Philly Summer League: Neon Green Upset of Gold Sets Up Wild Finish

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

There will be lots of suspense going into the final night of the regular season Tuesday as to the final standings, including back at the top, thanks to a stunning 55-48 upset by Neon Green (9-2) over first-place and previously unbeaten Gold (10-1), the defending champion of the Philadelphia/Suburban Women’s NCAA Summer League.

It’s the second straight year that no team will finish with a perfect record and jockeying for seedings and inclusion in the eight-team playoffs in the 13-team women’s league got tighter beginning with a tie again at the top after Pink (10-1), also known as predominantly Division III Scranton, handled Maroon, also known as Division II West Chester, 97-57, at Kelly Bolish Gym, home of the AAU Renegades in Hatboro, Pa., in lower Bucks County.

Gold, off Tuesday’s win over Pink, could still finish with the No. 1 seed via tiebreaker by either beating Sapphire Blue (6-5), also known as Division II East Stroudsburg, Tuesday at 7 p.m. on Court 3, or if Pink suffers a loss to Kelly Green (3-8) on the same court with an 8:15 p.m. tip.

Neon Green, which survived a mediocre 7-for-18 effort at the foul line, separated itself out of a running third-place tie with Maroon ti hold the slot which is the worst coach Ted Hagedorn’s group can finish.

Eight different players scored for Neon Green scored with the Villanova duo of Megan Quinn, a junio out of Episcopal Academy, leading the way with 18 points while sophomore Alex Louin out of Mount St. Joseph’s scored 12 points aided by three 3-pointers.

Gold coach Keith Wood, who was missing two key players in Lauren Crisler and leading scorer Jasmine Elum, got 15 points from Saint Joseph’s sophomore Adashia Franklyn, the daughter of former Temple great Marilyn Stephens, and 11 from his daughter Ashley, a 2014 Division II Kutztown grad out of Spring-Ford High.

Additionally, Taylor Bryant, a Penn senior out of Upper Dublin, was sidelined for Gold after suffering a knee injury Tuesday, whose status is still undetermined in terms of getting a response as to its severity.

Meanwhile, mathematically, there could be a three-way tie for first if both Pink and Gold lose Tuesday and Neon Green beats Black (5-6), also known as Division II Philadelphia University, on Court 2 at 7 p.m.

Neon Green would also have the tie-break over Gold if both finished for second.

Incidentally, the Guru is writing this from remote up in New London, Connecticut, where he is on the scene for the WNBA’s All-Star weekend at the Mohegan Sun Arena, Saturday afternoon, which will air on ABC.

And while he later Wednesday went back into the previous summer league blog to update with the penalties resulting from the Ash Grey/Maroon (Division II Millersvile-Ash/West Chester) fight Tuesday, he also would like to repeat here an inclusion of a scorer that was accidentally omitted from longtime Commissioner David Kessler’s postgame email that gives the Guru the breakdown for each game. Because the Guru has to pull an all-nighter to get these done for your morning read, there might be a time he misses a detail on the sheet, but the commish took responsibility for this one after a spectator at Tuesday’s game noted it to him.

Maggie Locke, a Holy Cross freshman out of Spring-Ford, scored 16 for winless Royal Blue, also known predominantly as Penn State-Abington, which had a bye on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in Pink’s win, Saint Joseph’s senior Sarah Fairbanks scored 23 points while Johanna McMillan, a UNC Wilmington junior out of the Sanford School in Delaware, scored 21, hitting five long-range three-balls, and Saint Joseph’s freshman Alyssa Monaghan out of Bonner/Prendie nailed four treys and finished with 16 points.

Pink has outscored opponents by 177 points in its 11 games.

Maroon, which was missing Kendall Benovy and Brittany Sicinski, both Golden Rams senior, got 18 points from Dallas Ely, a recent Golden Rams grad, 13 from Mariah Powell, a West Chester senior out of Bayard Rustin, and 10 from Tori Smick, a WCU junior out of Woodstown High.

Despite the loss, Maroon clinched the fourth seed for the playoffs, whose quarterfinals begin next Thursday followed the next week by semifinals on Tuesday and the championship on Thursday.

The commissioner noted the tightness of all three nightcaps in the 8:15 games (Sapphire Blue/Kelly Green, Gold/Neon Green, Black/Purple) in which at one stretch of the third quarter, all scores were either deadlocked or just two points apart.

In an absolute must-win situation for Red (5-7), which was becoming the first team to wrap up since it serves the last bye on Tuesday, this time the performance of Saint Joseph’s sophomore did not go to waste.

The league’s leading scorer, who has the best night of the season earlier with 32 points, poured down 27 to earn Red a 69-38 win over Ash Grey (4-7) and a playoff spot since despite holding the eighth and final spot for the moment by just a half-game over ninth place Ash Grey and Forest Green, who Red has beaten.

Red, which has outscored opponents by just 17 points despite having a losing record, projects to win all potential tie-breakers.

 
Woods this season in the 12 games, has scored 30 or more points three times, three times she collected 28, once she scored 26 and once she scored 21. Two of the remaining three were not played since Red forfeited one and was the recipient of a forfeit win in the other.
Woods and the previous mentions of Pink’s Fairbanks and McMillan were the only three to hit the Guru’s running exceptional 20-or-more points listings.

In the game with Ash Grey, besides Wood’s contribution, Michele McCaughern, a 2012 La Salle grad from West Chester East, scored 14 points while four treys from Devin Gold, a recent Caldwell grad from Council Rock North, accounted for all 12 of her points. 

Ash Grey, which fell into the ninth-place deadlock and finishes against dangerous Orange (3-8) on Court 1 at 8:15 p.m., got 14 points from Kenyon freshman Jessica Gerber out of Council Rock North, and 10 from Alex Stam, a Millersville senior out of Cardinal O’Hara.

Sapphire Blue (6-5) got a big 62-58 win over Kelly Green (3-8) to leap into sole possession of fifth place as the team also known predominantly as Division II East Stroudsburg, got 13 points from Emily O’Donnell, an Albright senior out of William Tennent, and 12 from Rachel Falkowski, an ESU junior out of Central Bucks South.

The team finishes Tuesday as mentioned meeting Gold at 7 p.m. on Court 3.

Kelly Green got 12 from Kaitlyn Kelly, a DeSales sophomore out of Pennsbury High, while Christine Verrelle, a recent Dowling grad out of Archbishop Wood, scored 11, Jenna Swope, a recent Gettysburg grad out of Archbishop Wood, scored 10 and Mary Ellen McCollum, a 2014 Holy Family graduate out of St. Basil, scored eight points.

There were no one in double figures in a big game with Black, also known as Philadelphia U., meeting Purple, also known as USciences – the two are winter rivals locally in the Division II Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference – but nine players helped Black to a narrow low-scoring 43-34 triumph that resulted in the two teams tied for sixth a half-game ahead of Red.

Black’s leading scorers were Mary Newell, a Rams senior out of Villa Jos. Marie, and Alex Heck, a Rams senior out of Archbishop Wood, with seven points each, while Jacqueline McCarron, a Rams senior out of Lansdale Catholic, and Alynne Williams, a 2021 targeted senior out of Plymouth Whitemarsh, each scored six.

Purple also had nine players enter the scoring with Colleen Wash, a sophomore out of the Shipley School, and Marissa Sylvester, a freshman out of Nazareth Academy, each scoring nine points.

Despite a losing record, Purple has outscored opponents by just 33 points.

Black holds the fifth-place tie break if the two remained deadlock, though they could become involved with others in a tie-breaking scenario. The team finishes Tuesday with Neon Green at 7 p.m. on Court two while Purple gets Royal Blue, a squad outscored by 236 points, at 7 p.m. on Court 1.

Since basically the entire recap information has been given here for each game, in the only other one still to mention, another upset for Orange (3-8), which took down Forest Green 83-61 as nine different players scored.

Emma Dorsheimer, a Gettysburg freshman out of Jenkintown, scored 16 points added by four treys, while Orange also got 15 from Mackenzie Carroll, a Colgate freshman from Central Bucks West, and 14 from Brianna Spector, an Oneonta State junior from Upper Dublin, who had three 3-pointers.

Forest Green, the predominantly Holy Family group which dropped to the ninth-place tie with Ash Grey, got 19 from Michala Clay, a Saint Joseph’s freshman, 17 from Erin Fenningham, a Holy Family senior from St. Basil, including three treys, and 10 from Pallavi Juneja, a Haverford recent squad from the Peddie school.

Breaking Ties for the Moment

There are four deadlocks in the standings after Tuesday, and each get solved simply off head-to-head games.

Gold holds the No. 1 seed off its win over Pink, which is part of the tie at the top.

Black’s Thursday win over Purple gives it the sixth seed while down below an Ash Grey win over Forest Green gives it the ninth seed, and a Kelly Green win over Orange gives it the 11th seed, though the playoff group is only the top eight.

Because the sun is rising the Guru will dispense for the moment to get this out there all the tie-breaking scenarios Tuesday if they happen and advance the finish in a blog at the end of the weekend.

Standings

Team W-L G.B. PF PA Pct.
(Thru Mon., July 27)

*-1-%%-Gold 10-1 -- 608 517 .909
*-1-Pink 10-1 -- 687 510 .909
*-3-%-Neon Green 9-2 1.0 695 584 .818
*-4-Maroon 8-3 2.0 732 700 .727
*-5-Sapphire Blue 6-5 4.0 642 627 .545
6--%-Black 5-6 5.0 504 519 .455
6-Purple 5-6 5.0 603 570 .455
*-8-%@-Red 5-7 5.5 674 657 .417
^-9-&-Ash 4-7 6.0 462 508 .364
9--@-Forest Green 4-7 6.0 608 689 .364
!-11-Kelly Green 3-8 7.0 674 753 .273
!—11-Orange 3-8 7.0 679 699 .273
!-13-@-Royal Blue 0-11 10.0 507 743 .000

%%-Includes 2 forfeit 2-0 wins
%-includes 1 forfeit 2-0 win
&-includes 2 forfeit 0-2 losses
@-includes 1 forfeit 0-2 loss

*-Clinched playoff berth
!-eliminated from playoff contention
^-regular season completed

Season Results

Thurs., July 23

Neon Green 55, Gold 48
Pink 97, Maroon 57
Orange 83, Forest Green 61
Sapphire Blue 62, Kelly Green 58
Black 43, Purple 34
Red 69, Ash 38
Bye: Royal Blue

Tues., July 21

Gold 56, Pink 47
Neon Green 68, Royal Blue 53
Sapphire Blue 49, Black 33
Orange 69, Red 67, ovt.
Maroon 51, Ash 47, ovt.
Forest Green 85, Kelly Green 84, ovt.
Bye: Purple

Thurs., July 16

Gold 65, Purple 60
Pink 69, Orange 48
Neon Green 72, Kelly Green 48
Maroon 74, Sapphire Blue 65
Red 2, Forest Green 0, forfeit
Black 2, Royal Blue 0, forfeit
Bye: Ash Grey

Tues., July 14

Neon Green 72, Orange 66, ovt.
Gold 61, Black 55
Pink 56, Ash Grey 38
Sapphire Blue 70, Red 65
Maroon 68, Purple 63
Kelly Green 73, Royal Blue 52
Bye: Forest Green

Thurs., July 9

Sapphire Blue 70, Neon Green, 2 ovt.
Gold 2, Red 0, forfeit
Pink 34, Purple 31
Forest Green 79, Royal Blue 54
Black 54, Ash 43
Kelly Green 67, Orange 62
Bye: Maroon

Tues., July 7

Pink 52, Black 42
Gold 72, Forest Green 56
Neon Green 72, Purple 60
Maroon 68, Red 63
Ash Grey 74, Kelly Green 68
Sapphire Blue 58, Royal Blue 41
Bye: Orange

Thurs., July 2
Maroon 67, Royal Blue 51
Ash 56, Sapphire Blue 59
Pink 60, Forest Green 56
Kelly Green 68, Black 51
Neon Green 75, Red 73
Purple 63, Orange 56
Bye: Gold

Tues., June 30

Red 60, Purple 47
Orange 89, Royal Blue 43
Gold 76, Kelly Green 60
Maroon 67, Black 48
Forest Green 60, Sapphire Blue 54
Neon Green 2, Ash 0, forfeit
Bye: Pink

Thurs, June 25

Maroon 77, Orange 56
Purple 59, Sapphire Blue 54
Red 94 , Kelly Green 64
Gold 2, Ash 0, forfeit
Pink 87, Royal Blue 31
Bye: Neon Green

Tues., June 23

Black 49, Orange 47
Neon Green 91, Forest Green 42
Purple 59, Ash 31
Red 89, Royal Blue 84
Gold 87, Maroon 84
Pink 54, Sapphire Blue 49
Bye: Kelly Green

Thurs, June 18
Gold 70, Royal Blue 57
Ash 74, Forest Green 67
Sapphire Blue 62, Orange 60
Neon Green 69, Maroon 60
Pink 67, Red 50
Purple 66, Kelly Green 40
Bye: Black

Tues, June 16
Maroon 59, Kelly Green 54
Gold 69, Orange 43
Black 73, Red 42
Pink 64, Neon Green 52
Purple 61, Forest Green 47
Ash 61, Royal Blue 41
Bye: Sapphire Blue

Looking Ahead

Tues., July 28

7 p.m.

Royal Blue (0-11) vs. Purple (5-6), Court 1
Neon Green (9-2) vs. Black (5-6), Court 2
Gold (10-1) vs. Sapphire Blue (6-5), Court 3

8:15 p.m.

Ash (4-7) vs. Orange (3-8), Court 1
Forest Green (4-7) vs. Maroon (8-3), Court 2
Pink (10-1) vs. Kelly Green (3-8), Court 3

Bye: Red (5-7)

Regular Season Ends

Playoffs

Quarterfinals

Thurs., July 30

7 p.m.

Seed 8 vs. Seed 1, Court 1
Seed 6 vs. Seed 3, Court 2

8:15 p.m.

Seed 7 vs. Seed 2, Court 1
Seed 5 vs. Seed 4, Court 2

Tues., Aug. 4

Semifinals

Court 1

7 p.m.

Highest Quarterfinal Seed Survivor vs. Lowest Quarterfinal Seed Survivor

8:15 p.m.

Remaining Quarterfinal Survivors vs. Each Other

Thurs., Aug. 6

Championship

Court 1

7 p.m.

Semifinals Survivors vs. Each Other


Scoring 20 Points or More

32-Chelsea Woods, Red (L) vs. Maroon (W) – July 7
31-Dallas Ely, Maroon (W) vs. Royal Blue (L) – July 2
31-Chelsea Woods, Red (W) vs. Kelly Green (L) – June 25
30 Chelsea Wood, Red (L-Ovt) vs. Orange, (W) – July 21
30 Megan Quinn, Neon Green (W) vs. Royal Blue (L) – July 21
30- Megan Quinn, Neon Green (W), vs. Forest Green (L) - June 23
30-Maureen Leahy, Neon Green (W), vs. Forest Green (L) –June 23
29-Megan Quinn, Neon Green (L-2ovt) vs. Sapphire Blue (W), July 9
28-Chelsea Woods, Red (L), vs. Neon Green (W) – July 2
28- Chelsea Woods, Red (W), vs. vs. Royal Blue (L) – June 23
28-Chelsea Woods, Red (L), vs. Pink (W) – June 18
27-Chelsea Woods, Red (W), vs. Ash (L) – July 23
26-Chelsea Woods, Red (L) vs. Sapphire Blue (W) – July 14
26-Megan Quinn, Neon Green (W-ovt.) vs. Orange (L) – July 14

25-Megan Quinn, Neon Green (W), vs. Red (L) – July 2
25-Tori Smick, Maroon (L) vs. Gold (W) – June 23
25-Ashley Wood, Gold (W) vs Orange (L) – June 16
25-Alex Louin, Neon Green (W) vs Maroon (L) – June 18
24-Mary Ellen McCollum, Kelly Green (L-ovt.) vs. Forest Green (W) – July 21
24-Amanda Fioravanti, Kelly Green (W) vs. Orange (L) – July 9
24-Jasmine Elum, Gold (W) vs. Forest Green (L) – July 7
24-Jasmine Elum, Gold (W) vs. Kelly Green (L) – June 30
24-Sarah Fairbanks, Pink (W) vs. Red (L) – June 18
24-Tyniqua Henderson, Royal Blue (L) vs. Gold (W) – June 18

23-Sarah Fairbanks, Pink (W) vs. Maroon (L) – July 23
23-Katie O’Hare, Forest Green (W-ovt), vs. Kelly Green (L) – July 21
23-Dallas Ely, Maroon (W), vs. Sapphire Blue – July 16
23-Amanda Fioravanti, Kelly Green (W) vs. Royal Blue (L) – July 14
23-Mackenzie Carroll, Orange (W) vs. Royal Blue (L) – June 25
23-Lauren Crisler, Gold (W) vs. Maroon (L) – June 23
22-Jenna Swope, Kelly Green (L-ovt.) vs. Forest Green (W) – July 21
22-Sarah Fairbanks, Pink (W) vs. Forest Green (L) – July 2
22-Alex Thomas, Purple (W) vs. Sapphire Blue (L) – June 25
22-Micah Morgan, Purple (W), vs. Kelly Green (L) – June 18
21-Johanna McMillan, Pink (W), vs. Maroon (L) – July 23
21-Jasmine Elum, Gold (W), vs. Purple (L) – July 17
21-Alex Louin, Neon Green (W), vs. Purple (L) – July 7
21-Aunjel Van Brakle, Ash (W), vs. Kelly Green (W) – July 7
21-Chelsea Woods, Red (W) vs. Purple (L) – June 25
21 – Sarah Payonk, Pink (W) vs. Royal Blue (L) – June 25
21-Natalya Lee, Red (W), vs. Royal Blue (L) – June 23
21-Alex Louin, Neon Green (W), vs. Forest Green (L) –June 23
21-Lauren Crisler, Gold (W) vs. Royal Blue (L) – June 18

20-Emily O’Donnell, Sapphire Blue (L), vs. Maroon (W) – July 16
20-Emily O’Donnell, Sapphire Blue (W) vs. Red (L) – July 14
20-Micah Morgan 20, Purple (L) vs. Maroon (W) – July 14
20-Samantha Stipa, Neon Green (W), vs. Red (L) – July 2
20-Maggie Locke, Royal Blue (L) vs. Orange (W) – June 25
20-Mary Ellen McCollum, Kelly Green (L) vs, Red (L) – June 25
20-Margaret Melham, Red (W) vs. Royal Blue (L) – June 23
20-Brittany Sicinski, Maroon (L) vs. Gold (W) – June 23

Tie-Break Tracker

#-Gold (10-1) vs. O (W), RB (W), vs. M (W), Ash (W-*F), KG(W), FG(W), Red (W-*F), Black (W), Pur(W), PK (W) NG (L), Remain: SB
Pink (10-1) vs. NG (W), Red (W), SB (W), RB(W), FG(W), Black (W), Purple (W), A(W), O (W), Gold (L), M(W) Remain: KG.

Neon Green (9-2) vs. Pnk(L), M(W), FG (W), Ash (W-*F), Red(W), Purp (L), SB(L-2ovt.), O (W-ovt.), KG(W), RB (W), Gold (W) Remain: Black

Maroon (8-3) vs. KG (W), NG (L), G(L).O(W), Black (W), RB(W), Red(W), Purple (W), SB (W), Ash (W-ovt.), Pink (L) Remain: FG

Sapphire Blue (6-5) vs. O(W), Pink(L),Purple(L), FG(L), Ash(L), RB(W), NG (W-2ovt.), Red(W), M(L), Black (W), KG (W) Remain: Gold

$-Black (5-6) vs. Red (W), O (W), FG(L), M(L), KG(L), Pink (L), Ash (W), Gold (L), RB (W-*F), SB (L), Purple (W) : Remain: NG

Purple (5-6) vs. FG (W), KG (W), A(W), SB(W), Red (L), O(W), NG(L), Pink (L), M(L), Gold (L), Black (L) Remain: RB.

Red (5-7) vs. Blk (L), Pink (L), RB(W), KG(W), Purp(W), NG(L), M(L), Gold (L-*F), SB(L), FG(W-*F), O(L-ovt.), Ash. Remain: Bye-regular season ends

%-Ash (4-7) vs. RB (W), FG (W), Purple (L), Gold (L-*F), NG(L-*F), SB(W), KG(W), Black (L), Pnk(L), M(L), Red (L) Remain: Orange
Forest Green (4-7) vs. Purp (L), Ash (L), NG(L),B(W), SB(W),Pink(L),Gold (L), RB(W), Red (L-*F), KG(W-ovt.), Or (L) Remain: M.

^-Kelly Green (3-8) vs. M (L), Purp (L),Red(L), Gold(L),Black(W), Ash (L), O(W), RB(W), NG (L), FG (L-ovt.), SB (L) Remain: Pink.
Orange (3-8) vs. Gold (L), SB (L), B(L),M(L), RB(W),Purple(L), KG(L), NG(L), Pink (L), Red (W-ovt.), FG (W) Remain: FG, Ash

Royal Blue (0-11) vs. Ash (L), Gold (L), Red (L),Pink(L), O(L),M(L), SB(L), FG(L), KG(L), Black(L-*F), NG(L). Remain: Purple.

*-Forfeit win or loss

#-Gold holds first on head to head win over Pink.

$-Black holds sixth on head-to-head win over Purple.
%-Ash holds ninth on head to head win over Forest Green

^-Kelly Green holds ninth on head to head win over Orange

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