Wissahickon boys and girls basketball teams were winners in SOL action Wednesday.
Boys
Non-league
WISSAHICKON 77, SPRINGFIELD TWP 53
It’s not a secret that Matt Compas can score points in bunches. A first team All-SOL American selection last year, the Wissahickon senior had himself quite a night in Wednesday’s opener, torching the visiting Spartans for 35 points in a dazzling performance.
“I looked at the box score, and it was one of those things – it was an up and down game, and Matt is a very opportunistic player,” coach Kyle Wilson said. “When you think of a guy scoring 35, you think of a James Harden or a Steph Curry where they’re just draining shots from all over the place.
“But for Matt, it’s a putback here, it’s a layup after a steal there, it’s a jump shot. It’s not like he’s a guy that has to dominate the ball. I said – that’s one of the quietest 35s I’ve seen. We have always had such balanced teams. Since Chase (Wilson) in 2014, we haven’t had guys that have had to put up a ton of points.”
Compas scored seven points in an opening quarter that saw the Trojans take a 10-9 lead. In the second quarter, Compas scored nine more. Jackson Intrieri added eight, which included a pair of three’s, and the Trojans led 34-20 at the intermission.
The Trojans added to their lead with a 22-point third quarter that featured a whole lot of Compas. The senior standout scored 14 in the frame to up his point total to 30 in three quarters, and the Trojans led 56-35.
“Matt just works hard – there’s not a lot of fanfare,” Wilson said. “Yes, he had some nice dunks, and he made a couple of plays, but it wasn’t like he dominated to ball to have that 35. He just outworked guys around him. It was nice to see it because I know he’s worked so hard this offseason. For a kid who has who has a lot of colleges looking at him, you get that fear – ‘Man, I hope this kid gets that opportunity to shine,’ so it was nice to see him our first game – even though it was quiet – have a big game.“
Intrieri also finished the game in double figures with 11 points.
“Jackson is a guy coming back who was our sixth man last year – could have probably been a starter,” Wilson said. “He had a real nice game. He ran the offense, got people involved.”
“In the second half when we extended the lead, the ball just moved around effortlessly, and that always starts with your point guard. Jackson just did a nice job moving the ball up the floor and getting people involved. We got into a rhythm, and I think that’s what made it tough for our opponent.”
Also for the Trojans, Ryan Friedman added nine points, connecting on three of the Trojans’ 10 three-pointers in the game. Bobby Haasz added six points.
For the Spartans, Finn Coll led the way with 15 points and five rebounds. Ben Cooney collected a double-double in Tuesday’s season opener, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Andrew Kennedy added 10 points.
On this night, both teams were just happy to be back on the basketball court.
“Watching the kids interact and just seeing them have the camaraderie, being in a gym and having something other than the pandemic – it’s a good thing,” Wilson said. “It’s good for the community, it’s good for the school – a slight bit of normalcy.
“It was exciting, and as a team, we started out last season 0-5. We made the playoffs, but our team wanted to wash that bad taste out of our mouths, so it was nice to get off to a good start. There were so many positives.
“It was a 20-some point win, but their team played well. They battled. I’m sure (coach) Rob (Fusaro) would say the same thing. It’s nice to have the kids out there playing. I said, ‘Let’s take every game as it comes and not take this for granted. We don’t want to waste time fussing or moaning about playing time. Let’s have fun and play basketball.’ I give a lot of credit to the athletic directors because they’re doing everything to try and make the season happen.”
Wissahickon (1-0) will host Abington on Friday in the SOL opener for both teams, and on Saturday, the Trojans will host New Hope-Solebury in a non-league game at 3:30 p.m. Springfield Township (0-1) will open its SOL season Tuesday at Upper Moreland.
Springfield Twp 9-11-15-18 53
Wissahickon 10-24-22-21 77
Springfield Twp (53) – Matt Leibfreid 0 0-2 0; Finn Coll 5 4-4 15; Dylan McKenzie 0 5-6 5; Andrew Kennedy 2 5-9 10; Harry Rittenhouse 2 1-2 5; Kyle Smythe 2 2-3 6; Austin Maggioncalda 0 1-3 1; Ben Cooney 4 3-5 11; TOTALS 15 21-34 53.
Wissahickon (77) – Matt Compas 14 5-7 35; Josh Twersky 1 0-0 2; Ryan Friedman 3 0-0 9; Jackson Intrieri 3 2-2 11; Stefan Lowry 2 0-0 4; Morgan Wilson 1 0-0 3; Earl Stout 1 2-4 5; Bobby Haasz 2 2-4 6; Will Kunzier 1 0-2 2; TOTALS 28 11-19 77.
3-point goals: Springfield Twp – Finn Coll, Andrew Kennedy, Wissahickon – Ryan Friedman 3, Jackson Intrieri 3, Matt Compas 2, Morgan Wilson, Earl Stout.
Girls
Non-league
WISSAHICKON 60, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 20
Kaitlyn McGeary – although only a sophomore – was elected captain by her teammates, and in Wednesday’s non-league opener, she showed why, torching the Spartans for a game-high 22 points and propelling the Trojans to the big win.
“She’s my first ever captain as a sophomore,” Wissahickon coach Rodney Cline said. “She’s earned that respect. She’s always the first one to workouts, she’s always cheering kids on, and she’s working hard.
“Tonight she was up and down the floor in transition, and she was the first one down the floor. She was in the right spot at the right time, she’s a good finisher, she’s strong. She’s been working really hard to become the best she can be, and it’s a good start. Now she’s seeing the fruits of her labor – the things she’s doing outside of the game – are showing up in the game. I’m proud of her, and one day she’ll be that example to another kid who loves the game like her.”
McGeary has been in the Trojans’ lineup since she set foot on the court as a freshman.
“She did really well last year – she’s the first player since I’ve been coaching to start her first game as a freshman,” Cline said. “Now she’s maturing – has a little more confidence with a year under her belt. Definitely the game slows down.
“I think the most important reason why she’s progressing is because she’s really taking it serious outside of practice. She’s doing all the things you need to do if you want to be really good. It’s the commitment she puts outside. One of our core values is sacrifice, and she sacrifices things maybe a teenager would normally do to better herself in this game of basketball, not only physically but mentally. I’m just really proud of her as a young lady.”
The visiting Trojans led 11-7 after one quarter and took a 19-10 advantage into halftime. They seized complete control of the game in the second half, outscoring the Spartans 41-10.
“We press, and we try to force a high tempo,” Cline said. “The assists – we just saw each other, and we were in the right spots.
“Kylie Friedman had some beautiful passes. Leah Dubin had beautiful passes in transition. They played a zone, and we work on our concepts. They’re not plays – we talk about concepts, and the girls just executed.”
In addition to McGeary, Friedman and Julia Verrier both had 12 points, and Libby Kunzier chipped in seven.
“We did what we were supposed to do,” Cline said. “Springfield looked good. They’re well-coached.
“Our girls just played together. This is a group of girls that last year we struggled with chemistry. You have to have a setback and set up for a come up, and I think we really matured.
“I think we’re really selfless. We talk about our core values every day. It keeps us centered, and these girls really, really played for each other. It was just fun to watch. I was happy for them. We’re just trying to keep even keel, our 24-hour rule – enjoy it, move on and let’s prepare for our next game. I’m just proud of them, but we still have work to do. We still have to get better each game and each practice.”
For the Spartans, Maddie Yoder led the way with 12 points.
Wissahickon (1-0) will travel to Abington for Friday’s non-league opener and then will host New Hope-Solebury for a non-league game at 5:30 p.m.
Wissahickon 11-8-20-21 60
Springfield Twp 7-3-8-2 20
Wissahickon (60) – Lily Hyatt 4, Leah Dubin 3, Kylie Friedman 12, Julia Verrier 12, Libby Kunzier 7, Kaitlyn McGeary 22.
Springfield Twp (20) – Annie Coll 2, Raya Davis 3, Maddie Yoder 12, Emma Cawley 3.
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