Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday. Neshaminy/CR North photo courtesy of Jesse Garber (http://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p405526493)
SOL National Conference
Abington 76, Harry S Truman 52
The Galloping Ghosts celebrated Senior Night with a win and their sixth straight SOL National title with a ceremonial cutting of the nets on Friday.
Coach Charles Grasty started five of his eight seniors – Robbie Heath, Bryan Coffman, Dante Knox, Hasan Whitby and Anwaar Berry – then brought in the other three – Brandon Coffman, Xavier Crawford and JP Nolan – as the first players off the bench.
Those eight and only those eight played the first quarter. The Ghosts led 19-9 after the first quarter. It doesn't matter who is on the floor, Abington players get buckets.
Heath led Abington with 19 points. Eric Dixon came off the bench with 14 points and seven rebounds. The Coffman twins didn't get into the scoring column, but the other five seniors did.
Nolan had another strong game with 12 points and seven rebounds, the first time he's had back-to-back double-digit games. The senior, who is also the Ghosts' ace baseball pitcher, has hit six of the last seven 3-point shots he's taken.
Jeff Nixon led Truman with 21 points. Zierr Reid also finished in double figures with 10 points. Terrance Rogers added seven.
Abington (15-4, 10-0 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Monday. With three regular season games remaining, the Ghosts are the fourth seed in the District One 6A power rankings. Harry S Truman (7-12, 2-7) will travel to Neshaminy on Tuesday.
HARRY S TRUMAN 9 12 13 18 – 52
ABINGTON 19 15 21 21 – 76
HST- Jeff Nixon 21, Zierr Reid 10, Carter Kelley 5, Terrance Rogers 7, Cameron Culver 2, Gabe Gigli 6, James Anderson 1.
A – Maurice Henry 4, Robbie Heath 19, Xavier Crawford 5, Lucas Monroe 8, Anwaar Berry 2, Dante Knox 3, Hasan Whitby 9, JP Nolan 12, Eric Dixon 14
Neshaminy 64, Council Rock North 37
Chris Arcidiacono did Chris Arcidiacono things and Neshaminy got an all-around solid effort to pick up a win as it tries to solidify a district playoff spot.
Arcidiacono scored 19 points to lead Neshaminy and also posted seven rebounds and seven assists. Danny Bodine scored just three points, but had five boards, four assists and five blocks. Charles Dominick had 12 points on four 3-pointers.
Neshaminy led 31-11 at the half.
"We played well from the start and got good minutes from everyone," Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle said.
Now 11-8, Neshaminy (5-4 SOL) is currently slotted No. 19 in District I 6A. The Redskins will host Abington on Monday, and Council Rock North (7-13, 3-8) will travel to Pennsbury on Tuesday.
NESHAMINY 13 18 23 10 – 64
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 5 6 14 12 – 37
N: Chris Arcidiacono 19, Pat Campbell 4, Deval Glover 2, Logan Williamson 3, Anthony Papeo 8, Mike Murray 4, Greg DeLuca 9, Danny Bodine 3, Charles Dominick 12
CRN: Brady Haggerty 16, Ehlin 2, James Duffy 4, Matt McAllister 11, Strange 1, Wan 3
Pennsbury 63, Council Rock South 33
The Falcons stormed out to a 30-10 halftime lead and rolled to a win on Friday.
Pennsbury finds itself No. 17 in the current District I 6A rankings, just one spot out of hosting a home playoff game.
Gary Francis posted 14 points to lead the Falcons in scoring while Raylil Winton dropped 13.
Jake Martell was solid across the board with six points, six rebounds and six assists. Chad Weldon added four assists to his eight points.
Pennsbury (11-8, 6-4 SOL) will host Council Rock North on Tuesday. Council Rock South (5-14, 2-7) will travel to Bensalem on Tuesday.
PENNSBURY 16 14 16 17 – 63
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 4 6 9 14 – 33
P: Jake Martell 6, Collin Connor 3, Dahzier Long 3, Raylil Winton 13, Josh Arudda 9, Luke Della Grotte 3, chad Weldon 8, Kyrie Miller 4, Gary Francis 14
CRS: Christian Jabbar 11, Shawn Blank 11, Jack Rebholz 2, Trey Irvin 3, Simon Magidenko 1, Esteban Gomez 3, Spencer Haun 2
SOL Continental Conference
CB West 51, Pennridge 29
CB West honored a pair of seniors who don't see a lot of minutes with starts Friday night, and they paid the Bucks back in a big way.
Chase Heller and Stephen Delash hopped into the starting lineup and provided a lot of energy as the Bucks built a lead and stifled Pennridge all night in a game heavy with SOL Continental implications. Heller and Delash combined for just two points, but their impact wasn't lost on the rest of the team.
"(They) just gave us great energy and great moments," West coach Adam Sherman said. "Stephen hit a nice little corner jumper that really got us going, and Chase, defensively, was really sound at the top. He plays the point for us, and he really gave us quality minutes.”
“The kids were all fired up. We started seniors that don’t normally start, so it was a unique situation.”
West ended up with a 9-4 lead after the first quarter and parlayed it into a 26-14 edge at the half. Collin MacAdams led the Bucks with 14 points to go along with five rebounds while Shane McCusker posted 13 points and four rebounds
Pennridge never got going offensively and was led by 10 points from Jake Pestrak. Jon Post scored eight for the Rams while Sean Yoder was limited to just five points.
“I thought Mika Munari did a really good job when he was on (Sean) Yoder," Sherman said. He did a really nice job on him."
Munari also chipped in seven points while Jake Reichwein led CB West with six rebounds. Davis Zerweck had three assists.
CB West (17-4, 9-2 SOL) has one game left, an away trip to Souderton. A win would hand the Bucks at least a share of the Continental title.
“(Tonight) was exciting. It was good to see our kids have success, but at the same time, we still have one more game to go," Sherman said. "We have to play at Souderton, which is a tough place to play. Right now we’re just going to focus on bringing our best effort when we go up to Souderton."
The Bucks are seeded fifth in the latest District One 6A power rankings.
Pennridge (14-5, 7-3) will travel to Reading High School on Saturday for a non-league game at 7:30 p.m.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 9 17 15 10 – 51
PENNRIDGE 4 10 9 6 – 29
CBW: Shane McCusker 13, Jack Mulhearn 4, Mika Munari 7, Collin MacAdams 14, Jake Reichwein 3, Jack Neri 8, Stephen Delash 2
P: Sean Yoder 5, Jon Post 8, Tyrese Lewis 3, Jake Pestrak 10, Brett Henofer 3
North Penn 48, Souderton 45
Once again, the game between the Knights and Indians came down to the final few seconds.
Again, it was North Penn pulling out the nail-biting victory in a game that had heavy postseason implications for both. With Souderton just outside looking in and North Penn in the precarious final few spots for the District I 6A tournament, both teams needed the power points for a win.
“We knew it would be a playoff type atmosphere. Going into tonight we were 21 (in the District One 6A power rankings), and Souderton was 25, so put it all together, and we knew it would be a good atmosphere," Knights coach John Conrad said. "We figured it would be tight all the way down to the end."
AJ Catanzaro led the Knights offensively with 16 points.
“He played really well tonight. He’s always been super reliable on the defensive end," Conrad said. "We always give him the toughest assignment, but we’ve been encouraging him to shoot more and get more involved on the offensive end. He did a great job tonight.”
Souderton led 12-7 after the opening quarter but the Knights relied on their defense to turn the tide in the second quarter. North Penn won the frame 17-10 and carried a 24-22 lead into the break.
“Guys off the bench – Tali McIver, Chris Caputo and Nate Hartman – came in and gave us tremendous energy on the defensive end," Conrad said.
North Penn (11-8, 5-5 SOL) heads to Downingtown West on Saturday in another battle of district bubble teams. The Knights are currently No. 21 while West is No. 24. That game tips at 2:15 p.m.
Souderton (8-12,3-7) will host Central Bucks West on Tuesday.
NORTH PENN 7 17 12 12 – 48
SOUDERTON 12 10 12 11 – 45
NP: AJ Catanzaro 16, Chris Coleman 12, AJ Mitchell 6, David Robinson 5, Joey Lindsay 5, Chris Caputo 2, Nathan Hartman 2
S: Trevor Watts 12, Tomas Hanrahan 10, Dom Natale 10, Stephen Luchansky 6, Antonio Rodriguez, Williams 2, Kavi Ramchandani 1
Central Bucks East 43, William Tennent 34
The Patriots turned their Senior Night into a win on Friday.
Nick Roggio posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Jesse Rivera had a solid all-around game with four points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Kyle Cassidy had 11 points in his Senior Night game.
The Patriots, who led 9-4 after one quarter, took a 17-14 lead into halftime. They led by four heading into the final quarter.
For the Panthers, Markeith Baxter led the way with 13 points, and Derrik Cosenza had 10.
Central Bucks East (11-9, 4-7 SOL) will host Abington in a non-league game on Tuesday. With two games remaining on its regular season schedule, the Patriots are the 23rd seed in the District One 6A power rankings.
William Tennent (5-15, 0-10) will travel to Pennridge on Tuesday.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 9 8 13 13 – 43
WILLIAM TENNENT 4 10 12 8 – 34
CBE: Jesse Rivera 4, Ben Markowitz 3, Kyle Cassidy 11, Collin Stein 5, Nick Roggio 14, Leo Masterson 6
WT: Markeith Baxter 13, Pat McCauley 5, Michael Mulville 2, Derrik Cosenza 10, Kip Mooney 4
SOL American Conference
Wissahickon 73, Cheltenham 66
The Panthers made a late surge, but the visiting Trojans made their early lead hold up in a game both sides wanted to win.
For the second straight year, Wissahickon and Cheltenham split their season series, with each winning on the other's home floor. Wissahickon was paced by 22 from guard Max Rapoport and 20 more from guard Eddie Fortescue.
“They’ve been playing tremendous – solid guard play," Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson said.
Cheltenham led 16-14 after the opening frame, but Wissahickon turned the game with a 21-14 edge in the second quarter. The last thing the Trojans wanted was to let Cheltenham's shooters get going, but a defensive shift paid off for the visitors.
“I think it was a little bit of a perfect storm. We hit a couple of shots. We might have gotten ahead by four or five in a game that you know is going to be a bit of a chess match. We were able to gamble – we went from man-to-man and switched to a funky two-three," Wilson said. "You take the risk – if they can get it to their shooters and get quality shots, we might have to come out of it, but it seemed like they struggled to find a solid set that worked to get good shots, and we were able to capitalize on that, and we were able to extend the lead little by little.”
Zach Reiner had an excellent all-around game for Wissahickon and nearly posted a triple-double. The senior scored nine points, had nine rebounds and dished out 10 assists.
Unfortunately for the Trojans, Reiner also fouled out just as Cheltenham was pushing its way back into the game.
“We knew they were playing without Jack Clark, so it’s a different dynamic for them as well. I said, ‘If we can’t take advantage of that opportunity, then we don’t deserve to win’ Our kids just fought, scrapped and clawed," Wilson said. "I think it was one of the first times we actually played the last couple of minutes of a tight game without Zach Reiner on the floor. He had fouled out, which was huge. It was nice to see the guys pick up the solid win without having him on the floor.”
While Wissahickon won't be able to win the SOL American title, the Trojans are setting themselves up well for the playoff picture in District I 5A. The Trojans are seeded third in the latest power rankings.
“At this point, PW is probably going to win the league. We were looking from the aspect of 5A playoffs – where are we? We’ve been battling back and forth for that three spot with Chester in the rankings. We knew we had three games left, and Cheltenham was going to be our real tough one down at their place," Wilson said. "We told our kids, ‘If we win this, we have a pretty good chance of guaranteeing ourselves one of the top four spots which could mean two home games, so let’s make sure we go in there and leave it on the line. You want meaningful games at this point in the season, and they don’t get any more meaningful than this. They are a really good basketball team.’ Our guys took that to heart."
The Panthers are seeded 16th in the District One 6A power rankings.
“This was two evenly matched teams, and they really hit a lot of shots,” coach John Timms said. “They had nine threes, and they came at crucial moments.
“I just think Wissahickon played well. It was just a matter of one team making shots and missing shots.
“Actually, it was a great chance for us to see how we will play against a playoff caliber team without Jack (Clark). In our seven games (without Clark), this has been our toughest contest outside of the Abington contest. It was a good measuring stick for us. We needed this game heading into the playoffs to see what we need to work on, so although we lost, it was two competitive teams and someone had to win. It was just a great game.”
Wissahickon (14-6, 9-3 SOL) will travel to Upper Moreland on Tuesday, and Cheltenham (13-6, 9-2) will travel to Quakertown on Monday.
WISSAHICKON 14 21 16 22 – 73
CHELTENHAM 16 14 10 26 – 66
W: Max Rapoport 22, Eddie Fortescue 20, Zach Reiner 9, Anthony Lawrence 7, Carmen Ostroski 7, Cole Hirsch 5, Donovan Oliphant 3
C: Amir Lewis 14, Ahmad Bickley 14, Zahree Harrison 13, Tim Myarick 10, Domanick Pope 2, Jaelen Mclone 6, Kyin Healey 7
Plymouth Whitemarsh 69, Hatboro-Horsham 48
The Colonials held Senior Night on Friday as they remained unbeaten and atop the District I 6A power rankings. With two conference games remaining, the Colonials clinched at least a share of an American Conference title they own.
“That’s the goal,” coach Jim Donofrio said. “The goals for this particular team are to play for titles, so that’s what you have to focus on.
“It’s human nature to get comfortable. You’re winning games by a 20-25 margin, and you just sense a lack of tightness, like the shoestring is coming a little untied. What happens in those situations, the players look at you like – what are you upset about? You know what’s coming down the road is a requirement of focus.
“To me, it’s a league title and then play for the district and really be in a great position physically and mentally for a five-game serious run into late March for the state. This is a team that’s worthy of state title thoughts. It’s like running a horse race. Where are you at? The backstretch. Are you getting complacent? We’re not complacent, we’re just getting itchy I think.”
This year’s squad boasts a core of players with plenty of postseason experience.
“I do think they’re a mature bunch,” Donofrio said. “You have the twins – Ahmad and Ahmin Williams – and Naheem (McLeod) who have basically been on the floor at Temple playing in these events a number of times. Those guys are district champions from two years ago. They’ve also lost in the semis and quarters of the state, so they should be hungry.
“That’s what makes teams win major titles because they aren’t satisfied until they make it to the end. I’ve seen that happen time and time again with a ton of teams.”
In Friday’s win, the Colonials raced to an 18-4 lead after one quarter and then outscored the Hatters 18-14 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 36-18 lead.
“It was Senior Night tonight, we had a great crowd, and we had a wonderful first quarter,” Donofrio said. “Then we just seemed to lose all our concentration after a 20-2 start. It was some lack of focus, but it’s hard to complain.”
Center Naheem McLeod, a junior, continued his strong play of late with a 27-point scoring effort. Alan Glover had 12 points and Danny Cooper posted 10 as the two PW seniors to reach double figures. Ish Horn added nine points.
Chris Edwards led the Hatters with 17 points. Khalid Johnson added 11.
PW (19-0, 12-0 SOL), the top seed in the District One 6A power rankings, will face Philadelphia Catholic League leader Neumann-Goretti in a marquee game at 6:15 p.m. Saturday as part of a Play-By-Play Classics event at Harriton.
Hatboro-Horsham (8-11, 5-7) will travel to Perkiomen Valley on Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. contest.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 18 13 20 18 – 69
HATBORO-HORSHAM 4 14 13 17 – 48
PW: Naheem McLeod 27, Ish Horn 9, Danny Cooper 10, Ahmin Williams 4, Ahmad Williams 4, Danny Green 3, Alan Glover 12
HH: Chris Edwards 17, Erick Dixon 5, McNair 2, Khalid Johnson 11, N’Gianni Cerigier 2, Kyle Hogan 2, Jake Schalki 3, Dylan Schumacher 2, Jack Marvin 1, Nahji Logan 3
Quakertown 38, Upper Moreland 37
The Panthers pulled out all the stops and emerged with a win on their Senior Night.
Trailing by five points heading into the final quarter, the Panthers trailed until the final half-minute. Sniper Matt Lucas sank a 3-pointer for a one-point lead with 30 seconds left.
UM's Ryan Coyle split a pair of foul shots to tie it up with 12 seconds left and setting up the dramatic finish. After calling a timeout, the Panthers ran a play for Eli Ortiz. Drawing a foul, Ortiz split the free throws and Quakertown survived a Coyle halfcourt shot that hit the rim before falling to the floor.
“I put one word on the white board when we went in, and that was guts. We just gutted it out. It was a battle. Both teams were scrapping and fighting and having trouble scoring, but we found a way to win," Quakertown coach Kevin Keeler said. "We got some defensive stops. Eli (Ortiz) made some big plays. He and Lucas – two juniors – had 13 of our 15 points in the fourth quarter. They were big.
“It was Senior Night, and it was a nice win for the seniors."
Quakertown (6-13, 4-7 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Monday, and Upper Moreland (9-11, 5-7) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday. The Golden Bears are the 14th seed in the District One 5A power rankings.
QUAKERTOWN 5 11 7 15 – 38
UPPER MORELAND 11 10 7 9 – 37
Q: Jon Rey 3, Eli Ortiz 17, Sam Rice 2, Matt Lucas 11, Grey Mitchell 3, Nick Mestayer 2
UM: Beau Woolens 5, Christian O Donnell 2, Johnson 2, Ryan Coyle 19, Brett Brossman 5, Scherncke 4
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