Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ basketball teams in action Friday. Truman/Springfield Twp photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to view Suburban One Sports' GIRLS' BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
Non-league
BENSALEM 63, WILLIAM TENNENT 49
The Owls won for the fifth time in as many games, and it was their offense that stole the spotlight in this one. The Owls – led by four 3-pointers from Devon Bell – buried 10 shots from beyond the arc with six different players connecting on 3s.
Key stretch: Bensalem took a 31-27 lead into halftime but then seized control of the game with a 24-point third quarter. Talia DiMichele’s eight points with two 3s led the Owls in the quarter. Bell also had a pair of 3-pointers, and Kamiya Alexander and Ariana Jenkins each added one. Sydney Daut chipped in four points.
Key players: Three Bensalem players finished the game in double figures. Devon Bell led the way with 16 points, which included four 3-pointers. Grace McShane added 14 points – 10 in the first half, and Talia DiMichele had 12 points – 10 in the second half.
For the Panthers, Avery Kocur had 16 points – all in the second and third quarters. Included in her 16 points were three 3-pointers. Megan Volz added 15 points – nine in the fourth quarter, and Halie Staub had 12 points.
Bensalem coach Steve Johnson: “We’re really happy with our win over an extremely tough Tennent team. Kocur and Staub are super talented players and definitely got the best of us tonight but glad we came out with the win. We lost Kocur way too many times tonight for a player her level.”
--Props: “As coaches, we were really impressed with Devon and Talia’s play. Sydney Daut had one of her stronger games this season, really owning the glass and adding some offense in there. She’s getting better and better for us as the season continues. Freshman Kamiya Alexander continues to make strides. She is one of the most coachable kids we have had in our five years. Everything is ‘yes coach’ and looks you in the eyes. Positive or negative. She is going to be a special player for us for years to come.”
William Tennent coach Laura Whitney: “Tough one tonight. Credit to Bensalem - they played a great game. They are well coached and presented a lot of challenges for us. They run some nice sets, and it caused some defensive breakdowns which resulted in several open looks, and they shot the ball extremely well.
“I thought our girls battled and did a nice job of making it a four-point game at halftime. Unfortunately, the third quarter was the difference in the game. The combination of giving up too many open shots, and our decision making and turnovers killed us. “We weren’t able to make a run and never really threatened after that. It’s obviously disappointing, but they were just better than us tonight.
“We’ve now lost two of our last three, so we need to get back to the basics and clean some things up. Especially as we head into the final stretch of the season. Our goal is still to make a run at getting into the playoffs. It’s certainly not going to be easy, but we have a great group of girls, and I know they will continue to work hard and compete.
--Props: “Despite being face guarded and Bensalem doing a nice job of making things tough on Avery, she still managed to find her shots and led us with 16 points.
“Meg Volz did a great job of matching Bensalem’s physicality and finished with 15 points.
“Staub played through some struggles and chipped in with 12 points.”
Up next: Bensalem (9-6, 2-3 SOL) will host Liberty in a non-league game Saturday, and William Tennent (9-7, 2-3) will travel to Upper Moreland Tuesday.
William Tennent 9-18-10-12 49
Bensalem 12-19-24-8 63
William Tennent (49) – Aubrey Lynch 1 0-0 2; Avery Kocur 5 3-4 16; Carissa Malpezzi 1 1-2 4; Halie Staub 5 2-4 12; Megan Volz 6 3-4 15; TOTALS 18 9-14 49.
Bensalem (63) – Talia DiMichele 5 0-0 12; Kamiya Alexander 3 0-0 7; Mary Beck 1 0-2 3; Grace McShane 6 1-1 14; Devon Bell 6 0-0 16; Sydney Daut 3 0-0 6; Ariana Jenkins 1 2-2 5; TOTALS 25 3-5 63.
3-point goals: WT – Avery Kocur 3, Carissa Malpezzi; B – Devon Bell 4, Talia DiMichele 2, Kamiya Alexander, Mary Beck, Grace McShane, Ariana Jenkins.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 47, UPPER DUBLIN 43
Jess Lockwood couldn’t miss. Or at least that’s what it must have seemed like to the Cardinals, who found themselves on the short end of the score to an SOL team for the first time this season.
Lockwood had a whole lot to do with that, scoring a game-high 24 points – which included six 3-pointers - to lead the Cards, who also threw some defense at a dangerous UD squad.
Key stretch: In the second quarter, Jess Lockwood singlehandedly turned a 15-10 deficit into a 26-22 halftime lead with all 16 of her team’s points in the frame.
Key players: Jess Lockwood was the undisputed offensive star with 24 points, which included six 3-pointers. She also had 12 rebounds and three steals in a stellar outing. Sophomore point guard Haley Moran added 13 points and five assists. Syd Ralph and Savannah Hayes excelled on the defensive end (more on that later).
For the Cardinals, Emilia Coleman led the way with 20 points, which included four 3-pointers. She also shared the team lead with Ella Morris with five rebounds. Megan Ngo added eight points and four assists. Tamia Clark had eight points, and Bridget DiMartile had seven.
Central Bucks East Liz Potash: “We always battle with Upper Dublin every year. For all 12 years I’ve been at East – even for years they’re not on our schedule, we end up seeing them one or two times. It’s such a great challenge, and it’s such a fun game to play because you know how prepared they’re going to be. They always play at a high level. We always look forward to playing them. To be able to play them at this point in the season a little halfway through – this is a win-win for us tonight.
“We said to the girls all along: ‘All we want to see is you giving them your best effort. We put in the plan, and you execute it. If they make shots that are contested, we can live with it.’ For us to be able to come away with the win, I think it’s great, but we were happy going in with the competition. I told them after the game – we have some really tough games on our schedule this year. This was certainly – if not the toughest – one of the toughest, so we’re just really proud of them that they were able to execute, and we’re happy for them because we’ve had some tough losses. Pennsbury was a real tough loss last week. Nothing against Pennsbury, but it was tough. It was a winnable game, but they obviously deserved that one. We always look forward to playing Upper Dublin, and to come away with a win is even better.
“I thought we played our best game of the season on Tuesday against New Hope, so we had some good momentum going in. I think the hard part now is just being able to maintain it and keep it going. We said to them after the game – ‘Awesome win, but let’s not be satisfied. This is not the highlight of our season, this is just the start, so let’s keep going and keep the momentum rolling as we finish out.’”
--Lockwood is lights out: “Jess Lockwood was unbelievable tonight. We scored 16 in the second quarter, Jess scored 16 in the second quarter. She ended up with 24 points and 12 rebounds. At the end of the game, we were up three, and Upper Dublin had the ball. They were going to go the length of the floor with about six seconds to go, and Jess came up with a huge steal that sealed it. She got it back to Haley (Moran), and she made 1 of 2 to put the game away.
“Jess just had unbelievable game, and I give her a lot of credit because I know how frustrated she’s been. She’s such a good shooter, and she just has been struggling with her outside shot, and all we tell her is – ‘Keep shooting the ball. You’re a shooter, and that’s the only way you’re going to get out of it.’ She’s never had a streak like that. Her shot is so natural, it’s so pretty. I give her a lot of credit because last year she would have not kept shooting. She’s really grown a lot. I’m happy for her and really proud of her for sticking with it. That takes some mental toughness to keep shooting when your shot’s not falling.
“She had six 3s tonight, but she also got inside. She finished some shots mid-range. She was huge. I said to the girls at halftime that I don’t think I’ve ever seen a stat where one kid scores all of our points – 16 is a lot. It’s not like it was a four-point quarter. It’s unbelievable.”
--Defense locked in: “We don’t win tonight without Syd (Ralph) and Savannah (Hayes). The defense they played on (Tamia) Clark was unbelievable. (Clark) was so impressive against O’Hara (20 points in a win). We had very strict defensive game plan coming in, and Syd and Savannah could not have executed it better. I thought those two did an unbelievable job on Clark and made life really hard for her. She’s so good, and we held her to eight points.
“We came out and pressed, and (Coleman) had three 3s right off the bat. We lost her off the press, so that was nine points right there. Once we got out of it and went into a halfcourt, Nat (Berndt) did a great job on her like she always does. What we did to Clark and what Haley (Moran) did to Megan Ngo and what Nat did to Coleman - we worked on it for two days how we would play those three, and I thought those four couldn’t have executed better.”
Upper Dublin coach Morgan Funsten: “At the end of a very draining but successful 10-day period, we needed to find a way to pull a win out. We got off to a solid start up 15-8 after the first quarter, but every 50/50 play seemed to go their way. At times we seemed a little unlucky, but we need to do a better job of making our own luck out there. We thought defending the 3 and rebounding were going to be the keys to the game, and we struggled in both of those categories. We gave up eight 3s for the game, including six in the first half.
“Jess Lockwood got hot in the second quarter off a couple of nice reads by herself and a couple defensive breakdowns by us. We got outrebounded 34-21 in the game and they seemed to be hungrier for the ball than we were. I continue to preach that rebounding is important for our team’s success, but I have to do a better job simulating situations in practice that help us improve in that category. A loss like this can really help our team as long as we learn from the mistakes we made tonight. Our girls are getting a couple of well-deserved days off this weekend and then we need to have some great practices next week as we head down the home stretch.”
Up next: Central Bucks East (11-3, 5-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks South for Tuesday’s Community Night Game, and Upper Dublin (14-3, 4-0) will host Wissahickon Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 10-16-10-11 47
Upper Dublin 15-7-12-9 43
Central Bucks East (47) – Sydney Ralph 2 1-2 5; Haley Moran 5 2-4 13; Emma Penecale 1 0-0 3; Natalie Berndt 0 2-2 2; Jess Lockwood 9 0-1 24; TOTALS 17 5-9 47.
Upper Dublin (43) – Bridget DiMartile 2 1-2 7; Tamia Clark 3 2-2 8; Megan Ngo 2 4-4 8; Emilia Coleman 7 2-2 20; TOTALS 14 9-10 43.
3-point goals: CBE – Jess Lockwood 6, Haley Moran, Emma Penecale. UD - Bridget DiMartile 2, Emilia Coleman 4.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 39, PENNSBURY 36 (OT)
The Lions, who took an 18-15 lead into halftime, needed a fourth quarter rally to send the game into overtime.
Key stretch: Trailing 28-20, New Hope freshman Mary Tresler keyed her team’s comeback with seven fourth-quarter points. Kayla Fennell added a clutch 3. In overtime, the visiting Lions held a 7-4 edge. Izzy Elizondo and Emily Wilson were both 2-for-2 from the foul line, and Fennell added a basket.
Key players: Points didn’t come easily for either side. For the Lions, freshman Mary Tresler’s 11 points led the way while Emily Wilson added 10 – she propelled the Lions to an early 14-9 lead with eight first-quarter points that included two 3s.
For the Falcons, Maggie Burns had 12 points – six in the opening quarter to keep the Falcons close. Sammie Haws added 11 points, including a pair of 3s in a third quarter that saw the Falcons outscore the Lions 13-2 to go into the final frame with a 28-20 lead.
New Hope-Solebury coach Andy Krasna: “Our team chemistry came shining through tonight and allowed us to come from behind in regulation and pull together for a hard-fought win in OT. When you have a group of intelligent, respectful and competitive student-athletes, good results eventually emerge. I feel so fortunate to be able to guide this team with the help of my very talented assistant in Kevin Gallagher.”
--Contributors galore: “All our New Hope players made major contributions. Freshman Danielle Wilson came up with a huge steal and took a timely charge. Freshman Mary Tresler was hitting the boards hard and led us in scoring with 11 points. Izzy Elizondo was the focus for Pennsbury but came up big by knocking down a baseline jumper in the fourth quarter and nailing two free-throws in OT. Kayla Fennell was outstanding and is emerging as a scoring threat for us. She took care of the ball tonight, made great decisions, hit a big-time 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and finished with seven productive points. Ella Dudick was active on defense, blocking and altering shots, and she rebounded with a purpose. And our point guard Emily Wilson is that fearless leader that is so competitive and has that winning mentality. She does what her team needs from her. Tonight, Emily did it all - defend, score, rebound, and lead with a positive voice.
--Tip of the hat: “Pennsbury is so talented. They are young and so well coached. I admire the way Coach Sciolla and the LFE Hoops (Lady Falcons youth program) have worked together with the middle school programs to build something special. The families at Pennsbury are so fortunate to have Coach Sciolla at the helm, something I happen to know firsthand.
“I watched a youthful Coach Sciolla as an assistant to Brad Sharp grow into one of the most respected English teachers and finest high school coaches one could ever be fortunate to have. I learned much of what I know about basketball from Coach Sciolla, by watching and listening to him speak at every opportunity. His influence on my own two children is something I thank him for to this day.
“The large crowds at Pennsbury girls’ games don’t occur spontaneously. It comes from high school coaches, school administrators, and community members working together on behalf of the student-athletes.”
Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla on the game: “New Hope jumped out to a fast start tonight, and they were really led by Mary Tresler, who recorded three and-ones. She’s only a freshman, but she’s physical and she understands her role really well and she plays under control.
“We spent most of the game chasing but we made our normal move in the third quarter and we took control of the game, and we’re up eight points and holding for the last shot in the third quarter when Alyssa Thomas came down with an injury to her ankle. We had two free throws after the injury, but we missed them both, but we went into the fourth quarter with an eight-point lead but without Alyssa Thomas.
“No one needs to tell us what her value has been to us this year and what she brings to the table and if there was any question about that, it was eliminated tonight. We struggled on offense throughout the quarter, and they did a good job getting the game into overtime.
“In overtime, we had the first possession, and we tried to attack their big girl who was much bigger than us, and after failing in that endeavor, we immediately fouled her and then after making her free throws we were chasing again.
“Late in the game, we had a couple fantastic opportunities for steals on inbounds, but we were not able to execute . So, we have new challenges ahead and we have to keep pushing and teaching winning plays at the high school level. and it’s a terrific group so I’m sure we will.”
Up next: New Hope-Solebury (9-5, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Pennridge for a non-league game Saturday (12 noon), and Pennsbury (10-6, 4-1) will be on the road at Harry S Truman Tuesday.
New Hope-Solebury 14-4-2-12-7 39
Pennsbury 9-6-13-4-4 36
New Hope-Solebury (39) – Kayla Fennel 3 0-0 7; Izzy Elizodo 2 2-2 6; Emily Wilson 3 2-2 10; Mary Tresler 4 3-4 11; Ella Dudick 2 1-2 5; TOTALS 14 8-10 39
Pennsbury (36) – Emily Panaro 2 0-0 4; Maggie Burns 6 2-2 14; Sammie Haws 4 0-2 11; Alyssa Thomas 0 1-2 1; Adrianna Oberto 0 1-2 1; Ava Jordan 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 14 4-8 36.
3-point goals: NH-S – Emily Wilson 2, Kayla Fennell; P – Sammie Haws 3, Ava Jordan.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 48, WISSAHICKON 30
Sparked by the 13-point efforts of Audra Lawson and Scarlett Baumgardner, the Bucks had control of this one from the outset. They opened up a 22-11 halftime lead and put the game completely out of reach with an 18-9 third quarter.
Key stretch: The Bucks led by two after one quarter and then kept the Trojans off the scoreboard in the second quarter to go into halftime with a double-digit lead.
Key players: Audra Lawson and Scarlett Baumgardner both played a key role in their team’s fast start, combining for 15 of their team’s 22 first-half points. Both players finished with 13, and both had one 3-pointer.
Central Bucks West coach Zach Sibel: “Tonight was a really good team effort. Early on, we ran into some tough fouls and foul trouble, but as connected teams do, we had a lot of girls really step up to carry the load.”
Props: “Audra Lawson has been a really great spark for us this year, and she came in and was super efficient with the ball. She shot 6-for-9 from the field and had some really great possessions defensively. She’s been a jack of all trades, and it’s been great for us tonight and this season.
“Scarlett Baumgardner was rock solid as well, finishing with 13 points. She had a tough cover on (Katelyn) Thomas— who’s been really good this year, and as a team, we really limited her opportunities.
“Erica Madden really played well also. She’s been a force on defense and got the offense going tonight.
“But there’s so much that doesn’t show up in the points column. Addy Fay was great on the backboard and covering the post, Peyton Cramer had a few shots go in and out, but assisted on six baskets and handled presser, Fallon Darrows and Miya McDaniel gave great minutes. It was definitely a team effort and a win that any coach would be really proud of.”
Wissahickon coach Kathie Sims: “We weren't making smart choices on offense, which ultimately hurt us in the long run. Despite the challenges, the girls played hard and showed resilience. We will use this game as a learning experience and come back stronger.
“Lydia Schultz led the effort with seven points, five rebounds, and three steals. Julia Littieri contributed with six points and six rebounds. Maura Jacob also made her presence felt with five points.”
Up next: Central Bucks West (5-11, 0-5 SOL) will be on the road at North Penn Tuesday, and Wissahickon (3-10, 0-4) will travel to Central Bucks South for a non-league game Saturday (12:30 pm).
Central Bucks West 13-9-18-8 48
Wissahickon 11-0-9-10 30
Central Bucks West (48) – Erica Madden 3 1-2 8; Miya McDaniel 1 1-2 3; Addy Fry 1 1-2 3; Marleigh Mallon 0 1-2 1; Audra Lawson 6 1-2 13; Emily Ladley 2 0-0 5; Scarlett Baumgardner 4 4-8 13; Fallon Darrows 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 18 9-18 48.
Wissahickon (30) – Katelyn Thomas 1 0-0 2; Kai Potter 2 0-3 4; Maura Jacob 2 0-0 5; Julia Lettieri 1 3-4 6; Casey Burden 1 0-0 2; Lydia Schultz 3 1-2 7; Kristen DiGiovanni 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 12 4-6 30.
3-point goals: CBW – Eric Madden, Emily Ladley, Scarlett Baumgardner; W – Maura Jacob, Julia Lettieri.
CHELTENHAM 43, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 40
They don’t get much closer than this one.
The Lady Panthers, who led by one after the first quarter, took a 26-23 lead into halftime. Maya Simmons was a one-woman wrecking crew, leading the Panthers with 17 points.
The Indians erased that deficit with a 12-9 third quarter that was sparked by four points each from both Skyler Wright and Megan Reichenbach. The two teams entered the final quarter deadlocked at 35, and the Lady Panthers won it by edging their hosts 8-5.
Key players: Maya Simmons scored a game-high 21 points to go along with six rebounds and five steals. Cassie Bugg led the Panthers under the backboards with seven rebounds. Zoe Thompson had six points and six rebounds. Jiah Price – in her return to the lineup – had eight points and five rebounds.
For the Indians. Alexa Bondra led the way with 10 points while Megan Reichenbach had nine. Skyler Wright and Sash Galarza both finished with seven.
Up next: Cheltenham (10-2, 5-0 SOL) will host West Chester East in a non-league game Saturday (1:30 pm). Council Rock North (3-12, 1-4) will travel to Avon Grove for a non-league game Saturday (1:15 pm).
Cheltenham 9-17-9-8 43
Council Rock North 8-15-12-5 40
Cheltenham (43) – Jiah Price 3 0-0 8; Paige Powell 1 2-4 4; Maya Simmons 7 5-6 21; Cassie Bugg 0 2-4 2; Marguerite Reimer 1 0-0 2; Zoe Thompson 2 2-2 6; TOTALS 14 11-16 43.
Council Rock North (40) – Skyler Wright 2 1-2 7; Julia Koval 1 2-3 4; Amara Arroyo 1 1-2 3; Sasha Galarza 2 3-4 7; Alexa Bondra 3 4-4 10; Megan Reichenbach 4 0-0 9; TOTALS 13 11-15 40.
3-point goals: C – Jiah Price 2, Maya Simmons 2; CRN – Skyler Wright 2, Megan Reichenbach.
SPRINGFIELD TWP 45, HARRY S TRUMAN 28
The Spartans notched their fourth straight win, opening up an early lead and controlling play the rest of the way.
Key stretch: The Spartans – behind nine points from Ava Culler and six from Keira Brandon – outscored the Tigers 19-7 in the first quarter and never looked back.
Key players: Ava Culler led the Spartans with 22 points – 13 in the first half.
For the Tigers, Julianne Romer led the way with 12 points.
Springfield Twp coach Aileen Wetton: “When you have a really tough, strong game like we had last night (in a win over Hatboro-Horsham), sometimes it’s hard to get back to that, but we still had 45 points. We could have shot better – we didn’t do well at the foul line, and we turned the ball over a little too much.
“We’re still playing good defense and held them to 28. They’re a good group of girls, they want to do well, and they’re pushing and trying really hard. You’re going to struggle shooting sometimes, but your defense can keep you in it. A couple girls came off the bench tonight helped with a couple points here, a couple points there.”
Up next: Springfield Twp (6-10, 0-5 SOL) will host New Hope-Solebury Tuesday, and Harry S Truman (2-11, 0-5) will host Pennsbury Tuesday.
Springfield Twp 19-9-11-6 45
Harry S Truman 7-8-2-11 28
Harry S Truman (28) – Niya Lynch 3 1-2 7; Julianne Romer 5 1-2 12; Camille Monroe 1 0-0 2; Brianna Philemond 1 0-2 3; Mikasia Jones 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 12 2-6 28
Springfield Twp (45) – Caitlin Lewis 2 0-2 4; Olivia Beck 1 1-2 3; Chloe Kaczor 1 0-0 3; Keira Brandon 3 0-2 6; Julia Guicheteau 3 1-4 7; Ava Culler 9 4-9 22; TOTALS 19 6-19 45.
3-point goals: S – Chloe Kaczor; HST – Brianna Philemond, Julianne Romer.
PENNRIDGE 61, HATBORO-HORSHAM 26
The Lady Rams took the suspense out of this one early, opening up a 27-10 lead after one quarter and extending that to 49-14 by halftime on their way to the big non-league win.
Key players: Ella Brown’s 23 points – all in the first half – led the Rams. The Holy Family bound senior had 16 points in the first quarter. Emily DeHaven added 14 points, which included three 3-pointers.
Pennridge coach Jason Rapp: “We had great first half shooting with seven 3-pointers.
“Shoutout to Erin McCormick who chipped in with eight points off the bench. And a great job by Madison Lapp running the show with a bunch of great assists.”
Up next: Pennridge (10-4, 2-3 SOL) will host New Hope-Solebury in a non-league game Saturday (12 noon), and Hatboro-Horsham (3-12, 1-3) will host Abington Tuesday.
Pennridge 26-23-7-5 61
Hatboro-Horsham 10-4-5-7 26
Pennridge (61) – Ella Brown 9 3-3 23; Julia Lenox 0 0-2 0; Emily DeHaven 5 1-1 14; Samantha Murphy 3 2-2 9; Madison Lapp 0 1-2 1; Erin McCormick 3 1-2 8; Allie Smith 1 0-0 2; Layla Verbit 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 23 8-12 61.
Hatboro-Horsham (26) – Angelica Visceglia 1 2-2 4; Madison Duggan 2 0-0 5; Maddy Patel 1 0-0 3; Gabby Fisher 0 0-2 0; Cora Saxer 0 3-4 3; Madison Siegfried 1 0-0 3; Olivia Grant 1 2-2 4; Sarah Gleason 1 0-0 2; Natalie Linn 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 8 7-10 26.
3-point goals: P – Emily DeHaven 3, Ella Brown 2, Samantha Murphy, Erin McCormick; HH – Madison Duggan, Maddy Patel, Madison Siegfried.
NESHAMINY 53, UPPER MORELAND 37
Alena Cofield scored eight first-quarter points, including a pair of 3s, to lead the Redskins to a 15-8 lead after one quarter. They upped their advantage to 33-8 by halftime, shutting out the Golden Bears in the second quarter and putting the game out of reach. Cofield had 12 first-half points while Auslyn Wilkins had seven.
Player of the game: Alena Cofield 16 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals
Also finishing in double figures for the Redskins was Ashlyn Duffy. Grace Weyler added nine points, seven rebounds, two steals, two assists and a block. Auslyn Wilkins also had nine points.
For the Golden Bears, Mikel Lancit had 18 points, including a pair of 3s, and Lianna Adames had 11 with three 3-pointers.
Neshaminy coach John Gallagher on the game: "It seemed as though it was quite a while since we actually had a home game. The court was very good to us this evening as we took early control of the game and even held them scoreless in the second quarter.
“Ashlyn Duffy, for the second game in a row, knocked down three shots from beyond the arc as she is heating up for us at a very good time in our schedule. Auslyn Wilkins also went back-to-back games with much needed bench scoring while notching nine points in extended minutes. Alena was Alena, playing extremely well on both ends of the court and pulling down 14 rebounds in limited minutes. I was pleased with Grace Weyler in how she defended and was very decisive with the ball in her hands. Grace is very valuable to us in transition from offense to defense and then again when we transition from defense to offense. The games come at a furious pace during the month of January for all our league teams. The anticipated snow on Sunday into Monday will further challenge high school sports teams to rearrange schedules into the tight window of game dates for January.
--Props: "I'd like to recognize all the grade school girls who attended our yearly ‘Youth Night’ game this evening. It was a great turnout and the enthusiasm expressed by our younger fans was palpable. The girls joined us pre-game, halftime and post-game in the locker room to gain some insight into what is discussed with the high school players. The cooperation from our middle school coaches and travel teams is appreciated by our staff.
"We had a very good first half, and by taking a big lead, we were able to reward freshman Brinley Buretta with first-half minutes. Brinley was rewarded because of her play and hustle in the JV game. We called a play that had Brinley as the second option, and Hayley Kolk made a great read to find Brinley open along the baseline for her first varsity points."
Up next: Neshaminy (11-4, 4-1 SOL) will face Villa Maria Academy in the Hoops for Hope Classic at Arcadia University (11:30 am). Upper Moreland (7-8, 1-4) will host William Tennent on Tuesday.
Upper Moreland 8-0-11-18 37
Neshaminy 15-18-11-9 53
Upper Moreland (37) – Lianna Adames 4 0-0 11; Mikel Lancit 5 6-8 18; Marie Meyers 2 0-0 6; Hailey Kramer 1 0-2 2; TOTALS 12 6-10 37.
Neshaminy (53) – Grace Weyler 2 5-6 9; Alena Cofield 7 0-0 16; Brinley Buretta 1 0-0 2; Ashlyn Duffy 4 0-0 11; Mia Raivitch 2 2-2 6; Auslyn Wilkins 3 2-2 9; TOTALS 19 9-10 53.
3-point goals: UM – Lianna Adames 3, Mikel Lancit 2, Marie Meyers 2; N – Ashlyn Duffy 3, Alena Cofield 2, Auslyn Wilkins
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 40, SOUDERTON 21
The Colonials led 13-8 after one quarter and extended their lead to 26-15 by halftime. Kenn Winland sparked PW’s offense 15 first-half points that included three 3-pointers. AJ Avery added seven points.
PW outscored Souderton 15-6 in the second half, shutting out the Indians in the third quarter on their way to a win that snapped a six-game losing streak.
Key players: Kenna Winland led the Colonials with 21 points, which included three 3-pointers.
Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Dan Dougherty: “We ended our losing streak with a solid team win today. Souderton came out in zone, which caught us a little off guard. Kenna Winland was able to knock down three 3s, Mia Baron added one as well to get us going in first half. We had 11 assists on 16 made shots for the game."
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-6, 2-2 SOL) will be at Arcadia University for the Hoops for Hope Classic Sunday where the Colonials will face Mount St. Joseph (10 am). Souderton (8-8, 1-4 SOL) will host Pennridge Tuesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 13-12-4-11 40
Souderton 8-7-0-6 21
Plymouth Whitemarsh (40) – Taylor Williams 1 0-0 3; Olivia Patete 1 0-0 2; AJ Avery 3 1-2 7; Kenn Winland 8 2-2 21; Mia Baron 1 0-0 3; Eliza Meersman 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 16 3-4 40.
Souderton (21) – Julia Purvy 4 1-2 9; Madison Bealer 2 2-4 6; Emily Dick 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 9 3-6 21.
3-point goals: PW – Kenna Winland 3, Taylor Williams, Mia Baron.
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