Barber, Upper Dublin defense stifle Cheltenham

CHELTENHAM >> Ashley Barber walked off the floor late in the fourth quarter and got a big embrace from coach Morgan Funsten.

The senior forward deserved it after the night we had. Barber was a force in Upper Dublin’s 41-22 win at Cheltenham Tuesday, delivering 13 points and 18 rebounds, coming up clutch in the fourth quarter.

“Coach Funsten, he gives me a lot of confidence in myself,” Barber said. “I need to work on it, I know I’m a bigger girl, the biggest one on the court most of the time and I can beat someone off that dribble and I have to do it more because I’m either going to the line or its going in.”

After the Panthers scored the first four points of the game, Upper Dublin’s offense settled down and came back with five points facilitated by Maggie Weglos. The sophomore fed post Ashley Barber for a hoop then spashed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put the Cards in front.

Jones scored four in a row of her own and Mia Leonard added another bucket to put the Panthers up 10-5 with 38.1 left in the frame. A patient possession saw Allison Chernow can a trey with 2.1 left to close on a high note.

Jones outscored the Cardinals 6-2 over the first 4:30 of the second quarter to stake the Panthers to a 16-10 lead. Alison Gouveia came up with a big play, getting fouled on an offensive rebound and hit two foul shots.

Jones, Cheltenham’s high-scoring junior, had 17 but also had an off night shooting against UD’s swarming defense. Weglos, a tough-minded sophomore, had a lot to do with that.

“She wanted (Jones) and you question do girls really want the best player on the other team and Maggie always wants the best player,” Funsten said. “Maggie not only carried us defensively but she carried us offensively in the first half, she hit two huge 3s.”

Her freebies set off a 9-0 Cardinal run to end the first half with Weglos hitting a wing 3 to get her team rolling. A power move by Barber put the Cards back in front and Chernow added some space with a driving layup as UD took a 19-16 lead into the half.

Weglos had six points at half to lead UD, but her hounding defense on Jones was just as impactful. Barber made a mark on the glass with eight boards at the break, half on the offensive end.

Funsten said Weglos did a diligent film study to prepare for Jones, who the coach described as having no weaknesses. Weglos worked hard to stay in front of Jones and didn’t give up the open threes that Jones hit early in the first game.

The Cardinals started the second half on a tear, scoring the first five points of the third quarter, four of them on put-backs by Demi Balasa and Barber. Cheltenham scored just five points in the third, all by Jones in the final four minutes.

UD took a 28-21 lead into the final quarter and put the clamps on tighter with a 13-1 edge in the final frame. Giving up just six points in the second half was just what the Cards needed after two losses on the weekend where they felt they played well against quality opponents.

“We just wanted to get out there and take it all,” Barber said. “It was the biggest game of the whole season and we wanted to take over and make a point. We played 10 times better than we did the first time, we just owned it and showed who we really are.”

Barber made sure it would be a strong finish by scoring seven points in the fourth, including a strong drive and layup from the top of the key, and ripping down seven boards in the frame. The senior said she can take a little while to get going, but finds a second wind late in the games to finish out tough.

“Every time, no matter if they’re hitting or not, I go in and that ball is mine,” Barber said. “No matter who’s around it, I just go for it.”

The win put UD in the driver’s seat in the Suburban One League American Conference with a 9-0 record while the Panthers dropped to 7-2, both losses to the Cardinals (13-4). Coming back to beat Cheltenham (11-3) after a tough weekend happened to Upper Dublin last year and now again this season.

“It’s good and you wonder how could it be good after playing two physically demanding games, lose both and have one day to get ready for your biggest game of the year,” Funsten said. “You think you’re done, you have nothing left then go from winning a game the first time both years that maybe we didn’t deserve to win to winning by 18 last year and 19 this year. The weekend did us well.”