Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. Check our gallery for photos from the Tennent/Imhotep and Wissahickon/HH games. Photos from the CB West game were provided by Marge Bullock and can be viewed at her website by clicking here.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 77, RUSTIN 61
Friday’s non-league opener at West pitted a pair of teams in the top 10 of the state’s Class AAAA preseason rankings.
For one half, the Bucks struggled to find any kind of rhythm against a Rustin squad that – minus center Adashia Franklyn, who is playing at St. Joe’s – spent the opening two quarters burying shots from beyond the arc.
All told, the Golden Knights connected on seven treys in the first half (none in the second half), and behind the hot hand of their guards, they opened up a 41-29 lead late in the second quarter before the Bucks scored six unanswered points to close out the first half.
“We get a lot of our rhythm off the transition stuff, and we didn’t really have a lot of that because they were making shots,” senior captain Corrinne Godshall said. “We had to take (the ball) out, and they’d be back on defense.
“In the second half, we started boxing out and getting more rebounds, and that way we were able to push the floor, which is really our game.”
The Bucks played their game in the second half, and it was never much of a contest once they found their stride. It was Godshall – whose dazzling career-high 26-point effort paced the Bucks – leading the charge with 11 third quarter points, allowing the Bucks to turn a 41-35 halftime deficit into a 53-48 lead heading into the final frame.
They iced the win by connecting on their foul shots. Maggie Rakowsky was a perfect 8-for-8 at the charity stripe while Munger was 4-of-5 and Godshall, 3-of-4.
Final stats show Godshall with 10 rebounds to go along with her 26 points in an impressive double-double. Munger added 19 points, seven rebounds and four steals while Makenzie Mason added 15 points, six rebounds and two steals – and a whole lot of hustle.
“She stepped up to the plate,” Munger said. “We’re not only a couple of players – we can all play, and that makes us more dangerous.
“It’s awesome having all of us being able to do it on any given night.”
According to the senior captain, nerves may have played a part in West’s slow start.
“There was nerves – we can’t deny that,” Munger said. “First game of the season – you’re going to have nerves. It just comes with it, but we battled back.
“Just the smiles we had – it’s just fun playing.”
Central Bucks West 13-22-18-24 77
Bayard Rustin 18-23-7-13 61
HARRY S TRUMAN 60, CONWELL-EGAN 45
Truman received big performances from several young players in its opening round win at the Bristol Tournament.
Leading the way was sophomore Jayda Campbell with 23 points. Also coming up big was Darnella McMillan, a freshman transfer from Northeast High School, with 16 points. Sophomore Daeja Moore added 10 points.
“I’m very pleased,” coach Collette Munford said. “We’re excited. We’re young – my top three scorers were ninth and 10th graders.”
Conwell-Egan took an 11-10 lead into the second quarter when the Tigers went on a 21-7 tear to go into halftime with a 31-18 lead.
And what changed?
“I can’t really pinpoint it,” Munford said. “I have a lot of young players – more ninth and 10th graders than anyone else.
“I was just doing some adjustments. A couple of girls got in foul trouble, and I had to sit them. We pressed but then fell back in the 3-2 because we were being too aggressive and getting in foul trouble.”
The Tigers will try to defend their tournament crown when they face Morrisville in Saturday’s title game.
Conwell-Egan 11-7-15-12 45
Harry S Truman 10-21-13-16 60
HATBORO-HORSHAM 36, WISSAHICKON 23
Wins were few and far between for the Hatters last season. Their first win came on Jan. 10, and they managed just two wins all season.
They’re already halfway toward matching that total, thanks to their decisive win in Friday’s opening round game of their own tournament.
“This is awesome,” junior Cassidy Quattro said. “We are having so much fun. I just couldn’t stop smiling the entire fourth quarter.
“This year has been so different. Our coach is amazing, and everything is so positive. Even when we mess up, it is all about being positive and correcting our mistakes. Her energy is incredible, and we are all feeding off of that.”
Kathie Sims took over the helm of the struggling program this season, and she was understandably pleased with her team’s effort.
“Our girls played so well tonight and have worked so hard in practice,” she said. “They earned this win tonight.”
The Hatters took a 19-10 lead into halftime and then withstood a Trojan comeback in the third quarter.
“Our defense kept us from unraveling when they were battling back,” Sims said. “We knew they would not stop coming at us, and our defense really stepped up.
“I love their energy and just love working practice with these incredible girls. This was a huge win for us. It is important to experience success, and that will reward all of their hard work. This was just a great game for us overall.”
Quattro led the Hatters with 15 points.
“This is such a fresh start for our basketball program,” she said. “We just love playing together.”
Sophomore Julie Weber led the Trojans with six points.
CHELTENHAM 73, MATH, CIVICS & SCIENCES 25
Ashley Jones picked up where she left off last year, exploding for 32 points to lead the Lady Panthers to a rout of Math, Civics and Sciences. Included in her 32-point outburst were six three-pointers. She did all of her damage in three quarters.
Gabrielle Wright and Danielle Brown both added six points for the Panthers, who led 22-7 at the end of one quarter and extended that to 44-13 by halftime. Nashira Brown and Amarri Trueheart each added six points in a contest that saw nine players contribute scoring.
Math, Civics & Sciences 7-6-9-3 25
Cheltenham 22-22-19-10 73
UPPER MERION 41, UPPER PERKIOMEN 31
The Vikings opened the game with 12-4 first quarter and then withstood a late rally by the visiting Indians, surviving the final 5:40 without standout guard Regie Robinson, who fouled out on a double foul.
“Things got real interesting after that,” coach Tom Schurtz said. “I give the girls a lot of credit.
“With four minutes to go, it was a one-point game, and they never blinked. We shot 80 percent in the fourth quarter, and we had no turnovers in the last five minutes of the game. Despite a lot of things not going according to plan, we found a way to win.”
Robinson finished with nine points. Jessica Michael led a balanced Viking attack with 11 points, and Tatiana Pleasant added eight for the Vikings, who took a 22-16 lead into halftime and still led 28-20 heading into the final quarter.
“For the first time in my coaching career, every single player on the team played in the game and contributed in some way in a fairly close game,” Schurtz said. “All 12 players got minutes, and they all contributed.”
Upper Perkiomen 4-12-4-11 31
Upper Merion 12-10-6-13 41
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 59, SPRINGFIELD-DELCO 32
In a game that featured strong guard play on both sides, it was the Titans’ guards that had the decided advantage.
“They’re very heavy in their guards as are we, so it was a good matchup,” coach Beth Mattern said.
The Titans led 10-6 after one quarter but blew the game wide open with an 18-7 second quarter to go into halftime with a 28-13 lead. Jordan Vitelli scored 12 of her team-high 16 points in the second quarter.
South took a 40-19 lead into the fourth quarter and then outscored their hosts 19-13 with Emma Gardy connecting for eight of her 10 points in the frame. Mackenzie Ehresman added eight points for the Titans.
“We played a little nervous in the first quarter, but in the second quarter, our defense really tightened up, and we controlled the flow of the game,” Mattern said. “I’m most pleased with the team effort.
“Everyone gave what they had on the court, and it showed. We just let the game come to us.”
The Titans’ coach went on to laud the play of several players
“Their point guard was very good – she could shoot and she’s a good ball handler, and I thought Chloe Entenberg and Kaley Smith did a great job in trying to slow her down,” Mattern said.
CB South will face Notre Dame in Saturday’s title game at 2:30 p.m.
Central Bucks South 10-18-12-19 59
Springfield-Delco 6-7-6-13 32
NORTH PENN 38, LANSDALE CATHOLIC 33
It wasn’t easy, but the Maidens – who were without sophomore Sam Carangi (injury) – eked out a win over neighboring LC in an opening round game of their own tournament.
“Unfortunately, we were just so out of sync,” coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “During the whole offseason and in our scrimmages, we were scoring a ton of points.
“You take Sam out of the mix, and it’s our first game – we still have good players, but you’re getting into the groove with everything, and then all of a sudden, it’s ‘Bam.’”
A pair of freshmen came up big in the fourth quarter.
“Mia Melchior hit two free throws, which we didn’t hit two free throws together all night,” deMarteleire said. “We shot 6-for-14 from the foul line tonight. In the fourth quarter, she scored her five points.
“She hit two free throws and hit a three that pulled us to within one. Another freshman – Taylor Putnam – hit a three that put us up 36-33. We put it together in the fourth quarter, and kids really stepped up. We made big plays in the fourth quarter, which we were struggling to do the rest of the game.”
North Penn trailed 11-8 after one quarter and 20-16 at halftime. They still found themselves on the short end of a 26-22 score heading into the fourth quarter when they found their offensive stride, outscoring the Crusaders 16-7 to earn the win and a spot in Saturday’s title game.
“The one really good thing is the kids really stepped up in the fourth quarter,” deMarteleire said. “We only scored 22 in the first three quarters and 16 in the fourth.”
Junior Mikaela Giuliani led the Maidens with 10 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Senior point guard Taylor Thames added nine points. Freshman Bri Hewlett, who found herself in the startling lineup, led the Maidens under the boards with 10 rebounds.
The Maidens will face Perkiomen Valley – a 60-23 winner over Pennsbury – in Saturday’s title game at 2:30 p.m.
Lansdale Catholic 11-9-6-7 33
North Penn 8-8-6-16 36
PENNRIDGE 56, CHRISTOPHER DOCK 50
Devan Rimmer scored 22 points to lead the Rams to a win over Dock in the opening round of the Rams’ own tournament. She also had five rebounds, two steals and three assists.
“She played really well,” said coach Lindsey Tennett, noting that defense may have been the difference. “We started out in a straight man, and then we went into a diamond, and that really threw Dock off.
“They had a lot of turnovers (21), and I would say the majority of that was because of the press.”
The Rams led 11-9 after one quarter and took a 32-27 lead into halftime. Dock made things interesting by outscoring the Rams 15-11 in the third quarter to make it a 43-42 game heading into the final frame.
“It was actually a pretty close game the entire time,” Tennett said. “In the third quarter, we went ahead by a lot, but they ended up coming back.
“They were playing us in a 3-2 defense, and in the beginning, we didn’t know how to adjust to that. Our team is mostly an outside shooting team. In the third quarter, we realized, we could drive, and that was the difference.
“Devan Rimmer hit a few corner shots, but by the fourth quarter, she was driving, and that created so many opportunities.”
Ashley George – despite being saddled by foul woes – added 11 points and six rebounds. Shelby Schoonover added eight points and four rebounds. Kaeli White had six points and a team high six steals and nine rebounds.
With starter Lydia Konstanzer sidelined this weekend because of illness, the Rams had a freshman step up. Gillian Anderson contributed six important points.
“We told them in the beginning that somebody had to step up in place of Lydia, and she came in and did really well,” Tennett said. “At the end of the game, with five minutes left, Ashley had four fouls, and we had Kaeli White, Jenna Dominic, Shelby Schoonover, Devan Rimmer and Monika Brill in, so we had all guards, which is kind of nice for us. It makes us quick, and we’ll probably be doing a lot of that this year.”
Pennridge will face Bensalem in Saturday’s title game.
Christopher Dock 9-18-15-8 50
Pennridge 11-21-11-13 56
BENSALEM 73, AUDENREID 68
Lyric Lewis had the hot hand in the Owls’ season opener. The junior guard exploded for 30 points to go along with six assists and two steals, leading the Owls in a high-scoring opening round game of the Pennridge Tournament.
“I didn’t think she had 30 points until after the game when we went over the box score,” coach Don Bogan said. “She really played hard tonight.
“She didn’t take a lot of outside shots. Most of them were either layups or on follow-ups after rebounds. She played the whole game, and she played really well.”
The two teams were deadlocked 14-14 after one quarter, but the Owls – despite some serious foul trouble – went on a 21-12 tear in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 35-26 lead.
“We played zone defense, and we got a lot of steals and a lot of layups,” Bogan said. “We had three girls with three fouls in the second quarter, but Lyric only had one foul. She played point for a little bit, she played two and three for a little bit, but she kept her head and kept the girls in it.”
The Owls are a young team with three freshmen on the varsity.
“We’re a little better talent-wise than we were last year, but we’re also a little more inexperienced at the varsity level,” Bogan said. “We’re not really big, but the girls are working hard, and Lyric keeps them under control.”
Kelsey Long added 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Samantha Werth added eight points, and freshman Destiny Rogers had seven points and was a force under the backboards with 15 rebounds.
“We are still in the process of getting better, but I’m really happy with the way they played tonight,” Bogan said. “We had a couple of lapses. When we got in foul trouble, we were real small, and that’s when we had problems. They hit a lot of three’s, and they had three guards that were really good.”
The Owls (1-0) will face Pennridge in Saturday’s title game at 6 p.m.
Bensalem 14-21-18-20 73
Audenreid 14-12-18-24 68
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 32, NORTHAMPTON 27
There aren’t many familiar faces in the Patriots’ lineup this season, but the new-look East squad rallied from an early deficit to earn the win in an opening round game of the Owen J. Roberts Tournament.
“We’re happy to start the season off with a win with such a young group,” said coach Liz Potash, whose team found itself deadlocked 27-27 with three minutes remaining. “We went on a 5-0 run, so we were able to close it out.
“Certainly there are things we need to improve on, but it’s always nice to start the season with a win.”
Sophomore Megan Browne hit a pair of foul shots with 30 seconds remaining to seal the win for the Patriots.
“She played all jayvee minutes last year, so for her to come in and hit those two foul shots to put us up was huge,” Potash said. “Kyra Scaliti is our lone experienced player, and she’s doing a great job leading. She had a great game all over the place.”
Scaliti had seven points and six rebounds. Leading the Patriots was Bridget Birkhead, who gained valuable varsity experience as the season progressed last year. The promising sophomore finished the night with 14 points, which included a pair of treys. She also had eight rebounds.
“We were excited about her last year,” said Potash of Birkhead, who was sidelined the first six weeks of the season after an appendectomy. “We need Bridget to step up and score. She’s definitely a scorer, and that was definitely in the plan.
“She had a pretty good offensive game. She did a nice job.”
Meg Lapioli added eight points, including a pair of three-pointers.
“They’re not young to me,” Postash said of her squad. “I saw these girls play for two years now, so I still have high expectations even though we played a lot of kids tonight that never played in a varsity game.
“The defense looked really good – a lot of loose balls, a lot of tips. It’s a good way to start.”
The Patriots will face Owen J Roberts in Saturday’s title game at 7 p.m.
Central Bucks East 7-6-8-11 32
Northampton 8-3-11-5 27
SOUDERTON 48, WESTTOWN 25
The Indians put a brand new lineup on the court in Friday’s opener. With four of last year’s starters lost to graduation and the fifth – senior captain Sarah Derstein – sidelined with an injury, it was anyone’s guess how the Indians would fare.
So far, so good.
“Really, we had eight players contribute throughout the entire game,” coach Lynn Carroll said. “Everybody made contributions on both ends.
“I was happiest with our defense. We played with a lot of intelligence on the defensive end, and that was led by Olivia Kaunert, who is one of our stronger offensive players. She did not score a point, but she played great defense.”
Krista Schneider led the Indians with 15 points while Marissa Sandone added 13 – both players had three three-pointers.
“It was great to see Krista and Marissa step up offensively,” said Carroll, whose team led 16-3 at the end of one quarter and never looked back.
Freshman point guard Tori Dowd had an impressive debut, contributing nine points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
“Starting varsity for the first time, Tori Dowd was just great,” Carroll said. “We’re really excited about her.”
Senior Noelle Noble also had a big game, delivering eight points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.
“We have potential, but it’s a matter of when it all comes together,” Carroll said. “We looked really good tonight, but it’s early.
“We have a tough one tomorrow, but I was really pleased.”
Souderton will face Allentown Central Catholic in Saturday’s title game at 4 p.m.
Westtown 3-7-6-9 25
Souderton 16-8-13-11 48
METHACTON 49, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 36
The Warriors opened up a 32-23 halftime lead over the Golden Hawks on their way to the opening round win in the Methacton Tournament.
Cara Barlow led the Golden Hawks with 10 points and three steals. Allison Taub added eight points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
The Golden Hawks will face Upper Darby – which fell to Mount St. Joseph’s 80-34 – in Saturday’s consolation game.
IMHOTEP CHARTER 46, WILLIAM TENNENT 40
The Panthers opened up a 12-7 lead after one quarter but found themselves on the short end of a 21-20 score at the intermission. Tennent rebounded with a 13-6 third quarter to go on top 33-27 only to watch Imhotep close out the game with a 19-7 fourth quarter.
Kyla Gibson led the Panthers with 13 points while Angie Pomponio had 11.
Imhotep Charter 7-14-6-19 46
William Tennent 12-8-13-7 40
ABINGTON 45, BALDWIN SCHOOL 36
PERKIOMEN VALLEY 60, PENNSBURY 23
SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 53, JENKINTOWN 43
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