Girls’ Basketball: Top Seeds Prevail During The First Round Of NCAA Summer League Playoffs

Girls’ Basketball: Top Seeds Prevail During The First Round Of NCAA Summer League Playoffs

By Jake Hyman , 07/31/16, 4:45PM EDT

HATBORO, PA – Today’s youth would describe Thursday’s action in the Philadelphia/Suburban Women’s NCAA Summer Basketball League as “lit,” meaning very exciting. In the quarterfinals of the playoffs, near upsets and close contests highlighted the action late in July. Maroon was awarded with the No. 1 seed after upsetting Gold Tuesday and Sky Blue picked up a huge win over Pink.

Thursday, both Gold and Sky Blue matched up in the first round, Maroon faced off against Royal Blue, Pink took on a scalding Black team and Purple clashed with White. Plenty of stars went off in the opening round of the playoffs, unwilling to let their season conclude in July.

Here are the results for the four contested, enthralling matchups.

Pink 56, Black 54

Brianna Spector attempts a foul shot - PSD Photo

The No. 3 seed, Pink escaped on an important call by the referees, with Brianna Spector (SUNY Oneonta, 2017) attempting a game-winning three and getting subsequently fouled on the shot with one second remaining in the fourth. With the game tied at 54, a game-winning attempt without interference would’ve been more ideal for Black, as Spector knocked down two of three free throws with 0.4 seconds left.

Lauren Rothfeld (Salisbury, 2017) was electric again for pink, scoring a game-high 14 points on jumpers and layups. Emma Dorshimer (Gettysburg, 2019) also was effective on offense, scoring 12 points. As the season progressed, Dorshimer started to gain more confidence playing with her team and as a shooter.

“You start getting more into the season you start playing better with your teammates and you get in a groove with them,” Dorshimer said. “The shots come easier that way and you start making more. It’s about repetition.”

Pink will face (non-spoiler alert) the winner of the Gold-Sky Blue game Tuesday in the semifinals. Black’s journey from winless to having a winning record ended despite three players entering double digits in the scoring column. Kelsey Taylor (Philadelphia University, 2017) had 14 points and Alynna Williams (Philadelphia University, 2020) and Jess Kaminski (Philadelphia University, 2018) had 10 points apiece. This season was a definite boost leading up to Philadelphia University’s regular season, with the entire roster playing for the school.

Jess Kaminski makes a foul shot

Brianna Spector gets fouled with .4 seconds left

Jess Kaminski ties the game at 54

Brianna Spector sinks one at the line

Maroon 51, Royal Blue 38

Maroon used its stingy defense to limit Royal Blue to just 38 points and used a breakthrough second half to advance as the No. 1 seed. Colleen Walsh (University of the Sciences, 2018) led the team with 16 points and Archbishop Wood’s Laura Trisch (University of the Sciences, 2018) had 10. Maroon excels in the field by slowing down the pace to methodically formulate ideal possessions to score. They’re a title contender and will play again on Tuesday.

Royal Blue came in as the No. 8 seed and their consistency was a non-entity in Thursday’s game. Courtney Brown (East Stroudsburg, 2017) had a game-high 17 points but a promising June turned into a July that was a month to forget for the predominate East Stroudsburg University team. They had versatility to pull off a couple of upsets but there were just teams that outmatched them in terms of ability in the end.

Maroon & Blue display physical play

Gold 61, Sky Blue 54

Gold had a two-point lead, as the No. 2 seed, with 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter before Sky Blue faltered late. Adaisha Franklyn (Saint Joseph’s, 2018), like usual, was legitimately tough to handle in the paint and led Gold with 21 points. Marksman Alex Smith (Holy Cross, 2014) had a strong game with 11 points. Gold will face Pink in the semifinals. During their regular season matchup, Gold defeated Pink by over 20 points.

Sky Blue made the contest interesting, as Ciara Andrews (Saint Joseph’s, 2016) did what she said she was going to do and that involved shooting in order to be more aggressive. She finished with 22 points and was the main source of production for her team.

Adaisha Franklyn makes a foul shot

Purple 73, White 71

Purple, the No. 4 seed, escaped with a first-round win, as White missed three shots on their final possession, and played their best team basketball arguably of the season. Jaryn Garner (Saint Joseph’s, 2017) was facilitating, Chelsea Woods (Saint Joseph’s, 2018) was doing her thing, which is everything you could ask for on the court, and Symantha Marrero (Penn State Abington, 2018) was straight fire from deep. Woods had 31 points on six threes and Marrero had 18 points on six threes. In addition, Garner returning was vital for the win as she has the weapons on the outside to thrive at the point.

“It’s fun,” Garner said. “Whenever you pass, whenever you shoot you can get a rebound - It’s fun knowing coming down the court something is going to happen and you’re a part of that and that’s always fun.”

Purple will face Maroon in a highly anticipated matchup – playing for the championship crown on the line.

White almost tied the game at the end of the fourth but couldn’t overcome Woods as the No. 5 seed. Point guard Sierra Taylor (Kutztown, 2020) had a season-high 21 points and Michala Clay (Saint Joseph’s, 2019) was a threat down low, scoring 16 points. White, if they have the same roster next season, could be among the top teams in the league next year, loaded with balance and having Clay ascend as a player.