The Guru Report: Black/Jefferson and Maroon/USciences Remain Unbeaten Heading to Mid-Season Showdown in the Philly/Suburban Women’ Summer League

By Bob Heller and Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

HATBORO, Pa. —  Three became two out of an unbeaten matchup Thursday night and next week at the halfway point with the other unbeaten also winning, two will become one in the Philadelphia/Suburban Women’s Summer Basketball League at Kelly Bolish Gym, home of the AAU Renegades.

Befitting their records, in the closest game of the night, the Maroon/D2-USciences squad in week three edged the Kelly/D2-Kutztown bunch 63-60, while Black/D2-Jefferson, the third unbeaten, remained as such with a 60-47 win over the Pink/USciences alumnae team setting up the July 8 summer hookup on Court 2 at 6:30 p.m.

Jefferson and USciences are longtime winter rivals out of the Southern Division of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC).

The outcomes in the other two games set up a four-way tie for fourth.

With each team looking for its first win, Royal/D3-Ursinus bested Red/D3-Arcadia 52-37 while in the other contest, Sky Blue/D2-Holy Family, another CACC outfit, got its first win beating conference rival Orange/D2-Chestnut Hill 60-51.

Sky Blue is the technical defending champs from 2019 since the league did not occur a year ago because of the pendemic.

Two players earned the individual performance citation accolade of 20 or more points with USciences incoming freshman Anna McTamney out of Plymouth Whitemarsh High having the best night of the season overall scoring 23 points while Devils 2020 alumna Jordan Vitelli out of Central Bucks South scored 21 for Pink in the loss to Jefferson.

In the remaining three games on next week’s slate Kelly (2-1) will play Royal (1-2) on Court 1 in the other early 6:30 p.m. contest.

The 7.45 p.m. late games have Sky Blue and Pink, both 1-2, meeting on Court 1 while Red (0-3) again goes after its first win, playing Orange (1-2) on Court 2. 

In looking at the standings after Thursdays games, it was possible to set up seed order for the playoffs if the season ended right now but consider it a practice exercise.

With Black and Maroon tied at the top Maroon got the nod with a best win beating Kelly, which is alone in third, but of course next week head-to-head will break the deadlock.

As for the four teams in fourth, a mini league was set among them. 

Royal fell to seventh with an 0-2 pair of setbacks to Pink and Orange.

Sky Blue was given fourth off a head-to-head win over Orange for its 1-0 while Orange and Pink both 1-0 off Royal wins were listed fifth and sixth alphabetically, the equivalent of a coin flip with nothing else available right now.

The remaining four weeks leading to the playoffs in early August will simplify things a bit, hopefully.

Now here’s Bob with the details followed by the updated data so wishing everyone involved with this particular subject a safe and enjoyable fourth between now and next week.

RECAPS

Maroon 63   Kelly Green 60

In a battle between two unbeaten teams, Maroon (USciences) held off a fourth quarter surge from Kelly Green (Kutztown University) to remain perfect with a 63-60 win.

Incoming freshman Anna McTamney led Maroon with 23 points while senior Jess Huber added 17 (five three-point field goals).  Kelly pit three players in double figures, led by Leah Johnson’s 17 points.  Annie Whalen added 11 and Casey Remolde chipped in ten.

Huber led the early charge with three three-balls in the first quarter.  

A fourth three pointer came at the hands of Allison Waters and gave Maroon a 16-9 lead before Kelly came back with three straight baskets, all from Johnson to end the quarter trailing by one 16-15.

Noelle Baxter’s basket to open the second quarter gave Kelly the lead 17-16 and started a 9-3 run to extend their lead to five 24-19.

  A 7-2 run from Maroon followed tying the game at 26-26. Johnson ended the quarter with her sixth basket of the half to give Kelly a 32-28 lead at halftime.

Huber’s two three-balls in the opening minutes of the third quarter put Maroon back on top 34-33. 

 The Maroon defense then took over, limiting Kelly to just one field goal in the ten-minute period while pushing their lead to six 47-41 heading into the final stanza.

A McTamney three pointer pushed Maroon’s lead to its largest margin 52-41. 

 Kelly countered with a 9-2 surge to cut the lead to four 54-50 with 6:30 left in the game.  

Whalen closed the gap to two 58-56 and following another McTamney basket two straight buckets from Remolde tied the game with just under two minutes remaining. 

McTamney added a free throw with 1:24 left and following a defensive stop Bria Johnson scored to put Maroon up three 63-60 with 47 seconds left.

  Kelly could not score on their two possessions in the final second and Maroon hung on for the win.

 

Black 50 Pink 37

 

Black (Jefferson University) also remained unbeaten with a hard-fought 60-47 win over Pink (USciences alums).

Pink was missing two of their best players in Irisa Ye and Sarah Abbonizio but contained the high scoring black squad for three quarters, holding them to just 39 points through the first 30 minutes of action before Black outscored Pink 21-10 in the final quarter to secure the win.

Jordan Vitelli was the lone Pink player in double figures with 21 points while Laura Trisch and Jen Kremp added nine apiece.  

Haley Meinel led Black with 18 points while Emma Kuczynski joined her in double figures with 12 points.

Black scored 12 straight points in the first quarter to jump of to a 15-3 lead before Vitelli led Pink on a 7-2 charge to close the gap to 17-10 by quarters end.  

Black again built the lead to double figures, 28-18 following a Kuczynski basket.  

Pink however was able to cut the lead in half by the break following a Vitelli layup and a Trisch three-point field goal, 28-23.

The lead oscillated between five and seven points until Vitelli exploded for ten points in the final five minutes, pulling Pink within two on two occasions, the last at 39-37 heading into the final quarter.

Three straight baskets to start the fourth quarter led to a 14-2 run by black as they opened their biggest lead of the game a 54-39.  Meinel had eight of those 14 points. 

 Pink would pull no closer than nine the rest on the way as Black remained perfect with the 13-point win.

 

Sky Blue 60   Orange 51

Sky Blue (Holy Family University) got into the win column with a 60-51 over Team Orange (Chestnut Hill College).

Ten different players scored to pace the Sky Blue offense led by Lindsay Tretter’s 14 points. (Four three-point field goals).  Ava Morrow added 13.  

Morgan Sterner and Brianna Hewlett had 12 and 10 points respectively to lead the Orange squad.

Sky jumped out to an early 14-3 lead with Morrow and Meghan O’Connell leading the way.  

Orange countered with a 6-1 run to close within six at 15-9 before a Jessica Riepe three-pointer pushed Sky’s lead to 18-9 as the quarter ended.  

Tretter’s three-pointer early in the second quarter upped Sky’s lead to double digits 27-16.  

Sky’s lead oscillated between nine and 11 points before Orange broke the cycle by scoring the final two baskets of the quarter to pull within seven 35-28 at halftime.

Orange opened the scoring in the third quarter to pull within five but Sky produced with a 10-4 spurt to again lead by double digits 45-34.  

Orange closed out the third quarter with a 6-2 mini-run capped by a basket from Kaitlyn Carter to make the score 47-40.

The fourth quarter saw Orange pull within five twice before Sky started to pull away late, outscoring Orange 7-4 over the final three minutes to earn the nine-point win, their first of the season.

 

Royal Blue 52  Red 37

Team Royal Blue (Ursinus College) also earned their first win of the season, leading wire-to-wire as they defeated Team Red (Arcadia University) 52-37. 

All 12 royal players scored at least one basket with Rachel Saxton hitting two three-point field goals to go along with two two-pointers to lead Royal Blue with 10 points – the only royal player in double figures.  Red had two players reach double figures with Brady Wassel scoring 11 and Kylie Meredith scoring 10.

Royal jumped out to a 10-2 lead before Wassel’s two free throws and a three pointer from Mara Weaver closed the gap to three 10-7.  Tamia Wessels added a bucket in the final seconds to push royal’s lead back to five.

Second quarter Royal baskets by Charlotte DiLello and Alyssa Martin extended their lead to 18-9.  Red followed with an 11-5 run capped by Meredith’s three-pointer to cut the lead back to three 23-20 at halftime.

Two baskets by Red’s Joanna Giustino pulled her team within two 26-24 before Royal countered with an 11-4 spurt to again pull ahead by nine 37-28 as the third quarter came to a close.

The fourth quarter belonged to Royal as the held Red to just nine points while increasing their lead as the period progressed. 

Royal opened the quarter with an 8-0 uprising which Red countered by scoring the next seven points to trail 43-35.  

The Red squad however would score just two points the rest of the way as Royal closed out the game with a 9-2 run, earning the 15-point win, the largest margin of victory among this week’s games.

Standings

 

(Thru Week 3 Games Played Thursday, July 1)

 

Team        W  L  PCT.   GB    PF  PA

 

Maroon 3  0 1.000 — 174 124

Black  3  0  1.000  —  211  140

Kelly  2  1  .667 1.0 200  155

Sky Blue 1  2   .333 2.0  159 184

Orange  1  2   .333 2.0 146 184

Pink  1  2  .333 2.0 143 153

Royal  1  2  .333 2.0 151 154

Red  0  3  .000  3.0  113 203

 

Players Scoring 20 or More Points

 

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

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

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 Daily Skeds

 

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

 

Early Games (6:30 p.m.)

 

Court 1: Kelly (2-1) vs. Royal (1-2)

Court 2: Black (3-0)  vs. Maroon (3-0)

 

Late Games (7:45 p.m.)

 

Court 1: Sky Blue (1-2) vs. Pink (1-2)

Court 2: Red (0-3) vs. Orange (1-2)

 

Thursday, July 15

 

Early Games (6:30 p.m.)

 

Court 1: Sky Blue vs. Red

Court 2: Kelly vs. Pink

Late Games (7:45 p.m.)

 

Court 1: Black vs. Orange

Court 2: Royal vs. Maroon

Thursday, July 22

 

Early Games (6:30 p.m.)

 

Court 1: Sky Blue vs. Royal

Court 2: Orange vs. Maroon

 

Late Games (7:45 p.m.)

 

Court 1: Kelly vs. Black

Court 2: Pink vs. Red

 

Thursday, July 29

 

Regular Season Ends

 

Early Games (6:30 p.m.)

 

Court 1: Pink vs. Orange

Court 2: Red vs. Kelly

 

Late Games (7:45 p.m.)

 

Court 1: Sky Blue vs. Maroon

Court 2: Royal vs. Black

 

Tuesday, August 3

 

Playoffs Quarterfinals

 

Early Games (6:30 p.m.)

 

Court 1: 8th seed vs. 1st seed

Court 2: 6th seed vs. 3rd seed

 

Late Games (7:45 p.m.)Court 1: 7th seed vs. 2nd seed

Court 2: 5th seed vs. 4th seed

 

Thursday, August 5

 

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 

 

Maroon (3-0) vs. Rd-W; vs. P-W; vs. Ky-W; vs. Bl; vs. Ry; vs. O;  vs. SB

 

Black (3-0) vs. SB-W; vs. Rd-W; vs. Pk-W; vs. vs. M; vs. O; vs. Ky; vs. Ry

 

Kelly (2-1) vs. O-W; vs. SB-W; vs. M-L; vs. Ry; vs. Pk; vs. Bl; vs. Rd

 

Sky Blue (1-2)  vs. Bl-L; vs. Ky-L: vs. O-W; vs. Pk; vs. Rd; vs, Ry; vs. M

 

Orange (1-2) vs. Ky-L; vs. Ry-W; vs. SB-L; vs. Rd; vs. Bl; vs. M; vs. Pk

 

Pink (1-2) vs. Ry-W; vs. M-L; vs. Bl-L; vs. SB; vs. Ky; vs. Rd; vs. O

 

Royal (1-2) vs. Pk-L; vs. O-L; vs. Rd-W; vs .Ky; vs.  M; vs. SB; vs. Bl

 

Red (0-3) vs. M-L; vs. Bl-L; vs. Ry-L; vs. O; vs. SB; vs, Pk; vs, Ky

 

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

 

Red (D3-Arcadia) 0-3

 

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), 7:45 p.m., Court 2

July 15: vs. Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family), 6:30 p.m., Court 1

July 22: vs. Pink (D2-USciences Alumnae), 7:45 p.m., Court 2

July 29: vs. Kelly (D2-Kutztown), 6:30 p.m., Court 2

 

Orange (D2-Chestnut Hill) 1-2

 

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), 7:45 p.m., Court 2

July 15: vs. Black (D2-Jefferson), 7:45 p.m., Court 1

July 22: vs. Maroon (D2-USciences Undergrads), 6:30 p.m., Court 2

July 29: vs. Pink (D2-USciences Alumnae), 6:30 p.m., Court 1

 

Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family) 1-2

 

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), 7:45 p.m., Court 1

July 15: vs. Red (D3-Arcadia), 6;30 p.m., Court 1

July 22: vs. Royal (D3-Ursinus), 6:30 p.m., Court 1

July 29: vs. Maroon (D2-USciences Undergrads), 7:45 p.m., Court 1

 

Black (D2-Jefferson) 3-0

 

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), 6:30 p.m., Court 2

July 15: vs. Orange (D2-Chestnut Hill),  7:45 p.m., Court 1

July 22: vs. Kelly (D2-Kutztown), 7:45 p.m., Court 1

July 29: vs. Royal (D3-Ursinus, 7:45 p.m., Court 2

 

Kelly (D2-Kutztown) 2-1

 

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), 6:30 p.m., Court 1

July 15: vs. Pink (D2-USciences Alumnae), 6:30 p.m., Court 2

July 22: vs. Black (D2-Jefferson), 7:45 p.m., Court 1

July 29: vs. Red (D3-Arcadia), 6:30 p.m., Court 2

 

Royal (D3-Ursinus) 1-2

 

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), 6:30 p.m., Court 1

July 15: vs. Maroon (D2-USciences Undergrads), 7:45 p.m., Court 2

July 22: vs. Sky Blue  (D2-Holy Family), 6:30 p.m., Court 1

July 29: vs. Black (Jefferson), 8:15 p.m., Court 2

 

Maroon (D2-USciences Undergrads) 3-0

 

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), 6:30 p.m., Court 2

July 15: vs. Royal (D3-Ursinus), 7:45 p.m., Court 2

July 22: vs. Orange (D2-Chestnut Hill), 6:30 p.m., Court 2

July 29: vs. Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family), 7:45 p.m., Court 1

 

Pink (D2-USciences Alumnae) 1-2

 

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

June 24: vs. Maroon (D2-UScien L 32-38

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

July 8: vs. Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family 1-2), 7:45 p.m., Court 1

July 15: vs. Kelly (D2-Kutztown), 6:30 p.m., Court 2

July 22: vs. Red (D3-Arcadia), 7:45 p.m. Court 2

July 29: vs. Orange (D2-Chestnut Hill), 6:30 p.m., Court 1