Philly Summer League: Erin Shields and Katie Kuester Power Hunter Green to Opening Win

By Mel Greenberg

HATBORO, Pa. – Players with present and past Saint Joseph’s affiliations got off to a powerful start in a competitive game Tuesday night as Hawks incoming senior Erin Shields and her former teammate Katie Kuester combined for 48 points to lead Hunter Green to a 69-63 win over Red in opening night action in the Philadelphia/Suburban NCAA Women’s Summer Basketball League at Kelly Bolish Gym, home of the AAU Renegades.

Kuester, a 2012 Saint Joe’s graduate who is also in a new role as coach of her summer squad, had 23 points, two less than Shields, with her scoring on the strength of seven three-pointers.

Hunter pulled away near the end over Red, which is made up primarily of Division III Scranton players, but was led by the Lafayette duo of Emily Homan, who scored 18 points, and Kelly Loughney, who scored 12.

Twelve of the 13 teams saw action with White receiving the first of the nightly byes through the summer action on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the regular season ending on July 30 before three rounds of playoffs will decide this 2013 champion. Eight squads make the playoffs.

Shields, one of three sisters who are graduates of Archbishop Carroll, is joined on Hunter Green by the other two – recent Boston College graduate Kerri and incoming University of San Diego sophomore Shannon.

As a note for coverage, which will be here when photos are not available and over at his PhilahoopsW local blog when they are, active players being referenced by class designation will be associated with their 2013-14 status when they return to campus in the fall.

The entire summer rosters and league schedule is over at Philahoopsw.com and just click on the headline for each since there are no photos supporting either file.

Your Guru will always tweet where summer league coverage is on a specific day after it is posted so you can follow his handle at @womhoopsguru to use the link.

The other big scoring explosion of Tuesday night was registered by former Swarthmore star Kathryn Stockbower, who had the overall high with 27 points in leading Heather Grey to a 64-42 win over Orange. Kerry Kinek, incoming sophomore for Lehigh, added 14 points.

Stockbower, who graduated the Garnet several seasons ago, holds the Division III record for career double doubles.

Orange, composed predominantly of players from Division II East Stroudsburg, got 10 points from incoming sophomore Melissa Poderis and nine from incoming junior Ryann Fiascki.

Players who arrived for the start of two months of competition seemed to be happy to be on the court again after a break from their winter action and also to be back in the league, which began competition in 1994.

Commissioner David Kessler, beginning his 20th season, was greeted by everyone as they came over to receive their jersey for the games.

The start of play had its usual kinks to work out – one team almost forfeited for lack of five players for the 7 p.m. start time but the fifth arrived within the 15-minute grace period.

None such compassion is given for the second games that start at 8:15 p.m. Each night of action features doubleheaders on each of three courts.

“You run into the usual situations the first week causing players to miss games – the graduating high school players who are celebrating their respective Senior Weeks, some are taking summer school classes, and some are traveling abroad,” Kessler said.

“Also, Lehigh’s junior Sarah Williams had to drop out of the competition because of recent knee surgery.”

Kessler, himself, is beginning his second decade suffering the effects of the ravages of time with a left hip problem.

He expressed cautious optimism following a steroid shot injected into the hip several hours before the opener.

“Doc said it would take 3-4 days to really alleviate the pain, but I’m already feeling somewhat better,” Kessler said. “But it’s really just buying time – the hip definitely has to go.”

Incidentally, all league questions that Kessler is in best position to answer can be sent to him via his deucedbk@comcast.net email address.

The gym is at the end of Willow Grove Business Park, right off Davisville Road, South of the intersection with Byberry Road and near the Route 611 exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which runs alongside the road leading to the courts.

There is a snack bar with an assortment of items, reasonably priced.

In the other four openers, whose summaries are listed below, Team Black, composed entirely of Division II Philadelphia University, beat Royal Blue, composed of a variety of player backgrounds, 50-31.

Take note that in referencing some USP players as future 2017 graduates, those are not freshmen but that is their target date as part of work and study programs.

Kelly Green, dominated by Division II Holy Family players, took an easy 65-55 win over Navy Blue, which is another squad with players from mixed divisions.

Sky Blue, composed of all but two players from Division II West Chester, grabbed a 56-46 win over Maroon, which has all but two players from Division II University of the Sciences of Philadelphia (USP), which in the winter competes with Holy Family and Philadelphia University in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.

In the other result, not already mentioned, Gold, also with a mix of player backgrounds, edged Purple, 47-41.

The Gold squad is coached by Ted Hagedorn, whose previous two other teamstook summer titles in 2011 and 2012. His daughter Elle, a recent graduate of Harvard, is on the team.

Division II and Division III collegiate teammates are allowed to play together, under NCAA sanctioning rules, but only two active Division I players from a specific school are allowed similar privileges.

However, exceptions are made for incoming freshmen and transfer students yet to enroll as well as graduates with the same affilations.

All recaps in these reports this summer are the result of the Guru turning coverage from the raw scoring highlights provided by the commissioner added to the Guru’s only knowledge enhanced by the rosters.

Some days the Guru will file from afar on conflict nights when he is at a WNBA game, but the effort will be made to have the report alive when daylight strikes.

He apologizes in advance for any errors of any kind and will tweet corrections and then edit the amendments when made aware.

Looking Ahead

On Thursday night, the idle White Team from Tuesday, coached by Keith Wood and featuring Villanova junior Emily Leer and her Wildcats teammate sophomore Caroline Coyer, meets Red on Court 1.

Here is the entire slate with records for Thursday action with an eye also to next Tuesday night’s games.

Thursday, June 20

7 p.m. White (0-0) vs. Red (0-1), Court 1

Hunter Green (1-0) vs. Orange (0-1), Court 2

Heather Grey (1-0) vs. Maroon (0-1), Court 3

8:15 p.m. Black (1-0) vs. Purple (0-1), Court 1

Gold (1-0) vs. Navy (0-1), Court 2

Kelly Green (1-0) vs. Sky Blue (1-0), Court 3

Bye: Royal Blue

 Tuesday, June 25

7 p.m. Royal vs. Purple, Court 1

Navy vs. Black, Court 2

Gold vs. Sky Blue, Court 3

8:15 p.m. White vs. Orange, Court 1

Hunter Green vs. Maroon, Court 2

Heather Grey vs. Kelly Green, Court 3

Bye: Team Red

Tuesday Overall Recaps Not Mentioned

Team Black (Philadelphia U.) 50, Royal Blue 31: Junior Monica Schacker led the winners with 14 points, while senior Samantha Morris scored nine points.

Alyssa Bonenberger, a Division II Kutztown senior from Northampton, Pa., had 16 points for Royal Blue, while her sister Penn junior Kara Bonenberger,one of the Quakers’ top stars, had scored five.

Kelly Green (Holy Family) 65, Navy Blue, 44: Tigers senior Maggie Serratelli scored 16 points and recent teammate grad Erin Mann had 11 for the winners.

Navy Blue’s Lindsay Hoskins, a Lehigh senior, had 13 points, as did Stevens Tech senior Molly Spadaro. Kelsey Berger, a Saint Joseph’s senior, scored 10. 

Sky Blue (West Chester) 56, Maroon (USP) 46: Golden Rams sophomore Chikisha Steele-Hook had 17 points and her WC sophomore teammate Brittany Sicinski scored 15 points for Sky Blue.

Devils future 2017 grad Brianne Traub had 12 points for Maroon, sophomore Amber Reiley scored seven points, and future 2017 grad Jessica Sylvester scored six.

Gold 47, Purple 41: Maureen Leahy, a junior at Bryant in Rhode Island, led the winners, scoring 15 points, while incoming Saint Joseph’s freshman Mackenzie Rule scored six points, as did Hawks junior and Cardinal O’Hara grad Natasha Cloud.

Lexi Scrivano, a sophomore at Division II Millersville, scored 10 points for Purple; Aubrey Howland, a sophomore at Division III Mary Washington, scored seven points, while sophomore Rianna Doane of Division III Gettysburg College and junior Christine Verrelle of Division II Dowling College each scored six points.

Standings

Team, Won-Loss, Pct., GB, Pts., Opp. Points/i>

Black, 1-0, 1.000, ---, 50, 31

Hunter Green, 1-0, 1.000, ---, 69, 63

Kelly Green, 1-0, 1.000, --- , 65, 44

Sky Blue, 1-0, 1.000, --- , 56,46

Gold, 1-0, 1.000, --- , 47, 41

Heather Grey, 1-0, 1.000, --- , 64, 42

White, 0-0, .000, 0.5, 00, 00

Royal Blue, 0-1, .000, 1, 31, 50

Red, 0-1, .000, 1, 63, 69

Navy Blue, 0-1, .000, 1, 44, 65

Maroon, 0-1, .000, 1, 46, 56

Purple, 0-1, .000, 1, 41, 47

Orange, 0-1, .000, 1, 42, 64

 Running Grid

Black vs. R.B. (W)

Hunt. G. vs. Red (W)

Kelly G. vs. N.B. (W)

Sky B. vs. Maroon (W)

Gold vs. Purple (W)

Heath. Grey vs. Orange (W)

R.B. vs. Black (L)

Red vs. Hunt G. (L)

N.B. vs. Kelly G. (L)

Maroon vs. Sky B. (L)

Purple vs. Gold (L)

Orange vs. Heath. Grey (L)

White is 0-0.

Top Individual Peformances (20 or points)

27 Pts.: Kathryn Stockbower, Heather Grey (W) vs. Orange, June 18

25 Pts.: Erin Shields, Hunter Green (W) vs. Red, June 18

23 Pts.: Katie Kuester, Hunter Green (W) vs. Red, June 18

 

Till next report

 

-- Mel