Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Wednesday. (Pennsbury photo courtesy of Pennsbury basketball. CB South photo courtesy of CB South basketball. CB East photo courtesy of Diane Barry/CB East basketball)
Ridley Holiday Classic
PENNSBURY 41, RIDLEY 33
The Falcons – who led wire to wire – wrapped up an impressive December by capturing the tournament title with a win over the host team. Sofia Vitucci once again was the offensive catalyst for the Falcons, leading all scorers with 22 points.
“It was another great team effort by all 12 girls today versus Ridley with seven of them getting in the scoring column,” Pennsbury assistant coach Kaitlyn Kelly said. “The first half was not great on our part. We were scoring, but their physicality along with some people getting in foul trouble gave us some issues.”
The Falcons, who led 13-7 after one quarter, took a 22-13 lead into halftime. Vitucci’s eight points led way. The Raiders trimmed three points off Pennsbury’s lead and trailed by just six (29-23) heading into the final frame. The Falcons closed it out with a 12-10 quarter that included a 9-for-10 effort at the foul line by Vitucci, who had 11 points in the final frame.
“Going into the fourth quarter, our team was focused and made smarter decisions on both ends of the floor,” Kelly said. “Ridley did a good job with their game plan and never gave up nor backed down until final second.
“Sofia Vitucci was fantastic from the foul line going 10-for-12, making eight in the fourth quarter to really ice the game. We got tremendous defensive efforts from Layla Matthias, Presley Foote, Liv Gilchrist and others who just come in and do what they do.
“We’re extremely proud of this team and how they’ve played the first half of the season. It’s pretty awesome going into the New Year 9-2 overall when not a lot of people expected you to be there…yet here we are.”
Pennsbury (9-2, 4-1 SOL) will host North Penn on Tuesday in a crossover contest.
Pennsbury 13 9 7 12 41
Ridley 7 6 10 10 33
Pennsbury (41) – Emily Panaro 2 0-0 4; Layla Matthias 2 1-3 5; Sofia Vitucci 6 10-12 22; Oliveah Gilchrist 1 0-0 2; Daniella MacDonald 1 0-0 3; Mevaeh Dash 1 1-2 3; Neve Davis 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 14 12-17 41.
Ridley (33) – Abbi Hinshey 3 0-0 7; Adria Kitzinger 5 3-6 13; Kyla Carney 3 0-0 7; Peyton Berger 1 4-4 6; TOTALS 11 7-10 33.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Daniella MacDonald; Ridley – Adria Kitzinger 2, Abbi Hinshey, Kyla Carney.
Garnet Valley Holiday Tournament
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 47, GREAT VALLEY 39
The Titans gave themselves a major confidence boost, earning the tournament title by knocking off a Great Valley squad that entered Wednesday’s title game with an 8-1 record and is 12th in the latest District 1 6A rankings.
“I think this team is proud of themselves and starting to believe in what they can do as a group,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “To find success this week has been really important in the growth of this group. I hope they continue to believe in themselves, and I know they will continue to work hard to continue to grow as a unit.”
Yoyo Samayoa earned tournament MVP honors. The junior point guard scored 14 points – which included four 3s – to lead a balanced Titans’ attack. One day earlier, she sank a clutch three down the stretch. Sophomore Mia Klein also earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
The Titans got off to a slow start and trailed 8-3 after one quarter. They were still on the short end of a 16-13 score at halftime but seized control of the game with a 19-point third quarter to go on top 32-21. Samayoa had six points on two 3-pointers in the quarter, and Gabby Tropea also had six points, including a 3.
In addition to Samayoa and Klein, Gabby Tropea had eight points while Ella Wheeler and Jules Tropea each had seven. Klein added six points.
“Today was a complete team win after battling through some foul trouble early,” Mattern said. “The girls worked hard in the second quarter to cut into Great Valley’s lead, so we were within three by half.
“We came out in the third quarter and decided to play tough defense and took control of the game. Great Valley is a senior heavy team who battled back in the fourth quarter, but the lead was never less than six, and we were able to close out the game.”
Central Bucks South (3-6, 0-5 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Tuesday.
Great Valley 8-8-5-18 39
Central Bucks South 3-10-19-15 47
Great Valley (39) – Taia Diprinzio 0 2-2 2; Gia Sioutis 2 3-4 7; Laura Lum 7 4-5 21; Julia Curran 1 0-0 2; Lauren Frederick 2 2-2 7; TOTALS 12 11-13 39.
Central Bucks South (47) – Ella Wheeler 2 2-4 7; Casey Balkir 1 2-5 5; Yoyo Samayoa 4 2-4 14; Mia Klein 2 1-2 6; Gabby Tropea 3 1-2 8, Juliana Tropea 3 1-4 7; TOTALS 15 9-21 47.
3-point goals: GV – Laura Lum 3, Lauren Frederick; CBS – Yoyo Samayoa 4, Ella Wheeler, Casey Balkir, Mia Klein, Gabby Tropea.
Interboro Holiday Tournament
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 55, INTERBORO 17
The Patriots had a 17-2 lead after one quarter and took a 31-8 advantage into halftime, effectively taking the suspense out of this championship game very early.
Anna Barry had the hot hand for the Patriots, scoring eight points in the first quarter and 12 in the half.
Barry’s 20 points – which included three 3-pointers – led all scorers. Jess Lockwood and Keira Shea both added seven points in a contest that saw 10 Patriots score points.
“It was a great team effort,” East coach Liz Potash said.
Central Bucks East (7-2, 3-2 SOL) will host Council Rock South in a crossover game on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 17-14-12-12 55
Interboro 2-6-6-3 17
Central Bucks East (55) – Emma Penecale 1 0-0 2; Sydney Ralph 1 0-0 2; Savannah Hayes 2 1-2 5; Keira Shea 3 0-0 7; Shayne LeRay 1 0-1 2; Anna Barry 8 1-2 20; Chantal Van Dongeren 1 1-2 3; Kendall Gregor 2 1-3 5; Jess Lockwood 3 1-1 7; Bella Hauron 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 23 5-11 55.
Interboro (17) -Alaina D’Angelo 1 3-4 5; Isabella Horowitz 1 0-2 2; Erin Boyer 3 0-2 8; Ashley Talbot 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 6 3-8 17.
3-point goals: CBE – Anna Barry 3, Keira Shea; Interboro – Erin Boyer 2.
Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational (Fla.)
SOUDERTON 69, LUELLA (Ga.) 60
Teya McConnaha had herself a career day Wednesday.
The senior forward not only scored a team-high 24 points – which included three 3-pointers – she also had 20 rebounds in a dominating effort.
In a contest that saw the Indians whistled for 24 fouls that resulted in 35 foul shots and also lose both Casey Harter and Erin Bohmueller to fouls, they needed every one of McConnaha’s points and rebounds to hold off a late Luella surge.
“I’m worried that this is going to continue – it might be how it works here,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said of a foul situation that allowed Luella to creep back into the game after the Indians built a 39-18 halftime lead and still led 58-35 entering the fourth quarter.
“We were in a ton of foul trouble in the first half. Casey (Harter) was sitting, Mikayla (McGillian) was sitting,” the Indians’ coach said. “At one point, it was like – ‘Which player with three fouls should I put on the court now?’
“It was bad, but Teya had a monster game. She was just very, very good. She had 11 offensive rebounds. It was from the start really. She had 14 rebounds in the first half. She just owned the boards down there, but eventually she was in foul trouble too, and that changed things for her, but to find a way to win a game like this – we’re pretty pleased obviously.”
Sparked by seven points from McConnaha, the Indians opened up an 18-8 lead after one quarter. By halftime, McConnaha had 13 points, Harter had nine and Bohmueller added seven, and the Indians had a seemingly comfortable 21-point lead.
They edged Luella 19-17 in the third quarter with McConnaha, who had eight points (including two 3-pointers), once again leading the way, but the fouls were beginning to mount. Luella, which had taken 16 foul shots in the opening half, made 12 trips to the foul line in the third quarter and connected on nine.
“The first half we were great,” Carroll said. “Offensively, we were getting good looks, our defense was very good, but then defense became harder and harder to play the deeper into the game we got with most of our kids in foul trouble.
“We have very good shot blockers who were not permitted to block shots. It is so challenging as a player to try to do the things you’re good at, but you’re unsure if you should try to do them or not. We sent them to the foul line 35 times – I’ve never seen such a thing, but the closest they got was nine.”
The Indians also had to adjust to playing with a 35-second shot clock.
“It made things a little different for us down the stretch, but our girls were able to handle it,” Carroll said. “Casey fouled out with a few minutes to go, and other people stepped up and handled the ball.
“Erin (Bohmueller) stepped up, Brooke (Fenchel) stepped up handling point guard duties. Jac (Bermel) had a ton of minutes and scored her first varsity points – she went 2-for-2 from the line.”
Boehmueller finished a productive night with 14 points, including two treys, and nine assists.
“Sharing point guard responsibilities is not a position she’s in very often,” Carroll said. “She hit one three in the third quarter that felt really big. It felt like it was at a moment when we needed one. She was 4-for-4 from the line, and boy, she was finding her teammates with nine assists. That’s definitely a career high for her.
“We were getting the ball to Teya or Mikayla and Grace (McDonough) – whoever was in the post, and we were having a ton of success. Casey (Harter) somehow found a way to score 13 points, and I don’t know how. She was in and out of the game so much with foul trouble, but she still found a way to be productive on offense.
“It was a difficult game to navigate through especially, I’m sure, as a player. To find a way to win it was really nice.”
In addition to scoring 13 points, Harter had seven rebounds. McDonough had eight rebounds while Fenchel and McGillian each added six points.
Miliani Smith led all scorers with 27 points – 22 of them in the second half when the Indians were saddled with foul woes. She had 12 in a 25-point fourth quarter.
Souderton (7-1, 5-0 SOL) will face Middle Tennessee Christian School on Friday at 2:10 p.m.
Luella (Ga.) 8-10-17-25 60
Souderton 18-21-19-11 69
Luella (60) – Shelby Lacy 2 3-6 7; Camryn Berry 2 6-12 11; SeMya McCree 2 2-4 6; Angel Thomas 0 2-3 2; Miliani Smith 10 7-8 27; Kayla Williams 3 0-0 6; Zana Justice 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 19 21-35 60
Souderton (69) – Jacquelyn Bermel 0 2-2 2; Erin Bohmueller 4 4-4 14; Brooke Fenchel 2 2-2 6; Mikayla McGillian 3 0-0 6; Casey Harter 5 2-3 13; Grace McDonough 2 0-2 4; Teya McConnaha 9 3-4 24; TOTALS 25 13-17 69.
3-point goals: Luella – Camryn Berry; Souderton – Teya McConnaha 3, Erin Bohmueller 2, Casey Harter.
Upper Merion Holiday Tournament
WILLIAM TENNENT 39, UPPER MERION 32
The Panthers – who led by one at halftime – outscored the Vikings 18-12 in the second half to earn the hard-fought win in Wednesday’s tournament opener.
“Upper Merion challenged us tonight with their toughness,” said Tennent assistant coach John Stanfield, who was filling in for coach Laura Whitney (illness). “It took longer than we wanted, but we responded for the win.
“Our guards Avery Kocur and Ella Mednick showed some grit in the second half as they matched Upper Merion’s toughness and slowed the game down for us. Morgan Volz and Hallie Staub had some big points down the stretch. None bigger than when Volz read a double team and found Staub open for a three to put the game out of reach.”
Volz led a balanced Tennent attack with 11 points while Staub also finished in double figures with 10. Alyssa Lewicki added six points.
“Every tough win is helping us grow closer together and as a basketball team,” Stanfield said. “We’re hoping to keep that momentum going tomorrow night as we face Oxford in the championship game.”
William Tennent (6-3, 3-2 SOL) will face Oxford in Thursday’s title game at 6 p.m.
William Tennent 11-10-7-11 39
Upper Merion 9-11-2-10 32
William Tennent (39) – Ella Mednick 0 4-4 4; Avery Kocur 2 1-2 5; Halie Staub 3 3-5 10; Alyssa Lewicki 1 3-6 6; Haley Dickson 1 1-4 3; Morgan Volz 5 1-1 11; TOTALS 12 13-23 39.
Upper Merion (39) – Kennedy Coles 5 6-10 16; Devon Maiden 0 2-2 2; Levayda Fugua 4 0-1 8; Julianna Callison 1 0-0 2; Olivia Smith 0 2-4 2; Adele Eaton 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 11 10-17 32.
3-point goals: WT – Halie Staub, Alyssa Lewicki.
Diamond State Classic
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 50, CICERO – NORTH SYRACUSE (NY) 20
Erin Daley scored 10 points – including a pair from beyond the arc – to propel the Colonials to a commanding 17-3 lead after one quarter. By halftime, she had 15 points, and the Colonials led 28-10.
The third quarter belonged to Abby Sharpe, who scored 10 points on five baskets to put PW on top 48-13.
Daley led the Colonials with a glittering 25-point effort that included five 3-pointers. Sharpe, who had nine first-half points, finished with 21 points.
Cicero-North Syracuse is the alma mater of former UConn star Breanna Stewart, who was the National Gatorade Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American while at CNS.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-1, 4-1 SOL) will face Ursuline Academy (Del.) on Thursday at 8 p.m. at The Tatnall School.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 17-9-20-4 50
Cicero-North Syracuse 3-7-3-7 20
Plymouth Whitemarsh (50) – AJ Avery 1 0-0 2; McKenna Winland 1 0-0 2; Erin Daley 8 4-4 25; Sharpe 10 0-1 21; TOTALS 20 4-5 50.
Cicero-North Syracuse (20) – Werts 0 2-2 2; Weaver 1 0-0 3; J.Howell 1 0-0 2; Cook 0 1-2 1; Brooks 1 0-0 3; Nesci 0 1-2 1; McRobbie 1 0-0 2; wright 1 0-0 2; Villnave 1 0-1 2; M.Howell 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 7 4-7 20.
3-point field goals: PW – Erin Daley 5, Abby Sharpe; CNS – Brooks, Weaver.
Boardwalk Classic
BENSALEM 52, ARCHBISHOP RYAN 41
Amber Howard scored a career- high 23 points to lead the Owls to the early morning win Wednesday. As endings to, this was a good one for the Owls heading into the new year.
“I’m extremely proud of the efforts we put forth against Archbishop Ryan,” Bensalem coach Steve Johnson said. “We’re very proud with the way Amber played. She gets a ton of recognition, deservingly so, but with that comes a lot of outside pressures. She’s been doing an awesome job of concentrating on the team and putting those pressures to the side.”
Behind eight points from Howard, the Owls opened up an 18-10 lead after one quarter and took a 28-17 advantage into halftime. Howard led the way with 10 points while Kylie Smith had seven and Devon Bell, six points.
The two teams exchanged baskets in the second half with Howard erupting for 13 points – she had eight of her team’s 13 points in the third quarter. Smith added six points in the second half, which included a perfect 4-for-4 at the foul line in the fourth quarter.
Smith also finished in double figures with 13 while Bell added eight.
“Kylie Smith had a huge game,” Johnson said. “She’s our spark plug. When she’s on, it makes our team that much better. We’re going to look to Kylie a ton when we get back into action with our crossover games.
“Devon Bell had a career day as well with eight. She made very smart decisions on both ends of the court and had the tough task of staying with Delaney Finn, who in the first three quarters was held to zero points.
“Talia DiMichele, Sydney McCoy, and Mikayla Donahue impacted the game by making smart decisions on the offensive end in our fast break and did a great job on the help side on defense.”
The trip to Wildwood was about a whole lot more than playing two games.
“Wildwood was a great experience for our team as a whole,” Johnson said. “I believe we took one huge step forward in terms of togetherness, which will pay dividends in our play as the season goes on. Our girls smiled and laughed enough the last 24 hours to last them the rest of 2022.”
Bensalem closed out December with a 5-4 record (2-3 SOL). The Owls will host Souderton Tuesday, Jan. 3, 6:30 p.m.
Bensalem 18-10-13-11 52
Archbishop Ryan 10-7-11-13 41
Bensalem (52) – Talie DiMichele 1 1-3 3; Davon Bell 3 2-2 8; Mackenzie Kramer 2 1-8 5; Kylie Smith 4 5-6 13; Amber Howard 9 5-6 23; TOTALS 19 14-25 52.
Archbishop Ryan (41) – Reynah Rattlift 2 4-8 9; Delaney Finn 3 0-0 9; Haley Davis 2 0-0 4; Ikera Ellison 3 0-2 6; Eliana Swatkowski 0 0-2 0; Jenna Gontz 3 0-0 9; Riley Lukach 1 0-4 2; Isabella Baron 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 15 4-16 41.
3-point goals: AR – Delaney Finn 3, Jenna Gontz 3, Reynah Rattlift.
Boyertown Holiday Tournament
LANSDALE CATHOLIC 72, PENNRIDGE 39
The Crusaders – looking every bit the part of the defending 4A state runner-up squad that they are – opened up a 19-8 lead after one quarter. Sparked by seven points from Grace Rosica, the Rams all but played them even in the second quarter but trailed 38-25 at halftime. The Crusaders dominated play in the second half, outscoring the Lady Rams 34-14.
Katie Yoder’s 12 points – which included three 3-pointers – led the Rams. Ella Brown added nine while Rosica had seven and Anna Croyle chipped in with six.
The Crusaders were led by Abington transfer Jaida Helm’s 20 points. Gabby Casey added 18, and Nadia Yemola also finished in double figures with 17. Sanyiah Littlejohn finished with nine and Olivia Boccella had six.
Pennridge (5-4, 2-3 SOL) will face Boyertown on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Pennridge 8-17-6-8 39
Lansdale Catholic 19-19-16-18 72
Pennridge (39) – Ella Brown 4 0-0 9; Grace Rosica 2 2-2 7; Anna Croyle 2 1-4 6; Katie Yoder 4 1-2 12; Ava Fantaskey 0 0-1 0; Olivia Poole 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 14 4-9 39.
Lansdale Catholic (72) – Jaida Helm 9 1-2 20; Sanyiah Littlejohn 4 1-2 9; Nadia Yemola 6 4-4 17; Olivia Boccella 2 0-0 6; Gabby Casey 7 4-4 18; Ali Johns 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 29 10-12 72.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Katie Yoder 3, Ella Brown, Grace Rosica, Anna Croyle, Oliva Poole; LC – Olivia Boccella 2, Jaida Helm, Nadia Yemola.
SOL Patriot Division
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 49, HARRY S TRUMAN 23
Delaney McCaffery clearly didn’t mind the early start Wednesday morning.
The Indians’ sharpshooter came out on fire, burying a pair of 3s and scoring 14 first-quarter points, propelling the Indians to a 20-2 lead over their hosts. By halftime, McCaffery had 22 of her game-high 25 points, and the Indians led 38-10 on their way to the decisive win.
“Today was a great team win for us – we have really been focusing on growth and paying attention to little details,” Rock North coach Jack Kelly said. “Coming off four tough losses, we are really proud of the resilience this group has shown – it is a tribute to their character.
“Everyone that played today made an impact in their own way, and we are going to continue to identify ways we can get better, one day at a time.”In addition to McCaffery, Jaden Wan had 10 points, which included a perfect 4-for-4 at the foul line. She scored all of those points in the first half.
Patricia Monroe led the Tigers with 13 points while Shylah McCleve had six.
Council Rock North (4-5, 1-4 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Tuesday to begin cross over play. Harry S Truman (0-8, 0-5) will host Pennridge on Tuesday.
Council Rock North 20-18-8-3 49
Harry S Truman 2-8-6-7 23
Council Rock North (49) – Skylar Wright 1 0-0 2; Claire Pirkle 1 1-2 3; Kiera Katz 1 0-0 3; Lizzie Lustig 1 0-0 2; Delaney McCaffery 8 4-4 25; Jaden Wan 3 4-4 10; Ruth O’Keefe 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 17 9-12 49.
Harry S Truman (23) – Patricia Monroe 6 1-6 13; Shylah McCleve 2 2-2 6; Ya’mazijah Thomas 1 2-2 4; TOTALS 9 5-10 23.
3-point goals: CRN – Delaney McCaffery 5, Kiera Katz.
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