In SOL boys’ basketball action, CB East & Abington were winners and advanced to the District One 6A semifinals. Cheltenham/Lower Merion photos provided courtesy of Geanine Jamison Photography. North Penn/CB East photos courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for galleries of both games.
#7 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 56, #18 NORTH PENN 55
Jacob Cummiskey had been down this road before.
So when Josh Jones buried a pair at the free throw line to give the Knights a 55-54 lead with 8.3 seconds remaining in regulation, the freshman guard knew exactly what he had to do. Cummiskey took the inbounds pass, dribbled the length of the court and laid the ball in the basket. A length-of-the-court heave at the buzzer by the Knights fell short, and the Patriots could celebrate yet again.
For Cummiskey, it was the second time in as many district playoff games he scored the game-winner on a drive at the buzzer, and he made it look easy.
“He’s just a special, special talent, and he’s just getting started,” East coach Erik Henrysen said. “It was actually the same thing that happened the last game. We fouled Jones just playing tough defense. He hits both. We didn’t call a timeout.
“We went right away. We planned for that type of situation, and having Jacob on the court, we just figured – before they could set up, let’s just go. He got the ball in the open court, and he did it again. When he’s out and running, you just feel like something good is going to happen.”
The Jones go-ahead foul shots came after the Patriots misfired at the other end on the front end of a one-and-one.
“It was a back and forth battle,” Henrysen said. “We would get open looks, they didn’t all go down. We just seemed to match each other the whole game right up until that final moment. Again, it was who has the ball last.”
The visiting Knights, who led 19-13 after one quarter, took a 30-26 lead into halftime. Jones was the catalyst for the Knights, scoring 13 points in the half – eight in the first quarter.
The Patriots erased that four-point deficit with a 13-7 third quarter to go into the final quarter with a tenuous 39-38 advantage. Both teams scored 17 in the final quarter. Jones had eight for the Knights while Billy Coley added seven. Cummiskey had six points in the fourth quarter while Joe Jackman had eight, including a pair of 3s that set the stage for the wild finish.
“We knew in the beginning of the year that the team that was most resilient, that didn’t get flustered with whatever was thrown at them would be the last man standing,” Henrysen said. “We’ve really showed that in the last two games. We would bend, but we wouldn’t break.
“We just continue to believe in one another, and it didn’t really matter whether or not things were going well or not going well – they just stick together and play together.”
Cummiskey’s 18 points – 12 in the second half – led the Patriots. Joe Jackman added 15 with three 3s while Jack Hamilton finished with a double-double – 10 points and 10 rebounds.
“Jack Hamilton just had a war of game,” Henrysen said. “He guarded Jones, and that’s a huge task. Jack really takes on a lot of our rebounding – he had 10 rebounds. He alters shots, and he had a great game.
“Jackman came up really big down the stretch with a tough drive and two huge 3s.”
Henrysen isn’t sure when or if East ever advanced to the district semifinals in boys’ basketball.
“When we went to states in 2016, we were the first team to have been to states in 30-plus years,” Henrysen said. “We’ve grown. In 2014, we tied for the league championship, and in 2016, we reached states, and we’ve had good seasons since, advancing out of the first round.
“This is certainly one of those seasons that we’re raising the bar for years to come.”
Central Bucks East (14-3, 8-2 SOL) will host #14 Abington in Tuesday’s district semifinal. North Penn closed out its season with a 12-7 record (6-4 SOL).
North Penn 19-11-8-17 55
Central Bucks East 13-13-13-17 56
North Penn (55) – Mario Sgro 1 0-0 2; Joe Larkins 2 3-4 7; Billy Coley 6 1-2 14; Josh Jones 9 4-7 23; Ryan Zeltt 4 0-0 9; TOTALS 22 8-24 55.
Central Bucks East (56) – Jacob Cummiskey 7 2-2 18; Jason Markowitz 1 0-0 2; Brendan Harte 2 1-2 6; Aidan Weaver 2 0-0 5; Joe Jackman 5 2-3 15; Jack Hamilton 3 3-4 10; TOTALS 20 8-11 56.
3-point goals: NP – Billy Coley, Josh Jones, Ryan Zeltt, CBE – Joe Jackman 3, Jacob Cummiskey 2, Brendan Harte, Aidan Weaver, Jack Hamilton.
#14 ABINGTON 50, #6 WEST CHESTER EAST 49
Talk about improbable turnarounds.
On Feb. 11, the Ghosts lost to previously winless Quakertown 56-52 on the heels of a 73-44 loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh. No one was predicting big things for an Abington squad that was 5-4 and in very real danger of missing out on the postseason.
Since then, the Ghosts have won seven of eight, their most recent a thrilling upset of sixth-seeded West Chester East to advance to the district semifinals for the seventh time in 11 years. This might well be the most unexpected of the seven trips, and what transpired in the weeks since that Quakertown loss is a mystery to even their coach.
“I wish I could tell you what it was,” coach Charles Grasty said. “Our guys just started to click at the right time. We threw a couple scenarios out at them, and they bought in.
“They came and they changed their practice habits. They just started playing for each other, and it’s just fun to be around. I wasn’t doubting us, but I told the guys in the middle of the season – with everything going on, are we going to play? Are we not going to play? I just enjoyed being around this bunch. I’ve had some teams where we won, and it wasn’t as fun.
“These guys – they have personality, they have character. We tell our guys – just keep your head down and keep on going. Keep being good people, keep playing for each other. These guys are battling. It’s fun.”
In Friday night’s quarterfinal, the visiting Ghosts led 11-3 after one quarter and then managed only two points in the second quarter but trailed by just a 15-13 score at halftime.
“West Chester East is good,” Grasty said. “They have a lot of good pieces, they’re well coached, and they just do the right things.
“We scored two points in the second quarter, and it wasn’t that we were missing a ton of shots. They just had a game plan, and they followed it. They were just a good team.”
Then came a third quarter that saw the Ghosts find their stride, outscoring their hosts 21-14 to go into the fourth quarter with a 36-29 lead.
The final quarter was not without its anxious moments, most notably in a tense final minute. After Caleb Baker sank the front end of a one-and-one with 1:04 remaining, the Ghosts were a collective 0-for-5 at the foul line in the final minute. This after connecting on 9-of-9 to that point in the game.
“We had a really good third quarter, and that sparked us,” Grasty said. “Then we just held on in the fourth quarter.
“They were a very good team. It was hard to game plan for them. We are thrilled to get out of there with a win.”
Rob Bell had another strong game for the Ghosts, finishing with 14 points, eight assists and two steals. Junior Connor Fields, who connected on 5-of-7 shots, scored a career high 13 points.
“Connor Fields played great again today,” Grasty said. “He’s very good, and I thought it was a confidence thing with him. Once he buckled in and understood that we needed him, we trusted, we loved him and we were pulling for him, he got more and more comfortable as the season went on, and he’s very comfortable now. He was big.”
Senior Antoine Ellis added 11 points, also a career high. He was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Oreck Frazier added seven points and seven rebounds, and Caleb Baker had five, but they weren’t the only players who contributed.
“Our bench guys were big,” Grasty said. “We have guys coming in who may be playing some spot minutes and not as much as they can, but they’re giving everything they have.
“The kids on the bench – the referee had to tell us to sit down. That’s how enjoyable it was, that’s how much they were into the game. We’ll practice tomorrow, and they’ll go at it again. I’m sure some kids are unhappy with their playing time, but you would never know it, and that’s what’s awesome about this team.
“It’s so enjoyable. We just pulled up to the school. We had parents and friends out there greeting us, so they’re enjoying it. I enjoy watching them and seeing them have such a great experience.”
The Ghosts had 15 turnovers in the game, but 11 of those came in the first half. They had another good shooting night, connecting on 18-of-34 shots from the field (52.9 percent). It is the second straight game the Ghosts shot over 50 percent. They were 5-of-9 from beyond the arc (55.5 percent).
Abington (12-5, 6-4 SOL) will travel to seventh-seeded Central Bucks East for an all-SOL district semifinal on Tuesday.
Abington 11-2-21-16 50
West Chester East 3-12-14-20 49
Abington (50) – Rob Bell 5 4-7 14; Oreck Frazier 3 0-0 7; Antoine Ellis 4 0-0 11; Connor Fields 5 2-2 13; Caleb Baker 1 3-4 5; TOTALS 18 9-14 50.
West Chester East (49) – Mike Dedda 3 2-3 8, Jack Kushner 1 2-4 4; Jose Ramos 1 0-0 3; Jamie Dutton 1 0-0 2; Kieran Hefferan 4 1-1 10; Jackson Kulp 7 0-0 17; Ryan Price 1 2-4 5; TOTALS 18 7-12 49
3-point goals: Abington – Antoine Ellis 3, Oreck Frazier, Connor Fields, WCE – Jackson Kulp 3, Jose Ramos, Kieran Hefferan, Ryan Price.
#9 LOWER MERION 59, #1 CHELTENHAM 50
The Panthers opened up an early double-digit lead over the visiting Aces and still led by four heading into halftime. Lower Merion outscored the Panthers 33-20 in the second half, bringing an end to the season for the district’s top seed.
“I’m very proud of my guys,” Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury said. “This loss is clearly on me. They played hard.
“They’re nowhere near satisfied, but I want to congratulate that class of ’21. They’ve been selfless, they’ve pushed through a lot. We didn’t return a starter from last year, but the way they came in and wanted to continue to push. We’re a program that’s going to continuously push to win the district and the state. To that point, they held their own, and they made their mark.”
The Panthers, who led 19-10 after one quarter, opened up a 24-10 lead only to see the Aces go on a 12-2 tear to pull to within four. Cheltenham took a 30-26 lead into halftime, but the Aces controlled the second half.
Saleem Payne led the Panthers with 15 points. Justin Savage added nine, and Mike McClain had six.
Jaylen Shippen and Sam Davison both had 18 points to lead the Aces. Demetrius Lilley added 12.
“It’s bittersweet because Jaylen Shippen is a kid I’ve known forever,” Fleury said. “This is probably his best game of the year.
“We had the lead. I have to be of better assistance to them. It falls on me when we have those leads we just have to understand what comes with it. There are definitely things I could have done differently – it’s a learning thing.”
Cheltenham closed out its season with a 14-2 record. The Panthers were 9-1 en route to the SOL Freedom Division title.
Lower Merion 10-16-15-18 59
Cheltenham 19-11-7-13 50
Lower Merion (59) – Jaylen Shippen 18, Sam Davison 18, Sam Brown 6, Zack Wong 2, Sam Wright 3, Demetrius Lilley 12.
Cheltenham (50) – Rasheem Dearry 5, Brandon Hawkins 2, Elias Walker 4, Nasir Edens 4, Saleem Payne 15, Justin Savage 9, Ife West-Ingram 5, Mike McClain 6.
About the Author
