City of Basketball Love

By Jared Leveson (@jared_leveson)
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Amy Ngo drives down the lane and pulls-up midway, burying a jumper over her younger sister Megan. 

“You’re too small,” the older sister barbs, walking back to the top of the key to check the ball.

Amy sets up another move to the basket, but Megan picks her pocket and jets by her older sister toward the cup. 

“And you’re slow,” she jabs back.

This scene plays itself out everyday, whether it be in the driveway, in the gym after school at Upper Dublin High School, or at practice. Amy and Megan live to compete with one another. It’s in their DNA, passed down to them by their mother, former La Salle guard and Big 5 Hall of Famer, Jen Zenszer. 

“I think that intensity wise, they share genes there,'' Upper Dublin 12-year head coach Morgan Funsten said. “They share work ethic genes, being great teammates and leaders, they check every box.”

They didn’t get a full season with one another last year because of Amy’s knee surgery recovery. So, they hit the ground harder this offseason and are feeling more grateful than ever that they get to share the floor with one another for one full season. 

“I don't think I realized since last year how special it is to play with my sister,” Megan said. “I think I need to cherish this season. It's her senior year. It's the last time in high school I’m going to play with her and I think it's really special. She’s a really big influence on me.”

The countless hours spent locked in the gym going at one another is paying off. The sisters played one of their best games of the season so far at the City of Basketball Love Girls’ Winter Classic against Council Rock South when Amy and Megan combined for 35 points in Upper Dublin's dominant 50-28 win Sunday evening.

Led by the Ngos, the Cardinals are out to a 7-0 start, looking like the favorite in the Suburban One League Liberty Division (5-0) and rising up the District 1 Class 6A power rankings.

“I love playing with her,” Amy, a Holy Family commit, said. “We are very very competitive. We’re always getting after it at practice with each other so I think that helps and translates to games.”

When Amy was recovering from two knee surgeries, Megan’s support was unwavering. She tended to her sister’s needs, whether big or small like running to the fridge for water or hanging out on the couch while Amy was immobile. 

For Megan, watching her sister at such a low point and grind through her physical therapy to play again has motivated her. 

“It really showed me that she’s really strong and that I can be stronger,” the sophomore said.

Megan’s drive to get better for her teammates and sister only empowered Amy more because if Megan can do something, she can do it too, and vice versa. 

Each day during the summer and everyday after school in the offseason, Amy and Megan worked out and had a ball in their hands. For years, they have needed a mediator whenever they play against one another. The setting doesn’t matter, driveway, practice, or workout. Somebody needs to step-in when things get too heated. 

As Amy's recovery started wrapping up, the intensity of their workouts and one-on-one battles inflated. 

“Meg would be able to go by her more than she can now and it was very frustrating for Amy,” Funsten recalled. “It was a little one-sided at times during Amy's rehab. Lately with Amy’s athletics pretty much back to where it was before the injury, you pick the day in terms of who [wins].” 

“Sometimes it's (like) ‘woah woah woah slow down’ because they really compete, but they are able to step back and see the big picture and after practice (they) are usually okay.”

The two have learned a lot this offseason. Amy’s decision making with the ball has taken a step-forward, turning her into a playmaker who can score, rather than just a scorer. Megan has gotten stronger, enabling her to finish inside and defend bigger guards.

The two sisters, along with freshman Tamia Clark (16 points), ran Council Rock South out of the gym.

Megan dominated the first half on both ends. Her full-court pressure defense suffocated CRS from the get-go. She also scored 14 of her 16 total points in the first half. Of course, Amy was happy for her little sister, but something inside her drove her to go another step further. 

She went on a tear in the second half and scored 13 of her game-high 19 points on nine-of-eleven shooting from the field. Amy’s two best plays of the night were the dimes she dropped to Clark after forcing Clark’s defender to rotate to the ball. 

Megan and Amy's connection showed even more when Megan found Amy cutting behind her defender for a smooth as butter backdoor finish. The second time the pair found one another for a backdoor bucket, they hustled back on defense smiling at one another. 

“We’re definitely good at different things,” Megan said. “She’s a better shooter. I’m a better defender. So, we push each other in different ways. It’s always fun, no matter how it ends. It's always good for both of us to learn from it.”

Amy is one of three Upper Dublin seniors along with twins Nora and Brighid Brady, both Neumann University commits. They have the Cardinals rolling in their final year with program.

With Amy’s high school career winding down, the Ngos have at least 15 games left together and should be able to add quite a few more postseason contests at the rate they are playing.

“I feel very fortunate,” Funsten said. “We are trying to cherish our time with the seniors and Amy’s been, she’s persevered through tough times and it's fun to watch her and Megan play together.”

By Quarter
UD: 12 | 13 | 16 | 6 || 50
CRS: 4 | 11 | 9 | 4 || 28

Scoring
UD: Amy Ngo 19, Megan Ngo 16, Tamia Clark 16, Bridget DiMartile 1

CRS: Lily Bross 7, Camryn Gregory 6, Katie Papura 5, Fiona Reckner 4, Lily Metrick 2, Miranda Cantor 2, Sarah Freeman 2