Upper Dublin & CB East advanced to the SOL Tournament title game Tuesday. CB East/Pennsbury photos courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography, and Upper Dublin/William Tennent photos courtesy of Jon Sklut. Check back for galleries of both games. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ GIRLS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
SOL Tournament semifinals
#1 UPPER DUBLIN 74, WILLIAM TENNENT 28
The visiting Panthers might have had an idea it was going to be a long day when the Cardinals – behind 10 points from Emilia Coleman – opened up a 24-6 lead after one quarter.
Tennent’s offense came to life in the second quarter and put 14 points on the board, but the Cards scored 25 to go into halftime with a 49-20 lead on their way to the win.
By the numbers: Emilia Coleman led all scorers with 27 points, which included five 3-pointers and a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line. She completed her double-double with 13 rebounds to go along with two steals, two assists and three blocked shots. Megan Ngo was once again the ultimate facilitator, finishing with 11 assists to go along with eight points and three steals. Tamia Clark added 12 points and three steals. Ella Morris contributed nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks while Lexi Ngo added nine points and three steals, and Bridget DiMartile had seven points, six rebounds, three steals, two assists and two steals.
Upper Dublin coach Morgan Funsten:
–A busy week: “It was a good end to a really good week for our team. Five games in six days was a big ask, but the girls stepped up and played great all week. Playoff season comes fast, and it’s exciting to think we
are playing for a championship on Tuesday. We and CB East are very familiar with each other, and I expect another great game.
–The game: “Today we got off to a fast start, and the team played with great energy all day. We finished with 19 offensive rebounds, and that only happens if you’re playing with good energy.”
–Props: “Emilia Coleman had a hot hand with 27 points and was very active on the glass. She seemed to grab every rebound and finished with a big stat line. Meg was so good at moving the ball to her teammates today and finished with 11 assists. Our team finished with 21 assists, and it is so fun to watch them play because of how well they move the ball.”
Up next: Upper Dublin will face #2 Central Bucks East in Tuesday’s SOL Tournament title game at Bensalem High School (6 pm). William Tennent is ninth in the latest District 1 6A rankings with the final seeding to be determined Sunday.
William Tennent 6-14-3-5 28
Upper Dublin 24-25-19-6 74
William Tennent (28) – Aubrey Lynch 1 0-0 3; Avery Kocur 1 0-0 3; Carissa Malpezzi 1 0-0 2; Halie Staub 3 0-0 6; Giada Cosenza 1 1-2 4; Hannah Wong 2 0-0 4; Megan Volz 11 3-4 28; TOTALS 11 3-4 28.
Upper Dublin (74) – Bridget DiMartile 3 0-0 7; Tamia Clark 5 2-3 12; Maeva Hogan 1 0-0 2; Megan Ngo 2 3-4 8; Lexi Ngo 4 0-0 9; Emilia Coleman 9 4-4 27; Ella Morris 3 2-2 9; TOTALS 27 11-13 74.
3-point goals: WT – Aubrey Lynch, Avery Kocur, Giada Cosenza; UD – Emilia Coleman 5, Bridget DiMartile, Megan Ngo, Lexi Ngo, Ella Morris.
#2 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 45, #3 PENNSBURY 35
The Falcons might have had the idea they’d have their hands full with a CB East team that has its share of sharpshooters but struggled mightily in its win over Bensalem in Friday’s quarterfinal game.
The Patriots came out on fire, opening up a 22-0 lead, an advantage that turned out to be insurmountable despite a heroic comeback effort by the Falcons.
“I looked at last night’s stats, and we shot 14 percent in the first quarter,” East coach Liz Potash said. “We knew we could not make a shot, and it’s almost like they took it out on (Pennsbury) today. We just came out, and we made shots, and that’s what we normally do.”
The Patriots – sparked by a pair of 3s from Natalie Berndt and five from Haley Moran – led 14-0 after one quarter and upped that lead to 22-0 before the Falcons got on the scoreboard, scoring five points to make it a 26-5 game at halftime.
Propelled by seven points from Joley Hohman, the Falcons trimmed two points off the Patriots’ lead in the third quarter, and in the fourth quarter, Hohman kept a hot hand, scoring eight points and pulling to within six. They would get no closer.
Central Bucks East coach Liz Potash:
–The game: “Obviously, Pennsbury was struggling to score, and I was happy with the way we were defending., but everyone’s playing hard. You know some nights they fall and some nights they don’t. We knew that it was a really lopsided score at halftime.
“When we went into the locker room at halftime, we said, ‘This game is not over. I know it’s a big score – 0-0 mentality,’ and Pennsbury put together a great second half. I give them a lot of credit. They cut it to six at one point.
“We got to the foul line, and we were able to make foul shots in the fourth quarter. Every time we thought we had it, they would make another run, and like I said – they’re a good team.
“I think this tournament is great because it gets you so much good competition and preparation for districts. For a team that has a bye, when you have that layoff, it’s really important to make sure you stay sharp, so it was a really good second half.
“As I said, a lot of credit to Pennsbury because I know that’s a tough way to play. For our girls, it’s a good lesson that the mentality’s got to be always strong to not let teams back. But it did give us opportunities to practice some of those game situations that we’ve been working on.
“It’s the next goal for the girls. They wanted to win the league. They had all sorts of goals throughout the year, and the next one was to get back to the SOL championship and win it this year. So, to be back in the same position we were last year with the same opponent is exciting.”
Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla:
–The game: “CB East came out with a sensational start. They shot the ball really well and were physical and tough on defense. We figured that after last night they would come out ready to roll. We felt that we were prepared.
“But to their credit, they took it to us. The size discrepancy when we play them causes us issues in the basket area, and 
they expose all weaknesses if you speed yourself up in the paint and don’t get to balance.
“Haley Moran is sensational. If the game went eight quarters, she’d probably still be playing. Falling behind (22-0) isn’t optimal, but they earned it. They are a tough group.”
–Props: “Our bench gave us a real spark, and in the second half, we started to crawl back into the game. Milan Reeves was fantastic guarding the ball, and Shea Quenzer came in and gave us toughness.
“Joley was able to find a rhythm and knock down a couple shots. They definitely made it their goal to find Alyssa (Thomas), but she was still able to get five assists, and we were able to cut it to six with a couple minutes ago, but they are too good of a team to fold completely, and to their credit, they hung on.
“It was a good experience for us to play two tremendous programs within 15 hours. We are grateful for that.”
Up next: Central Bucks East will face #1 Upper Dublin in Tuesday’s SOL Tournament title game at Bensalem High School (6pm). Pennsbury is eighth in the latest District 1 6A rankings with the seeding finalized Sunday.
Pennsbury 0-5-13-17 35
Central Bucks East 14-12-11-8 45
Pennsbury (35) – Emily Panaro 1 0-0 2; Bella Stewart 2 0-1 4; Sammie Haws 1 2-2 5; Alyssa Thomas 2 0-0 4; Joley Hohman 6 0-1 14; Keira Socha 1 0-0 3; Milan Reaves 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 14 2-4 35.
Central Bucks East (45) – Delaney Long 1 0-0 2; Haley Moran 5 0-0 11; Emma Penecale 1 0-0 2; Natalie Berndt 3 3-4 12; Payton Williams 1 5-6 7; Jess Lockwood 3 2-2 10; TOTALS 14 10-12 45.
3-point goals: P – Joley Hohman 2, Sammie Haws, Keira Socha, Milan Reaves; CBE – Natalie Berndt 3, Jess Lockwood 2, Haley Moran, Emma Penecale.
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