Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Saturday. Pennridge/Quakertown photos provided courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f226313402
9th ANNUAL JIM CHURCH
ABINGTON 39, SOUDERTON 38
Cire Worley thrives in big moments. When the game is on the line, the Abington senior wants the ball in her hands.
“At the end of games, I try to get to the foul line, if possible, but if we can’t get me the ball, I’ve got to rely on other people to make free throws,” said Worley, still clutching the MVP plaque she had just been awarded.
The UMass Lowell commit scored 17 points to lead the Ghosts, and it was how she got those points that bothered Souderton coach Lynn Carroll the most. The Indians coach credited Worley for getting a pair of her key starters in foul trouble. Worley made 14 trips to the foul line, burying 11. She was 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.
“The way she attacks the basket – she is just solid all around,” Carroll said of Worley. “Obviously, she hurt us to the point where we had to keep changing who was on her because she was getting us in foul trouble.
“I think that was a big thing – we were in foul trouble primarily because Worley is attacking the basket and forcing the fouls.”
While Worley – who also had a game-high 12 rebounds – was creating problems for the Indians on Abington’s offensive end, the Ghosts were creating all kinds of havoc on the defensive end as well.
“I think that we make teams uncomfortable,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “That’s what we want to do. We want to make teams uncomfortable and go from there, so I’m super proud of everybody for doing that.
“If we tried to play Souderton straight up, it’s just not going to be successful. Especially missing (point guard) Maya (Johnson), we had to ugly it up.”
The Indians – who had the lead for three-plus quarters – managed just one point in the pivotal fourth quarter, and that came when Casey Harter sank one of two shots at the foul line for a technical, giving the Indians a 38-33 lead with 6:47 remaining in regulation.
They did not score the rest of the way. Piper McGinley scored on a drive to pull the Ghosts within three, and when Worley – in a 30-second span – buried four straight at the foul line, the Ghosts took their first lead of the game, 39-38, with 2:34 remaining. Neither team scored the rest of the way although both squads had golden opportunities.
Abington missed the front end of back-to-back one-and-ones, but the Indians turned the ball over after both. With 11.5 seconds remaining, the Ghosts misfired on a pair of foul shots. Out of a Souderton timeout, Harter drove to the basket, but her shot at the buzzer went in and rolled out, giving the Ghosts the dramatic win.
“I think this is big for us because we don’t really play a lot of talented teams like this, so when we do play teams like Souderton and like the team we played yesterday (West Chester Rustin), we have to make sure that we’re ready,” said Worley.
The Indians, behind nine points from Erin Bohmueller, opened up a 12-4 lead after one quarter.
“The way the game opened up with Erin offensively – she hit our first (seven) points,” Carroll said. “I’m really excited about her. Her mindset offensively especially is totally shifted to being a threat for us, which we need.”
The Indians took a 24-15 lead into halftime, and they upped their lead to 33-20 with 3:31 remaining in the third quarter after Harter pulled down a defensive rebound and took it coast to coast. The Ghosts – sparked by their relentless fullcourt defense – began to chip away at the Indians’ lead late in the third quarter.
“When we play a zone, it slows the game down,” Worley said. “We’ve got to speed them up so they’re not on their toes because they take a lot of time. I think defense won the game.”
It certainly took away any momentum Souderton had.
A steal by Abril Bowser led to a Jordyn Reynolds 3-pointer, and after Harter scored for the Indians, Reynolds sank a pair at the foul line and then stole the ball on the press and buried her second three to make it a 35-29 game. Harter scored on the low post, but McGinley – who earned a spot on the all-tournament team for her defensive prowess – turned a steal into a layup.
“I just try and pressure the ball and help our team out defensively if we’re not clicking offensively,” McGinley said and then added with a laugh. “Usually, I can make more shots, but it just wasn’t working this weekend.”
After a Souderton miss, Worley buried a pair at the foul line to make it a 37-33 game after three quarters, and the stage was set for the Ghosts’ big comeback.
Both teams were without key players. For the Indians, senior Teya McConnaha and sophomore Grace McDonough were sidelined with injuries.
“We’re down two very, very important players,” Carroll said. “But ultimately, the outcome of the game – and we knew this going in – was how hard Abington plays.
“They work and work. The goal is to wear you down mentally, physically. It starts to take a toll. We had a lot of girls play a lot of minutes. I have 18 turnovers – I think it was probably more than that, and some of it is the result of just that. Them just wearing you down for 32 minutes of a basketball game.
“The effort our girls gave was as good as we would want it to be. We had people step in and have to play roles they normally wouldn’t have to do. Obviously, the foul trouble didn’t help. Offensively, we have a lot of work to do, and we have to make sure we have good opportunities to score given any lineup that could be out on the court, and I don’t know if I’ve prepared them well enough for that.”
The Ghosts were without point guard Maya Johnson (illness), who one night earlier scored 20 points. They lost Bowser to five fouls.
“With Abril fouling out, that made it really difficult for us,” Marsh said. “We had to use some kids in that situation that we wouldn’t normally do, but they stepped up defensively, so I’m happy for them.”
In addition to Worley, Reynolds – who earned a spot on the all-tournament team – added 14 points.
“Jordyn’s very talented offensively,” Marsh said. “She can create her own shot as well as Cire. At the end of the quarter, we like to give Reynolds the ball and have her create. She’s really stepped into her own this year. It’s just her confidence level – I don’t think she had that last year. She had to take over point guard responsibilities today, and she did a great job.”
McGinley added seven points for the Ghosts, who got all of their points except one from the trio of Worley, Reynolds and McGinley.
For the Indians, Harter – also on the all-tournament team – led the way with a game-high 19 points to go along with five rebounds. Bohmueller added 13. McGillian led the Indians with eight rebounds.
Abington (2-0) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday, and Souderton (1-1) will travel to Central Bucks South for Friday’s SOL opener.
“We’re in a really good spot,” Carroll said. “If you would have told me – no Teya (McConnaha) and no Grace (McDonough) and we’re 1-1 to start the season, I’m happy. We have a full week to get healthy.
“You never want to lose it the way we lost. I thought that shot was going in – it was in and out and as good a look as you’re going to get. Our girls played really hard, other girls stepped up.
“Jac (Bermel) in really her first time as a varsity player last night and now today, getting her feet wet was great. Alexis (Stefanowicz) gave us great minutes again today.”
Abington 4-11-18-6 39
Souderton 12-12-13-1 38
Abington (39) – Cire Worley 3 11-14 17; Abril Bowser 0 1-2 1; Mikiaya 0 0-2 0; Carley Slavin 0 0-1 0; Jordyn Reynolds 5 2-2 14; Piper McGinley 2 3-6 7; TOTALS 10 17-27 39.
Souderton (38) – Jacquelyn Bermel 0 0-2 0; Erin Bohmueller 5 1-2 13; Mikayla McGillian 2 0-0 4; Casey Harter 8 2-3 19; Alexis Stefanowicz 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 16 3-7 38.
3-point goals: Abington – Jordyn Reynolds 2; Souderton – Erin Bohmueller 2, Casey Harter.
Oreland Lions Club Tournament
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 43, NEW FOUNDATIONS CHARTER 40
It was a very good day for Springfield basketball.
The girls’ team captured the program’s first Oreland Lions Club Tournament title since 2011, and it is the first time that both the girls’ and boys’ programs earned tournament crowns the same year since 2002.
“It was a happy night for both the boys and girls,” Spartans’ coach David Giordino said. “For the school, it was a good night.”
Saturday’s title game was tightly contested. The Spartans trailed 10-8 after one quarter but outscored New Foundations 10-3 in the second quarter to go into halftime with an 18-13 advantage. They took a 29-27 lead into the fourth quarter and edged their visitors 14-13 in the final frame to eke out the win.
“The key was contributions from everyone,” Giordano said. “Not just the fact that we had seven out of eight girls score, but we did a lot of little things pretty good for game two coming out of the gate like this. We got key rebounds and defensive stops that were important.
“We were up at halftime by five, and that was our largest lead. They never got the lead, but they tied us a couple of times. We kept our composure. We’re young as far as varsity time and varsity players, and that concerned me, but they’ve found a way to gut it out, making some plays in the fourth quarter when it counted.”
Jayla Daniels and Ava Culler both scored 11 points to lead the Spartans while Ashley Jenkins added nine points.
“Jayla Daniels had three fouls in the first quarter but still ended up with 11 points and basically controlled the fourth quarter with what she did offensively and when the ball was in her hands,” Giordano said. “Ava Culler, a freshman, is coming off the bench and fitting in really well. She’s got high energy. She rebounds all day long, and there’s a promising future for her.
“Some veterans – Paige Robinson doesn’t score a lot of points, but she controls the offense. I put her on the other team’s best player to play shutdown defense. She does anything I ask her to do.
‘Ashley Jenkins had some big foul shots in the second half when you get in that scenario when it’s tied and the emotions start and you don’t know if you’re going to make the next play, and she calmed us down. It really was a good team effort.”
Springfield Township (2-0) will host William Tennent in Friday’s SOL opener.
New Foundations Charter 10-3-14-13 40
Springfield Township 8-10-11-14 43
Springfield Twp (43) – Alana Decker 2, Hannah Brandon 5, Jayla Daniels 11, Paige Robinson 2, Delaney Lake 2, Ashley Jenkins 9, Ava Culler 11.
West York Tournament
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 37, DELONE CATHOLIC 27
Senior Erin Daley was named the West York Tournament’s most outstanding player, and while Daley and Abby Sharpe are household names for fans of PW girls’ basketball, the Colonials saw several new faces come up big in the season-opening tournament.
In Friday night’s win over Berks Catholic, senior Angelina Balcer, who also was named to the all-tournament team, stole the spotlight, scoring 16 points and igniting PW’s defense.
“Last night, Angelina was dominating,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “Really, a big part of last night too was – instead of us just pressing, Angelina would guard whoever was bringing the ball up the court and just harass them up and down the floor. She’s like an Energizer Bunny out there and can really disrupt a point guard.”
In Saturday’s win, several new players made an impact.
“Tonight’s game was a grind of a game,” Dougherty said. “It felt like an old Upper Dublin game. They’re running offense 45 to 60 seconds. It was just a grind of a game, and they’re good. They’re a perennial powerhouse out there.
“The big story of tonight’s game was Azzy Crumpton. Azzy is a senior and a new member of the starting five. Delone’s game plan tonight was to stay glued to Angelina, Erin Daley and Abby Sharpe and to just play off the other kids. Azzy Crumpton right out of the gate makes two strong moves to the basket (and scored), and then to start the second quarter, they do the same thing, and she just catches and shoots a wide open three and nails it, so that was a really big lift.”
Freshman AJ Avery was in Saturday’s starting lineup, and she scored nine points.
“She really had a nice game for us too and was a great burst of energy to the team,” Dougherty said.
Sharpe’s 10 points – which included a pair of 3-pointers – led a balanced attack. Avery added nine points while Crumpton had seven and Balcer, six points.
“It was just a good game,” Dougherty said. “The whole purpose of this trip – we actually watched for the first time the DVD of the state championship game on the way out there.
“We stayed out for the weekend and made it kind of a team bonding trip. A lot of new faces are part of the program, and it couldn’t have worked out better.
“We put last year to bed and started off well with this new group of kids. It was great competition. Berks Catholic and Delone Catholic are going to win a lot of games this year. Both teams were similar to us in that they graduated a lot but had a couple of kids back. It was really a nice tournament.”
Plymouth Whitemash (2-0) will travel to Abington for its SOL opener on Thursday (7 p.m.).
Plymouth Whitemarsh 12-10-7-8 37
Delone Catholic 9-10-6-2 27
PW (37) – Azzy Crumpton 3 0-2 7; Angelina Balcer 2 2-2 6; AJ Avery 3 2-2 9; Erin Daley 1 2-4 5; Abby Sharpe 4 0-0 10; TOTALS 13 6-10 37.
Delone Catholic (27) – Meekly 1 0-0 3; Hughes 0 2-2 2; Jacoby 3 0-0 8; Baughman 2 4-4 8; Schwarz 2 3-3 7; TOTALS 8 9-9 27.
3-point goals: PW –Abby Sharpe, Azzy Crumpton, Erin Daley; Delone Catholic – Jacoby 2, Meekly.
Pennridge Tipoff Tournament
PENNRIDGE 57, QUAKERTOWN 36
The Rams were without Katie Yoder for Saturday’s rivalry game against the Panthers, but the standout senior’s teammates were there to pick up the slack.
Ella Brown led all scorers with 19 points while teammate Anna Croyle added 14.
The Rams – behind nine points from Brown and seven from Croyle – opened up a 27-20 halftime lead on their way to the win.
“Playing without Katie Yoder, we had great contributions from Olivia Poole and Abby Huskin,” Pennridge coach Jason Rapp said. “Ella Brown and Anna Croyle led the team in scoring, and Grace Rosica and Ava Fantaskey did a terrific job defensively and handling the ball. It was an incredible team effort.”
In addition to Brown and Croyle, Fantaskey had seven points while Huskin and Poole each had six.
For the Panthers, Carolyn Sipprell had a big game, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds in an impressive double-double. Katie Hagerty added seven points while Kayla Sicher had six.
“It was a much better overall performance than last night,” Quakertown coach Brittany Bamford said. “I’m proud of their improvements. We still need to find our rhythm together.
“Pennridge did a great job of making us make mistakes and attacking the basket.”
Pennridge (2-0) will travel to North Penn for Friday’s SOL opener, and Quakertown (0-2) will host Southern Lehigh on Tuesday.
Pennridge 11-16-14-16 57
Quakertown 12-8-9-7 36
Pennridge (57) – Ella Brown 9 0-0 19; Grace Rosica 2 1-2 5; Anna Croyle 5 3-5 14; Ava Fantaskey 2 2-2 7; Olivia Poole 2 2-2 6; Abby Huskin 1 3-5 6; TOTALS 21 11-16 57.
Quakertown (36) – Carolyn Sipprell 7 2-4 16; Katie Hagerty 2 2-2 7; Truly heft 0 2-2 2; Ava Pistone 2 0-0 5; Kayla Sicher 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 14 6-10 36.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Olivia Poole 2, Ella Brown, Anna Croyle; Quakertown – Katie Hagerty, Ava Pistone
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 45, VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 20
Jaden Wan, Ruth O’Keefe and Delaney McCaffery each turned in double figure scoring efforts to lead the Indians, who blew open a tightly contested game with a 21-point third quarter and won going away.
“We went on a 4-0 run to end the first half to take a 15-12 lead into the half,” Rock North coach John Kelly said. “Ruth O’Keefe had an assist to Jaden for a layup on a high low after they went to a 2-3 zone and then she came up with a steal and had a great pass to Kiera Katz for a layup.”
That was following by a 21-1 third quarter explosion. Wan had the hot hand, scoring 11 of her game-high 15 points in the quarter. McCaffery, who finished with 12 points, added seven points in the frame.
“We are really proud of all of our players for the enthusiasm they showed this weekend in the Pennridge Tipoff Tournament,” Kelly said. “They are playing so hard and the excitement they are showing in celebrating one another’s’ success has been remarkable.
“I thought all of our players contributed to our success this weekend – everyone stepped up in different ways. I thought Ruth O’Keefe had a great game today throughout – she played within herself, was effective in attacking the basket, came up with some crucial plays defensively, and some key assists to get us rolling. In the second half, we did a great job of involving Jaden (Wan) in the post, and Delaney (McCaffery) was a girl on a mission defensively which I think got her going offensively, too.
“We are really excited for the season, and we are going to keep working to get better each day.”
Council Rock North (2-0) will travel to Great Valley for a non-league game on Thursday.
Villa Joseph Marie 3-9-1-8 20
Council Rock North 7-8-21-9 45
Council Rock North (45) – Skyler Wright 0 2-2 2; Claire Pirkle 0 1-3 1; Kiera Katz 1 0-0 2; Delaney McCaffery 4 3-4 12; Jaden Wan 7 1-1 15; Ruth O’Keefe 6 0-0 13; TOTALS 18 7-10 45.
Villa Joseph Marie (20) – Riley Deal 3 2-4 11
Cheltenham Basketball Tournament
CHELTENHAM 51, SIMON GRATZ 26
Jiah Price jumpstarted the Lady Panthers in Saturday’s title game of their own tournament, scoring eight first-quarter points to propel the host team to a 17-4 advantage. By halftime, Price had scored 14 of her game-high 18 points, and she had plenty of help.
Freshman Maya Simmons added 13 points – eight in the first half on a pair of 3’s and a two-point basket. Arianna Davis had eight points, and Paige Powell, six points.
“It feels good to start the season 2-0,” coach Ben Bowman said. “In past seasons, we have stumbled to gain confidence early in the season and getting these wins really helped.
“Arianna Davis stepped up for us defensively, and Jiah Price and Maya Simmons paced us scoring. And they both also grabbed 14 rebounds. I’m really happy for the girls. Now we turn our focus to league play.”
Cheltenham (2-0) will travel to New Hope-Solebury for Friday’s SOL opener.
Simon Gratz 4-13-2-7 26
Cheltenham 17-12-9-13 51
Simon Gratz (26) – Ivalies Johnson 3 0-2 7; Zakkiyah Lucas 5 0-0 13; Samiyah Butler-Jackson 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 11 0-2 26.
Cheltenham (51) – Jiah Price 8 1-2 18; Paige Powell 2 1-2 6; Maya Simmons 5 1-2 13; Arianna Davis 4 0-0 8; Ije Ojukwu 2 0-0 4; Marguerita Reimer 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 22 3-6 51.
3-point goals: Simon Gratz – Zakkiayah Lucas 3, Ivalies Johnson; Cheltenham – Maya Simmons 2, Jiah Price, Paige Powell.
Bristol Tipoff Tournament
LOWER MORELAND 51, MASTERY CHARTER NORTH 24
The Lions roared out of the gate to a 20-0 lead after one quarter on their way to the no-doubt-about-it win in the title game of the Bristol Tipoff Tournament.
“Brianna McFerran scored 10 of the team’s 20 first-quarter points and was tournament MVP,” coach Rich Becker said. “Liz Neeld was also an all-tournament team selection.
“Overall, we had 11 different girls score for the team.”
In addition to McFerran’s 20-point effort, Neeld and Jess Shein both added seven points, and Maddy Rossiter had six points.
Lower Moreland (2-0) will travel to Villa Maria Academy for a non-league game Tuesday.
Mastery Charter 0-8-7-9 24
Lower Moreland 20-10-17-4 51
Mastery Charter (24) – Harris 3 1-2 7; Kelly 1 0-0 3; Ayala 1 0-0 3; Searles 2 0-2 5; Gilchrist 1 0-0 2, R.Brown 1 0-0 2, J.Brown 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 19 1-4 24,
Lower Moreland (51) – Brianna McFerran 6 1-2 15; Maddy Rossiter 3 0-0 6; Amelia Brown 1 0-0 3; Jess Shein 2 3-4 7; Liz Neeld 2 2-2 7; Nikki Sahl 1 0-0 2; Alexis MacPhee 1 0-0 2; Keira Huber 0 2-2 2; Kayla Quirk 0 3-4 3; Haylee Huber 1 0-0 2; Ashley Avington 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 18 11-14 51.
3-point goals: Mastery Charter – Kelly, Ayala, Searles; LM – Brianna McFerran 2, Amelia Brown, Liz Neeld.
Unionville Tournament
HATBORO-HORSHAM 49, CONESTOGA VALLEY 45
Sparked by a trio of double-digit scoring efforts, the Hatters survived a Conestoga Valley comeback to earn a win in Saturday’s consolation game. Kitty Randa’s 18 points led the Hatters while Leah Harrington added 13 points, and Allison Hewish had 11 points.
“We were short a few players, but the seniors really stepped it up and took control,” HH assistant Nicole Miletto said. “We had a tough second quarter but came out aggressive in the second half, but Conestoga Valley was making shots and we weren’t rebounding well on either side.
“For the second game, we struggled at the line and getting there. They pressured us and without two of our starters, we struggled at times getting the ball up the court.”
Behind six points from Randa and five from Hewish, the Hatters opened up a 16-11 lead after one quarter but saw that disappear when they only managed six points in the second quarter. They went into halftime on the short end of a 25-22 score but erased that by outscoring CV 14-10 in the third quarter to go into the final frame clinging to a 36-35 advantage. The Hatters outscored CV 13-10 in the fourth quarter to earn the win in the tightly contested battle.
“Senior Alli Hewish hit some big shots for us and so did senior Leah Harrington,” Miletto said. “Senior Abby Waeltz was great on defense and helped push the ball in transition.
“We had some quality minutes from sophomore guard Maddy Patel and freshman guard Mia Fisher.”
Hatboro-Horsham (1-1) will host Bristol in a non-league game Wednesday.
Conestoga Valley 11-14-10-10 45
Hatboro-Horsham 16-6-14-13 49
Conestoga Valley (45) – Johnson 3 1-5 7; Fliegel 0 2-2 2; Moore 2 1-2 6; Harrison 6 0-0 14; Figart 5 0-0 11; Cirilo 1 0-0 2; Norris 1 1-1 3. TOTALS 18 5-10 45.
Hatboro-Horsham (49) – Abby Waeltz 1 1-2 3; Kitty Randa 8 2-2 18; Allison Hewish 4 0-0 11; Leah Harrington 5 1-4 13; Madalyn Patel 1 0-0 2; Mia Fisher 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 20 4-8 49.
3-point goals: CV – Harrison 2, Moore, Figart; HH – Allison Hewish 3, Leah Harrington 2.
State College Tournament
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 35, WESTERN WAYNE 9
All 10 players in West’s scorebook put points on the board in Saturday’s consolation game win. The Bucks, who led 6-2 after one quarter, took a 15-4 lead into halftime and allowed just five second-half points on the way to the win.
Tai Henkels and Janelle Blokker both scored five points to lead a balanced attack. Gabby Reichner led a strong rebounding effort with 10 boards. Alexis Castro had five rebounds. Henkels and Gabi Senior led the Bucks’ defensive effort with three steals each.
Central Bucks West (1-1) will travel to Central Bucks East for Friday’s SOL opener at 5:30 p.m.
Western Wayne 2-2-3-2 9
Central Bucks West 6-9-8-12 35
Western Wayne (9) – Allie Pauler 0 0-2 0; Raegan Palmer 1 1-4 3; Mya Lucas 1 0-0 2; Peyton Graboski 1 0-3 2; Stephanie Mildner 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 4 1-9 9.
Central Bucks West (35) – Gabi Senior 1 2-2 4; Tai Henkels 2 1-1 5; Taylor Madden 1 0-0 3; Peyton Cramer 0 2-2 2; Meg Blue 2 0-0 4; Alexis Castro 1 0-0 2; Ava Longo 2 0-0 4; Gabby Reichner 1 1-5 3; Scarlett Baumgardner 1 0-0 3; Janelle Blokker 1 3-3 5; TOTALS 12 9-13 35.
3-point goals: CBW – Taylor Madden, Scarlett Baumgardner.
Unionville Tournament
UNIONVILLE 37, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 36 (OT)
The Lions came up just short in their bid for a tournament title, falling in overtime to the host Indians. The game was tightly contested all the way through.
New Hope trailed 11-10 after one quarter but took a 19-17 lead into halftime. Regan Chrencik’s seven points led the Lions. The two teams were deadlocked heading into the fourth quarter, and it was still tied at the end of regulation. The Indians scored the only point of overtime to earn the win.
Chrencik’s 12 points led the Lions. Gabby D’Agostino added nine points, and Izzy Elizondo had six.
New Hope-Solebury (1-1) will travel to Conwell Egan for a non-league game Tuesday.
New Hope-Solebury 10-9-10-7-0 36
Unionville 11-7-12-7-1 37
New Hope-Solebury (36) – Gabby D’Agostino 2 5-5 9; Ella Dudcik 2 0-1 4; Izzy Ilozondo 3 0-0 6; Emily Wilson 2 0-0 5; Reagan Chrencik 4 2-2 12; TOTALS 13 7-8 36.
Unionville (36) – Amoss 1 2-2 4; Banghan 1 0-2 2; Johnson 5 4-8 14; Angstadt 6 1-1 14; Menninger 0 3-4 3; TOTALS 13 8-17 37.
3-point goals: NH-S – Reagan Chrencik 2, Emily Wilson; Unionville – Angstadt.
Non-league
UPPER MORELAND 26, BENSALEM 20
The Golden Bears avenged last year’s season-opening loss to the Owls in a contest that saw both teams struggle offensively.
“We really, REALLY wanted to win today,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “Last year’s 32-28 loss to start the season left a sour taste in our mouth to this day. We were really hoping it was going to be a little easier, but there was a giant lid on both rims today, and it was an offensive struggle for both teams.
“This has become a little bit of a rivalry and it’s a lot of fun. Steve (Johnson) does such a good job with his team, and Amber (Howard) is such a good player. We knew we had our hands full going into the game. We hoped we would’ve scored more than last year’s 28 points, but we won’t apologize for victories.”
The Owls – behind six points from Howard – led 8-6 after one quarter, but they scored just two points in the second – on a basket by Howard – and found themselves on the short end of a 13-10 halftime score. Howard accounted for eight of her team’s 10 points. She would score just one point the rest of the way.
“The defensive focus was Amber, as it should be,” Carroll said. “She’s really good. We started in man and defended her well, but we got into foul trouble early and she was getting to the line. We went to a 3-2 and it really changed the game for us.
“We have some length and size but haven’t worked on it a ton with our shortened preseason. Holly (Gohl) and Lilly (Hansen) were awesome at the top and the bottom of our zone, and it really made things difficult for them. We played such intelligent basketball on the defensive end. I couldn’t be more proud than them.”
The Owls hung tough, limiting the Bears to just three points in the third quarter. Bensalem took a 17-16 edge into the final quarter when the Golden Bears closed it out with a 10-3 quarter.
“Offensively, we really struggled,” Carroll said. “Every shot we took looked good but was just short. Early-season legs got the best of us offensively, but we made enough shots to win the game.
“If you tell me EmmyFaith and Holly score a combined eight and we score 26, I would anticipate we start the season 0-1. We leaned on our defense and made enough plays to escape with a victory. Roles were reversed last year, and this side is much sweeter.”
Mikel Lancit’s seven points led the Golden Bears.
Upper Moreland (1-0) will host Harriton in a non-league game on Tuesday, and Bensalem (0-1) will host Council Rock South in Friday’s SOL opener.
Bensalem 8-2-7-3 20
Upper Moreland 6-7-3-10 26
Bensalem (20) – Kylie Smith 1 0-0 2; Amber Howard 2 5-6 9; Mackenzie Kramer 2 0-0 4; Talia DiMichele 1 2-4 5; TOTALS 6 7-10 20.
Upper Moreland (26) – Mikel Lancit 3 0-0 7; EmmyFaith Wood 2 0-1 4; Lilly Hansen 1 1-2 3; Holly Gohl 2 0-0 4; Marie Meyers 2 0-0 5; Allie LaRocco 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 9 1-3 26.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Talia DiMichele; UM – Mikel Lancit, Marie Meyers, Allie LaRocco.
UPPER DUBLIN 28, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 23
28-23
It’s hardly a conventional high school basketball score, but the Flying Cardinals have opened back-to-back seasons with wins by that identical score. Last year, UD beat CB East 28-23 in its opener, this year it was CB South.
That’s where the similarities ended. While last year’s team was led by its veterans, this year’s UD squad featured a pair of freshmen – Megan Ngo and Colleen Besachio – combining to score 25 of their team’s 28 points. Ngo’s 13 points led all scorers while Besachio added 12.
Ngo is the sister of junior Amy Ngo, who is sidelined with an injury.
“The ball is in Megan’s hands a lot of the time,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “Obviously, she’s Amy’s younger sister, but she’s a very different player even though the similar trait that they share is they’re competitors, basketball is their life, and they love the game.
“I can’t wait for the day for Megan and Amy to be on the floor together, but until that happens, Megan’s going to dominate the ball. She made plays, she makes her teammates better. If we need her to score, she’s going to step up and score, and that’s what she did today for us.”
Besachio, meanwhile, comes from a family of basketball players. Her mother, Mary Eileen (Algeo) Besachio, starred at Lansdale Catholic and went on to play at James Madison University. Her aunt is Maggie (Algeo) deMarteliere, who also excelled as a player at LC and was a successful coach at her alma mater and, more recently, at North Penn.
“In our scrimmage against Souderton, she had 23 points and played great,” Funsten said of Besachio. “Today she played well too. She had the two biggest baskets of the game to stretch the lead. She’s more of a post, but she can step out and take the three. Obviously, those two have been on our radar.”
The Cardinals graduated three seniors last year, they lost Amy Ngo to an injury, and their fifth starter, Aditi Foster, transferred to Penn Charter.
“We have no returning starters, and CB South is in a similar situation,” Funsten said. “They have Yoyo (Samayoa) back, which is a great piece. If you want anybody back, you want your point guard back, and that’s what they have.
“We had no idea what was going to happen today. With a young team, you want to come in and play with confidence. It’s difficult to do. We scrimmaged Souderton and Cardinal O’Hara, and that’s not going to boost your confidence at all to scrimmage those teams, but it’s going to make you better. I thought our girls were able to settle in maybe a little more as the game went on.”
The Cardinals, who led 8-7 after one quarter, took a tenuous 12-10 lead into halftime.
According to the Cardinals’ coach, if there was a defining stretch, it came late in the third quarter.
“We were up by two late in the third quarter, and Colleen Besachio made back-to-back baskets to stretch our lead to six going into the fourth quarter,” Funsten said. “It was the first time we got to breathe a little bit.
“Defensively, we settled in. We didn’t shoot the ball from outside really well. Neither team obviously shot the ball really well. It was a combination of nerves and – I’d like to think – good defense on both ends. They competed.”
Ngo filled the state sheet with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and only one turnover.
“If you’re talking about a freshman point guard who’s going to have the ball in her hands a lot of the game – to just have one turnover in her debut, that may be the most impressive stat of them all,” Funsten said.
In addition to scoring 12 points, Besachio had a team-high seven rebounds to go along with five deflections, one assist, one steal and one block. Alaina Sanders added four rebounds.
Upper Dublin (1-0) will host Central Bucks East in a non-league game Tuesday, and Central Bucks South (0-1) will be on the road at William Tennent on Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 7-3-4-9 23
Upper Dublin 8-4-8-8 28
Central Bucks South (23) – Ella Wheeler 2 0-0 4; Jules Tropea 2 0-0 4; Yoyo Samayoa 4 0-0 9; Mia Klein 1 0-0 2 Gabby Tropea 1 1-2 4; TOTALS 10 1-2 23.
Upper Dublin (28) – Brighid Brady 1 1-2 3; Megan Ngo 4 4-4 13; Colleen Besachio 6 0-1 12; TOTALS 11 5-7 28.
3-point goals: CBS – Yoyo Samayoa, Gabby Topea; UD – Megan Ngo.
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