Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action. Upper Dublin/Springside Chestnut Hill photos provided courtesy of Geanine Jamison. Check back for a gallery of photos.
ABINGTON 58, ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 54 (OT)
It had been eight days since the Ghosts suffered a stunning overtime loss to Upper Dublin in a game they led by 23 early in the fourth quarter, but the players were still feeling the aftershocks.
“I think we were still a little shell-shocked,” coach Dan Marsh said. “It’s never happened to me in my career. We’ve never blown a lead like that. I felt responsible, they felt responsible.
“It was an emotional break. We had people crying at practice. It was just tough. They felt like – you do everything you’re supposed to do and then you don’t win, but they had to move forward.”
The Ghosts took a giant step in the right direction, winning a game they could have lost thanks to some late game heroics and another dominating performance by center Kassondra Brown. The URI-bound senior finished with a dazzling double-double that included 25 points and 17 rebounds.
The Ghosts, who trailed 30-27 at the intermission, saw that deficit grow to five after three quarters. They needed a Miranda Leibtag three to knot the score with 30 seconds remaining. Carroll had a shot for the win, but Abington’s defense held.
The Ghosts – behind four foul shots from Brown – won it in OT.
“We were behind most of the game,” Marsh said. “We’re still not over the Upper Dublin loss. It’s been really difficult to swallow. We were super prepared for them, I felt like we dominated the game, and then we just blew it. We knew that this game was important to get back on track. Carroll came out, and they played really hard, and they played really tough. We struggled at first.
“Like I told them – ‘There are no coincidences in life. We blew the Upper Dublin game, and we lost it in overtime. We had to fight back tonight and win the game in overtime. That’s not an accident – that’s us learning.’ That’s what was really important – we were able to figure out as a team that we learned.
“Tonight we finished out the game, and we made free throws. We did have the lead in overtime, and Kassondra (Brown) buried two free throws with four seconds to go to make it four-point game. I think we needed to know we could have some adversity thrown at us and handle it and we did. We were in foul trouble again, but we were able to fight through it. Kassondra had a huge second half, and Cam kept us in it in the first half.”
Lexow finished the game with 13 points and three steals – 10 of those points came in the first quarter, 11 in the first half.
“Cam was phenomenal,” Marsh said. “She’s been so good this year. She carried us through most of the game while we struggled.
“They have a kid going D-1 (Erin Sweeney), and Cam just did a phenomenal job on her.”
Freshman point guard Khalis Whiting added nine points and six assists for the Ghosts while Tamia Wessels had six points. Sweeney’s 22-point performance led Carroll.
“We’ve play two Catholic League teams now, and I understand why that (league) is such a war every night,” Marsh said. “They were tough, they were physical, and they were smart. They were good. We were fortunate enough to get by. We have another big test tomorrow.”
Abington (6-1, 2-1 SOL) will face Cherokee (N.J.) on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Archbishop Carroll 17-13-14-8-2 54
Abington 19-8-12-13-6 58
PENNSBURY 51, RIDLEY 38
The Falcons – road warriors by any definition – wrapped up December in style, capturing the title of the Ridley Holiday Tournament. It was their eighth road game in nine contests, and they started this one in impressive fashion.
“We jumped on them – defensively, we really made it difficult for them, and we were leading 23-1,” coach Frank Sciolla said. “We started fouling as we are sometimes wont to do, and we put them on the line, and they got back into the game a little bit in the first half, and it also put us in foul trouble.”
Despite their foul woes, the Falcons went into halftime with a commanding 26-10 lead. Cami Wiegand’s nine points on three 3-pointers led the Falcons. Mary Miller added six points. The Falcons took that 16-point lead into the final quarter when the host Green Raiders made one last run.
“We started the second half, and they made some shots,” Sciolla said. “We went through a cold spell, and they battle back and got it into single digits in the fourth quarter – not even with any sort of full-court pressure or craziness.
“We missed some free throws, we struggled at the foul line, and they made some shots. Then we righted the ship. We got a really big offensive rebound and putback from Mary Miller, and we got a really big three that was kind of like a dagger from Ava (Sciolla).”
Ava Sciolla led a balanced Falcon attack with 14 points while Wiegand (13 points) and Miller (12) also finished in double figures. Sciolla and Wiegand also had three assists. Wiegand had three steals. Miller also had nine rebounds, three steals and three assists.
“Mary Miller was really good on the backboards and kept some plays alive for us and gave us second opportunities,” coach Sciolla said. “She had a really big steal and layup that pretty much salted the game.
“Bella Arcuri really played very little in the first three quarters because of foul trouble, but when she came back in, she was solid with the ball.
“Ridley did a good job of trying to roll their defense toward Ava, and we had to go other places for shots. I thought Kate Mix was really aggressive, Mary Miller was great going to the rim, and Cami Wiegand made some big shots for us.”
Pennsbury (7-2, 1-1 SOL) will host William Tennent next Thursday in a welcome home game.
“Just to have a home game will be really nice,” Sciolla said. “We’ve been wearing the orange eight out of nine games. It will be great to get back to our gym where we have a pretty good atmosphere.”
Despite one road trip after another, the Falcons have seven wins in the month of December.
“We’ve had some growing pains,” Sciolla said. “Sometimes we look spectacular, but there’s always a stretch in the game of about six or eight minutes where we struggle. That hurt us in our two losses.
“We look at our team as really only being able to get better, especially as we get more and more experience. We look back at week one, and we played five games in eight days. Once we were able to practice and get into a rhythm, these girls who are new to the varsity level are starting to feel more and more comfortable. A lot of that is from the leadership of the girls who have played before, which has been really good.”
Pennsbury 13-13-7-20 51
Ridley 1-9-17-11 38
Pennsbury (51) – Bella Arcuri 4, Kate Mix 5, Mary Miller 12, Nicole Pompili 3, Ava Sciolla 14, Cami Wiegand 13, Haley Soley 2.
Ridley (38) – Madison Chapman 2, Kylie McNicholas 7, Brenna Harrison 6, Makenzie Griffith 3, Paige Gabriele 14, Shannen Hinchey 5, Shea McNamara 1.
UPPER DUBLIN 76, SPRINGSIDE CHESTNUT HILL 20
The Flying Cardinals made easy business of Springside Chestnut Hill in Saturday’s opening game of the Cardinal Classic. Highlighting the day was a special halftime celebration honoring the 2017 PIAA 6A state championship squad.
The celebration began with a “One Shining Moment” four-minute video created by UD Broadcasting Club. After that, each player was recognized, and the event was capped with last year’s captains – Maggie Weglos and Nicole Kaiser – unveiling the state championship banner.
“It was great to get some closure on the season last year,” coach Morgan Funsten said. “It was a fun night. We wanted to wait until winter break because we wanted as many people as possible to make it, so it was great to have most of our team back.
“It was fun to spend another special night (together) – we’re hoping we have more special nights over the years with this same group getting back together years from now. There are a lot of stories to tell. They’re already great stories, and as time goes on, sometimes they become even better. It was just fun to spend the night with this group again. I’m fortunate I get to spend a lot of time with this crew. The community came out – we had a good crowd, and they helped celebrate one more time a really special year last year.”
The game itself was over almost as soon as it began. The Cardinals – behind 10 points from Jackie Vargas and five from Dayna Balasa – opened up a 30-8 lead after one quarter. They took a 45-16 lead into halftime en route to the big win.
Vargas led the Flying Cardinals with a double-double that included 16 points and 11 rebounds. Balasa had 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Kara Grebe had 10 points and eight rebounds while Jess Polin (nine points, nine assists) and Anajae Smith (nine points, seven rebounds) also made important contributions.
Mo’ne Davis led Springside Chestnut Hill with 13 points.
Upper Dublin (6-1, 3-1 SOL) will face Germantown Academy in Saturday’s title game at 2:45 p.m.
Springside Chestnut Hill 8-8-2-2 20
Upper Dublin 30-15-20-11 76
Springside Chestnut Hill (20) – Mo’ne Davis 13, Kara Kniezewski 4, Ava Chavez 3.
Upper Dublin (76) – Bliss Brenner 4, Jess Sobieski 4, Anajae Smith 9, Meg Barbera 2, Jess Polin 9, Kara Grebe 10, Jackie Gorman 3, Sarah Eskey 8, Dayna Balasa 11, Jackie Vargas 16.
GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 69, NORTH PENN 25
The Knights struggled to find their offense against a powerful GA squad in Friday’s opening round of the Cardinal Classic at Upper Dublin.
“GA shot very well, and we could not score,” coach Jen Carangi said. “We got good looks but didn’t finish.”
The Patriots roared out of the gate and took a 35-8 advantage into halftime.
Val McGriff’s 10 points led the Knights while the Patriots put three players in double figures – Rachel Balzer (20 points), Jaye Haynes (11) and Elle Stauffer (10).
North Penn (3-3, 1-1 SOL) will face Springside Chestnut Hill in Saturday’s consolation game at 1 p.m.
Germantown Academy 21-14-24-10 69
North Penn 2-6-12-5 25
Germantown Academy (69) – Elle Stauffer 10, Maddie Vizza 6, Jessica Moore 5, Maddie Burns 5, Jaye Haynes 11, Lindsay Putnam 6, Rachel Balzer 20, Becca Booth 6.
North Penn (25) – Cayla Sharkey 4, Laynie Doran 2, Alli Lindsay 2, Alaina Mullaly 3, Carley Adams 1, Val McGriff 10, Imani Plaza 3.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 58, UPPER MERION 38
Senior Kylie Halko had herself a career night in Friday’s opening round game of the Upper Merion Holiday Tournament, scoring 25 points and leading the Hatters to the resounding win. Halko connected on 5-of-8 from beyond the arc in a glittering display of long-range shooting.
“I think she’s put a lot of pressure on herself to do everything for us,” coach Dennis Steinly said of his returning veteran. “I told her to just relax and play basketball. Tonight it seemed like she did that.”
The Hatters, who led 13-6 after one quarter, took a 30-22 lead into halftime. The two teams exchanged baskets in the third quarter, and the Hatters put the game out of reach with a 20-point fourth quarter.
“We led most of the game, but they hung around,” Steinly said. “We scored a lot off turnovers in the fourth quarter.”
Alice Thomas added 11 points for the Hatters, and Emily Thomas had 10.
Hatboro-Horsham (4-5, 1-2 SOL) will take on Bishop Shanahan in Friday’s title game at 6 p.m.
Hatboro-Horsham 13-17-8-20 58
Upper Merion 6-16-8-8 38
Hatboro-Horsham (58) – Emily Thomas 10, Camryn Ryan 4, Sydney Kemp 4, Logan Cummings 2, Kylie Halko 25, Alice Hall 11, Kara Kaminski.
Upper Merion (38) – Eaton 4, Tyler 4, Parons 9, Geblert 4, Frey 11, Lengendre 6.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 71, HARRITON 41
Anna McTamney scored a career-high 28 points to lead the Colonials to a no-doubt-about-it win over Harriton in Friday’s opening round of the Colonials Holiday Tournament. The sophomore forward had 12 field goals in a stellar effort, including a three-pointer. She was 3-for-5 at the foul line.
Twelve players contributed scoring in a contest the Colonials dominated from start to finish. They led 23-7 after one quarter and extended that to 43-14 at halftime.
Freshmen Lainey Allen and Ally Zolty – who had a pair of threes – both added eight points. Kaitlyn Flanagan chipped in six points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (7-0, 3-0 SOL) will take on West Chester East in Saturday’s title game at 4:30 p.m.
Harriton 7-7-8-19 41
Plymouth Whitemarsh 23-20-14-14 71
Plymouth Whitemarsh (71) – Ally Zolty 8, Kaitlyn Flanagan 6, Mackenzie Leszczynski 2, Fiona Gooneratne 1, Olivia Mattioni 3, Sydney Kesselman 2, Gabby Cooper 5, Haley Felgoise 2, Anna McTamney 28, Lainey Allen 8, Jordyn Thomas 2, Lily Belle McGrorty 4.
WEST CHESTER EAST 51, WILLIAM TENNENT 40
The Panthers found themselves in a 19-9 hole after one quarter, and things didn’t improve a whole lot in the second quarter. At halftime, they trailed 29-14.
“Our Achilles heel all season has been poor starts, and tonight was no different,” coach Laura Whitney said. “We can’t keep letting teams jump out to early double-digit leads and expect to consistently overcome it.
“Offensively, we had some great looks, but couldn’t make shots. We probably missed six or seven easy shots around the basket. Defensively, we had some breakdowns in our rotations and gave them too many open shots and second chance opportunities.”
The Panthers outscored the Vikings 26-22 in the second half but could not make up the ground they lost in the opening half.
“We finally found our rhythm the second half, but it was a little too late,” Whitney said. “Obviously, it wasn’t the outcome we were hoping for, but I was proud of how hard they fought. Caitlin Somerville was huge for us tonight in the absence of Haley Crossley due to a leg injury. I thought Caitlin really energized us on both ends of the floor, and did all the little things.”
Somerville scored nine points. Hannah Reimel led a balanced Panther attack with 12 points – 11 in the second half. Chelsea Meltzer added 11 points. Erin Hart had six.
The Vikings were led by the double-digit efforts of Marissa McDonald (17), Lauren Klieber (14), and Mackenzie Richardson (11).
William Tennent (2-6, 0-2 SOL) will face Harriton in Saturday’s consolation game.
William Tennent 9-5-13-13 40
West Chester East 19-10-11-11 51
William Tennent (40) – Caitlin Somerville 9, Kirstin Hansen 2, Chelsea Miltzer 11, Hannah Reimel 12, Erin Hart 6.
West Chester East (51) – Mackenzie Richardson 11, Mary Grace Kerns 5, Lauren Klieber 14, Marissa McDonald 17, Megan Merten 2, Bridgit Foss 2.
SOUDERTON 51, PERKIOMEN VALLEY 27
The Indians rode their trademark defense and a balanced offensive effort to a non-league win Friday. Thanks to eight points from Megan O’Donnell, they led 16-8 after one quarter and took a decisive 27-15 lad into halftime. Megan Walbrandt accounted for seven points in the second quarter and had nine in the half. Mikaela Reese had eight points in the opening half.
An 18-5 third quarter tear effectively put the game completely out of reach. This time it was Curran O’Donnell who had the hot hand, burying a pair of threes and scoring eight points.
Walbrandt turned in a solid all-around effort with 11 points, six assists and three blocks. Also finishing in double figures for the Indians were Curran O’Donnell and Reese with 10 points each. Olivia Schneider and Megan O’Donnell both had eight points while Megan Bealer added four assists, six rebounds, four steals and four points.
Souderton (7-1, 3-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Friday, Jan. 4.
Souderton 16-11-18-6 51
Perkiomen Valley 8-7-5-7 27
Souderton (51) – Megan Bealer 4, Olivia Schneider 8, Megan Walbrandt 11, Curran O’Donnell 10, Megan O’Donnell 8, Mikaela Reese 10.
Perkiomen Valley (27) – Beattie 2, Miley 2, Marinacci 14, Hurd 4, Hallisey 2, Owens 3.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 44, NORRISTOWN 31
The Golden Hawks got off to a slow start but finished strong to earn the win in Friday’s consolation game of the George Snear Holiday Tournament.
“I was really proud with how we responded after a tough start,” coach Blair Klumpp said. “We left some points on the floor early on, but we didn’t let our offensive struggles early affect our defense, so I was really proud of the girls for that. Norristown has some guards that are tough kids and play really hard. So for us to overcome some struggles and pull away in the fourth was a good sign for us. We let our defense lead to offense.”
The Golden Hawks, who led by just a 6-4 score at the end of one quarter, took an 18-11 lead into halftime. It was still a seven-point game after three quarters. The Hawks closed it out with a 15-9 fourth quarter that included a pair of 3-pointers from Montanna Chambers and a three by Nichole Blaustein.
“We hit some threes late that really pushed the game out of reach,” Klumpp said. “The thing that has been really fun with this group this year is when we have been successful it’s been a host of different girls contributing, which is so much fun to be a part of.
“I hope it’s as much fun for them as a group as it is to coach. When they buy into our game plan and system, we are playing well enough to be in every game. It’s a process that still needs work, but the girls are buying in and working hard every day. Nicole (Blaustein) and Maddie (Broaddus) did a real good job pressuring the ball. Maddie had back-to-back strong games, especially on defense. We had so many girls who contributed way more than the box score will ever show and that’s really encouraging.
“Bailey Vetter was her normal steadying presence on the floor. She got in foul trouble last night, and it really hurts us when she’s not on the floor. She just brings a solid presence on both ends of the floor that the girls really seem to feed off of. Carley Irvin had another great floor game – sound decision-making, very good with ball, talking on defense.”
Vetter led the Hawks under the backboards with eight rebounds to go along with three points, two assists and two steals. Irvin had five rebounds, four points, two steals and two assists. Broaddus had three steals.
“Karly Wunder deserves a lot of credit – she was ready when called upon today and really provided a much needed spark in the first half,” Klumpp said. “I was very pleased with her execution and preparation. Hannah Binder gets you 10 and 7 with three assists, and it’s almost an afterthought because she’s been so consistent.
“Nicole and Montanna shot the three well today. Nicole has been adjusting as a player and trying to mold her game into a combo guard and play a more well-rounded role for us. It’s been an adjustment for her and she’s been working hard, watching film, accepting the coaching daily. She saw some results this tournament.”
Blaustein’s 15 points led the Golden Hawks. She also led the defense with four steals. Binder had 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. And Chambers had nine points and five rebounds.
“Montanna struggled in the first half I told her at half, “Hey, one bad stretch, pick your head up and be ready – you’ll make some big shots. I need you ready,’” Klumpp said. “She said ‘I got you.’ We had a sequence up seven, Nicole hits a three and Montanna hit two (assists from Vetter, Irvin and Binder) to bump it to 16 and seal the game.
“We need to keep preparing and working hard and take it day by day. If they keep buying in and their confidence can match our confidence in them, and I think they will, I’m really excited for the rest of the season.”
Council Rock South 6-12-11-15 44
Norristown 4-7-11-9 31
Council Rock South (44) – Montanna Chambers 9, Karly Wunder 3, Carley Irvin 4, Nicole Blaustein 15, Bailey Vetter 3, Hannah Binder 10
NAZARETH ACADEMY 50, CHELTENHAM 43
The Lady Panthers were poised to take home the championship trophy in the Downingtown West Holiday Tournament. Cheltenham, which led 10-8 after one quarter, took a 17-13 lead into halftime and still led by four heading into the final quarter. That’s when things went downhill as the Lady Panthers were outscored 23-13 over the final eight minutes.
“We played well until the fourth quarter and then lost all composure,” coach Ben Bowman said. “Mentally and physically we just fell apart and didn’t handle adversity at all. It was a tough loss after a great win last night.”
Madison Rorer’s 13 points – which included three 3-pointers – led the Lady Panthers. Eight of her points came in the first half. Kai Williams finished with 10 points but had just two entering the final quarter. Yanisha Dormil also had 10 points – all in the second half. Freshman Umayrah Sulayman added six.
Cheltenham (1-7, 0-3 SOL) will host Wissahickon next Friday, Jan. 4.
Cheltenham 10-7-13-13 43
Nazareth Academy 8-5-12-23 50
Cheltenham (43) – Madison Rorer 13, Yanisha Dormil 10, Umayrah Sulayman 6, Kelia Holmes 4, Kai Williams 10.
GARNET VALLEY 57, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 23
Garnet Valley controlled Saturday’s title game of its own Holiday Tournament from the opening tap. The Jaguars led 15-0 after one quarter and never looked back.
Skylar Krause’s nine points led the Patriots. Caroline Pla added six.
Central Bucks East (3-3, 1-2 SOL) will be on the road at Souderton next Friday.
Central Bucks East 0-6-11-6 23
Garnet Valley 15-22-14-6 57
Central Bucks East (23) – Mia Salvati 2, Sydney Ives 2, Riley Van Aken 2, Caroline Pla 6, Emily Chmiel 2, Skylar Krause 9.
Garnet Valley (57) – Morgan Falcone 9, Mikayla Anderson 2, Mary Rose Berry 2, Kayla Wenger 2, Emily McAteer 12, Madison McKee 2, Jillian Nagy 7, Abbey Anderson 10, Liesl Dentinger 4, Brianne Borcky 2, Kendall Dicamillo 5.
BOYERTOWN 58, PENNRIDGE 53
The Rams extended the Bears to overtime but managed just two points in the extra period and fell just short in Friday’s opener at the Boyertown Holiday Tournament.
The Rams raced out of the gate to a 17-6 lead after one quarter and scored 17 in the second quarter as well, but the Bears made up some ground with a 23-point frame of their own. The Rams led 34-29 at the intermission.
The Bears continued to chip away at the Rams’ lead in the second half and limited their visitors to just 17 second-half points.
Julie Kreider’s 18-point effort led the Rams while Ashley Gordon had 11 and Emilee Cramer also finished in double figures with 10 points. Gordon and Cramer were a combined 6-for-7 at the foul line in a contest that saw the Rams connect on 7-of-11 from the charity stripe.
Pennridge (5-3, 1-1 SOL) will face Governor Mifflin in Saturday’s consolation game at 3 p.m.
Pennridge 17-17-7-10-2 53
Boyertown 6-23-11-11-7 58
Pennridge (53) – Corinn Mart 2, Sam Muredda 3, Sophie Cweiber 5, Julia Kreider 18, Evelyn Loughery 4, Ashley Gordon 11, Emilee Cramer 10
CONWELL EGAN 50, HARRY S TRUMAN 40
A short-handed Tigers’ squad fell to the host team in Friday’s opening round game of the Conwell Egan Christmas Tournament. The Tigers were without high-scoring sophomore Haniyyah Jones as well as freshman Dahlia Gumaa.
“I was down two starters, and we still could have won it without them,” coach Collette Munford said. “The bottom line is – Egan showed up to play, and we didn’t.
“It’s the same story, different game. Defense creates offense. My team is young, but I’m tired of saying the same thing over and over.”
The Tigers, who led 11-10 after one quarter, still were very much in it at halftime, trailing by just a 23-21 score. They scored just six points in the third quarter while Conwell-Egan erupted for 23. That proved to be the difference in the game.
Harry S Truman (2-6, 0-3 SOL) will return to action Saturday in the consolation game.
Harry S Truman 11-10-6-13 40
Conwell-Egan 10-13-23-4 50
ARCHBISHOP RYAN 55, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 52
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 41. MARY’S (N.Y.) 26
SACRED HEART 58, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 27
JENKINTOWN 41, BENSALEM 24
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