Guru's Philly Summer League Report: Mitchell's 27 Points Rescues Lime Green To Join Black In Finals

By Mel Greenberg

HATBORO, Pa. -- On a night the roaring Lime Green machine was made to sputter by Cardinal Red, former Saint Bonaventure star Dana Mitchell rescued the defending champions of the Philadelphia/Suburban Women's NCAA Summer League with a 27-point performance to send them back to the finals for the second straight year.

Having not received much of a challenge most of the regular season on the 11-game schedule in which Lime Green went unbeaten, the top seed was contested by fifth-seeded Cardinal Red down to the final minute of Thursday's opening semifinal until falling just short 65-62 with its last score came on a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Lime Green will face second-seeded Black, which had an easier time in the second game, prevailing over the Saint Joseph's trio-led Hunter Green squad 72-58, though Black had to stop several rallies by its third-seeded opponent.

The best-of-three championship series here at Kelly Bolish Gymnasium, home of the AAU Renegades in lower Bucks County, will begin Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and then continue and remain on Court 1 Wednesday and, if necessary, Thursday next week with the same start time for each game.

"Any of these teams tonight could easily be in the finals if they had their full complement of players," said long-time commissioner David Kessler, who is completing his 19th straight summer as director of the league.

Black and Hunter Green tied for second at 9-2 with Black getting the second seed on the head-to-head win over Hunter Green during the regular season.

Mitchell, a former star at Pennsbury High who was a three-time all-Atlantic Ten player with the Bonnies through her 2010 collegiate graduation, shot 10-of-11 from the line.

She was also the leading scorer in the regular-season 75-62 win over Cardinal Red on June 21, collecting 18 points.

"This is a scary team we played," Lime Green coach Ted Hagedorn said afterwards. "In the first game we played them were able to get Emily Homan in foul trouble early. But what a great game."

Homan, who is 6-foot-3, is an incoming sophomore at Lafayette University.

"Wow that was a great game. I felt like a player again," jested Katie Kuester, a recent Saint Joseph's graduate who struggled as did recent Villanova graduate Megan Pearson. "Well, at least the two of us got that out of our systems, hopefully."

Still, Pearson was the second leading scorer on Lime Green with nine points while Kuester scored seven points.

Cardinal Red tied the Division II Holy Family (Team Royal Blue) group at 7-4 for the regular season but was the fifth seed off a head-to-head loss before getting revenge against the Tigers in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night.

Ashley Morris, the former Central High and Temple star who graduated the Owls in 2008 following a stellar senior collegiate season, had a team-high 25 points for Cardinal Red. Homan finished with 12 points.

Mitchell and Morris are two of 29 players who have had multiple performances of the 43 to date in which 20 or more points were scored in a game.

Lime Green players, by the way, weren't the only ones uttering sighs of relief Thursday night.

Kessler nearly had a mess on his hands if Hunter Green had won the second game.

Because Saint Joseph's is soon to depart on a foreign trip to Ireland, coach Cindy Griffin scheduled practice next week on nights and times that would have conflicted with the playoffs.

"I just think it becomes a bit unfair to the rest of the kids on Hunter Green if they get caught short," said Kessler, though trying to work out some coordination became a moot point with Black's win.

"Actually, this has been a very good summer. We got lucky and I didn't have to make a bunch of decisions like I've had to do working other sports leagues," Kessler said.

He retired several years ago from a long career in the city's Department of Recreation.

Only two forfeits, way below the norm, occurred this summer, both coming late in the season that began June 19.

Usually the total is much higher because of player conflicts with work and vacations that also sometimes get compounded by illness and injuries.

Both forfeits did not cause any harm to the losers nor create benefits to the winners.

Cardinal Red's forfeit to Kelly Green cost them one seed and they would have landed in the quarterfinals in the same game anyway, but the seeds with Royal Blue would have been reversed because a tiebreaker would not have been necessary.

Kelly Green, in reality Division II University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, did not qualify for the playoffs but potentially would have with a complicated set of tiebreakers, another potential hurdle Kessler dodged, had Kelly Green won its final game of the regular season.

Vegas Gold, in reality Division II West Chester, gained a forfeit win over Gold the final night last Thursday but Gold, which went 0-11, had already been eliminated and Vegas Gold, which became the sixth seed, would likely have landed a quarterfinals berth without the benefit of the Gold forfeit.

Meanwhile, in the Thursday second semifinal, Kerry Kinek, a graduate of Central Catholic in Allentown heading to Lehigh this fall as an incoming freshman, scored 18 points for Black.

Villanova incoming senior Rachel Roberts scored 15 points, Holy Cross incoming junior Alex Smith scored 14 points, and Lehigh incoming junior Lindsay Hoskins scored 10 points.

Incoming Saint Joseph's freshman Ciara Andrews scored 19 points for Hunter Green, incoming Hawks junior Erin Shields and incoming senior Shelby Smith each scored 11 points, and Kathryn Stockbower, a former Division III Swarthmore star, scored eight points.

Stockbower, who begins Temple Medical School on Monday, holds the all-time Division III record for double doubles set during her senior and final season of eligibility 2010-11.

"I know medical school is going to be hard but I intend to keep playing basketball as long as I can and I plan to come back here and keep playing as long as possible every summer," Stockbower said.

Black's only loss before dropping its final game of the regular season to Cardinal Red 77-67 last Thursday was the 76-57 loss to Lime Green when Mitchell scored 20 in a game in which both were the last two unbeatens prior to the tipoff on July 17.

"Last week we only had five players when we lost to Cardinal Red," Team Black coach Keith Wood said. "Otherwise, it might have been more competitive."

Lime Green was the top scoring and defensive squad while Black was the second best scoring squad while also among the team defensive leaders.

Spectator Information

Admission is free to the gym, which is located in the Willow Grove Industrial Commons business park at the end of Turnpike Drive, which begins at Davisville Road, about a mile below the Davisville &Byberry Roads intersection and also not far from the Route 611 exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

There is also a concession stand with reasonably priced items and the offerings include hamburgers, hot dogs, sodas, juices, bottled water, Italian water ice, potato chips and other foods.

If you want to see all the rosters for the summer, there has been one small affiliation adjustment since then, in this blog site, go to league preview post in early June you will see a Guru's guide to the league.

Tuesday's Championship Best-of-Three Preview

(1) LIME GREEN (11-0) vs. (2) BLACK (9-2)
7:30 p.m., Court 1

Previous Meeting: July 17--Lime Green 76, Black 57
High Scorers:
Lime Green-Dana Mitchell 20, Megan Pearson 15, Katie Kuester 11, Devon Kane 8, Elle Hagedorn 7
Black- Hilary Weaver 10, Jasmine Elum 10, Stephanie Schultz 10, Alex Smith 8, Rachel Roberts 8

TEAM LIME GREEN**
1 Elle Hagedorn 5’10 Harvard ’13
3 Lindsay Fluehr 5’7 U. Scranton ’15
5 Jenn Prine 5’6 Shepherd U. ’12
10 Dana Mitchell 6’1 St. Bonaventure ’10
12 Danielle Callahan 5’7 Boston U. ’13
14 Katelyn O’Reilly 5’10 Lehigh ’15
15 Katie Kuester 5’10 Saint Joseph’s ’12
20 Elizabeth Sharlow 6’2 Lehigh ’16
22 Devon Kane 5’7 Villanova ’13
23 Alicia Manning 5’10 Lafayette ’13
24 Megan Pearson 6’ Villanova ’12
25 Marissa Manning 6’ King’s College ’15
COACHES: Ted Hagedorn, Tom Freedman
**-Defending champion

TEAM BLACK
02 Rachel Roberts 5’9 Villanova ’13
12 Samira Strand 6’3 Kutztown ’16
13 Hilary Weaver 5’5 Lehigh ’14
14 Ashley Wood 5’7 Kutztown ’13
15 Jasmine Elum 5’6 Bethune Cookman ’12
20 Lindsay Hoskins 6’ Lehigh ’14
22 Alex Smith 5’7 Holy Cross ’14
31 Brittany Kaewell 5'6 Penn State Altoona '15
33 Kerry Kinek 6’1 Lehigh ’16
34 Stephanie Schultz 6’1 Colgate ’15
35 Bridgette McKnight 5’10 U. New Hampshire ’14
55 Emily Leer 6’2 Villanova ’15
COACH: Keith Wood

SEASON DATA REPORT

Average Regular Season Scores To Date (11 Games Through Final)

Lime Green (11-0) 74.8-48.7 Differential (approx. round nos.) 26.0 pts.
Black (9-2) 70.4-57.3 Differential 13 pts.
Hunter Green (9-2) 68.9-65.2 Differential 4.0 pts.
fl-Cardinal Red (7-4) 68.1-55.3 Differential 13.2 pts.
Columbia Blue (2-9) 60.7-67.1 Differental -6.0 pts.
Royal Blue (7-4) 58.0-56.2 Differental 2.0 pts.
Purple (4-7) 57.5-65.5 Differental -8.0 pts.
Orange (5-6) 57.1-60.1 Differental -3.0 pts.
2fwVegas Gold (5-6) 56.5-61.3 Differental -6.0 pts.
Ash Gray (5-6) 53.0-59.0 Differental -6.0 pts.
fw-Kelly Green (3-8) 48.6-58.0 Differental -9.0 pts.
2flGold (0-11) 45.8-65.1 Differential -19.0 pts.
fw and 2fw: includes 2-0 forfeit wins; fl and 2fl includes 0-2 forfeit losses.

Top Individual Performers (20 or more pts)
(43 performances, 29 individuals to date)

Tues., July 24: Ashley Prim, Gold 31 pts., vs. Black.
Thurs., July 19: Ashley Prim, Gold, 30 pts., vs. Hunter Green.
Thurs., June 28: Taylor Bryant, Columbia Blue, 29 pts., vs. Lime Green.
Tues., July 17: Ashley Morris, Cardinal Red, 29 pts., vs. Gold.
Tues., July 24: Jordan Strode, Gold, 29 pts., vs. Black.
Tues., July 24: Erin Shields, Hunter Green, 27 pts., vs. Royal Blue.
Thurs., July 26: Katie Kuester, Lime Green, 27 pts., vs. Ash Gray.
^^^^-Thurs., Aug. 2: Dana Mitchell, Lime Green 27 pts., vs. Cardinal Red.
****-Tues., June 26: Katie Kuester, Lime Green, 26 pts., vs. Orange.
Tues., July 31: Katie Kuster, Lime Green 26, vs. Purple.
Thurs., June 28: Erin Shields, Hunter Green, 25 pts., vs. Cardinal Red.
^^^^-Thurs., Aug. 2, Ashley Morris, 25 pts., vs. Lime Green.
Thurs., July 19: Shelby Smith, Hunter Green, 24 pts., vs. Gold.
Thurs., July 26: Alex Smith, Black, 26 pts., vs. Cardinal Red.
Tues., June 19: Lakia Stewart, Card. Red, 23 pts. vs. Vegas Gold.
Tues., June 26: Marisa Repasch, Purple, 23 pts., vs. Kelly Green.
Tues., July 26: Erin Mann, Royal Blue, 23 pts., vs. Vegas Gold.
Tues., July 10: Alex Wheatley, Columbia Blue, 22 pts., vs. Royal Blue.
Thurs., July 26: Emily Homan, Cardinal Red, 22 pts., vs. Black.
Thurs., June 21: Noelle Alicea, Gold, 21 pts. vs. Columbia Blue.
Tues., June 26: Emily Leer, Black, 21 pts., vs. Vegas Gold.
Thur., June 28: Ciara Andrews, Hunter Green, 21 pts., vs. Cardinal Red.
Thurs., July 5: Stephanie Keyes, Vegas Gold, 21 pts., vs. Ash Gray.
Tues., July 17: Paige Elliott, Vegas Gold, 21 pts., vs. Purple.
Tues., July 17: Marisa Repasch, Purple, 21 pts., vs. Vegas Gold.
Thurs., July 19: Jordan Strode, Gold, 21 pts., vs. Hunter Green.
Tues., July 24: Ashley Morris, Cardinal Red, 21 pts.,vs. Columbia Blue.
Tues., July 24: Ciara Andrews, Hunter Green, 21 pts., vs. Royal Blue.
Tues., July 24: Maggie Serratelli, Royal Blue, 21 pts., vs. Hunter Green.
****-Tues., July 31: Kerry Kinek, Black, 21 pts., vs. Orange.
Tues., June 19: Kendall Benovy, Vegas Gold, 20 pts., vs. Cardinal Red.
Tues., June 19: Jessica Sylvester, Kelly Green, 20 pts., vs. Hunter Green.
Thurs., June 21: Tiffany Johnson, Vegas Gold, 20 pts., vs. Hunter Green.
Tues., June 26: Alex Wheatley, Columbia Blue, 20 pts., vs. Hunter Green.
Tues., June 26: Ashley Morris, Cardinal Red, 20 pts., vs. Ash Gray.
Thurs., June 28: Trish Watson, Purple, 20 points, vs. Gold.
Thurs., July 5: Alexandra Yantzi, Gold, 20 points, vs. Kelly.
Thurs., July 5: Trish Watson, Purple, 20 points, vs. Columbia Blue.
Thurs., July 5: Taylor Bryant, Columbia Blue, 20 points, vs. Purple.
Thurs., July 12: Alyssa Islar, Columbia Blue, 20 points, vs. Vegas Gold.
Thurs., July 12: Kendall Burton, Purple, 20 points vs. Hunter Green.
Tues., July 17: Dana Mitchell, Lime Green, 20 points vs. Black.
Tues., July 24: Dana Mitchell, Lime Green, 20 points vs. Vegas Gold.
****-Playoffs quarterfinals round.
^^^^-Playoffs semifinals round.

Individual Highs and Lows (Regular Season)
Highest total points top scorer on winning team: Ashley Morris, 29 pts. (Tues., July 17, Cardinal Red 94, Gold 53.)
Lowest total points top scorer on winning team: Kerry Kinek, 10 pts. (Tues., June 19: Black 66, Columbia Blue 59); Marisa Repasch, 10 pts. (Tues., July 24: Purple 50, Ash Gray 46.
Highest total points top scorer on losing team: Ashley Prim, 31 pts. (Tues., July 24: Black 80, Gold 77.)
Lowest total points top scorer on losing team: Lindsay Alexander, 6 pts. (Thurs., June 28: Royal Blue 52, Ash Gray 29).

Results To Date

Playoffs
Finals (Best of Three)
Tues., Aug. 7
(1) Lime Green (11-0) vs. Black (9-2), 7:30 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 8
Game 2, Court 1, 7:30 p.m.
Thurs., Aug. 9
Game 3 (If necessary), Court 1, 7:30 p.m.

Semifinals
Thurs., Aug. 2
(1) Lime Green 65, (5) Cardinal Red 62
(2) Black 72, (3) Hunter Green 58

Quarterfinals
Tues., July 31
(1) Lime Green 72, (8) Purple 51
(2) Black 69, (7) Orange 51
(3) Hunter Green 63, (6) Vegas Gold 49
(5) Cardinal Red 63, (4) Royal Blue 52

Regular Season
Thurs., July 26
Hunter Green 65, Orange 47
Columbia Blue 65, Kelly Green 54
Vegas Gold 2, Gold 0, forfeit by Gold.
Lime Green 68, Ash Gray 47
Royal Blue 71, Purple 65
Cardinal Red 77, Black 67

Tues., July 24
Orange 76, Kelly Green 43
Lime Green 75, Vegas Gold 59
Purple 50, Ash Gray 46
Black 80, Gold 77
Cardinal Red 82, Columbia Blue 54
Hunter Green 79, Royal Blue 72

Thurs., July 19
Ash Gray 66, Columbia Blue 58
Hunter Green 88, Gold 77
Kelly Green 2, Cardinal Red 0, Forfeit
Black 62, Orange 49
Lime Green 92, Purple 41
Royal Blue 62, Vegas Gold 47

Tues., July 17
Lime Green 76, Black 57
Cardinal Red 94, Gold 53
Hunter Green 62, Ash Gray 47
Vegas Gold 68, Purple 50
Royal Blue 53, Kelly Green 44
Orange 69, Columbia Blue 68, ovt.

Thurs., July 12
Royal Blue 67, Cardinal Red 56
Orange 52, Gold 49
Lime Green 74, Kelly Green 36
Hunter Green 61, Purple 60
Vegas Gold 68, Columbia Blue 59
Black 77, Ash Gray 52

Tuesday, July 10
Black 85, Hunter Green 57
Orange 67, Ash Gray 46
Royal Blue 60, Columbia Blue 59
Cardinal Red 81, Purple 57
Lime Green 67, Gold 31
Vegas Gold 66, Kelly Green 55

Thurs., July 5
Ash Gray 71, Vegas Gold 61
Black 80, Royal Blue 53
Purple 78, Columbia Blue 64
Cardinal Red 69, Orange 53
Kelly Green 60, Gold 52
Lime Green 62, Hunter Green 46

Tues., July 3
No Games Schedule

Thurs., June 28
Purple 82, Gold 47
Black 60, Kelly Green 44
Hunter Green 76, Cardinal Red 72
Lime Green 75, Columbia Blue 62
Royal Blue 52, Ash Gray 29
Vegas Gold 69, Orange 53

Tues., June 26
Hunter Green 74, Columbia Blue 63
Black 84, Vegas Gold 47
Cardinal Red 73, Ash Gray 47
Royal Blue 65, Gold 32
Lime Green 87, Orange 58
Kelly Green 85, Purple 59

Thurs., June 21
Ash Gray 64, Kelly Green 46
Lime Green 75, Cardinal Red 62
Black 55, Purple 33
Columbia Blue 57, Gold 47
Hunter Green 81, Vegas Gold 68
Orange 54, Royal Blue 46

Tues., June 19
Hunter Green 69, Kelly Green 66
Purple 58, Orange 51
Lime Green 72, Royal Blue 37
Cardinal Red 84, Vegas Gold 58
Black 66, Columbia Blue 59
Ash Gray 69, Gold 39

Teams Highs And Lows (Regular Season)
Highest winning total points: Lime Green 92, Purple 41 -- 7/19.
Lowest winning total points : Purple 50, Ash Gray 46 -- 7/24.
Highest losing total points: Hunter Green 88, Gold 77 -- 7/19.
Black 80, Gold 77 -- 7/24.
Lowest losing total points: Royal Blue 52, Ash Gray 29 -- 6/28
Highest differential (51 pts.): Cardinal Red 94, Gold 53 -- 7/17
Lime Green 92, Purple 41 -- 7/19
Lowest differential (1 point): Royal Blue 60, Columbia blue 59 -- 7/10;
Hunter Green 61, Purple 60 -- 7/12.
Orange 69, Columbia Blue 68, ovt. -- 7/17.

Grid Of Teams Against League
First No.seed, followed by standings No. with T being Tied.

1S1 LG (11-0) vs. RB (W), CR (W), O (W), CB (W), HG (W), Gd (W), KG (W), B(W), P(W), VG(W), AG(W) -- Playoffs: P(W), CR (W).

2S2T BLK (9-2) vs. CB (W), P (W), VG (W), KG (W), RB (W), *-2HG (W), AG (W), LG(L), O(W), G(W), CR(L) -- Playoffs: O (W), HG (W).

3S2T HG (9-2) vs. KG (W), VG (W), CB (W), CR (W), LG (L), *-2Bk (L), P (W), AG(W), G(W), RB(W), O(W) -- Playoffs: VG (W), Bk (L),

4S4T RB (7-4) vs. LG (L), O (L), Gd (W), AG (W), Blk (L), CB (W), *-4CR (W), KG(W), VG(W), HG(L),P(W) -- Playoffs: CR (L).

5S4T CR (7-4) vs. VG (W), LG (L), AG (W), HG (L). O (W), P (W), *-4RB (L), G(W), %-KG(L), CB(W),Bk(W) -- Playoffs: RB (W), LG (L).

6S6T VG (5-6) vs. CR (L), HG (L), Bk (L), *-6O (W), AG (L), KG (W), CB (W), P(W), RB(L), LG(L),%-G(W) -- Playoffs: HG (L).

7S6T Or (5-6) vs. P (L), RB (W), LG (L), *-6VG (L), CR(L), AG (W), G(W), CB(W). B(L), KG(W), HG(L) -- Playoffs: Bk (L).

8S8T P (5-6) vs. O (W), Bk (L), KG (L), Gld (W), CB (W), CR (L), HG (L),VG(L), LG(L), *-8AG(W), RB(L) -- Playoffs: LG (L).

9E8T AG (5-6) vs. Gd (W), KG (W), CR (L), RB (L), VG (W), Or (L), BK (L), H(L), CB(W), *-8P(L), LG(L).

10E10 KG (3-8) vs. H.G. (L), AG (L), P (W), Bk (L), Gd (W), VG (L), LG (L), RB(L), %-CR(W), Or(L), CB(L).

11E11 CB (2-9) vs. Bk (L), Gd (W), HG (L), LG (L), P (L), RB (L), VG (L), O(L), (AG), CR(L), KG(W).

12E11 Gld (0-11) vs. AG (L), CB (L), RB (L), P (L), KG (L), LG (L), O (L), CR(L), HG(L), Bk(L), %-(VG(L).
%-Forfeit games.

*-2 Tiebreak for 2nd; *-4 Tiebreak for 4th; *-6 Tiebreak for 6th; *-8 Tiebreak for 8th.
9E, 10E, 11E, 12E -- Eliminated from playoffs; 2T, 4T, 6T, 8T -- Tie number in standings.

Division II Schools Competing As Whole Units
NCAA rules allow entire D-II and D-III teams to play together.

Kelly Green -- University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
Orange -- Philadelphia University
Royal Blue -- Holy Family
Vegas Gold -- West Chester

-- That's it till next blog.

--Mel




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