Upper Dublin shows dominance in SOL American clash with Upper Moreland

UPPER DUBLIN >> After starting its season with a solid 3-2 start Upper Moreland traveled to Upper Dublin Friday night for big Suburban One League American Conference test.

Upper Dublin proved it’s still the class of the American Conference as it systematically dismantled Upper Moreland with a 50-14 win.

“We came in here to see where we were,” Upper Moreland coach Ed Decker said. “We’ve been playing pretty well and we knew this would be a good measuring stick for us because they are a very good team.”

The Upper Moreland defense held its own for the first 13 to 14 minutes of the game but once Upper Dublin, specifically guard Josie Barrett, found its jump shot it made the Cardinals too difficult for the Golden Bear defense to hold up.

It appeared as if Upper Moreland was going to wave the first half storm that Upper Dublin hit it with as it trailed 19-8 with just over two and half minutes to go in the first half. The Cardinals closed the half on a 7-0 run over the final 2:16 to expand its lead to 18 points going into half.

“I’m looking up, its 10-8, we’re doing ok, we started making some good decisions on their press but their press really turned the game,” Decker said.

Once the Cardinal offense hit its stride it could attack the Bear’s defense at every level. Barrett was hitting jump shots, Allison Chernow was breaking down the defense with dribble drives and Ashley Barber was putting in her work in the post.

“Our strength as a team is our balance,” Upper Dublin coach Morgan Funsten said. “It’s led by Allison Chernow who just recognizes who has the hot hand and gets them the ball. If we need her to take the game over, she takes over. She’s off to an incredible start and she’s the gel that holds us together.”

As for the Cardinal defense they went with a full court zone press the majority of the game that hassled the Upper Moreland ball handlers. And when the Bears were able to beat the press it never figured out how to crack the Upper Dublin zone in that half court.

“We were in a zone press and you’re going to be in trouble offensively if you’re going to try to dribble through a zone press and there was a few times they ran into trouble trying to run through us,” Funsten said.

The Upper Dublin defense was dominant throughout the game as it never allowed Upper Moreland to score more than five points in any quarter, make more than two field goals in a quarter and forced it into 20 plus turnovers.

“We pride ourselves a lot in our defense,” Funsten said. “We’re not always a pressure, in your face, trap type of team but tonight we thought we could be successful with that and we got a lot of turnover especially in the first half.”

With the win the Cardinals improve to 3-0 in the American Conference as it faces a big showdown on Tuesday when they face Plymouth Whitemarsh who is also unbeaten early in conference play.