Entenberg directs CB South past Haverford
WARRINGTON >> With a certain sense of pride, Chloe Entenberg began her postgame assessment with a statement that would’ve rendered most players’ afternoons meaningless.
Yes, the Central Bucks South point guard readily volunteered, she didn’t end up attempting a field goal Saturday. She got close on one occasion before a foul on the floor, but that’s it. And that’s just fine by her.
Even without broaching the score sheet, Entenberg’s influence was all over the Titans’ 68-35 dismantling of No. 25 Haverford in the first round of the District One Class AAAA playoffs.
The Titans’ stock-in-trade is defensive pressure and snappy ball movement, and Entenberg was among the most exemplary practitioners in both areas Saturday. She helped the No. 8 Titans force 15 Haverford turnovers, and her six assists were the largest contribution to 18 dimes on 27 baskets in a comprehensive and elegant offensive performance.
“I’m the point guard,” Entenberg said. “I have to direct people, I have to keep people in the game and when things are getting crazy, you have to take over and take ownership and drive and kick and make those big plays in the game. So for me, I think it was mostly trying to get my teammates open for better shots.”
Entenberg assured Saturday’s game rarely devolved into that craziness, helping the Titans (18-5) book a second-round date with rivals CB East, the No. 24 seed that upended No. 9 Springfield, 45-33, in Wednesday’s second round. Given the wealth of talented scorers at Entenberg’s disposal, the point guard filled the role of conductor to maintain harmony within the orchestra.
Eleven Titans hit the score sheet, 10 hitting field goals. They held a marked advantage on the boards, 34-21, and coupled with a 15-7 margin in the turnover department, CB South attempted 24 more shots than the Fords.
Jordan Vitelli fueled the initial burst, scoring 10 first-quarter points on the way to a game-high 17, plus three assists and three steals. Vitelli hit a triple on the first possession of the third quarter, part of a 13-2 run that separated the teams for good.
“When she scores, it’s just gets everyone going,” Entenberg said. “It makes everyone want to play that much harder.”
Taylor Dunn added 10 points, all in the middle two quarters, and Mackenzie Ehresman threatened a double-double with nine points and 11 boards. Tricia DeCesare came off the bench to bury a pair of triples and finish with eight points.
The perpetual game of catchup didn’t suit the Fords, especially given the decided disparity in 3-point shooting. With Ashley Murphy misfiring on four attempts from deep, the Fords lacked their biggest weapon in a sparse long-range arsenal. Haverford didn’t get a triple to go until Mollie Reynolds banked one in with 1:12 left in the third quarter, making it a 48-27 game.
CB South, meanwhile, let fly with abandon. Vitelli (3-for-11 from 3-point range) made and attempted more than the entire Fords roster (1-for-8). And while Haverford found success with Amanda Battista, who shot 5-for-7 from the field and scored a team-high 10 points, in the high post, the tendency to cough the ball up paired with too many one-and-done trips made the task of catching up nearly impossible.
“We knew from the beginning that they were a really aggressive defensive team,” said Reynolds, who shook off first-half foul trouble to score nine points. “So we knew that was going to be a lot to handle. We knew they were going to press us.”
Not surprisingly, swarming defense was the key facet that Entenberg identified, for herself and her team.
“Our big thing was ball pressure,” she said. “That was our number one thing that we knew we needed to do. And I think we really executed that really well, and it helped us play our game, which was pushing the ball and trying to get those fastbreak opportunities.”
The Fords (12-11) weathered the Titans’ early sorties and were within eight, 26-18, late in the first half after four straight Erin Kelly free throws. But once the empty possessions piled up, the Titans pulled away.
Haverford endured seven such trips down the court to end the frame, allowing a second-chance basket by Courtney Dietzel and a hoop from DeCesare to send the teams into half at 30-18.
A spate of four straight turnovers in the third quarter ballooned the lead to 19, capped by a Dunn corner triple.
As the Titans continued to rack up transition baskets one well-executed fastbreak at a time, Reynolds and her four fellow seniors made their exits. While it wasn’t the finish she would’ve preferred, the point guard warded off the sadness with a smile as she left the court for the last time.
“It was great,” Reynolds said. “Some of these girls are my best friends. The coaches, everyone just impacted my life in a way that I’m never going to forget.”
