Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday. CB South/Truman photos courtesy of Greg Lindsay, Hatboro-Horsham/New Hope photos courtesy of Rim Gaver, PW/Cheltenham photos courtesy of Larry Small, and Pennsbury/Holy Ghosts photos provided by Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Check back for galleries. CLICK HERE to view Suburban One Sports’ BOYS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
Non-league
Plymouth Whitemarsh 59, Cheltenham 54
Playing without its best player, Mani Sajid, who was out with an illness, Plymouth Whitemarsh had a huge second quarter to build a lead and then held off Cheltenham in the second half for the five-point home win on Friday night.
A 25-6 second quarter gave the Colonials a 33-24 halftime lead.
Key Players: For PW, Michael Pereira (12 points), Terron Davis (11 points – all in the second quarter), Jack Hayes (10 points).
For Cheltenham, Kamal Mason (24 points).
Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Jim Donofrio on the win: “After 34 years, it’s been another unique experience. You never stop getting unique challenges. To go down 18-8 to start tonight’s game – but it was kind of interesting to watch how we had this monster second quarter (25 points). It’s kind of like when the Sixers lose (Joel) Embiid, and you wonder what you’re looking at, and all of a sudden, for a kid to finally say, ‘I’m going to be out here a little longer. Let me gain some confidence.’ Terron Davis scored 11 points in a row in the second quarter.
“All of a sudden Michael Pereira posted up and has four straight dunks, so where’s all that been? I don’t care who you are, every team from the NBA on down has to pay its dues to the basketball gods and figure out what real chemistry is, what your roles are, how mentally tough are you as an individual player hanging in there until your name is called and then all of a sudden being confident on the floor. All those little things.
“It’s so easy for these prognosticators in June and July to put up rankings and do individual highlight reels of these kids. In the end, it’s the same old challenges. Basketball is the greatest team game in so many ways. It’s such a fast-pace game, all the moving parts have to come together. The egos have to blend into one. For Mani to miss tonight and to see Jack Hayes and Caleb Bridgeman and Terron Davis, Tyriq Taylor – who quietly sat as a senior – I know he’s been so frustrated trying to get in. He played a good 18-20 minutes and made some big plays and locked down on defense. That was a unique little gift for all those kids. They should be a whole lot more confident because of that.”
–Panthers battle, Colonials respond: “Pat Fleury’s not going to let his team go away. At halftime, they’re going to raise their energy, they’re
going to press and trap so much more.
“The kids don’t see the value of what they’re doing at practice when they’re going against starters, going against each other. Tonight, we looked like veterans breaking their press. That’s the value of having multiple juniors and seniors who played last year even if they didn’t come off the bench, but there’s a foundation of skill.
“I think once they got their feet wet and realized, ‘Hey, it’s up to us. Mani isn’t over there getting 27 points.’ Now we introduced ourselves to a whole other style, and hopefully, we can merge it into something more. We’re going to be a team that can look ugly at times, and if we’re going to see a polished team like Upper Dublin right now, you’re going to have to fight through the fire, and it’s okay. Win or lose games right now, we have to get tougher and smarter at the end of each one, win or lose.”
–Minus Mani: “We went to Tempe, two kids got sick while we were out there and another one got sick on the plane ride home and then Mani’s brother at home. It just went right down the line. Yesterday, I heard Mani coughing too much during the day. He looks a little off kilter to start practice, and next thing you know, he has the chills and everything else.
“The schedule is not easy. We’re playing really good teams. Upper Dublin is pretty good, Bonner, Goretti, Coatesville. You combine that with the youth we have, and there will be games where you’re just off.
“One of the problems we’ve had, it’s starting a system where you center around Michael Pereira and Mani, and then Mani sits down. The whole season we’ve been trying to get the rest of the cast to be a little bit more confident, even cockier. You’ve got to step up and believe in yourselves a bit more. They have gone through the fire of everything.”
Next up: Plymouth Whitemarsh (10-4, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy for a non-league game Tuesday, and Cheltenham (8-3, 5-0) will be on the road at Central Bucks East Tuesday for a non-league game.
Cheltenham (54) – Kamal Mason 10 2-4 24; Xavier Willoughby 2 0-0 4; Mark Hill 1 0-0 2; Osei Johnson 3 0-0 7; Salim Kelly 3 0-2 6; Kendall Jackson 0 1-2 1; Jaden Mosley 1 0-0 3; Justin Ezeukwu 2 0-0 5; Tyree Martin 1 0-0 2; Totals 23 3-8 54.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (59) – Tyriq Taylor 2 3-4 8; Jack Hayes 2 6-8 10; Terron Davis 4 3-3 11; Eric Conicello 2 0-0 5; Michael Pereira 6 0-2 12; Justin Probst 1 0-0 2; Buddy Denard 1 2-2 5; Caleb Bridgeman 3 0-0 7; Totals 21 14-19 60.
Cheltenham 18-6-10-20. 54
Plymouth Whitemarsh 8-25-11-15. 59
3-point goals: C – Kamal Mason 2, Osei Johnson, Jaden Mosely, Justin Ezeukwu; PW – Tyriq Taylor, Eric Conicello, Caleb Bridgeman, Buddy Denard.
Pennridge 54, Council Rock North 53
Pennridge made some big shots to go up late in a back-and-forth road game in Newtown and then after a couple of turnovers, hung on to win when a last second Rock South shot was off the mark as the Rams beat CR North 54-53 on Friday.
“I thought both teams played hard,” said Pennridge coach Dean Behrens. “Two teams playing as hard as they can. That’s what high school basketball is all about. We just made one more play than they did. That’s what it came down to.”
Key Players: Xavier Peters scored six of Pennridge’s 11 points in the fourth quarter and went 8-for-9 from the free throw line in the game. Freshman Conner Murray had seven points, including a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. Jake Bolger added 12 points.
For CR North, Jack Curry had 14 points, including four 3-pointers, two in the fourth quarter.
Pennridge coach Dean Behrens on the win: “We were down one with six seconds left in the first half. Xavier Peters gets fouled, hits both and they have five seconds left and they throw it down and Jake Bolger catches it, panics, shoots too early and makes a three-quarter court shot. In five seconds, we went from down one to up five at halftime.
“However, we come out in the second half, get a good look at the basket and miss a layup. They go on a nice 5-0 or 6-0 run and now they go back up. That’s the type of game it was. Back-and-forth.
“I feel very fortunate to walk out of there with a win.”
–Down the stretch: “We were down four with 2:25 left in the game. Things were not looking good for us. We swing the ball around, and Conner Murray hits a big-time 3 for us, and we’re back in the game. Shooting was a struggle. They had a four-point lead, but it seemed like 15 points.
“Then we went up four late, but we turn the ball over with 26 left, and as it always happens, bang, they hit a 3 and called time out. We get the ball but turn it over with five seconds left. We had fouls to give, so we fouled twice. Then with 2.6 seconds left, they in-bounds it into the 6-8 kid, (Andrew) O’Keefe. He gets a good look, but it came up a little short.
“Council Rock North is well-coached. Obviously, Derek Wright and his staff do a great job preparing their team. They face-guarded to take Xavier away, zoned us up at times, manned us up at times. They did everything they could to stop us offensively.”
Next up: Pennridge (7-5, 2-3 SOL) will be on the road at Perkiomen Valley for a non-league game Saturday (11:30 am), and Council Rock North (3-8, 2-3) will travel to Muhlenberg for a non-league game Saturday (1:30 pm).
Pennridge (54) – Rownan Smith 2 0-0 5; Marley Steward 2 2-2 6; Xavier Peters 6 8-9 20; Jake Bolger 4 2-2 12; Ryan Schwind 1 0-0 2; Conner Murray 2 1-2 7; Sam Crognale 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 13-15 54.
CR North (53) – Jack Curry 5 0-0 14; Josh Erman 2 0-0 5; Owen Crowne 3 5-5 11; Grady Burt 5 1-2 12; Brandon Holmes 1 0-2 3; Dylan Kiefer 0 2-2 2; Andrew O’Keefe 2 2-3 6. Totals 18 10-14 53.
Pennridge 9 22 12 11 – 54
CR North 8 18 16 11 – 53
3-point goals: P-Bolger 2, Murray 2, Smith; CRN-Curry 4, Erman, Burt, Holmes
Abington 61, Upper Moreland 58
(A complete box score will be posted when received)
A pair of late free throws by Jake Manigault helped Abington stave off an Upper Moreland comeback, as the Galloping Ghosts pulled out the 61-58 win on Friday night.
“I don’t think we played particularly well,” said Ghosts coach Dan Marsh. “It was a big win because they were 11-2.
“It was good for us to handle the adversity. I keep saying we have to learn from this stuff. We’re learning by fire. It’s a good quality win. They’re a good, quality basketball team. I’m proud of the kids. I think it was a team effort.
“It was a fun game. It was a big crowd, a nice atmosphere. Both teams competed. We were fortunate enough to come out on top.”
Key Players: For Abington, Faizon Garland (21 points), Xander Grasty (18 points), Jake Manigault (13 points).
For UM, Jadon Cybok scored a team-high 20 points, and Colson Campbell added 11.
Abington coach Dan Marsh on the win: “Our guards are our strength, and everyone knows that, so they decided to pack it in a zone, and we decided to not attack it the way we’re supposed to. Upper Moreland did a really good job of executing and dictating the pace early. They got up 10 early.
“I told them, ‘We have to up the tempo. I don’t care how we do it,’ and we finally started upping the tempo, and we were able to get some quality looks before they were able to set up in their zone.
“Xander (Grasty) really had a great middle of the game. Skit (Faizon Garland) took over in the fourth quarter. Finally, we were playing at our pace. We’re not good enough to allow other teams to dictate how we’re going to play.
“We were still up 10, probably with two minutes to go, and we just fell apart. Again, our inexperience is hurting us. Jake (Manigault) made two clutch free throws with 18 seconds to go.”
Next up: Abington (9-4, 3-2 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury for a non-league game Tuesday. Upper Moreland (11-3, 4-1) will travel to Central Bucks South for a non-league game Saturday (1:30 pm).
Abington. 15-9-17-17 58
Upper Moreland. 7-15-22-17 61
Abington (58) – Faizon Garland 9 0-0 21, Xander Grasty 6 3-4 18, Paul Glants 0 4-4 4, Jake Manigault 4 4-6 13, Zion Hespedales 21 0-0 , Kyler Pickron 1 1 2 3; Totals 21 12-16 61.
Upper Moreland (58) – Nate Best 1 2-2 5; Colson Campbell 3 5-7 11; Anthony Carson 3 0-0 7; Aiden Tuffy 0 1-2 1; Larry Hughes 3 2-2 8; Luke Roussel 1 0-0 2; Cannon Campbell 2 0-0 4; Jadon Cybok 8 2-4 20; Totals 21 12-17 58.
3-point goals: A – Faizon Garland 3, Xander Grasty 3, Jake Manigault; UM Anthony Carson, Nate Best.
Bensalem 57, North Penn 53
Amir Drummond scored a season-high 30 points, and Bensalem had a huge fourth quarter to pull out this nonleague game on the road at North Penn on Friday, 57-53.
“It was another interesting game,” said Owls coach Ron Morris. “We’ve played North Penn, whether league or nonleague, the last five or six years. It’s always a good battle. First-year coach (Cordell) Lord is doing a really good job. They’re a lot better than their record says. They’re a good basketball team and he has his guys playing really well. They came out and did a good job for three and a half quarters.
“We just buckled down in the fourth quarter. We got after it on the defensive end. We really locked in and got stops and rebounds, and we were able to convert and come out with a nice, close victory.”
Key Players: For Bensalem, Amir Drummond (30 points, 7-for-9 on 3-pointers), Aidan Mayfield (10 points).
For NP, Ahmaar Godhania (21 points), Aiden Atkinson (13 points).
Bensalem coach Ron Morris on the win: “The story of the night is definitely Amir Drummond. Amir had 30 points. He was 7-for-9 from beyond the arc. He’s just playing really good basketball. We were down in the first quarter, and he got going. He had an amazing game shooting, and that’s a testament to all his hard work and determination, committing to putting in the time when no one’s watching him working on his jump shot.”
–Second half comeback: “We were down four at the half. In the third quarter, they built a lead. The best part of this team is they’re just fun to coach. They’re so resilient. They never give up. The energy all throughout our team tonight was great, Whether the guys were on the floor or on the bench, they were just playing for each other. When you see that happen, it just makes you really proud as a coach. We never give up, we play till four zeroes are on the clock.
“North Penn had the lead a lot of the game. Once we got the lead in the fourth quarter – late in the game – we didn’t let up. We just continue to grind and work. It’s bigger than basketball, and they know that’s going to translate into life more than anything. Us as a staff are really proud of the team. It doesn’t get any easier tomorrow. We have a tough war tomorrow against Wissahickon.”
–Getting defensive: “We got defensive stops. (Ahmaar) Godhania is a first team all-league player for a reason. We made him work for everything he got. He got some shots early. Any chance he had he was burying the shot. We did a really good job in the fourth quarter on him and defensively as a whole in the fourth quarter,”
–Props: “Trevor Morris came in and gave us big minutes on the defensive end. He had a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter as well. We got good minutes out of Christian Lee – he’s starting to get healthy again. He played some really good defensive rotations, got some really good rebounds. Mikey Kramer had another good game all around. Defensively, just his presence and rebounding. Kobe King gave us some good minutes off the bench. Everybody knows their role, and they just buy in. They’re a really fun group to coach.”
Next up: Bensalem (8-4, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Wissahickon Saturday for a non-league game (2 pm). North Penn (5-10, 2-3) will host William Tennent for a non-league game Tuesday.
Bensalem (57) – Jahmir Chatman 1 0-4 2; Aidan Mayfield 4 2-3 10; Christian Lee 2 0-0 4; Amir Drummond 10 3-3 30; Mikey Kramer 2 0-0 4; Trevor Morris 2 0-0 5; Jacob Eberhardt 1 0-0 2; Totals 22 5-10 57.
North Penn (53) – Ahmaar Godhania 8 3-4 21; Lee Hammond 2 0-0 4; Aiden Atkinson 6 0-0 13; Nolen Foust 1 0-0 2; JC Wood 1 0-0 3; Gabe Altemus 1 1-2 3; Wyatt Martin 3 0-0 7; Totals 22 4-6 53.
Bensalem 13-12-12-20 57
North Penn. 15-14-14-10 53
3-point goals: B – Amir Drummond 7, Trevor Morris; NP – Ahmaar Godhania 2, Aiden Atkinson, JC Wood, Wyatt Martin
Central Bucks South 68, Harry S. Truman 40
Coming off a huge league win over Souderton on Tuesday to take sole possession of first place in the SOL Colonial, CB South had a potential trap game on the road at Truman Friday.
But the Titans were having none of it, especially on the defensive end as they shut down the Tigers, led by 17 at halftime and picked up the solid 28-point victory.
CB South coach Louie Ditri on the win: “Again, the kids were just locked in. We preached defense tonight. We try to keep teams under 50, and Souderton scored 50, so we wanted to keep Truman under 50 tonight, and we set the tone defensively early. The kids were locked in. (Truman) scored eight points in the first quarter and at halftime, they had 17.
“We feel defense leads to offense for us, and it did tonight. It led to a couple transition buckets. It goes hand-and-hand with offense.”
–Offensively: “You have to be able to pass out of their traps. They run at you hard, scrambling and trapping, and we preached handling the ball and helping out your teammates, beat the trap, find the open man. We got some layups.
“We had 12 guys play tonight for us, and 11 ended up scoring. Ben Harrison had a strong first quarter. Our bench really contributed.
“We’re tiring teams out. We’re playing 10 guys on a consistent basis, and that helps our defense. It puts pressure on the other team. Offensively, all 10 guys are sharing the ball. A team can’t lock in on one guy. Tonight is a testament to that. We had to have, easily, 15-20 assists as a team.”
Next up: Central Bucks South (11-3, 5-0 SOL) will host Upper Moreland for a non-league game Saturday (1:30 pm). Harry S Truman (5-8, 1-4) will host Hatboro-Horsham Tuesday for a non-league game.
CB South (68) – Cole DiEmidio 2 0-0 6; Alex Shahin 2 0-0 4; Brett Barrett 4 1-1 9; Nick Zakrzewski 2 0-0 6; Danny Gies 4 1-1 11; Shane Farrell 1 0-0 2; Ben Harrison 3 4-5 11; Davis Van Zanten 2 0-0 4; Chase Ross 1 0-0 3; Kayode Adebayo 4 1-1 9; Leo Medwid 1 1-2 3. Totals 26 8-9 68;
Truman (40) – Tre Winton 1 0-0 2; Jaden Luchansky 3 2-2 10; Davae Vaughn 1 1-1 3; Julian Rodgers 1 1-1 3; Dwayne McCoy 7 0-0 14; Dyson Brown 1 0-0 2; Ellzy 3 0-0 6. Totals 15 4-4 40.
CB South 15 19 18 16 – 68
Truman 8 9 12 11 – 40
3-point goals: CBS-DiEmidio 2, Zakrzewski 2, Gies 2, Harrison, Ross; HST-Luchansky 2
Quakertown 59, Springfield Twp 51
Sam Wilkin scored 26 points and Quakertown broke open a tie game at halftime with a 19-10 third quarter and pulled away from Springfield for the second win of the season for the Panthers in nonleague action on Friday night.
Key Players: For Quakertown, Sam Wilkin (26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 3-pointers), Aiden Burgy (9 points, 5 rebounds), Jameson Sykes (8 points, 6 rebounds).
For Springfield, Bob Hartman (17 points, 5 rebounds), Aiden Hood (17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals), Julian Ciasullo (10 points, 3 steals).
Quakertown coach Tony DaCosta on the win: “The kids really responded. It’s been a rough season for us in terms of our health, but this is almost the first time we’re fully complete and have everybody with the exception of Matt Thomas, who is lost to the season due to injury.
“The guys did a nice job sticking together. I just couldn’t be more proud of what they’ve done and how they continue to just fight and continue to try and improve every day in practice.”
–Props: “Sam Wilkin was tremendous throughout the whole game. The X factor was we got back Jaxon Torres, who was originally a starter, but he had broken his foot in October, so this was his first game back. He immediately drew two charges, hit a jump shot. HIs energy was infectious, and all the things he brought to the table really gave us a nice lift. Adding Sam into that with his consistency from beginning to end really made a difference for us.
“I thought Jameson Sykes ended up being big for us in terms of his defensive presence, blocking shots, getting rebounds and providing some low post scoring. I think we’re pretty balanced and pretty complete, particularly when we have everybody available to us, it’s even a bigger plus.”
Next up: Quakertown (2-10, 0-5 SOL) will be on the road at Council Rock North for a non-league game Tuesday. Springfield Twp (7-5, 2-3) will travel to Pennridge for a non-league game Tuesday,
Springfield Twp (51) – Bob Hartman 4 6-8 17; Chadrack Kiamba 2 0-0 4; Aiden Hood 6 4-6 17; Julian Ciasullo 3 3-4 10; Cahlinn Spearman 1 0-0 3; Totals 16 13-17 51.
Quakertown (59) – Trae McCray 0 2-4 2; Gavin Mushrush 1 1-2 3; Aiden Burgy 4 0-0 9; Jameson Sykes 3 1-1 8; Sam Wilkin 8 8-12 26; Jaxon Torres 2 0-0 5; Colin Ficco 1 0-0 2; RJ Ficco 2 0-0 4; Totals 21 12-19 59.
Springfield Twp. 14-16-10-11. 51.
Quakertown 15-15-19-10. 59
3-point goals: S – Bob Hartman 3, Aiden Hood, Julian Ciasullo, Cahlin Spearman; Q – Sam Wilkin 2, Aiden Burgy, Jameson Sykes, Jaxon Torres.
Council Rock South 58, Central Bucks West 43
A two-point game at halftime, CR South took over in the second half, led by MJ Thompson, who had 13 points after the intermission and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in a 15-point win over the Golden Hawks.
The win salvaged a rough week for CR South, which previously lost a nailbiter to Pennsbury and then CB East on Tuesday and Thursday.
Key Players: For CR South, MJ Thompson (19 points), Ryan Delp (15 points), Ryan Wekluk (8 points).
For CB West, Roman Kulsea (24 points), Max Milillo (11 points).
Next up: Council Rock South (6-6, 2-3 SOL) will host Wissahickon for a non-league game Tuesday, and Central Bucks West (4-11, 0-5) will host Lower Moreland for a non-league game Tuesday.
CB West (43) – Roman Kulesa 24, Max Millilo 11, Dan Pellegrini 7, Gavin Reichner 1
CR South (58) – MJ Thompson 19, Ryan Wekluk 8, Ryan Delp 15, Ray Haglund 4, Julien Madera 2, Owen McLean 5, Pat Malone 2, Adam Elabed 3
CB West 11 9 13 10 – 43
CR South 14 8 20 16 – 58
3-point goals: CBW-Milillo
Hatboro-Horsham 51, New Hope-Solebury 38
Hatboro-Horsham scored 34 points in the second half, 18 in the fourth quarter, including 4-for-5 from the free throw line to pull away for the win on Community Night and Hall of Fame Night at the school.
“Happy to see the effort on Community Night and Hall of Fame Night, honoring some of the best basketball players in H-H history,” said first-year Hatters coach Bill Coleman.
It was a 21-18 game at halftime and then 34-30 after three, before the Hatters were able to push the lead to double digits and put it away in the fourth.
Key Players: For H-H, Kenny Lutz (14 points), Jadon Thompson (14 points), Shane Phillips (13 points).
For NH-S, Blake McCagg (14 points), John Nettles (11 points).
Next up: Hatboro-Horsham (5-9, 1-4 SOL) will be on the road at Harry S Truman for a non-league game Tuesday, and New Hope-Solebury (2-9, 0-5) will travel to Central Bucks South for a non-league game Tuesday.
New Hope (38) – Beck Alderson 2 1-2 6; Blake McCagg 3 7-8 14; John Nettles 3 2-2 11; Rocco Massimino 2 0-0 5; Mitchell Loncher 0 2-6 2. Totals 10 12-18 – 38.
Hatboro-Horsham (51) – Ryan Smith 1 1-1 3; Brad Davis 1 1-2 3; Kenny Lutz 5 4-9 14; Jaden Thompson 4 5-5 14; Shane Phillips 5 2-2 13; Sean McCue 2 0-0 4. Totals 18 13-19 51.
New Hope 7 11 12 8 – 38
Hatboro-Horsham 12 9 13 17 – 51
3-point goals: NHS- Nettles 3, Alderson, McCagg, Massimino; HH-Thompson, Phillips
Wissahickon 61, Lower Moreland 28
Mason Stelzer and Nico Vacchiano had eight points each in the first quarter of this one, as Wissahickon jumped up 22-6 after one and never looked back. It was the third straight win for the Titans.
Key Players: For Wissahickon, Mason Stelzer (18 points), Nico Vacchiano (15 points), Delmar Taliaferro (10 points), Ben Schwartz (9 points).
Next up: Wissahickon (5-6, 2-3 SOL) will host Bensalem in a non-league game Saturday (2 pm), and Lower Moreland (2-10, 1-4) will travel to Central Bucks West for a non-league game Tuesday.
Lower Moreland (28) – Zach Kendall 1 0-0 3; Zoubronelis 1 1-2 3; Keaton 1 0-0 2; John 0 2-2 2; Maloney 4 1-2 9; Wheeler 2 1-2 6; Mertens 1 1-1 3; Totals 10 6-9 28.
Wissahickon (61) – Mason Stelzer 6 2-2 18; Chris Lee 2 0-0 5; Owen Haughey 1 0-0 2; Nico Vacchiano 5 5-7 15; Luke Slobotkin 0 2-2 2; Ben Schwartz 4 1-2 9; Delmar Taliafaro 5 0-0 10. Totals 21 10-13 61.
Lower Moreland 6 12 5 5 – 28
Wissahickon 22 17 12 10 – 61
3-point goals: LM-Kendall, Wheeler; W-Stelzer 4, Lee
Holy Ghost Prep 65, Pennsbury 59
Less than 24 hours removed from a big win over Souderton, Pennsbury went on the road for a Lower Bucks rivalry game and came out on the short end of a 65-59 final score against a good Holy Ghost Prep team.
Key Players: For Pennsbury, Grayson Gozum (20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists), Sean Breslin (11 points, 7 rebounds), Max Manga (6 points, 8 rebounds), Connor Tyrrel (2 points, 5 assists).
For the Firebirds, Adrien Varella led the way with 31 points.
Pennsbury coach Wes Emme on the loss: “Tough game for us. Did not come in with a disciplined mindset as it relates to ball security and shot selection. Looked like we had some tired legs, shot poorly and had several live ball turnovers that cost us in a stretch between the third and fourth, where they took the lead.
“Credit to Holy Ghost for making us really have to layer our offense, and we didn’t handle it well enough to win. Big congratulations to Adrian Varella, who had a sensational second half to get his 1,000th point. Great, physically imposing force.
“Silver lining, had some big wins this week and Grayson Gozum played his finest game as a Falcon tonight.”
Next up: Pennsbury (8-6, 4-1 SOL) will host Abington in a non-league game Tuesday.
Pennsbury (59) – Mike Roccograndi 1 4-6 6; Connor Tyrrel 1 0-0 2; Grayson Gozum 6 4-4 20; Sean Breslin 4 0-0 11; Pat Jajua 4 4-4 14; Max Manga 0 6-6 6; Totals 16 18-20 59.
Holy Ghost (65) – Zachary Sharlin 6 2-2 17; Adam McDonald 3 4-6 10; Mark Stendardo 2 1-2 5; Liam Condon 0 2-2 2; Adrien Varella 11 9-13 31; Totals 22 18-25 65.
Pennsbury 9-18-10-22 59
Holy Ghost. 10-14-17-24 65
3-point goals: P – Grayson Gozum 4, Sean Breslin 3, Pat Jajua 2; HG – Zachary Sharlin 3
About the Author
