Plymouth Whitemarsh climbs to 12-0 with win over Upper Moreland

UPPER MORELAND >> Twelve games in, and nobody’s been able to escape the long reach of Plymouth Whitemarsh.

“We have a lot of length out there in our starting lineup and the subs that come in, so it allows us to switch easily and it allows us to get good ball pressure so that teams can’t get into their sets,” Colonials coach Dan Dougherty.

“Our guards and everybody in the front court does their job. They know what they’re supposed to do,” said sophomore 6-foot forward Jordyn Thomas. “They put pressure on the ball and then we get steals, and turn defense into offense.”

The Colonials converted that formula into another victory, improving to a perfect 12-0 overall and 6-0 in the Suburban One League American Conference with a 46-27 victory over Upper Moreland Friday night.

“To come out tonight with focus and intensity after an emotional win over Upper Dublin Wednesday really shows that this team is maturing,” Dougherty said. “We have another game (Saturday) against CB South – three games in four nights – so that’s a test of physical fitness but also a test of mental fitness. So this team is really focused.”

Standing Tall

The Colonials limited the Bears to just five points in the second quarter in building a 33-17 lead by the break.

“They’re very skilled and they probably have about six inches on average on us and there’s just some things we couldn’t do,” Upper Moreland coach Matt Carroll said. “They’re a very good team and we knew that coming in.”

The Colonials were ready for the challenge.

“Upper Moreland beat Upper Dublin so we needed to come into this game and prove ourselves,” Thomas said.

Said Dougherty: “They’ve really bought in. They’re really hungry. It’s a positive having a young team. They don’t know any better – they know that they’re supposed to prepare every night. Coming out with that focus every night has allowed us to jump on teams.”

Cohesive Offense

Thomas had the game high with 13 points for PW, with Anna McTamney adding 10 and Gabrielle Cooper contributing seven. The Colonials were able to pound it inside when they wanted to and also connected for a pair of threes.

“We usually just run our plays, wait for the open looks and we take our time,” Thomas said.

PW came out and scored 19 points in the opening quarter.

“Upper Moreland traditionally plays us in zone and they do a good job of getting back in transition,” Dougherty said. “So I thought our girls had good patience and discipline for the most part. Their zone really got spread out after a couple passes and we were able to find some seams.”

Building Momentum

The Bears are in the thick of things, 6-6 overall with a 3-3 mark in the conference.

Emmy Faith Wood led Upper Moreland with nine points.

“I’m proud of our girls. They battled,” Carroll said. “They fought hard to the very end. Some girls were sick all week.

“We had a big win last week over Upper Dublin, which gave us some confidence, which is good for the girls. Overall, the girls are working very hard and they’re getting better every game. We know our goal is February, and to win a playoff game. So we just have to keep getting better.”

Plymouth-Whitemarsh 46,
Upper Moreland 27
Plymouth-Whitemarsh 19 14 4 9 – 46
Upper Moreland 12 5 4 6 – 27
Upper Moreland: Kathryn Morrow 1 0-0 2; Emmy Faith Wood 4 1-1 9; Kaitie Opferman 1 0-0 3; Emma Meakim 1 0-0 3; Abby Ellen Wood 1 0-0 2; Bean Hughes 2 2-4 6; Hannah Finn 1 0-0 2. Totals 11 3-5 27.
Plymouth-Whitemarsh: Ally Zolty 0 1-2 1; Kaitlyn Flanagan 2 2-4 6; Abby Sharpe 1 0-0 2; Erin Daley 2 1-3 5; Gabrielle Cooper 3 0-0 7; Anna McTamney 4 1-2 10; Lainey Allen 1 0-0 2; Jordyn Thomas 6 1-1 13. Totals 19 6-12 46.
3-pointers: UM-Opferman, Meakim; PW-Cooper, McTamney.