SF Girls Defeat Manheim Twp in Round One

The PIAA State Tournament for girls basketball is officially underway, and the Spring-Ford Rams have already cleared the first hurdle on the track to glory. The girls defeated Manheim Township High School, 55-24 at Colonial Gym at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday night.

The beginning of the game definitely provided the Lady Rams with enough momentum and enough of a gap in the score to feel comfortable. The girls led 11-3 about halfway through the first quarter. The Blue Streaks' Alex Leslie scored the team's only five points in the entire first quarter. The quarter ended 23-5 in favor of Spring-Ford.

"You just have to try to hustle," said head coach Jeff Rinehimer. "Their shooting percentages aren’t going to be like that all the time. You get up a little bit and maybe it’s harder to come back. Manheim is a good team. The shots didn’t fall for them. Watching them in warm-ups there, we saw the next kid was bigger than the last, and they could run. They were good athletes."

The Rams tried to get inside early, dishing a few balls to senior captain Mariah Traywick down in the post. Traywick scored five points in the first quarter and 13 in the game. She also contributed five rebounds.

"Being able to get the ball inside is a big factor," said Traywick. "Using all aspects of the game that brings it all together and lets us be a team. That’s where we want to be right now."

Junior Courtney Hinnant scored all six of her points in the first quarter, also contributing on defense throughout the game.

The second quarter proved to be a bit more aggressive for both teams. Spring-Ford got into some foul trouble, putting Manheim in the bonus and allowing them to shoot some fouls. That aggression continued into the first half of the third quarter, where Spring-Ford needed to call a crucial time-out to reset.

"We got some in the first and kind of in the second, and then kind of a restart," Rinehimer explained. "They were aggressive fouls. You’re in the first round of states, they have aggressive-type fouls. And they were hitting their foul shots well. You don’t want them to get one in the back court and have them walk up to shoot fouls. It’s one of hustle."

The game was well in-hand by the end of the third quarter. The Rams led 48-20. In the game, junior Sarah Payonk led the team in points with 15. Payonk also contributed four rebounds and three steals. Rinehimer said Payonk's defense is what gets her going offensively.

"The other things besides shooting usually get most of our players involved in the game," said Rinehimer. "Sarah wants to get rebounds first. I tell her to get her hands on the ball to get her in the game a little bit. The guards try to get some tips for you."

Senior guard Jaida Burgess, who normally comes off the bench and gets some good minutes did not see her normal workload in the game. Rinehimer said she wasn't feeling well in the beginning of the game, so they eased her into the lineup.

In Burgess' absence, junior Sammi Haas stepped in and led the girls vocally. Haas played 15 minutes in the game, including most of the fourth quarter.

"I just know coming off the bench, everyone on the team is good," said Haas. "Each night, it’s going to be a different leader stepping up. Tonight, they wanted me telling people what to do. But, as a team, we all worked together. I have a loud mouth, apparently, so I’m more vocal about it, but everyone’s pushing each other the whole time and we just try to help each other out."

Haas said she hopes she continues to get more minutes throughout the tournament, but as long as her team continues to win, it doesn't matter.

The girls proceed to Tuesday night for second round action. However, the time and opponent are still to be announced. Traywick said her team is happy to be where it's at right now.

"We’re so excited," she concluded. "We have to take it one step and one game at a time. Tomorrow is practice, we’re going to go hard of course and prepare for Tuesday."