Council Rock North, the district's top seed, has clinched a spot in Wednesday’s District One AAAA semifinals, thanks to its dramatic 39-38 win over rival Central Bucks East on Friday night. Cheltenham and Upper Dublin will be looking to join the Indians on Wednesday but will need quarterfinal wins over Lower Merion and Mount St. Joseph Academy respectively. Council Rock South, William Tennent and North Penn are three of eight teams in the hunt for the ninth and final state playoff berth. All three are playing in must-win games on Saturday.
#5 Lower Merion at #4 Cheltenham, Saturday, Feb. 26, 1:30 p.m.
Cheltenham’s stock has been on the rise since the Lady Panthers stumbled to a pair of losses in the West Chester Holiday Tournament in December.
“After those losses, we really realized we were a better team than that,” senior co-captain Austen Hamler said. “Tiffany (Johnson) sent a text to everybody saying we can’t lose any more games.
“We took it to heart, and we all did our part – getting better, practicing harder and doing everything harder and faster.”
A trademark of Cheltenham squads under coach Bob Schaefer is the fact that they invariably improve over the course of the season.
“At practice every day, we’re going hard, going as fast as we can because we like to play fast,” Hamler said. “We have to simulate a game in practice so that we’ll play like that and even better in the game when the time comes.
“Working hard is one of the biggest things for us at practice.”
Defense has been a key to the success of this year’s squad.
“Defense is a really big part,” Hamler said. “If we’re not having a good offensive night, we can always count on our defense to keep us in the game.
“We do a really good job in our two-three zone. Once we get our defense going, we can hopefully beat teams down the court and get our offense going.”
The Lady Panthers take on a fifth-seeded Lower Merion squad that is on a winning streak of its own. The Aces have won nine straight games.
“We’ know they’re a good team and that they’re well coached,” Hamler said. “They’re the fifth seed, so clearly they have worked hard. We’re ready to play them because we’ve been working hard as well.
“At the beginning of the season, we wanted to have another successful season like we had the previous year – make it to states and hopefully the district final again. We’re really happy with where we’re at right now, but there’s always room to improve.”
About Lower Merion: The Aces have won nine straight games heading into Saturday’s quarterfinal showdown at Cheltenham. They needed a putback at the buzzer by Jesse Porter to escape with a 36-34 win over 12th-seeded Downingtown West on Wednesday. In their opening round contest, the Aces – led by the 15-point effort of Lila Jones – downed Great Valley 33-29. Defense is the name of the game for the Aces, who have scored an average of just 35.6 points a game in their nine-game winning streak.
About Cheltenham: The Lady Panthers bring a 17-game winning streak into Saturday’s quarterfinal game against fifth-seeded Lower Merion. Cheltenham is coming off a 58-41 win over William Tennent that saw the Lady Panthers play the entire second half without junior Christina Coleman (injured shoulder). Ciara ‘CC’ Andrews led the Lady Panthers with 21 points, which included a 10-for-10 effort from the foul line. Austen Hamler added 15 points and nine rebounds. In the Lady Panthers’ 62-25 win over Souderton in the opening round, Andrews scored a game-high 20 points while Hamler and Coleman each added 14 points and eight rebounds.
#7 Upper Dublin at #2 Mount St. Joseph Academy, Saturday, Feb. 26, 1:30 p.m.
The Flying Cardinals are hoping the momentum they gained in their huge second round win over Council Rock South – the program’s first ever over the Golden Hawks – will carry over into Saturday’s showdown at the Mount.
“That was definitely huge,” senior Sarah Hallowell said of the Rock South win. “We kind of felt we were the underdog going in. A lot of people doubted us, and our opening round win against Coatesville wasn’t a huge win for us.
“The Rock South game was a great game to get us rolling in the playoffs. Really, the biggest thing in that game was the heart of everyone. In the second half, every single one of our players showed incredible heart, and that’s why we pulled out the game at the end.”
For Hallowell – one of just a few seniors on a young Upper Dublin roster, earning a trip to states was the culmination of a dream.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “It’s all you could ever ask for. The year before I went to high school was the year Upper Dublin won districts and went to states.
“I never had a chance to be in the state tournament before, and it’s a special thing. It’s great to know that in my last year at Upper Dublin we made it to states. It’s been unreal just to win the first playoff game, and to make it to states when everybody doubted you – that (Rock South) game was one of the best I have ever played in.
“It’s been really fun. The whole season has been like that. We have gotten a lot of support, and that’s really helped us. It’s like a sixth man.”
According to Hallowell, one of the keys to this year’s squad has been its chemistry.
“We have all jelled a lot this year,” she said. “Going out on the floor, we know each other’s weaknesses and strengths, and we’re ready to work together as a team.”
As for Saturday’s date with the Mount, Hallowell knows it will be a challenge, but the senior guard is looking forward to it.
“A lot of us know some of their players pretty well,” she said. “We know they have their big girl, Steph Smith, down low, so we have to shut her down.
“Mary Jo Horgan – we know she can shoot from pretty much anywhere. We definitely have to stop those two and the rest of their balanced team. We know we’re going to have our hands full, but I think we can handle it.
“Playing Cheltenham has gotten us ready for the rest of the season and the playoffs. The high intensity of those games really sets the tone for what we see in the playoffs.”
About Upper Dublin: The Flying Cardinals have won 18 of 19 games after losing two of their first four games to open the season. The only loss Upper Dublin has suffered since its Dec. 17 was a 50-48 setback to second-seeded Cheltenham. Two of Upper Dublin’s three losses have been to the Lady Panthers. In Tuesday’s second round 53-48 win over Council Rock South, the Flying Cardinals were led by the 15-point effort of Taylor Bryant while Curtrena Goff added 11 points. Lauren Rothfeld scored 10 points, and Sarah Hallowell added nine to a balanced attack. In Upper Dublin’s 40-36 opening round win over Coatesville, Hallowell had nine points, Tori Waters, eight points, and Goff, seven points.
About Mount St. Joseph Academy: The Magic opened their season with 18 straight wins before falling to Archbishop Prendergast 43-39 on Jan. 23. They also lost to Nazareth Academy and Villa Maria but are coming off a pair of convincing district tournament wins. In their opening round 58-31 rout of Bishop Shanahan, the district’s second-seeded team was led by the 19-point effort of Lehigh-bound Mary Jo Horgan. Teammate Steph Smith, who will play at Loyola, added 13 points and 13 rebounds. In Tuesday’s 67-31 romp over West Chester Rustin, the Magic was led by the 13-point effort of Cailin Schmeer, a transfer from Hatboro-Horsham. Horgan and Bridget Higgins both added 11 points while Smith had 10 points and 18 rebounds.
DISTRICT ONE AAAA CONSOLATION GAMES
#15 West Chester Rustin at #10 Council Rock South, Saturday, Feb. 26, 1:30 p.m.
About Council Rock South: The Golden Hawks watched a 10-point first half lead disappear in its 53-48 loss to Upper Dublin in Tuesday’s second round game. Alex Wheatley led the Indians with a game-high 22 points while sophomore point guard Alexis Hofstaedter added 14 points. In the Golden Hawks’ 48-34 opening round win over Unionville, Wheatley contributed 19 points and 18 rebounds while Hofstaedter and Courtney Brown each added nine. Brooke Beidler chipped in with eight.
About West Chester Rustin: Rustin has lost three of its four last games, including Tuesday night’s 67-31 loss to second-seeded Mount St. Joseph. Emily Hubley led Rustin with nine points while Sam Zang and Miriah Powell each added eight points. In opening round action, Rustin notched a 47-35 win over Upper Darby.
#13 William Tennent at #12 Downingtown West, Saturday, Feb. 26, 1:30 p.m.
About William Tennent: The Panthers saw their three-game winning streak snapped when they fell to Cheltenham 58-41 in Tuesday’s second round. The Panthers were led by the 11-point effort of senior Ashley Alden while Rachael Mueller and Liz Koval each added seven points. In Tennent’s 63-50 opening round win over Plymouth Whitemarsh, Alden had a team-high 18 points while Allison Chatburn added 11. Koval and Melissa Horn both added eight points.
About Downingtown West: The Whippets lost to Lower Merion on a buzzer-beater (38-36) in Tuesday’s second round. In Downingtown West’s opening round 52-38 win over Haverford, Elizabeth Coyne contributed 19 points and 12 rebounds while junior guard Brittany Sicinski added 16 points and nine rebounds.
#16 North Penn at #9 Spring-Ford, Saturday, Feb. 26, 1:30 p.m.
About North Penn: The Maidens rallied from a 26-15 halftime deficit against Council Rock North to make things interesting before falling to the top-seeded Indians in Tuesday’s second round. Steph Knauer led the Maidens with 13 points and 12 rebounds while sophomore Lauren Crisler added eight points. In the Maidens’ opening round 49-42 win over Abington, they rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit to earn the win. Knauer scored all of her game-high 17 points in the second half. She also had 12 rebounds. Crisler and point guard Brenda McDermott each added 13 points.
About Spring-Ford: The Rams trailed 28-14 in Tuesday’s second round game at Central Bucks East but rallied to pull to within five, but the Patriots held on for the win. Sarah Payonk led the Rams with nine points while Meg Yates had six. In Spring-Ford’s opening round 64-56 win over Neshaminy, the Rams received double-figure efforts from Courtney Hinnant (19 points), Yates (14 points), Sammy Stipa (13 points) and Mariah Traywick (10 points). Hinnant also had 12 rebounds in a game that saw the Rams use a 19-8 fourth-quarter explosion to earn the come-from-behind win.
- Log in to post comments
0
