Downingtown West 51, CR-North 42

Downingtown West (51)
Kelly Coker 1 0-0 2; Jessica Beswick 3 2-2 9; Isabel Scott 2 0-4 4; Megan Martin 1 0-0 2; Amanda Donia 6 9-10 23; Jessica Renaud 4 3-4 11; Brittany Sicinski 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 14-20 51.

Council Rock-North (42)
Juliann Fricke 1 0-0 2; Devin Gold 0 1-2 1; Kelly Scull 3 1-2 7; Sarah Kiely 6 3-3 15; Kate Logan 3 0-0 8; Lauren Gold 2 5-5 9; Jodi Marrazzo 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 10-12 42.

DW: 12-9-13-17—51
CRN: 13-4-16-9—42

Three-point goals: Donia 2, Beswick (DW); Logan 2 (CRN).

NINE THINGS

1. No. 11 seed Downingtown West (18-7) pulled off its second straight upset in the District One Class AAAA tournament. The Whippets played very well and led for most of the game. They were up by four, 21-17, at halftime and by seven, 29-22, late in the third quarter. No. 3 seed CR-North (22-3) tied the game, 29-29, with a 7-0 run and was still tied with 2:57 to go in the fourth quarter, 40-40. But CR-North never did have a lead after the 5:24 mark of the third quarter.

2. “I turned around at one point and said, ‘We can’t get over the hump,’” CR-North coach Lou Palkovics said. "We didn't play well as a group. Our offense was stagnant."

3. Forward Amanda Donia led the Whippets with 23 points and hit nine of 10 free throws in the last 2:52 of the game.

4. CR-North junior Sarah Kiely had 15 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two assists despite missing about four minutes with a turned ankle during an important stretch at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth.

5. Downingtown West faces No. 2 Downingtown East (23-2) in the semifinals on Wednesday. CR-North (22-3), which has already qualified for the state tournament, plays in a playback game on Wednesday.

6. “It’s very disappointing,” Kiely said. “I thought we could get to the district championship. I thought we could make a run.”

7. “Downingtown seemed to know everything we were going to do,” Kiely said. “On offense, we were stagnant. On defense, we could have been better.”

8. "(Kate) Logan was on. She made some big shots," Kiely said. "Besides that, our shots weren't falling. They were hitting the front of the rim. They were hitting the back of the rim."

9. Downingtown West has won 10 of its last 12 games. The Whippets have allowed more than 50 points only once all season.

CR-North 55, Methacton 36

Methacton (36)
Lauren Ruhl 6 1-2 14; Ali Hammond 1 1-3 4; Mel Ordway 2 3-4 7; Lindsey Allebach 0 2-2 2; Carley Parker 0 3-6 3; Sarah McMichael 0 0-0 0; Maddy Parker 2 0-0 4; Khaila Speller 0 0-2 0; Amy Klinger 0 0-0 0; Olivia Reiche 0 2-2 2; Abby Devlin 0 0-0 0; Maria Numerato 0 0-0 0; Nicole Bridgens 0 0-0 0. Totals: 11 12-21 36.

CR-North (55)
Juliann Fricke 2 2-4 7; Devin Gold 3 3-3 10; Kelly Scull 3 0-0 6; Kate Logan 1 2-2 5; Sarah Kiely 6 6-6 18; Lauren Gold 2 2-4 6; Jodi Marrazzo 0 0-0 0; Rebecca Houser 0 0-0 0; Emily Grundman 0 1-2 1; Ally Mangogna 1 0-0 2; Brittany Garvey 0 0-0 0; Steph Brennan 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 16-21 55.

M: 4-5-7-20—36
CRN: 11-13-13-18—55

Three-point goals: Ruhl, Hammond (M); Fricke, D. Gold, Logan (CRN).

D1 and PCL Predictions (Feb. 17-18)

DISTRICT ONE CLASS AAAA

No. 16 Norristown (15-8) at No. 1 Cheltenham (22-1)
Cheltenham didn't really have a huge win in the first round over William Tennent. The Panthers are a little young and inexperienced for a top seed. Nice win for the Eagles over Upper Dublin in Round 1.
Pick: Cheltenham, 58-41

No. 9 Abington (18-5) at No. 8 Henderson (19-4)
I thought the Ghosts with Emily Leer were better than a No. 9 seed, but they only beat Pennridge by 11 in the first round. Henderson needed 41 points from Shante Evans and a strong fourth quarter to down Spring-Ford by nine points in the first round.
Pick: Abington, 44-39

No. 13 Council Rock-South (15-8) at No. 4 Lower Merion (21-2)
CR-South captured the program's first-ever district tournament win in the first round. The Golden Hawks are used to playing very good teams in intense games because of the two-times-per-year rivalry games with CR-North. But Lower Merion should be able to get to the quarterfinals.
Pick: Lower Merion, 53-43

No. 12 Chester (15-6) at No. 5 Upper Darby (21-2)
Both teams won big in the first round, Chester by 21 points and Upper Darby by 26. Upper Darby didn't play an especially tough regular season schedule, but did play tough against Lower Merion in two losses.
Pick: Chester, 46-38

No. 18 Bensalem (13-9) at No. 2 Downingtown East (21-2)
The Owls played well to upset a hot North Penn team in the first round, 36-31. Senior Sharmane Hall scored nine points and guard Kate Clarkson scored 11. But the Cougars might be the best team in the district and probably should have been the top seed - power rankings aside. Their only losses all season were to Germantown Academy and Central Dauphin. Downingtown East's last two opponents scored 15 and 14 points.
Pick: Downingtown East, 41-20

No. 10 Perkiomen Valley (18-5) at No. 7 CB East (21-2)
CB East might be better than than three of the teams seeded ahead of it. Perkiomen Valley has won 17 of its last 18 games, but didn't fact top competition.
Pick: CB East, 51-39

No. 14 Methacton (14-9) at No. 3 Council Rock-North (21-2)
The Indians rolled by 50 points in the first round. Methacton had a relatively easy win, as well. Methacton, which knocked CR-North from the district tournament last year, had the second-most Schedule Points in the district's power rating system.
Pick: CR-North, 58-42

No. 11 Downingtown West (16-7) at No. 6 Great Valley (20-3)
I think this one's a toss-up. Downingtown West played the tougher schedule, but Great Valley did have some quality wins and playe Downingtown East tough.
Pick: Downingtown West, 47-46

***

PHILADELPHIA CATHOLIC LEAGUE

No. 3 Archbishop Carroll (22-1) vs. No. 2 Cardinal O'Hara (22-1)
Two of the state's top teams are playing the early game in the PCL semifinals at Gwynedd-Mercy College on Tuesday. O'Hara won the first meeting on Dec. 28 by 17 points, 61-44. Carroll seems to have trouble matching up with O'Hara. Expect O'Hara to win this game, but both teams to go very far in their respective state tournament brackets--O'Hara in Class AAAA and Carroll in Class AAA.
Pick: Cardinal O'Hara, 63-52

No. 1 Archbishop Wood (18-5) vs. No. 4 Archbishop Ryan (18-5)
Wood won the first meeting on Jan. 27 by six points, 50-44. Although an upset's not impossible, don't expect this one to be quite as close. Wood senior center Ashley Robinson scored 16 of Wood's 50 points in the first game, but the Vikings should get more scoring from the perimeter. One caveat, Wood needs a decent first quarter. If Ryan gets an early lead, anything can happen.
Pick: Archbishop Wood, 53-42

CR-South 57, Bensalem 39

Bensalem (39)
Kristen Gilroy 0 0-0 0; Kate Clarkson 2 0-0 5; Sharmane Hall 8 4-6 20; Jackie Deegler 0 2-2 2; Paige Ormont 3 0-0 6; Alexis Nyekan 0 0-0 0; Alexia Ewing 0 0-0 0; Jody Sokol 2 2-2 6; Ashleigh Spence 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 8-10 39.

Council Rock-South (57)
Ann Silverthorn 3 5-5 12; Lea Britton 3 0-0 7; Alex Wheatley 2 0-0 4; Emily Nowicke 7 2-2 16; Chelsea Allen 3 7-8 13; Steph Gillio 1 1-2 3; Jackie Weber 0 2-2 2; Brianna Schlupp 0 0-0 0; Lindsay Kirlin 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 17-19 57.

B: 3-13-14-9—39
CRS: 18-16-9-14—57

Three-point goals: Clarkson (B); Silverthorn, Britton (CRS).

NINE THINGS

1. CR-South (14-7 overall, 8-5 SOL National) roared out to an 18-2 lead after about seven minutes. The Golden Hawks were ahead 24-3 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the first half. Bensalem settled down and played better in the second half, but the closest the Owls (12-8, 8-5) could get was 10 points late in the third quarter.

2. Most projections had CR-South slightly ahead of Bensalem in the District One Class AAAA seedings going into this week. The Golden Hawks seem to have put themselves in good position to earn one of the top 16 seeds and a home game.

3. South has won six of its last seven games since the heartbreaking last-second loss to Neshaminy on Jan. 20. The Golden Hawks’ last six victories have been by an average margin of 16.7 points. Five of those wins were by 14 points or more. They are 12-4 since a 2-3 start. The turnaround from last year's five-win season is remarkable.

4. “This year is a blast,” CR-South junior forward Emily Nowicke said. “Last year we accepted the losses. This year we’re playing for the wins. It is so exciting.”

5. Nowicke scored 10 of her team-high 16 points in the first seven minutes of the game. She had 17 points in Tuesday night's win over William Tennent.

6. For South, senior guard Ann Silverthorn had 12 points, five rebounds and five assists. Junior forward Chelsea Allen had 13 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard Lea Britton added seven points and eight assists.

7. Senior forward Sharmane Hall led the Owls with 20 points. Forward Jackie Deegler scored two points and guard Kristen Gilroy was scoreless.

8. CR-South hosts rival CR-North (19-2, 13-0) in the regular season finale on Friday night. "It's humongous," Nowicke said. "They are (13-0) in the league. It's North-South. It's a complete rivalry. It's the only way to end the (regular) season. We're going to be pumped and ready for it."

9. "I think they're very confident," CR-South coach Monica Young said. "They are starting to really believe. They're finishing games."

CR-North 60, Abington 38

Abington (38)
Ajanae Boone 3 2-4 8; Jen Kelly 0 0-0 0; Aiyannah Peal 3 0-2 6; Tess Johns 1 0-0 2; Emily Leer 2 5-8 10; Liz Layton 5 0-2 10; Chynna West 0 0-0 0; Jessica Schmidt 0 0-0 0; Shiela Longo 0 0-0 0; Sam Stutz 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 7-16 38.

Council Rock-North (60)
Lauren Gold 2 4-4 8; Juliann Fricke 2 0-1 4; Devin Gold 2 2-2 6; Kelly Scull 4 2-2 11; Sarah Kiely 11 2-4 24; Kate Logan 1 1-2 4; Rebecca Houser 0 0-0 0; Alexandra Mangogna 1 0-0 3; Steph Brennan 0 0-0 0. Totals: 23 11-15 60.

A: 6-8-7-17—38
CRN: 12-16-19-13—60

Three-point goals: Leer (A); Mangogna, Scull, Logan (CRN).

NINE THINGS

1. Council Rock-North (19-2, 13-0 SOL National) thoroughly dominated. About a minute into the second quarter, North led by two points, 12-10. Over the next 18 minutes, North outscored Abington 41-12. The Indians led by 31 points, 53-22, with less than five minutes left in the game.

2. Abington 6-foot-2 forward Emily Leer, who missed the first meeting with a knee injury, was not a factor. She finished with 10 points, but six of those game in the last 4:45. North guarded her with forwards Kelly Scull and Kate Logan and doubled her when she got the ball with guards or forward Sarah Kiely.

3. CR-North's defense was stifling. Leer had very few touches in good position. Freshman Aiyannah Peal couldn't get on track and finished with six points. Guard Jen Kelly wasn't able to open shots and didn't score.

4. Kiely dominated for CR-North. She finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds and shot 65 percent from the field. Kiely scored inside on a number of nice moves, but also hit jumper after jumper after jumper from as far out as 19 feet. "Sarah was in a zone," North coach Lou Palkovics said.

5. CR-North clinched the SOL National title, its 10th league crown in 12 seasons under Palkovics. The Indians need to defeat CR-South on Friday night to finish undefeated in the league for the first time since 2001, but South has won five of six games.

6. North guards Juliann Fricke, Devin Gold and Lauren Gold combined for 18 points and 13 assists and played outstanding defense.

7. With five minutes to go in the game, Abington had 22 points and nine field goals.

8. Kate Logan: “It’s huge. I didn’t expect anything like that. One of the key things was our defense. We held them to 38 points. We also got out to a lead quickly.”

9. Abington (15-5, 10-3) had won six straight games and will still be a dangerous team in the Class AAAA District One tournament. CR-North should be one of the top four or five seeds for districts.

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).”

Council Rock-North 53, Abington 37

Council Rock-North (53)
Juliann Fricke 3 2-2 8; Devin Gold 3 2-2 10; Sarah Kiely 5 3-4 13; Kate Logan 1 1-2 3; Kelly Scull 1 4-4 7; Lauren Gold 4 1-2 10; Chloe Pinto 0 0-0 0; Rebecca Houser 0 0-0 0; Emily Grundman 0 2-2 2; Alexandra Mangogna 0 0-0 0; Jodi Marazzo 0 0-0 0; Stephanie Brennan 0 0-0 0; Brittany Garvey 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 15-18 53.

Abington (37)
Kelly Gregorio 0 0-0 0; Jen Kelly 3 0-0 8; Aiyannah Peal 5 2-4 12; Liz Layton 3 0-0 7; Ajanae Boone 4 0-0 8; Jessica Schmidt 0 0-0 0; Chynna West 0 0-2 0; Tess Johns 1 0-0 2; Jamie Schechtman 0 0-0 0; Felicia Strother 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 2-6 37.

CRN: 10-13-17-13--53
A: 13-4-10-10--37

Three-point goals: D. Gold 2, Scull, L. Gold (CRN); Kelly 2, Layton (A).


TEN THINGS

1. CR-North (11-1 overall, 6-0 SOL National) shot 26.7 percent in the first quarter and trailed by seven points, 17-0, early in the second quarter. The Indians went on a 13-0 run to end the first half and outscored Abington (8-3, 3-1) 17-7 over the last 5 1/2 minutes of the third quarter.

2. Junior forward Sarah Kiely had 13 points, five rebounds and three steals for the Indians. Kiely had the first four points of CR-North's 13-0 second quarter run and played tough against a physical Ghosts defense. "Sarah's awesome," Indians point guard Juliann Fricke said. "She can have five people on her and she can still go up and under."

3. Abington freshman forward Aiyanah Peal scored eight points in the first 10 minutes of the game and finished with a team-high 12 points. Peal was outstanding in the early going, but looked less comfortable after the Ghosts fell behind. "She needs to stay patient," Abington coach Dan Marsh said.

4. Sophomore guard Devin Gold had 10 points, five assists and four steals for the Indians. She's averaging 8.6 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 steals. Freshman guard Lauren Gold had 10 points, three steals and three assists. She's averaging 7.1 points, 2.8 assists and 3.2 steals.

5. Fricke added eight points and five assists. She's averaging 7.8 points, 4.2 assists and 3.5 steals.

6. CR-North coach Lou Palkovics on his team's poise after shooting poorly in the first quarter: “What I’m noticing is a real maturity. They don’t let it bother them. They’ll still launch. We’re not going to go a whole game shooting like we did in the first quarter.”

7. Fricke on the team's mentality: “The best thing about this team is that we don’t get down. We stay calm. Coach always tells us to keep shooting, no matter what. He knows we have good shooters.”

8. Abington has played five games without 6-foot-2 guard Emily Leer and is 3-2. Leer, who averaged 16.0 points in the first six games could return from a knee injury as early as next Friday.

9. Ghosts coach Dan Marsh on his team's impressive start: “We came out ready to play. We executed what we wanted to do on defense. But it was only a matter of time until they got Kiely going. After that, it became more difficult for us.”

10. Abington senior Liz Layton on playing without Leer: “We want her back. That’s 18 to 20 points from our offense. Add 20 points to our score tonight and we’re right there.”

Southeastern Pa. Top 20 (Jan. 1)

Here's a New Year look at the top 20 teams (plus one) in Southeastern Pa. at this point in the season. I haven't seen most of these teams play, so I'm going by scores.

Please feel free to e-mail around the link to this page. And let me know if I have missed anyone.

--Stephen Cornell

*****

TOP 21

1. Cardinal O’Hara (9-0)

2. Germantown Academy (8-0)

3. Archbishop Carroll (8-1)

4. Downingtown East (7-1)

5. CR-North (9-1)

6. Cheltenham (7-1)

7. Notre Dame (8-2)

8. Mount St. Joseph (10-0)

9. Archbishop Wood (5-3)

10. Villa Maria (5-2)

11. St. Basil (8-2)

12. Downingtown West (7-3)

13. CB East (4-0)

14. Abington (7-2)

15. Shipley (9-2)

16. Penn Charter (8-3)

17. Nazareth (8-0)

18. Central (7-0)

19. Springfield Delco (11-0)

20. Lower Merion (7-1)

21. Archbishop Ryan (9-1)

Council Rock-North 60, Oakland Catholic 38

CR-North (60)
Juliann Fricke 2 0-0 4; Devin Gold 3 2-2 9; Kelly Scull 3 0-0 8; Kate Logan 2 0-0 6; Sarah Kiely 8 1-1 17; Lauren Gold 4 5-5 14; Chloe Pinto 1 0-0 2; Rebecca Houser 0 0-1 0; Jody Marrazzo 0 0-0 0; Emily Grundman 0 0-0 0; Steph Brennan 0 0-0 0. Totals: 23 8-9 60

Oakland Catholic (38)
Claire Bernato 2 1-1 5; Colleen Kiss 3 0-0 7; Kayla Walczak 0 0-0 0; Gina Tudi 0 0-0 0; Caitlyn Rudge 1 0-0 3; Robbie Cain 2 0-0 4; Allie Schmidt 5 2-4 12; Caroline King 2 0-2 4; Maria Tassari 0 0-0 0; Jones 1 0-0 2; Kumar 0 1-2 1. Totals: 16 4-9 38.

CRN: 20-14-11-15--60
OC: 5-11-9-13--38

Three-point goals: Logan 2, Scull 2, L. Gold, D. Gold (CRN); Kiss, Rudge (OC).

Link to Courier Times article


EIGHT THINGS

1. CR-North (7-1) dominated this game from beginning to end. The Indians scored the game's first 12 points over 4:02 and led by 15 points at the end of the first quarter, 20-5. The lead was never less than 15 points after the first quarter.

2. North junior forward Sarah Kiely scored the game's first nine points in about three minutes and finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. Kiely is averaging about 15 points and 10 rebounds in eight games.

3. The Indians hit six 3-pointers and shot 56.1 percent (23 for 41) from the floor. They shot at least 50 percent in every quarter. “We always play one or two good quarters,” Kiely said. “In this game, we focused on playing four good quarters.”

4. Indians sophomore guard Devin Gold had eight points and six assists, while freshman guard Lauren Gold finished with 14 points and five steals. They are the third and fourth Gold sisters to play for the Indians. Devin had a very good freshman season and appears to be a more mature player. Lauren averaged 7.3 points and 2.7 rebounds with 17 assists and 18 steals in North's first six games.

5. North senior point guard Juliann Fricke looks more comfortable this season than she was as a junior, when she was one of the few experienced veterans on a really young team. Fricke is a quick defender and frustrated Oakland Catholic's guards. “Other coaches see what Julie brings for us,” North coach Lou Palkovics said. “She’s such a good defensive player that nobody wants to play against her. And she’s going to college on a cross-country scholarship, so she never stops running.”

6. Oakland Catholic, which began the season as the No. 3 Class AAAA team in the state according to the Harrisburg Patriot-News, left Pittsburgh at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday morning for a 1:30 p.m. varsity game. The Indians visited Oakland Catholic two years ago and lost.

7. Kiely: "We haven’t played them in two years,” Kiely said. “Last time, we had to drive all the way back after a disappointment. We felt that if we could send them packing (today), that would be the best revenge.”

8. North is getting balanced scoring. Five players scored six points or more vs. Oakland Catholic. Through North's first six games, five players averaged 7.2 points or more. Senior Kate Logan is averaging 8.0 points had has 11 3-pointers in eight games.

Council Rock-North 2008-2009

Coach: Lou Palkovics (12th season)
Last year: 17-9 (11-3 SOL Continental)

Roster
1 Steph Brennan G, 5-7, Jr.
3 Devin Gold G, 5-7, So.
4 Juliann Fricke G, 5-7, Sr.
10 Chloe Pinto G, 5-6, Jr.
12 Lauren Gold G, 5-6, Fr.
15 Kelly Scull F, 5-10, Jr.
21 Jodi Marrazzo G-F, 5-7, Jr.
22 Brittany Garvey G, 5-4, Jr.
23 Sarah Kiely F-C, 6-0, Jr.
30 Ally Mangogna F, 5-10, So.
34 Rebecca Houser F, 5-10, Jr.
35 Kate Logan F, 5-10, Sr.
51 Emily Grundman F-C, 6-2, Fr.

Schedule
Dec.5 Central Dauphin L, 34-58 (0-1)
Dec.6 at State College W, 56-49 (1-1)
Dec.9 Pennsbury W, 63-39 (2-1, 1-0)
Dec.11 at Truman W, 67-16 (3-1, 2-0)
Dec.13 Methacton W, 50-34 (4-1)
Dec.16 Tennent W, 57-39 (5-1, 3-0)
Dec.19 Neshaminy W, 50-39 (6-1, 4-0)
Dec.20 Oakland Catholic W, 60-38 (7-1)
Dec.28 Ocean City W, 59-51 OT (8-1)
Dec.29 Camden Catholic W, 45-39 (9-1)
Jan.6 at Bensalem
Jan.9 at Abington
Jan.13 CR South
Jan.16 at Pennsbury
Jan.17 Cheltenham at Scholastic Play-By-Play@Archbishop Carroll HS
Jan.18 Timber Creek(NJ) at Cougar Classic @ Cherry Hill East HS(NJ)
Jan.20 Truman
Jan.22 at Tennent
Jan.27 at Neshaminy
Jan.30 Bensalem
Feb.3 Abington
Feb.6 at CR South

CR-North 50, Pennridge 43

PENNRIDGE (43)
Jordan Dominic 3 0-0 8; Lindsey Lyons 1 2-4 4; Shannon Zickler 3 4-6 10; Marissa Kunkle 3 1-2 9; Sam Simonosis 3 5-9 11; Stacey Gunter 0 1-2 1; Sarah Hoban 0 0-0 0. Totals: 13 13-23 43.

CR-NORTH (50)
Juliann Fricke 4 1-1 12; Devin Gold 4 2-2 13; Jen Sroba 2 2-2 6; Kelly Scull 1 1-2 3; Sarah Kiely 5 3-4 13; Kate Logan 0 1-3 1; Jenn Casper 1 0-2 2. Totals: 17 10-16 50.

P 12-10-11-10—43
CRN 9-20-13-8—50

3-point goals: Dominic 2, Kunkle 2 (P); Fricke 3, Gold 3 (CRN).

Link to Courier Times game story

Link to Intelligencer game story

Link to Courier Times girls basketball notes from Friday

Link to Courier Times Jen Sroba profile from Friday

NINE THINGS

1. Sophomore center Sarah Kiely had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Indians (17-8). Freshman guard Devin Gold had 13 points and two steals, while junior point guard Juliann Fricke scored 12 points.

2. CR-North has won its first round District One Class AAAA game in each of the last 11 years. The No. 15 seed Indians visit unbeaten No. 2 seed Methacton (25-0) in the second round on Wednesday.

3. Gold made two free throws with 36.7 seconds on the clock to put CR-North up by five points, 48-43, and seal the victory. Kiely and senior guard-forward Jen Sroba had fouled out with more than 2 1/2 minutes remaining.

4. Fricke played very well down the stretch. Senior Jenn Casper came of the bench and grabbed several important late rebounds. Casper also scored on a pretty reverse layup in the first half.

5. Sam Simononis scored 11 points and Shannon Zickler added 10 points for Pennridge (15-10).

6. “I was really impressed with the way Fricke reacted,” CR-North coach Lou Palkovics said. “When Jen and Sarah fouled out, Julie just told everybody, ‘We’re all right. We’re fine.’ She and Devin were basically the veterans left on the floor.”

7. “(Casper) has been doing that all year,” Fricke said. “She does those things in practice all the time.”

8. No. 10 Sun Valley, No. 11 Upper Darby and No. 12 Perkiomen Valley all lost in the first round. Those three teams had great records against not-so-great schedules and probably were beneficiaries of the suspect power rankings system. The three teams from the extremly competitive SOL Continental - CB East, Norristown and CR-North - probably should have been ahead of all three of them. CR-North and Norristown will have to pull big upsets to get to the quarterfinals. CB East lost in the first round in a tough league rematch against a talented William Tennent team.

9. Maybe the first round upsets in the girls and boys brackets will cause District One to reevaluate the power rankings system.

Dist. 1 to Teams: "Take the Easy Way Out."

I was going to do a whole post about the seriously flawed District One power rankings system, but the Intelligencer's Todd Thorpe beat me to it at his blog at http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/intelgirlshoop.

As Todd said:

Last year’s very flawed power rating system had one thing this year’s system did not. It took into account whether opponents were Class AAAA, AAA, AA, or A, and awarded schedule points accordingly. That wasn’t taken into account with this system, and hence some team were rewarded just as many points for playing and beating much smaller schools, but ones that happened to have good records against the rest of the teams it played.

Non-league games are at the discretion of the coaches and athletic directors. But if one team goes 4-4 in non-league games and the competition includes very quality teams, and another goes 7-1 against lesser competition against small Class A schools, why should the one be punished for scheduling better?

It doesn’t encourage better scheduling. It encourages winning, no matter the opponent. That’s the central flaw of this system.

Personally, I think they should go back to the committee seeding system and all the aggravations that came from it. But one thing about it, though, they usually got it right. The best teams were usually the ones who made it states every year.

I just want to point out what several SOL teams got for scheduling tough teams.

Council Rock-North for losing to Archbishop Wood, one of the three best teams in Pennsylvania - 4.55 Power Rating Points.

CB East for a one-point loss to Spring-Ford - 4.58 Power Rating Points

Pennridge for a loss to Mount St. Joseph's - 4.55 Power Rating Points

What each team could have earned for scheduling and beating New Hope-Solebury: 5 + 2.63 + 6.32 = 13.95 Power Rating Points.

Or for scheduling and beating Christopher Dock: 5 + 3.25 + 7.8 = 16.05 Power Rating Points.

Why do you want to encourage teams to drop games against Wood, Spring-Ford and Mount to schedule tiny Bicentennial Athletic League teams such as Christopher Dock and New Hope-Solebury?

The message to kids: "Don't challenge yourself. Take the easy way out and get rewarded."

Norristown 60, CR-North 58

CR-NORTH (58)
Juliann Fricke 1 0-0 2; Devin Gold 3 1-2 8; Kelly Scull 3 6-6 12; Sarah Kiely 6 1-2 13; Jen Sroba 7 1-4 15; Kate Logan 3 0-2 8; Jen Casper 0 0-0 0. Totals: 23 9-16 58.

NORRISTOWN (60)
Bryn Cotteta 5 0-0 13; Alissa O’Donnell 5 2-2 12; Heather McHugh 2 1-2 6; Devin Blake 1 0-2 2; Sophia Waters 4 4-4 13; Raevon Mitchell 3 0-0 6; Tasha Matthews 2 0-0 4; Brittney Rose 2 0-0 4. 24 7-10 60.

CRN 15-11-18-14—58
N 8-23-11-18—60

3-point goals: Logan 2, Gold (CRN); Cotteta 3, McHugh, Waters (N).

Link to Courier Times game story

Link to Friday's Courier Times girls basketball notes

SIX THINGS

1. Norristown trailed by four points, 55-51, with 1:35 remaining, but hit three 3-pointers in the final 1:24 to win.

2. Norristown's Heather McHugh hit an open 3-pointer with 1:24 left, and Bryn Cotteta hit open 3-pointers with 49 seconds and 24.9 seconds remaining. Cotteta's final 3-pointer was the game-winner.

3. CR-North (14-7 overall, 9-3 SOL Continental) and Norristown (16-6, 9-3) are tied for second place in the league behind white-hot CB East (10-2 SOL), which has won nine straight SOL games. The Patriots play William Tennent (8-3 SOL) on Tuesday.

4. Cotteta sat for much of the first half after picking up three fouls in the first five minutes. She scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half. Sophia Waters also had 13 points for the Eagles, and Alissa O'Donnell added 12 points.

5. Senior Jen Sroba scored 15 points for CR-North. Sarah Kiely had 13 points, and Kelly Scull added 12 points.

6. Norristown won both meetings with CR-North this season. The Eagles won the first game, 67-65, on Dec. 21.

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.

CR-North 64, Pennsbury 55

CR-NORTH (64)
Fricke 5 4-4 16; Gold 4 0-0 10; Kiely 6 8-8 20; Peters 1 0-0 2; Sroba 5 3-5 14; Logan 1 0-1 2; Scull 0 0-0 0; Casper 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22 15-18 64.

PENNSBURY (55)
Thorn 6 2-2 16; Prine 3 2-2 9; Ponza 5 3-3 13; Kobal 1 1-2 3; Beri 2 0-0 4; Balascsak 2 1-2 5; Klock 0 2-2 2; DiVeglio 0 3-4 3. Totals: 19 14-17 55.

CRN 20-18-6-20—64
P 13-16-15-11—55

3-point goals: Fricke 2, Gold 2, Sroba (CRN); Thorn 2, Prine (P).

Link to Courier Times game story

Link to Friday's Courier Times girls basketball notebook

FIVE THINGS

1. Senior point guard Sarah Thorn scored 16 points, and senior forward Meghan Ponza added 13 points for Pennsbury (6-9).

2. CR-North (10-4) had four players in double figures. Sophomore center Sarah Kiely had 20 points and 14 rebounds. Junior point guard Juliann Fricke had 16 points, five steals and four assists. Senior guard Jen Sroba had 14 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals. Freshman guard Devin Gold scored 10 points.

3. The Indians led by as many as 14 in the first half. But Pennsbury opened up the third quarter with an 11-0 run to go ahead, 40-38. The game was tied, 44-44, after three quarters.

4. CR-North has won five straight.

5. College note: Pennsbury 2006 graduate Dana Mitchell is averaging 20.5 points and 6.5 rebounds a game for St. Bonaventure. Mitchell, a 6-foot-1 sophomore forward, scored 34 points in a win over Cornell on Jan. 4. The Bonnies (12-3) visit Temple at the Liacouras Center on Jan. 15.