National Conference
Red hot Redskins – Neshaminy has been the hottest team out of the gate in the SOL.
The Redskins are 3-0 with impressive wins over Villa Joseph Marie (43-32), Central Bucks West (56-38) and North Penn (43-31).
Not a bad start for a team that lost its big gun from last season – Kelsey Ryan – and 31 points per game to graduation.
“What we’re doing so well – we have a lot of kids contributing,” coach Joanne McVey said. “In each game, someone stepped up in a big way, but everybody on the floor is contributing in some way.“We’re somewhat of a balanced team with different kids stepping up at different times. Thankfully, they’re doing it when we need it. The nice part about this type of team is no one can come in and say, ‘We’re going to shut down so and so.’ It’s a pleasure to coach a team that’s a team.
“Not that our teams in the past weren’t – we always had good camaraderie, but last year we had Kelsey Ryan, and you could key on her. This year not one player stands out as the player who will kill you.”
In the Redskins’ big win over Villa, senior center Shannon Barlow had 14 points and 17 rebounds.
“Villa has a big kid inside, and we got her in foul trouble early, and Shannon goes off and scores 14,” McVey said.
In the Redskins’ win over West, senior Amanda Lally had a team-high 15 points, but it was freshman point guard Megan Shaffer who set the tone for the game with an impressive 11-point, nine-assist performance.
“That team is going to win a lot of games,” McVey said of West. “Megan just really controlled the game. Obviously, basketball is not her number one sport, but she’s a tremendous athlete and a tremendous competitor.
“Some freshmen come in and they defer. It’s not like she takes over by any stretch, but she does what she needs to do at the time. She’s a winner. She’s successful because she finds a way. She has great speed, and she’s a pleasure to coach.
“The kids get along with her great, and she’s one of those kids that make the players around her better. Not only Megan, but other players are making their teammates better. It’s just a pleasure to be in the gym.”
In Wednesday’s win over a North Penn, Lally had another big night, contributing 18 points, six steals, five rebounds and three assists. The Maidens came into the game with a 2-0 record after winning the title in the Methacton Tip-Off Tournament.
“I saw them play Downingtown West, and we knew we would have our hands full coming in,” McVey said. “North Penn has a really nice team. They have a great combination of height, speed and guard play.
“We tried to prepare the kids for what was coming, and they really played hard, and they played well.”
The Redskins take their 3-0 mark into Friday night’s SOL opener against defending district champion Abington, and McVey recognizes her team's work has just begun.
“As a staff, we weren’t sure coming in because we lost Kelsey Ryan, we had a freshman point guard – how were we going to do and where were we going to get our scoring,” McVey said. “We have a ton of work to do moving forward, but we couldn’t ask to be in a better position than we are right now.
“We told them – we have to put these three games behind us. We have to keep working because everyone else is going to get better. We’re where we want to be, but we have a lot of work to do.”
Continental Conference
A team effort – Carley Kendall laughed when the subject of Bianca Picard’s older brother A.J. came up in conversation after Souderton’s season-opening 48-43 win over Christopher Dock on Wednesday night.
“They look exactly alike,” the Indians’ junior center said of the two siblings.
The two also play a lot alike as well, and in the case of the Indians, that can’t help but be a good thing. A.J., it turns out, was quite a player. He not only received a full basketball scholarship to Goldey-Beacom, he also was a 1,000-point scorer who was named the Continental Conference’s Player of the Year last year and also earned all-state recognition.
On Wednesday night, A.J. was in the stands for his sister’s varsity debut.
“It really does mean a lot,” Picard said. “I wouldn’t be half the person I am today without the support of my brother and my family. They mean everything to me.”
Inspired by her brother’s presence, Bianca had herself quite a debut. She not only capably directed the Indians at point guard, she also scored 11 points and delivered perhaps the game’s biggest play down the stretch.
Picard’s clutch play came when the Pioneers, trailing by three, misfired on a shot, and after the Indians turned the ball over after pulling down the defensive board, Picard came up with a huge steal and then calmly buried both ends of a one-and-one to put the Indians on top 48-43 with 40 seconds remaining.
“My team has always been there for me and always pulled me up,” Picard said. “When I make turnovers, they always have my back and stand behind me.
“It’s a team effort. If one person misses a shot, the next person is there to rebound. We’re all in this thing together. When it comes down to it, my teammates pull me back up, which is great because not many teams have that ability.”
Souderton’s roster this season is filled with many new – and young – faces. The Indians lost junior guard Liz Mower, who averaged close to 10 points a game, to a torn ACL before the season even started.
Throw in the graduation of veteran guards Brittany Sandone and Averie Brittin, and it looked like the Indians were in for some serious rebuilding.
In Wednesday’s win, three players – Elizabeth Wetzler, Picard and Erin Reagan – finished the game in double figures, scoring 12, 11 and 10 points respectively. None of those names are exactly household words, even for fans of Souderton basketball.
Wetzler, only a sophomore, is the lone player in that group to see varsity action last year. She also pulled down six rebounds to go with her team-high 12 points.
“She’s come a long way,” coach Lynn Carroll said.
So has Reagan, a junior who played jayvee last season, and then there’s Picard, who’s only a freshman.
Kendall, the Indians’ top returning player, contributed eight points and eight rebounds.
“We’re a very new team this year,” Kendall said. “We have been trying so hard to get everyone incorporated and everyone part of the core team – not just two or three players standing out.
“We have been trying to get to where we should be. We’re definitely young at guard. Bianca and Katie (O’Connor) are both freshmen, but they handle the pressure like they’ve been here for years.”
The young Indians – who have just one senior on their roster – had the composure to withstand a serious comeback by a veteran Dock squad down the stretch. The Pioneers, who trailed by as many as nine early in the second half, cut the Indians’ lead to two with a minute-and-a-half to play. The Indians refused to fold.
“We’re such a young team,” Carroll said. “In a situation like that, you never know how it’s going to turn out.
“Plays at the end were very crucial – it was a matter of winning or losing the game, and it was like they had been there before. It did not look like the first time. I was extremely impressed, but I am not surprised. Their work ethic and determination at practice every day – for a group so young – is pretty impressive. The composure they showed at the end – I was amazed.”
The Indians will face their first SOL test on Friday when they take on a much-improved Central Bucks West squad.
American Conference
Andrews is Lady Panthers’ go-to girl – In a season filled with a lot of question marks, coach Bob Schaefer knew one thing with complete certainty. Junior Ciara ‘CC’ Andrews would have to come up big if the Lady Panthers entertained thoughts of having a successful season.
“I really have been on her since last year that she’s got to be our go-to player, but she had not displayed a personality for that,” the Lady Panthers’ veteran coach said. “Even in our scrimmages, she wasn’t doing what I was expecting her to do.
“It came to game time, and she upped her game to where we want to see it every time.”
So impressive was Andrews that even though the Lady Panthers fell to Spring-Ford and finished second in the Hazleton Tournament, the junior guard – who scored 31 points in the title game - was named the tournament MVP.
“That’s very unusual,” Schaefer said. “But she put on a display in the final game – everybody there was amazed.
“She must have made eight 12 to 16-foot jump shots in a row. Every time we thought, ‘Now we’re done. How are we going to score?’ CC banged a 12-footer. It really was something. They had us by 12 points for a long period of time, and they thought it was going to be a walk in the park, and it looked like it was going to be a walk in the park.
“Then all of a sudden we started changing the pace of the game, and we started inching our way back, and oh my god, CC just took over.”
Andrews had 14 points in the second half after a 17-point first half. Only five of her 31 points came from the foul line as the junior sharpshooter connected on 13 field goals.
“That’s a real nice performance,” Schaefer understated.
Tiffany Johnson added 15 points in the title game – the rest of the team had just 12 points combined.
“That sort of spells out our problems,” Schaefer said.
In the Lady Panthers’ opening round win over Abington Heights, Andrews had 24 points – 16 in the first half.
In Cheltenham’s 58-28 romp over Springfield on Wednesday, Christina Coleman had 13 points – as did Andrews in limited action.
“Christina Coleman is coming on nicely,” Schaefer said. “I’ve been saying for a year and a half, ‘This kid could be a real player.’
“I’m very disappointed that our team in general didn’t do their own individual work in the offseason, and therefore, we’re a little behind. Last year, we had eight kids that probably played nearly every day and really worked on their own. That made a difference. This team has to come along a lot faster because they’re not as far along as they should be.”
The Lady Panthers head into Friday night’s opener at Upper Dublin with a 2-1 mark.
“I said to the kids, ‘I don’t usually talk to you about winning or losing, and if you play your best, I’m satisfied, but the truth of the matter is, even though it’s only our fourth game – this game against Upper Dublin could determine the league championship,’” Schafer said. “I said, ‘I want you to be ready to play, and play your best. If you play your best and lose, that’s fine.’ We’ll see what happens.”
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