Huber scores 24, Carangi reaches 1,000 as North Penn rolls past CB West

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DOYLESTOWN >> The North Penn girls basketball team’s night began with a flurry and ended in festivity.

The Knights raced out to an 18-2 lead over Central Bucks West Tuesday and when the Bucks charged back to within four in the third quarter, Jess Huber led the decisive response.

With the win secured, Sam Carangi scored her 1,000 career point on a free throw with 1:41 remaining — the final point in North Penn’s 59-40 Suburban One League Continental Conference victory.

“I thought we had a really great start, but just like last game when we played them we got a really good start then they clawed their way back. So this time we didn’t want the same thing to happen,” Carangi said. “So we knew we had to stay composed and just keep playing the way we know how to play.”

CB West trailed 18-7 after a quarter, cut the margin to 25-18 at halftime and was within four twice early in the third, the last time at 29-25 after a Tori Abelson basket inside. But the Knights answered by ending the quarter on a 15-2 run — which included nine straight points from Huber — to lead by 17 entering the fourth.

“We knew they were going to be tough, they’re CB West they’re always going to come back,” Huber said. “They’re just going to keep fighting and they’re going to have their good runs so I think that we just needed to incorporate our offense and to work on our defense to make sure that we can capitalize on that.”

Huber knocked down four three-pointers and finished with a game-high 24 points as North Penn (11-2, 5-2 conference) picked up its fifth straight win and avenged a 46-43 loss to the Bucks Dec. 16. Bri Hewlett added 15 points — 10 coming after halftime — as North Penn moves into a four-way tie for first in the SOL Continental with West, Central Bucks South and Souderton.

“I thought our defense was pretty solid the whole game and our rebounding was pretty solid,” Knights coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “But we got a stretch there in the second quarter where we were just making bad decision on offense and taking quick shots.

“We just talked about making better decisions, being composed, don’t get panicked and I thought the kids did a really, really nice job in the second half.”

Maggie Rakowsky paced Central Bucks West (11-3, 5-2) with 17 points – 10 coming in the fourth – as the Bucks had their seven-game win streak snapped.

“I think it’s just the youth of our team,” CB West coach Terry Rakowsky said. “When you throw out at one time a freshman, three sophomores and a junior on the floor, you sometimes never know what you getting with girls. And I thought tonight was one of those nights where we were not really focused on the game.”

North Penn is back on the court 7 p.m. Thursday when it visits William Tennent. CB West is home against Central Bucks South 7 p.m. Friday.

Carangi needed nine to reach 1,000 and the Villanova commit hit the number late the fourth. Needing just one point to reach the milestone went she stepped to the like at 1:41 Carangi missed the first but made the second – the game stopped for a moment for the Knights’ celebration, which resumed after the contest.

“After I missed the layup, Jess was like ‘How many are you away?’ and was like, ‘One.” And she’s like, ‘Are you kidding,” Carangi said. “I was like, ‘No.’ And I missed the first foul shot and I was like ‘Oh my gosh,’ I just wanted to get it over with.”

And when her second try from the line went in, Carangi became the 11th player in North Penn girls basketball history and the fifth Knight under deMarteleire to score 1,000.

“I just remembered I shot it like a thousand times, I’ve made it a thousand times. I just have to stay focused for one more,” Carangi said.

North Penn scored the first six points before a Abelson jumper put the Bucks on the scoreboard. But an active Knights defense kept West out of sorts and helped the visitors collect the next 12 points.

“I don’t want to take anything away from them cause I think thought they played good defense but a lot of the stuff that was happening early was stuff they weren’t even engaged yet in defense and we were throwing it away,” Terry Rakowsky said. “You got to come down and at least get a shot.”

Huber hit back-to-back threes to make it 14-2. Hewlett had a shot blocked but grabbed the ball in the air and went in for a basket. Two Huber free throws pus the NP advantage to 18-2 at 1:48.

“Jess Huber just had an amazing game,” deMarteleire said. “Offensively, she just raised her game to a whole new level. So, now the bar’s been raised.”

West scored the first quarter’s last five points with an Izzy Treon basket early in the second making it 18-9. A Hewlett free throw had North Penn up 21-9 at 6:05 but a Rakowsky three in transition had the Bucks within 25-18 at halftime.

Maddie Burke’s corner triple sliced West’s deficit to 27-23 in the third. An Irisa Ye drive down the lane put NP up 29-23 before an Abelson basket again had the margin down to four.

But after two Hewlett free throws at 3:58, Huber took over. Huber hit a three-pointer off a Jess McKenzie offensive rebound. The senior bound for USciences then converted consecutive three-point plays – going coast-to-coast on the second to put North Penn up 40-25 at 1:17.

“Me and Sam have this thing on the foul line where whenever I get fouled she comes up and says, ‘Pressure’s my middle name,” Huber said. “I don’t know, somehow I’m pretty good in pressure situations.

“I feed off them. So if they feed me the ball, they trust me to take the shots.”

After a basket by Diane Nicholson made it 40-27, North Penn scored the final four points of the third – a pair of Carangi free throws at 26.0 seconds making it 44-27.

The last of Hewlett’s six points in the fourth gave North Penn a 50-30 advantage. The Knights’ biggest lead came at 58-35 after a Huber three.

North Penn 59, Central Bucks West 40
North Penn 18 7 19 15 – 59
Central Bucks West 7 11 9 13 – 40
North Penn: Jess Huber 7 6-6 24; Bri Hewlett 5 5-6 15; Sam Carangi 3 3-4 9; Jess McKenzie 1 2-2 4; Irisa Ye 2 0-2 4; Jenny Hulmes 1 0-0 3. Totals 19 16-20.
Central Bucks West: Maggie Rakowsky 4 6-6 17; Tori Abelson 3 1-3 7; Diane Nicholson 3 0-0 6; Maddie Burke 1 2-2 5; Izzy Treon 1 1-2 3; Kiley Atkinson 1 0-0 2; Abbey Spratt 0 0-2 0. Totals 13 10-13 40.
Three-pointers: NP-Huber 4, Hulmes; CBW-Rakowsky 3, Burke.

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Mike Cabrey

Mike Cabrey
Mike Cabrey is the Assistant Sports Editor for The Reporter and Montgomery News. Email him at mcabrey@thereporteronline.com.

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