Check out the winners in Friday night’s SOL openers. To view action photos of the Cheltenham/Upper Dublin game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
American Conference
CHELTENHAM 51, UPPER DUBLIN 41
WYNCOTE – Jiana Clark’s eyes widened when asked how much her team’s win over Upper Dublin in Friday night’s SOL opener meant in the context of a long season.
“Oh, a lot,” the Cheltenham senior said. “It’s going to be tough when we go to their place later this season.”
While it was only one game – and the first league game of the season at that, Friday’s contest had championship implications. The two teams have annually battled it out for the conference’s top spot, and the atmosphere at this one suggested there was a whole lot at stake.
“I love playing them, especially at home because the fans are here and the spirit is just up,” Clark said. “It was fun, and it was a very good win.”
What was ‘a very good win’ for the Lady Panthers was a very disappointing loss for the Flying Cardinals, who found themselves deadlocked at 41-41 with under three minutes remaining only to watch the game slip away.
“We made a couple of mental mistakes at the end and couldn’t make the shot when we needed a shot,” Upper Dublin coach Vince Catanzaro said. “That’s what it comes down to. You’ve got to make shots, and we didn’t.”
The Flying Cardinals knotted the scored 41-41 when Lauren Rothfeld buried a baseline jumper with 2:42 remaining. On the Lady Panthers’ ensuing possession, Ciara ‘CC’ Andrews, who was fouled going to the basket, buried a pair from the charity stripe. It marked the beginning of the end for the Flying Cardinals, who could not buy a basket the rest of the way.
Andrews, meanwhile, spent the game’s final minutes camped on the foul line. She was a perfect 10-for-10 in the final 2:14 and scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter.
“There’s not much you can do if you can’t keep CC from getting the ball,” Catanzaro said. “Once she gets the ball, that’s the end of the story until you foul her. It’s not coming out of her hands.
“Give Cheltenham a lot of credit. CC is tough, and Bob did a great job. We weren’t ready to get it done. We have to work at it harder.”
The Flying Cardinals – who were led by the 17-point effort of Taylor Bryant – had the upper hand early in Friday’s game. They opened up a 17-11 lead at the end of one quarter, sparked by six points from both Bryant and Rothfeld. Bryant connected on a pair of first-quarter treys while teammate Curtrena Goff, who had five points, also buried a trey.
Back-to-back baskets by Shayla Peoples and Clark made it a 17-16 game, but Rothfeld answered with a bucket. The Flying Cardinals still led by three (21-18) after a Goff basket, but Clark buried a shot from long range to make it a 21-20 game. “CC is our main scorer, and people were shutting her down, so I needed to step up,” said Clark, who scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half. “I needed to put the ball in the basket to help my team.”
The Lady Panthers went on top 22-21 after Andrews scored on a putback, and when Ming Seawright scored after an offensive rebound late in the half, Cheltenham led 25-21 going into halftime. The senior center had six of her nine rebounds in the first half.
“The key for me is looking where the girl is shooting and then try to find the closest person to me and boxing them out,” said Seawright, who also scored eight points. “I knew rebounding was going to be a big key.”
In the second quarter, the Lady Panthers outscored the Flying Cardinals 14-4.
“They shot very well in the first (quarter), and we didn’t,” coach Bob Schaefer said. “But we made enough plays to stay in the game. They went up, and we just played our steady game, whatever that is, and we got on top a little, made a couple of baskets when we had to.
“(Jiana) had a couple of nice baskets when we weren’t getting them from CC, and Ming, of course, cleaned the boards very well. They were tough though.”
The Flying Cardinals went on top 33-31 after Kayla McAneney banked home a trey from the top of the circle late in the third quarter, but three straight points from Christina Coleman – who finished with seven points and nine rebounds – sent the Lady Panthers into the final quarter with a 34-33 lead.
Back-to-back baskets by Coleman and Andrews to open the fourth quarter put the Lady Panthers on top 38-33, but Bryant answered with a three-point play. Ming scored three straight points for the Lady Panthers only to watch Bryant convert another three-point play, making it a 41-39 game. A Cheltenham turnover set the stage for Rothfeld’s equalizer. The rest of the game belonged to Andrews.
According to Bryant, the difference in the game could be summed up in one word.
“Rebounding,” the senior guard said. “I know Ming (Seawright) got quite a few rebounds that we should have had, even some that we did have and lost. It’s something we need to work on.
“I really thought we had it – there was no doubt in my mind that we had them. I can’t really explain what happened. We gave it our best effort. We’ll come back at it the next time.”
UPPER MERION 48, NORRISTOWN 38
Junior Kristina O’Sullivan and freshman Reggie Robinson each scored 12 points while Cassidy Koenig and MJ Valeri both added nine to lead the Vikings.
“Our freshman stepped up big,” coach Tom Schurtz said of Robinson. “She was dominant. She’s only 5-9, but she did a tremendous job covering their big girl (Tyshay Britten). Reggie also hit a huge three-pointer in the third.
“The one thing I was really, really happy with was even though we didn’t get any scoring from our bench, we got a lot of substantial minutes from our substitutes. We weren’t in tremendous foul trouble, but we were in a little foul trouble, and we got nice contributions from everybody that was on the floor tonight.”
The Vikings fell behind early but came back to take a 10-8 lead at the end of one quarter. They still led by just two (24-22) at halftime but outscored the Eagles 13-10 in the third quarter and 11-6 in the fourth.
The Vikings – after burying 20-of-26 from the charity stripe in their preceding game – connected on just 10-of-27 in Friday’s win.
Britten led the Eagles with 11 points while Steph DiNolfi, Nicole Graham and Briana Hedgebeth each had eight points.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 47, WISSAHICKON 36
The Trojans led 5-1 after a first quarter of limited offense for both teams, but the Colonials exploded for 21 second-quarter points and took a 22-12 lead into halftime. The Trojans trimmed that lead to 31-26 at the end of three quarters, but PW closed out the game with a 16-10 fourth quarter.
Gabby Schumacher led the Colonials with 14 points, which included a pair of treys. Simone Jacques scored 10 points while Erin Martin and Maya Thomas both added nine points for PW.
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 32, NORTH PENN 24
For those who thought the Patriots might relinquish their conference crown without so much as a whimper after dropping their first two games of the season, guess again.
On Friday night, coach Tom Lonergan worked his magic and came up with a defensive game plan to top all defensive game plans, limiting the Maidens – who were averaging 58 points a game – to less than half that total. Even more impressive was the fact that the dangerous duo of Steph Knauer and Lauren Crisler combined to score just four points. Crisler, who was averaging close to 18 PPG through three games, had only one point.
“It was definitely a complete team effort,” Lonergan said. “One of the last things I said coming out of the locker room was, ‘Defense is what is going to win it tonight,’ and it would take a team effort to do that.”
Lexi Scrivano – who led the Patriots with eight points – was assigned the task of containing Crisler. When Scrivano found herself in foul trouble, she was relieved of her duties by Margaret Ann Hubbell.
“Those two did a tremendous job on Crisler,” Lonergan said. “Courtney Webster and Lindsey Kelly did a tremendous job on Knauer, and Shannon Devlin did an unbelievable job of keeping (point guard) Brenda McDermott in front of her, and the other players knew what their roles were and to help when they could. Some of them gave up points, but they didn’t make it easy.”
The Panthers had a five-point at the end of one quarter and clung to a 13-12 lead at halftime.
“They really sagged and protected the paint,” said Maiden coach Maggie DeMarteleire, whose team shot a collective 4-for-21 in the first half. “They dared us to beat them from the outside, and we did not.”
The Patriots continued to work their defensive magic in the second half, outscoring the Maidens 19-12 in the final 16 minutes for the big win.
“We came crashing down to earth, and that’s not a bad thing at this time of year,” deMarteleire said. “I knew with them losing two games and practicing all week – I knew he would have them really well prepared, and they were. They played very well and we did not, but as long as it’s a learning experience, that’s the main thing.”
The Maidens brought a 3-0 record into the game.
“That’s a very good North Penn team,” Lonergan said. “They have a very good complement of players.”
Lonergan warned his players to keep the win in perspective.
“We all remember how low we felt this time last week,” the veteran coach said of his team’s 39-37 loss to Garnet Valley in its season opener. “The next day (against Notre Dame) – although we felt we played a lot stronger and with more intensity – we still found ourselves on the short end of the score.
“At the beginning of the week, it was kind of hard for them to get themselves up and get themselves motivated. We know how we felt and how important it was to put it behind us. It was the same thing tonight. It was a great win. I said, ‘You guys played great and played as a team. Go home and enjoy it tonight, but tomorrow morning we start working for the next game.’ You can’t get caught up with the lows, and you can’t get caught up with the highs. You have to keep plugging away.”
SOUDERTON 34, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 32
The Indians – who connected on just 13-of-47 shots in the game - trailed by seven heading into the fourth quarter but staged a heroic rally to earn the dramatic win.
“I was really impressed,” coach Lynn Carroll said. “Being down seven – we don’t exactly have a great reputation for winning the big games.
“It’s a big win. We knew this was going to let us know where we’re at as a team. It wasn’t pretty, but I’ll take a league win any night. They’re a good team. They work hard, and they’re so much better than last year and it wasn’t a surprise to us. We knew they were going to be good. I’m proud of the girls.”
West led 9-4 at the end of one quarter before the Indians rallied to go on top 18-15 by halftime. Then came a third quarter that saw the Bucks outscore the Indians 13-3.
“We didn’t play well,” Carroll said. “We completely allowed them to dictate what we did offensively. That’s what they do – they hope by pressuring you and double teaming the ball that you’ll make mistakes, and we did.
“We were really, really hectic – taking quick shots because we were getting caught up in the fast pace of the game.”
Everything changed in the fourth quarter when the Indians outscored the Bucks 13-4. Three of West’s points came with less than a minute to go on a trey. Liz Mower – who scored seven of her 12 points in the fourth quarter - came up huge, connecting on a trey as well as a pair of jumpers in the lane.
“They were tough shots,” Carroll said.
Bianca Picard, who finished with 12 points, buried both ends of a huge one-and-one to put the Indians up by five.
“Bianca has just been phenomenal,” Carroll said. “Between our two games, she’s probably played all but two minutes, and they were all over her tonight fullcourt. She’s been absolutely great.”
Carroll went on to laud her team’s defensive effort.
“We made it happen defensively,” the Indians’ coach said. “Katie O’Connor played great defense on their point guard (Nicole Munger). We played man-to-man the whole game, but when you make some shots, it’s easier to play defense.”
The Bucks were led by the seven-point effort of Jen Fabian while Maggie Gratz and Munger both had six points.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 58, PENNRIDGE 41
The Rams kept things interesting for one half, trailing 14-12 at the end of one quarter and 22-20 at the intermission, but the Titans blew the game wide open with a 23-8 third-quarter scoring explosion.
Kate McMenamin led the Titans with 15 points while Ashley Lofton had 10. Shannon Senour had eight points and Madi Viteli, seven points. The Rams were led by the eight-point efforts of Alylssa Marchunsky and Jessie Tennett. Jen Cooley added seven points.
National Conference
BENSALEM 49, PENNSBURY 41
Pennsbury took a 23-17 lead into the second half of Friday’s SOL opener only to watch the Owls go on a 32-18 second half tear to earn the come-from-behind win.
“We played great defense,” Bensalem coach Don Bogan said. “We were down by eight in the first half, but the girls kept chipping away. They played hard.”
Tyra Roberts – despite foul problems - led the Owls with 21 points.
“Tyra had three fouls in the first half,” Bogan said. “She picked up her fourth early in the third quarter, but I left her play the rest of the game.
“She must have had 14 or 15 rebounds. She really played well, and the whole team played great defense.”
The Owls were coming off a disappointing 50-37 loss to Norristown in their first game in their new gymnasium. In that game, the visiting Eagles outscored the Owls 15-1 in the fourth quarter.
“They really played a lot harder tonight,” Bogan said. “Last night they were really excited to play in the new gym, and they got a little tired at the end.
“They came back and really played well tonight. This was a very good team.”
Ashleigh Spence added 10 points and Ashida Cooper had nine while Ashley Schneider contributed seven points for the Owls.
“These girls are unpredictable,” Bogan said. “But they came out ready to play. I told the girls – we have to keep building on this. We’ll be up and down, but at least we played well tonight, and we can build on this. That’s the main thing right now.”
The Falcons were led by the 19-point effort of Sajanna Bethea. Kaitlin Kelly added nine points on three treys while Jae Jackson added eight.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 51, WILLIAM TENNENT 35
The Indians – who held a 7-6 lead at the end of one quarter – took command of Friday’s SOL opener with a 19-6 second quarter scoring burst to go into halftime with a 26-12 lead. They added to that lead with a 17-11 third quarter on their way to the big win.
Emily Grundman led a balanced attack with 13 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots. Helena Gemmell added six points, five rebounds, six steals, two blocks and two assists. Alysssa Dumont contributed nine points, two rebounds, two steals, one block and five assists, and Dominique Pinto also had six points.
Tennent was led by the 13-point effort of Emily O’Donnell while Allison Chatburn added eight points.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 63, HARRY S TRUMAN 33
Alex Wheatley and Alexis Hofstaedter both scored 14 points to lead the Golden Hawks. Teammates Taylor Hunt and Caitlin Jackson both added eight points while Rachael Braccia and Rachel Jacob each scored seven points.
Khristaijah Jackson led the Tigers with 15 points while Neiyana Brooks had nine points.
ABINGTON 41, NESHMINY 28 (Thursday, Dec. 15)
The Redskins got off to a strong start, outscoring the Ghosts 12-11 in the first quarter. The two teams were deadlocked 19-19 at halftime, but the Ghosts seized control with a 10-2 third-quarter burst and never looked back.
Sophomore transfer Michael Harris scored a game-high 12 points while Aiyannah Peal added 10 points to lead a balanced Ghost attack. Freshman point guard Deja Rawls contributed nine points while Sarah Listenbee had seven.
For the Redskins, Megan Schafer and Jackie Gerth each scored eight points.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 59, SOUDERTON 41 (Thursday, Dec. 15)
The Indians sprinted to a quick 8-0 lead, but the Golden Hawks trimmed that lead to one (12-11) by the end of one quarter and led 28-25 heading into the intermission. A 19-9 third-quarter put the game out of reach.
“We started getting more pressure on their guards,” Rock South coach Monica Stolic said. “We played better defense in the second half. I think it was a big win.”
Alex Wheatley led Rock South with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Taylor Dillon and Courtney Brown both scored 10 points while point guard Alexis Hofstaedter had nine points.
The Indians were led by the 18-point effort of sophomore Bianca Picard while Liz Mower – back in action after being sidelined with a torn ACL last season – added nine points.
NORRISTOWN 50, BENSALEM 37 (Thursday, Dec. 15)
The Eagles trailed for the better part of Thursday night’s non-league game but used a 15-1 third-quarter scoring burst to defeat the Owls, who were playing their first game in the new gym.
“We wanted it,” Norristown coach Ashlee Harrison said. “We were hungry.
“We played tremendous defense in the fourth quarter. It was an all-out effort. The girls worked together, they were communicating, and they wanted the win.
“Missing two starters (Precious Tempson and Bri Kennedy), we needed this win. It was important for us to go out of here with a win.”
Steph DiNolfi led the Eagles with 14 points while Tyshay Britten and Briana Hedgebeth both had 10 points. Nicole Graham added seven points.
Harrison lauded the effort of Hedgebeth, who has stepped up in the absence of two regulars.
“I told her today I’m so proud of her,” the Eagles’ coach said. “She came in and had 10 points. She was just electric. Defensively, she was getting steals, she was rebounding, she was pushing the ball, she was running the floor – everything I needed her to do.”
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