Upper Dublin and North Penn were winners in district playback games on Saturday.
#7 UPPER DUBLIN 43, #4 GARNET VALLEY 31 (Fifth Place Game)
The Flying Cardinals picked up their second big win in as many games after falling to Central Bucks West in the district quarterfinals. Three days after upsetting third-seeded Mount St. Joseph Academy, the Cardinals defeated the fourth-seeded Jaguars.
“We went to the Mount on Wednesday night, and they don’t lose at their place,” coach Morgan Funsten said. “It’s a tough place to play.
“We brought a nice little crowd – it’s definitely a cozy atmosphere. There’s not a lot of room to do anything. We got an early lead, they came back to tie us, and we went on a 13-0 run in a two-minute stretch. The game was 25-25 with five minutes to go and then you go on a 13-0 run in two minutes – that’s pretty cool.
“It started with Julie (Cross) making a real tough layup and then (Allison) Chernow followed with back-to-back three’s, and Josie Barrett finished it off with a three of her own. That’s kind of us right now – we’re going to play good defense. If we get hot shooting, we think we can compete with anybody.”
The Flying Cardinals carried the shooting touch they displayed late in the game against the Mount into Saturday’s game at Garnet Valley, opening up a 14-9 lead after one quarter. Allison Chernow and Josie Barrett led the way with five points each – both connected on a three-pointer.
“We made our first few shots, which is real nice because it’s a tough bus ride, it’s a long trip down there, and they’ve got a good team,” Funsten said. “We made some shots in the first quarter. In the second quarter, we kind of fell into a lull. We were getting frustrated.”
The Cardinals managed just a pair of buckets by Cross in the second quarter but still clung to an 18-17 lead at halftime.
“The only thing we talked about at halftime was refocusing mentally because that’s really all that we needed to do,” Funsten said. “Especially at this point in the season, you’re not going to come up with any secret formulas to give your team success at this point in term of x’s and o’s.”
The Cardinals limited the Jaguars to just two points in the third quarter and took a 26-19 lead into the fourth quarter when they closed it out with a 17-12 tear. Cross scored 10 of her game-high 16 points in the second half.
“I thought the girls – especially led by Julie – she had a tough first half, but she really refocused everybody by refocusing herself,” Funsten said. “Holding them to two points in the third quarter and extending that in the fourth quarter was really nice.
“I just told my girls – we just beat back-to-back 25-3 teams at their place, the three and four seeds in districts.”
In addition to scoring 16 points, Cross also had 14 rebounds and two blocked shots. Barrett added nine points. Chernow had eight points, three rebounds and three assists. Demi Balansa had five points, six rebounds and four assists. Alissa Klammer had four points, four assists and three rebounds.
The Cardinals will face District 12 runner-up Central in Friday’s opening round.
“How many teams can go into the state playoffs with two wins,” Funsten said. “Not too many, unless you’re the district champion.”
“We’re going to focus one game at a time. We’re really excited. I think the girls are no longer just happy to be here. We’re happy with what we’ve accomplished so far, but we want more, and it showed in our last two games.
“A lot of teams – you make states, you’re happy, and it’s a successful season. You can either sit there and ride it out or you can try and make a statement. I think we’re ready to do that, but we’ll find out. We have to come ready to play Friday. We’ll see what happens.”
Upper Dublin 14-4-8-17 43
Garnet Valley 9-8-2-12 31
Upper Dublin (43) – Alissa Klammer 2 0-1 4; Josie Barrett 3 2-6 9; Julie Cross 6 4-4 16; Allison Chernow 3 0-0 8; Demi Balasa 1 3-5 5; Maggie Weglos 0 0-0 0; Nancy Decamara 0 1-2 1; Totals 15 10-18 43.
Garnet Valley (31) – Maddie Ireland 5 2-3 14; Katie O’Donoghue 1 0-0 2 Maddie Goldbach 2 0-0 4; Jordan Ireland 1 2-6 5; S Fail 1 1-2 4; M Koscinski 1 0-2 2; TOTALS 11 5-13 31
#8 NORTH PENN 51, #3 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH 38
The Lady Knights brought a welcome end to a two-game losing streak with a convincing win over a suddenly reeling Mount squad that has lost three straight after losing just two games the entire regular season.
“We really took care of the ball,” coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “We had 10 turnovers, but we had 18 assists.
“We had balanced scoring, and we played really good defense. Our decision making was much better than what it’s been. We played the way we’re capable of playing. There are still some things we need to work on, but overall, it was a very good game for the kids, especially after the last two disappointing games we had. I thought we played really well.”
Sam Carangi led the way with 17 points and seven assists.
“She’s such a good player, and it’s been such a tough year for her,” said deMarteleire of her sophomore point guard who was sidelined with a fractured finger to open the season. “She’s had a lot of adversity, and today she played exceptionally well.
“We all actually played really well, which is the first time that’s happened in a while. When we all play well together, we’re very, very good.”
Mikaela Giuliani dominated the paint with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Jess Huber and Irisa Ye both scored eight points.
In Friday’s opening round of states, the Lady Knights will face District 2 champion Pittston Area at a site to be determined.
“I’m happy because I wanted the kids to play well going into the state tournament, and I thought we did,” deMarteleire said.
North Penn 11-13-13-14 51
Mount St. Joseph 7-13-6-12 38
North Penn (51) – Irisa Ye 8, Taylor Thames 2, Mikaela Giuliani 16, Jess Huber 8, Sam Carangi 17.
Mount St. Joseph (38) – Libby Tacka 12, Kirstin Lucas 7, Caitlyn Cunningham 4, Sarah Wills 8, Mary Kate Ulasewicz 7.
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