Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Thursday. Neshaminy/Truman photos courtesy of John Gleeson. PW/Upper Dublin photos courtesy of Larry Small. Check back for galleries of both games. All SOS photo galleries for BOYS’ BASKETBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Patriot
Neshaminy 75, Harry S Truman 44
Neshaminy began Thursday night by honoring the squad’s upperclassmen with Senior Night activities. Then the team’s four seniors showed just why they’re so important to the team.
Evan Esposito (15 points, 4 assists), Nunzio Zydzik (12 points), Matt Campbell (8 points), and Kade Benjamin (6 points, 6 rebounds) combined for 41 points as Neshaminy rolled past Harry S Truman in Thursday’s Patriot Division tilt.
Esposito paced Neshaminy early on, pouring in 7 points in the first quarter. Zydzik helped the team close strong with 6 points in the final frame. Junior Sean Curley led all scorers with 16 points – 8 points in the third quarter. He also had five boards and five assists.
Ethan Flail led Truman, scoring 10 of his 12 points in the third quarter. Wyatt Spinks added 8 with a pair of three-pointers.
Neshaminy moves to 9-5 in the Patriot Division, 12-7 overall. The team will return to the hardwood at 6 pm Feb. 8 at Council Rock North. Truman drops to 2-11, 4-13, and hosts Pennsbury at 7 pm Feb. 8.
Harry S Truman 11-10-14-9 44
Neshaminy 18-21-21-16 75
Harry S Truman (44)
Ethan Flail 4 4-5 12; Shanbul Lewis 1 1-1 3; Gavin Burns 1 0-0 3; Michael Burns 1 0-0 2; Franz Fabian 2 0-0 5; Wyatt Spinks 2 2-4 8; Khavier Adams 1 0-2 2; Blake Alvarez 0 1-3 1; Makai Jackson 1 2-4 4; Antonio Carr 0 2-4 2; Shamahd Edwards 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 14 12-23 44.
Neshaminy (75)
Joey Zack 2 0-0 4; Evan Esposito 6 2-5 15; Emeer Coombs 2 0-0 6; Kade Benjamin 3 0-0 6; Boima Gobah 1 1-2 4; Matt Campbell 3 0-0 8; Nunzio Zydzik 5 1-1 12; Sean Curley 6 1-1 16; Nate Townsend 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 30 5-9 75.
3-point goals: HST – G. Burns, Fabian, Spinks 2; N – Esposito, Coombs 2, Gobah, Campbell 2, Zydzik, Curley 3.
Pennsbury 67, Council Rock South 61
As part of Pennsbury’s Senior Night celebration, senior Craig Stargell was given the chance to start for the first time this season.
He certainly made the most of his opportunity. Stargell sank three 3-pointers to help boost Pennsbury to a 67-61 victory.
“We had a chance to celebrate the efforts of all the seniors at the beginning and throughout the course of the game,” Pennsbury coach Bill Coleman said. “They all have different roles.
“Craig Stargell started for the first time all year long, and he had 9 points on three 3s, so it was awesome to see that. Different people stepped up in the game, and that’s what Senior Night is all about – giving people a shot that they may not have throughout the course of the year.”
Evan McNeely finished with a double-double by way of 19 points and 13 rebounds. He also added 4 assists. Ty Kocak finished with 18 points, while Aidan McCormack had 9 boards and 9 points.
For the Golden Hawks, Shane Dawson had a double-double of his own. His 29 points—including 4 three-pointers—led all scorers, and he added 11 rebounds. Anthony Burns sank 3 treys among his 20 points.
With the win, Pennsbury improves to 8-4 in the Patriot Division, 11-4 overall, and returns to action at home against nonleague opponent Frankford at 7 pm Friday. South falls to 4-10, 9-11, and is off until Feb. 8, when the Hawks host Bensalem at 7 pm.
Council Rock South 10-15-12-24 61
Pennsbury 18-15-17-17 67
Council Rock South (61)
Zach Schwartz 0 2-2 2; Anthony Burns 7 3-6 20; Matt Robinson 2 0-0 5; Shane Dawson 11 3-5 29; Timmy Rahill 2 0-1 5. TOTALS 22 8-14 61.
Pennsbury (67)
Justin Hedges 4 0-0 9; Aidan McCormack 2 4-6 8; Craig Stargell 6 0-0 9; Chris Terry 1 0-0 2; Seamus Kelliher 1 0-0 2; Evan McNeely 5 6-7 19; Ty Kocak 7 2-3 18. TOTAL 23 12-16 67.
3-point goals: CRS – Burns 3, Robinson, Dawson 4, Rahill; P – Hedges, Stargell 3, Mcneely 3, Kocak 2.
Colonial Division
Central Bucks East 64, Pennridge 55
Jacob Cummiskey scored 11 third-quarter points and netted 15 of his game-high 19 points in the second half as Central Bucks East opened up the cushion they’d need the rest of the way, holding off a valiant Pennridge effort and taking a 64-55 win over the Rams.
“We came out in the second half, and we got him a couple of touches right away, and he was able to convert,” East coach Erik Henrysen said of Cummiskey’s big second-half effort. “He had a quick 7 points in maybe about a minute or minute-and-a-half, and it got us going. But credit to Pennridge, each time we stretched a little bit of a lead—we got it up to 10 or so—they came storming back. We definitely had to fight them off all the way up until the end.”
It took a full team effort, and the contributions down the stretch from the Patriots’ bench proved critical to withstand the Rams’ challenges.
“During that final stretch in the fourth quarter, we got great contributions from Ryan Lenahan, Kyle Berndt, and Joey Giordano. They really gave us a lift defensively, and on the offensive end, Lenahan had a great take to the basket. He hit two free throws that were big for us and came away with a really big defensive rebound that helped us stretch our lead back to 10 when Pennridge had cut it to one.”
Brett Young also contributed to the defensive effort with 4 blocks. Nick Rivera finished with 6 assists and 6 rebounds, and Aidan Weaver pulled down 5 rebounds.
Xavier Peters led Pennridge with 15 points. Matthew Campione scored 14 and Jude D’Agostino added 10.
The Patriots shot 10-of-13 from the foul line, while Pennridge converted on 9 of 10 from the charity stripe.
The Patriots improve to 8-5 in the Colonial Division, 12-7 overall. They will host Central Bucks South at 7 pm Friday in a showdown between the two teams atop the Colonial Division (South is 9-4 for 9 points, while East is 8-5 for 8 points. The Titans won the first meeting between the two teams, 69-57 on Dec. 21).
Pennridge drops to 3-10, 5-14. The Rams will visit Central Bucks West at 7 pm Friday.
Central Bucks East 15-17-16-16 64
Pennridge 13-16-16-10 55
Central Bucks East (64)
Tyriq Toney-Bailey 5; Jacob Cummiskey 19; Liam Cummiskey 5; Nick Rivera 4; Brett Young 7; Aidan Weaver 8; Ryan Lenahan 4; Kyle Berndt 5; Joshua Lyzinski 3; Joey Giordano 4.
Pennridge (55)
Jude D’Agostino 10; Justin McCormick 8; Justin Nichols 2; Matthew Campione 14; Tommy Cramer 6; Xavier Peters 15.
3-point goals: CBE – L. Cummiskey, J. Cummiskey, Berndt, Young; P – Campione, Peters.
SOL Liberty
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 47, UPPER DUBLIN 44 (2 OTs)
It was exactly how they drew it up.
Every last detail, from the catch in the corner, the blanket defense, picking up the dribble in front of the bench, even down to the shimmy, the spin, the up-and-under and the one-handed release. It
all went to plan, down to the most minute detail.
At least, that’s the way Qudire Bennett and Jim Donofrio can say it after Bennett’s improbable leaner at the buzzer caught nothing but net to lift the Colonials to a hard-fought double overtime win on the road in a game that could help decide the SOL Liberty title.
“Watching that over and over again, it’s a shock to me,” Bennett said. “The clock was running down. As soon as I saw my follow through, I thought ‘this is going in, we’re winning this game.’ All net, no rim, nothing and we win the game by three in double-OT.”
“I designed that play perfectly,” Donofrio said. “It’s just they were supposed to catch it four feet from the rim, not 27 feet from the rim. We didn’t quite run it the right way, but you know what – Q is a natural scorer. He makes shots like that all the time in pick-up ball. When it left his hands right in front of me, I said to myself, ‘I think that’s going in.’
“These kids are great. They work really hard. They put so much into it. I give them so much credit for their resilience. It’s a hard game to lose for the Upper Dublin kids. Basketball can be a heartbreaking game. The last two years of the COVID reality – if the kids are going to jump up and down and celebrate, let them go. Let them have fun. Let’s worry about the next one later.”
It’s been a bit of an eclectic season for the Colonials, who entered the game seven games above .500, tied for the top slot in the conference and yet barely in the District 1 6A playoff field holding the No. 24 slot, the last to get it. Even throughout Thursday’s battle, it seemed like every good moment the Colonials produced, they found a way to give it back until Bennett made sure they just couldn’t do it again.
With 10.2 left in the second overtime and having failed to close things out in regulation or the first extra session, the Colonials inbounded the ball.
“None of these guys have been in this kind of situation, none of them, and I have to try and remember that,” Donofrio said. “I tell them they can, but you have to get through the nerves, get through the believe in yourself stuff. What I like about them, last year when I yelled at them like I did in the last two timeouts, they melted and this year, they’re just like ‘ok, we’re good.’ That’s development, that progressing.”
Bennett caught the ball just inside the 3-point line in front of the Colonials bench, using his dribble to get behind the line before he picked up the ball as he was swarmed by UD’s DJ Cerisier. The defense was excellent as Bennett shimmied and spun, then had to lean around Cerisier to put up a difficult, high-arcing shot that hit all net on the way down as the clock hit zero.
For the PW junior, the third-leading scorer in the SOL, it wasn’t his first game-winner but it was definitely the most memorable.
“Top, No.1,” Bennett said. “All my game-winning shots have either been a three or a lay-up, but coming off a tight screen with an Upper Dublin player tightly guarding me, I picked up my dribble, shimmied back and had a one-handed shot, as soon as I saw my follow-through I knew we were going to win this game.
“Our student section stormed the court, I got tackled but I loved every moment of it celebrating with my coaches, my team and my friends.”
Bennett led all scorers with 20 points, but he didn’t have any in the first quarter. It didn’t matter to the Colonials, who jumped out to a 5-0 lead then traded scores with the host Cardinals for a 15-10 advantage eight minutes in.
The Colonials pressed on, taking a 26-17 lead on a Taji Hubbard and-one, but just as they seemed on the verge of breaking the game open, they didn’t. Hubbard didn’t convert the free throw and UD would score the last five points of the half to make it a four-point game at the break.
“You’ve got six-point leads, eight-point leads and this year, we do not know how to turn that into a 15 or 20,” Donofrio said. “We’ve had teams in past years where a 15-point lead becomes 22, becomes 28. This year, we’re waiting for the six to come to four to two and I’m trying to explain why it went from six to four to two.
“Maybe six times in that game we could have stretched the lead from six to 12, but man, we just don’t know how to do it yet.”
Bennett and Marshall Baker, who showcased some acrobatics getting to his 10 points, combined for eight in the third quarter as PW built a 34-27 edge going to the final eight minutes of regulation. Upper Dublin, which had struggled to score for much of the game outside of a sparkplug effort by Ellis Johnson off the bench, finally came to life.
Cerisier didn’t score in the fourth, but Seaton Kukla shook off his foul trouble for a couple big baskets, Griffin Pensabene hit a clutch three, and the Colonials did their part to help the comeback bid. PW missed the front end of a one-and-one on back-to-back trips to the line, each time holding a three-point lead, and it bit the visitors the second time when UD point guard Colin O’Sullivan got fouled shooting a 3-pointer.
The junior guard calmly sank all three foul shots with 4.8 on the clock and the Cardinals defense didn’t allow a final look, sending the game to overtime.
“That was as close as it comes to saying ‘see ya next year’ for the playoffs,” Donofrio said. “Maybe, maybe we can afford to go 1-1, I don’t know but hopefully that gives them incentive.”
Bennett, who missed one of his fourth quarter free throws, scored three points in the first overtime but missed another foul shot that would have put PW in front. He opened the second extra session with a driving layup and a foul, converting the free throw for a 44-41 lead.
Cerisier answered with a corner three to tie it and after a couple empty possessions each way, it came down to a final look for the Colonials.
“After a win like this, we’re going to have all our excitement for one night then we’re going to humble ourselves for next week,” Bennett said. “We have to be humble, and everything has to be precise and well-executed. This group of guys, we fight. We’ve been together for two years straight, we’re tight and have a tight chemistry and that’s how you get moments like this, the moments you remember forever.”
The win put PW a half-game ahead in the Liberty standings, with Wissahickon a half-game back and the Cardinals now a full game back. Wissahickon plays Quakertown Friday while PW and UD are idle, which will bring all three teams to even terms on number of games played going to the final week.
Plymouth Whitemarsh closes against Abington and home against Wissahickon while Upper Dublin plays the Trojans and then ends with Hatboro-Horsham, with the trio all still alive in the division title hunt.
“It’s the oddest year I’ve ever seen for records and rankings,” Donofrio said. “It seems like everyone has 10-14 wins and whatever that’s doing with equations in the rankings, it’s potluck.”
However the final standings play out, the Colonials made sure to celebrate their outcome on Thursday with a mass of students joining the team in a storming of the court around Bennett after the final horn.
“I didn’t know where we were going,” Bennett said. “It was too fun of a moment, just one of those moments where all you want to do is enjoy it.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (14-6, 11-3 SOL) will travel to Abington on Tuesday, and Upper Dublin (14-6, 10-4) will be on the road at Wissahickon on Tuesday for a key showdown.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 15-11-8-4-3-6 47
Upper Dublin 10-12-5-11-3-3 44
PW (47) – Qudire Bennett 8 2-4 20; Marshall Baker 4 2-4 10; Trey Jones 2 0-0 5; Zende Hubbard 2 0-0 4; Jaden Kolzie 2 0-2 4; Taji Hubbard 1 0-0 2; Pat Flynn 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 20 4-10 47.
Upper Dublin (44) – DJ Cerisier 5 0-1 14; Colin O’Sullivan 0 5-7 5; Griffin Pensabene 3 1-2 8; Ellis Johnson 4 4-5 12; Seaton Kukla 2 1-2 5. TOTALS 14 11-17 44.
3-point goals: PW – Qudire Bennett 2, Trey Jones; UD – DJ Cerisier 4, Griffin Pensabene.
SOL Freedom Division
Springfield Township 42, New Hope-Solebury 30
Springfield Township sent seniors Jake Smythe, Ben Cooney, and Harry Rittenhouse out in style.
The Spartans honored the trio during Senior Night ceremonies Thursday night, then the team picked up a big 42-30 win over Freedom Division opponent New Hope-Solebury, raising their overall record to 9-8 on the season (5-8 Freedom Division)
“It was great,” coach Rob Fusaro said. “We played really well, and it was a nice way for those guys to go out – at home and with a good win.
“Those guys have been so instrumental with our turnaround, buying in, being great leaders and teammates and setting an example. They bought in, they really stuck with us, especially with our values and what we’re trying to build here. They’ve done a phenomenal job, so I was happy to give them a nice win with a good crowd and all that kind of stuff.”
Dylan McKenzie led the Spartans with 14 points to go along with eight rebounds, while Cooney netted 12 points and added seven rebounds. Brett Smith added six points and three assists, and Harry Rittenhouse had four points and 13 rebounds.
The Spartans led 22-13 at the half on their way to the double-digit victory. But while the seniors were honored on this night, it took an entire team playing well on both ends of the court to earn the win.
“We just took care of the ball, spread them out and executed with what we do, hit our cuts and made plays down the stretch and got key rebounds as well,” Fusaro said. “We got big stops too. Smythe was great on defense, Rittenhouse rebounded really well, and Cooney handled the ball, scored, and also played great defense. It was a group effort to get that done, which was nice. It was great for those guys and our program.”
The Spartans will look for back-to-back wins on back-to-back days when they visit Upper Moreland for a 7 pm Friday game. New Hope-Solebury (1-12, 2-16) will host William Tennent at 7 pm Friday.
New Hope-Solebury 8-5-7-10 30
Springfield Township 13-9-11-9 42
Springfield Township (42)
Dylan McKenzie 5 4-7 14; Ben Cooney 3 5-6 12; Brett Smith 2 2-4 6; Harry Rittenhouse 2 0-2 4; Kyle Smythe 1 2-3 4; Tommy Coppol 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 14 13-22 42.
3-point goals: S – Ben Cooney.
Freedom/Liberty crossover
Wissahickon 48, William Tennent 43
In a first half that saw Wissahickon score just 13 points, Early Stout, Josh Twersky, and Dom Vacchiano had one field goal and 6 total points between them.
Fortunately, there are two halves in a basketball game. And the Trojan trio made up for their slow start by lifting visiting Wissahickon to a 48-43 victory. Stout scored 16 of his 19 in the second half, including 12 points in the fourth quarter. Vacchiano scored 10 of his 14 after the break, and Twersky added 7 of his 8 points in the second half, including 6 points in the third quarter. Twersky also came up big time and again on the defensive end to help secure the win.
“It didn’t look good out of the gate, but the kids found a way. We’ll take it,” said Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson, whose squad was playing without Morgan Wilson. “It really looked bad in the first half. Morgan Wilson was not feeling well today, tested negative but it could be the flu or whatever.
“He was such a huge lift for us out of the gate Tuesday (in a 51-47 win over Abington). We haven’t had many games without Morgan, and the guys just seemed to be in a little bit of a funk. They seemed out of sorts. We couldn’t make a shot. I can’t think of the last time we only had 13 points in a half. It looked ugly.”
To the Trojans’ credit, the team recognized how poorly it played in the first half and realized what is on the line as the regular season winds down. And they did something about it.
“I walked to the locker room,” Wilson said, “and I turned to Mike Scheier, my assistant coach, and said, ‘Do you recognize this team?’ He’s like ‘Absolutely not.’ They know what’s at stake and the opportunity. We’re in a dead heat with Upper Dublin and PW. They know these games are important, and this might slip away.
“Josh Twersky said, ‘We got this coach. In the second half, we’re going to turn this around.’”
The Trojans did just that, outscoring Tennent 17-8 in the third quarter to turn an 8-point halftime deficit into a one-point advantage heading into the final quarter.
“They just came out and played like a team inspired,” Wilson said. “I think once Earl saw one of his shots fall through, they got out of that funk and just really gritted it out. William Tennent, to their credit, still played tough throughout the second half.
“In the third quarter, we probably had at least seven or eight lead changes, but when we got to the fourth, we got up by a few, and our kids could tell ‘Hey, we know how to handle this type of game. We got this in hand, let’s see what happens.’ I was really impressed with their second-half resiliency.”
Kirby Mooney led Tennent with 13 points. George Marion scored 7 of his 12 in the third quarter.
With the win, Wissahickon improves to 13-6 overall, and keeps pace in the title hunt at 10-3 in the Liberty Division. The Trojans will visit Quakertown for a 5 pm Friday game. Tennent falls to 6-10 overall, 6-6 in the Freedom Division.
Wissahickon 5-8-17-18 48
William Tennent 10-11-8-14 43
Wissahickon (48)
Josh Twersky 3 2-4 8; Jaylon Williams 1 0-1 2; Phil Dias 2 1-4 5; Dominic Vacchiano 4 4-5 14; Earl Stout 5 7-8 19. TOTALS 15 14-22 48.
William Tennent (43)
Jeremy Henry 1 0-0 2; George Marion 5 0-0 12; Kirby Mooney 3 6-8 13; Isiah Dawson 0 1-2 1; Conner Fithian 2 0-1 2; Timothy Stanfield 1 0-0 3; Daniel Scheller 1 0-1 2; Brandon Beluch 1 1-2 3; Evan Devor 1 0-0 3. TOTALS 15 8-14 43.
3-point goals: W – Vacchiano 2, Stout 2; WT – Marion 2, Mooney, Stanfield, Devor
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