City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) +
Andrew Robinson (@ADrobinson3)
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The final major girls’ showcase event of the 2024-25 season, the Maggie Lucas Classic brought 11 games to the courts at Jefferson University on Sunday featuring 22 teams from around the region. 

CoBL will have standouts from the event up on the website as well as a few feature stories coming out of Sunday; here’s a loaded coverage notebook featuring games throughout the day:

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Westtown School dominates Perk Valley in high-profile matchup

There’s no doubt about which one of the day’s games was going to draw the most attention. 

Perkiomen Valley, the reigning District 1 6A champ and favorite to repeat, was coming off a dominant win over Archbishop Wood last weekend, having lost to a top-five national program in Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) last month. Westtown presented another one such opportunity, the Moose a little banged up but with a starting lineup good enough to go up against any in the country.

Instead, it was Westtown that put its foot down in a way Perkiomen couldn’t handle, Jordyn Palmer leading the way to a 76-38 win in a game that was all but over by halftime. 

Palmer was an unstoppable force inside, powering her way to 27 points without needing to even step out and showcase her jumper. The 6-foot-1 sophomore, one of the best prospects in the country regardless of class, showcased her fantastic footwork, athleticism, patience and poise in the paint; the few times she did miss, she was able to gather her own rebound and deposit it back up. She finished 12-of-19 from the floor, with five of her 13 rebounds on the offensive end, along with three steals, an assist and a block. 

“It was fun, there was a big crowd today, we put on a show,” she said afterwards. “I personally like to play with a bigger crowd, high competition. Those games are just fun to play when you know the crowd’s going back and forth.”

Westtown was up 12-9 early on, Perk Valley looking every bit the state championship contender, before Palmer and Westtown took over. Palmer had 14 points by the end of the first quarter, Westtown’s 22-12 edge ballooning to 42-19 at halftime, then 61-21 at the end of three quarters, by which point Westtown’s bench took over.

Sophomore guard Jessie Moses (14 points, five rebounds, four steals) and junior guard Atlee Vanesko (12 points, four rebounds, three assists) joined Palmer in double figures and all played swarming defense, never allowing Perk Valley to get comfortable offensively. And they did it without Harvard commit Olivia Jones and Boston College commit Kennedy Hall, the pair of forwards still sidelined due to injury. 

With them or without them, Westtown will be favored once again to repeat as Friends’ School League and PAISAA champions, title defenses which are quickly moving closer on the horizon. Palmer, now a third-year varsity veteran and two-time state champ, knows where the Moose need to be this time of year, and she’s happy with their progress.

“Our focus right now is just to continue to win games, continue to grow,” she said. “(Even) with our injuries now, I feel like we’re playing pretty well. It sucks not having all the girls back, but things happen, so right now we’re doing pretty good.” — Josh Verlin

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LC’s Lonergan has blast from past in win over Upper Dublin

All around him were familiar faces.

Sunday’s matchup against Upper Dublin was a special one for Lansdale Catholic coach Tom Lonergan. Sitting across from the LC bench in the Jefferson bleachers was one of the best players he’d ever coached, her two youngest daughters trying to beat his team alongside a player he’d had on his team the last two years. 

Despite the best efforts of the names from his past, Lonergan’s LC team picked up a 49-43 win over Upper Dublin on a memorable afternoon.

“I would say it was fun,” Lonergan said. “I was looking forward to it. It was enjoyable, not because we won, but to have the opportunity.”

In his storied coaching career, Lonergan has accumulated more than 800 victories with many of them coming during his time at the now-closed Bishop McDevitt from 1984-1999. Late in his tenure at McDevitt, Jen Zenszer arrived and accumulated four First Team All-Catholic honors, two PCL North Division MVPs and a PCL title

Lonergan still refers to Zenszer among the best players he coached at McDevitt so not surprisingly her basketball acumen carried to her daughters Amy, Megan and Lexi Ngo. Amy Ngo, a freshman at Holy Family, sat next to her mom as Megan and Lexi tried to get one over on her old coach.

Lexi Ngo had a great game off the UD bench, leading the Cardinals with 11 points including a couple fourth-quarter threes that made things dicey for LC.

“I told her mom after the game that (Lexi) kind of ruined my gameplan there,” Lonergan said with a laugh. “She hit some key shots.”

The Crusaders coach continued, admitting he may have lost his current players a little bit when Lexi Ngo sparked a UD comeback.

“The first time I looked over at Jen and just went,” Longergan said, throwing up his hands, “the second time, I just started laughing. Jen’s one of the best players I’ve coached and seeing her youngest play like that, especially against pressure, it didn’t faze her. I had to let it go, my players, I don’t know if they were too happy, they see me laughing after (Upper Dublin) had just cut it to three.”

The Ngos weren’t the only Cardinals players with ties to Lonergan. Junior Emilia Coleman played for Longergan the past two years when both were at Gwynedd Mercy Academy and Longergan had coached Emilia’s older twin sisters Bianca and Sofia for all four of their high school years.

Emilia announced her commitment to La Salle University on Saturday and Lonergan was one of the first people she texted to express her thanks. 

When Sunday’s game ended, Lonergan made a detour before heading downstairs to share a few words with Zenszer and Bill and Yolanda Coleman after a unique game.

“Jen said the same thing to me, it was things coming full circle,” Lonergan said. “Same with the Colemans.” — Andrew Robinson

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Reckner sparks CR South to 12th straight win

Make it an even dozen for Council Rock South.

The Golden Hawks opened their season with a difficult slate of games while adjusting to a new coaching staff, starting the year 2-3. Since then, they’ve been on a roll that has vaulted them to the top of the SOL Patriot standings and that ran into a major test against Ursuline Academy on Sunday.

Thanks to Fiona Reckner, the Golden Hawks will head into their final slate of games with the streak intact.

“Our energy has been great,” the senior said following a 24-point effort. “As a team, we’ve been super-connected both inside of practices and outside of basketball. We played some really strong teams in the beginning; I would love to have a rematch with all those teams, but it was definitely an adjustment period and as we’ve gotten more comfortable, it’s made such a difference.”

Reckner figured she’d have her hands full on Sunday. As South’s recognized defensive ace, the senior tends to draw some difficult assignments and naturally, she was the Hawks’ choice to try and contain Ursuline standout Jezelle “GG” Banks.

The matchup didn’t get a chance to really get going. Banks had a strong offensive first quarter with 11 points, but the sophomore was tagged with two technical fouls early in the second quarter, forcing her to watch the rest of the game from the bench.

Reckner was supported by 14 points from Kathryn O’Kane and 12 points from Lil Metrick, the senior trio - all teammates the past few summers with Upper Makefield Heat Hoops as well - heading into their final stretch of regular season games. 

“It was one of those games where you have nothing to lose, you just have to play your hardest,” Reckner said. “We’ve played against some insane AAU teams with really good girls so I looked at it as go out and play your best because she’s a really good player.”

This season won’t be the end of Reckner’s basketball career. The senior, also an All-SOL soccer player, has committed to continue playing at Franklin & Marshall.

“I wanted a balance between academics and athletics and I think F&M was a great place to get that,” Reckner said. “I loved Coach Bri (Spector) and the team, they were so welcoming and being there, it just felt right.”

Prior to the season, the trio of Reckner, O’Kane and Metrick,  along with fellow seniors Sarah and Maria Freeman, made a goal of winning a division title. It’s something CR South hasn’t done in girls’ basketball since 2012 and the Golden Hawks have three league games left - Tuesday at CR North, home Friday against Bensalem and finally next Tuesday at Pennsbury to face the Falcons team they’re tied for the division lead with.

“Since the very beginning, we’ve said we want our names on that banner,” Reckner said. “It’s huge, we know this next week and a half determines all that.” — Andrew Robinson

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Germantown Academy dominates inside against Downingtown East

A young Germantown Academy frontcourt is pushing itself to get better, and that’s only going to mean good things for Lauren Power’s Patriots. 

Power has three underclassmen to utilize in her frontcourt rotation — sophomores Claire McKee and Jo Owens plus freshman Taylor Williams — and their combined presence is going to be a problem for teams to deal with the next few years. McKee and Williams were especially strong on Sunday, proving to be too much inside for Downingtown East to handle in a 50-39 win. 

Williams, a 6-foot-tall post, finished with 17 points and six rebounds. McKee, a 5-11 wing forward, finished with 11 points and a career-high 13 rebounds (four offensive), plus two assists and a steal. Behind the two of them, the Patriots overwhelmed the Cougars by an easy two-to-one margin on the glass, while also playing stout defense on East’s cadre of capable guards.

“We were looking for mismatches throughout the game,” McKee said, “so me and Taylor knew that we were going to be able to get a body on them and box out and get rebounds.”

Germantown Academy held a five-point edge after one quarter and extended that edge to 10 at halftime and by 18 at the end of the third quarter. East hit a few shots late, but the outcome was never in doubt. 

While Power’s group no doubt benefits from the presence of seniors Jess Kolecki (6 points, 4 assists) and Millersville-bound Gabby Bowes (11 points), the youth creates a lot of excitement around GA’s future. 

McKee got some minutes a year ago but was far deeper in the rotation; after a strong summer with the Lady Runnin’ Rebels on the Hoop Group circuit, she returned to Fort Washington in the fall ready to make a much more significant contribution.

“It was confidence that I had to gain this season,” she said. “but I finally got the opportunity and I just really tried to prove myself [...] I wanted to take that opportunity and run with it.”

McKee comes from a basketball background, her father Mike McKee a longtime Division I assistant coach who also spent five seasons as La Salle College HS’s head coach (2018-23). 

She’s not the only one with hoops in her blood. Owens, a 6-1 post who also plays on GA’s football team as a wide receiver in the fall, is the daughter of Big 5 Hall of Famer Diana Caramanico and Geoff Owens, who both played at Penn. 

“Jo and Taylor, they’re really good in the post, they have a lot of potential,” McKee said, “but I feel like if we keep working and we keep pushing each other in practice, then we’re only going to get better.” — Josh Verlin

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Wright relishing senior role for Haverford

People like there’s a right way and a wrong way of doing things but Haverford is fine settling for the Wright way.

That’s because senior Natalie Wright tends to have a way of doing things that help the Fords win. Whether it's defending the opposition’s best player or just knowing where to be and when to be there on offense, Wright is the kind of player who impacts winning in ways beyond scoring.

Mostly, she’s just making the most of the final stretch of her career.

“It’s been awesome, really, definitely kind of sad at points but senior year, you have to be going in strong,” Wright said. “It’s my last go, I’m not playing any further, so I’m giving it my all and trying to have fun.” 

Wright scored 12 points, adding four assists and a couple steals as the Fords downed short-handed Bishop Shanahan 42-21 on Sunday. 

Wright, who played club basketball with the Lady Runnin’ Rebels, had been open to playing in college but the right opportunity just never materialized for her. The senior isn’t sure where she’ll be attending school next year but did add she’ll probably try to play club or at least intramurals just to stay around the game.

Not that she or her classmates - the Fords start four seniors - need the motivation, but they’re all aware it’s getting close to the point where the amount of games left isn’t a given.

“I love it, so it’s making me go out there and give it my all because this is it,” Wright said. “You just have to keep plugging no matter what, just push, push, push and there’s no backing down.”

No backing down would be an apt way to describe Wright’s playstyle. She earned her role last year as a tough, willing defensive player for coach Lauren Pellicane and that hasn’t changed.

She gets to face the Central League’s best on a nightly basis

“They’re good players and it’s a good challenge,” Wright said. “It’s fun to play against them and get that kind of experience. They’re all so talented but I just go like ‘let’s go,’ you have to get excited and if the intensity is up, then I know my teammates got me.”

Wright chalks up her tenacity to her upbringing. 

“I grew up with three older brothers and on a street with all boys, so I kinda grew up with it,” Wright said with a smile. “I played street ball with them all the time. I grew up with the physicality all around me so I go in there like it’s a part of who I am.”

Wright said she’s not the most offensively-minded player, she’s happy to cede that to classmate Rian Dotsey or the guards like seniors Mya Foley and Megan Kelly and freshman Grace Maloney, but if the ball finds her, it’s generally a positive result. She has tried to be a little more of a scoring option this year and it certainly helps she’s willing to crash the offensive glass and just knows the right spots to go where she’ll be open.

“I’m more of a role player offensively, but if I’m open, I’ll take a shot,” Wright said. “I don’t really shoot the ball too much, but it’s something we worked on.”

Haverford, which has won back-to-back Central League titles, is in the mix again this year and the Fords’ seniors are eyeing a fourth straight state playoff appearance in the coming weeks.

“It’s been absolutely amazing,” Wright said. “You do grow close with them and I love everybody on this team more than anything. We’re together every day, but we’re close even outside of this and that really helps when you get on the court.” — Andrew Robinson