Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. (CB East/Western photos provided courtesy of Diane Barry/CB East basketball)
Tampa Bay Invitational Christmas Invitational
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 59, WESTERN HS (Fla.) 44
Anna Barry was unstoppable.
The senior sharpshooter buried seven 3-pointers as part of a brilliant 29-point effort, leading the Patriots to an impressive win over a Western High School squad that brought a 12-2 record into Friday’s game.
Barry’s torrid offensive showing came on the heels of an eight-point effort in East’s 63-47 win over Martin County.
“Isn’t it ironic that I said (after that game), ‘We don’t need Anna to score 30 anymore,’ and she goes out and she scored 29 tonight,” East coach Liz Potash said. “When I watched (Western) play, I wasn’t blown away by their defense, but I knew offensively it was going to be tough to contain them.
“I knew Anna would be able to get some looks, and we made a lot of shots. Their coach came up to me after the game and said, ‘Your kids really shoot well.’ It’s consistent with what we have been doing shy of that (Council Rock South) game where we weren’t hitting shots. We’re just shooting with some confidence.”
Barry’s 29 points included seven 3-pointers, and she did most of her damage in an opening half that saw the Patriots outscore Western 18-5 in the first quarter and go on to take a 40-20 advantage at halftime. The senior guard scored 23 points, which included five 3-pointers.
“Anna was just in one of those zones tonight where she just couldn’t miss,” Potash said. “She hit one right before half to make it a 20-point game at the half.
“We got off to an 18-3 start. You just kept waiting – the third quarter we only scored 10. I said, ‘All right, they’re going to press.’ I give us credit because they came after us pretty hard, and the officiating
– they’re letting these kids play. It’s very physical down here, and we held our ground. We took care of the ball and did enough.”
Western was led by the 25-point effort of Laurie Severe.
“Syd Ralph held their point guard (Tamara Estep) to nine, and it wasn’t just Syd. She had great help around her,” Potash said. “This girl is very impressive
“(Laurie Severe) was their other big scorer, and we definitely had trouble with her It’s a good thing Anna had 29 because it weighed out (Severe’s) 25.”
Also for the Patriots, sophomore Jess Lockwood scored 14 points, which included two 3s, and Sydney Ralph had eight points.
“I know Anna really led the way scoring-wise, but Jess had some hard-fought baskets because they had some taller girls,” Potash said. “Syd Ralph again really came up big defensively for us, and that was huge. It was a nice team effort.
“When I watched them two days ago, I was like ‘Whew…this is going to be a tough one.’ They were strong, physical and had what I’ll call an old school point guard – quick as anything. I was like, ‘I’m not sure how we’re going to do this,’ but we made 12 3s. That was a good team. They went to the She Got Game Classic in DC, and they were 3-0 in their bracket. They’re tough, and we had to get a little tougher.”
Central Bucks East 8-1, 5-1 SOL) will face Seffner Christian Academy (Fla.) in Saturday’s title game at 7:50 p.m.
Central Bucks East 18-22-10-9 59
Western (Fla.) 5-15-7-17 44
Central Bucks East (59) – Sydney Ralph 3 0-0 8; Natalie Berndt 2 0-0 5; Anna Barry 10 2-2 29; Jess Lockwood 6 0-0 14; Chantal van Dongeren 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 22 3-4 59.
Western (Fla.) (44) – Tamara Elliott 4 0-2 9; Laurie Severe 9 2-4 25; Alyssa Hallman 2 0-0 6; Maddison Manragh 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 17 2-6 44.
3-point goals: CBE – Anna Barry 7, Sydney Ralph 2, Jess Lockwood 2, Natalie Berndt; Western –Laurie Severe 5, Alyssa Hallman 2, Tamara Elliott.
NESHAMINY 53, FARRAGUT (TN) 47
Lola Ibarrondo and Reese Zemitis were the perfect tag team in the Redskins’ win over Farragut.
The Neshaminy duo took turns providing the offensive spark. In the opening quarter, it was Zemitis who came out of the gate on fire, scoring 12 points – including a pair of 3s – to propel the Redskins to a 17-15 advantage.
“We played Wednesday morning at 8:30 am and didn’t play again until Friday at 8:00 pm,” Neshaminy coach John Gallagher said. “I was worried that the huge gap between games was going to hurt us. We had a workout on game day at noon, and the workout went really well and we were sharp for the workout and walk through, which made me feel good going into the game.”
In the middle two quarters, Ibarrondo had the hot hand, scoring 15 of her game-high 20 points.
“Lola had one of her strongest games, hitting big shots and at the same time getting to the rim and creating shots for other players,” Gallagher said. “She took control in the middle quarters.”
The Redskins took a 32-23 lead into halftime and still led by nine heading into the final quarter.
“We held a 49-42 lead with a little over two minutes left,” Gallagher said. “That lead was cut to 49-47 with around a minute to go.
“Ava Irizarry hit a huge three off a kickout from Reese Zemitis. Ava then hit a foul shot with 20 seconds left to put the game out of reach. Ava scored our last four points when we needed someone to step up.”
For the game, Irizarry connected on a pair of 3s and scored nine points. Included in Ibarrondo’s 20 points were three 3-pointers. Zemitis added 17 points and also had three 3s.
“Grace Weyler had a big offensive rebound and putback that actually put us up 49-42 mid fourth quarter,” Gallagher said. “Farragut shot 14-for-15 from the free throw line, and we had a couple of players in foul trouble from the first quarter on.
“Meg Gal (assistant coach Meg Gallagher) did a good job applying the bench at times when the matchup was favorable to us. They ran great offense, and at the same time, we held them three times on a 35-second shot clock violation.”
Neshaminy (7-2, 6-0 SOL) will face Ezell-Harding (TN) on Saturday at 3:35 p.m.
Neshaminy 17-15-11-10 53
Farragut (TN) 15-8-11-13. 47
Neshaminy (53) – Grace Weyler 1 0-0 2; Alena Cofield 2 1-2 5; Lola Ibarrondo 7 3-4 20; Ava Irizarry 3 1-3 9; Reese Zemitis 7 0-0 17; TOTALS 20 5-9 53.
Farragut (47) – Neubert 1 10-10 13; Mullini 1 0-0 2; Corum 1 0-0 3; Johnston 1 0-2 2; Sheridan 1-2 4; Curry 4 3-3 11; McNeally 3 0-0 6; Enderson 2 0-0 4; Vining 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 15 14-17 47.
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Lola Ibarrondo 3, Reese Zemitis 3, Ava Irizarry 2; Farragut – Neubert, Corum, Sheridan.
Upper Merion Holiday Tournament
Championship game
WILLIAM TENNENT 59, UPPER MERION 28
The Panthers took a tenuous 23-22 lead into halftime but turned a potential barn burner into a lopsided win in Friday’s title game, thanks to an inspired 25-point third quarter. Avery Kocur and Halie Staub led the Panthers’ offensive charge, combining for 41 points – 27 in the pivotal second half.
All but lost in the shuffle in the midst of the Panthers’ offensive onslaught was a stellar defensive effort that limited the Vikings to just six second-half points.
“We had a bit of a slow start offensively and couldn’t guard anyone the first half, but I thought we responded well the second half,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “It was the second straight game that I thought we did a great job of sharing the ball and had some nice ball movement. Avery and Staub really ignited us the second half and both made some huge plays.
“Defensively, we were more locked in and connected and held Upper Merion to six points the second half. We were also able to take advantage of getting out in transition and being more aggressive.”
Kocur’s 24 points led the Panthers and included five 3-pointers. She scored 11 points – including three 3s – in the 25-point third quarter. Staub added 17 points, which included a 7-for-10 effort at the foul line. She scored 12 of her points in the third quarter. Morgan Volz added nine points, and Aubrey Lynch had seven.
“I thought Aubrey Lynch gave us great minutes off the bench,” Whitney said. “She seems to be coming into her own and was very active on the offensive end.
“I’m really happy for the girls to get this win. They’ve been working so hard and continue to improve so it’s great to see it pay off.
“Now we have a few days off before we start the second half of our season. We’re hoping to keep the momentum going and finish the season strong.”
William Tennent (5-6, 3-3 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin on Friday for a crossover game.
William Tennent 12-13-25-9 59
Upper Merion 10-12-4-2 28
William Tennent (59) – Aubrey Lynch 2 3-3 7; Avery Kocur 8 3-4 24; Halie Staub 5 7-10 17; Jessica Whisler 1 0-0 2; Morgan Volz 4 0-0 9; TOTALS 20 13-17 59.
Upper Merion (28) – Kennedy Coles 6 1-1 13; Devon Maiden 3 0-2 6; Elisa Dougherty 0 0-2 0; Olivia Smith 1 2-2 4; Dakota Jackson 2 0-0 4; Addie Eaton 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 12 4-9 28.
3-point goals: WT – Avery Kocur 5, Morgan Volz.
Cardinal O’Hara Christmas Tournament
UPPER DUBLIN 58, VILLA MARIA ACADEMY 54
There are fast starts, and then there’s the wild start the Flying Cardinals had in Friday’s contest.
“We lost the tip but got a quick stop on defense and then scored seven points in the next 30 seconds,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said.
Villa managed just seven points in the entire first quarter while the Cardinals – behind seven points from Megan Ngo – scored 19. UD took a 36-23 lead into halftime. Amy Ngo’s nine points led the Cardinals.
“We played the first quarter with great energy and got out to a nice lead,” Funsten said. “One of our goals was to improve our defensive rebounding. We gave up zero offensive rebounds in the first quarter, but then gave up seven offensive rebounds in the second. We were hiding some of weaknesses by making shots because we still held a 13-point lead at half.”
The Hurricanes came out of halftime and limited the Cardinals to just six third-quarter points, trimming UD’s lead to 36-32 heading into the fourth quarter. The Cardinals put the game out of reach by burying 9 of 10 from the foul line. Megan Ngo led the way, scoring nine points which included a 7-for-8 showing at the foul line.
“Villa came out with a purpose in the third quarter and took it to us,” Funsten said. “It was very similar to the second quarter, but we weren’t making shots in the third.
“We made some big plays in the fourth quarter offensively – especially a Nora Brady 3 that put us up nine with four minutes to go, but we continued to struggle defensively with mistake after mistake. We shot great from the foul line down the stretch which is great because we needed every one of them.”
Megan Ngo’s 16 points led the Cardinals and included a 12-for-13 effort at the foul line. The junior point guard also had nine assists, four rebounds and three steals. Amy Ngo added 13 points and was 4-for-4 at the line. She also had five rebounds and two steals. Nora Brady also finished in double figures with 11 points, which included three 3-pointers. She added three rebounds and two steals. Bridget DiMartile contributed seven points and four rebounds.
“I think that a close game like this, as frustrating as it was to play in, can only make us better if we learn from it,” Funsten said. “We haven’t practiced end of game situations much this year, and I take much of the blame for our poor execution at the end of the game. We have a group of girls who are willing to put the time and effort in to clean up our mistakes. We are excited to get back to practice.”
Upper Dublin (10-0, 6-0 SOL) will host William Tennent on Friday.
Upper Dublin 19-17-6-16 58
Villa Maria 7-16-13-18 54
Upper Dublin (58) – Bridget DiMartile 1 5-6 7; Megan Ngo 2 12-13 16; Tamia Clark 4 0-0 8; Amy Ngo 4 4-4 13; Kaitlyn Zacharia 1 0-0 3; Nora Brady 4 0-0 11; TOTALS 16 21-23 58.
Villa Maria Academy (54) – Sophia Tray 6 3-4 18; Liz Sharp 4 1-3 9; Carly Catania 4 0-0 9; Mackenzie Liberatore 1 0-2 2; Emma O’Hare 4 4-5 12; Abby Ferry 1 0-0 2; Sierra Dean 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 20 10-16 54.
3-point goals: UD – Nora Brady 3, Amy Ngo, Kaitlyn Zacharia; VMA – Sophia Tray 3, Carly Catania.
SPRINGFIELD-DELCO 50, SOUDERTON 29
The Indians hung with the Patriots for one half, trailing by just an 18-14 score at the break. The third quarter was another story as GA outscored the Indians 19-8 on their way to the big win.
Emily Dick’s nine points led the Indians while Brooke Fenchel had six points.
Souderton (1-8, 0-5 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Wednesday for a crossover game.
Souderton 9-5-8-8 29
Springfield-Delco 12-6-19-13 50
Souderton (29) – Jacqueliyn Bermel 1 0-0 2; Julia Purvy 1 3-4 5; Olivia Herron 1 2-3 4; Brooke Fenchel 2 1-2 6; Kiera Fadden 2 0-0 4; Emily Dick 4 1-2 9; TOTALS 11 7-11 29.
Springfield-Delco – Molly Clifford 2 0-0 5; Kylee O’Donnell 0 2-2 2; Alyssa Estep 3 0-1 6; Lilliana DiTrollio 1 0-0 2; Cora Fattori 11 4-4 27; Grace Ellis 1 0-0 2; Corinne Guyton-Williams 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 20-6-7 50.
3-point goals: Souderton – Fenchel; Springfield-Delco – Cora Fattori, Molly Clifford.
Diamond State Classic
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 49, TOWER HILL (DE) 38
Sparked by the stellar 22-point effort of AJ Avery, the Colonials notched a hard-fought win over Tower Hill. The sophomore, who was named to the all-tournament team, also had six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
“AJ Avery faced full-court face guarding most of the game and was still able to score 22,” PW coach Daniel Dougherty said.
Avery wasn’t the only player to come up big for PW. Joslyn Perez turned in a huge performance of her own, adding 13 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists.
“Joslyn Perez scored 13 big points, nine in the second half as Tower Hill really turned up the pressure against AJ Avery,” Dougherty said.
The Colonials, who trailed 14-13 after one quarter, took a 27-24 lead into halftime. Avery scored 15 points in the half, and McKenna Winland added eight, which included a pair of 3s.
“Good ball movement against Tower Hill’s zone got McKenna Woodland open for some much-needed 3s,” Dougherty said. “It was good for our young group to see some shots go in today.”
Tower Hill outscored PW 9-7 in the third quarter that included a pair of big baskets from Bailey Riley.
“Bailey Riley made a couple clutch back-to-the basket moves/finishes in pivotal second half possessions,” Dougherty said.
Behind nine points from Perez, the Colonials closed out the game with a 15-5 fourth quarter.
“Brooke Peduzzi provided a spark of energy off the bench and finished on a baseline out of bounds play late in the fourth quarter to seal the win,” Dougherty said. “Our lone senior – Marissa Perez – despite not scoring, continues to provide toughness on the boards and composure on the offensive side.
“This was a much-needed win before we head into crossovers next week.
Marissa Perez finished with six rebounds and two steals. Winland had eight points, two assists and two steals.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-3, 3-2 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Wednesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 13-14-7-15 49
Tower Hill (DE) 14-10-9-5 38
Plymouth Whitemarsh (49) – Joslyn Perez 5 2-2 13; AJ Avery 7 8-11 22; Kenna Winland 3 0-2 8; Bailey Riley 2 0-0 4; Brooke Peduzzi 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 18 10-15 49.
Tower Hill (DE) (38) – Emily O’Hara 6 0-0 12; Sarah Graveline 5 3-6 13; Tessa Mullins 4 4-4 13; TOTALS 15 7-10 38
3-point goals: PW – Kenna Winland 2, Joslyn Perez; Tower Hill – Tessa Mullins.
Boardwalk Classic (Showcase)
LOWER MERION 34, HATBORO-HORSHAM 28
The Hatters hung tough and trailed the Aces by just two at halftime. It was still a three-point game heading into the final quarter, but they could not get over the hump.
Kitty Randa kept the Hatters close with all 10 of her points in the opening half. Angelica Visceglia did the same in the second half, scoring all of her 11 points after the break.
Hatboro-Horsham (4-7, 2-4 SOL) will travel to Lower Moreland for a crossover game on Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 10-4-8-6 28
Lower Merion 12-4-9-9 34
Hatboro-Horsham (28) – Angelica Visceglia 3 4-6 11; Kitty Randa 6 0-0 12; Maddy Patel 1 0-0 3; Gabby Fisher 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 11 4-6 28.
Lower Merion (34) – Allison Pham 2 0-0 4; Alex Dore 3 0-0 6; Harper Gust 3 0-2 7; Alexa Braslow 3 0-2 8; Arry Glvoer 1 0-0 2; Meghan Walters 3 1-3 7; TOTALS 15 1-7 34.
3-point goals: HH – Angelica Visceglia, Maddy Patel; LM – Alexa Braslow 2, Harper Gust.
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