Thrilling Black-Jefferson Rally on Sky Blue-Holy Family in Overtime Highlights Philly Women’s Summer League Opening night
By Bob Heller and Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru
HATBORO, Pa. – Two longtime Southern Division rivals in the Division 2-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference highlighted the opening night four-game slate Tuesday in the Philadelphia/Suburban Women’s Summer Basketball League as Team Black (Jefferson) rallied from an 11-point deficit at the half to beat Sky Blue (Holy Family) 71-68 at Kelly Bolish Gym, home of the AAU Renegades.
Jefferson 2022 grad Haley Meinel had 22 points and senior Cassie Murphy scored 20 as did Holy Family junior Ava Morrow. D3-Swarthmore senior out of Council Rock North came close to the nightly citations with 19 for Kelly Green.
In the other three games, Purple (D2-West Chester) easily controlled Pink 83-49 while Kelly Green topped Royal Blue (D3-Cabrini) 59-46, and Red (D2-Chestnut Hill) handed a 60-48 setback Maroon (D3-Arcadia).
Sun, designated Draft Team-3 with a cluster of D2-Kutztown players, had the first of the nightly byes in the nine-team league.
Pink, designated Draft Team-2 has a now-smaller number of University of Sciences alums following the school’s merger with D1-Saint Joseph’s.
Kelly Green is designated Draft Team-1.
Looking to Thursday’s completion of week one, two Tuesday night winners will meet at 7:45 p.m. on Court 1 as Red and Kelly Green play.
In the two early games, Purple (1-0) meets Maroon (0-1) on Court 1 while Black (1-0) faces Royal Blue (0-1) on Court 2 at 6:30 p.m.
Sun will play its first game, coming off the bye, meeting Sky Blue (0-1) on Court 2 in the other 7:45 p.m. nightcap.
Pink has the bye for night number two.
As for reacting to another opening night for long time commissioner David Kessler, he noted, “I always check in with each team, especially the teams with brand new players and ask if they enjoyed themselves.
“I always get a positive response, even from teams that lost. It’s obvious too early to determine who will be staying at the top or sink, considering key players across the board were missing and some have gotten a little out of shape,” Kessler added.
“But the important thing is that they all have a great time, hone their skills for the upcoming season, and that no one gets injured.”
Sports Fan Base Network to Again Live Stream Title Game
Following last season’s well-received live streams of the semifinals and final from Ari Bluestein’s SFBN operation, he has green lit a return of the airing of the league championship.
We’ll have the link when the playoffs begin in late July.
Now here’s Bob with the recaps followed by our running scoreboard. The tiebreaker tracker for seeds won’t be in a more formal listing until enough teams play each other.
Recaps
Black 71 Sky Blue 68 OT
Black rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat Sky Blue 71-68 in a thrilling overtime contest to open the season.
The two teams are also conference rivals during the regular basketball season with Black representing Thomas Jefferson University and Sky blue representing Holy Family University.
Haley Meinel and Cassie Murphy led Black with 22 and 20 points respectively, accounting for nearly 60% of their team’s offense. Morgan Robinson added 11 points.
Ava morrow scored 20 to pace Sky Blue with Taylor Hinkle chipping in ten.
A strong second quarter from Sky Blue turned a one-point deficit into a double-digit lead.
Jessica Riepe opened the quarter with a three-point basket, starting an 8-0 run to give Sky a 20-13 lead.
Sky continued to build on the advantage, adding an 11-2 run after black closed within four to take a 13-point lead 34-21 before settling in for a 39-28 advantage at the half.
Black battled back to take their first lead since the first quarter with an 18-6 run to go ahead 46-44 before Sky reclaimed the lead and took a two-point advantage heading into the final quarter.
Neither team led by more than three points in the final period with Sky pulling ahead by three 63-60 with 25 seconds left.
A basket from Robinson closed the gap to one and Murphy had a chance to win it with 2.2 seconds left with a pair of free throws but connected on just one to tie the game and send it into overtime.
Sky Blue opened the overtime with a three pointer before Black ran off five straight points to go ahead 68-66 with 1:16 left.
Hinkle tied the score at 68-68 on their next possession.
Murphy then came through with a layup and was fouled with 36.8 seconds left. She converted the free throw to give black a 71-68 lead and her team’s defense prevented any further scoring as they hung on to win.
Red 60 Maroon 48
A balanced scoring effort from team Red, a.k.a. Chestnut Hill College, overcame a tenacious effort from team maroon, a.k.a. Arcadia University as Red pulled away late to win 60-48.
Five Red players scored eight or more points with Siobhan Boylan leading the way with 12. Bri Rider added 10 while Lindsay Lane scored nine. Bridie McCann and Avery White chipped in eight apiece.
Dayna Balasa led Maroon with 12 points on four three-point baskets.
Maroon scored the first five points before a 9-0 red run put the squad of Division II players ahead 9-5 late in the first quarter.
The Maroon squad continued to keep things close with a three-ball from Balasa tying the score at 13-13 in the second quarter.
Red ended the quarter on a 7-0 spurt to lead 28-20 at the half.
A 13-3 run to open the third quarter gave Maroon a 33-31 lead before Red bounced back with the same, a 13-3 run of their own to lead 47-39 heading into the final quarter.
McCann and Lane led a 6-0 charge to open the fourth quarter as Maroon opened up a 53-39 lead.
Boylan’s three-point basket midway through the final quarter pushed the lead to 56-41.
Lane pushed the margin to 60-43 with two free throws in the final minute. Maroon scored the final five points of the game to make final margin 12 points, 60-48.
Kelly Green 59 Royal Blue 46
Kelly Green opened up a double-digit lead in the second quarter and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire as they defeated Royal Blue, 53-49, in the first of two late games.
Kelly’s Dana Bandurick led all scorers with 19 points while Anna Hansson added 11.
Ella Gordon and Miranda Liebtag scored 12 and ten points respectively to pace Royal Blue, a.k.a. D3-Cabrini University.
Bandurick scored six of her team’s first ten points as Kelly jumped out to a 10-2 lead and never looked back, opening up a 20-11 lead after the first ten minutes of action.
Kelly’s lead oscillated between seven and ten points for much of the second quarter until baskets from Ally Trebelev and Jess Mastriano pushed the lead back into double digits as the quarter was winding down.
Trebelev’s second basket in the final two minutes of the quarter gave Kelly a 35-22 lead at halftime.
A layup from Bandurick at the 7:26 mark of the third quarter capped a 7-0 run and gave Kelly a 42-22 lead, their biggest of the game. Royal slowly started to chip away at the huge deficit, closing within 15, 48-33 heading into the final quarter.
Gordon opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a three-point basket, pulling Royal within 12, 48-36.
Kelly’s Sydney Blum then scored the next three baskets, pushing the lead back to 19, 55-36. Royal would come no closer than 13 points, the final margins of the game, 59-46.
Purple 83, Pink 49
Purple jumped out to a big lead early and led wire-to-wire as they cruised to an 83-49 win I the most lopsided game of the night.
Rachel Conran had 18 points to lead Purple, a.k.a. West Chester University.
Michelle Kozicki and Brianna Selzer added 15 and 11 points apiece.
The Pink team, made up entirely of college graduates, mostly from Chestnut Hill College and the now defunct University of the Sciences, placed two in double figures led recent CHC grad Lauren Crim’s 15 points.
Vanessa Amsinger, a 2021 graduate of Colorado College, added ten points.
Purple was up 13-2 midway through the first quarter and pushed the lead to 21-6 by quarter’s end.
Pink continued to struggle to connect as the second quarter progressed as Purple opened up a 44-22 lead at the half.
Conran’s three-ball to close out the third quarter pushed the Purple lead over 30 for the first time at 69-37.
Pink would not get their deficit under 30 points the rest of the way as Purple finished with a 34-point victory 83-49.
Standings (Thru Wed., June 14)
Team W L Pct. GB PF PA
Black 1 0 1.000 — 71 68
Kelly Green 1 0 1.000 — 59 46
Purple 1 0 1.000 — 83 49
Red 1 0 1.000 — 60 48
Sun 0 0 .000 0.5 00 00
Sky Blue 0 1 .000 1 68 71
Pink 0 1 .000 1 49 83
Royal Blue 0 1 .000 1 46 59
Maroon 0 1 .000 1 48 60
Players Scoring 20 or More Points
22-Haley Meinel, Black, (W-OT) vs. Sky Blue, June 13
20-Cassie Murphy, Black (W-OT), vs. Sky Blue, June 13
20-Ava Morrow, Sky Blue (L-OT), vs. Black, June 13
Running Results/Advance Schedule
Tuesday, June 13
Black (Jefferson) 71, Sky Blue 68 (Holy Family), ovt.
Kelly Green (Draft-1) 59, Royal Blue (Cabrini) 46
Purple (West Chester) 83, Pink (Draft-2) 49
Red (Chestnut Hill) 60, Maroon (Arcadia) 48
Bye – Sun (Draft-3)
Thursday, June 15
Early Games (6:30 p.m.)
Court 1: Purple (1-0) vs. Maroon (0-1)
Court 2: Royal Blue (0-1) vs. Black (1-0)
Late Games (7:45 p.m.)
Court 1: Red (1-0) vs. Kelly Green (1-0)
Court 2: Sky Blue (0-1) vs. Sun (0-0)
Bye: Pink
Tuesday, June 20
Early Games (6:30 p.m.)
Court 1: Kelly Green vs. Sun
Court 2: Pink vs. Royal
Late Games (7:45 p.m.)
Court 1: Maroon vs. Sky
Court 2: Purple vs. Red
Bye: Black
Thursday, June 22
Early Games (6:30 p.m.)
Court 1: Red vs. Pink
Court 2: Sky Blue vs. Kelly Green
Late Games (7:45 p.m.)
Court 1: Royal Blue vs. Maroon
Court 2: Sun vs. Black
Bye: Purple
Tuesday, June 27
Early Games (6:30 p.m.)
Court 1: Maroon vs. Black
Court 2: Sky Blue vs. Purple
Late Games (7:45 p.m.)
Court 1: Sun vs. Pink
Court 2: Red vs. Royal Blue
Bye: Kelly Green
Thursday, June 29
Early Games (6:30 p.m.)
Court 1: Royal Blue vs. Purple
Court 2: Sun vs. Maroon
Late Games (7:45 p.m.)
Court 1: Sky Blue vs. Pink
Court 2: Black vs. Kelly Green
Bye: Red
Tuesday, July 4
Dark (Holiday Week)
Thursday, July 6
Dark (Holiday Week)
Tuesday, July 11
Early Games (6:30 p.m.)
Court 1: Pink vs. Kelly Green
Court 2: Sun vs. Red
Late Games (7:45 p.m.)
Court 1: Purple vs. Black
Court 2: Sky Blue vs. Royal Blue
Bye: Maroon
Thursday, July 13
Early Games (6:30 p.m.)
Court 1: Sky Blue vs. Red
Court 2: Black vs. Pink
Late Games (7:45 p.m.)
Court 1: Sun vs. Purple
Court 2: Kelly Green vs. Maroon
Bye: Royal Blue
Tuesday, July 18 (Regular Season Ends)
Early Games (6:30 p.m.)
Court 1: Sun vs. Royal Blue
Court 2: Maroon vs Pink
Late Games (7:45 p.m.)
Court 1: Black vs. Red
Court 2: Maroon vs. Pink
Bye: Sky Blue
Playoffs
Thursday, July 20
Play-In Round
7 pm.
Court 1: 8th seed vs. 9th seed (Winner advances)
Tuesday, July 25th
Quarterfinals
Early Games (6:30 p.m.)
Court 1: 1-seed vs 8-9 winner
Court 2: 3-seed vs. 6-seed
Late Games (7:45 p.m.)
Court 1: 2-seed vs. 7-seed
Court 2: 4-seed vs. 5-seed
Thursday, July 27
Semifinals
Early Game (6:30 p.m.)
Court 1: Highest Advancing Seed vs. Lowest Advancing Seed
Late Game (7:45 p.m.)
Court 2: Other Advancing Seeds Meet
Tuesday, August 1
Championship (7 p.m.)
Court 1: Semifinal Winners Meet
Season Seed Tracker
Codes: BK – Black; KG – Kelly Green; MR-Maroon; PK- Pink; PU-Purple; RD-Red; RB-Royal Blue; SB-Sky Blue; SU-Sun
Black (D2-Jefferson) 1-0: vs. W-SB (OT); vs. RB; vs. SU; vs. MR; vs. KG; vs. PU; vs. PK; vs. RD
Kelly Green (Draft-1) 1-0 vs. W-RB; vs. RD; vs. SU; vs. SB; vs. BK; vs. PK; vs. MR; vs. PU
Purple (D2-West Chester) 1-0: vs. W-PK; vs. MR; vs. RD; vs. SB; vs. RB; vs. BK; vs. SU; vs. KG
Red (D2-Chestnut Hill) 1-0: vs. W-MR; vs. KG; vs. PU; vs. PK; vs. RB; vs. SU; vs. SB; vs. BK
Sun (Draft-3): Bye; vs. SB; vs. KG; vs. BK; vs. PK; vs. MR; vs. RD; vs. PU; vs. RB
Maroon (D3-Arcadia) 0-1 vs. L-RD; vs. PU; vs. SB; vs. RB; vs. BK; vs. SU; vs. KG; vs. PK
Pink (Draft-2) 0-1 vs. L-PU: vs. RB; vs. RD; vs. SU; vs SB; vs. KG; vs. BK; vs. MR
Royal Blue (D3-Cabrini) 0-1: vs. L-KG; vs. BK; vs. PK; vs. MR; vs. RD; vs. PU; vs. SB; vs. SU
Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family) 0-1: vs. L-BK (OT); vs. SU; vs. MR; vs. KG; vs. PU; vs. PK; vs. RB; vs. RD
posted by Mel Greenberg | 12:32 AM
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