Girls' Basketball: Gold & Pink Contending Teams In The Philadelphia/Suburban NCAA Summer League

Hatboro, PA – With the Philadelphia/Suburban Women’s NCAA Summer Basketball League game 3s happening Tuesday, the league is starting to manifest into what teams could be playoff contenders and those that will have to make a serious push. Only one undefeated team remains (Gold) and there are an abundance of 2-1 and 1-2 teams.

That will make for exciting basketball throughout the remainder of the season, but as the campaign progresses, it’ll be evident which teams strive for the postseason while others peter out and lose interest. With a multitude of games left on the schedule, it’s exciting to see teams put ideal effort into every contest and play team basketball.

Tuesday illustrated that notion, with teams exhibiting ball movement and hustle, despite multiple lopsided games.

Gold 89, Sky Blue 59:

Two of the four undefeated teams entering Tuesday clashed, but Gold (3-0) looked more prepared, versatile and dominant. Only fielding six players, Gold overwhelmed Sky Blue (2-1) down low and formulated easy looks for their players with crisp ball movement and hustle down the floor.

Alex Smith (Holy Cross, 2014) had a team-high 28 points and was effective on the block and from the perimeter (seven three-pointers). However, Gold’s most important player arguably was Mia Hopkins (Bloomsburg, 2017), who contributed 22 points. In addition, she highlighted the positives on her new team, in her first year in the league.

“I’ve never loved a team more,” an elated Hopkins said. “The chemistry is unbelievable; no one is selfish. If you look at the score, everyone has contributed and not just points; all basketball aspects.”

In midst of holding a substantial lead throughout the game, head coach Keith Woods sat Hopkins throughout most of the fourth quarter. With a depleted rotation, the 30-point drubbing was impressive.

Sky Blue had four girls enter double digits in the scoring column and was paced by former Episcopal Academy’s Lily Kunt’s (Middlebury College, 2020) 12 points.

Sky Blue shows their impressive defense

Purple 57, Maroon 52

Looking for the top scorer on the night? Purple’s Chelsea Woods (Saint Joseph’s, 2018) takes home the trophy, dropping 33 points (five three-pointers) and was the catalyst in the victory. Purple (2-1) also had another double-digit scorer in former Archbishop Wood player Mariah Hayes (Penn State Abington).

Maroon drops to 2-1, failing to muster consistent offense with just one scorer in double digits. Former Archbishop Wood player Laura Trisch (University of the Sciences, 2018) scored a team-high 10 points, after putting up seven in the team’s victory over Red last Thursday.

Royal Blue 80, Hunter Green 58

With two straight victories, Royal Blue (2-1) seems to be incrementally entering contender status. They have an exceptional balance of perimeter scorers and guards and have different players who can go off in any game. The heavy East Stroudsburg University contingency was led by Courtney Brown (East Stroudsburg University, 2017) Tuesday, who dropped 17 points and splashed five triples.

In addition, Noelle Powell (East Stroudsburg, 2019) added 15 and was dominant in the fourth quarter. “We needed to work on ending each game strong and end on a good note,” Powell said. “Sometimes it’s hard to finish a game.”

Hunter Green (1-2) faltered late, after being down by single digits throughout the first half. Karissa Mansure (Catholic University, 2019) had a game-high 18 points and. Former Cardinal O’Hara standout Katherine Feehery (Scranton University, 2018) added 12 points for Hunter Green, who hopes to stop its losing streak.

Purple vs. Maroon

Royal Blue vs. Hunter Green

Red 69, Kelly Green 66

The closest game on the night, Red (2-1) overcame a late push from Kelly Green (0-3) in order to avoid the upset and remain intact for a high seed in the league. Victoria Smick (West Chester, 2017) once again led the team in scoring with 19 points. Not far behind in the scoring column was Gabby Troisi (West Chester, 2020), who dropped 16 points.

Kelly Green didn’t have the talent that Red possessed on the floor Tuesday night, but keeping the game competitive could spark a surge for the team in upcoming games. Former William and Mary product Alexis Hofstaedter (Holy Family University, 2018) put up a team-high 13 points and former Archbishop Ryan player Ashley Smink (Delaware Valley, 2020) contributed 11 points.

Alexis Hofstadter shoots from the foul line

Red vs. Kelly Green

White 60, Black 44

White (1-2) got their first league victory Tuesday In an offensive struggle against Black. Versatility was illustrated on both teams, with nine players on White entering the scoring column while Black had 10 players contribute.

Former Archbishop Wood standout Alexandra Heck (Philadelphia U., 2016) had a game-high 13 points for White and went 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Sierra Taylor (Kutztown University, 2020) added 11 points in the 16-point win.

While there was an abundance of players who sank the ball through the cylinder for Black (0-3), no player scored double-digit points. Valez Jackson (Philadelphia U., 2019) had nine points and Erin Rafter (Philadelphia U., 2018) added eight points in the loss. Winless, Black has to find out how to compete with other teams in the league and not fall behind immensely in the standings.

Pink 75, Orange 50

Gold might have some competition at the top of the standings. Pink (3-0) is quietly dominating teams and has a solid mesh of size and jump shooting prowess. Five players scored nine points or more and Lauren Rothfeld (Salisbury University, 2017) paced the team with 11 points. It was a collective effort that led to the dominant victory.

Orange (0-3) only scored four points in the first quarter and failed to match Orange’s pace and athleticism. However, Mackenzie Rule (Saint Joseph’s, 2017) looked like a star, scoring 20 points and sinking four three-pointers in the loss.