Goldenbaum showing Neshaminy girls basketball the way (GALLERY)
By John Gleeson, 21st-Century Media News Svc.
LANGHORNE – Morgan Goldenbaum’s four-year varsity basketball career at Neshaminy has been both steady and productive. She has grown from the promising new talent to the proven veteran leader. In that span, she has also shown her prowess in manning every spot on the court.
Morgan well remembers her first two years playing alongside such talented athletes as Megan Schafer and McKenna Mullin as Neshaminy captured two straight Suburban One League (SOL) SOL National Division crowns.
“My freshman year, I was the sixth or seventh player off the bench. When Megan would get sick or something, I would start randomly. My role was to make sure I was ready to go in.”
With the departure of Schafer and company, Morgan had to assume a different role. Serving as fledgling captain, she made the most of her junior year. A second team All-SOL selection, the personable guard averaged 11.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.1 steals a game.
The stats speak to her versatility as well as her dedication, qualities she brings to the court in her new role as senior leader. “I feel most like a leader this year. I am the point guard but the coach (Joe Lally) is trying to get me off the ball more. I’m usually the one who runs all the plays from the point. But if I have a mismatch, I’ll tell the other girls to come back and get the ball from me and I’ll go down and post up.”
Whether jumping center, playing point, or battling under the boards, Morgan proves a steady and calming force for the Redskins’ stable of youthful talent. Her all around effort in Neshaminy’s recent Deby Recupido Memorial Tournament earned her a spot on the all-tournament team. In the championship tilt against a tough Phil-Mont Christian Academy team, Morgan finished with 13 points, six assists, five steals and five rebounds.
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Morgan and her teammates took a balanced attitude into the tournament. “We knew it wasn’t as serious as a league game because we wanted it to be fun. We all know Mr. Recupido and wanted it to be nice for him.”
Neshaminy’s first opponent, Conwell Egan, proved undermanned as four starters could not make the game. Coach Lally used the contest as a training session for his substitutes. “He wanted the players who don’t get to play as much to have a lot of time on the court. If they do play, they are often getting put in in the fourth quarter so they don’t get a chance to work on their game in an actual full game.”
Coach Lally’s strategy worked as the team remained competitive without taking advantage of their opponent. Neshaminy sped out to a 23-point first-quarter lead and then cruised to a 53-12 victory. Nicole Herb led the ‘Skins with 10 points followed by Thyra Tuttle with eight points. In all, 11 Neshaminy players contributed to the scoring barrage.
The big win set up a showdown with Phil-Mont Christian, an imposing team that featured two Division One recruits, Tracey Goodman and Keyen Green. Morgan sensed the title game would present a whole new challenge.
“We watched them against Quakertown. The game was really slow. Phil-Mont could shoot really well and that was scary. We saw the two tall girls and knew they were going D-1 and that was scary too.”
To combat Phil-Mont’s twin towers, coach Lally decided to pressure the guards into making mistakes. “We decided to press and to tire them out because they didn’t seem like an energetic team. We started out in a press and then went to a zone. Every time we didn’t have time to get into a press, we went to a man. There was a lot of thinking during the game.”
Neshaminy’s aggressive attack drew fouls from their Falcon foes. Devon Storms, Brooke Mullin and Emily Alexis showed real poise at the charity stripe, giving Neshaminy a 9-3 early lead. With a little over two minutes left in the first quarter, the ‘Skins found the range from beyond the arc. Three-pointers from Brooke Mullin, Alison Harvey, Thyra Tuttle and Tiara Porterfield gave Neshaminy a 21-3 lead, one they never relinquished.
When Phil-Mont staged a late rally and drew within six points in the third quarter, freshman Allison Harvey answered the call, hitting back-to-back three pointers to trigger a 10-0 Neshaminy run and all but assure the 63-42 win. Harvey’s effort earned her the tournament Most Valuable Player award.
The performance of the two freshmen young guns drew praise from their senior leader. “Allie is a great shooter. Brooke hustles, shoots and rebounds so well. They’re a great asset to the team.”
Morgan hopes the team’s overall performance throughout the tournament should give them a real confidence boost. “It was really exciting. It’s almost shocking when we win a big game. For some reason, we don’t feel we get the respect we had in past years and our coach emphasizes that. It’s nice to win the tournament and it proves we are better than we think we are.”
After opening the season, losing non-league games to Central Bucks South and Central Bucks West, Neshaming has gone on a tear. Presently, they sit atop the SOL National Division with an unblemished 5-0 league mark. Their victories include a nail-biting 37-36 thriller over Council Rock North and a 54-42 conquest of reigning league champ Abington.
Morgan sees the early season showing as a real positive omen. “I think it could be the best team in the years I’ve played. My freshman year, we had Sarah (Oliveira), Megan (Schafer) and McKenna (Mullin) who were great players but I feel the basketball IQ is so much better this year because the players have played AAU and travel ball so they know the game so much better. The shooting is better than it’s ever been. However, we still have half a season to go.”
With Morgan’s poise and skill leading the way, Neshaminy should continue their successful ways as they head into round two of the SOL championship race.
