City of Basketball Love

Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3)
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FAIRLESS HILLS — Every team could use a player like Sydney Ralph.

The CB East junior can do a little bit of everything, from passing to defending, from handling the ball to rebounding, so she fills a lot of roles for the Patriots. Thursday night at Pennsbury, CB East needed Ralph to come through at the line, so she did.

Ralph scored all eight of her points in the second half, six in the fourth quarter and four at the foul line as CB East held off the host Falcons 43-39 for a win that may prove extra-important in the SOL standings.

“We’ve built such a good chemistry throughout the year so stepping to the line, I know my teammates have so much confidence in me,” Ralph said. “We have so much confidence in each other so stepping to that line, you know they have your back no matter what and if they don’t go in, then we’ll make a play on the other end.”

Ralph hit two free throws with 33 seconds left in the third quarter, giving CB East a 29-27 lead going to the final period and a lead the Patriots wouldn’t give up. The junior scored her sole basket on a runner off a baseline drive early in the fourth for a 31-27 lead then went 4-of-4 at the stripe over the final 23 seconds to seal up the win.

She also had a rebound, two assists and steal while spending much of the game covering Pennsbury sharpshooter Daniella MacDonald. The Patriots usually play just six, maybe seven, players per game so having someone like Ralph who utilizes her versatility at both ends has been an important part of East’s now 11-2 start.

“It’s kind of like that utility player in baseball,” East coach Liz Potash said. “She can defend a guard or defend a forward. Mentally, she was just so tough there at the end to knock down those four, those were big.”

As a sophomore, Ralph played a role off the East bench but with the Patriots graduating several starters from last year’s District 1 playoff qualifier, she knew a bigger role was coming. That’s why this past summer playing with her Upper Makefield Heat Hoops team, Ralph put the work in to try and improve across the board.

“Playing at a pretty high level through AAU definitely helped me improve my game,” Ralph said. “I was excited to come into a bigger role this year, it was just something I knew I’d have to do.

“We don’t have too big of a roster, so I knew that when I was needed, I was going to have to step into other roles that I hadn’t been super comfortable in so getting that experience really just helps you grow your game.”

She knows Anna Barry and Jess Lockwood are going to get a bulk of the offensive looks and she plans for Chantal Van Dongeren and Natalie Berndt to take the lead defensively, but Ralph always stays ready. At 5-foot-10 with a rangy wingspan to go with quickness and athleticism, Ralph’s also carved out a niche on the defensive end playing the perimeter.

That she guarded MacDonald on Thursday was no accident. The Pennsbury senior came out strong, scoring six points in the first quarter but it seemed most every step after that had Ralph following close behind, knowing MacDonald excels at using a cut or curl late in an offensive set to pop open for a shot.

“I wasn’t used to guarding the stronger shooters or players and this year I think I’ve stepped into more of a defensive role,” Ralph said. “Guarding someone like MacDonald, she got a couple threes on me, but I didn’t lose my mental confidence and looked to shut her down in big moments.

“It’s a part of my game that’s grown over the summer. I feel like I’m pretty lengthy and athletic but the coaches also put me in a suitable role where I can defend a player they feel confident in me shutting down.”

During the holiday break, the Patriots traveled down to Florida as part of the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational and ended up winning their bracket. The trip went a long way in strengthening the group’s bond, the line of Patriots filing out of the locker room Thursday all giving Ralph some kind of encouragement including an emphatic Barry fist-pump as she described her efforts.

It also gave Ralph some validation her work was paying off. In the team’s opening-round game against Martin County (Fl.), the coaches opted to have Ralph and Berndt flip defensive assignments and Ralph was able to put together a strong outing on that end that helped East secure a win.

“I thought that was a big turning point for me in being able to defend shifty players and shooters,” Ralph said. “I just want to keep getting better every game defending that type of player.”

Ralph also plays soccer at CB East, although as a center back, she noted minutes were hard to come by this fall behind two stalwart seniors in Sophie Schorn and Katie Bullard who never left the field. Still, she took her role in stride and is hoping next season sees a similar impact as the one she’s putting together this winter.

“I still love being part of that team,” Ralph said.

The Patriots are battling for the SOL Colonial title, now two-thirds of the way through crossovers before going back into the division, they knew Thursday was a huge result.

“This was a really big one for us to be able to win,” Ralph said. “We have Neshaminy coming up then Council Rock North, so this should give us a boost of confidence going into the big games we have coming.”

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CB EAST 43, PENNSBURY 39

The bad weather earlier in the week certainly didn’t do the Patriots any favors.
Looking to bounce back from a loss to Neshaminy last Friday, East had its game with Harry S. Truman pushed back a day to Wednesday due to Tuesday’s rainouts. East won that one, but it also meant a trip to the Nest without a day of practice.

That usually doesn’t bode well for teams playing the Falcons, but a combined front saw East through it.

“It’s a total team win,” Potash said. “Anyone that came in did what we needed them to do. We didn’t have a practice for Pennsbury and I thought ‘man, of all the teams to not have a practice for.’ You want to be prepared for them.

“I sent the girls a scout report, they watched the film and they were locked in.”

Anna Barry and Jess Lockwood tied for the team lead with 12 points each, both players well-defended by Pennsbury throughout. Lockwood did most of her damage with a 10-point third quarter, with Berndt adding four of her nine points in the frame.

Berndt also added an important assist to Van Dongeren and a bucket of her own in the fourth, both times giving East a four-point lead.

“Natalie Berndt’s defense on (Sofia) Vitucci was really good, you know she’s going to score some points but Nat made her really work,” Potash said. “I think we did enough to make the pieces fall where they needed to.”

Vitucci finished with a game-high 17, the senior guard nearly pulling off one of her trademark fourth quarter flurries to steal the game. She had 10 in the final stanza, including a gutsy three-pointer with 8.6 on the clock that cut the lead to 41-39 prior to Ralph’s final trip to the foul line.

MacDonald also hit double figures with 12 points while Layla Matthias had four points, six rebounds and two steals.

The Falcons were looking to get coach Frank Sciolla his 500th career victory. Sciolla, who went 365-180 over a 20-year span coaching at Bristol, Pennsbury and Conwell-Egan on the boys’ side, took over the Falcons’ girls program for the 2016-17 season and has accumulated a 134-61 record since.

Pennsbury next plays at CB West on Tuesday.

CB East, which has Neshaminy and CR North on deck next week, was plenty happy to pick up a road win in a venue where the hosts don’t often lose. The Patriots have a team with some explosive players and tenacious defenders but their best results have come when everybody is engaged in some way, kind of like Thursday night.

“It’s a little bit of a broken record, but it really doesn’t matter,” Potash said. “Whoever has the hot hand, they’ll give them the ball. Whoever is hot, feed them the ball and as long as we win, they’re happy.”

By Quarter
CB East:      7   |   8   |  14  |  14  ||  43
Pennsbury: 13  |   3   |  11  |  12  ||  39

Scoring
CBE: Anna Barry 12, Jess Lockwood 12, Natalie Berndt 9, Sydney Ralph 8, Chantal Van Dongeren 2

P: Sofia Vitucci 17, Daniella MacDonald 12, Layla Matthias 4, Danielle Sherman 3, Maggie Burns 3