Neshaminy runs past Abington

Five days before Christmas, and Megan Schafer was in a giving mood.

The senior point guard for the Neshaminy girls' basketball team had her head constantly on a swivel Friday afternoon, feeding her teammates the ball on the fastbreak, down low on the block, and even on the wing for a quick jumper.

More than a handful of times, Schafer even surrendered her body to the hardwood to collect a loose ball or to plow through a screen on help defense.

Schafer's court vision and aggressive play helped the visiting Redskins defeat Suburban One League National Conference opponent Abington, 56-39.

Senior forward Sarah Oliveira was on the receiving end of many of Schafer's passes. Oliveira scored a game-high 15 points, 12 of which came in the second half.

"Meg's really a great point guard to work with," Oliveira said. "They [the guards] penetrate enough to draw the defense in, so when I'm there, it is just an open shot."

Each side moved the ball quickly down the floor. The difference was that Neshaminy (3-0 overall, 3-0 conference) usually scored off those opportunities, and Abington (3-3, 2-1) squandered many of theirs.

"We love to run. It's our thing," Oliveira said. "When we can get out and push against a team, we try to take as much advantage of that as we can."

By the fourth quarter, the Redskins' up-tempo pace had run down the Ghosts.

"It started off with defense, and I think our defense was the main factor today," Schafer said.

In the larger spirit of the holidays, Abington and Neshaminy worked together to raise money, collect gifts, and buy gift cards for a local Abington family that had lost its house to a fire.

It was the second straight year that the squads helped a family in need and presented the family with the gifts at the end of a game.

While Abington has off until after the holidays, Neshaminy will have a contest against Central Bucks West on Monday, two days before Christmas. Schafer still might be in a giving mood.

Neshaminy 13 16 14 13 – 56

Abington 11 8 10 10 – 39

N: Sarah Oliveira 15, Megan Schafer 12, Morgan Goldenbaum 10, Steph Donahue 7, Maddie Murray 6, McKenna Mullin 6.

A: Deja Rawls 13, Michael Harris 12, Leah Simmons 3, Sammy Lochner 3, Gabby Nolan 3, Gigi Vitelli 3, Bre Bermel 2.