North Penn defeated Neshaminy 42-41 in a PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal thriller on Friday night. Photos provided courtesy of Jesse Garber (http://JSGarber.zenfolio.com/p252633384)
ROYERSFORD – Things weren’t going particularly well for the North Penn Lady Knights.
The tempo of Friday night’s District One Class AAAA quarterfinal game was not to their liking, and they were struggling to find any kind of offensive rhythm against a Neshaminy squad that not only believed it could win but put itself in a position to do just that.
But after forcing a pair of turnovers in the game’s final 38 seconds, the Redskins saw their shot for the lead fall short as the final dizzying seconds ticked off the scoreboard clock, and the Lady Knights escaped with a 42-41 win.
“There was a time (tonight) I really thought my season was going to end,” senior Mikaela Giuliani said. “They played so well. They honestly deserved it.
“We did not play our game at all. We missed foul shots at the end. We had the ball at the end of the game and had two turnovers, and they had opportunities to convert. That wasn’t our game to win, and we’re really lucky that we did.”
The loss brought to a heartbreaking end a remarkable season for the Redskins (23-8, 14-0 SOL).
“When you say you’re proud – for this group, it’s an understatement,” Neshaminy coach Joe Lally said. “I’m looking for a better adjective to describe how I feel for them.
“I put them in a tough spot right out of the gate this season with (games against) the three Central Bucks schools. They could have easily cowered. To go undefeated in their league – to beat Abington twice, Council Rock North twice, both great teams, and then to get into the playoffs and show people they were real, they did a phenomenal job.”
The win vaulted the Lady Knights – for the first time in program history - into the state semifinals where they will face District 12 champion Cardinal O’Hara on Tuesday, but if there was a celebration, it was behind closed doors.
“We had a big win (against Perk Valley Tuesday), and we just had an emotional letdown, and Neshaminy played very well,” North Penn coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “They deserved to win – we were fortunate to win. Their game plan was good. All credit to them. The positive thing is we found a way to win, but we needed to play better than that. Hopefully, we’ll come with a little more energy on Tuesday.”
The Redskins led for the majority of the 32-minute game, and while junior Jess Huber – whose 17 points led all scorers – kept North Penn in it, it was sophomore Bri Hewlett delivering the game’s biggest baskets down the stretch.
Moments after Huber buried a baseline jumper to pull the Lady Knights within one (39-38), Sam Carangi came up with a steal on the defensive end, and Hewlett calmly buried a foul line jumper to put the Lady Knights on top for the first time since midway through the opening quarter.
“Bri Hewlett had a couple of big plays,” deMarteleire said.
After Irisa Ye forced a jump ball, the Lady Knights were awarded possession, and again, Hewlett delivered – this time burying both ends of a one-and-one to give her team a 42-39 lead with 1:33 remaining.
The game was far from over.
The Redskins misfired at their end but got a reprieve when the Lady Knights missed the front end of a one-and-one. Freshman Allison Harvey was money at the line for the ‘Skins, connecting on both ends of a one-and-one to make it a 42-41 game with 62 seconds remaining.
A quick foul by the ‘Skins resulted in the Lady Knights missing the front end of yet another one-and-one. With 38 seconds remaining, Giuliani drew her second charge of the quarter, but the Redskins stole the ball. They missed a pair from the foul line but came up with the offensive rebound only have Giuliani draw another charge – her third of the quarter.
“I missed the front end of my one-and-one, and after that is when I took the charges because I knew I had to do something – I wasn’t going to let this be my last game,” Giuliani said. “I had to do everything I could to give us the ball so we could have possessions.”
“Those (charges) were huge,” deMarteleire said. “And she’s very good at that.”
Another Lady Knight turnover gave the Redskins one final chance, but their shot for the win came up short.
“We almost gave them the win,” Huber said. “We’re just very, very lucky and grateful to come out with a win.”
“These kids are not quitters,” Lally said. “They went in and accepted the challenge. This is all brand new to us, and I thought our kids were great. They displayed a ton of character.”
Early on, the ‘Skins served notice that they would not go down quietly when – after a Huber triple put the Lady Knights on top 8-5 – they buried five straight three-pointers. Freshman Brooke Mullin’s trey knotted the score, and her second of the frame gave the Redskins an 11-8 lead. When Harvey connected late in the quarter, the Redskins led 14-8, and Goldenbaum’s second three-pointer of the night made it a 17-8 game.
A Tiara Porterfield three-pointer to open the second quarter put the ‘Skins on top 20-8, but a basket by Giuliani sparked an 11-4 North Penn run to close out the half, making it a 24-20 game at the intermission. Huber accounted for 10 of her team’s points.
“It was very frustrating,” Huber said. “No one could hit shots. I’m glad I could produce for the team in the time of need. I’m just glad they saw me and got me the ball.”
The Redskins matched baskets with the Lady Knights in the third quarter and led 35-28 after a Devon Storms jumper, but Sam Carangi gave the Lady Knights a boost when she hit nothing but net on a shot from downtown at the buzzer to make it a 36-33 game.
“Sam couldn’t even get an open look (tonight),” deMarteleire said. “The three she shot at the end of the third – she was backing up further and further from the basket. That was a big shot.”
A three-pointer by Ye knotted the score 36-36, but Goldenbaum scored on a baseline drive, and when Porterfield buried one-of-two from the line, the ‘Skins led 39-36. A bucket by Huber sparked a 6-2 Lady Knight run to close out the game.
Neshaminy 17-7-12-5 41
North Penn 8-12-13-9 42
Neshaminy: Emily Alexis 1 0-0 2; Morgan Goldenbaum 5 0-2 13; Allison Harvey 2 2-2 7; Josafinne McIlvaine 0 0-0 0; Brooke Mullin 4 0-0 10; Tiara Porterfield 1 1-2 4; Devon Storms 2 1-2 5; Thyra Tuttle 0 0-0 0; TOTALS 15 4-8 41
North Penn: Sam Carangi 1 0-0 3; Mikaela Giuliani 3 1-3 7; Bri Hewlett 2 3-4 7; Jess Huber 6 2-2 17; Mia Melchior 0 0-0 0; Irisa Ye 3 1-2 8; TOTALS 15 7-11 42.
Three-point goals: Neshaminy-Morgan Goldenbaum 3, Brooke Mulllin 2, Tiara Porterfield, Allison Harvey; North Penn-Jess Huber 3, Sam Carangi, Irisa Ye.
NESHAMINY NOTES:
Friday's loss marked the end of a historic season for the Redskins. The team put its name in the record books with the program’s first undefeated conference season and earned the program’s first wins in state tournament play, advancing to the elite eight.
The players received a warm welcome when they returned to the high school, beginning with the sign that read ‘Welcome Home Lady ‘Skins. We’re proud of you.’ After the senior class’s dance routine at the school’s annual Gym Night, each player was recognized.
Goldenbaum shines – The Redskins’ senior captain finished the night with 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals, and more importantly, she dictated the tempo of the game and played shutdown defense on Carangi, limiting the dangerous junior point guard to three points.“She did what a senior leader should do, in my opinion,” Lally said. “We had talks about who needs to step up in this game.
“What you saw in the opening quarter was our leader being our leader, taking control bright and early. To the very last play, she was still taking control.”
Third time not quite the charm - The loss was the third of the season for the ‘Skins at the hands of the Lady Knights. After falling to North Penn by five points in the SOL Tournament, Neshaminy lost by 18 in a district seeding contest. The ‘Skins put that loss behind them and gave the Lady Knights all they could handle on the biggest stage.
“We wanted another chance because we’re not the team that played them the second time,” Goldenbaum said. “We knew we could run our plays and execute 10 times better than we did in the second game and play better defense.”
The Redskins limited the Lady Knights to their second lowest point output of the season, second only to the 39 points they scored in a win over Upper Dublin.
“We focus so much on helping, which is a huge thing in a two-three because it’s hard to help in a zone,” Goldenbaum said. “Especially down low, we focused on making sure 13 (Giuliani) didn’t get the ball down there because that’s what killed us in the second game against them. I think having help there - making sure someone was behind her and in front of her – was a big deal, and we had to make sure we got out on everything.
“I also think our offense was a huge part of it because when we played them the second time we weren’t running plays, the team was not moving. Ever since that game, we focused on cutting and moving as much as possible on offense. We didn’t come in with any specific plays we were trying to run this game – we just ran five out. I think cutting and running through the offense wore their defense out, which really helped us on offense.”
The Redskins connected on 15-of-25 shots and were 7-of-11 from beyond the arc after burying five of six three-point attempts in the opening quarter.
A tip of the hat – Lally was quick to credit the Lady Knights for their performance in the win.
“They fixed what they did from game one, and in game two, they blew us out by pumping the ball inside, beating us all over the floor, winning the hustle plays, forcing us into turnovers,” Lally said of his team’s first two games against North Penn. “Our big talk was – you’re not going to stop those kids, you’ve got to contain them.
“(Jess) Huber had a great game for them, and you knew one of them would. If you were going to tell me we were pretty much going to contain Giuliani and Carangi, I would have felt like we could win the game, but that’s why they are who they are. They’re a great team. I have a ton of respect for them.
“I don’t mind losing to a great coach like Maggie. She does a great job. She made adjustments with her kids. That’s what good coaches do. Hats off to her.”
Extra points – A pair of freshman were integral parts of the Redskins’ remarkable run. In Friday’s finale, Brooke Mullin connected on 4-of-5 shots from the field (2-of-2 from beyond the arc) for 10 points. She also had five rebounds. Allison Harvey connected on her only two shots from the floor and finished with seven points.
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