Injured Andrews leads Cheltenham over N. Penn

Less than 24 hours after spraining her right ankle against Upper Merion, Ciara Andrews decided to suit up for Cheltenham on Saturday.

It was Andrews' decision whether she would play, and after the game, she said she might sit out the coming week to rest the injury.

But if you watched the matinee against North Penn, outside of her jogging gingerly upcourt on half-court sets, you wouldn't have guessed Andrews was feeling any pain.

The junior guard scored a game-high 24 points, spearheading the Panthers to a 61-40 romp against the visiting Knights in a nonleague clash between teams from different Suburban One conferences.

Andrews' dominating performance despite the injury showcased an athleticism that turned out to be emblematic of game's overall tenor.

Cheltenham (14-3) proved far too quick and active for North Penn, illustrated by the Panthers' 14 steals.

"Some of them are forced turnovers and some are unforced turnovers, because the kids kind of get intimidated by their athleticism," North Penn coach Maggie deMarteleire said of her squad, which committed 17 first-half turnovers.

And, though the Knights sport two 6-footers in junior Steph Knauer (6-0) and sophomore Lauren Crisler (6-1), Cheltenham battled the bigger North Penn on the boards, grabbing 19 rebounds to North Penn's 23.

The Panthers sprinted to an early lead, holding a 21-7 advantage after one quarter. They led at halftime by 20 and after three by 23.

Cheltenham opened the game by trapping North Penn in the halfcourt, which led to five steals in the first quarter and another five in the second. The Knights (11-5) also opened in a man defense, but theirs more resembled a 3-2 zone because they were forced to sag dramatically to compensate for a lack of quickness on the perimeter.

Conversely, though Andrews was hobbled, she still was able to penetrate, cut, and get in the lane at will.

"If I have the ball in my hands, I can't be lazy with it because my ankle hurts," Andrews said. "I just got to let it go for a while and take the pain."

Added Cheltenham coach Bob Schaefer: "She's a competitor. In that situation [playing hurt], you forget about the pain, see the basket, and you get there. And that's what she does very well."

Andrews had little problem getting out in transition and, over one three-play sequence in the third quarter, scored on three consecutive fastbreaks, streaking up the sideline for back-to-back-to-back lefty layups, all assisted by senior point guard Tiffany Johnson.

Johnson, who will play college ball for West Chester next season, had six assists, eight points, and four steals.

Crisler led North Penn with 17 points. Knauer chipped in seven, and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

Because of the weather last week, the Knights hadn't practiced since Monday. Had they had time to prepare, deMarteleire said she would have geared practices toward defending the Panthers' athleticism.

"I probably would have had some boys in practice," she said.

North Penn   7 8 7 18 – 40

Cheltenham   21 14 10 16 – 61

NP: Emily Hagan 6, Meg Gallagher 1, Brenda McDermott 6, Lauren Crisler 17, Vicky Tumasz 3, Steph Knauer 7.

C: Ciara Andrews 24, Tiffany Johnson 8, Christina Coleman 11, Shayla Peoples 2, Jiana Clark 2, Asia Dan 2, Austin Hamler 12.