Check out all of Friday’s SOL boys basketball results. To view photos of the Hatboro-Horsham/Pennridge game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Continental Conference
NORTH PENN 55, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 43
The Knights got off to a slow start as the Patriots outscored them 12-6 after the opening quarter, but they found their rhythm in the second quarter and by halftime knotted the score 23-23.
“(Matt) Stauffer was able to establish position, and we had trouble on offensive end at the start,” said Knights’ coach John Conrad. “But as the game wore on, we made better decisions.”
The Knights ended the third quarter with a narrow one-point lead but pulled away in the final quarter, thanks to Cordell Lord, who scored two buckets and was 5-for-6 on the foul line as the Knights outscored East 22-11 to earn their first league victory.
“This is good for us,” said Conrad. “ We started with two wins and lost three in row. It’s good to get back on track.”
Conrad was pleasantly surprised with the performance of Noah Melchior, who came in off the bench and made his mark immediately.
“He did a nice job on interior defense,” the Knights’ coach said. “He’s only 6-1 but is a smart kid and plays bigger than he is.”
Stauffer (18 points) and Kyle Clow (14 points) led the Patriots offensively. The Patriots and Knights end the week with identical records, 1-2 SOL and 3-3 overall.
HATBORO 77, PENNRIDGE 45
The Hatters silenced the Rams - who were coming off wins over Quakertown and Christopher - by opening up a 20-12 lead in the first quarter. They increased their lead to 44-18 at the half after a 24-6 second quarter surge. The Rams tried to mount a comeback, scoring 27 points in the second half, but the Hatters posted 33 points to maintain a commanding lead.
Hatboro was led by Mike Brown’s impressive 29-point performance. Zach Quattro contributed 17 and Ryan Kelly added 14 for the Hatters. Alex Krivda had the team-high 13 points for the Rams.
The Hatters remain undefeated in the league at 3-0 (6-1 overall) and upped their winning streak to four. The Rams saw their record drop to 1-2 SOL, 2-4 overall.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 70, QUAKERTOWN 38
The Titans jumped out to an early lead and never looked back to claim the victory and extend their winning streak to four consecutive games. Junior Matt Scamuffo led the way with 19 points while Kevin Raymond and Brennan Rudnick each added nine. TJ Ohntrup scored six points, and Bryce Dobish added five for the Titans, who stay perfect in the league at 3-0 (5-2 overall). The Panthers fell to 0-3 SOL (2-4 overall).
SOUDERTON 50, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 40(Thursday Dec 20)
After splitting their series with the Bucks last season, the Indians were out to net a crucial win on Thursday night. The Bucks came out strong in the opening quarter and took a 12-11 lead, but the second quarter belonged to Big Red. Senior standout John Kanas exploded in the second quarter and set the bar high for his inexperienced teammates, leading his team to the half with a 23-14 lead.
“John had a terrific second quarter,” said coach Pete Chimera. “They went up 14-11 but we got running and created some turnovers.”
Souderton knew they were in a good position at half, but that it was no time to relax.
“It’s extremely important to get a lead on West,” said Chimera. “If you don’t, they will take good shots, make you play defense and keep the score low.”
After an intense huddle on West’s sideline during halftime, the Indians knew the Bucks were changing their game plan.
“Adam (Sherman) is a great coach,” said Chimera. “They came back with a zone/ man-to-man defense, and it threw us off a little.”
The Bucks knotted the game 25-25 midway through the third quarter after a trio of Cal Reichwein three-pointers. Chimera elected to put Anthony Williams on the court and the senior guard hit two straight three’s off the bench and also took the initiative to cover Reichwein, bringing the momentum back to his team.
Brendan Wagner led the Indians fourth quarter surge defensively, recording double digit blocks on the night while also picking up rebounds and converting them into scoring opportunities. Austin Murphy chipped in a crucial trey to maintain the momentum in the fourth, upping his game total to eight points. Kanas led the offense with 15 points, and Carter Knight contributed seven for the Indians, who outscored the Bucks 17-12 in the final frame to claim the victory.
“It’s a good win for us,” Chimera said. “The way we won is really important. We were up at the half, and I’m really proud that we didn’t panic.”
“We didn’t say ‘Oh my god, what do we do?’ As time goes on, we continue to grow and talk about scenarios and mistakes and learn from film.”
Chimera was pleased with his team’s composure and effort, in particular the performances of Kanas, Williams and Murphy.
Reichwein led the attack for the Bucks and scored a game-high 17, while teammates Baylor Griffin (9 points) and Jared Kelly (7 points) also played crucial roles. Souderton improves to 2-1 in the league (4-2 overall) while West falls to 1-2 SOL (2-4 overall).
American Conference
UPPER MERION 54, SPRINGFIELD 53
Both the Vikings and the Spartans got off to a slow start, but the Spartans finished the first quarter with a 6-3 edge. However, in the second quarter, the Vikings turned up the heat with two big three-pointers from David Stecz to stake out a 25-21 lead at the half.
“We’ve been telling him all year we needed him to be our shooter,” said Upper Merion coach Francis Bowe. “He finally did just that and ended with 16 points today.”
The Vikings closed out the third quarter with a 42-34 advantage, but that lead was anything but secure as the game came down to the final seconds for two teams searching for their first league victory.
“In the fourth quarter, they went man-to-man, and we didn’t handle pressure well,” said Bowe. “Our junior guards are still learning and we had some turnovers they turned into points.”
The Spartans, who were led by Chris Stone (18 points), exploited the Vikings’ lapse and took a one-point lead with 1:18 remaining. The Vikings misfired on their attempt to regain the lead, and the Spartans controlled the ball and drew a foul, connecting on one-of-two from the line to go on top by two.
Bowe immediately called a timeout with a little over three seconds to go and diagrammed the play he wanted his team to execute. Coming out of the timeout, Springfield put on the fullcourt press, but Justin Lewis was able to catch a pass just beyond the arc at the defensive end of the court, and in three seconds, the powerful and athletic Lewis, who only stands at 5-6, crossed midcourt and put up a running three-point buzzer-beater for the thrilling one-point victory.
Not only did Lewis score the winning basket, he scored a career-high 23 points in the big win, and he has netted more than 20 points in each of Upper Merion’s last three games. Bowe credited Lewis’ composure in the critical last seconds to the fact that he is a world-class karate fighter and a senior leader and role model on the court.
“He’s a senior who wanted the last shot in his hands - I get that,” said Bowe. “It was very emotional for him.”
Although the third-year coach was elated to come away with the win, he is prouder that his players are embracing his philosophy of being a team and a family.
“They bought into the system and I couldn’t have been happier the way they reacted,” Bowe said. “My whole team reacted and embraced Justin.
“They really care for each other and emphasize family, which is big going into the Lower Moreland Holiday Tournament.”
The Vikings improved to 1-2 in the league and 2-4 overall. Springfield remains winless in the league at 0-3, and is 1-4 overall.
CHELTENHAM 52, UPPER DUBLIN 47
The Panthers led 11-10 at the end of the first quarter and upped their lead to 29-15 at the half. In the third quarter, the inexperienced Panthers, according to their coach, had a letdown in their intensity level, and the Cardinals jumped on the opportunity. The Cardinals trimmed the Panthers’ lead to 39-30 going into the final frame and never stopped fighting.
“They are a good team and you have to play every minute,” Cheltenham coach Brian Johnson said.
Ultimately, the Panthers were able to hold onto their lead for the remainder of the contest to keep their league record a perfect 3-0. Aaron McGlawn was a key in the Panther’s fourth-quarter recovery, scoring 12 of his 14 points from the foul line in the final frame. McGlawn was a force on defense as well, picking up four steals while teammate Rashawn Reed tallied five steals to go along with five points.
Although Johnson credited the win to a successful team effort, he commended Guy Henderson - who tallied eight points, eight rebounds and four assists – for his role in the victory.
“Henderson was great,” Johnson said. “He’s a second year starter who plays with consistency and confidence.”
Those traits are especially important on a team with just two returning starters and a bench full of varsity newcomers.
The Flying Cardinals’ attack was led by Andrew Carber, who scored 15, and Kurt Goff, who added 12.
Cheltenham is now 4-3 overall while Upper Dublin falls to 0-3 SOL, 1-4 overall.
NORRISTOWN 69, UPPER MORELAND 56
The Golden Bears opened up with a 16-9 lead in the first quarter and – despite being outscored 18-14 in the second quarter – still led 30-27 at the intermission. The Eagles began to take control of the game with a 22-15 burst in the third quarter to go on top 49-45. The Eagles increased their lead in the final frame to battle past the Bears for the win.
Luke Kelley led the scoring for Norristown with 16 points, followed by Bernard Gordon who added 13 points along with 7 assists and 4 steals while Jahbri Hargrove also reached double digits with 10 points. Josh Johnson chipped in with nine points.
Upper Moreland was led by Matt Kohn who had the game-high 20 points while James Martin added 12 points and Kevin McFall and Tommy Robinson each added eight. The Eagles remain perfect in the American Conference at 3-0 (5-1 overall) while the Bears fell to 1-2 in the league (3-3 overall).
WISSAHICKON 68, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 57
The Trojans led the Colonials by just one after the opening quarter (13-12) before starting to pull away in the second quarter after a pair of three’s by Gordon Bentley and a nine-point contribution by Chase Wilson, which upped the Trojans’ lead to 32-24 at intermission. The Trojans maintained their lead in the second half, outscoring the Colonials 19-17 on the way to the victory.
Wilson and Bentley each had a team-high 16 points while, Chris Vila (14 points) and Chris Tarradonini (10 points) also made important contributions for the Trojans. Anthony McKie paced the Colonial offense with 16 points along with Brett Paul who chipped in 10. The Trojans upped their record to 3-0 in the league (4-3 overall) and the Colonials fell 1-2 SOL (3-3 overall).
National Conference
BENSALEM 57, WILLIAM TENNENT 49
The Owls upped their narrow 13-9 first quarter lead over the Panthers to 32-19 at the half. The Panthers rallied back and cut that lead to 35-30 in the third quarter. However, Deion Jones, who was 8-for-8 from the line in the final quarter, helped the Owls finish off the Panthers with a crucial fourth quarter surge. Jones also added eight assists and four steals, while teammate Stephon Jones had a game-high 20 points and Donnie Reed scored 12 in the victory.
The Panthers were led by Horace Spencer with 16 points, followed by Matt Alden who contributed 15 and Connor Spornak who also cracked double digits with 10 points. The Owls remain unbeaten in the SOL at 3-0 (3-2 overall) as the Panthers remain winless at 0-3 in the league (2-4 overall).
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 64, TRUMAN 53
The Indians used a balanced attack to stake out a 19-11 lead at the end of one quarter and upped that lead to 37-20 by halftime on their way to a victory. The Tigers tried to claw their way back into the game with a strong third quarter, cutting the Indians’ lead to 46-35, but they were unable to dig out of the hole they created in the first half. Rip Engel finished the day with a team-high 19 points, while Kyle McCloskey scored 17 and Brandon Knotts chipped in 14. Tiger standout Merdic Green posted an impressive game-high 25 points. The Indians are now 4-1 for the season (2-1 SOL) and the Tigers fall to 4-3 (2-1 SOL).
PENNSBURY at COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH (Postponed)
ABINGTON 56, NESHAMINY 22 (Thursday, Dec. 20)
All 13 players on Abington’s roster found their way into the scoring column in Thursday’s big win that saw the Ghosts open up a 15-0 lead at the end of one quarter and extend that to 26-8 by the intermission. It is the first time since the 1993-94 season that everyone on the team scored.
Anthony Durham led a balanced attack with nine points while Anthony Lee added seven and Mark Bond and Pat Rice, six points each. Khari Jefferson led the Ghosts under the backboards with eight rebounds while Amir Hinton had six rebounds to go along with four points. Matt Penecale had five rebounds.
While the Redskins fell to 0-3 in league play (0-6 overall), the Ghosts upped their record to 3-0 in the league (7-0 overall). It is the first time that Abington has entered the holiday break without a loss since the 1982-83 season. The Ghosts will receive a major text when they will face nationally ranked Chester on Thursday at Weidner University in the Jameer Nelson Classic. Tip-off is set for 8:15 p.m.
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