Check out the results for SOL boys/girls basketball teams in action Saturday.
Boys
PENNRIDGE 64, QUAKERTOWN 53
And then there were four.
The Rams used a 21-point fourth quarter to pull away from the Panthers in Saturday afternoon’s league finale, earning a win that set up a four-way tie atop the SOL Continental Conference standings. The fact that the Rams are sharing the title with Central Bucks East, Central Bucks South and North Penn did not put a damper on their celebration.
“We cut the nets down today, and that hasn’t happened very often at Pennridge,” coach Dean Behrens said. “For us, we look at it – we were a young, inexperienced team coming into the season. I don’t think many people thought we would be a contender in the division.
“We’re tickled pink. Congratulations to East, North Penn and South – they earned it too, but I look at our group, and they were real excited about it. I told them – no one can take this away from you. They will add 2014 to the banner, and they will always be part of it. It’s something to build on for the future as well as going into the playoffs. We’re real excited.”
The Rams led 17-10 after one quarter and took a 32-26 lead into halftime only to watch the Panthers rally to knot the score heading into the final quarter (43-43).
“We had a 14-point lead late in the second quarter, and Quakertown went on an 8-0 run to end the quarter, so we went into halftime up six,” Behrens said. “They’re not going away.
“In the third quarter, we had a 10-point lead, and before you know it, it’s tied. It’s a typical Pennridge-Quakertown game. Give coach (Kevin) Keeler credit. They were ready to play.”
Unlike Pennridge, which hadn’t played since Thursday night, the Panthers played on Friday night.
“In the fourth quarter, they had three turnovers in a row that we were able to convert,” Behrens said. “Offensively, we played much better. We moved the ball, hit some crucial shots.
“With a four-point lead, there was a technical foul on one of their kids on a shooting foul as well. Joe Molettiere hit four foul shots in a row, and that extended it to a three-possession game. We’re more comfortable, more confident, and they had to come out and extend their trap. They’re in the bonus, and every time they foul, we’re on the foul line.”
The Rams capitalized on their opportunities at the charity stripe. Zach Muredda was 8-for-10 while Molettiere was 5-for-5. Muredda led the Rams with 20 points, and Molettiere added 17. Dan Long had nine points.
Sophomore Griffin Schmidt led the Panthers with 23 points.
“We ended up winning by 11, but it was a nip and tuck game,” Behrens said. “It was amazing – for a 12:30 game, there was a good crowd there. There was a little bit of energy in the gym.”
The Rams belatedly held their Pink Out game for Coaches vs. Cancer, honoring a Deibler Elementary School student who is battling brain cancer.
The Rams closed out the regular season with a 9-5 record in league play (15-7 overall) while the Panthers were 2-12 in the league (7-15 overall).
Quakertown 10 16 17 10-53
Pennridge 17 15 11 21-64
PENNSBURY 73, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 47
Cameron Jones scored a game-high 20 points, and Steve Ciotti added 16 to lead the Falcons. Derrick Woods also finished in double figures with 13 points, and Mekhi Bryant had eight points.
For the Indians, seniors Josh McWilliams (18 points) and Chris Rowland (13 points) led the way.
The Falcons led 18-10 at the end of one quarter and took a 37-18 lead into halftime. They never looked back.
Pennsbury closed out the league season with a 12-2 mark (18-4 overall). The Indians are 7-7 in the league (11-11 overall).
Council Rock North 10 8 14 15-47
Pennsbury 18 19 23 13-73
UPPER DUBLIN 53, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 44 (3 OT)
The Flying Cardinals have enjoyed playing the role of giant killer this season.
On Saturday, the Cardinals defeated their third conference champion of the season when they eked out a win in triple overtime over a Patriot squad that one night earlier clinched a share of the SOL Continental Conference crown.
“It was a huge game because we knew CB East had won their division, and they had 12 wins,” Upper Dublin coach Josh Adelman said. “We had the big win against PW, and we had some other good wins, so we knew if we had this one it would give us a possibility of maybe getting in (to districts).”
After the two teams each scored just six points in the first two overtime periods combined, the Cardinals exploded for 16 points in the third, outscoring the Patriots 16-7.
“It was unreal,” Adelman said. “We shot 3-of-14 from the foul line in the first four quarters, and then in the three overtimes, we shot 14-for-18.
“It seemed like we would always jump out to a lead in overtime, and they would come back. In the third one, we just did a great job of attacking the basket, and when they would shoot, we rebounded, and they would foul us, and we were in the double bonus. Luckily, we went down and put them in. It was a great team win.”
The Flying Cardinals led 10-7 at the end of one quarter and 20-14 at halftime but then scored just 11 points in the second half, allowing the Patriots to extend the game to overtime.
Zach Greenberg had his second double-double in as many games, contributing 12 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Simeon Fryer had 16 points.
“He was a beast on the boards with 10 rebounds and three blocked shots towards the end of the game,” Adelman said of Fryer.
Point guard Kevin Woods also had 16 points.
“He’s just been unreal,” Adelman said. “He hit some crucial shots and made some great plays.
“It seemed like every time we needed a layup, Kevin Woods would come up with that crucial layup to give us the lead. It just was uncanny tonight.”
The Flying Cardinals connected on 17-of-31 from the foul line while East took just three trips to the foul line and did not connect on any.
Tommy Strasburger led the Patriots with 13 points while Brendan McLaughlin and Ben Kardane each added nine.
With the win, the Flying Cardinals evened their overall mark at 11-11 (7-7 SOL).
“We’ve had four heartbreaking games,” Adelman said. “We lost to Wissahickon on a last-second shot, and we lost to Norristown in double overtime at our place.
“I just want to see the guys get in because they are peaking at the right time. We just have to wait and see what happens Tuesday (at the district seeding meeting). Our division is so tough, and the coaching is so good.”
The Patriots, who finished the regular season 12-10 overall (9-5 SOL), were just 24 hours removed from a double overtime win over CB South to clinch a share of the SOL Continental Conference crown.
Upper Dublin 10 10 3 8 4 2 16-53
Central Bucks East 7 7 7 10 4 2 7-44
BENSALEM 64, NESHAMINY 40
Girls
NESHAMINY 63, BENSALEM 35
The Redskins did what no Neshaminy basketball team had done before it on Saturday when the ‘Skins clinched the school’s first ever back-to-back conference titles with their win over the Owls.
“This is very important for kids in our community that are in the middle school level that hopefully this builds a sense of camaraderie and something you want to be a part of,” coach Joe Lally said. “I think the girls have done a great job of doing things the right way through hard work. You see the fan base is a little bigger. The girls have done a really good job of putting the program on the map, and we’re just hoping to continue it.”
The Redskins sprinted to a 15-5 lead at the end of one quarter and opened up a 36-13 lead by halftime on their way to the big win.
Senior Megan Schafer and sophomore Morgan Goldenbaum led a balanced attack with 13 points each. Schafer also had seven assists and five steals. McKenna Mullin had a team-high seven rebounds for Redskins, who closed out the regular season with a 13-1 league mark (17-3 overall). The Owls are 1-12 in the league (2-17 overall).
Neshaminy 15 21 16 11-63
Bensalem 5 8 11 11-35
ABINGTON 53, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 42
Michael Harris turned in a stellar 22-point, 12-rebound performance to lead the Ghosts to the win in the SOL finale for both squads.
“Obviously, this was a very important game for them, and we knew they would come in and play really hard,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said of an Indian squad battling for a district berth. “They were mixing up their defenses, confusing us a little bit, playing a box-and-one against Deja (Rawls).
“We probably weren’t as patient as we needed to be in the first half. In the second half, we were more patient, and we were able to pull them out of the box-and-one because Michael was too much for them. She’s been really playing well in the second half of the season. A box-and-one is not going to be effective when you have an inside threat like Michael.”
Rawls finished with 10 points and four assists, and Gabby Nolan handed out nine assists.
“Deja and Sammy Lochner did a good job defensively on (Jessica) Gerber,” Marsh said.
Gerber finished with nine points – only two in the second half - while teammate Madison Attanasio had a team-high 12 points.
The Indians led 9-7 after one quarter, but the Ghosts used a 14-9 second quarter to go into halftime with a 21-18 lead. They outscored the Indians 32-24 in the second half.
The Ghosts closed out the regular season with a 12-2 record in SOL play (16-6 overall). The Indians were 8-6 in league play (10-11 overall).
Council Rock North 9 9 10 14-42
Abington 7 14 16 16-53
PENNSBURY 67, NORRISTOWN 63 (OT)
Sajanna Bethea saved her best for last.
The senior standout exploded for a career high 38 points to lead the Falcons to the dramatic win. For good measure, she also pulled down 17 rebounds in a brilliant performance.
“Sajanna rose to the occasion,” coach Keith Gabor said. “We absolutely needed her today. It was a very physical game. It was actually her kind of game. The refs were letting them play.
“She got beat up pretty good. She came out of the game two or three times just so we could let our trainer check her. She had taken a few elbows to the face, but you know what – she never says a word. She’s just like, ‘I’m good. I can go.’
“She’s just so tough because if you play up on her, she’ll go by you. If you don’t play her, she’ll hit the three. I think Sajanna is one of the best girls’ basketball players that Pennsbury High School has ever seen.”
It was Bethea burying a clutch three with a minute left in regulation to put the Falcons on top 56-54. The Eagles made a bucket to force overtime. In OT, the Falcons outscored the Eagles 11-7.
Earlier, the Eagles led 14-13 after one quarter and took a 28-26 lead into halftime. The Falcons used a 16-9 third quarter burst to go on top 42-37 heading into a final quarter that saw the Eagles outscore the Falcons by five.
The win came on the heels of back-to-back losses for the Falcons.
“I think everything started on Tuesday night, Senior Night,” Gabor said. “We played Abington, and we wound up losing by one (47-46). We were actually up in that game by one with 40 seconds to go.
“Sajanna and Kaitlin (Kelly) both played really well in that game. With the snow, we didn’t have a chance to come back together until Friday when we played Neshaminy. To Neshaminy’s credit, we weren’t able to match their intensity. It was 20-2 after the first quarter and 46-7 at halftime. I had never been part of something like that in my playing or coaching career.
“Today we just kind of regrouped. We talked about the seniors and this was their last time to play on their home court.”
Kaitlin Kelly and Niasa Boone both added 11 points for the Falcons. Norristown was led by Briana Hedgepath (22 points) and Keifonna Ferguson (21 points), but the day belonged to Bethea.
“We’re going to be sad if this turns out to be Sajanna’s last game,” Gabor said. “I know we were close – maybe on the outside (of the district tournament) looking in. With a win tonight, who knows where that puts us.
“I know Norristown has some quality wins. The girls came out and played today. I was real proud of them.”
The Eagles are 11-10 overall (8-5 SOL) with one conference game remaining against Cheltenham on Monday. The Falcons closed out the regular season with an 11-11 record overall (7-7 SOL).
“It was a weird season,” Gabor said. “We had a lot of ups and downs, and we couldn’t really put it together.
“I don’t know where things are going to lay, but hopefully we get a shot to get in there because with the combination of Sajanna Bethea and Kaitlin Kelly, we’ll be a tough first round matchup for anybody.”
Norristown 14 14 9 19 7-63
Pennsbury 13 13 16 14 11-67
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 29, UPPER DUBLIN 24
What a difference a day makes.
On Friday night, the Patriots struggled in a loss to CB South while the Flying Cardinals turned in an inspired performance and avenged a loss to Upper Merion to capture sole possession of their program’s second consecutive SOL American Conference title.
Saturday’s regular season finale for both teams featured more defense than offense, and it was the Patriots earning the important win.
“This is a big win,” East coach Liz Potash said. “That’s an 18-win team that won their conference.
“I’ve seen them play plenty of times, and I know they’re capable of more than what they showed tonight, but at the same time, we threw up a dud last night, and for us to come back and have this kind of win going into playoffs is huge. Even seeding-wise, this was a huge win tonight.”
The Patriots trailed 5-4 at the end of one quarter, and the two teams were tied 11-11 at halftime. East took a 21-16 lead into the final quarter and maintained that lead until the final whistle.
“Defensively, we did a great job,” Potash said. “I know they make more shots than that normally. I’ve seen them play a lot, but I think we did a really nice job.
“Defense has always been their bread and butter, but the last couple of games we weren’t really happy with our defense. We gave up too many points against Pennridge and too many points last night.”
According to Potash, there was a sense of urgency after Friday’s 11-point loss to CB South.
“We start five seniors, and I said, ‘This is your last home game tonight. How do you want to go out?’” the Patriots’ first-year coach said. “I think they took that to heart a little bit.
“Last night was not the performance they wanted, and we were glad we had another chance to come back and be able to play tonight. It’s a good win to have going into districts.”
Upper Dublin senior Regan Gallagher led all scorers with 12 points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals. Senior Courtney Webster led the Patriots with 10 points. East point guard Karoline White had six steals and five assists. Senior Emily Sebesky and Lindsay Nier each drew a charge.
“Lindsay really turned it on tonight,” Potash said. “She had a big second half. She turned it on on the defensive end and came up with some big plays.
“The girls had a really long day – they were at the (Coaches vs. Cancer) 3-on-3 tournament all day. They fought through because they knew it was a big game.
“No discredit to South, but we didn’t give them our best game, and I don’t think Upper Dublin gave us their best game tonight, but we’ll take it. It’s a big win for us.”
While the Flying Cardinals closed out the regular season with an 18-4 record overall (12-2 SOL), the Patriots are 14-7 overall (8-6 SOL).
Upper Dublin 5 6 5 8-24
Central Bucks East 4 7 10 8-28
PENN WOOD 87, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 51
Penn Wood sprinted to a 27-16 lead at the end of one quarter and took a 44-26 lead into halftime on their way to the non-league win. Indiah Cauley was unstoppable for Penn Wood, scoring a game-high 36 points. She was one of five Patriots to finish the game in double figures. Alynna Williams had a big day for the Colonials, connecting for five three-pointers en route to a team-high 27 points.
The Colonials are 16-5 overall (10-3 SOL). They will close out their regular season at Springfield on Monday night.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 16 10 16 9-51
Penn Wood 27 17 20 23-87
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