Check out the recaps of SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Thursday.
Check out the SOL standings: https://suburbanonesports.com/standings/16
Non-league
FRIENDS CENTRAL 54, UPPER DUBLIN 53
This one was worth the price of admission and then some for fans who packed Upper Dublin’s gym for what turned into a classic battle between two of the state’s very best.
It took a highlight reel tip by Faith Watson at the buzzer of a Phoenix miss to propel Friends Central to the dramatic win.
When it was over, UD coach Morgan Funsten had nothing but praise for his squad.
“Our girls were amazing tonight,” the Cardinals’ coach said. “Friends Central just oozes with talent. They’re ranked 17th in the country by ESPN for a reason. They just have incredible talent.
“Coming into the game, I thought maybe the one advantage – and it’s not really an advantage on paper – I just think we play together better than they do. Our girls were gamers. The support we had from the community and the student section – it was just about a packed house, and our gym is big.
“We have not played in front of a crowd all year. Mainly because we haven’t played any home games. Every home game we’ve played so far, we had the mercy rule at halftime. The students in school are aware of how good our girls are, and so is the community, and I think they were just itching to get out to see a competitive game.”
The fans got just that.
The game was deadlocked at 14 after one quarter, and the Cardinals took a 29-24 lead into halftime. Emilia Coleman’s nine points – which included two 3s in the first quarter – led the Cards in the half. Tamia Clark had seven points, and Bridget DiMartile had six on a pair of first-quarter 3s.
The Phoenix pulled to within two heading into the fourth quarter, 41-39, and this one wasn’t decided until the final horn sounded. Tamia Clark gave the Cards a 53-52 lead , capitalizing on a turnover for an easy bucket with 9.9 seconds on the clock.
It looked like the Cardinals had the game won when Ryan Carter missed a shot in the closing seconds, but in the battle for the rebound, Watson had the final word, tipping in the game-winner.
“I can’t even really single any of them out,” Funsten said. “All the girls who played tonight just left it on the floor. They played so well.”
The Cardinals were impressive on defense, forcing 15 turnovers
Key players: Tamia Clark led the Cardinals with 17 points, six rebounds and two steals. Emelia Coleman added 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Megan Ngo had nine points, four assists and three steals, and Bridget DiMartile had eight points, five rebounds and three assists.
For Friends Central, Faith Watson led the way with 20 points – 14 in the second half. Zya Small had 15 points, and Ryan Carter had 14.
Upper Dublin coach Morgan Funsten:
The ending: “The game ended literally with a tip-in with 00.2 seconds. Tamia (Clark) made a layup to put us up by one with 10 seconds to go. We had a foul to give, and we took a foul with about five seconds to go. They were out of timeouts, and they got the ball in the hands of their best player, Ryan Carter, and she drove to the left. Tamia was guarding her, Bridget DiMartile came over and helped. We did a good job challenging the shot – (she) missed.
“I watched it like a hundred times. (Carter) missed with about a second and a half to go. All of our girls were just trying to get a scrappy rebound. They’re so much bigger than us, and I still don’t know who tipped the ball. We just wanted to get the ball somewhere out of their hands. And all three of our girls kind of collided and the ball tipped up, and then Faith Watson – their post player – tipped it in at the buzzer with 00.2 seconds left on the clock, and by the time it went through the basket, the buzzer had already gone off. She definitely got it off in time.”
–Perspective: “In the big picture, the game really didn’t mean that much, but it was almost like a once in a lifetime experience for our girls in terms of the caliber of team we’re playing at home, a huge crowd. I just wanted it so bad for them.
“I’ve already watched the game again, and there’s not much I can fault our girls for tonight. I wouldn’t expect anything less out of them. I’m so proud of them. I’m so excited for the playoff run I think we’re about to go on. It just hurts. It obviously hurts me, but it hurts the girls more than me, I just wish for their own enjoyment – there is no doubt our student section would have been running on the court. It was that type of intensity. I think the lead changed four times in the last two minutes.
“It was like a college basketball game. That was as high a level of a high school basketball game as you could have. It was pretty clean, the best players on both teams performed at a high level. I just wish we could have come out on top. We’re obviously taking the positives out of it. To be in the situation we were in and to lose – a lot of times you learn more by losing than by winning, so that’s what we’re going to take out of this.”
Up next: Upper Dublin – the SOL Tournament’s top seed – will host #8 Souderton in an opening round game Friday (6pm).
Friends Central 14-10-15-15 54
Upper Dublin 14-15-12-12 53
Friends Central (54) – Ryan Carter 6 2-5 14; Yari King 1 0-0 2; Kayla Snyder 1 0-0 3; Zya Small 5 3-4 15; Faith Watson 9 2-2 20; TOTALS 22 7-11 54.
Upper Dublin (53) – Bridget DiMartile 3 0-0 8; Tamia Clark 6 3-4 17; Megan Ngo 4 0-0 9; Lexi Ngo 1 0-0 3; Emelia Coleman 5 1-1 13; Ella Morris 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 20 4-5 53.
3-point goals: FC – Zya Small 2, Kayla Snyder; UD – Bridget DiMartile 2, Tamia Clark 2, Emilia Coleman 2, Megan Ngo, Lexi Ngo, Ella Morris.
NORTH PENN 59, GWYNEDD MERCY ACADEMY 49
The Knights capped a stretch of six games in eight days by picking up an impressive win over a GMA squad that is third in the latest District 1 5A rankings.
The Knights trailed by one after one quarter but then took control of the game with a 21-point second quarter to go into halftime with a 32-19 advantage. Mehya Godhania’s three 3-pointers highlighted the Knights’ second-quarter explosion.
North Penn added to its lead in the third quarter and took a 48-31 advantage into the final quarter.
The Knights took 34 trips to the foul line, converting 19 of those.
Key players: Three players finished the game in double figures. Lily Brown’s 18 points led the way while Paityn Debro had 17 points and Mehya Godhania, 11 points. Brown and Debro combined for 34 rebounds.
North Penn coach Bri Cullen:
“We played really hard against an aggressive GMA. We talk about effort, grit and defense winning us games, and tonight Lily had 22 rebounds and Paityn had 12 rebounds. As a team, we had 22 offensive rebounds, and that just speaks to their resilience and determination tonight. We finally finished a really tough stretch to end the season.”
Up next: North Penn – 23rd in the latest District 1 6A rankings – will await its final seeding.
North Penn 11-21-16-11 59
Gwynedd Mercy 12-7-12-18 49
North Penn (59). – Paityn Debro 17, Lily Brown 18, Mahya Godhania 11, Saniah Hammond 6, Taysia Lee 1, Tallie Smink 3.
3-point goals: Mehya Godhania 3, Lily Brown.
VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 43, LOWER MORELAND 24
The visiting Lions found themselves staring at a 16-6 deficit after one quarter, and it was a 25-13 game heading into halftime. They never could make up the ground they lost..
Mollie Martin’s 10 points led the Lions.
Lower Moreland coach Andy Krasna:
–The game: “Villa Joseph Marie was firing on all cylinders today. Their full court pressure on their postage stamp size court gave us trouble, and we fell behind early. However, we slowly began to break their pressure and settled down in the second quarter. We were able to generate lots of open perimeter shots and clear lanes to the basket for layups however, it was an afternoon when we couldn’t convert those open shots into points.
“Villa’s size and length is a coach’s dream, and they were able to protect the rim and block or alter many of our shots. But without a doubt, our effort and energy were admirable even though in the end we took a loss.”
–Props – “On the bus home from Villa, I told our varsity and JV team how proud I was. I told them that they possess the ability to regulate their emotions under extreme pressure when (at times) things are not going to plan. The Villa game today was a perfect example of this positive attribute. I told them that I admire their ability to remain grounded during stretches of success. Most importantly, I love the fact that they are curious and open to feedback, demonstrating a ‘growth mindset’ that will pay dividends in the future.
“We look forward to prepping for the district tournament over the next week and trying to improve in key areas.”
Up next: Lower Moreland is sixth in what will be a 12-team field in the latest District 1 5A power rankings.
Lower Moreland 6-7-7-4 24
Villa Joseph Marie 16-9-12-6 43
Lower Moreland (24) – Mady Rossiter 4, Maddie Broderick 3, Mollie Martin 10, Emma DiJoseph 4, Ella Fey 2, Erin Maloney 1.
Villa Joseph Marie (43) – Lucy Jasionis 13, Aubree Kuvik 6, Haley Costello 9, Avery Akeight 12, Maddie Krane 3.
3-point goals: LM – Maddie Broderick, Mollie Martin; VJM – Maddie Krane Lucy Jasionis.
QUAKERTOWN 47, BRISTOL 32
The Panthers raced out of the gate to an 18-7 lead and took a 27-15 advantage into halftime on their way to the win.
“This was a fitting way to close a season built on perseverance,” Quakertown coach Dan Cymerman said. “Even through the ups and downs, this group continued to compete, stayed true to who they are, and finished the year by finding a way to win—an effort our seniors can be proud to leave behind.
Key players: Alexa Seneca & Alexa Reich each scored 14 points to lead the Panthers.
Quakertown coach Dan Cymerman:
–Tribute to seniors: “Tonight was all about sending our two seniors out the right way—with a win. For the past four years, Paisley Heft and Maeve Henry have been a big part of this program. As captains, they’ve led our young team all season by example, bringing toughness and a never-give-up mentality every single night. That mindset was on full display again tonight. Both finished with six points, but it was their defensive effort and energy that truly set the tone and lifted the entire team.”
–The game: “We built a 27–15 lead heading into halftime, and the message was clear: keep the foot on the gas. This group has shown resilience all season, and it showed again in the second half. Offensively, Alexa Seneca and Alexa Reich led the way with 14 points apiece, while our aggressiveness paid off at the free-throw line, where we converted 15 of 20 attempts.
Thursday’s win was the third of the season for the Panthers.
Bristol 7-8-6-11 32
Quakertown 18-9-10-10 47
Bristol (32) – C. Cottrell- 4 3-10 11; M. Morris- 1 2-8 4; N. Burks- 0 5-8 5; K. McKnight- 1 0-3 2; L. Gonzalez- 1 0-0 2; L. Snyder 3 1-4 8; TOTAL- 10 11-33 32
Quakertown (47) – Alexa Seneca- 3 6-7 14; Aleena Flores- 1 0-0 3; Alexa Reich- 4 3-5 14; Paisley Heft- 3 0-2 6; Maeve Henry- 2 2-2 6; Lucy Carrasquillo- 0 4-4 4; TOTAL- 13 15-20 47
3-point goals: Q- Alexa Seneca 2, Aleena Flores, Alexa Reich 3; B- L. Snyder
SOL non-league crossover
WILLIAM TENNENT 59, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 55
The Panthers, who trailed 31-24 at halftime, found themselves in a 36-24 hole after the Bucks reeled off the first five points of the second half. The Panthers outscored the Bucks 31-19 the rest of the way.
Halie Staub had a huge second half, scoring 18 points after the intermission. Avery Kocur had 11 second-half points after carrying the Panthers in the first half, scoring 17 of her team’s 24 points.
Key players: Aver Kocur’s 28 points led all players while Halie Staub had 21 points – 18 in the second half.
For the Bucks, Amber Maddon and Scarlett Baumgardner led the way with 16 points each. Audra Lawson added 12 points.
–The game: “Big win tonight. Really proud of the resilience our girls showed the second half. We didn’t have a great start and seemed out of sorts. I think coming off an emotional week last week, it’s been five days since we last played, and credit to CB West – their girls came out with a lot of energy and didn’t miss the first quarter. Fortunately for us, Avery (Kocur) was locked in and basically put us on her back the first half and kept us in the game.
“The second half we still struggled to find our rhythm the first few minutes, and CB West took advantage and scored the first five points. Luckily, we were able to weather the storm and finally settled down offensively. That was really the biggest difference in the game. Once we started to execute offensively and stopped pressing so much, we had better ball movement and finished shots. I think that carried over to the defensive end and we played more disciplined. We were bumping cutters, had better help, and did a nice job of rebounding the ball. Once we took the lead, I thought we did a great job of closing out the game and made free throws.
–Props “Big V (Megan Volz) and Hannah (Wong) played some great defense the second half and had some big-time rebounds.
“After a slow first half, (Halie) Staub really had a big impact on the second half. She played with more poise and took what the defense gave her. She’s such a competitor and she’s not afraid to make a big play and she came up really big for us.
“Avery (Kocur) is such a great leader. She’s so steady and calm and we feed off of that as a team. She’s done a really good job the last few games of setting her teammates up, but tonight she recognized that we needed her to be a little more aggressive, especially early on. She controls everything out there and really understands the game. She’s a big time player who makes big time plays.”
Up next: William Tennent – the SOL Tournament four seed – will host fifth seeded Neshaminy Friday (6pm).
Central Bucks West 22-9-11-13 55
William Tennent 13-11-17-18 59
Central Bucks West (55) – Amber Madden 5 1-2 16; Marleigh Mallon 2 2-5 6; Audra Lawson 6 0-0 12; Scarlett Baumgardner 7 0-0 16; Janelle Blokker 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 22 3-7 55.
William Tennent (59) – Avery Kocur 9 6-8 28; Carissa Malpezzi 1 0-0 3; Halie Staub 5 9-12 21; Hannah Wong 1 3-4 5; Megan Volz 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 17 18-24 59.
3-point goals: CBW – Amber Maddon 5, Scarlett Baumgardner 2, Janelle Blokker; WT – Avery Kocur 4, Halie Staub 2, Carissa Malpezzi.
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