Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Saturday.
BENSALEM 72, NORTH PENN 71
The Owls had Saturday’s game at North Penn well in hand. Or at least so it seemed when they opened up a 10-point lead with just over two minutes remaining,
Someone apparently forgot to tell the Knights, and with 10.6 seconds showing on the scoreboard clock, Mike Chaffee buried a baseline three-pointer, knotting the score 71-71 and capping a gutsy Knight comeback.
“It was crazy,” Bensalem coach Mike McCabe said. “We thought the game was over. We said, ‘Let them have a two,’ and (one of our players) got caught helping, and the kid hit a huge three.
“It was just frustrating. For a while, we were moving the ball and getting everything we wanted. We got a little tight towards the end.”
The game was far from over, and the Owls had an answer.
“They called timeout, we got the ball back with 8.9 seconds, James Ashford came down and passed it to Lamont (Hasker),” McCabe said. “Lamont took it in, tried to lay it up and missed it, but TJ (Igielski) was right there for the putback, missed that but got fouled with one-tenth of a second on the clock. He hit the first one. I called a timeout and said, ‘Just miss the second one.’ That quick, everything happened. It was an unbelievable game.”
McCabe led the Owls with 22 points, which included three three-pointers. He scored eight of his points in the pivotal fourth quarter. Nasir Williams added 14 points – 10 after the intermission, and Hasker had 13. Adam Beck added eight points while James Ashford and Jeremiah Alexander both had six for the Owls, who led 35-34 at the intermission and took a six-point lead into the final quarter.
“TJ (Igielski) was unbelievable – he just came through for us and hit the biggest free throw of his life,” McCabe said. “The last game he was upset he wasn’t scoring, and tonight he comes out and has 22, but that’s what we keep telling the kids – ‘Your role is going to change night to night. You never know what’s going to happen.’ It was a huge win for our program.
“They were a really nice team. They’re so quick, they get the ball down the floor, they waste no time. We knew going in we had to stop the ball. It was a huge win for us – just to hold on down the stretch the way it happened.”
McCabe went on to credit the play of several players.
“Hasker played well, and Reuben Jean-Phillips has been playing so well defensively for us,” McCabe said. “Nasir Williams had 14, but really, it’s not about point scoring. It’s about the team and playing together and understanding what our roles are. That’s been the key for us, and we’re playing hard.”
Saturday’s win came on the heels of a come-from-behind win over Neshaminy that saw the Owls, who trailed 18-13 at halftime, outscore the ‘Skins 44-22 in the second half to win going away.
“We gained a lot of energy from our second half at Neshaminy, and I think we woke up and figured out – ‘You know what, when we play hard, we’re as good as any team around,’” McCabe said. “I think guys are starting to understand what their roles are, and we’re coming together, we really are.
“They were a very, very good team – their speed, their shooting.
The Knights received huge offensive performances from AJ Mitchell (24 points) and Tali McIver (19 points). Both players scored nine points in the Knights’ furious fourth-quarter comeback. Chaffee finished with nine, Chris Caputo had eight, and Rob Carangi added six.
“This was a good test for us,” NP coach John Conrad said. “Bensalem is a very good team, and it came down to one or two possessions.
“We’ve now lost five in a row and need to turn things around, which I think we can do.”
Bensalem (8-7, 4-3 SOL) will travel to William Tennent on Tuesday, and North Penn (8-8, 3-4) will be on the road for a non-league game at Downingtown East on Tuesday.
Bensalem 18-17-19-18 72
North Penn 12-22-14-23 71
Bensalem (72) – Nasir Williams 14, Reuben Jean-Phillips 3, Jeremiah Alexander 6, James Ashford 6, TJ Igielski 22, Lamont Hasker 13, Adam Beck 8.
North Penn (71) – Tali McIver 19, AJ Mitchell 24, Kolby Barrow 3, Chris Caputo 8, Mike Chaffee 9, Rob Carangi 6, Matt Swanson 2.
PENNSBURY 64, CHICHESTER 55
The Falcons trailed by two at the end of one quarter, but behind the hot hands of Collin Connor and Kyrie Miller, they outscored their hosts 20-14 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 29-25 advantage. Connor had three three-pointers in the second quarter, four in the half. Miller scored seven points in the second quarter, nine in the opening half. Pennsbury outscored Chichester 35-30 in the second half.
Connor’s 20-point effort led the Falcons while Miller added 19. Gary Francis and Amir Johnson both had nine points while Cooper Arnold added six.
Pennsbury (9-6, 7-0 SOL) will be on the road at Bensalem on Thursday.
Pennsbury 9-20-15-20 64
Chichester 11-19-10-20 55
Pennsbury (64) – Kyrie Miller 19, Collin Connor 20, Gary francis 9, Amir Johnson 9, Cooper Arnold 6, Reichard 1.
Chichester (55) – Josh Hankins 12, Paris Blackwell 5, Damian Perkins 6, Jamese Lundy-Byrd 19, Calvin Church 13.
ABINGTON 83, KISKI SCHOOL 59
Eric Dixon and Lucas Monroe proved to be double trouble for Kiski in Saturday’s opening game of MLK Weekend Stand Against Violence Basketball Showcase at Woodland Hills High School.
The duo combined for 56 points and 22 rebounds. Dixon led the ghosts with 33 points and 10 rebounds. The senior standout scored 24 of those points in a first half that saw the Ghosts roll to a 49-28 lead. For the game, he connected on 14-of-20 shots from the field, 3-of-4 from long range.
Monroe finished with a season-high 23 points to go along with 12 rebounds. He pulled down 10 of those rebounds in the opening half. He also had two steals and three assists. Monroe was 8-of-14 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
For the game, the Ghosts connected on 32-of-59 shots (54 percent). They were 6-of-15 from beyond the arc (40 percent) and 13-for-18 at the foul line (72 percent).
Manir Waller added nine points and six rebounds, and Maurice Henry had four points and four assists. Darius Brown had a team-high five steals to go along with his five points.
Abington (13-1, 8-0 SOL) will face Wesley Christian (Ky.) on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
Kiski 15-13-14-17 59
Abington 21-28-18-16 83
Abington (83) – Darius Brown 5, Lucas Monroe 23, Eric Dixon 33, Manir Waller 9, Maurice Henry 4, Derek Sussman 3, Oreck Frazier 2, Joey Brusha 2, Howie Burrell 2.
KENNEDY CATHOLIC 58, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 43
Kennedy Catholic boasts an abundance of talent, and that talent was on full display in Saturday’s win in the Burger King Classic.
Boasting a lineup featured 6-9, 230-pound power forward Oscar Tshiebwe, the Lancers outrebounded the Colonials 37-26. Tshiebwe, a West Virginia commit, dominated the paint, finishing with a game-high 17 rebounds that included seven on the offensive boards.
The Lancers, who scored 36 points in the paint to just 24 for PW, also benefitted from 18 Colonial turnovers that resulted in 23 points.
The Lancers led 17-9 after one quarter and extended that to 42-20 by halftime en route to the win.
Duquesne commit Maceo Austin’s 19 points led all scorers.
PW was led by the 14-point effort of Naheem McLeod. Caelin Peters added 10 points, five assists and two steals, and Anthony Straface had six. Jason Cherry had a team-high six rebounds.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-5, 5-2 SOL) will travel to Springfield Township on Tuesday.
Kennedy Catholic 17-25-12-4 58
Plymouth Whitemarsh 9-11-12-11 43
Kennedy Catholic (58) – Helon Amos 6, Oscar Tshiebwe 9, Ike Herster 15, Maceo Austin 19, Sky’ler Thomas 2, Michael Moore 7.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (43) – Jordan Evans 2, Jason Cherry 4, Naheem McLeod 14, Anthony Straface 6, Caelin Peters 10, Jaden Pryce 2, Kyree Pendleton 5.
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