Council Rock North advances in districts with win over Unionville

NEWTOWN — Anyone playing the Council Rock North girls basketball team knows they will be facing a whirlwind of athletic talent that never rests. From the opening tap to the final buzzer, coach Lou Palkovics’ charges come at you with an unbounded determination and intensity.

The Lady Indians employed that very formula to upend Unionville, 48-37, in the opening round of the District One Class AAAA playoffs. Jess Gerber, stellar senior guard for Rock North, knew they faced a challenge in game one.

“We knew that they had a record similar to ours. They were all very tall and athletically built so we knew we had a couple of mismatches, particularly with me and Becca (Margolis) covering taller players.’

The size differential did not intimidate the game Indian players. On Unionville’s first two possessions, the 5′ 5′ Margolis stole the ball from her opponent and netted two fast-break baskets to give her team a quick 4-0 lead. According to Jess, the aggressive defense was a feature in CR’s game plan.

“We were going to play a very high intensity pressure defense. We knew they could shoot from outside but they liked to take it inside more. We really focused on double teaming in the paint.’

Unionville managed to weather the storm and even took a 12-11 lead halfway through the second quarter when Samantha Pancoast nailed a short jump shot. Not about to lose the key momentum factor, the Indians went on attack. Leading the charge, as she has for four years, Jess nailed seven straight points to put the Indians up, 18-14. North would close out the first half, leading 25-18.