City of Basketball Love

Joseph Santoliquito (@JSantoliquito)
––

(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2023-24 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

~~~

The core of this Central Bucks South nucleus knows the black eyes of the past, along with the bumps and bruises that come with learning and growing at the high school varsity girls’ basketball level.

Beth Mattern, who is entering her 18th season as Central Bucks South’s head coach, threw her seniors, then sophomores, into the deep end after having been ravaged by graduation the season before. Mattern has been around CB South for almost as long as the school has existed, which will be 20 full years and will be graduating its 21st class.

She knows Suburban One and District 1. She was forced to do some rebuilding, going with a group of sophomores that took their lumps. The Titans finished at the bottom of the SOL's Colonial Division with a 3-13 league record and 8-14 overall record.

Last year, they stepped up to finish 8-7 in the Suburban One Colonial and 12-11 overall, good enough for the No. 23 seed in the District One Class 6A playoffs, where the Titans suffered a 45-32 first-round loss to No. 10 seed West Chester Henderson.

Is this the year the Titans have a breakthrough in the Suburban One Colonial?

Mattern feels that the pieces are there. The Titans return three starters, beginning with 5-foot-10 three-year starting junior forward Julianna Tropea, along with 5-9 senior guard Mia Klein and 5-7 senior guard Ella Wheeler. Gabriella Tropea, Julianna’s 6-foot twin sister, gives Mattern four of her top six players back from last year.

The Tropea twins will be CB South’s version of the “Twin Towers,” posing a formidable threat inside for any team the Titans face. Wheeler and Klein bring experience to the back court, and with the addition of 5-7 junior guard Riley Campbell, CB South may be able to make a push in the Suburban One Colonial.

“Players like Riley Campbell are the reason why I am really excited about this group,” Mattern said. “I have been able to watch my seniors blossom over the course of their careers. We have the twins, and added players like Riley.”

Anna Granito, a 5-8 junior guard, and Rylie DiCesare, a 5-6 freshman, add backcourt depth and allow Mattern to run more this season.

Wheeler, a three-year starter, has been through the tough times. She was a contributor to a senior-laden team her freshman year. When that group graduated, Mattern turned to her as a sophomore to start.

Wheeler has some big expectations this season.

Much of the leadership will be shouldered by her and Klein.

“We have a lot of speed and height, so it will be a matter of how we use it, depending on who our opponent is,” Wheeler said. “I think people are going to find out about Riley Campbell and Rylie DiCesare. They have a lot of potential and I’m really excited to play with them.”

Teamed with the Tropea twins, Campbell could be the secret weapon. She may get her share of open looks this coming season. This summer, when teams began attacking her, she had the awareness to find teammates inside for easy layups. Defensively, she held her own by being able to read plays before they unfolded.

Julianna, a three-year starter, has played with her twin sister Gabriella before, but this will mark the first year they will be starting together. Julianna also distinctly recalls her freshman year, when the young Titans were forced to learn on the go. No one on that team knew each other. They were not only grasping what each one was capable of, they did against the rugged Suburban One Colonial.

Over her first two years as a starter, the Titans had a combined 20-25 record.

Julianna is determined to change that culture. She certainly showed it through her play this summer, with her athleticism and length. Opposing teams had trouble driving the lane against the Tropea twins. They either swatted away anything near them, or altered the shots of driving opposing players.

Cohesion is a key.

“Having years of playing with each other in the spring and summer, I think the hard work will pay off,” Julianna said. “We have a lot of size, but being fast and lengthy will help us on the offensive end. We will look different this year. We will run more.”

Julianna stressed the team collectively is entering this season filled with more confidence than the Titans began last season. With Campbell and DiCesare able to nail threes, that could force defenses out on them, creating more open space inside for the Tropea twins.

With the Tropea twins’ presence inside, teams may collapse on them, leaving the arc unprotected.

“That’s what I really like about us, we can present a lot of different looks, and have an answer for everything,” Julianna said.

Klein, a three-year starter, is ready to be more of a leader. She said ball movement and the Titans’ size will be an advantage.

“I want to get the underclassmen more involved,” Klein said. “This year will be different for me. I have always been on the more quiet side. I have to branch out a little more, be vocal and get everyone involved. I think I’m ready for that.”

And Mattern is ready to see her seniors win.

“This is going to be fun to see what we can do,” Mattern said. “We will play to our strengths and we will look a little different. I feel good about this team’s coachability and adaptability. When we get into the league, we will be able to be more flexible.”

~~~

Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter based in the Philadelphia area who began writing for CoBL in 2021 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter here.