Check out the recaps for SOL boys/girls basketball teams in action Tuesday.
SOL American Conference
Boys
HATBORO-HORSHAM 63, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 38
Showing no ill effects playing in a rare afternoon game, Khalid Johnson and Jake Schalki came up big for the Hatters, combining for 39 points and propelling the Hatters to an early lead on the way their fourth straight win.
“We played really well,” coach Ed Enoch said. “We’re getting better. We shot the ball really well today, I was proud of our defense, and we shared the ball well today. We passed it well. I really liked how we played.”
Johnson scored eight points in the opening quarter – including a pair of threes, and Schalki had five as the Hatters opened up a 15-2 lead after one frame. The Hatters took a 25-14 lead into halftime. Johnson had 13 of his game-high 21 points in the first half.
“Lid is really playing well,” Enoch said. “He’s improved so much with his overall knowledge of the game. He’s taking really good shots now, he’s cut down on his turnovers significantly, he’s playing defense. It’s fun to watch him get better.”
The Hatters put the game completely out of reach with a 19-5 third quarter to go into the final frame with a 44-19 lead. Schalki and Jack Marvin each had six points to lead the Hatters in the quarter.
Marvin finished the game with nine points on three three-pointers. Schalki posted an impressive double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds.
“Jake was a monster today,” Enoch said. “He’s a force. You really have to know where he is at all times. He’s a very good passer. He’s a good basketball player.”
The Hatters’ coach also lauded the strong showing of his point guard.
“Solomon McNair had a real good floor game for us,” Enoch said. “He took care of the ball well and moved it well. He got the other guys a lot of open looks, and I was proud of how he played.”
For the Spartans, Wilson Krewson’s 11 points – which included three three-pointers – led the way. Jordan Pauls added six points on two threes. All told, the Spartans connected on eight three-pointers.
Hatboro-Horsham (7-12, 3-8 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham on Friday, and Springfield Township (7-12, 1-10) will be on the road at Upper Moreland Friday.
Springfield Township2-12-5-19 38
Hatboro-Horsham 15-10-19-19 63
Springfield Township (38) – Jordan Pauls 6, DeJaun Waters 5, Max Perry 3, James Joseph 2, Wilson Krewson 11, Ben Rittenhouse 5, Ethan Hamilton 1, Zach Edmonds 2, Amir Williams 3.
Hatboro-Horsham (63) – Khalid Johnson 21, Solomon McNair 5, Jake Schalki 18, Zeheir Cheeze 2, Jack Marvin 9, N’Gianni Cerisier 4, Josh George 2, Logan Fischer 2.
Girls
HATBORO-HORSHAM 57, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 45
The Hatters and Spartans teamed up for a cause bigger than the game on Tuesday afternoon. Both squads wore gold shoelaces to recognize the battle against pediatric cancer as part of the Go For The Goal campaign.
Tuesday’s game was a far cry from the initial meeting between the two teams – a 63-41 win that saw the Hatters open up a 37-16 halftime lead. This time around, the Hatters found themselves clinging to a 31-29 lead at the intermission.
“I think we were a little too confident, and we did have the day off today,” freshman Alice Hall said. “We didn’t have school, so we came here, and we didn’t get in the mindset that we needed to be in.”
Hall certainly did her part to get the Hatters going. The freshman center scored 17 points in the opening half. Her three-point play late in the first quarter gave the Hatters a 12-9 lead, but Grace Barraclough answered with a three-pointer at the other end to knot the score.
Another Barraclough basket, this one just inside the three-point arc, gave the Spartans a 14-12 lead after one quarter. Barraclough accounted for 12 of her team’s 14 points in the frame. After a putback by Maddie Yoder, Emily Smith buried both ends of a one-and-one, giving the Spartans an 18-12 lead. That lead grew to eight after another Yoder bucket, but the Hatters responded, closing out the half with a 19-9 tear. Hall accounted for nine of those points and Cam Ryan had five. A basket by Kylie Halko in the closing seconds broke a 29-29 tie and sent the Hatters into halftime with a two-point lead.
That lead grew to four by the end of the fourth quarter, although Rileigh Serroni’s six points kept the Spartans close. Barraclough sank one-of-two at the foul line to pull the Spartans to within three early in the fourth quarter, but the Hatters answered with an 11-2 run to close the door on any thoughts of a Spartan comeback. Kara Kaminski delivered five points in the run, including a three that put the Hatters on top by nine.
“We came out a lot more confident in the third quarter, and in the fourth quarter, we just had to play,” Kaminski said. “We practiced spreading the floor – that was our focus yesterday, so we were ready for that.”
Three points from Halko upped the Hatters’ lead to 12, and the Spartans would get no closer than 10 the rest of the way.
“I thought we were pretty resilient in a game where things didn’t come easy for us,” HH coach Dennis Steinly said. “We were real sloppy on offense in the first half, we turned the ball over, our shots weren’t falling, and it seemed to affect our defense. Our defense was lazy. We gave up a lot of easy shots.
“But Springfield played well on their home court. They came out and played hard, attacked. They caused the turnovers. They were getting in the passing lanes, deflecting passes, and they made some shots in the first half. In the second quarter, in the press, we got some easy baskets, and that helped us a little bit.”
Hall led all scorers with 21 points and also added 12 rebounds for an impressive double-double. Ryan added 11 points and Halko had seven. Freshman Emily Thomas added six points.
“We stayed after it,” Steinly said. “A lot of times people look at scores and say, ‘Oh, you should beat them by this much.’ At the end of the day, I’m just happy to get a ‘W.’”
Steinly credited Sarah Mahoney, Logan Cummings and Kara Kaminski for providing sparks off the bench.
“Logan hit a big shot in the first half, Sarah played good defense and grabbed some big rebounds, and Kara hit a couple big shots in the fourth quarter,” the Hatters’ coach said, also crediting the play of his point guard. “Cam Ryan got us settled down on offense and did a great job defending.”
Tuesday’s win was the ninth of the season for the Hatters, the most wins the program has had in at least a decade. Helping to elevate the team have been a pair of freshmen in Hall and Thomas, who have teamed with the veterans to put the Hatters, 25th in the latest power rankings, in a position to earn a spot in the 24-team District One 6A Tournament.
“Emily and I were pretty excited to come in here and help change the program,” Hall said. “Coming to a program that’s already great is not as exciting as building something.”
For the Spartans, Barraclough led the way with 15 points – 14 in the first – and a game-high 15 rebounds. Serroni finished with 13 points, and Smith added eight.
Hatboro-Horsham (9-10, 5-6 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Friday, and Springfield Township (2-15, 1-10) will host Collegium Charter School in a non-league game on Wednesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 12-19-10-16 57
Springfield Township14-15-8-7 45
Hatboro-Horsham (57) – Emily Thomas 6, Cam Ryan 11, Sarah Mahoney 2, Logan Cummings 2, Kylie Halko 7, Maddie Throne 3, Alice Hall 21, Kara Kaminski 5.
Springfield Township (45) – Grace Barraclough 15, Rileigh Serroni 13, Maddie Yoder 4, Emily Smith 8, Emily Guicheteau 3, Sydney Hannings 2.
SOL National Conference
BENSALEM 39, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 25
The Owls made it a season sweep of the Golden Hawks and continued their quest for a spot in the 24-team field in the District One 6A Tournament. They are the 20th seed in the latest power rankings.
“Every game’s a struggle, but they work hard, and they’re good kids,” coach Sheldon Per said. “They know they’ve got a shot at the playoffs, and they’ve never been in the playoffs.
“The kids are great, they work hard every practice, and they’re hoping they get in the top 24, so we’ll see.”
The two teams battled to a 7-7 tie after a low-scoring first quarter, but the Owls outscored the Hawks 10-5 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 17-12 advantage.
“Most of the year, the girls have played pretty decent defense,” Per said. “Michaela Sit does a great job on the boards, but we’re not a great board team.
“Our struggle is offensively. The first quarter we struggled until the end of the quarter when we finally tied it up. In the second quarter, (Chloe) Munyon hit two threes, which were big for us. She had eight points in the second quarter.”
The Golden Hawks led 26-17 after three quarters and closed out the game with a 13-8 fourth quarter.
“(Haley) Keenan had a decent third and fourth quarter,” Per said.
With the win, the Owls evened their conference record at 5-5. They are 11-6 overall.
“We’re really greener than we were last year, and the league is ridiculous,” Per said. “(Neshaminy senior) Brooke Mullin has a scholarship to Bucknell, and they should go to states if they play as a team. They’re well-coached, they’re a good team, and she’s a great player. Council Rock (North) certainly has a shot at states, and they’ll have a home game (in districts). Pennsbury will get a home game, and they’ll be in the top 16 in the district, so three of the teams in our league are all going to get byes or home games in the first round.”
For the Golden Hawks, Nicole Blaustein's 13 points led the way. Hannah Binder led the Golden Hawks under the boards with nine rebounds while Bailey Vetter had seven.
Bensalem (11-6, 5-5 SOL) will take on Harry S Truman on Thursday at 5:15 p.m., and Council Rock South (6-12, 3-6) will host Pennsbury on Thursday.
Council Rock South 7-5-5-8 25
Bensalem 7-10-9-13 39
Council Rock South (25) – Madison Broaddus 1, Carley Irvin 3, Nicole Blaustein 13, Jenna Culp 4, Hannah Binder 4.
Bensalem (39) – Emily Wineburg 4, Michaela Sit 7, Haley Keenan 13, Chloe Munyon 15.
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