National Conference
Abington 43, Council Rock South 36In a key battle of National Conference powers, the Ghosts prevailed. Junior Aiyannah Peal led the way offensively with 16 points while Jessica Schmidt added 11 points.
“This was definitely a big game,” Schmidt said. “We knew we had to come out strong. They’re one of the top teams in our league, and we had to come out and prove that we weren’t a 5-3 team, and we want to compete and win our league.
“This was a huge win and a huge confidence booster. This was a competitive game, and it just felt good to win.”
Alex Wheatley led the Golden Hawks with 14 points, but two of those points came in the closing seconds with the outcome decided.
“I knew defending her was my main goal in the game,” said Schmidt. “I was really excited to play her.
“Really just keeping her off the boards was the toughest thing. We ran a great double at her, and she really couldn’t get any shots off. Definitely keeping her off the boards kept her from scoring.”
Schmidt actually picked up her third foul with 1:30 remaining in the first period and sat out the remainder of the half. She played the entire second half and did not pick up her fourth foul until 50 seconds remained in the game.
“Jess Schmidt was phenomenal tonight,” coach Dan Marsh said. “She came out in the third quarter and did a great job on Wheatley.
“Aiyannah was great. She scored a bunch of points early, and they had to put Wheatley on Aiyannah, and that opened things up for Jess. We knew what we had to do, and I think we frustrated them with our double teaming of Wheatley. We played really good team defense.”
The loss was the first in SOL play for the Hawks (3-1) while the Ghosts upped their record to 3-1 as a result of the win.
“I was really proud of the girls,” Marsh said. “We really came to play.
“We weren’t pretty offensively, but we did enough to get it done.”
Marsh pointed to his team’s defense as well as its foul shooting as keys to the win. The Ghosts were 14-of-19 from the free throw line with Chynna West connecting on a perfect 6-for-6 while contributing eight points and seven assists.
Peal led the Ghosts under the backboards with 10 rebounds.
“Basically, we had to rebound,” Schmidt said. “That was our main goal from the very beginning – to keep them off the boards, get the rebounds and push the ball.
“We had a size advantage with Aiyanna, Sarah (Listenbee) and me. They came at us a bunch of times, but we stayed calm. We knew we had the game.”
The win upped the defending district champion Ghosts’ overall record to 6-3, and according to Marsh, this was a big one.
“I’m always wondering - can we be as strong as we were last year,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “We’re a completely different team, but this kind of win at their place really makes me feel better about where we’re going to be.
“I know we played a tough schedule, and it’s way early, and you never know what’s going to happen, but this is a big win, and we feel good about it.”
Neshaminy 44, Bensalem 38
The Redskins needed a furious fourth quarter rally to defeat the Owls, outscoring the Owls 16-4 in the final frame to earn the win.
“I guess you could say our defensive pressure was pretty effective,” coach Joanne McVey said. “I think we played more of our brand of basketball later in the game.
“We were pretty disappointed with our foul shooting early. It was a mediocre offensive effort early, but we put things together in the fourth quarter.”
Megan Shaffer led the Redskins with 13 points while Amanda Lally added 11 points and Jen Slivka, nine points.
The Redskins improved to 2-2 in league play while the Owls fell to 1-3.
Council Rock North 68, Pennsbury 35
Sparked by the dazzling 25-point effort of Devin Gold, the Indians continued their dominance of SOL opponents. Included in Gold’s offensive outburst were five three-pointers. Emily Grundman added 12 points and Alyssa Dumont, 11 points. Helena Gemmell pulled down nine rebounds.
The red hot Indians (7-0 overall) sprinted to a 20-6 lead at the end of one quarter and upped that lead to 38-13 by halftime on their way to their fourth straight win in league play.
The Falcons fell to 1-3 in SOL play.
William Tennent 57, Harry S. Truman 21
Ashley Alden led the Panthers with 19 points while Rachel Mueller added 12 points and Liz Koval, 11 points. Tennent sprinted to a 36-3 lead at halftime over the Tigers, who fell to 0-4 in league play. The Panthers are 2-2 in the SOL.
Continental Conference
Central Bucks South 36, North Penn 32
Kelsey Herrmann smiled and insisted she is every bit of 5’ 5 ¾” tall.
That would be fine if Herrmann played guard, but that’s not the case, and in Friday’s game, the senior forward was given the unenviable task of defending 6-0 center Steph Knauer. She turned in a stellar effort.
“Coach Mattern told us we should front her in the post,” Herrmann said. “I just kept her behind me, did what I could and boxed her out when the shots went up.
“We have always been good with help defense underneath. I was confident my teammates would be there if I fronted her.”
That confidence was well-founded. Knauer scored nine first-half points – seven in a 16-point second quarter, but she did not have a point in a second half that saw the Titans erase an eight-point deficit, thanks to their suffocating defense.
“She played the game of her life,” coach Beth Mattern said of Herrmann. “That was pure heart, pure guts and determination to give the effort she gave tonight. She played great.”
Herrmann wasn’t the only Titan to turn in a huge effort. Brittany Kaewell was the lone player on either side to finish in double figures, scoring 16 points, 10 in a huge second-half effort, but it wasn’t offense that won this one for the Titans. It was defense.
The Titans found themselves staring at a 28-20 deficit with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter after sophomore Lauren Crisler buried a shot for the Maidens. By the end of the third quarter, the Titans had trimmed that deficit to 28-25, and when Tori Steinberg scored to open the fourth quarter, it was a one-point game.
The Titans took their first lead since early in the game when Kaewell buried a short jumper off the dribble, but Erin Maher answered with a bucket for the Maidens, who led 32-31 with 2:46 remaining.
A minute later, Kaewell scored on a putback to put the Titans on top by one. Alysha Lofton came up with the rebound of a Maiden miss, and Kate McMenamin – despite being fouled – scored on a tough shot at the other end, putting the Titans on top 35-32. With time winding down, Lofton sealed the win when she deflected the ball away from the Maidens near midcourt.
The Maidens managed just one field goal in the final 12 minutes and 30 seconds of the game.
“We just needed to make sure we put pressure on their guards, so that it was tough for them to get it to Steph Knauer inside,” Kaewell said. “It just showed that we wanted it more.
“This is one of our goals to beat North Penn because we know it would be such an accomplishment if we won.”
Maiden point guard Brenda McDermott tipped her hat to the Titans’ defense.
“Last year we had trouble with their defense,” she said. “They were in your face, fierce pressure defense.
“We built an eight-point lead, but in the second half, we reverted back to our old ways – the way we played last year. We were throwing the ball away, we couldn’t handle their pressure. We definitely struggled with their defense, which threw our offense off.
“They’re very scrappy. I think they’re one of the best teams in our conference.”
According to Mattern, defense is a point of emphasis at practices.
“We have developed so much faith in our defense,” the Titans’ coach said. “It’s what we’re best at.
“I can’t say enough about how hard my team works. We gambled, and we got beat sometimes, but with every reward, there’s a risk. I felt like if our post played well we would match up well. I thought all of them stepped up. This is probably our best all-around game we have had all season.”
While the Titans improved to 3-1 in league play, the Maidens dropped to 2-2.
“In the first half, we showed a lot of composure and did what we wanted to do for the most part,” said Maiden coach Maggie deMarteleire, whose team led 22-16 at the half. “They do a good job in the passing lanes, and (Alysha Lofton) is a very good defender. We lost our composure. We had a lot of five-second calls. We need to obviously fix that.”
McDermott and Knauer led the Maidens with nine points each.
Central Bucks East 49, Central Bucks West 43
In a battle of neighboring rivals, the Patriots held the Bucks to just 10 first-half points (and no first-quarter field goals) on their way to a 21-10 halftime lead. The second half was another story entirely as the Patriots outscored the Bucks 33-28 in a shootout.
“Defensively in the first half – that was clearly the kind of defense we think we can play,” East coach Tom Lonergan said. “We were just suffocating and double digits in (West) turnovers.
“The second half was completely different. I give credit, number one, because West wouldn’t quit, and the front line for us was tired. Quite honestly, I did not do as good a job as I did in the first half of subbing, but I told the girls - that doesn’t bother me because I know that’s correctable.”
Courtney McManus led all scorers with 15 points – 12 in a torrid second half.
“She struggled in the first half,” Lonergan said of McManus. “She was 1-for-8 from the field but finished with 15. She came up real big and hit some big shots.
“It seemed like she was hitting key shots whenever West made a run. For most of the second half, she was able to maintain a 10-11 point lead for us with a three here and a jumper there. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that they started to cut into the lead. The closest they got was six.”
McManus hit a pair of clutch foul shots down the stretch, and Karoline White connected on a pair of foul shots with 2:08 remaining after the Bucks had trimmed East’s lead to six.
“We kept it at a three-possession game, which was huge,” Lonergan said. “The guards got plenty of rotation in both halves, and I thought they did a good job.
“To West’s credit, they kept coming at us, coming at us, coming at us. They never backed down at all. It was the combination of West not backing off and playing for 32 minutes and our front line tiring, and I take the blame for that.”
Kelly Lindsey added 12 points for the Patriots, and Melissa Remmey had 10 points. The Bucks were led by the 13-point effort of Amanda Parker. Jen Fabien added nine points.
The Patriots (4-0) are perfect in league play while the Bucks fell to 2-2.
Hatboro-Horsham 56, Pennridge 53 (OT)
The Hatters needed overtime, but they broke a five-game losing streak with their win over the Rams. Early on, it looked as though the Hatters had complete command of the game as they opened up a 16-4 lead at the end of one quarter and still led 26-13 at halftime.
They took a 39-25 lead into the fourth quarter when the Rams went on a 22-8 tear to knot the score 47-47. The Hatters were 3-of-10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. For the game, they connected on 20-of-38 while the Rams were 26-of-37 from the charity stripe.
“We were totally in control of the game and couldn’t make a shot or a foul shot in the fourth quarter and let them tie it up,” Hatboro coach Steve Flynn said. “Actually, both teams are evenly matched.
“They fought hard. They made foul shots at the end, and we didn’t make any shots. We were fortunate to get a little bit of a cushion early in overtime, and we ended on hanging on for dear life. A call here or a call there, and either team could have won.”
The Hatters were once again led by their one-two punch of Alicia Hayes (17 points) and Becca Purtell (15 points). Lindsey Day – who has been filling in at point guard since the Hatters lost Carly Bixler (injury) – had eight points.
“We just don’t have any experience,” Flynn said. “We have a decent group of young players. We’ll be decent down the road.”
The Rams, who fell to 0-4 in league play, were led by the 13-point effort of Jordan Rimmer while Jenny Cooley added 12 points. The Hatters evened their record at 2-2 in the league.
Souderton 57, Quakertown 33
Junior Carley Kendall scored 14 points while teammate Gabby McAndrews added 12 – which included four three-pointers – to lead the Indians to the decisive win. Freshman Bianca Picard added eight points, and Erin Reagan, seven points.
For the Panthers, Lauren Starzecky scored 16 points and Brittany Buaonanno Taylor added 12 points.
The Panthers trailed by just a 19-14 score at the end of a high-scoring first quarter, but the Indians went on a 14-4 second-quarter tear to go into halftime with a commanding 33-18 lead.
While the Indians improved to 3-1, the Panthers (0-4) remained winless.
American Conference
Upper Dublin 57, Norristown 31
Taylor Bryant scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Flying Cardinals while Curtrena Goff added 11 points, and Lauren Rothfeld had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Tyshay Britten led the Eagles with 12 points.
The Flying Cardinals led 12-7 at the end of one quarter and blew the game wide open with a 19-5 second-quarter tear to go into halftime with a 31-12 lead.
Upper Dublin is 3-1 in league play while the Eagles are 2-2.
Cheltenham 57, Plymouth Whitemarsh 36
The Lady Panthers (4-0) remained perfect in SOL play, opening up a 28-21 halftime lead on their way to the win. Gabby Schumacher led the Colonials with 15 points while Alex Borkowski added eight points and eight rebounds.
Wissahickon 44, Upper Moreland 21
The Trojans are 3-1 in league play while the Golden Bears fell to 0-3.
Upper Merion 45, Pottstown 40
The Vikings rallied from a late-game deficit to earn the non-league win.
“It was an up and down game,” coach Tom Schurtz said. “We missed a lot of shots today. We had one of those days where we couldn’t get the ball to go in the basket.
“We started trying to make things happen that were maybe a little out of sync, and you look up in the fourth quarter, and we were losing.”
The game was tied 40-40 with three minutes remaining. Kristina O’Sullivan scored on a putback to give the Vikings a lead they would not lose. O’Sullivan finished with 10 points. Cassidy Koenig led the Vikings with 14 points while M.J. Valeri had 12 points.
“Sometimes you have games like this where you play three games in a week, and your legs are a little tired,” Schurtz said. “You miss a couple of shots, and things just spin out of control.
“To be down in the fourth quarter and to have at no point anything going your way, I give the girls credit for finding a way to win on a bad night. We couldn’t get anything to go right but we won. It’s better to take an ugly win than a pretty loss.”
The Vikings are 4-7 overall.
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