Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. (CB East/CB South photos provided courtesy of Diane Barry/CB East BB)
SOL Patriot Division
BENSALEM 48, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 25
Grace McShane turned in another glittering offensive outing, burying a pair of 3-pointers and scoring a game-high 26 points to lead the Owls to the win in Tuesday’ league opener.
It was McShane’s nine points that propelled the Owls to a 15-7 lead after one quarter. They took a 22-12 advantage into halftime and added to their lead in the second half.
Key players: McShane did damage in both halves, scoring 13 in the first half and 13 more in the second – 10 in a 15-point third quarter.
Bensalem coach Steve Johnson:
–On the game: “I thought our girls came out aggressively. We started out slow a game ago and didn’t want to do that again. We did a nice job keeping up the energy throughout the game. Our subs brought life into the game, and we did not lose a step when we subbed. Grace scored effectively and efficiently.”
Up next: Bensalem will host Pennsbury Thursday, and Council Rock North will be on the road at Neshaminy Friday.
Council Rock North 7-5-7-6 25
Bensalem 15-7-15-11 48
Council Rock North (25) – Rachael Hofman 2, Laney Duchnowski 2, Haley Cruaz 2, Lauren Smith 2, Brynn Rodgers 4, Julia Koval 7, Ella Carroll 6.
Bensalem (48) – Kamiya Alexander 3 0-0 7; Mary Beck 7, Mischa Ellzy 1, Grace McShane 26, Sydney Daut 4, Kaleaya Wingate 3.
3-point goals: CRN – Koval; B – Beck 2, McShane 2, Wingate.
NESHAMINY 47, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 26
The Redskins at long last made their season debut in Tuesday’s SOL opener.
“Not having our first game until Dec. 9th was not an ideal situation for us,” Neshaminy coach John Gallagher said. “We saw some teams had already played three We had to run an inter-squad scrimmage on Friday to try to simulate a game-like atmosphere to ensure we were staying ready/sharp.
“That scrimmage helped us a lot with getting some items cleaned up in advance of kicking off the Patriot Division schedule. I felt like whoever we played first was either going to get our best effort or we would be terribly sloppy; thankfully it was the former.”
The Redskins led 13-5 after one quarter and took a 30-23 lead into halftime on their way to the win.
Key stats: Ashlyn Duffy’s 13 points included three 3s and all came in a 30-point first half. Hayley Kolk also had 13 points, and she also had five rebounds. Nicole Trespalacios contributed eight points, four assists, five rebounds and a team-high five steals.
Neshaminy coach John Gallagher:
–The game: “We jumped out pretty quickly to go up 7-0, then we lost (Gillian) Martin when we went under a screen, and she converted a three. Mia Raivitch, Hayley Kolk and Camryn Rodriguez provided interior defense, holding the South starting forwards to just two field goals. Bella Hettler killed us last year the second time we played them, so I was pleased with our defense against Bella. Camryn Rodriguez came off the bench and played very well. Cam was able to contribute two assists and four rebounds and was smart with the ball in her hands. Nicole Trespalacios in her varsity debut was stellar on both ends of the floor. Nicole is a player who raises the level of her teammates by how she plays the game on both ends of the floor. As a team we had a ton of deflections and notched 14 assists on 19 field goals. It was great that we had three ninth graders (Nicole, Alex Cannon and Kate Cieri) score their first varsity points and what was even better was watching the upper-class players enjoy their moment in the spotlight.”
–Key players: “Defensive guard play of Grace Weyler, Nicole Trespalacios and Ashlyn Duffy. Those three players had matchups we felt were significant for us to control the game. Aside from limiting scoring chances for Ruby Bross, Martin and Gunther, our three combined for 25 points to lead a balanced effort. I think Ruby Bross is key to their team in getting them into favorable scoring opportunities, and Nicole did an excellent job of keeping Ruby from creating offense. Gunther is so improved over the last twelve months and has been scoring well for CR South, but Grace Weyler was up to the challenge.”
Up next: Neshaminy will travel to Central Bucks South for a non-league crossover game Wednesday, and Council Rock South will be on the road at Pennridge Thursday for a non-league crossover game.
Council Rock South 6-2-10-8 26
Neshaminy 13-17-13-4 47
Council Rock South (26) – Gillian Martin 3, Emerson Gunther 2, Bella Hettler 2, Anabelle Kosch 2, Carly Conetta 7, Kacie Donahue 6, Kylie Metz 2, Tori Rahill 2.
Neshaminy (47 – Grace Weyler 2 0-0 4; Kate Cieri 1 0-0 2; Ashlyn Duffy 13, Alex Cannon 2, Nicole Trespalacios 8, Hayley Kolk 13, Ella Rodriguez 5.
3-point goals: CRS – Martin, Conetta; N – Duffy 2, Kolk 2.
PENNSBURY 64, HARRY S TRUMAN 16
The Tigers have struggled out of the gate, and Tuesday’s SOL opener was no different. The Falcons – sparked by eight points from Joley Hohman and seven from Sammie Haws – opened up a 25-2 lead and never looked back.
Key players: Nine players contributed scoring for the Falcons, led by Haws with 15 while Alyssa Thomas added 11 and Hohman had eight.
Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla:
–Encouragement to the Tigers: “I like what Katelin Files is doing. I truly hope that they understand what they have between her and her assistant. Don’t be confused. Support them. Give them what they need to grow. I remember being in her exact position. Several times. Truman competed, but we just shot the ball too well early on
“It was difficult for them to get into their offense, but they have a good point guard in Bre Philemond.”
–The game: “We moved the ball well, and we did a nice job keeping them out of the lane. Bella Stewart (Soph) had a career high in points and pulled down four rebounds. Sammie Haws had a nice all-around game in limited minutes, dishing out five assists, grabbing four rebounds and three steals.
“I like watching our chemistry grow. I feel as if by January we have a chance to have something special”
Up next: Pennsbury will travel to Bensalem Thursday, and Harry S Truman will be on the road at Council Rock South Friday.
Pennsbury 25-23-11-5 64
Harry S Truman 2-4-4-6 16
Pennsbury (64) – Grace Schaufler 0 2-2 2; Bridget McGonigle 1 1-2 3; Bella Stwart 3 1-1 8; Sammie Haws 5 4-8 15; Alyssa Thomas 4 1-4 11; She Quenzer 3 0-0 6; Joley Hohman 3 0-0 8; Keira Socha 2 0-0 5; Milan Reeves 2 2-4 6; TOTALS 23 11-17 64.
Harry S Truman (16) – Bre Philamond 1 0-0 2; Natane 2 1-2 5; Julianna Romer 2 3-4 7; Kylee Ennis 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 6 4-6 16.
3-point goals: P –Thomas 2, Hohman 2, Haws, Socha; Stewart.
SOL Colonial Division
SOUDERTON 55, PENNRIDGE 39
The Indians took a modest 15-12 lead into the second quarter when they erupted for 21 points, outscoring the visiting Lady Rams by 16 on their way to a 36-17 halftime lead. They never looked back.
Key players: Maddie Nenstiel and Olivia Heron each scored 16 points to lead the Souderton attack. Heron had the hot hand in the Indians’ 21-point second quarter, burying a pair of 3s and scoring 10 points. Nenstiel, who had a pair of first-half 3-pointers, scored nine points in the third quarter.
Avie Sackor also finished in double figures with 10 points. She had eight of those points in the opening quarter. Kiera Fadden added eight points for the Indians, who were without Madison Bealer.
For the Rams, Megan Moylan’s 10 points led the way while Arianne Lauf and Samantha Murphy both had nine points.
Souderton coach Eric Houston:
–On the game:
“In the first quarter, we had some good shots, and we just didn’t hit them. We just had to get into a little rhythm. In the second quarter, we tightened it up on the defensive side, picked up a little bit full court man-to-man just to take them out of a rhythm a little bit because they’re a good team if they get into their rhythm, so we tried to take them out of their rhythm, limit their possessions. We got some good defensive stops, and that helped our offense.
“The shots that we were shooting in the first quarter, we actually started making, which was great. We had some big three-pointers. We had two three-pointers back-to-back, which was huge. It kind of opened up the floodgates for us and gave us a good lead going into the halftime. We just had to withstand (their comeback attempt) and continue to play good defense on both ends and basically get some good offensive possessions as well. And here we are – we got the W.”
–Rookie making waves: “(Maddie Nenstiel) is a freshman. I was talking to somebody about her, and I said, ‘You can tell that she’s a freshman, but there are some things when you look at her and you watch her play, you’re like – this kid is not a freshman.’ She’s still learning how to play the game of basketball, but she’s a basketball player, and those are very rare. You might see certain kids, and say, ‘Oh, she’s a good Xs and Os kid, she can do this…’ This kid is a basketball player. She does things where you see her come off a screen, and everybody wants to shoot 3-pointers. She’s coming off a screen shooting the mid-range shot. You don’t see that often. She has good form on her shot, her rotation is good. She was one of the kids in the beginning that didn’t hit shots in the first (half), but in the second half, she started hitting shots, and it opened up a lot of things. She’s a talented basketball player. As a freshman, she’s going to have highs and lows. We’re going to stick with her all the way through because the sky’s the limit for the kid.”
–Running the point: “Olivia Heron has stepped up huge. It all started in the summertime. When I first got the job, I looked at her as a two guard because she could actually shoot the ball. She came up to me and said, “I want to play point.” I said, ‘Are you sure?’ The kid is an excellent point guard, and she does a lot of great things for us as far as taking control of the game and just being my eyes and ears out there on the floor. That’s what you ask for from a point guard, and that’s what she’s doing.
“Madison Bealer was out today, and for those two young ladies to step up and do the things they did today was phenomenal for us for the W.”
–Props: “We had Avie (Sackor) out there, and she did her thing. We had a couple other players as well step up and do things that didn’t show up on the stat sheet Like Mia Morgan, she did a great job on-the-ball defense. She was solid on the ball. She was one of our kids that picked up 94 feet, and she was the one that kind of set the tempo. She was the one that started it in the second quarter for us as far as the tempo was concerned. It’s like creating havoc defensively. We got a lot of steals, a lot of transition baskets. It was helpful for her to do her thing.’.”
Up next: Souderton will be on the road at Central Bucks West Friday, and Pennridge will host Faith Christian Academy Friday.
Pennridge 12-5-11-11 39
Souderton 15-21-13-6 55
Pennridge (39) – Arianne Lauf 4 0-0 9; Julia Lenox 2 1-2 6; Samantha Murphy 4 0-0 9; Madison Lapp 1 3-3 5; Megan Moylan 3 1-2 10; TOTALS 14 5-7 39.
Souderton (55) – Maddie Nenstiel 6 1-2 16; Olivia Heron 5 4-8 16; Kiera Fadden 3 2-3 8; Avie Sackor 5 0-0 10; Alaina Picard 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 21 7-13 55.
3-point goals: P – Moylan 3, Murphy, Lenox, Lauf; S – Nenstiel 3, Heron 2, Picard.
NORTH PENN 60, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 38
Paityn Debro and Lily Brown once again proved to be a dangerous one-two punch for the Knights, combining for 40 points and leading the Knights to their third win in as many games.
The Knights, who led 12-9 after one quarter, took a 27-23 lead into halftime and then seized control of the game with a 16-3 third quarter burst. Mehya Godhania’s six points sparked the Knights in the quarter.
Key players: Brown led the Knights with 21 points while Debro added 19. Godhania had nine points.
For the Bucks, Marleigh Mallon and Scarlet Baumgardner led the way with 12 points each.
North Penn coach Bri Cullen:
–On the game: “We did a really good job adjusting in the second half. West did a good job taking us out of our flow in the first half, and the girls showed a lot of mental toughness tonight. It was a great way to open league play.”
Up next: North Penn will be on the road at Central Bucks South Friday, and Central Bucks West will travel to Springfield Twp for a non-league game Thursday.
North Penn 12-15-16-17 60
Central Bucks West 9-14-3-12 38
North Penn (60) – Saniah Hammond 1 1-2 4; Ava Wood 1 0-0 2; Paityn Debro 8 2-5 19; Lily Brown 8 5-6 21; Mehya Godhania 3 2-2 9; Tallie Smink 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 23 10-15 60.
Central Bucks West (38) – Sofie Fitzmartin 0 1-2 1; Amber Madden 1 0-0 3; Kaitlyn Titus 1 0-2 2; Addy Stromberg 1 1-2 4; Evelyn Moore 1 0-0 2; Marleigh Mallon 5 1-1 12; Katie Casale 1 0-0 2; Scarlet Baumgardner 3 6-9 12; TOTALS 13 9-16 38.
NP – Hammond, Debro, Godhania, Smink; CBW – Madden, Stromberg, Mallon.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 56, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 23
Sparked by the 20-point effort of point guard Haley Moran, the Patriots rolled to a win in Tuesday’s SOL opener.
They led 16-1 after one quarter and extended that to 33-7 by halftime on their way to the win.
Key players: In addition to scoring 20 points, Moran also ignited the defense with five steals, Jess Lockwood added 12 points, and Natalie Berndt had 11 points and four steals. Payton Williams also had four steals in a contest that saw the Patriots force the Titans into 20 turnovers.
Central Bucks East coach Liz Potash: “It was a nice team win in our second league game. We were able to get off to a fast start and kept the intensity up, especially on the defensive end of the floor for the whole 32 minutes. Haley Moran paced us on offense with tough finishes around the basket, and her active hands on ‘D’ led to steals for easy baskets for her and her teammates too.”
Up next: Central Bucks East will travel to Germantown Academy for a non-league game Saturday (6:30pm), and Central Bucks South will host Neshaminy Wednesday in a non-league crossover game.
Central Bucks East 16-17-14-9 56
Central Bucks South 1-6-9-7 23
Central Bucks East (56) – Delaney Long 2 0-0 5; Haley Moran 10 0-0 20; Natalie Berndt 5 0-0 11; Emma Penecale 0 2-2 2; Payton Williams 2 0-0 4; Jess Lockwood 4 2-2 12; Hailey Helmstetter 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 24 4-6 56.
Central Bucks South (23) – Lauren Haig 1 0-0 2; Juliana Tropea 1 1-6 3; Rylie DiCesare 2 0-0 4; Riley Campbell 1 0-0 3; Anna Granito 1 2-2 5; TOTALS 9 3-8 23.
3-point goals: Lockwood 2, Long, Berndt; CBS – Campbell, Granito.
SOL Liberty Division
ABINGTON 43, HATBORO-HORSHAM 41
The Ghosts roared out of the gate to a 15-5 lead after one quarter, but the Hatters battled back, outscoring their visitors 18-10 in the second quarter to trail by just two at halftime 25-23. Caleigh Fitzgerald’s seven points led the Ghosts in the half. For the Hatters, Angelica Visceglia had the hot hand, scoring 11.
It was a tight game the rest of the way, but the Ghosts held on for the win.
Both teams struggled from the foul line where the Ghosts were 8-for-24 and the Hatters were 12-for-24.
Key players: Ryane Rogers scored 11 points to lead a balanced Ghost attack while Fitzgerald added 10 and Aniyah Williams had nine.
Hatboro-Horsham’s Angelica Visceglia scored a game-high 17.
Abington coach Allison Lawson:
–On the game: “We pulled out a hard-fought victory. Despite leaving 15 points at the foul line, we showed resilience with three starters out down the stretch to secure the win.
“It was a true team effort, with players stepping up on both ends of the floor. Nora Luskin set the tone defensively, doing an outstanding job guarding the opponent’s best player and limiting her impact. Offensively, we moved the ball well in their zone and created good looks through unselfish play.”
Hatboro-Horsham coach Nicole Miletto:
–On the game: “Tough one tonight against a good aggressive Abington team. I know they had a couple tough losses, and we knew they were going to come in hungry. We didn’t start strong out of the gate. We were not in any kind of rhythm tonight. We were getting outrebounded and weren’t going after all of the 50/50 balls. The girls got themselves together and put together an 18-point second quarter and went on to the half just down two.” –Props: “We had some girls who stepped up and gave us a spark. Sophomore Sarah Gleason who is a great defender got a steal in the second quarter that started our little run to get us back in it. Junior Madison Siegfried hit a couple of big tough shots, and senior Madison Duggan and junior Ang Visceglia put some good pressure on their guards but we missed too many layups and rebound the ball like we needed too in the first half.
“Coach Glemser credited Visceglia’s play. She carried the team on her back tonight. She hit some clutch shots for us and was able to handle pressure. She was getting denied the ball the whole game but her effort was there the whole game. She had a game high 17 points. We made some mistakes tonight, but after being down after the first quarter, we didn’t crumble. We fought hard and it was a good close game that came down to the last few seconds. We don’t have much time to dwell on our mistakes with a game tomorrow at Bristol.”
Up next: Abington will host Upper Dublin Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham will be on the road at Bristol for a non-league game Wednesday.
Abington 15-10-13-5 43
Hatboro-Horsham 5-18-11-7 41
Abington (43) – Rhyane Rogers 3 1-4 11; Asaliya Ortiz 1 0-0 2; Nora Luskin 1 1-6 3; Shya Crofton 1 4-8 6; Caleigh Fitzgerald 4 0-3 10; Emma Felix 1 0-0 2; Aniyah Williams 3 2-3 9; TOTALS 14 8-24 43.
Hatboro-Horsham (41) – Izzie Allen 2 2-2 6; Angelica Visceglia 4 7-14 17; Madison Duggan 2 1-4 5; Mia Fisher 0 1-2 1; Cora Saxer 1 0-0 2; Madison Siegfried 3 0-0 7; Sarah Gleason 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 13 12-24 41.
3-point goals: A – Fitzgerald 2, Rogers 2, Williams; HH – Visceglia 2.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 61, QUAKERTOWN 18
The Colonials – sparked by Grace Harvey’s three 3-pointers – erupted for 22 first-quarter points on their way to the win in Tuesday’s SOL opener.
Key players: Eliza Meersman’s third straight double-double led the Colonials with 15 points and 11 rebounds. She also had three steals and two assists. Grace Harvey also had 15 points, four assists and a team-high five steals. Liv Patete added nine points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Kenna Winland had eight points and handed our five assists.
For the Panthers, Maeve Henry had nine points, and Alexa Seneca had seven.
Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Dan Dougherty:
–Props: “Mia Baron, made her first career start, had five points, lots of deflections, and Olivia Brodzinski played a lot of minutes tonight, scored her first career varsity points.”
Quakertown coach Dan Cymerman:
–On the game: “Plymouth Whitemarsh came out strong and controlled the game from the start. Despite a tough first half, Quakertown battled throughout the final two quarters and found more rhythm offensively.
“Despite the loss, Quakertown showed resilience and strong effort throughout the game. They will build on the positive moments from tonight as they head into their matchup at Hatboro-Horsham Friday.
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh will be on the road at Wissahickon Friday, and Quakertown will travel to Hatboro-Horsham Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 22-18-8-13 61
Quakertown 1-5-3-9 18
Plymouth Whitemarsh (61) – Brooke Walcoff 1 0-0 2; Luca Juliano 1 0-0 3; Liv Patete 3 2-2 9; Kenna Winland 2 3-4 8; Mia Baron 2 0-0 4; Eliza Meersman 4 7-12 15, Olivia Brodzinski 2 1-3 5; Grace Harvey 6 0-0 15; TOTALS 21 13-21 61.
Quakertown (18) – Alexa Seneca 1 5-8 7; Maeve Henry 3 0-0 9; N.Mordzinski 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 5 5-8 18.
3-point goals: PW – Harvey 3, Winland, Patete, Juliano; Q – Henry 3.
UPPER DUBLIN 77, WISSAHICKON 23
The visiting Cardinals opened the game with a 25-3 first quarter on their way to the decisive win in Tuesday’s league opener. Tamia Clark’s nine points led the Cards while Ella Morris added eight.
Key players: Morris led four UD players in double figures with 18, which included three 3-pointers. She also had six rebounds and three steals. Clark added 15 points – all in the first half. The duo shot a combined 14-for-21 from the floor. Emilia Coleman added 12 points and four steals while Megan Ngo had 11 points, nine assists and six steals.
Maura Jacob led the Trojans with 10 points.
Up next: Upper Dublin will travel to Abington Friday, and Wissahickon will host Plymouth Whitemarsh Friday.
Upper Dublin 25-22-21-9 77
Wissahickon 3-7-6-7 23
Upper Dublin (77) – Shannon Connaughton 2 0-0 4; Bridget DiMartile 4 0-0 9; Tamia Clark 7 1-2 15; Megan Ngo 4 0-0 11; Emilia Coleman 5 0-0 13; Ella Morris 7 1-1 18; Julia Scullen 1 0-0 2; Ryniah Sharpe 2 1-2 6; TOTALS 32 3-5 77.
Wissahickokn (23) – Maura Jacob 4 0-0 10; Georgia McNichol 1 0-0 2; Kaitlyn Thomson 2 2-2 6; Julia Lee 1 0-0 3; Kai Potter 1 0-2 2; TOTALS 9 2-4 23.
3-point goals: UD – M.Ngo 3, Morris 3, Coleman 2, DiMartile, Sharpe. W – Maura Jacob 2, Julia Lee.
SOL Freedom Division
LOWER MORELAND 47, CHELTENHAM 43
The Lions made an early statement with their win over the defending division champion Lady Panthers.
Lower Moreland led 13-8 after one quarter and took a 26-22 lead into halftime, but the Lady Panthers – minus a pair of players – rallied to go on top 34-33 heading into the final quarter when the Lions outscored their visitors 14-9 to eke out the win. Maddie Broderick and Emma DiJoseph sparked the comeback with five points each in the quarter.
Key players; Emma DiJoseph (15 points) and Sydney Santor (13 points) led a balanced Lions’ attack.
Cheltenham’s all-state guard Maya Simmons led all scorers with 20 points while Sydney Powell had 15 and Isabella Brown had eight. Simmons also had 14 rebounds.
Lower Moreland coach Andy Krasna:
–On the win: Cheltenham is a terrific team, and we were fortunate to pull out a hard-fought win. Senior Maya Simmons was impossible to slow down in the first half, scoring 16 of her team’s 22 points. She can hit mid-range pullups, beat defenders off the dribble, and basically get her own shot at will. We were so focused on trying to stop her we tended to over-commit, and she would find ways to get open and score. However, we eventually slowed Maya down in the second half and held her to just four points.
“Sydney Santora was super, ending the game with a double-double and hitting some timely shots when we needed it. Emma DiJoseph got us going early with 12 first-half points, hitting 2 big 3-pointers, but her biggest moment of the night was hitting 2 huge free-throws with 5 seconds remaining on the clock to seal the win.
“Maddie Broderick banked in a huge fourth quarter 3-pointer after we had fallen behind to get us back into the game. I learned after the game that Maddie’s signature shot in middle school was banking in long 3-pointers, and this one couldn’t have been more special. Mady Rossiter came up big both on the boards and defending in the post. She also helped us break their press a good part of the game.
“Molly Martin was also breaking pressure for us, dealing with traps and double teams all night. More importantly, Mollie found a way to make it difficult for Maya Simmons to get open looks as she was our lock-down defender in the second half. Freshman Ella Broderick came off the bench when Sydney got into foul trouble and logged in some valuable varsity minutes.
“The outcome of this game could have gone either way. The difference tonight was our ability to play together, move on after a making mistakes, and staying composed down the stretch.”
Up next: Lower Moreland will travel to Simon Gratz for a non-league game Thursday, and Cheltenham will host Wiliam Tennent Friday in a key conference battle.
Cheltenham 8-14-12-9 43
Lower Moreland 13-13-7-14 47
Cheltenham (43) – Paige Powell 15, Maya Simmons 20, Isabella Brown 8.
Lower Moreland (47) – Sydney Santora 13, Emma DiJoseph 15, Mollie Martin 5, Mady Rossiter 5, Maddie Broderick 7, Sofia Fry 2.
3-point goals: C – Simmons 2, Brown 2; LM – Santora 2, DiJoseph, Rossiter, Broderick.
WILLIAM TENNENT 60, UPPER MORELAND 36
The Panthers – sparked by six points from Aubrey Lynch – raced out of the gate to an 18-5 lead after one quarter. They took a 30-19 lead into halftime and then outscored their hosts 30-17 in the second half.
Key players: Halie Staub and Megan Volz led a balanced attack with 13 points each. Devon MacDonald added nine points. Hailey Milks led the Golden Bears with 18 points.
William Tennent coach Laura Whitney:
–On the game: “It was a good team win to open up division play. We had balanced scoring, and everyone that played contributed. Both teams battled foul trouble the whole game, so it was difficult to find our rhythm at times. I was really pleased with our energy and toughness the second half. We came out stronger, were more aggressive, and got back to playing our kind of basketball, which resulted in some great possessions. I thought we were very unselfish and shared the ball well.”
–Props: “Props to the large group of students from our school who came out to support. They were super loud and energetic, and made it such a fun environment to play in. Hopefully, we can keep the momentum going when we face Cheltenham on Friday.”
Upper Moreland coach Josh Adelman:
–On the game: “Turnovers and missed foul shots really allowed William Tennent to win comfortably in this game. Eight different players scored for the Panthers and performed very well. For Upper Moreland, Hailey Milks scored a game high of 18 points. Six other players scored points for the Golden Bears.”
–Props: I was very pleased with how well Hailey Milks scored with strong finishes at the basket and with ten-foot jump shots. Her rebounding was at a very high rate at both ends of the floor. UM also received a very strong defensive effort from freshman Sheila Mangin. She held William Tennent’s leading scorer, Avery Kocur, to five points. We sacrificed some offense by having Sheila play Avery, but she never backed down and competed at a very high level.
“William Tennent is coached so well by Laura (Whitney). She has her team playing a very difficult early schedule to get her veteran squad tested for the end of the season. We knew coming in that Avery, Halie (Staub), and Megan (Volz) were their big three to contain. We gave them some different looks, and it was effective. We just kept turning the ball over at crucial points, and it’s hard to get a lead under double digits that way. I was also happy we were able to get to the foul line tonight. We were 16-for-27. We missed 11 free throws, which changed the outcome in tonight’s contest. All in all, it was a good measuring stick for our young team, and we know what we have to work on at practice.”
Up next: William Tennent will be on the road at Cheltenham Friday, and Upper Moreland will travel to Cheltenham next Tuesday.
William Tennent 18-12-14-16 60
Upper Moreland 5-14-9-8 36
William Tennent (60) – Devon MacDonald 9, Aubrey Lynch 6, Avery Kocur 6, Carissa Malpezzi 6, Halie Staub 13, Giada Cosenza 1, Hannah Wong 6, Megan Volz 13.
Upper Moreland (36) – Brooklyn Kavanagh 6, Brogan Neely 3, Sheila Mangin 4, Mia Taliaferro 1, Hailey Milks 18, Maggie Brophy 4,
3-point goals: WT – MacDonald 2, Staub 2.
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