Plymouth Whitemarsh and Pennridge notched wins over a pair of perennial state powers. Check the recaps for all of Saturday’s SOL boys’ basketball action. PW/Neumann-Goretti photos provided courtesy of Larry Small Photography. CLICK HERE to go directly to the Boys' Basketball gallery.
Non-league
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 66, NEUMANN-GORETTI 57
As December was about to turn to January, the Colonials were set to end a particularly rugged stretch of their schedule with a game against Neumann-Goretti.
Having already faced Philadelphia Catholic League powers Archbishop Carroll, Archbishop Wood and Bonner-Prendergast and emerging with wins, it was going to be a good cap to the 2017 portion of the season. Unfortunately, the weather interceded, and the game was postponed.
As it turned out, that wasn't such a bad thing.
"It's been a long time since December when we stared at Carroll then Wood and then Bonner, and it was getting really exciting and saying you have to be on point every night with this," PW coach Jim Donofrio said. "We've gone through a long run of games that were decided by the fourth quarter and what we looked at (today) at halftime was – you're getting beat up, you're getting out-paced, you look shocked and you're looking average."
Facing the physical and aggressive Saints was just the type of late-season push the Colonials needed to find that playoff level they used with such success earlier in the season. After a subpar first half where they trailed by as many as seven and still trailed by three at the break (29-26), PW rallied to finish a regular-season sweep of PCL opponents.
"We used the half to remind them they have that gear," Donofrio said. "Let's find the gear again."
Senior Ahmin Williams was the catalyst, both with his words at the half and with his play on the floor. The guard poured in a game-high 22 points, hit four 3-point shots to go with three assists and three steals and was named PW’s MVP.
He was also less than pleased with his team's effort in the first half, especially on the defensive end. After missing all of last season's playoff run with a foot injury, the senior is not short on motivation for what he sees as a team capable of winning it all.
"The only reason we won that game was our defense," Williams said. "We love to play defense, we move and talk. We're guards that can play both ends of the floor and that's our spark, that's why teams have a hard time playing against us."
Down 29-26 at the break and despite playing well below their level, Donofrio felt the Colonials didn't require any radical changes, but small tweaks.
They also fed Williams, who came out of the half ready to ignite. After a Saints three put the current PCL leaders up four, Williams buried three straight treys, and it was his shot that made the score 35-32 and gave PW the lead for good.
"I'm getting more confident, it's funny because last year I was the starting point guard and (twin Ahmad) was the two and now we've switched roles," Williams said. "When I got hurt, all I did was lift and worked on my form. I wasn't going to sit in the house all day and do nothing because of my injury."
Different guys have stepped up in the various tests the Colonials have faced this season. Saturday was Ahmin Williams' turn.
"In games like this, someone's got to be great and Ahmin decided 'I'm going to be great,'" Donofrio said. "He had three threes in that quarter and that untracked the rest of us."
PW had a scare at the end of the first half when center Naheem McLeod went down after an awkward landing trying to catch a lobbed pass. The 7-foot-2 junior immediately grabbed his right ankle/Achilles area and stayed down for a few minutes after the final horn of the second quarter sounded.
Donofrio said McLeod's Achilles tightened up and he stayed in the locker room to get taped up while the rest of the team went out for the third quarter. Jason Cherry started the second half and Donofrio said PW was ready to play without McLeod if needed but the big man soon returned to the bench and re-entered the game with 5:42 left in the third.
He scored 10 points with 11 rebounds and his presence on the floor helped PW defensively in the second half.
"When you have a 7-2 guy on the floor, teams are going to play a certain way but he wasn't moving well in the first half," Donofrio said. "He wasn't really locking up the way he needed to. If he couldn't have gone back, we would have been faster. Jason Cherry plays with a ton of energy. We'd lose some of the stuff we could run, but this isn't a game where you're running a ton of stuff anyway."
Williams' speech to his teammates at the half focused on the defensive end. He felt like Neumann-Goretti's guards were getting by them too easily and that wasn't the reason the Colonials have put so much time into all their defensive drills at practice.
Ish Horn had a solid game with 19 points while Alan Glover's energy was a huge factor all game and the senior posted 12 points and nine rebounds.
PW improved to 20-0 on the season and 4-0 against the PCL. The Colonials return to action Tuesday when they face Cheltenham with a chance to seal up the SOL American title outright.
"A game like this really starts in the fourth quarter," Donofrio said. "We looked like a veteran team. We made a lot of good decisions on offense and I think they took it as a challenge."
Plymouth Whitemarsh 13-13-20-10 66
Neumann-Goretti 13-16-9-19 57
PW: Ahmin Williams 22, Ish Horn 19, Naheem McLeod 10, Alan Glover 12, Ahmad Williams 3
NG: Montague 18, Ings 5, Warren 13, Smith 4, Littles 11, Woodley 4, Fair 2
PENNRIDGE 55, READING 50 (2 OT)
Reading High School’s Geigle Complex has been the site of some classic basketball battles. Add Saturday night’s non-league game against Pennridge to that list as the Rams pulled off the major upset of the state’s fifth-ranked squad.
“It was a great win at Reading tonight – wow, what an atmosphere,” coach Dean Behrens said.
The defending state champion Red Knights brought a dazzling 19-2 record and a 12-game winning streak into Saturday’s contest while the Rams were coming off a loss to Central Bucks West that saw them score just 29 points.
None of that mattered a whole lot when the two teams took the court, and the Rams – unfazed by the bright lights and the hostile environment – opened up an 11-6 lead after one quarter. They took an 18-17 lead into halftime.
“I think the first four minutes were crucial,” Behrens said. “We got a lead in the first four minutes, and I think the kids bought into it – ‘we can win this game.’
“Defensively, we only gave up 50 points and we went double overtime, so I thought our defense really stepped up.”
Reading came out of the halftime locker room on a mission and erased that one-point deficit in a hurry.
“In the third quarter, they went up 10, and the crowd starts getting fired up,” Behrens said. “We came back. Tyrese Lewis hit a big three, Sean Yoder hit a big three.
“All of a sudden, in the fourth quarter, we cut it to two, and they went into a little bit of a stall with two-and-a-half minutes left, which kind of helped us. They turned the ball over twice.
“We were down one – Sean Yoder goes to the basket, and they call a foul, but they called it on the floor, so that’s a killer. We get the ball on the inbounds to Jon Post, and he gets fouled. He hits the first one to tie it, and the second one rimmed out. They had three seconds to score, and we stopped that.”
In the first overtime, the Rams led by four but saw that lead disappear. With 1.4 seconds left and the scored tied, the Rams had one last shot at the win.
“Ryan Waters threw a great baseball pass to Jon Post, who was supposed to throw it to a guard, but he was covered,” Behrens said. “Jon turned and shot – I thought it was going in.”
It didn’t, and the stage was set for the second overtime. Yoder buried a three that put the Rams on top by two.
“We didn’t relinquish the lead from that point on, and it really came down to defense,” Behrens said. “We hit some crucial foul shots – Jake Pestrak hit two crucial foul shots in the second overtime. Sean Yoder was 1-for-2 from the foul line in the second overtime, and Tyrese Lewis had two foul shots in the second overtime.
“We really did a good job from the foul line in the second overtime. We only shot 14 fouls shots in a two overtime game.”
Sean Yoder – limited to just five points in the loss to West – scored 19 points to lead the Rams while Tyrese Lewis also had another big game with 16 points. Jon Post added seven points and Ryan Warner, six, on a night that saw the Rams bury an equal number of threes and two-point shots with nine of each. They were 10-for-14 from the charity stripe..
Making Saturday’s win especially impressive was that it came 24 hours after a 51-29 loss to CB West in a battle for the SOL Continental Conference’s top spot.
“We were really down. It looks like we’re not going to win the league – that’s the reality,” Behrens said. “We’d have to have South and West lose and us win out, but we still have the Suburban One Tournament. That’s still in play for us because they have to get a wild card team in there, and they go by (power) rankings.
“I had to tell the boys the bad news tonight – if the Eagles win the Super Bowl, they can’t go to the parade. They’ve got to be in school. We’re all in on this. We have Tuesday home for Senior Night and Thursday at North Penn, which will be tough games.”
Pennridge (15-5, 7-3 SOL) – which occupies the sixth seed in the District One 6A power rankings – will host William Tennent on Tuesday.
Pennridge 11-8-8-13-5-10 55
Reading 6-11-14-9-5-5 50
Pennridge (55) – Ryan Warner 6, Sean Yoder 19, Jake Pestrak 5, Mike Molettiere 2, Tyrese Lewis 16, Jon Post 7.
Reading (50) – Hector Dixon 5, Xavier Starks 3, Wesley Buter 19, Bobby Heath 3, Larry Wingo 8, Daniel Colter 4, Ricki Lopez 8.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 58, PERKIOMEN VALLEY 47
The Hatters led from the outset of Saturday’s non-league game at Perk Valley, opening up a 27-19 halftime lead. The Vikings battled back, pulling to within three late, but Erick Dixon sank one-of-two at the free throw line with three seconds remaining in regulation to put the Hatters on top by four. A Viking three at the buzzer did nothing more than pull the Vikings to within one.
“It was a nip and tuck game down the stretch,” HH coach Eric Enoch said. “It was a very good win for us.
“We were both in similar positions. They played last night, we played last night. It was a fun game.”
The Hatters gave new meaning to balanced scoring in the win as four players – Erick Dixon, Chris Edwards, Khalid Johnson and Kyle Hogan – scored 10 points each. Jake Schalki added eight.
“We had good balance today, we didn’t turn the ball over a lot, we tried to use our size advantage to get the ball inside a little bit, which we did early,” Enoch said. “They’re so hard to play because we’re making twos and they’re hitting threes. It was incredible how they shot the ball. Those two kids – Krause and Strechay – are spectacular shooters.”
Tyler Strechay led all scorers with 16 points while Zach Krause added 15. Both players connected on five 3-pointers.
Hatboro-Horsham (9-11, 5-7 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 13-14-8-13 48
Perkiomen Valley 10-9-13-15 47
Hatboro-Horsham (48) – Erick Dixon 10, Chris Edwards 10, Khalid Johnson 10, Kyle Hogan 10, Jake Schalki 8.
Perkiomen Valley (47) – Strechay 16, Krause 15, McShea 3, Bernabe 4, Streeper 3, Graves 6.
UPPER DUBLIN 55, UPPER MERION 27
Corby Watkins had a big night for the Flying Cardinals, erupting for 21 points – 20 over the final three quarters – to lead UD to the decisive non-league win.
The Cards led 13-10 after one quarter, and behind nine points from Watkins, they outscored the Vikings 14-7 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 27-17 lead. It was a 39-26 game heading into the final quarter when the Vikings closed it out with a 16-point frame that included eight points from Watkins.
Also for the Cardinals, Nyjee Scott added nine points and Cory Stover had seven.
Upper Dublin (5-15, 3-9 SOL) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.
Upper Dublin 13-14-12-16 55
Upper Merion 10-7-9-1 27
Upper Dublin (55) – Jason Williams 3, Nyee Scott 9, Ian McGonagle 5, Derrick Lawson 1, Corby Watkins 21, Brian Klammer 2, Mike Slivka 5, Cory Stover 7, Garrett Breslin 2.
Upper Merion (27) – Lukas Kim 1, Matt Choi 6, Jon Eyer 7, Chris Clark 10, KJ Pugh 3.
BENSALEM 36, AVON GROVE 33
The Red Devils had a simple strategy for Saturday’s non-league game against the Owls – slow the game down. The Owls showed they could adjust, rallying from a 10-5 deficit after one quarter to outscore the Red Devils 31-23 the rest of the way.
Ward Roberts led the Owls with 13 points while Lamont Hasker had eight and Taco Douglas added six.
Bensalem (13-7, 6-4 SOL) – 18th in the latest District One 6A power rankings – will host Council Rock South on Tuesday.
Bensalem 5-13-10-8 36
Avon Grove 10-12-5-6 33
Bensalem (36) – Taco Douglas 6, Ward Roberts 13, Keith Parrish 2, James Leible 4, Lamont Hasker 8, Kris Shields 3.
Avon Grove (33) – Dorsey 6, Whiteside 2, Edison 6, Russo 7, Murphy 12.
SPRING-FORD 64, PENNSBURY 56
In a battle of two squads battling for playoff position, it was the Rams opening up an 18-7 lead after one quarter and then fighting off any Falcon comeback attempts. The Rams led 29-21 at halftime and by that identical nine-point margin heading into the final period.
Gary Francis had a big game for the Falcons, finishing with a game-high 19 points. Raylil Winton added 12, and Collin Connor added nine. Josh Aruda had seven points to go along with eight rebounds and two assists. Chad Weldon added five boards in a contest that saw the Rams hold a 19-11 advantage in rebounds.
Pennsbury (11-9, 6-4 SOL) – 17th in the latest District One 6A power rankings – will host Council Rock North on Tuesday.
Pennsbury 7-14-16-19 56
Spring-Ford 18-11-16-19 64
Pennsbury (56) – Jake Martell 4, Collin Connor 9, Raylil Winton 12, Josh Aruda 7, Chad Weldon 3, Kyrie Miller 2, Gary Francis 19.
Spring-Ford (64) – Scillingo 7, Harrison Pierce 16, Ryan Hagan 3, Jay Robinson 3, Noah Baker 11, Patrick Kovaleski 2, Robert Bobeck 14, Austin Hokanson 8.
DOWNINGTOWN WEST 60, NORTH PENN 55
Less than 24 hours removed from an emotional win over archrival Souderton, the Knights made a road trip to Downingtown West. They fell behind early, trailing by four after one period and six at the intermission (29-23) and never could get over the hump.
David Robinson had a big game for the Knights, finishing with 20 points. Chris Coleman added 12 points, which included a pair of 3-pointers, and AJ Mitchell – who also buried a pair of threes – added 11.
Downingtown West’s Will Howard led all scorers with 21 points.
North Penn (11-9, 5-5 SOL) – 20th in the latest District One 6A rankings – will travel to Central Bucks South on Tuesday.
North Penn 13-10-16-16 55
Downingtown West 17-12-19-12 60
North Penn (55) – AJ Mitchell 11, Joey Lindsay 4, Chris Caputo 6, AJ Catanzaro 2, David Robinson 20, Chris Coleman 12.
Downingtown West (55) – Naseem Roberson 4, Greg Baron 16, Davis Reardon 5, Will Howard 21, Stuart Macavoy 3, Jeremy Mattson 3, Jackson Luneberg 5, Kyle Geiser 3.
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