Smythe finds a groove, Marple Newtown rolls

Nicole Smythe gave Marple Newtown a big lift in the second half.

With Rylee Power and Carley Hamilton garnering most of the attention from Haverford’s defense, Smythe found a groove and made four field goals in the third quarter to help the Tigers pull away from the Fords in a key Central League showdown Saturday afternoon. Power poured in a game-high 28 points in Marple’s 58-44 victory,

Smythe’s contributions were not lost on coach Mike Colgan.

“She gave us a nice boost,’ he said. “We needed someone else to step up for us and that’s what she did.’

Though she didn’t score any points, guard Danielle Collins played lockdown defense on Haverford’s top shooter, Rosie O’Halloran, who scored 16 points but was limited to just two field goals. O’Halloran and Mollie Reynolds (18 points) combined to shoot a perfect 14-of-14 from the free-throw line for Haverford.

Carley Hamilton tossed in 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had four blocked shots for the Tigers (11-4, 7-3).