Check out all of Friday’s SOL girls basketball action. To view photos of the CB West/North Penn game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
National Conference
ABINGTON 60, PENNSBURY 36
Defense was the name of the game, according to coach Dan Marsh, whose squad limited the Falcons to just 12 second-half points in Friday’s battle of unbeaten National Conference squads. The two teams were deadlocked
26-26 at halftime.
“Our defense was unbelievable tonight,” Marsh said. “We struggled a little bit offensively, and they were making shots, so I felt pretty good at halftime even though it was tied.
“We turned up the pressure, and they just fell apart. It was turnover after turnover and layup after layup. It was a complete team effort from top to bottom. Even the bench was standing up cheering when they were playing defense. It was a lot of fun to be part of tonight. I was really proud of them. We know it’s only one game, but it’s a big one.”
Freshman Sammy Lochner led all scorers with 17 points.
“They went big, and we go with three guards and two forwards,” Marsh said. “They had a big girl on Sammy, and she was too fast for her. She might have had eight or nine assists, and when she wasn’t scoring, she was feeding.”
Sophomore Deja Rawls added 13 points for the Ghosts, and Michael Harris had 11. Gabby Nolan added nine points on three three-pointers.
For the Falcons, who are without Jae Jackson (injury), Carly Kovin led the way with 10 points to go along with seven rebounds. Courtney Kruscavage and Kaitlin Kelly both added seven points while Sajanna Bethea had six points, all in the second half.
While the Falcons fell to 4-1 in league play (8-3 overall), the Ghosts, who are alone atop the conference standings, improved to 6-0 in the league (9-3 overall).
“It put the pressure on us now, which I’m happy about, but who knows how we’ll respond,” Marsh said. “We have a target on our backs now, and we know there’s no such thing as a first half champion. We have a lot of work to do. Our league is so tough. We know the second half is going to be tough. For a first half of the season and as young as we are, I’m very happy.”
To read Dan Dunkin’s complete game story, please click on the following PhillyBurbs.com link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/abington-rolls-by-pennsbury/article_4bd2faef-ff6f-5258-a76a-fff938387814.html
NESHAMINY 54, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 45
The Redskins once again used their defensive pressure to score some easy buckets, outscoring the Indians 24-8 in the second quarter to turn a 16-10 first quarter deficit into a 34-24 halftime lead.
“We were really effective in the second quarter,” said coach Joe Lally, whose team outscored the Indians 40-18 in the middle two quarters. “Our press was really good in the second quarter. We started to force some turnovers, and we just settled down.
“North is always a big game for our girls, and we just had to settle down. In the first quarter, we missed some opportunities. In the second and third quarters, we settled in really nice.”
McKenna Mullin spearheaded the Redskins’ big second quarter, scoring 11 points in the frame.
“We were out and running, and she was spotting up and getting good shots,” Lally said.
Mullin finished the night with 13 points and eight rebounds. Megan Schafer once again filled a stat sheet, contributing 12 points, 11 assists, five rebounds and four steals.
“Megan just did a great job of finding open people,” Lally said. “We had really good balanced scoring. We’re moving in the right direction, but the girls know we have a lot of work ahead of us. Everybody has to be played twice. The good news now is we’re buying into the system, and the kids are really working hard.”
Maddy Murray and Lori Paulits both had 10 points for the Redskins.
Sophomore Jess Gerber, who had four three-pointers, accounted for 17 of Rock North’s points. Michaela Finneyfrock added seven points for the Indians, who fell to 3-3 in the SOL (6-6 overall). The Redskins are 5-1 in the league (8-1 overall).
To read Joe Fite’s complete game story, please click on the following PhillyBurbs.com link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/florence/neshaminy-rallies-past-cr-north/article_a50561ef-456c-5d11-92d1-a49f72c6473b.html
BENSALEM 62, HARRY S TRUMAN 47
The Owls jumped out of the gate to a 26-4 lead and never looked back on their way to their second conference win. Ashida Cooper and Tyra Roberts led the Owls with 16 points each. Stephanie Unger added eight points.
“We got out to a nice lead and played well,” coach Don Bogan said. “A lot of players who get little playing time had a chance for extended playing time. It was a total team effort.
“The Truman girls played hard and never gave up. They are improving every game.”
The Tigers, who trailed 40-19 at halftime, outscored the Owls 28-22 in the second half. Junior Khristaijah Jackson led the Tigers with 25 points while Jazmyn Wilson added 10 points.
While the Tigers fell to 0-6 in the league (4-9 overall), the Owls improved to 2-4 in the league (5-5 overall).
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 61, WILLIAM TENNENT 54
The Golden Hawks snapped an uncharacteristic three-game losing streak with their win over the Panthers.
“We’re not where we thought we would be right now, but we’re hanging in there, and we really needed this win,” coach Monica Stolic said. “It’s a confidence builder. It’s not like we haven’t been in the games we’ve been playing, but our confidence was a little low.”
The Golden Hawks sprinted to a 20-9 lead at the end of one quarter and took a 30-18 lead into halftime only to watch the Panthers explode for 24 third quarter points to make it a 43-42 game heading into the final quarter. The Golden Hawks regrouped and outscored the Panthers 18-12 in the fourth quarter.
Alexis Hofstaedter, who led all scorers with 21 points, was 8-for-11 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to lead the Hawks. Taylor Dillon added 13 points while Cara Barlow added 12 points.
“Cara hit a couple of three’s early, which was very key for us,” Stolic said. “Shannon Boyle had eight points and played good defense.”
The Panthers received big performances from Angie Pomponio (18 points), Nikki Alden (15 points, seven rebounds) and Allison Chatburn (13 points).
While the Panthers fell to 1-5 in the league (7-5 overall), the Golden Hawks improved to 2-3 in league play (4-5 overall).
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 58, NORTH PENN 47
Nicole Munger can make things happen on the basketball court.
West’s sophomore point guard established that much in the opening minute of Friday’s game, pulling down a rebound of a Maiden miss on their first possession and then burying a three-pointer at the other end. A putback by Munger spotted the Bucks a quick 5-0 lead, and after the Maidens, thanks to a Vicky Tumasz three, knotted the score at 5-5, Munger banked home a tough shot under a Maiden defender to give the Bucks a lead they would never lose.
“As a team, we just needed to start fast,” Munger said. “Since we started fast, it got the intensity level up. The bench was into it, and our crowd was into it. I think a big thing was it quieted their crowd a little bit.
“We’re not used to that big of an opposing crowd, so getting out to a fast start was really important because I know a lot of people were nervous.”
If they were nervous, the Bucks certainly didn’t let it show, frustrating the Maidens with their non-stop defensive pressure and calmly burying every big shot. They led 19-12 at the end of one quarter and stretched that to double digits (22-12) after Calypso Carty buried a three to open the second quarter.
After a Maiden miss, Maggie Gratz connected on a pair from the foul line, and Mackenzie Carroll turned a Gratz steal on the defensive end into a clutch three-pointer that put the Bucks on top 27-12, prompting the Maidens to call a quick timeout.
The Maidens responded with an impressive run of their own, outscoring the Bucks 17-7 over the final 5:50 to make it a 34-29 game at the half. Tumasz accounted for eight of those points, connecting on a pair of treys.
“I told them when we went up by 15 – this is a 32-minute game, you know they’re coming back, so accept it and play the right way,” West coach Terry Rakowsky said.
The Bucks all but cut the heart out of the Maidens in the opening minutes of the second half. Kate Bahner sank a pair from the foul line, and then Munger turned a steal into a three-point basket. A Calypso steal set the stage for a Mackenzie Carroll three, and the Bucks were back on top 42-29. Some of that energy, according to Gratz, came out of a high intensity halftime.
“We knock around in the locker room, we slam some lockers, and we really get excited,” she said. “We go so hard in practice, and coach always tells us – if you bring that energy, it really pays off.”
The Maidens didn’t go down quietly, trimming the Bucks’ lead to six on two occasions. The Bucks responded to the first with a tough putback by Corrinne Godshall on the team’s fourth shot of the possession. A basket by Jenn Halcovage just inside the arc made it a 50-44 game with 2:58 remaining in regulation, but Godshall buried both ends of a one-and-one to put the Bucks on top 52-44. The Maidens never threatened the rest of the way.
“They brought their A game, and we did not,” North Penn coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “Coach (Lauren) Budweg said we had one person mentally prepared to play at the beginning of the game today, and their top seven, eight or nine came out prepared to play.
“That’s inexcusable for the experience we have on this team - the decision making, the lack or energy and as the game went on - our ability to keep them off the boards.”
The significance of winning the battle of the boards was not lost on the Bucks, who received contributions up and down their lineup.
“We knew the guards had to rebound,” said Munger, who had four rebounds on her stat line. “One of (Lauren) Crisler’s great attributes is even if she misses a shot, she almost all the time will get that rebound and put it right back in.
“She does a great job with that, and we did a good job of keeping her out of there.”
In addition to Munger, who also had five assists and three steals, Carroll added 11 points. Gratz (five rebounds) and Calypso (seven rebounds) both added eight points.
For the Maidens, Tumasz had 17 points and Crisler, 16 points.
While the Maidens fell to 5-1 in the league (10-1 overall), the Bucks, who took over sole possession of first place, improved to 6-0 in league play (9-3 overall).
“This season is the cherry on top,” Gratz said. “Coming from my freshman year when we were 7-and-something and the year before that 0-22, it has been an absolutely wonderful experience to watch the team grow.”
To view the video recapping the game by PhillyBurbs.com video journalist Jennifer Wielgus, please click on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRo2qslEAMQ&feature=youtu.be
SOUDERTON 46, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 45
Coach Lynn Carroll’s team had just eked out a one-point win over the Titans, and the Indians’ coach still wasn’t quite sure how her squad had done it.
“We were down 10 late in the third quarter,” said Carroll, whose team led 16-11 at the end of one quarter but trailed 24-23 at the half. “It felt like all the momentum had shifted far, far away from us.
“We had a seven-point second quarter and had a tough time getting Bianca (Picard) and Allison (Gallagher) shots. We weren’t finishing down low, and we were 3-for-9 from the foul line in the first half. The third quarter was not much better.”
The Indians still trailed 36-31 heading into a final frame that saw Picard and Gallagher take over. Picard had eight of her 14 points in the quarter while Gallagher had five of her 14 points in a frame that saw the Indians outscore the Titans 15-9. Libby Wetzler accounted for the Indians’ only other bucket.
“We didn’t take the lead until there was a little over two minutes left in the game,” Carroll said. “Bianca hit a three. It seemed like it rattled around the rim for seven seconds before it went in.”
The Indians never relinquished their lead, but the ending was not without its anxious moments as the Titans managed to get a wide open three in the closing seconds only to see it fall short.
“I don’t think either team felt great about how it played,” said Carroll, whose team shot 9-for-18 from the line.”
Sarah Derstein also finished in double figures for the Indians with 12 points to go along with eight rebounds. Picard also had eight rebounds, six steals and two assists, and Gallagher had seven rebounds.
The Titans were led by the standout performance of senior center Lauren Mosher, who scored a game-high 23 points.
“Their big kid just dominated,” Carroll said. “She had some shots that she made that there was nothing more we could have done. Mosher just finished some tough, tough shots.
“I said to the girls after the game – I’m not sure how we won it. It felt like the basketball gods had been against us for a few games, and they finally decided things were going to fall our way in the end.
“CB South works as hard as anybody. For them to be winning games and playing as well as they’re playing without one of the best players in the conference is really impressive. They just play hard, and they make everything difficult, and they did that tonight. If not for Bianca and Allison stepping up in the fourth quarter, we don’t win that game.”
South senior captain Rachel Falkowski, who was saddled with foul problems, scored all eight of her points in the second quarter.
The Indians improved to 4-2 in the league (6-3 overall) while the Titans fell to 3-3 in the league (8-5 overall).
QUAKERTOWN 68, HATBORO-HORSHAM 45
Senior Kathryne Vetter scored a game high 17 points while freshman Taylor Herd added 14 points to lead the Panthers to their second conference win. Brittny Buonanno Taylor (10 points) and Ashlee Ruzicka (nine points) also made important contributions.
“They have some talent,” Hatboro coach Steve Flynn said. “Their big girl (Ruzicka) killed us. They had Vetter at point (guard) – she had one field goal and 15 foul shots.”
The Panthers jumped out to a 20-15 lead at the end of one quarter and took a 32-28 lead into halftime. They put the game out of reach with a 20-9 third quarter surge, going on to outscore the Hatters 36-17 in the second half.
"I am really proud of the way our girls played tonight," Quakertown coach Greg Swavely said. "We finally got balanced scoring, and we rebounded well.
"Kathryne Vetter did an excellent job of keeping our team composed against Quakertown's pressure, and Ashlee Ruzicka was terrific inside for us. It was a total team effort and something we can build upon going forward."
The Hatters, who recently lost Tori Waddington to a torn ACL, were led by Heather Lutz and Emily Fox with 11 points each.
“Emily Fox was solid until she fouled out,” Flynn said.
The Hatters, who were whistled for 34 fouls, lost five players to fouls in the game.
The Panthers upped their record to 2-4 in league play (3-8 overall) while the Hatters fell to 1-5 in the SOL (2-9 overall).
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 59, PENNRIDGE 41
Courtney Webster had a monster game for the Patriots in Friday’s win. The senior center had eight points at halftime and then exploded for 12 in the third quarter en route to a game high 21 points. Morgan Kelly added 14 points and Karoline White had 10 for the Patriots, who led 16-7 at the end of one quarter and took a 22-12 lead into halftime. The third quarter was a high-scoring one for both teams as the Patriots edged the Rams 21-18 on their way to the win.
The Rams were led by the 15-point effort of Jordan Rimmer and the 10-point performance of Alex Villella.
The Patriots evened their league mark at 3-3 (8-4 overall) while the Rams fell to 0-6 in league play (1-10 overall).
American Conference
UPPER MORELAND 56, SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 34
It had been a long, long time since the Golden Bears had celebrated a league win. This year’s seniors had been 0-for-their-careers.
All that changed on Friday night when the Golden Bears brought an emphatic end to that losing streak, jumping out to an 8-0 lead at the end of one quarter and extending that to 22-9 by halftime on their way to the big win.
“To see my senior, Amanda Getz – the way she came off the court tonight,” coach Ed Decker said. “It was the greatest thing to watch. I have been coaching a long time, but to see Amanda Getz run out on the floor and embrace everybody. That was the highlight of my night - watching my senior captain enjoy her first league win ever.
“It was a big win for them. They’ve been trying and trying for years, and now they finally got it. It was really nice to see them enjoy this win. It was at home and the place was packed, so it was real nice to get it tonight.
Lindsey Walder led way with a glittering 25-point effort. Karli Lynch scored 15 points for the Golden Bears, who took a 35-13 lead into the final quarter.
“I cleared my bench near the end of the game,” Decker said. “I just wanted to give the kids like Karli Lynch, Amanda Getz and Lindsey Walder – the kids who have been there the longest – that little curtain call because they earned it.
“I want them to understand this is what it’s about, and I wanted to show them that appreciation.”
For the Spartans, sophomore Caroline Pape led the way with eight points while Veronica Asman added seven points and sophomores Savanna Shackleford and Jewell Ringgold both had five points.
The win was the first over the Spartans in three tries this season for the Golden Bears, who had fallen to Springfield twice in tournament play. The Golden Bears are 1-5 in league play (2-10 overall) while the Spartans are 0-6 (2-8 overall).
UPPER DUBLIN 55, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 30
The Flying Cardinals continued to roll in American Conference play. Kayla McAneney led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points, which included three three-pointers and five rebounds. Curtrena Goff had another complete game, contributing 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Regan Gallagher had 10 points and seven rebounds, and Lauren Rothfeld, nine points and four rebounds. Bri Spector chipped in with four points and nine boards.
“It was a total team effort,” coach Morgan Funsten said.
The spirited Colonials kept it close for one quarter, trailing 15-10, but the Flying Cardinals used an 11-5 second quarter to go into halftime with a 26-15 lead. They went on to outscore the Colonials 29-15 in the second half.
PW coach Daniel Dougherty pointed to the size and outside shooting of the Cards as the difference in the game.
The Cardinals, who won their 11th in a row, are 6-0 in league play (11-1 overall) while the Colonials fell to 2-4 in the league (3-7 overall).
NORRISTOWN 63, WISSAHICKON 37
Sydney Morse scored 21 points to lead the Eagles to the impressive win. Teammates Briana Hedgepeth (17 points) and Essence Williams (10 points, 12 rebounds) also came up big for the Eagles, who led 20-15 at the end of one quarter and then blew the game open with a 17-7 second quarter to go into halftime with a 37-22 lead. If there was any doubt about the outcome, those doubts were put to rest when the Eagles came out of the locker room and used a 16-4 third quarter surge to go on top 53-26.
“We played hard and under control,” coach Ashlee Harrison said. “The girls took care of the ball, always finding the open player and getting the shot we wanted. I was very proud of the way the girls played.”
Rachel Stone led the Trojans with eight points.
With the win, the Eagles improved to 5-1 in league play (8-3 overall). The Trojans saw their record drop to 3-3 in the league (6-6 overall).
UPPER MERION 56, CHELTENHAM 52 (OT)
It wasn’t easy, but the Vikings pulled out an overtime win in Friday night’s battle against the Lady Panthers. The Vikings needed some late-game heroics to send the game into overtime as Kristina O’Sullivan buried the tying shot at the buzzer.
“There are no easy wins for us,” coach Tom Schurtz said. “O’Sullivan hit a jumper from 15 to tie it and send it into overtime. As she let it go, the horn sounded while the ball was in the air.
“She came out and scored the first four points of overtime from the foul line.”
The Vikings never looked back, outscoring the Lady Panthers 6-2 in OT to earn the hard-fought win. O’Sullivan led all scorers with 20 points while Regie Robinson added 14. Dominique Gambone had 10 points.
“She came out of nowhere to score 10 points tonight,” Schurtz said of Gambone. “She and Amanda McAteer hit back-to-back baskets to give us our first lead of the entire game a minute into the fourth quarter, and then it was back and forth the rest of the way.”
Sophomore Amarri Trueheart led the Lady Panthers with 19 points.
“She played fantastic tonight,” Schurtz said. “I don’t know what her shooting percentage from the field was, but it had to be absolutely tremendous.”
Senior Sabrina Casseus added 15 points for the Lady Panthers, who fell to 3-3 in the league (4-7 overall). The Vikings are 4-2 in league play (9-2 overall).
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