CB South, North Penn, Neshaminy & Abington were winners in District One AAAA seeding games on Friday. Photos of the Neshaminy/Conestoga game were provided courtesy of Jesse Garber (http://JSGarber.zenfolio.com/p736928240). Photos of the Upper Dublin/CB South game were provided courtesy of Lisa Henderson. Check back for a gallery of game photos.
It’s a rare occasion when the SOL is not represented in the District One AAAA title game, but that was the case this year. On Friday night, the SOL proved it’s still alive and well, winning the third, fifth, seventh and ninth place games. Four of five SOL teams in action were winners, and the lone team to come up short was Upper Dublin in an All-SOL contest.
#8 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 50, #6 UPPER DUBLIN 39 (Third place game)
Jordan Vitelli kept the crowd on the edge of its seats.
At least she did for two-and-a-half quarters. The senior captain brought an end to the suspense – and the countdown that began at 10 on a poster above the visitor’s stands – when she split the defense and 
effortlessly laid the ball into the basket with 3:48 remaining in the third quarter, setting off a giddy celebration.
With the basket, Vitelli became just the second female in CB South program history to reach the elusive 1,000-point plateau. It was a moment for fans and teammates alike to savor as the game was halted for a presentation.
“To be honest, she had to score a lot this season to reach a thousand points,” South coach Beth Mattern said of Vitelli, who needed 401 coming into the year. “The team has relied on her many times for those points to pull us through. If there’s ever a player that deserves to be on that banner for a thousand points, it’s definitely Jordan Vitelli.”
The senior standout finished with a team-high 16 points, which included four three-pointers. Vitelli – the focal point of the Cards’ defense – didn’t score her first field goal until 4:21 remained in the second quarter when she buried a three-pointer, but it didn’t matter. Teammate Courtney Dietzel had the hot hand, hitting nothing but net on three short jumpers in an opening quarter that saw the Titans take a 12-7 lead.
“I thought Courtney Dietzel played one of her best games of the season,” Mattern said. “With the pressure of knowing Jordan needed 10 points, I wasn’t sure if we were only going to look to her.
“Courtney hitting those big shots and Taylor Dunn hit a couple early – actually, I think all four of the starters scored baskets before Jordan, and that really propelled us.”
Dunn turned an Alexa Brodie pass into a triple early in the second quarter, and then it was Vitelli’s turn, hitting nothing but net on a three to put the Titans on top 18-7. A Mackenzie Ehresman bucket on a drive gave the Titans a 20-7 lead before Allison Chernow connected on a three pointer. Dietzel, who had all eight of her points in the first half, answered with a basket, but Josie Barrett’s three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining made it a 22-13 game at halftime.
“I thought the tone for the game was set on the first possession of the game when they got three offensive rebounds,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “We pride ourselves defensively on making secondary players beat us.
“(Dietzel) doesn’t usually light up a boxscore, but she did a great job early scoring inside and even from mid-range. They weren’t bank shots. They were no-doubt-about-it swishers. She did a great job early on.”
Vitelli had one field goal and five points in the opening half, but she didn’t waste a whole lot of time before taking care of business in the third quarter. Ehresman and Demi Balasa exchanged baskets with Balasa’s three making it a 24-16 game, but not for long. Vitelli answered with a three, and after a Flying Cardinal turnover, it was mission accomplished when the senior guard scored the milestone basket that gave the Titans a 29-16 lead.
“After I made that layup, there was a lot of relief – it was an amazing feeling,” Vitelli said, acknowledging that her job was made easier by her teammates who connected on baskets early. “I think a lot of players on our team are underestimated in their scoring abilities.”
The Titans led 33-20 heading into the final quarter and went on top by 18 (45-27) after a Meghan Kuypers bucket with 2:32 remaining, but the Cardinals didn’t go down without a battle.
“Both teams are playing for third place,” Mattern said. “You know Upper Dublin can shoot, and in the closing minutes, they hit a couple of big shots.
“You know they’re not going away quietly at this point in the season.”
In addition to Vitelli’s 16, Dietzel and Kuypers both added eight points and Dunn had seven.
For the Cardinals, Chernow had a big game, leading all scorers with 19 points, which included a pair of three-pointers and a 7-for-8 effort at the foul line. Barrett added 11 points – including two treys – and Balasa had seven on a night that saw just four players contribute scoring for the Cardinals.
“The intensity we bring on the defensive end – we have to match on the offensive end against a team as physical as CB South,” Funsten said. “They pressure the ball at all five spots, and we just didn’t work hard enough to get the ball tonight.
“We felt like we lost the game in the first half because really we weren’t aggressive enough on offense, and I don’t mean attacking the basket more. I mean getting open. You can’t just pop out and expect to get open against CB South, and that’s what we did. All of a sudden, it really disrupted our flow offensively, and we felt that’s where we lost the game.”
On a night that saw both teams shoot well from the charity stripe, the Titans converted 11-of-12 attempts while the Cardinals made 10-of-13.
For the Cardinals, the loss was the second of the season to the Titans.
“The girls are disappointed,” Funsten said. “The CB schools have had our number over the past several years.
“We wanted to win bad tonight. We had a great crowd tonight, and we were disappointed, but we have a week to get ready for states. We understand now it’s one-and-done.”
Upper Dublin (21-7, 14-0 SOL) will face District 12’s third place team in next Friday’s opening round while Central Bucks South (21-6, 11-3) will take on Cedar Crest, the fourth place team out of District 3. Cedar Crest fell to Harrisburg 52-39 in Friday’s third place game.
For one night at least, Mattern wanted to simply enjoy her team’s strong finish.
“At no point do you ever want to be satisfied where you’re at, but I also have come to realize you need to appreciate and enjoy the moments,” she said. “Now I realize my moments with this team are definitely limited. When we qualified for states, it was like, ‘Okay, we have three more weeks guaranteed,’ and now it’s a one-and-done situation, so make the most of the moments.
“Enjoy finishing in third place in the district. I don’t think may people would have picked us to be third at the beginning of the season. Nor for Upper Dublin and us to be playing in the third place game. That’s something to be proud of. We just have to keep working as we move forward.”
Central Bucks South 12-10-11-17 50
Upper Dublin 7-6-9-17 39
Central Bucks South: Alexa Brodie 2, Taylor Dunn 7, Chloe Entenberg 3, Meghan Kuypers 8, Jordan Vitelli 16, Courtney Dietzel 8, Mackenzie Ehresman 4, Maddie McShane 2.
Upper Dublin: Josie Barrett 11, Allison Chernow 19, Demi Balasa 7, Ashley Barber 2.
#1 NORTH PENN 62, #3 GARNET VALLEY 44 (Fifth place game)
Maggie deMarteleire hit a remarkable milestone on Friday night, winning the 500th game of a stellar 
coaching career, and she did it in style with a no-doubt-about-it win over the Jaguars. After the game, the veteran coach – in her ninth season at North Penn after a successful tenure at Lansdale Catholic – was presented a commemorative picture and basketball, flowers and balloons.
“Obviously, I couldn’t have done any of this without my husband – he has been so supportive – and also my kids and family,” deMarteleire said. “I’ve coached a tremendous group of girls here at North Penn and at LC, and none of this would be possible without any of them and their parents and their support and the sacrifices everybody makes.”
deMarteleire – who reached the 400-win milestone in February of 2012 – has led the Lady Knights to 20-plus wins in each of the last four seasons.
“The thing I’m really most proud of is the commitment level of the kids at North Penn right now,” deMarteleire said. “We’ve won a lot of games in the last four years.
“My first few years here – we were around .500, but over the last four years, including this year, we’ve won 97 games, and that’s a lot.
“I really feel the kids have bought into making this a consistently strong program. We have a good group of eighth graders, so it’s kind of exciting. Being able to sustain this level is really a testament to the kids’ commitment.”
The Jaguars undoubtedly cringed when they saw the Lady Knights staring at them from across the district seeding bracket.
With good reason.
After all, North Penn had already handed Garnet Valley a 75-41 loss earlier this season, and while no one was predicting a repeat of that mercy rule win, the Jaguars were decided underdogs.
The Lady Knights, who led 13-8 after one quarter, turned on the afterburners in the second quarter, outscoring their visitors 23-11 to go into halftime with a commanding 36-19 lead. The Lady Knights connected on three three-pointers in the frame with Sam Carangi scoring eight points and Jess Huber accounting for seven.
“In the second quarter we kind of broke the game open,” deMarteleire said. “I felt like our transition started to get going.
“We were able to run on them, and I think that opened up the game.”
Huber led the Lady Knights with 18 points to go along with six steals. Irisa Ye and Mikaela Giuliani both added 12 points. Giuliani also had six steals. Carangi added 11 points and seven assists, and Bri Hewlett chipped in with seven points.
North Penn (26-3, 14-0 SOL) will face District 12’s second place team in an opening round state playoff game next Friday.
Garnet Valley 8-11-14-11 44
North Penn 13-23-15-11 62
Garnet Valley: Katherine Eckhoff 2, Maddie Ireland 9, Emily McAteer 10, Sam Tomasetti 3, Sydney Fail 8, Maddy Sorokanych 3, Brianne Borcky 7, Kylie Young 2.
North Penn: Irisa Ye 12, Mikaela Giuliani 12, Jess Huber 18, Bri Hewlett 7, Sam Carangi 11, Jess McKenzie 2.
#13 NESHAMINY 53, #7 CONESTOGA 48 (Seventh place game)
Morgan Goldenbaum turned in what coach Joe Lally called “a pretty complete night.” That might have been an understatement. The senior captain led the ‘Skins with 16 points – which included a 6-for-8 effort at the foul line, five rebounds, five assists and four steals.
“That’s a really good game considering that she guarded Mack one-one-one all night,” Lally said. “That was a really, really big performance by Morgan.”
Mack – in this case – was Bucknell-bound Ellie Mack, who torched Garnet Valley for 34 points in a seeding game on Wednesday. In that contest, Mack buried 24-of-25 from the foul line. In Friday’s contest, Mack had 15 points.
“We helped really well,” Lally said. “The plan was not to help off the Koblish kid because she can shoot, and we kind of lost her a little bit in the fourth quarter trying to keep Mack from taking over the game.
“She hit some shots, but our help defense was really good, and we were determined to let one of the other kids beat us.”
The Redskins, who turned an 8-8 tie after one quarter into a 21-17 halftime lead, received contributions from all five starters. Tiara Porterfield and Allison Harvey each had 10 points while Devon Storms had nine points, seven rebounds and four assists. Brooke Mullin added eight points.
“Devon Storms had a really nice all-around game too,” Lally said. “And getting 10 points from Tiara Porterfield was gigantic.”
Porterfield’s contribution was especially significant in the absence of Emily Alexis, who was competing in a national field hockey tournament.
“We were without Emily, and Thyra Tuttle is coming off the flu, and she’s been giving us good minutes off the bench,” Lally said. “We were pretty shorthanded, and the girls really stepped up.”
The Redskins maintained their advantage in the second half, outscoring the Pioneers 16-15 in the third quarter to go on top 37-32. The two teams exchanged baskets in the fourth quarter as the Redskins held on for the win and the district’s seventh seed.
“Personally, for our girls, I think it was extremely big,” Lally said. “Having played North Penn the other night and taking our beating like a good opponent should against them – we played with them in the first half, and for some reason, we didn’t have it in us in the second half.
“Our practice yesterday was really good. We watched a lot of film, extended our practice and then came up with a game plan. The kids really practiced hard. Their preparation was the key to tonight, no doubt about it.”
The loss came on the heels of back-to-back losses and sends the ‘Skins into next week’s tournament on a winning note.
“I’m extremely proud of their resilience,” Lally said. “They’re all really good kids, and at times you think, ‘Are they focused or are they just having fun?’ When that ball goes up in the air, they really do compete.
“I think they were a little bit upset with themselves. They knew North Penn was really good, and they accepted that fact, but I think they accepted that fact too easy, and they needed to challenge themselves again. That’s the benefit of only getting one day off and playing again. I think they needed to get back out there. I think it worked really well for us.
“I told them before the game, ‘We’re going to go into states, and seven or eight (seed) – is it going to make a difference? Maybe slight, but the reality is – you need to play well, so we’re going into states with good momentum,’ and they did.”
The ‘Skins head into next week’s state tournament as the district’s seventh seed. They will face Hazleton in an opening round game next Friday.
Neshaminy 8-13-16-16 53
Conestoga 8-9-15-16 48
Neshaminy: Morgan Goldenbaum 16, Tiara Porterfield 10, Devon Storms 9, Allison Harvey 10, Brooke Mullin 8.
Conestoga: Lindsay Erickson 4, Sarah Mascioli 7, Sondra Dickey 3, Maria Koblish 19, Ellie Mack 15.
#18 ABINGTON 60, #17 PENN WOOD 55 (Ninth place game)
The Ghosts put 35 points on the board in an impressive offensive display in the first half and took a 35-27 lead into halftime. The Patriots made things interesting, trimming five points off that lead with a 19-14 third quarter to make it a 49-46 game heading into the final quarter. The Patriots tied the game 53-53, but Leah Simmons connected on one-of-two from the line to give her team a one-point lead, and the Ghosts outscored their hosts 7-1 down the stretch to earn the win.
“We got up 17 early,” coach Dan Marsh said. “Then they just went bonkers. They played really hard, and they sped us up.
“We made some poor decisions, and they got back in the game, and it ended up being a war at the end, but we hung on. They never took the lead, but it’s a tough place to play – it was a loud crowd, and our kids got a little rattled.
“I think it was a good experience for us. We have to be able to keep our cool and play at our pace. It literally got to almost like an AAU atmosphere where it was just going up and down the court really, really, really fast. We don’t want to play that fast.”
Sammy Lochner led a balanced Ghosts attack with 14 points while Lizzie O’Leary had 13 and Sam Brusha added 11. Britney James contributed nine points, including a pair of big foul shots down the stretch. Simmons had seven points, and Kassondra Brown, six points.
“It was pretty even team basketball as far as our offense goes,” Marsh said. “They had 24 offensive rebounds, which was absolutely berserk.
“(Dahyne) Redd is so athletic, and she crashes the boards so hard. She kept everything alive. They didn’t quit, they played really hard, they kept coming after us, and they had the crowd behind them. We were able to hold them off, which is nice. At this point of the year, we just want to win – survive and advance.”
Abington (20-7, 12-2 SOL) will face the District 12 champion in next Friday’s opening round. Cardinal O’Hara will be facing Central in Saturday’s district title game. Penn Wood has earned an opening round date with District 3 champion Cumberland Valley, the defending state champion.
Abington 17-18-14-11 60
Penn Wood 14-13-19-9 55
Abington: Leah Simmons 7, Lizzie O’Leary 13, Samantha Lochner 14, Britney James 9, Sam Brusha 11, Kassondra Brown 6.
Penn Wood: Dahyne Redd 21, Joy Morton 8, Khaliah Gordon 4, Samantha Dillon 2, Carle Andrews 16, Teara Sheaff
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