Junior captain Rip Engel helped lead Council Rock North to a big win over Pennsbury in Friday’s SOL Featured Game, sponsored by the CR North Boys’ Basketball Booster Club. To view photos of all the action, please visit the 
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NEWTOWN - Rip Engel has found his stride.
The Council Rock North junior guard had a game-high 27 points to lift the Indians to a 58-49 win over Suburban One League National Conference rival Pennsbury on Friday night at CR North.
Engel went 13-15 at the line, hitting all nine of his attempts in the fourth period to help CR North pull away.
“We shoot foul shots every day before and after practice so we get a lot of free throws in,” he said.
Engel transferred from Roman Catholic in Philadelphia at Christmas during his sophomore year last year and was happy to fill a supporting role.
“It’s hard to step in and take more of a leadership role,” he said. “Last year I was more of a passer, but this year I have to score more.
“I think I’m doing the things I need to do to help the team. At times I think there are things I could do better or I make a mistake but I just try to limit that as much as possible.”
“This year is definitely different. I’m playing a lot. I didn’t play as much last year. I came in during the season. They had good players who had been here for a long time, and I didn’t want to ruin the chemistry that the team already had, so I was definitely hesitant.”
CR North senior forward Kyle McCloskey appreciates having Engel on the team.
“I think he was a little shy when he came to this school,” McCloskey said. “He didn’t know how we were going to respond to him coming, but we welcomed him with open arms. We love Rip.
“He’s a lot more confident with the ball and he works it around. He could score whenever he wants to but he works it around.
“We have a lot of chemistry on the team. We work really well together and he’s a part of that.”
CR North coach Derek Wright agreed.
“Last year I think he fit i but I don’t think we got everything out of the team that we could have,” Wright said. “But for 15-16-17-year-old kids to deal with that adversity is difficult and they did a good job. I think they learned a lot from it.
“Rip is a more established with what we do every day now and it shows.”
Engel’s father, Ray, is a longtime teacher in the Pennsbury School District.
“I know pretty much their whole team,” Engel said. “We’re friends, but once we’re on the court, we’re not friends anymore.”
The game was tied, 15-15, after the first period although CR North had held a slight edge for most of the frame.
As the clock ticked toward halftime, the Indians trailed, 27-23, but a three-point shot by Brandon Knotts beat the buzzer to cut Pennsbury’s lead to 27-26 at the half.
It was the last time the Falcons would hold the lead.
CR North came out strong in the second half, getting the first three buckets of the quarter to take a 32-27 lead. By the end of the third quarter, the lead was 37-33, and they extended it to 40-33 at the beginning of the fourth quarter on a basket and a free throw by Engel for the largest lead of the game at that time.
The Falcons showed their mettle, going on a four-point run, all free throws. Mekhi Bryant made the first one, followed by a pair by Pierson Burton and a single tally by Shawn Pepper.
But a key basket by McCloskey and a three-pointer by Engel made the score 42-38, and that’s when the Indians began to pull away for good.
“Right from the start, we expected this to be a physical game, and we came out ready for that,” Engel said. “We tried to play physical. We tried to match their intensity and tried to keep that intensity up the whole game.
“We played much better in the second half. We were moving the ball, making plays for each other and (getting) the offensive rebounds.”
McCloskey had 10 points and nine rebounds.
“We started to do the little things at halftime like stepping into position and getting a lot of tough rebounds,” he said. “I thought we played a lot tougher in the second half.”
CR North has a lot of new faces on a team that has been to the PIAA tournament the last three years running.
“In beginning of the year, nobody thought we’d be in there because we lost so many people,” McCloskey said. “I think we’ve shocked them.”
While there are still a lot of games to be played, the Indians have a leg up on the Falcons as they all chase Abington.
“This win definitely gives us confidence moving into the rest of the season,” Engel said. “I think we’re all starting to gain confidence, especially getting these wins. I think that’s good for us.
“I’m surprised a little that we’re doing this good. We’re playing together and we’re having fun.”
Abington is still the team to beat in the league, and the Indians already have a loss to them at CR North.
“Abington’s a tough team,” McCloskey said. “I thought we played them well when they were here, but in the fourth quarter, they played harder than we did. If we keep playing hard, then I think we’ll have a shot at them.”
Pennsbury 15 12 6 16 – 49
Council Rock North 15 11 11 21 – 58
Pennsbury (49):Steve Ciotti 2 0-0 4; Pierson Burton 2 2-2 6; Mekhi Bryant 6 1-1 17; Lewis Troh 1 0-0 2; Daquan Mack 0 0-0 0; Cameron Jones 1 0-0 2; Shawn Pepper 7 2-4 18. Totals: 19 5-7 49.
Council Rock North (58): Josh McWilliams 1 0-0 2; Rip Engel 6 13-15 27; Ryan Baker 1 2-2 4; Chris Rowland 2 0-0 5; Brandon Knotts 3 2-2 10; Kyle McCloskey 4 2 4 10. Totals: 17 19-23 58.
Three-point goals: Bryant 4, Pepper 2, Engel 2, Rowland, Knotts 2.
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