Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. CR North/Neshaminy photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery.
SOL National Conference
NESHAMINY 49, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 32
The stakes were high when the Redskins travelled to Council Rock North, and listening to Kristin Curley tell it, Friday’s game was about more than just supremacy in the conference standings.
“First of all, I have never won an SOL solely in any sport,” said the Redskins’ junior point guard, also a key member of Neshaminy’s successful soccer team. “Last year we shared it with two other teams and – it counts, but this is a whole lot better.
“Also, the junior class has never won a game in Council Rock North’s gym, so there was always that going into it. There was a whole bunch going into this game. We wanted it so bad. Everyone worked for each other. It was so much fun to play in. We’ve been preparing for this for so long. We were so ready to play on Tuesday, and that energy transferred to every single day and just kept building and building.”
Curley’s energy and will to win was never more apparent than in an opening quarter that saw her score 11 points in just over three minutes. It began with Curley burying a pair at the foul line to put the Redskins on top 7-3 at the 4:23 mark and was capped with the junior sinking her third consecutive three with just over a minute remaining in the quarter to put the Redskins on top 16-7.
“Our coaches have been saying that I need to shoot more,” Curley said. “It just clicked today.”
Early on, Alexa McCoy’s baseline jumper put the Redskins on the board, and when Allison Harvey buried a three – the first of four treys in the quarter for Neshaminy – the ‘Skins had a 5-0 lead, and they were just getting started.
In the second quarter, the Indians scored just three points – all at the foul line. The ‘Skins scored 11 with Emily Tantala joining the Redskins’ long-range assault with a three. Kelli Kowalick scored six points in the quarter, including a three-point play with 1:16 remaining to put the Redskins on top 25-14.
Neshaminy took a 27-14 lead into halftime, and making that number especially noteworthy was the fact that senior standout Brooke Mullin – the object of the Indians’ attention – did not score a point and took just a handful of shots.
“People are going to come into games focused on Brooke, and Brooke and the other girls have worked really, really hard for us to understand it’s going to take a team effort,” coach Joe Lally said. “They know that, and they’re ready for that, and tonight they stepped up and played the game they’re capable of playing, but in all fairness, they’ve been working towards that all year long.
“We’ve had many conversations and the kids have put the work in the gym to make those shots and make those plays. You have to give them a ton of credit because the situation didn’t get them rattled. They knew they’d been working hard enough, and now it was time to play that way.”
The Indians took three points off the Redskins’ lead in a third quarter that was capped with Olivia Boyle hitting nothing but net on a long-distance three that made it a 35-25 game. Early in the fourth quarter, Dana Bandurick turned a steal into a bucket to make it an eight-point game. Mullin answered by finding a cutting Tantala for an easy bucket, but another Boyle three-pointer off a screen that made it 37-30 game.
Five straight points by Harvey sealed the Indians’ fate – the first basket on a strong drive past her defender and the second, a three-pointer on a dish from Curley.
“I know they’re going to faceguard me a lot, so obviously, I had to go to the basket and do different things,” Harvey said. “I saw they were letting me drive, so I just went for it.”
When the final horn sounded, the Redskins converged for a brief celebration. They also cut down the net.
“This means everything,” Harvey said. “At the beginning of the season, we always set goals, and one of the goals was to win the SOL. This is my last time playing Council Rock North in a regular season game, especially on their court.
“It was one of our goals coming in, and now it’s on to the next. We have districts coming up, we have to get prepared and focused for that, and we have Pennsbury on Thursday – we can’t overlook Pennsbury. We’re going to practice hard, we’re going to push each other, and we’re going to come ready to play them on Thursday night.”
Lally, who lauded the play of his team’s defense, acknowledged there was plenty of credit to go around in a game that was the definition of a team win.
“Alexa McCoy stepped up and made a couple big jumpers, and we have Kelli Kowalick going strong to the basket,” Lally said. “The theory of – leave these couple of kids open and make them beat you doesn’t work, and now you’re back to square one.
“We know they’re a good team. They’re well coached. We have a ton of respect for them. I go back a little further than our kids, and I consider them the team that set the bar in this league, so we understand what this program is about. We knew they would come out hard.”
Curley led a balanced attack with 13 points and Harvey added 12. Kowalick had nine points and Mullin, six – all in the second half. She also led the way under the backboards.
“It’s calming to know that my teammates have my back – they can do it,” Mullin said. “We’re a team, it’s not just one player. We just had to stay calm and play our game.”
“To win the SOL and just to share it with these girls is exciting.”
The win gave the Redskins a season sweep of their archrivals. They notched a 56-34 win in the initial meeting on Jan. 3.
“We knew they were going to be good, we knew they weren’t going to want to lose on their court,” Curley said. “There was a mix of confidence and nerves.
“We knew if we came and played the way we did the first time it was all going to be good, but there’s always that feeling that shots might not fall. Today they just fell. The right things happened today.”
For the Indians, Bandurick led the way with 12 points – six in the first quarter – while Boyle added nine.
Neshaminy (19-2, 11-0 SOL) will host Pennsbury in its regular season finale Thursday, and Council Rock North (15-4, 8-2) will host Bensalem on Tuesday.
Neshaminy 16-11-8-14 49
Council Rock North 11-3-11-7 32
Neshaminy (49) – Emily Tantala 5, Brooke Mullin 6, Kristin Curley 13, Alexa McCoy 4, Kelli Kowalick 9, Allison Harvey 12.
Council Rock North (32) – Camryn Polinsky 4, Anna Cairone 2, Sydney Blum 1, Olivia Boyle 9, Dana Bandurick 12, Abby Jones 4.
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 45, NORTH PENN 42
The Bucks needed some late-game heroics from Izzy Treon to escape with a win over the Knights. With the Bucks trailing by one, Treon scored on a layup. The Knights – who coughed the ball up twice and also missed the front end of a one-and-one in the game’s final minute – came up empty, and Treon put the finishing touches on the win when she buried a pair at the foul line for the Bucks’ final margin of victory.
"Our inexperience hurt us in the end, but our girls played well," North Penn coach Jen Carangi said. "I'm really proud of them."
Early on, the Bucks – behind six points from Treon – opened up a 12-5 lead after one quarter. The Knights came back to outscore their visitors 13-9 in the second quarter, and the Bucks led 21-18 at the intermission. Maddie Burke’s nine points led the Bucks while Treon had eight. For the Knights, Val McGriff’s six points led the way.
The Knights – sparked by 11 second-half points from Alaina Mullaly – refused to go down quietly and hung with the Bucks until the final horn.
Mullaly led all scorers with 16 points, which included three three-pointers. Alli Lindsay added nine points, and McGriff had eight.
Treon (14 points), Burke (13 points) and Olivia Irons (11 points) led a balanced West attack.
Central Bucks West (12-7, 7-3 SOL) will host Upper Dublin in a non-league game on Saturday at 5 p.m., and North Penn (8-12, 4-6) will host Central Bucks South on Tuesday.
Central Bucks West 12-9-11-13 45
North Penn 5-13-13-11 42
Central Bucks West (45) – Olivia Irons, Jess Broskey 2, Maddie Burke 13, Emily Spratt 3, Izzy Treon 14, Tori Abelson 2.
North Penn (42) – Alli Lindsay 9, Rachel Dunn 5, Alaina Mullaly 16, Carley Adams 4, Val McGriff 8.
SOUDERTON 55, PENNRIDGE 41
Olivia Schneider had a breakout performance for the Indians, erupting for 17 points over the final three quarters. The promising sophomore – who didn’t see action the first quarter – connected on 8-of-11 shots from the field and 1-of-2 at the foul line.
“She was great,” coach Lynn Carroll said. “She might have the best touch around the basket of any kid I’ve ever coached. She does not miss layups, she does not miss stuff in the lane. Left hand, right hand, defender on her – she has such a nice touch around the basket.
“She was getting open by making really good decisions. There were times towards the end where we were stalling a little bit, and she happened to be the one that got the layup at the end of it. She really was great.”
Schneider served early notice that she was going to be heard from, scoring eight points in the second quarter.
“At one point in the second quarter, Pennridge called a 30-second timeout, and I was like, ‘Next time on offense, Olivia cut to the basket and get a layup,’ and we all laughed,” Carroll said. “She just kept doing it and doing it. It was great for her.
“She’s been giving us good minutes all year. What she does best she did a lot of today.”
The Indians led by just two after one quarter and took a 28-12 lead into halftime. The Rams – who connected for five threes in the second half – trimmed the Indians’ lead to six in the third quarter but never seriously threatened.
“We finished the game out – we took care of the ball, we held until we got a really good look on a layup, defended on the perimeter better,” Carroll said.
The win gave the Indians sole possession of the SOL Continental Conference title for the second time in as many years.
“After the game, I walked into the locker room and said, ‘Congratulations, champions,’” Carroll said. “I don’t know if they understand how big of a deal it is. I tried to explain it as best I could.
“I’ve been at Souderton around 15 years, and I only have two of these. It doesn’t happen often, and back-to-back is even tougher. Winning the second one when you graduate four seniors who are all playing in college, three of them started and really never came out of the game – it’s such a special thing they were able to accomplish.”
Also for the Indians, Mikaela Reese added 12 points, Megan O’Donnell contributed nine, Megan Bealer had seven and Megan Walbrandt, six points.
For the Rams, Evelyn Loughery and Emilee Cramer led the way with eight points each. The Rams were a near perfect 13-for-14 at the foul line.
Souderton (17-2, 10-1 SOL) will host Abington in a non-league game Monday at 6:30 p.m., and Pennridge (8-9, 2-7) will be on the road at Central Bucks South on Monday.
Souderton 9-19-15-12 55
Pennridge 7-5-14-15 41
Souderton (55) –
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 64, QUAKERTOWN 30
Sparked by seven points from senior Caroline Pla, the visiting Patriots opened up a 19-3 lead after one quarter in a contest they led from wire to wire.
Mia Salvati led a balanced East attack with 12 points while Pla added 11. Emily Chmiel and Sydney Ives both contributed eight points while Skylar Krause had seven. Emily Barry chipped in with six points.
Katie Offner’s seven points led the Panthers.
Central Bucks East (10-9, 6-5 SOL) will host Villa Joseph Marie on Monday, and Quakertown (2-18, 0-10) will be on the road at Central Bucks West on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 19-22-16-7 64
Quakertown 3-10-6-11 30
Central Bucks East (64) – Mia Salvati 12, Sydney Ives 8, Devon Burns 5, Gabby Wilga 3, Caroline Pla 11, Elise Duffy 4, Emily Chmiel 8, Skylar Krause 7, Emily Barry 6.
Quakertown (30) – Bri Lefkoski 3, Kimmy Best 3, Laney Mitchell 5, Morgan Sipprell 4, Fallon Grandinetti 4, Emma Pizzullo 2, Katie Offner 7, Abigail McClaskey 2.
SOL American Conference
HATBORO-HORSHAM 52, CHELTENHAM 37
It was the story of two halves.
The Lady Panthers – behind the inspired play of Kai Williams – took a 27-22 lead into the halftime locker room. Williams accounted for 16 of those points, scoring eight in each quarter.
The second half was another story entirely. Williams scored seven points, and her teammates managed just three between them. The Hatters took advantage of the situation, outscoring the Panthers 30-10.
While Williams stole the spotlight in the first half, point guard Cam Ryan quietly and without fanfare kept the Hatters in it, scoring eight points.
In the third quarter, the Hatters began to take control, outscoring the Lady Panthers 15-6. They did even better in the fourth quarter with a 15-4 edge. Freshman Alice Hall and senior Kylie Halko came up big in the second half. Both had nine points.
“We had no answer for Kai Williams in the first half,” Hatters’ coach Dennis Steinly said. “She was dominant.
“In the second half, we paid closer attention to making it difficult for her to get the ball, but she still scored seven of their 10 second-half points. Fortunately, Cam Ryan was able to create her own shot in the first half to keep us within striking distance.
“In the second half, we showed better patience on offense and got the ball inside.”
Hall led the Hatters with 15 points and 12 rebounds in an impressive double-double. Ryan added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Halko had 11 points and five rebounds. Emily Thomas chipped in seven points.
Williams led all scorers with 23 points while Umayrah Sulayman had eight.
“We battled in the first half, but like much of what has plagued us all season, we didn’t play a complete four quarters,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said. “We let our emotions and negativity get the best of us, and that’s the difference.”
Hatboro-Horsham (10-10, 6-6 SOL) will host Abington on Tuesday, and Cheltenham (2-17, 0-11) will travel to Wissahickon on Monday.
Cheltenham 16-11-6-4 37
Hatboro-Horsham 12-10-15-15 52
Cheltenham (37) – Umayrah Sulayman 8, Kyla Ogden 3, Kelia Holmes 3, Kai Williams 23.
Hatboro-Horsham (52) – Emily Thomas 7, Cam Ryan 13, Kylie Halko 11, Maddie Throne 4, Alice Hall 15, Kara Kaminski 2.
UPPER MORELAND 62, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 28
Sparked by 10 points from Bean Hughes, the Golden Hawks opened up a 16-6 lead after one quarter and extended that to 34-10 by halftime on their way to the decisive win.“This was a weird week with early games, postponements, practice schedule moving around,” coach Matt Carroll said. “We talk a lot about how we respond to things both positive and negative on and off the court.
“We had a rough start to the week but finished the week really strong. We know playoffs are coming so we really have to cut down on the little things before the games really, really count. We did a great job of that tonight.
“We get a lot of our points on offensive rebounds and steals but Springfield did a great job of not allowing those. Instead we made the extra pass and made open shots.”
Hughes led all scorers with 20 points, Kaitie Opferman added nine, and Phoebe Longstreth had eight.
“Our guards were great tonight. Phoebe (Longstreth), Kaiya (Herb), Emma (Meakim) and Kat (Kaitie Opferman) had 15 assists for us,” Carroll said. “They made every right play and are all peaking at the right time. They are great at setting up the defense to think one thing in order to get someone open somewhere else.”
The Golden Bears shot 21-for-41 from inside the arc. They were 11-for-13 at the foul line. They had just six turnovers in the game, none in the second half.
“All nine of our varsity only players played valuable minutes and contributed,” Carroll said. “The girls know we have some goals still unchecked and they are working really hard in order to reach those goals.”
Grace Barraclough’s nine points led the Spartans. Rileigh Serroni and Emily Smith each added six points.
Upper Moreland (13-6, 7-5 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South for a non-league game on Monday. Springfield Township (2-16, 1-11) will host Collegium Charter School from Exton in a non-league contest on Saturday.
Upper Moreland 16-18-10-18 62
Springfield Township 6-4-7-9 28
Upper Moreland (62) – Phoebe Longstreth 8, Kathryn Morrow 4, Kaiya Herb 2, Kaitie Opferman 9, Emma Meakim 4, AbbyEllen Wood 7, Bean Hughes 20, Hannah Finn 4, Kelley Leighton 4.
Springfield Township (28) – Grace Barraclough 9, Rileigh Serroni 6, Maddie Yoder 1, Emily Smith 6, Emily Guicheteau 2, Sydney Hannings 4.
UPPER DUBLIN 40, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 22
The Flying Cardinals opened up an early 11-2 lead, setting the tone for the important win over the defending conference champions.
“It was kind of the opposite of the first game in how we started,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “We were really disappointed with our level of focus and preparation leading up to the first game.
“It was pretty much the opposite tonight. The energy level was great, the preparation leading up to it was great, the girls were ready to play. We were turning them over, and we were getting great shots.
“They’re tough. Their confidence was pretty high coming off of competing with Abington and giving Abington a major scare, so we knew we were going to have our hands full, and we knew they were going to come in with a game plan to try to beat us.”
The Cardinals took a 20-12 lead into halftime
“I felt the key was jumping out to the 11-2 lead,” Funsten said. “It was pretty much even the rest of the first half.
“We pressured the entire first half, and we decided at halftime that we were going to turn it into a half court game because we were confident in our half court defense. My girls were a little disappointed because they wanted to continue to ramp up the pressure, continue to play fast.
“I just felt what gave us the best chance to win was to make it a half court game. PW came out and scored the first five points of the third quarter, so if my girls weren’t trusting me at halftime, they probably really weren’t trusting me when the third quarter started.”
Funsten needn’t have worried. He had an ace in the hole in junior center Jackie Vargas, who took over the game in the second half. She scored 11 of her game-high 17 points after the intermission. She finished the game with 17 points, 11 blocks and eight rebounds.
“That’s coming off the first time we played them she had a triple-double,” Funsten said. “She was very close to another triple-double.
“Her footwork defensively is so good that she puts herself in a position where she can stay straight up and she can challenge pretty much anybody. PW is big and they’re physical. For her to be able to challenge and block as many shots as she did tonight and in the first game is really a credit to how disciplined she is defensively.”
Sarah Eskew added nine points for the Cardinals, who put some distance between themselves and the pesky Colonials with a 12-3 fourth quarter surge.
“It was like a grind-it-out game, and once we got the lead, we were going to be okay with that,” Funsten said. “I think we’re in a pretty good position right now in the league.
“We have a great challenge tomorrow in CB West, so we’re stringing together a couple games in a row where it’s playoff caliber teams that we’re playing. Hopefully, this will get us ready for what we see in the near future.”
PW was led by the six-point effort of Lainey Allen.
Upper Dublin (16-3, 11-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Saturday for a non-league game at 5 p.m. Plymouth Whitemarsh will be on the road Tuesday at Upper Moreland.
Upper Dublin 11-9-8-12 40
Plymouth Whitemarsh 6-6-7-3 22
Upper Dublin (22) – Bliss Brenner 1, Anajae Smith 4, Jess Polin 4, Sarah Eskey 9, Dayna Balasa 5, Jackie Vargas 17.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (22) – Kaitlyn Flanagan 4, Sydney Kesselman 2, Anna McTamney 5, Lainey Allen 6, Jordyn Thomas 5.
ABINGTON 75, WISSAHICKON 25
The Ghosts celebrated a senior class that will leave behind a legacy of excellence. All four seniors made their presence felt in Friday’s Senior Night win.
Camryn Lexow led all scorers with 23 points, which included a pair of threes. Tamia Wessels and Kassondra Brown added 10 each while Miranda Liebtag had seven.
“They’re special, they really are,” coach Dan Marsh said. “They’re probably the most successful senior class that I’ve ever coached.
“They’re about to win their second league championship, they won a district championship, they’re probably going to have four straight 20-win seasons, they’re probably going to have four deep playoff runs, but even more than that, they’ve just grown as better basketball players and better people.
“We have a three-point play that we run for Tamia (Wessels), and tonight they ran it for every senior. Without me knowing, they did it on their own. They called the play and ran it. They just like each other, they support each other. One kid was having trouble at school, and one of the seniors pulled her in and said, ‘Hey, we’re a family.’ They’re just a great group. To watch them grow as much as they have on and off the court has been great.”
Freshman Khalis Whiting – the lone underclassman in the starting lineup – added 14 points.
For the Trojans, Julia Verrier’s six points led the way.
Abington (17-2, 11-1 SOL) will travel to Souderton Monday for a non-league game at 6:30 p.m. Wissahickon (6-12, 3-8) will host Cheltenham on Monday.
Wissahickon 3-10-6-6 25
Abington 17-20-27-11 75
Wissahickon (25) – Anna Schools 3, Lauren Fadel 5, Rebecca Selverian 4, Julia Verrier 6, Victoria Williams 5, Kelly Dickson 2.
Abington (75) – Tami Wessels 10, Camryn Lexow 23, Kassondra Brown 10, Miranda Liebtag 7, Khalis Whiting 14, Amanda Jackson 3, Becca Pohle 2, Kaeleigh Sierianni 4, Allison Holden 2.
Non-league
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 45, PERKIOMEN VALLEY 38
Alexa Brodie scored 22 points to lead the visiting Titans – who raced out of the gate to a 22-7 lead after one quarter – to the non-league win. The senior point guard accounted for 19 of those points.
“We came out really hot,” coach Beth Mattern said. “They got hot in the third quarter.
“This was a game that I feel like in December our team probably wouldn’t have won. I’m just really proud of the effort they had.”
The Titans, who took a 30-16 lead into halftime, were outscored 18-5 in the third quarter, and suddenly, they found themselves clinging to a 45-44 lead heading into the final frame that saw them outscore the Vikings 10-4.
“Taylor Hinkle hit a three and went 2-for-2 from the foul line in the fourth quarter,” Mattern said of her freshman. “Alexa Brodie is so known for her offense, but she had a blocked shot and (forced) a jump ball, and she was just all over the place on the defensive end when it counted.
“I just was really proud of the effort overall by our team.”
In addition to Brodie, who connected on a pair of threes and was 6-for-8 at the foul line, Hinkle added nine points.
Central Buck South (10-8, 6-3 SOL) will host Mastery Charter in a non-league game on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Central Bucks South 22-8-5-10 45
Perkiomen Valley 7-9-18-4 38
Central Bucks South (45) – Alyssa D’Orazio 4, Taylor Hinkle 9, Mackenzie Erb 2, Allie Burke 2, Kirsten Schaller 4, Alexa Brodie 22, Sofia Sonnet 2.
Perkiomen Valley (38) – Kylie Monaco 2, Emma Miley 17, Gabby Marinacci 7, Katie Hurd 3, Sara Nijssen 4, Kelly Owens 34.
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