City of Basketball Love

Jared Leveson (@jared_leveson)
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FAIRLESS HILLS —It's hard to win at Pennsbury. 

The bleachers hang over the court and the players. You can brush your fingers on the roof when you stand up. The air conditioner isn't pushing itself either, if there even is one. 

The Pennsbury community, however, makes the most significant difference. The parents, students, and local youth programs always pack the gym for their Falcons, elevating the whole team. 

It wasn't always like this at 705 Hood Boulevard, though, especially when Frank Sciolla took the girls' head coaching job in 2016. 

"There was only one side of the bleachers pulled out," the 28-year head coach said. 

Things are different now, with both sides of the bleachers open and filled for No. 16 Pennsbury's final home game of the season, against No. 17 Bensalem on Friday night in its District 1 6A Tournament opener.

Sciolla had a message for his team at the halftime break with a seven-point lead — don't take this atmosphere for granted. 

Senior Layla Matthias' emotions overwhelmed her at that moment. 

"This is our last time (playing here), so might as well show out for the second half," she recalled. "I had tears in my eyes."

"We have an advantage here and we aren't going to give in on this court," classmate Sofia Vitucci added.

Vitucci and the Falcons didn't give in. They slammed the door shut on Bensalem’s renaissance season. The Falcon's offense made shots, and their defense swarmed the Owls, winning 44-24. 

Pennsbury advanced to the second round, where it will face defending District 1 champion and No. 1 seed Perkiomen Valley on Wednesday. 

Vitucci put together an excellent performance in what was potentially her last home game. The senior finished with a game-high 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field and went eight-for-eight from the charity stripe.  

"Playing here is different than anywhere else," Vitucci said. "You want to play here. [Other] teams probably don't want to play here. It's our environment. It's our home court." 

"She rises to the occasion in big games," Sciolla added. "She's an all-timer for me. This kid's really good because of what we need from her and what she brings to the table. Every year (we) have these breakdown meetings. You meet with the kid, and you give them one thing to get better at.

"Every year. Every year. She has taken that one thing and done it. We wanted her to attack the rim more and be more consistent with that, which she did a lot [of] tonight."

Pennsbury outscored its SOL Patriot Division rival 24-11 in the second half and 17-6 in the fourth quarter. Vitucci had nine in the fourth. 

Bensalem's Devon Bell cashed in a three to start the final frame, cutting the Owls' deficit to 27-21. The Owls wouldn't score again until it was far too late. 

A couple of possessions later, Vitucci knocked down one with her signature pull-up jumper. After another defensive stop, Vitucci carved her way through the defense and finished at the rim. 

With a 33-21 Pennsbury lead, Bensalem called a timeout.

Danielle MacDonald's three-pointer soon after put the Falcons up 36-21. Then, a technical foul on Bensalem followed, officially putting the game out of reach. 

Pennsbury's team effort on the defensive end complimented Vitucci's offensive performance. 

The last time Bensalem played Pennsbury on January 31, the Owls came out victorious because of Mikayla Donahue and Peyton Miller's stellar performances. 

They also had sophomore Grace McShane handling the ball, which helped alleviate Pennsbury's full-court press. McShane wasn't available Friday because of an injury to her nose she suffered a few weeks back. 

Sciolla kept his team focused on making Amber Howard earn every basket and limiting Talia DiMichele's playmaking ability. 

"I think we took away what they wanted to do," Vitucci said. "We have our on-the-ball defenders who take care of the people who need to be taken care of, and then we have our other people who sit and help and are ready to be there. 

"We had a lot of help on Amber," Matthias added. "She's a great player. You have to have multiple people to stop her, and we did that." 

Pennsbury contained the North Carolina A&T commit, Howard, who finished with eight points, six rebounds (three offensive), and one steal. She fouled out with 3:01 left in the game.

Bensalem head coach Steve Johnson couldn't have been more appreciative of Howard and the other seniors' impact on Bensalem girls' basketball these past four years. 

This season, in particular, the Owls had their best record since the 2019-2020 season and beat Pennsbury for the first time since 2016. 

"I put my arm around her and just let her know that what you just did the last four years is going to help us (moving) forward," he said to Howard after she fouled out. "Unselfishly in the future, the next two, four, six, eight years.

"I've coached them for four years and never had a playoff game. Throwing us into Pennsbury, that's not necessarily your first playoff game you want to play. I think everyone on our program learned a lot today." 

"That's the best team they've had in a long time," Sciolla added. "The big thing that Steve has really done is he has them playing with such spirit and playing together." 

With the win, Pennsbury and Vitucci will depart the Falcon's nest for their biggest challenge yet— Perkiomen Valley in the District 1 6A tournament's second round. 

"There'll be a lot of orange and black in the gym," Sciolla said. "It's the ultimate challenge. It's an honor to be able to go and play them because they've been the standard bearer for the last couple of years. 

"We play our best on the road," Vitucci added.

By Quarter
Bensalem: 9 | 4 | 5 | 6 || 24
Pennsbury: 14 | 6 | 7 | 17 || 44

Scoring
Bensalem: Amber Howard 8,  Talia DiMichele 6, Mikayla Donahue 5, Devon Bell 3, Peyton Miller 2

Pennsbury: Sofia Vitucci 22, Layla Matthias 6, Daniella MacDonald 5, Joley Holman 3, Maggie Burns 3, Ava Jordan 2, Emily Panaro 2, Danielle Sherman 1

~~~

District 1 6A (Girls)
First Round
16) Pennsbury 44, 17) Bensalem 24
9) Neshaminy 43, 24) Ridley 31
13) Abington 48, 20) Great Valley 37
12) Kennett 42, 21) Plymouth Whitemarsh 37
18) Council Rock South 43, 15) Unionville 40
10) West Chester Henderson 45, 23) Central Bucks South 32
19) Penncrest 60, 14) Coatesville 59 (OT)
11) Downingtown East 36, 22) Downingtown West 18

Second Round (Weds, Feb. 21)
1) Perkiomen Valley vs. 16) Pennsbury
8) CB East vs. 9) Neshaminy
4) Haverford High vs. 13) Abington
5) North Penn vs. 12) Kennett
2) Conestoga vs. 18) Council Rock South
7) Garnet Valley vs. 10) West Chester Henderson
3) Upper Dublin vs. 19) Penncrest
6) Spring-Ford vs. 11) Downingtown East