Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Thursday. Check back to view Lisa Henderson’s photos of the CB South/CB West game. Photos of the Neshaminy/CR South game are provided courtesy of Jesse Garber and can be viewed at the following link: http://JSGarber.zenfolio.com/p846788388.
National Conference
NESHAMINY 48, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 26
The Redskins made history on Thursday night when they became what is believed to be the school’s first basketball team – male or female – to go through a league season without a loss.
“At the beginning of the year, everyone sets a goal – you want to win your league, compete in your league,” coach Joe Lally said. “That’s step one.
“After we played Council Rock North (Tuesday), it was like, ‘Maybe we have a chance to do it.’ I give the kids credit because they stayed focused and took it one game at a time. It would have been easy to jump the gun.”
The two teams were deadlocked at six after one quarter, but the Redskins took control of the game with a 16-3 second quarter tear. Morgan Goldenbaum scored six points and Allison Harvey had five as the ‘Skins took a 22-9 lead into halftime. They outscored the visiting Golden Hawks 15-6 in the third quarter on their way to the win and a perfect conference season.
“I happen to think Jason (Rapp) is doing a great job at South,” Lally said. “His kids are playing really hard for him.
“They almost beat us the first time around. I was happy that the kids came in tonight, stuck with the game plan – a little anxiety in the first quarter, but then they settled in and played pretty well.”
Allison Harvey led the Redskins with 15 points while Tiara Porterfield added nine. Morgan Goldenbaum had eight points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Devon Storms also added eight points to the balanced attack.
Payton Spadaccino’s 12 points led the Golden Hawks. No other player had more than four.
Neshaminy (18-4, 14-0 SOL) will be in action Saturday in the SOL Tournament at Council Rock North when the fourth-seeded Redskins will face top-seeded North Penn at noon. Council Rock South (10-11) closed out conference play with a 6-8 record.
Council Rock South 6-3-6-11 26
Neshaminy 6-16-15-11 48
Council Rock South: Caroline McGovern 4, Rachel Bleiman 2, Payton Spadaccino 12, Rachel Millstein 4, Faith Turner 4.
Neshaminy: Morgan Goldenbaum 8, Tiarra Porterfield 9, Devon Storms 8, Emily Alexis 4, Allison Harvey 15, Brooke Mullin 4.
PENNSBURY 40, WILLIAM TENNENT 25
The Falcons celebrated Senior Night with a convincing win to earn a sweep of their season series with the Panthers.
“We have seven seniors and we started five with a challenge to them,” coach Keith Gabor said. “We said, ‘We know you haven’t played much this year. You worked your tail off at practice, and now you deserve it. You have to go out there and you have to be productive,’ and they were.
“They played the first half of the first quarter, and they were up 5-1. They went in, did their jobs and did what they were supposed to do. I was really happy for them because I have been with these girls since they were freshmen. They were challenged and they met the challenge. That’s big.”
The Falcons took an 8-6 lead into the second quarter when they blew the game open with a 16-9 tear to go into halftime with a 24-15 lead. It was freshman Kate Mix who ignited the run, scoring 10 of her game high 13 points in the quarter.
“She was unconscious for a little bit there and scored maybe eight in a row,” Gabor said. “She may be a freshman by grade level, but she’s not a freshman when it comes to basketball.
“She started every game for us. She’s got a lot of experience under her belt now, and we expect great things from her the next three years.”
The Falcons added to their lead in the second half, outscoring their visitors 16-10.
Niasia Boone and Meredith Webber both scored eight points for the Falcons. Boone also had 10 rebounds and seven steals. Sophomore Sydney Buell was a force in the paint for the Falcons.
“Sydney had another monster game on defense,” Gabor said. “She had about five blocks and easily had 12 rebounds.
“Niasia works so hard, and she just wants to do well. She has a look on her face, and right after the first timeout in the first quarter, she kind of looked at us, and she said, ‘I got it.’ I said, ‘We’ll follow you, let’s go.’ She played great on defense – she had a monster game defensively.”
Pennsbury (3-10) will close out its season with a conference game against Harry S Truman at home Friday afternoon. William Tennent (7-14) closed out conference play with a 3-11 mark.
William Tennent 6-9-7-3 25
Pennsbury 8-16-9-7 40
William Tennent: Kelly Scipione 1, Kyla Gibson 7, Jess Rudkowsky 1, Brianna Broccardi 2, Rachael Ebert 3, Emily Vickalitis 6, Bryn Evans 5.
Pennsbury: Abby Wick 2, Niasia Boone 9, Kate Mix 13, Chante Jackson 2, Sydney Buell 5, Meredith Webber 8, Macy Moors 2.
ABINGTON 81, HARRY S TRUMAN 30
Abington’s seniors played starring roles in Friday’s Senior Night win. Leah Simmons led the way with an impressive double-double, finishing with 19 points 11 rebounds and four assists. Senior Sammy Lochner added 11 points, six steals and six assists.
But it was the play of the senior reserves that stole the spotlight. Ajah Heard made her Senior Night memorable, finishing with 11 points that included a three-pointer. Senior Toni Washington added five points and senior Thai Taylor also got into the act with a basket.
Jayda Campbell’s 10 points led the Tigers. Sabria Lytes added six points.
Abington closed out conference play in second place with a 12-2 record (16-6 overall). Truman (4-15, 1-12) will close out conference play on the road at Pennsbury Friday.
Harry S Truman 10-5-7-8 30 30
Abington 19-20-21-21 81
Harry S Truman: Jayda Campbell 10, Zuri Clarke 4, Maylissa Clarke 4, Alexis McCoy 4, Sabria Lytes 6, Briana Cliney 2.
Abington: Cameron Lexow 2, Sammy Lochner 11, Lizzie O’Leary 4, Tami Wessels 3, Toni Washington 5, Ajah Heard 11, Jordyn Allen 8, Leah Simmons 19, Sam Brusha 11, Miranda Liebtage 3, Thai Taylor 2, Kassondra Brown 2.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 66, BENSALEM 26
Hannah Weiler had a big night for the Indians, scoring a game high 16 points. She also had five rebounds, two steals, one block and two assists. Mackenzie Tinner added 11 points, and Dana Bandurick had nine. Olivia Boyle contributed eight points, seven rebounds and three assists. Camryn Polinsky had five points, three rebounds, four steals and four assists.
The Indians opened up a 13-5 lead after one quarter and took a 34-11 lead into halftime. They outscored the Owls 19-5 in the third quarter on their way to the decisive win.
Samantha Werth led the Owls with 10 points, and Savannah Jordan added six. The Indians limited Lyric Lewis to just two points – both from the foul line.
Council Rock North closed out conference play with a 10-4 record (12-9 overall). Bensalem was 4-10 in conference play (8-13 overall).
Council Rock North 13-21-19-13 66
Bensalem 5-6-5-10 26
Council Rock North: Becca Margolis 4, Camryn Polinsky 5, Megan Haggerty 3, Kaelin Mealey 4, Juliana Shields 1, Dana Bandurick 9, Olivia Boyle 8, Sydney Blum 3, Mackenzie Tinner 11, Hannah Weiler 16, Abby Jett 2.
Bensalem: Samantha Werth 10, Lyric Lewis 2, Destiny Rogers 3, Breyana Chavis 3, Julia Rymarczuk 2, Savannah Jordan 6.
Continental Conference
SOUDERTON 49, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 37
As endings go, they don’t get much better than this one.
Although the Indians will not be advancing to district play, they closed out their season with an impressive win over the playoff-bound Patriots.
“We have been playing so much better for two weeks now at least,” coach Lynn Carroll said. “Tonight we had nothing to lose. It was a no-pressure situation.
“Before the game started in the locker room, the conversation was about the fact that we wanted to go out, play well and have fun. We wanted to finish the season on a strong note and have the seniors and everybody finish the season with a good taste in their mouth and really just go out on a positive note for the seniors.”
The Indians jumped out to a 14-7 lead after one quarter and maintained that lead, going into halftime with a 25-19 advantage and taking a 36-30 lead into the final quarter.
“We played the way we have been playing the past couple of weeks,” Carroll said. “We played with intelligence on the defensive end and with patience on the offensive end for the most part.
“All three seniors really, really played well. Krista Schneider had another game where she was determined on offense and wanted the ball, she wanted to take the shots. Marissa only had three points, but it was a three-pointer at a time when we needed some points. Mia Sherer had another game where she just played great defense. She was in the right spot, she boxed out and really played well. Our younger kids continue to really play well. They have really, really stepped up these last few weeks.”
Alana Cardona led the Indians with 14 points, and Tori Dowd had 13. Krista Schneider finished with 11 points – which included three three-pointers, and Megan Walbrandt added eight. Dowd also had eight rebounds, three steals and four assists.
“It was another great team effort,” Carroll said. “We were taking high percentage shots and we were finishing them, and we were getting stops on the defensive end.”
The Patriots were led by the 10-point efforts of Bailey McManus and Bri Talbot. Grace Stewart added seven points and Kyra Scaliti, six points.
While Central Bucks East closed out league play with a 7-7 mark (12-9 overall), the Indians were 5-9 in conference play (8-14 overall).
“(East coach) Liz (Potash) said, ‘Not many teams get to end their season on a win,’ and we did,” Carroll said. “I’m really happy for the seniors. I’m really thankful for everything they’ve given us, and I’m optimistic about the future for us because of how well the younger girls have been playing.
“It is weird – our best basketball has been the last couple of weeks. If it was a little bit earlier, we would be talking about next week, but that’s not the way it unfolded.”
Souderton 14-11-11-13 49
Central Bucks East 7-12-11-7 37
Souderton: Tori Dowd 13, Krista Schneider 11, Alana Cardona 14, Megan Walbrandt 8, Marissa Sandone 3.
Central Bucks East: Bridget Birkhead 4, Kyra Scaliti 6, Bailey McManus 10, Bri Talbot 10, Grace Stewart 7.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 38, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 36
Tori Abelson hasn’t been through too many West-South wars, but it hasn’t taken the freshman forward long to figure out they’re something special.
“It was awesome,” Abelson said. “I almost didn’t want it to end – the energy out there was amazing, playing with all my teammates. Especially after the last (South) game when we lost by quite a bit (51-32) – it was just awesome coming back and getting it. I loved it.”
Abelson certainly did her part to make sure the Bucks came out victorious in a contest that gave West a share of second place with the Titans, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds.
“She just plays so hard,” coach Terry Rakowsky said. “She just plays incredibly hard and is dedicated to the game.”
The Bucks were minus a pair of starters – Maddie Maio and Alex Burkauskas – because of injuries.
“To be honest, we didn’t play our style because we were playing six kids,” coach Rakowsky said. “We changed up everything we did.
“We didn’t press, we got back on defense and tried to play a little bit more of halfcourt game knowing we couldn’t go 32 minutes with six kids. We had everybody pushed to the limit.”
Behind five points from Jordan Vitelli, the Titans opened up a 14-8 lead after one quarter, but the Bucks opened the second quarter with an 11-0 run to go on top 19-14. The run – which included six points after offensive rebounds – featured a pair of Abelson buckets. Senior Makenzie Mason started the run with a pair of foul shots after pulling down an offensive board and capped it with a foul line jumper. Back-to-back baskets by Haley Meinel and Vitelli made it a 19-18 game at halftime.
Sparked by a pair of three-point plays by Abelson, the Bucks outscored the Titans 14-5 in the third quarter to go on top 33-23 heading into the final quarter, but the Titans forced seven straight turnovers and rallied to go on top 36-35 after an Alexa Brodie floater in the paint with 3:50 remaining.
“It’s just that youth,” coach Rakowsky said. “There’s nothing you can do but watch them grow up and just appreciate them growing up.”
Abelson connected on a pair at the foul line with 2:07 remaining to put the Bucks on top 37-36. That lead held until Maggie Rakowsky buried a shot from the foul line with four seconds remaining as the Titans were held off the board for close to four minutes to close out the game.
“When I knew Maddie wasn’t playing and Alex wasn’t playing, it didn’t help the situation, but I was saying to Abby Spratt – ‘We have nothing to lose going into this game,’” Mason said. “They were in second place and ahead of us, and we didn’t play our best the last time we played them. Coming out on top this time felt pretty good.”
Mason finished with eight points, and Rakowsky added six for the shorthanded Bucks.
Vitelli led the Titans with 14 points, and Taylor Dunn added eight. Brodie and Meinel both had six.
“Things didn’t go our way,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “In the first quarter, we came out and played well.
“In the fourth quarter, we turned up the intensity and created turnovers, but we didn’t finish it off. We put ourselves in a position to have a chance to win the game, and they finished it off.”
The game was a far cry from the initial meeting between the two teams that saw the Titans open up an early lead on their way to the 19-point win.
“Their first game – they made no mistakes,” coach Rakowsky said. “Today they missed some layups, but in the first game, they made every shot, every layup. They didn’t turn it over.
“In the first game, they had 18 points in the first quarter and 15 were transition. We said – if we make them play halfcourt, we’ve got a chance. I think in a halfcourt game our defense is pretty good.”
Central Bucks West (16-6, 11-3 SOL) and Central Bucks South (17-5, 11-3) both own a share of second place in the conference standings. As a result of its win, Central Bucks West will be the third seed in Saturday's SOL Tournament at Council Rock North and will face second-seeded Upper Dublin at 3 p.m.
Central Bucks South 14-4-5-3 36
Central Bucks West 8-11-14-5 38
Central Bucks South: Taylor Dunn 8, Jordan Vitelli 14, Mackenzie Ehresman 2, Alexa Brodie 6, Haley Meinel 6.
Central Bucks West: Abby Spratt 4, Makenzie Mason 8, Tori Abelson 14, Izzy Treon 4, Maggie Rakowsky 6, Molly Rodebaugh 2.
PENNRIDGE 65, QUAKERTOWN 41
Pennridge exploded for 40 first-half points – 26 in the second quarter – to go into halftime with a 40-18 lead on their way to the big win.
Lydia Konstanzer had another huge performance for the Lady Rams, finishing with 21 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four steals and three blocked shots. The senior forward had nine of her points in a second quarter that saw six players contribute three points or more. She accounted for 13 of her team’s points in the first half.
Devan Rimmer added 19 points, and Brooke Bachtle had eight. Gillian Anderson scored seven points and also had five rebounds and four steals. Sam Muredda chipped in five points, five rebounds and four assists.
For the Panthers, Olivia Morano led the way with nine points while Meghan Klee had eight. Spenser Gray contributed seven points.
Pennridge (11-10, 5-9 SOL) will close out its regular season with its Community Day game at home against Lansdale Catholic at noon on Saturday. Quakertown closed out league play with a 1-13 mark (5-17 overall).
Quakertown 8-10-17-6 41
Pennridge 14-26-12-13 65
Quakertown: Brooke Alwine 4, Maggie Garlick 4, Spenser Gray 7, Olivia Morano 9, Marina Cooke 5, Meghan Klee 8, Jill Martin 4.
Pennridge: Lydia Konstanzer 21, Devan Rimmer 19, Brooke Bachtle 8, Gillian Anderson 7, Sam Muredda 5, Rose McCormick 3, Steph Cicero 2.
NORTH PENN 67, HATBORO-HORSHAM 35
The Lady Knights – owners of the top spot in the latest District One AAAA power rankings – achieved perfection, rolling through conference play without a loss. They put an exclamation point on a the regular season with a no-doubt-about-it win over the visiting Hatters, opening up a 14-5 lead after one quarter and extending that to 31-10 by halftime.
In yet another display of their remarkable balance, the Lady Knights put four players in double figures. Bri Hewlett and Sam Carangi led the way with 12 points each. Carangi also had five steals.
Mia Melchior added 11 points, and Mikaela Giuliani added a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds to go along with five blocked shots. Irisa Ye scored nine points and had a team high six steals, and Jess Huber added seven points.
Cassidy Quattro had a big night for the Hatters, leading all scorers with 16 points. Julia Thornton added six.
North Penn (20-2, 14-0) will be the top seed in the SOL Tournament and will be in action on Saturday at Council Rock North when the Lady Knights will face fourth-seeded Neshaminy at noon. Hatboro-Horsham closed out conference play with a 2-12 mark (6-15 overall).
Hatboro-Horsham 5-5-15-10 35
North Penn 14-17-24-12 67
Hatboro-Horsham:
North Penn: Maddie Stotler 2, Irisa Ye 9, Mikaela Giuliani 10, Jess Huber 7, Bri Hewlett 12, Sam Carangi 12, Jess McKenzie 4, Mia Melchior 11.
American Conference
CHELTENHAM 39, WISSAHICKON 26
The Lady Panthers led 11-9 after one quarter but then took control of the game with a 17-6 second quarter burst to go into halftime with a 28-15 lead. Six different players contributed points in the quarter with Mia Leonard and D’ajah Bouchereau both scoring four.
The Lady Panthers and visiting Trojans exchanged baskets in the second half.
Sophomore Savannah Roberts led a balanced scoring attack with 10 points.
“She had a really nice game off the bench,” coach Brendan Nolan said.
Gabbi Wright added seven points.
“Gabbi played really well,” Nolan said. “She’s actually playing point guard for us now.
“She played center when she was a freshman. It’s amazing. She is just a leader out there and defensively is a real force.”
Nolan also lauded the effort of Danielle Brown under the backboards.
“She only had five points, but she ended up with 13 rebounds,” the Panthers’ coach said. “She’s been real active in the last couple of weeks. It was just a real balanced night for us.”
The Lady Panthers were without Ashley Jones, who – according to Nolan – has been dismissed from the team.
For the Trojans, Julianne Griffin led the way with eight points, and Brianna Tilghman had six.
Cheltenham (15-6, 9-4 SOL) will host Norristown Friday in its regular season finale. Wissahickon closed out conference play with a 2-12 mark (3-18 overall).
Wissahickon: Lexi Carradorini 1, Brianna Tilghman 6, Daria Earland 4, Carolina Mack 2, Sydney Ott 3, Julianne Griffin 8, Victoria Selverian 2.
Cheltenham: Savannah Roberts 10, D’ajah Bouchereau 4, Danielle Brown 5, Mia Leonard 4, Caitlin Wallace 4, Dejah China 5, Gabrielle Wright 7.
UPPER MERION 34, UPPER MORELAND 31
Points didn’t come easily for either team in Friday’s conference finale. The Vikings led 5-4 at the end of one quarter, but at halftime, the score was knotted 14-14. They took a 24-23 lead into the final quarter and held on for the win.
Junior Jessica Michael led the Vikings with nine points. Tatiana Pleasant added seven, and Jordan Wilson had six.
Julia Gatto’s 10 points led the Golden Bears while Maddie Pisut added nine points. Jenna Getz chipped in with eight.
Upper Merion closed out conference play with a 4-10 record (6-16 overall) while Upper Moreland was 2-12 in the conference (5-16 overall).
Upper Moreland 4-10-9-8 31
Upper Merion 5-9-10-10 34
Upper Moreland: Jenna Getz 8, Phoebe Longstreth 2, Julia Gatto 10, Maddie Pisut 9, Noelle Woodman 2.
Upper Merion: Tatiana Pleasant 7, Jordan Wilson 6, Andrea Davis 3, Jessica Michael 9, Maddie Harvey 3, Anna Davis 4.
UPPER DUBLIN 50, SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 25
Upper Dublin made it three-for-three as all three SOL champions rolled through conference play without a loss this season. The Flying Cardinals opened up a 20-2 lead after one quarter and never looked back.
Allison Chernow led a balanced attack with 12 points to go along with nine assists, four steals and three rebounds in another solid all-around outing. Ashley Barber came within a point of collecting a double-double, finishing with nine points and 12 rebounds. Demi Balasa added six points, four blocks and three rebounds, and Nicole Kaiser had six points and four rebounds.
For the Spartans, who were without high-scoring Molly Dugan, Maura Ryan led the way with 13 points. No other player had more than three.
Upper Dublin (18-4, 14-0 SOL) will return to action Saturday in the SOL Tournament at Council Rock North when the second-seeded Flying Cardinals will face third-seeded Central Bucks West at 3 p.m. Springfield wrapped up conference play with a 6-8 mark (8-13 overall).
Springfield 2-4-9-10 25
Upper Dublin 20-11-10-9 50
Springfield: Grace Barraclough 2, Emily Giampietro 2, Maura Ryan 13, Jamy Krewson 2, Siana Winn 2, Rachel Harmon 3, Caroline Price 1.
Upper Dublin: Nicole Kaiser 6, Josie Barrett 5, Becca Watson 4, Allison Chernow 12, Taylor Purshock 2, Maggie Weglos 4, Ashley Barber 9, Hannah Reape 2, Allison Gouveia 6.
NORRISTOWN 36, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 21
The Eagles used a standout defensive effort to earn a win over PW. The Colonials managed just four points in the first quarter and 12 in a first half that saw the Eagles open up a 21-12 lead. Both teams scored eight points in the third quarter, but the Eagles closed out the game with a 7-1 fourth quarter.
Precious Milan led a balanced Eagles’ attack with 10 points, and Patti Fortescue had eight. Beyonce Collins contributed seven points while Lauren Fortescue added six. Collins and Milan each connected on a pair of three-pointers.
Taylor O’Brien led the Colonials with nine points.
Norristown (13-7, 8-5 SOL) will close out conference play on the road at Cheltenham Friday. Plymouth Whitemarsh closed out conference play with a 10-4 record (15-6 overall).
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4-8-8-1 21
Norristown 13-8-8-7 36
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Taylor O’Brien 9, Ali Diamond 3, Laurel Suchsland 2, Victoria Betterly 2, Lauren Coscia 5.
Norristown: Beyonce Collins 7, Patti Fortescue 8, Taijah James 3, Lauren Fortescue 6, Prescious Milan 10, Devon Morse 2.
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