HATBORO, PA. - With the Philadelphia/Suburban Women’s NCAA Summer Basketball League starting to progress as July approaches, stars are beginning to emerge and teams are figuring out who is difficult competition-if they haven’t already. There are only a few coaches in the league representing teams, which makes it difficult for some rosters to coherently have a set game plan to follow and make in-game adjustments.

This was evident Tuesday, as White knew what was going to hit them, but couldn’t contain the unstoppable force known as Chelsea Woods (Saint Joseph’s, 2018). The rising junior at Saint Joseph’s University put on a spectacle of a performance in Purple’s 90-81 victory. She scored a league-high, also season-high, 43 points and just kept hustling on both ends of the floor with no stop to her motor. It was an immaculate performance for he top performer Tuesday.

Also, the league started to shift, as the conclusion of Tuesday’s games left no remaining undefeated teams. It was an exciting night of basketball; here are the results. 

Gold forfeited Thursday night’s game against Purple, unable to field a five-girl team, but responded by dominating undefeated Pink and making their claim as league favorites. Gold (4-1) comes at you with a bevy of talented players capable of making impacts on both ends of the floor while pouring in double-digit points. Alex Smith (Holy Cross, 2014) paced the team with 18 points and big Adaisha Franklyn added 14. 

Pink (4-1) ran into a buzz saw Tuesday, not ready to handle the powerhouse. Emma Dorshimer (Gettysburg, 2019) led the team with 13 points and Lauren Rothfeld (Salisbury, 2017) hit three three-pointers en route to 12 points. They look to rebound Thursday against a hot Royal Blue team.

Chelsea Woods is Tracy McGrady, Allen Iverson, James Harden or insert your favorite scorer’s name here. A buzzer-beater three to conclude the third quarter, slicing her way to convert layups and showing natural confidence, the Saint Joseph’s product was incredible. For all the points she had, scoring wasn’t even her primary focus. “I’m just playing to have fun,” Woods said. “I don’t look at how many points I have, I look at what I need to work on to get better every day and every game.”

Woods wasn’t just an adept scorer Tuesday; she helped teammate Symantha Marrero (Penn State-Abington, 2018) contribute 18 points. Her crisp passes allowed Purple (4-1) to get open looks and push the pace against White.

White (2-3) kept the game relatively close until late in the fourth quarter, but didn’t have enough consistency to pull off the shocker. Sierra Taylor (Kutztown, 2020) had a game-high 16 points and White had a positive addition in Michala Clay, who played her first game Tuesday, who had 10 points off the bench.

Maroon (4-1) quietly is putting in work, dispatching teams they’re expected to beat and making a push for one of the higher playoff seedings. Tuesday was strictly business, using stout defense and a bevy of scorers to beat Kelly Green by double digits. Former Archbishop Wood player Laura Trisch (University of the Sciences, 2018) had a game-high 13 points for Maroon, who had three other scorers add eight points apiece.

Kelly Green (0-5) is still looking for their first victory of the summer festivities, as no player reached double digits in the scoring column. Former Archbishop Ryan talent Danielle Skedzielewski (Delaware Valley, 2019) had nine points and Zoe Hahn (Stevens Institute of Technology, 2020) added eight points. 

Royal Blue (4-1) had a welcomed addition join the team Tuesday, as Amanda Fiovaranti (Saint Joseph’s, 2017) led the squad with 14 points and Katie Armstrong (Saint Joseph’s, 2020) added 13 points in the win. After dropping their first game to Maroon, Royal Blue has won four straight and is fighting to remain among the league’s top.

Black (0-5) isn’t a powerhouse offensively, which has been their Achilles heel for the season. Caitlyn Cunningham (Philadelphia University, 2020) had a team-high 10 points and Erin Rafter (Philadelphia University, 2018) added nine points. The team comprised of solely players from Philadelphia University needs to find an identity that helped them compete in the regular season at their respective school.

Orange (2-3) clinched their second straight victory Tuesday and has defeated both Kelly Green and Hunter Green, two reeling teams. The threes were flying for Orange, who lived from behind the arc, with former Cardinal O’Hara player Mackenzie Rule (Saint Joseph’s, 2017) sinking three triples en route to 13 points total. Two other players for Orange hit two threes apiece in the lopsided victory.

Hunter Green (1-4) was down by over 20 points mid-way through the second quarter. One positive was former Cardinal O’Hara player Katherine Feehery (Scranton, 2018) who had 15 points on the night.

Sky Blue, like many other teams have had to respond after getting throttled by Gold, but they’ve bounced back with two straight wins. Ciara Andrews (Saint Joseph’s, 2016) once again was the catalyst for Sky Blue (4-1) offensively, with a team-high 19 points. Episcopal Academy’s Lily Kuntz (Middlebury College, 2020) had 10 points and sank three three-pointers.

Red (2-3) almost pulled off the upset, as Victoria Smick (West Chester, 2017) had a game-high 21 points in the loss. Things don’t get any easier for Red, as they play Chelsea Woods and Purple Thursday.