GIRLS HOOPS NOTEBOOK: Upper Dublin takes defense to new level

PHILADELPHIA >> It’s not always apparent at the beginning of a season, but once a basketball team figures out it’s identity, it sets the tone for that team’s year.

With roughly a month left in the girls basketball season before the postseason begins, many teams in the area have found what their identity is going to be.

Others know what they want to be, but are still working through the right combinations of players and rotations to make it work.

January also brings a number of showcase events, with games stacked back-to-back all day long, including Sunday’s at Philadelphia University. It kicked off a month of some marquee matchups, both in conferences and one-day events, giving teams plenty of opportunity to test their identity.

CARDINALS LOCKING IT DOWN
Upper Dublin is a team very aware and very comfortable with its identity as a stout defensive team.

Sunday, the Cardinals put it on display as they beat Wilson out of District 3, 39-9. Coming off a week where they had won twice in a manner that didn’t feel great, it was the kind of performance they needed heading into a tough stretch.

“We had two games this week where we won both and didn’t feel great about ourselves,” Cardinals coach Morgan Funsten said. “One of our No. 1 priorities today was coming out with a lot of energy and be really excited proving what kind of team we are. We don’t always play the most exciting brand of basketball, but to hold a team to nine points, I’ve never done it before but it was impressive we were able to do that today.”

Next weekend, the Cardinals face North Penn on Saturday in the Coaches vs. Cancer SOL Challenge, then play a Germantown Academy team that’s on a roll Sunday in a showcase at Cabrini College. Following that, UD has to travel to Cheltenham next Tuesday for a key SOL American battle.

Upper Dublin’s defensive system isn’t aggressive, so the Cardinals don’t foul a lot and they are sound on that side of the floor.

Senior Allison Chernow sets the pace on both ends and had another strong performance against Wilson. The guard scored 14 points, 12 of them coming on a 4-of-4 third quarter, all on 3-pointers. Senior Ashley Barber pulled down 14 tough rebounds and junior forward Demi Balasa had five points, six rebounds and four blocks.

“It’s taken me a little while, I haven’t been hitting 3s as often as last season, I’ve been getting to the basket more,” Chernow said. “It felt nice to hit a few 3s today.”

Chernow acknowledged the team’s hit a bit of a rough patch but Sunday’s performance should be the jump it needs going into a tough slate ahead.

“We were able to just really take it to the other team and get back on track,” Chernow said. “We’re ready for this week, and I’m excited, we’re all excited and Coach is excited so it should be fun.”

WOOD SEARCHING FOR RIGHT MIX
There’s little doubt Archbishop Wood plays one of the toughest schedules in the state of Pennsylvania.

So, the Vikings 5-6 record after a 55-28 win over Malcolm X Shabazz of New Jersey Sunday speaks both to where they are and the kind of teams they’ve played so far. Wood’s two losses to teams in PA were at the hands of Neumann-Goretti and Cardinal O’Hara, two other Philadelphia Catholic League teams looking destined for big things in the coming months.

“We’ve played some tough games and didn’t come out on top,” Wood coach Mike McDonald said. “When that happens, there’s a little frustration. We’ll get some more wins under our belt as the season goes on and everybody will get rolling, It was nice to see the ball go in a couple times tonight.”

Senior Bailey Greenberg scored a game-high 15 points Sunday. Finding the right combinations around her has been the Vikings’ biggest challenge so far.

McDonald said the team has learned that it can’t just show up and expect to win, as a tournament in Arizona and another showcase game in New York showed. Building a consistent chemistry on the floor has become the most important thing for Wood over the next month.

Aside from Greenberg and guard Claire Bassetti, the rest of the team is juniors and sophomores.

McDonald said Kate Connolly had a good game against Shabazz and the 6-foot-2 junior played well on defense and offense. Wood’s goal is the same as every year, to contend for a PCL, District 12 and state championship.

“We’re trying to find five kids who are looking for each other instead of one person who is scoring all the time,” McDonald said.

CB WEST COMFORTABLE WITH NEW LOOK
Any team that loses four starters, three of them now at Division I schools, is going to have a new look the next year. Central Bucks West, the PIAA Class AAAA runner-up last year, might be younger, but it’s still playing at a high level.

Mackenzie Mason, the lone senior, and junior Maggie Rakowsky are leading a young group that’s embraced defense and playing in transition. West is off to a 7-3 start and while not last year’s juggernaut, playing the kind of defense that gives foes fits. Sunday, the Bucks withstood a game effort from Council Rock North in a 42-39 win.

“Rebounding we struggled throughout the game,” Mason said. “We went in spurts of doing well and we’d look up and we’re 10 points up then we’d look back and they had got a bunch of put-backs and it was a close game.”

West doesn’t have a ton of size, but it makes up for it with athletes. Five players had at least four rebounds on Sunday, including freshman Tori Ableson, who scored 11 points with seven boards. The freshman said the team has embraced the running game on offense.

The vets have been a big help for their younger charges and in turn, the young Bucks have put a spark into a team that’s comfortable in what it’s doing.

“They really just welcomed us all,” Abelson said. “They’re really helping us out on the court, just being there and letting us ask questions.”

MILESTONE FOR MARSH
Abington was not at Philly U. Sunday, but the Galloping Ghosts have had their fare share of tough competition this season.

Last Thursday, in a win over CR North, Ghosts coach Dan Marsh took his 300th victory. In his time at Abington, Marsh has turned the program into a consistent challenger in the SOL National and District 1 scene while sending plenty of players on to college careers.

This year’s group has had a couple of impressive wins but is still searching for a consistent level of play. After the starting unit, which features seniors Sammy Lochner and Leah Simmons and junior Lizzie O’Leary, the rest of the team is quite young. They have the talent, the next step is bringing the same intensity each game.

GA HITTING ITS STRIDE
Early in the season, Germantown Academy was leaning heavily on its defense to win.

Now, the Patriots are still defending at a very high level, but their offense is trending upward. Seeing the ball going down more consistently has senior point guard Kendall Grasela thinking the best is yet to come.

GA rolled Villa Maria 54-28 on Sunday as they gear up for a couple of big games, including Notre Dame on Friday and Upper Dublin Sunday.

“We played very intense and all shot the ball well and distributed it well,” Grasela said. “We played like a team.”

Grasela said the turnaround on offense is the result of a lot of work in practice on things that go into shooting like touch drills, foot work and spinning and pivoting. The senior, who will play at Penn next year, was confident the offense would come around as long as the team kept playing high-level defense.

The Patriots don’t have to rely on one player to carry them either. Lauren Oeth, Cat Polisano, Erin Lindahl and Lilly Bolen round out the starting five, and any of them can turn in a big game. Grasela said the team can rely on its guards or its posts and Sunday was a day where the post players led the way.

GA has also played a tough schedule, with an out-of-state tournament and a close home loss to Neumann-Goretti.

“We like our competitive schedule, and we’re all excited,” Grasela said. “It builds up our confidence. Even though we lost to Goretti, we realized we can compete with teams that are as good as them. Down in Florida, we played a team that was top-15 in state and only lost by three. It just shows us we’re getting better.”

EXTRA POSSESSIONS
Gwynedd Mercy and North Penn played Sunday, with the Maidens taking a 39-29 victory. Both teams defended well overall, though the Monarchs got off to a slow start which cost them after the offense struggled to score.

North Penn is trying to get back into a rhythm on offense after no games during the holiday break, but their energy players like Jess Huber and Irisa Ye haven’t slowed down. For GMA, it was a tough day, but coach Tom Lonergan felt like his team wouldn’t dwell on it long and liked a lot of things his girls did, despite not being able to buy a bucket.

St. Basil Academy, a few days off a big win over Mount St. Joseph, defeated Abington Friends 42-31 early Sunday morning. The Panthers are 12-1 this season and playing at a high level across the board.

Mount also won on Sunday, handing Archbishop Carroll a 45-22 setback. Senior guards Libby Tacka and Caitlyn Cunningham, both four-year varsity players, have helped coach John Miller lead the Magic to an 11-2 record. Tacka, a 5-foot-8 scoring threat, sits just three points away from 1,000 after Sunday’s contest.