UPPER DUBLIN >> Upper Dublin’s Tamia Clark did not look like a freshman playing in her fourth high school game against Abington.
The 5-foot-7 forward scored 21 points, including nine in a tightly-contested fourth quarter, and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Cardinals to a 54-45 Suburban One League Liberty Division win over the Ghosts Tuesday night at Upper Dublin High School.
“A lot of hard work, practices and just staying focused on the job,” Clark credited for her finding success so quickly.
“Tamia is a special talent,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “She’s unlike anything we’ve had before. Her potential is absolutely incredible. Her knack for putting the ball in the basket is special. I’ve never had a girl that just does it that easily.
“She’s been on our radar for quite a while now coming through the middle school. I think her ability to put the ball in the basket is so unique. She can score in a variety of ways and her athleticism – you’ll see her jump anywhere from three inches off the ground to two feet off the ground depending on how high she needs to. It’s really remarkable.”
Clark, who scored 31 points in a preseason scrimmage and 19 points in a game earlier this season, got going early Tuesday, giving the Cardinals (4-0, 3-0 SOL Liberty) a 2-0 lead on the first possession of the game. She added 10 points in the second quarter before dominating the fourth.
Clark started the final frame with a layup to put Upper Dublin ahead by five, 40-35. She completed a three-point play to make it 46-41 with 3:00 remaining. Her basket at 1:55 made it 50-43 and she ended the game with a couple offensive rebounds and a putback to close things out, 54-45.
“We changed our offense a lot this year and I think she fits in perfect with it,” UD senior Brighid Brady said. “We’re doing more motions and do our own thing and help each other out. Tamia is really good at creating her own shot. I think she just fits in perfect with the new offense that we run.”
A pivotal sequence in the game started with 5:15 remaining. Upper Dublin held a 40-37 lead, but hadn’t scored in more than two minutes and Abington (4-2, 2-1 SOL Liberty) had the ball. Brady stepped in front of Abington’s Jordan Reynolds to draw a charge. After a Cardinals timeout, Brady hit a three-pointer at the other end to make it 43-37 with 4:45 to play.
“I saw Jordan coming down and I knew we just needed a stop as a team,” Brady said. “I’ve always been a team player and I knew to pick up my teammates when we needed a stop. I just stood there, ready to take it.
“I was open so I let it pop. I’m not always looking to score. I’m more of a team player than a shooter, but I felt like it was the right moment.”
“That’s what you expect out of senior leaders,” Funsten said. “You expect them to make big plays, sometimes when it’s unexpected. The charge was a huge play in transition. The three that she made was huge. The two foul shots she made were gigantic.”
Amy Ngo assisted Brady’s three-pointer and had a hand in 10 consecutive points that took Upper Dublin from a 40-37 lead to 50-43. She had helpers on Brady’s three and Clark’s three-point play before going 2-for-2 from the free-throw line to make it 48-43 with 2:37 on the clock and the Cardinals maintained a two-possession lead the rest of the way. She set up Clark for a layup on their next possession to make it 50-43.
“Amy’s really great,” Clark said. “Her passes are good and she hits me right where I want it, which makes it easier to finish. She just has a good eye.”
Abington’s offense only scored two points after cutting its deficit to 46-43 with 2:45 remaining.
“We weren’t attacking the basket as much as possible,” Abington coach Allison Lawson said of the final stretch. “We were relying on our jump shot, which wasn’t falling. I think if we attacked the rim it might have been different.”
Mikiaya Durham led the Ghosts with 21 points – scoring all of her points in the first three quarters. She hit three three-pointers in the third quarter to help Abington take its last lead, 33-32, with 4:30 left in the third.
“She played great,” Lawson said. “She played great offensively and defensively. We needed everyone to step up and they did, just the ball didn’t go in the basket (in the fourth quarter).”
Megan Ngo hit two free throws with 2:15 left in the third to put Upper Dublin ahead for good and Bridget Dimartile split a pair of free throws to send the Cardinals to the fourth ahead, 38-35.
UD’s Amy Ngo joined Clark in double figures with 10 points, Megan Ngo added nine and Brady had eight.
Abington’s Reynolds joined Durham in double figures with 11 points and Piper McGinley added six.
Upper Dublin 54, Abington 45
Abington 13 9 13 10 – 45
Upper Dublin 13 14 11 16 – 54
A: Maya Johnson 1 0-0 2, Harper McGinley 0 0-0 0, Jordan Reynolds 4 1-2 11, Piper McGinley 3 0-0 6, Sarah Oleary 2 0-0 5, Mikiaya Durham 8 0-0 21, Zyn McClain 0 0-2 0. Total 18 1-4 45.
UD: Brighid Brady 2 2-2 8, Bridget Dimartile 0 1-2 1, Megan Ngo 1 7-10 9, Tamia Clark 10 1-3 21, Amy Ngo 4 2-2 10,Nora Brady 2 0-0 5. Total 19 13-19 54.
3-point goals: A: Jordan Reynolds 2, Sarah Oleary, Mikiaya Durham 5. UD: Nora Brady, Brighid Brady 2.
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