Spring-Ford stops Upper Dublin in OT, advances to 6A semifinals

ROYERSFORD >> Alyssa Yuan waited all season for the opportunity Saturday’s District 1 Class 6A quarterfinal game provided.

After a month-long absence early in the year, the junior forward worked her way back to the starting lineup and earned such trust from coach Mickey McDaniel that he put the game in her hands — twice.

But after Upper Dublin blocked Yuan’s game-winning attempt on one end, it was her defense that thwarted the Cardinals last-ditch effort, allowing the fourth seeded Rams to preserve a come-from-behind victory over No. 5 seed and defending 6A state champion Upper Dublin, 41-39 in overtime Saturday afternoon.

Yuan’s full-court pressure defense forced Upper Dublin’s Sarah Eskew to step on the sideline with 0.8 seconds left, the last of the Cardinals’ 11 turnovers on the day.

Final: Spring-Ford 41, Upper Dublin 39 OT, District 1 6A girls basketball quarterfinal. Tense game sees @GbbFord 3 pt shooting and D deliver it to district semis. pic.twitter.com/JymEOy6obQ

— Austin Hertzog (@AustinHertzog) February 23, 2019

In a game called tightly down the stretch, it took a considerable level of trust from Coach McDaniel to go with full-court pressure in that situation.

“Alyssa’s really starting to hit her stride right now, and that’s why we set up that last play,” said McDaniel. “We have faith in her offensively and defensively.”

That confidence on the offensive end was apparent as Yuan came off a back cut for a game-winning opportunity in regulation, only to see Upper Dublin’s Jackie Vargas thwart the opportunity. On the other end, Spring-Ford’s defense trapped Vargas — who led all scorers with 19 points — in the corner, and Upper Dublin failed to get off a final shot as the game went to overtime tied at 38.

Cassie Marte, who led the Rams with 12 points, drained her fourth three-pointer with 3:17 remaining in overtime to give the Rams their first lead since it was 5-4. Those were all the points they would need down the stretch.

Marte knocked down half of the Rams eight three-pointers on the afternoon — seven of which came after halftime.

“In the first half, I felt like I couldn’t make anything,” said Marte. “Once the shots started to fall, we picked it up defensively as well.”

The presence of the 6-foot-3 junior Vargas—a first-team all-state performer last season for Upper Dublin’s Class 6A state championship-winning squad—affected Spring-Ford all afternoon, as the Rams were able to amass only five field goals inside the arc. Their shooting from deep, particularly in the late going, was ultimately the difference.

“They made tough shots down the stretch,” said Morgan Funsten, head coach of Upper Dublin. “We wanted to avoid having Lucy (Olsen)beat us, and I thought we did well in that regard. But when you key on one player that much, you give other players opportunities. That was Marte, and she stepped up.”

With an overall record of 23-2, a 19-game winning streak, and a spotless record within the state of Pennsylvania, Spring-Ford needed a true test—a game against an opponent who could counter their strengths, test their weaknesses and prepare the Rams for the battles that lie ahead in March. They got all that and more, and it brought out the best in the Rams, who survived the challenge and will now advance to Tuesday’s District semifinals against top-seeded Garnet Valley, to be played at Bensalem High.

“We talked about that in the locker room. To come out on top in a game of this nature makes it sweeter, because we didn’t stop believing, and we got it done,” surmised McDaniel.

“We’re really excited for the opportunity to play these top teams the rest of the way,” added Marte. “Early on, we had a little bit of a wake-up call—we have to play four strong quarters next time.”

The Rams and Cardinals both entered the game at or near the top of the team defense statistics District One, and spent the first half showing why. Spring-Ford was unable to crack double digits in either of the first two quarters, as Upper Dublin limited the Rams to 4-22 shooting from the field.

As for Upper Dublin, their 8-18 mark from the field was greatly aided by Vargas’ 6-7 shooting. Her lone miss saw her grab the offensive rebound and go to the line, where she gave the Cardinals their largest lead at 19-11. Olivia Olsen’s two late jumpers would cut the halftime margin to 19-15.

Early on, Spring-Ford was able to neutralize Vargas as a rebounding threat by drawing her away from the basket on corner three attempts. The trade-off came in the 6-3 junior altering or affecting several shots, registering a pair of blocks in the half.

“Jackie’s just an all-around player—her speed and quickness getting to the rim, and her ability to shoot from outside keeps you honest,” said McDaniel. “At halftime, we wanted to take the left away, and jam her a bit more. But she still finished 8-for-11—that’s what good players do.”

Vargas’ second foul came on a charge immediately out of halftime, sapping some of the junior’s offensive aggressiveness. In her stead, Sara Eskew and Dayna Balasa hit big 3s for the Cardinals while Marte hit a pair of long-distance jumpers for SF. After Vargas committed her third foul, coach Morgan Funsten used the methodical nature of the contest to sub her out on defense for the final three minutes of the quarter, and Upper Dublin went to the final stanza leading by six.

But the Rams would rally behind threes from Marte and both Olsen sisters, Lucy and Olivia, to knot the game at 38 with 2:53 to play. That would be the score at the end of regulation, as both top defenses reared their heads repeatedly down the stretch to thwart their opponents’ efforts to take a lead.

The fifth-seeded Cardinals fell to 20-5 overall but will continue through playbacks, attempting to bolster their position for defending their state crown. Having already clinched a berth in states, Upper Dublin can finish as high as fifth in District One, which would offer a more favorable path through the 6A state tournament. That part of the journey begins Tuesday night, when they host eighth-seeded Downingtown East.

“We’re going to approach these next two games just like we approached this one,” said Funsten. “We’re not paying attention to who (we play in the state tournament) if we win or lose, we’re going to continue to compete and hopefully improve.”