William Tennent follows Reimel’s lead past Upper Moreland
WARMINSTER >> Hannah Reimel didn’t want it to happen again.
Too often this winter, the William Tennent girls basketball team has gotten off to a slow start, had to play from behind and worn down late in the game. Reimel, a senior, has seen a lot of progress from her teammates this season and she wanted them to help her win a game she had circled on the calendar.
Reimel led the charge and the Panthers survived a rocky second half to pick off Upper Moreland 41-33 on Thursday night.
“We have to believe, trust our coaches and trust each other out there, we know what we can do and we’re starting to really find each other and our abilities,” the senior guard said. “We need to find each other on the shots and see what we can do together. We’re at our best when we work together.”
Even with Thursday’s win, Tennent (7-11, 2-7 SOL National) is still quite a few spots out of a district playoff spot. For Reimel, a Kutztown softball recruit, that means the end of her basketball career will likely conclude next week but it hasn’t stopped her from giving her all to the Panthers.
One of just three seniors on the roster, Reimel knows her teammates look to her and she set the right tone Thursday by burying an open corner three to put her team 3-2 for a lead it never lost. The Panthers went on a 13-0 run spurred by making the extra pass to open shooters and driving at the rim with purpose.
“They look up to her and if she’s playing well, the girls respond to that energy,” Tennent coach Laura Whitney said. “They want to play harder for her; she’s a big part of our team. She really stepped up in big moments when we needed her to.”
Upper Moreland’s (10-9, 6-5 SOL American) offense was off the whole night, whether it was rushing perimeter shots or missing around the rim but the Golden Bears’ defense wasn’t sharp enough to cover in the first half. Tennent got a lot of open shots by beating the rotation of defenders and too many drives saw Panthers players get into the lane easily.
It’s been, as Reimel described it, an up and down season for the Panthers who needed time early in the season to get on the same page. As a team, they embrace the identity of playing scrappy and tough even if they don’t have as much talent as the opposing team but doing it as a group takes time.
“That’s more of our game, more of our style,” Reimel said. “We’re an aggressive team, we’re a driving team and we’re good around the basket and strong with the ball. We’re OK shooters, but we like the shots around the basket.”
Reimel led all scorers with 15 points, netting eight of them in the first half to go with an assist on the final hoop of the second quarter that sent the Panthers to the break with a 23-15 lead.
Tennent scored just four points in the third quarter, but still maintained a 27-22 advantage going to the final stanza. Upper Moreland’s defense came out much more energized and after the Panthers turned the ball over just five total times in the first half, they gave it away six times in the third quarter.
The turnovers wouldn’t slow down in the fourth quarter but luckily for Tennent, they had Reimel on their side.
“It’s always been in me to work hard and give 110 percent no matter what,” Reimel said. “I don’t care if it’s a math test or making myself breakfast, I’m going to do it until there’s nothing left to do. That’s always been in me.
“Sometimes it is hard, I’m thinking I’m not doing this in my future but I keep pushing on knowing these underclassmen are looking up to me.”
The senior scored her final seven points in the fourth quarter, helping the Panthers survive a rash of turnovers that the Bears weren’t able to fully capitalize on. By continuing to attack the basket, Reimel got an early layup, then later scored five straight points to stake Tennent to a 36-24 lead with 2:58 to play.
Upper Moreland got within 36-31 with 1:40 left after a steal and layup by Bean Hughes. Freshman EmmyFaith Wood led the Bears with 12 points, but no other Upper Moreland player had more than five points.
Playing the role of chased instead of chaser isn’t a position the Panthers have been in much this season and it showed at times. Luckily for the Panthers, they shot free throws well – hitting 5-of-6 in the final 1:12 – and rebounded well with sophomore Courtney Bragen grabbing eight of her 12 boards in the fourth.
“It was almost like we were doing everything to give the game to them,” Whitney said. “At one of the timeouts, we told them ‘we have the lead.’ There was no need to rush on offense but I think they started panicking because of that lack of experience.”
Starting next year, the Bears and Panthers will be conference foes as the SOL re-aligns. Reimel won’t be around for that, but she still considers it a rivalry game given the schools close proximity and what she viewed as a pretty good matchup between them.
Whitney said she would have completely understood if Reimel had opted not to play this year, given she’s a scholarship athlete in another sport but also couldn’t say enough good things about what the guard has given to the basketball program.
“She is a competitor at heart,” Whitney said. “I was so thankful she decided to come back and be in control of the team. She’ll do whatever it takes.”
The fourth-year Panthers coach said Reimel did a great job Thursday of keeping her head in the game and not letting frustration take her out of it with her teammates again turning to her as their leader.
“I’m here to have fun and I’m here to be committed to the team,” Reimel said. “I like to share what I’ve got and I know these girls take it passionately and they look up to me. I want to give them the ball and let them know they’re just as good as me.”
WILLIAM TENNENT 41, UPPER MORELAND 33
WILLIAM TENNENT 15 8 4 14 – 41
UPPER MORELAND 3 12 7 11 – 33
WT: Hannah Reimel 5 4-6 15, Direidy Serrano 1 0-0 2, Chase Dubzak 2 1-1 7, Courtney Bragen 2 3-4 7, Erin Hart 4 2-2 10. Totals: 14 10-13 41.
UM: Kaiya Herb 2 0-2 4, Emma Meakim 2 0-0 5, AbbyEllen Wood 2 0-0 4, Bean Hughes 1 1-2 3, EmmyFaith Wood 5 1-1 12, Katie Opferman 0 3-6 3, Kiera Coyle 1 0-0 2. Totals: 13 5-11 33.
3-pointers: WT – Dubzak 2, Reimel; UM – Meakim, E Wood.
