Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Thursday. Neshaminy/Pennsbury photos provided courtesy of Jesse Garber (https://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p1070405596 )
SOL Patriot Division
NESHAMINY 48, PENNSBURY 44
The Redskins found themselves in an early hole in Thursday’s rivalry game against the visiting Falcons. They trailed 12-5 after one quarter and saw the deficit grow to 20-9 before rallying with a 13-1 run to close out the half.
“These guys don’t quit,” Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle said. “No matter what the score is – they’re just playing hard.”
Tingle didn’t have to look far to figure out what went wrong early in the game.
“The big thing in the first half – this is a brutal stat, but we were 4-of-17 in the paint,” the Redskins’ coach said. “We had every look possible but couldn’t finish. We were 10-for-17 in the second half.
“It was the tale of two halves as far as making shots in the paint. A lot of good looks in the first half, but it just wasn’t falling for us.”
Jimmy MacDonald had six points in the second quarter Redskins surge. Also giving the team a big lift were 3-pointers from Jake McGinty, Evan Esposito and Sean Curley.
“They were timely 3s that kept the momentum going,” Tingle said of the second quarter 3s.
Although the Redskins had momentum heading into halftime, the game was far from over. The Redskins edged the Falcons 12-11 in the third quarter to go into the final frame with a 34-32 lead.
“It was tied 40-40 with just under two minutes,” Tingle said. “We had possession and scored, and then they had to come to us, and we made foul shots at the end.”
With the Redskins leading 42-40, Matt Drapkin was cool under pressure, burying 6-of-6 from the line to ice the win for the Redskins. He also had a pair of baskets, scoring 10 of his team’s 14 points in the quarter.
MacDonald’s 14 points led a balanced Neshaminy attack. He also had six rebounds. Drapkin added 12 points, four assists and two steals while Tom Mullin had seven points. McGinty stuffed a stat sheet with five points, six rebounds, five steals, three assists and – for good measure – he drew a charge in the fourth quarter.
All told, the Redskins drew three charges in the second half. Curley drew a pair –one in the third quarter and another in the fourth.
“That was very timely for us,” Tingle said.
Mike Murray had three steals and five points.
For the Falcons, Evan McNeely had a big game, burying three 3-pointers and finishing with 15 points. He scored 11 of those in the first quarter. Amir Johnson had nine points while Evan Reichard had seven points and a game high 12 boards. He also had three assists. Aiden McCormack had 10 rebounds.
Neshaminy (8-1, 7-0 SOL) will be on the road at Truman for a 7 p.m. contest Friday, and Pennsbury (2-7, 1-6) will travel to Council Rock South on Friday.
Pennsbury 12-9-11-12 44
Neshaminy 5-17-12-14 48
Pennsbury (44) – Amir Johnson 4 1-2 9; Aidan McCormack 2 1-3; Kennan Taddei 0 2-2 2; Evan Reichard 2 3-7 7; Craig Stargell 1 0-0 3; Evan McNeely 6 0-0 15; Aiden Bartuski 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 16 7-14 44.
Neshaminy (48) – Jimmy MacDonald 7 0-0 14; Jake McGinty 2 0-0 5; Matt Drapkin 3 6-6 12; Evan Esposito 1 0-0 2; Mike Murray 1 3-4 5; Tom Mullin 3 0-0 7; Sean Curley 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 18 9-10 48.
3-point goals: Pennsbury – Evan McNeely 3, Craig Stargell, Aiden Bartuski, Neshaminy – Jake McGinty, Tom Mullin, Sean Curley.
SOL Freedom Division
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 46, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 43 (OT)
Six days after earning a 51-44 win over Springfield, New Hope-Solebury found itself back on the court for a rematch – this time on the Spartans’ home court. It wasn’t any easier the second time around as the Spartans extended the Lions to overtime where they earned the hard fought win.
“It was almost an identical game where we were down in the third quarter by eight points, and we battled back and finally took a lead in the fourth,” NHS coach Derek Brooks said. “It was literally back and forth the whole fourth quarter. We just eked out a win in overtime.
“The one thing we changed – we did go to man-to-man so I think that helped us a little bit, picked up the intensity. We passed the ball much better the last 12 minutes of the game.”
The Spartans – behind eight points from Dylan McKenzie and six from Andrew Kennedy – took a 21-17 lead into halftime. Phil Weinseimer’s 10 points kept the visiting Lions close.
The Lions battled back in the third quarter, outscoring the Spartans 14-9 with Chris Kolen burying a pair of 3-pointers and Bryan Dougherty scoring seven points to give the Lions a 31-30 lead heading into the final quarter that saw the Spartans send the game into overtime.
The Lions struggled from the foul line in overtime, connecting on 2-of-8, but Weinseimer had a basket, and Walinski delivered a clutch three in overtime.
“We finally executed the play how it should be run, and we got him a good look,” Brooks said of the trey. “To his credit, he knocked it down. It was nothing but net.”
Weinseimer led the Lions with 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds for an impressive double-double. Walinski added 12 points, and Dougherty was the third Lion in double figures with 10. Kolen had two 3s for six points.
“Phil Weinseimer had his best game of the season – he had a double-double,” Brooks said. “He finished phenomenally around the rim, and he rebounded the ball well.
“Chris Kolen made some huge shots in the second half, and while he struggled shooting, he did pass the ball very well in the second half.”
For the Spartans, McKenzie led the way with 12 points and five rebounds. Kennedy added 10 points and seven rebounds while Ben Cooney had nine points and eight boards.
New Hope-Solebury (2-6, 2-3 SOL) will travel to William Tennent Friday, and Springfield Township (0-6, 0-5) will host Upper Moreland Friday.
New Hope-Solebury 8-9-14-8-7 46
Springfield Twp 11-10-9-9-4 43
New Hope-Solebury (46) – Alex Walinski 3 5-12 12; Will Albano 1 0-0 2; Bryan Dougherty 4 1-3 10; Phil Weinseimer 8 0-2 16; Chris Kolen 2 0-0 6; TOTALS 18 6-17 46.
Springfield Twp (43) – Dylan McKenzie 5 2-2 12; Andrew Kennedy 3 4-4 10; Brett Smith 1 0-0 2; Kyle Smythe 1 0-2 2; Austin Maggioncalda 3 0-3 8; Ben Cooney 2 5-6 9; TOTALS 14 11-17 43.
3-point field goals – Springfield – Austin Maggioncalda 2, NHS – Chris Kolen 2, Alex Walinski, Bryan Dougherty.
WILLIAM TENNENT 54, QUAKERTOWN 38
Derrik Cosenza and Walter Young both scored 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds to lead the host Panthers to the division win.
Tennent led 15-9 after one quarter and took a 29-17 lead into halftime. The visiting Panthers never really threatened.
“I thought we played solid team defense,” Tennent coach Robert Mulville said. “Michael Scheller and Matt Miller stepped up.
“Scheller had seven points, four rebounds, three assists, and he did a good job on number 12 (Jack Gordon). We had Miller on number one (Matt Catalano) who was their point guard, and those two guys just dictate the defense for us. I thought we did a great job holding them under 40.”
The Panthers’ coach went on to credit Scheller for his contributions on the offensive end as well.
“He just made key passes at time,” Mulville said. “Even his buckets – he hit a three in the first half that stretched us a little bit.
“They were pressing and doing a pretty good job trying to make a comeback later in the game in the fourth quarter. Scheller leaped out and ended up getting an uncontested layup and just gave us a little bit more of a cushion there.”
For Quakertown, Kayden Roley led the way with 13 points, which included three 3-pointers. Ty Wilkin added nine.
William Tennent (6-1, 4-1 SOL) will host New Hope-Solebury Friday, and Quakertown (0-9, 0-6) will be on the road at Wissahickon Friday.
Quakertown 9-8-10-11 38
William Tennent 15-14-12-13 54
Quakertown (38) – Matt Catalano 1 0-0 3; Kayden Roley 4 2-2 13; Jack Gordon 1 3-4 5; Luke Bauer 0 2-2 2; Zach Fondl 1 1-2 3; Brendan Ruzicka 1 0-0 3; Ty Wilkin 4 1-2 9; TOTALS 12 9-12 38.
William Tennent (54) – Dom Sulpizio 1 0-03; Walter Young 6 1-2 15; Jay Stanfield 2 1-1 5; Michael Scheller 3 0-0 7; Derrik Cosenza 7 0-1 15; Ryan Emmerich 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 23 3-6 54.
3-point goals: Quakertown – Kayden Roley 3, Brendan Ruzicka, Matt Catalan, WT- Dom Sulpizio, Walter Young 2, Michael Scheller, Derrik Cosenza.
Non-league
CHELTENHAM 81, WISSAHICKON 73 (2 OTs)
It took two overtimes to determine a winner in Thursday’s non-league battle between the former division rivals, and it was the Panthers outscoring the visiting Trojans 14-6 in the second OT to eke out the emotional win.
“It’s two schools that have a lot of history playing each other, being in the same league for so long,” Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury said. “I think the familiarity – I have a lot of respect for coach Kyle (Wilson) and his program.
“We just love the opportunity of playing Wissahickon, a 6A school, because it’s always a great battle and we enjoy it. I can just imagine what it would have been like under regular circumstances with the crowd. It was a classic game.”
Fleury was concerned how his team would respond after a three-day layoff because of the snow.
“You’re asked to play a Wissahickon team that is seasoned and well coached,” Fleury said. “It was a testament to us battling back all game because it was back and forth. Throughout the game, there were a lot of different moments and stories where our team – though we struggled – were able to push through.”
Michael McClain and Saleem Payne both turned in monster efforts. McClain was a near perfect 10-for-13 from the field (83 percent) and led the Panthers with a career-high 29 points, which included five 3-pointers and a perfect 4-4 effort at the foul line. He also had a team high 10 rebounds.
Payne – who was 10-12 at the foul line and had two treys – added 27 points and six assists.
McClain scored 12 points in the opening quarter and was key to a 9-2 run out of the gate, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Trojans from opening up a 22-19 lead after one frame. Wissahickon took a 34-31 lead into halftime, thanks in no small part to the brilliant effort of Matt Compas, who had 13 points in the first quarter and 17 of his game-high 34 in the first half.
“Mike McClain had 12 of our 19 points in the first quarter, and everything was in the flow,”Fleury said. “He had two 3-pointers and two nice pull-ups along with a layup.
“Our defense wasn’t as potent as we would like. During halftime, our assistant coaches – who aren’t really assistant coaches but head coaches – interjected (their thoughts) and the team responded down to the wire.”
At the end of regulation, the two teams were deadlocked 63-63. Compas kept the Trojans in it with 15 points in the second half. Both teams managed just four points in the first overtime, but the Panthers won it in the second, outscoring the Trojans 14-6. Payne and Justin Savage were a combined 8-10 at the foul line in that overtime. Rasheem Dearry had four points.
“I know our legs were tired, and you could see it, but they continued to battle and get better on the defensive end throughout the game,” Fleury said. “They had a lead for a good part of the game, but we actually were able to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, 62-61, off of a drive by Saleem Payne with a pass from Brandon Hawkins after he got a defensive stop.
“Coach Kyle made adjustments, we made our own, and we were able to pull it out with the full support of the five other coaches we have on our staff. It was very entertaining – a range of emotions.”
Fleury’s coaching staff includes Torre Harrison, former Girard College District 1 champion and father of Zahree Harrison, Steve Smith, who played at La Salle University and is a former professional basketball player who had a brief stint in the NBA, Sharif Bray, trainer and professional basketball player, Malcolm Weston, a former college basketball player and Brian Neely, who is from Abington and boasts 20-plus years of coaching.
Also for the Panthers, Dearry finished in double figures with 12 points – 10 in the fourth quarter and OT. He also had eight rebounds. Justin Savage had six points and eight rebounds while Brandon Hawkins contributed four points and four assists.
For the Trojans, Compas had 34 points, and Jackson Intrieri added 20, which included two 3s. Stefan Lowry contributed 10 points.
Cheltenham (4-0, 3-0 SOL) will host Lower Moreland on Friday, and Wissahickon (7-5, 3-3) will host Quakertown Friday.
Wissahickon 22-12-14-15-4-6 73
Cheltenham 19-12-15-17-4-14 81
Wissahickon (73) – Matt Compas 15 2-4 34; Josh Twersky 2 0-0 4; Jackson Itrieri 9 0-1 20; Stefan Lowry 3 3-6 10; Will Kunzier 2 1-3 5; TOTALS 31 6-14 73.
Cheltenham (81) – Rasheem Dearry 4 3-4 12; Brandon Hawkins 2 0-0 4; Keeon Healey 0 2-2 2; Saleem Payne 8 9-11 27; Justin Savage 1 5-7 7; Michael McClain 10 4-4 29; TOTALS 25 23-28 81.
3-point goals: Wissahickon – Matt Compas 2, Jackson Intrieri 2, Stefan Lowry, Cheltenham – Rasheem Dearry, Saleem Payne 2, Michael McClain 5.
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