City of Basketball Love

Jared Leveson (@jared_leveson)
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LANGHORNE — Ava Irizarry's got butterflies in her stomach. 

The opening tip is moments away as her nerves creep through her head. They get more pronounced each second, taking her out of the moment. 

She opens her eyes and looks around. 

The Neshaminy bench screams and hollers. Fellow seniors Reese Zemitis and Lola Ibarrando are calm and relaxed. Her external support is there.

Irizarry then turns inward. I've been playing Basketball since 1st grade, she thinks to herself. It's just another game. 

She looks up as the whistle blows and the nerves wash away. It's time to hoop. 

The senior guard found her focus on Tuesday night against Bensalem. With Zemitis (Bucknell) and Ibarrando (Holy Family) struggling for the first three quarters, Irizarry scored a season-high 13 points in a 46-32 win over the Owls. 

Neshaminy (18-4, 13-2 SOL) clinched an outright SOL Patriot Division title with the victory and ended Bensalem's (15-6, 10-5 SOL) seven-game win streak. The two Patriot Division rivals may face off again on Friday during the SOL tournament quarterfinals.

"I just want to do my part the best I can," Irizarry said. "I was able to pull through and keep my composure pretty well." 

"Bensalem is the hottest team in the league right now," head coach John Gallagher added. "That is a very good win for us. [We] made sure the girls were aware of that, and they were. We didn't take anybody lightly." 

"In the first half, I think Reese and Lola combined for six points and it was the auxiliary type players that kept the ship afloat."

Irizarry led the way for Neshaminy's "auxiliary" players. The 5-foot-6 guard was placed in the starting five for the first time in her Neshaminy career at the beginning of this season, and she has taken advantage of her opportunity against Bensalem.

She finished with 13 points, nine of which came in the first half after she shot three-for-five from behind the arc. Irizarry made her only two shots inside the three-point line in the second half.

Irizarry has steadily worked her way into her starting position this season. She arrived at Neshaminy from the district's Maple Point Middle School. She did her time on freshman and junior varsity teams before getting called to the varsity roster her junior year. 

She was a rotationally player off the bench and saw game minutes, but nothing compared to this season. It was an adjustment for Irizarry.

Jess Purdy and Lindsay Little, who provided consistent outside shooting and defense for Neshaminy, graduated and left a vital role to fill. Gallagher tasked Irizarry with getting her shooting on par with Purdy and Little so there wouldn't be a drop in production from a crucial part of Neshaminy's game plan. 

Zemitis and Ibarrando need players to knock down open shots when double-teamed or force the defense to collapse. 

Her grit and toughness on the defensive end made her a solid option to insert into the starting five. Still, her shooting came along nicely, too, which made the decision a no-brainer for Gallagher. 

"She has the green light when she's open and our girls that can get her the ball have a lot of confidence in her to knock it down," the veteran head coach said. "It was really good to see her step forward [and] knock down those 13 points." 

"I think it's great to see that she has confidence in herself to shoot those big shots," Zemitis added. 

Bensalem's defensive game plan was solid, but Zemitis and Ibarrando's shots weren't connecting. Still, Irizarry's dead-eye shooting, Ashlyn Duffy's contributions on the offensive end, and a solid team-defensive effort had Neshaminy up 27-26 heading into the fourth quarter.

Neshaminy's girls' basketball all-time leading scorer, Zemitis, didn't score until the fourth quarter. The Bucknell commit then went on a personal seven-nothing run to start the final frame and finished the game with 11.

"My team just keeps telling me to shoot the ball," Zemitis said. "They have the confidence in me but I have the confidence in them. "Even with that performance in the first half, we were still up [21-19] going into the half. 

"Props to them for being able to make those finishes and make those plays when I' 'm not able to." 

Holy Family commit Ibarrondo followed suit and finished with 13, but she significantly impacted the defensive glass. Her four rebounds sprung Neshaminy's transition offense and finally got them easy looks to get into a rhythm. 

Neshaminy's shot-making inspired a staunch defensive effort in the fourth quarter, and Bensalem got outscored 19-6. 

Irizarry credits her teammates for giving her the confidence to stay active on the defensive end but also to take and make big shots for Neshaminy. 

"They are just so supportive toward me," the senior said. "They always encourage me and help calm my nerves a little, so I just look at them for support, and they really help me."

"Hope it keeps happening," Gallagher said about Irizarry's performance. 

Neshaminy will need consistency from Irizarry, Duffy, Alena Cofield, and Mia Raivich to win an SOL Championship, make a run in Districts, and win that elusive PIAA 6A state playoff game. 

Gallagher's squad has yet to advance past the first round of the 6A state tournament since qualifying for the tournament the past two seasons. 

By Quarter:

Bensalem: 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 || 32

Neshaminy: 8 | 13 |5 |19 || 46

Scoring: 

Bensalem: Amber Howard 12, Devon Bell 9, Mikayla Donahue 6, Talia DiMichele 5

Neshaminy: Ava Irizarry 13, Lola Ibarrondo 13, Reese Zemitis 11, Ashlyn Duffy 6, Mia Raivich 3

~~~~~

Neshaminy 56, Bensalem 47

Nate Townsend wanted revenge against Bensalem after losing 46-44 back on Dec. 19 at Bensalem. 

He got his on Neshaminy's floor. 

In front of an energetic crowd of fiery parents and sharp-tongued students, Neshaminy went back and forth with SOL Patriot champion Bensalem (17-4, 13-2) until the fourth quarter when the Penn State-Harrisburg commit took over offensively with his driving and passing ability.

Townsend finished with 19 points and a host of assists, including four in the second half, pushing Neshaminy past their bitter SOL Patriot rival Bensalem 56-47 on Tuesday night. 

"Nate's doing a great job," head coach Mark Tinge said. "He's taking great shots. He's attacking the basket. He's facilitating. Last game he had 11 assists. I don't know what he had tonight but he did a good job."

"(People are) always focused on the points," Townsend added. "I pride myself in trying to get more assists than points; of course, I want points, but you got to get the assists and rebounds as well."

It was a crucial win for Neshaminy as they were ranked ninth in the SOL behind Central Bucks West and William Tennent for the eighth and final spot in the SOL's postseason tournament. The first four seeds go to the four division winners, while seeds five through eight are given based on District rankings.

"Anytime you get a (win) it feels great," the eighth-year head coach said. "Especially at this time of year." 

"We did what we were supposed to do. It's a big win, and hopefully, it helps us get in the SOL playoffs before we get ready for districts."

By Quarter:

Bensalem: 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 || 47 

Neshaminy: 13 | 9 | 19 | 15 || 56

Scoring:

Bensalem: Noah Morris 11, Micah White 9, Antonio Morris 7, Jamir Chatham 7, Amir Drummond 6, Nate Cooper 6

Neshaminy: Nate Townsend 19, Emeer Coombs 13, Logan Gale 8, Guy Horton 10, Max Currie 6