City of Basketball Love

Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3)
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BUCKINGHAM >> Whatever Natalie Berndt was able to give them, CB East was going to take it.

The junior has been a model of consistency for the Patriots since she played her way into the starting lineup as a freshman but even teenagers are susceptible to being sick every once in a while. After fighting the flu all week, Berndt gutted it out Friday night and she knew if that was the worst of it, she’d have no problem playing again Saturday in the SOL semifinals.

Good thing she did, at least for the Patriots, the junior notching eight critical points in the fourth quarter as the top seeded Golden Hawks edged Council Rock South 40-37.

“It’s been going around and Thursday, I was down,” Berndt said. “It was for my team, we worked so hard to get here and especially after last year, we came in as the fifth seed and lost in this round so coming in as the one seed, I feel like we’re just that much more confident and better in these situations.”

Friday, when CB East erased a double-digit halftime deficit to win in overtime, Patriots coach Liz Potash essentially told Berndt to just worry about defense. That might seem like an odd thing to say to someone who shoots better than 40 percent from the arc, but Potash knew Berndt was already doing plenty by suiting up.

Saturday, Berndt finished with 10 points and she got them when East really needed them. Her only shot attempt through three quarters didn’t even go down as one, the wing drawing a foul and knocking down two free throws.

Heading into the final eight minutes, a frame that saw CR South wake up after a frigid first three quarters offensively and East floor maestro Haley Moran foul out with three minutes left, the hosts needed whatever Berndt had left in her tank.

“We know she’s totally capable,” Potash said. “She’s a three-year starter for us and someone we needed to handle the ball at the end. (Friday) night was a struggle to keep her on the floor but we know we need her to play.”

Berndt’s one true shot attempt was a big one. Moran, who’s downhill driving put quite a few Golden Hawks in foul trouble, drove into the lane midway through the fourth then threw a dart on a kick-out pass that Berndt swished for a three and a 34-26 lead with 4:13 left.

Even on a day when she wasn’t feeling 100 percent herself, Berndt was 100 percent confident when she put it up.

“I just thought that it was going in,” Berndt said. “I shot it confidently.”

Moran – who tallied eight points, eight rebounds and four assists before fouling out with 2:47 to go – said there’s never any hesitation when she passes to Berndt for a shot on the perimeter. 

“She’s always been a shooter since day one that she’s been in the East program,” Moran said. “She has grown a lot over the past year, especially with the three, she’s a lot more confident. Especially in those close situations, she’s a lot more confident in herself and knows she’s going to make it and that helps our team a lot.”

That three was CB East’s last made shot of the game, CR South then proceeding to whittle the lead down to 34-31 before Berndt was fouled with 57.4 left to put East in the bonus.

South saw its 18-game win streak snapped on Saturday, the SOL Patriot division champions stalled by an uncharacteristically off shooting day. After senior Sarah Freeman sank a three for the team’s first basket, CR South missed its next 15 attempts from long range and was just 2-of-18 from three-point territory at halftime.

It also didn’t help that point guard Kathryn O’Kane was in foul trouble most of the game, the senior fouling out herself with 3:47 to play, or that the team’s top shooters never got into a rhythm. Fiona Reckner did all she could to rally the Hawks back, the senior forward scoring nine of her 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Berndt, who took over some of the ball handling when Moran fouled out, went 4-of-4 at the foul line around a three from Reckner that helped keep East two possessions ahead. When the Golden Hawks were assessed a technical foul for calling a timeout they didn’t have with 2.2 seconds left, Berndt was the choice to take the free throws, splitting the pair for the final margin and completing her eight-point closing quarter.

“Once Haley fouled out, it was a lot of motivation for us,” Berndt said. “We wanted to pull it out for her.”

A “3-and-D” wing is a valuable commodity at any level of basketball. Last season, Berndt shot close to 45 percent on threes and was consistently guarding top options on the opposing team. She carried that role into the summer playing with NJ United on the HGSL circuit and came back to East an even more confident player.

With Moran stepping into the starting point guard role and increasing her influence offensively and Jess Lockwood building off a breakout sophomore year, the Patriots knew they had two pretty solid offensive options as their 1-2 punch so Berndt focused on being someone who could impact the game on defense and make shots off her teammates’ attention.

“I take a lot of pride in it,” Berndt said. “‘Defense leads to offense’ is our mantra.”

CB East will face Upper Dublin in Monday’s SOL tournament title game, slated for a 6 p.m. start at Bensalem. The Patriots edged the Cardinals 47-43 on Jan. 17 in the regular season and both teams are seeking their first SOL championship.

The Patriots had to earn their way to the final, Potash and her staff taking a few minutes Saturday to praise the players for getting to the finish line without Moran on the floor. It’s been a valuable few days for the projected No 4 seed in the District 1 Class 6A playoff bracket and Monday will be on the same level.

“We haven’t played many close games so end of game situations have been a struggle,” Potash said. “It’s not the same simulation in practice of what you’re going to see in games with pressure on the line so we need things like this. We know all these games are bonus time right now and we said to the girls last year we lost in this round so to be able to advance one further, they should be looking forward to it.”

By Quarter
CBE: 6 | 13 | 9 | 12 || 40
CRS: 5 | 5 | 11 | 16 || 37

Scoring
CBE: Jess Lockwood 12, Natalie Berndt 10, Haley Moran 8, Sydney Ralph 7, Emma Penecale 3

CRS: Fiona Reckner 15, Lil Metrick 10, Sarah Freeman 6, Kathryn O’Kane 2, Bella Hettler 2, Maria Freeman 2