Council Rock-South (44)
Chelsea Allen 3 1-2 7; Ann Silverthorn 2 1-2 7; Lea Britton 0 0-1 0; Emily Nowicke 5 1-4 11; Alex Wheatley 6 4-7 16; Steph Gillio 1 0-1 3; Jackie Weber 0 0-0 0; Lindsay Kirlin 0 0-0 0; Brianna Schlupp 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 7-17 44.
Bensalem (42)
Kate Clarkson 4 0-0 9; Paige Ormont 1 0-0 2; Kristen Gilroy 1 1-2 4; Sharmane Hall 3 3-7 9; Jackie Deegler 4 8-8 16; Alexis Nyekan 1 0-0 2; Alexia Ewing 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 12-17 42.
CRS: 12-7-15-10—44
B: 9-11-7-15—42
Three-point goals: Silverthorn 2, Gillio (CRS); Clarkson, Gilroy (B).
TEN THINGS
1. Council Rock-South (10-6 overall, 5-4 SOL National) opened up the second half with an 11-2 run and built a nine-point lead, 34-25, late in the third quarter. Senior guard Ann Silverthorn hit a pair of 3-pointers in less than a minute early in the quarter to spark that run. But Bensalem (9-5, 6-3) came back in the fourth quarter and finally tied the game, 42-42, with 48 seconds left on a 12-foot jump shot by Kate Clarkson. Golden Hawks freshman center Alex Wheatley hit a game-winning free throw with nine seconds left. CR-South's Chelsea Allen made a steal on the other end with 1.6 seconds left and hit a free throw to seal the win.
2. The 6-foot-2 Wheatley had a monster game, finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots, four steals and three assists. She also helped double-team tough Bensalem forward Sharmane Hall on the defensive end.
3. “This was so big. It’s a major high for the team,” Wheatley said. “I think this will really help us be ready for the rest of the season.”
4. “I think Alex is coming along,” CR-South coach Monica Young said. “She has a great work ethic. Sometimes she has to be more offensive minded.”
5. Forward Emily Nowicke had 11 points and six rebounds for CR-South, while Allen added seven points and nine rebounds. “It’s a huge win,” Nowicke said. “We’re going to make this into more than just one win. We’re going to use this momentum.”
6. The 1.6 seconds left on the clock near the end was significant because it was the same amount of time left in CR-South's heartbreaking last-second loss to Neshaminy on Tuesday. "I think the Neshaminy game pumped us up," Wheatley said.
7. CR-South has doubled its win total from last season. "We have come full circle," Nowicke said. "And we have much better things ahead."
8. Senior Jackie Deegler scored 16 points for Bensalem, and Clarkson had nine points. Hall finished with nine points and 12 rebounds.
9. “(Hall) is a strong player. She’s a presence in the post,” Wheatley said. “We couldn’t have done it without double-teaming her almost every time.”
10. Young is impressed with the way her team bounced back from the crushing Neshaminy loss. "I told the girls, 'This will show what kind of character you have as a team,'" Young said. "They showed me that they really have character. They showed up to play on Wednesday (against Pennsbury). I was really proud of them."
