CB West, Abington, Upper Dublin and North Penn will be in action in Tuesday’s second round of the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament. Check back for game reports on all three games featuring SOL schools.
Five of the 16 teams still alive in the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament are from District One. District 3 also has five teams remaining in the state tournament with four of the remaining six from District 7 and two from District 12.
At least one SOL team will be advancing into the state quarterfinals since top-seeded Central Bucks West will do battle with Upper Dublin in an all-SOL second round game. Tuesday’s game will be the third postseason meeting between the two schools. On Feb. 7, West defeated Upper Dublin 63-41 in a semifinal game of the SOL Tournament. On Feb. 23, the two teams met in a district quarterfinal game. The Bucks earned a 55-40 win.
On the heels of Abington’s 67-46 win over District 3’s sixth place team – Red Lion – on Friday night, the Ghosts will take on District 3’s fifth place team, Mechanicsburg, on Tuesday.
North Penn will face Archbishop Carroll, District 12’s third place team. The Lady Knights sent District 2 champion Pittston Area home for the season with a 53-37 win on Friday.
Mount Saint Joseph, the eighth place team from District One, will take on District 3 runner-up Palmyra in a second round game. The Magic defeated District 11 champion Nazareth 48-45 in overtime on Friday.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST vs. (1-5) UPPER DUBLIN (at Plymouth Whitemarsh, 7:30 p.m.)
Central Bucks West
14-0 SOL, 29-1 overall- SOL Continental Conference champions
- Captured first ever SOL Tournament title with 51-38 win over fifth-seeded Abington
- Led by first team all-state senior Nicole Munger (18.0 ppg) and a supporting cast that includes Mackenzie Carroll (10.9), Corrinne Godshall (10.5) and Mackenzie Mason (8.6)
- Regular season wins over #7 Upper Dublin (63-41), #8 North Penn (60-50 & 56-44), #12 CB South (59-35, 73-29), #23 Neshaminy (61-25), #26 Pennridge (71-50, 71-39) & #32 CB East (64-38, 67-37)
- Only loss came at the hands of Lake Taylor (Va.) in the Boo Williams Holiday Classic (68-57)
How they got here:
- In Friday’s state opener, West turned a 5-4 lead into a 24-4 lead on its way to a 63-27 win over District 3’s seventh place team, Hempfield. Nicole Munger, who buried four three-pointers, scored 17 of her game-high 25 points in the first half. Mackenzie Carroll (12 points) and Makenzie Mason (11 points) also finished in double figures.
- In the district title game at Temple, the Bucks led by just four late in the third quarter but responded with an 11-0 run to seal Abington’s fate in a 59-46 win. Nicole Munger led the way with 19 points while Corrinne Godshall added 14.
- In a district semifinal win, Nicole Munger scored 19 first-half points, propelling the Bucks to a 34-23 halftime lead on their way to a convincing 69-44 win over 11th-seeded Downingtown East. Munger finished with a game-high 23 points while Corrinne Godshall (12 points) and Mackenzie Carroll (10 points) also finished in double figures.
- In a quarterfinal game featuring a pair of SOL conference champs, Corrinne Godshall had a big night, contributing 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the Bucks’ 55-40 win over Upper Dublin. Nicole Munger added 13 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
- In second round action, the Bucks defeated #15 Council Rock North 55-38. Nicole Munger (16 points, 12 rebounds), Corrinne Godshall (15 points, nine rebounds) and Makenzie Mason (10 points, nine rebounds) led a balanced West attack.
- In the opening round, the Bucks defeated #32 Owen J Roberts 75-31, opening up an 18-8 lead after one quarter and taking a 35-15 lead into halftime. Mackenzie Carroll (19 points), Corrinne Godshall (15 points) and Nicole Munger (15 points) led the Bucks.
Upper Dublin
14-0 SOL, 23-6 overall- SOL American Conference champion
- Led by senior Julie Cross (14.5 ppg.), who averages a double-double, as well as junior Allison Chernow (11.1 ppg) and sophomore Josie Barrett (11.1 ppg)
- Regular season wins over #6 West Chester Rustin (47-42), #13 Cheltenham (49-30, 47-42), #29 Upper Merion (35-32, 47-19) and #32 CB East (44-26)
How they got here:
- Despite the absence of junior point guard Allison Chernow (illness) in Friday’s state opener, the Flying Cardinals opened up a 9-2 lead after one quarter and took a 25-11 lead into halftime on their way to a 42-24 win over District 12 runner-up Central. Senior Julie Cross led the Cards with an impressive double-double (20 points, 13 rebounds) while sophomore Josie Barrett had 13 points. Freshman Maggie Weglos had six points, six steals and three rebounds.
- In back-to-back playback games, the Flying Cardinals defeated third-seeded Mount Saint Joseph and followed that with a win over fourth-seeded Garnet Valley – both on their opponents’ home court. In UD’s 38-30 win over the Mount, the Cardinals used a 13-0 fourth quarter tear to put the game out of reach. Allison Chernow led the way with 16 points while Julie Cross added 10 points. In the Cardinals 43-31 win over Garnet Valley, the Cardinals limited the Jaguars to just two points in the fourth quarter. Cross led the way with 16 points and 14 rebounds while Allison Chernow added eight.
- In a rematch of the SOL Tournament semifinals, the Flying Cardinals fell to second-seeded CB West 55-40 in a quarterfinal game. Josie Barrett (14 points), Allison Chernow (11) and Julie Cross (10) all finished in double figures.
- In a dramatic second round win, the Flying Cardinals rallied from five down with 23 seconds remaining in regulation to send their second round game against 10th-seeded Perkiomen Valley into overtime, going on to win 39-33. Julie Cross led the Cardinals with 14 points, 17 rebounds and six blocked shots. Allison Chernow had nine points, including a pair of foul shots in the closing seconds of regulation to knot the score.
- In their 65-38 opening round win over Pennridge, the Flying Cardinals received monster performances from senior Julie Cross (career-high 30 points, nine rebounds) and sophomore Josie Barrett (21 points – 17 in the first half on five three-pointers).
(1-2) ABINGTON vs (3-5) MECHANICSBURG (at Coatesville High School, 7:30 p.m.)
Abington
14-0 SOL, 25-5 overall- SOL National Conference champion
- Fell to second-seeded CB West 51-38 in SOL Tournament title game, a loss that snapped a 10-game winning streak.
- Regular season wins over #7 Upper Dublin (39-38), #8 North Penn (51-25), #13 Cheltenham (58-52), #15 CR North (44-32, 64-51), #23 Neshaminy (61-25, 32-23), #24 William Tennent (59-31, 74-39) and #27 CR South (50-30, 50-29)
- Led by senior point guard Deja Rawls (12.0 ppg), sophomore Lizzie O’Leary (11.7 ppg), junior Leah Simmons (7.7 ppg) and junior Sammy Lochner (8.2 ppg)
How they got here:
- In Friday’s state opener against Red Lion, the Ghosts led by just two after on quarter but took a 32-22 lead into halftime. They blew the game wide open with a 19-8 third quarter tear to go on top 51-30 on their way to a 67-46 win over District 3’s 6th place team. Deja Rawls led all scorers with 21 points while Liz O’Leary added a double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds). Leah Simmons scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half.
- In the district title game, the Ghosts hung tough, trailing Central Bucks West by just four after a third quarter rally, but they scored just four points in the fourth quarter in a 59-46 loss. Lizzie O’Leary led the Ghosts with 15 points while Gabby Nolan had 10 and Deja Rawls, nine points.
- In Wednesday’s semifinal game, Abington trailed 12-6 early but rallied to go on top 34-23 by halftime on their way to a 66-43 win over 16th-seeded Spring-Ford. Sammy Lochner led the way with 20 points while Deja Rawls (16 points) and Bre Bermel (10 points) also finished in double figures.
- In a quarterfinal game, Abington led from wire to wire in a 51-39 win over fourth-seeded Garnet Valley, outscoring the Jaguars 22-15 in the fourth quarter to blow open a close game. Sophomore Lizzie Lear had a big night in the paint, contributing 16 points and 13 rebounds. Deja Rawls had 14 points, seven rebounds and five steals.
- The Ghosts used a 13-4 third quarter burst to put some distance between themselves and the Titans, earning a 48-34 win over #12 Central Bucks South in a second round game. Lizzie O’Leary led the Ghosts with 14 while Gabby Nolan had 13 and Bre Bermel, seven points.
- Abington rolled to a 56-29 win over #28 Conestoga in an opening round game. Deja Rawls led the way with 16 points while Sammy Lochner had 12 and Lizzie O’Leary, 11.
Mechanicsburg
- 24-3 overall
- 12-2 Mid-Penn Keystone second place behind Palmyra
- Only regular season losses came at the hands of Red Land in double overtime (62-59) and Palmyra (44-39). Defeated Palmyra in second meeting (29-26).
- Led by senior Cecily Carl, an American University recruit who averages 16.3 points and has 1,242 points for her career. She has 20 three-pointers.
How they got here:
- In Friday’s 37-35 win over Easton, Mechanicsburg trailed 35-34 with 28 seconds remaining, but Jordan Hertz banked home a shot to give the Wildcats a lead they would not lose. Cecily Carl led the Wildcats with 13 points while Kyra Skurczynski had eight and Hertz, seven.
- In the District 3 fifth place game, Mechanicsburg defeated seventh-seeded Red Lion 59-35. Cecily Carl scored a game-high 22 points while Kourtney Landes added nine and Jordan Hertz and Suzy Badorf both had eight.
- In a playback game, Mechanicsburg defeated ninth-seeded Hempfield 51-45 in double overtime. Junior Jordan Hertz (17 points), Cecily Carl (15 points) and Kourtney Landis (12 points) all finished in double figures.
- In a District 3 second round game, Mechanicsburg fell to fourth-seeded Cedar Crest 61-56 in triple overtime. Kourtney Landis (14 points) and Jordan Hertz (11 points) led the Wildcats.
- In an opening round District 3 game, fifth-seeded Mechanicsburg defeated 12th-seeded J.P. McCaskey 50-33. Cecily Carl led all scorers with 24 points.
(1-7) NORTH PENN vs. (12-3) ARCHBISHOP CARROLL (at Plymouth Whitemarsh, 6 p.m.)
North Penn
11-3 SOL, 21-8 overall- Second place in SOL Continental Conference behind CB West
- Led by junior Mikaela Giuliani (12.1 ppg, 10 rebounds) and sophomore Sam Carangi (10.0 ppg). Carangi has 50 three-pointers.
- Regular season wins over #12 CB South (39-38), #26 Pennridge (49-42, 63-60), CB East (54-37, 62-51) and top-seeded Class AAA Gwynedd Mercy 42-40
How they got here:
- In Friday’s state opener against District 2 champion Pittston Area, the Lady Knights opened up a 19-14 halftime lead and then outscored the Patriots 15-8 in the third quarter on their way to a convincing 53-37 win. Sophomore Sam Carangi (17 points, five steals) and junior Mikaela Giuliani (11 points, 12 rebounds) led the Lady Knights. Taylor Thames (nine points, five steals, five assists) and Irisa Ye (eight points, nine rebounds, four assists) also made important contributions.
- After falling to Garnet Valley 44-37 in a playback game, the Lady Knights – who had just 10 turnovers and 18 assists – rebounded to defeat third-seeded Mount St. Joseph 51-38 in the seventh place game. Sophomore Sam Carangi led the way with 17 points and seven assists while Mikaela Giuliani had 16 points and 14 rebounds.
- The Lady Knights fell behind early and never could get over the hump, falling to 16th-seeded Spring-Ford 41-35. Sophomore Jess Huber led North Penn with 13 points while Taylor Thames had nine.
- In a second round game, sophomore Jess Huber scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the opening half to keep the Lady Knights – who trailed 31-27 at halftime – in the game. North Penn outscored #9 Bishop Shanahan 28-9 in the second half to earn a 55-40 win. Taylor Thames and Sam Carangi both added 10 points.
- Sparked by 12 points from senior Taylor Thames, the Lady Knights, who led 13-8 after one quarter, allowed just 12 points over the final three quarters in a 45-20 opening round win over Downingtown West.
Archbishop Carroll
- 17-7 overall
- Led by guards Lexi Stover, a Rider commit, Julia Gantz, a Bloomsburg commit, and Keara McNulty.
- Three of the Patriots’ losses have been to PCL powers Neumann Goretti and Archbishop Wood
- Defeated District 12 Class AAAA champion Cardinal O’Hara 40-38 in the PCL quarterfinals but fell to PCL champion Neumann Goretti in PCL semifinals.
How they got here:
- In Saturday’s state opener, Carroll sprinted to a 20-4 lead after one quarter on its way to a convincing 57-37 win over District One’s fourth place squad, Spring-Ford. Lexi Stover scored 10 of her 11 points in the first quarter. Julia Gantz led a balanced Carroll offense with 13 points while Keara McNulty added 12, which included an 8-for-8 effort from the foul line.
- Carroll routed Simon Gratz 67-22 in the District 12 third place game. In a contest that saw 12 Carroll players contribute scoring, Julia Gantz led the Patriots with 14 points while Emma Stringer added 10.
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