High school girls’ basketball beat writers Dan Dunkin and Mary Jane Souder share their thoughts about Saturday’s District One AAAA quarterfinal and playback games. Dunkin is the Bucks County Courier Times beat writer while Souder covers girls’ basketball for the Intelligencer. She also is the girls’ basketball writer for SuburbanOneSports.com.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What are your thoughts about the Spring-Ford/Haverford game.
Dan Dunkin: I’m picking Spring-Ford to win the district. They are by far the deepest team in the district. It’s not even close. They have really gone to their bench more than any team, and their second five is comparable to many starting five from what I’ve heard. I think they win easily over Haverford.
Mary Jane Souder: Spring-Ford is playing like a team on a mission. The Rams were 15-0 in PAC-10 play, winning by an average margin of more than 32 points a game. Their only losses of the year came in their season-opener against Cheltenham (60-46) and Notre Dame (64-60). Take those two games out of the equation, and no one has touched them. That doesn’t figure to change on Sunday when they face a Haverford team that appeared to be on its way to a certain loss against Upper Dublin but escaped with a win.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Does Upper Darby have a chance against Council Rock South?
Dan Dunkin: Council Rock South’s starting five is so cohesive and so good, and Alex Wheatley makes everyone better. Everyone around her has gotten better individually this season. They’ve really grown with confidence. The extenuating circumstances – Caitlin Jackson’s injury; she is a very valuable player on both ends of the court. She’s a very versatile defender and can score. She’s a really good athlete – a soccer player – and plays beyond her sophomore year. She’s good. They were able to get past CB West without her. Taylor Hunt, who usually comes off the bench as a forward, did a very good job, and it was seamless. They just destroyed CB West with their defense, with their transition game. When Wheatley has one shot in the first quarter and they’re leading by 10, you know what’s going to happen, and it did. They’re playing with a lot of confidence. Courtney Brown is becoming really aggressive as an offensive player. Her shooting outside and her ability to find openings in the zone since everybody is zoning them and double-teaming Wheatley is important. The same thing for Alexis Hofstaedter – she’s a very, very crafty guard - and Taylor Dillon, the sophomore guard, plays beyond her years. She’s just been a tremendous lift for this team on both ends of the court.
The thing about Upper Darby is they have very good guards, and they will not be freaked out by CR South’s defense or having to match them point for point for a while, but it will catch up with them. They’re vulnerable inside. Wheatley, among her many attributes, is a very patient player. She doesn’t force the issue. She picks her spots early on in games, and eventually, she’s beating people down the court and getting fastbreak baskets. Suddenly, you look up and she has 15 points, and they’re up by 20. I see that happening in Saturday’s game. The way they’re playing, and the fact that even though Upper Darby has very good guards, well, CR South has as good a pair as anybody in the district, and they can apply plenty of pressure, and they’re immune to pressure from the other guards. I don’t see Upper Darby’s guards being a big factor. I think Council Rock South wins this game convincingly – not like they beat CB West but they will beat them without any huge sweat at the end.
Mary Jane Souder: Talking about a team on a mission – Council Rock South is playing like one as well, and a date with Spring-Ford in the semifinals seems all but assured. Upper Dublin’s loss to Haverford proved that nothing can be taken for granted in the postseason, but it’s hard to imagine the Golden Hawks allowing a team without a legitimate inside presence to hang around too long.
Ditto to Dan Dunkin’s comments about Rock South’s lineup that begins with Alex Wheatley but certainly doesn’t end there. How many teams boast a point guard (Alexis Hofstaedter) that has committed to play Division One basketball as a junior as their second best player? Not many.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What are your thoughts about the Mount St. Joseph/Downingtown West game?
Dan Dunkin: Downingtown West has had a fairly easy path so far. They beat William Tennent, and I was very surprised how badly they beat Abington. Their record doesn’t lie. This was supposed to be Downingtown West’s year to supplant Downingtown East, and they did that in their league. They showed their firepower against Abington. Abington really missed Michael Harris, who’s out for the year with a knee injury. Aiyannah Peal and Deja Rawls – as good a backcourt tandem as they are – they didn’t have enough for that team, and they lost by 21. Downingtown West is just way more balanced. I think Downingtown West is as good as its record. I was shocked. Abington was my darkhorse – so much for that, although I give them a fighting chance in the playback bracket.
Downingtown West has the firepower, but I just love how Mount St. Joseph plays. They lost a couple key players from last year to graduation, but their guards are so good, and they play just a very solid brand of offensive basketball – pass, drive and cut. I would have to favor Downingtown West by a little bit. They’re the four and the five seed, so there’s not much separating them, but the Mount controls the tempo so well that if it’s close, I think they’re going to win the game.
Mary Jane Souder: While there’s no arguing that Downingtown West put a beating on Abington in Tuesday’s second round, it’s also important to note that fouls played a major role in the outcome. Aiyannah Peal – after picking up three quick fouls in the first half – was whistled for number five with two minutes remaining in the third quarter. Sarah Listenbee also was plagued with foul woes. Downingtown West, which led by just three at halftime, took advantage of an inexperienced Ghost lineup that was already minus starter Michael Harris (knee injury) to win in a rout. It would have been interesting to see what the outcome might have been if the Ghosts could have their lineup intact for 32 minutes. As it was, the Cougars took 31 foul shots to seven for the Ghosts, who actually led 17-12 midway through the second quarter when the fouls began to mount.
Abington coach Dan Marsh was quick to acknowledge that Downingtown West is as good as its record, but it’s still hard to pick against the defending district champs. Granted, the Mount lost some key players from last year’s district title squad, but the Magic still has talent and in 16 games this season has held its opponents to 30 points or less. Coach John Miller always has his teams prepared, and what the Magic may lack in offensive firepower, they usually make up for with their defensive prowess.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Your comments about the all-SOL Cheltenham/North Penn game.
Dan Dunkin: I like North Penn. They beat them once, and their inside game and the balance of their starting five supersedes Ciara Andrews and her cohorts. As good a player as Andrews is, North Penn is just rock solid. It will be difficult to beat Cheltenham twice, but I picked them before the district. That win means a lot, especially going into this game. Certainly Cheltenham has so much to play for after last year’s disappointment, and then losing to North Penn, they have all the revenge on their minds, but I think if North Penn plays their game and doesn’t get into foul trouble on the inside, they win the game. If it’s a halfcourt game, they can win it.
Mary Jane Souder: This is an interesting game, not only because it features a pair of SOL schools but because there are so many possible scenarios. Looking back at the Jan. 28 meeting between the two squads, the Maidens won going away (56-43) – this after falling behind 10-0 out of the gate. That early lead was basically the beginning and the end of the Lady Panthers’ momentum as the Maidens trimmed that lead to 28-24 by halftime and then owned the second half.
Several things were key in that game but none more significant than the 16-point effort of sophomore Erin Maher, who buried four treys. Eleven of her points came in the second quarter when the Maidens began to take control. Maher’s hot hand from the outside made life a whole lot easier for North Penn’s inside players - 6-0 Steph Knauer (17 points) and 6-2 Lauren Crisler (15 points). The Maidens, behind the solid play of senior point guard Brenda McDermott, also effectively negated Cheltenham’s pressure defense, something they weren’t able to do a year earlier in a 21-point loss to the Lady Panthers.
CC Andrews singlehandedly kept Cheltenham afloat, scoring 17 of her game-high 25 points in the first half. The rest of the Lady Panthers managed just 18 between them. That will have to change if the Lady Panthers hope to avenge their only loss.
Saturday’s rematch clearly could go either way. If the Maidens can get their outside game working and don’t fall victim to the Lady Panthers’ pressure, they will be a tough out.
Conversely, the Lady Panthers, who boast a proud tradition of excellence in the postseason under coach Bob Schaefer, are playing at home this time around, and they have the not-so-little matter of revenge on their minds. If Andrews gets some help from her friends, the Lady Panthers certainly could reverse their fortunes in a hurry in Saturday’s rematch. While the outside shooting duo of Maher and Vicky Tumasz could well be the ‘x’ factors for North Penn, Cheltenham’s inside players - Christina Coleman and Ming Seawright – might be the same for the Lady Panthers. This game figures to be very interesting battle between a pair of coaches – Schaefer and Maggie deMarteleire – that boast more than 1100 wins between them.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What are your thoughts about the Downington East/Methacton game?
Dan Dunkin: I’m a Bob Schnure guy. He’s tremendous, and he gets the best out of his team every single year. They played Cheltenham very tough. They only lost by eight. The way they play is kind of similar to Mount St. Joe. They have a very intricate offense, and it’s just beautiful to watch when it's working. A lot of teams just can’t stay focused or willful physically long enough to combat that. They have three really good weapons on offense, and I think they will beat Methacton. I think they’re from a tougher league.
Mary Jane Souder: Methacton is a team of the future, and hats off to the Warriors for recuperating from a drubbing at the hands of Spring-Ford in the PAC-10 title game (they fell behind 32-0) to earn a convincing opening round win over Ridley. The Warriors had no answer to the Maidens’ inside game in Tuesday’s second round – they were outrebounded 22-7 in the first half alone, but they never went away, battling to the end.
Give Downingtown East the edge in this one because of a tougher league schedule and a coach – Bob Schnure - who has made a habit out of winning
SuburbanOneSports.com: Abington will be traveling to Central Bucks East for a playback game. What are your thoughts about that game?
Dan Dunkin: I like Abington. I like Peal in this game. Aiyannah Peal and Sarah Listenbee are seniors and are really trying to make one more run towards states. Coming off that kind of loss, Abington has a lot of heart, and I think that reality check loss they had to Downingtown West will refocus them, and they’ll get past this game.
Mary Jane Souder: This is an interesting game, and it’s a shame either one of these teams has to go home. I picked both squads to win their second round games, but that didn’t happen, and now, unfortunately, one of these teams will see their season end on Saturday.
The Ghosts will need to stay out of foul trouble if they hope to defeat a Patriot squad that rode the inside play of Lindsey Kelly and a suffocating defense to a Continental Conference title. In freshman Deja Rawls and senior Aiyannah Peal, the Ghosts boast a standout backcourt, and Sarah Listenbee can be a force in the paint, but all three must stay on the floor if the Ghosts hope to win.
The Patriots aren’t going to outscore teams, but their defense ensures they will most certainly be in just about every game they play. They also will need production from someone besides Kelly on the offensive end.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Central Bucks West will host Boyertown. Your comments about that game.
Dan Dunkin: I think CB West, as their coach indicated to me the other night, is playing with house money after where the program came from. They’re a bunch of young kids. They have three excellent freshmen who play a lot, and they’re really going to be good – they’re good now. There’s no pressure on them whatsoever. Even though CR South dusted them, they did fight really hard. They were down 19 at the half, but their kids just really played hard. They were out-matched in that game against an experienced starting five, but I see them winning this game.
Mary Jane Souder: Central Bucks West has made gigantic strides in three years under coach Terry Rakowsky, and the fact that they are still playing is a testament to the progress this squad has made since an 0-22 season three years ago. With several super frosh already making an impact, the Bucks’ future is decidedly bright, but seniors Jen Fabian, Sam Colloi and Amanda Parker aren’t ready to see their careers end just yet. Look for the Bucks to rebound for the win over a Boyertown squad that pulled the upset of Lower Merion in the opening round but then fell to Upper Darby.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Central Bucks South is traveling to Upper Dublin. Comment on that matchup.
Dan Dunkin: Upper Dublin has been a Jekyll and Hyde team. What they did against Haverford before they collapsed showed what they’re capable of, so I look for them to bounce back in this game. They have enough talent. They should at least have a fighting chance against the 19th seed.
Mary Jane Souder: Flip a coin for this one. Upper Dublin appeared to have its ticket punched to the state tournament, opening up a 10-point halftime lead in Tuesday’s second round game against Haverford. But a second-half meltdown that saw the Flying Cardinals inexplicably score just six points resulted in a devastating loss that snapped an eight-game winning streak. It is a loss that undoubtedly left the team reeling, and if the Flying Cardinals are to rebound, they will look to their leaders – Taylor Bryant and Curtrena Goff – to lead the way.
Conversely, the 19th-seeded Titans have had a strong playoff run, earning a come-from-behind win over Great Valley in front of a hostile crowd and putting up 49 points against Spring-Ford’s vaunted defense in a second round loss. Tori Steinberg has helped keep defenses honest with her long-range shooting in the playoffs, and she will need to do more of the same if the Titans hope to send an Upper Dublin squad that was seeded sixth home for the season.
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