Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. Cheltenham/Springfield Twp photos provided courtesy of Kathy Leister Photography. CB West/Quakertown photos courtesy of Jon Sklut. Check back for galleries.
SOL American Conference
CHELTENHAM 47, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 36
The fourth quarter has not been especially kind to the Lady Panthers this season, but in a direct reversal of fortunes, they saved their best for last on Tuesday, closing out the game with a 20-6 fourth quarter burst that propelled the Lady Panthers to the Senior Night win.
“We did something we haven’t done all year – we actually played well in the fourth quarter,” coach Ben Bowman said. “Some young kids got some playing time – they just want to play, and they came out and gave us the energy that we needed, made big buckets and steals. It was nice to see.
“We’ve been working hard and just falling short all season, so it was nice for them to get this win in front of their families.”
The Lady Panthers’ first-year coach credited the play of two relative newcomers to the varsity – Assata Robinson and Maycie Cedeno.
“The two of them scored some points, but it was really their defense that set the tone,” Bowman said. “They played great defense and just helped us battle through at times when we would fold and lose.”
Senior Kai Williams ignited the Lady Panthers’ offensively with a game-high 21 points. Her nine first-quarter points propelled Cheltenham to a 14-8 lead after one quarter. They took a 21-14 lead into halftime but saw that slip away when the Spartans – behind eight points from Rileigh Serroni – came out of the halftime locker room to outscore the Lady Panthers 16-6 in the third quarter to go on top 30-27.
Senior Kelia Holmes added 10 points – eight in the first half. Cedeno added six points. Seniors Madison Rorer and Shannon Nichols also saw significant playing time.
The Spartans were led by the double-digit scoring efforts of Serroni (14 points) and Grace Barraclough (11 points). Hannah Smith added seven points.
Cheltenham (3-18, 1-12 SOL) will travel to Abington Thursday, and Springfield Township (3-17, 1-12) will host Upper Dublin Thursday.
Springfield Township8-6-16-6 36
Cheltenham 14-7-6-20 47
Springfield Township (36) – Grace Barraclough 11, Rileigh Serroni 14, Maddie Yoder 4, Emily Smith 7.
Cheltenham (47) – Mikahila Leighton 2, Madison Rorer 4, Maycie Cedeno 6, Assata Robinson 4, Kelia Holmes 10, Kai Williams 21.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 44, UPPER MORELAND 33
The Colonials’ offense was operating on all cylinders in the first half. Senior Sydney Kesselman led the charge with three three-pointers. All told, the Colonials had six threes in the first half, and they took a commanding 28-7 lead into the halftime locker room. The Golden Bears rallied in the second half but never could dig themselves out of their first-half hole.
“We had a good win tonight,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “Sydney Kesselman hit four threes for us, and as a team, we had nine threes. Jordyn Thomas, our 6-foot freshman, hit two threes.
“We were winning 28-7 at halftime against a team we barely beat the last time (33-29). The second half – a credit to them – they fought back. They started making some shots on us in the fourth quarter.”
Kesselman led a balanced PW attack with 13 points while Kaitlyn Flanagan, Anna McTamney and Jordyn Thomas each added seven points.
For the Golden Bears, who outscored PW 26-16 after the intermission, Phoebe Longstreth and Bean Hughes led the way with nine points each – both scored all of their points in the second half. Longstreth connected on three treys as the two teams combined for 15 three-pointers. Kaiya Herb and Emma Meakim each had seven points.
PW’s win came on the heels of back-to-back losses to conference co-leaders Abington and Upper Dublin last week.
“It was an important win for the girls tonight,” Dougherty said. “We thought we gave Abington a really good run for their money last week, we gave Upper Dublin a run for their money. The girls were really feeling down about themselves after losing those two games last week, a couple of rough practices, but they really stepped up and had their confidence going tonight. I’m very proud of them.”
The Colonials are 13th in the latest District One 6A power rankings.
“We’re alone in third place in the league,” Dougherty said. “I think this all but guarantees we’ll get a home playoff game, which was a big goal of ours going into the year.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (17-4, 9-4 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday, and Upper Moreland (13-8, 7-6) – 10th in the latest District One 6A power rankings – will be on the road at Wissahickon Thursday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 17-11-8-8 44
Upper Moreland 5-2-10-16 33
Plymouth Whitemarsh (44) – Kaitlyn Flanagan 7, Sydney Kesselman 13, Gabby Cooper 5, Anna McTamney 7, Lainey Allen 5, Jordyn Thomas 7.
Upper Moreland (33) – Phoebe Longstreth 9, Kaiya Herb 7, Kaitie Opferman 1, Emma Meakim 7, Bean Hughes 9.
ABINGTON 80, HATBORO-HORSHAM 44
The Ghosts took out any frustrations they may have had after falling to Souderton 24 hours earlier on the unsuspecting Hatters, opening up a 25-2 lead after one quarter and taking a 48-16 advantage into halftime.
Amanda Jackson led five Abington players in double figures with 16, which included four three-pointers. Tamia Wessels – who also had four threes – added 14 points. Kassondra Brown and Khalis Whiting both had 13 points with each connecting on one three-pointer. Miranda Liebtag and Becca Pohle both chipped in with six points. Liebtag had a pair of threes in a contest that saw the Ghosts bury 12 shots from beyond the arc.
Senior Kylie Halko and freshman Alice Hall led the Hatters with 13 points each. Emily Thomas added eight points.
Abington (18-3, 12-1 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Thursday, and Hatboro-Horsham (10-11, 6-7) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh Thursday.
Abington 25-23-17-15 80
Hatboro-Horsham 2-14-15-13 44
Abington (80) – Tamia Wessels 14, Cam Lexow 10, Kassondra Brown 13, Khalis Whiting 13, Amanda Jackson 16, Becca Pohle 6, Allison Holden 2.
Hatboro-Horsham (44) – Emily Thomas 8, Cam Ryan 2, Sarah Mahoney 2, Logan Cummings 2, Kylie Halko 13, Maddie Throne 2, Alice Hall 13, Kara Kaminski 2.
UPPER DUBLIN 62, WISSAHICKON 17
The Flying Cardinals honored the team’s two seniors – Meg Barbera and Jess Sobieski – with a convincing Senior Night win. Both players are four-year veterans of the program, and both will continue their careers at the collegiate level – Barbera at Gettysburg and Sobieski at Cabrini.
“They’re two girls who love the game, who have been great assets to the program, and I think they set a level of high work ethic for the younger girls to see,” coach Morgan Funsten said. “If you love the game and you work hard at it, you have a chance to play at the next level. We’re excited they’re playing at the next level, and tonight was a great night to celebrate that.
“They both had great games. Jess Sobieski finished as our leading scorer with 14 points. Meg Barbera filled up a stat sheet with nine points, six assists, six steals and four rebounds. It was fun to celebrate the last regular season home game with our two seniors, and we’re looking forward to finishing up strong with our season and then following their careers as they move on and play at college.”
The Cardinals controlled play from the outset against the shorthanded Trojans. In addition to Sobieski and Barbera, Jackie Vargas added 11 points and seven rebounds, and Anajae Smith had nine points and nine rebounds. Sarah Eskew and Dayna Balasa both chipped in with six points.
Lily Hyatt’s six points led the Trojans.
Upper Dublin (18-3, 12-1 SOL) will travel to Springfield Township on Thursday for its regular season finale, and Wissahickon (7-13, 4-9) will host Upper Moreland on Thursday.
Wissahickon 4-8-3-2 17
Upper Dublin 12-19-20-11 62
Wissahickon (17) – Lily Hyatt 6, Leah Dubin 4, Lauren Fadel 3, Tessa Mountain 2, Kelly Dickson 2.
Upper Dublin (62) – Jess Sobieski 14, Anajae Smith 9, Meg Barbera 9, Brianna Felgoise 2, Jess Polin 4, Kara Grebe 1, Sarah Eskey 6, Dayna Balasa 6, Jackie Vargas 11.
SOL Continental Conference
NORTH PENN 54, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 48
As Senior Nights go, they don’t get much better than this one. The Knights not only avenged an eight-point loss to the Titans earlier this season, they all but assured themselves a berth in the District One 6A Tournament. The Knights are 21st in the latest power rankings with 24 teams ensured a spot.
According to their coach, the players’ singular goal entering the season was to earn a postseason berth.
“I’m thrilled for the girls – this was their goal,” coach Jen Carangi said. “It was our Senior Night, and the girls were playing hard for the seniors. We knew it was our last home game. There were so many different things.
“We couldn’t have written a better script if we tried, especially after Friday night’s loss to West. We talked about it, things we learned from it, and a lot of those mistakes we made Friday night – we didn’t make tonight.”
Behind eight points – including two three-pointers – from senior Alaina Mullaly, the Knights opened up a 15-10 lead after one quarter. The Titans answered with a 15-8 second quarter to go into halftime with a 25-23 lead. The Knights led by one, 33-32, after three quarters and then closed it out with a 21-point fourth quarter. Mullaly led the charge with eight points, including a 5-of-6 effort at the foul line.
Mullaly’s 16 points led a balanced Knight attack.
“We have been playing such team basketball recently, but I have to say that Alaina Mullaly – I feel like the second half of the season she has really stepped her game up,” Carangi said. “She’s playing so much more confidently, and she’s scoring consistently for us.
“She had 16 tonight, and that was huge, but just everything – she’s not getting flustered, she’s taking the ball to the basket and just making great decisions. She’s been huge for us.”
Alli Lindsay also finished in double figures with 10.
“Alli Lindsay, our point guard, is only a sophomore, but her decision making – she didn’t turn the ball over,” Carangi said. “She handled the pressure, and she had Alexa (Brodie) guarding her for much of the game. She just really made the right decisions. Down the stretch when we were holding the ball at the end, she just took care of it.”
Also for the Knights, Cayla Sharkey had nine points, Val McGriff finished with eight, and Carley Adams had seven points.
Alexa Brodie led all scorers with 22 points while Taylor Hinkle added 11 for the Titans.
“Alexa Brodie is so good, she’s so darn good,” Carangi said. “Our whole game plan was – we’re going to faceguard her, we’re going to have help on her, we have somebody shadowing her, everything, and she still scored 22. She is just that good.
“And all that considered, my girls just kept battling through. They could have gotten discouraged. There were times where they were so frustrated, but they just kept battling and managed to grind it out. I was just so happy for them.”
North Penn (9-12, 5-6 SOL) will travel to Pennridge for Thursday’s regular season finale. Central Bucks South (12-9, 7-4) – 17th in the latest power rankings – will travel to Central Bucks West on Friday
Central Bucks South 10-15-7-16 48
North Penn 15-8-10-21 54
Central Bucks South (48) – Taylor Hinkle 11, Mackenzie Erb 5, Allie Burke 5, Kirsten Schaller 3, Fatima Cervera 2, Alexa Brodie 22.
North Penn (54) – Cayla Sharley 9, Alayna Faison 2, Alli Lindsay 10, Rachel Dunn 2, Alaina Mullaly 16, Carley Adams 7, Val McGriff 8.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 49, PENNRIDGE 45
Emily Chmiel turned in a monster performance for the Patriots, scoring a game-high 24 points and pulling down 13 rebounds – eight defensive and five offensive. The Patriots needed every one of those as they rallied for the come-from-behind win.
Skylar Krause buried a three-pointer with 2:17 remaining in regulation to give East a 46-42 lead over its visitors. The Rams pulled to within two, but the Patriots refused to relinquish their lead.
Included in Chmiel’s 24 points was a 12-for-17 effort at the free throw line. Krause added nine points – six in the final quarter. Gabby Wilga had seven rebounds, and Caroline Pla added seven points – all in a first half that saw the Patriots open up a 15-8 lead after one quarter. They took a 27-21 lead into halftime only to watch the Rams go on a 17-11 third-quarter tear. Sam Muredda sparked the Rams in the quarter, accounting for eight of her team’s points.
Muredda led the Rams with 15 points while Julia Kreider added nine and Sophie Cweiber had six.
The Patriots connected on 21-of-32 foul shots while the Rams were 8-for-12.
Central Bucks East (12-9, 7-5 SOL) will host Bensalem in a non-league game Friday, and Pennridge (8-11, 2-9) will host North Penn on Thursday.
Pennridge 8-13-17-7 45
Central Buck East 15-11-11-12 49
Pennridge (45) – Croinn Mart 3, Sam Muredda 15, Sophie Cweiber 6, Julia Kreider 9, Evelyn Loughery 3, Ashley Gordon 2, Emilee Cramer 5, Jillian Coughlin 2.
Central Bucks East (49) – Mia Salvati 2, Gabby Wilga 4, Caroline Pla 7, Emily Chmiel 24, Skylar Krause 9, Emily Barry 3.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 70, QUAKERTOWN 27
The Bucks raced out of the gate to a 21-4 lead after one quarter on their way to the decisive conference win. Izzy Treon (14 points), Maddie Burke (13 points) and Olivia Irons (12 points) led a balanced West attack. Treon connected on four three-pointers while Burke and Irons both had a pair of threes. Emily Spratt added seven points while Paige Gilbert and Tori Abelson each had six points on a pair of threes. All told, the Bucks connected on 11 baskets from beyond the arc.
Kimmy Best – who had three three-pointers – had a big offensive night for the Panthers, leading all scorers with 17 points.
Central Bucks West (13-8, 8-3 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Friday, and Quakertown (2-19, 0-11) will host Souderton on Thursday.
Central Bucks West 21-21-14-14 70
Quakertown 4-5-7-11 27
Central Bucks West (70) – Paige Gilbert 6, Olivia Irons 12, Margaret McCusker 3, Jess Broskey 4, Maddie Burke 13, Emily Spratt 7, Izzy Treon 14, Lily Evans 3, Tori Abelson 6, Abby Lineman 2.
Quakertown (27) – Abigail Dickson 2, Kayla Horning 2, Katie Offner 1, Kimmy Best 17, Fallon Grandinetti 5.
SOL National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 60, BENSALEM 23
The Indians opened up an 18-4 lead after one quarter and extended that lead to 35-8 by halftime. Dana Bandurick’s 14 points led the Indians, who also received eight points from Camryn Polinsky and seven from Sydney Blum.
Bandurick led the Indians with 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots. Blum finished the game with 14 points, and Polinsky – who had three three-pointers – also was in double figures with 11. Olivia Boyle added six points and three steals.
Haley Keenan’s 11 points led the Owls. No other Bensalem player had more than five points as the Indians’ defense forced the Owls into a 10-for-37 effort from the field (27 percent). The Indians connected on 25-of-62 shots (40 percent).
Council Rock North (16-4, 9-2 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South on Thursday, and Bensalem (13-7, 6-6) will travel to Nazareth Academy for a non-league game Thursday.
Bensalem 4-4-5-10 23
Council Rock North 18-17-19-6 60
Bensalem (23) – Emily Wineburg 2, Haley Keenan 11, Delaney Bell 2, Chloe Munyon 1, Gianna Paglaccetti 2, Pooja Singamneni 5.
Council Rock North (60) – Camryn Polinsky 11, Anna Cairone 2, Sydney Blum 14, Olivia Boyle 6, Dana Bandurick 19, Emma Benson 2, Abby Jones 6.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 49, WILLIAM TENNENT 39
The visiting Golden Hawks trailed by double digits in the first half but rallied for the come-from-behind win.
“This was a nice team win for us,” coach Blair Klumpp said. “Obviously, coming off a strong win Monday night and the emotion of Senior Night, it’s a short turnaround.
“Tennent deserves a lot of credit – they were ready from the tip. They came out shooting well. They made four threes in the first quarter and six in the opening half. Some were contested looks too. They came out aggressive and ready to roll. And our girls responded. We adjusted.
“I am so proud of them for that and for their effort and how they stayed together. At this point in the season, in the other team’s gym, on the outside looking in for playoffs, won a game last night many people probably didn’t think we would win – down 15 in the first half – a lot of factors could have allowed my girls to pack it in. They didn’t, they battled possession by possession, they trusted the game plan and adjustments, and most importantly, they trusted each other.”
The Panthers led 20-9 after one quarter. Hannah Reimel had a pair of three-pointers and Caitlin Somerville and Jenna Rodebaugh each had one.
The Golden Hawks – behind three three-pointers and 11 points from Nicole Blaustein – outscored the Panthers 17-10 in the second quarter to trim the Panthers’ lead to 30-26 at the intermission.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with how our girls came out to start the game,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “Literally, we were firing on all cylinders. The first 12 minutes of the game were probably the best I’ve seen us play this year.
“Everyone was contributing, we were really moving the ball well, we got some great shots. The last two-and-a-half minutes of the first half we had some bad turnovers and were forcing some shots. We let their best player, Nicole Blaustein, kind of go off. We left her open late in the first half.”
The second half belonged to the Golden Hawks, who outscored the Panthers 23-9.
“During halftime, we tried to make adjustments, but I think they felt defeated that they kind of blew the lead and let them back in the game,” Whitney said. “Give CR South credit. They didn’t quit, they kept playing, they made plays when they needed to. Unfortunately, in the second half, we were our own worst enemy. We shot ourselves in the foot so many times, and we struggled to score. We just couldn’t get out of our own way, but even despite that, we were down three heading into the final quarter. Even with about three-and-a-half or four minutes left, we were only down five. We could never get over the hump. When we needed to score, we couldn’t score. When we needed to get a stop and get a big rebound, we didn’t get the rebound, so then it became a foul game at the end, and they made their free throws.”
Reimel’s 11 points led the Panthers. Rodebaugh and Haley Crossley had eight each. Chelsea Meltzer had six points.
“We held Crossley, who will be an all league player, to one field goal,” Klumpp said. “Bailey Vetter was responsible for her when we went man and deserves a lot of credit, but Jenna (Culp) and Carley (Irvin) did a great job doubling her when we wanted to. It was real good execution of the game plan by them.
“We put Nicole (Blaustein) on their hot shooter from the first half (Reimel), and she didn’t make a three after we did that, so to turn in that defensive game and contribute offensively was a great all-around game for her. (Blaustein) hit some shots, which opened things up for everyone. She’s been working hard to adjust to playing off the ball more this year, and it all came together for her a bit today. I thought she did a good job picking spots to attack and change pace. She also did a good job when they X’d her of trusting her teammates to make plays and they did. Jenna (Culp), Carley (Irvin) and Hannah (Binder) all made big plays in the second half when they focused on Nicole. Montanna (Chambers) hit a huge three to get the game back to multiple possessions and had a few hustle plays.”
Blaustein led all scorers with 18 points to go along with five rebounds. Jenna Culp added eight points, four rebounds and two steals while Carley Irvin and Hannah Binder had six points each. Binder also had four rebounds. Irvin had three assists and two steals. Bailey Vetter led the Golden Hawks with six rebounds to go along with two assists.
“Something I want to make sure doesn’t get lost in the shuffle because it was so critical tonight was Ryann Szydlik’s contributions,” Klumpp said. “We were scuffling in the first quarter, Carley (Irvin) picked up two fouls, we couldn’t get a stop and couldn’t get going offensively. She came in off the bench and got two rebounds, played good post ‘D’ and had two big jumpers to kind of keep us afloat before we could throw our counterpunch. I kind of rolled the dice with her as the first sub in, going partly on feel and partly on she’s been very consistent in practice, jayvee and recent varsity minutes, and she responded. She was ready and played a big part today. She’s someone who works hard every day, never complained when she wasn’t getting playing time, and was ready when she was called on.
“With Ryann and Montanna, we got big contributions from two freshmen off the bench today. One point of emphasis I said to the girls besides the defensive effort in second half was the execution of time and score in the fourth quarter. They worked really hard to keep the ball out of Nicole’s hands and Bailey, Jenna and Carley did a good job stepping up in the regard and Nicole did a good job moving off the ball to keep the defense honest. It was a great team effort overall on both ends of the floor and I’m very proud of the girls.”
For the Panthers, it was another heartbreaking finish, this one on the team’s Senior Night.
“It literally felt like a roller coaster of emotions with the highs and lows,” Whitney said. “Add on that it was Senior Night.
“It’s disappointing because I was really happy with how we came out. Even early on, it just had that feeling they were going to get rewarded. To see the seniors get a win on Senior Night in front of a great crowd, it would have been a great way to cap off the night. My girls played hard, they played until the end, just not enough horses to get the job done.”
Council Rock South (8-13, 4-7 SOL) will host Council Rock North on Thursday, and William Tennent (4-17, 1-10) will be on the road at Harry S Truman.
Council Rock South9-17-14-9 49
William Tennent 20-10-7-2 39
Council Rock South (49) – Montanna Chambers 6, Madison Broaddus 1, Carley Irvin 6, Ryann Szydlik 4, Nicole Blaustein 18, Jenna Culp, Hanna Binder 6.
William Tennent (39) – Kirsten Hansen 2, Caitlin Somerville 4, Chelsea Meltzer 6, Hannah Reimel 11, Jenna Rodebaugh 8, Haley Crossley 8.
PENNSBURY 54, HARRY S TRUMAN 16
Junior Cami Wiegand scored 15 points and freshman Ava Sciolla had 10 to lead the Falcons, who led 14-6 after one quarter and took a 34-7 lead into halftime. Wiegand also had two assists while Sciolla also had six rebounds.
Mary Miller added eight points, three assists and three steals, and Kate Mix had seven points and a team-high eight rebounds. Bella Arcuri had a team-high four steals and four deflections to go with four points. Nicole Pompili had three steals.
Dashia Campbell’s seven points led the Tigers
Pennsbury (17-4, 8-3 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy for its regular season finale on Thursday, and Harry S Truman (2-19, 0-11) will host William Tennent on Thursday.
Harry S Truman 6-1-4-5 16
Pennsbury 14-20-16-4 54
Harry S Truman (16) – Shjon Hall 2, Daisha Campbell 7, Hannah Smith 5, Kiera Smith 2.
Pennsbury (54) – Abbi Nassivera 1, Maddy Donovan 3, Bella Arcuri 4, Lauren Dignan 2, Kate Mix 7, Mary Miller 8, Ava Sciolla 10, Cami Wiegand 15, Skyler Sulby 4.
Non-league
SOUDERTON 32, GWYNEDD MERCY 27
Less than 24 hours after their emotional win over Abington, the Indians found themselves back on the court at Gwynedd Mercy. It wasn’t easy, but the Indians escaped with the win, their 19th of the season.
“Happy to get the win,” coach Lynn Carroll said. “We weren’t able to prepare the girls at all because of back-to-back games, so considering that and the fact that we were a little concerned about having a letdown game, it was a really good win.”
The Indians got off to a quick start, opening up a 12-2 lead after one quarter, but the Monarchs got the hot hand in the second quarter, burying four three-pointers – two by Sarah White – and outscoring the Indians 14-4. The two teams went into halftime deadlocked 16-16.
The Indians’ defense was the story of the third quarter as they kept the Monarchs off the scoreboard and opened up a 24-16 lead.
“Megan Walbrandt’s defense was great,” Carroll said of the team’s defensive catalyst.
The Monarchs came back to edge the Indians by three in the fourth quarter but couldn’t make up the ground they lost in the third.
Mikaela Reese led the Indians with 12 points – four in the fourth quarter – while Megan Walbrandt added seven. Curran O’Donnell added six points – four in the final frame.
On a day when points were hard to come by, Carroll credited Reese for hitting some big shots.
White led the Monarchs with 10 while Alyssa Martin had seven and Reganne Flannery, six.
Souderton (19-2, 10-1 SOL) will travel to Quakertown for its regular season finale on Thursday.
Souderton 12-4-8-8 32
Gwynedd Mercy 2-14-0-11 27
Souderton (32) – Megan Bealer 5, Megan Walbrandt 7, Curran O’Donnell 6, Megan O’Donnell 2, Mikaela Reese 12.
Gwynedd Mercy (27) – Kylie Griffin 4, Sarah White 10, Alyssa Martin 7, Reganne Flannery 6.
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