Recaps

William Penn Lady Falcons Defeat Armstrong Tigers in Blowout

Evan Hartenstein

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The William Penn Lady Falcons began their journey to win consecutive championships on Tuesday afternoon at Armstrong, where they blew out the Tigers with a 47-5 final score. The Falcons' key to victory was undoubtedly their effort, as throughout the entirety of the game they simply outworked Armstrong. They took advantage of what seemed like every single miscue and never took the petal off the gas. 

Right after the tip-off, it was clear that this was going to be a fun game for the Falcons. Within the first 5 seconds, Alyssa Thomas swiped the ball away from the Armstrong ball-handler and drove inside for a contested lay-up, and hit it with ease. This seemed to be a theme in Tuesday’s game, as in the first 2 minutes alone, Thomas stole inbound passes from the Tigers with help from the other starters over 5 times. In fact, the Lady Falcons had double-digit steals after just the first quarter. They didn’t allow Armstrong to score until the final 2 minutes of the 3rd quarter and that was just from free throws. The Tigers scored their first and only field goal with 45 seconds left in the game. Clearly, the high defensive effort by them was a huge difference-maker and was one of the main reasons for their 42-point win.

‘Defense wins championships’ may be the proverbial phrase and that’s definitely true, but you can’t win games without good offense, and the Falcons displayed that by executing on both sides of the ball. Grace Schaufler led the game in scoring with 8 points, 6 of them being in the first quarter. Alyssa Thomas and Mia DeBow each had 6 points respectively, which was good enough for more than Armstrong’s total points. Qwynn Katz didn’t get many chances to score on Tuesday, but when the opportunity came she drilled a three from the right wing to give the Falcons their first triple of the season. Katz then on the very next possession hit a contested shot to give her 5 points on the day. Adrianna Oberto, Nola Hohman, and Molly Kuhn also made decent contributions to the scoring column with 4 points each. The Falcons’ consistent scoring continued throughout the game but slowed down a little bit during the 2nd quarter. Allie Fouss changed that narrative with a buzzer-beater to go into halftime and that carried momentum into the 3rd quarter, where William Penn was on a 36-0 run when Armstrong finally scored.

The Lady Falcons take on Snyder in an Away game on Thursday afternoon. They look to take their momentum from this game and use it to help win the next, hopefully just as easily as they did in this one. 

Lady Falcons Take Down Snyder in Highly Physical Game

Evan Hartenstein

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William Penn outlasted Snyder 37-14 in a game that the Falcons’ players will feel for the next few days. Physicality was a huge factor in Thursday afternoon’s game and William Penn was able to use their strength to their advantage. The Falcons and Snyder had a combined total of 28 fouls, averaging 1 per minute. William Penn could have let the rough style of play of Snyder get to their heads, but instead they stayed focused and pushed forward to their second win of the year.

From the beginning of the first quarter to the end of the game the William Penn bench was jumping. Whether it was just a free throw or if it was a more difficult play the bench always gave the same reaction: Jumping and cheering on their teammates so everybody could hear. This seemed to get into the heads of Snyder players and they looked flustered when they tried to score. Whenever they tried to run a play and the Falcons broke it up, the bench roared in excitement. Some of the loudest cheers from the bench were from Bella Stewart, who has been out due to injury. She always made sure that everybody on the floor could hear her cheering and feel her presence, despite her inability to play. 

The Falcons played a much more competitive game against Snyder than they did against Armstrong even though they scored fewer points. Snyder has a much better defense than Armstrong did, but the Lady Falcons were still able to score 37. Grace Schaufler led the game in scoring once again, this time putting up 9. She scored with the help from Alyssa Thomas, who assisted Schaufler for almost all of her points. Mia DeBow and Claire Templeton tied for the 2nd most points, scoring 6 each. Dylan Richer had 5 points and showed her impressive strength and confidence driving inside. Adrianna Oberto had an outstanding defensive game, having multiple steals and being clearly one of the most aggressive players on the court. Mia DeBow was also just as aggressive, except it was on the offensive side of the ball.

William Penn takes on Shafer on Wednesday in their final game away until their Home Opener. The Lady Falcons will attempt to keep their undefeated record into next week and hopefully even further in the season. If they keep playing like they are right now, this shouldn’t be a problem.

 Lady Falcons Take Care of Shafer Sharks and Move to 3-0

Evan Hartenstein

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The Falcons took down Shafer 42-35 on Wednesday afternoon in their toughest game yet. Shafer showed early they wouldn’t be as easy to take down as William Penn’s previous opponents, Armstrong and Snyder. They kept the game tight throughout the first half, but the Falcons did all they could to prevent a lead change. The Sharks attempted a late-game comeback, but it was too little, too late. The Falcons stayed undefeated and moved to 3-0.

William Penn once again flashed their hustle on Wednesday, as they continued to fight for rebounds and loose balls. Grace Schaufler, Mia DeBow, and Dylan Richer were constantly either diving for a ball or fighting through heavy contact to snatch a rebound. Richer specifically was very aggressive and was always ready to fight for the ball if she needed to. Schaufler was always in the air to grab a rebound over her opponents and DeBow was constantly on the ground to grab a loose ball. If the Falcons keep up this hustle, it will be hard for teams to keep up with the aggressiveness they’ll have to deal with.

Alyssa Thomas set a new season-high in points not only for herself, but she scored the most points anyone has scored yet. Thomas put up 15, with 9 coming in the 2nd quarter. She is averaging about 8 points per game through the first 3 games and that is the most on the team. Adrianna Oberto and Dylan Richer also were effective in the scoring category, each scoring 6 throughout the game. Qwynn Katz scored 5 points with 3 of them coming from the 3-point line. She has started to develop into a consistent shooter from the distance, as her other 2 points came from a deep shot from just inside the perimeter. 

The long-awaited Home Opener is just around the corner as the Falcons take on Bristol at Home on Friday. William Penn will be without Mia DeBow for this game and this will greatly affect them. Her bench presence and screams will be missed. The Falcons will have to do their best to fill her shoes and propel to a 4th straight win.

Lady Falcons Destroy Bristol Warriors 41-5 in Home Opener

Evan Hartenstein

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William Penn conquered Bristol in a statement 41-5 victory in their Home Opener. The Falcons push forward to a 4-0 record, despite the absence of Mia DeBow. William Penn jumped out to an early lead and ran away with it to take down Bristol. Dominant scoring to begin this game and stifling defense throughout it is the main reason for this win. 

The final score may say that the Lady Falcons won by 36, but it was abundantly clear that they could have won by 60 if they wanted to. There was undoubtedly a coaching decision to take their foot off the gas going into the 2nd half, as the Falcons led 33-5. Instead of continuing to destroy the Warriors, Coach Hohman and Costanzo made it clear that they wanted the team to execute plays, work on moving the ball around, and discover their weaknesses. It could be assumed that the Lady Falcons will review what wasn’t perfect and make it perfect during their practices. However, if the team were given the green light to continue scoring against Bristol in the 2nd half, they would be on track to win by 56 points. 

The starting lineup of Allie Fouss, Claire Templeton, Grace Schaufler, Alyssa Thomas, and Adrianna Oberto didn’t see a lot of action in the 2nd half, which gave players like Mylee Vazquez and Hayden Frymire a chance against Bristol. Vazquez and Frymire did not disappoint. Vazquez was dominant in the paint, grabbing multiple rebounds, even with heavy contact. Not only did she grab rebounds with ease, but she also was able to move the ball effortlessly. The most memorable moment of the game from Vazquez without a doubt is her perfect pass through multiple defenders to give Qwynn Katz a wide-open layup. Frymire on the other hand was able to hit 2 clutch shots in the 2nd quarter while being smothered by the defense. She showed a clear ability to not fold under pressure and that likely will be remembered by the coaches. Another player who excelled against Bristol was Dylan Richer, who has started to solidify herself as a player who makes a huge impact on this team. She scored a team-high 6 points, 4 of them coming in the first quarter. Alyssa Thomas also scored 6 points, which is a little bit under her average of almost 8 points per game. Grace Schaufler, Adrianna Oberto, Molly Kuhn, and Qwynn Katz also were beneficial to the scoring column, each scoring 4 points respectively. These 4 players were responsible for almost half of all points scored in the first half, with 16 out of the 33 scored by the Falcons coming from them. 

The William Penn Lady Falcons have become a clear threat to all teams that they have faced so far. They have outscored all 4 of their previous opponents a staggering 167-59. This means so far the total amount of points that the Falcons’ opponents have scored is only 35% of what William Penn has scored. In fact, there was only one game where the Lady Falcons won by less than 23 points and only two games where they allowed more than 5 points. The Poquessing locker room will be full of sighs when they check the schedule and see the name ‘William Penn’ posted as their next matchup.

William Penn Moves to 5-0 in Massive Win Against Poquessing

Evan Hartenstein

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 The Falcons took down the Redskins in a massive 41-6 win on Tuesday Afternoon. This marks the team’s fifth straight win and they show no sign of stopping any time soon. A high defensive and rebounding effort from William Penn seemed to push them to this monstrous win easily.

The game-changer in this game was as said previously, the high defensive and rebounding effort. Grace Schaufler was dominant in grabbing rebounds, while Kenna Getson and Adrianna Oberto flashed their heavy aggressiveness when it came to getting the ball. Getson always followed her shots so she could grab her miss, although she didn’t have many. Oberto was always ready to fight for a rebound, as she fought through contact to grab a few tough ones. Defensively, players like Mia DeBow, Mylee Vazquez, and Nola Hohman always made sure to get themselves in the way of opposing ballhandlers. Nola Hohman likely could be considered the player of the game when it came to defense, as right after she saw a Poquessing guard hit a three, she went straight to work. Whenever a screen came by, she made sure to quickly get around it and stay on her girl. Not only this but even when her girl was just crossing halfcourt, she still stayed on her and made it very tough for her to drive or shoot.

Tuesday’s game was the 4th game in which William Penn scored over 40 points. Alyssa Thomas contributed the most to the score, putting up her 2nd game with double-digit points as she scored 10. Grace Schaufler had 9 on the day, which ties her season high. The last time that Schaufler had 9 points, the Falcons took down Snyder in a 37-14 victory. Dylan Richer set herself a new career high with William Penn, despite not scoring at all in the 1st half. She had an impressive 6 points in the 3rd quarter alone and added another 2 in the 4th. Kenna Getson drilled half of all the threes made by the Falcons, one of them occurring just as time expired in the 1st quarter. Claire Templeton also added a three to the three-pointers-made total. 

William Penn has now moved on to an impressive 5-0 record and is halfway through the season. The Falcons take on Sandburg on Thursday in only their 2nd home game of the year.

Falcons Take Down Sandburg, Keep Winning Streak Alive

Evan Hartenstein

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The Falcons beat Sandburg 48-9 in another high-scoring game by William Penn on Thursday Afternoon. The Lady Falcons now are 6-0, 4-0 in Away games and 2-0 at Home. The offensive rebounding on Thursday helped William Penn stop Sandburg from getting many chances, and it helped give the Falcons multiple chances to score.

Other than the offensive rebounding, another thing that helped William Penn take down Sandburg was their crisp passing. They made sure to get the ball exactly where they wanted it, and when they wanted it to get there. It was a collective effort and every player did their part in moving the ball around. There were few turnovers and plenty of assists. Sandburg had trouble intercepting the ball, and while it did happen a few times, William Penn always made a big defensive effort to attempt and stop them. 

Grace Schaufler set a new season-high for most points scored by a player for William Penn, hitting 6 shots as well as 5 of her 6 free throws to give her 17 points. This is 2 points more than Alyssa Thomas scored against Shafer, which was the previous season-high. Schaufler, who coincidentally also celebrated her birthday on Thursday, scored 8 more points than her former personal season-high and surpassed it in the 1st quarter, where she scored 10 of William Penn’s 12. Other players who also had decent contributions scoring included Adrianna Oberto, who had 7, as well as Alyssa Thomas, Mia DeBow, and Mylee Vazquez, who all had 4.

William Penn has their annual high school showcase on Friday, in which they will attempt to learn the scheme of the only team that beat them last year, Maple Point. They will then take on Franklin at Home on Monday and then play their highly anticipated matchup against Pennwood on Wednesday. The Lady Falcons have a big stretch ahead of them, and only time will tell to see if they are prepared.

William Penn Beats Maple Point in High School Showcase

Evan Hartenstein

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The Lady Falcons beat Maple Point in their annual High School Showcase in a tight 23-22 victory. This was the first game of the year that was genuinely competitive for the Falcons and it very well could have been the championship-preview.  

In the 2022-2023 season, Maple Point was the only team to take down William Penn in the regular season. However, William Penn then went on to beat Maple Point in the championship, led by Joley Hohman, Sammie Haws, and Ryan Burdette. Hohman, Haws, and Burdette, who were all in attendance for Friday’s showcase now all play for Pennsbury, and Hohman and Haws play Varsity. Friday was the first time William Penn got the opportunity to see this new Maple Point squad and they will meet again on January 4th in the final regular season game. If all goes as expected, there is a very high chance that we will see a repeat of last year’s finals.

The Falcons may have won this game by only 1 thanks to a game-winning free throw by Allie Fouss, but in the long run they won in a different way, too. William Penn gained valuable film from Maple Point. This could be crucial if they were to meet in the championship, as learning how to stop their plays and schemes will throw off Maple Point’s focus and get them flustered. The Falcons didn’t use many plays on Friday, but yet they were still able to take down Maple Point. If this is how William Penn plays without much direction, once they get more direction in futures games they shouldn’t have many problems. An impressive win from the Lady Falcons will leave a bitter taste in Maple Point’s mouth and they definitely will want payback on January 4th.

William Penn will do battle with Franklin at Home on Monday Afternoon. The Lady Falcons are coming up on the final stretch of the season, with only 4 games remaining in the regular season. The playoffs begin on January 8th and the Falcons are fighting for the 1 seed. 

William Penn Falcons Too Much for Franklin Tigers, Win By 40

Evan Hartenstein

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The William Penn Lady Falcons beat the Franklin Tigers 47-7 on Monday Afternoon. This was the first time all season that William Penn played on a Monday and there were concerns that they would be fatigued or play sluggish. They were neither. The Falcons took care of business and pushed forward to 7-0.

 Franklin showed early that they would not be an easy team to deal with, as in the first quarter alone the Tigers fouled the Falcons 4 times. There were multiple other times when Franklin could have been called for a foul, but the refs just missed them. Nonetheless, William Penn was getting beaten up by Franklin and they persevered through their physicality. Defensively, the most points the Falcons allowed in a quarter on Monday was in the 1st quarter, where they allowed 4. Franklin went scoreless in the 2nd and 4th quarters thanks to the stifling defense from William Penn. The defense was led by the exceptional efforts of the entire team, with not one player having a greater role than the next.

On the offensive side of the ball, Grace Schaufler and Alyssa Thomas led the team in scoring, putting up 12 and 9 points respectively. Mylee Vazquez added 6, which is the most of the season for her. Mia DeBow had 4 points, both coming from baseline jumpshots that didn’t even need to graze the rim to go in. The Lady Falcons have been an extremely consistent team when it comes to putting points on the board. They are averaging about 43 points per game, destroying almost every opponent. If the team continues to score at this rate, a playoff run shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

William Penn has 1 more day to prepare for the long-awaited and highly anticipated game against Pennwood. Wednesday will be their first true test to see if they are ready for the playoffs. Wednesday’s Home game against their across-campus rivals will likely be their most attended game of the season. The Lady Falcons are going to have to show that they don’t fold under pressure and can handle the stress and tension of playing against a team like Pennwood.

William Penn Outlasts Pennwood and Stays Undefeated

Evan Hartenstein

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The William Penn Falcons traveled about 500 feet on Wednesday Afternoon to take on their across-campus rivals and it was clear that this excruciating walk wasn’t enough to stop them from beating Pennwood. William Penn held on to a 32-17 victory and despite allowing the 2nd most points in a game all season, this was one of their best defensive games of the year. Their defense carried them to victory after the offense was slightly slower than usual.

Pennwood hosted likely the most fans that William Penn has seen all season and William Penn could have folded under the pressure. Instead, they posed an extreme amount of discipline and poise. Pennwood’s fans attempted to throw off William Penn’s offense, counting down as if the shot clock was running out. William Penn was able to keep composure and not fall for any of the fans' fake countdowns. This was mainly because they knew there is no shot clock in this league, which obviously meant the fans did not check the rule book before they began chanting. William Penn maintained their calm and collected mindset throughout the entirety of the game and this helped lead them to another win.

The defense from William Penn has been absolutely stellar all season long and Wednesday’s game was no different.  A consistent defensive effort all game long kept Pennwood from making any runs to lessen the damage from William Penn’s offense. The only time that William Penn was down was in the 1st quarter. They held on to a slim lead throughout the first half, but ran away with it in the 3rd quarter and closed the door in the 4th. William Penn had a 27-17 lead going into the 4th, but an incredible effort and focus on the defensive side of the ball helped outlast Pennwood and stay undefeated.

William Penn now moves to 8-0 on the year and is looking to keep this momentum and bounce back right after winter break. The Falcons will face Charles Boehm at Home on Wednesday, January 3rd in their final Home regular season game. They will then on Thursday the 4th do battle with Maple Point, who was the only team William Penn lost to in the 2022-2023 season. Playoffs begin January 8th, and only time will tell to see if the Falcons are ready to make back-to-back championship runs. 

Falcons Defeat Maple Point and End the Season Undefeated

Evan Hartenstein

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William Penn took down Maple Point in a significant 36-17 win on Thursday Afternoon in the Season Finale. The Falcons now head into the playoffs undefeated and will have a bye in the first round holding the number 1 seed. Maple Point was expected to be the best team William Penn played all year, yet the Falcons could still handle them with ease.

It was clear early on that the Falcons were ready to play. In just the first 90 seconds, William Penn was already on a 5-0 run and forced a Maple Point timeout. Maple Point had shown clear frustration throughout the 1st quarter and couldn’t get out of their mood for the rest of the game. Even with their bad mood, they were able to keep it close in the 1st. However, in the 2nd quarter, the Falcons shut out the Skins and extended their lead to 15-6 going into halftime. The Lady Falcons went on to allow only 11 2nd-half points while scoring an impressive 21. Defensively, William Penn was able to easily contain Maple Point in a game that could have ended very differently had they not played this well.

Offensively, the Falcons were a little slow in the first half. In the first 2 quarters, William Penn was held to only 15 points, a low number compared to what they had done in previous games. In the 2nd half, the Falcons turned that narrative around. They scored 8 points in the 3rd and an extra 13 in the 4th en route to a 21-point win. Leading the charge was 8th grader Claire Templeton, who drilled a season-best 4 threes. Not only is this her season-high, but it is also the most threes any player on William Penn has made in a game all season. Grace Schaufler was given the ball low in the post multiple times all game and scored her third-highest point total of the season with 10. Alyssa Thomas acted as a floor general throughout the game, just like she has all season. She added 9 points as well as multiple assists. William Penn simply dominated Maple Point in the scoring column.

The Lady Falcons end their season 10-0 and the 1 seed going into the playoffs on Monday. William Penn will have practice on Monday instead of a game as they have received a first-round bye. Tuesday will be the Semi-Finals at Home in the final Home game of the year. If the Falcons are to win this game, they will then move on to the Championship at Snyder.