Eskew energizes Upper Dublin in win over CB West
DOYLESTOWN >> Don’t knock Sarah Eskew’s hustle.
The Upper Dublin sophomore had the toughest job in the building Saturday evening, tasked to guard Central Bucks West’s all-state caliber wing Maddie Burke. Burke got hers, scoring a game-high 20 points but Eskew made the junior work for all of them.
It was a lethargic start for UD, but Eskew’s energy helped spark a solid second half as the Cardinals topped the Bucks 45-39 in an Suburban One League crossover game that could benefit UD next week.
“In the second half, we played a lot better defense than we did in the first half and played with so much heart,” Eskew said. “We play with a lot of energy, try to play with a lot of intensity and that’s just our game.”
Burke looked unstoppable early, dishing an assist for West’s (12-8, 7-3 SOL Continental) first basket, hitting two threes and rejecting a shot all in the first 2:20 of the game. She had 10 points by the end of the first quarter, and her shot with 22 seconds left in the frame put the Bucks ahead 13-11.
Coming off a win Friday where it played almost only zone, Upper Dublin (17-3, 11 SOL American) seemed out of sorts playing man defense in the first half Saturday. Cardinals coach Morgan Funsten noted where it hurt most was on the glass, where the Bucks were able to secure a number of offensive rebounds, re-set and end the second chance with a score.
“The two keys to the game were handling their pressure and limiting offensive rebounds and in the first half, limiting offensive rebounds was a major concern,” Funsten said. “We’d play good defense for a minute then all of a sudden, it’s an offensive rebound, a putback or a foul. We needed to find a way to get stops.”
The other statistic that stood out at halftime involved the foul line. West went 8-of-9 at the stripe while UD didn’t attempt a single free throw and the Cardinals fouled a couple jump shooters, including Izzy Treon, who sank a pair with 2.7 left for a 27-24 halftime lead.
“I’m sure every coach feels this way, but I think we’re a team that doesn’t foul that much,” Funsten said. “If we’re fouling people on shots, it means we’re not doing our job defensively. It’s not a coincidence we gave up 27 points in the first half and just 12 in the second.”
Burke had 12 at the break and while she shot 7-of-13 for the game, Eskew just kept following her and fighting through plenty of screens to do so.
“She’s such a great player, she’s a great shooter and we just wanted to try and stop her from shooting,” Eskew said. “She still had a great game, but we had to prepare hard and play her as best we could.”
Upper Dublin kept itself in the game with a torrid shooting performance in the first half. Dayna Balasa and Eskew combined for five of the team’s six makes from long range as the Cardinals went 6-of-11 from behind the arc.
Balasa, who finished with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, hit the team’s only long-distance effort of the second half in the fourth quarter, but the Cardinals didn’t need the same kind of blistering effort. The defense firmed up, especially in terms of rebounding and most CB West misses ended with a player in red clutching the ball in both hands after a board.
“We showed a lot of toughness in the second half,” Funsten said. “A lot of those rebounds weren’t your typical box-out, catch the ball high type, it us was wanting the ball more than the other team. That was a great sign.”
UD center Jackie Vargas took over in the third, scoring seven of her team-high 17 in the quarter as UD built a 31-27 edge with 5:12 left in the frame. Vargas, who also had 10 rebounds, recorded four of her five blocks in the second half.
Still, the Cardinals found themselves tied at the end of the third after Olivia Irons went end to end in less than three seconds, scooping in the tying layup just ahead of the horn to end the frame. Irons scored seven while Treon added eight plus five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Instead of panicking, Eskew said the Cardinals just focused on continuing to play hard on defense and wait for the right chance on offense. Kara Grebe gave UD the lead for good on a baseline jumper off an assist from Balasa with 6:25 left before Eskew came up with a clutch basket of her own, floating in a shot for a 35-31 advantage.
“I remembered being blocked in the first half and I told myself ‘that’s not going to happen again,’” Eskew said. “We just have to keep playing hard and continue playing good defense all the time.”
Balasa’s three and two free throws by Vargas, who went 4-of-4 at the line in the fourth quarter, capped the 9-0 UD run for a 40-31 lead.
Upper Dublin entered play Saturday as the No. 5 team in the District 1-6A power rankings and in a tie with Abington for first place in the SOL American. The Ghosts, the No. 2 team in the power rankings, would get the conference champion’s spot in the four-team SOL tournament next week if they finish tied with UD.
With the wild card spot going to the highest remaining team in the power ratings, UD’s win Saturday was key to keeping them in line for that bid.
“Having no practice prior to this and playing a game last night that could not have been any more different, I was extremely proud of the adjustments we made to make that run,” Funsten said.
Burke got hot again to end the game, scoring on a tough drive with 2:39 left then splashing a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute, but the Cardinals made enough shots at the line to keep the Bucks a few possessions out of reach. Eskew, who scored eight, finished third on the team in scoring behind Vargas and Balasa.
“Burke is going to get her shots off, you have to accept that and look at ‘did I challenge that the way I should have?’” Funsten said. “You’re never going to fault Sarah for her effort. She is just unlimited energy, she loves the game so much and it’s been fun to watch her progress this year. She made some big shots for us too.”
UPPER DUBLIN 11 13 7 14 – 45
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 13 14 4 8 – 39
Upper Dublin: Jackie Vargas 5 7-7 17, Jess Polin 0 3-6 3, Kara Grebe 1 0-0 2, Sarah Eskew 3 0-0 8, Dayna Balasa 4 0-0 12, Anajae Smith 1 0-0 3, Bliss Brenner 0 0-2 0, Meg Barbera 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 10-15 45.
Central Bucks West: Maddie Burke 7 2-2 20, Olivia Irons 2 2-2 7, Jess Broskey 1 0-0 2, Izzy Treon 2 4-5 8, Tori Abelson 1 0-0 2. Nonscoring: Emily Spratt, Lily Evans, Paige Gilbert. Totals: 13 8-9 39.
3-pointers: UD – Balasa 4, Eskew 2, Smith; CBW – Burke 4, Irons.
