Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. CB South/North Penn photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos. CB West/CB East photos courtesy of Marge Bullock (http://www.margebullock.com)
SOL Patriot Division
NESHAMINY 45, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 27
Freshman Reese Zemitis paced the Redskins’ offense with a glittering 23-point effort while senior Kacie Sienko was the catalyst on defense, propelling Neshaminy to the win that avenged a 34-26 loss at the hands of the Indians earlier this season.
“Kacie Sienko played great – she must have had seven or eight steals, she was all over the place, and obviously, Reese gets 23 points,” Neshaminy coach Joe Lally said. “Our defensive intensity was better the entire game than it was the first game and so was our ball movement and execution.”
The Indians led 13-5 after one quarter, but in the second quarter, they suffered a major setback when sophomore Jaden Wan left the game with an injury and did not return. Wan scored eight points to lead the Indians in less than a half, and sparked by her efforts, the Indians took a 20-18 lead into halftime but scored just seven points in the second half.
“She’s a great player, and there’s definitely a difference when she’s out of the lineup,” Lally said of Wan. “I still have to commend my kids. They did what they needed to do and got the win.
“The hardest thing was – we haven’t played in 12 days because we got the snow and Truman was called. We had to kick off the rust – I felt the second half the rust was off, and that was the difference too. We started to get comfortable.”
Zemitis, who had six points in the first half, scored all 10 of her team’s points in the third quarter. The Redskins took a 28-21 lead into the fourth quarter. The freshman standout had seven points in the fourth quarter to lead a 17-6 Neshaminy tear to close out the game.
Zemitis buried 9-of-12 at the foul line and connected on a pair of threes. Taylor Gurysh added 11 points.
For the Indians, Wan’s eight points led the way. Delaney McCaffery had six points.
Neshaminy (6-2, 6-1 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Thursday, and Council Rock North (3-3) will host Pennsbury on Thursday.
Council Rock North 12-8-1-6 27
Neshaminy 5-13-10-17 45
Council Rock North (27) – Kiera Katz 1 0-2 3; Sofia Shields 0 1-2 1; Claire Pirkle 1 0-0 2; Delaney McCaffery 2 2-4 6; Riley Hamilton 1 0-0 2; Kristen Polinsky 2 0-0 5; Jaden Wan 3 2-3 8; TOTALS 10 5-11 27.
Neshaminy (45) – Kacie Sienko 1 22-5 4; Skylar Lall 0 2-2 2; Taylor Gurysh 5 1-3 11; Anna Soska 0 3-4 3; Maya Lewis 0 2-3 2; Reese Zemitis 6 9-12 23; TOTALS 12 19-29 45.
3-point goals: CRN – Kiera Katz, Kristen Polinsky, Neshaminy – Reese Zemitis 2.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 56, BENSALEM 38
Carley Irvin and Nicole Blaustein combined for 31 points, and the Golden Hawks’ backcourt proved to be double trouble for the Owls. Irvin led all scorers with 16 while Blaustein had 15. Irvin also had three assists, and Blaustein had three assists, four rebounds and four steals.
“Overall, our backcourt played really, really well,” Rock South coach Blair Klumpp said. “I thought prior to the season some of the experience we had there could be a big advantage for us, and our two seniors (Carley and Nicole) as well as Karissa (Smedley) set the tone at different parts of the game tonight. And some guards off the bench gave really good minutes.
“Carley and Nicole really controlled and dictated tempo and pace both when we wanted to play fast and then when we wanted to execute. They both were really good tonight. As a combination, in terms of impacting both ends of the court, they played their best game as a duo for us – it was pretty impressive. Nicole has really bought into the things we have asked of her and is making good decisions and reads. Carley has always been steady with that. We (especially my one assistant Ray Horn) have been pushing her to be more aggressive getting into the lane, and she was really good at that tonight.”
Smedley scored all seven of her points in the first quarter and, according to Klumpp, was “all over the court.” Irvin and Blaustein had 22 combined in the middle quarters.
“Jess (Mangoni) did a good job rebounding the ball and getting us out in transition and finding Carley,” Klumpp said. “This effort started with Saturday’s practice. We thought we had some good spurts versus Pennsbury and played really well versus Neshaminy prior to that. We also showed them areas versus Pennsbury we could improve on film, and they took to it really well.
“Saturday morning’s practice was fantastic – energy, effort, and focus. It may have been our most complete practice since we resumed after the shutdown. The girls deserve a ton of credit for that. We played 11 in the first half, and some girls got some earlier runs based off of practices and some other opportunities so there was some good there as well.”
Smedley finished with seven points, six rebounds, two assists and four steals. Jess Mangoni added four rebounds for the Golden Hawks, who took a 46-24 lead into the final quarter.
“I think they are starting to embrace some of the things we want to do, and when they see it working, it helps as well, but the girls as a whole deserve a lot of credit,” Klumpp said. “They are also the closest team I think I’ve had here in terms of wanting to see each other have success, they are a great group to be around.”
For the Owls, Amber Howard’s eight points led the attack. Delaney Bell and Erin Devlin both had six points.
“Steve (Johnson) does a good job,” Klumpp said of the Owls’ coach. “They did some different things from the first time. He has a lot of energy and is going to do some really good things there because he’s invested.
“We were able to use our depth and pace to kind of take control early on and again in middle quarters. Our girls are working hard to improve and we need to keep having the mindset of getting better every day and being ready whenever an opportunity presents itself.”
Council Rock South (6-4, 4-4 SOL) will host Pennridge Tuesday, and Bensalem (1-9, 0-7) will host Neshaminy Thursday.
Council Rock South 14-17-15-10 56
Bensalem 9-8-7-14 38
Council Rock South (56) – Jenna Waterman 1 0-0 3; Montanna Chambers 1 0-1 3; Lily Bross 1 0-1 3; Cam Gregory 0 2-2 2; Nicole Blaustein 3 8-10 15; Irvin 7 0-0 16; Mia Stock 2 0-1 4; Karissa Smedley 3 1-1 7; Jess Mangoni 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 19 11-16 56.
Bensalem (38) – Sam Daut 2 1-2 5; Delaney Bell 3 0-0 6; Mackenzie Kramer 1 1-4 3; Amber Howard 1 6-6 8; Kylie Smith 2 1-2 5; Maddie MacDougall 1 0-0 2; Erin Devlin 2 2-5 6; Mikayla Donahue 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 13 11-19 38.
3-point goals: B- Donahue; CRS- Irvin 2, Blaustein, Bross, Chambers, Mangoni, Waterman.
SOL Colonial Division
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 41, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 37
Emily Chmiel is accustomed to being the center of attention on the basketball court. It’s to be expected when you’re 6-0 and averaging 20 points a game. While nothing came easily against a tenacious West squad, the Chestnut Hill College-bound senior delivered when it mattered most, scoring over her defender on the low post to give her team a 38-37 lead with just over a minute remaining. It turned out to be the game-winner.
“We knew coming in that I was going to be double and triple teamed,” Chmiel said. “That’s why there’s four other girls on the court, and those four other girls can drive, they can shoot. It just shows we’re more experienced, and also the composure we have.”
With one division game remaining, Tuesday’s win assured the Patriots of at least a share of their first title in nine years.
“It’s surreal,” Chmiel said. “Especially now – coming in at 9-0 in the pandemic when we were unsure if we were even going to play. Being able to do it with these four seniors our senior year, it feels great.”
Chmiel has played a key role in the Patriots’ title run, and her 19 points – eight in the pivotal fourth quarter – led the Patriots.
“She struggled to finish some shots around the basket, but we are going to Emily whether she makes shots or misses shots,” East coach Liz Potash said. “We don’t get to this point without Emily Chmiel.”
The Patriots, who led 21-18 at halftime, managed just five points in the third quarter and trailed 28-26 heading into the final frame. A basket by Emily Spratt to open the fourth quarter gave the Bucks a four-point lead, but back-to-back West turnovers allowed the Patriots to knot the score on four straight points from Chmiel – the first on a basket over a double team and the next two at the foul line after pulling down an offensive rebound.
Chmiel followed a West miss with another bucket, and a West turnover sent Mia Salvatti to the line for a one-and-one. She buried both, capping an 8-0 run that put the Patriots on top 34-30.
Anna Blue buried a three to make it a one-point game, but Elise Duffy scored off a Salvati pass. A bucket by Katie Finnan made it a 36-35 game with 3:29 remaining. Neither team scored until Spratt connected on a spinning drive with 1:50 remaining, setting the stage for Chmiel’s game-winner.
“Emily made a huge shot to put us ahead, and Mia (Salvati) hits two foul shots,” Potash said. “Even getting the defensive stops at the end, it was just really smart play. Elise (Duffy) got the steal at the very end, and Mia got a steal before that put her on the line. I guess that’s what you get when you have some experience playing together.”
Potash pointed to Spratt’s line in the scorebook – a game high 27 points.
“Twenty-seven points, no matter what we did,” the East coach said. “We tried a couple of things. We started off at the beginning giving her a couple extra steps and she missed some outside shots.
“We go into halftime holding them to 16, but she had 14 of the 16. She was making shots. She’s been playing really well.”
Spratt singlehandedly kept the Bucks in the game. Her stellar outing came on the heels of back-to-back 19-point games, most recently on Saturday in a hard fought loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh.
“Emily Spratt is at the top on team’s scouting reports, drawing tough defenders,” West coach Zach Sibel said. “She had 27 of 37 tonight against faceguards and doubles. I couldn’t be prouder of her, just handling everything and continuing to grow and continuing to learn.
“She’s finishing around the basket, she’s expanding the game with nice counter moves. She’s an awesome kid. I’ve been fortunate to watch her game grow. I coached her in seventh grade and eighth grade. It’s been a really cool evolution to see and it’s definitely not over.
“She’s a leader on and off the court, and this is going to help her. She was Maddie Burke’s best friend, and I think she learned a lot from her, and those lessons are paying off now.”
No other West player had more than three points.
“There was a lid on the basket for some of the girls tonight,” Sibel said. “The girls give us everything they’ve got. We’ve got some new faces in some new roles, and in big games like that – we told the girls we have to treat it like a playoff game.
“The season is a grind. You’re playing PW, you have one practice, and then you’re playing East. We knew that going into this we were going to pack the schedule with good competition. That’s what gets the most out of these kids. Tough games create tough players, and they’ll learn from it.”
Central Bucks East (9-0, 8-0 SOL) will travel to North Penn on Thursday to wrap up its SOL season. Central Bucks West (5-5, 4-3) will be on the road at Souderton on Thursday.
Central Bucks East 9-12-5-15 41
Central Bucks West 10-6-12-9 37
Central Bucks East (41) – Devon Burns 1 0-0 2; Mia Salvati 3 5-5 12; Elise Duffy 2 2-4 6; Emily Chmiel 7 5-9 19; Emily Barry 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 14 12-18 41.
Central Bucks West (37) – Katie Finnan 1 0-0 2; Anna Blue 1 0-0 3; Emily Spratt 11 5-6 27; Marge McCusker 1 0-0 3; Paige Gilbert 1 0-4 2; TOTALS 15 5-9 37.
3-point goals: CBE – Mia Salvati, CBW – Anna Blue, Marge McCusker.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 50, NORTH PENN 39
Freshman Yoyo Samayoa buried four 3-pointers en route to a game high 18 points. She was one of three Titans to finish the game in double figures.
The Titans, who took a 21-18 lead into halftime, put the game all but out of reach with a 12-5 third quarter.
“The first three minutes of the third quarter we kind of caught fire and opened up a 10-12 point lead and for the most part stuck with it,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “We had a little bit more energy, the ball went through the net for us, and a lot of good things happened.”
Mackenzie Erb’s seven points ignited the Titans’ third quarter run. In the fourth quarter, Samayoa put the finishing touches on a big game with nine points, which included a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the foul line.
“She did a great job finishing the game off for us at the foul line,” Mattern said. “She had some nice moments. She hit some big shots.
“Taylor Hinkle did a good job in the first quarter of putting us on her back and scoring some baskets for us. It was nice all-around scoring. You get double digits from three players and that’s what we needed at this moment.”
Hinkle finished the game with 11 points – nine of those came in the first half. Erb added 10 points.
For the Knights, Ali Johns, Alli Lindsay and Olivia Stone shared team scoring honors with seven points each. Abby Plaugher and Imani Plaza both had six points.
“The girls keep battling and playing hard, and that’s all I can ask of them,” North Penn coach Jen Carangi said.
Central Bucks South (4-5, 4-4 SOL) will travel to Pennridge on Thursday, and North Penn (0-7) will host Central Bucks East on Thursday.
North Penn 4-14-5-16 39
Central Bucks South 6-15-12-17 50
North Penn (39) – Laynie Doran 1 1-2 4 Ali Johns 3 1-3 7; Abby Plaugher 1 4-4 6; Alli Lindsay 2 2-4 7; Imanni Plaza 2 1-2 6; Caleigh Sperling 1 0-0 2; Olivia Stone 3 0-0 7; TOTALS 13 9-15 39.
Central Bucks South (50) – Taylor Hinkle 4 1-2 11; Alyssa D’Orazio 1 0-0 3; Mackenzie Erb 3 3-3 10; Allison Sauers 2 0-0 4 Yoyo Samayoa 5 4-4 18; Caroline McSorley 1 1-2 4; TOTALS 16 9-11 50.
3-point goals: NP – Alli Lindsay, Imani Plaza, Laynie Doran, CBS – Yoyo Samayoa 4, Taylor Hinkle 2, Alyssa D’Orazio, Mackenzie Erb, Caroline McSorley.
SOUDERTON 51, PENNRIDGE 33
Olivia Schneider scored a game high 17 points – nine in a first half that saw the visiting Indians open up a 29-17 halftime lead.
“Offensively, I think this is the best we’ve moved the ball all season,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “We were really sharing the ball, playing very unselfish. In the first half especially, we had seven kids score.
“We played good solid team defense. We needed to take a little bit of a step forward in terms of intensity and hustle plays, and we definitely saw that from our girls tonight.”
The Indians added to their lead in the third quarter with a 16-point burst that included four points from three different players – Schneider, Casey Harter and Teya McConnaha. The Indians took a 45-24 lead into the final quarter.
In addition to Schneider, Harter finished with 10 points, and Jordan Zimmerman had nine – seven in the first half. McConnaha and Hayley Fenchel both had six points.
“Olivia had another really good night,” Carroll said. “She had some tough drives with tough finishes. She had six or seven rebounds.
“Haley Fenchel again gave us good minutes tonight, and the way Casey (Harter) and Jordan (Zimmerman) take care of the ball is just huge for us every night.”
For the Rams, Katie Yoder’s 11 points – which included a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line – led the way. Ryan Hodder added six points on a pair of threes.
Souderton (6-3, 6-2 SOL) will host Central Bucks West Thursday, and Pennridge (2-7, 1-7) will host Central Bucks South on Thursday.
Souderton 14-15-16-6 51
Pennridge 5-12-7-9 33
Souderton (51) – Jordan Zimmerman 4 0-0 9; Olivia Schneider 8 1-1 17; Casey Harter 5 0-0 10; Teya McConnaha 3 0-0 6; Mikayla McGillian 1 1-1 3; Hayley Fenchel 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 24 2-3 51.
Pennridge (33) – Grace Rosica 1 0-0 2; Katie Yoder 3 4-4 11; Ava Unzicker 1 0-0 2; Olivia Poole 1 0-0 2; Kiersten Moyer 1 0-0 2; Ryan Hodder 2 0-0 6; Anna Croyle 1 1-1 3; Ava Fantaskey 2 1-2 5; TOTALS 12 6-7 33.
3-point goals: Souderton – Jordan Zimmerman, Pennridge – Ryan Hodder 2, Yoder.
SOL Liberty Division
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 44, ABINGTON 43
With the score deadlocked 43-43, Gabby Cooper stepped to the foul line with 1.6 seconds showing on the scoreboard clock. Make one of two shots and the Colonials win and remain perfect. Miss and the game would head to overtime.
The senior captain missed the first but found the net in the second, scoring the game-winner and giving the Colonials the emotional win.
“What a wonderful life memory for this kid – she’ll have this memory for the rest of her life,” PW coach Dan Dougherty said. “It came down to the final possession. Gabby Cooper driving to the basket. It was not an easy call, but it was the right call. She got hacked hard.
“There were a lot of nerves there. I’m so happy for her. She’s such a great kid. What a great life memory to have that.”
Moments earlier, sophomore Abby Sharpe calmly buried a three, erasing a 43-40 Abington lead and setting the stage for Cooper’s heroics.
“Abby hits a huge three and that tied it,” Dougherty said. “Down at the other end, they got a shot off and there was a scramble for the rebound. We got the ball back with a good 40 seconds to go, and we held for the last shot. We started the play with about 10-11 seconds left, and Coop made a move.
“We practice end of game scenarios, and ideally, you want the shot to go with five seconds so you have a chance for an offensive rebound. Coop made a play. Anna McTamney kind of carried us offensively with 14 points and 8-of-8 at the foul line.”
The Colonials led 13-7 after one quarter and took a 26-19 lead into halftime. Anna McTamney’s eight points led PW. Cire Worley’s seven points led the Ghosts, who outscored the visiting Colonials 18-8 in the third quarter and took a 37-34 advantage into the final quarter.
“It was a tough game for us,” Dougherty said. “I thought Abington had a great game plan, and their kids really bought into it. They were playing a zone defense they don’t normally play, but you could tell not only did they practice it, but their kids really bought into it. The more success you have, the more you can buy into it.
“I thought out kids really played tight. We just played Upper Dublin Friday, CB West Saturday, and now Abington tonight. Unlike Friday and Saturday, I thought our kids were not ready for the challenge. They played tight, there was nerves and uncharacteristic mistakes- many forced by Abington.
“We try to embrace the role of wanting to be a championship team. When you play that way, other teams get fired up to play you. They want to beat you, you’re the defending league champs. Tonight was one of those nights where I didn’t think our kids rose to the challenge, and Abington very well could have beat us.”
The Colonials battled back with McTamney scoring four points and Sharpe delivering the clutch three that knotted the score 43-43, setting the stage for Cooper’s game-winner.
“I’m frustrated but also proud,” said Abington coach Dan Marsh. “They’re so big, and Krysten Brown hurt her knee and wasn’t playing, so we were even smaller.
“We decided early on that we were going to play them in zone. Our assistant coach, coach Lawson, added a tweak to it, and the kids bought in and we just played great. “They really struggled offensively. They’re one of the few teams we can’t really match up with man-to-man just because of their size. We just played a really great game that way.”
For the Ghosts, Khalis Whiting led the way with 14 points – nine in the third quarter. Cire Worley added 12, and Jaida Helm had eight..
“(Khalis) Whiting and (Cire) Worley really, really played well for them,” Dougherty said.”Jaida Helm played really well, Maura Day played really well. I don’t want to take anything away from Abington because they played great. Our kids just didn’t rise to the challenge tonight, but we made enough plays at the end.
“There were several opportunities in the first half where we couldn’t make a layup, we couldn’t make an open shot, and Abington was able to finish over us. We have a little bit of a size advantage, but they were able to get to the basket and finish over us.”
McTamney’s 14 points led the Colonials. Kaitlyn Flanagan added eight.
“Both sides battled, both sides played well,” Marsh said. “We know how good they are, we know how big they are.
“Our kids took it as a positive, knowing that moving forward we can compete in the district and the state. With four sophomores and a junior and Amanda Jackson coming off the bench, she’s such a leader, and for her as a senior to do that is great leadership. I’m super proud of her too.”
After a day of practice Wednesday, Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-0, 5-0 SOL) is back at it. They will host Wissahickon on Thursday and Upper Dublin on Friday in a division showdown.
“We have a well-deserved practice tomorrow because, boy, do we need it,” Dougherty said. “Our shutdown at the beginning of the season, and now the snow – we just can’t get a rhythm. We can’t get a Tuesday-Friday rhythm like we would normally have. Other teams have to do it too. We have to be better.
“We have a practice tomorrow. We did not have a good practice yesterday – our practice was really bad, and we came out and played just like we practiced.”
Abington (7-2, 5-2) will host Quakertown on Thursday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 13-13-8-10 44
Abington 7-12-18-6 43
Plymouth Whitemarsh (44) – Kaitlyn Flanagan 3 1-2 8; Erin Daley 1 1-4 3; Abby Sharpe 2 0-0 5; Gabby Cooper 2 1-2 6; Anna McTamney 3 8-8 14; Lainey Allen 1 1-4 3; Jordyn Thomas 2 1-2 5; TOTALS 14 13-22 44.
Abington (43) – Cire Worley 4 4-7 12; Abril Browser 1 0-0 3; Jaida Helm 4 0-0 8; Maura Day 3 0-2 6; Khalis Whiting 4 5-6 14; 16 9-15 43.
3-point goals: PW – Kaitlyn Flanagan, Abby Sharpe, Gabby Cooper, Abington – Abril Browser, Khalis Whiting.
UPPER DUBLIN 37, WISSAHICKON 31
The Flying Cardinals struggled to find their shooting touch against a spirited Trojan squad with just six players on the varsity roster. UD connected on only 12-of-53 shots from the floor (22.6 percent) but still found a way to win.
Despite the outcome, Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline was pleased with his short-handed squad.
“They’re a really well-coached team, and they’ve been there before,” Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline said of Upper Dublin. “They’re a good, solid fundamentally sound team.
“Our girls – the chemistry is coming together. We have six girls on the varsity team, and we’re starting to play together, we’re starting to put out the effort and have the belief in ourselves that is necessary for us to be successful, regardless of who we play. That’s what it comes down to – the mental piece, and they’re starting to have that belief. Hopefully, this is the start of a change in the culture here. I’m proud of them, and let’s continue to build off of this.”
The Trojans – behind five points from Kylie Friedman – led 7-6 after one quarter, but sparked by eight points from freshman Amy Ngo, the visiting Cardinals outscored the Trojans 15-10 to go into halftime with a 21-17 advantage. They extended that lead to 33-22 after three quarters. Dayna Balasa buried a pair of threes in a 12-5 third quarter, but in the fourth quarter, the Trojans received five points from Kaitlyn McGeary to outscore the Cardinals 9-4 to pull to within six.
“Last year this team beat us by 40 and beat us by 35,” Cline said. “This year they beat us by 17 the first game and then six this game. I’m proud of the progress of our girls.
“We’re starting to do the right things and play the game of basketball like basketball players, and that’s what it’s about. I always tell the girls that everything serves its purpose. Whether you get the answer right away or you get it later, there’s a reason. You just have to wait for it and keep learning from every situation.”
Ngo (13 points) and Sarah Eskew (11 points) led the Flying Cardinals. Ngo also had three rebounds, five deflections, two steals and one assist. Eskew had four rebounds, two deflections and one assist. Balasa added nine points on three 3-pointers and a team high eight rebounds. Jess Polin was held without a point but still made important contributions, finishing with three assists, five steals, two blocks and three deflections. Colleen Klammer had four rebounds.
McGeary’s 12 points led the Trojans.
Upper Dublin (9-1, 5-1 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday, and Wissahickon (3-8 1-6) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday.
Upper Dublin 6-15-12-4 37
Wissahickon 7-10-5-9 31
Upper Dublin (37) – Bliss Brenner 1 0-1 2, Rachel Bilger 0 2-4 2, Amy Ngo 4 3-3 13, Sarah Eskew 4 2-3 11, Dayna Balasa 3 0-0 9; 12 7-12 37.
Wissahickon (31) – Lily Hyatt 3 0-0 7, Leah Dubin 0 1-1 1, Kylie Friedman 3 2-2 9, Julia Verrier 1 0-0 2, Kaitlyn McGeary 4 4-7 12; TOTALS 11 7-10 31.
3-point goals: Wissahickon – Lily Hyatt, Kylie Friedman; Upper Dublin – Amy Ngo 2, Sarah Eskew, Dayna Balasa 3.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 55, QUAKERTOWN 43
It didn’t take long for the Hatters to exact a degree of revenge for Monday’s 51-46 overtime loss to the Panthers. Less than 24 hours after the Panthers celebrated the dramatic win in the Hatters’ house, the Hatters returned the favor, jumping out to an early lead on their way to the payback win.
The visiting Hatters led 12-6 after one quarter and took a 25-17 lead into halftime. It was a 37-25 game heading into the final quarter.
Alice Hall led the Hatters with 17 points while teammate Ava McKinney had 15. Caroline Shegogue added nine points, and Sam Hollish had seven.
For the Panthers, Katie Offner led a balanced attack with 14 points. Sophomores Caroline Sipprel (13 points) and Katie Catalano (12 points) also finished in double figures.
Hatboro-Horsham (4-6, 2-6 SOL) will travel to Wissahickon on Friday, and Quakertown (3-6, 2-5) will be on the road at Abington Thursday.
Hatboro-Horsham 12-13-12-18 55
Quakertown 6-11-8-18 43
Hatboro-Horsham (55) – Caroline Shegogue 3 2-2 9; Ava McKinney 5 3-4 15; Alice Hall 5 7-9 17; Leah Harrington 2 0-1 4; Emily Thomas 0 3-4 3 Sam Hollish 3 1-2 7; TOTALS 18 16-22 55.
Quakertown (43) – Carolyln Sipprell 4 5-8 13; Katie Catalano 5 0-0 12; Laney Mitchell 0 2-2 2; Kayla Horning 1 0-0 2; Katie Offner 6 2-4 14; TOTALS 16 9-14 43.
3-point goals: HH – Ava McKinney 2, Caroline Shegogue. Quakertown – Katie Catalano 2.
SOL Freedom Division
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 75, CHELTENHAM 53
Umayrah Sulayman scored a game-high 27 points in yet another excellent effort for the Lady Panthers, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the high-flying Lions, who received three double-digit scoring efforts en route to their fourth straight win.
Sophomore Reagan Chrencik led the Lions with 20 points – 14 in a productive first half. She also pulled down 15 rebounds to complete the impressive double-double.
“I challenged Reagan Chrencik to have more of an impact regarding rebounding,” NHS coach Steve Polinsky. “Most of her points were strong moves in the paint.”
“Rachel Saxton did a great job getting her teammates involved. She controlled the game at the point.”
Saxton scored 16 points – 14 in the opening half. The senior point guard also had eight assists. J Covino added 12 points, which included two threes.
In addition to Sulayman, Assata Robinson had a big game for the Lady Panthers in a supporting role, scoring 16 points. Janiya Townes-Wakefield had six points.
New Hope-Solebury (8-2, 6-1 SOL) will travel to Upper Moreland on Thursday for a division showdown. Cheltenham (0-6, 0-5) will be on the road at Springfield Township Thursday.
Cheltenham 9-15-12-17 53
New Hope-Solebury 22-24-16-13 75
Cheltenham (53) – Assata Robinson 5 5-7 16 Janiya Townes-Wakefield 2 1-2 6; Umayrah Sulayman 10 5-9 27. Mikahila Leighton 1 0-0 2; Crae Wise 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 19 11-18 53.
New Hope-Solebury (75) – Madi Fasti 1 0-0 2; Reagan Chrencik 10 0-0 20; J Covino 4 2-6 12; Kate Dougherty 4 0-0 8; Rachel Saxton 6 2-2 16; Emily Primavera 3 1-1 9; Emma Ives 3 0-1 6; Anna Leasure 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 32 5-10 75.
3-point goals: Cheltenham – Umayrah Sulayman 2, Janiya Townes-Wakefield, Assata Robinson, NHS – J Covino 2, Rachel Saxton 2, Emily Primavera 2.
UPPER MORELAND 41, WILLIAM TENNENT 23
The visiting Golden Bears opened up a 16-2 lead after one quarter, seizing early control and helping to erase bad memories of visits to William Tennent past for UM coach Matt Carroll.
“Playing at Tennent gives me nightmares,” he said. “I can’t remember ever coaching a game there where it was pretty. Last year they gave us a crushing defeat that knocked us out of a home playoff game, and even though we won the first time against them this year, a lot of girls remembered that. I know I certainly did.”
The Golden Bears buried three 3-pointers in the opening frame – two from Kiera Coyle. UM took a 25-12 lead into halftime. EmmyFaith Wood’s nine points led the visitors.
“Kiera Coyle got things started for us with a couple of threes early and that took some pressure off everyone else,” Carroll said. “Our man-to-man defense in the first quarter was really good.
“Jumping out to an early lead allowed us to throw together different lineups and work on some different defenses. With snow last week and possible snow this week, we really need to make every opportunity meaningful and we did that tonight. We have a tough one coming up on Thursday against a really good New Hope team so we don’t have any time to waste.”
Wood led the Golden Bears with 15 points, which included three 3-pointers. Holly Gohl added 11 points, and Coyle, six points.
Chase Dubzak and Ella Mednick both had five points for the Panthers.
Upper Moreland (8-1, 6-0 SOL) will host New Hope-Solebury on Thursday, and Williams Tennent (3-6, 3-4) will host Lower Moreland on Thursday.
Upper Moreland 16-9-13-3 41
William Tennent 2-10-2-9 23
Upper Moreland (41) – Kaiya Herb 1 1-2 3; Kaitie Oferman 0 2-2 2; EmmFaith Wood 6 0-0 15; Kylie Gaul 0 2-6 2; Kiera Coyle 2 0-0 6; Holly Gohl 5 1-1 11, Emma Hurley 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 15 6-11 41.
William Tennent (23) – Kailyn Hansen 1 0-2 2; Emily Thran 1 0-0 2; Courtney Bragen 2 0-0 4; Chase Dubzak 2 0-0 5; Alyssa Lewicki 1 0-0 3; Ella Mednick 2 0-0 5; Savannah Zeaman 1 0-1 2; TOTALS 10 0-3 23.
3-point goals: UM EmmyFaith wood 3, Kiera Coyle 2, WT – Chase Dubzak, Alyssa Lewicki, Ella Mednick.
LOWER MORELAND 45, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 16
The Lions needed overtime and a monster 30-point effort from Jess Dugo to escape with a 53-50 win over the Spartans in the initial meeting between the two teams. They made sure there would be no reruns in Tuesday’s rematch, racing to a 16-2 lead out of the gate on their way to the no-doubt-about-it win.
“After relying on 30 points from Jess Dugo to win our first meeting by three, all of our starters stepped up,” LM coach Rich Becker said. “We got out to a 31-5 lead at halftime, most rewarding was that 11 of the 13 first half baskets were off of assists.”
Tori Finnegan’s 12 points led a balanced LM attack – she scored eight in the first half. Jess Dugo added 10 points – eight in the opening half, and Okef Gur had nine, all in the first half.
“We had another balanced game on offense,” Becker said. “Liz Neeld only had four points, but she might have had the biggest impact on the game. She had seven steals and eight assists to go with eight rebounds.
“We give a lot of credit to our bench players, they’ve been practicing great and have stepped to push the starting five. Hopefully, we can keep building off of this.”
Maddie Yoder’s seven points led the Spartans.
Lower Moreland (3-2 SOL) will travel to William Tennent on Thursday, and Springfield Township (1-9, 1-7) will host Cheltenham on Thursday.
Springfield Twp 2-3-7-4 16
Lower Moreland 16-15-10-4 45
Springfield Twp (16) – Annie Coll 0 2-2 2 Raya Davis 1 0-0 2 Maddie Yoder 2 3-6 7; Allison Briggs 1 0-2 2; Lauren Hussie 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 5 5-10 16.
Lower Moreland (45) – Tori Finnegan 5 2-2 12; Ofek Gur 4 1-2 9 Jess Shein 0 4-6 4; Liz Neeld 1 2-3 4; Jess Dugo 4 0-0 10; Grace Curran 0 1-2 1; Zoe Alden 1 1-1 3; Amelia Brown 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 16 11-16 45.
3-point goals: Springfield – Lauren Hussie, LM – Jess Dugo 2.
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