Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. CB East/CB West photos courtesy of Tracy Valko, Upper Dublin/Quakertown photos courtesy of Troy Leatherbury, and New Hope-Solebury/Cheltenham photos courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for galleries of both games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f226313402 (Hatboro-Horsham photos courtesy of Diane Waeltz/HH girls’ basketball)
SOL Patriot Division
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 55, BENSALEM 36
The Owls took a 25-19 lead into halftime only to watch it disappear in a third quarter that saw the visiting Golden Hawks – behind nine points from Lil Metrick – go on a 20-5 tear to seize control of the game. The Hawks outscored the Owls 36-11 in the second half.
“The girls deserve a lot of credit,” Rock South coach Blair Klumpp said. “SOL opener on the road against a team who has always played us tough for the most part in previous years – I think we got down 23-8 at one point and then we chipped away a bit, made a nice run into half, and they carried over into the third.
“To Bensalem’s credit, they came out ready to play and with some energy. Amber (Howard) and Kylie (Smith) played to their strengths really well in first half. Our attention to detail wasn’t very sharp and they took advantage. Steve (Johnson) does such a good job with that group. He has so much energy and positivity that the girls feed off of. I have a lot of respect for him, as a coach and person – his teams play hard.”
Howard led the Owls’ first-half charge with 12 points
“Amber has improved in her game and will continue to get better,” Klumpp said of Howard. “We tried to make her work as much as possible on both ends. We tried to take charges (got one) and got a big over-the-back call – two things we emphasized in the scout prep.
“Our girls deserve a lot of credit for listening to our talking points at half and our adjustment defensively. I think our depth played a role tonight. We were able to keep throwing fresh bodies at them. To hold them to two field goals and 11 points in the second half is a credit to our girls. We had a really good practice on Thursday, and it didn’t pay dividends early, but I think as they game went on and we picked up our intensity and competed, we separated ourselves a bit. It’s always good to win, especially on the road in our division.”
Metrick’s 17 points led the golden Hawks and Fiona Reckner – who had a pair of 3s – also finished in double figures with 10 points. Cam Gregory added eight points while Karisa Smedley had seven.
“Our balance was good tonight – I think it speaks to our depth and overall talent,” Klumpp said. “Our two senior captains – Jess Mangoni and Karissa Smedley – did a good job of not forcing things tonight and early on probably needed them to be a little more aggressive and definitely more vocal. I pulled Smed early and challenged her to consistently do what we do. She responded late in the first half and early in the second half.
“Lil Metrick and Fiona Reckner played really strong games for extended stretches. Metrick has a real cerebral feel to her game, and it showed tonight – she really lets the game come to her. Fiona did a great job of playing to her advantage on matchups and did what we wanted her to do in specific situations. I thought KP (Katie Purpura) brought energy in first half when we were flat. KP and Darcy (Leight) struggled with foul trouble and couldn’t find a rhythm, but their engagement on the bench along with Jess and Smed’s leadership when not in the game was noticeable.
“Kat (O’Kane) and Lily Bross were pretty effective in our pressure in the third quarter and sped them up into turnovers. LB (Lily Bross) was very effective defensively and Kat did a better job getting us in a flow in the second half. Additionally, Cam Gregory played within herself and had some good takes and good passes over the stretch of our big run. She also had a nice stretch on Amber when we wanted to move Fi off of her too. As a group, once we showed a trust in one another to get to an advantage or matchup we wanted, things started to click a bit.”
Howard’s 17 points led the Owls while Kylie Smith added nine, which included a 6-for-8 effort at the foul line.
“We had a very strong first quarter, and an even stronger first half of the second quarter,” Bensalem coach Steve Johnson said. “After that, we lost our edge. Only so much you can do. When South starts hitting threes, they’re one of the best teams around. Hats off to Lil Metrik. She has to be one of the best shooters in the entire SOL.”
Council Rock South (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Neshaminy Tuesday, and Bensalem (0-2, 0-1) will travel to Council Rock North.
Council Rock South 8-11-20-16 55
Bensalem 9-16-5-6 36
CR South (55): Kathryn O’Kane 1 2-2 4; Liliana Metrick 6 1-2 17; Lily Bross 1 0-2 3; Katie Purpura 1 0-0 2; Cam Gregory 3 2-2 8; Fiona Reckner 3 2-3 10; Karissa Smedley 2 3-4 7; Jess Mangoni 1 1-4 4; TOTALS 18 11-19 55.
Bensalem (36) – Talia DiMichele 1 1-3 3; Mikayla Donahue 1 1-2 4; Devon Bell 1 0-0 3; Sydney McCoy 0 0-1 0; Kylie Smith 1 6-8 9; Amber Howard 6 4-10 17; TOTALS 10 12-24 36.
3-point goals: CR South – Liliana Metrick 4, Fiona Reckner 2, Lily Bross, Jess Mangoni; Bensalem – Mikayla Donahue, Devon Bell, Kylie Smith, Amber Howard.
SOL Colonial Division
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 35, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 30
It was a play that could easily get lost in the shuffle of Friday’s spirited rivalry game, but it loomed large for a Patriot squad struggling to gain momentum after watching an 11-4 first quarter lead evaporate.
The Patriots were clinging to a 21-19 late in the third quarter lead when senior Erin LeRay, after coming up short on a drive to the basket, dove to the floor, grabbed the loose ball rebound and had the presence of mind to find Anna Barry, who buried a 3-pointer.
“Once I miss a shot or don’t do the best play, I always try and get the ball back,” LeRay said. “I know Anna is our best shooter, and she had her hands up, so I knew she was going to make it.”
The clutch basket not only gave East a 24-19 lead but sparked a 9-0 East run that was capped by LeRay cutting to the hole for an easy bucket that stretched her team’s lead to 30-19.
“Erin’s always been a hardnosed, tough player, and it’s kind of what we’ve come to expect from her,” East coach Liz Potash said. “I think she’s made some really big strides to put herself in a good position for us. That’s what you get from her – you get those offensive rebounds.”
The Patriots also got an 8-for-8 effort at the foul line from LeRay, whose 14 points led her team on a night when points did not come easily for either side.
“The East-West atmosphere – it’s always hard to score,” LeRay said. “I felt like we were taking the first shot, and it wasn’t always the best shot, but once we settled down, it got better.
“This is my third time playing in this game – it’s definitely a crazy atmosphere, but I love it.”
Early on, it looked like the Patriots were off and running when they opened up an 11-4 lead after one quarter. LeRay and Kendall Gregor each had four points in the frame, but both as well as teammate Shayne LeRay picked up their second foul, and all three took a seat on the bench.
The Patriots saw their lead trimmed to 13-12 midway through the second quarter, and neither team could find the basket until Barry hit nothing but net on an NBA three at the buzzer ending the half, sending East into halftime with a 16-12 lead.
“That was a huge three,” Potash said. “All the teams are keying in on her, and we know we have other kids around her that can score, so it’s just the confidence to be able to do it.
“Honestly, at halftime, we got on Erin, Shayne and Kendall and said – ‘The fact that you each have two fouls- we were up 11-4 with the three of you in the game. You picked up two fouls and now we’re playing without the people we want in those positions, so the challenge is not to pick up your third,’ and they did a great job with that.”
A Tai Henkels 3-pointer put the Bucks on top 19-18 two minutes into the third quarter, and the two teams were deadlocked 19-19 after Barry sank 1 of 2 at the foul line. Erin LeRay brought a welcome end to a four-minute scoring drought for both teams when she buried a pair at the foul line. A minute later Barry hit the three that ignited the Patriots, who opened up an 11-point lead with 4:31 remaining.
West trimmed East’s lead to 34-30 after Ava Longo completed a three-point play with less than a minute to play, but that’s as close as they would get.
“We just told the girls – we’re always happy with a win, but we’re not satisfied,” Potash said. “We feel like we can play better, we can clean some things up.
“It’s the second game in row we struggled in the paint and struggled at the foul line, and I always say that basketball comes down to those two areas, so we don’t want that to catch up to us at some point, but we did enough to get the win, so we’ll take it.”
In addition to LeRay’s 14 points, Barry added 12, which included three 3s. Gregor had six points.
Longo’s 10 points led the Bucks while Henkels added seven points.
Central Bucks East (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Tuesday, and Central Bucks West (1-2, 0-1) will travel to North Penn on Tuesday.
Central Bucks West 4-8-7-11 30
Central Bucks East 11-5-8-11 35
Central Bucks West (30) – Gabi Senior 2 0-0 5; Tai Henkels 2 1-2 7; Katie Finnan 1 0-2 3; Alexis Castro 1 1-2 3; Ava Longo 5 1-2 12; TOTALS 11 3-8 30
Central Bucks East (35) – Erin LeRay 3 8-8 14; Sydney Ralph 1 0-0 2; Anna Barry 3 3-4 12; Chantal van Dongeren 0 1-2 1; Kendall Gregor 1 4-6 6; TOTALS 8 16-20 35.
3-point goals: CBW – Tai Henkels 2, Gabi Senior, Katie Finnan, Ava Longo; CBE – Anna Barry 3.
NORTH PENN 61, PENNRIDGE 54
Cameron Crowley scored 17 points – which included three 3-pointers – to lead the Knights to the hard fought win. The sophomore point guard was one of four Knights in double figures. Caleigh Sperling added 14 points while Kelly Donnelly added 12 – including a pair of 3s. Abby Plaugher had 10 points.
“Cameron had a game that I think we’ve been waiting for and finally took her abilities and believed she is capable of the talent we’re constantly telling her she can live up to,” NP coach Bri Cullen said.
Crowley connected on a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight points in a high scoring first quarter that saw the Knights edge their visitors 17-16. Katie Yoder’s eight points led the Rams. The Knights took a 27-23 lead into halftime, and it was clear the Rams were not going away.
North Penn – behind eight third-quarter points from Crowley – took a 41-38 lead into the fourth quarter.
“We were up 10 in the third, and in the fourth we were down six and ended up winning by seven,” Cullen said. “I’m constantly saying to the girls – basketball is a game of runs, and I think for the first time tonight they really bought into that and believed that it’s okay. They went on a run with some composure – ‘We’re going to be okay, we’re going to figure this out.’
“Kelly Donnelly stepped up huge tonight. She came off the bench for the first time, and in the fourth quarter, she hit a big three. It was a critical moment where we needed to score – she did and then came down and got a massive stop on defense.
For the Rams, Yoder’s 21 points led the way. Ella Brown added 13 points while Anna Croyle and Ava Fantaskey each had 10 points.
In two games this week, the Knights have put up a total of 118 points, losing to GA by three and edging the visiting Rams by three on Friday.
“This was huge,” Cullen said. “Last year we had so many games that came down to the wire, and we just couldn’t pull it out because of our experience and knowledge of the game and our youth, but this year, in this type of game, to go down in the fourth quarter but to still be able to pull it out is just showing – they’re buying into what we’re selling and they’re believing that we’re capable of winning even when things aren’t going our way.
“We have the talent – it’s really just buying into a new system. Obviously, I was new last year and you’re changing an entire culture, and in a pretty short time, I really believe that they’re buying in.”
North Penn (2-2, 1-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks West on Tuesday, and Pennridge (2-1, 0-1) will be on the road at Souderton on Tuesday.
Pennridge 16-7-15-16 54
North Penn 17-10-14-20 61
Pennridge (54) – Ella Brown 6 1-2 13; Grace Rosica 0 0-1 0; Anna Croyle 5 0-0 10; Katie Yoder 6 6-6 21; Ava Fantaskey 4 0-0 10; TOTALS 21 7-9 54.
North Penn (61) – Cameron Crowley 6 2-3 17; Caleigh Sperling 5 3-3 14; Abby Plaugher 3 3-4 10; Kelly Donnelly 3 4-4 12; Leah Mikulski 2 0-0 4; Olivia Stone 1 1-2 4; TOTALS 20 13-16 61.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Katie Yoder 3, Ava Fantaskey 2; NP – Cameron Crowley 3, Leah Mikulski 2, Caleigh Sperling, Abby Plaugher Olivia Stone.
SOUDERTON 56, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 38
Casey Harter could not miss.
The Souderton senior – who last year broke a single season program record with 400 points – connected on 11 of 13 shots from the field and scored a career high 29 points to lead the way in the convincing win. She also had a team-high nine rebounds.
“Casey was very, very effective tonight,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “She got a lot of good open looks on cuts, and I think we had three or four baskets from Erin (Bohmueller) to Casey for layups. She attacked the offensive glass hard and earned some putbacks.”
Harter set the tone for a dazzling offensive outing, connecting on five baskets in the first quarter. Her 10 points – along with four points from both Mikayla McGillian and Teya McConnaha – propelled the Indians to an 18-10 lead after one quarter. They took a 27-16 lead into halftime with Harter accounting for 12 of those points. Ella Wheeler’s seven points led the Titans in the half.
Harter added 17 points in the second half while Brooke Fenchel had all nine of her points after the intermission, connecting on three 3-pointers.
McConnaha finished with 12 points and seven rebounds while Fenchel had nine and McGillian had six points and five rebounds.
“Even though Erin didn’t score, she assisted on eight of our field goals,” Carroll said of Bohmueller. “Teya (McConnaha) and Mikayla (McGillian) both played great help defense.
“We really struggled to hit shots from the perimeter in the first half which made it difficult for us to put them away, but in the second half, Brooke hit three 3’s which helped give us some breathing room. Beth (Mattern) has some young talent and will only get better and better. Every time we would start to pull away, someone would knock down a shot for them to keep them within striking distance.”
For the Titans, Wheeler led the way with 12 points while Casey Balkin added eight.
Souderton (2-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Pennridge on Tuesday, and Central Bucks South (1-2, 0-1) will be on the road at Central Bucks East on Tuesday.
Souderton 18-9-12-17 56
Central Bucks South 10-6-13-9 38
Souderton (56) – Brooke Fenchel 3 0-0 9; Mikayla McGillian 3 0-0 6; Casey Harter 11 6-8 29; Teya McConnaha 5 1-2 12; TOTALS 22 7-10 56.
Central Bucks South (38) – Zoe Levesque-Petsch 1 1-2 3; Ella Wheeler 5 1-2 12; Casey Balkir 2 2-2 8; Jules Tropea 2 0-2 4; Yoyo Samayoa 2 0-0 5; Mia Klein 2 0-0 4; Addy Geary; TOTALS 15 4-8 38.
3-point goals: Souderton – Fenchel 3, Harter, McConnaha; CBS – Balkir 2, Wheeler, Samayoa.
SOL Liberty Division
HATBORO-HORSHAM 58, WISSAHICKON 38
Kitty Randa scored a game high 21 points to lead the visiting Hatters to the no-doubt-about-it win. The junior – an emerging star for the Hatters – has scored 20-plus points in three of her team’s first four games.
Randa’s seven first quarter points sparked a 16-8 Hatter start.
“I pretty much played six kids in the first half, tried to set a nice rotation,” Hatters’ coach Eric Glemser said. “They really played together, and everybody was unselfish, passing the ball.
“Kitty was just taking it to the rack, hitting shots, rebounding. She did a great job against (Kaitlyn) McGeary. She’s just raw talent. She can run, she was getting fast break points in transition. She just plays to have fun.”
By halftime, Randa had 11 points, and the Hatters led 32-18. Leah Harrington added nine points in the half while Kaitlyn McGeary had seven points to lead the Trojans.
“With Kitty playing well and Leah Harrington, two kids that play AAU, when they play well together – everybody else is just playing well,” Glemser said. “Abby Waeltz, who is basically a soccer player, was rebounding.
“Kitty and Abby were doubling on McGeary. Basically, we wanted to shut her down and make the other players beat us. That was our strategy going in. They followed our game plan, they executed it well, and we got out of there with a good win.”
Randa had 10 points in a second half that saw the Hatters outscore their hosts 28-19 as they won all four quarters.
Harrington added 13 points for the Hatters. Caroline Shegague had seven, and Allie Hewish had six on two 3-pointers.
“We made some mistakes, threw the ball away here and there, but we really played together,” Glemser said. “The girls were all happy, they were having fun right from the beginning. It was nice to see that group come together. I basically started four seniors and Kitty, who’s a junior.
“This was my fourth different starting lineup because I’ve had people missing here and there. We were unselfish passing the ball. It was good to get our first league win. It’s a big difference between 2-2 and 3-1. I felt that if we had lost this game we would have been really down on ourselves. The kids are buying into the system, and they’re doing the best they can.”
For the Trojans, McGeary led the way with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Claira Baldasano added two points, five rebounds, one steal and two assists while Julia Lettieri had five points and two assists. Ashley Klein contributed four points, one rebound and two blocks, Kylie Friendman finished with four points, two rebounds and two steals, and Ava Stout also had four points. Eva Schools had three points, one assist and one steal. Chloe Acuna chipped in a pair of assists.
Hatboro-Horsham (3-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Abington on Tuesday, and Wissahickon (2-1, 0-1) will be on the road at Upper Dublin.
Hatboro-Horsham 16-14-15-13 58
Wissahickon 8-10-9-10 38
Hatboro-Horsham (58) – Caroline Shegague 3 1-1 7; Abby Waeltz 2 0-0 4; Kitty Randa 9 3-3 21; Allie Hewish 2 0-0 6; Leah Harrington 5 1-2 13; Alyssa Tooley 1 0-0 2; Maddy Patel 1 0-0 3; Madison Duggan 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 24 5-6 58.
Wissahickon (38) – Eva Schools 2 0-0 5; Kaitlyn McGeary 6 3-7 15; Ashley Klein 2 0-0 4; Julia Lettieri 1 0-0 3; Claira Baldasano 1 0-0 2; Kylie Friedman 2 0-0 4; Ava Stout 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 16 3-7 38.
3-point goals: HH – Allie Hewish 2, Leah Harrington 2, Maddy Patel; Wissahickon – Eva Schools, Julia Lettieri.
UPPER DUBLIN 48, QUAKERTOWN 38
On the heels of a 33-24 loss to Central Bucks East, the Flying Cardinals found their offense, doubling their point total and notching the win. The number of points his team scored was not coach Morgan Funsten’s greatest concern.
“We came off a game against CB East where – even though it was a low scoring game – we were frustrated defensively with the mistakes we made,” Funsten said. “We felt as though most of the baskets CB East scored were the result of our mistakes. Obviously, they still made good plays and made shots, but it’s something we felt we needed to clean up.”
The Cardinals opened up a 15-7 lead after one quarter and went into the halftime intermission with a 22-13 advantage. Three players contributed six points for UD in the half – Colleen Besachio, Megan Ngo and Nora Brady, who buried a pair of 3s. For the Panthers, Carolyn Sipprell’s nine points led the way in the half.
“We got off to a good start – we were up 15-7 at the end of the first quarter, and probably the best thing about it – all five of our starters scored,” Funsten said. “We’ve struggled so far this season finding some balanced scoring, and it was great for everybody to find the scorebook early.
“I thought overall tonight – it should have been a nice confidence booster for our team to watch the ball go through the basket, and hopefully now the players feel a little weight off their shoulders on the offensive end and can settle in and relax and play their game.”
The two teams exchanged baskets in the second half. The Cardinals, who held a 26-25 advantage in the second half, were led by the 12-point second-half effort of Ngo. Besachio added eight points.
“Although we gave up more points tonight than we did before, I felt like we forced Quakertown into more difficult shots,” Funsten said. “Credit to (Carolyn) Sipprell and (Katie) Catalano. Sipprell is really good. She was able to break us down. She can finish with both hands, she can take you off the dribble, she can pull up, she has great size. Catalano made four 3s in the second half, and the level of difficulty on all of them was high.
“We said to the girls – ‘We don’t look at the result of a shot to see if it was good defense. We look at what built up to the shot, and that’s how we decide.’ Just because another team is scoring points or is not scoring points – that’s now how we decide if we’re playing good defense.”
Sipprell finished with 18 points while Catalano had 14. The rest of their team combined for six points.
“Upper Dublin is young, but they are solid,” Quakertown Brittany Bamford said. “We had a few mental mistakes today on the defensive end and on offense against the press, but overall, we played with heart tonight.
“Carolyn is so hard to defend, and even though they did a great job of being in help defense tonight, she still was our leading scorer. Katie Catalano also shot the
ball really well in the second half. From the 3, she was 4-for-6. Both are true competitors. I’m very proud of the effort and tonight. At the end, we were trying to foul to stop the clock, and credit to the freshman Ngo – she knocked them down. I know the score doesn’t reflect it, but it was a close game.
Ngo (18 points) and Besachio (14 points) accounted for 32 of UD’s points. Ngo was 8-for-9 at the charity stripe. Brady added eight points, including a pair of 3s.
“Tonight we were able to create some turnovers with our press – we ended up with 19 steals,” Funsten said. “Nora Brady had a way of finding the ball. She finished with 10 steals, a crazy stat. She almost had a double-double with points and steals – she had eight points and 10 steals.
“We had some pretty interesting stats. Colleen Besachio had her second double-double in a row. She had 14 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three blocks – she’s filling up the stat sheet. Our leading scorer tonight was Megan Ngo. She finished with 18 points, five assists, six deflections and four steals.”
Upper Dublin (2-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday, and Quakertown (1-3, 0-1) will travel to Upper Perkiomen for a non-league game on Monday.
Quakertown 7-6-11-14 38
Upper Dublin 15-7-9-17 48
Quakertown (38) – Carolyn Sipprell 7 4-4 18; Katie Hagerty 2 0-0 4; Katie Catalano 5 0-0 14; Julia Henry 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 15 4-4 38.
Upper Dublin (48) – Brighid Brady 2 0-0 4; Alaina Sanders 1 2-2 4; Megan Ngo 4 8-9 18; Colleen Besachio 6 2-2 14; Nora Brady 3 0-0 8; TOTALS 16 12-13 48.
3-point goals: Quakertown – Katie Catalano 4; UD – Nora Brady 2, Megan Ngo 2.
SOL Freedom Division
WILLIAM TENNENT 55, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 46
In a contest that could have gone either way, the Panthers – who received double-digit scoring efforts from four players – fought off several Spartan rallies to earn the win.
“It was a gutsy win,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “Going into tonight, the big focus for us was – how are we going to respond from Tuesday night because as well as we played in the first half against CB South, it was almost like we disappeared in the second half.
“It could have been lack of experience or what have you, but we didn’t play well at all the second half. We knew we were better than what we showed, and today was about – how are we going to respond.”
The Panthers appeared to be cruising, opening up an 18-9 lead after one quarter. Alyssa Lewicki’s nine points led the Panthers. Tennent took a 31-18 lead into halftime. They led 49-35 heading into the final quarter.
“I think that was what most impressive tonight just throughout the entire game – we got out to a nice lead – we were up 20-9 at one point, but we had a couple of bad possessions late in the first quarter, early second quarter where we just had some ill-advised, quick shots,” Whitney said. “Springfield was able to capitalize, and they went on a little run, and they cut it to two. Again, we responded right away, made a little run ourselves to go up 13 at halftime.
“In the second half, the same thing happened again. Two of our first three possessions in the third quarter, we had turnovers, and Springfield gained some confidence off of that, took the momentum, cut into the lead again.
“Throughout the rest of the game, they would go on a run, we would go on a run, so that’s what I was most proud of – the resiliency that our girls showed. We didn’t collapse when things got hard or when we saw them answer. We kept our composure and kept playing.”
Lewicki and Morgan Volz both scored 11 points to lead a balanced Tennent attack. Avery Kocur and Halie Staub each added 10 points while Ella Mednick had nine.
“There are times when we have three freshmen out there at once, so we have some talented freshmen, but at the same time, they lack that varsity experience just yet,” Whitney said. “Even though I thought maybe we had opportunities to put the game away a few times tonight, it was actually really good for our team to experience this kind of game and just those game things you want to work on, learning how to play with a lead and things like that.
“I was just really proud of the fight our girls showed and being able to hold on and finish the game the way they did. Definitely a lot of credit to Springfield – Dave (Giordano) has his girls playing extremely hard right now. They played tough, especially (Alana) Decker and Jayla Daniels. They hit some big shots when they needed it. Kudos to them, they played well.”
For the Spartans, Decker and Daniels led the way with 16 points each. Ashley Jenkins added 10 points.
“It was a really good game,” Springfield coach David Giordano said. “It really was a good game for both teams. Our girls played hard.
“We dug ourselves an early hole. We made three runs and came back. We were down by two at one point, 20-18. It was 35-32. They really shot the ball well and had about six 3s on us. They had some balanced scoring, but our girls didn’t give up. In years past, I think it would have been more of a lopsided situation, and I’m more than proud of them as far as their effort. It’s early in the season. If they continue to play this hard, we’ll be successful, and that’s all you can ask.”
William Tennent (2-1, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Upper Moreland on Tuesday, and Springfield Township (2-1, 0-1) will host New Hope-Solebury on Tuesday.
William Tennent 18-13-18-6 55
Springfield Township 9-9-17-11 46
William Tennent (55) – Ella Mednick 4 0-2 9; Avery Kocur 4 1-1 10; Halie Staub 3 1-1 10; Alyssa Lewicki 3 3-4 11; Haley Dickson 1 2-2 4; Jess Whisler 0 0-2 2; Morgan Volz 5 1-2 11; TOTALS 20 8-14 55.
Springfield Township (46) – Alana Decker 5 2-2 16; Jayla Daniels 7 0-2 16; Grace Daily 1 0-2 2; Paige Robinson 1 0-0 2; Kayla Parsons 0 0-2 0; Ashley Jenkins 4 1-2 10; TOTALS 18 3-10 46.
3-point goals: WT – Ella Mednick, Avery Kocur, Halie Staub 3, Alyssa Lewicki 2; Springfield Twp – Alana Decker 4, Jayla Daniels 2, Ashley Jenkins.
UPPER MORELAND 48, LOWER MORELAND 20
Holly Gohl had herself a day.
The junior scored 27 points – which included three 3-pointers – to lead the visiting Golden Bears to the decisive win in Friday’s SOL opener. After scoring five points in the first quarter, Gohl erupted for 10 in the second, propelling the Bears to a 25-15 halftime lead.
“We knew the offense was going to come, and today we made big strides, especially Holly who exploded offensively,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “Lower Moreland played zone and really focused on taking away EmmyFaith (Wood).
“They forced us into a lot of first half turnovers, some forced but many unforced. The score was 25-15 at halftime and we weren’t real happy. The 25 was caused by too many turnovers, and the 15 was due to unfocused discipline. We took both personally and focused on both in the second half.”
Gohl had a hot hand in the second half, adding 12 points while Wood had five.
“EmmyFaith was great getting her teammates open shots,” Carroll said of Wood, who finished with 10 points. “I told Holly after the game she should write Emmy a thank you card because it seemed that every big shot Holly made was assisted by EmmyFaith.
“They play so well together and know where the other is going to be. EmmyFaith could’ve forced some bad shots to try to get hers, but she’s so selfless. Lower Moreland was without one of their top players so we know next time will be different. It was good to get back in a groove offensively as we start league play, but we have some things to clean up.”
For the Lions, Amelia Brown’s 11 points – which included three 3s – led the way.
“Our best all-around player (Brianna McFerran) was out sick and we played a very talented and well coached team, so we were not surprised with the outcome,” said LM coach Rich Becker. “We were able to keep it within 10 at the half, but at the end of the day, Holly and Emmy were just too much for us. Holly beat us from both the outside and inside. Even when we did play her how we wanted, she still beat us.
“On our end, we knew that without Brianna, that we would have our work cut out for us. We don’t have a lot of depth, so we were asking some girls to play a different role than they normally play. Amelia Brown really stepped up, and she had what I thought was the best game of her career. She hit three 3-pointers, was really active on defense and even played the point for us.
“In addition to Amelia, Liz Neeld had a solid game and was a calming presence on the team. Nikki Sahl (sophomore) made her first career start and plays with no fear. With Bri being out, some of our other young players got valuable minutes. Sophomore Keira Huber is making really good decisions off the bench, Kayla Quirk is contributing on defense and we have a freshman, Maddy Rossiter, who starts for us and is growing into her role nicely.”
Upper Moreland (4-0, 1-0 SOL) will host William Tennent on Tuesday, and Lower Moreland (2-2, 0-1) will travel to Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Upper Moreland 11-14-11-12 48
Lower Moreland 5-10-4-1 20
Upper Moreland (48) – Mikel Lancit 1 0-0 2; Alyssa Wiley 1 0-0 2; Emmy FaithWood 4 0-0 10; Holly Gohl 11 2-2 27; Allie LaRocco 1 0-0 2; Lilly Hansen 2 1-2 5; TOTALS 20 3-4 48.
Lower Moreland (20) – Amelia Brown 4 0-4 11; Jess Shein 1 2-4 4; Liz Neeld 1 0-0 3; Keira Huber 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 7 2-8 20.
3-point goals: UM – Holly Gohl 3, EmmyFaith Wood 2; LM – Amelia Brown 3, Liz Neeld.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 65, CHELTENHAM 34
Freshman Gabby D’Agostino scored a game high 25 points – which included three 3s – to lead the Lions to the decisive win, but she had plenty of
help. Senior Reagan Chrencik added 18 points, and sophomore Izzy Elizondo had 16.
The Lions opened up a 24-3 lead after one quarter and never looked back.
“Reagan Chrencik set the tone of the game scoring 13 points in the first quarter,” Lions’ coach Steve Polinsky said. “Our goal was to start fast and not chase the game. Our captain led the way.
“We shot really, really well tonight. Freshman Gabby D’Agostino got us going in the second and scored 25 points for the game. I really like how Gabby is playing and running the offense for our team. Izzy Elizondo had her best game of the season scoring 18 points. Our score is misleading; Coach (Ben) Bowman’s team is young and talented they have a really bright future. He does a nice job with them.”
The Lions took a 32-10 lead into halftime. D’Agostino’s 16 seconds-half point led the Lions in the second half.
For the Lady Panthers, Jiah Price led the way with 14 points. Cassie Bugg added eight points, and Maya Simmons had six.
“It was a disappointing effort on the defensive end,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said. “New Hope is a good team and can shoot. We gave them way too many easy looks. We need to learn from this and move on.”
New Hope-Solebury (2-2, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Springfield Township on Tuesday, and Cheltenham (2-1, 0-1) will host Lower Moreland on Tuesday.
Cheltenham 3-7-17-7 34
New Hope-Solebury 24-8-20-13 65
Cheltenham (34) – Jiah Price 6 1-2 14; Paige Powell 1 1-2 4; Maya Simmons 2 1-2 6; Arianna Davis 1 0-0 2; Cassie Bugg 2 4-8 8; TOTALS 12 7-14 34.
New Hope-Solebury (65) – Gabby D’Agostino 8 6-7 25; Izzy Elizondo 6 3-4 16; Emily Wilson 2 0-0 4; Reagan Chrencik 4 8-10 18; Devon McGuire 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 21 17-21 65.
3-point goals: Cheltenham – Jiah Price, Paige Powell, Maya Simmons; NH-S – Gabby D’Agostino 3, Reagan Chrencik 2, Izzy Elizondo.
About the Author
