Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Saturday. CB East/CR South photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson, and Upper Dublin/Cheltenham photos courtesy of Michael Rice Photography. Check back for galleries of both games. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ GIRLS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
SOL TOURNAMENT
#1 UPPER DUBLIN 75, #4 CHELTENHAM 45
What a difference a year makes.
On Saturday, Megan Ngo was everywhere in the Cardinals’ big semifinal win over the Lady Panthers, deftly handling the ball against non-stop pressure, finding seams in the Panthers’ imposing defense for drives to the basket, never shying away from contact and all the while, playing tenacious defense against the Lady Panthers’ gifted point guard, Maya Simmons.
One year earlier in the SOL Tournament semifinal, Ngo watched her team’s gutsy 40-34 win over Central Bucks East from the sidelines. The night before in her team’s win over Bensalem, the then sophomore point guard went down with a knee injury that turned out to be a torn ACL, bringing a devastating end to her season.
But Ngo is back and looking every bit the part of the elite point guard she was projected to be before her injury.
“I think I’ve done a good job this season forgetting about it,” Ngo said of the injury. “Yesterday was the game I got hurt. Definitely, I was thinking about it, replaying it.
“Once I got out on the court – ‘All right, it’s the same thing I’ve been doing all year.’ I’ve learned to forget about it.
“This was a good battle today. I definitely think being pressured for 90 feet – it was a very up and down physical game. I exerted a lot of energy. Especially from being sore yesterday, it was a little tough at some points, but overall, I feel good. Compared to the beginning of the season, I see a big improvement.”
Ngo stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals and was a key to a win that vaulted the Cardinals into Monday’s title game at Bensalem High School against Central Bucks East.
For Ngo, just being back on the court is a win.
“It means so much,” she said. “I’m very hard on myself, but I’m just grateful to be able to play because I know, unfortunately, injuries happen to so many people, but at the end of the day, I can step on the court, and that’s what I’m grateful for.”
As for a trip to the SOL Tournament finals, Ngo and her teammates are excited.
“I knew we could do it,” the junior point guard said. “I love competing. Us as a team, that’s something we’re great at. We love to just compete, and we love to win, and we have a chance to get revenge on CB East, who we lost to earlier in the season, so it’s great. We’re really excited.”
Key stretch: Tamia Clark established her presence in the paint early, scoring 12 points in the first quarter and propelling the Cardinals to an 18-11 lead after one. The Cards took a 39-27 lead into halftime on their way to the win.
Key players: Tamia Clark turned in a brilliant all-around performance. Her 27-point effort included one 3-pointer and an 8-for-9 effort at the foul line. She finished with a double-double that included 13 rebounds, and she also had three assists and two steals. Megan Ngo added 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals, and Emilia Coleman finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. Ella Morris had 10 points (2 3-pointers), and Bridget DiMartile added six points on two 3s and also had seven rebounds and three assists.
For the Panthers, Paige Powell led a balanced attack with 12 points while Jiah Price and Zoe Thompson both had 11. Maya Simmons finished with nine.
Upper Dublin coach Morgan Funsten on Saturday’s rematch with Lady Panthers: “We had not seen them on film leading into that game which was the third game of the year. We knew they had the three big girls back from last year in (Paige) Powell, (Jiah) Price) and (Maya) Simmons. We didn’t know about Zoe Thompson. She really helps complete their team. They’re really dangerous. The score looks like it was a blowout. I thought they competed hard the whole time. I thought our girls’ mental toughness in the second half really showed through.
“Their athleticism – they can really turn teams over, and that’s why they’ve had so much success. (Coach Monique Boykins) has them so organized and playing hard and staying together. It’s really impressive what she’s doing over there. They have some great talent too. Maya (Simmons) is a thousand-point scorer her junior year. I thought she and Megan had quite a battle going on today. Meg is never going to give ground to anybody. She’s still not 100 percent, but man, her will to win is off the charts.”
–Clark ignites UD: “Tamia is so electric in everything she does. She just has such a great nose for the ball, and she can finish around the basket as good as anybody. Her energy level was great tonight. Especially towards the end of the first quarter, we took a lead off of her energy.”
–Returning to title game along with boys’ team: “We’re really excited. Last year, we lost Meg in the first round of Suburban Ones, and the team somehow found a way to win two games. We were (in the title game), and we were short-handed. We’re excited to be at full strength for this one. We’re really excited that our boys are also in it.
“Derek (Brooks) is doing such an awesome job with the boys. It’s inspiring to watch that team come together. They’re so senior heavy. It’s kind of what you want to become as a team. They’re so closeknit, and their practices are so good, and it’s something we’re really striving to be also.”
Cheltenham coach Monique Boykins: “This is nothing but experience. Basketball is a game of runs. They just had better runs than us today. That’s what it’s about. Our motto for defense is – get the lead, defend the lead and maintain the lead. We didn’t do that today. So, at the end of the day, all we can do is get better. Next is our district run, and we will run in districts.
“We didn’t defend the 3-point shot well. That’s something we have to understand. We have a tendency – ‘I’ll dare you to shoot it.’ No, we’ve got to close out. We go over close outs, and we practice that on a daily basis. We just didn’t do a good job of closing out.
“Basketball is a game of runs. You’ve got to get stops. You get no stops – this is what happens. We’ve never had a team score 70 points on us, ever, so at the end of day, it is
what it is. We have to get better, and this experience helped us. We walk away 20-3, still with a better record.
“We have districts coming up. Games like this you let them know – you can hang, but it’s all in the details. We’ve got to be better on the details. This is the message that me as a new coach brings in, and the girls have got to get used to it. We need games like this. Upper Dublin is a good team. Of course, I let the girls know – they’re going to score, so keep their heads up, stay positive and understand the season’s not done. We’ve got to learn from our mistakes. We’ll be fine.”
Up next: Upper Dublin (20-4, 8-0 SOL) will face Central Bucks East in Monday’s SOL Tournament title game at Bensalem High School at 6 pm. Cheltenham will return to action in the District 1 6A Tournament.
Cheltenham 11-16-10-8 45
Upper Dublin 18-21-15-21 75
Cheltenham (45) – Jiah Price 5 1-2 11; Paige Powell 4 3-4 12; Maya Simmons 4 0-0 9; Cassie Buggs 0 2-2 2; Zoe Thompson 4 3-4 11; TOTALS 17 9-12 45.
Upper Dublin (75) –Shannon Connaughton 0 2-2 2; Bridget DiMartile 2 0-0 6; Tamia Clark 9 8-9 27; Megan Ngo 6 4-4 16; Lexi Ngo 0 2-4 2; Emilia Coleman 4 1-2 12; Ella Morris 4 0-0 10; TOTALS 25 17-21 75.
3-point goals: C – Paige Powell, Mia Simmons; UD – Emilia Coleman 3, Bridget DiMartile 2, Ella Morris 2, Tamia Clark.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 40, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 37
Liz Potash was concerned that her team didn’t have experience in close games.
Two close games in less than 24 hours in the SOL Tournament gave the Patriots plenty of experience, and on both occasions, they delivered.
In Saturday’s SOL semifinal win, the Patriots took a 19-10 lead into halftime, but this game was far from over. South pulled to within five in the third quarter, but Sydney Ralph buried a pair of foul shots to send the Patriots into the final quarter with a 28-21 lead.
An intense fourth quarter: Midway through the fourth quarter, a Lil Metrick bucket made it a 31-26 game, but East’s Natalie Berndt had an immediate answer, calmly burying a huge 3 at the other end. It was the first basket of the game for the junior, who turned out to be an unlikely offensive hero.
Unlikely not because Berndt isn’t a standout offensive player – she is, but rather because she was battling the flu and was still far from 100 percent.
“(I feel) pretty good,” Berndt said. “Definitely better than two days ago. Thursday was bad.
“(I thought the shot) was going in. I shot it confidently.”
Berndt’s basket gave the Patriots a 34-26 lead, and she wasn’t finished yet.
The Golden Hawks suffered a setback when their veteran point guard, Kathryn O’Kane, fouled out. A minute later, East’s sophomore point guard – Haley Moran – also took her seat on the bench after picking up her fifth foul.
Rock South’s Maria Freeman buried 2 of 3 from the foul line, and after an East turnover, Fiona Reckner scored on a strong drive to make it a 34-31 game. Without Moran, the Patriots struggled against the Hawks’ fullcourt pressure, but twice the Hawks came up empty after Patriot turnovers.
With 57 seconds remaining, Berndt buried a pair at the foul line, but Reckner connected on a 3 to pull the Hawks to within two with 32 seconds remaining. Berndt answered with a pair of foul shots to put the Patriots on top 38-34 with 22 seconds remaining. With 3.7 seconds, a Reckner 3-pointer made it a one-point game.
But the Hawks’ fate was sealed when they were whistled for a foul and a technical for calling a timeout they didn’t have, and the Patriots are heading to the SOL Tournament title game.
“Honestly, it was so hard to get here, and especially after last year, we came in as a fifth seed, and this year coming in as a one seed, I feel like we’re just that much more confident in these situations,” Berndt said. “At practice, we use situations – when we’re down or up, and I think that really prepares me and my teammates.”
Key players: Jess Lockwood’s 12 points (2 3-pointers) led the Patriots. She also had five rebounds. Natalie Berndt added 10 points – eight in the fourth quarter. Haley Moran’s stat line included eight points, nine rebounds and four assists. Syd Ralph had eight points and eight rebounds.
For the Golden Hawks, who saw their 18-game winning streak snapped, Fiona Reckner led the way with 16 points – nine in the fourth quarter to keep her
team in it. Lil Metrick added nine points.
Central Bucks East coach Liz Potash: “We haven’t played close games, so end-of-game situations have been a struggle because you do them in practice, and it’s not the same simulation of what you’re getting with the pressure (of the game) on the line. We need things like this. You need to be in end of game situations. We know all these games are bonus time. I just said to the girls – last year, we lost in this round in this tournament, so to be able to advance one further, that’s all we’re looking forward to. It’s progress.”
–Loss of Moran: “We’re not used to playing (without) her on the floor, and we need her handle. It’s a struggle. We had a sub waiting for any kind of stop to get her out on defense (when she was whistled for her fifth foul).
“I think that’s why we really spent time just praising them to be able to pull that out without her on the floor. She fouled out with about three minutes to go, and that’s a long time to play in a close game without our main ball handler on the floor.”
–Berndt delivers in clutch: “We know that she’s totally capable. She’s a three-year starter for us and someone we needed to handle the ball at the end. (Friday) night was a struggle to keep her on the floor, but we know we need her to play, and we were not really focused so much on her offense. We needed her on the floor for defense. I’m always happy to have her offense.”
Up next: Central Bucks East (20-4, 9-1 SOL) will face Upper Dublin in Monday’s title game at Bensalem High School (6 pm). The Patriots defeated the Cardinals 47-43 in a non-league meeting in mid-January. Council Rock South (20-4, 9-1) is off until the District 1 6A Tournament.
Council Rock South 5-5-11-16 37
Central Bucks East 6-13-9-12 40
Council Rock South (37) – Sarah Freeman 2 0-0 6; Lil Metrick 3 2-2 9; Maria Freeman 0 2-3 2; Kathryn O’Kane 1 0-0 2; Bella Hettler 1 0-0 2; Fiona Reckner 6 1-4 16; TOTALS 13 5-9 37.
Central Bucks East (40) – Sydney Ralph 1 6-9 8; Haley Moran 2 4-4 8; Emma Perecale 1 0-0 3; Natalie Berndt 1 6-6 9; Jess Lockwood 5 0-2 12; TOTALS 10 16-21 40
3-point goals: CRS – Lil Metrick, Fiona Reckner 3, Sarah Freeman 2. CBE – Emma Penecale, Natalie Berndt, Jess Lockwood 2.
Non-league
LOWER MORELAND 66, FAITH CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 32
Dani Brush and Briana McFerran combined for 47 points to lead the Lions to the no-doubt-about-it non-league road win Saturday.
Key stretch: The Lions owned this one from the outset, opening up an 18-5 lead after one quarter and extending that to 43-20 by halftime. McFerran’s eight first-quarter points jumpstarted the Lions.
Key players: Dani Brush’s game-high 24 points included four 3-pointers. She erupted for 15 points in a dazzling offensive showing in a 25-point second quarter. Briana McFerran added 23 points – 12 in the first half
Lower Moreland coach Rich Becker: “This was a good way to end the regular season. We were fortunate to get Faith coming off a game the night before where they had to travel to New Hope, and we were able to take advantage of that situation. We scheduled a fairly ambitious non-league schedule, and this was only the second game all year where we felt comfortable at halftime we would probably win. With our JV season being cancelled, it was nice to be able to go 10 deep in the first half and get some of the girls who have been practicing all year some meaningful minutes.”
–The game: “For us today, the key to the game was that we were able to execute our game plan, which was to deny their best player and speed up the rest of their team.
“Nikki Sahl held their top scorer to one point, and the rest of the girls did a nice job of pressuring the ball, rotating into the help to get a few steals. It was also good that Bri (McFerran) was able to score tonight. She’s just starting to round back into form after a mid-season ankle injury.
“With today’s win, it looks like we’ll be the three seed for the districts, which – considering our 2-6 start to the season – is a nice accomplishment. We’ll have some time to continue to sharpen up a few things before we play again on Feb. 18.
“Dave Forker is doing a great job with his young team, and you have to credit him and his girls for not shying away from playing (larger schools).”
Up next: Lower Moreland (13-9, 6-4 SOL) will return to action in the District 1 5A Tournament.
Lower Moreland 18-25-14-9 66
Faith Christian Academy 5-15-8-4 32
Lower Moreland (66) – Briana McFerran 10 3-6 23; Dani Brush 9 2-3 24; Emma DiJoseph 2 2-2 7; Nikki Sahl 2 1-2 6; Keira Huber 2 2-3 6; TOTALS 25 10-18 66.
Faith Christian Academy (32) – Brigid Garlick 0 1-4 1; Kendall Robison 3 0-0 7; Charlie Sauers 4 2-2 11; Kamryn Pepkowski 0 2-4 2; Peyton Voytko 3 1-2 7; Avery Z 1 0-0 2; Ashlyn Bergey 1 0-0 2; 12 6-12 32.
3-point goals: LM -Dani Brusha 4, Emma DiJoseph, Nikki Sahl: FCA – Kendall Robison, Charlie Sauers.
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