Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Saturday. To view photos of the North Penn/PV and Abington/Bishop Loughlin games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 51, NAZARETH 44 (OT)
It had been a long time between tournament championships for Hatboro-Horsham, and after the Lady Hatters rallied for a dramatic come-from-behind overtime win over Nazareth to capture the title of their own tournament for the first time in recent memory, a parent jokingly asked what they were supposed to do with the trophy.
Wherever the trophy may find a home, it was an inspired start for a Hatters’ program that had fallen on hard times.
“The AD presented the trophy to them, and they were just so excited – they’re just enjoying this,” said coach Kathie Sims. “They needed this so bad.
“They need to know that they’re capable of winning, and that’s what they went out and did. It’s in their heads, ‘Well, well, we can do this.’ They’re starting to believe in themselves. It’s so awesome. They’re so excited, and so am I.”
Cassidy Quattro has been on a tear for the Hatters, following her 15-point performance in Friday’s win over Wissahickon with a glittering double-double against Nazareth. She finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Bergen Sims added 10 points – which included three three-pointers, and Haley Seifert had eight.
Point guard Rachel Helton had two points to go along with five assists.
“What a great job she did this tournament,” Sims said of Helton. “She totally controlled the team on the floor.
“She ran the offense. She settled them down when we needed her to. She controlled what was going on out there, and that was such a big deal. She didn’t have all the points, but she did all the other things we needed her to do.”
Amanda Brett also contributed five assists.
“Her defense was awesome,” Sims said. “She played number 10, who was very good. She would fire it up from four feet behind the three-point line and put it in, but Amanda shut her down. The second half Amanda really was on it.”
Nazareth opened up a 15-8 lead at the end one quarter and took a 19-15 lead into halftime.
“The halftime speech was, ‘First off, you’re playing scared. Where’s all this we’ve been working on?’” Sims said. “They agreed.
“Plus our defense changed a little bit in the second half.”
The Hatters outscored the Pandas 20-13 in the third quarter and took a 35-32 lead into the final frame when Nazareth rallied to knot the score, setting the stage for an overtime period that saw the Hatters outscore the Pandas 8-1.
“They’re working so hard, and they’re learning how to win a little,” Sims said. “Tonight, I said to them in the first half – it was very close, but we were losing, and I said to them, ‘You guys are out there playing like you’re trying not to lose. Remember, we changed that. We’re out here to win.’
“And, boom, they just turned it around in the second half. They’re really fun to watch right now. They’re just doing a nice job.”
Nazareth 15-4-13-11-1 44
Hatboro-Horsham 8-7-20-8-8 51
Helton 2, Simms 10, Seifert 8, Mallon 4, Thornton 5, Quattro 22
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 46, OWEN J ROBERTS 38
Winning a tournament championship might not exactly have been what most would have predicted for a Patriot squad that lost its entire starting lineup to graduation and then saw one of its senior captains – Jess Chang – sidelined for the season after tearing her ACL.
Ignoring those who might have doubted they could succeed, the Patriots defeated the host Wildcats to capture the title of the Owen J. Roberts Tipoff Tournament.
“It’s such a great way to start off the year,” coach Liz Potash said. “It was a good weekend.”
Junior Kyra Scaliti earned tournament MVP honors, and her 15-point effort led the Patriots.
“She was on fire,” Potash said. “She hit a huge shot in the fourth quarter – it was a two-point game, and she hit a shot, and it was right on the line for a three. That put us up two possessions. The game was over at that point. It was huge momentum because we hadn’t hit a shot from the outside for a while.
“Aside from her scoring, which I knew she was capable of doing – she’s a junior, and we have her in a leadership position. Jess Chang was the other captain, and Jess went down. Jess is an excellent captain from the bench, but it’s a little bit different being on the floor.
“Not only is Krya a junior. Now she’s our only leader on the floor, and she does an outstanding job with it. A couple of times when we were just a little frazzled, she’s the one that got us composed. Those are things you need. These first two games she’s been like a coach on the floor. We couldn’t ask for anything more.”
The Patriots led 15-4 after one quarter and took a 26-13 lead into halftime.
“We got off to a big lead,” Potash said. “We were up 24-9 with two minutes to go in the second quarter.”
The Wildcats outscored the Patriots 16-5 in the third quarter to trail by just two heading into the final frame (31-29).
“They were right back in the game,” Potash said. “We went on a nice little run to end the game.
“We made some foul shots at the end when it mattered. I hate to keep talking about the youth, but they pulled themselves together two games now. For such a young team, they were very composed.”
No one was more composed than Bridget Birkhead, whose 14-point performance included an 8-for-11 effort from the foul line in the final minute and a half of the game to ice the win.
Grace Stewart added seven points, and freshman Bailey McManus gave the Patriots a lift.
“She gave us some really good minutes in the fourth quarter,” Potash said. “It was a really nice team win. The whole bench was into it. It was a nice way to start the season.”
Central Bucks East 15-11-5-15 46
Owen J Roberts 4-9-16-9 38
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 43, NOTRE DAME ACADEMY 24
Defense has been a trademark of Titan squads under coach Beth Mattern, and this year’s team is no exception. Sparked by a standout defensive effort, the Titans rolled to a win over Notre Dame to defend a title they owned at the Springfield-Delco Tournament. It was the Titans’ third tournament crown in the last four years.
“Notre Dame has three-four very good shooters and a nice post player inside,” Mattern said. “We played great defense.
“We put a lot of pressure on the basketball, and we just played solid defense with pressure, and we rebounded the ball well. It was a great win. If you had told me we would hold this team to 24 points, I would have been surprised because I think they’re better than what their score showed today, but our effort was outstanding on the court. We really held them in check. We did a very nice job executing on our end, and good things happened.”
Jordan Vitelli, who led the Titans with 13 points, was named tournament MVP.
“She made some great athletic moves and scored some timely baskets,” Mattern said. “We kind of fed off of it, just kind of taking offensively what they would give us, and that worked well.”
Emma Gardy, who had seven points, also earned a spot on the all-tournament team. Kaley Smith, Taylor Dunn and Chloe Entenberg each added five points for the Titans (2-0).
“It’s a very nice start for our team,” she said. “We’re very happy.”
The Titans will face Notre Dame again in a holiday tournament later this month.
“They’ll get another shot at us, and we’re going to have to be on our game for that one,” Mattern said. “
Central Bucks South 8-15-15-5 43
Notre Dame 4-5-7-8 24
PENNRIDGE 70, BENSALEM 33
The Lady Rams captured the title of their own tournament, opening up an early lead over the Owls and never looking back.
Shelby Schoonover led the Rams with 17 points while Devan Rimmer had 12.
For the Owls, Lyric Lewis and Kelsey Long both had 14 points. Lewis injured her back and saw very little playing time in the second and third quarters.
The Rams, who led 16-10 after one quarter, took a 29-18 lead into halftime. They outscored the Owls 20-4 in the third quarter to put the game completely out of reach.
Bensalem 10-8-4-11 33
Pennridge 16-13-20-21 70
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 51, UPPER DARBY 34
The Golden Hawks had just two reserves in Saturday’s consolation game of the Methacton Tournament. Allison Taub, who averaged close to a double-double last season, was sidelined with an injury she suffered in Friday night’s game. Sophomore Casey Schlupp suffered an injury in Saturday’s game and could not return.
In their absence, Shannon Taub more than picked up the slack, contributing 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists, which was good enough to lead the Golden Hawks to the win and also earn herself a spot on the all-tournament team.
“She’s so athletic,” coach Monica Stolic said. “She’s a state high jumper, so I put her at the front of the press. She’s long, and she does a good job.”
Also coming up big was junior Christiana Deo, who contributed eight points and 10 rebounds.
“She filled in for Allison in a starting role and did very well,” Stolic said. “It was a total team effort.”
The Golden Hawks (1-1) seized control of Saturday’s game from the outset, opening up a 20-0 lead and taking a 30-17 lead into halftime. Upper Darby never threatened.
Council Rock South 20-10-10-11 51
Upper Darby 5-12-6-10 34
WILLIAM TENNENT 48, PHOENIXVILLE 39
The Panthers picked up a win over the Phantoms in the consolation game of their own tournament. They opened up a 14-6 lead at the end of one quarter and withstood a 16-13 surge by the Phantoms in the second to go into halftime with a 27-22 lead. The Phantoms trimmed that lead to 32-31 heading into the final quarter when the Panthers closed it out with a 16-8 burst.
Kyla Gibson led the way for the Panthers with 15 points while Kelly Scipione added 12 points and Angie Pomponio, 11 points.
Phoenixville 6-16-9-8 39
William Tennent 14-13-5-16 48
BISHOP LOUGHLIN 52, ABINGTON 44
A Ghost squad projected to be one of the area’s best ran into a powerful Bishop Loughlin squad from the Bronx.
“It was a great test for us,” coach Dan Marsh said. “You don’t ever want to lose, but that team – especially defensively – is as good as any team we’re going to play. They’re very disciplined and very well coached.
“We stepped up our schedule strength this year because we wanted to be more ready for the playoffs. To me, that’s a playoff type team. If we want to go far, that’s the type of team we’re going to have to beat.”
The Ghosts trailed by as many as 14 in the fourth quarter but cut that lead to five with a minute and a half remaining.
“We missed a layup to cut it to three,” Marsh said. “It was kind of the theme of the night – missed layups and free throws, but we made a run at them which was nice.”
The Ghosts were 17-of-25 at the foul line, and they missed some easy shots in close, but some of the credit for that has to go to the Lady Lions, whose roster included gifted freshman and legitimate Division One prospect Zaria Dorsey.
For one half, it was anyone’s game as the Ghosts trailed by just four (18-14) at the end of a spirited first quarter and still trailed by a 24-20 score at halftime. The Ghosts endured an eight-minute scoring drought late in the half, but the Lady Lions weren’t doing a whole lot better as defense was the name of the game on both sides.
“We ended up having to spread the floor and penetrate,” Marsh said. “They’re so quick and long, and they play that three-two very well. It was tough to adjust to, but when we did adjust, we got what we wanted.
“Sometimes we didn’t finish it, or if we got fouled, we didn’t finish the free throws. It was a December performance offensively, for sure.”
Deja Rawls led the Ghosts with 18 points while Sammy Lochner added nine and Liz O'Leary, six points.
Bishop Loughlin 18-6-15-13 52
Abington 14-6-8-16 44
PERKIOMEN VALLEY 46, NORTH PENN 44
The defending district champions have a bulls eye painted on their backs this season, and opponents aren’t concerned whether the Maidens are shorthanded or at full strength. A win over North Penn is a big deal.
The Maidens were without standout sophomore guard Sam Carangi in both games of their season-opening tournament, and in Saturday’s loss, they were minus freshman Mia Melchior (injury) whose five points in the fourth quarter propelled the Maidens to a win over LC on Friday.
“When you have young kids that are not used to playing with each other and different parts, you go from your offseason stuff where you’re comfortable because there’s no pressure, and then you go to the game – it’s a big difference,” coach Maggie deMarteleire said.
The Maidens appeared to be in good shape after jumping out to a 21-10 lead at the end of one quarter, but they stumbled in the second quarter as they were outscored by the Vikings 21-5 to go into halftime trailing 31-26. The Vikings buried four three-pointers in the second quarter.
“In the first quarter, we were making the extra pass, and we were making all of our shots, but we were taking good shots,” deMarteleire said. “We were setting up our players in positions where they can score.
“Last night that only happened in the fourth quarter, and today it only happened in the first quarter. We were pressing and then we took the press off, and we kind of let down. I’m still trying to figure things out myself.
“Perk Valley played very, very aggressive.”
PV’s KT Armstrong, fresh off a 32-point effort on Friday, was held in check, scoring just 13 points, but she still was effective.
“She did a great job of knowing when to shoot and when to dish and setting her teammates up in a positions where they were successful,” deMarteleire said.
Sophomore Jess Huber led the Maidens with 12 points, and senior Taylor Thames added 10 points. Irisa Yi and Taylor Putnam each scored six points while Bri Hewlett and Mikaela Giuliani both added five to round out the scoring for the Maidens (1-1).
North Penn 21-5-11-7 44
Perkiomen Valley 10-21-10-5 46
WILLIAM ALLEN 58, QUAKERTOWN 49
The Panthers hung tough against William Allen, battling back from a 21-15 deficit to make it a 30-29 game at halftime. The score was deadlocked 44-44 heading into the final frame when William Allen closed it out with a 14-5 run.
Junior guard Meghan Klee led the Panthers which 12 points while sophomores Jill Martin and Marina Cooke both added nine. Junior Spenser Gray had six.
Quakertown 15-14-15-5 49
William Allen 21-9-14-14 58
ALLENTOWN CENTRAL CATHOLIC 47, SOUDERTON 26
Allentown Central Catholic is a perennial district and state power at the Class AA level. The Vikings entered the 2014-15 season ranked 10th, and on Saturday, they showed the Indians why they are so highly regarded.
Souderton managed just two points on each of the first two quarter as the Vikings opened up a 23-4 halftime lead in the title game of the First Annual Souderton Tipoff Tournament.
Souderton found its offensive stride in the second half, scoring 22 points while the Vikings scored 24.
Krista Schneider led the Indians with 12 points and earned a spot on the all-tournament team. Olivia Kaunert had seven and Marissa Sandone, five. Allentown Central Catholic’s Alyssa Mack, who scored 14 points, was the tournament MVP.
Allentown Central Catholic 16-7-18-6 47
Souderton 2-2-10-12 26
Krista Schneider 5 0-0 12; Alana Cardona 1 0-0 2; Olivia Kaunert 3 0-0 7; Marissa Sandone 1 2-2 5.
MORRISVILLE 56, HARRY S TRUMAN 46
The Tigers came up short in their bid to defend a Bristol Tournament title they owned. Freshman Darnella McMillan once again led the Tigers with 13 points while Daeja Moore added nine and Sabria Lytes had eight. Jayda Campbell and Jasmyn Wilson both had five points for the Tigers (1-1).
PHIL-MONT CHRISTIAN 45, SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 41
Sophomore Molly Dugan scored 18 points to lead the Spartans while teammates Jayla Greene and Maura Ryan both scored six points. It wasn’t enough to defeat neighboring Phil-Mont in the title game of the Oreland Lions Tournament.
NORRISTOWN 49, WESTTOWN 35
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 29, WISSAHICKON 19
LANSDALE CATHOLIC 41, PENNSBURY 19
ABINGTON 45, BALDWIN SCHOOL 36 (Friday, Dec. 5)
The Ghosts led by as many as 20 points in the second half on their way to a win in the opening round of their own tournament.
"They had a 6-5 girl, and we like to attack the rim, especially Deja (Rawls) and Sammy Lochner, and they did a good job of stopping our penetration," coach Dan Marsh said. "Our bigs ended up taking over.
"Leah (Simmons) and Lizzie (O'Leary) really dominated inside, so I was really happy with that. It was definitely a first game play-wise. We could be a lot cleaner, we could be a lot smoother, but the effort was there. I'm very happy with the attitude they have coming into the year and their hard work."
Leah Simmons led a balanced attack with 11 points and eight rebounds. Deja Rawls had nine points and four steals. Liz O'Leary had eight points, eight rebounds and five blocks.
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