Unbeaten Abington blows past Pennsbury
A bad half happens every now and then.
For Pennsbury, it looked as if the stage was set for a thriller of a second half in its annual home tilt with Suburban One League (SOL) National Conference rival Abington Jan. 11. The two sTuDGs wHrH EDWWOLnJ IRr firsW place as the only remaining unbeatens in league play, and with the duel all squared at 24, apiece when intermission came, the Falcons were in position for a signature victory.
Those hopes, however, did not last very long. With the game tied at 26, Abington exploded with an 11-0 run fueled by pressure-packed defense and transition opportunities. Pennsbury never recovered, as they registered just 12 points in the finDO 16 PLnuWHs DnG IHOO Ey a 60-36 score.
“Their defensive pressure led to some easy baskets,” Falcons coach Donna Nich- olson said about Abington. “It seemed like everything went right for them in the second half.”
Conversely, there were few positives to come out of 3HnnsEury’s SODy Ln WKH finDO quarters. Offensively, the Falcons shot just six-of-26 IrRP WKH flRRr DnG JDvH the ball away 13 times, 10 of which came in the third quarter. Those numbers led to a 12-point half with no 3-pointers or free throw attempts.
The Abington defense had a lot to do with those numbers, however. The Ghosts turned to a more aggressive and attacking style in the third period and the Falcons proved to lack the ability to break the pressure. Pennsbury point guard Courtney Kruscavage was held scoreless in that quarter and made just one basket in the second half. Sophomore Taylor Ferguson, who comes off the bench to play the point, was held without a shot attempt.
Even more impressively for Abington, the Falcons outstanding 5-11 junior guard forward, Sajanna Bethea, was frustrated by the Ghosts’ suffocating defense. Led by Deja Rawls, Michael Harris and guards Sammy Lochner and Gabby Nolan, Abington got Bethea out of her normal rhythm and kept her driving ability to a minimum. She scored just six points by game’s end DnG wDs sKuW RuW Ln WKH firsW half. The pressure allowed KHr WR finG RSHn WHDPPDWHs in the opening quarters, but in the second half, the Ghosts turned several of her pass attempts into turnovers.
Offensively, Abington shot 40 percent from the flRRr DnG PDGH fivH 3-SRLnWers in the win. Even while giving up several open shots and missing on several close-range attempts of WKHLr Rwn Ln WKH firsW KDOI, the Ghosts did not commit a turnover. That helped them stay even with the Falcons until their speed and pressure took over. Lochner led the way with 17 points, while Rawls had 13 and Harris 11 more. Nolan also hit a trio of 3-pointers.
“She’s our everything player,” Nicholson praised about Bethea. “She was getting the ball to the open players and we were knockLnJ GRwn sKRWs Ln WKH firsW half.”
Indeed, there was plenty to be excited about in the firsW TuDrWHr, Ds .rusFDvDJH sFRrHG KHr RWKHr fivH SRLnWs and helped the Falcons build an early advantage. Pennsbury held the lead by quarter’s end and for much of WKH firsW KDOI EHIRrH AELnJton started picking things up offensively to tie the game. Things went back and fourth from there before ultimately winding up even at the half.
Junior guard Kaitlin Kelly also got off to a good start, as she buried one of the Falcons’ two 3-pointers in the firsW KDOI DnG sFRrHG sHvHn in that time frame. Like the rest of the team, though, she was also shut down in the second half and was unable to score again.
“We lost steam. We had too many turnovers, too,” Kovin said. “We had trouble getting up the court.”
On a frustrating night, Kovin led Pennsbury with 10 points, several of which came off of rebounds and
second-chance attempts. She will be turned to even more in the second half of the season after classmate and fellow frontcourt starter, Jae Jackson, went down with a leg injury earlier in the week. Her status for the remainder of the season remained unclear as of Friday, according to Nicholson, but her absence makes Kovin the tallest player (6-1) remaining on the team.
“We all know we have to step up,” Kovin said. In a Falcons duel with Truman -Dn. 8, WKH firsW wLWKouW -DFNson, Kovin delivered nine points to help Pennsbury cruise to a 65-32 victory.
“I just have to start get- ting myself more in shape,” she continued. “I just have to work harder on my rebounding and keep up my good work.”
One good sign for the Falcons is their bench and balance, as senior forward Alexa Lucas and junior guard Farryl Groder both had solid games recently. If they, the starters and other reserves such as senior forward Catherine Silvernail (two points against Abington), junior guard Sarah McDonald and junior forward Emily Edwards can contribute more, Pennsbury has the ability to minimize the loss of Jackson for however long it may be.
At 8-3 overall and 4-1 in the SOL National, the Falcons are still in good shape. A big game looms Jan. 15 at Neshaminy, which Pennsbury is currently tied for second with in league play. Following that will be another road trip to Bensalem Jan. 18 and a visit to Central Bucks West the following day. ***