Huber’s shot lifts North Penn over Council Rock North

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LOWER MERION >> Jess Huber and the spot just past the 3-point line on the left wing have a very healthy working relationship.

The North Penn senior proved it again Saturday afternoon when she buried a 3-pointer from the left wing with 8.9 seconds left in what proved to be the game-winning basket in a 45-40 win over Council Rock North at Lower Merion. It was a gritty win for the Knights, who couldn’t seem to break North’s defense in the first half then made some poor decisions in the fourth quarter.

With the game on the line however, North Penn kept its composure, got the ball to the right person in the right place and ended a busy week with a win.

“We were just running our normal open play and Sam (Carangi) set me up really well,” Huber said. “I give her all the credit. I was on my usual spot on the left wing and it looked like a good shot, so I took it and it went in.”

Huber, who has been North Penn’s hot hand on offense this week, scored 12 points while Bri Hewlett scored a game-high 15 and Irisa Ye had 13 for North Penn. Rock North was paced by 14 from Megan Haggerty, who buried three fourth quarter 3-pointers that helped erase North Penn’s eight-point lead late.

The Indians were determined to stop North Penn and in the first half, their plan worked. Center Mackenzie Timmer stayed home in the paint, cutting off North Penn’s drivers while the other four players stayed in the face of their assignment outside the lane.

Huber hit a 3-pointer to open the game and later on an inside hoop but was otherwise held in check by North’s aggressive defending. Trailing 11-7, North Penn would close the first quarter on a 7-0 run with Carangi hitting a 3 and then a layup for a 14-12 lead.

“They’re very well-coached, they played really, very well today,” North Penn coach Maggie deMarteleire said of Council Rock North. “Their defense was outstanding and they rebound like nobody’s business, they really do hit the boards and that was hurting us early in the game.”

Rock North held the Knights to just four points in the second quarter and with no space to use on offense, North Penn had trouble moving the ball and getting good looks. The slow offense allowed the Indians to attack whoever was holding the ball and they forced the Knights into 10 first-half turnovers and finished the half on an 8-2 run for a 22-18 lead at the break.

“I’m just proud of everyone, we stayed together and stayed under control while under pressure,” Ye said. “We’re a pretty veteran team, so I expected that. I knew we could pull it out.”

Ye had a tough task in defending Rock North’s speedy point guard Becca Margolis, but she didn’t have to do it alone. Once North Penn made its adjustments after the half, switching the rotation and going small, Carley Adams and Jenny Hulmes each had a run guarding Margolis, staying in her face and denying the junior from getting the ball.

Margolis was a target on defense too, once North Penn went small. With North unable to leave a post player camped out in the lane, the Knights were finally able to run post-ups for their guards, who had a size advantage over Rock North’s backcourt.

Ye, Hewlett and Huber all took advantage in the third quarter as the Knights turned the table, holding Rock North to two points while scoring 13 of their own to take a 31-24 lead into the fourth.

“We were all bigger than their guards, so we wanted to post up and get some inside points with that,” Ye said. “It was a combination of changes and ball movement. We went small because they were sagging off our bigs. Ball movement was key, we were able to swing the ball around then get it inside and if the inside wasn’t open, it would open up the outside.”

Haggerty canned a pair of treys 20 seconds apart with 5:54 and 5:34 left in the fourth to pull the Indians within five at 35-30. North Penn was able to hold serve and with Hewlett locked in at the foul line, pushed its lead out to 38-30. A bucket by Ye with 3:05 left gave the Knights a 40-33 lead with 3:05 left, then North Penn stopped playing smart basketball.

Margolis drove and found Dana Bandurick for a score, then Emily Mackin did the same thing to cut the lead down to three. During that stretch on offense, the Knights took two quick and low-percentage shots, instead of working the ball and forcing North to foul them.

Haggerty then used a fake, slid to her left and buried a 3-point shot with 1:29 left to knot the score.

“We were in our own heads a little bit,” Huber said. “We were up but we were playing like we were down. When we went down on offense and took those bad shots, it wasn’t what we wanted to do and we able to see that and capitalize on it in a positive way instead of letting it affect us negatively.”

North Penn’s final possession was executed to perfection, with the Knights continuing to move the ball until Rock North’s rotations left a gap in its defense. It just happened that it left North Penn’s hottest scorer in her most productive place.

“The girls did a good job maintain their composure and we were fortunate enough that Jess got a shot in her favorite spot,” deMarteleire said. “This was our fifth game in eight days on a pretty tough schedule, so I’m really proud of them because they persevered and got through it.”

North Penn 45, Council Rock North 40
North Penn 14 4 13 14 – 45
Council Rock North 12 10 2 16 – 40
North Penn (45): Irisa Ye 6 1-1 13, Jess Huber 4 2-2 12, Sam Carangi 2 0-0 5, Bri Hewlett 4 7-8 15. Nonscoring: Jess McKenzie, Jenny Hulmes, Carley Adams. Totals: 16 10-11 45.
Council Rock North (40): Becca Margolis 3 0-0 6, Megan Haggert 5 0-0 14, Emily Mackin 2 0-2 5, Dana Bandurick 5 3-4 13, Mackenzie Tinner 0 2-2 2, Hannah Weiler 0 0-2 0. Nonscoring: Mealy, Polinsky, Boyle. Totals: 15 5-10 40.
3-pointers: NP – Huber 2, Carangi; CRN – Haggerty 4, Mackin.

Top Photo: North Penn’s Jess Huber, pictured here trying to get past Central Bucks East’s Megan Brown during their game on Friday, Jan., 13, 2017, hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final seconds of the Knights’ 45-40 win over Council Rock North on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017.

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Andrew Robinson

Andrew Robinson
Montgomery Media/Lansdale Reporter sports writer.

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