Non-league
PENNSBURY 66, CONWELL-EGAN 53
With 11 days between games, the Falcons were happy to be back on the court at Conwell-Egan for a midday game on Friday.
“Life in the world of COVID variants is always interesting, and after not having a game since December 20, we really want to thank Conwell-Egan for hosting the girls and giving them a chance to play,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “All of the girls know each other because some of them play together on a club basketball team, and many of them work out together in the offseason. It was definitely a different dynamic in the gym as only parents were allowed in to watch.”
Behind eight points from freshman Lily Milewski, the Eagles led 18-10 after one quarter, but the Falcons rebounded with a 20-point quarter of their own in the second. Ava Sciolla was the catalyst, burying a pair of 3s and scoring 10 points. Nicole Pompili also stepped up, adding eight points. The Falcons took a 30-28 lead into halftime.
“We were really happy with how some of our girls stepped up,” Sciolla said. “We were down two starters, and they represent much of the size on our team that is not tremendous in terms of height, but the Lollipop Guild really got cooking in the second quarter.
“Egan came out strong and led 16-4. Nicole Pompili ran the floor and had two great finishes to spark us, and a new member of the Guild, Presley Foote, who is 5’1 but plays way bigger, came in and created turnovers and grabbed rebounds. Presley’s grandfather is long time, legendary Conwell-Egan coach Jack Klebe.
“We got the tempo going really fast, and we were able to create some turnovers with our lineup. At one time, we looked up on the floor and we had five girls out there under 5 foot 5, and Egan has tremendous size so it was two teams trying to assert their will.”
The third quarter belonged to the Falcons – or more specifically Sofia Vitucci and Nevaeh Dash. Vitucci buried three 3-pointers and had 11 points in the quarter while Dash added nine points, including a three and a 2-for-2 effort at the foul line. The Falcons outscored the Eagles 20-9 and took a 50-37 lead into a fourth quarter that saw the two teams exchange baskets.
“In the third quarter, we ran some action for Sofia Vitucci and Nevaeh Dash to get them going, and both of them responded with big quarters,” Sciolla said. “They knocked down jumpers and had some nice finishes, and we have to credit Ava (Sciolla) because she just put the ball on hands all night long.”
Sciolla’s 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds led the Falcons. Dash added 16 points and four rebounds while Vitucci had 13 points. Pompili contributed nine points, and Daniella MacDonald had seven.
For the Eagles, Milewski finished with 12 points, and Saniyah Spell added nine. Brianna McFadden had nine points on three 3-pointers.
“It feels like the last 3 years has been an unbelievable grind with injuries and COVID every day, but the kids were happy to play,” Sciolla said. “It’s fun watching kids step up when they get a chance. The next woman up philosophy is accepted and respected.
“Everyone is going through this, and you have to credit Egan for their heart. Even after they fell down by 20, they never stopped battling all the way until the final whistle. They shot the ball extremely well today. It’s good to play. I hope we can continue it.”
Pennsbury (6-0, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North on Tuesday.
Pennsbury 10-20-20 16 66
Conwell-Egan 18-10-9-16 53
Pennsbury (66) – Ava Sciolla 6 2-3 17; Daniella MacDonald 2 2-2 7; Sofia Vitucci 4 2-2 13; Nicole Pompili 3 5-6 11; Nevaeh Dash 5 4-6 16; Izzy Ruta 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 21 15-19.
Conwell-Egan (53) – Kyliyah Carmichael 2 2-2 6; Brianna McFadden 3 0-0 9; Saniyah Spell 5 0-0 11; Mya Aizen 2 1-1 5; Molly Milewski 1 0-0 3; Brooke McFadden 3 0-1 7; Lily Milewski 6 0-0 12; TOTALS 22 3-4 53.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Ava Sciolla 3, Sofia Vitucci 3, Nevaeh Dash 2, Daniella MacDonald; Conwell-Egan – Brianna McFadden 3, Saniyah Spell, Molly Milewski, Brooke McFadden.
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