Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Monday.
Non-league
WILLIAM TENNENT 55, VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 42
The two teams battled to a 7-7 tie after one quarter, and the second quarter was just as even with the Jems outscoring the visiting Panthers by just one to go into halftime with a 24-23 advantage. Halie Staub’s 12 points on four 3-pointers kept the Panthers close.
It looked as though this one would come down to the wire, but Tennent came out of halftime and threw some serious defense at the Jems, allowing just five points while scoring 13 to go into the final quarter with a 35-29 lead. They added to that lead with a 20-point fourth quarter that was highlighted by nine points from Staub.
Key players: Halie Staub’s 21 points led all scorers and included five 3-pointers. Avery Kocur added 14.
William Tennent coach Laura Whitney: “Big win tonight. I actually think it was one of our best wins of the season so far with how we were able to completely turn things around the second half and dominate on both ends of the floor.
“I would say Villa definitely had the momentum early. We knew coming in that it was going to be a tough game after just playing them two and a half weeks ago and coming out on top. We expected to see some adjustments and knew they would be physical. I thought our girls did a great job of not backing down and matching their physicality. Offensively, we settled for a lot of outside shots against their zone, and fortunately, we were making them. But defensively we did a poor job against their bigs and let them do whatever they wanted. Luckily, we were only down one at the half.
“We decided to make some adjustments at halftime and switched to a zone, which we really haven’t worked on much at all. But I thought our girls did a tremendous job disrupting Villa and taking them out of their rhythm. We also did a great job on the boards and were able to turn our defense into some quick offense. Down the stretch our girls showed such poise and composure. Despite some adversity the first half with foul trouble and some calls not going our way, our experience was huge in how we finished the game.
After playing three games in four days, we are looking forward to a few days off to celebrate the holiday before getting back to work.”
–Props: “It was great to see Staub playing like herself again tonight. She caught the hot hand early and stayed aggressive all night.
“Big V and Hannah had their hands full all night against Villa’s bigs, but they showed a ton of toughness and rose to the challenge the second half. They made some really big plays at both ends of the court in big moments of the game.
“Carissa may have only had five points from free throws, but her energy and defensive effort were huge.
“Avery is our leader and we go as she goes. I thought she did a great job of balancing between being assertive and seeking her shots, but also running the offense and distributing the ball.”
Up next: William Tennent will travel to Owen J. Roberts for a non-league game next Monday.
William Tennent 7-16-12-20 55
Villa Joseph Marie 7-17-5-13 42
William Tennent (55) – Aubrey Lynch 0 1-2 1; Avery Kocur 5 3-6 14; Carissa Malpezzi 0 5-7 5; Halie Staub 7 2-4 21; Hannah Wong 3 0-0 7; Megan Volz 2 3-5 7; TOTALS 17 14-23 55.
Villa Joseph Marie (42) – Lucy Jasionis 3 2-2 8; Aubree Kuvik 2 0-0 5; Brooke 1 0-0 3; Emerson Akright 3 2-6 8; Avery Akright 4 2-6 10; Kiki Hadgimallis 2 0-0 4; Maddie Keane 2 0-2 4; TOTALS 17 6-16 42.
3-point goals: WT – Staub 5, Kocur, Wong; VJM – Kuvik, Brooke.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 35, LITTLE FLOWER 26
The Indians head into the winter break on a high note, earning a non-league road win at Little Flower.
The two teams battled to a 4-4 tie after one quarter, but the Indians found their offensive rhythm in the second, outscoring their hosts 14-10. Lauren Smith’s five points led the Indians in the quarter.
Julia Koval’s seven-point third quarter allowed the Indians to hold a 9-7 edge in the frame. They took a 27-20 lead into the fourth quarter on their way to the win.
By the numbers: Julia Koval’s 11 points led the Indians while Ella Carroll added nine, and Lauren Smith had eight points.
Council Rock North coach Jack Kelly: “Tonight was a great win at Little Flower – it was genuinely a great experience for our players. An old school Catholic League gym with stadium seating – you couldn’t shoot 3s in the corners. And Little Flower had a lot of support at the game which created a raucous atmosphere.
“We knew going into the game that scoring could be an issue – Little Flower had been effective mixing defenses, and they had been turning opponents over at a high rate. The nature of the court forced us to adjust our game plan on the fly a little bit, but overall, we set four goals going into the game, and I think we hit all four. Most importantly, when we faced some adversity in the third and fourth, our girls responded.”
–Props: “Our entire team had great energy throughout the game. Julia Koval and Lauren Smith were just steady; they did a great job of handling the pressure and helping execute our offense. Tori Smith just kept making plays, especially effort plays to regain possession for us. Brynn Rodgers had one of her best games of the season, and her and Ella Carroll did a great job working the high low game in the second half. Overall, we felt tonight was a good step forward, and we hope we can continue to show improvement ahead of our holiday tournament.”
Up next: Council Rock North will face Wissahickon next Monday (11:30 am) in the opening round of its own holiday tournament.
Council Rock North 4-14-9-8 35
Little Flower 4-10-6-6 26
Council Rock North (35) – Tori Smith 1 0-4 2; Lauren Smith 2 0-0 5; Brynn Rodgers 2 4-6 8; Julia Koval 5 0-0 11; Ella Carroll 4 1-2 9; TOTALS 14 5-12 35.
Little Flower (26) – S.Evan 5 0-0 10; A.Johnson 1 0-0 2; A.Becker 3 2-3 9; MR Tunnell 1 1-2 3; Davis 1 0-2 2; TOTALS 11 3-7 26.
3-point goals: CRN – Smith, Koval; LF – Becker.
BENSALEM 53, CONWELL-EGAN 29
The Owls took an early lead, going on top 12-6 after one quarter. They effectively put the game out of reach with a 16-0 second quarter burst that was highlighted by a pair of 3s from Mary Beck and a 4-for-6 effort at the foul line by Falyn Savage.
Bensalem took a 28- 6 lead into halftime and rolled to the non-league win.
Key players: Mary Beck had the hot hand from beyond the arc, connecting on four 3-pointers for 12 points. Falyn Savage also had 12 points – eight in the second half.
Bensalem coach Steve Johnson: “Really proud of the effort and energy our entire team put forth tonight. Grace (McShane) was battling foul trouble the entire night, and to our credit, when she was on the bench, it looked like we didn’t miss a beat.
“We have one practice to get ready for one of NJ’s stronger programs in Middle Township in Wildwood.”
–Props: “Mary (Beck), Jordyn Bell, and Kaleaya (Wingate) shot the ball well tonight from 3. Falyn (Savage) did a wonderful job attacking the paint and being aggressive going to the foul line four times. She is someone who is getting better with each and every practice and game rep. Sydney Daut played physical down low, something we are really excited about as a staff.
“Our team cheering for one another and celebrating other’s success which I can’t be more happy about.”
Up next: Bensalem will face Middle Township High School on Friday at the Boardwalk Classic in Wildwood.
Conwell-Egan 6-0-11-12 29
Bensalem 12-16-13-12 53
Conwell-Egan (29) – Rosado 2, Dittman 8, Dennis 4, Butler 10,Parks 3, Buck 2.
Bensalem (53) – Kamiya Alexander 4, Mary Beck 12, Mischa Ellzy 4, Grace McShane 2, Jordyn Bell 6, Sydney Daut 5, Kaleaya Wingate 8, Falyn Savage 12.
3-point goals: CEC – Butler 2, Parks; B – Beck 4, Bell 2, Wingate 2, Savage.
SOUDERTON 61, UPPER MORELAND 19
Alaina Picard was in some kind of groove.
The Souderton senior lit up the net for seven 3-pointers – six in a first half that saw the Indians score 45 points.
The Indians led 22-6 after one quarter behind the hot hand of freshman Maddie Nenstiel, who had nine points. In a preview of things to come, Picard buried a pair of 3-pointers in the quarter, but it was in the second quarter that the senior put on a clinic, burying four 3-pointers and scoring 14 points.
Key players: Alaina Picard led all scorers with 25 points – 20 in a torrid offensive display in the opening quarter. Maddie Nenstiel and Kiera Fadden both added nine points while Olivia Heron had eight.
Souderton coach Eri Houston:
–The game: “Alaina Picard shot the ball very well tonight. We did a great job on the defensive side. We shared the ball, making the extra pass. Definitely a great bounce back game and going into the break with a win. Still have some work to do. But we are moving in the right direction.”
Up next: Souderton will face Villa Joseph Marie in the opening round game of the Council Rock North Holiday Tournament next Monday (1pm). Upper Moreland will return to action Monday (noon) in the opening round of the Chichester Holiday Tournament.
Upper Moreland 6-4-5-4 19
Souderton 22-23-10-6 61
Upper Moreland (19) – Brooklyn Kavanagh 2 0-0 4; Madelyn Frantz 0 2-2 2; Maggie Brophy 1 0-0 2; Mia Taliaferro 3 1-2 7; Charlotte Viereck 0 0-2 0; Emma Kramer 1 0-0 2; Sheila Mangin 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 7 5-8 19.
Souderton (61) – Maddie Nenstiel 4 0-0 9; Oliva Heron 3 0-0 8; Madison Bealer 1 0-0 2; Mahi Patel 1 0-0 2; Kiera Fadden 4 1-1 9; Avie Sackor 2 0-0 4; Alaina Picard 7 4-4 25; Rae Wallace 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 23 5-5 61.
3-point goals: S -Nenstiel, Heron 2, Picard 7.
CHESTER 49, NORTH PENN 45 (OT)
The visiting Knights took a 21-12 lead into the halftime, but the second half belonged to the Clippers, who outscored the Knights 28-19, forcing overtime where they held a 9-5 edge.
Lily Brown’s 23 points led the Knights.
Up next: North Penn will travel to Strath Haven for a non-league game Tuesday, Dec. 30.
North Penn 9-12-8-11-5 45
Chester 2-10-17-11-9 49
North Penn (45) – Saniah Hammond 8, Paityn Debro 7, Lily Brown 23, T.Lee 4, Mehya Godhania 1, Lacie Haddock 2.
3-point goals: NP – Brown 2, Hammond.
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