Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. Neshaminy/Holy Ghost Prep photos provided courtesy of Jesse Garber (https://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p206505361 )
SOL Freedom Division
Lower Moreland 41, New Hope-Solebury 31
Facing an old rival from its Bicentennial Athletic League days, Lower Moreland pitched a first-quarter shutout and never looked back on the way to the 10-point win over visiting New Hope on Tuesday.
“We really played a phenomenal first half,” said LM coach Seth Baron. “New Hope has a new coach, Derek (Brooks), and they’re starting from scratch, but he’s doing a great job.
“We outscored them 13-0 in the first quarter and it was 22-7 at the half. We just played a really good games. I got 11 guys in, and eight different guys scored.”
Balance was the key for Lower Moreland. Freshman John Kroll led the team with nine points, while senior Joey Morozen added eight and Justin Sandler added eight.
Baron also pointed out sophomore Gabe Krutsinger, making his first start, drew the assignment of guarding New Hope standout Alex Walinski, and held him to just two points in the first half.
Lower Moreland also took care of business from the free throw line, going 7-for-9 in the fourth, led by Kroll, who was a perfect 4-for-4.
Baron’s team is now 2-5 with seven games remaining.
“We’re starting to get better,” he said. “We’re now showing the improvement you normally hope you show in January, and here we are in late February. We’re going to get all our league games in and hopefully two nonleague games.
“It’s good to see our younger kids developing. They just have to get used to the varsity speed.”
Then, there are the seniors, who’ve had to endure a delayed start to the season a lot of uncertainty from the beginning because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“My message to the seniors has been, ‘This season stinks for you. You guys have gotten the short end of the stick,’” Baron said. “My job, our job as a group, as a family is to make the most of it. Make every day count. Make every practice count.”
Lower Moreland plays at Hatboro-Horsham on Friday. New Hope (3-10) hosts Council Rock South on Wednesday.
Lower Moreland 41, New Hope-Solebury 31
New Hope-Solebury 0 7 14 10 – 31
Lower Moreland 13 9 12 7 – 41
New Hope (31) – Alex Walinski 3 7-9 15; Charlie Albano 2 0-0 5; Will Albano 1 0-0 2; Bryan Dougherty 1 0-0 3; Phil Weinseimer 3 0-0 6. Totals 10 7-9 31
Lower Moreland (41) – Justin Sandler 2 1-2 7; Eyal Khakin 2 0-0 6; Matt Ernst 1 0-0 3; Braden Alicea 1 0-0 2; Gabe Krutsinger 2 0-1 4; John Kroll 2 5-6 9; Joey Morozin 3 2-2 8. Totals 13 8-11 41.
3-point goals: NH-Walinski 1, C. Albano 1, Dougherty 1; LM-Sander 2, Khakin 2, Ernst 1
Nonleague Games
Central Bucks South 62, Bensalem 48
Balanced scoring and the ability to at least slow down Bensalem’s talented backcourt of James Ashford and Aaron Sanders were the keys for Central Bucks South on Tuesday, as the Titans pulled away for the nonleague win.
“Ashford and Sanders combined for 38 points,” said CB South coach Jason Campbell. “Sanders was strong for them in the first half. He hit a couple of 3s, and had 10 points in the second quarter.
“I thought we did a strong job of containing Ashford. He had eight in the half, but we were able to keep him out of the deep paint area and forced him to shoot shots in he didn’t want to take. But he’s such a strong player and has a good mid-range jumper, and in the second half, he gave us fits. He was able to get to the basket and draw fouls. But I thought we did a nice job on him.”
South led this game 27-21 at halftime and then scored 23 points in the third quarter and were able to open up a double-figure advantage.
“We had a very good third quarter,” Campbell said. “A lot of kids contributed, and it gave us good momentum. Defensively, we were able to force turnovers and offensively we were sharing the ball and getting open jumpers. We shot the ball very well today.”
Getting scoring from its own backcourt has been big for the Titans in recent games.
“We’re starting to get a lot more scoring from our guards,” Campbell said. “That’s starting to pick up. That’s important to get one of our guards close to 10 points. Tonight, Jay Macalindong had 10, Evan D’Orazio had eight, and Bryan Delara hit a couple of big shots. He had buzzer-beaters at the end of the second and third quarters. It’s crazy how much momentum you get off of that.”
South’s big guys, Michael Farley and Tyler Meinel, led the team with 14 and 11 points, respectively, and most nights this season they’ve led the Titans in the scorebook. That has only helped open things up for their teammates.
“Both of our big guys are very good athletes and can shoot well,” Campbell said. “Meinel had a 3 tonight. Farley had a 3. To say, it’s pure inside dominance, it is not. They’re very effective inside. They can get to the rim. They’re very diverse. It’s hard for opponents to pick your poison. If you double-team one of them on the perimeter, it helps the guards pick their spots and get their shots. It’s helped get the guards going.”
Now at 6-4 and on the bubble for a spot in the upcoming District One Class 6A playoff spots – South came into Tuesday at No. 20 in what will be a 20-team field – the Titans host Pennsbury in another nonleague game Friday.
Bensalem (7-7) was led by Ashford’s 22 points, while Sanders had 16. The Owls have another tough nonleague game Thursday at Wissahickon.
Central Bucks South 62, Bensalem 48
Central Bucks South 11-16-23-12 62
Bensalem 6-15-15-12 48
Central Bucks South (62) – Evan D’Orazio 3 2-7 10; Nate Macalindong 0 2-2 2; Jay Macalindong 4 2-2 10; Aidan Van Zanten 1 2-2 4; Owen Petrich 1 3-5 5; Bryan Delara 3 0-0 6; Tyler Meinel 4 2-3 11; Michael Farley 6 1-1 14; Totals 22 14-22 62.
Bensalem (48) – Aaron Sanders 6 2-4 16; James Ashford 8 5-7 22; Rahul Kohli 1 0-0 3; Jake DeLange 1 0-0 2 Nikita Schafer 2 1-5 5; Totals 18 8-16 48.
3-point goals: CBS – Evan D’Orazio 2, Tyler Meinel, Michael Farley, Bensalem – Aaron Sanders 2, James Ashford, Rahul Kohli.
Hatboro-Horsham 36, William Tennent 33
Hatboro-Horsham needed a win, and Tuesday at home, the Hatters turned up the defense and knocked off a visiting William Tennent team that entered with an 8-3 record.
“It’s something we really needed to get,” said H-H coach Rick Fedele. “Me, being a new coach, them not used to winning (in recent years) and having to play PW twice, Abington twice and Wissahickon, it’s been tough. Tennent is a formidable opponent. For us to go out and battle, it’s big to get a nice win for us.”
Defense was the name of the game in this one. The second half in particular saw H-H start off 18-16, only to fall behind by 12 after three and then score the first 15 points in the fourth quarter to regain control of the game.
“They came out in a 2-3 zone and jumped up 29-17 at the end of three,” Fedele said. “Then, we went on a 15-0 run to go up five. (Eric) Butler and (Zeheir) Cheeze carried us. Butler had nine in the quarter and Cheeze had eight. Those two guys came up big.”
Butler finished the game with 14 points, while Cheeze added 11. Sophomore Noah Schlosser had seven points and 14 rebounds, including five offensive rebounds during that key fourth-quarter stretch.
On the defensive end, the key for the Hatters was slowing down talented Tennent forward Derrik Cosenza.
“Cosenza can score, and he didn’t have a field goal,” Fedele said. “All five of his points came on the foul line. Our big guys played great. Zeheir Cheeze got in foul trouble early. Josh Sproul did a good job keeping (Cosenza) from going to his strong hand. We forced him to go left the whole night. He was never comfortable.”
The Hatters (4-7) have seven games remaining, starting Friday night at home against Lower Moreland.
Tennent (8-4) didn’t have a player in double figures. Dom Sulpizio led the Panthers with eight points. They’re back in action Wednesday at home against Springfield.
Hatboro-Horsham 36, William Tennent 33
William Tennent 8 10 11 4-33
Hatboro-Horsham 11 5 1 19 – 36
Tennent (33) – Dom Sulpizio 3 0-1 8; Matt Miller 1 0-0 2; Jay Stanfield 2 1-2 5; Kirby Mooney 2 0-0 4; Mike Scheller 1 3-4 5; Derrik Cosenza 0 5-8 5; Ryan Emmerich 2 0-0 4. Totals 11 9-15 33.
Hatboro-Horsham (36) – Eric Butler 4 5-8 14; Sam Fink 1 0-0 2; Noah Schlosser 3 0-0 7; Zeheir Cheeze 4 3-8 11; Josh Spruill 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 8-18 36.
3-point goals: WT-Sulpizio 2; HH-Butler 1, Schlosser
Upper Moreland 72, Quakertown 48
Everybody saw the score and it sent a message to the rest of the Suburban One League. After upsetting Abington for its first win of the season, Quakertown cannot be taken lightly the rest of the way.
Upper Moreland certainly didn’t, as it started quickly and then blew the game wide open in the second half for what turned out to be a 24-point nonleague win.
“We got out to a quick start on them,” said Golden Bears coach Dan Heiland. “They were coming off the Abington, and that’s a really good win. Tonight, we knew we’d get their best approach. I told them before the game. ‘This is a team you can’t sleep on. They’re a good team.’
“We were able to pressure them early, forced turnovers and capitalized on those turnovers.”
UM was up 27-9 after one quarter, but the Panthers didn’t just go away as they battled in the second quarter and were able to cut the deficit to 36-24 at halftime.
“To (Quakertown’s) credit, in the second quarter, they did a nice job picking up the pressure on their end and forcing us into taking shots we didn’t want to take,” Heiland said. “ They crawled right back into the game. I think it was a 12-point game at halftime.
“We challenged our guys at halftime to bounce back and play the way we’re capable of.”
Jourdon Gregg led the Bears in scoring with 20, while Jahaire Johnson had 13 and Matt Tiernan added 10. Gregg and Johnson also had four and three 3-pointers.
“Jourdon and Jahaire led us in scoring, but both did a tremendous job (defensively) on our press, getting in passing lanes and deflections, getting their teammates involved,” Heiland said. “Byron Hopkins did a great job getting the ball up the floor and getting us into sets, putting us in the right positions. And when they picked up the pressure, he did a nice job breaking it.
“Matt Tiernan was steady as can be like he always is. He works his butt off for all 32 minutes of the game.”
UM (9-2) – in second place in the SOL Freedom at 7-1 – plays first place Cheltenham on the road Wednesday.
Quakertown (1-13, 1-9 SOL) was led by Luke Bauer’s 12 points, while Jake Gordon and Ty Wlkin had eight points each.
Upper Moreland 72, Quakertown 48
Upper Moreland 27 9 24 12 – 72
Quakertown 9 15 11 13 – 48
Upper Moreland (72) – Justin Sanders 5, Byron Hopkins 5, Jahire Johnson 13, Jourdon Gregg 20, McKie Walker 6, Jake Tiernan 4, Jeremy Harmer 2, Matt Tiernan 10, Ryan Schernecke 7
Quakertown (48) – Matt Catalano 7, Jack Gordon 8, Ozzy Grimmage 1, Ty Wilkin 8, Luke Bauer 12, Trey Perez 3, Zach Fondal 6, Brendon Ruzick 3
3-point goals: UM- J. Gregg 4, J. Johnson 3, J. Sanders; Q- M. Catalano, J. Gordon, T. Perez, B. Ruzick
Plymouth Whitemarsh 64, Souderton 31
A 20-3 first quarter set the Colonials on their way as they bounced back from their first loss of the season to rout Souderton on Tuesday.
Zuri Jerman led PW with 12 points, while Zende Hubbard and Jaden Colzie scored 10 points each.
The Colonials led 41-10 at halftime, and were able to empty their bench in the second half. Ten different players scored.
PW (13-1, 9-1 SOL) is still maintaining the No. 1 position in the District One Class 6A power rankings, a 20-team tournament that is scheduled to start on March 6.
Souderton (1-10) was led by Evan Kutzler’s 13 points, while Shaun Purvey added 11.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 64, Souderton 31
Plymouth Whitemarsh 20-21-16-7 64
Souderton 3-7-9-12 31
Plymouth Whitemarsh (64) – Zende Hubbard 4 2-4 10; Jaden Colzie 4 0-0 10; Marshall Baker 1 0-0 3; David Harris 2 0-0 5; Luke DiCianno 3 0-0 6; Steve Forcielli 3 0-0 7 Qudire Bennett 3 0-0 7; Brandon Capizzi 1 0-0 2; Pat Flynn 1 0-2 2; Zuri Jerman 6 0-0 12; Totals 28 2-6 64.
Souderton (31) – Kutzler 13, Purvy 11, Hollick 2, Blair 2, Schreuren 2, Smith 1.
3-point field goals: PW – Jaden Colzie 2, Marshall Baker, David Harris, Steve Forcielli, Qudire Bennett.
Neshaminy 57, Holy Ghost Prep 44
After wrapping up the regular season title in the SOL Patriot Division last week, Neshaminy took on Holy Ghost Prep in the annual nonleague game between these Lower Bucks programs.
“We always like to play each other,” said Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle. “It’s always going to be a close game and we know it’s going to be a battle. (Veteran Holy Ghost coach Tony Chapman) knows that and I know that.
“This one was back-and-forth the whole way. We had a slight edge most of the game, and were able to pull away in the fourth quarter. We made a whole bunch of free throws to seal it.”
Neshaminy led by three points at halftime, and four points after three, but in the fourth outscored the Firebirds 19-10.
“In the second half, everyone contributed,” Tingle said. “Mike (Murray) had a big game. We shared the ball so much. We had four guys in double figures. Jake McGinty had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Matt Drapkin, our point guard, had 12 points. We went 10-for-10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter and a lot of guys contributed.”
Murray’s 14 points led Neshaminy. He also had six rebounds and three blocks. Jimmy MacDonald added 12 points. Drapkin, who also had five rebounds, and McGinty were both 4-for-4 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.
The team is now 10-1 overall, and has another nonleague game Thursday at Pennridge. If it continues to show the kind of balance on display Tuesday, it will be a tough out for any opponent the rest of the way.
“We have six guys averaging between seven and 14 points,” Tingle said. “On any given night, we can have a different leading scorer. We share the ball and we like to defend.”
Neshaminy 57, Holy Ghost Prep 44
Holy Ghost 8 13 13 10 – 44
Neshaminy 11 13 14 19 – 57
Holy Ghost (44) – Reilly 3 3-4 11; Schmidt 1 0-0 2; O’Hara 2 0-2 4; Shead 2 0-1 4; Healy 1 0-2 2; McDermott 5 4-4 15; McGrenahan 1 0-0 3; Coolahan 1 0-0 3. Totals 16 7-13 44.
Neshaminy (57) – Jimmy MacDonald 5 2-2 12; Jake McGinty 3 4-5 10; Matt Drapkin 3 5-6 12; Evan Esposito 2 0-0 6; Mike Murray 6 2-2 14; Sean Curley 1 0-0 3. Totals 20 13-15 57.
3-point goals: HGP-McDermott 1, McGrenahan 1, Coolahan 1; N-Drapkin 1, Esposito 2, Curley 1
Council Rock North 54, Central Bucks West 51
Connor Rushing scored 11 points in the second half, and in the fourth quarter, Council Rock North went 8-for-10 from the free throw line to put away CB West in this Tuesday nonleague game.
With the win, the Indians are now 6-4 overall and sit at No. 25 in the District One Class 6A power rankings for what will be a 20-team district playoff when the postseason starts next month.
“This was a well-played offensive game by both teams,” said CR North coach Jesse Krasna. “CB West shoots the ball incredibly well from three-point land, and they do such a good job moving with and without the ball. Coach (Adam) Sherman’s teams are always fundamentally sound and difficult to defend because they make you pay when you make a mistake.
“Donte Mancini was sensational for them tonight. We had a lot of trouble getting stops throughout the game but I thought we came up with some key defensive stands late in the fourth to give us a chance to gain some separation.”
Senior Mikey Sylvester led that defensive effort.
“Mikey Sylvester set the tone on our first defensive possession,” Krasna said. “He showed how smart he is and how much he puts into his film study and preparation because when he heard West’s play call, he knew exactly what was coming and was ready to jump the passing lane for a steal and coast-to-coast layup. Mikey was great for us all game and was key in making (CB West’s) John Lee work to get good looks.”
Rushing led North with 15 points, while Sylvester added 11, Jack Blum had nine and Bernie Parent and Adam Mahtag contributed to the balanced scoring effort with eight points each.
“Adam Mahtat was an animal around the rim and made some great post moves to jumpstart our offense in the first quarter,” Krasna said. “Connor Rushing is playing with a ton of confidence and he gives us that explosive playmaker that is difficult to guard. Jack Blum and Garrett Gromlich made huge (3-pointers) in the fourth quarter.
“Jack’s was pretty neat because he used a jab step, got space and let it fly. As a freshman, he would have passed that shot up but he is starting to believe in the great shooter that he is, and tonight was just more proof of that.
Garrett didn’t play a ton in the first half but he stayed ready and the fourth quarter of tight games is when he comes alive. He did that again for his team tonight.”
CR North next hosts New Hope-Solebury on Friday.
CB West was led by Mancini’s 20 points, while Lee added 14. The Bucks (2-11) are back in action next Tuesday at home against Central Bucks South.
Council Rock North 54, Central Bucks West 51
CR North 13 10 15 16 – 54
CB West 11 13 15 12 – 51
CR North (54) – Gromich 1 0-0 3; Parent 3 1-2 8; Sylvester 3 5-6 11; Mahtat 4 0-0 8; Blum 3 2-2 9; Rushing 5 4-4 15. Totals 19 12-14 54.
CB West (51) – Gallagher 2 0-0 5; Mancini 7 2-4 20; Martino 1 0-0 3; Lee 5 2-2 14; Engle 1 0-0 3; Fountain 3 0-0 6. Totals 19 4-6 51.
3-point goals: CRN-Gromlich 1, Parent 1, Blum 1, Rushing 1; CBW-Gallagher 1, Mancini 4, Martino 1, Lee 2, Engle 1
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