Lexow’s defense pivotal as Abington tops Upper Dublin

UPPER DUBLIN >> Cam Lexow the soccer player and Cam Lexow the basketball player have very different mindsets.

On a soccer pitch, Lexow is the conductor spraying passes around, taking free kicks and scoring goals. On a basketball court, Lexow is the pocket ace, a defensive menace who thrives on disrupting the other team. Soccer or basketball, offense or defense, Lexow is still an impact player.

She showed why Friday night, playing a pivotal role defensively as the Abington girls basketball team edged host Upper Dublin 37-33 to force a tie atop the SOL American Conference standings.

The senior guard, who is committed to play college soccer at Virginia, spent the entire second half guarding UD’s skilled 6-foot-3 junior center Jackie Vargas. Lexow, who gave up a couple inches, asked to guard Vargas with her team down a point at halftime.

“I looked at her a little funny, but I trust Cam and I trust all of these seniors,” Ghosts coach Dan Marsh said. “Cam tells me something, I listen. She proved herself right.”

Lexow scored just three points, although it was an important basket, but stuffed the rest of the stat line with five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Vargas, a lefty with a wide arsenal of post moves, is not an easy cover and Lexow knew she’d have to be at her best to get the job done.

“She’s a big post player, she goes up top but her strength is definitely posting up,” Lexow said. “I was trying to use the three-quarter defense, getting a hand up and anticipating when the ball is going to be thrown. I think that’s one of my better skills. When Kassondra (Brown) kept coming out in the first half, I kept going on her and I thought I was working well against her and limiting her options.”

Lexow has been a four-year varsity player for Abington (15-2, 9-1 SOL American), getting her start as a spot defender off the bench and improving the rest of her game with each passing year. She only plays basketball for about five months a year, but she’s been in a lot of big-time games with the Ghosts in that span.

As a playmaker in soccer, Lexow usually has to make a decision quickly and sometimes only gets a split-second to survey and process what’s around her. It’s that total package of quickness that plays so well into her defensive ability in basketball.

“I can jump high for my height, I think maybe it’s something from soccer having to be quick on my feet,” Lexow said. “I think I’m really good at reading the floor and anticipating that pass.”

Unlike the teams’ first meeting, Friday’s game was played at a much slower pace which often favors the Cardinals. Despite not shooting well all night, UD (14-3, 9-1 SOL American) did lead after the first quarter and at halftime, with Abington down 19-18 thanks to some timely second quarter three-point shooting.

Vargas led UD with 13 points, but she was just 4-of-8 from the floor and 1-of-3 shooting in the second half. Sophomore Sarah Eskew tried to pick up some of the slack, scoring 12 points in an inspired effort featuring plenty of hustle but she too was betrayed by shots no going in.

“When we watch the video, we’ll have a better idea of what happened but my initial reaction is I’m really proud of my girls and we tried to emphsize don’t always look at the result,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “You don’t always have control over whether or not you make shots. You have control over your preparation, your focus and I really do think that was all there. If we sit there and scream at them for losing and missing a few shots, I don’t think we’re doing our jobs.”

Jess Polin, Kara Grebe and Dayna Balasa, usually three of UD’s most consistent players, combined for zero made field goals. As a team, Upper Dublin was 11-of-43 and 3-of-20 from beyond the arc, but their defensive effort and willingness to battle on the glass kept them in the game all night.

Down just five entering the fourth quarter, Eskew got them within 35-33 when she converted a s layup off a spin move with 2:37 to go. The Cardinals had their chances after that, but the ball wouldn’t drop in.

“As big as the game was and as upsetting as it was for all of us, including me, the only thing I felt was that I was proud of not just tonight but what led up to tonight,” Funsten said. “I thought we were ready to play and I thought we played well. We handled their pressure well, we kept them off the glass as well as we could. I think this game will make us better.”

Should the teams finish the season tied atop the SOL American, Abington would have the inside lane to the SOL tournament due to its District I 6A power ranking. There’s still a path to the wildcard spot for the Cardinals although they will probably have to win out in order to get there.

Abington’s move to switch Lexow onto Vargas also paid off on offense. With Brown in foul trouble, she was able to focus more on the offensive end and rebounding and the senior forward finished with 17 points and 15 boards, both game highs.

Brown noted that Upper Dublin tried to keep her out of the post, but she was able to knock down a few perimeter shots and open space that way.

“I think I can score on the wing or in the post,” Brown said. “I hit two threes, I was feeling it tonight.”

Lexow’s only shot of the night was a big one, Brown found her on the right wing for a 3-pointer to open the second half, putting Abington up 21-19 with the Ghosts taking the lead for good on a layup by Khalis Whiting with 6:45 left in the third.

The senior’s fourth quarter was a clinic on defensive basketball. Lexow forced a turnover on Vargas early in the frame, kept the UD center scoreless from the field, poked away a steal with three minutes left and had both blocks in the frame with the second coming on a drive by Polin with about 3:20 left on the clock.

“I know I have to step up when offense is needed, but when there’s a hard matchup, a good shooter or a girl with good handles, I want to step up and take that assignment,” Lexow said. “I like the pressure.

“When it’s me one-on-one and I’m defending, I know the girl on offense is going to try and hold it and wait for me to jump, but I’m good at anticipating that as well, so I just read it.”

Marsh has said numerous times he believes if Lexow put the same time into basketball she’s put into soccer, she could play at the Divison I level. But he also recognizes the immense talent she has at her primary sport and is happy to have her a couple months out of the year.

“She’s so quick and she moves so fluidly,” Marsh said. “Cam has a million deflections, I’m sure they know that, so it makes them hesitant to throw it in there The biggest thing that Cam does is disrupt what they want to do and make teams cautious of her. We were trying to practice their 3-2 they run to trap, so we put Cam at the top against our second team and she disrupted that. She’s really tough to go against and I’m glad she’s on our side.”

Lexow, who has a 28-point game this year, said she doesn’t care if her impact comes from points or helping out on defense. She’s trying to teach some of her tricks on defense to the team’s younger players, telling them to anticipate and not just reach in or gamble recklessly.

“A lot of girls foul when they’re trying to bail someone out who got beat or they don’t want to let someone score and just go for it and reach,” Lexow said. “You have to know where you are on the court, what quarter and what point in the game.

“Points, they matter but ultimately we won. A win is a win and points or helping on defense, I see them as equal.”

ABINGTON 6 12 16 3 – 37
UPPER DUBLIN 9 10 10 4 – 33
Abington: Kassondra Brown 5 5-8 17, Cam Lexow 1 0-0 3, Miranda Liebtag 1 0-0 3, Amanda Jackson 2 0-0 6, Khalis Whiting 2 4-4 8. Nonscoring: Kaleigh Serianni, Becca Pohle, Hope Browner-Archer. Totals: 11 9-12 37.
Upper Dublin: Jackie Vargas 4 5-6 13, Jess Polin 0 2-2 2, Kara Grebe 0 1-2 1, Anajae Smith 2 0-0 5. Nonscoring: Dayna Balasa, Bliss Brenner. Totals: 11 8-10 33.
3-pointers: A – Jackson 2, Brown 2, Lexow, Liebtag; UD – Eskew 2, Smith.