SOL PIAA Girls’ BB Preview (Quarterfinals)

CB West and Abington will be in action Friday in the PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal round. Check back for recaps of both games.

Central Bucks West and Abington were the only SOL teams still standing after Tuesday’s PIAA Class AAAA second round action. North Penn saw its season end at the hands of Archbishop Carroll while Upper Dublin fell to Central Bucks West in an all-SOL contest.

In Friday’s state quarterfinal game, the Bucks will face an Archbishop Carroll squad that is has had its share of postseason success. The Patriots were the Class AAAA state champions in 2012. The Bucks, meanwhile, have never advanced beyond the quarterfinals of the state, and none of the players on this year’s squad were born when West last accomplished that feat in 1992.

The third-seeded team from District One that year, West lost in the quarterfinals to Allentown Central Catholic (57-42). ACC went on to lose to Downingtown in the semis, and Downingtown – led by the all-everything duo Tina Nicolson and Tora Suber – went on to win its second of three straight state titles.

West’s first trip to the state quarterfinals was in 1985, the same year the Bucks advanced to the District One AAAA title game where they lost to Upper Dublin. West lost to District One’s fifth place team, Plymouth Whitemarsh, 49-33 in the state quarterfinals that year. PW went on to defeat Williamsport, advancing to the state finals. The Colonials lost to Beaver Falls in the title game 56-45. The Bucks will try to make history when they face Archbishop Carroll.

(Special thanks for providing this information to Tim Neely, the former sports editor of The Reporter who has written “almost every word” of the history section of the Suburban One League on Wikipedia. To read about the SOL, please click on the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suburban_One_League)

Abington returns to the state quarterfinals for the second time in as many years. Last year, the Ghosts were sent home by eventual state runner-up Spring-Ford (50-40). On Friday, the Ghosts will take on the state’s top-ranked team in Cumberland Valley. The defending state champs, who captured the District 3 title, bring a 20-game winning streak into Friday’s game at Garden Spot High School.

(1-1) CENTRAL BUCKS WEST vs. (12-3) ARCHBISHOP CARROLL (at Plymouth Whitemarsh, 7 p.m.)

Central Bucks West

14-0 SOL, 30-1 overall
SOL Continental Conference champions
Captured first ever SOL Tournament title with 51-38 win over fifth-seeded Abington
Led by offensively Nicole Munger (18.0 ppg), 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 second round action, the Bucks defeated a shorthanded Upper Dublin squad 57-28. Nicole Munger led a balanced attack with 13 points while Mackenzie Carroll added 12. Corrinne Godshall and Makenzie Mason both contributed 10 points.
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 11^th-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.

Archbishop Carroll

18-7 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 Tuesday’s second round game against North Penn, the Patriots rallied from an early 14-5 deficit to outscore the Lady Knights 34-17 the rest of the way, earning a 39-31 win. Lexi Stover, who had a pair of three’s, led a balanced attack with 12 points.
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 String added 10.

(1-2) ABINGTON vs. (3-1) CUMBERLAND VALLEY (at Garden Spot High School, 7:30 p.m.
Abington

14-0 SOL, 26-5 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 Tuesday’s second round game against Mechanicsburg, Abington found itself on the short end of a 16-7 halftime score but outscored the Wildcats 28-15 in the second half to eke out a 35-31 win. Lizzie O’Leary, who scored nine points in the third quarter to jumpstart the Ghosts’ offense, finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and four blocks. Deja Rawls added 11 points and seven rebounds while Sammy Lochner had eight points.
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 6^th 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 16^th-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.

Cumberland Valley

29-1 overall
14-1 Mid-Penn Commonwealth Conference champion
Only loss of season came at the hands of Central Dauphin East (53-46) on Dec. 23. Went on to defeat Central Dauphin East in the regular season and again in the District 3 Tournament.
Ranked 11^th in the USA Today Super 25.
Junior guard Kelly Jekot, who made a verbal commitment to Villanova University, surpassed the 1,000-point mark in December.
Kelly Jekot leads the Eagles, averaging 19.2 points and 5.4 rebounds. Sophomore Katie Jekot averages 12.7 points and 3.2 assists while Morgan Baughman averages 7.3 points. The trio combined for 126 of the team’s 156 three-pointers.

How they got here:

In a second round game against Cedar Crest, Cumberland Valley led 13-5 after one quarter and stretched that lead to 34-11 by halftime on its way to a 55-28 win over District 3’s fourth place team. Kelly Jekot led the Eagles with 15 while sophomore Katie Jekot added 14.
In a state opening round contest, Cumberland Valley cruised to a 24-11 halftime lead over Boyertown and then outscored District One’s 10^th place squad 16-3 in the third quarter to go on top 40-14 on its way to a 48-23 win. Kelly Jekot led the Eagles with 20 points.
In the District 3 title game, second-seeded Cumberland Valley needed a last-second putback by Kelly Jekot to eke out a 26-25 win over top-seeded Palmyra. Jekot led the Eagles with 15 points.
In a district semifinal 65-26 win over third-seeded Central Dauphin East, Cumberland Valley led 30-10 at halftime and continued to add to that lead in the second half. Kelly Jekot had a game-high 19 points, and Meghan Rhoades added 12.
Cumberland Valley trailed seventh-seeded Red Lion 11-5 after one quarter of a district second round game but rallied to go on top 17-14 by halftime. The Eagles outscored the Lions 26-13 in the second half to earn a 43-27 win. Kelly Jekot had 16 points and Morgan Baughman had 13 to lead the Eagles.
In Cumberland Valley’s 69-29 win over 15^th-seeded New Oxford in an opening round game, the Eagles led 12-0 after one quarter and never looked back. Kelly Jekot had 27 points and Katie Jekot added 13 as the siblings combined for 40 points.