Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Saturday.
Jim Church Classic
SOUDERTON 48, WILLIAM TENNENT 44
It’s just the third game of the season for the Indians, but they already had reason to celebrate. On Saturday, they captured the title of their own tournament and equaled their win total of the entire season last year.
“It didn’t occur to me until after I left (the school) that we equaled our win total from last season,” said Souderton coach Lynn Carroll after her team picked up its second win of the young season. “If I had remembered, I would have mentioned it to the girls.
“I’m really happy for them. Last season under difficult circumstances, they could not have been better – positive attitudes, they showed up every day trying to get better, and then they put in the work in the offseason.”
While Friday’s win over Dock was a rout, Saturday’s game was not. The Indians needed some late-game heroics from Julia Purvy after the Panthers rallied to even the score 44-44. With the Panthers in the bonus, Purvy was a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line down the stretch.
From the outset, it was anyone’s game. The Indians, who trailed 8-6 after one quarter, rallied to even the score 19-19 at halftime. Purvy and Emily Dick led the Indians with eight points each in the half. Avery Kocur’s eight points led the Panthers.
It was still a tie game heading into the fourth quarter, and not a whole lot changed in the fourth, setting the stage for Purvy’s clutch effort at the line.
While Purvy’s 20 points led the Indians, Dick added 13. For the Panthers, Kocur and Meg Volz led the way with 14 points each while Hollie Staub added nine.
Key stretch: Sophomore Julia Purvy was clutch when it mattered most, sinking 4 of 4 from the foul line in the game’s final minute to break a 44-44 tie and propel the Indians to the victory in Saturday’s title game.
Player of the game: Purvy – whose 20 points led all players – was named tournament MVP.
Souderton coach Lynn Carroll: “It was up and down again, and it came down to the wire, and it was just a solid team effort.
“We had a stretch where we gave up multiple offensive rebounds on consecutive possessions. (Meg) Volz was really going hard for them on the offensive glass. Part of that is other people needing to step into Keira Fadden’s role there. We have to be a little bit better.”
–Props: “In the first half, Emily Dick really, really played well. She had six points in the second quarter. It was the Julia and Emily show the first half. Julia was attacking the basket really well, getting good looks. Emily was in a little bit of foul trouble, and she sat most of the third quarter. There were stretches where we struggled to score, but Alaina (Picard) and Madison (Bealer) came up big. They each hit a 3 in the quarter.
“Emily finished with 13, Julia finished with a career high 20 points, and she was just great again. She plays 32 minutes, and she plays all out for all 32 minutes.
“Madison (Bealer) has taken over the role of defensive stopper. Who Keira Fadden would typically guard is going to be Madison for the foreseeable future. She’s another kid that just goes all out and is determined to get a stop. She takes a ton of pride in her defense, and it shows. What coach doesn’t love that from a player.”
–More props: “We’re getting really solid minutes from Avie Sacor off the bench. She’s still kind of getting comfortable, and the more comfortable she gets and the more minute she gets – she’s just going to get better and better.
“Olivia Herron is playing a ton of minutes. She’s pretty much guaranteed to be the smallest player on the court no matter who is on the court, but she doesn’t play that way. Alaina Picard hit two 3s again for us tonight. She hit a shot in the third quarter when we really needed one. We’re getting contributions from everybody. It’s great.”
–Busy offseason pays dividends: “We played a ton of basketball. We were playing four games a week in June, and everybody was showing up.
“It’s paying off. Last year was a start of it, and Brooke Fenchel helped a tremendous amount to get us to where we are right now. I’m just really happy for them. They look like a basketball team, they look like they know how to play, they’re having fun, they’re working hard, they’re a great group to coach, and they were last year too. They’re excited, and I’m excited for them.”
William Tennent coach Laura Whitney: “Not the result we were hoping for, but there’s a lot of positives to take away from these first two games. We’re going to learn from today, and it will help us get better. Credit to Souderton, they’re a tough team. Lynn does a great job of having her girls prepared and they play the right way. Number 2 Purvy and number 21 Dick are nice players, and we had a tough time containing them at times.
“Despite a slow start and not really playing well the first half, we found ourselves tied at halftime. I thought the second half we found more of a rhythm and battled.
“I was really impressed with the grit we showed the last two days as a young team. In both games, we faced a little adversity and could have easily folded the tent and packed it in, but our girls didn’t quit. Friday we were able to close out the game, but unfortunately today we came up short. We managed to tie it up with just over 35 seconds left and then made a mental mistake and fouled. Purvy made two big free throws to put them back up two. We had a couple looks at the end but couldn’t capitalize.”
–Props: “Avery Kocur led the way again with 14 and fought through a lot of pressure all game long. She was named to the All-Tournament team.
“Meg Volz for the second straight game was a force the second half and showed a lot of toughness. She was also named to All-Tournament team.”
Up next: Souderton (2-1) will host Quakertown for a non-league game Tuesday when the Indians will celebrate Staff Appreciation Night. William Tennent (1-1) will travel to Council Rock North for a non-league game Tuesday.
William Tennent 8-11-15-10 44
Souderton 6-13-15-14 48
William Tennent (44) –Aubrey Lynch 1 0-0 2; Avery Kocur 5 4-4 14; Carissa Malpezzi 1 0-0 2; Hollie Staub 2 5-8 9; Giada Cosenza 1 0-2 3; Megan Volz 6 2-4 14; TOTALS 16 11-16 44.
Souderton (48) – Julia Purvy 6 8-12 20; Oliva Herron 1 0-0 2; Madison Bealer 2 0-0 5; Avie Sackor 0 2-2 2; Alaina Picard 2 0-0 6; Emily Dick 6 1-2 13; TOTALS 17 11-16 48.
3-point goals: WT – Cosenza; S – Alaina Picard 2, Madison Bealer.
Lower Merion Tipoff Tournament
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 51, LOWER MERION 34
AJ Avery was on top of her game in Saturday’s title game, scoring 10 of her game-high 16 points after halftime to ignite an inspired second half performance by the Colonials. PW actually trailed 25-23 at halftime and came out of halftime to outscore the Aces 27-9 in the second half to win going away.
Key stretch: The second half was the story in this one. In addition to Avery’s big second half, Joslyn Perez scored seven points in a 15-5 third-quarter tear by the Colonials.
Players of the Game: AJ Avery scored a game-high 16 points & Emily Meersman finished with a double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds)
Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Dan Dougherty: “It was a great team effort tonight, our 11-person rotation eventually wore down Lower Merion. The first half was very physical, we committed too many turnovers and missed several open shots and free throws.”
–Props: “I want to credit McKenna Winland with taking three charges on the night, which really fired the team up and helped us get through a difficult stretch. In the second half, AJ Avery 
returned to the form from last year that makes her an all-league caliber player. She had great finishes at the basket, handled the double teams Lower Merion kept running at her, and led the team to victory.
“All night, despite being very overmatched physically, Eliza Meersman was a dominant presence on the glass, pulling down 13 rebounds to go along with her 11 points. Joslyn Perez knocked down a clutch 3 and had a personal seven-point run in the third quarter when we were able to seize the game.
“Congratulations to Kenna Winland (8 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals tonight) for being named to the All-Tournament team.”
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh (3-0) will host Quakertown in its SOL opener on Thursday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 10-13-16-12 51
Lower Merion 14-11-5-4 34
Plymouth Whitemarsh (51) – Joslyn Perez 3 0-2 7; Olivia Patete 3 0-0 6; AJ Avery 6 5-10 17; McKenna Winland 3 2-2 8; Emily Meersman 3 5-6 11; Grace Harvey 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 18 14-22 51.
Lower Merion (34) – Major 1 0-2 2; Kasner 3 0-0 6; Wang 2 0-0 6; ;Braslow 5 0-0 11; Walters 4 1-3 9; TOTALS 15 1-5 34.
3-point goals: PW – Joslyn Perez; LM – Wang 2, Braslow.
Pennridge Tournament
PENNRIDGE 61, VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 45
Ella Brown had herself a career day.
The senior sharpshooter scored a game-high 36 points in a brilliant offensive effort to lead the Lady Rams to their second win in as many days. Brown was a catalyst in a 23-point second quarter when she scored 17 points, which included a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line, a 3-pointer and five two-point goals.
The Lady Rams led 33-29 at halftime and maintained their torrid offensive pace in the second half while limiting the Jems to just 16 points on their way to the win.
Key stretch: The Lady Rams took a four-point lead into the fourth quarter when they outscored their visitors 14-6 and connected on 12 of 12 from the foul line.
Player of the Game: Ella Brown was in a league of her own, scoring a game-high 36 points that included a perfect 16-for-16 effort at the charity stripe.
Pennridge coach Jason Rapp: “Really proud of the effort and toughness from our girls tonight. We hope that continues.
“We talked about the importance of being a solid free throw shooting team, they stepped up and made 27 of 28.”
–Props: “Ella Brown was unbelievable again tonight. She was really aggressive and was able to convert at the free throw line.
“Emily DeHaven hit two huge 3s in the third quarter when Villa was cutting into our lead. Layla Verbit and Arianne Lauf really did a nice job guarding their big. Sam Murphy and Madison Lapp did a fantastic job disrupting their guards.”
Next up: Pennridge (2-0) will travel to Council Rock South for a non-league game Tuesday.
Villa Joseph Marie 13-16-10-6 45
Pennridge 10-23-14-14 61
Villa Joseph Marie (45) – R.Deal 5 2-3 15; S.Houseman 1 0-0 3; G.Pizzica 4 0-0 8; H. Dickson 3 0-0 7; A.Akright 2 2-2 6; L.Jasionis 2 0-0 6; TOTALS 17 4-5 45.
Pennridge (61) – Ella Brown 9 16-16 36; Arianne Lauf 0 2-2 2; Emily DeHaven 2 2-2 8; Madison Lapp 2 2-2 6; Layla Verbit 2 5-6 9; TOTALS 15 27-28 61.
3-point goals: VJM – R.Deal 3, L. Jasionis 2, H.Dickson, S.Houseman; P – Ella Brown 2, Emily DeHaven 2.
WISSAHICKON 41, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 38
(Additional information will be added when received)
Maura Jacob hit a clutch 3-pointer to give the Trojans a 39-38 lead, and Julia Lettieri hit a pair of foul shots to seal the big win.
Up next: Wissahickon (1-1) will host Upper Moreland on Tuesday for a non-league game, and Council Rock North (0-2) will host William Tennent Tuesday.
Bristol Tournament
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 40, KENNETT 33
Behind the hot hand of freshman Mary Tresler – who scored eight first-quarter points, the Lions opened up a 16-7 lead after one quarter. They still led 26-18 at the intermission, and despite managing just four points in the third quarter, the Lions were able to maintain their lead and hold on for the win.
Emily Wilson’s 11 points led a balanced Lions’ attack. Kayla Fennell added 10, and Tresler had nine.
New Hope-Solebury coach Andy Krasna “We jumped on Kennett with a tremendous first quarter and showed great energy. In practice, we are focusing on doing a better job with defensive rebounding, and our team showed significant improvement from our previous outing. No ordinary freshman, Mary Tresler had eight points in the opening quarter and a bunch of rebounds. You can see Mary’s confidence growing each week that goes by.
“Ella Dudick was crashing the boards and was as active as we have seen her this season to date. Ella was slashing to the basket and was an offensive threat all game adding a productive nine points.
“With all that said, we don’t win this game without a huge effort from Emily Wilson. She disrupted most of what Kennett was trying to do on offense. Emily came up with timely buckets, and she jumped the passing lanes for steals which helped to keep Kennett at bay. Kayla Fennell followed our game plan perfectly and was able to contain Quinn Simmons from Kennett who can score from well beyond the 3-point line. It was clear that Kennett was focused on slowing down Izzy Elizondo. Izzy made Kennett pay for all the attention she was receiving. She didn’t force shots but, instead, took advantage of drawing multiple defenders and finding her teammates. She also made a 3-quarter court shot to end the first half that fired up our team heading into the locker room.”
Up next: New Hope-Solebury (2-0) will face Upper Moreland in Sunday’s title game, and the Lions will host Springfield Twp in Friday’s SOL opener..
New Hope-Solebury 16-10-4-10 40
Kennett 7-11-9-6 33
New Hope-Solebury (40) – Kayla Fannell 5, Izzy Elizondo 5, Emily Wilson 11, Mary Tresler 10, Ella Dudick 9.
Kennett (33) – Laki Frazier 9, Quinn Simone, Laki Frazier, Sarah Mullin; 8, Sarah Mullin 7, Ariana Peterson 3, Mackenzie Kelly 2, Ellie Harper 2, Ciara Gately 2.
3-point goals: NH-S -Izzy Elizondo, Emily Wilson; K – Quinn Simone
UPPER MORELAND 46, BRISTOL 6
Downington East Tipoff Tournament
DOWNINGTOWN EAST 41, BENSALEM 38
The Owls, who led 12-8 after one quarter, took a 22-18 lead into halftime. They still held a tenuous 31-30 lead heading into the final quarter when they were outscored 12-7 by the Cougars.
“This is a good learning experience,” Bensalem coach Steve Johnson said.
Talia DiMichele scored 15 points with 10 of those coming in the second half to keep the Owls close.
Up next: Bensalem (0-2) is off until next Friday when the Owls will host Council Rock North in their SOL opener.
Bensalem 12-10-9-7 38
Downingtown East 8-10-12-11 41
Bensalem (38) – Talia DiMichele 15, Devon Bell 3, Adriana Jenkins 2, Grace McShane 8, Mary Beck 5, Sydney Daut 4, Jordyn Bell 1.
Downingtown East (41) – Charlotte Aldridge 15, Chloe Hunold 16, Jaiz Boyd 1, Kendall Chiavelli 5, Grace Hodges 4.
3-point goals: B -Talia DiMichele 2, Grace McShane, Mary Beck, Devon Bell ; DE – Aldridge, Hunold, Chiavelli.
Non-league
SCRANTON PREP 52, UPPER DUBLIN 40
The Cardinals – sparked by four 3-pointers from Bridget DiMartile – battled a powerful Scranton Prep squad to a 19-19 halftime tie. Then came a third quarter that saw the Cavaliers erupt for 21 points that included five 3-pointers to go on top 40-27 on their way to the non-league win.
DiMartile connected on all five shots she took in Saturday’s game and finished with a team-high 14 points. She also had six rebounds. Tamia Clark added 13 points and four rebounds while Emilia Coleman stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, 10 rebounds, six assists, five deflections, five steals and one block.
For the Cavaliers, senior Jenna Hillebrand had a game-high 22 points, which included six 3-pointers. She had three 3s in the Cavaliers’ third quarter explosion and poured in 14 points in the second half.
Upper Dublin coach Morgan Funsten: “We took on an experienced team who returned all five starters from a team who played in the state championship last year. Down 14-6 in the second quarter we went on a 10-0 run, sparked by four first-half 3s by Bridget DiMartile.
“The turning point was the third quarter when we were outscored 21-8. We played with good energy all game but struggled to shoot the ball (with the exception of Bridget in the first half), while Scranton Prep was amazing, shooting 11 for 15 (73.3%) from 3-point range for the game.
–Positives in loss: “There are a lot of positives to take out of the game. Bridget DiMartile was hot shooting the ball, Emilia Coleman’s energy was off the charts, and her basketball IQ is through the roof. Tamia Clark started a little slow but finished strong as well. I definitely think we played better today than we did in our first game. Our group of girls is hungry to get better and that’s we will try to do starting Monday.”
Next up: Upper Dublin (1-1) will travel to Cheltenham for a non-league game Tuesday.
Upper Dublin 6-13-8-13 40
Scranton Prep 9-10-21-12 52
Upper Dublin (40) – Bridget DiMartile 5 0-0 14; Tamia Clark 5 2-2 13; Megan Ngo 0 2-2 2; Lexi Ngo 1 0-0 3; Emilia Coleman 4 0-0 8; TOTALS 15 4-4 40.
Scranton Prep (52) – Ashlyn Moore 0 2-2 2; Maya Jenkins 2 1-3 6; Trinity Litts 1 0-0 3; Claire McGrath 2 2-4 7; Jenna Hillebrand 7 2-2 22; Chloe Mamera 2 0-0 4; Bella Dennebaun 3 0-0 8; TOTALS 17 7-11 52.
3-point goals: UD – Bridget DiMartile 4, Tamia Clark, Lexi Ngo; SP – Jenna Hillebrand 6, Bella Dennebaum 2, Maya Jenkins, Trinity Litts, Claire McGrath.
About the Author
