Three of the four SOL teams earning spots in the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament have advanced to the ‘Sweet Sixteen.’ Council Rock North, Cheltenham and Upper Dublin moved on while Central Bucks East – as a result of its loss to District 12 champion Archbishop Carroll – saw its season end.
Overall, it was a remarkably successful night for District One schools. Boyertown (1-7) sent District 12 champion Northampton home for the season with a 51-38 win. Lower Merion (1-4) defeated District 12’s third place squad, Liberty, 38-24, while Downingtown East (1-3) downed District 3’s fifth place team, Lebanon, 48-22.
District One champion Mount St. Joseph Academy upended Harrisburg (3-7) 55-44. Only CB East and the district’s ninth-seeded team, Downingtown West, saw their seasons end, and Downingtown West extended District 3 champion Red Lion to the limit before falling 36-33.
(1-2) Council Rock North vs. (12-3) Cardinal O’Hara at Norristown High School, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Helena Gemmell simply wanted what was best for her team.With that in mind, the junior forward volunteered to play point guard after the Indians - minus junior Lauren Golden (knee injury) – struggled mightily in their loss to Mount St. Joseph Academy in the district title game.
“If I play point guard, Devin (Gold) and Megan (Cunningham) get to stay in the positions they have been playing all year, so it’s an easier transition for us without Lauren,” Gemmell said. “With Alyssa Dumont coming in to start – she’s kind of tall, so she can start at a forward position.
“She’s been playing there when she subbed in for us before, so if I take point, Megan and Devin can still play shooting guards with Emily and Alyssa are at forward.”
Playing point is not a brand new experience for Gemmell, who says she played the position two or three years ago, but it is a far cry from playing forward.
“From forward to point guard – it’s a lot different perspective on the court, but I had to get used to it,” Gemmell said. “We had a whole week of practice before our first state game, and that really helped a lot because we had a chance to work on our plays, so I could get used to it.”
Coach Lou Palkovics pulled Gemmell aside just moments before the opening tap to assure her that there was no pressure on her as the Indians’ new floor general. Gemmell went out and scored a team-high 13 points to go along with six rebounds, three steals, two blocked shots and two assists in Rock North’s 46-33 win over Daniel Boone.“He told me before the game how I have stepped up, and if I turn the ball over, he’s not going to get mad,” Gemmell said. “That lifted a weight off my shoulders. He has been really easy on me – he’s been real lenient.
“I do have some experience at point guard. I just have to bring it back. I’m slowly getting used to it, but it’s such a different position. With all these days of practice, coach is helping me with the transition.”
Palkovics knows it will take a standout effort from his team to defeat a talented Cardinal O’Hara squad that was sixth in last week’s Patriot-Express rankings while the Indians were seventh.
“We have to play better than we played on Friday night,” the Indians’ coach said. “That’s going to be tough to do, but we certainly didn’t have our best game on Friday night. We missed (nine) free throws and shot 58 percent from the foul line, we only shot 37 percent from the field and 1-for-10 from the three-point line.
“Even though we won the game – I think we won the game out of sheer hustle and desire and switching some things up. We can play better, and we’re going to have to play better. I know Linus (McGinty) will have his team ready.”
O’Hara , according to Palkovics, boasts some serious talent.“They have a great inside player in (Shanice) Johnson and a great outsider shooter in (Lia) Disciascio – she can flat out shoot it,” the Indians’ coach said. “They have a lot of weapons, and they’re very well disciplined and coached in what they do.
“We have to take advantage of every possession, and it’s going to come down to whether my trio of three – Helena, Devin and Megan – can handle pressure. If they’re poised enough and disciplined enough to get us into our offense, I think we’ll be fine. I was very happy with the way Helena handled pressure on Friday night. I’m pretty confident that she can do that again.”
Gemmell acknowledged it was significant to come away with a win on Friday.
“It gives us a confident boost,” she said. “Especially after that (district championship) game – we needed something to get us going.
“We all knew (the Mount) was a reality check. We can’t get stuck on Lauren’s injury. She’s not coming back this year, and we have to face that.
“So we – as a whole – have to step up and show Lauren that we’re not 26-2 because of one person. All of us got us here, and we need to keep going for Lauren and Molly (Doyle) who didn’t get to play at Villanova.”
Gemmell took a huge step to help the Indians move forward when she volunteered to play point.
“I just want to do what’s best for the team so we can go as far as we can,” she said.
About Council Rock North: The Indians – ranked 11th in the state on MaXPreps.com – rebounded from their lopsided loss to Mount St. Joseph Academy in the district title game to down Daniel Boone 48-33. While the pre-Lauren Gold injury Indians looked like a team of destiny, the Indians without their gifted floor general are searching for a new identity. Helena Gemmell stepped into point in the win over Daniel Boone and not only directed the offense but also scored a team-high 13 points. Senior Devin Gold added 12 points while Emily Grundman had 11.
About Cardinal O’Hara: Don’t be fooled by O’Hara’s third seed in District 12 behind Central. In District 12, the winner of the Philadelphia Public League- which this year was Central - is automatically the district’s second seed heading into states. As a result, an O’Hara squad that last week was ranked sixth in the state by the Harrisburg Patriot-Express and 10th in the state by MaXPreps.com is the third seed. In Friday’s opening round game, O’Hara was led by Lia Disciascio, who scored 19 points with 18 of those coming from beyond the arc as she connected on 6-of-8 from long range. Mackenzie Rule added 15 points, which included an 11-of-13 effort from the foul line – 10-of-12 in the fourth quarter. Six-foot, one-inch sophomore Shanice Johnson added seven points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.
(1-5) Cheltenham vs. (1-1) Mount St. Joseph Academy at Wissahickon High School, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
The Lady Panthers had not even cleared out of their locker room after Friday night’s 74-46 rout of Governor Mifflin when the conversation turned to Tuesday night.“We wanted to win – we want to play Tuesday.,” said junior Ciara ‘CC’ Andrews, whose 31-point effort led the Lady Panthers. “We’re super excited.
“I know a girl on Mount St. Joe’s, Maddie (Kohler), and she’s like, ‘Good luck tonight. Hopefully, we’ll see you Tuesday.’ We’re pumped. That Lower Merion game – we’ve forgotten about the loss, but we haven’t forgotten what it feels like to lose. We want to win on Tuesday and show we can play with the Mount.”
The Magic is ranked second in the state by MaXPreps.com and sixth in last week’s Patriot-Express rankings, and there has been plenty of talk about the Mount being the ‘smallest’ school to compete in Class AAAA.
But that’s in numbers only.
The Magic will have a height advantage at just about every position when the two teams take the floor on Tuesday night, and coach Bob Schaefer knows his team – with no starter over 5-9 - will have to compensate for its lack of height in other ways.
“We’re going to play like we always play – we’re going to play hard,” the Lady Panthers’ coach said. “I hope we can influence the flow of the game and the tempo of the game and not let them make 20 passes.”
Orchestrating things for the Magic is senior point guard Mary Jo Horgan, who will be taking her talents to Lehigh University next year.“She is an extremely talented kid – if not the best, one of the best guards in the area,” Schaefer said. “She’s extremely aggressive, and we’re going to hope to be able to contain her.”
The Lady Panthers will be taking on a Mount team that is known for its stifling man-to-man defense. The Magic forced Harrisburg into 23 turnovers in Friday night’s opening round state win and had just eight of their own.
“That certainly will be the challenge for us,” Schaefer said. “I saw them play several times, and they’re extremely aggressive.
“You just can’t back off. The first time you move and they lean into you – you can’t start backing off or you’ll make a drive to the basket slide into the corner. We’ve always been offensively aggressive, and I would hope that’s the same thing that will happen tomorrow night.”
Cheltenham’s floor general, Tiffany Johnson, will be playing at West Chester next fall, and she boasts playoff experience of her own.
“She has been there and done it many times,” Schaefer said. “Hopefully, she can control the ball.”What are the keys against a disciplined Mount squad that protects the basketball?
“Being able to stand up to their defense and getting our share of the boards,” Schaefer said. “They’re the district champions, and we’re just number five, so there’s certainly no pressure on us.
“It’s a chance to get out there and see if we can play with them. They’re a very talented team, extremely talented. They have a lot of talent, and we’re just little Cheltenham. It’s going to be interesting.”
The Lady Panthers have won 20 of 21 games after stumbling out of the gate to a 4-3 start.
“I said we would take our lumps this year,” Schaefer said. “We’re usually behind most teams in the beginning of the year. We only had two kids playing AAU, so it takes time for everything to sink in.
“It takes repeating things thousands of times throughout the season, but now we’re at a point where we’re playing our game. The kids know what they’re supposed to do, and I’m happy to see us where we are. We’re going to go out and have a good time and see where the chips fall.”
About Cheltenham: The Lady Panthers have won three straight after falling in the district quarterfinals to Lower Merion. After notching consolation round wins over Central Bucks East and Upper Dublin, they might well have turned in their most impressive performance of the season in Friday night’s 74-46 demolition of Governor Mifflin in Friday night’s state opener. Ciara ‘CC’ Andrews was unstoppable, torching the Mustangs for 31 points. Three others players – Tiffany Johnson (11 points), Austen Hamler (11 points) and Jiana Clark (10 points) - also finished in double figures.
About Mount St. Joseph Academy: The Magic made easy business of every team in its path en route to a District One AAAA title, winning five straight district games by an average of 25.2 points. Upper Dublin, which lost by 20 (50-30), actually played the Mount the closest. In Friday night’s 55-44 state win over Harrisburg, the Magic took care of the basketball, turning it over just eight times while forcing Harrisburg into 23 turnovers. The story of the game was unquestionably the fact that the Mount took 36 foul shots – and made 30 of them. The Magic did not score a field goal in the final 11:56 of the game but more than made up for that by connecting on 19 foul shots during that span. During a stretch from the second quarter until the fourth, the Magic connected on 18 straight foul shots. Senior Steph Smith, who is bound for Loyola, was the beneficiary of most of the Mount’s foul shots. After missing her first, she buried 15 straight, finishing the night with 19 points, which included a 15-for-16 effort at the line. Senior point guard Mary Jo Horgan led all scorers with 21 points, which included an 8-for-12 effort at the foul line.
(1-6) Upper Dublin vs. (3-2) Wilson-West Lawn at Coatesville High School, Tuesday, 5 p.m.
The Flying Cardinals are having a lot of fun these days, and Upper Dublin’s post-season run to the state’s ‘Sweet 16’ has to feel like a dream of sorts, particularly to the seniors. Consider only senior Sarah Hallowell’s comments after Friday night’s convincing 47-36 win over Abington Heights in an opening round game.“It’s amazing that our team has come together like this in my last year,” Upper Dublin’s senior guard said. “I can’t get enough. I’ll keep playing for another month if we have to. I’m loving it.”
What’s not to love about a season that saw the Flying Cardinals finish second only to Cheltenham in SOL play and advance to the state tournament – a goal of this young team since the first day of practice.
“From the very beginning, I told them, ‘I’m going to states. If you want to come with me, come with me. If not, get off the boat because I’m going back somehow,’” Catanzaro said. “Really, we had it in our minds, and we’ve talked about it since the very beginning.
“None of these girls have ever been there, but I have. I told them what fun they were going to have if we got back to states. I said, ‘You’ll have so much fun – you won’t want to stop,’ and they’re having so much fun because they’re all realizing their potential as a team.”
Catanzaro pointed to the emergence of Hallowell – a 5-3 senior guard - as one of the keys to his team’s success.
“The thing with Sarah is she finally made up her mind that she wanted to be a player,” the Flying Cardinals’ coach said. “She always had the jumping ability and the shooting ability, but what she didn’t have was the aggressiveness to play defense. “I have been telling her for two years now – ‘When you start playing ‘D,’ you’ll be out on the floor. When you start rebounding the ball, you’ll be on the floor.’ I told her it was up to her, and she’d know when it was time. I put her in the lineup, and she hasn’t been out since. I told her that it doesn’t come down to her height – it’s what you’re doing with your height.”
In the second game of the season again St. Hubert’s, Hallowell – a starter since day one this year – nailed a three-pointer to send the game into overtime. The Flying Cardinals went on to earn a 63-58 win and only lost two more games the remainder of the regular season, both to Cheltenham.
According to Catanzaro, it has been a team effort.
“Yes, we have a (Curtrena Goff) who can do a lot of things, but she can’t take a whole team on,” the Flying Cardinals’ coach said. “They jell very well as a team, and that’s made the biggest difference.”The Flying Cardinals will once again rely on their aggressive matchup zone defense to take Wilson-West Lawn out of its game.
“We’re basically going at it almost the same way we did against Abington Heights,” Catanzaro said. “The teams are a little similar in that they’re not overly big. They basically do not shoot the three ball, and neither did Abington Heights.
“I’m looking for this team to be a little more aggressive on ‘D.’ Abington Heights just wasn’t that aggressive.”
The Flying Cardinals’ coach is looking for his team to come out of the gate strong in Tuesday’s showdown.
“We want to be aggressive in everything we do and let them worry about us,” Catanzaro said. “If we all look to help on defense like we did – we’ll obviously get some rebounds. We actually shot the ball well in Friday’s game, and I’m figuring we’re going to shoot just as well this game and hopefully come out on top.”
About Upper Dublin: A young Flying Cardinal squad is showing no signs of nerves now that the state tournament has rolled around. Upper Dublin sent District 2 champion Abington Heights packing in an opening round win at Marywood University, opening up an early lead and never looking back. Junior Taylor Bryant – who averages 15.3 points a game - led the way with 14 points while sophomore point guard Curtrena Goff added nine and senior Sarah Hallowell chipped in with eight points.
About Wilson-West Lawn: Wilson-West Lawn, the District 3 runner-up, never worked up a sweat in its 46-14 rout of Girls High in Friday’s state opener. The Bulldogs led 24-4 at the end of one quarter and extended that lead to 34-6 by halftime. Sophomore Karis Poore led a balanced attack with 10 points while Hillary Yoh and Avery Merz each added nine points and Talitha Poore scored seven. In the District 3 title game, Wilson-West Lawn did not score a point in the first quarter and fell to Red Lion 39-20. Talitha Poore scored a team-high six points. The Bulldogs earned a spot in the district title game by defeating Muhlenberg 43-25 in the district semifinals. Talitha Poore scored a team-high 12 points while Carley Brew added 11 and Yoh, nine points.
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