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GIRLS' BASKETBALL: Inter-Ac League Basketball is off to a Strong Start, Here is a Look at the Line Up in this Week's Roundup

By Ed Morrone - Photos/Videos: Geanine Jamison, Zamani Feelings & Dan McCarty, 01/14/20, 11:45AM EST

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By: Ed Morrone

Photos/Videos: Geanine Jamison, Zamani Feelings & Dan McCarty.

INTER-AC Round-Up: On Jan. 13, it is no surprise to see that the Germantown Academy girls basketball team sits atop the Inter-Ac League standings. After all, the Patriots have won 60 of their last 62 regular season league contests and are loaded with talent up and down head coach Sherri Retif’s roster.

Right below GA is where things begin to get interesting. Penn Charter, Episcopal and Notre Dame are all off to strong starts, with the Quakers in particular hunting for the Patriots’ crown. Unfortunately for the challengers, GA has already scored wins over all three of those teams this season, and considering the defending champions haven’t lost more than one league game in a season since the 2013-14 season, the squads looking to dethrone Retif’s team are facing a major uphill climb.

With all seven Inter-Ac teams having played at least two league games to date and as many as four in PC and EA’s cases, here is a closer look at each team and where they stand (all records as of Jan. 13).

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

Record: 14-3 overall, 3-0 Inter-Ac

Last week: 61-47 win vs. Penn Charter (1/7); 49-37 win vs. Episcopal (1/10); 68-59 win at Archbishop Carroll (1/12)

This week: at Baldwin (1/14); at Agnes Irwin (1/17); vs. TBA (1/18)

It’s been business as usual for the Patriots this season, as they have shown no willingness to relinquish the Inter-Ac championship.


Germantown Academy vs. Episcopal Academy (photo by: Geanine Jamison for PSD)

The roster is armed with multiple players who will be playing in college, led by La Salle recruit Jaye Haynes, a senior captain and three-year starter who has scored over 1,000 points in her career. Haynes is averaging 15 points per game to lead the team, and she scored 22 points in the wins over Penn Charter and Carroll last week. Haynes has been supported by point guard Maddie Vizza, averaging 12 points and 3 assists per game in her final season before she heads to continue her hoops career at Northeastern. The stellar play by Haynes and Vizza has helped offset the fact that GA has been played a good chunk of its games this season without two of its starters in Elle Stauffer (11 points, 5 rebounds per game, signed with Harvard) and Caitlyn Priore (Gettysburg). Stauffer and Priore both returned to the lineup against Carroll on Sunday, which is the good news; the bad news is that Stauffer, who had missed half the season with Achilles tendinitis, exited the game with a knee injury. Retif said Stauffer will undergo an MRI this week, and the team is hoping the injury is a sprain and not a tear.

“We are fortunate to have so much depth in this group,” Retif said. “What I have really noticed is how Jaye and Maddie have really stepped up their leadership with Elle being out. Three of the last four games, Jaye has scored 20-plus points, and Maddie is doing the lion’s share of handling the ball and directing our team on offense. She too has raised her averages.”

Besides the aforementioned players, the Patriots have also gotten significant contributions from seniors Maddie Burns (a Michigan lacrosse commit) and Sarah DiLello (Ursinus softball), while juniors Becca Booth (8 points, 6 rebounds per game), Jessica Moore and “Ms. Intensity” Charlotte DiLello add both depth and experience. Retif called Burns the team’s defensive catalyst, while Moore stepped up with a 19-point effort in the Notre Dame win. With Booth and Priore each improving their high-low games, Moore and Vizza connecting from deep and Haynes and Stauffer’s ability to finish at the rim, it’s safe to say the Patriots are the prohibitive favorites to win the league again, even with improved competition beneath them.

“What I am most impressed with this team is the way we battle,” Retif said. “There is no quit in them. Every time a team makes a run, we are able to go right back at them with a variety of guns. I know we will be challenged in the second half of the league schedule, but I am comfortable with what we have already achieved.”

PENN CHARTER

Record: 13-2, 3-1

Last week: 61-47 loss at GA (1/7); 63-34 win vs. Baldwin (1/10); 61-53 win vs. Archbishop Wood (1/12)

This week: at Notre Dame (1/14); Rose Classic vs. Southwest Academy (Canada), in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Say Yes to Success Showcase vs. Conrad (DE), in New York, N.Y.

When Penn Charter seniors Kait Carter and Carmen Williams each went over 1,000 career points in the team’s 65-28 win over SCH Academy on Jan. 3, the senior duo did not mince words in saying the remaining goal they wanted to accomplish was to knock GA off the mountaintop.

The Quakers fell short in their first test last week, falling 61-47 to the Patriots in a game that was never all that close. The defeat ended an 11-game winning streak, and while there still appears to be a sizable chasm — in talent, not in the standings — between the two teams, Williams was bullish in saying she thinks her team can emerge victorious in the rematch scheduled for Jan. 30 at Penn Charter once they clean up some of the mistakes the team made.


Penn Charter's Carmen Williams (photo by Zamani Feelings)

On a more positive note for PC, they bounced back quickly from the GA loss with a blowout win over Baldwin at home and an impressive 8-point triumph over an always-talented Archbishop Wood team. Even better, the Quakers gave gotten big offensive lifts all season from freshmen Kelsey Bess and Aleah Snead. Snead had 18 points at GA, while Bess had 15 and 20, respectively, in the victories over Baldwin and Wood. This is significant, because two young players playing with confidence on both ends of the floor takes immense pressure off Carter and Williams to be the team’s leading scorers. In fact, Snead (13.5 ppg) and Bess (12.8) are already outscoring their senior companions in Williams (11.4) and Carter (10.0). The freshmen’s continued development down the stretch will be enormous for PC’s title hopes, both this year and beyond.

“Kelsey and Aleah have done a great job this year making shots, and both are very competitive and fearless,” Quakers head coach Joe Maguire said. “Our defensive intensity was on display vs. Baldwin as we got out to a 21-0 start to start the game. Things work much better offensively when you make shots. Against Wood, our toughness and intensity were great, and our girls competed on every possession.”

EPISCOPAL ACADEMY

Record: 7-5, 3-1

Last week: 58-29 win at SCH (1/7); 49-37 loss at GA (1/10); 49-38 win at Radnor (1/12)

This week: at Notre Dame (1/17)

EA is off to a solid start to its Inter-Ac schedule, with the team winning three of its first four games. The lone blemish was Friday’s loss at GA, but there was immense optimism even stemming from that one. Episcopal was down 12-2 after one and 30-13 at halftime, but won both second half quarters to make the final score much more competitive.

“We made some nice strides last week,” head coach Chuck Simmonds said. “We scored a solid win at SCH, then after a rough first half versus GA, I was proud of the girls for some of the things they did in the second half. That helped us build toward a tough win against Radnor.”

Simmonds loves the balance of his team offensively. There’s not one player who will be the leading scorer every night; instead, EA gets contributions from many.


Amanda Purcell, Episcopal Academy (photo by Geanine Jamison for PSD)

These players include Raeleen Keffer-Scharpf, a second team all-league selection a year ago, as well as her sister Gaeli Keffer-Scharpf and Amanda Purcell, all of whom are averaging between six and seven points per game. Gaeli Keffer-Scharpf and Riley Cassidy each posted an 11-point games against Radnor, while Purcell netted 15 at GA and Cara Harty (four three-pointers) and Bella Piselli (11 points) were the standouts against SCH. Following an 8-18 finish a season ago, EA is just one win away from that total this year.

“Different people are stepping up, which we will need throughout the year,” Simmonds said. “We’re getting more value out of our offensive possessions, with more people touching the ball, the shot selection is improving and are getting to the free throw line more often. We hope to keep doing the little things better — rebounding, attacking the basket with our guards and using the posts — that will result in more value on both ends of the court.”

ACADEMY OF NOTRE DAME

Record: 11-3, 2-1

Last week: 59-55 win at Baldwin (1/7); 65-51 win at Friends Central (1/9); 65-15 win at Agnes Irwin (1/10)

This week: vs. Penn Charter (1/14); vs. Episcopal (1/17)

Notre Dame has the longest current winning streak in the Inter-Ac, having won its last four games with a chance to increase that total even more with a pair of huge home contests this week. 

Notre Dame vs. Agnes Irwin Game Highlights by Dan McCarty:

The Irish will host Penn Charter and EA, both of whom are ahead of them in the standings. Notre Dame is led by sophomore guard Maeve McErlane (14 ppg, 6rpg, 3apg) and senior guard Allie Lynch (11 ppg). McErlane hit a clutch shot to send the Baldwin game to overtime, and Julia Dever had a strong performance in the win over Friends Central.

The Irish are incredibly young, with one freshman and two sophomores in the starting lineup, making the 11-3 overall record even more impressive. Head coach Lauren Thomer has said that every player on the team’s roster has stepped into a larger role this season, and the Irish have gutted out some nice wins, including one on the road over Sidwell Friends, a talented group from Washington, D.C.

“They are playing unselfish basketball and have worked really hard to develop team chemistry,” Thomer said. “Because we’re so young, there are some growing pains and inconsistencies, so our challenge now is to play four quarters of consistent basketball. The Inter-Ac is always going to be tough and this week we will know where we stand against a talented Penn Charter group and a rival in Episcopal.”

BALDWIN

Record: 5-6, 0-3

Last week: 59-55 loss vs. Notre Dame (1/7); 63-34 loss at Penn Charter (1/10); 57-33 win at Barrack Hebrew Academy (1/11)

This week: vs. GA (1/14); vs. SCH (1/17)

Baldwin has had an up and down go of things so far, and much of that can be attributed to the team being bit by the injury bug. Junior Taylor Levinson missed some early action with a concussion, and the Bears went 1-4 in her absence; since she’s returned, the team is 4-2, and Levinson is averaging 10.2 ppg and 6.3 rpg.

Baldwin vs. Epsicopal Academy 12/17/19 (video-Dan Mcarty)

Sophomore Gabi Pritzker, who played a lot as a freshman, is out for the season with a knee injury. With Levinson and Pritzker having missed time, and other girls on the team being forced to miss games here and there due to prior commitments, other players who have helped steady the ship are junior Anajah Brown (20.2 ppg, 11.2 rpg) and sophomore Kaya Weiser (11.5 ppg).

Baldwin dropped a tough overtime game to Notre Dame, and the Bears struggled mightily without two starters against a very strong PC team.

“We struggled mightily early on, but have since turned things around,” head coach John Bernhardt said. “The thing I love about our team is our toughness. We’ve had situations where we’ve been missing multiple players this year, and not once have the girls complained or packed it in. They’ve stayed positive and upbeat and worked as a unit. We don’t back down from challenges and are not afraid of any opponents.

AGNES IRWIN

Record: 3-8, 0-3

Last week: 56-42 win vs. Parkway NW (1/7); 65-15 loss vs. Notre Dame (1/10)

This week: at SCH (1/14); vs. GA (1/17)

The Owls have been led this season by senior captains Katie Anderson (16 ppg, a Franklin & Marshall recruit) and defensive stalwart Amelia Leyden. Anderson is “the smoke, the gas, the wheels, the everything” to the Agnes Irwin program, according to head coach Andrea Carter. Anderson knows everyone is counting on her to lead and responds favorably to that pressure. 


Agnes Irwin vs. Notre Dame (photo: Dan McCarty)

Other key contributors include juniors Paige Crowther (a University of Oregon lacrosse recruit) and Caroline VauClain, sophomore Belle Fusco and freshman Blake Stefan, who Carter said is making a name for herself through her first 11 high school games.

“Amelia brings the energy, and that is what we need,” Carter said. “Belle and Paige bring the fight and tenacity and are always going to guard the other team’s best players no matter who they are or how good they are.”

The Owls have struggled in the standings so far, but that has not diluted Carter’s opinion of her team. Quite the opposite, in fact. No matter what the scoreboard says, the team finds small goals it is capable of accomplishing throughout the game.

“They have a never quit attitude,” Carter said. “My team never quits on themselves, their teammates or their coaches. Our league has some of the most talented student-athletes in all of Pennsylvania. Playing against those girls builds character, and tenacity makes you relentless. It makes you mentally tough.”

SPRINGSIDE CHESTNUT HILL

Record: 3-8, 0-2

Last week: 58-29 loss vs. EA (1/7); 54-52 win at Cristo Rey (1/10)

This week: vs. Agnes Irwin (1/14); at Baldwin (1/17)

The Blue Devils are also a very young squad. SCH has just nine players on its varsity roster, with five of those players being freshmen (along with a sophomore, two juniors and one senior). Alas, when a team is that young, there are going to be inevitable growing pains. This has led head coach Flo Hagains and her staff to go all the way back to basic skills and fundamentals to prepare, which will lead to an up and down season.

SCH’s lone senior is Rebecca Arnold, and as a captain, she has taken on a lion’s share of leadership and pushing the younger players to work hard every day in practice. She also averages 4 points and 5 assists per game. Other contributors so far have been: Layla Sawyer (8 ppg, 6rpg, 3bpg), Ava Chavez (8 ppg, 3rpg) and Tatyana Hall (10 ppg).

“I have explained to every player that we will have some tough losses, games where our lack of experience will show,” Hagains said. “The ones we have won have been because of our work ethic and determination. Even though we are young, there is so much potential going forward into next year.


Ava Chavez, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (photo by Zamani Feelings for PSD)

“We’ve had some games where I’ve seen growth, communication and us coming together. Having a young team is great because it challenges me and my staff to be creative in bringing out the players’ strengths, weaknesses and fears while also teaching them the game of basketball.”