City of Basketball Love

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) &
Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson 3)
__

COLLEGEVILLE — Several of the area’s top girls basketball teams traveled to Ursinus on Sunday for the 16th annual ‘Hoops for Hope’ classic. Here’s a roundup of the action from all five games; CLICK HERE for standouts:

Game 1: Sanford (Del.) 67, Mount St. Joseph Academy 39

Helped by seven first-quarter points from Chloe McGrorty, who finished with a team-high 14 points, the Lions jumped out to a 9-6 lead after eight minutes of play, but the advantage was short-lived.

Sanford senior Dallas Pierce went scoreless in the opening eight minutes but found her groove with eight points in the second quarter to put the Warriors ahead 20-15 at halftime. She scored 16 in the win to earn Game MVP honors.

Both offenses got going in the third quarter, but Sanford was able to extend its advantage to double digits, 43-33, entering the fourth on a late basket by Layla Mahini (10 points). Sanford scored 23 points in the third quarter and followed with 24 points in the fourth during an explosive second half.

Mahini finished with 10 points, while Zoe Kashner added 14 and Zy Kilgoe added another 10.

The Lions were within four, 35-31, late in the third quarter but Sanford ended the period on an 8-2 run and rattled off six more in a row to start the fourth to go ahead 49-33 with 6:29 to play before cruising to the finish.

By Quarter
Sanford School:   6   |  14  |  23  |  24  ||  67
Mount St. Joe's:   9   |   6   |  18   |  6   ||  39

Scoring
Sanford: Dallas Pierce 16, Zoe Kasher 14, Zy Kilgoe 10, Layla Mahini 10, Naomi Allen 8, Emma Martino 6, Ellie Carter-Soriano 3

Mount St. Joseph: Chloe McGrorty 14, Georgia Pickett 9, Carlie Shouldis 7, Addison Smith 5.

~~~

Game 2: Haverford 54, Notre Dame 42

The second quarter and third quarter ended with the same basic outcome, but it was how the Fords got there that differed quite a bit.

After falling behind by six points at the end of the first quarter against the Academy of Notre Dame, Haveford leaned on senior Caroline Dotsey in the second to make sure it didn’t get any further behind. By the time the senior forward finally scored after halftime, she was the fifth Ford to find the basket in the third quarter and Haverford had seized the lead.

Dotsey’s 24-point effort paced the Fords against an Irish team that hung around but couldn’t make enough shots to ultimately keep up.

“It was just a lot of talk about communication on the court,” the University of Maine-bound senior said. “We work on it a lot, so executing, knowing where our teammates are and everyone being on the same page kind of helped us come together and score as a team.”

Dotsey was named Haverford’s game MVP, which the 6-foot-1 forward likely could have pulled in with her second quarter efforts alone. The Fords collected 14 points as a team in the frame, with the first 10 coming directly through Dotsey and the other four off her passes, a dizzying array of spins, pivots, fakes and contortions inside helping the forward do the damage.

“A lot of my under-the-basket moves were able to put us up a little bit and give us some more confidence,” Dotsey said. “I think as a team, we all capitalized on our offensive opportunities.”

Notre Dame, thanks to some fluid teamwork between Katie Halligan and Lizzie Halligan, still held a 24-23 lead at halftime. Lizzie Halligan, who had 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals, was named the Irish’s game MVP.

Haverford opened the third quarter with an and-one by Aniya Eberhart and a bucket by Sky Newman to take a 28-24 lead it wouldn’t give back. Mollie Carpenter answered a Halligan three with a stickback and Rian Dotsey made two free throws to cap an 8-3 opening run with the other four Fords leading the way. 

Dotsey, who had 15 points at the half, got her first points of the third on back-to-back scores that gave the Fords a 36-31 lead. The senior added consecutive scores inside - the second coming off a great one-handed catch of a Newman pass to the block - in the fourth to open up a six-point lead before her sister Rian scored off an interior catch of her own for a 47-39 edge with four minutes left.

“The size we have on the team this year really helps us out and the chemistry we have between the guards and the posts, we always seem to know where everyone is,” Dotsey said. “That worked out pretty well for us.”

While Caroline Dotsey was pouring in points, Carpenter was doing just about everything else. The center post, a Catholic University recruit, scored five points and stuffed the line everywhere else with nine rebounds, two assists, two steals, a charge drawn and consistently helping to release pressure against Notre Dame’s press.

“She’s a huge leader for our team,” Dotsey said. “She helps carry us defensively and is a big communicator on and off the court, which helps us plenty as well.”

The Fords, a state playoff team a year ago, are always eager to match up with quality opponents, even if they have to take a couple different paths to get to the end result.

“We wanted a game where we were really battling on both ends,” Dotsey said. “I think it’ll really help us in the long run, Notre Dame’s a really good team. We shared the ball really well, we did a good job communicating, yeah, just a good game from everyone.”

By Quarter
Haverford:    9 | 14 | 18 | 13 || 54
Notre Dame: 13 | 11 | 8 | 10 || 42

Scoring
H: Caroline Dotsey 24, Aniya Eberhart 10, Rian Dotsey 8, Mollie Carpenter 5, Sky Newman 5, Mya Foley 2

ND: Lizzie Halligan 12, Katie Halligan 12, Annie Greek 9, Chloe Knox 4, Catie Kelly 3, Emma Rocheleau

Game 3: Neshaminy 48, Villa Maria Acad. 34

When she walked into the gym still in her slippers and knocked down a half court shot to win a free hot dog, Reese Zemitis appeared ready for a signature shooting day.

Instead, Neshaminy’s junior sharpshooter had a tough go of it from deep on Sunday.

Even with the long ball not falling, Zemiits found a way to score 20 points, also adding five rebounds, three blocks and a steal in a 48-34 win over Villa Maria.

“In the beginning, I was shooting a lot of threes and they just weren’t falling my way,” Zemitis said. “I wasn’t going to get discouraged to shoot, but in the second half I was seeing the lanes were open for me to drive and I felt like I was stronger and able to get more shots up. If I start rolling with that, I feel a lot more confident getting to the rim.”

Classmate Lola Ibarrondo was responsible for most of the rest of the Neshaminy offense, scoring 17 points. Ibarrondo added six steals to key her team’s defense.

Neshaminy held Villa Maria to single digits in each of the first three quarters — five in the first, seven in the second, eight in the third — and led 23-12 at halftime and 31-20 heading into the fourth quarter. 

Senior Mara McHugh finished with 18 points for Villa (including 10 of her team’s 12 in the first half), but the Hurricanes couldn’t muster enough offense to keep up with Zemitis, Ibarrondo and Neshaminy.

“Defensively, we’re just so strong,” Zemitis said. “Our defense has been getting really good. We’ve been practicing on the rotations and they've just been getting better and better. The more we communicate and the more we start getting rebounds, it’s a lot quicker movement and it’s just really good.”

Seniors Linsday Little (six points) and Jess Purdy (three points) added some perimeter shooting for Neshaminy on a day when Zemitis wasn’t feeling it from deep. Sophomore guard Alena Cofield did a little bit of everything too.

Sunday marked the 10th straight win for Neshaminy since a Dec. 11 loss to Ursuline Acad. (Del.). The hope is to keep that focus moving forward.

“We’ve been rolling for sure,” Zemitis said. 

“We’ve really been working to stay humble with it and just play our own game.”

By Quarter
Neshaminy:   10  |  13  |   8   |  17  ||  48
Villa Maria:     5   |   7   |   8   |  14  ||  34

Scoring
Neshaminy: Reese Zemitis 20, Lola Ibarrondo 17, Lindsay Little 6, Jess Purdy 3, Jasmin Davis 1.

Villa Maria: Mara McHugh 18, Ella Iacone 8, Alice Nash 3, Clare Cronley 2, Ava Irvine 1

~~~

Game 4: Archbishop Carroll 58, West Chester Rustin 49

For a game that looked all but over with 5:15 left in the fourth quarter, it provided the most engaging finish of the day as the Patriots held off a furious rally by the Golden Knights in the final minutes.

Carroll game MVP Taylor Wilson summed it up best, a team can’t hope to stop Rustin’s Laine McGurk, merely contain her. Save a sizzling stretch in the second quarter, Taylor’s younger sister Brooke Wilson did an admirable job on McGurk before the Drexel recruit and her teammates came roaring back.

A very Carroll-like performance featuring good passing and strong defense was enough to outlast the Knights last charge.

“I thought we did a really good job of just sticking together,” Wilson, an Army commit, said. “They went on their run at the end but we continued to play our game, stuck together as a team and didn’t let them get to us.”

Wilson, who shared the team-high for scoring with freshman Alexis Eberz with 16 points, was at the center of a lot of it. The senior, who is the Patriots’ post by default as their tallest player, scored the opening basket as part of a 7-0 Carroll run off the tip.

Defensively, Carroll held Rustin to a 3-of-16 shooting effort in the first quarter with McGurk held scoreless as the Patriots took a 13-6 lead. McGurk and her nigh-unguardable pull-up got loose for nine second quarter points, Rustin closing within 20-17 before Carroll scored the next seven.

Brooke Wilson had her hands full defensively, but the junior still put together a strong overall performance with 12 points, 11 rebounds and four assists and full credit from her older sister.

“Brooke had a hand in her face the whole game, she did such a great job guarding her,” Taylor Wilson said. “You’re not stopping her, but Brooke played great defense all game.”

The Wilsons combined for 12 first half points, the other 17 coming via Eberz’s eight and Courtland Schumacher’s nine on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting. What made the offense go was the Patriots’ movement, both of the ball and away from it.

Taylor Wilson scored off an assist from her sister, then doled out a helper on a three by Schumacher. Schumacher and Eberz combined for a couple baskets and Brooke Wilson also had a good find of a cutting Schumacher in a second quarter that put Carroll up 29-22 at the break.

“As the year’s gone on, we’ve come to learn who does what and who can do what,” Wilson said. “I think we’ve done a really good job of that recently. We’re getting people the ball for their high-percentage shots, Lex (Eberz) and Liv (Nardi) can shoot the ball, so we’re looking to get them threes, I’m better in the post so we’re looking to get me lay-ups.”

Rustin cut the lead to a basket at 29-27 to open the third quarter and trailed just 33-29 with 2:50 remaining in the third quarter before the entire plot of the game changed. Taylor Wilson scored four straight points and a basket by Brooke Wilson had the Patriots up eight going into the fourth.

Their defense then completely flustered the Knights over the first 2:45 of the fourth, ripping off a 12-0 run that opened up a 20-point lead at 51-31.

“Laine’s their main scorer and it’s not about stopping her because you’re not going to stop her, you just have to limit her,” Wilson said. “We were in help while staying one-on-one with our girls and just limiting their second chance opportunities, that was a big goal for us.”

Rustin coach Lauren Power called a timeout after the lead got to 20 and challenged her team to respond. The Golden Knights did, holding Carroll to one field goal the rest of the game while turning up the pressure on defense.

Ava Panetta and Lola Flynn were catalysts at the top of Rustin’s press while McGurk looked to attack off every rebound she gathered off a Patriots miss as it all culminated in a 16-2 Knights run that sliced the lead to 53-47 with 2:16 to play.

Rustin got as close as 54-49 on a McGurk layup with 1:21 left but then forced to foul, the Knights weren’t able to capitalize when Carroll missed on the front end of its first two one-and-ones before the Patriots sank four straight free throws to close out the chaotic finish.

“It was a big win for us,” Wilson said. “Defensively, it was really big for us. We’re not going to play another girl like Laine, so after a loss yesterday, it was good getting our momentum back and hopefully it helps us this week in the Catholic League.”

By Quarter
Carroll: 13 | 16 | 10 | 19 || 58
Rustin: 6 | 16 | 9 | 18 || 39

Scoring
AC: Taylor Wilson 16, Alexis Eberz 16, Brooke Wilson 12, Cortland Schumacher 9, Olivia Nardi 3, Kate O’Neill 2

WCR: Laine McGurk 20, Lola Flynn 11, Ava Panetta 8, Riley Stackhouse 7, Elizabeth McGurk 3

~~~

Game 5: Archbishop Wood 54, Penn Charter 41

No one on the Archbishop Wood roster took over Sunday’s game against Penn Charter.

Instead, four different Vikings all had their moments in a marquee victory over the Quakers.

Senior Kara Meredith (14), junior Ava Renninger (12), senior Deja Evans (11) and sophomore Emily Knouse (10) all reached double figures as they went through various hot stretches to help Wood to win.

“I think we were just able to play together and really come together as a team to get the win,” said Evans, an Albany commit.

Despite a pair of early threes from Knouse, who hit three in the game, the Vikings (8-2) trailed 13-10 after the first quarter when Lia Vieira rattled off five straight points for the Quakers (7-8) to end the period.

 Wood came storming back to start the second quarter when it scored 11 straight points in the first three minutes to go back ahead, 21-13. Penn Charter senior Aleah Snead, a St. Joe’s commit, helped stifle the run, but the Vikings reeled off 10 more points in a row to close the half up 37-22.

Evans had nine points in the period — even stepping out to hit a three — and Renninger, who finished with seven assists, added seven more along with a couple of dimes. Meredith added five of her team-high 14 in the quarter and Knouse hit a triple as well as Wood exploded for 28 points.

“We just had to pick it up on defense and I realized we were down, so I had to bring more energy to the team, so they can feed off it,” Evans said.

“We were able to rebound and play big defensively. I think that’s really what got us rolling. That’s what brought our energy up.”

Evans added three blocks, four assists, eight rebounds and a steal to round out her stat line. Snead and eighth-grader Ryan Carter (10 points, seven rebounds) was the only other player besides Snead to reach double figures.

By Quarter
Penn Charter:   13   |  9  |   11   |  8  ||  41
Archbishop Wood:     10   |  27  |   7   |  10  ||  54

Scoring
Penn Charter: Aleah Snead 16, Ryan Carter 10, Kaylinn Bethea 5, Lia Vieira 5, Gracie Shoup 3, Bella Toomey 2

Archbishop Wood: Kara Meredith 14, Ava Renninger 12, Deja Evans 11, Emily Knouse 11, Delaney Finnegan 5, Makayla Duffy 1.