The Guru Report: Black/D-2 Jefferson Finishes Regular Season Unbeaten; 4th Place Tie Cleared for Playoffs in Philly/Suburban Women’s Summer League

By Bob Heller and Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

HATBORO, Pa. — Team Black/D2-Jefferson kept its perfect run to the regular season finish with a lopsided 74-53 win over Royal Blue/D3-Ursinus Thursday night but a narrow 50-47 win by Orange/D2- Chestnut Hill squad over the Pink/USciences Alums and a 68-39 loss by Sky Blue/D2-Holy Family to the Maroon/D2-USciences undergrads created a three-way fourth place tie requiring several steps to bust and set the eight seeds for next week’s playoffs in the Philadelphia/Suburban Women’s Summer Basketball League at Kelly Bolish Gym, home of the AAU Renegades.

Sky Blue was considered a heavy underdog to its winter rival from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) of which Jefferson and Chestnut Hill are also members.

But the Tigers scored just enough points being more productive in the second half to land the fourth slot. 

Had Pink topped Orange the outcome would have put the Devils alums alone in fourth with Sky Blue fifth off its 60-51 win over Orange in their previous meeting.

Instead creative thinking by your authors required using the system that was in place using points scored as a deeper step had it been needed to set up the WNBA’s first Commissioner’s Cup in which clear qualifiers Connecticut and Seattle will meet in Phoenix at 9 p.m., the same night as the summer league championship, Aug. 12, as a prelude to the end of the break for the Olympics.

In the three-way jam, the mini-league head-to-head died quick because the trio were all 1-1 against themselves.

Step two, best win, also went by the boards because none of the three had a win over the top three teams whose losses were all to themselves.

So it was then decided to use total points by each of the trio against the three frontrunners. Some consideration was also given to average score of the deadlocked teams against themselves but this system allowed a three-game scoring average against the top of the league.

The early results, which included the Orange-Pink outcome, also saw Kelly easily beat Red/D3-Arcadia 83-41.

Going into the night, five teams were locked into their seeds, featuring Jefferson (7-0) USciences (6-1), and Kelly (5-2) at the top, and Royal Blue (1-7), which became the final victim, 74-53, of the Black season sweep, and Red (0-8) at the bottom.

The tallying beginning after the early games when the tie loomed showed Orange edged Pink 132-131 against the three leaders, the only ones which also had winning records.

All that remained for the teams at 3-4 was what would Sky Blue produce, needing 34 points to get the fourth seed, which they did with five to spare at the finish.

As for the 20 points or more individual performances on the night, 2021 USciences senior Jess Huber out of North Penn High, who drove up from the shore and back afterwards, led Maroon with the best league overall scoring performance on the night, scoring 24, while in the Kelly rout, Kutztown sophomore Annie Whalen out of Archbishop Wood, and West Chester junior Leah Johnson, out of Notre Dame, each scored 21.

Johnson, on the regular season, who had an overall best 26, and Dana Bandurick, a Council Rock North grad who is a Swarthmore junior after transferring from Ursinus, with two games of 22 points each, were the only ones who had multiple 20-points plus milestone nights among the 10 players reaching them 12 times.

Though noting there were fewer teams and less nights than in previous seasons, the schedule went forfeit free, even with the earlier 6:30 starts on the doubleheaders.

However, both your Guru and league photographer Tom Utescher of the Chestnut Hill Local independently observed that the snack bar twice suffered no show forfeits, including Thursday, while for the most part the schedule dodged the hot humid nights for the most part.

And so under the revised playoffs dates schedule, whose quarterfinals won’t begin until next Thursday. August 5th, instead of Tuesday, the early games at 6:30 p.m., have 8th seed Arcadia, the only summer team that wasn’t totally idled last winter by the pandemic, meeting No. 1 Black on Court 1 while sixth-seed Pink plays third seed Kelly on Court 2.

In their previous meetings, Black topped Red 78-44 on June 24th while Kelly beat Pink, narrowly, 56-52, two weeks ago on July 15th.

Pink was missing several key players Thursday night in the loss to Orange due to previous commitments.

In the nightcaps at 7:45 p.m. next week, seven seed Royal will meet two seed Maroon on Court 1 while  fifth seed Orange will play fourth seed Sky Blue on Court 2.

In their previous meetings Maroon topped Royal 61-50 two weeks ago on July 15th and Sky Blue beat Orange 60-51 on July 1.

The playoffs continue the following week in a rare back-to-back in league scheduling that has seen it at times in the past depending on when July 4th fell, on Wednesday, August 11th in the semifinals, the highest surviving quarterfinal seed will meet the lowest at 6:30 p.m. on Court 1 while the other two winners will then take the court at 7:45 p.m.

The next night, August 12th, as originally scheduled on that Thursday, the semifinal winners will meet for the championship at 6:45 p.m. on Court 1.

Now, here’s Bob with Thursday night’s game detail.

RECAPS

Orange 50   Pink 47

Team Orange (Chestnut Hill College) overcame a slow start and held off Team Pink (USciences alums) to earn a 50-47 win in one of the two early games Thursday night.

The win propelled Orange into a three-way tie in the middle of the pack with Pink and Sky Blue with 3-4 records.  

Following the league tie-break procedures Orange will hold the #5 seed for next week’s quarterfinals while Pink will have the #6 seed.

Brianna Rider and Brianna Hewlett led Orange with 13 and 12 points respectively.  Jen Kremp (A Dickinson college senior) led Pink with 12 points while USciences grad Sarah Abbonizio added ten.

Pink got three-point baskets from Molly Greenberg, Kremp and Allie Crone to jump out to an early 9-0 lead. 

 Orange battled back to pull within two with an 11-4 run with Rider scoring the last six points of the run. 

 Rider added her fourth basket of the quarter as time was running out, cutting Pink’s lead to 16-15.

Lauren Crim opened the second quarter with a basket to give Orange their first lead 17-16. 

 Orange increased their lead to four before Pink battled back to tie the score on a Laura Trisch three-pointer.  

Emily Chmiel added a basket to give Orange a 27-25 lead at the half.

The Orange lead grew to as large as six before Abbonizio and Trisch made back-to-back three-pointers late in the quarter to tie the game at 36-36. Before Chmiel put Orange back on top with a free throw.

Abbonizio opened the fourth quarter with a three-point basket to give Pink a 39-37 lead. 

 The two teams traded leads twice before Orange took the lead for good with two baskets by Trinity Brittingham, 47-43, the last with just under 40 seconds remaining.

 

  Pink closed within two and was forced to foul.  Orange made three of four free throws in the final ten seconds to seal the three-point win.

 

Maroon 68   Sky Blue 39

The Maroon-Sky Blue game was the other game on the evening which had playoff seeding implications.

 Team Maroon (USciences undergrads) jumped out to the early lead and led wire-to-wire, defeating Team Sky Blue (Holy Family University), 68-39.

Maroon finished the regular season with a 6-1 record and will hold the #2 seed in next week’s playoffs.  Sky Blue finished in a three-way tie in the middle of the pack with Pink and Orangewith 3-4 records.  Following the league tie-break procedures, Sky blue will hold the #4 seed for next week’s quarterfinals.

Jess Huber led Maroon with 24 points (ten field goals, two three pointers), the high point total on the evening.  Anna McTamney added 16 points.  Monee Moore was the lone Sky Blue player in double figures with 15 points.

Maroon scored the first six points en route to taking an 18-2 lead.  McTamney’s three-ball put the USciences Maroon squad up 23-6 heading into the second quarter.

The Maroon lead ballooned to as much as 22 in the second quarter with Huber scoring seven points in the period to finish the half with 19 points while giving her team a 41-19 lead at halftime.

The USciences group continued to increase the lead in the second half, doubling up the Holy Family squad 54-27 as the third quarter ended and grew their lead to as much as 32 in the fourth quarter before settling in for the 68-39 win.

 

Black 74   Royal Blue 53

Team Black (Jefferson University) completed an undefeated regular season with a 74-53 win over Team Royal Blue (Ursinus College).

Black finished the regular season at 7-0 and holds down the top seed in the upcoming playoffs.  Royal Blue will be seeded seventh and finished the regular season at 1-6.

Dana Bandurick led Royal Blue with 18 points while Sydney Blum and Maria D’Aulerio added 14 and 13 points respectively.  Haley Meinel led Black with 18 points.  Cassie Murphy added 13 points while Sam Yencha chipped in ten.

A 12-3 run by black in the first quarter broke a 7-7 tie to put Black in control with a 19-10 lead.  

The Jefferson squad added a 9-3 run to open the second quarter to lead 28-12 before a Blum three-pointer broke the run. 

 Alyssa Martin’s basket in the final minutes of the second quarter pulled Royal within ten, 37-27.  Baskets from Yencha and Meinel pushed Black’s lead to 41-27 and black maintained the 14-point advantage 45-31 at halftime.

Black pushed their lead to 18, 54-36 with 4:22 left in the third quarter before royal closed out the period with an 8-2 run fueled by three-point baskets from Blum and D’Aulerio to trail by 12, 56-44.

Meinel scored two baskets to open the fourth quarter and increase Black’s lead to 16, 60-44.  

Royal again closed the gap, pulling within 11 at 62-51 with a 7-2 run before Black scored the next eight points to take their largest lead at the time 70-51.  Meinel and Murphy closed out the scoring as Black finishedwith a 74-53 win.

 

Kelly Green 83   Red 41

The most lopsided score of the evening game as Kelly Green (Kutztown University) defeated Red (Arcadia University) 83-41 to close out the regular season.

Kelly finished with a 5-2 record and will hold down the #3 seed while Red finished at 0-7 and will be the #8 seed in the upcoming playoffs next week.

Leah Johnson and Annie Whalen scored 21 points apiece to lead Kelly while Casey Remolde added ten points.  Joanna Giustino led Red with 11 points while Sydney Barrer chipped in ten.

Red kept the game close in the opening few minutes before Kelly used a 15-4 run to take a 21-8 lead as the quarter came to an end.  

Valerie McGriff’s basket to open the second quarter increased the Kelly lead to 23-8 before Royal pulled within 11 with two straight baskets, 23-12.  Johnson and Miranda Leibtag then led Kelly on an 11-3 run to close out the quarter up 34-15.

Kelly held Red to just four third quarter points (all free throws) as they built an insurmountable 61-19 lead.  In the fourth quarter both teams scored 22 points with Giustino and Kate Robinson scoring eight points apiece in the quarter for Red while Whalen paced Kelly with six points in the quarter (two three-point baskets).

Standings

 

(Thru Week 7 Games, Regular Season Final, Played Thursday, July 29)

 

Team        W  L  PCT.   GB    PF  PA

 

x-Black  7  0  1.000  —  449  300

Maroon 6  1 .857 1.0 387 330

Kelly  5  2  .714 2.0 467 342

Sky Blue 3  4  .429 4.0  390 380

Orange  3  4   .429 4.0 336 379

Pink  3  4  .429 4.0 343 338

Royal  1  6  .143 6.0 338 457

Red  0  7  .000  7.0  263 447

x-Clinched top seed

 

Players Scoring 20 or More Points

 

26-Leah Johnson, Kelly, W, vs. Royal, July 8

24-Jess Huber, Maroon, W, vs. Sky Blue, July 29

23-Monee Moore, Sky Blue, W, vs. Royal Blue, July 22

23-Anna McTamney, Maroon, W, vs. Kelly, July 1

22-Dana Bandurick, Royal Blue, L, vs. Sky Blue, July 22

22-Dana Bandurick, Royal, L, vs. Pink, June 17

21-Leah Johnson, Kelly, W, Red, July 29

21-Annie Whalen, Kelly, W, Red, July 29

21-Irisa Ye, W, vs. Sky Blue, July 8

21-Jordan Vitelli, Pink, L, vs. Black, July 1

20-Bridget Arcidiacono, Black, W, vs. Red, June 24

20-Taylor Hamm, Maroon, W, vs. Red, June 17

  Phila/Suburban Women’s Summer Basketball League Schedule

 

Thursday, June 17

 

Results

 

Black (D2-Jefferson) 73, Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family)  49

Pink (D2 – USciences Alumnae) 64, Royal (D3-Ursinus) 55

Maroon (D2-USciences) 73, Red (D3-Arcadia) 32

Kelly (D2-Kutztown) 80, Orange (D2-Chestnut Hill) 42

 

Thursday, June 24

 

Maroon 38, Pink 32

Black 78, Red 44

Orange 53, Royal 44

 Kelly 60, Sky Blue 50

 

Thursday, July 1

 

Maroon 63, Kelly 60

Sky Blue 60, Orange 51

Royal 52, Red 37

Black 78, Red 44

 

Thursday, July 8

 

Kelly 85, Royal 40

Black 65, Maroon 26

Pink 51, Sky Blue 48

Orange 50, Red 45

 

Thursday, July 15

 

Sky Blue 61, Red 33

Kelly 56, Pink 52

Black 45, 38 Orange 

Maroon 61, Royal Blue 50

 

Thursday, July 22

 

Sky Blue 83, Royal 44

Maroon 58, Orange 52

Black 54, Kelly 43

Pink  50,  vs. Red 31

 

Thursday, July 29

 

Regular Season Ends

 

Orange 50, Pink 47

Kelly 83, Red 41

Maroon 68, Sky Blue 39

Black 74, Royal Blue 53

 

Thursday, August 5

 

Playoffs Quarterfinals

 

Early Games (6:30 p.m.)

 

Court 1: 8-Red (0-7) vs. 1-Black (7-0)

Court 2: 6-Pink (3-4) vs. 3-Kelly (5-2)

 

Late Games (7:45 p.m.)

 

Court 1: 7-Royal (1-6) vs. 2-Maroon (6-1)

Court 2: 5-Orange (3-4) vs. 4-Sky Blue (3-4)

 

Wednesday, August 11

 

Playoffs Semifinals

 

Early Game (6:30 p.m.)

 

Court 1: Highest Quarterfinal Survivor vs. Lowest Quarterfinal Survivor

 

Late Game (7:45 p.m.)

 

Court 1: Remaining Surviving Seeds

 

Thursday, August 12

 

Playoff Championship

 

Tipoff: 6:30 p.m.

 

Court 1 : Semifinal Winners

 

 Playoff Seed Tracker 

 

Black (7-0) vs. SB-W; vs. Rd-W; vs. Pk-W; vs. M-W; vs. O-W; vs. Ky-W; vs. Ry-W

 

Maroon (6-1) vs. Rd-W; vs. P-W; vs. Ky-W; vs. Bl-L; vs. Ry-W; vs. O-W;  vs. SB-W

 

Kelly (5-2) vs. O-W; vs. SB-W; vs. M-L; vs. Ry-W; vs. Pk-W; vs. Bl-L; vs. Rd-W

 

Sky Blue (3-4)  vs. Bl-L; vs. Ky-L: vs. O-W; vs. Pk-L; vs. Rd-W; vs, Ry-W; vs. M-L

 

Orange (3-4) vs. Ky-L; vs. Ry-W; vs. SB-L; vs. Rd-W; vs. Bl-L; vs. M-L; vs. Pk-W

 

Pink (3-4) vs. Ry-W; vs. M-L; vs. Bl-L; vs. SB-W; vs. Ky-L; vs. Rd-W; vs. O-L

 

Royal (1-6) vs. Pk-L; vs. O-L; vs. Rd-W; vs .Ky-L; vs. M-L; vs. SB-L; vs. Bl-L

 

Red (0-7) vs. M-L; vs. Bl-L; vs. Ry-L; vs. O-L; vs. SB-L; vs, Pk-L; vs. Ky-L

 

Codes: BL-Black; Ky-Kelly; M-Maroon; O-Orange; Pk-Pink; Rd-Red; Ry-Royal; SB-Sky Blue

 

Team By Team Regular Season Schedules/Results

 

8-Red (D3-Arcadia) 0-7

 

June 17: vs. Maroon (D2-USciences Undergrads), L 32-73

June 24: vs. Black (D2-Jefferson 1-0), L 44-78

July 1: vs. Royal (D3-Ursinus 0-2), L 37-52

July 8: vs. Orange (D2-Chestnut Hill 1-2), L 45-50

July 15: vs. Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family 1-3), L 33-61

July 22: vs. Pink (D2-USciences Alumnae 2-3), L 31-50

July 29: vs. Kelly (D2-Kutztown 4-2), L 41-83

Aug. 5: vs. 1-Black (D2-Jefferson 7-0), Qtr-6:30 p.m., Court 1

 

5-Orange (D2-Chestnut Hill) 3-4

 

June 17: vs. Kelly (D2-Kutztown), L 42-80

June 24: vs. Royal (D3-Ursinus 0-1), W 53-44

July 1: vs. Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family 0-2), L 51-60

July 8: vs. Red (D3-Arcadia 0-3), W 50-45

July 15: vs. Black (D2-Jefferson 4-0), L 38-45

July 22: vs. Maroon (D2-USciences Undergrads 4-1), L 52-58

July 29: vs. Pink (D2-USciences Alumnae 3-3), W 50-47

Aug. 5: vs. 4-Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family 3-4), Qtr.-7:45 p.m., Court 2

 

 4-Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family) 3-4

 

June 17: vs. Black (D2-Jefferson), L 49-73

June 24: vs. Kelly (D2-Kutztown 1-0), L 50-60

July 1: vs. Orange (D2-Chestnut Hill 1-1), W 60-51

July 8: vs. Pink (D2-USciences Alumnae 1-2), L 48-51

July 15: vs. Red (D3-Arcadia 0-4), W 61-33

July 22: vs. Royal (D3-Ursinus 1-4), W 83-44

July 29: vs. Maroon (D2-USciences Undergrads (5-1), L 39-68

Aug. 5: vs. 5-Orange (D2-Chestnut Hill 3-4), Qtr-7:45 p.m., Court 2

 

1-Black (D2-Jefferson) 7-0

 

June 17: vs. Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family), W 73-49

June 24: vs. Red (D3-Arcadia 0-1), W 78-44

July 1: vs. Pink (D2-USciences Alumnae 1-1), W 60-47

July 8: vs. Maroon (D2-USciences Undergrads 3-0), W 65-26

July 15: vs. Orange (D2-Chestnut Hill 2-2), W 45-38

July 22: vs. Kelly (D2-Kutztown 4-1), W-54-43

July 29: vs. Royal (D3-Ursinus 1-5) , 74-53

Aug. 5: vs. 8-Red (D3-Arcadia 0-7), Qtr.-6:30 p.m., Court 1

 

3-Kelly (D2-Kutztown) 5-2

 

June 17: vs. Orange (D2-Chestnut Hill), W 80-42

June 24: vs. Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family 0-1), W 60-50

July 1: vs. Maroon (D2-USciences Undergrads 2-0), L 60-63

July 8: vs. Royal (D3-Ursinus 1-2), W 85-40

July 15: vs. Pink (D2-USciences Alumnae 2-2), W 56-52

July 22: vs. Black (D2-Jefferson 5-0), L 43-54

July 29: vs. Red (D3-Arcadia 0-6), W 83-41

Aug. 5: vs. 6-Pink (D2-USciences Alums 3-4), Qtr.-6:30 p.m., Court 2

 

7-Royal (D3-Ursinus) 1-6

 

June 17: vs. Pink (D2-USciences Alumnae), L 55-64

June 24: vs. Orange (D2-Chestnut Hill 1-0), L 44-53

July 1: vs. Red (D3-Arcadia 0-2), W 52-37

July 8: vs. Kelly (D2-Kutztown 2-1), L 40-85

July 15: vs. Maroon (D2-USciences Undergrads 3-1), L 50-61

July 22: vs. Sky Blue  (D2-Holy Family 2-3), L 44-83

July 29: vs. Black (Jefferson 6-0), L 53-74

Aug. 5: vs. 2-Maroon (D2-USciences Undergrads 6-1), Qtr.-7:45 p.m., Court 1

 

 2-Maroon (D2-USciences Undergrads) 6-1

 

June 17: vs. Red (D3-Arcadia), W 73-32

June 24: vs. Pink (USciences Alumnae 1-0 ), W 38-32

July 1: vs. Kelly (D2-Kutztown 2-0), W 63-60

July 8: vs. Black (D2-Jefferson 3-0), L 26-65

July 15: vs. Royal (D3-Ursinus 1-3), W 61-50

July 22: vs. Orange (D2-Chestnut Hill 2-3), W 58-52

July 29: vs. Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family 3-3), W 68-39

Aug. 5: vs. Royal (D3-Ursinus 1-6), Qtr.- 7:45 p.m., Court 1

 

6-Pink (D2-USciences Alumnae) 3-4

 

 June 17: vs. Royal (D3-Ursinus), W 64-55

June 24: vs. Maroon (D2-Usciences 1-0), L 32-38

July 1: vs. Black (D2-Jefferson 2-0), L 47-60

July 8: vs. Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family 1-2), W 51-48

July 15: vs. Kelly (D2-Kutztown 3-1), L 52-56

July 22: vs. Red (D3-Arcadia 0-5), W 50-31

July 29: vs. Orange (D2-Chestnut Hill 2-4), L 47-50

Aug. 5: vs. 3-Kelly (D2-Kutztown 5-2), Qtr.-6:30 p.m., Court 2