City of Basketball Love

Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3)
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BENSALEM – Reagan Chrencik had one main goal for her senior season: win a District I title and lead her team to states.

For three years, the New Hope-Solebury standout had been denied at the last step with back-to-back losses in the District 1 4A semis last year, the 4A title game the year before and in the Class 3A final as a freshman. This year, even with an extremely young team around her, the path to that elusive state bid finally seemed to open up.

Chrencik led the way all season and Saturday, she and the Lions finally captured that district title, downing Bristol 53-28 in the Class 3A tilt held at Bensalem.

“I’m super excited, that was our goal from the beginning of the year,” Chrencik said, a winner’s medal finally draped around her neck. “We knew we had a really good opportunity to make a deep run but we still had to take it one game at a time of course. It was always in our sights, it was always our ultimate goal to win districts and make a run into states.”

The New Hope-Solebury girls basketball team poses with its District 1-3A championship trophy after a win over Bristol on Saturday at Bensalem. (Photo: Andrew Robinson/CoBL)

The last time New Hope-Solebury won a district title came in the 2015-16 season when the Lions upset St. Basil Academy in the 3A title. Every year after, whether it was in Class 3A or 4A, in an all-District 1 bracket or a subregional with District 11, a team managed to get in their way.

For a while, it was St. Basil Academy, the now-closed AACA power taking the Lions out in the 2017, 2019 and 2020 3A title games. When New Hope-Solebury moved up to 4A in 2021, it was another AACA heavyweight in Gwynedd Mercy Academy that kept the Lions from the summit.

Thanks to the PIAA classifications resetting this summer, the Lions went back to 3A and there wasn’t an AACA program to be seen in their classification. If ever there were a time, Chrencik knew it had set up just right for her and her team.

“For me personally, I’m a senior, it’s my last season so it’s really sentimental and I really want to go out on a good note,” Chrencik said. “It’s been a goal of mine. I’ve never won a district title, it feels great.”

Ironically, Lions coach Steve Polinksy was there in 2016 for the last Lions title albeit on the losing side as an assistant at St. Basil. When Polinsky, who also had a turn on the bench at Archbishop Wood as an assistant, took over the Lions four years ago, he figured out quickly that Chrencik was a player with plenty of good things in front of her.

So, if Chrencik’s goal this season was to get her team to states, then Polinksy’s motivation became get Chrencik to states. Losing a player like Chrencik is irreplaceable from a talent standpoint but Polinsky believes the Lions program will be better next year solely for having her in it this past four seasons.

“When I took over, got in late, didn’t get in until October, she’s the one that came to open gyms and basically held the standard of this is how we’re going to start practicing,” Polinsky said. “For four years, I’ve never had to say ‘work hard’ to her, she’s been the perfect person in those terms and the kids all follow her like she’s the Pied Piper, her leadership has been impeccable.”

Saturday’s game was decided quickly, the Lions racing out to a 24-9 first quarter lead and were up 47-16 at the half. Chrenick scored 18 in the win, most of it coming from backcourt steals turned into easy baskets, but she did hit one of her signature long threes in the third quarter before Polinsky pulled all his starters with the running clock in effect.

Chrencik, who stands close to 6-foot with long arms, a deadly jumper and plenty of intangibles, is the kind of player any program would love to have. She played AAU with the Comets, so she also proved she could hang with one of the top local programs playing a national schedule.

Even if she kept getting denied at the doorstep of a championship and a chance to play in states, Chrenick never thought about leaving New Hope-Solebury.

“New Hope girls’ basketball is a family to me, I say that to everyone who asks, everyone here is so supportive,” Chrencik said. “I love all my teammates, I love my coaches. I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.

“Everyone here brings something to the table and that’s what improves our team, the way we all work together, I wouldn't have it any other way.”

That loyalty, more than any of the feats she’s accomplished on the court, is what holds Chrencik in such high regard as far as her coach is concerned. She helped bridge the gap when the Lions moved from the BAL to become one of the smallest schools in the sprawling Suburban One League, has helped them win a share of two division titles and will graduate as one of the program’s all-time top scorers, on pace to surpass 1,400 career points.

It’s an impressive resume and one deserving of an opportunity to play in a state playoff game.

“It says a lot about her, loyalty is so valuable, especially being a small school,” Polinsky said. “She stayed and I think it was worth her while. She had a good career with us and she’s such a good kid.”

New Hope-Solebury starts a freshman, albeit a very talented one in Gabby D’Agostino, at point guard and three sophomores in Ella Dudek, Izzy Elizando and co-captain Emily Wilson around Chrencik. The senior has embraced that all year, complimenting her underclassmen support crew for playing above their years and lauding the way they’ve become sharper moving and sharing the ball.

Elizando had 13 on Saturday while Wilson scored 11. D’Agostino had a quiet game with five points but she and Chrencik combined for 11 steals and the freshman has put together some huge outings this year.

What Chrencik likes most about this team is that an onlooker who didn’t know better would probably be surprised if told about their collective youth.

“We have a little huddle and I say ‘leave it all out on the court,’” Chrencik said. “We are a really young team but I give them a lot of credit, for as young as we are, we’ve become a really cohesive team and I don’t think anyone would have guessed that.”

Whenever the seasons for New Hope-Solebury ends, it at least won’t spell the end of Chrencik’s basketball career. The senior has committed to play at Gettysburg College, one of the Centennial Conference’s top programs and one that seems to fit her skills perfectly.

“I’m so happy she went that way,” Polinsky said. “I’m a D-III guy, I like when people go where they’ll make their imprint on a game and I think she’ll do a great job at Gettysburg.”

New Hope-Solebury will face the third seed out of District 12 in its state opener on March 10. Even with a sizable gap between Saturday’s win and the PIAA first round, Chrencik was adamant the work isn’t done yet and she’s not going to slack off ahead of the last act of her high school career.

“I just want to have fun with it, but I want to win more than anything,” Chrencik said. “It’s kind of sad, realizing we’re getting to the end of things but at the same time, I’m excited for what’s left.”

By Quarter

NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 24 | 23 | 6 | 0 || 53

BRISTOL 9 | 7 | 4 | 8 || 28

Scoring

NHS: Reagan Chrencik 18, Izzy Elizando 13, Emily Wilson 11, Gabby D’Agostino 5, Naava Richlin 3, Kayla Fennell 3

B: Molly Farrell 8, Angelisse Cantiello 7, Kay Smith 3, MacKenzie Kauffman 3, Saniyah Bell 3, Paris White 2, Jada Coleman 2