Pennsbury defeated New Hope-Solebury in a non-league game Thursday. Check the recap.
Non-league
PENNSBURY 59, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 45
The Falcons took advantage of the opportunity to play an additional game and put an exclamation mark on their strong finish with a non-league win on their home court.
“Administration across the state allowed us to extend the season if we didn’t make playoffs, and we were able to sneak a few games in with Holy Ghost on Tuesday even though that did count for our district ranking, and we were able to schedule New Hope, which is relatively close to us,” coach Bill Coleman said. “For us, it’s a tale of two different seasons – the corona season and the non-corona season.
“You start the season, and in your first nine games you’re 2-7. People are in and out of the lineup due to contact tracing. For two straight weeks, we had two kids out due to that.
“Then you get them back in the gym for another solid month, basically starting the week of Neshaminy on Feb. 4. Even though we lost that game, it was the first game we ever had everyone really back. You start out 2-7 then you end up going 6-2 in your last eight because of that consistency of practice and familiarity with one another. It’s unfortunate we’re ending this way, but I’m glad the guys finished strong, which was the plan.”
The Falcons wasted no time before taking control of Thursday’s game, opening up a 24-8 lead after one quarter and never looking back. Four Falcons finished the game in double figures. Aidan McCormack’s 16 points and eight rebounds led the Falcons. Amir Johnson had 13 points, three assists, two steals and four rebounds in a solid floor game. Evan McNeely added 12 points, four rebounds and two assists, and Evan Reichard contributed 11 points and six rebounds.
Coleman reflected on the key roles of several players.
“Everything with us always started with Amir Johnson,” the Falcons’ coach said. “He was our floor general. We knew that going into the year, and he was a big loss in the beginning of the season when he was out. He sets the tone defensively for us and has been around the program enough to know that. That role was missing for a little bit, but he had a great season.
“Evan McNeely stepped up. He was getting varsity minutes last year – I think he started the last few games, and then really took on a different role of a leader as well as a junior. Unfortunately, when Amir was out, he had to take on a different role. We were looking for McNeely to be a scorer for us. It turned out he needed the ball in his hands, and that was a little uncomfortable for him to be getting a start, but he worked his way through it.
“Aidan McCormack was the same story. He came out all fired up the first game, and the next thing you know he’s gone for 10 days, but he’s found his rhythm.
“What’s awesome here, and I’ve said this to numerous people – one of our sophomores, Tyler Kocak, got thrown to the wolves during that two-week time period, and because we had no offseason, he really didn’t know what to expect. It was hard to replicate what teams were going to be doing. We tried our best at practice, but it just doesn’t happen. He struggled a little bit, but he’s turned it around. He’s hit some big shots for us over the course of the last month. There’s a lot of growth in our guys – our juniors especially and a few of our sophomores. We’re really excited to see what happens over the next year.”
For the Lions, Alex Walinski’s 19 points led the way. Phil Weinseimer added nine points and six rebounds, and Bryan Dougherty had nine points and five rebounds.
New Hope-Solebury (6-13, 2-8 SOL) will travel to top-seeded Pope John Paul II – the PAC champion – for the District One 4A title game. Only the winner will advance to the PIAA state tournament. Pennsbury closed out its season with an 8-9 record (4-6 SOL).
New Hope-Solebury 8-14-6-17 45
Pennsbury 24-11-6-18 59
New Hope-Solebury (45) – Alex Walinski 6 5-6 19; Phil Weinseimer 4 1-4 9; Bryan Dougherty 4 1-2 9; Will Albano 1 0-0 3; Christopher Kolen 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 17 7-12 45.
Pennsbury (59) – Amir Johnson 5 3-3 13; Aidan McCormack 7 2-3 16; Kennan Taddei 2 0-0 4; Evan Reichard 5 1-2 11; Evan McNeely 4 3-4 12; Ty Kocak 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 24 9-12 59.
3-point goals: NHS – Alex Walinski 2, Phil Weinseimer, Bryan Dougherty, Pennsbury – Evan McNeely, Ty Kocak.
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