Three teams – Council Rock South, Central Bucks East and Cheltenham - clinched at least a share of their respective conference titles on Friday night. To view photos of Friday’s CB East/CB South Coaches vs. Cancer contest, please visit the Photo Gallery.
National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 47, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 32
The Golden Hawks made history on Friday night when they clinched a share of their program’s first ever conference title.
“This program has come a long way,” coach Monica Stolic said. “The girls work very hard.
“I came in the same year Alex (Wheatley) did. She put this team on her back and carried it for four years.”
Wheatley was held to just two first-half points and finished with 12, seven below her average as she was doubled effectively by Rock North’s Helena Gemmell and Emily Grundman.
“It was good defense, but it left other people open,” Stolic said.
Those other players delivered for the Golden Hawks. Taylor Dillon matched Wheatley’s 12 points while Caitlin Jackson added nine points and Taylor Hunt, eight points.
The Indians had a 12-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Golden Hawks answered with a 12-0 second quarter to take a lead they would not lose.
“They had some shots, but they just weren’t falling,” Stolic said of the Indians’ second quarter. “That happened to us in the first quarter.”
Alyssa Dumont led the Indians with nine points while Grundman added eight.
While the Indians fell to 8-4 in the league (11-8 overall), the Golden Hawks remained perfect, upping their SOL record to 12-0 (20-0 overall).
WILLIAM TENNENT 46, NESHAMINY 44 (OT)
Sophomore Rachael Mueller scored six of her team’s nine points in overtime, which included a perfect 4-for-4 effort from the foul line. For the game, Mueller connected on 7-of-9 from the foul line and finished with a team-high 13 points. She won the game by burying a pair from the charity stripe with seven seconds remaining.
“She sealed it for us,” Tennent coach Paul Veltre said. “It had the feeling of a playoff game.
“It’s always competitive against Joanne (McVey). She is such a great coach. I’m not always on the fun side, but she is an excellent coach.”
The game itself was a seesaw affair with the Panthers holding a 9-8 edge at the end of one quarter only to watch the Redskins roar back to go into halftime with a 21-17 lead. The Panthers outscored the Redskins 12-4 in the third quarter, but again, the ‘Skins battled back, knotting the score when Meghan Schafer connected on 1-of-2 from the foul line with four seconds remaining. The sophomore point guard scored six of her team-high 11 points in the fourth quarter.
A key to the game, according to Veltre, was the Panthers’ ability to shut down Lori Paulits, who scored all eight of the Redskins’ first-quarter point and had 10 points in the half. She did not score the rest of the way.
“We decided to not let her catch it anymore, and she never scored again,” Veltre said. “We put Allison Chatburn on her.”
Chatburn and Nikki Alden both scored 10 points while Emily O’Donnell added nine points.
The Panthers, who fell to the Redskins by 12 earlier this season, upped their league mark to 5-7 (12-7 overall) while the Redskins fell to 3-9 in league play (6-13 overall).
ABINGTON 58, BENSALEM 32
Aiyannah Peal and Deja Rawls combined to score 42 points to lead the Ghosts – who lost sophomore Michael Harris for the season - to the big win. Peal scored a game-high 23 points while Rawls added 19 points.
The Ghosts actually found themselves on the short end of an 8-5 score at the end of one quarter but then outscored the Owls 17-11 to go into halftime with a 22-19 lead. They blew the game wide open in the second half, outscoring the Owls 36-13.
Ashida Cooper and Tyra Roberts both scored 11 points to lead the Owls.
The Ghosts improved to 10-2 in the league (14-6 overall) while the Owls fell to 4-8 in the league (6-10 overall).
PENNSBURY 60, HARRY S TRUMAN 31
The two teams were deadlocked 6-6 after one quarter, but the Falcons blew the game open with a 25-8 second-quarter explosion. Jae Jackson (16 points), Sajanna Bethea (13 points) and Kaitlin Kelly (eight points) led the Falcons. Khristaijah Jackson (11 points) and Nieyana Brooks (10 points) led the Tigers.
While the Tigers fell to 0-12 in the league (2-16 overall), the Falcons evened their league mark at 6-6 (11-9 overall).
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 46, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 27
The Patriots had their share of opportunities to fold their tents this season, and certainly a 1-3 start suggested to outsiders that their days of finishing atop the Continental Conference standings could be over.
“We were going to prove them wrong,” senior Lindsay Kelly said. “We always prove them wrong. We always somehow pull together, become a team and get the job done.“
“You pay attention to that for about 30 seconds,” senior Shannon Devlin said of the naysayers. “Then it’s like, ‘Okay, we’re going to prove them wrong.”
And prove them wrong the Patriots did, rebounding to win nine straight, but then they suffered the kind of tragic loss high school teams should know nothing about when their teammate and friend, Morgan Mysza, passed away on Jan. 12 after a long and courageous battle with brain cancer.
The following week, the Patriots dropped back-to-back games to North Penn and Council Rock South, but those who thought that might be the beginning of the end don’t know a whole lot about this Patriot squad.
The Patriots, who have dedicated this season to Mysza, rebounded from that tough stretch to win five straight. Appropriately, they clinched a share of the conference title in Friday’s Coaches vs. Cancer game, which is a prelude to next Saturday’s Coaches vs. Cancer event. All proceeds will be donated to Team Morgan, a fund established in Mysza’s memory.
“We tried to fight like she did,” senior Lexi Scrivano said. “We never stopped fighting. She was an inspiration. She truly was.
“As she was going back and forth to the hospital, we as a team tried to help her by winning. We made scrapbooks for her. We took so many pictures for her that are hanging in her house today. She smiles when she’s on the court. She’s inspirational, and she fought 100 percent.”
The Patriots took lessons from their former teammate, and they fought their way to another conference crown. CB South was just another victim on their journey to the top as the Patriots sprinted to a 25-11 halftime lead and never looked back.
The fun began with Karoline White scoring off the opening tap and ended with Courtney Webster connecting in the closing seconds of the half. Kelly scored nine of her game-high 22 points in a half that saw the Patriots turn the ball over just five times.
“There’s no question I have to give a lot of credit to Karoline (White) and Shannon (Devlin) for a tremendous effort,” East coach Tom Lonergan said of his backcourt duo. “It’s not easy against a very aggressive team. Karoline was picked up 92 feet every time she touched the ball, and that meant Shannon had to help and handle it a lot.
“We also shot extremely well from the floor, and I give credit to the team as a whole. We did a good job passing the ball.”
For good measure, the Patriots opened the second half with an 8-0 run that included a pair of baskets by Kelly as well as buckets from both Scrivano and Margaret Anne Hubbell, who buried several baseline jumpers en 
route to eight points.
“She’s automatic in practice from the 10-12 foot range,” Lonergan said of Hubbell. “She hit some key shots tonight. I just think we shot extremely well.”
While things were going the Patriots’ way, the exact opposite was true for the Titans, who shot a collective 8-for-44 (18 percent) from the floor.
“Most of them weren’t bad misses – they were in and out,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “They’re there. It’s not like we’re shooting them over the backboard.
“We tell them to keep shooting. They shoot well at practice, they shot great in warm-ups, but you have to get it done during the game. They’re playing hard, but when you’re not scoring, there’s only so much you can do defensively.”
Speaking of defense, it was the seventh time this season the Patriots have held their opponents under 30 points.
“From a defensive effort, I don’t think you can ask for more,” Lonergan said. “We work extremely hard at defense, we preach defense, and we really go at it, and they take a lot of pride in their defense.”
With the win, the Continental Conference championship – a goal every year for the Patriots – once again belongs to East.
“I think everybody knew, but it’s that kind of thing – you’re never going to let it detract you from the game,” Devlin said of Friday’s title-clinching game. “You know it’s one game, and you know the importance, but you’re going into that game and you’re winning it because you (play to) win every game and you work hard in every game.”
With the win, the Patriots improved to 11-1 in the league (15-5 overall) while the Titans dropped to 7-4 in the SOL (12-7 overall).
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 80, HATBORO-HORSHAM 51
The Bucks exploded for 51 first-half points, taking a 51-25 lead into halftime on their way to the big win. Senior Jen Fabian led the Bucks with 20 points and 10 rebounds on a night that saw 12 players get into the scoring column. Caitlyn Mautz added 11 points while Nicole Munger scored nine and Katie McLaughlin added seven.
Hatboro was led by the 12-point effort of Carly Bixler. Chrissy James added eight points.
While the Hatters fell to 3-9 in league play (5-14 overall), the Bucks improved to 8-4 in the league (14-6 overall).
SOUDERTON 52, PENNRIDGE 35
Sophomore Allison Gallagher scored a career-high 16 points – which included four three-pointers - to lead the Indians. Point guard Bianca Picard added eight points while teammates Carley Kendall, Cait Steinly and Sarah Derstein each added six points. The Indians connected on eight three-pointers, which included a pair of Steinly treys.
For the Rams (2-10 SOL, 3-16 overall) Jessie Tennett led the way with 10 points while Alyssa Marchunsky added six.
The Indians (7-5, 11-8) led 15-6 at the end of one quarter and took a 29-16 lead into halftime on their way to the win.
NORTH PENN 64, QUAKERTOWN 8
Steph Knauer scored 18 points while Lauren Crisler added 13 and Erin Maher, nine points, in a contest that saw 10 Maidens get into the scoring column. Ashlee Ruzicka scored six of her team’s eight points.
The Maidens upped their record to 9-3 in league play (15-5 overall) while the Panthers fell to 0-11 in the league (1-17 overall).
American Conference
CHELTENHAM 61, NORRISTOWN 43
Ciara ‘CC’ Andrews exploded for a career-high 34 points, which included a dazzling second-quarter performance that saw the St. Joe’s-bound senior score 13 points. Shayla Peoples added a pair of three-pointers while Christina Coleman added five points in a 26-4 second quarter that saw the Lady Panthers turn a 14-10 deficit into a 36-18 lead.
“We started slowly, and Norristown played tough in the beginning,” coach Bob Schaefer said. “Their forwards dominated in the paint.”
The Eagles fought back valiantly in the second half, outscoring the Lady Panthers 16-11 in the third quarter to make it a 52-34 game, but they never could recuperate from Cheltenham’s second-quarter outburst.
Nicole Graham led the Eagles with 12 points while Brianna Hedgepeth added 11. Coleman also finished in double figures for the Lady Panthers with 11 points.
With the win, the Lady Panthers captured at least a share of yet another American Conference title.
“I’m very happy for the girls,” Schaefer said. “Winning a league championship is never easy, and they played well when it really counted.
“As a league champion, we find that our opponents always seem to come at us with everything they’ve got and play their best. Our team has had to also rise to the occasion to stay on top.”
The Lady Panthers are 10-0 in league play (19-1 overall) while the Eagles fell to 5-6 in the league (8-11 overall).
UPPER MERION 37, WISSAHICKON 34
The Vikings found themselves in another thriller when they traveled to Wissahickon, taking their first lead of the night with 30 seconds remaining.
“This is pretty much how it always goes when we’re at their place,” coach Tom Schurtz said. “They play well at home. They had a really good game plan, and they went out and executed it.
“Their coach had them really well prepared. They put us in bad situations. We did good running some of our secondary and some of our third and fourth choices offensively, but they took us out of our base set. They deserve a lot of credit because I don’t think we scored out of our base set all night, which is very rare for us.”
Senior Cassidy Koenig was held scoreless in the first half. She more than made up for that with 17 second-half points, allowing the Vikings to turn a 15-11 halftime deficit into the three-point win.
“It was just one of those moments where a senior looks around and says, ‘I’m going to do what needs to be done tonight,’” Schurtz said of Koenig. “She had a great second half.
“She only had two three’s, but she was taking the ball to the basket, she was 5-for-6 from the free throw line. We were up one with six seconds to go, and she made both free throws to put it to a three-point game. She’s just a very tough player.
“They did a really nice job bottling her up in the first half. In the second half, she just took over and played really well.”
Freshman Reggie Robin scored all nine of her points in the first half for the Vikings, who also received nine points from Kristina O’Sullivan. Dominique Earland and Meredith Byrne led the Trojans with nine points each while Rachel Stone added seven.
“They’re a tall team, and we don’t have someone who can just go get 10 points in the paint,” Schurtz said. “We have to work for all our buckets down there.”
The Vikings improved to 8-4 in league play (12-6 overall) while the Trojans fell to 2-8 (5-13 overall).”
UPPER DUBLIN 75, UPPER MORELAND 32
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