The Guru Report: Black/Jefferson Routs Maroon/USciences in Battle of Remaining Philly/Suburban Women’s Summer League Unbeatens

By Bob Heller and Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

HATBORO, Pa. —  Though the Independence Day celebrations were already receded in the 2021 calendar’s rear view mirror, there were plenty of court-side fireworks Thursday night as the regular seven-week season arched past the halfway point in the Philadelphia/Suburban Women’s Summer Basketball League at Kelly Bolish Gym, home of the AAU Renegades.

The battle of the remaining two unbeaten squads was quickly reduced, surprisingly, to a one-sided affair as the Black/D2-Jefferson squad took sole possession of first place with a 65-26 win over Maroon/USciences, it’s winter rival in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC).

It was one of the more lopsided results in the long summer/winter series between the two schools.

However, in a more competitive game, Red/D3-Arcadia was poised to be cruising for it’s first triumph, holding an 18-point halftime lead on Orange but the D2-Chestnut Hill bunch roared the rest of the way to a 50-45 comeback leaving the opposition as the only winless squad in the eight-team standings.

While the undergrad Devils had their difficulties with the Rams, the Pink/D2-USciences alumnae capped a buzzer-beating 51-48 thriller over Sky Blue/D2-Holy Family as recent graduate Irisa Ye out of North Penn nailed a three-ball. Her basket gave her 21 points on the the night, one of two players to break the individual 20-points plus performance milestone.

The other was Leah Johnson, a West Chester junior out of Notre Dame High, scoring an overall season-best 26 points leading Kelly/D2-Kutztown to an easy 85-40 win over Royal Blue/D3-Ursinus and a tie for second with Maroon at 3-1.

Next week, the early 6:30 p.m. games will see Sky Blue (1-3) play Red (0-4) on Court 1 and Kelly (3-1) meets Pink (2-2) on Court 2. 

The 7:45 p.m. nightcaps have Black (4-0) playing Orange (2-2) in a summer reunion of two local CACC rivals on Court 1 while Royal (1-3) meets Maroon (3-1) on Court 2.

As for the playoff seed tracker that has two-team ties at second, fourth, and sixth, if the season ended right now, the standings order has, as mentioned, Jefferson alone at the top.

Though USciences and Kutztown are tied for second a game behind, the Devils’ win over Kelly gives Maroon the second slot in a head-to-head triumph.

Orange and Pink are tied for fourth at 2-2 but using a best win breaker, Pink over Sky Blue is better than Orange over Red since they have yet to play each other. Both teams beat Royal Blue.

Likewise in the sixth place tie with Sky Blue and Royal, both 1-3, Sky Blue gets sixth right now with its best win over Orange, while Red stays in eighth.

Now here’s Bob with your game details.

RECAPS

Black 65 Maroon 26

Thursday night’s matchup between the two remaining undefeated teams Black (Jefferson University) and Maroon (USciences) was seemingly decided early as Black jumped out to a 28-7 lead after one quarter and cruised to a 65-26 win to improve to 4-0 on the season. 

Black was led by Maeve McCann’s 14 points.  Joining McCann in double figures were Allie Warren (13 points) and Sam Yencha (12 points).

Maroon was led by Jess Huber’s eight points.

Black held a 12-6 lead midway through the first quarter before blowing the game open with a 15-2 run to end the quarter up 28-7.  Warren scored the final five points of the second quarter to extend Black’s lead to 38-17 by halftime.

The Black squad continued to extend their lead in the second half outscoring Maroon 12-5 in the third quarter and 15-6 in the fourth quarter to earn the 39-point win.

Maroon falls into a tie for second place at 3-1 with the loss.

Pink 51 Sky Blue 48

While the USciences undergrads (Maroon) were struggling in their loss to Jefferson (Black), the USciences alums (Team Pink) were in a hard-fought battle against another CACC Team – Holy Family University (also known as Sky Blue).

Irisa Ye’s three-point basket at the buzzer propelled Pink to a 51-48 win over Sky Blue.  Ye’s bucket capped off a 21-point night and helped even Pink’s record at 2-2.  Sky Blue fell to 1-3.

Allie Crone and 11 points to join Ye in double figures.  

Monee Moore led sky Blue with 13 points while Carolyn Prevost added eight.  Nine different players put points on the board for the Sky Blue squad.

Five lead changes highlighted the first quarter with Pink merging ahead 14-10 entering in the second period of play. 

 Sky Blue opened the second quarter with an 8-4 mini run to tie the game. 

 A Natalie Kolb (Franklin & Marshall ’23) basket briefly put Pink back on top before Megan O’Connell sank a three-pointer to put Sky Blue on top 21-20.  The lead changed hands two more times before the quarter ended with Sky Blue holding a 25-22 lead.

In the third quarter Pink tied the score at 27-27 on a Sarah Abbonizio basket before Sky Blue went on a 10-2 tear to take their biggest lead of the game at 37-29.  Pink battled back to close within three 39-36 as the two teams entered the final ten minutes of play.

Moore and Anjelai Hayes pushed Sky Blue’s lead to 45-40 before Pink rallied with six straight points to retake the lead 46-45 with just under two minutes remaining. 

 Moore sank two free throws to give Sky a 47-46 lead with 1:08 left.  Crone’s bucket with 25 seconds left again put Pink on top before Moore tied the game with a free throw with 6.8 seconds left.

Pressure from Sky Blue on Pink’s inbounds play led to a non-shooting foul and Pink again inbounded the ball with four seconds left.

  Ye handled the inbounds and hoisted a 25 foot shot as the buzzer sounded which found the back of the net giving Pink the 51-48 victory.

 

 Orange 50   Red 45

 

The biggest comeback of the season so far was on court 2 during the late game as Orange (Chestnut Hill College) rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit to defeat Red (Arcadia University), 50-45.

Orange improves to 2-2 with the win while Red falls to 0-4.

Brianna Hewlett led Orange with 14 points while Lauren Crim added 13.  Kate Robinson and Sophia Rasiul scored 12 and 10 points respectively to pace the Red squad.

Red held the early 14-9 lead after one quarter and used a 20-7 second quarter explosion to take their big halftime lead with Rasiul leading the way, scoring all ten of her points in the first 20 minutes.

Seven different players from Orange made at least one field goal as they began their comeback.  The Orange defense also held Red to just seven third quarter points and closed within four 41-37 entering the final quarter.

Orange continued to chip away at the lead closing within one 43-42 before Hewlett gave Orange its first lead since 2-0 with a basket with just under four minutes to play, 44-43.

 The winners added six more points to lead by seven before Red scored in the final seconds to make the final margin 50-45.

 

Kelly Green 85    Royal Blue 40

 

Kelly Green (Kutztown University) moved into a tie for second place with a decisive 85-40 victory over Royal Blue (Ursinus College) in the early game on Court One.

Kelly improves to 3-1 and moves into a tie with Maroon (who beat Kelly last week).  Royal drops to 1-3.

Kelly’s Leah Johnson (West Chester ’23) turned in the best performances] by a league player this season pouring in 26 points on 11 field goals (one three pointer) and a pair of free throws.  Annie Whalen added 15.

Tamia Wessels (Alvernia’24) led Royal Blue with nine points.

Kelly led wire-to-wire jumping out to a 20-6 lead in the first quarter as Johnson scored nine points. 

 The winners expanded on their lead, outscoring Royal 26-11 to lead 46-17 at the half.

A low scoring third quarter saw Kelly add a single point to its lead, outscoring royal 10-9 in the period before doubling up Royal 28-14 in the fourth quarter for the 45-point win.

Standings

 

(Thru Week 4 Games Played Thursday, July 8)

 

Team        W  L  PCT.   GB    PF  PA

 

Black  4  0  1.000  —  276  166

Maroon 3  1 .750 1.0 285 189

Kelly  3  1  .667 1.0 285 195

Pink  2  2  .500 2.0 194 201

Orange  2  2   .500 2.0 196 229

Sky Blue 1  3   .250 3.0  207 235

Royal  1  3  .250 3.0 151 191

Red  0  4  .000  4.0  163 253

 

Players Scoring 20 or More Points

 

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

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

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

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

 

Early Games (6:30 p.m.)

 

Court 1: Sky Blue (1-3) vs. Red (0-4)

Court 2: Kelly (3-1) vs. Pink (2-2)

 

Late Games (7:45 p.m.)

 

Court 1 Black (4-0) vs. Orange (2-2)

Court 2: Royal (1-3) vs. Maroon (3-1)

 

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 

 

Black (4-0) vs. SB-W; vs. Rd-W; vs. Pk-W; vs. M-W; vs. O; vs. Ky; vs. Ry

 

Maroon (3-1) vs. Rd-W; vs. P-W; vs. Ky-W; vs. Bl-L; vs. Ry; vs. O;  vs. SB

 

Kelly (3-1) vs. O-W; vs. SB-W; vs. M-L; vs. Ry-W; vs. Pk; vs. Bl; vs. Rd

 

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

 

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

 

Sky Blue (1-3)  vs. Bl-L; vs. Ky-L: vs. O-W; vs. Pk-L; vs. Rd; vs, Ry; vs. M

 

Royal (1-3) vs. Pk-L; vs. O-L; vs. Rd-W; vs .Ky-L; vs.  M; vs. SB; vs. Bl

 

Red (0-4) vs. M-L; vs. Bl-L; vs. Ry-L; vs. O-L; 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) 0-4

 

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), 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) 2-2

 

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), W 50-45

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) 1-3

 

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), 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) 4-0

 

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),  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) 3-1

 

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), W 85-40

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) 1-3

 

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), 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) 3-1

 

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), 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) 2-2

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

June 24: vs. Maroon (D2-Usciences, 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), 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