Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action.
Non-league
WISSAHICKON 34, DOWNINGTOWN WEST 33
Looking for a dramatic finish? This was it.
With the Trojans trailing by one and just seconds remaining in regulation, Anna Schools received the inbounds pass out of a timeout, dribbled to the opposite side of the key and –benefitting from a Kaitlyn McGeary screen – pulled up for a shot at the top of the key that fell through the net for the game-winner with 0.3 seconds showing on the scoreboard clock.
“I set up the play to be on one side, and it happened to be on the other side where the ball was coming in,” Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline said. “The girls figured it out. We wound up setting a flat screen and our senior all-league girl from last year comes off the screen and hits the jump shot to win the game.
“Just the confidence piece alone is the most important thing, and believing in ourselves and each other and having poise when the situation is at a high level of stress to set that screen and know that screen’s going to be there, know I’m going to have separation, know I can shoot that shot and make it. Our freshman set that screen.”
The Trojans took a seemingly comfortable 23-16 lead into halftime but then managed just two points in the third quarter and led by just one heading into the final frame, 25-24.
“We went cold,” Cline said. “Basketball is a game of runs, and we went cold in the third quarter, but our girls kept their heads up. They stayed confident in what we were doing and in themselves and in each other. I think that was important.
“They kept grinding. (Downingtown West) took the lead, and we went down by five. We hit a couple of foul shots. We were down by two, and Anna Schools hit a three with 14 seconds left to go up by one.
“We called a timeout. They came down – they shoot, they miss it, they get the offensive glass, they shoot it again, they get the offensive rebound, and they shoot again and they scored to go up by one with eight seconds to go. We got the ball beyond halfcourt and called a timeout.”
The stage was set for the dramatic finish.
Schools led a balanced Trojan attack with seven – five down the stretch with the game on the line.
“The best thing about that – in the third quarter, Anna was struggling,” Cline said. “She was pressing, she took some shots that maybe weren’t A shots but were C or C-plus shots. She kept her head, she gathered herself, and she came back the fourth quarter and does what a veteran and a senior captain does with experience – with ice in her veins, she took us home.
“As I always tell them, 65 percent of what happens in a game is players making plays. The other 35 percent is us as coaches putting players in situations to be successful. Today Anna made the plays, That’s what it’s all about. Hats off to her, hats off to this team.”
Julia Verrier added six points as nine players contributed scoring for the Trojans.
“To get all 10 players in the game, and they’re all serviceable – you had nine out of the 10 score today, and the last game, we had 10 out of the 10 score. It’s a blessing,” Cline said. “It’s hard for us to coach, but it’s a blessing to have 10 serviceable girls that can play the game of basketball.”
Cline also credited one of the game’s unsung heroes whose contributions won’t show up in the box score.
“When we were down by five, I put in a junior – Libby Kunzier – that was only in at the beginning of the game,” the Trojans’ coach said. “She came in and got fouled and knocked down two big free throws when we down by five.
“Then she penetrated and kicked it out to our freshman who hit a baseline jump shot, and she also set the screen for Anna (Schools) when she hit that big three. I wanted to give her a shout out for coming in and staying poised and confident in what she does well and not trying to do too much, just doing what we ask her to do.”
Wissahickon (2-3, 1-2 SOL) will host William Tennent in a non-league game Monday at 1:30 p.m.
Downingtown West 6-10-8-9 33
Wissahickon 13-10-2-9 34
Downingtown West (33) – Jenna Young 2, Julian Marone 3, Madison Manning 6, Jessica Harpel 6, Shayla Johnson 11, Jessie Wills 5.
Wissahickon (34) – Lily Hyatt 5, Anna Schools 7, Leah Dubin 4, Lauren Fadel 2, Kelly Prestipino 2, Rebecca Selverian 2, Julia Verrier 6,Libby Kunzier 2, Kaitlyn McGeary 4.
Conwell- Egan Christmas Tournament
HARRY S TRUMAN 50, ANTIETAM 46
The Tigers fell behind 10-6 after one quarter and still trailed by two at the intermission, but they outscored Antietam 32-26 in the second half to earn the win.
“I told the girls at halftime – ‘They’re outhustling us. We’ve got to get our hustle back,’” Truman coach Collette Munford said.
Daisha Campbell’s 19 points led the Tigers.
“She knocked down four foul shots in the fourth quarter, and Secret McCleve knocked down two,” Munford said. “Now we started making foul shots. We stayed aggressive and played smart.
“With 7.1 seconds, they were inbounding the ball, and we were so aggressive – Hannah (Smith) stole the ball, we passed it out, and we just held the ball. I said – tomorrow, please don’t make it this close.”
Nai Nai Keys and Hannah Smith both added nine points. Secret McCleve chipped in with six points.
“I told my bigs – (Dahlia) Gumaa and (D’Andrea) Woods – to stop giving up the baseline and to just stand tall,” Munford said. “I told them – ‘If you get the ball, just turn, look at your target and lay the ball up.’ It can’t get any easier than that.
“For the most part, they stepped up. They had a few girls that were in foul trouble, so we had to go after them. “
The Tigers were playing with a full roster – something they have not had the luxury of doing through much of the season’s early weeks.
“It helped, but we’re still behind,” Munford said. “It was a slow start today. We tried to make it a quick start, but then we got into early foul trouble. We started off in man and had to fall back into a three-two. It worked, but we had to make adjustments. We needed a win, and we need another one tomorrow.”
Harry S Truman (2-6, 0-3 SOL) will face Conwell-Egan in Saturday’s title game.
Harry S Truman 10-8-16-16 50
Antietam 6-14-11-14 46
Harry S Truman (50) – Nai Nai Keys 9, Daisha Campbell 19, Hannah Smith 9, Secret McCleve 6, Zaniyah Leonard 1, D’Andrea Woods 2, Dahlia Gumaa 4.
Antietam (46) – Lebron 2, McCool 22, Smale 7, Day 15.
West Chester Holiday Tournament
NORTH PENN 51, UNIONVILLE 34
The Knights, who trailed by one at the end of one quarter, outscored the Indians 11-9 in the second quarter to go into halftime holding a tenuous 19-18 lead. The second half was another story entirely as the Knights controlled play, outscoring the Indians 32-16.
“In the first half, we allowed them to dictate our shot selection, so we talked about that at halftime,” NP coach Jen Carangi said. “In the second half, we stepped up our defense, made better decisions and Alli Lindsay, Alaina Mullaly and Val McGriff knocked down some shots.
“Kate Early played some big minutes for us in the third and fourth quarters. She’s still working her way back from her injury last year, and she’s getting better with every game she plays.”
The Knights put three players in double figures. Val McGriff led the way with 12 points – nine in a 22-point fourth quarter when the Knights put the game out of reach. Alli Lindsay added 11, and Kate Early had 10 points. Alaina Mullaly contributed seven points to a balanced North Penn attack, and Rachel Dunn had six points.
North Penn (4-2, 1-1 SOL) will face Avon Grove on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Unionville 9-9-4-12 34
North Penn 8-11-10-22 51
Unionville (34) – Lyndsey barrett 0 2-2 2; Chloe Lockwood 1 0-0 2; Casey Baughan 1 1-2 3; Anna Iacocca 3 2-6 9; Emma Dempsey 2 2-2 8; Arden West 1 0-0 2; Riley Angstadt 2 4-5 8; Anna Brown 0 0-2 0; Totals 10 11-19 34.
North Penn (51) – Laynie Doran 0 1-2 1; Alli Lindsay 5 0-0 11; Rachel Dunn 3 0-0 6; Imani Plaza 1 0-0 2; Alaina Mullaly 2 2-2 7; Kate Early 4 1-1 10; Carley Adams 1 0-2 2; Val McGriff 4 4-8 12; Totals 20 8-15 51.
3-point goals: Unionville – Emma Dempsey 2, Anna Iacocca, North Penn – Alli Lindsay, Alaina Mullaly, Kate Early.
Lancaster Catholic Holiday Tournament
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 67, RED LAND 27
Emily Spratt scored a season-high 18 points in a contest that saw all 11 West players get their names in the scoring column. The sophomore guard scored eight points in an opening quarter that saw the Bucks seize complete control of the game, outscoring the Patriots 22-8. By halftime, Spratt had 14 points, and the Bucks led 37-12 on their way to the rout of an overmatched Red Land team that started four sophomores and a freshman.
“Emily Spratt got us going with 18 points, and Maddie Burke got us going with back-to-back threes (in the first quarter),” West coach Zach Sibel said. “It was an awesome team win. Maggie McCusker had five assists, which was huge in our play tonight.
“Every girl got in and scored, including the first varsity points for (freshmen) Tai Henkels and Ava Longo.”
Burke finished with nine points on three of West’s nine three-pointers on the night. Anna Blue added eight points, including a pair of threes. Lilly Evans had six points.
“The girls shared the responsibility of contributing both on the offensive and defensive end and worked well as a unit,” Sibel said. “It’s awesome to see this team play together but can’t say I’m surprised.
“They continue to pick each other up and bring energy. Playing together is fun, and that’s what this team shows each night.”
Central Bucks West (5-1, 3-0 SOL) will take on host Lancaster Catholic in Saturday’s title game at 7:30 p.m. The Crusaders rolled to a 66-40 win over Ephrata in Friday’s opening round.
Central Bucks West (67) – Tai Henkels 1 0-0 2; Olivia Irons 2 0-0 5; Anna Blue 3 0-0 8; Emily Spratt 7 4-6 18; Maggie McCusker 1 0-0 3; Jess Broskey 2 0-0 5; Maddie Burke 3 0-0 9; Ava Longo 2 0-0 4; Maddy MGarry 2 0-0 5; Lilly Evans 3 0-1 6; Abby Lineman 1 0-0 2; 27 4-7 67.
Red Land (27) – Kennedy O’Briend 6 0-0 14; Kenna Duffie 1 0-0 2; Caroline Cramer 1 0-0 2; Kendall Metzel 1 1-2 3; Courtney Collier 3 0-0 6; Totals 12 1-2 27.
3-point goals: CBW – Maddie Burke 3, Anna Blue 2, Olivia Irons, Maggie McCusker, Jess Broskey, Maddy McGarry.
Title IX Tournament
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT 61, PENNSBURY 55
The Falcons, who trailed 29-24 at the intermission, ran into a sharpshooting Eleanor Roosevelt squad that during one remarkable stretch buried nine consecutive jump shots from beyond 15 feet.
“Eleanor Roosevelt was incredible shooting the ball,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “They put on the best display of three-point and mid-range jumper shooting that I’ve seen in quite some time. They deserve tremendous credit for it.
“They missed one shot in the first quarter and three in the third.”
Eleanor Roosevelt led by as many as 13 in the third, and the Falcons trimmed that lead to eight at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
“We finally took our first lead with about a minute-and-a-half to go,” Sciolla said. “Nicole Pompili put on an outstanding shooting display for us and scored 15 points in the second half, including some big threes to help us get back in it.”
Pompili led the Falcons with 17 points, which included three three-pointers. Ava Sciolla added 11 points, a team-high seven rebounds and five assists, and Mary Miller was a third Falcon in double figures with 10 points to go along with six rebounds. Bella Arcuri added seven points and three assists, and Mia Spinelli had six points.
The game was not without its unusual moments. Not the least of which occurred when the Falcons were picking apart Eleanor Roosevelt’s zone in the fourth quarter.
“It’s a fascinating atmosphere akin to a summer club tournament, and the game had an uneven vibe,” Sciolla said. “Today we chalked a big one off our bucket list as well.
“We were running our zone offense in the fourth quarter, and the other coach kept screaming ‘timeout.’ They gave him a timeout while we had the ball on our way to the basket. It was one of those things that you will only see at something like this, and to his credit, (the Eleanor Roosevelt coach) switched his defense once they forced us to inbound the ball underneath their basket, so maybe I will try that move when we get home.”
Pennsbury (4-2, 2-0 SOL) will take on either Georgetown Visitation (Washington, D.C.) or Monsignor Scanlon from the Bronx in New York City.
Pennsbury (55) – Ava Sciolla 5 1-2 11; Kiley Haws 1 0-0 2; Bella Arcuri 1 5-5 7; Lauren Dignan 1 0-0 2; Mary Miller 4 1-3 10; Mia Spinelli 3 0-2 6; Niole Pompili 6 2-2 17; Totals 21 9-14 55.
Eleanor Roosevelt (61) – Clairborne 8 0-2 16; Smith 1 0-1 3; Brown 7 0-2 18; Lee 3 0-0 6; Thornill 5 4-4 18; Totals 24 4-9 61.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Nicole Pompili 3, Mary Miller, Eleanor Roosevelt – Brown 4, Thornhill 3.
Robert Hopf Memorial Tournament
JENKINTOWN 48, BENSALEM 44
It looked as though the Owls – who opened up a 29-19 halftime lead – were well on their way to an impressive opening round win over the Drakes. Bensalem still led 37-32 heading into the final quarter when they were outscored by their hosts 16-7.
“We had too many turnovers in the third quarter, which gave them momentum,” Bensalem coach Sheldon Per said. “We went into the fourth up by five, but we couldn’t hold the lead, and they took control with two minutes left. (Carly) Mulvaney hit some clutch free throws down the stretch to seal it for them.”
Mulvaney led all scorers with 25 points, and Molly Walsh added 15.
For the Owls, Emily Wineburg scored a career high 16, and Haley Keenan had 19 points. The rest of the Owls combined for just nine points.
Bensalem (2-5, 1-2 SOL) will play in Saturday’s consolation game at 3:45 p.m.
Bensalem 12-17-8-7 44
Jenkintown 9-10-13-16 48
Bensalem (44) – Emily Winebury 16, Mia Parker 3, Haley Keenan 19, Chloe Munyon 4, Delaney Bell 2.
Jenkintown (48) – Sarah Cummings 1, Katie McGrath 5, Lauren Brockwell 2, Molly Walsh 15, Carly Mulvaney 25.
Cardinal O’Hara Tournament
ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 45, NESHAMINY 28
The Redskins – despite struggling offensively – trailed by just a 19-14 score at halftime. They scored only 14 points in the second half, but the Patriots erupted for 31 en route to the non-league win.
Kelli Kowalick – who took the team’s only foul shot – led the Redskins with nine points, and Kristin Curley added six.
Drexel-bound Erin Sweeney led the Patriots with 16 points, which included a perfect 6-for-6 effort at the foul line. The Patriots were 9-of-11 at the charity stripe.
Neshaminy (5-3, 3-0 SOL) will take on Notre Dame in Saturday’s second round game at 3:30 p.m.
Neshaminy 6-8-7-7 28
Archbishop Carroll 10-9-14-17 45
Neshaminy (28) – Sydney Tryon 2 0-0 5; Emily Tantala 2 0-0 4; Olivia Scotti 1 0-0 2; Kristin Curley 3 0-0 6; Kelli Kowalick 4 1-1 9; Taylor Gurysh 1 0-0 2; Totals 13 1-1 28
Archbishop Carroll (45) – Maggie Grant 2 0-2 6; Karli Dougherty 4 0-0 9; Erin Sweeney 5 6-6 16; Grace O’Neill 1 2-2 4; Taylor Wilson 2 0-0 4; Nikki Mostardi 2 1-1 5; Totals 16 9-11 45.
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Sydney Tryon, Carroll – Maggie Grant 2, Karli Dougherty.
Garnet Valley Holiday Tournament
GREAT VALLEY 49, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 37
Sophomore Taylor Hinkle scored 16 points and Mackenzie Erb added 11, but it wasn’t enough for the Titans to overcome a slow start.
South was on the short end of 16-6 score after one quarter but regrouped to outscore the Patriots by five in the second quarter. The Titans trailed by just a 26-21 score at the intermission. Hinkle scored nine in the half and Erb added eight.
Great Valley added to its lead in the third quarter and took a 35-25 advantage into the final quarter.
The Patriots buried 15-of-19 shots from the charity stripe, which included a 9-for-11 effort in the first half.
Central Bucks South (2-5, 1-2 SOL) will face St. Thomas Moore (Del.) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Central Bucks South 6-15-4-12 37
Great Valley 16-10-9-14 49
Central Bucks South (37) – Taylor Hinkle 5 5-6 16; Alyssa D’Orazio 2 0-0 4; Mackenzie Erb 5 0-0 11; Allie Burke 1 0-0 2; Kirsten Schaller 2 0-1 4; Totals 15 5-7 37.
Great Valley (49) – Tessa Liberatoscioli 5 6-9 16; Ashley Sullivan 1 8-8 10; Emily DuPont 7 1-2 15; Gia Sioutis 1 0-0 2; Sarah Slynn 1 0-0 2; Gracen Curley 2 0-0 4; Totals 17 15-19 49.
3-point goals: CBS – Taylor Hinkle, Mackenzie Erb.
Boardwalk Classic (General Melini Memorial Bracket)
CAMDEN CATHOLIC 41, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 34
The Patriots – sparked by seven points from Elise Duffy – took a 19-15 lead into halftime, but the Irish used a 13-6 third quarter to go on top 28-25 and added to that lead in the fourth quarter.
Mia Salvati – who had a pair of three-pointers – led the Patriots with 11 points. Aubrey DeAngelis added nine, and Duffy finished with seven for the Patriots, who are without center Emily Chmiel this weekend.
Central Bucks East (3-3, 2-1 SOL) will face Archbishop Ryan in Saturday’s consolation game at 10:30 a.m.
Central Bucks East 8-11-6-9 34
Camden Catholic 11-4-13-13 41
Central Bucks East (34) – Gabby Wilga 2 0-2 4; Mia Salvati 4 1-1 11; Elise Duffy 3 1-2 7; Emily Barry 1 1-2 3; Aubrey DeAngelis 4 1-2 9; Totals 14 4-9 34.
Camden Catholic (41) – Lindsay Bednarek 5 1-3 11; Sorino 1 0-0 3; Annaliah Maldonado 6 1-3 13; Abby Paolini 2 4-6 10; Santana 1 0-0 2; Johnson 1 0-0 2; Totals 16 6-12 41.
3-point goals: CBE-Mia Salvati, Camden Catholic-Paolini 2, Sorino.
Boyertown Holiday Tournament
DELONE CATHOLIC 52, PENNRIDGE 44
At the end of one quarter, the Rams trailed Delone by just two points, but by halftime, Delone had opened up a 30-22 lead. Delone took a 43-32 lead into a final quarter that saw the Rams hold a 12-9 scoring edge.
Julia Kreider led the Rams with 13 points, which included a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line. Ashley Gordon added 12 points and was 2-for-2 at the charity stripe in a contest that saw the Rams connect on 6-of-7 at the foul line.
Sophie Cweiber added seven points while Corinn Mart and Evelyn Loughery both had six.
Pennridge (4-3, 1-1 SOL) will face Boyertown in Saturday’s consolation game at 3 p.m. Boyertown fell to Villa Joseph Marie 62-58.
Delone Catholic 16-14-13-9 52
Pennridge 14-8-10-12 44
Pennridge (44) – Corinn Mart 6, Sophie Cweiber 7, Julia Kreider 13, Evelyn Loughery 6, Ashley Gordon 12.
George W Snear Tournament
LANSDALE CATHOLIC 66, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 57
The Golden Hawks staged an impressive comeback, rallying from a double-digit deficit to pull to within one heading into the final quarter when the Crusaders put it away with an 18-10 surge.
“I was really proud of the effort we gave tonight,” said Rock South coach Blair Klumpp, whose team trailed 33-25 at halftime but pulled to within 48-47 after three quarters. “Lansdale came in at 7-1 and had two really good players, Timaya (Lewis-Eutsey) and Riley (DiVitis), and some good role players with Mia (Rosenberger), Autumn (Weber), and Lauren (Edwards).
“Both teams battled injuries, foul trouble to key players, so it was a good test for us. We were down double digits a couple different times and made a great (8-0) run to end the third quarter to get it within one. We converted some steals into layups and scoring opportunities. We took a brief lead in the fourth and just didn’t have enough left in the tank and struggled to stay in a rhythm with so many girls in foul trouble. I told the girls after the game I was extremely proud of the character, poise, toughness and pride they displayed.”
Hannah Binder had a huge offensive performance, leading the Golden Hawks with 19 points to go along with two rebounds and a steal. Nicole Blaustein added 15 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals. Montanna Chambers added eight points, three rebounds, four steals and one assist.
“Hannah was a force offensively – she had 19 points in a little under 15 minutes,” Klumpp said. “Nicole (Blaustein), Carley (Irvin), Montana (Chambers), Kim (Speiser) and Jenna (Culp) did a good job of finding her and then Ryann (Szydlik) in the post. They created opportunities for each other with defense leading to offense.”
Jenna Culp had a team high seven rebounds to go along with two blocks, one assist, one steal and four points. Carley Irvin had two rebounds, one block, one steal and four points. Kim Speiser added five points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Ryann Szydlik had two rebounds and two points, and Karissa Smedley had a steal.
“We got a lot of contributions from a lot of girls especially on particular defensive assignments,” Klumpp said. “If we bring that effort and intensity on a nightly basis and can stay out of the early foul trouble, I think we can play with a lot of teams. The bench was really engaged and showed a lot of emotion.
“It was an exciting game. The girls were really having fun for stretches and were into the game, and that hasn’t always been the case for this program. I’m very proud of the effort they displayed against a good team. I am hoping the effort versus Villa and LC can springboard us a bit in the coming games. If we can embrace scrappy, toughness and playing for one another as our identity we will be competitive.”
Council Rock South (5-4, 1-1 SOL) will host Bensalem next Friday.
Lansdale Catholic 22-11-15-18 66
Council Rock South 13-15-19-10 57
Lansdale Catholic (66) – Timaya Lewis-Eutsey 7 10-11 24, Autumn Weber 4 3-5 11, Mia Rosenberger 2 3-7 8, Lauren Edwards 2 0-1 4, Riley DiVitis 5 6-8 17, Cassidy Saulino 1 0-0 2. Totals: 21 24-32 66.
Council Rock South (57) – Montanna Chambers 4 0-4 8, Jenna Culp 1 2-4 4, Nicole Blaustein 5 5-6 15, Carley Irvin 1 2-4 4, Hannah Binder 8 2-2 19, Kim Speiser 2 1-2 5, Ryann Szydilk 0 2-5 2. Totals: 21 14-26 57.
3-point goals: LC – Rosenberger, DiVitis; CRS – Binder.
Upper Merion Holiday Tournament
UPPER MERION 50, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 38
About the Author
