Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Thursday. New Hope-Solebury/Springfield Twp photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL Freedom Division
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 71, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 14
Rachel Saxton couldn’t miss. Or at least so it seemed in a first half that saw her erupt for 21 points, which included
four 3-pointers. She added five more points in the third quarter – including a three – to finish the game with 26 points in a dazzling offensive display. Propelled by Saxton, the Lions put 45 points on the board in the first half.
Reagan Chrencik added 16 points while Kaci Lane had six on a pair of 3s in a contest that saw the Lions connect on 11 shots from beyond the arc.
New Hope-Solebury (6-2, 4-1 SOL) will host William Tennent on Friday, and Springfield Township (1-7, 1-5) will travel to Upper Moreland Friday.
Springfield Twp 9-3-2-0 14
New Hope-Solebury 25-20-14-12 71
Springfield Twp (14) –
New Hope-Solebury (71) – Madi Fasti 2 0-0 5; Reagan Chrencik 6 2-2 16; J Covino 2 0-0 5; Kate Dougherty 1 3-4 5; Rachel Saxton 10 1-1 26; Emily Primavera 1 1-1 4; Kaci Lane 2 1-2 6; Anna Leisure 1 0-0 2; Mycayla Canlas 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 26 8-11 71.
Springfield Twp (14) – Annie Coll 2 1-2 6; Raya Davis 1 0-0 2; Jayla Daniels 1 0-0 3; Lauren Hussie 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 5 1-2 14.
3-point field goals: NHS – Rachel Saxton 5, Reagan Chrencik 2, Emily Primavera, Kaci Lane, J Covino, Madi Fasti, Springfield Twp – Annie Coll, Jayla Daniels, Lauren Hussie.
Non-league
QUAKERTOWN 34, WILLIAM TENNENT 27
Quakertown found itself staring at a 21-13 second-half deficit but closed out the game with a 21-6 tear to earn the hard fought win over the visiting Panthers.
“This was a great team win tonight from every player on this team, including jayvee who also won tonight as well,” Quakertown coach Brittany Bamford said.
Defense was the key to the Panthers’ gutsy comeback.
“Defense has to create our offense in order for our team to be successful,” Bamford said. “The girls hustled – especially in the second half which I would say was the turning point for us.
“The first half we were in a bit of a slump and not creating any turnovers. William Tennent did a nice job of keeping their cool on offense, as well as playing tough basketball, challenging our offensive weaknesses. The second half we switched into a defense that we haven’t practiced at all (In the girls defense, we haven’t had the opportunity with quarantine, snow days, etc.), and they adapted well. Katie Catalano and Kayla Horning were able to capitalize with steals on defense for some fast break layups.”
If the latter part of the game belonged to Quakertown, the early part belonged to the visiting Panthers, who took a 17-13 lead into halftime. Courtney Bragen’s six points led Tennent while Savannah Zeaman added five points off the bench, and Alysia Lewicki buried a big 3-pointer off the bench.
“The first couple of minutes we were a little shaky, and I thought we were outworked a little, but we settled in, and it was probably the best half we have played all season,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “On both ends of the floor, we were really communicating on defense. Our rotations and help defense were good. Offensively, I thought we were moving the ball. We did a good job against their pressure, and we were getting good looks, and I was feeling comfortable with how we were playing.
“We were dealing with some foul trouble, but we had a couple of players come off the bench – Alysia Lewicki and Savannah Zeaman came in and really gave us good quality minutes off the bench, good energy, made a couple of big defensive plays, and they both hit shots in the first half.”
Tennent’s four-point lead grew to eight for the Panthers, but then the tide turned with the home team taking over.
“It was a tough loss – this one definitely hurts,” Whitney said. “We always harp on the girls – the first five minutes of the third quarter are so important. I thought the first few minutes we picked up where we left off – defensively we got a couple of quick stops, had a couple of good possessions offensively and opened up an eight-point lead and then the wheels fell off.
“Part of it was due to lack of experience. They picked up their pressure a little bit, and we got a little hesitant and played a little bit scared, made some bad passes against the press, and we weren’t able to execute on offense. I give Quakertown credit – Brittany does a great job with them. They just continue to get better, and they work hard.
“When our girls felt the pressure – just our lack of experience, not being able to close out games, not being able to put a full complete game together. That was really the difference. Their girls played hard till the end. We gave up some second-chance opportunities, and they got a couple of easy layups. We could feel the pressure, and we didn’t have anyone step up and make big plays. It was definitely a tough loss. Basketball is a game of runs. Give their girls credit, they played hard, and they played till the end.”
Courtney Bragen’s 11 points led William Tennent. Chase Dubzak had eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
For the Panthers, Katie Offner led a balanced attack with nine points, which included a 7-for-10 effort at the foul line. She also had eight rebounds, four deflections and a blocked shot. Carolyn Sipprell contributed seven points, eight rebounds, four steals, three blocked shots, three deflections and an assist in a standout effort. Abigail McClaskey also had seven points while Katie Catalano added six points, three rebounds, three steals, one assist and seven deflections.
“We had a lot of players contribute tonight which made it a very balanced team win,” Bamford said. “Abby McClaskey had important putbacks tonight. Katie Offner with important free throws tonight at the end. Carolyn Sipprell and Laney Mitchell had some beautiful takes to the basket tonight.
“Offensively, the girls were very unselfish and for the most part made really good decisions on shot selections – something that we need to work on and they are improving on.”
Quakertown (2-4, 1-3 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Friday, and William Tennent (3-4, 3-2) will travel to New Hope-Solebury on Friday.
William Tennent 5-12-6-4 27
Quakertown 6-7-13-8 34
William Tennent (27) – Courtney Bragen 5 1-5 11; Chase Dubzak 2 2-2 8; Alysia Lewicki 1 0-0 3; Savannah Zeaman 2 1-2 5; TOTALS 10 4-9 27
Quakertown (34) – Carolyn Supprell 3 1-2 7; Katie Catalano 1 4-7 6; Laney Mitchell 2 0-2 4; Kayla Horning 0 1-2 1; Katie Offner 1 7-10 9; Abigail McClaskey 3 1-3 7; TOTALS 10 14-26 34.
3-point goals: WT – Chase Dubzak 2, Alysia Lewicki.
WISSAHICKON 55, CHELTENHAM 50
Kaitlyn McGeary turned in a glittering 23-point effort to lead the Trojans to the non-league win, a win that brought a welcome end to a seven-game losing streak.
“It was definitely a team effort,” Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline said. “I give the girls credit. They came out, and they wanted it.
“Four games we’ve lost down the stretch. Today we were able to pull it out. Learning how to win is very important especially when you lose four or five games like that. The chemistry is building little by little. The girls are starting to trust each other. I’m happy for the girls.”
The Trojans opened up a 31-27 lead at halftime after a high-scoring first half. McGeary’s nine points led the Trojans, who also received seven points from Kylie Friedman. Umayrah Sulayman’s 14 points led the Lady Panthers.
“We moved the ball around really well in the first half offensively,” Cline said. “(Kylie) Friedman and (Leah) Dubin came up with some big shots offensively. Being able to hit from the outside always makes a difference.”
McGeary scored 14 points in a second half that saw the two teams exchange baskets.
“We really keyed in on getting the ball inside and working inside out,” Cline said. “We’ve been talking about that all year long. Executing it is another story, but we did that this evening. They played a zone for the most part.
“We worked on our concepts, we fed the ball inside, we capitalized on the mismatches we could get. McGeary is strong and tough inside – it’s hard to handle her. Just getting her the ball and our perimeter people seeing her and feeding the proper way without trying to force it. They did that this evening.”
In addition to McGarry, Friedman added 12 points while Leah Dubin and Julia Verrier both had six.
For the Lady Panthers, Sulayman finished with a game high of 26 points in a stellar offensive outing. Assata Robinson added 10 points while Janiya Townes-Wakefield and Mikahila Leighton both had six.
“I’m proud of how hard we competed tonight,” Cheltenham coach Ben Bowman said. “We haven’t been able to do anything since last Friday and played hard for four quarters. Now we need to find a way to win.”
Wissahickon (2-7, 0-5 SOL) will travel to Quakertown on Friday.
“Hopefully, this will give us some momentum moving into tomorrow’s game,” Cline said. “We lost to them by four last time we played them at our house, so our girls are hungry. They’re excited and looking forward to see what we can do out there.”
Cheltenham (0-4, 0-3) will host Lower Moreland Friday.
Cheltenham 10-17-11-12 50
Wissahickon 12-19-12-12 55
Cheltenham (50) – Arianna Davis 0 2-4 2; Assata Robinson 4 1-1 10; Janiya Townes-Wakefield 3 0-0 6; Umayrah Sulayman 10 3-5 26; Mikahila Leighton 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 20 6-10 50.
Wissahickon (55) — Lily Hyatt 2 0-4 5; Leah Dubin 2 1-1 6 Kylie Friedman 5 1-2 12 Julia Verrier 2 2-6 6; Emlyn Ebert 1 0-0 2; Elizabeth Kunzier 0 1-4 1; Kaitlyn McGeary 11 1-3 23; TOTALS 23 6-20 55 .
3-point goals: Cheltenham – Umayrah Sulayman 3, Assata Robinson, Wissahickon – Lily Hyatt, Leah Dubin, Kylie Friedman.
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