Walsh, Haverford get back on track against Marple Newtown

NEWTOWN TWP. — Haverford High wanted to get back on the floor as soon as possible following the result of last Friday’s home game.

The Fords went down to the wire against Garnet Valley. A seven-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter fell by the wayside and Haverford dropped a tough one to Garnet, one of two remaining unbeatens in the conference.

Notwithstanding that game, the Fords are off to a good start, posting wins in eight of their first 11 contests, including Tuesday’s 45-21 rout of Marple Newtown.

Under the guidance of second-year head coach Lauren Pellicane, the Fords are a senior-laden team built to win right now.

Guards Erin Kelly and Erin Doherty combined for five 3-pointers. Senior forwards Sara Walsh and Lindsey Lane are twin towers in the low post, and both can dribble and shoot from the outside. They were a factor Tuesday.

“I think we have improved on a lot from last year as a team, collectively,” said Doherty, who scored a game-high 13 points to go with two assists and two steals. “We’re playing more together this year.”

“We’re doing a better job of moving the ball around and getting better shots,” added Walsh, who finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Tuesday allowed the Fords to correct anything that went wrong in the Garnet Valley game. Haverford was in control from the opening tip against Marple Newtown, which is in rebuilding mode after the graduation of every starter from a season ago.

“We were talking at halftime about keeping things simple,” Walsh said. “We had to go through all of our plays, not force anything, and take the right shots.”

Haverford jumped out to a 16-8 advantage in the first quarter, then scored 17 straight points over the course of the first and second periods. They led by as many as 25 points before the Tigers’ Katie Scali made a basket 1:25 left before halftime to end the run.

By that point, the Fords were well on their way to a bounce-back win.

Walsh and Doherty are averaging more than 10 points per game. Doherty has been an effective scorer since her freshman year, while Walsh has gradually worked on becoming a more consistent offensive player.

“I’ve just been focusing more on posting up and asking for the ball more,” Walsh said. “I know if I don’t have a shot, I can kick it to the outside so that our guards can make the shots.”

Kelly tossed in 11 points and was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. She had four rebounds and a pair of assists. O’Reilly chipped in with three assists and a steal, while Katie Redding came off the bench to pull in four rebounds.

Marple Newtown coach Ryan Wolski has been pleased with the overall effort of his team. Lindsay Kane, Kaely Cristello and Olivia Coary are the lone seniors. Kane had a solid floor game Tuesday with three points, two steals and a game-high four steals. Freshman forward Haley Levy gave the Tigers (3-7, 1-5) a spark off the bench, scoring a team-high eight points.

“We graduated about 97 percent of our offense last year, so it’s been tough,” Wolski said. “We lack varsity experience right now, they’re seeing things they’ve never seen before and we’re trying to get them to do things they’ve never done before on a basketball court…

“We always tell these girls, we’re never mad at them for their hustle and effort. They’re great kids and they play hard, it’s just unfortunate right now that we lack that varsity experience.”

Elsewhere in the Central League:

Garnet Valley 62, Radnor 30 >> Brianne Borcky scored all 20 of her points in the first three quarters, helping the Jags (10-0, 5-0) stay undefeated. Morgan Falcone added nine points and Madi McKee chipped in with eight.

Ellie Mueller had eight points in six rebounds for the Raiders (7-3, 3-3).

Springfield 67, Lower Merion 24 >> Belle Mastropietro tallied 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals as the Cougars (10-0) cruised past the Aces. As a team, Springfield totaled 14 assists and 15 steals.

Alexa Abbonizio had 16 points and Jordan D’Ambrosio tossed in 11.

Springfield travels to Garnet Valley Friday night.

Ridley 40, Penncrest 26 >> Breanna Harrison’s 3-pointer in the fourth quarter gave the Green Raiders (5-6, 3-3) the boost they needed to pull away from the host Lions. Shannen Hinchey led a balanced Ridley attack with eight points.

Strath Haven 39, Conestoga 30 >> Alisha Lewis netted 10 points as the Panthers bested the Pioneers, who were held to 15 points in each half, in a defensive struggle.

Harriton 53, Upper Darby 29 >> Jasmine Forrester scored 10 points and Gabby Liberio had eight points for the Royals (7-2, 3-2). Christina Brown scored 17 points for Harriton.

In the Del Val League:

Academy Park 50, Interboro 34 >> Lashay Jackson (12 points) and Taylor Smith (11) finished in double figures for the Knights, who outscored the visiting Bucs 34-20 after halftime. Gianna Frangelli had a team-high 10 points for Interboro.

Chester 45, Chichester 23 >> Monique Colbert notched a double-double with 14 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Clippers (1-6, 1-0) to their first victory of the season. Shaymoni DeShields scored a game-high 15 points, while Quansana Hagwood registered seven points, 12 boards and five blocks.

Ava Franz led the way for Chi with 11 points.

In the Catholic League:

Cardinal O’Hara 57, Archbishop Ryan 42 >> Sydni Scott poured in 20 points and made three steals, while Amaris Baker had 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Lions (6-6), who outscored the Ragdolls, 16-3, in the second quarter. Kerry Patterson contributed 11 points and five rebounds.

Archbishop Wood 74, Bonner & Prendergast 62 >> Freshman Bridie McCann scored 10 of her 12 points in the fourth quarter, but that wasn’t enough for the Pandas against the Vikings. Dakota McCaughan drilled five 3-pointers and tallied a team-high 16 points. Alexis Gleason added 10 points and Maeve McCann chipped in with nine.

In the Bicentennial League:

Christian Academy 49, Calvary Christian 30 >> Grace Gormley continued her outstanding play this season. The senior guard finished with 22 points and 19 rebounds as the Crusaders won their eighth game. Kiera Cryan had 13 points for the winners.

In the Inter-Ac League:

Germantown Academy 56, Episcopal Academy 34 >> Olivia Dirks paced the Churchwomen (4-10, 2-1) with nine points.

In nonleague action:

Sacred Heart 57, Sun Valley 24 >> Jaycee Webster and Kyra Quigley scored 13 points apiece in the victory. Ainsley Davis pitched in with nine points for the Lions.

Erin Michael led the way for the Vanguards with 10 points.