” Mattern said. “I thought Maddie T (Tantum) played hard and strong inside. She got to the foul line and had a couple of nice looks inside. At the end of the day, I’m just really happy with the overall performance of everyone.”
“It was the consistency we played with. The balanced scoring showed the effort came from everyone on the court.”
Barry’s 14 points led the Patriots, who were without Chantal Van Dongeren. Elise Duffy added seven points.
Central Bucks South (3-2, 1-2 SOL) will host North Penn on Thursday, and Central Bucks East (2-3, 1-2) will be on the road at Central Bucks West Thursday for a 5 p.m. game.
Central Bucks South 16-11-13-14 54
Central Bucks East 17-2-5-10 34
Central Bucks South (54) – Casey Balkir 1 0-0 2; Taylor Hinkle 4 6-7 14; Alyssa D’Orazio 1 1-2 3; Mackenzie Erb 2 0-1 4; Maddie Tantum 2 2-6 6; Samantha Schiesser 4 0-0 8; Allison Sauers 3 1-2 7; Yoyo Samayoa 4 0-2 10; TOTALS 21 10-20 54.
Central Bucks East (34) – Erin Leray 2 0-0 4; Keira Shea 1 0-0 3; Anna Barry 5 0-0 14; Elise Duffy 3 0-0 7; Kendall Gregor 1 0-2 3; Emily Curran 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 13 1-4 34.
3-point goals: CBS – Yoyo Samayoa 2; CBE – Anna Barry 4, Elise Duffy, Kendall Gregor, Keira Shea.
SOL Liberty Division
ABINGTON 80, HATBORO-HORSHAM 50
Cire Worley just keeps putting up big numbers. And she’s making it look easy.
Abington’s junior sharpshooter – in a preview of things to come – put 15 points on the board in the first quarter, propelling the Ghosts to a 27-21 lead at the end of eight action-packed minutes. By halftime, she had 17, and the Ghosts led 40-33. Worley added 13 points in the third quarter and finished with a game high 34 points, which included a pair of 3-pointers and a perfect 12-for-12 effort at the foul line.
It is the second time this season she has surpassed the 30-point mark.
“She scores in every way imaginable, for sure,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “She’s able to score in so many ways. Obviously, we’ve had some very good players at Abington, but she is just a really tough guard.
“She’ll go by you or she’ll shoot the three or she’s scoring layups off of steals and deflections, and she’s a great free throw shooter. She’s become a complete player, and she has a cast around her – you can’t really say, ‘Okay, we’re going to stop Worley’ because we have other kids that can score.”
While Worley was lighting up the net, Abington’s Abril Bowser was turning in a dominant defensive effort highlighted by her seven steals.
“Abril was key in this game too,” Marsh said. “She didn’t score, but she had a ton of steals. She was the one running around igniting our defense tonight.”
Also for the Ghosts, Jaida Helm added 15 points, and Maya Johnson had 11. Dani Brusha finished with seven.
For the Hatters, Alice Hall – one of three players in double figures – led the way with 16 points, 10 in the 21-point first quarter. Emily Thomas added 11 points, and Sam Hollish had 10, which included three 3-pointers. Caroline Shegogue added seven points.
“Hatboro actually shot the heck out the ball in the first half,” Marsh said. “The style that we play – we’re going to give up buckets.
“We gave them some confidence early because they were making their shots, but eventually, we wore them down, and they weren’t able to keep that pace up. For some reason, Hatboro seems to bother us a little bit, and I know it’s 80-50, but we had to work for it.”
Abington (6-0, 3-0 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday, and Hatboro-Horsham (2-2, 1-2) will be on the road at Quakertown on Thursday.
Abington 27-13-19-21 80
Hatboro-Horsham 21-11-10-8 50
Abington (80) – Cire Worley 10 12-12 34; Jaida Helm 6 2-3 15; Maya Johnson 5 0-0 11; Dani Brusha 3 1-2 7; Piper McGinley 1 2-2 5; Maura Day 1 2-4 4; Jordyn Reynolds 1 0-0 2; Lila Stonehouse 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 28 19-23 80.
Hatboro-Horsham (50) – Caroline Shegogue 3 0-0 7; Alice Hall 6 4-6 16; Kitty Randa 2 0-0 4; Emily Nelson 0 1-2 1; Alyssa Tooley 0 1-2 1; Emily Thomas 4 2-2 11; Sam Hollish 3 1-2 10; TOTALS 18 9-14 50.
3-point goals: Abington – Cire Worley 2, Jaida Helm, Maya Johnson, Piper McGinley, HH – Sam Hollish 3, Emily Thomas, Caroline Shegogue.
SOL Freedom Division
QUAKERTOWN 42, WISSAHICKON 41
Carolyn Supprell turned in a monster performance in the paint for the Panthers.
The junior forward scored 26 points, which included a 3-pointer and an 11-for-15 effort at the foul line. With the Panthers on the short end of a 41-40 score, Supprell stepped to the foul line with 17 seconds remaining in regulation and calmly buried both shots.
“She’s one of our best foul shooters,” Quakertown coach Brittany Bamford said. “She is one of the most unselfish kids, so it’s not in her personality to say, ‘Give me the ball,’ ‘me, me, me.’ That’s not her at all, but that’s what her team needs her to do this year, and she’s stepping up and filling that role. I’m happy that she’s coming out of her shell and stepping up to the role that her team needs her to do.”
The final seconds were not without drama. The Trojans had plenty of time to get off the tying or winning shot, but Katie Hagerty came up with a steal with seven seconds remaining to seal the Trojans’ fate.
“They were very excited,” Bamford said. “To win a league game is exciting for us at Quakertown girls’ basketball. We went 1-1 with them last year – they beat us last year on our home court, so it was special.”
Early on, the two teams were deadlocked 10-10 after one quarter, but the Trojans took a 21-18 lead into halftime and added to that in the third quarter, taking a 33-27 lead into the final quarter when the Panthers rallied.
Prior to Supprell’s late-game heroics, Laney Mitchell found Katie Offner posting up for a basket that gave the Panthers a 40-39 lead. Wissahickon’s Kylie Friedman drove coast to coast for the score to give her team a 41-40 lead, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
“It really was a game that either team could have won,” Bamford said. “We were down most of the game. It was really the fourth quarter and Carolyn making foul shots that was the difference.”
In addition to scoring 26 points, Supprell also had eight rebounds.
“She also had the job of covering (Kaitlyn) McGeary, who worked very hard for her 14 points and still made those look easy,” Bamford said.
Offner had seven rebounds while Ava Pistone had six.
In addition to McGeary’s 14 points, Friedman had 13 points for the Trojans.
Quakertown (3-3, 1-2 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday, and Wissahickon (3-3, 0-3) is scheduled to travel to Upper Dublin on Thursday.
Wissahickon 10-11-12-8 41
Quakertown 10-8-9-13 42
Wissahickon (41) – Chloe Acuna 2 0-0 4; Eva Schools 1 0-0 2; Kylie Friedman 4 5-7 13; Julia Verrier 2 0-1 5; Kaitlyn McGeary 7 0-0 14; Ashley Klein 1 1-2 3; totals 17 6-10 41.
Quakertown (42) – Carolyn Sipprell 7 11-15 26; Katie Catalano 1 2-2 4; Katie Hagerty 1 0-2 2; Maureen Healy 1 0-1 2; Ava Pistone 1 0-0 3; Katie Offner 2 1-2 5; TOTALS 13 14-22 42.
3-point goals: Wissahickon – Julia Verrier; Quakertown – Carolyn Sipprell, Ava Pistone.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 59, WILLIAM TENNENT 43
The Lions received double-figure scoring efforts from four players – led by the stellar 22-point effort of Reagan Chrencik, which included three 3-pointers. She also had 12 rebounds and six blocked shots. Freshman Emily Wilson added 14 points, including two 3’s. Madi Fasti had 12 points, which included a pair of 3’s, and freshman Izzy Elizondo scored 10.
“Emily Wilson scored 12 points in the first quarter and really got us going,” NHS coach Steve Polinsky said. “Reagan Chrencik was outstanding on both ends of the floor. She’s scoring points, but her defense has been so impressive all year.
“Our freshmen Emily and Izzy have done great all season. They really fit with Reagan, Madi and Emma Ives.”
The Lions led 22-15 at the end of one quarter and still led 31-28 at the intermission. They outscored their visitors 28-15 in the second half. Madi Fasti had a big third quarter, scoring 10 points.
“We dug ourselves too many holes tonight, and you can only battle back so many times,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to put another run together during the fourth quarter to give ourselves a chance.
“New Hope got off to a hot start and shot the lights out the entire game. I’m not sure what their final shooting percentage was for the game, but they didn’t miss many. Steve does a great job with his team, and they always play hard.”
“Tennent really played us tough,” Polinsky said. “Two times we were up by double digits, and coach Whitney’s team came storming back. There’s no quit in that team, and they are going to give teams trouble. Courtney Bragen plays so hard. A special shoutout for her defensive effort against Morgan Voltz. We wanted to keep her under 10 points, and Emma Ives had a nice game against her.”
For the Panthers, who were without Chase Dubzak, Ella Mednick led the way with 12 points, which included a pair of 3’s.
I thought Ella did a great job stepping in for Dubzak,” Whitney said. “Ella showed a lot of poise and toughness running the offense. The last two games her confidence is growing, and she is going to be key in our success going forward.”
Morgan Volz and Bragen each had eight points while Savannah Zeaman had six.
New Hope-Solebury (3-2, 3-0 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Thursday, and William Tennent (2-3, 2-1) will host Upper Moreland on Thursday.
“We have to get back to work tomorrow because we have a quick turnaround with another tough league game Thursday against Upper Moreland,” Whitney said.
William Tennent 15-13-9-6 43
New Hope-Solebury 22-9-14-14 59
William Tennent (43) – Ella Mednick 5 0-2 12; Savannah Zeaman 3 0-0 6; Courtney Bragen 4 0-0 8; Alyssa Lewicki 2 0-2 5; Kate Smith 2 0-0 4; Morgan Volz 4 0-0 8; TOTALS 20 0-4 43.
New Hope-Solebury (59) – Emily Wilson 6 0-0 14; Isabella Elizondo 3 4-4 10; Reagan Chrencik 9 1-2 22; Madi Fasti 4 2-2 12; Caroline Ives 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 22 8-10 59.
3-point goals: WT – Ella Mednick 2, Alyssa Lewicki; NHS – Reagan Chrencik 3, Madi Fasti 2, Emily Wilson 2.
UPPER MORELAND 48, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 15
The Golden Bears opened up a 13-4 lead after one quarter and upped their advantage to 25-9 by halftime on their way to the lopsided win over a short-handed Spartan squad.
“Springfield had a couple players out, and we knew we had to take advantage of that right off the bat,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “We missed some easy ones early and had some sloppy turnovers.
“We had a good lead at halftime, but we didn’t play great. Our expectations are high for this season and even when we are winning it’s still important that we are playing well. The first half I thought we played okay. We settled for too many quick threes.”
The UM coach was pleased to see his team take 13 trips to the foul line after the intermission.
“The second half we put an emphasis on getting the ball inside and getting to the free throw line,” Carroll said. “We did a great job with that, and it put us in more of a flow offensively.
“League wins are always important to get so starting 2-0 in league play is nothing we ever take for granted. We have another chance for a league win on Thursday before we get a little break.”
EmmyFaith Wood scored 15 points to lead the Golden Bears while Holly Gohl added 14. Emma Hurley chipped in six points.
For the Spartans, Samiyyah Thompson had six points.
Upper Moreland (4-1, 2-0 SOL) will travel to William Tennent on Thursday, and Springfield Township (2-4, 0-3) will be on the road at Lower Moreland on Thursday.
Springfield Township 4-5-4-2 15
Upper Moreland 13-12-14-9 48
Springfield Township (15) – Annie Coll 1 1-4 3; Samiyyah Thompson 1 4-4 6; Ashley Jenkins 2 0-2 4; Paige Robinson 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 5 5-10 15.
Upper Moreland (48) – Brooke Lobban 0 3-4 3; EmmyFaith Wood 6 2-3 15; Kiera Coyle 1 2-3 5; Marie Meyers 1 0-0 2; Holly Gohl 6 2-5 14; Emma Hurley 2 2-2 6; Mikel Loncit 1 1-4 3; TOTALS 17 12-21 48.
3-point goals: UM – EmmyFaith Wood, Kiera Coyle.
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