Jarrad Saffren recaps the games featuring SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday. Cheltenham/PW photos provided courtesy of Donna Longacre. Check back for a gallery of action photos.
By Jarrad Saffren
It was a busy Friday night in the Suburban One League American and Continental conferences. The American had four boys basketball games, and the Continental had three. Central Bucks East was the only team from either conference not in action.
All seven results and recaps are below.
SOL American
Wissahickon 73, Upper Moreland 56
Wissahickon used aggressive defense and crisp passing to create a lot of easy baskets in this league win, which it controlled from start to finish, winning the first, third and fourth quarters. The Trojans amassed 44 points in the paint, shooting 22-of-28 in that area. They stole the ball 12 times and created 19 points off turnovers. They also had 23 assists.
“We were concerned about do we mix up traps or stay in man to man. We wanted to keep them off balance, but you get nervous about trapping because they always have a lot of shooters. We trapped early and got sloppy at times. That happens when you trap. You get a lot of possessions, so you take them lightly. But we were efficient enough,” said Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson. “Defense creates offense. Any time we got a good turnover, we passed ahead, which made a guy sprint back and pick up, and we always had a guy behind to be the recipient.”
Zach Reiner nearly had a triple-double for Wissahickon, putting up 19 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. He also stole the ball three times. Max Rapoport had 13 points, nine boards, seven assists and two steals.
“Reiner is just such a selfless player. I’ve always had unique relationships with my point guards. He’s that point forward who is always like, ‘We gotta stop that coach,’ or ‘We gotta do that.’ It’s like talking to a coach,” Wilson said. “I feel that way about Rapoport too. I can’t give those two guys enough credit. It’s nice to see them reap the benefits of their hard work.”
Eddie Fortescue and Anthony Lawrence scored 16 and 10 points for Wissahickon, respectively. Seth Compas led the Trojans with four steals.
Wissahickon is 8-3 through 11 games, which is impressive regardless of circumstances but especially when you consider they lost four major contributors from last year.
“Who would have thought after graduating Zach Gelman and Shane Ford, and losing two guys who would have been senior starters, we would be 8-3,” Wilson said. “I give these guys all the credit in the world.”
Ryan Coyle (13) and Brett Brossman (11) both scored in double figures for Upper Moreland.
Wissahickon (8-3, 4-2 SOL) plays CB West on Saturday at 11 a.m. Upper Moreland (5-6, 2-3 SOL) battles Harry S. Truman on Saturday at 2:30.
Upper Moreland 10-16-16-14 56
Wissahickon 21-16-21-15 73
Upper Moreland (56) – Ryan Coyle 13, Christian O’Donnell 5, Brett Brossman 11, Tyler Ibbotson 3, Jake Villanueva 5, Beau Woolens 4, Jahaire Johnson 5.
Wissahickon (73) – Zach Reiner 19, Eddie Fortescue 16, Max Rapoport 13, Anthony Lawrence 10, Seth Compas 5, Tyler Caso 4, Donovan Oliphant 3, Cole Hirsch 3.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 77, Cheltenham 57
PW controlled this battle of American unbeaten squads, winning the first half 47-32 and basically holding serve in the second half, winning it 30-25. On Cheltenham’s home floor, the Colonials improved to 11-0 overall and 6-0 in league play. Cheltenham fell to 7-2 and 4-1. 
“It’s a very good win,” coach Jim Donofrio said. “To play at their place, it’s like a Big Five contest. It’s a rivalry. It’s emotional. Those kids play with a lot of heart. You have to really concentrate for 32 minutes because they are so quick. There’s a level of energy that has to happen.
“The first goal is to play for a league title, and you can’t take anything for granted. I’m very proud of the league titles we have. There’s a process to winning those. It’s nice to say, get to Temple if you can, it’s nice to have a run in the state tournament, but to win league titles requires you to beat seven teams twice and they know you well. To win 14 of those, it’s a heck of an accomplishment.”
On the other side of the court, coach John Timms was pleased with the way his team closed out the game.
“If you look at the third quarter, it was 12-10. I think the defense changed in the third quarter,” the Panthers’ coach said. “In the fourth quarter they settled down, regained control of the game.
“They’re a veteran group, they’re undefeated for a reason, so they’re probably used to teams chipping at them, and they sustained focus. That’s why they’re the number one team in the league and it’s been that way for my duration here.”
Naheem McLeod (20), Ahmad Williams (18), Ish Horn (16) and Ahmin Williams (10) combined for 66 of PW’s 77 points.
“Ahmad was terrific, continuing from his Tuesday night at Hatboro. He controlled the game the entire second half, when Ahmin sat for eight minutes and Na sat for five,” Donofrio said. “Danny Cooper and Jason Cherry did a nice job filling in for those guys, too.”
McLeod, a 7-foot-2 center, gives PW a different element offensively, but when he goes out, the Colonials play their old style from the past two years. Both were on display on Friday night.
"Naheem gives you different challenges because if you’ve watched any of the teams I’ve coached over the years, there’s an awful lot of pace to it. Trying to convince a 7-foot-2 guy to be really fast all the time is not 
easy, so we’ve backed off of that a lot to be a power type team,” Donofrio said. “But if Naheem comes out of the game, it actually goes back to the wheelhouse that we know best.”
Jack Clark led Cheltenham with 26 points. Ahmad Bickley had 11. Cheltenham only trailed 18-17 late in the first quarter when Timms was called for a technical foul for dropping a towel on the floor. That sparked a 6-0 run to end the quarter for the Colonials, who only expanded their lead from there.
After the technical, Timms had to sit on the bench. He is usually very active on the sideline.
“It removes you from the game,” the Panthers’ coach said. “They’re used to you pacing no different than them. Neither coach has a chair to sit on because we don’t. With that being in place, that means we’re involved in the game.
“I had a towel because I was sweating. I dropped the towel accidentally on the floor. I’m trying to catch it midair. I said, ‘This is an accident’ because I know that (the referee) sees it. He said, ‘You’re right, it’s an accident, but because it’s on the floor I have to call a technical.’ My thing is, you still can use your discretion. I’ve never received a technical foul. If you sit me, you’re taking me out of the game. This is a big game. We can’t afford that, so that changed.”
PW hosts Neshaminy on Saturday night at seven. Cheltenham plays Council Rock South on Saturday at three.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 24-23-10-20 77
Cheltenham 17-15-12-13 57
Plymouth Whitemarsh (77) – Ish Horn 16, Naheem McLeod 20, Danny Cooper 5, Ahmin Williams 10, Ahmad Williams 18, Alan Glover 6, Jason Cherry 2.
Cheltenham (57) – Amir Lewis 6, Zahree Harrison 8, Ahmad Bickley 11, Tim Myarick 2, Jack Clark 26, Dom Pope 2, Kyin Healey 2.
Upper Dublin 59, Hatboro-Horsham 47
Upper Dublin won its second straight game and improved to 2-4 in SOL American play. The Flying Cardinals beat Springfield Township 62-44 on Tuesday night.
Hatboro-Horsham fell to 5-6 overall with Friday night’s loss.
“They outplayed us and deserved to win, in every phase of the game,” said Hatters coach Ed Enoch.
Upper Dublin (3-9, 2-4 SOL) plays Pennridge on Saturday at five. Hatboro-Horsham (5-6, 2-4 SOL) battles CB South on Saturday at one.
Quakertown 50, Springfield Township 40
Quakertown improved to 4-7 overall and 2-3 in SOL American play. The Panthers built a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter (20-10), withstood Springfield’s runs in the middle quarters and won the fourth 17-11.
Matt Lucas drilled four threes and led Quakertown with 15 points. Eli Ortiz added 14. Sam Rice had nine.
Quentin Jones led the Spartans with 16 points while Ajai Heath had 10 and Jordan Pauls, eight points.
Quakertown hosts William Tennent on Saturday night at six. Springfield Township (2-6, 0-5 SOL) plays CR North on Saturday at noon.
Springfield Township 10-12-7-11 40
Quakertown 20-6-7-17 50
Quakertown (50) – Jon Rey 1, Eli Ortiz 14, Sam Rice 9, Kevin Juszynski 3, Grey Mitchell 4, Matt Lucas 15, Nick Mestayer 4.
Springfield Township (40) – Quentin Johnson 16, Ajai Heath 10, Ben Rittenhouse 2, DeJaun Waters 4, Jordan Pauls 8.
SOL Continental
Central Bucks South 51, North Penn 42
CB South overcame a five-point halftime deficit by winning the third quarter, 18-6. The Titans held their lead the rest of the way. Nate Robinson (16) and Tommy Kuypers (15) scored double-digit points for the Titans.
“We emphasized regrouping defensively. And we made sure to understand where the mismatches were on offense,” said CB South coach Jason Campbell. “We also didn’t force any shots. North Penn’s shot blockers got in our heads in the first half. In the second half, guys didn’t alter their shots. They just went up strong or pump faked and drew fouls.”
“Kuypers had a big second half scoring and setting guys up,” Campbell added. “We shared the ball well and did a good job handling their 1-2-2 half court trap. We got some good looks inside with ball movement.”
Robinson and Kuypers carried the scoring load for CB South, but Jack Johns and Ian McCaw stepped up on defense.
“Johns set the tempo with post defense on David Robinson,” Campbell said. “Our emphasis was being physical and beating him to his spots. He did great physically, boxed him out, blocked a few shots. Then Ian McCaw came in and did an outstanding job. To hold David to six points was a big factor for us, forcing someone to score from the perimeter or drive to the hoop.”
Chris Coleman led North Penn with 17 points.
CB South (8-3, 5-0 SOL) plays Hatboro-Horsham on Saturday at one. North Penn (6-5, 2-3 SOL) hosts Abington on Saturday at two.
Central Bucks South 13-6-18-14 51
North Penn 6-18-6-12 42
Central Bucks South (51) – Brady Prezelski 6, Cole Prezelski 4, Nate Robinson 16, Jack Johns 5, Tommy Kuypers 15, Ian McCaw 5.
North Penn (42) – Tali McIver 2, AJ Mitchell 8, Joey Lindsay 4, AJ Catanzaro 3, David Robinson 6, Chris Coleman 17, Solomon Robinson 2.
Pennridge 54, William Tennent 48
Pennridge trailed by two going into the fourth quarter, but the Rams won the fourth 22-14. They turned the game around by pressing, forcing turnovers and scoring easy baskets.
“We started pressing full court, got the tempo where we wanted it. We had a tough time hitting shots tonight. But we attacked the rim well in the fourth and hit some foul shots,” said Pennridge coach Dean Behrens. “We extended the game enough, and it came down to the last 40 seconds. We got some steals in the back court. We finished around the basket enough to squeeze this one out.”
Jake Pestrak sparked Pennridge’s turnaround.
“Jake brought a ton of energy defensively. He was the top of our press and did an outstanding job creating havoc for their guards,” Behrens said. “His defensive intensity allowed Sean Yoder and Ryan Warner to get to the basket.”
Yoder led the Rams with 22 points, shooting 8-of-10 from the foul line. Warner and Tyrese Lewis added eight and 11, respectively.
“Yoder struggled shooting the ball but really gutted it out. He does so much for us. He rebounds so well,” Behrens said. “It was a tough game for him. He took a lot of contact going to the basket.”
Markeith Baxter paced William Tennent with 13 points, Michael Mulville added eight, Pat McCauley had seven and Derrick Cosenza chipped in six.
Pennridge (8-4, 2-2 SOL) plays Upper Dublin on Saturday at five. Tennent (4-7, 0-5 SOL) battles Quakertown on Saturday night at six.
Pennridge 9-14-9-22 54
William Tennent 9-13-12-14 48
Pennridge (54) – Ryan Warner 8, Sean Yoder 22, Jake Pstrak 7, Tyrese Lewis 11, Jon Post 6.
William Tennent (48) – Ben Satz 5, Pat McCauley 7, Michael Mulville 8, Markeith Baxter 13, Kip Mooney 2, Nick Metzler 4, Dave West 3, Derrick Cosenza 6.
Souderton 47, Central Bucks West 41
This game was tied at 20 at halftime, but Souderton closed, winning the second half 27-21. The Indians improved to 4-6 overall and 1-3 in SOL Continental play. Trevor Watts (12), Tomas Hanrahan (12), Antonio Rodriguez (8) and Kavi Ramchandani (7) highlighted a balanced Souderton scoring attack.
“We executed, stayed composed and handled pressure. We had trouble handling pressure at points, so it was great to see the guys handle it at that point,” said Souderton coach Tim Brown. “We did a good job moving the ball and not turning it over. We were strong with the ball tonight, and that’s been a weakness all year, so that was good to see.”
“Our two big men, Trevor Watts and Antonio Rodriguez, were unbelievable. They had tough assignments in Jake Reichwein and Collin MacAdams,” Brown added. “They played bully ball, played with energy and hit big shots. They also calmed the team down when West made runs.”
Brown was elated with his team’s defense in general.
“We hang our hats defensively and we had an awesome effort defensively tonight,” the Indians’ coach said. “We focus on keeping teams under 11 in each quarter, and we did that in the second, third and fourth.”
Beating West, an elite Continental team and program, is big for Souderton, and could be the start of something.
“We didn’t practice well to start the year but we started 3-1, so guys thought we were practicing well,” Brown said. “The last two weeks we’ve been having positive days after positive days. The guys realized we weren’t practicing well before. If we continue that, we’ll continue the success.”
Mika Munari and Jack Mulhearn led CB West in scoring, with nine points each. Shane McCusker added eight.
Souderton (4-6, 1-3 SOL) plays Bensalem on Saturday at 12:30. CB West (8-4, 4-2 SOL) plays Wissahickon on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Souderton 11-9-13-14 47
Central Bucks West 12-8-10-11 41
Souderton (47) – Trevor Watts 12, Toomas Hanrahan 12, Antonio Rodriguez 8, Kavi Ramchandani 7, Natale 4, Stephen Luchansky 2, Vince 2.
Central Bucks West (41) – Mika Munari 9, ack Mulhearn 9, Shane McCusker 8, Collin MacAdams 7, Jake Reichwein 6, Davis Zerweck 2.
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