Several teams clinched conference crowns in Friday’s SOL action. To view photos of the Pennsbury/Neshaminy game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
National Conference
NESHAMINY 44, PENNSBURY 33
It would have been hard to write a better script for a Redskin squad that captured its first league title since 2004 on Friday night.
Granted, it might have been nice to clinch sole possession of the title on their home court, but winning it on the court of their archrivals on the Falcons’ Senior Night was definitely the next best thing.
“On Tuesday night we clinched (a share of) the title, but tonight would decide if we would be co-champs with Abington or we would win it ourselves,” junior Megan Schafer said. “To play our rival Pennsbury made it even better. We lost to them the first time we played them.
“We had nothing to lose because they beat us the first time. It was just awesome.”
“With them being our rivals, there were so many things going into this game,” junior Sarah Oliveira added. “It was their Senior Night, and they beat us on our court the last time. It was like, ‘If we could get them on their court on Senior Night, that would be awesome,’ and we did.”
The Redskins didn’t make the trip to Pennsbury alone. They took some of their ‘home’ crowd with them to Fairless Hills.
“We had a great crowd travel to the game tonight, which is really nice for the girls,” coach Joe Lally said. “It was really a cool atmosphere for the kids, and I think that really helped.”
The first half was tightly contested with the two teams battling to an 8-8 tie at the end of one quarter and the Falcons taking an 18-16 lead into halftime.
“We were a little bit stagnant on offense in the first half,” Lally said. “We made some minor adjustments, but really the adjustments were on the press so we could get out and run and get some easy baskets. That kind of jumpstarted our offense.”
Did it ever.
The Redskins came out of halftime and, sparked by their defense, went on an 18-7 tear to go on top 34-25. They never looked back.
“We were pressing, and we had Megan (Schafer) going fullcourt on Sajanna Bethea,” Lally said. “When we dropped back into the halfcourt, we would quick switch to put a bigger player on her and drop Megan back to guard.
“We just junked it up a bit to make Sajanna work fullcourt. We forced some turnovers. We ran the press out all the way to the end. They seemed to struggle with it. They couldn’t get into their halfcourt set.”
“I think our press really affected them a lot,” Oliveira said. “They’re a good team – don’t get me wrong, but they did have trouble adjusting to our press.
“In the third quarter, they had a lot of turnovers, which definitely helped us, and we were finishing all of our shots.”
Schafer, who finished the night with four steals, led the Redskins with 15 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists, but it was defense that was on the junior point guard’s mind when Friday’s game was over.
“We have been so good on defense this year,” Schafer said. “If our defense is there, our offense is real easy to come to us.
“Tonight defense was our main focus. The last time we played them we shot maybe something like 25 percent. We knew they were a beatable team, but we knew we had to come with our defense.
“They have Sajanna, and she’s just amazing. She’s the person they turn to for offense. We knew we weren’t going to shut her out or anything, but we knew we had to do our best.”
Defense, according to Schafer, is about more than just guarding the ball.
“Every single practice we have been running so much just so we can outwork the other team,” she said. “When we’re on offense, that’s when we can take our break, but when we’re on defense, that’s when we have to step it up.”
Bethea led all scorers with 17 points to go along with 16 rebounds as she collected yet another double-double.
For the Redskins, Lori Paulits added 10 points while Oliveira had eight points and nine rebounds.
“It felt amazing to win,” Paulits said. “I don’t think any of us thought we would go this far, but we knew we would do good.
“We kind of just stayed together as a team, and this is where we got.”
The Redskins didn’t quite go from worst to first, but they did come mighty close, vaulting from seventh – or second last place – in the league standings to first place.
“It just feels awesome,” Schafer said. “To beat every single team in our league at least once and twice sometimes and for me coming from soccer to basketball, it’s just cool to win.”
“I still feel like I’m a little bit in shock,” Oliveira said. “It’s just so crazy because I know how far we’ve come.
“From the beginning of the season until now, it’s a crazy road we’ve taken. We’ve decided – this is what we want our team to consist of, and everyone does their roles, and that’s how we get our wins.”
The Redskins closed out the regular season 12-2 in conference play (18-3 overall) while the Falcons are 8-6 in the league (12-10 overall).
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 36, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 31
Alexis Hofstaedter made her final regular season game one to remember, scoring 23 points and pulling down eight rebounds to lead the Golden Hawks to a win over their archrivals.
“She really controlled the tempo of the game,” coach Monica Stolic said.
Sparked by 11 points from their senior point guard, the Golden Hawks – who connected on 7-of-16 shots from the floor - sprinted to a 16-8 lead at the end of one quarter and still led 23-17 at the intermission. They scored just two points in the third quarter, connecting on just one of 12 shots. The Indians took a 27-25 lead into the final frame when the Golden Hawks closed it out with an 11-4 quarter.
“The North-South game – you never know what will happen,” Stolic said. “We didn’t shoot too well, but they had a hard time containing Alexis.”
Stolic credited the defensive effort of Cara Barlow, who was assigned the task of defending Jessica Gerber.
“We held Garber to seven, and she averages 17,” Stolic said. “We did what we needed to do at the end to win the game.
“It was a much-needed win. It’s such a rivalry.”
Katie Budny led the Indians with nine points, connecting on three three’s. Krista Campbell and Gerber both had seven.
The Golden Hawks, who opened the season 4-6, are 9-5 in conference play (13-8 overall) while the Indians fell to 7-7 in the league (11-11 overall).
ABINGTON 58, BENSALEM 47
The Ghosts learned firsthand how frustrating scoreboard watching can be. The Ghosts took care of their business by defeating the Owls and then watched the scoreboard, hoping that Pennsbury would knock off Neshaminy to set up a conference co-championship.
That didn’t happen as Neshaminy won its game, forcing the Ghosts to settle for second place in the National Conference standings.
“I told the girls tonight, ‘Remember this – remember you’re relying on another team to do what you want to do,’” coach Dan Marsh said. “Hopefully, next year we can control our own destiny and not have to worry about somebody else.”
Sophomore Deja Rawls led the Ghosts with 19 points, but according to Marsh, senior Cate Hughes was the team’s unsung hero in the win.
“She was huge for us,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “She had seven points, but she ended up guarding (Tyra) Roberts, and I think she frustrated her.
“Cate is only 5-8, but she’s real strong, and she was able to box her out, push her around and get her out of her comfort zone. Cate fouled out, but she did a great job on Tyra, and really I think she was a key to the game.”
Roberts finished the game with 17 points, but seven of those came in the first quarter. Teammate Ashida Cooper added 14.
For the Ghosts, Sammy Locher had nine points while Michael Harris added seven.
The Owls led 13-12 at the end of one quarter, but the Ghosts answered with a 17-11 second quarter to go into halftime with a 29-24 lead. They outscored the Owls 14-11 in the third quarter and 29-23 in the second half.
While the Owls closed out the regular season with a 4-10 mark in league play (9-13 overall), the Ghosts are 11-3 in the league and finish second only to the Redskins. They are 15-7 overall.
“If you had told me I would be 15-7 and second in the league prior to the season, I would have been happy,” Marsh said. “But since we started out so well and really had a stranglehold on the league but then had that midseason (slump) – I’m not disappointed because I know we have learned from our mistakes.
“I’m looking forward to the district playoffs, and I’m also looking forward to the future because I don’t think anybody can say we’re not a favorite to win the league with everybody back. It was a good season. I’m not disappointed as long as we move forward and keep learning and getting better.”
HARRY S TRUMAN at WILLIAM TENNENT (Postponed to Monday, Feb. 11)
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 62, HATBORO-HORSHAM 27
The Bucks sure know how to celebrate Senior Night. They put the finishing touches on a memorable regular season by clinching a share of the Continental Conference crown with their big win over the Hatters.
It is the program’s first title since the 1998-99 season, and it’s an ending perhaps no one predicted when coach Terry Rakowsky took over the helm three years ago and inherited an outstanding freshman class that included this year’s seniors.
“Coming in as a freshman, I was completely overwhelmed,” senior Maggie Gratz said. “There were so many older kids and a new coach, and I didn’t know what to expect.
“This whole idea of Senior Night was so far off, and to finally be here tonight – it’s truly icing on the cake.”
While hard work has certainly been key to turning the fortunes of the program around – the Bucks were 0-22 the year before Rakowsky took over, so have some of the intangibles this team possesses.
“The way our team interacts with each other – we have very good chemistry,” senior Cait Mautz said. “We would do anything for anybody, and I think that shows on the court. We’re always there, and the chemistry helps a lot.”
The Bucks owned Friday night’s game, racing out of the gate to a 14-0 lead after a bucket by Gratz with 1:45 remaining in the opening quarter. Seconds later, freshman Erin Wingen broke her team’s scoring drought with a basket. The Bucks took a 16-2 lead into the second quarter, and although the Hatters’ offense showed signs of life, the Bucks outscored their visitors 17-9 and took a 33-11 lead into halftime.
Eight players contributed scoring in the opening half, led by Mautz who scored seven of her 12 points in the half. Sophomore Nicole Munger, who also scored 12 points, had six points in the opening half.
The third quarter was more of the same as the Titans controlled the backboards and outscored the Hatters to go on top 44-15 on their way to the big win.
Peyton Traina added 10 points for the Bucks, who honored seniors Gratz, Mautz, Calypso Carty, Kat Bahner, Kate McLaughlin and Val Atkinson prior to the game. After the game, the Bucks put on their championship t-shirts and cut down the net.
For the Hatters (3-18, 1-13 SOL), the ending wasn’t quite as happy.
“I’m sad because I have been playing since I was six years old, and this is my last season,” said senior Heather Lutz, who has signed a letter of intent to play softball at Millersville. “I love basketball. I really like it a lot, and that’s why I’m upset it’s my last game.
“We’re really a close team, so we always had fun whether we’re winning or losing. Obviously, we want to win, but we knew that wasn’t going to happen all the time, so we just went out an tried really hard.”
Lutz led the Hatters with eight points, including the game’s final bucket at the buzzer. Amanda Brett added seven points.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 36, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 30
Beth Mattern has accumulated her share of wins in her six years at the helm, but one win has always eluded the Titans’ coach – a win over Central Bucks East.
Ten straight times the two teams did battle, and 10 straight times, the Patriots won, but that streak ended on Friday night.
Beyond lifting the burden of beating their archrivals, the Titans hope they have improved their stock heading into Tuesday night’s district seeding meeting.
“We really needed this,” said Mattern, whose team was coming off a disappointing loss to Souderton. “I thought we played well against Souderton, but we just couldn’t finish it off, and today we did.
“Hopefully, this gives us enough to pull us out of the basement (in the power rankings). I think my team has fought hard every single game. They’ve fallen short in our league against the teams that are above us, but we’ve had some great non-league victories. Hopefully, this is the one extra that gives us a little bump at the end and give us a little better seeding in districts.”
Defense was the name of the game on both sides, but Mattern credited the defensive effort of Amanda ‘Archie’ Schneider on East point guard Karoline White as key.”
“Archie did a great job on her,” Mattern said. “(White) was in foul trouble and only played 13 minutes.”
The Patriots led 9-6 at the end of one quarter, but the Titans went into halftime with a tenuous 14-13 advantage. Twelve of the Titans’ points in the opening half came on three-point buckets. The Titans went on to outscore the Patriots 9-7 in the third quarter to go on top 23-20 and sealed the win with a 13-10 fourth quarter.
Mattern credited the effort of Rachel Falkowski in the win. The senior captain scored seven points and pulled down eight rebounds, but her contributions went beyond the stats.
“She played a huge game,” the Titans’ coach said. “She was big on the boards, especially the offensive boards trying to keep the ball alive.
“She played great defense – sometimes she was on the post, sometimes she was on the guard. She just played a tough game.”
Freshman Jordan Vitelli led the Titans with 12 points.
“She has been phenomenal,” Mattern said. “I knew she was going to be a player, and I knew she could score.”
Vitelli, who opened the season on the jayvee, was pulled up to the varsity when Falkowski was sidelined for the North Penn game with an injury.
“We were so thin, and I decided I was going to pull three girls up from jayvee to varsity because I just didn’t feel comfortable with our numbers,” Mattern said.
Alysha Lofton was injured in that game, and Vitelli has been playing varsity since then.
“She has been our leading scorer in a ton of games,” Mattern said. “She’s really given us a nice lift off the bench. She started her first game against Souderton and did really well.”
Kelli Joerger also added seven points for the Titans while the Patriots were led by the 11-point effort of junior Courtney Webster.
While the Patriots fell to 8-6 in league play (15-7 overall), the Titans improved to 7-7 in the league (13-9 overall).
NORTH PENN 47, PENNRIDGE 20 (Thursday, Feb. 7)
While the Maidens might not remember a whole lot about Thursday’s win, they will remember they were part of a team that made history. With their win over the Rams, the Maidens clinched a share of the SOL Continental Conference title. It is the program’s first crown since the 1995-96 season, and it was reason to celebrate.
“It’s definitely awesome for the program,” senior captain Lauren Crisler said. “I think we’ve really turned it around. It’s very exciting, and I think this team deserved it.
“It’s a great feeling, especially because we haven’t done it for so long.”
The Maidens won Thursday’s game without the services of Crisler, who is nursing a sprained ankle, and her steadying presence was clearly missing in an opening half that saw the Maidens take an 18-12 lead into the intermission.
“She draws so much attention, and just having her on the floor on Tuesday night against CB West meant so much,” assistant coach Lauren Budweg said. “Tonight without her on the floor, they could defend everybody pretty much straight up. It was hard to adjust. Hopefully, that doesn’t have to happen again.”
In Crisler’s absence, junior Erin Maher, who has had to work through an ankle injury this season, picked up some of the slack, delivering 11 points and 12 rebounds for her first double-double of the season.
The Maidens – behind a dominant effort under the boards by Maher – outscored the Rams 13-2 in the third quarter. In the quarter, Maher had six rebounds, two blocked shots, and she also buried a three-point basket.
“Our Quakertown game two weeks ago was the first time she started to look like Erin,” Budweg said. “It’s been nice because it’s the perfect time for her to be healthy and come back as we’re entering the playoffs.
“She stepped up tonight. Vicky’s shots weren’t falling, and Mikaela was in foul trouble.”
Jenn Halcovage (10 points) and Vicky Tumasz (nine points) also contributed for the Maidens.
For the Rams, Alex Villella and Devon Rink each scored six points. Coach Lindssey Tennent acknowledged that her team struggled under the backboards in the third quarter when the Maidens put the game out of reach.
“If we rebounded half as much, they wouldn’t get opportunities for second points,” said the Rams’ first-year coach, herself a tenacious rebounder during her playing days. “That’s what makes me so upset.
“I don’t understand the will because they don’t go get it, but I am proud of them. They have come far.”
Also absent from Thursday’s game was Maiden coach Maggie deMarteleiere, who underwent surgery for a broken ankle earlier in the day.
The Maidens closed out the regular season with a 12-2 mark in league play (19-3 overall) while the Rams finish their season with a 2-12 record in the league (3-18 overall).
American Conference
WISSAHICKON 43, UPPER MORELAND 29 (Thursday, Feb. 7)
Senior Rachel Stone scored 18 points to lead the Trojans to the decisive win in their regular season finale. Dominique Earland added nine points while Meredith Byrne led the team under the boards with nine rebounds.
The Trojans opened up an 11-5 lead at the end of one quarter and took a 19-11 lead into halftime. They maintained that advantage through much of the second half on their way to the win.
The Trojans (10-4 SOL) closed out the regular season with a 14-8 record, a marked improvement from last year’s 6-16 season.
“The coaching staff is proud of all the hard work the girls put in during the offseason,” coach Rodney Cline said. “It really showed what they could accomplish when they put in the time, effort and commitment into getting better.”
The Trojans will take a seven-game winning streak into the postseason.
“Starting Monday, it’s time to focus on the postseason and winning that first playoff game,” Cline said.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 56, SPRINGFIELD 23
The Colonials celebrated Senior Night by honoring its five senior starters. All five seniors scored and contributed to the hard-fought win. Kayla Wisniewski led the way with 15 points. Senior Nikki Casey collected her first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Other senior contributors were Maya Thomas, Laurie Givnish and Simone Jacques. The Colonials opened up a 14-2 lead at the end of one quarter and took a 27-8 lead into halftime on their way to Friday’s win.
Junior Veronica Asman led the Spartans with 10 points while Meghan Wheatley added nine. Senior Maisey Bradley had four points for the Spartans, who fell to 1-13 in league play (3-18 overall). The Colonials closed out the regular season with a 7-7 mark in league play (11-11 overall).
UPPER DUBLIN at UPPER MERION (Postponed to Monday, Feb. 11)
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