Jarrad Saffren recaps Tuesday’s District One 6A second round games that saw four SOL teams earn state berths. Abington/Norristown photos courtesy of Kathy Leister Photography, Pennsbury/Penn Wood courtesy of John Geeson, Cheltenham/Spring-Ford courtesy of Kim Supko, PW/CB East courtesy of Larry Small and North Penn/HH provided by Keith Clemens Photography. Check back for photo galleries…CLICK HERE.
By Jarrad Saffren
Four Suburban One League boys basketball teams earned state tournament berths Tuesday night.
Two, in doing so, ended long state tournament droughts.
Seven SOL teams played in the District One Class 6A second round.
The three that lost are not eliminated yet. They are just relegated to the eight-team losers’ bracket, where they will have to win twice to earn one of the two remaining PIAA Class 6A Tournament berths.
The four that won are three wins away from a district title. Half of the eight quarterfinalists are SOL teams. None will play each other Friday night. An all-SOL final four is very possible.
District One Class 6A Second Round
#5 North Penn 55, #21 Hatboro-Horsham 45
North Penn clinched its first state tournament berth since 1996.
“It feels special. I’m really happy for the kids,” North Penn coach John Conrad said. “I also feel like we got a lot more to go. Hopefully we can go down to Coatesville and compete on Friday night.”
Hatboro-Horsham led 13-7 after one quarter. North Penn won the middle quarters 34-18.
“We played really good defense in the second quarter, limited them to one shot,” said Conrad, whose team led 24-22 at the intermission. “(Clifton) Moore really hurt us early. But we limited him to one shot in the second quarter and got some transition points, which got us going.”
The Knights held Clifton Moore and Jay Davis—who average 38 points between them—to 31. Moore had 17, Davis 14.
Ricky Johns guarded Moore for most of the game. David Guiliani helped him over the top.
“We gave Ricky the assignment and he did a great job,” Conrad said.
Lance Ford covered Davis and “kept him out of the lane,” Conrad said. “Lance played really well.”
Ford also scored 10 points. Guiliani led North Penn with 13. Reece Udinski added 12. Chris Coleman, AJ Mitchell and Johns had seven, seven and six, respectively.
“All the seniors played well. AJ Mitchell gave great energy off the bench,” Conrad said. “It was a team effort, like usual with us.”
North Penn and Hatboro-Horsham used to be SOL Continental rivals. They played twice last season. Conrad and his staff also scouted the Hatters during their first round game against Central Bucks West.
The experience and preparation helped against Moore and Davis.
“We felt like we were familiar with them,” Conrad said. “Our guys weren’t in awe of Moore.”
The Indiana University recruit did also grab 11 rebounds. He had a good game. But North Penn held every other Hatters player, besides Moore and Davis, to six points or less.
As Conrad alluded to, North Penn (19-5) plays at #4 Coatesville in a quarterfinal Friday night at seven. Hatboro-Horsham will travel to #13 Downingtown West for a playback game on the same night and time. Coatesville defeated Downingtown West 56-46 on Tuesday.
The Hatters will be eliminated if they lose.
Hatboro-Horsham 13-9-9-14 45
North Penn 7-17-17-14 55
Hatboro-Horsham (45) – Brandon Crews 1 0-1 2; Chris Edwards 0 0-2 0; Khalid Johnson 1 2-2 5; Clifton Moore 3 9-12 17; Jay Davis 6 2-3 14; Ryan Back 2 0-0 6; Jake Schalki 0 1-2 1; Totals 13 14-22 45.
North Penn (55) – Lance Ford 4 1-3 10; AJ Mitchell 2 2-2 7; Ricky Johns 1 4-5 6; Chris Coleman 3 0-0 7; Reece Udinski 3 4-10 12; David Giuliani 6 1-1 13; Derek Heiserman 0 0-2 0; Totals 19 12-23 55.
#8 Cheltenham 66, #9 Spring-Ford 52
Coach John Timms started getting the calls and emails five days ago. They came from Cheltenham alumni.
By Tuesday night, Timms had received about 20 in all. One alum graduated in 1978. Another graduated in 1984. They all had the same message: “Making states would be so cool for all of us.”
Cheltenham had not made states since 2006.
“Once I started getting those calls, I realized this wasn’t just a second round playoff game,” Timms said. “This was a game that mattered to the community. That was the best feeling, to know we have that part of history still following us.”
Calls and emails are encouraging. But a real, live visit is even better. Scott Eveslage, now the assistant superintendent at Lower Merion, coached the 2005-06 Panthers. Eveslage spoke at Cheltenham’s practice Monday afternoon, informing the players that Cheltenham had not made states in 11 years.
“That took the importance of the game to a different level for them,” Timms said. “Tonight was special. It was a community win. The Abington game is standing-room only. But our gym was packed tonight. Every seat was full. We had an awesome student section. They did a white-out. It was a playoff atmosphere.”
The Panthers did not disappoint their alumni supporters. They earned their first state tournament berth since 2006.
Cheltenham held a small lead throughout the game and pulled away in the fourth. Four Cheltenham players—Ahmad Bickley (17), Trevonn Pitts (16), Jack Clark (15) and Rodney Carson (11)—scored in double figures.
Cheltenham improved to 13-1 when scoring 60 points or more.
“If we hold you under 60, and score 60, we are in a good position,” Timms said.
Cheltenham withstood a 25-point performance from Ryan Fitzpatrick, who drilled four threes in the fourth.
“We didn’t panic. We maintained our composure,” Timms said. “The players showed great resilience all year. This team was young. I expected big moments to get to them. But we had so many of them earlier, by playing a tough nonleague schedule. That prepared us to play games that are going to be two or three possessions. If they run off 8-10 points, we don’t panic.”
Cheltenham (18-5) battles #1 Perkiomen Valley in a quarterfinal Friday night at seven.
Spring-Ford 13-12-12-15 52
Cheltenham 15-15-13-23 66
Spring-Ford (52) – Chucky Drummond 2 0-0 5; Ryan Fitzpatrick 9 3-3 25; Nestor Diaz 4 1-2 10; Noah Baker 2 2-3 6; Austin Hokanson 2 2-3 6; Totals 19 8-11 52.
Cheltenham (66) – Trevonn Pitts 7 2-4 16; Ahmad Bickley 5 6-7 17; Jack Clark 5 3-5 15; Jaelen McGlone 0 1-2 1; Rodney Carson 3 4-4 11; Kyin Healy 2 0-0 4; Lonce Scott 1 0-2 2; Totals 23 17-23 66
#2 Plymouth Whitemarsh 62, #18 Central Bucks East 43
Plymouth Whitemarsh clinched a state tournament berth for the third straight year.
The Colonials are three wins away from their second straight district title.
"There's so much self-imposed pressure right now in the program," coach Jim Donofrio said. "We have always been able to have some nice runs, but lately, it just seems to be a reload mentality, and when you've been to the district final four and the district final two years in a row, there's this undiscussed expectation.
"With Ahmin Williams out (injury), only Ahmad Williams, Naheem McLeod and Matt Walker had time on the floor last year in districts. When you lose a kid like Ahmin, you have to make a quick adjustment. He's such a defensive force at the point guard spot. He's the lead pitbull in that defense.
"Trying to teach any of the other guys to be somewhat close to that has been a challenge. They don't understand district playoff basketball. Everybody amps up the film sessions, everybody amps up their heart and their soul. The second round district game – luckily we were at home – is a killer. It always is. It's the game that decides your fate."
On Tuesday night, the Colonials led by one after one, seven after two (27-20) as the Patriots battled.
"The CB East kids are thinking about this moment – this is what I've worked my whole childhood for," Donofrio said. "They've been playing together for years.
"You've got to take all that emotion into account, and we're a laidback bunch of guys, and that's not a good combination. We had a five-hour practice on Monday. I don't usually go that long, but I understood the intricacies of CB East. We haven't seen a matchup all year of switching defenses that much. If you let them run their offense fluidly, you're going to be chasing around 32 minutes. That required a lot of concentration.
"I would say 90 percent of the time the guys were defensively right on point with changing up the defensive schemes, which is not easy to do. They have to get sophisticated now. (Tonight) was our best straight-up defensive game all year. Without trapping all over the place, can we just work on making shots hard for people without having to exert a thousand pounds of energy per square inch, and I love the fact that we can, but at some point, you have to have gears to your defense that can lock people down and understand your 
opponent's offense. All the homework the kids did, all the time they put in, it was the first time all year they really concentrated and applied the plan."
It was the complete effort that Donofrio had been waiting for all season, although he had concerns about the way his team closed out the first half.
"We're holding a 12-point lead with the ball in our hands with two minutes to go and five team fouls, and we decide to foul four times in a row in the open court – not near the basket," the Colonials' coach said. "The undiscipline, the youth of us, the young decisions can kill you.
"What could have been a double-digit lead and a psychological edge at halftime is 27-20 and four guys with two fouls each. That's the stuff that drives a coach crazy. CB East goes 10-for-10 from the foul line in the first half, and this is what kids don't understand. You just can't play with your heart and not look at the scoreboard and understand what the scenarios are."
The Colonials added to their lead in the second half, outscoring the Patriots 35-23.
"Ahmad Williams kind of took over the game," Donofrio said. "He just controlled the game for us.
"Ish Horn is getting better and better. He's had to come a long way understanding the discipine it requires. Great defense is not an exciting, heroic play. It's grinding it out.
"We're fortunate to be able to draw on what I call inner competition or historic competition, and you have to take advantage of that. This time of year is 10 percent praise and 90 percent you get after it. A lot of teams make the mistake if they haven't been far – you just get too happy too early. It's a weird psychology, but you actually can't enjoy your wins too much.
"I'm proud of them – I really am. They want to learn, and they want to have a great run, and that's all you can ask."
Horn led PW with 19 points – nine in the third quarter. Williams and Kareem Breeden added 12 and 10, respectively. McLeod had eight points. Jason Paul had six on two threes.
Matt Pattyson led Central Bucks East with 17 points. Elijah Seger added 11 – nine in the first half to keep the Patriots close.
PW (21-4) will host #7 Conestoga in a quarterfinal Friday night at seven. CB East (13-11) goes to Lower Merion for a must-win playback game on the same night and time.
Central Bucks East 6-14-11-12 43
Plymouth Whitemarsh 7-20-16-19 62
Central Bucks East (43) – Matt Pattyson 5 7-10 17; Ryan Plack 2 0-2 4; Kyle Cassidy 1 2-4 5; Collin Stein 1 0-0 3 Ben Markowitz 1 0-0 3; Elijah Seger 3 4-4 11; Totals 14 13-20 43.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (62) – Ish Horn 6 5-5 19; Kareem Breeden 5 0-0 10; Naheem McLeod 2 4-8 8; Matt Walker 2 0-0 5; Ahmad Williams 5 2-3 12; Jason Paul 2 0-0 6; Devon Lawrence 1 0-0 2; Totals 23 11-16 62.
#3 Abington 48, #19 Norristown 32
Abington clinched a state tournament spot for the fifth time in six years. Before 2011-12, the Ghosts had not made states since 1999-2000. 
They lost in the first round of districts last year.
Eric Dixon, a freshman last year, refused to let that happen again. Dixon had 21 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals Tuesday night. He shot 7-of-15 from the field.
Robbie Heath posted 18 points, six steals and four assists Tuesday night.
Abington’s other three starters—Joe O’Brien, Lucas Monroe and Robert Young—also played well, or played their roles, as they usually do.
O’Brien had seven boards and five blocks. Monroe grabbed six rebounds. Young posted three steals and three assists.
The Ghosts led 11-5 after one quarter and took a 22-11 lead into halftime despite committing 12 turnovers in the first two quarters. Abington led 35-19 lead after three quarters.
The Ghosts, who have averaged just 10.4 turnovers a game, had 21 in Tuesday’s win. The Eagles were having even more trouble protecting the basketball, and the Ghosts finished the game with 19 steals, the most in Charles Grasty’s seven-year tenure at the helm.
Abington shot 15-of-18 from the foul line (83.3 percent). No Norristown player scored more than seven points.
Abington (21-4) is three wins away from its second district title in three years. The Ghosts host #11 Penn Wood Friday night. A win would vault Abington into the semifinals at Temple University for the fourth time in six years.
Norristown 6-5-8-13 32
Abington 11-11-13-13 48
Norristown (32) – Darius McGowan 2 1-2 5; Tyler Lyons 1 2-2 4; Xavier Edwards 2 2-4 6; Kurahn Clark 3 0-0 6; Michael Norman 1 0-0 2; Michael Allen 3 1-6 7; Marquise Greenwood 1 0-0 2; Totals 13 6-14 32.
Abington (48) – Eric Dixon 7 6-7 21; Robbie Heath 5 7-7 18; Joseph O’Brien 1 1-2 3; Lucas Monroe 1 0-0 2; Robert Young 0 1-2 1; Bryan Coffman 1 0-0 3; Totals 15 15-18 48.
#11 Penn Wood 71, #6 Pennsbury 55
Pennsbury lost its first playoff game for the second straight year. But this year, the Falcons are not yet eliminated. They are, however, one loss from elimination.
Penn Wood dominated the middle quarters Tuesday night, winning them 41-24.
Pennsbury never led after the first quarter.
Mark Flagg kept the Falcons in the game in the second quarter, scoring 11 points. He scored 22 in all.
No other Pennsbury player scored more than seven. Addison Howard—Pennsbury’s second-leading scorer—went cold after making his first three. 
“I couldn’t hit a shot. I got good looks, which teams usually don’t give me,” Howard said. “I was leaving it short. I was rushing.”
Penn Wood led by six early in the third. Then it went on a 13-0 run. Pennsbury never got within single digits again. Pennsbury coach Bill Coleman kept pressuring the Patriots because he had to.
“We needed to get something going. Our guys were just stagnant,” the Falcons’ coach said. “We were a step late.”
Penn Wood broke the press with over-the-top passes to open drivers.
“We need to step it up defensively,” Flagg said. “On-ball defense, help defense, closing out.”
“Our rotations on the back line weren’t there,” Howard said. “That led to easy layups and open threes.”
Nine Penn Wood players scored. Two bench players—Sharif Goff (18) and Javon Lindsey-Terrell (15)—combined for 33 points.
Pennsbury (15-9) can still make states by winning two more games. It hosts Norristown in a playback game Friday night at seven.
“We need to play basketball. Simple as that. It comes down to just us playing,” Coleman said. “We have to start playing for one another.”
“We have to play with effort for 32 minutes,” Howard said. “A lot of people will be counting us out. So we need to come back stronger than ever.”
Penn Wood 13-22-19-17 71
Pennsbury 11-16-8-20 55
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