Jarrad Saffren recaps Saturday’s SOL boys’ basketball action. Wissahickon/Pennridge photos provided by Keith Clemens Photography; Plymouth Whitemarsh/Upper Dublin photos provided by Larry Small. CLICK HERE to go directly to the BOYS BASKETBALL GALLERY.
By Jarrad Saffren
After two straight days wiped out by snow, Saturday was a makeup day for area high school basketball teams.
Eight Suburban One League boys’ basketball teams played league games on Saturday. Five played non-league games. Three of those battled non-SOL opponents. Two of those were SOL teams from different conferences—Pennridge (SOL Continental) and Wissahickon (SOL American)—who played each other.
One game scheduled for Saturday—Springfield Township versus New Hope-Solebury—was postponed because of the snow. No makeup date has been set yet.
We also do not yet have the result for Hatboro-Horsham-Radnor. But the other eight results and recaps from Saturday are below.
Non-League
North Penn 59, Upper Merion 29
North Penn won its second straight game with a strong defensive effort, holding Upper Merion to single digit point totals in three of four quarters. Chris Coleman and AJ Mitchell led the Knights with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Joey Lindsay and David Robinson each had eight.
“It was our goal to hold them to 10 points or fewer in each quarter, so it was a good day for the defense. The kids limited second chances,” said North Penn coach John Conrad. “We played man to man. We felt like we matched up well against them.
“We challenged the kids because we didn’t play well defensively against Tennent (on Wednesday night). A lot of that was mental mistakes. Let’s hope we are turning the corner there.”
North Penn put the game away by halftime, dropping 37 in the first two quarters, taking a 17-point lead into the locker room, 37-20.
“Offensively we were very unselfish,” Conrad said. “Coleman and Mitchell played well again today, and that’s always key for us. Both ends of the floor they played well.
“Joey Lindsay got a chance to get in early and made two threes to get us going right away.”
The Knights climbed above .500 (5-4, 1-2 SOL) with this win. They have a big week looming, with bouts scheduled with Souderton, Central Bucks South and Abington. It starts with Souderton on Tuesday night at Souderton.
North Penn 16-21-12-10 59
Upper Merion 7-13-6-3 29
North Penn (59) – AJ Mitchell 13, Joey Lindsay 8, Chris Caputo 2, David Robinson 8, Chris Coleman 15, Mike Chaffee 6, Nathan harman 4, Jenkins 2.
Upper Merion (29) – Kim 9, Choi 10, Mower 7, Sheppard 3.
Pennridge 62, Wissahickon 54
Pennridge built a 34-24 halftime lead and held on through the second half, beating a very good Wissahickon team on the road. Jon Post (19), Sean Yoder (18) and Tyrese Lewis (13) scored 50 of Pennridge’s 62 points, leading the Rams to their second straight win.
Wissahickon took an early 5-0 lead, but then the Rams settled down on defense.
“We gave up an offensive rebound, they swing it around and hit a three. I called a quick timeout and got us settled,” said Pennridge coach Dean Behrens. “Defense was the key. Four out of their five guys can shoot. (Zach) Reiner is tough. (Eddie) Fortescue and (Donovan) Oliphant are also tough. But we did a good job.”
“We had three guys in double figures, so that was great. Lewis has had two great games back to back. We’re not as balanced but we have guys that can really score,” Behrens added. “This was a real good quality win. Wissahickon is a well-coached team. They should have 15-16 wins. I wouldn’t want to play them in the playoffs.”
Pennridge led 34-23 at halftime, meaning it outscored the Trojans 34-18 after falling behind 5-0. Post was a big reason for that, scoring 14 of his 19 in the first half.
“Jon really got us going in the first half. He was hitting those little 12-footers,” Behrens said. “He rebounded well and finished well around the basket. When Jon plays well and Sean, we’re in good shape.”
Wissahickon tried hard to come back in the fourth quarter, but Pennridge made too many free throws. Yoder shot 6-of-6 from the line in the fourth, and Post was 2-for-2.
Pennridge also did a great job handling Wissahickon’s press.
“Ryan Warner did a very nice job handling their pressure as my inbound guy. He knows exactly what he’s doing,” Behrens said. “Jake Pestrak did a real nice job handling their pressure too. We played keep away.”
Reiner (14), Fortescue (12) and Oliphant (10) all scored in double figures for Wissahickon. Cole Hirsch added nine. Reiner also had nine rebounds and six assists. Anthony Lawrence pulled down 10 boards.
Pennridge (7-3, 1-1 SOL) hosts CB West on Tuesday night at seven. Wissahickon (6-2, 2-1 SOL) plays Hatboro-Horsham on Monday night at seven.
Pennridge 18-16-11-17 62
Wissahickon 11-12-13-18 54
Wissahickon (54) – Zach Reiner 14, Eddie Fortescue 12, Donovan Oliphant 10, Cole Hirsch 9, Max Rapoport 7, Carmen Ostroski 2.
Pennridge (62) – Sean Yoder 18, Brett Henofer 2, Jake Pestrak 4, Mike Molettiere 6, Tyrese Lewis 13, Jon Post 19.
Academy Park 61, Neshaminy 58
Neshaminy built a 30-21 halftime lead, but allowed 40 second half points, losing for the second straight game, dropping to 7-2. Chris Arcidiacono scored 37 of Neshaminy’s 58 points.
Neshaminy was called for an illegal screen with 50 seconds left, giving Academy Park a chance to tie the game, which it did. Then Neshaminy drove the lane but didn’t get a foul call, giving Academy Park a chance to take the lead, which it did. Neshaminy was reduced to fouling after that.
“It was a tough one,” said Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle. “We played really good defense in the first half. But we gave up 40 in the second half. We didn’t do a good job down in the paint. We gave up a lot of baskets on the block.”
Anthony Papeo added nine points for Neshaminy.
“Chris and Papeo played really well,” Tingle said.
Tingle was not fazed by his team’s second consecutive defeat.
“You take it one game at a time,” the Redskins’ coach said. “We have two league games this week that I think we can get. One game at a time, that’s all.”
Neshaminy (7-2, 1-1 SOL) hosts Council Rock North on Tuesday night at seven.
Academy Park 15-6-20-20 61
Neshaminy 12-18-16-12 58
Pennsbury 59, Pocono Mountain West 56
Pennsbury beat one of the best programs in the Pocono region, improving to 4-5 in 2017-18. Six Pennsbury players—Jake Martell (14), Collin Connor (9), Ray lil Winton Law (8), Chad Weldon (8), Cooper Arnold (8) and Josh Arruda (7)—scored at least seven points. The Falcons won the fourth quarter, 20-17, making the difference in the final score.
Arruda led the Falcons under the backboards with eight rebounds. Winton and Weldon each added four. Winton also had four assists and a steal.
Pennsbury (4-5, 0-2 SOL) plays Council Rock South on Tuesday night at seven.
Pennsbury 9-16-14-20 59
Pocono Mountain West 18-7-14-17 56
Pennsbury (59) – Jake Martell 14, Collin Connor 9, Raylil Winton 8, Josh Arruda 7, Chad Weldon 8, Cooper Arnold 8, Gary Francis 5.
Pocono Mountain (56) – Pilgrim 10, Mosley 26, Louchie 3, Burns 5, Elmore 8, Whittle 2.
SOL Continental
Central Bucks South 61, William Tennent 49
CB South continued its torrid start, improving to 4-0 in SOL Continental play. The Titans won the first three quarters and built a 48-29 lead going into the fourth. Tommy Kuypers (17), Ian McCaw (11) and Nate Robinson (10) scored in double figures for the Titans. Cole and Brady Prezelski added nine and eight, respectively.
“The first quarter was tight and back and forth. The difference came early in the third. Defensively we got much better. We were more disciplined and it built from there,” said CB South coach Jason Campbell. “I told my guys Tennent can shoot its way back in. They had three threes in the fourth. I had to go back to my starters and they got it back up to 18-19.
“I give Tennent a lot of credit. It’s a relentless squad. We also did a good job sharing the ball and not settling for threes. Shot fakes and pull ups were working.”
Campbell was especially pleased with his leading scorer, McCaw, and his defensive aces, the Prezelski boys.
“Kuypers had a big game and stepped up. Brady Prezelski played great defense. Little things like a steal that led to a Kuypers bucket. That helped us build a lead,” Campbell said. “The Prezelski brothers main focus is on defense and they know how to pick their spots to score. They are defensively gifted, they rebound, they set screens. They are a coach’s dream. They are tough blue collar players who just want to win.”
Campbell was also excited about his team’s unselfish play.
“We’re becoming more balanced as we’re growing here in the season. An alumni who played for me was at the game today and he said he was impressed at how well these guys make the extra pass,” Campbell said. “It doesn’t look like there’s anyone out there for themselves.”
The Titans are in an interesting position. No one expected them to be alone in first place in the Continental, and they have used that as motivation. Yet now, because of that position, in early January, they are already the hunted.
“I thought we had the potential to do it. It was going to boil down to how well we bought into playing defense first. Then it was a matter of how well we would execute on offense and limit turnovers,” Campbell said. “Overall it’s been a great start. I’m trying to get these guys to understand it’s going to get harder each game now that we’re at the top. I have to keep telling them that it’s still just basketball games. No need to feel any pressure.”
Markeith Baxter, Kip Mooney and Dave West all scored 10 points for William Tennent. Michael Mulville added eight.
CB South (7-2, 4-0 SOL) plays Bensalem on Tuesday night at seven. William Tennent (4-5, 0-3 SOL) battles CB East on the same night and time.
William Tennent 11-11-7-20 49
Central Bucks South 20-12-16-13 61
William Tennent (49) – Ben Satz 2, Pat McCauley 1, Michael Mulville 8, Markeith Baxter 10, Kip Mooney 10, Nick Meltzer 4, Dave West 10, Derrik Cosenza 4.
Central Bucks South (61) – Brady Prezelski 8, Cole Prezelski 9, Nate Robinson 10, Jack Johns 4, Alex Dietz 2, Tommy Kuypers 17, Ian McCaw 11.
Central Bucks West 65, Central Bucks East 55
CB West won the middle quarters 34-22, overcoming a two-point CB East lead after one. The Bucks held their lead through a close fourth quarter, improving to 7-3 overall. Collin MacAdams (22) and Shane McCusker (12) combined for 34 points for West. Jack Mulhearn, Jack Neri and Jake Reichwein all had nine.
“We defended pretty well for the most part,” West coach Adam Sherman said. “We did a nice job on Roggio. He’s been scoring double digits and we held him to none. That’s a credit to Jake Reichwein down low. We responded after not playing well against CB South, so that was good.
“Our offensive decision making was better. We had much better shot selection. Collin (MacAdams) was able to get to the rim. Mulhearn made good decisions with the ball as well. It was balanced. McCusker had moments. Reichwein played really well.”
MacAdams scored 11 of his points in a fourth quarter that saw the Bucks shoot 14-of-19 from the line.
Kyle Cassidy (22), Ben Markowitz (15) and Jesse Rivera (10) all scored double digit points for CB East.
CB West, at 3-1 in league play, is in second place behind CB South.
“We are just gonna have to be happy with where we are and try to focus on the next week,” Sherman said. “It’s a big week with Pennridge, Souderton and Wissahickon in one week. Pennridge has some good size and posts some problems.”
The Bucks play Pennridge on Tuesday night at seven. CB East (7-4, 2-2 SOL) plays William Tennent on the same night and time.
Central Bucks West 11-20-14-20 65
Central Bucks East 13-11-11-20 55
Central Bucks West (65) – Collin MacAdams 22, Shane McCusker 12, Jack Mulhearn 9, Jack Neri 9, Jake Reichwein 9, Mica Munari 4.
Central Bucks East (55) – Kyle Cassidy 22, Collin Stein 6, Leo Masterson 2, Jesse Rivera 10, Ben Markowitz 15.
SOL National
Bensalem 53, Harry S. Truman 45
Eight Bensalem players scored as the Owls dominated the first three quarters, outscoring Truman 43-28. Truman won the fourth, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Bensalem’s Ward Roberts led all scorers with 23 points. Mohammed Jabathen added 10. TJ Igielski and Taco Douglas both scored five.
Jeff Nixon and Zierr Reid led Truman with 12 and 11 points, respectively. The Tigers fell to 5-3 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Bensalem improved to 4-5 and 2-2. The Owls play CB South on Tuesday night at seven. Truman hosts Abington on the same night and time.
Bensalem 18-11-14-10 53
Harry S. Truman 9-9-10-17 45
Bensalem (53) – Taco Douglas 5, Ward Roberts 23, Keith Parrish 2, Lamont Hasker 2, TJ Igielski 5, Carlos Gonzalez 3, Nick Fossile 3, Mohamed Jabathen 10.
Harry S Truman (45) – Jeff Nixon 12, Zierr Reid 11, Kashun Holden 2, Javeer Peterson 4, Terrence Rogers 2, Cameron Culver 5, Steven Zielenski 2, Treszon Chapman 2, Gabe Gipli 5.
SOL American
Plymouth Whitemarsh 66, Upper Dublin 37
PW dominated this game from start to finish, taking a 60-27 lead into the fourth. The Colonials, now 4-0 in league play, have won their last two league games by a combined 86 points.
Naheem McLeod led the Colonials with 33 points on Saturday – 19 in the first half. He added 12 points in the third quarter. Ish Horn conributed 13. Ahmin Williams and Alan Glover both had six.
Cory Stover paced Upper Dublin with 10 points. Brian Klammer and Nyjee Scott had eight and six, respectively.
PW (9-0, 4-0 SOL) plays Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday night at seven. Upper Dublin (1-9, 0-4 SOL) battles Springfield Township on the same night and time.
Upper Dublin 7-10-10-10 37
Plymouth Whitemarsh 20-19-21-6 66
Upper Dublin (37) – Jason Williams 2, Nyjee Scott 8, Ian McGonagle 3, Derrick Lawson 2, Corby Watkins 4, Brian Klammer 6, Mike Slivka 2, Coory Stover 10.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (66) – Ish Horn 13, Caelin Peters 2, Naheem McLeod 33, Danny Cooper 2, Anthony Straface 2, Ahmin Williams 6, Ahmad Williams 2, Alan Glover 6.
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