Plymouth Whitemarsh clinched sole possession of a conference crown while Souderton earned at least a share of the conference title. Check all of Tuesday’s recaps. CR North/Pennsbury photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson.
SOL American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 67, CHELTENHAM 19
The Colonials clinched sole possession of their second SOL American Conference title in as many years on Tuesday. They led 11-6 after one quarter and then seized complete control of the game with a 28-point second quarter to go into halftime with a 39-11 lead.
Taylor O’Brien was the catalyst for the Colonials, scoring 21 of her game-high 22 points in the first half. The junior standout buried four 3-pointers. Lauren Fortescue connected on three shots from beyond the arc and finished with 15 points – 12 in the second half. Haley Zygmunt added nine points and Anna McTamney had seven.
For the Lady Panthers, who were once again without Savannah Roberts (flu), Kelia Holmes led the way with six points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (19-2, 13-0 SOL) will host Quakertown on Thursday, and Cheltenham (11-10, 5-8) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham on Wednesday. In the latest District One 6A power rankings, PW is seeded sixth, and the Lady Panthers are in the 23rd spot.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 11-28-13-15 67
Cheltenham 6-5-3-5 19
Plymouth Whitemarsh (67) – Taylor O’Brien 22, Lauren Fortescue 15, Gia Schweitzer 3, Ali Diamond 5, Haley Zygmunt 9, Lily Belle McGrorty 2, Anna McTamney 7, Sydney Kesselman 4.
Cheltenham (19) – Yanisha Dormil 1, Taylor Johnson 2, Courtney Murray 4, Madison Rorer 5, Kelia Holmes 6, Kai Williams 1.
UPPER DUBLIN 72, HATBORO-HORSHAM 18
Upper Dublin has only four seniors on its roster this season, and those four players – Nicole Kaiser, Lindsey Schreiber, Maggie Weglos and Kayla Wolf – celebrated Senior Night in style on Tuesday, combining for 45 points to lead the Cardinals to the decisive win.
“It was definitely a special night for our four seniors we were celebrating,” coach Morgan Funsten said.
Kayla Wolf stepped into the starting lineup and contributed 11 points, which included three 3-pointers. She also had four assists, four steals and three rebounds.
“Kayla is a great shooter, and she’s also a great teammate,”Funsten said. “She sincerely loves the game. She filled up the stat sheet, so it was great for her to get in on the action.”
Schreiber, who has committed to play Division One lacrosse at Butler University, contributed 10 points, five steals, four assists and four rebounds.
“Lindsey is a three-sport athlete, and her biggest asset as an athlete is her competitiveness, which is something you’ll see a lot of times out of a three-sport athlete,” Funsten said. “She’s played some important minutes for us this year, and she brings great energy. She scored 10 points tonight, which was great, so it was nice to see her contribute so much in a scoring role. She’s a great defender, and tonight she was able to put the ball in the basket.”
Kaiser led the Cardinals with 16 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
“Nicole Kaiser has turned into an elite scorer,” Funsten said. “She’s going to finish her career with over 800 points, which is a big number.
“You look at Nicole and Maggie Weglos – they’ve played in so many big games and so many important minutes and contributed so much. Nicole freshman year was not quite where Maggie was freshman year, but Nicole’s work ethic has been second to none, and over the years, it’s been so cool watching her improve and watching her pass other players in terms of production. There were other players in the league who you could compare her to, and then all of a sudden, Nicole has turned into such a great scorer, and it’s because of how hard she works at her game.”
Weglos added six points, six assists and four rebounds.
“She’s like our rock right now,” Funsten said. “She’s our leader, she is such a great example for the younger girls on our team as to putting team needs in front of individual needs, and it’s contagious.
“It’s something we always try to preach to all of our players, and she has completely bought into it. We try to meet as many individual needs as possible, but team needs always come first, and from day one as a freshman who started state playoff games to what she’s become now as a senior, she’s always had the potential to be the leader she’s been this year. We saw it early on, which is why she was playing such an important role as a freshman. The program is going to be in good hands because of the example that all four of these girls have shown.
“Like we said in the locker room afterwards, we’re kind of saying our good-byes right now, but this season is far from over. We feel like we have a lot more to accomplish, a lot more work to be done, so we’re excited about what the next few weeks will bring us.”
Sydney Kemp scored seven points to lead the Hatters, who fell behind 22-2 after one quarter.
Upper Dublin (17-4, 11-2 SOL) will travel to Upper Moreland on Wednesday, and Hatboro-Horsham (6-15, 5-8) will host Cheltenham on Wednesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 2-4-4-8 18
Upper Dublin 22-16-19-15 72
Hatboro-Horsham (18) – Lexie Brett 2, Kylie Halko 2, Sarah Sciubba 2 Maddie Throne 2, Kara Kaminski 3, Sydney Kemp 7.
Upper Dublin (72) – Anajae Smith 4, Meg Barbera 4, Nicole Kaiser 16, Jess Polin 4, Sarah Eskew 6, Lindsey Schreiber 10, Dayna Balasa 5, Maggie Weglos 8, Jackie Vargas 4, Kayla Wolf 11.
WISSAHICKON 36, UPPER MORELAND 29
Neither team generated a whole lot of offense in Tuesday’s conference battle, and the Golden Bears – sparked by seven points from Phoebe Longstreth – led 19-18 at the intermission. The Trojans turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, allowing just 10 points over the final two quarters as they rallied for the win.
“We couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean tonight,” coach Rodney Cline said. “Our defense stepped up in the second half. We finally woke up.
“Brianna Tilghman woke up. Sydney Ott hit two big threes, Macey Segal hit two big threes. Defensively, Victoria Selverian and Bri Tilghman really stepped up, and Victoria Williams came off the bench and had some key rebounds and played well on the offensive side as far as controlling the basketball as well as creating a mismatch they couldn’t compete with. They did well.”
Tilghman led a balanced attack with nine points – all in the second half. Sydney Ott and Segal each added eight points for the Trojans.
Cassidy Murphy’s 11 points led the Golden Bears while Caitlin Corr had eight and Longstreth, seven points. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for UM.
“They really have improved,” Cline said. “I give them a lot of credit. The coaches are doing a great job over there.”
Wissahickon (10-11, 9-4 SOL) will travel to Springfield Township on Thursday, and Upper Moreland (10-10, 6-7) will host Upper Dublin on Wednesday.
Upper Moreland 8-11-4-6 29
Wissahickon 12-6-11-7 36
Upper Moreland (29) – Phoebe Longstreth 7, Caitlin Corr 8, Bean Hughes 1, Cassidy Murphy 11.
Wissahickon (36) – Megan Oberholtzer 2, Brianna Tilghman 9, Sydney Ott 8, Macey Segal 8, Victoria Selverian 4, Victoria Williams 2, Carly Fadel 3.
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 53, QUAKERTOWN 44
Grace Barraclough had a big night for the Spartans, scoring a game-high 25 points that included a 13-for-17 effort at the charity stripe. Mary Kate Smith also finished the game in double figures with 11 and Rileigh Serroni had seven points.
The Spartans, who led 12-8 at the end of one quarter, took a 24-19 lead into halftime. The Panthers erased that with a 20-point third quarter to knot the score 39-39 heading into the final quarter. The Spartans closed it out with a 14-5 burst to earn the win.
Samantha Howard (13 points) and Veronica Best (10 points) both finished in double figures to lead the Panthers. Brianna Leftoski added eight points.
Springfield (5-16, 3-10 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Thursday. Quakertown (1-20, 0-13) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh for its season finale on Thursday.
Springfield Township12-12-15-14 53
Quakertown 8-11-20-5 44
Springfield Township (53) – Rileigh Serroni 7, Grace Barraclough 25, Mary Kate Smith 11, Davis 4, Maddie Yoder 1, Emily Guicheteau 5.
Quakertown (44) – Kimmy Best 2, Samantha Howard 13, Emma Pizzullo 5, Brianna Leftkoski 8, Hannah LaBonge 4, Maggie Garlick 2, Veronica Best 10.
SOL Continental Conference
SOUDERTON 53, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 38
It’s been a long, long time between titles for the Indians. Fourteen years to be exact, but the drought is finally over. As a result of Tuesday’s win at CB West, the Indians – with one regular season game remaining – clinched at a share of the program’s first conference title since 2004.
“It’s awesome,” junior Megan Walbrandt said. “Especially for this group of girls that last year had a special season but this year we’re having an even better season.
“This hasn’t happened in our program in a while, so we’re really excited about this.”
The Bucks – who trailed by just two at halftime – made the Indians earn the win.
“CB West came out with a lot of fire,” senior Tori Dowd said. “It’s their Senior Night, so it’s an emotional night.
“We knew they were going to come out like that. We came out a little slow, but knowing that this is on the line and this is right there in front of us and we have to grab it and close in, we shut them down on defense in the second half, and that really helped us.”
The first half featured plenty of offense by both sides. Propelled by the inspired play of freshman Lilly Evans – who had eight points and four rebounds, the Bucks led 14-11 after one quarter.
They still led 19-16 after Maddie Burke completed a three-point play after converting a tough basket at the end of a drive. Megan Walbrandt erased that deficit by burying a 3-pointer. Freshman Anna Blue turned an Abbey Spratt pass into a three-pointer, but Megan Bealer returned the favor for the Indians. A West turnover set the stage for a Megan O’Donnell three, and after a West miss, Bealer buried her second of two three-pointers in the quarter to put the Indians on top 28-22.
“Coach Bo (Ben Bowman) gave us a pep talk in the locker room to get us focused for the game because that’s our main goal – to be 100 percent focused all the time,” Bealer said. “This is history for (Souderton) girls’ basketball, and I think that was in everyone’s heads.
“In the beginning, they got some points, but we weren’t going to let that get to us because it’s always the next play that matters for us. Everyone is stepping up and giving it their all.”
Izzy Treon’s three-pointer and another Burke basket pulled the Bucks to within one, but Walbrandt connected on another three. The Indians – who had six threes in the second quarter and seven in the first half – took a 31-29 lead into halftime.
A basket by Burke just inside the 3-point line knotted the score early in the third quarter, but Bealer buried her fourth three of the contest.
Interestingly, Bealer insists she doesn’t usually have all that much confidence in her ability to connect from long range.
“But all my teammates and coaches tell everyone – ‘Keep shooting. It doesn’t matter if you miss. Let it go. Go to the next play,’ so that’s what we did,” Bealer said.
When Walbrandt connected on another three, the Indians led 37-31. Alana Cardona’s drive stretched that lead to eight, and the Bucks would get no closer than seven the rest of the way.
“In the first half, they came out with a ton of energy – it’s their Senior Night, and we were expecting that,” Walbrandt said. “They’re just an aggressive team in general.
“In the second half, we had a lot more energy. We know that our defense leads to offense. We really focused and were determined more on the defensive end, and that really opened up our offense.”
Walbrandt and Bealer combined for nine threes with Walbrandt burying five of them.
“That was awesome,” Dowd said. “We know they’re great shooters, and they’re out there playing with such great confidence.
“Shots are falling for them, and it’s a great time for them to start falling going into the postseason.”
The Indians allowed just nine points in the second half.
“We came out slow on defense, and in the second half, I told them – ‘We really need to step it up,’ and we held them to nine points,” coach Ben Bowman said. “I tell them – if you want to win big games, you have to play defense. Defense is going to win us a lot of games. They listened, and they came out and played their hearts out.”
Walbrandt led all scorers with 21 points while Bealer added 14 points and 14 rebounds. Kate Connolly had nine points and four blocks.
For the Bucks, Treon’s 11 points led the way. Evans added 10 and Burke had seven.
Souderton (19-2, 10-1 SOL) – the district’s top-seeded squad – will close out its regular season on Wednesday at home against William Tennent. Central Bucks West (7-5 SOL) closed out its regular season with an 11-10 record. The Bucks are the 14th seed in the latest power rankings.
Souderton (53) – Tori Dowd 2, Megan Bealer 14, Alana Cardona 4, Megan Walbrandt 21, Megan O’Donnell 3, Kate Connolly 9.
Central Bucks West (38) – Abbey Spratt 5, Anna Blue 3, Maddie Burke 7, Erin McIlhinney 2, Izzy Treon 11, Lilly Evans 10.
PENNRIDGE 39, WILLIAM TENNENT 37
The Panthers needed a win to get into District One 6A’s field of 24, but the Rams were equally determined to solidify their spot in the upcoming postseason. In the end, it was the Rams – the 19th seed in the power rankings – holding on for the win.
“This is what we’re playing for right now – we know if we finish strong it’s just a matter of positioning,” coach Mike Elton said. “It’s given them something to work for.
“This was a big game tonight. I’m not sure (the players) knew how big it was. They kept their cool throughout the whole game. It worked out well.”
No one came up bigger for the Rams than senior Gill Anderson, who led the way with 18 points. Brooke Bachtle had 10 and Emilee Cramer, eight points, on a night that saw just four players contribute scoring.
The Rams led 25-20 at the intermission and added to that lead in the third quarter. They took a 35-24 advantage into the final quarter but scored just four points in the final eight minutes while the Panthers – sparked by three 3-pointers from Kelly Scipione – scored 13. Anderson and Bachtle each buried a pair of foul shots to account for the Rams’ only points of the quarter.
“In the second half of the game, we didn’t shoot very well, and we just kind of hung on for dear life,” Elton said. “Our four points were all from the foul line, so they were critical.”
Pennridge (10-10, 4-7 SOL) will host North Penn on Thursday, and William Tennent (10-11, 1-10) will travel to Souderton on Wednesday night.
Pennridge 11-14-10-4 39
William Tennent 8-12-4-13 37
Pennridge (39) – Brooke Bachtle 10, Gill Anderson 18, Rose McCormick 3, Emilee Cramer 8.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 50, NORTH PENN 35
Tuesday’s game belonged to the visiting Titans, but the night belonged to Maggie deMarteleire, who was honored in a brief ceremony after the game. The Knights’ coach announced last week that she will be stepping down at the end of the season after 11 years at the helm. deMarteleire has been on the sidelines for 29 years. Eighteen of those years were at Lansdale Catholic, 15 of those as head coach.
“North Penn has been a formidable opponent since I took over at CB South,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “Maggie started at North Penn the same year I was hired at CB South. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from watching her coach with her experience.
“It was nice to sit back and watch her former players speak about her and just have a moment of reflection. Now I’m 11 years in and after 29 years she’s retiring. She deserves it. She’s worked hard at basketball and really helped make the sport better. That’s something for me as a coach to look up to and hope I can do the same one day.”
In Tuesday’s contest, Alexa Brodie jumpstarted the Titans, scoring 12 points in the first quarter and propelling the Titans to a 14-13 lead. Bri Hewlett’s seven first-quarter points kept the Knights close. The Titans put some distance between themselves and the Knights, opening up a 24-13 halftime lead after a 10-0 second quarter that featured six points from Haley Meinel.
Meinel led all scorers with 18 points -10 in the fourth quarter. Brodie added 16, and Maddie McShane had eight.
For the Knights, Carley Adams led the way with 13 points. Hewlett finished with seven, and Kate Early had six.
Central Bucks South (19-2, 9-2 SOL) – the second seed in the district power rankings – will host Central Bucks East on Friday, and North Penn (6-15, 1-10) will travel to Pennridge on Thursday.
Central Bucks South 14-10-15-11 50
North Penn 13-0-14-6 35
Central Bucks South (50) – Caroline McSorley 2, Haley Meinel 18, Natalie DiSandro 1, Alexa Brodie 16, Maddie McShane 8, Mackenzie Ehresman 5.
North Penn (35) – Jenny Hulmes 3, Cayla Sharkey 2, Alli Lindsay 2, Kate Early 6, Carley Adams 13, Jess McKenzie 2, Bri Hewlettt 7.
SOL National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 47, PENNSBURY 17
Dana Bandurick posted a double-double to lead the Indians to a win that locked up a share of the conference title. The junior forward finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds (eight offensive) to go along with three steals and three blocked shots.
Becca Margolis added 12 points and was a catalyst on defense with five steals. Mackenzie Tinner added eight points while Olivia Boyle had six. Camryn Polinsky also had five thefts. As a team, the Indians had 17 steals and eight blocked shots.
The Indians, who led 6-2 after a low-scoring first quarter, took a 20-8 lead into halftime and then outscored their visitors 27-9 in the second half.
Mary Miller’s six-point effort led the Falcons.
Council Rock North (10-2 SOL) closed out its regular season with a 17-5 record. The Indians are the ninth seed in the District One 6A power rankings. Pennsbury (10-11, 5-7) will host Harry S Truman on Thursday.
Pennsbury 2-6-6-3 17
Council Rock North 6-14-12-15 47
Pennsbury (17) – Abbi Nassivera 4, Mary Miller 6, Lacey Taylor 1, Cami Wiegand 4, Skyler Sulby 2.
Council Rock North (47) – Becca Margolis 12, Camryn Polinsky 4, Dana Bandurick 15, Sydney Blum 2, Olivia Boyle 6, Mackenzie Tinner 8.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 63, BENSALEM 43
Senior Allison McGowan, who scored a game-high 22 points, put her name in the school record books with the single game record for threes made with six. She also pulled down 14 rebounds and had three steals.
“Allison McGowan had a monster game,” coach Blair Klumpp said. “I’ll venture to say it was the best game she’s played on a court at any level, and I don’t just mean from a final numbers standpoint.
“They were fantastic, but her effort on the defensive end of the floor was tremendous. She probably tied up three or four more jump balls, tried to take several charges, she was focused and just played a great game. She embodies everything you want in a captain. She really sacrifices her body for her team.”
The Golden Hawks set the single game record for 3-pointers made with nine. They also had a team record 24 steals.
“While the season hasn’t gone the way we planned in terms of wins and losses, not much better of a script could have been written for Senior Knight,” Klumpp said. “We won our last home game of the year, we had contributions from up and down the lineup, but our seniors really stepped up tonight.”
Senior Emma Jones had a season-high eight points and added five steals and three rebounds.
“She was really active all over the floor,” Klumpp said. “She got in some foul trouble being overly aggressive but that aggression is what made her successful this year.”
The team also honored senior managers Paige Kutler and Tori Wuensche.
“The families of the seniors deserve credit – it takes a lot of time and sacrifice to allow the girls this opportunity,” Klumpp said.
The Golden Hawks received contributions from other players as well. Bailey Vetter had eight rebounds and four points.
“Bailey Vetter’s effort and all-around play was great,” Klumpp said. “She was more confident offensively tonight and handling the ball. She did her usual defensively – rebounding, loose balls on the floor.
“She does so many important things that if we don't have them, it changes the dynamic of how we play.”
Freshman Nicole Blaustein added 15 points and four assists. She assisted on four of McGowan’s six 3-pointers.
“Nicole has handled pressure well all year and is still learning the high school game in terms of speed and some decision making, but she’s been so solid all year,” Klumpp said. “She replaced an all-timer in Payton Spadaccino, and she has made it a smooth transition.
“To start as a freshman or play varsity is not easy, especially at point guard. She was great finding McGowan tonight.”
Steinmetz added nine points, five steals and three assists.
“She really propelled us in the third quarter with eight points and four steals in that frame,” Klumpp said. “She’s been great defensively.
“I’ve moved her all over, and she’s been so dependable on that end of the floor. She’s shown growth in her offensive game.”
Sophomore Hannah Binder and freshmen Karly Wunder and Carley Irvin have all seen more playing time since Jenna Culp’s season-ending injury a month ago.
“They have been consistent and productive,” Klumpp said. “If this young group can learn and implement some of the things the seniors displayed tonight and do it consistently every day, it will turn into consistent production and lead to bigger and better things. Our seniors have played a big part in that because they have been critical to the development of our younger girls.”
For the Owls, Chloe Munyon led the way with 18 points while Haley Keenan added nine.
Council Rock South (7-13, 3-7 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Thursday, and Bensalem (7-13, 2-9) will host Abington on Wednesday.
Bensalem 8-15-7-13 43
Council Rock South 12-13-25-11 63
Bensalem (43) – Sydney Bawuah 5, Emily Wineburg 4, Haley Keenan 9, Chloe Munyon 18, Birnbaum 5.
Council Rock South (63) – Claudia Steinmetz 9, Holister 2, Bailey Vetter 2, Emma Jones 8, Karly Wunder 1, Nicole Blaustein 15, Allison McGowan 22.
NESHAMINY 65, HARRY S TRUMAN 33
Allison Harvey buried five 3-pointers en route to a game-high 15 points while Brooke Mullin collected a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Redskins. Kristin Curley also finished in double figures with 10 for a Neshaminy squad that continues to share the top spot in the SOL National standings with CR North and Abington.
The Redskins took care of business early, opening up a 27-5 lead after one quarter and extending that to 42-10 by halftime.
Also for the ‘Skins, Meghan Ansel and Emily Tantala added six points each.
Haniyyah Jones led the Tigers with 10 points. Daisha Campbell, Roneshia James and Nainai Keys each had seven points.
Neshaminy (15-5, 9-2 SOL) – the 10th seed in the latest power rankings – will host Council Rock South on Thursday. Harry S Truman (2-17, 0-10) will travel to Pennsbury on Thursday.
Neshaminy 27-15-17-6 65
Harry S Truman 5-5-7-16 33
Neshaminy (65) – Brooke Mullin 13, Alison Harvey 15, Kristin Curley 10, Olivia Scotti 8, Meghan Ansel 6, Emily Tantala 6, Taylor Kelly 2.
Harry S Truman (33) – Haniyyah Jones 10, Daisha Campbell 7, Roneshia James 7, Nainai Keys 7, Briana Cliney 2.
Non-league
ABINGTON 58, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 52
The Ghosts continued to look the part of the hottest team in the SOL, earning their ninth straight win and fourth in five days.
“It was tough – it was a gut check win,” coach Dan Marsh said. “Our kids are tired, there’s no doubt about it.
“We knew we had to win this game to get in the SOL (Tournament). If we had lost, it would have been close, but now we’re guaranteed to be in SOLs. That’s what our motivation was because we haven’t been in SOLs since Britney James and Sam Brusha’s freshman year when we lost to CB West. We had to find some energy to dig in and find a way.”
The Ghosts, who led 17-9 after one quarter, took a 28-18 lead into halftime. Brusha led the charge with 10 first-half points while James and Kassondra Brown both had seven. The Patriots trailed by just five (42-37) heading into the final quarter and got even closer.
“We turned it over a little bit late, and they actually cut it to two (54-52), but we scored the last six points,” Marsh said. “Their little point guard, number 24 (Bailey McManus) hit a big three. They hit some big shots and cut the lead, but we were able to hold on fortunately.
“They played really good defense, they’re well coached. It was a total team effort. You know CB East is going to play you tough. They made it interesting, but we were able to hold them off.”
Brusha led all scorers with 18 points, which included a pair of threes. Brown added 17 points and nine rebounds. James had seven points while Miranda Liebtag and Jordyn Allen had six each.
For the Patriots, Gina Russo led the way with 13 points while McManus added 11, which included three 3-pointers. Elyse Shine had 10 points, and Sophia Mancuso added nine.
Abington (16-5, 9-2 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Wednesday to cap a five-games-in-six-days stretch, and Central Bucks East (14-7, 7-4) will travel to Central Bucks South on Friday. The Ghosts are fifth in the latest District One 6A power rankings while the Patriots are 11th.
Central Bucks East 9-9-19-15 52
Abington 17-11-14-16 58
Central Bucks East (52) – Sophia Mancuso 9, Skylar Krause 5, Gina Russo 13, Audrey Labouliere 4, Bailey McManus 11, Elyse Shine 10.
Abington (58) – Jordyn Allen 6, Britney James 7, Tamia Wessels 2, Cam Lexow 2, Kassondra Brown 17, Amanda Lliebtag 6, Sam Brusha 18.
About the Author
