Bob Schaefer made getting 700 wins look easy.
Trying to get number 701 – well, that was another story entirely.
Wissahickon apparently had no interest in extending the Cheltenham coach’s string of wins, stunning the Lady Panthers 51-49 in an SOL American Conference battle on Saturday. It was the first loss of the season for the Lady Panthers (20-1).
“We played well today, we played hard,” Wissahickon coach Jerry Hartman said. “The girls executed what we talked about in our game plan.“Controlling the tempo of the game was really key, and although we didn’t shoot great from the foul line, we made some foul shots at the end of the game when we needed to.”
The Trojans’ game plan, according to Hartman, was simple.
“We wanted to try and keep them in front of us,” he said. “If they were going to beat us, they were going to beat us from the outside. Certainly, they can shoot the ball extremely well, and that’s how they got back in the game.
“You start getting into a running game with them, there’s no way you’ll be able to keep up with them. They have too many weapons. We tried to slow it down and keep them in front of us.”
Behind seven points from Colleen Hinde, the Trojans jumped out to a 13-8 lead at the end of one quarter, and they still led 21-19 at the intermission. Sophomore Ciara Andrews – who had a pair of three’s – accounted for all 11 of the Lady Panthers’ points in the second quarter.
The Trojans added to that lead in the third quarter, outscoring the Panthers 10-7, and although the Panthers – who trailed by as many as 11 - scored 23 fourth-quarter points, the Trojans scored 20 – 12 from the foul line – to ice the win.
“The key for us was controlling the tempo, and we rebounded the ball well,” Hartman said. “Colleen Hinde made some tough shots when we needed her to, but it was a total team effort.
“We played seven players, and every player was extremely important to what we were doing in the game, whether it was defense or offense.”
While the Trojans’ had their game plan working to perfection, the Lady Panthers did not. Coach Bob Schaefer pointed to his own unwillingness to get out of the ‘T’ (trapping) defense that ultimately led to his team’s defeat.
“I was stubborn and didn’t listen to my assistant coaches, which I usually have a good ear for,” Schaefer said. “I wanted to make the team work on the ‘T.’ It was a mistake on my part.
“You have to credit Wissahickon. They were playing well, and we weren’t. In the fourth quarter when we changed things, they still did very well against us. Give them credit. They played well. They made the baskets they had to make.”
Hartman wasn’t about to divulge any secrets on how his team solved the mystery of Cheltenham’s vaunted trapping defense.
“We made a little adjustment,” the Trojans’ coach said. “We moved some personnel around. The key was we were a little more patient with it than the last time when we couldn’t even get the ball to halfcourt.
“It’s tough to control the tempo because they get the ball, and they just take off. They turn that transition game on, and if you try and run with them, you’re in a lot of trouble. For the most part, we did a real nice job of doing what we thought we needed to do to be competitive and win the game.”
Hinde led the Trojans with 19 points, which included seven points in the fourth quarter. Jessica Scannapieco added nine while Jessica Keller had seven – all in the second half. Dominique Earland had six points.
The Trojans closed out league play with a 12-2 mark.
“For our team and program, this was a nice win,” Hartman said. “I think we have taken a couple steps forward with our program this year. We had a couple of people out, but so did everyone else. We’re starting to get a little bit healthy.
“We’ve worked real hard this year. We lost some games we should have won, and we won some games we probably should have lost. It balances itself out. For the kids and program, it’s a big step forward. You can accomplish things when you work hard.
“The kids went out there today and played their hearts out. Let’s be honest, they’re one of the top three or four teams in the state. We pushed a lot of the right buttons today and came out on top, but it could go the opposite way just as quickly. I’m just proud of the way the kids played. I want them to enjoy this.”
The Lady Panthers, who fell to 12-1 in league play, were led by the 14-point effort of Shayla Felder while Andrews added 13.
Patriots finish strong – One of the more intriguing games of the second go-round in league play was Friday night’s matchup pitting Central Bucks East and Central Bucks South, and while nothing was riding on the game other than bragging rights, the Patriots downed the Titans for the second time this season – this time 56-46.
It was their eighth straight win after suffering back-to-back losses to North Penn and Council Rock North.
“We talked on the bus ride home from Council Rock North, and our motto was – eight out and one at a time,” coach Tom Lonergan said. “We wanted to win the last eight and take it one game at a time doing that.
“They did accomplish that. They won the last eight, and they had some pretty good competition.”
South was coming off an impressive road win over a tough North Penn squad on Tuesday, but the Patriots just had too many weapons. Four players finished the game in double figures – Liz Martin (20 points), Sarah Martin (11 points), Kristina Pogue (11 points) and Courtney McManus (10 points).
“We had to go into that game knowing South was back on course again, and we needed a big effort on our team’s part to pull it out,” Lonergan said. “If my one and two guards are scoring 20 points, and you know you’ll get that from the inside, and you have Melissa Remmey chipping in here and there – if you’re scoring that many points from your first five, it doesn’t take that much to try and hold the other team down.”
On Saturday, the Patriots (13-1 SOL, 18-3 overall) closed out their regular season with a 53-28 non-league win over Pennsbury. Liz Martin and Kristina Pogue led the way with 12 points each while Melissa Remmey added nine. Remmey and Pogue were 10-of-16 from the field.
Lindsay Weaver (9 points) and Kelly Rebert (8 points) led the Falcons.
Indians rally for big win – Souderton scored 38 points in the second half, erasing a 10-point halftime deficit to earn a 57-49 win over Quakertown on Saturday.
“There have been many, many games where we haven’t scored 38 points,” said coach Lynn Carroll, whose team trailed 29-19 at halftime. “We got pretty good looks in the first half, but we couldn’t make anything.
“We were 0-for-5 on three-pointers in the first half, and we were missing on post moves, missing some layups, and they played well. Daniella (Ciccarone) dictated what happened for them in the first half. It didn’t feel like a huge 10-point lead. It felt as though if a couple of things had gone differently, it would have been a different story.”
The Indians’ fortunes changed dramatically in the second half. They connected on 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and outscored the Panthers 38-20.
“Two of the three-pointers – one was by Emily Price in the fourth quarter to cut their lead to two, and then Averie Brittin hit a huge pull-up jumper to tie the game,” Carroll said. “The next time down the court, Liz Mower hit a three from way, way out to go up three.
“It really was a team effort. Everyone made big shots, everybody stepped up. We started playing better defensively. Ciccarone had 13 points in the second half, but it was a quiet 13. We really executed what we wanted to with help defense, and we forced some turnovers.”
The Indians received big contributions from all five of their starters - Brittany Sandone (16 points), Mower (15 points), Brittin (10 points), Carley Kendall (nine points) and Price (seven points).
“More than any other game this year, it was truly a team effort where all five starters stepped up and got things done in the second half,” Carroll said.
The Indians closed out league play with an 8-6 mark. They are 12-9 overall.
“This season has been so up and down,” Carroll said. “We had a big win against North Penn and then we’d have a letdown game, a big win over CB South and a letdown game.
“With the injuries and people only being able to play some of the time, it’s really been up and down. Carley Kendall was out this week against Pennridge, and we lost that game.
“To be as healthy as we have been in a while and to play as well as we did to end the regular season is really, really big and for everybody to play well and shoot well – it really felt like a team effort, and that is huge moving forward.”
Rams outscore Hatters – The Rams capped a successful Pennridge Day on Saturday evening with a 70-63 win over Hatboro-Horsham. Three players finished the game in double figures. Sam Simononis led the way with 21 points while Alyssa Marchunsky had 12 and Katie Franchois added 11.
“It was a non-defensive game on both ends of the court,” coach Brooke Martin said. “We played well enough to win, but they didn’t play much defense.”
Cailin Schmeer led the Hatters with 22 points while Alicia Hayes added 13. The Rams closed out league play with a 6-8 record (11-11 overall) while the Hatters remained winless in the league.
Between the varsity and junior varsity games, the Rams celebrated Teacher Appreciation Day.
“The girls invited two teachers to come to the game, and it’s anonymous,” Martin said. “They write letters to two teachers that had an impact on their lives.
“That night they reveal who they invited and why they invited them, and they recognize them with flowers. It’s a nice thing.”
Five Deep Run youth teams also played prior to the Pennridge varsity and jayvee games, and the young players are admitted to the games free of charge if they wear their t-shirts. Raffles are also held on a day that is a fund raiser for the basketball squad.
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