Category Archives: Quakertown

December 27, 2019 · 11:35 pm

Zac Gula (20 points) leads Northampton by Quakertown 82-55 in Salisbury tourney opener

Zac Gula (22) in for two of his twenty points

Zac Gula – gave Northampton points at the end of three different quarters

(Allentown PA) Zac Gula (20 points) made the end of the first three quarters a personal showcase and led Northampton to an 82-55 win over Quakertown on Friday night at Salisbury High School.

The victory puts the Konkrete Kids (5-2) into the Salisbury Holiday Tournament finals tomorrow.

Northampton will be looking to win the tournament for the third straight year.

Quakertown (0-7) came out with plenty of energy and made shots. The Panthers were in a tie game (19-19) three minutes into the second quarter.

“We hadn’t played a game for a week,” said Northampton coach Coy Stampone. “I wasn’t sure how we’d start out.”

The Kids came out missing and had to change their approach on offense.

“We started to go inside to score points,” explained Coach Stampone. “When they doubled, we kicked it outside and got shots in rhythm. I was pleased with the way we adjusted.”

Junior Jon Altomare (6-6) was the key force inside for Northampton and had nine first-half points.

Jack Gordon (11) and Spencer Cole (1)

Senior Zac Gula was a marvel at the end of each of the first three periods. Zac ended up with twenty points but sixteen of them came within the last minute of each of those quarters.

First quarter? Converted a rebound and hit a runner in the lane.

Second quarter? Scored on a drive. Scored on a drive + one. Hit a fall-away three.

Third quarter? Scored on two drives.

These were all within in the last minute of each of those quarters!

Zac didn’t reference his last-minute heroics when I talked with him after the game. “We started out slow and picked it up,” said Zac. “We scored a lot of points. I’m excited about the way this season is going.”

Matt Catalano (12 points)

Matt Catalino (12 points), Kayden Roley (12 points), and Jake Hallowell (10 points) led the Panthers’ scorers.

Matt’s three from the left earned Q’Town a 19-19 tie three minutes into the 2^nd quarter.

The Konkrete Kids took the lead for good, 21-19, on a Jon Altomare layup in close.

The Panthers’ deficit was only four (27-23) after a Luke Bauer layin. But then Zac Gula went off for eight unanswered points in the last minute and Northampton had a 35-23 halftime lead.

The margin reached twenty-one (58-37) in the third quarter. Sophomore Isaac Harris (17 points) led the Kids with nine points in that frame.

“We’ve got great senior leadership,” said Coach Stampone. “A bad quarter isn’t going to rattle them.”

Northampton is from the East Penn Conference while Quakertown is in the Suburban One League.

The best play of the game may have been a 4^th quarter save Quakertown’s Luke Bauer made. Not only did the junior keep the ball from going out but he also flipped the ball in to teammate Kayden Roley who made a layup. Luke ended up out-of-sight behind the Quakertown bench. Good hustle!

Luke Bauer

Northampton coach Coy Stampone

The Kids were in the district championship game two years ago.

Coach Stampone: “Our defense tonight eventually transitioned into some pretty good offense. When we get stops, rebound, and transition, I like our game.”

Northampton box

Quakertown box

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Spencer Cole (1) and Luke Bauer (23)

Ball on the floor

Donte Rodriguez

Isaac Harris (17 points)

Isaac Harris (24) and Matt Catalano (1)

Jake Christman passes

Jake Hallowell (12) shoots

Jon Altomare (9 points)

Kayden Roley (3) shoots over Isaiah Tyler

Kayden Roley (12 points)

Matt Catalano shoots a three

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Filed under Northampton, Quakertown

Tagged as Isaac Harris, Jake Hallowell, Kayden Roley, Matt Catalano, Zac Gula

December 29, 2014 · 11:01 pm

William Tennent downs Palisades 66-52 to win Q’Town Holiday Tournament

William Tennent – 2014 Quakertown Holiday Tournament champs

Karlee Krchnavi (31 points for Palisades)

(Quakertown PA) What a second half!

William Tennent poured in forty-six points in the second half and defeated Palisades, 66-52, on Monday night to win the Quakertown Holiday Tournament.

Led by Karlee Krchnavi (31 points), the Pirates of the Colonial League East had a ten-point lead (18-8) in the first quarter and still led by three (23-20) at halftime.

But the Panthers (6-4) began running points together in the second quarter and after putting up ten unanswered points erased a 23-17 deficit two minutes into the third quarter.

The Pirates (3-4) responded with a Karlee Krchnavi 3-pointer and two free throws by Lizzie Sessinger to regain the lead, 28-26, at 5:24 of the third period. Anyone’s game at this point.

The next 3 1/2 minutes were all Tennent and it wasn’t just the fifteen-point run they put together. It was the defense on 5-11 Karlee Krchnavi that keyed the game-deciding separation. Several Panthers, led by Angie Pomponio, played denial defense on Karlee and it worked. Karlee’s touches were limited while Tennent was able to turn Palisades pressure into good looks down the other end.

Angie Pomponio (23 points) led a strong Tennent second half

Angie Pomponio (23 points) paced the team from Warminster with two 3’s, and tightly defended drives to the hoop. Karlee did reject one of Angie’s drives to the basket.

Kyla Gibson (20 points) tallied fourteen in the second half and was on the money end of several nice passes from Alyssa Christiansen. Kyla also connected on two 3’s.

Three of Tennent’s six three’s came during the 15-point breakaway segment. The Panthers from the Suburban One Conference finished the scoring surge up, 41-28, with two minutes left in the third quarter. The team from Kintnersville never recovered.

Karlee collected ten of her thirty-one points in the final four minutes of the game but the Panthers cashed 10-of-12 free throws in the end game to maintain separation and win the championship.

Angie Pomponio was injured early in the third quarter but returned later.

Kyla Gibson (20 points) showed plenty of speed and defense in the Tennent win

Both Alyssa Christiansen and Kyla Gibson fouled out.

During the 15-point, game-decider PHS coach Dean Reiman pulled his five starters for a minute or so.

The game was played at the Strayer Middle School in Quakertown.

I saw Tennent defeat Quakertown for the title in 2012 and Palisades defeat Q’Town for the title in 2011. I believe Palisades won the title last year.

Unofficially, Tennent had sixteen turnovers while Palisades had twenty.

Karlee Krchnavi turned six rebounds into baskets.

William Tennent box

Palisades box

(All of the pictures above and below enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Mine!

Denial defense on Karlee Krchnavi

Five starters return for Palisades

Angie Pomponio runs into 5-11 shot blocker Karlee Krchnavi

Kayla Reed

Alyssa Christiansen dribbles

Karlee Krachnavi elevates

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Filed under Palisades, Quakertown, William Tennent

Tagged as Alyssa Christiansen, Angie Pomponio, Karlee Krchnavi, Kyla Gibson

December 28, 2012 · 11:27 pm

William Tennent girls defeat Quakertown 56-31 to take Quakertown Christmas Tournament title

William Tennent – Quakertown Christmas Tournament champs

Nikki Alden (14 points) beats Taylor Herd on inbounds play

(Quakertown) William Tennent (6-2) pulled away from Quakertown in the second half and won the Quakertown Christmas Tournament, 56-31, on Friday night.

(Both girls teams are the Lady Panthers so I will refrain from using the name.)

Quakertown (2-6) trailed just 23-17 at the half but the visitors from Warminster put a 10-2 segment together in the first three minutes of the third quarter and never looked back.

Q’Town’s deficit was twelve (37-25) with two minutes to go in the third quarter. WT, however, scored all the points in the next 4 ½ minutes of playing time and this game became a 45-25 blowout with 5 ½ minutes left.

The rest of the game featured non-regular players. Quakertown was assessed a technical foul during this part of the game when they tried to use a player who wasn’t even listed in the scorebook. Trust me, this miscue had no bearing on the final outcome.

Allison Chadburn (12 points) on the break

Nikki Alden (14), Angie Pomponio (13), and Allison Chatburn (12) led William Tennent on the scoresheet. WT was very unselfish and there were plenty of eye-catching assists setting up high-percentage shots. Backdoor cuts and weak-side cuts caught Quakertown napping numerous times.

WT was also very effective on inbounds plays in their scoring end. Quakertown stuck with a man-to-man defense and WT screens led to layups.

Quakertown was impressive early on. They made three’s and actually led, 11-9, one minute into the second quarter. Freshman Taylor Herd had two long ones and senior Kathryne Vetter added another one. Unfortunately, those three 3’s would be the only ones the host team would get in the game, although quite a few others were launched.

tight Quakertown defense

When the outside game deserted Quakertown they were in big trouble against a team playing well on both ends of the court. WT took the lead for good, 12-11, on a three by Angie Pomponio. That would be WT’s only three.

William Tennent full-court pressure caused several pick-two’s. However, it was in the half-court that Quakertown was most effected by WT pressure. By my unofficial stats, WT forced twenty turnovers.

Ashlee Ruzicka (12 points) led Quakertown in scoring getting eight of them coming in the third quarter. She was a force inside but Q’Town had trouble getting the ball inside to her.

Ally Fenner shoots over Taylor Herd and Ashlee Ruzicka

WT separated from Q’Town with nine unanswered points in the second quarter. Baskets by Nikki Alden, Ally Fenner, and Allison Chatburn plus free throws by Nikki (two) and Ally (one) did the damage and turned a 14-13 close game into a ten-point (23-13) WT advantage.

The decisive surge in the third quarter, when WT pushed a 23-17 halftime lead to 33-19, was engineered by Nikki (layup and two free throws), Angie Pomponio (layup), and Allison (two baskets). This spurt turned out to be the one that Quakertown didn’t recover from.

I was impressed with the improvement of Quakertown from last season. The recovery from injury of Kathryne Vetter and the addition of freshman Taylor Herd have significantly upgraded Q’Town.

Credit the WT defense. They were well aware of both Kathryne and Taylor and there were very few good looks for either of them.

Ashlee Ruzicka (12 points) looks to the hoop

I recall seeing Ashlee Ruzicka last year playing with one knee brace. Now she has two.

I was impressed with the organization of WT on both ends of the court. The team concept was in play in both areas. Good shots for them and tough shots for Quakertown were the results.

Kathryne Vetter fouled out with over five minutes left. She was held to three points by WT after getting twenty-one points in the opening round of the tournament.

Most of the basketball games I see (Massachusetts) are played with a shot clock. There is no sitting back in PA games waiting for the shot clock to help you get the ball out of an opponent’s hands. Being able to create pressure and handle pressure are absolute musts in PA.

Who can you trust? The very fancy program given out at the game had William TennEnt spelled, “William TennAnt.”

William Tennent boxscore

Quakertown boxscore

(All of the pictures above and below enlarge significantly if you click on them.)

Brooke Alwine launches

Taylor Herd (21) heads for the hoop

Kathryne Vetter

Ally Fenner drives on Ashlee Ruzicka

Taylor Herd (9 points) tries to get past Alyssa Christiansen

Spenser Gray and Angie Pomponio (13 points)

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Filed under Quakertown, William Tennent

Tagged as Allison Chatburn, Ally Fenner, Alyssa Christiansen, Angie Pomponio, Ashlee Ruzicka, Kathryne Vetter, Nikki Alden, Quakertown Christmas Tournament, Taylor Herd

December 28, 2011 · 12:35 am

Palisades Routs Quakertown 49-26 With Strong Second Half in Girls Basketball Christmas Tourney

Ashlee Ruzicka (15) tries to deny pass to Joey Noonan.

Kirby Funt (41) fouls Brittany Taylor (33)

(Quakertown) Winless Palisades blew open a close game in the second half and decisively defeated Quakertown, 49-26, in the opening round of the Quakertown Christmas Girls Basketball Tourney on a rainy Tuesday night.

This game was hardly decided four minutes into the third quarter when two Ashlee Ruzicka free throws cut the Pirate advantage to, 25-21.

However, the next seven minutes stretching into the fourth period did in the Panthers. It sure didn’t help them to have three of their best players (Brittany Taylor, Katie Kelsall, and Monica Ervin) foul out during this segment. The loss of these players was most noticeable on defense.

It took Palisades (1-5) twenty minutes to get their first 25 points. Over the next seven minutes they poured in 16 points turning this game into a 41-22 blowout with just three minutes left.

Samantha Sharo tries to shoot over Monica Ervin (54)

During the memorable run of Pirate scoring there was a lot to like for the folks from Kintnerville. The Panthers overplayed 6-2 Joey Noonan on an inbounds play and that left Emily Odle all alone for an easy layup. Joey was on the layup end of nice passes from Katie Salva and Kirby Funt. Lizzie Sessinger made a layup just before the end of the 3rd quarter fed nicely by Marylee Hendricks.

When all this dust cleared Palisades had put together a 16-1 run to build up a 41-23 spread. The reserves from both squads carried the action the rest of the way to a 49-26 final.

Sophomore Joey Noonan led all scorers with fourteen points. Samantha Sharo added twelve.

Brittany Taylor topped Quakertown with seven points despite fouling out with 4:26 to go in the third period.

Palisades relentlessly pressured/trapped the Quakertown guards after they crossed half-court. Turnovers of all flavors resulted. Most of the violations were for traveling. I was at a game recently where such a violation set off the student section chanting, “Where you going!”

Ashlee Ruzicka (15) fouls Joey Noonan (25)

Down the other end the Pirates were very intent on getting the ball inside to Joey Noonan. Credit undersized Ashlee Ruzicka for keeping Joey from doing too much damage.

The defense that worked the best for Quakertown (1-5) was a zone that they used in the second quarter. Denied the inside the Pirates struggled from the outside. Quakertown was able to turn a 16-6 deficit early in the 2nd quarter into a much more manageable 21-19 deficit at halftime.

The Panthers hit 9-of-12 free throws during that second quarter.

Freshman Marylee Hendricks injured a knee at the start of the final quarter and came back later on crutches with an icepack on her knee.

Quakertown has one senior (Katie Kelsall) while Palisades has two (Amberli Delimit & Kirby Funt).

I was surprised to see another photographer roaming around taking pictures of players DURING the National Anthem. Maybe this game was nationally televised?

Palisades box score

Quakertown box score

(The pictures enlarge to normal size if you click on them.)