Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Wednesday. (CB East/Martin County photos provided courtesy of Anna Barry/CB East basketball)
Non-league
Tampa Bay Invitational (Anna Maria Island Bracket
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 63, MARTIN COUNTY (Fla.) 47
There’s nothing quite like a resounding win in sunny Florida to erase the bitter taste left after last Thursday’s loss to Council Rock South that saw the Patriots manage just 15 points.
“I was watching the team we were playing today, and I said, ‘We should win this game,’ and all the coaches are sitting there saying, ‘What if we shoot the way we shot at (Council Rock) South the other night?’” CB East coach Liz Potash said. “We know that’s not who we are, and I said to the girls after the game, ‘Good to know that was a fluke like we said it was.’”
Jess Lockwood – like her teammates – struggled to find the net against Rock South, collecting just one field goal and four points. The sophomore responded with a dominating effort in Monday’s opening round, torching the Tigers for 27 points.
“Jess had great looks around the basket that she could not finish against South because it was a huge size mismatch,” Potash said. “Tonight, she was just dominant. Anything we got her in the paint she was able to finish, and that’s what she’s capable of doing.”
Lockwood’s eight first-quarter points allowed the Patriots and Tigers to battle to a 13-13 tie heading into the second quarter. She had six more in the second, and the Patriots took a 27-18 lead into halftime.
“She just didn’t stop – we were able to get the ball inside,” Potash said. “They weren’t able to do much, and she was scoring. She can step out – she hit two 3s.
“I’ve said it before – these girls are just excited for anyone that has the hot hand. As soon as they realized she’s scoring, they just kept getting her the ball.”
In the third quarter, the Patriots buried four 3-pointers – one each from Sydney Ralph, Natalie Berndt, Anna Barry and Lockwood. They edged Martin County 18-16 in the frame and took a 45-34 lead into the final quarter when they added to that advantage.
In addition to Lockwood, Berndt had 12 points while Ralph had 11 as three Patriots finished in double figures.
“Natalie Berndt had a nice game,” Potash said. “She’s been kind of quiet on the offensive end the last couple of games. She finished with 12 and did a nice job.
“Syd Ralph had 11, and what Syd did defensively – they have a girl who’s their leading scorer – (Karlina Ramirez) – who’s scoring a lot of points. Our original matchup struggled, and Syd went in – she still ended up with 21 for the game, but Syd really did a nice job defensively, and actually, (Ramirez) ended up fouling out halfway through the fourth.”
Also for the Patriots, Barry finished with eight points.
“We had good contributions from all over,” Potash said. “We had three kids in double digits. It’s nice when you look at the box score and Anna Barry has eight and you still score 63 points, which is what we know we’re capable of doing.
“That was the frustration at South the other night. We know that we can score without Anna, but I think as some of these kids started missing shots, they started pressing more because Anna was so tightly covered, and then it was like, ‘What do we do now?’ We’re like – ‘Keep shooting. We’ve done this all year. You don’t need Anna to score 30 anymore.’”
Central Bucks East (7-1, 5-1 SOL) is off Thursday, but the jayvee will play two games. The varsity will return to action on Friday when the Patriots will face Western (Fla.) at 2:10 p.m. Western, which defeated Timber Creek (Fla.) 59-50 in an opening round game – brings a 12-2 record into Friday’s game.
Central Bucks East 13-14-18-18 63
Martin County 13-5-16-13 47
Central Bucks East (63) – Marley Metz 1 0-0 3; Sydney Ralph 4 1-2 11; Natalie Berndt 5 1-2 12; Anna Barry 2 2-2 8; Jess Lockwood 12 1-1 24; Chantal Van Dongeren 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 25 5-7 63.
Martin County (47) – Katelyn Tanis 2 1-1 6; Cameron Slate 1 0-0 2; Karlina Ramirez 8 3-3 21; Becca Witt 5 2-5 14; Katelyn Pire 2 0-0 4; totals 18 6-8 47.
3-point goals: CBE – Jess Lockwood 2, Anna Barry 2, Sydney Ralph 2, Marley Metz, Natalie Berndt. Martin County – Katelyn Tanis, Karlina Ramirez 2, Becca Witt 2.
Tampa Bay Invitational (Ben T Davis Beach Bracket)
VENICE (Fla.) 58, NESHAMINY 49
The Redskins had the unenviable task of playing an 8:30 a.m. game after a travel day on Tuesday. They started off strong, matching Venice basket for basket in the opening quarter and then outscoring the Indians 20-14 to go into halftime with a 33-27 lead.
Points didn’t come as easily in a second half that saw the Redskins outscored 31-16 by Venice.
“The start of the third quarter and the entire fourth quarter was our downfall,” Neshaminy coach John Gallagher said. “It felt like we could score at will in the first half, and in the second half, the script flipped against us.”
Lola Ibarrondo jumpstarted the Redskins, scoring eight first-quarter points, and in the 20-point second quarter, Reese Zemitis and Ava Irizarry combined for 13 points with Irizarry burying two 3s for six points and Zemitis scoring seven.
Ibarrondo’s 15 points – 13 in the first half – led the Redskins. She also had six assists, four steals and five rebounds in a standout individual effort. Zemitis added 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds – five offensive. Irizarry added nine points on three 3-pointers and also had two steals. Alena Cofield contributed seven points and five rebounds, and Ashlyn Duffy also had five rebounds.
“As coaches, we have been talking about getting some additional scoring balance,” Gallagher said. “Well, we did that today, and the result was not what we thought it would be with more balance.
“Ava Irizarry continues to give us the outside shooter that complements Reese and Lola. At the same time, Alena had her second game with seven points.”
Venice had a big night shooting from long range, finishing 7-for-16 from beyond the arc.
“Our defense let us down in the second half as Venice was able to convert defensive rebounds to quick outlets,” Gallagher said. “When they went halfcourt offense, we did not defend the 3-point line very well.
“Riley Martin played extremely well, and we tagged her in our video session as their best player.”
Martin led all scorers with 23 points, including three 3-pointers.
Neshaminy (6-2, 6-0 SOL) will take on Farragut High School (Tenn.) on Thursday at 7:50 p.m.
Neshaminy 13-20-9-7 49
Venice (Fla.) 13-14-14-17 58
Neshaminy (49) – Grace Weyler 1 0-0 3; Alena Cofield 3 0-2 7; Ashlyn Duffy 1 0-0 2; Lola Ibarrondo 5 2-2 15; Ava Irizarry 3 0-0 9; Reese Zemitis 5 0-0 13; TOTALS 18 2-4 49.
Venice (58) – Addison Ivery 2 3-4 9; Nicole Beutty 1 0-0 3; Daukaus 2 0-0 4; Jayda Lanham 3 0-0 7; Tessa Oleary 3 2-2 8; Taylor Orris 1 0-0 2; Izzy Leggett 1 0-0 2; Riley Martin 9 2-2 23; TOTALS 22 7-8 58
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Ava Irizarry 3, Lola Ibarrondo 3, Reese Zemitis 3, Grace Weyler, Alena Cofield; Venice – Riley Martin 3, Addison Ivery 2, Nicole Beutty, Jayda Lanham.
Garnet Valley Holiday Tournament
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 35, GREAT VALLEY 33
In a contest that saw the Titans and Patriots take turns winning quarters, it was the Titans prevailing, outscoring the Patriots 15-10 in the fourth quarter to erase a 23-20 deficit heading into the final frame.
“In the fourth quarter, we came alive again offensively, and we were able to get some stops,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “Great Valley did have about five seconds to push the ball to try to get a shot off at the end of the game, and we defended well with time expiring.”
The game started out on a promising note with the Titans – sparked by five points from Yoyo Samayoa – jumping out to an 11-3 lead after one quarter. That lead evaporated when they scored just two points in the second quarter but still managed to take a 13-12 lead into halftime.
“We had a nice start, and then we stalled a bit offensively in the second quarter,” Mattern said.
Samayoa’s 12 points led the Titans while Jules Tropea had 11 points. Her eight points were the difference in the fourth quarter.
Central Bucks South (6-4, 3-3 SOL) will face Garnet Valley in Thursday’s title game at 5 p.m.
Central Bucks South 11-2-7-15 35
Great Valley 3-9-11-10 33
Central Bucks South (35) – Megan Schmidt 0 1-6 1; Ella Wheeler 2 0-0 4; Casey Balkir 1 0-0 2; Jules Tropea 4 3-6 11; Yoyo Samayoa 4 3-5 12; Mia Klein 0 5-6 5; TOTALS 11 12-23 35.
Great Valley (33) – S Buzan 0 1-2 1; Lauren Chain 1 0-0 2; Kate Weikert 1 0-0 2; Julia Curran 6 2-7 15; Reilly Lackman 3 4-10 10; U Magee 1 0-0 3 TOTALS 12 7-19 33.
3-point goals: CBS – Yoyo Samayoa; GV – Julia Curran, U Magee.
Ridley Holiday Tournament
NORTH PENN 44, RIDLEY 21
This one was over almost as soon as it began.
The Knights – behind eight points from Olivia Stone and seven from Caleigh Sperling – opened up a 15-5 lead after one quarter. They added to that in the second, outscoring their hosts 15-2 to go into halftime with a 30-7 lead. In the second quarter, the Knights buried three 3-pointers – one each from Lily McGee, Kelly Donnelly and Leah Mikulski.
“We came out ready and prepared,” NP coach Bri Cullen said. “It was another hard defensive effort.”
With the outcome already decided by halftime, Cullen went deep in her bench, and the two teams exchanged baskets in the second half.
Sperling’s 15 points – eight in the first quarter and seven in the third – led the Knights. Stone added eight points, and Mikulski had seven.
North Penn (6-2, 5-1 SOL) will face Bishop Shanahan in Thursday’s title game at 7 p.m. Bishop Shanahan defeated Unionville 59-45 in the other opening round game.
North Penn 15-15-10-4 44
Ridley 5-2-7-7 21
North Penn (44) – Cameron Crowley 1 0-0 2; Caleigh Sperling 7 1-1 15; Lily McGee 1 0-0 3; Lily Brown 1 0-0 2; Kelly Donnelly 1 0-0 3; Leah Mikulski 2 2-2 7; Olivia Stone 4 0-0 8; Liv Stevens 1 0-0 2; Tallie Smink 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 18 5-5 44.
Ridley (21) – Kailyn Bell 2 2-2 7; Jamie Wojcienowski 1 0-0 3; Moyin Ogbo 2 1-3 5; Olive Kertis 0 2-2 2; Morgan Smith 1 0-0 2; Keira Small 0 0-2 0; Kyla Carney 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 7 5-9 21.
3-point goals: NP Lily McGee, Kelly Donnelly, Leah Mikulski; Ridley – Kailyn Bell, Kyla Carney.
Marple Newtown Holiday Tournament
WISSAHICKON 50, CHICHESTER 30
The Trojans raced out to a 20-7 lead after one quarter and extended that to 30-9 by halftime on their way to the convincing win.
“We passed the ball well today and waited for the open shot,” Wissahickon assistant Holly Schneider said. “Everyone on the team contributed today in some way- so we’re happy to see that.”
Ashley Klein led the Trojans with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Three players – Maura Jacob, Julia Lettieri and Lydia Schultz – scored eight points. Jacob also had four rebounds and was a defensive catalyst with seven steals while Lettieri had six rebounds, two assists and three steals. Schultz added four rebounds. Ava Stout contributed five points and three rebounds, and Chloe Acuna had five points, two rebounds and two assists.
Wissahickon (2-7, 1-5 SOL) will face Marple Newtown in the championship game on Thursday at 5:45 p.m.
Wissahickon 20-10-6-14 50
Chichester 7-2-10-11 30
Wissahickon (50) – Ashley Klein 10, Maura Jacob 8, Julia Lettieri 8, Ava Stout 5, Chloe Acuna 5, Lydia Schultz 8, Kai Potter 3, Kristen DiGiovanni 3.
MARPLE NEWTOWN 47, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 38
The Spartans found themselves staring at a 14-6 hole after one quarter, but they outscored their hosts 12-8 in the second quarter to pull to within four. The second half followed a similar pattern, and they trailed by eight heading into the final quarter and never could make up the ground they lost.
“We started out really slow, but we were only down 22-18 at halftime,” Springfield Twp coach Dave Giordano said. “We just had too many turnovers and some decisions we don’t normally make.
“We had a great amount of chances in the lane. We matched up with them pretty good. We hung around, and we would make a run. Then we would make decisions that were not the way we had been playing. We’re very happy we get a chance to play tomorrow and put this one behind us.”
Jayla Daniels led the Spartans with 12 points – eight of those came in the second quarter when the Spartans made their run. Alana Decker added 10 points, eight in the fourth quarter, and Ava Culler had eight points.
Springfield Twp (4-5, 2-4 SOL) will face Chester in Thursday’s consolation game 2:30 p.m.
Springfield Twp 6-12-6-14 38
Marple Newtown 14-8-10-15 47
Springfield Twp (38) – Alana Decker 3 2-2 10; Hannah Brandon 1 2-3 4; Jayla Daniels 6 0-1 12; Keira Brandon 1 2-2 4; Ava Culler 4 0-0 8; TOTALS 15 6-8 38
Marple Newtown (47) – Ellie DiBona 2 5-9 10; Catherine Kirby 1 6-10 8; Taylor Murrin 3 2-2 8; Rowan Hilden 1 0-2 2; Olivia Gicking 7 1-1 19; TOTALS 14 14-24 47.
3-point goals: Springfield Twp – Alana Decker 2; MN – Olivia Gicking 4, Ellie DiBona.
Holiday ESCIT Tournament
OUR LADY OF MERCY (NJ) 46, BENSALEM 43
For three quarters, the Owls struggle to find their offense and trailed by 16. In the fourth quarter, they found their stride, exceeding their point total for the first three quarters combined with a 23-point explosion.
Despite their late-game heroics, they came up just short and never could make up the ground they lost.
“We made shots in the fourth quarter,” Bensalem coach Steve Johnson said. “We couldn’t shoot the ball in the ocean if we were sitting in a boat in the first three quarters.”
Amber Howard’s 20 points led the Owls. The North Carolina A&T commit was the catalyst in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of her team’s point – including two 3s. Grace McShane and Talia DiMichele both had five points in the fourth quarter with both connecting on a three.
McShane finished with 10 points, and DiMichele had eight.
Bensalem (4-5, 3-4 SOL) will face Notre Dame in Thursday’s consolation game at 12 noon.
Bensalem 5-7-8-23 43
Our Lady of Mercy 11-12-13-10 46
Bensalem (43) – Grace McShane 4 1-2 10 Talia DiMichale 3 1-2 8; Devon Bell 1 0-0 3; Amber Howard 7 4-9 20; Ariana Jenkins 0 0-2 0; Peyton Miller 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 16 6-15 43.
Our Lady of Mercy (46) – Savannah Prescott 5 4-7 15; Madelynn Bernhardt 3 5-5 11; Adrianna Bristow 2 0-0 4; Khalia Lewis 5 4-4 14; Von’Asia Thompson 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 16 13-18 46.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Amber Howard 2, Devon Bell, Talia DiMichele, Grace McShane; OLMA – Savannah Prescott.
Diamond State Classic
PIKESVILLE (Md.) 50, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 26
Pikesville boasts an impressive resume, and the three-time defending Class 1A state champions – with their aggressive playing style – made life difficult for a young Colonial squad.
The Panthers, who led 11-5 after one quarter, took a 21-6 lead into halftime. The Colonials hung tough in the second half but could not gain ground.
AJ Avery led the Colonials with 17 points.
Pikesville (Md.) 11-10-17-12 50
Plymouth Whitemarsh 5-1-10-10 26
Pikesville (50 – M.Jones-Bey 2, S Hawkins 3, D.Werms 10, A Taylor 6, K.Pryatt 1, B.Taylor 9, M.Chase 10, T.Hill 6
Plymouth Whitemarsh (26) – Alyssa Avery 5 7-10 17; Kenna Winland 1 1-4 4; Marissa Perez 1 0-0 2; B Peduzzi 0 3-4 3; TOTALS 7 11-18 50.
3-point goals: Pikesville – M.Jones-Bey, B.Taylor; PW – Kenna Winland.
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