Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday. PW/Abington photos provided courtesy of Michael Sperando, Upper Dublin/Upper Moreland courtesy of Jon Sklut, and Wissahickon/ Cheltenham photos courtesy of Kim Supko. CLICK HERE for galleries of all three games.
SOL American Conference
Abington 47, Plymouth Whitemarsh 40
Abington hosted Plymouth Whitemarsh for the first time since the 2001-2002 season and this one didn’t disappoint.
Playing in front of a full house, the Ghosts used a strong team effort on the way to a win that moved them to 4-0 in conference play.
Ghosts senior standout Eric Dixon was held to nine points, marking the first time in 92 career games that he didn’t reach double figures. The Villanova commit came into game averaging 29 points with his season low 21 points.
But, despite his low point total, Dixon didn’t let it alter his defensive effort as he clamped down on the Colonials’ 7-foot-3 Naheem McLeod, limiting the Florida State recruit to just six points.
The Ghosts won even though they shot just 29 percent from the floor (14-for-48) and were only 17-of-26 from the foul line. However, they converted 13-of-15 free throws in the second half.
“We’re coming off the Christmas break, and it’s a tough spot to play PW,” said Abington coach Charles Grasty, whose team hadn’t played since Dec. 21. “We’ve been off for two weeks, and they had a good game plan. They ran their stuff, they were patient. Our guys got a little frustrated, but they hung in there. Our AD told me – ‘It’s either going to be rest or rust. What’s going to show up?’ I definitely thought we were a little rusty. We missed a lot of our slides, our shots were short, our rotations were slow. You could tell that we were off.”
The Ghosts found themselves on the short end of a 20-15 score at halftime.
“We only had 15 points at the half, and that’s not our style,” Grasty said. “Our energy was down. It was no one’s fault. No one was playing bad. We just couldn’t get it going. We had some good looks, and we missed them. We missed foul shots. This is our first time not playing over the Christmas break, but PW is good.
“They’ve got nice guards, they’ve got nice size, and their length hurts us. Obviously, they have the McLeod kid who takes up a lot of space. They’re doing the same thing as everyone else. They have a new team, a new identity, and they’re finding themselves, but at the end of the year, they’ll be right there.”
The Ghosts upped the tempo of the game in the third quarter, outscoring their visitors 15-6 to go into the final quarter with a 30-26 advantage.
A big play in the game came with just under a minute remaining when, after a PW timeout and the Colonials trailing by four, Maurice Henry stole the Colonials’ inbounds pass and found Lucas Monroe for a dunk. He was fouled and completed the three-point play to give Abington a 46-39 lead.
Darius Brown had a career-best 13 points for Abington and Maurice Henry, who was averaging 4.6 points per game, had 12. Henry and Brown each drew an offensive foul in the contest.
“Maurice Henry had 12 points tonight, and he was huge for us,” Grasty said. “We asked him to pick up their guard – (Caelin) Peters – full-court, just make him uncomfortable. He’s a really good player, and he still made some shots, but we just wanted to make him uncomfortable and always have someone around him. Maurice did a great job of that. He had a couple of steals. He hit a huge three for us – we were up four and got a stop and kicked it to him in the corner. He hit a step-back three to put us up seven, and they had to chase us a little bit. He had a monster game. That was one of his best."
Additionally, 5-10 Derek Sussman gave the Colonials a lift off the bench, contributing three rebounds (two offensive), two steals and two assists for the Ghosts, who finished with 14 steals.
Peters, with 16 points, was the only Colonial to reach double figures.
Abington (8-1, 4-0 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (5-4, 2-2) will host Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 12-8-6-14 40
Abington 8-7-15-17 47
Plymouth Whitemarsh (40) – Ray Tomassetti 3, Kaelin Peters 16, Naheem McLeod 6, Kyree Pendleton 4, Mark Kalala 3, Jordan Evans 4, Jason Cherry 4.
Abington (47) – Eric Dixon 9, Darius Brown 13, Lucas Monroe 11, Manir Waller 2, Maurice Henry 12.
Upper Moreland 58, Upper Dublin 50
Ask any coach of any sport about consistency and they’ll tell you it’s something they like to see from their team.
On Friday night, Upper Moreland was consistent from start to finish and it paid off with a win over Upper Dublin that moved the Golden Bears to 2-2 in conference play.
“We had a really good effort tonight from all of our guys,” Upper Moreland coach Sean Feeley said.“This was a good team win against a well-coached team in Upper Dublin.”
The Golden Bears led by four at halftime (28-24), trailed by one after three quarters (42-41) and then clamped down on defense over the final eight minutes, outscoring the Cardinals 17-8 to win going away.
“We look forward to continuing to get better and improving upon the little things,” Feeley said.“We were led by our senior, Christian O’Donnell, who was great on both ends. And Beau Woolens and Tyler Ibbotson were steady all game.”
O’Donnell paced the Golden Bears with a game-high 17 points – six in the final quarter, and Woolens was next with 13. Ibbotson contributed a dozen points.
Corby Watkins had 13 points for the Cardinals and Drew Stover netted 12.
Upper Moreland (6-3, 2-2 SOL) will host Franklin Towne Charter in a non-league game on Monday, and Upper Dublin (6-4, 1-3) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh Tuesday.
Upper Moreland 14-14-13-17 58
Upper Dublin 12-12-18-8 50
Upper Moreland (58) -Byron Hopkins 6, Beau Woollens 13, Christian O'Donnell 17, Jahire Johnson 8, Tyler Ibbotson 12, Jake Tiernan 2.
Upper Dublin (50) -Drew Stover 12, Corby Watkins 13, Bazel Brady 9, Jason Williams 6, Brian Klammer 8, Mike Slivka 2.
Springfield Township 58, Hatboro-Horsham 44
Stingy defense and plenty of offense will take you far and that combination worked for Springfield Township in a win over Hatboro-Horsham on Friday night.
The Spartans, after yielding 11 points in the first quarter, only allowed 11 more combined over quarters two and three en route to the victory. The win moved the Spartans to 5-5 overall after they won just three games in each of the last three seasons.
“We have a senior-led group, and they’re just determined to change the mindset of everyone in the Suburban One that Springfield is not just a gimme win anymore,” said coach Chris Cole, whose team led 29-14 at halftime. “They’re working hard, and they’re doing their best day in and day out. I’m just very thankful for the group of guys that I do have. I continue to preach – we’re in playoff mode. We’re fighting for a playoff spot.
“All week and pretty much since the break as coaches we have been preaching defense. We have to be better on defense. We can’t be giving up 70 or 80-plus points. I challenged the guys and today one of our game goals was to force at least five turnovers per quarter, and we were able to do that up until the fourth quarter.”
Wilson Krewson had a game-high 18 points in the victory while Jordan Pauls had 11. Zach Edmonds contributed 9 points and Ben Rittenhouse had eight.
“My three captains – Wilson Krewson, Jordan Pauls and Ben Rittenhouse – led by example like they should have, and they gave us the offensive spark that we needed,” Cole said.“They’re getting to the basket, they’re drawing fouls. Again, on the defensive end, when Max Parry gets in the game, we’re a completely different Springfield team defensively. He gives us energy right then and there. He gives 110 percent anytime he’s on the floor."
Khalid Johnson led the Hatters with 12 points.
“(Hatboro-Horsham) Not having him (Kyle Hogan) in the game pretty much allowed us to run our offense effectively as well,” Cole said. “We kept the ball moving.”
Springfield Township (5-5, 1-3 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Tuesday, and Hatboro-Horsham (2-8, 0-4) will host Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 11-3-8-22 44
Springfield Township 16-13-15-14 58
Hatboro-Horsham (44) – Khalid Johnson 12, Solomon McNair 6, Zeheir Cheeze 3, Jack Marvin 6, Jackson Treski 2, N’Gianni Cerisier 2, Josh George 3, Jake Schalki 2, Bookard 2, Walker 6.
Springfield Township (58) – Jordan Pauls 11, Max Parry 6, James Joseph 2, Wilson Krewson 18, Ben Rittenhouse 8, Ethan Hamilton 4, Zach Edmonds 9.
Cheltenham 78, Wissahickon 49
Cheltenham used a strong second half and placed four players in double figures en route to a win over Wissahickon on Friday. The victory kept the Panthers unbeaten in the conference at 3-0.
The Trojans trailed by just 10 (29-19) at halftime before the Panthers used 49 second-half points, including 30 over the final eight minutes, to pull away. Zahree Harrison led the fourth quarter charge with eight points while Kyin Healey had six in the frame.
“We battled for three quarters solidly, but struggled to find quality shots and get stops in the fourth quarter,” Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson said.
Harrison led the Panthers, who scored 28 points off of turnovers, with 17 points while Healey had 11. Tim Myarick and Jaelen McGlonne had 10 points apiece in the win while Jalen Mickens had nine.
The Trojans’ Eddie Fortescue led all scorers with 18 points.
Cheltenham (7-3, 4-0 SOL) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday, and Wissahickon (4-6, 2-2) will host Central in a non-league game at 12:30 p.m.
Wissahickon 13-6-14-16 49
Cheltenham 15-14-19-30 78
Wissahickon (49) – Eddie Fortescue 18, Maurice Willis 8, Tyler Caso 6, D’Shan Love 5, Matt Compas 4, Harrison Williams 4, Carmen Ostroski 4.
Cheltenham (78) – Zahree Harrison 17, Jalen Mickens 9, Tim Myarick 10, Elijah Harvey 2, Jaelen McGlonne 10, Seth Arinsberg 3, Mike McClain 6, Sean Emfinger 6, Kyin Healey 11, Dom Vazquez 2, Lance Tolliver 2.
SOL Continental Conference
Souderton 66, Central Bucks East 53
The cliche about a game being a tale of two halves can get kind of old – until you look at what happened between Souderton and Central Bucks East on Friday night.
The Indians, after scoring just 20 points over the first two quarters (and giving up 26), truly switched things around after the break to win this conference game by a big number.
Souderton scored 23 points in both the third and fourth quarters, and gave up only 27 (and just six in the third quarter), to notch the victory.
“We started slowly, but we had a great second half,” said coach Tim Brown, whose team trailed 26-20 at the intermission. “It all came down to having three great practices prior to the game.
“The guys have been holding each other accountable and searching for perfection. They have bought in to winning a day at a time and they’re doing a great job with it. They brought the attitude and aggressiveness needed to win games in the second half and they’re starting to realize if we bring that for four quarters we’re a really tough team to deal with.”
Andrew Vince (18 points), Dom Natale (18) and Brian Reiner (16) combined for 52 points to highlight the Souderton offense.
“Andrew Vince played a great game and was our anchor on the defensive end of the floor,” Brown said. “And Dom Natale was a man on fire all game long and had his best game of the year. Also, Brian Reiner played terrific on both ends of the floor and was extremely hard to guard.
“Overall, it was a great team effort and everyone fulfilled their role.”
The Indians were 19-for-28 at the foul line while the Patriots connected on 8-of-11.
Leo Masterson led the Patriots with 12 points while Ben Markowitz and Joe Jackman each had 11.
Souderton (4-6, 1-3 SOL) will travel to Phoenixville for a non-league game on Monday, and Central Bucks East (7-2, 2-2) will be on the road at Quakertown on Tuesday.
Souderton 10-10-23-23 66
Central Bucks East 14-12-6-21 53
Souderton (66) – Mekhi Williams 2, Andrew Vince 18, Jack Towsen 2, Zach Thatcher 3, Brian Reiner 16, Dom Natale 18, Sami Chouriaf 7.
Central Bucks East (53) – Nick Roggio 6, Ben Markowitz 11, Leo Masterson 12, Joe Jackman 11, Anthony Giordano 2, Jason Markowitz 2, Jacob Rotondo 3, Jack Hamilton 6.
Pennridge 53, Central Bucks South 49
Visiting Pennridge overcame a sluggish start to post a key conference win over Central Bucks South on Friday.
The Rams, who scored just six points in the first quarter and trailed 9-6, outscored the Titans 13-9 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a tenuous 19-18 lead. Sparked by seven points from Sean Yoder, they used an 18-10 third quarter tear to go on top 37-28.
With the win, the Rams improved to 2-1 in conference play while the Titans lost for the first time in the Continental in four games.
“We got off to a slow start and (senior) Jon Post was in foul trouble,” Pennridge coach Dean Behrens said. “But our defense stepped up in the third quarter and that helped us.
“This was an important win since CB South was undefeated in the conference.
Yoder, a U.S. Naval Academy commit, led all scorers with 25 points, which included an 8-for-10 effort at the foul line in the fourth quarter. Trent Fisher had 11 for the Rams.
“Sean Yoder grinded out a tough 25 points and Trent Fisher added a well-earned 11 points,” Behrens said.
The Titans’ Ian McCaw led his team with 20 points and Tom Kuypers netted 13.
Pennridge 6-13-18-16 53
Central Bucks South 9-9-10-21 49
Pennridge (53) – Luke Yoder 7, John Dominic 4, Sean Yoder 25, Trent Fisher 11, Jon Post 6.
Central Bucks South (49) – Cole Prezelski 3, Brady Prezelski 3, Brock D’Aulerio 3, Alex Dietz 5, Mark Kannengieszer 2, Tommy Kuypers 13, Ian McCaw 20.
North Penn 66, Quakertown 60
North Penn outlasted a stubborn Quakertown side to post a conference win on Friday night.
“They’re young, but they have a lot of talent,” North Penn coach John Conrad said of the Panthers.“They’re a good basketball team. The largest lead we had was 10 or 12, and they got it all the way down to two late in the fourth quarter. Every time you go into one of these games – it’s going to be a war."
The Knights used a balanced offensive attack, they had four players in double figures, to get the victory.
A.J. Mitchell led the way for North Penn with a team-high 22 points and Mike Chaffee had 14. Tali McIver and Chris Caputo each contributed 13 points.
“AJ Mitchell was really good,” Conrad said. “He ended with 22 and he rebounded well down the stretch, and we were able to make free throws. Matt Swanson rebounded the ball well, and we had four guys in double figures, so I thought we were pretty unselfish and shared the basketball well."
Sophomore Jimmy Casey led the Panthers with 22 points and freshman Bobby Rosenberger was next with 11. Eli Ortiz and Tyler Merwarth both had eight.
North Penn (7-3, 2-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks West on Wednesday, and Quakertown (2-6, 1-3) will host Central Bucks East.
North Penn 12-19-14-21 66
Quakertown 14-10-16-20 60
North Penn (66) – Tali McIver 13, AJ Mitchell 22, Kolby Barrow 2, Chris Caputo 13, Mike Chaffee 14, Matt Swanson 2.
Quakertown (60) – Tyler Merwarth 8, Sean Harrison 2, Matt Tuley 3, Jimmy Casey 22, Bobby Rosenberger 11, Eli Ortiz 8, Matt Lucas 6.
SOL National Conference
Bensalem 44, Council Rock South 42
A position switch was key for Bensalem in its big win over Council Rock South on Friday.
The Owls, who handed the Golden Hawks their first conference loss in four games, moved point guard Nasir Williams off the ball and the change worked wonders.
“We had Aaron Sanders, our freshman, come in and run the point,” Bensalem coach Mike McCabe said. “We wanted to get Nasir off the ball a little bit. I saw the other day at practice he was much more effective offensively when he wasn’t running the point.
“Aaron, as a freshman, did a great job. We held their point guard, Jack Rebholz, to one point in the second half. He’s the guy that makes it go. They have some nice players on the team, and he does a great job running the point. He’s very crafty. He does good things. Hey, let the freshman see what it’s like to cover the junior who has some skills.”
Bensalem led 16-7 after one quarter and took a 26-19 lead into halftime. The Golden Hawks won the second half 23-18, but the Owls held on for the win.
“It’s a good win for us,” McCabe said. “We knew being a conference game, being a home game – they were 2-0 and we were 1-2, and we said, ‘If we’re going stay alive in this division, this is a must-win for us.’
“We did great in the first quarter. We held them to seven points, and we were up by 12 midway through the second quarter. We made some turnovers, and they actually cut it to seven. It was back and forth towards the end.”
Williams led the Owls with 15 points and Jeremiah Alexander had eight.
Rebholz paced the Golden Hawks with 13 and Shawn Blank was next with 11 points.
“It was a typical conference game,” McCabe said. “Everyone’s trying to eke out a win. They played hard, we played hard. Our turnovers hurt us. We had 20 turnovers. When you win a game with 20 turnovers, you think, ‘Wow, how did we just do that?’
“I thought we had some great defensive stops at the end, but both teams played really hard. It wasn’t pretty by any stretch, but we got the win, and that was the most important part of the night."
Bensalem (5-5, 2-2 SOL) will host Harry S Truman on Tuesday, and Council Rock South (3-6, 3-1)
Council Rock South 7-12-11-12 42
Bensalem 16-10-10-8 44
Council Rock South (42) – Jack Rebholz 13, Michael Stewart 9, Kevin McNamee 6, Brian Schwartz 3, Shawn Blank 11.
Bensalem (44) – Nasir Williams 15, Jeremiah Alexander 8, Shane Simmons 5, TJ Igielski 5, Lamont Hasker 2, Adam Beck 3, Aaron Sanders 6.
Non-league
Central Bucks West 66, Harry S. Truman 48
Central Bucks West pulled away early to earn a non-league win over host Harry S. Truman on Friday.
The Bucks surrendered just 15 points in the first half (while scoring 32) to all but put things away by halftime.
Jack Mulhearn (game-high 22 points) and Jack Neri (17 points, seven rebounds) led the offense for the Bucks, who put 10 players in the scoring colum. Mike Munari chipped in with nine points in the victory.
Terrence Roger with 14 points and Mike Leonhauser with 13 paced the Tigers.
Central Bucks West 13-19-18-16 66
Harry S. Truman 8-7-18-15 48
Central Bucks West (66) – Connor Briece 2, Jack Mulhearn 22, Mika Munari 9, Jack Neri 17, Reed Zerweck 5, Andrew Lindenmuth 1, John Murnen 2, Jack Slaymaker 2, Ted Spratt 4, Danny Miller 2.
Harry S. Truman (48) – Donald Imo 8, Kashun Holden 6, Javeer Peterson 2, Terrence Roger 14, Fant 2, Treszon Chapman 3, Mike Leonhauser 13.
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