All four SOL teams in action were winners in Friday’s opening round of the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament. To view photos of the Abington/Red Lion and CB West/Hempfield games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
The SOL was a perfect 4-for-4 in the opening round of states on Friday. Central Bucks West, Abington, Upper Dublin and North Penn all earned double-digit victories on a night that saw District One teams go 5-3 in the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament.
District champion Central Bucks West will do battle with Upper Dublin in an all-SOL second round game on Tuesday while Abington will face District 3’s fifth place team, Mechanicsburg. North Penn will take on the winner of Saturday’s Spring-Ford/Archbishop Carroll game.
(1-1) CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 63, (3-7) HEMPFIELD 27
They can beat teams in so many ways, but topping the Bucks’ list is playing the kind of aggressive, punishing defense that brings opponents to their knees.
Need proof? Look no further than Friday’s state opener.
The Black Knights managed just eight field goals in 32 minutes. Four of those came in the fourth quarter when the outcome had long since been decided.
“Our defense was really, really good today, and it’s been that way basically the whole year,” coach Terry Rakowsky said. “I was really impressed with our defense.
“Our defense was all over the place. I’m not sure they got a clean, open shot the whole game. Our kids were all over them. We’re happy about that.”
Nicole Munger – who had four three-pointers – once again played a starring role on both ends of the court, scoring 17 of her game-high 25 points in a first half. She also had five steals and, for good measure, drew a charge. Munger closed out the first quarter diving for a loose ball and tapping it over the midcourt line, preventing the Black Knights – who trailed 12-4 – from getting a final shot.
“Every single day, every practice, every game – even in silly summer pick-up stuff, she’s on the floor all the time, making that extra effort all the time,” Rakowsky said.
Mackenzie Carroll (12 points) and Makenzie Mason (11 points) also finished in double figures. Mason also had five rebounds and three steals. Corrinne Godshall led the Bucks under the backboards with nine rebounds to go along with five points.
“We talk about it – we’re very fortunate,” Rakowsky said. “We have some pretty good players, and when they take something away somewhere, we have other kids who can drive or shoot or pass.”
Munger spotted the Bucks a 5-0 lead, burying a jumper off the dribble on her team’s opening possession and then completed a three-point play.
The Black Knights made it a 5-4 game with 5:33 remaining in the opening quarter, but they would not score again until 4:20 remained in the first half as the Bucks put on a defensive clinic. During that span, the Bucks reeled off 19 straight points to go on top 24-4.
The rest of the game was little more than a formality.
A putback by Godshall in the closing minute of the first half sent the Bucks into the intermission with a 30-10 lead. Carroll opened the third quarter with her own personal tear, reeling off six straight points to put the Bucks on top 36-10. Two of those baskets came directly off steals.
“We saw when they were driving they were leaving the back side open a little bit, so they would spin – and we could pick it off,” Carroll said. “We knew they were getting a little tired, and that’s our game – to tire the other team out, so we knew to come out in the second half and really hammer it in.”
With time about to expire in the third quarter, Munger buried her third three-pointer of the night. This one put the Bucks on top 46-16.
“That shot at the end – we were kind of excited about it because we didn’t plan that at all,” Carroll said. “It was a last-minute call, and, of course, Munger hit the three like always.”
Mason went to work in the fourth quarter, scoring eight points on a night that saw just about everyone get a piece of the action.
In last year’s opening round, the Bucks suffered a heartbreaking 46-43 loss to Cumberland Valley in a game they led 24-22 at halftime. Cumberland Valley went on to win the state crown.
“We were here last year, so this is where we wanted to get back to,” Rakowsky said. “We worked a whole year to get back to this game, so we’re very happy to be here and move on to the next game.”
West’s second round game will be against a familiar opponent as the Bucks (29-1, 14-0 SOL) will do battle with Upper Dublin for the third time this season.
Hempfield 4-6-6-11 27
Central Bucks West 12-18-16-17 63
Hempfield (27) – Bri Thomas 0 1-2 1; Julianna Clark 1 1-2 3; Nikki Rhoads 1 4-4 6; Julia Strothers 0 0-0 0; Alecia Rohrer 2 4-5 8; Teirra Preston 1 0-3 2; Symone Dickerson 0 0-2 0; Marissa Pellis 0 0-0 0 Anna Williams 3 0-0 7; Lex Pastor 0 0-0 0; TOTALS 8 10-18 27.
Central Bucks West (63) – Dana Zimmerman 0 0-0 0; Mackenzie Carroll 4 4-4 12; Peyton Traina 1 0-0 2; Corrinne Godshall 2 1-2 5; Nicole Munger 9 3-3 25; Maggie Rakowsky 1 0-0 3; Abby Spratt 1 0-0 2; Makenzie Mason 4 3-6 11; Meghan Tillger 1 0-0 2; Laura Roth 0 1-2 1; Maddie Maio 0 0-0 0; Carolyn Maio 0 0-1 0; Mari Casale 0 0-0 0; Molly Rodenbaugh 0 0-0 0; TOTALS 23 12-18 63.
3-point goals: Hempfield – Anna Williams; CB West – Nicole Munger 4, Maggie Rakowsky.
(1-2) ABINGTON 67, (1-6) RED LION 46
The Ghosts found themselves staring at a 12-11 deficit after Courtney Dimoff buried the third Red Lion three-pointer of the opening quarter.
But not for long.
Deja Rawls returned the favor at the other end, connecting on her first of three treys on the night and sending the Ghosts into the second quarter with a 14-12 lead.
“They made some shots tonight,” coach Dan Marsh said of a Lions’ squad that buried seven three’s.
A basket by Amy Maciejewski early in the second quarter knotted the score, but again, Rawls had an answer, burying a three-pointer to put the Ghosts on top 17-14.
“I knew it was going to be a rough start because we were off for two days, so we just had to set in our minds that we had to come out play like it was our last game, ” said Rawls, who finished with a game-high 21 points.
In the closing minute of the half, Lizzie O’Leary found Leah Simmons for an easy bucket and a 30-22 Ghost lead.
“Me and Leah have been playing together so many years now,” O’Leary said. “We’ve been playing together since fifth grade, so that helped a lot. At the beginning of the year, it just came naturally to us.”
When Rawls converted a steal into a layup at the buzzer, the Ghosts led 32-22 heading into halftime.
Any thoughts of a Red Lion comeback were put to rest in a third quarter that saw the Ghosts go on a 19-8 tear en route to a 51-30 lead.
“The third quarter seems to be our quarter, especially defensively,” Marsh said. “We usually come out and try to put teams away when it’s close like that.
“That big steal by Deja at the end (of the first half) was a momentum builder, but they were making shots in that first half that we didn’t think they would continue to do. We thought our half court trap would be effective, and it was. They had a ton of turnovers on that.”
Simmons – who scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half – had six points in the third quarter while Sammy Lochner added five.
The duo of Simmons and O’Leary accounted for 25 points and 17 rebounds with O’Leary finishing with 13 boards to go along with 11 points. She connected on 4-of-4 shots from the floor while Simmons was 5-for-6 from the field.
“We knew we had a size advantage coming in,” coach Dan Marsh said. “Lizzie is sick, so for her to battle through tonight was impressive.
“I think their game plan was to come in and pack it in and force us to shoot jump shots, but we have kids that can shoot. Some teams are going to try that, but we were patient, we persevered.”
The Lions’ attempts to take Abington’s bigs out of the game proved ineffective, thanks in no small part to the strong play of Rawls.
“In the beginning, they did a good job of taking it away from us, and that opened it up for Deja, Gabby (Nolan) and Sammy (Lochner) to drive,” O’Leary said. “They had to adjust to that, and that opened things back up for me and Leah, and we were able to play our game and do the high-low, pound it inside and use that as a force.”
Abington (25-5, 14-0) earned a second round date with Mechanicsburg, District 3’s fifth place team.
Red Lion (46) – LaDena Earnes 0 4-8 4; Kynslee Shepherd 1 0-0 3; Natalie Reba 3 1-1 7; Amy Maciejewski 6 2-4 17; Courtney Dimoff 4 1-3 14; Jen Shingler 0 1-2 1; Kelsee Hunt 0 0-0 0; Ali Hollingshead 0 0-0 0; Hannah Wolf 0 0-0 0; Jackie Matthews 0 0-0 0; TOTALS 14 9-18 46.
Abington (67) – Gabby Nolan 0 0-0 0; Sammy Lochner 4 4-4 14; Lizzie O’Leary 4 3-3 11; Bre Bermel 3 0-2 6; Deja Rawls 7 4-4 21; Leah Simmons 5 4-4 14; Taylor Deal 0 1-2 1; Britney James 0 0-0 0; Jordyn Allen 0 0-0 0; Shelly Pirela 0 0-0 0; Mauve Hughes 0 0-0 0; Sam Brusha 0 0-0 0; TOTALS 23 16-19 67.
3-point goals: Red Lion – Amy Maciejewski 3, Courtney Dimoff 3, Kynslee Shepherd; Abington – Deja Rawls 3, Sammy Lochner 2.
(1-5) UPPER DUBLIN 42, (12-2) CENTRAL 24
The Flying Cardinals were without junior point guard Allison Chernow (illness), but they had more than enough firepower to defeat the District 12 runner-up Lancers, opening up a 9-2 lead after one quarter and extending that to 25-11 by halftime.
Julie Cross scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in the opening half.
“We came out – Josie Barrett made a big shot early on after we struggled the first few minutes to score,” coach Morgan Funsten said. “Julie carried us in the first half.
“With Allison Chernow being out, we needed some people to step up. Maggie Weglos played a really great game, stepping into Chernow’s shoes as our point guard. She really handled a girl (Andria Stanton) who hurt us the first time we played them. Maggie’s a freshman playing really valuable minutes for us.”
Weglos finished the game with six points, six steals and three rebounds and limited Stanton to four points.
Also giving the Cardinals a boost was Nancy DeCamara.
“She came off the bench and made a three in the second quarter,” Funsten said. “We went on a nice run the end of the first quarter into the beginning of the second.
“We turned a five-point lead into a 15-point lead.”
The Cardinals ‘outscored’ the Lancers 4-3 in the third quarter to take a 29-14 lead into the final frame.
“We struggled offensively, which we tend to do at times, but what is always consistent is our defense,” Funsten said. “I was really happy with the girls. As much as we struggled on the offensive end, we didn’t let it affect our defense.
“We were very disciplined defensively and stuck to our game plan.”
One of the game’s unsung heroes was Alissa Klammer, who limited the dangerous Shanique Mattis to nine points.
“As she always does, Alissa Klammer had the responsibility of guarding their best player, and she did a great job,” Funsten said. “Most of her points came in transition. In the half court, Alissa totally shut her down.”
In addition to scoring a game-high 20 points, Cross also 13 rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals. Barrett finished with 13 points.
“It was a challenge tonight missing Allison,” Funsten said. “The first time we played them (a 58-37 UD win) – we made 10 three’s and we shot the ball well.
“We didn’t shoot the ball as well this time, and without one of our leaders in Allison, it took people stepping up. The way Maggie Maggie Weglos played, and Nancy DeCamara came in and gave us good minutes and Alison Gouveia – we needed people to step up, and they answered the call. That’s what my team has been doing all year.
“I’m really happy to get a state playoff victory. They’re not too easy to come by.”
Upper Dublin (24-6, 14-0 SOL) will take on Central Bucks West in a second round game Tuesday.
Upper Dublin 9-16-4-13 42
Central 2-9-3-10 24
Upper Dublin (42) – Josie Barrett 13, Julie Cross 20, Maggie Weglos 6, Nancy DeCamara 3.
Central (24) – Shanique Mattis 9, Andria Stanton 4, Diamond Talley 9, Reunisha Williams 2.
(1-7) NORTH PENN 53, (2-1) PITTSTON AREA 37
The Lady Knights found themselves playing in a hostile environment at Wyoming Area High School in Exeter in Friday’s state opener. They silenced the crowd with a strong performance.
“They had a huge crowd,” coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “The gym was packed with Pittston fans. We may have had 50 people there.
“I was really proud of the kids. I said, ‘Play well and shut them up.’ It was a good team win.”
The two teams were deadlocked 7-7 after one quarter, and the Lady Knights took a 19-14 lead into halftime. A 15-8 third quarter put the Lady Knights on top 43-22, and they never looked back.
Senior Taylor Thames connected on a shot from half court to close out the third quarter.
“It was almost comical – we’ve been trying to hold for one shot if there’s less than 30 seconds, and we never score,” deMarteleire said. “I don’t think we’ve made one shot at the end of a quarter the whole year.
“They got a bucket, we got the ball inbounds quickly, Taylor gets the ball at half court and just heaves it and it goes in. The look on her face was priceless. It went from a nine-point game to a 12-point game, and it was like a pin that burst their bubble.”
Leading the Lady Knights was Sam Carangi, who scored a game-high 17 points to go along with five steals.
“Sam is making better decisions,” deMarteleire said of her sophomore point guard.
Mikaela Giuliani – despite battling foul woes – finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
“She came out in the second half and finished very nicely,” deMarteleire said. “Right away, she made her first two shots and turned a five-point game into a nine-point game.”
Thames added nine points, five assists and five steals while Irisa Ye had eight points, nine rebounds and four assists.
“Irisa and Taylor are just playing outstanding defense right now,” deMarteleire said. “I had an elderly woman come up to me after the game and said, ‘I go to a lot of games, and I’ve never seen a team play defense like that.’
“Against the Mount and in tonight’s game, they have really picked it up on defense.”
North Penn (21-8, 11-3 SOL) will face the winner of Saturday’s Spring-Ford/Archbishop Carroll game.
North Penn (53) – Irisa Ye 8, Taylor Thames 9, Mikaela Giuliani 11, Sam Carangi 17, Jess McKenzie 2, Bri Hewlett 6.
Pittston Area (37) – Kiersten Durling 2, Allie Barber 4, Jamie Chisdock 4, liz Waleski 15, Alexa Noone 5, Marley O’Brien 7.
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