Neshaminy girls basketball hits District 1 playoff bump at CB South (PHOTO GALLERY)
WARRINGTON – When two teams with past PIAA state playoff experience meet, you can usually expect a heated affair. The second round match-up in this year’s District One Class 6A playoffs featuring Neshaminy and Central Bucks South certainly lived up to such billing.
Both teams made it to states last year and both teams bore similar 17-5 records entering the big showdown this year. CB South might have claimed a slight edge, having beaten Neshaminy 51-34 in the opening game of the regular season. The Redskins, on the other hand, were fresh from a convincing opening-round victory over Council Rock South.
The Lady ‘Skins were also determined to reverse the outcome of their first meeting with the Titans. As Devon Storms, team co-captain, said in anticipation of the big rematch. “We played them our first game. We know they are a really good team. We didn’t play our game when we played them. We’re not going to beat them by playing 28 of 32 minutes. We have to play the whole game.”
Tenth-seeded Neshaminy did just that as they fought seventh-seeded CB South right up to the final buzzer. The two teams exchanged scoring punches in a first quarter that ended with a 10-10 tie score. The Titans, led by junior guard Haley Meinel who netted 12 first half points, managed to pull ahead, holding a 22-14 lead deep into the second quarter.
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Neshaminy fought to narrow the margin before heading to the locker room. With seconds left on the clock, Brooke Mullin took an inbounds pass, drove by defender Haley Meinel, and scored a two-point layup to bring the Skins to within six points of CB South.
The battle continued in the second half with both squads hustling for loose balls and battling for rebounds. The real story, however, was success at the charity stripe. The Titans extended their lead to 33-25 by the end of the third quarter. Lexi Edwards, who transferred to South this past fall after having played on an Archbishop Wood team that won a PIAA Class 3A title last year, showed real poise at the foul line. Edwards was 4-4 from the stripe in the third quarter alone. She finished the game, hitting seven of her eight free throw attempts.
Every time Neshaminy narrowed the gap, the Titans answered. CB South’s Alexa Brodie took control of the Titans’ offense, scoring seven second-half points. Her driving layup to end the third quarter gave South a 33-25 advantage. With 6:55 left in the game, Brodie hit another layup and then converted a free throw for a conventional three-pointer that put the Titans on top, 36-25.
Neshaminy did pull to within three points with 1:41 left in the game. Alison Harvey managed to break free and perform her specialty by nailing two baskets from beyond the arc. Devon Storms and Emily Alexis played tough ball under the basket. Storms grabbed seven of her eight rebounds in the final quarter alone. She would finish as her team’s scoring leader with 12 points. Brooke Mullin, Allison Harvey, and Emily Alexis contributed six points apiece to the Redskin attack.
For Central Bucks, Meghan Kuypers grabbed game high scoring honors, netting 12 points. Alexa Brodie was close behind with nine points. The real telling statistic was the team total of making 14 of 18 attempts from the free-throw line. Neshaminy was only six for 17.
The 45-37 victory moves the Titans into the district quarterfinal game against Boyertown. Neshaminy, on the other hand, faces the tough task of staying alive in the playbacks, a trek that starts with a match-up with Central Bucks East.
The Skins should be up to the challenge, however. As captain Devon Storms said going into the playoffs, “Going into the districts, we always say we have nothing to lose. If we lose, we lose. If we win, then awesome.”
That relaxed attitude helped Neshaminy get the states last year. They are hoping it works again this year.
UPDATE: Neshaminy was eliminated from districts in a 62-55 loss to CB East Saturday, Feb. 22 on the Skins’ home court. Neshaminy’s season closes at 17-7, overall, 9-3 in the Suburban One National League.
