Plymouth Whitemarsh edges rival Upper Dublin to clinch at least a share of SOL Liberty title

UPPER DUBLIN >> Abby Sharpe’s determined drive to the hoop in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter unlocked the door to a fourth straight division title for Plymouth Whitemarsh.

Sharpe’s basket followed by one final Colonial stop at the other end produced a 28-26 victory over rival Upper Dublin Thursday night, as the Colonials clinched at least a share of the Suburban One League Liberty Division crown.

“It feels great,” said Sharpe, a driving force for the defending state champs. “PW has established itself as a powerhouse in high school girls basketball and I’m just really proud to be part of that. I had leaders who I was playing behind in my freshmen and sophomore years so to be able to continue that and continue that legacy is just amazing.”

The Colonials raised their record to 18-2 overall and are 14-1 in the Liberty (Abington is second at 12-2). PW can clinch the title outright Tuesday night with a win at home against Wissahickon.

“It’s never been done in our school’s history and it’s very hard to do, especially when you play in a league with Abington and Upper Dublin,” said Colonials coach Dan Dougherty. “It feels really good.”

Erin Daley scored 11 points for the Colonials, Sharpe added six, and PW played tremendous defense throughout. The Colonials limited the Cardinals (13-7, 10-5 Liberty) to just a pair of field goals in the fourth.

In one of its proudest moments of the season, Plymouth Whitemarsh put its versatility on display.

“When we beat Abington last week and then won this game tonight, I feel like we showed we can win games either way,” said Dougherty, who guided PW to the 6A Title a season ago. “We can win games pressing non stop, or we can win a game running half-court offense for two minutes. Tonight was a great test because (Upper Dublin coach) Morgan (Funsten) has his team so well prepared.”

The Colonials built a 12-3 lead early but the Cards surged to within four points at the break.

Amy Ngo got hot for Upper Dublin in the third quarter, hitting a trio of threes, but Daley and Sharpe along with timely baskets by Angelina Balcer and Kena Winland kept PW ahead by three.

Nora Brady buried a three for the Cardinals to put them up 26-24 in the fourth, but Sharpe had a steal and layup to tie it for PW. And then with two minutes to play, the Colonials worked the ball around until Sharpe hit her game-winning shot with 10 seconds to go.

“It feels great to be able to put that in,” she said of her drive and score.

Said Dougherty: “Basketball is a superstar sport sometimes. And Erin Daley and Abby Sharpe made superstar plays.”

In the final minutes, Daley had a big block and Sharpe had the big bucket. And in the final tense moments, they calmly executed the offense

“Offensively, they know what to do out there. They calmed everybody else down, and they said we’re gonna run this play until we get a drive-and-kick three, or we get a layup,” Dougherty said. “And we’ve been talking a lot about what to do when you go against a shot blocker. And Abby did it. She went against a shot blocker, guided herself, pumped up in the air, got the kid up, and was strong enough to finish through that contact. I would have loved for her to hit that foul shot (to complete a three-point play), but she made a big-time play.”

The Colonials played tight defense all the way down the court, delaying Upper Dublin’s final shot attempt until it was rushed with a second to go, sailing wide.

“I think this is gonna give us a lot of momentum going forward,” Sharpe said. “This is an important boost that we needed. And I think now in practices and everything like that, our energy is gonna be up, our intensity is gonna be up, and I think this is a really great start towards the postseason run.”

Plymouth Whitemarsh 28, Upper Dublin 26
Plymouth Whitemarsh 12 2 10 4 — 28
Upper Dublin 3 7 11 5 — 26
PW: Angelina Balcer 2 0-0 4, Kena Winland 1 2-2 4, Erin Daley 2 7-8 11, A.J. Avery 1 1-4 3, Abby Sharpe 3 0-1 6. Totals 9 10-15 28.
Upper Dublin: Amy Ngo 5 0-0 14, Colleen Besachio 1 0-0 2, Nora Brady 4 0-0 10, Brighid Brady 0 0-0 0, Alaina Sanders 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 0-0 26.
3-pointers: UD-Ngo 4, Brady 2.