City of Basketball Love

By Jeff Griffith
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Cardinal O’Hara learned an important lesson Friday night.

“You can’t play games in this league tense,” head coach Ryan Krawzeniuk said. 

For a team that Krawzeniuk described as somewhat young, nerves played a factor in a recent disappointing defeat — a loss to Devon Prep to open up Catholic League play. 

“The moment got to us,” he added. 

Less than 100 hours later, a much more loose and lively O’Hara team is celebrating a statement win for its program, one of the biggest in recent memory; behind 34 points from senior Jack Quinn, the Cardinals defeated Archbishop Wood Tuesday night, 70-64. 

Krawzeniuk was very clear — the credit for such a monumental win belongs to his players, whose mental toughness was on full display. 

“I credit it to our kids,” he said. “We’ve got a great group of kids. They’re humble, they work hard... Tonight, they just went out and let it all out there.”

“That’s our identity,” he added. “Being a tough, competitive team. They played for four quarters, they did a really nice job.”

Ultimately, for a team whose youth was ever apparent in its PCL opener, senior leadership shone through in Tuesday’s script-flipping victory. Quinn’s 34 points were supplemented by another 19 from fellow senior Toby Hartman. 

The two combined for 18 — 13 of which were Quinn’s — of their team’s 20 points in the final frame to help fend off Wood. 

“(Quinn) was unbelievable with the ball in his hands,” Krawzeniuk said. “He lived in the lane all night. We wanted to put them on their back heel and attack them defensively, and Jack was the catalyst behind that.” 

Contextually speaking, O’Hara is fresh off of a season that got off to a 10-2 overall start but ended with an 11-11 overall finish, a 4-9 league record, and a spot among the bottom three in the PCL. 

Wood struggled last season, finishing just one game better in PCL play, but is still the same program that has reached back-to-back-to-back PIAA 6A state semifinals, and entered Tuesday fresh off of a win over defending state champion Father Judge. 

As Krawzeniuk described, a victory of such nature, if anything, is affirming of the energy his players have poured into the O’Hara program, and a step toward their continued goal of growing the excitement around the program.

“This program has a lot of tradition, and it’s been lying dormant,” Krawzeniuk said. “Sometimes, it just takes one of these wins to get the ball rolling, and to get things to take off. I think we’re starting to approach that, from a culture standpoint.”

In defeat, Caleb Lundy had 21 points for Wood, while Brady Macadams added 15.  

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HS Girls: Friends Central 64, Shipley School 48

Vinny Simpson traces it back to December 27.

He knows Faith Watson is, as he put it, “dominant.” But, as he also described, the sophomore has to be consistent. 

From Simpson’s perspective, when Watson went toe to toe with Christ the King (N.Y.) senior Olivia Vukosa — a 6-foot-5 UConn commit, widely regarded as one of the nation’s top high school prospects — in a Dec. 27 win, something clicked.

“She can dominate any game when she has her mind right,” Simpson said. “Faith had a great game against (Vukosa), she’s piggybacked off of that, so I think she’s getting there. I think she got a taste of how good she can be, and I think she’s getting it.”

Since that victory, she’s been on another level, and it’s coming at the right time; her 18 points and 13 rebounds played a massive part in Friends Central’s 64-48 win over Shipley Tuesday night, a pivotal early contest between two of the Friends’ League’s top contenders. 

The Phoenix led by 10 at halftime and never looked back; Simpson ultimately credited his team’s defense in what he said wasn’t “the prettiest” victory, but a key victory all the same. 

“It’s a good win,” he said. “We could have played much better than what we did. But the girls defended… our defense stepped up today, they played well, communicated, caused turnovers, got some easy transition buckets.”

Numbers like Watson’s from Tuesday night have quickly become the norm; she had 16 points and six boards in the win over Christ the King, 19 and 12 against Mt. Zion (Jan. 3), and 16 and four against Archbishop Wood (Jan. 4) — all wins. 

As far as the spark for that run is concerned, she affirmed her coach’s analysis; proving herself head-to-head against Vukosa was no small feat. So far, she’s gotten offers from the likes of Temple and UTEP, but is hopeful recent performances will continue to build her “buzz.”

“That was my chance to put my name on the radar,” Watson said. “I feel as though I can be as good of a player as her. I felt as though if I showed off against her, people would start to look at me, which I think was true.” 

In Tuesday’s win, Friends’ Central added 17 points from Kayla Snyder and 15 points, six boards, six steals and four assists from Zya Small. Halle Newsome paced the Gators with 14, connecting on four triples.

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HS Girls: Gwynedd Mercy Academy 53, Villa Maria Academy 49

Gwynedd Mercy Academy made an important early statement, taking down Villa Maria in a rematch of the top two AACA teams from last season. 

With the win — earned behind 18 points from Bailey Balkir, as well as 16 from Chloe McCarthy and nine from Kayleigh Rose — the Monarchs improved to 3-0 in league play on the season, and haven’t lost a conference game since 2022-23. Gwynedd Mercy will be tested in its next matchup, taking on a Mt. St. Joseph team that is also off to a 3-0 start in league play.

“We are at our best when we’re playing team basketball,” head coach Taylor Sweeney said. “When we’re playing together as a team and everyone is contributing.”

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HS Girls: Bensalem 38, Nehsaminy 37

The Owls did something that hasn't happened in Bucks County in quite some time, snapping a 29-game losing streak against Neshaminy that dates back nearly 15 years. Trailing by two with a second on the clock, Grace McShane was fouled while shooting a three-pointer, and connected on all three free throws to seal the win for Bensalem. 

"What a night,” head coach Steve Johnson said, emphasizing the contributions of his full team. "I’m beyond proud of our girls on tonight’s performance. Neshaminy has had our number, for years. Twenty-nine straight losses to them, that shows how strong of a program they have, but tonight, each and every one of our girls walked into the gym and believed we could win this game.”

McShane led the way with 14 points for Bensalem (9-3, 3-2 SOL Patriot), and had eight of the Owls’ 12 in the final frame. Neshaminy (8-3, 3-2) got a team-high 14 as well, from Hayley Kolk. 

HS Boys: Penncrest 46, Conestoga 34

In a key matchup of Central League contenders, Penncrest picked up a double-digit win to remain unbeaten (7-0) atop the conference standings. The Lions stifled ‘Stoga, holding the Pioneers to just 12 second half points, including just four in the third frame.

Mikey Mita’s 18 points and Sean Benson’s 16 paced Penncrest (11-2). Defending District 1 6A champion Conestoga dropped to 7-6, 4-3 in conference play with the loss, and was led by Tygee Clark with 17 points. 

HS Girls: Haverford High 42, Radnor 28

Haverford used stifling defense to pick up a major win in the Central League, toppling Radnor in a matchup of teams that entered the night among the conference’s top five. Haverford (6-3, 5-2 Central) didn’t allow double-digit points in a single quarter, and notably outscored Radnor (8-4, 5-2) 14-5 in the third. Radnor had the night’s leading scorer, as Nyah Yao scored 14; Haverford got a team-high 12 from Taylor Gleason. 

HS Girls: Central Bucks East 59, North Penn 47

CB East remained unbeaten in SOL Colonial, toppling a North Penn team that entered the night in the division standings’ second slot. While the Patriots didn’t particularly pull away until late, a 32-25 halftime advantage helped propel CB East (10-1) to its 5-0 conference start — as did 18 points from Haley Moran and another 16 from Nat Berndt. Leading the way for the Knights (6-4, 3-2), Paityn Debro had a game-high 22.

HS Boys: Hatboro-Horsham 45, Wissahickon 44

Wissahickon nearly erased a sluggish start but fell in heartbreaking fashion on the road at Hatboro-Horsham. The Trojans (3-6, 1-3 SOL Liberty) trailed 27-19 at halftime and remained down seven entering the fourth, before mounting a late surge to tie the game at 42. Nico Vacchiano gave Wissahickon a brief lead after a steal and finish with 5.7 seconds remaining, but Hatboro-Horsham (7-5, 2-3) answered at the buzzer, as Shane Phillips drilled a game-winning three to seal the one-point victory.

HS Girls: Agnes Irwin 58, Baldwin 32

Agens Irwin was dominant in its Inter-Ac opener, outscoring the Highlanders 23-9 in the opening quarter and never looking back. Simone Harvey served as the leader, dropping 14 points to go with five boards and four assists, while Audrey Comley chipped in 10. 

HS Girls: Archbishop Carroll 76, Archbishop Ryan 43

In both teams’ Philadelphia Catholic League opener, Carroll rolled, riding a 27-9 third quarter to a dominant victory. The Patriots got a combined 45 points and 13 boards from Kayla and Alexis Eberz, while Ryan was led by Audrey Dillon’s 14. 

HS Boys: North Penn 58, Central Bucks East 45

After a tough 1-3 start to conference play, North Penn picked up a win over second-place CB East to regain its footing in the SOL Colonial division. The Knights (5-7, 2-3) outscored the Patriots (10-2, 3-2) 16-5 to help open up their advantage, and got a balanced scoring effort, with 12 points from Brycen Faust, and 11 apiece from Nolan Foust and JC Wood to lead the way. CB East was led by 16 each from Henry Bartchuk and Keegan Marascio.

HS Boys: Haverford High 69, Radnor 67 (OT)

Haverford won a thriller in a matchup of teams near the bottom of the Central League standings, using the extra frame to fend off Radnor from its first win in conference play. Andrew Brown — who forced overtime by making two free throws with less than a second on the clock — led Haverford (6-6, 2-5) with 26 points, while Carson Uff had 10 points and nine boards. In defeat, Dvandy Goncalves went off for 27 points on nine made triples for Radnor (0-11, 0-7).

Kara Meredith was red-hot from distance in Tuesday's win (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL).

D2 WBB: Holy Family 69, Jefferson 50

Holy Family (10-3, 5-0 CACC) remained unbeaten in conference play and snapped Jefferson’s three-game win streak in dominant fashion Tuesday night, defeating the Rams (9-5, 3-3 CACC) by just shy of 20 behind a staggering 31 points from Kara Meredith, who shot 6-of-12 from three-point range. Claire Dougherty also added 10 points, while Taylor Hinke led the way with 10 boards. For Jefferson, Emily Spratt’s 16 points led the way. A 49-41 advantage on the glass aided Holy Family, as did Jefferson’s 17 turnovers, compared to the Tigers’ 10. 

D2 MBB: Jefferson 73, Holy Family 64

After a 4-4 start to the season, the Rams (8-5, 4-2 CACC) are now winners of four of their last five after knocking off Holy Family. Jefferson got 16 points and five boards from Jeremiah Dorsey, as well as 14 points and four boards from Matt McCool, and 14 and 6 from Brendan Mykalcio. Three players scored in double figures for Holy Family, with Elijah Rodriguez’s 12 leading the way.

D1 WBB: Temple 70, Wichita State 50

Temple’s women’s side dominated at Wichita State (3-13, 0-3 American), outscoring the Shockers in every quarter to improve to 1-1 in the American and 7-7 overall. The Owls put up 70 despite an inefficient offensive game; Temple shot 20 percent from beyond the arc. Saniyah Craig, Jaleesa Molina and Kaylah Turner led the way with 13 points apiece; Molina added seven rebounds, while Turner contributed four assists and four steals.