Month: December 2021

Girls Basketball

Bailey Garrison scored 18 points in leading Penncrest to a 63-42 win over Chester.

Garrison had six points in a second quarter in which the Lions blanked Chester, 12-0, for a 20-point halftime lead. Kyra Curci added 12 points, and Emily Huggins supplied 10 points.

Ja’Mya Muhammad led the Chippers with 12 points. Shyne Mall added eight points.

RIDLEY 47, OXFORD 20 » Kyla Carney poured in a game-high 13 points to lead the Green Raiders (3-4) at the West Chester University Tournament.

Kailyn Bell finished with 11 points, and Emily Liberio added six.

Boys Basketball

Googie Seidman’s shooting touch was on at the most opportune time.

The Haverford guard hit three fourth-quarter 3-pointers on the way to 21 points as the Fords topped Council Rock South, 56-48, to lift the Juenger Classic title.

Seidman hit six triples on the night. Nick Colucci did the early damage with 24 points, scoring 10 of the Fords’ 14 points in the third quarter. JR Newman added 10 points.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 65, ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 31 » Shawn Smith scored nine points, and Dean Coleman-Newsome was limited to eight as the Patriots fell in the Jay Craven Memorial Championship game of the Boardwalk Classic in Wildwood.

By Josh Verlin

Even if you didn’t know exactly who he was, there was something strangely familiar about the young man working the sideline for Episcopal Academy’s boys squad on Wednesday night. The measured but intense demeanor, the looks at referees after a disagreed-with call, the walk-and-clap down the sidelines after a timely bucket. 

“I’ve got to be honest, I’ve been practicing those moves with my stuffed animals since I was three years old,” Taylor Wright said. “I’ve definitely picked up a few things.”

When you’re the oldest son of Jay Wright, it might just be built into the DNA. 

The younger Wright, EA’s junior varsity coach, was called into varsity duty this week during the Churchmen’s appearance at the Marple Newtown Holiday Tournament. Brian Shanahan, the former Temple walk-on now in his third year coaching at Episcopal, was out with COVID.

(click on this link for the full story)

Saahir Lee went home with some well-earned hardware after leading host Penncrest to the title of the Penncrest Holiday Tournament Wednesday night.

Lee posted 16 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to earn Most Valuable Player honors after the Lions rolled over Chester Charter Scholars Academy in the championship game, 60-31.

Garrett Whitfield and Ben Stanton also were named to the all-tournament team for Penncrest. Whitfield hit three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points. Stanton collected 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Cook Stephens led the Sabers with nine points.

EPISCOPAL ACADEMY 53, DOWNINGTOWN EAST 52 » Kevin McCarthy’s 3-pointer with 1:01 to play in the game proved to be the difference as Churchmen hung on to win the championship game of the Marple Newtown Tournament Wednesday night.

McCarthy’s triple gave the Churchmen a 53-49 lead. Connor Shanahan was fouled shooting a 3-pointer and made all three shots to get the Cougars within 53-52. EA had a chance to expand the lead but missed a one-and-one. Downingtown East had a chance to win it but a 3-pointer at the buzzer went off the rim.

MARPLE NEWTOWN 64, INTERBORO 50 » Senior guard Eric McKee tallied 20 points to lead the Tigers over the Bucs in the consolation game of Marple Newtown’s tournament. No other details reported

ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 69, HIGHTSTOWN(N.J.) 38 » Dean Coleman-Newsome and Moses Hipps took control in the second quarter to send the Patriots (7-0) into championship game in the Jay Craven bracket at the Boardwalk Classic in Wildwood, N.J.

Coleman-Newsom and Hipps combined to score all 17 points in the period to stake Carroll to a 27-18 halftime lead. Coleman-Newson had 11 of his game-high 24 points and Hipps netted six of his 14 to break the game open.

Carroll takes on St. Thomas Aquinas, a 44-29 winner over Shawnee, in Thursday’s championship game at 6:30.

Maggie Doogan, Sydni Scott, Annie Welde and Molly Rullo combined for 53 points as host Cardinal O’Hara rolled over West Chester Rustin, 59-40, in the O’Hara Christmas Tournament.

Doogan, the 2021 Daily Times Player of the Year, led the way with 16 points. Scott added 15 points and five assists. Welde collected 12 points and six rebounds and Rullo finished with 10 points.

Archbishop Carroll 57, Episcopal Academy 34 >> The Patriots scored 21 points in the third quarter to extend a nine-point halftime lead to 19 heading into the fourth quarter at the O’Hara Christmas tournament.

Grace O’Neill collected 20 points and seven rebounds to pace Carroll. Brooke Wilson added 13 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Taylor Wilson chipped in with 12 points for the Patriots (5-3).

Riley Cassidy topped EA with 13 points.

In action Tuesday:

PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 50, HAVERFORD 35 » Caroline Dotsey scored 14 points as the Fords fell to the Colonials in the Diamond State Classic at Tatnall. Dotsey shot 8-for-9 from the free throw line but it wasn’t enough to dig Haverford out of a 22-11 halftime hole.

Mollie Carpenter earned the Jim Ford Award for outstanding competitor.

Max Koehler took home Garnet Valley Tournament MVP honors after scoring 19 points in the Jaguars’ 63-41 championship victory over Bishop Shanahan Tuesday.

Jake Sniras connected on five 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 21 points for the Jags. Garnet Valley’s Ryan Wootten (six points) also made the all-tournament team.

Will O’Loughlin led the way for Shanahan with 21 points.

In other nonleague action:

Episcopal Academy 65, Interboro 49 >> The Churchmen snapped a 9-9 tie after one period with a 17-4 run to close the opening half in the first game of the Marple Newtown Tournament.

(click on this link for the full story and more game scores)

Maggie Doogan showed why she is the reigning Daily Times Player of the Year in Cardinal O’Hara’s 60-33 victory over Episcopal Academy Tuesday.

The senior forward and University of Richmond recruit scored 24 points, hitting four 3-point field goals, and had four blocked shots.

Sydni Scott chipped in with 13 points for the Lions, who jumped out to a 21-5 lead after the first quarter. Annie Welde contributed nine points and Bridget Dawson tossed in seven.

Riley Cassidy poured in a team-high 13 points for Episcopal.

In the other O’Hara Tournament game:

Archbishop Carroll 68, West Chester Rustin 37 >> Carroll turned a five-point first quarter advantage into a 15-point cushion at halftime by outscoring Rustin 19-9 in the second period.

(click on this link for the full story and more game scores)

By Josh Verlin

Brooke Wilson loves to play at a million miles an hour. Which is great for the Archbishop Carroll sophomore when it comes to, say, chasing down loose rebounds, or finding her way to open spaces, or playing in-your-face defense at any opportunity. 

Playing point guard, however…that requires a change of pace. And that’s not something that comes naturally to the 5-foot-9 bundle of energy from Bryn Mawr. 

“My big thing is getting slowed down, and that’s so hard for me,” Wilson said. “So many coaches have said ‘just slow down,’ and you don’t know how hard that actually is. 

(click on this link for the full story and more game scores)

Haverford High junior Caroline Dotsey had a career game and sophomore Aniya Eberhart was clutch down the stretch as the Fords downed Caravel Academy, 48-43, at the Diamond State Classic in Wilmington, Del.

Dotsey poured in a personal high 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Eberhart scored six of her eight points in the fourth period.

The Fords play Plymouth Whitemarsh in the second round Tuesday.

In other girls basketball action Monday: Penncrest 61, Pottstown 37 >> Chloe Griffiths tallied 15 points and Bailey Garrison pitched in with 12 points and three steals for the Lions, who held a 45-17 advantage at halftime.

Garnet Valley 41, Great Valley 31 >> Jags freshman Haylie Adamski record 16 points, five steals and two assists as the Jaguars won the opener of their holiday tournament.

Kylie Mulholland (two steals) and Emily Olsen (10 rebounds) finished with eight points apiece for the Jaguars. who meet Central Bucks South in the championship game Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Bishop Shanahan 48, Ridley 45 >> COVID outbreaks forced Ridley officials to scratch the four team tournament.

The Green Raiders kept within striking distance of the Eagles, but couldn’t jump out in front.

Kyla Carney produced a team-high 14 points and Peyton Berger ended with 13.

By Matt Smith

Two sisters separated by two grades at Ridley have forged an unbreakable bond as a result of one’s determination to get back on the court, no matter what life throws her way.

The first time senior Jenna Bell blew out her knee was in the summer before her eighth grade year. She suffered the same injury, to the same knee, two years later.

Jenna’s dreams of playing for the 2019-20 Ridley basketball team that won a Central League championship were dashed.

Understandably, she began to wonder whether she’d ever get the opportunity to play varsity hoops. But despite the setback, Jenna showed up to practices and games to support her teammates. She was there every day.

“I sat on the bench, I cheered, I took notes. Anything I could do, I just wanted to be there,” she said.

Kailyn Bell, by this time, was in the eighth grade. She was the type of talented up-and-comer many high school coaches rave about, the middle-school kid who in a year’s time would play varsity as a freshman and make an impact. But as she worked on preparing to play in high school, Kailyn provided emotional support for Jenna, who had made it clear that another devastating, season-ending knee injury would not deter her from playing the game she loves.

(click on this link for the full story)

Riley Cassidy scored a team-high 19 points as Episcopal Academy defeated Bishop Shanhan, 64-61, for its third straight win.

Gaeli Keffer-Scharpf added 15 points and Alice Nash made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points for the Churchwomen (6-1). Amanda Purcell had all 11 of her points in the first half and dished out four assists.

Alyssa Brown poured in a game-high 28 points for Shanahan.