Cheltenham 63, Council Rock-North 56

Council Rock-North (56)
Devin Gold 3 2-3 9; Juliann Fricke 2 0-0 4; Kelly Scull 1 3-4 5; Sarah Kiely 4 8-10 16; Kate Logan 2 0-0 4; Lauren Gold 7 4-5 18. Totals: 19 17-22 56.

Cheltenham (63)
Jenna Peoples 3 1-3 7; Monet Constant 5 3-4 14; Tiffany Johnson 0 1-2 1; Shayia Felder 5 7-8 17; Dayne McCrewell 9 1-2 20; Sydni Epps 1 0-0 2; Liz Taliaferro 1 0-0 2. Totals: 24 13-19 63.

CRN: 15-16-12-13—56
CH: 15-16-18-14—63

Three-point goals: Devin Gold (CRN); Constant, McCrewell (CH).

NINE THINGS

1. CR-North (13-2) opened up a seven-point lead, 31-24, with a 13-2 run late in the second quarter. But Cheltenham (13-1) scored the final seven points of the first half in the final 1:22 to tie it at 31-31. The Panthers outscored CR-North 18-6 over the first 6 1/2 minutes of the second half to build a 12-point lead. The Indians rallied in the fourth quarter, but couldn't get closer than three points.

2. Indians junior forward Sarah Kiely had 16 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots, but had some trouble getting the ball in the half-court offense. Cheltenham's quick guards pestered CR-North's guards and Panthers forward Dana McCrewell did a good job defending Kiely down low. When Kiely did get the ball, she wasn't particularly close to the basket and didn't get great shots.

3. CR-North freshman guard Lauren Gold finished with 18 points and and a solid game. She excels at creating her own shot and did a good job in the fast-paced game. “Lauren brings another dimension to the team,” Indians coach Lou Palkovics said. “She’s able to break people down and finish. She has a plethora of moves, and she played great tonight.”

4. McCrewell scored 20 points for the Panthers, including 12 during the decisive third quarter. Guard Shayia Felder scored 17 points for Cheltenham, and guard Monet Constant added 14 points.

5. At times, the fast pace seemed to favor Cheltenham. CR-North looked a little uncomfortable when things became chaotic and seemed to have trouble focusing on getting into its offense. “We weren’t playing as a team sometimes (in the third quarter),” Lauren Gold said. “We got a little scared and panicked. We couldn’t get out shots off, and they were playing really well.”

6. The loss ended CR-North's 13-game winning streak. Cheltenham now has a 13-game winning streak.

7. Palkovics: "I don't want to slow the game down. I don't like to give up 60 points. But I'll give up 60 if we're scoring 75."

8. Kiely: "It was really hard to get the ball inside. I tried to fight around (McCrewell), but it's rough."

9. Three sisters preceded Lauren Gold in the Indians' program, including current sophomore Devin Gold. Lauren has been a solid contributor from Day 1. “I have been watching my sisters play for a long time, and I’ve played since I was young,” Lauren Gold said. “It felt like I stepped right in (to this team as a freshman).”

CR-North 58, Cheltenham 52

CHELTENHAM (52)
Liz Tallaferro 0 1-2 1; Shayia Felder 1 3-4 5; Jenna Peoples 0 0-0 0; Monet Constant 5 2-2 14; Alana Brown 1 0-0 2; Dayna McCrewell 4 6-6 14; Kira Ogden 3 0-3 6; Tiffany Johnson 3 2-2 8; Christie Kershaw 0 2-2 2. Totals: 17 16-21 52.

CR-NORTH (58)
Juliann Fricke 2 2-4 6; Devin Gold 6 1-3 15; Sarah Kiely 4 6-7 14; Jen Sroba 3 3-9 9; Kelly Scull 3 5-6 12; Kate Logan 1 0-0 2; Jenn Casper 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 17-29 58.

CH 4-17-8-23—52
CRN 19-12-12-15—58

3-point goals: Constant 2 (CH); Gold 2, Scull (CRN).

Link to Courier Times game story

EIGHT THINGS

1. CR-North raced out to a 15-0 lead after 4 1/2 minutes. The Indians led 19-4 after one quarter and 31-21 at halftime. CR-North opened the second half with a 9-0 run to make it 40-21. Cheltenham got within six points, 52-46, with about three minutes left, but CR-North made enough foul shots at the end to hold on.

2. Indians sophomore 6-foot center Sarah Kiely had 14 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots. Freshman guard Devin Gold had 15 points and five assists, and sophomore forward Kelly Scull finished with 12 points and six rebounds in her first start. Senior Jen Sroba had nine points and seven rebounds.

3. Cheltenham beat CR-North, 68-54, in last spring's Class AAAA state championship game. Sroba was the only starter back from either team this year.

4. The Panthers (10-9) started three sophomores, a junior and a senior, and freshman point guard Tiffany Johnson played a lot and scored eight points. Junior forward Dayne McCrewell, who has recently returned following knee surgery, had 14 points. Sophomore guard Monet Constant scored 12 of her 14 points in the game's last six minutes.

5. CR-North faces Archbishop Wood in Sunday's Cougar Classic all the way in Cherry Hill, N.J., on Sunday.

6. Kiely is averaging a double-double: 13.3 points and 11.7 rebounds.

7. College note: CR-North graduate and Princeton University freshman Addie Micir was just named Ivy League Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week. Micir is averaging 7.5 points and 4.4 rebounds, had 22 points and six rebounds in a win over Penn on Jan. 12.

8. College note II: Cheltenham graduate and La Salle University freshman Ashley Gale is averaging 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds for the Explorers.