Check out the results for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. Souderton’s game against Central Bucks East was sponsored by Millennium Administrators. Check back for a follow-up feature about the team’s three seniors. To view photos of the Souderton/CB East game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Continental Conference
SOUDERTON 44, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 36
It was a night to honor the seniors while also giving Souderton fans a glimpse of the future.
Prior to Friday’s win, the Indians honored the team’s three seniors – Sarah Derstein, Renee Landis and Noelle Noble, and in the game itself, a trio of underclassmen delivered big performances to lead the Indians to their third win in four games since the welcome return of Derstein to the lineup.
The Indians were impressive out of the gate, opening up an early 7-2 lead when Marissa Sandone buried a three. Four straight points from Krista Schneider put the Indians on top 13-4, and they took a 15-7 lead into the second quarter.
A bucket by Sandone to open the second quarter gave the Indians a 17-7 lead, but Grace Stewart completed a three-point play for the Patriots, and after a Souderton turnover, Stewart buried a pair at the foul line, and suddenly, it was a 17-12 game.
Neither team scored for close to three minutes until freshman Tori Dowd connected on a pair from the foul line. It marked the beginning of perhaps the game’s defining moment as Dowd connected on a pair of tough drives to close out the quarter, sending the Indians into halftime with a 23-12 lead.
“Overall, (Tori) has gotten a lot better throughout the season,” coach Lynn Carroll said. “She’s gotten a lot better understanding when to attack and when not to, and she’s starting to finish now.
“As a freshman point guard, I really think the future is bright for her, and I’m excited to see what she does over the course of her career. I feel like I keep saying this, but I think this was Tori’s best game of the season. She really played well. She’s tough on herself, demands a lot and wants to be perfect for her teammates. She stepped up big time tonight.”
A Sandone three-pointer to open the third quarter gave the Indians their largest lead at 26-12. The Patriots trimmed that to 29-21 late in the quarter, but a bucket by Derstein in the quarter’s closing seconds gave the Indians a double-digit lead heading into the final quarter.
A three-point play by Sandone stretched the lead to 34-21, but East’s Kyra Scaliti answered with six straight points – burying a three-pointer and then, after a Souderton turnover, completing a three-point play to make it a 34-27 game. A bucket by Stewart (Scaliti assist) cut the Indians’ lead to 34-29 with 4:50 remaining.
Sandone connected on both ends of a one-and-one the foul line while Dowd was 3-for-4, giving the Indians a 39-31 advantage with 1:17 remaining.
“I wasn’t anything like Tori when I was a freshman,” Derstein said of the Indians’ point guard. “I was able to get into games sometimes, but it’s awesome to see her step up and gain the confidence she needed because in the beginning she was nervous and didn’t want to step on anyone’s feet, but it’s good to see her come into (her own).”
The Titans outscored the Indians 15-13 in the fourth quarter but got no closer than seven down the stretch.
“They took advantage of some size mismatches in the fourth quarter, and I think that’s how they made their run, but I thought we played three quarters of solid defense, which we have been for the last two weeks,” Carroll said. “We go through stretches where we struggle to score and we turn it over, but as long as our defense isn’t letting up, we can afford those things, and that helped a lot tonight.”
Dowd and Sandone led all scorers with 13 points each. Schneider added 10. Derstein had just four points but pulled down nine rebounds.
The Patriots were led by the 12-point effort of Bridget Birkhead while Scaliti added 10. Stewart had seven points.
Souderton closed out league play with a 7-7 record (9-13 overall) while the Patriots fell to 6-8 in the league (11-11 overall).
Central Bucks East 7-5-9-15 36
Souderton 15-8-8-13 44
Central Bucks East (36) – Bridget Birkhead 12, Kyra Scaliti 10, Megan Browne 2, Bri Talbot 3, Abby Charlton 2, Grace Stewart 7.
Souderton (44) – Tori Dowd 13, Krista Schneider 10, Noelle Noble 2, Marissa Sandone 13, Sami Falencki 2, Sarah Derstein 4.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 73, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 29
Talk about saving your best for last – the Bucks did just that, celebrating Senior Night with an overpowering performance against their neighboring rival.
“Three of the four quarters, we probably played the best ever,” coach Terry Rakowsky said. “It was the most amazing game we’ve ever played.”
Amazing hardly covers a game that saw the Bucks connect on 63 percent of their three-point attempts (10-for-16) and 57 percent of their two-point attempts (20-of-35). Throw in some remarkable defense that saw the Bucks allow just one point in the first quarter while they sprinted to a 19-1 lead, and the Titans didn’t stand a chance.
The Bucks took a 44-15 lead into halftime and then outscored the Titans 16-5 in the third quarter to go on top 60-20.
“We played really, really well against South the last time and then had a quarter where we let them back in,” Rakowsky said. “We’ve played quarters that were like this – a lot of them, but this was the first full game.
“We came out in the third quarter, and we were still playing at a high level.”
The team’s seniors accounted for 67 of the Bucks’ 73 points. Nicole Munger led the way with 18 points – which included four three’s. Corrinne Godshall and Mackenzie Carroll both added 15 with Carroll burying a pair of treys and Godshall adding one. Peyton Traina added nine points on three three-pointers, and Meghan Tillger added eight.
“It was really, really special,” Rakowsky said. “Meghan Tillger started and had eight points – she played awesome.
“Everybody played well. Corrinne (Godshall), Meghan (Tillger) and Makenzie Mason were absolute monsters in the paint.”
The win put the finishing touches on a perfect 14-0 conference record for the Bucks (21-1 overall). They own sole possession of a conference title for the first time since 1998.
The Titans (17-5) closed out their league season with a 10-4 record, finishing in third place behind West and North Penn.
Central Bucks South 1-14-5-9 29
Central Bucks West 19-25-16-13 73
CB West (73) – Roth 2, M. Carroll 15, P. Traina 9, M. Mason 2, A. Spratt 1, C. Godshall 15, N. Munger 18, M. Tillger 8, D. Zimmerman 2, Rakowsky 1.
CB South (29) – Smith 3, Dunn 2, Delsssare 3, Meinel 3, Vitelli 15, Ehresman 3.
PENNRIDGE 50, QUAKERTOWN 31
Pennridge closed out their regular season with a convincing win over its neighboring rival. The Lady Rams 13-9 record is their best in recent memory.
The Lady Rams (6-8 SOL) took just a 9-6 lead into the second period when they seized control, allowing just two points while scoring 15 to go into halftime with a 24-8 lead. The two teams exchanged baskets in the second half.
Devan Rimmer led a balanced attack with 13 points, which included a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the foul line. She also had six rebounds. Ashley George added 11 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists, and senior Shelby Schoonover contributed nine points, two assists and four steals. Lydia Konstanzer chipped in seven points and seven rebounds.
The Panthers closed out league play with a 1-13 record (4-18 overall).
Pennridge 9-15-13-13 50
Quakertown 6-2-11-12 31
Pennridge (50) – Jenna Dominic 4, Ashley George 11, Lydia Konstanzer 7, Claire Podraza 2, Devan Rimmer 13, Shelby Schoonover 9, Kaeli White 2, Kate Wycheck 2.
American Conference
NORRISTOWN 51, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 39
Devon Morse earned herself the game ball for her performance in Friday’s win over PW. Morse not only scored 11 points but also pulled down 14 rebounds in a dominating performance in the paint.
“Devon Morse probably played the best game she’s ever played,” coach Vince Catanzaro said. “She was really into the game for a kid that is just learning how to keep going in this game. I was very proud of her. She did a great job.”
Morse wasn’t the only hero.
Tatiana Dewalt threw some serious defense at the dangerous senior Alynna Williams. The Philadelphia University-bound senior finished with just two points, and those points came on a pair of foul shots in the fourth quarter.
Dewat has been the defensive stopper for the Eagles this season.
“It relates back to the Cheltenham game because we played a box-and-one the whole night, and we did it again tonight,” Catanzaro said. “On Cheltenham, it was against (Ashley) Jones and tonight it was against Williams, and it was the same girl, Tatiana Dewalt, who just played an outstanding game on her from tip to tip.
“Every time she touched the ball we would just double her to get the ball out of her hands. She didn’t have any points until the fourth quarter.
“To me, we win the game if we don’t let her score. Taylor O’Brien scored 19 the first time we played them, but we held Alynna to six, and we still won the game. We did an outstanding job.”
PW coach Daniel Dougherty acknowledged it was an effective strategy.
"For the most part, Alynna did a really nice job of using the defender to back screen and open up her teammates," he said. "She sacrificed trying to score for trying to win on Senior Night.
"Unfortunately, we weren't able to knock down enough open looks. It was a really well played game by both teams."
Tatiana Jones – despite battling foul trouble – added 13 rebounds.
“Tatiana Jones was sitting next to me most of the game,” Catanzaro said. “She was in foul trouble the whole game. She was in and out, but she got to play almost the whole fourth quarter with four fouls. She was pretty dominant when she was in there.
“Devon Morse controlled everything because Tat was on the bench with me. It was a pretty nice sight to see with Devon. She’s more determined now. You could see it coming in where she wants to be part of the team and wants to be part of what’s going on out there.”
The Eagles' dominace is underscored by the fact that, according to Dougherty, they had 16 offensive rebounds that led to 16 second chance points, several of them at crucial times in the second half.
The Eagles held a tenuous 15-14 lead after one quarter and took a 21-19 lead into halftime, but the third quarter was the game changer. The Eagles outscored their hosts 16-8 to go on top 37-27 heading into the final quarter.
“It’s the first time all year we got everybody together,” Catanzaro said. “I just got Patti (Fortescue) back. She was out eight or nine games with mono.
“We just got Tatiana nine games ago, so it turned everything around for us. She makes us bigger, she makes us faster, and we have a girl that can actually score down low. It changes everything philosophy-wise.”
Brianna Schools led all scorers with 12 points while Patti Fortescue and Jones each had eight and Lauren Fortescue added seven.
“Brianna Schools was unbelievable tonight,” Catanzaro said. “She wanted to win this game bad. I could tell. She was perfect from the foul line, she had five baskets, and she was all over the place.
“We played probably one of the best games we played all year except for the Cheltenham game. They stalled the whole fourth quarter against us in that game. We could have won that game if they would have played with us. I was proud of the kids tonight.”
For the Colonials, Taylor O’Brien led the way with 11 points while Lauren Coscia had nine and Khadijah Hickson added six.
The Colonials closed out the regular season with an 8-6 record in league play (12-10 overall).
"I've very rpoud of this group whether we make the playoffs or not," Dougherty said. "Our three seniors – Olivia Bracy, Alison Spinelli and Alynna Williams – have each played integral parts in continuing the growth/success of our program."
Eagles closed out league play with a 7-7 record (11-11 overall). They have won four of their last five games with their only loss in that span to Cheltenham.
“We’re in the games,” Catanzaro said. “We just didn’t perform in every game we had.
“I’m happy. This is the second year in a row we’re 11-11, but I can see a big difference with this team because they’re just growing. We have two ninth graders starting (Lauren Fortescue) and Tatiana Jones). The kids are coming around. They’re seeing there’s something here now. It’s nice to see that the kids want to come into the gym.”
Norristown 15-6-16-14-51
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14-5-8-12 39
Norristown (51) – Tatiana Dewalt 5, Patti Fortescue 8, Brianna Schools 12, Lauren Fortescue 7, Devon Morse 11, Tatiana Jones 8.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (39) – Taylor O’Brien 11, Alynna Williams 2, Olivia Bracy 2, Lauren Coscia 9, Ali Diamond 4, Khadijah Hickson 6, Alison Spinelli 5.
CHELTENHAM 61, WISSAHICKON 38
Sparked by 14 points from sophomore Ashley Jones – which included four three-pointers, the Lady Panthers raced out of the starting gate to a 24-8 lead after one quarter. By halftime, Jones had 18 while Amarri Trueheart and Gabrielle Wright both had eight, and the Lady Panthers led 36-18. They went on to outscore the Trojans 25-20 in the second half.
Jones led all scorers with 29 points while Trueheart added 13 and Wright, 11, to lead the Lady Panthers.
Daria Earland and Alisha Kelly led the Trojans with 11 points each while Julie Weber had eight points.
The Lady Panthers closed out league play with a 12-2 record (17-5 overall) while the Trojans closed out the year 2-12 in the league (2-20 overall).
Cheltenham 24-12-15-10 61
Wissahickon 8-10-9-11 38
Cheltenham (61) – Ashley Jones 29, Monet McGorda 2, Danielle Brown 4, Amarri Trueheart 13, Gabrielle Wright 11, Mia Leonard 2.
Wissahickon (38) – Lexi Carradorini 3, Daria Earland 11, Julie Weber 8, Brittany Gelman 5, Alisha Kelly 11.
National Conference
WILLIAM TENNENT 58, PENNSBURY 36
The Falcons gave the Panthers all they could handle for one half, battling their hosts to an 18-18 tie at the intermission, but the Panthers owned the second half. Tennent outscored Pennsbury 19-7 in the third quarter and 40-14 in the second half to earn the big win.
Senior Angie Pomponio led the way with 16 points while Kyla Gibson added 15. Sarah Richie also finished in double figures with 10.
For the Panthers, Abby Wick (13 points) and Amy Blazejowski (10 points) finished in double digits.
The Panthers closed out league play with a 7-7 record (13-9 overall) while the Falcons were 4-10 in the league (7-15 overall).
Pennsbury 3-15-7-7 36
William Tennent 7-11-19-21 58
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