This week’s notebook features Hatboro-Horsham, Pennsbury & Cheltenham and recaps last week’s SOL action.
By Scott Huff
And the beat goes on…
SOL Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters
Hatboro-Horsham (9-10, 5-7) started the season with a record of 5-2 that included an impressive 56-43 victory over Downingtown West (17-3) on its resume. And the Hatters have won four of their last games that included an exciting 52-46 overtime victory over Central Bucks West (15-5).
However, sandwiched between the remarkable outset of the season – and the recent success – was a less impressive seven-game losing streak.
“We have a good basketball team,” said first-year Hatter head coach Ed Enoch. “We have had games in hand during the season, and for whatever reason we let them slip away. But we have battled everyone on our schedule.
“We want to be able to score in the 50’s and 60’s, but most of our games have been in the 40’s,” added Enoch. “The thing that has hurt this team in the games we lost is turnovers. If we take care of the ball – we can win a lot of games.
“We have played a lot of close games – and we lost a lot of close games,” continued Enoch. “Our goal right now is to win the last three games we play and see where we stand at the end of the year.”
Hatboro-Horsham will close the season with a non-league game against Perkiomen Valley (6-15) and SOL Continental Conference games against first place Pennridge (17-2, 11-1) and North Penn (11-9, 6-6).
The Hatters stretch run will feature the talents of their tri-captains – senior David Robinson, senior Walter Kimble, and junior Brian McEachem.
“David is the guy we count on to play the other team’s best big man, and Walter has improved his decision making and has always been a good defensive player,” said Enoch. “Brian is just an all-around good player. He does everything for us and has been a pleasure to work with this season.”
A Hatter season that has had more than its share of ups and downs.
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL Continental Conference
Pennridge (11-1) secured an outright conference championship with a pair of wins last week. The Rams opened the week with a 58-56 victory over Souderton (7-5) and closed the week with a 52-49 win over North Penn (6-6). Joe Molettiere sparked Pennridge with a 14-point effort against the Indians, while Danny Long scored a game-high 20 points in the win over the Knights.
Hatboro-Horsham (5-7) claimed a pair of huge conference wins last week. The Hatters opened the week as they topped Quakertown 54-40 and closed the week with a 52-46 overtime victory over Central Bucks West (8-4). Brian McEachem led the Hatters in scoring in both wins with a 15-point performance against the Panthers and a 14-point effort against the Bucks.
Souderton (7-5) remained in the district playoff discussion as the Big Red split a pair of conference games last week. The Indians opened the week with a tough 58-56 loss to first place Pennridge (11-1) and closed the week with a 45-42 win over Central Bucks South (7-5). Evan Slone and Tracy Simsick each scored a game-high 18 points against the Rams, while Slone led the Indians with a 17-point effort against the Titans.
Central Bucks West (8-4) remained in second place in the conference standings as the Bucks split a pair of conference games last week. West opened the week with a 44-42 victory over North Penn (6-6) but fell to Hatboro-Horsham (5-7) to close the week. Connor Lynch was the leading scorer for the Bucks in the win over the Knights, while Owen Cooney led West with 13 points in the loss to the Hatters.
Central Bucks South (7-5) remained in the district playoff discussion as the Titans split a pair of conference games last week. South opened the week with a 51-42 win over Central Bucks East (1-11) and closed the week with a 45-42 loss to Souderton (7-5). Tim Waddington led the Titans in scoring in both games with a 14-point effort against the Patriots and an 18-point performance against the Indians.
Central Bucks East (1-11) won its first conference game as the Patriots split a pair of conference games. East opened the week with a 51-42 loss to CB South and closed the week with a 51-39 victory over Quakertown (3-9). Tommy Strasburger and Travis Ives led the Pats in scoring with 13 points in the loss to the Titans, while Ives and Matt Pattyson each scored a game-high 17 points in the win over the Panthers.
North Penn (6-6) had a difficult week as the Knights dropped both conference games. North Penn opened the week with a tough 44-42 loss to Central Bucks West (8-4) and followed another tough loss to Pennridge (11-1) by a 52-49 score. Joey Richards was the leading scorer for the Knights in both games with a 13-point effort against the Bucks and a 12-point performance against the Rams.
Quakertown (3-9) had a difficult week as the Panthers dropped both conference games. Quakertown opened the week with a 54-40 loss to Hatboro-Horsham (5-7) and closed the week with a 51-39 loss to Central Bucks East (1-11). Griffin Schmidt and Brian Rejniak scored a team-high 11 points each in the loss to the Hatters, while Schmidt scored a team-high 16 points in the loss to the Patriots.
SOL Continental Conference Standings
1. Pennridge Rams (17-2 overall, 11-1 conference)
2. Central Bucks West Bucks (15-5, 8-4)
3. Central Bucks South Titans (11-8, 7-5)
Souderton Indians (11-9, 7-5)
5. North Penn Knights (11-9, 6-6)
6. Hatboro-Horsham Hatters (9-10, 5-7)
7. Quakertown Panthers (9-11, 3-9)
8. Central Bucks East Patriots (6-14, 1-11)
This Week in the SOL Continental Conference
Tuesday (2/3/15)
Central Bucks East @ Central Bucks West
Central Bucks South @ Quakertown
Pennridge @ Hatboro-Horsham
North Penn @ Souderton
Thursday (2/5/15)
Hatboro-Horsham @ North Penn
Quakertown @ Pennridge
Friday (2/6/15)
Central Bucks East @ Souderton
Central Bucks South @ Central Bucks West
SOL National Conference ‘Snapshot’
Pennsbury Falcons
Pennsbury (15-4, 10-2) just might be the best looking team not invited to the first ever Suburban One League Final Four dance.
The three SOL conference champions – most likely Pennridge (Continental), Plymouth Whitemarsh (American), and Abington (National) – will be there. The final slot will come between either the Falcons (SOL-N) or Central Bucks West (15-5 – SOL-C) – whichever team has the highest ‘power ranking’ numbers at the end of the week.
“Right now, I wouldn’t be too surprised if we’re not in,” said Pennsbury head coach Bill Coleman. “It is what it is – we feel good about the teams we scheduled in the non-league – and we can’t do much else.”
Pennsbury – which competes in a SOL National Conference that has not been at its strongest for the 2014-2015 season – has played terrific non-league opponents. Pennsbury scheduled Souderton, Lower Merion, La Salle, Neumann-Goretti, Atlantic City, Math-Civics & Sciences, Holy Ghost Prep, and Central Bucks South. The Falcons four losses this year came against La Salle (16-4), Neumann-Goretti (18-1), and Abington (17-3) – twice.
CB West – which competes in a very competitive SOL Continental Conference – has played what most observers would agree is a non-league schedule that is very good but a step below that of Pennsbury. The Bucks non-league schedule included Spring-Ford, Pottstown, Cheltenham, Lansdale Catholic, Patuxent (Maryland), Annapolis (Md), Methacton, and Truman. The CB West five losses came against Pennridge (17-2), Souderton (11-7), Methacton (18-3), Quakertown (9-11), and Hatboro-Horsham (9-10).
“You can’t argue against what the numbers say, and you can’t really do it any other way,” said Coleman in reference to the power rankings. “Our first goal was to win the league, and with our losses to Abington, that isn’t going to happen.
“But we should get a decent seed in districts, and we want to get to states,” added Coleman. “It would be nice to win that first SOL championship – but we might not get the chance. Like I said – it is what it is.”
Stay tuned.
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL National Conference
Abington (12-0) remained unbeaten in conference play with a pair of wins last week. The Ghosts opened the week with a 56-36 victory over Bensalem and closed the week with a 71-35 victory over William Tennent. Amir Hinton led the Ghosts in scoring in the win over the Owls with a 23-point performance, while Robby Heath scored a game-high 17 points in the win over the Panthers.
Pennsbury (10-2) kept pace with Abington as the Falcons won a pair of conference games last week. The Falcons opened the week with a 59-47 victory over Neshaminy and closed the week with an 83-59 win over Truman. In the win over the Redskins, Mekhi Bryant scored 22 points to pace the Falcons and surpassed the 1,000-point plateau, while in the win over the Tigers Derrick Woods scored a game-high 34 points.
Council Rock North (8-4) remained in third place with a pair of conference wins. The Indians opened the week with a 49-35 victory over Council Rock South (4-8) and closed the week with a 48-33 win over Neshaminy (1-11). Rock North was led in scoring in the win over the Hawks by Matt Margolis with 18 points, while Riley Thompson led the Indians with 20 points in the victory over the Redskins.
Bensalem (5-7) split a pair of conference games last week. The Owls opened the week with a 56-36 loss to Abington (12-0) and closed the week with a 52-47 victory over Truman (4-8). Neel Patel led Bensalem in scoring in both games with a 13-point effort against the Ghosts and a 15-point performance against the Tigers.
Council Rock South (4-8) split a pair of conference games last week. The Golden Hawks soared to a 47-44 overtime victory over William Tennent (4-8) to open the week but fell to Council Rock North by a 49-35 margin to close the week. Austin Thomas was the leading scorer for Rock South in both games with a 22-point performance against the Panthers and a nine-point effort against Rock North.
Truman (4-8) lost a pair of conference games last week. The Tigers opened the week with an 83-59 loss to Pennsbury (10-2) and closed the week with a 52-47 loss to Bensalem (5-7). TyQuan Law was the leading scorer in both games with an 18-point effort against the Falcons and a 20-point performance against the Owls.
William Tennent (4-8) lost a pair of conference games last week. The Panthers opened the week with a tough 47-44 overtime loss to Council Rock South (4-8) and closed the week with a 71-35 loss to first place Abington (12-0). John Ryan led the Black Cats in scoring in both games with a 22-point performance against the Golden Hawks and a 14-point effort against the Ghosts.
Neshaminy (1-11) lost a pair of conference games last week. The Redskins opened the week with a 59-47 loss to Pennbury (10-2) and followed with a 48-33 setback against Council Rock North (8-4). Billy Warren and Jenkins Kimber led the Skins with 10 points in the loss to the Falcons, while Zach Treadway scored a team-high 14 points in the loss to the Indians.
SOL National Conference Standings
1. Abington Ghosts (17-3 overall, 12-0 conference)
2. Pennsbury Falcons (15-4, 10-2)
3. Council Rock North Indians (13-7, 8-4)
4. Bensalem Owls (8-12, 5-7)
5. Council Rock South (7-13, 4-8)
Truman Tigers (6-14, 4-8)
William Tennent Panthers (5-15, 4-8)
8. Neshaminy Redskins (5-13, 1-11)
This Week in the SOL National Conference
Tuesday (2/3/15)
Abington @ Council Rock North
Pennsbury @ Council Rock South
Neshaminy @ Truman
Bensalem @ William Tennent
Thursday (2/5/15)
Truman @ Abington
William Tennent @ Pennsbury
Friday (2/6/15)
Council Rock North @ Bensalem
Council Rock South @ Neshaminy
SOL American Conference ‘Snapshot’
Cheltenham Panthers
Cheltenham (11-7, 8-3) barely missed the PIAA Quad-A District One playoffs last season, and the Panthers are not looking forward to a repeat performance this season.
“Last year I was under the impression that if we won our last three games we would get in,” said Cheltenham head coach John Timms. “And after we beat Norristown – at Norristown – for our third win in a row we were elated after the game thinking we got in.
“But when they added up the (power ranking) numbers at the end of the year, we were out,” added Timms. “Our goal since the end of last season was to get to the district playoffs. And it looks like we are going to have our work cut out for us again this year.
“We simply can’t afford to lose any more games,” continued Timms. “We are in playoff mode from now to the end of our season.”
Timms pointed out that the play of senior Fatir Al-Ahad has been a huge factor in the Panthers playoff run.
“Fatir always seems to play his best games against the best teams we play,” said Timms. “He has a pit-bull intensity and is our leader on the floor.
“There aren’t too many guards in the entire league that are playing any better than Fatir,” added Timms. “To be able to score 19-20 points in the big games – get seven or eight steals – he has been great.
“We don’t have a single player on our team that has ever played in a district playoff game,” continued Timms. “We talk all the time about becoming a team and program that is respected. Getting to the playoffs would get us some of that respect.”
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL American Conference
Plymouth Whitemarsh (11-1) earned at the very least a share of the conference title with a pair of conference wins. The Colonials opened the week with a 73-50 victory over Upper Dublin (8-3) and closed the week with an 81-21 win over Springfield (0-12). Jimmy Murray scored a game-high 18 points in the win over the Cardinals, while Andre Mitchell scored a game-high 18 points against the Spartans.
Cheltenham (8-3) won its only conference game of the week as the Panthers defeated Upper Moreland (3-9) by a 42-21 margin. Anthony White scored a game-high 11 points for Cheltenham.
Norristown (7-4) won its only conference game of the week as the Eagles soared to a 52-44 victory over Wissahickon (8-4). Darryl Carr scored a game-high 25 points for Norristown.
Wissahickon (8-4) split a pair of conference games last week. The Trojans opened the week with a 54-33 victory over Upper Merion (1-10) and closed the week with a 52-44 loss to Norristown (7-4). Steve Driscoll scored a game-high 16 points in the win over the Vikings, while Todd Bentley scored a team-high 16 points in the loss to the Eagles.
Upper Moreland (3-9) split a pair of conference games last week. The Golden Bears opened the week with a 51-42 victory over Springfield (0-12) and closed the week with a 42-21 loss to Cheltenham (8-3). Brendan O’Donnell scored a game-high 17 points in the win over the Spartans, while O’Donnell and Casey Decker led UMHS with six points each against the Panthers.
Upper Dublin (8-4) lost its only conference game of the week as the Cardinals fell to Plymouth Whitemarsh (11-1) by a 73-50 score. John Barrett led Upper Dublin in scoring with 14 points.
Upper Merion (1-10) lost its only conference game of the week as the Vikings were sunk by Wissahickon (8-4) by a final score of 54-33. Ethan Miller was the leading scorer for Upper Merion with 15 points.
Springfield (0-12) is still in search of its first conference win as the Spartans lost a pair of conference games. Springfield opened the week with a 51-42 loss to Upper Moreland (3-9) and closed the week with an 81-21 loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh (11-1). Ryan Daley scored a team-high 11 points in the loss to the Bears, while Christian Yoast scored a team-high nine points in the loss to the Colonials.
SOL American Conference Standings
1. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (18-2 overall, 11-1 conference)
2. Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals (12-7, 8-3)
Cheltenham Panthers (11-7, 8-3)
4. Wissahickon Trojans (10-8, 8-4)
5. Norristown Eagles (10-8, 7-4)
6. Upper Moreland Golden Bears (7-13, 3-9)
7. Upper Merion Vikings (2-16, 1-10)
8. Springfield Spartans (2-17, 0-12)
This Week in the SOL American Conference
Monday (2/2/15)
Norristown @ Cheltenham
Tuesday (2/3/15)
Cheltenham @ Plymouth Whitemarsh
Upper Moreland @ Norristown
Upper Merion @ Springfield
Upper Dublin @ Wissahickon
Thursday (2/5/15)
Upper Merion @ Upper Dublin
Plymouth Whitemarsh @ Norristown
Friday (2/6/15)
Wissahickon @ Cheltenham
Springfield @ Upper Dublin
Upper Moreland @ Upper Merion
Suburban One Sports.com
Top Ten
1. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials
2. Abington Ghosts
3. Pennsbury Falcons
4. Pennridge Rams
5. Central Bucks West Bucks
6. Council Rock North Indians
7. Souderton Indians
8. Central Bucks South Titans
9. North Penn Knights
10. Upper Dublin Cardinals
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