Shining Stars: Best girls basketball performances from playoffs & close of regular season
The regular season came to a close last week, with league playoffs beginning for many teams. Whether they gave it their all to finish the season strong, or led their teams to postseason wins, these standout players put up superstar performances. Check out the best girls basketball performances from the week of Feb. 5.
Top 10 Playoff Performances
Reese Zemitis, Neshaminy
The senior and career leading scorer for Neshaminy had an all-time performance in the SOL semifinals, pouring in 26 points (along with six rebounds and two blocks) and accounting for all five of the team’s first-quarter points. She had 10 points in the second quarter, as Neshaminy outscored North Penn 21-4 en route to the win.
Ava Irizarry, Neshaminy
The senior’s defense was a huge factor in a game-changing second quarter for Neshaminy, as they outscored North Penn 21-4 to take a lead they would hold until the end in the SOL semifinal win. Irizarry also sank two 3-pointers in the frame, finishing with 10 points.
Caleigh Sperling, North Penn
Sperling went 8-for-8 from the free throw line and scored the go-ahead 3-pointer to seal the win for the Knights against Pennsbury in the SOL quarterfinals. She finished with a team-high 15 points, and also led the Knights with 13 points in a semifinal loss to Neshaminy.
Lily Brown, North Penn
The freshman had an impressive playoff debut, scoring 11 points in the Knights’ SOL quarterfinal win.
Sofia Vitucci, Pennsbury
The senior put up an impressive effort in the Falcons’ SOL quarterfinal game, scoring a game-high 21 points. She accounted for half of the Falcons’ 42 points in a close loss to North Penn.
Lola Ibarrondo, Neshaminy
The senior had one of her best games of the season in the quarterfinal round of the SOL Tournament, scoring a season-high 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, along with five assists and two blocks, to lead Neshaminy to the win over Abington. In Neshaminy’s semifinal victory over North Penn, she tallied 10 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
Ashlynn Duffy, Neshaminy
The freshman sank a trio of three-pointers and dished three assists in an impressive effort in Neshaminy’s SOL quarterfinal win.
Anna Barry, CB East
Barry led the Patriots with 15 points in a win over Lower Moreland in the SOL quarterfinals; she had a team-high 14 points in the semifinals, in a close loss to top-seeded Upper Dublin.
Emilia Coleman, Gwynedd Mercy
The sophomore was dealing in the AACA semifinal, pouring in 23 points to lead the Monarchs over Villa Joseph Marie and into the AACA title game for the fourth straight season.
Ava Gumienny, Villa Joseph Marie
She led the Jems with 17 points in the AACA semifinals, though VJM ultimately fell to Gwynedd Mercy.
Girls Basketball: It's Playoff Time! See matchups, scores and recaps from league tournaments
Top Performances from the final week of the regular season:
Izzy Casey, Germantown Academy
With the game tied and the clock down to 0.5 seconds, Casey hit a free throw to give the Patriots a 63-62 win over Penn Charter. She finished with a team high 17 points, with the win giving the Patriots a share of the Inter-Ac title for the first time since 2020. Monday’s games will decide whether they have sole possession or a share with Notre Dame and/or PC.
Nina Meixler, New Hope-Solebury
She had a game-high 12 points while also creating scoring chances for her teammates as the Lions closed the regular season with a big win over Upper Moreland.
Avery Kocur, William Tennent
The sophomore led all scorers with 16 points in a close loss to Lower Moreland.
Scarlett Baumgardner, CB West
The sophomore led the way with 13 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, to lead the Bucks to a win over Souderton.
Mia Klein, CB South
Klein poured in 15 points in the first half, on her way to a game-high 19 in a win over Pennridge.
Ella Brown, Pennridge
The junior closed out the season with a strong 19-point outing in a narrow loss to CB South.
Caleigh Sperling, North Penn
The high-scoring senior had 19 points to lead the Knights to a win over CB East in a battle between the top teams in the SOL Colonial.
Sofia Vitucci, Pennsbury
The senior standout connected on eight fourth-quarter free throws, finishing with a game-high 23 points, to lead the Falcons over CR North in a close game. She had 25 points in a win over George School to complete the regular season.
Layla Matthias, Pennsbury
The senior grabbed 13 reounds, including the 500th of her career, in a win over George School.
Alena Cofield, Neshaminy
Cofield had six rebounds, five steals, three assists and one block to lead Neshminy’s defensive efforts in a win against Bensalem.
Grace McDonough, Lansdale Catholic
The junior was dominant on both ends of the court, scoring 29 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in a huge win over Neumann-Goretti that helped the Crusaders move to No. 4 in the PCL standings.
Katie Purpura, CR South
She had a dominant night on the glass, grabbing 17 rebounds while scoring six points in a win over neighborhood rival Villa Joseph Marie.
Izzy Elizondo, New Hope-Solebury
The junior had a game-high 21 points, though the Lions were edged by Abington.
Piper McGinley, Abington
She scored a game-high 18 points, along with six rebounds and three assists, in a win over New Hope-Solebury.
Zyn McClain, Abington
The freshman pulled down 12 rebounds and scored six points off the bench in the Ghosts’ regular season finale win.
Ava Irizarry, Neshaminy
The senior scored a season-high 13 points to help Neshaminy secure a 46-32 win over Bensalem, ending a seven-game winning streak for the Owls.
Lauren Greer, Archbishop Wood
The senior posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, along with five assists, in a win over Archbishop Ryan.
Makayla Finnegan, Archbishop Wood
The freshman had a season-high 16 points in a win over Little Flower.
Lily Hansen, Upper Moreland
The junior scored 18 of her team’s 39 points in a win over Hatboro-Horsham.
Emily Ladley, CB West
The junior had a team-high 15 points to lead the Bucks in an upset of Bensalem to close out the season.
Brianna Jackson, Conwell-Egan
The freshman led the Eagles in scoring (11 points), rebounds (5) and steals (3) against Archbishop Carroll.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Girls Basketball: Top performances in regular season, playoffs
