Sebold Stays Hot at the Line as 5-Seed Pink (Draft Team-2) Gains Three-Peat in Third Playoff Upset Downing 2-Seed Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family) in Philly Women’s Summer League
By Bob Heller and Mel Greenberg @womhoops.com
HATBORO, Pa. – In one of the more amazing outcomes in the long history of the Philadelphia/Suburban Women’s Summer Basketball League championship games, five-seed Pink (Draft Team-2) made it a three-peat completing a revenge-playoff run Tuesday night upsetting two-seed Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family) 65-56 at Kelly Bolish Gym, home of the AAU Renegades.
The game was live streamed for the second straight year on Ari Bluestein’s Sports Fan Based Network, Luke Nichols returning on the call.
Repeating the closing act she had done in the semifinals Thursday when she was 13-of-14 from the line in the last two minutes in the 71-60 upset shocker of top seed and previously unbeaten Team Black (D2-Jefferson), this time Chestnut Hill’22 grad Cassie Sebold by way of Archbishop Wood was 11-of-12 in the final three minutes as Pink ended what had been a nine-game win streak by the Tigers.
Holy Family’s sole loss was in the season-opener, falling in overtime as a winning rally was completed by Jefferson, a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Southern Division rival in the winter.
Sebold finished the title game with a team high 23 points. She scored 55 points in Pink’s three playoff wins (18.3/game) with a 31-for-34 effort from the free throw line in the three contests.
Fellow CHC alum Abbey Spratt added nine points as did USciences alum Taylor Hamm, who averaged 12 points per game in the three contests.
Sky Blue was paced by Anujin Dashdorj, who sank six three-point baskets and finished with 24 points. Syler Searfoss added nine points in the losing effort.
The teams were tied for the ninth time in what had been a back-and-forth contest going into the final 10-minute fourth quarter, the score knotted by Kate Connelly’s (Drexel ’22) putback that evened things at 45-45.
Hamm opened the fourth quarter with a free throw and Lauren Crim (Chestnut Hill ’23) added a basket to give Pink a three-point lead 48-45.
Two minutes later Ava Morrow tied the score at 48-48 with a free throw at the 6:39 mark.
Pink scored the next four points with Spratt making two free throws and Sebold a long jumper to lead 52-48 with 4:13 left, forcing a Sky Blue timeout.
Sebold’s basket was Pink’s last of the game as they proceeded to make eight trips to the free throw line over the final 2:53, starting with four straight connections from Sebold to complete an 8-0 run to take a 56-48 lead with 1:52 left.
Dashdorj then made her fifth three of the game to cut the lead to 56-51.
Three more Pink free throws pushed the lead back to eight before Taylor Hinkle made a spectacular shot while falling to the floor to close the lead to six 59-53 with 45 seconds remaining.
Pink then secured the win with six more free throws, outscoring Sky Blue 6-3 over the final 45 seconds to secure the alumni team’s third consecutive championship.
Seven ties and six lead changes highlighted the first two quarters with a Searfoss basket putting Sky up 30-29 with three minutes left in the quarter.
Pink countered with an 11-3 spurt to close off the half and take their biggest lead at the time 40-33. A Lexie Edwards (Cabrini’21) three-point basket and a buzzer beating layup from Hamm highlighted the final run of the quarter.
Sky Blue used an 11-0 run in the third quarter to retake the lead 45-43 after falling behind by nine.
Jessica Riepe started the run with a pair of free throws followed by baskets from Searfoss and Morrow.
Dashdorj then sank a three-ball to tie the game and Hinkle added a basket to put Sky Blue back on top.
Sky Blue had outscored Pink 12-3 in the period until Connolly made the basket as time was expiring to tie the game for the ninth time as both teams headed into the final ten-minute quarter which Pink dominated as they pulled away for the win.
Pink is one of the three draft teams in the nine-team league with a mix of players, this one dominated by graduates, though this summer, even with eight of 11 together from last year, the overall group is not the same as the past stars of the former USciences bunch that captured the previous two crowns.
USciences merged with D-1 Saint Joseph’s several seasons ago, the athletic program a casualty of the move.
Holy Family won the 2019 crown, and the league was idle the summer of 2020 during the height of the Covid pandemic.
“It’s amazing, these women don’t pick up a basketball for 10 months and they keep coming here doing this,” said one fan with the Pink squad.
Pink went 4-4 on this summer’s eight-game schedule, losing to the top four seeds, though Tuesday was the first time the entire team was available opposed to nights players had other commitments.
The paybacks began in last Tuesday’s quarterfinals with a 63-52 triumph when Pink ousted four-seed Red (D2-Chestnut Hill).
Holy Family had easily won the season’s regular meeting 67-51 against Pink on June 29th before the league went dark the following week for the July 4th holiday.
Next summer will be the 30th-anniversary running the league by Commissioner David Kessler
2023 CHAMPIONS - TEAM PINK – DRAFT TEAM 2
4 SHANNON MAY 5’4 ARCHBISHOP WOOD/USCIENCES ‘22
5 IRISA YE 5’8 NORTH PENN/U SCIENCES ‘21
10 ERIN MORGAN 5’8 ARCHBISHOP WOOD/LaSALLE ‘22
11 LAUREN CRIM 5’5 LANSDALE CATHOLIC/CHESTNUT HILL ‘23
12 LEXIE EDWARDS 5’10 ARCHBISHOP WOOD & C.B. SOUTH/CABRINI ‘21
13 ABIGAIL SPRATT 5’7 C.B. WEST/CHESTNUT HILL ‘22
14 VANESSA AMSINGER 5’10 MONTCLAIR KIMBERLEY/COLORADO COLLEGE ‘21
15 JEN KREMP 5’9 JENKINTOWN/U SCIENCES ‘22
20 KATE CONNOLLY 6’1 DREXEL U. ‘23
21 CASSIE SEBOLD 5’5 ARCHBISHOP WOOD/CHESTNUT HILL ‘22
22 TAYLOR HAMM 6’ PERKIOMEN/U SCIENCES ‘22
Final Regular Season Standings (Thru ., Tues., July 18)
Team W L Pct. GB PF PA
XS-Black 8 0 1.000 — 470 365
F-Sky Blue 7 1 .875 1 517 412
S-Purple 6 2 .750 2 594 474
Q-Red 5 3 .625 3 451 446
C-Pink 4 4 .500 4 409 455
Q-Kelly Green 3 5 .375 5 361 374
Q-Royal Blue 2 6 .250 6 413 496
Maroon 1 7 .125 7 367 429
Q-Sun 0 8 .000 8 351 421
X-Clinched top seed; Q-quarterfinalist; S-semifinalist; F-Finalist; C-champion
Players Scoring 20 or More Points
29-Cassie Murphy, Black, W, vs. Royal Blue, June 15
25-Leah Johnson, Purple, L, vs. Sky Blue, Sems, July 27
24- Anujin Dashdorj, Sky Blue, L, vs. Pink, Championship, August 1
24-Alexa Abbonizio, Purple, W, vs. Kelly Green, July 18
23-Cassie Sebold, Pink, W, vs. Sky Blue, Championship, August 1
23-Michelle Kozicki, Purple, W, vs. Maroon, June 15
22-Cassie Seybold, Pink, W, vs. Black, Sems, July 27
22-Anna McTamney, Purple, W, vs. Royal Blue, June 29
21-Taylor Hamm, Pink, W, vs. Maroon, July 18
20-Miranda Liebtag, Royal Blue, W, vs. Sun, July 18
20-Ava Morrow, Sky Blue, W, vs. Pink, June 29
20-Sam Yencha, Black, W, vs. Maroon, June 27
20-Bridie McCann, Red, W, vs. Royal Blue, June 27
20-Taylor Hamm, Pink, W, vs. Sun, June 27
20-Valerie McGriff, Purple, W, vs. Maroon, June 15
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
Season Running Results from Playoffs Thru June 13
Playoffs
Tuesday, August 1
Championship
(Live Stream-Sports Fan Based Network)
5-Seed Pink (Draft Team-2), 65, 2-Seed Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family) 56
Thursday, July 27
Semifinals
5-Seed Pink (Draft Team-2) 71, 1-Pink (Jefferson) 60
2-Seed Sky Blue (Holy Family) 67, 3-Seed Purple (West Chester) 51
Tuesday, July 25th
Quarterfinals
1-Seed/Black (Jefferson) 60, 9-Seed/Sun (Draft Team-3) 58
2-Seed Sky Blue (Holy Family) 79, 7-Seed/Royal Blue (Cabrini) 42
3-Seed/Purple (West Chester) 59, 6-Seed/Kelly Green (Draft Team-1) 53
5-Seed/Pink (Draft Team-2) 63, 4-Seed/Red (Chestnut Hill) 52
Thursday, July 20
Play-In Round
9-Sun (Draft Team 3) 57, 8-Maroon (D3-Arcadia) 49 ||
Tuesday, July 18 (Regular Season Ends)
Royal Blue (D3-Cabrini) 56, Sun (Draft Team-3) 51
Black (D2-Jefferson) 72, Red (D2-Chestnut Hill 41
Purple (D2-West Chester) 67, Kelly Green (Draft Team-1) 66
Pink (Draft Team-2) 72, Maroon (D3-Arcadia) 49
Bye: Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family) (7-1)
Thursday, July 13
Black (Jefferson) 58, Pink (Draft Team-2) 38
Sky Blue (Holy Family) 62, Red (Chestnut Hill) 43
Purple (West Chester) 79, Sun (Draft Team-3) 59
Kelly Green (Draft Team-1) 2, Maroon (Arcadia) 0, forfeit
Tuesday, July 11
Red (Chestnut Hill) 51, Sun (Draft Team-3) 50
Pink (Draft Team-2) 40, Kelly Green (Draft Team-1) 37
Black (Jefferson) 65, Purple (West Chester) 62
Sky Blue (Holy Family) 80, Royal Blue (Cabrini) 45
Bye: Maroon (Arcadia)
Tuesday, July 4/Thursday July 6
Dark (Holiday Week)
Thursday, June 29
Purple (West Chester) 84, Royal Blue (Cabrini) 55
Maroon (Arcadia) 58, Sun (Draft Team-3) 55
Black (Jefferson) 55, Kelly Green (Draft Team-1) 43
Sky Blue (Holy Family) 67, Pink (Draft Team-2) 51
Bye: Red (4-1)
Tuesday, June 27
Sky Blue (Holy Family) 70, Purple (West Chester) 63
Black (Jefferson) 83, Maroon (Arcadia) 52
Pink (Draft Team-2) 59, Sun (Draft Team-3) 52
Red (Chestnut Hill) 61, Royal Blue (Cabrini) 47
Bye: Kelly Green (2-2)
Thursday, June 22
Black (Jefferson) 2, Sun (Draft Team-3) 0, forfeit
Red (Chestnut Hill) 67, Pink (Draft Team-2) 51
Royal Blue (Cabrini) 61, Maroon (Arcadia) 48
Sky Blue (Holy Family) 50, Kelly Green (Draft Team-1) 41
Bye: Purple (3-0)
Tuesday, June 20
Purple (West Chester) 62, Red (Chestnut Hill) 52
Pink (Draft Team – 2) 49, Royal Blue (Cabrini) 42
Kelly Green (Draft Team -1) 59, Sun (Draft Team – 3) 40
Sky Blue (Holy Family) 63, Maroon (Arcadia) 54
Bye: Black (Jefferson)
Thursday, June 15
Black (Jefferson) 64, Royal Blue (Cabrini) 61
Red (Chestnut Hill) 76, Kelly Green (Draft Team-1) 54
Sky Blue (Holy Family) 57, Sun (Draft Team-3) 44
Purple (West Chester) 94, Maroon (Arcadia) 58
Bye: Pink
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)
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; FW – Forfeit Win; FL-Forfeit Loss
*Black (D2-Jeff) 8-0: W-SB (OT); W-RB; Bye; FW-SU; vs. W-MR; vs. W-KG; vs. W-PU; vs. W-PK; vs. W-RD
Sky Blue (D2-Holy Fam) 7-1: L-BK (OT); W-SU; W-MR; W-KG; vs. W-PU; vs. W-PK; vs. W-RB; vs. W-RD; Bye
Purple (D2-West Chester) 6-2: W-PK; W-MR; W-RD; Bye; vs. L-SB; vs. W-RB; vs. L-BK; vs. SU; vs. W-KG
Red (D2-Chestnut Hill) 5-3: W-MR; W-KG; L-PU; W-PK; vs. W-RB; Bye; vs. W-SU; vs. L-SB; vs. L-BK
Pink (Draft-2) 4-4: L-PU: Bye, W-RB; L-RD; vs. W-SU; L-SB; vs. W-KG; vs. L-BK; vs. W-MR
Kelly Green (Draft-1) 3-5: W-RB; L-RD; W-SU; L-SB; Bye; vs. L-BK; vs. L-PK; vs. FW-MR; vs. L-PU
Royal Blue (D3-Cabrini) 2-6: L-KG; L-BK; L-PK; W-MR; vs. L-RD; vs. L-PU; vs. L-SB; Bye; vs. W-SU
Maroon (D3-Arcadia) 1-7: L-RD; L-PU; L-SB; L-RB; vs. L-BK; vs. W-SU; Bye; vs. FL-KG; vs. L-PK
Sun (Draft-3) 0-8: Bye; L-SB; L-KG; FL-BK; vs. L-PK; vs. L-MR; vs. L-RD; vs. L-PU; vs. L-RB
*-Clinched Top Seed
posted by Mel Greenberg | 1:30 AM
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