When the girls of Penn Charter met the George School Cougars in a non-league regular-season game on Dec. 19, the PC Quakers cruised to a 61-39 victory.

When a rematch was set up between the two ballclubs last Friday, one of the teams would end its season in the first round of the PA. Independent Schools tournament. In a much closer contest than the December encounter, eighth-seeded Penn Charter overcame the visiting Cougars, 48-42.

The teams were tied at 41-all with under two minutes remaining, then a 7-1 finish for Charter forced the visitors into the off-season with an overall record of 12-13. The Quakers, who finished smack in the middle of the Inter-Ac League (fourth place), improved to 16-9 on the season.

For their efforts in the PAIS opening round, the PC girls are being rewarded with a Tuesday trip to Westtown School, the PAIS top seed, the undefeated Friends Schools League champion, and a top-20 team in the national rankings.

Three-time defending champion Westtown and the other top four tournament seeds (including number four Germantown Academy), received first-round byes and moved directly into the quarterfinal round.

Liv Vieira, a George School sophomore who transferred to the Bucks County school from Penn Charter this year, drove to the hoop to open the scoring in last Friday's game. After a feed from junior Molly Dougherty helped her classmate Marleigh Jackson score Charter's first lay-up, Vieira hit one of two free throws. No one fretted about the scoreboard overheating, as a three-pointer by senior Kaylinn Bethea (who'll play for St. Joseph University) gave the hosts a 5-3 edge after the first eight minutes.

George's Zee Lowe tied the game at the start of the second quarter. Bethea answered with a score on a drive, and after Jackson blocked a shot by the visitors at the other end, PC came back with a three-pointer from the right baseline by freshman Aubrei Smith.

Charter gained a little separation later on at 15-8, but Lowe and Vieira helped the Cougars cut their deficit to two points. A pass by Bethea led to a lay-up by Smith with four seconds left, earning the Quakers a 17-13 advantage at the intermission.

Two three-pointers and a breakaway basket by Bethea were supplemented by a baseline drive by sophomore Laila Sharp to put Penn Charter up 27-18 midway through the third quarter. A "three" by Maya Ravindranathan provided George School with a little relief, but over the next minute or so Bethea hit a lay-up and then Jackson followed in her own shot and also went three-for-three at the foul line.

With two-and-a-half minutes left in the third period, Penn Charter now had the largest lead of the afternoon, a 13-point gap at 34-21. The momentum reversed, and the Quakers would be outscored 13-3 over the next few minutes, with Ravindranathan plunking in two more treys. The Cougars entered the fourth round with only a three-point shortfall, 37-34.

The teams traded points for a spell, then the Cougars would have pulled into a tie on a three-point shot by Ravindranathan if the sophomore hadn't been called for traveling as she released the ball. No matter, a trey by another Cougar, Selena Kareem, got the visitors even at 41-41 with 2:55 to go.

The clock dropped below two minutes, and then George committed its fourth foul of the quarter out on the open floor, which meant that the Quakers could now get to the free throw line on anything other than an offensive foul by their guests.

Bethea assisted on a lay-up by Jackson, then scored herself on a drive down the left side of the lane. These would be the last field goals of the day as PC proceeded into the final minute with a 45-41 edge. Down the stretch, the Cougars missed shots from the floor while the home team got to the foul line three times.

Smith, Bethea, and Sharp each made the second of two free throws, and with 10 seconds left the Cougars' Angie Dawson made the first of two tosses from the stripe. The 48-42 final score was now on the board.

Bethea recorded a game-high 21 points for the winners, and Jackson reached double figures, with 10. Rounding it out were eight points from Smith, six from Dougherty, and three from Sharp. Lowe and Ravindranathan led the Cougars with 11 points apiece, and another 10 came from Vieira.