Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. To view photos of the Wissahickon/Pennridge game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
PENNRIDGE 58, WISSAHICKON 30
Lydia Konstanzer was sidelined for the Lady Rams’ season-opening tournament due to illness, but the junior forward returned to the lineup with a vengeance Tuesday, leading the Rams with 18 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
“Lydia Konstanzer had a really explosive game offensively,” coach Lindsey Tennett said. “She was just making shot after shot. It was nice because we missed her the past two games. It definitely sparked us.”
With the win, the Rams improved to 3-0 on the young season.
“This year, our layups are going in, and we have an outside game,” Tennett said. “Shelby Schoonover and Devan Rimmer hit a couple of outside three’s for us, and that pulls the defense out, and it opens up the middle for our post players. It’s nice that we have an all-around game this year. Instead of just focusing on the outside shooting, it’s everything.”
Once again, the Rams were propelled by their defense.
“That’s what we always harp on – play good defense, and you’re going to win,” Tennett said. “We’ve been playing a diamond press, and this year we’re smaller but we’re quicker, and that’s something that’s really an advantage for us.
“The more we get the ball – run and gun, and even if we miss, we get back on defense. We’ve just been finishing. In years past, we’ve gotten opportunities, but we never knew how to finish.”
It also didn’t hurt that the Rams dominated the backboards, outrebounding their hosts by a 34-21 margin. Schoonover added seven rebounds to go along with 10 points while Rimmer had eight points and three rebounds. Kaeli White added seven points, three steals and three assists.
“The past couple of games both Devan Rimmer and Shelby Schoonover offensive-wise have been leading us, but Kaeli White is always a big key person for us,” Tennett said. “She doesn’t really score that much, but she does all the little things like boxing out. She sets up our team. She does all the little things right.”
The Rams returned the nucleus of last year’s team.
“Most of them grew up playing Deep Run together,” Tennett said. “Our starting core have been on the same team since elementary school.
“Most of them started last year, and it’s great because it will be pretty much the same core next year.”
UPPER MERION 47, PENN WOOD 45
The Vikings found themselves staring at a 13-point deficit in the third quarter, but they were unfazed, rallying for the remarkable come-from-behind win.
“I think the girls are starting to figure out who we can be,” coach Tom Schurtz said. “What I like a lot about what I’m seeing this year is we’re getting a lot more balanced scoring than we’ve had in years past.
“We just sort of kept plugging along. What I was most encouraged about was after taking a really tough loss against Merion Mercy (on Sunday) when we were up 13 in the third – we had four people foul out, and it was one of those games where 58 total fouls were called, but the girls just put that behind us – we can’t control that. We’re just going to play what’s in front of us and play as hard as we can, and they did.”
Regie Robinson had a big night for the Vikings, finishing with 18 points while Tatiana Pleasant had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Making Pleasant’s performance even more impressive was the fact that she did it playing against forward Dahney Redd, who led all scorers with 22 points.
“I don’t care what anybody says – she is clearly one of the best players in the district,” Schurtz said of Redd. “She can elevate and shoot over you, and high school girls can’t do that. She gets in the paint and you have good position – it doesn’t matter.
“She is unbelievable, but I thought Tatiana, on both ends of the floor, was really the key to today’s game. She was just unwavering on defense against an unbelievably strong power forward.”
The Vikings’ comeback began when Pleasant converted a three-point play to trim Penn Wood’s lead to 10, and by the end of the third quarter, the deficit had been trimmed to 36-29.
“We tied the game with five minutes to go and then just played back and forth basketball the last five minutes and were able to hold them off to win by two,” Schurtz said. “I thought the girls really adjusted.
“We got balanced scoring, and we moved the ball. Despite being down, they never really blinked. They just said, ‘Okay, we’ll keep plugging along.’”
Anna Davis added six points and provided solid play at point guard.
“I’m really proud of Anna Davis,” Schurtz said. “She’s been playing on a pretty beat up ankle, and she was huge for us tonight.
“It wasn’t so much in the box score but just her calming influence on the offense. She had six assists, which really helped. Anna played point today because they were playing a junk defense against Regie. We made adjustments all game long.”
Penn Wood 12-11-13-9 45
Upper Merion 11-8-10-18 47
PENNSBURY 36, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 29 (OT)
The Falcons staged a heroic late-game comeback, erasing a four-point PW lead with two minutes remaining in regulation to go up by two with 20 seconds showing on the scoreboard clock.
PW freshman guard Ali Diamond, who was fouled with five seconds to go, calmly knocked down a pair to send the game into overtime.
The Falcons owned OT, shutting out the Colonials. They took a lead they would not lose when Amy Blazjewski scored off the opening tap.
“For us, this was big because I really only have one girl that played varsity time last year,” coach Keith Gabor said. “It’s a completely new group.
“We have a lot of athletes – I have a lot of soccer, volleyball and lacrosse players, and basketball is not their first sport. The challenge now is – can we bring all that athleticism together and make it work for us on the basketball court.”
The dramatic win came on the heels of a pair of losses in the North Penn Maidens’ Tournament this weekend.
“We were in a really tough tournament,” Gabor said. “I think it was good because it opened our eyes how we need to play.
“I told them after tonight – we need to take baby steps. We had some major growing pains Friday and Saturday, but we’re starting to get an idea, and the big thing is the girls are getting confidence. It’s a work in progress.”
Sarah Atunruse had seven points and six rebounds.
“She was big in rebounding,” Gabor said.
Niasia Boone led a balanced Falcon attack with nine points and five rebounds. Abby Wick scored eight points and was 4-for-4 from the foul line.
“Abby was able to beat a lot of the Plymouth Whitemarsh guards off the dribble, and she was able to finish or she was able to dish off to Sarah,” Gabor said. “Abby did a lot on the offensive end.
“On the defensive end, she basically managed us in our matchup zone. She was excellent in terms of getting people where they needed to be and communicating that. She was like the floor general tonight.”
The Colonials led 10-6 after one quarter only to watch the Falcons go on a 10-2 tear in the second to take a 16-12 lead into halftime. Neither team generated much offense in a third quarter that saw both score just four points, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
“We played good defense,” Gabor said. “They were shooting a lot of three’s, and we just stayed in our matchup zone.
“I always tell the kids – just play the percentages. If they’re taking three’s, that’s a lower percentage shot than a layup. We just stayed in our zone and tried to get out on shooters, and hopefully, they don’t fall. We stuck to it, and luckily for us, some of their shots didn’t fall.”
Alynna Williams led the Colonials with 13 points while Diamond finished with seven.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 10-2-4-13-0 29
Pennsbury 6-10-4-9-7 36
UPPER DUBLIN 44, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 26
The Flying Cardinals were eager to take the court after losing Friday night’s season opener when Central cancelled. They were especially eager to face the Patriots after last year’s 18-15 district loss to East.
“We played them in the playoffs and now we played them in the first game this season, so I feel like for the last 10 months the only team I worried about was CB East,” coach Morgan Funsten said. “We know each other pretty well at this point, and it’s nice to be able to think about a team other than them for our next game.”
Sparked by a standout defensive effort and the strong showing of Julie Cross in the paint, the Flying Cardinals had the better of play from the outset. Cross finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds while Josie Barrett added 11 points and five steals.
“Julie overall was really solid,” said Funsten, whose team took an 18-7 lead into halftime. “Teams are going to struggle to score inside against us because of her – not just the way she blocks shots but the way she alters shots.”
Cross had nine points and 10 rebounds in the opening half, but she had plenty of help.
“I thought the key in the first half was Josie Barrett who made three three’s,” Funsten said. “Allison Chernow wasn’t shooting as well as she normally does.
“We needed somebody to step up, and Josie had nine points on three three’s.
“In the second half, they made a run at us, and once again, we had some new players step up and hit big shots. Demi Balasa made a two from the corner that kind of slowed the momentum, and then a freshman, Maggie Weglos, made back-to-back three’s in the third quarter as they were making a run to stretch the lead out to 14. That deflated them a lot, and from there, we did a nice job of closing the game out.”
Upper Dublin 11-7-13-13 44
Central Bucks East 4-3-10-9 26
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 61, NESHAMINY 25
Nicole Munger had a huge game for the Bucks, finishing with a double-double and coming close to a triple-double. The senior point guard had 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals while teammate Mackenzie Carroll also had a huge night, contributing 16 points and seven rebounds. Both players had three three-pointers on a night that saw the Bucks (2-0) connect on seven shots from beyond the arc.
Makenzie Mason also finished in double figures with 10 points while Corrinne Godshall chipped in with six for the Bucks, who led 22-12 after one period and took a 33-17 lead into halftime.
For the Redskins (1-1), Devon Storms led the way with 10 points while Maddie Murray added nine.
Central Bucks West 22-11-18-10 61
Neshaminy 12-5-6-2 25
WILLIAM TENNENT 49, SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 34
The Panthers opened up a 13-5 lead after one quarter and took a 22-13 lead into halftime on their way to the non-league win.
Angie Pomponio led the way offensively for Tennent (2-1) with 15 points. Sarah Richie scored eight points while Alyssa Christiansen, Kyla Gibson and Nicole Long each added six points.
For the Spartans (1-2), Jewell Ringgold led the way with 11 points, and Maura Ryan added nine points. Jayla Greene chipped in five points.
William Tennent 13-9-16-11 49
Springfield 5-8-10-11 34
ABINGTON 61, SOUDERTON 23
Liz O’Leary was a force in the paint for the Ghosts in Tuesday’s non-league win. The sophomore center finished with a double-double, contributing 15 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four assists. Deja Rawls had 17 points and three steals while Leah Simmons added 12 points.
The Ghosts (2-1) got the job done on both ends of the court, limiting the Indians (1-2) to single digits in each of the four quarters while scoring in double digits in all four quarters. They led 13-8 at the end of one quarter and then put some distance between themselves and the Indians with a 12-4 second quarter to go into halftime with a 25-12 lead.
Souderton, which boasts an entirely new lineup this year, was led by the six-point effort of Marissa Sandone while freshman Tori Dowd had five points.
NORTH PENN 45, DOWNINGTOWN WEST 41
Sparked by the inspired play of Mikaela Giuliani, the shorthanded Maidens – now minus three of their top eight players – gutted out an impressive road win. The junior center had 12 points, 21 rebounds and six blocked shots.
“Mikaela had a monster game,” said coach Maggie deMarteleire, who was without Sam Carangi, Mia Melchoir and Jess Huber (injuries). “The kids really dug deep tonight. It really was a gut check for the kids. I really was proud of them. I said this was a character win for us.”
The Maidens took a 15-10 lead into the second quarter when they suddenly couldn’t get any shots to fall. They scored just four points and trailed 25-15 at the intermission.
“We couldn’t finish any shots, and defensively – Maddie Dew scored 22 points for them, and she scored a lot in the first half,” deMarteleire said. “We made some adjustments, and I really felt like the kids did a really good job of making adjustments on the fly.
“Irisa Ye did a nice job defending Maddie Dew in the second half.”
The Maidens (2-1) outscored the Whippets 15-10 in the third quarter and 26-16 in the second half to earn the big win.
Ye led the Maidens offensively with 14 points. Freshman Taylor Putnam, in her first varsity start, added 11.
“Everybody did well tonight,” deMarteleire said. “Taylor Thames busted her tail, and in the second half, she started attacking the basket.
“She had shots that were rimming in and out, but she did have five points, and she battled and took care of the ball and played really, really hard. Everybody played well. It just was an overall team effort with our dwindling numbers. It was a good win for us.
North Penn 15-4-15-11 45
Downingtown West 10-15-10-6 41
BENSALEM 56, LITTLE FLOWER 31
Lyric Lewis scored 24 points to lead the Owls to the convincing non-league win. Kelsey Long and Taylor Ferris both had eight points while Samantha Werth spent the night setting up her teammates, dishing out 12 assists. She also had five blocks and three steals.
The Owls (2-1) seized control of this one early, outscoring their visitors 18-6 in the first quarter. They led 30-16 at halftime and never looked back.
Little Flower 6-10-13-2 31
Bensalem 18-12-13-13 56
NESHAMINY 63, CONWELL-EGAN 21 (Monday, Dec. 8)
The Redskins owned Monday’s non-league opener from the opening tap. They led 20-2 at the end of one quarter and took a 32-11 lead into halftime.
“I think the kids did what they had to do,” coach Joe Lally said. “From that perspective, I’m proud of them.”
Maddie Murray and Morgan Goldenbaum both finished the game with double-doubles. Murray led the way with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five steals while Goldenbaum had 11 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals. Freshman Thyra Tuttle was impressive in her varsity debut, finishing with 11 points, which included three three-pointers.
Conwell-Egan 2-9-6-4 21
Neshaminy 20-12-14-17 63
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