Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Monday. Lower Moreland/New Hope-Solebury photos provided courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ BOYS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
SOL Freedom Division
LOWER MORELAND 54, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 53 (OT)
Wins have not come easily for Lower Moreland this season, and it didn’t look promising when the visiting Lions found themselves staring at a 38-30 deficit heading into the fourth quarter.
But Nate Fellah – who had the hot hand all night – scored eight points in the final frame and Tom Maloney added five points, including a clutch 3, and the two teams were deadlocked at 45 after four quarters.
The visiting Lions – 5-for-8 from the foul line – edged New Hope 9-8 in OT to earn the gutsy win.
“I was proud of our guys – they never gave up,” LM coach Dicky Rhoads said. “We just haven’t had a lot of wins the last two years.
“We’ve been talking about how we’re trying to find ways to win, and we did against Faith, against Morrisville. Then today we actually had some adversity and had to come back, and we found a way to win, so it was very good. The kids were very happy in the locker room. It was something we needed. It was good for our guys.”
Key players: Nate Fellah led Lower Moreland with 29 points – 17 in the second half. Luke Wheeler and Thomas Maloney both had 10 points.
Rocco Massimino’s 23 points led New Hope.
Lower Moreland coach Dicky Rhoads:
–The game; “We were up 12-9 after one quarter, and they beat us 13-10 in the second we were tied at 23. It was back and forth the whole first half. Nate Fellah had 12 of our points. They hit three 3s in the first half. It was their Senior Night, so they were very excited. They had a really good crowd, and they came out with a lot of energy, and we started out a little slow. We had a couple of missed layups, but we got a couple of stops, and it was tied at halftime.
“We came out in a zone, and they hit two 3s to end the third quarter to go up by eight going into the fourth – it was 38-30 going into the fourth. They were playing good, and then we switched to just a fullcourt man defense. We just tried to bring the pressure and get some steals.”
–Overtime: “At the start of overtime, Chase Carroll got downhill and made a great layup, and Luke Wheeler hit a two, so we were up by four, 49-45. New Hope kept on fighting. They came down and (Linus MacKenzie) hit a three, so it was 49-48. We came down, they fouled us, and Nate Fellah hit both of those. They got a two, we came down and turned the ball over, so we had to get a stop. They missed a shot, we got the rebound, and Nate went 1-for-2 at the foul line, so it was 52-50. With about eight seconds left, they got an inbound , and Tom Maloney got the big steal, and he made two foul shots, and that was big. It came down to the wire. Both teams did a good job.”
–Props: “Tom Maloney was a good spark off the bench. He’s usually a starter, and he was a good spark. He had a couple of steals, and he finished with 10 points.
“Luke Wheeler did well. He got to the basket, and he kept us in it with a couple of layups. Chase Carroll and Tommy Keaton did a good job of handling the ball and getting the ball to Nate (Fellah), who had 29 points. We really relied on him.
“Nathaniel Udal had a really big steal to start the run that led to a fast break layup for Luke Wheeler. Then Nate Fellah got a steal and an and-one. And then it was just back and forth for the last three minutes. We ended up getting up by one with three minutes left, and then we had a couple of turnovers. (New Hope) played hard, they never gave up.
“Jonathon John was a huge spark on defense for us to spark our comeback.
“Rocco Massimino played really well for them. Zero (Beck Alderson) played okay for them. They fought the rest of the time.”
Up next: Lower Moreland will travel to Upper Moreland Tuesday, and New Hope-Solebury will be on the road at William Tennent Tuesday.
Lower Moreland 12-10-8-15-9 54
New Hope-Solebury 9-13-16-7-8 53
Lower Moreland (54) – Luke Wheeler 10, Chase Carroll 5, Noah Fellah 29, Thomas Maloney 10
New Hope-Solebury (53) – Beck Alderson 5, Aiden Wenner 3, Blake McCagg 11; Noah Kolen 2, Rocco Massimino 23, Linus MacKenzie 10
3-point goals: LM – Thomas Maloney; NHS – Blake McCagg 3, Rocco Massimino 3, Aiden Wenner.
CHELTENHEM 49, UPPER MORELAND 47
The Panthers had an opportunity to clinch sole possession of the division crown with a win, and while it was a battle to the final horn, they got the job done, eking out the win over the Golden Bears and capturing the division title.
“It was another good battle from both teams,” UM coach Dan Heiland said. “Big shots and big plays made from both sides.”
It was the third straight division title for the Panthers, who shared last year’s crown with the Golden Bears.
The Panthers, who led 10-6 after one quarter, took a 26-23 lead into halftime. Mark Hill’s nine points led the way. Their lead was trimmed to two heading into the final quarter where the Panthers and Bears exchanged baskets.
Key players: Mark Hill’s 16 points led the Panthers. Chris Harmon added 11 points – seven in the pivotal fourth quarter. Isaiah Dill had eight points.
For the Golden Bears, Nate Best had 14 points, and Cannon Campbell had 13 points – nine in the second half. Jose Hernandez had 10 points – a pair of 3s for six points in the fourth quarter.
Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury:
“I am proud of their resilience, and I’m proud that they were able – despite what was going on – to find a way to win.
“We had a conversation about our effort and execution, which in large part is on me, but we need to improve.
“Now we need to make our push as 15 or 18 deep with the coaches 20 deep and everyone who supports us. We’ve got to just put our heads down and try to make our teammates, our family and our community proud.”
Up next: Cheltenham – 15th in the latest District 1 6A rankings – will host Springfield Twp in Tuesday’s division finale. Upper Moreland will host Lower Moreland Tuesday. The Golden Bears are fifth in the latest District 1 5A rankings.
Upper Moreland 6-17-8-16 47
Cheltenham 10-16-7-16 49
Upper Moreland (47) – Nate Best 5 4-6 14; Larry Hughes 5 0-0 10; Cannon Campbell 5 3-3 13; Jose Hernandez 4 0-0 10; TOTALS 19 7-9 47.
Cheltenham (49) – Isaias Vargas 0 1-2 1; Chris Harmon 4 1-3 11; Mark Hill 5 5-5 16; Isaiah Dill 3 2-2 8; Jaedn Mosley 1 0-0 3; Tyree Martin 3 0-0 6; Peyton McClendon 1 1-1 4; TOTALS 17 11-16 47.
3-point goals: UM -Jose Hernandez 2; C – Chris Harmon 2, Mark Hill, Jaedn Mosley.
Non-league
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 52, SANKOFA FREEDOM 42
Every win looms large with the regular season winding down.
The Bucks – who are 10-10 – are 24th in the latest District 1 6A rankings, firmly on the bubble of what will be a 24-team field. Monday’s win over a 15-win Sankofa was a big one.
It was a strong second half that led to the win for the Bucks, who trailed 23-20 at halftime. Behind seven points from Dan Pellegrini and six from Melo Aylmer, the Bucks outscored Sankofa 18-14 in the third quarter and took a 38-37 lead into the fourth quarter. They closed it out on a high note, outscoring their visitors 14-5.
Key players: Dan Pellegrini’s 22 points – 14 in the second half – led the Bucks. John Vrettos added 13 points – 8 in the first half.
Central Bucks assistant coach Sherrod Higginbotham
“This was a big win for us in tonight. Right now, we are trying to give ourselves the best shot to make the playoffs, and tonight was a step in the right direction.”
–Props: “Dan Pellegrini and John Vrettos did a great job finishing plays while all three guards controlled the tempo of the game.”
Up next: Central Bucks West will visit Pennridge Tuesday.
Sankofa Freedom 11-12-14-5 42
Central Bucks West 13-7-18-14 52
Sankofa Freedom (42) – Nasir Brown 2 2-2 7; Jameel Brown 1 0-0 2; Nafis Dubose 1 5-6 7; Terrence Fortson 1 1-2 3; Sammad West 7 0-0 14; Christopher Thorn 1 0-0 3; Demoree Bortus 2 0-0 6; TOTALS 15 8-10 42.
Central Bucks West (52) – Max Milillo 2 0-0 5; Chris Connor 1 2-2 4; Melo Aylmer 2 1-1 6; Dan Pellegrini 8 4-5 22; Isaiah Robertson 1 0-0 2; John Vrettos 5 3-5 13; TOTALS 19 10-13 52.
3-point goals: SF – Demoree Brotus 2, Chrisotpher Thorn, Nasir Brown; CBW – Dan Pellegrini 2, Melo Aylmer, Max Milillo.
PENNRIDGE 76, FAITH CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 51
The Rams took a tenuous 32-29 lead into halftime but then blew the game wide open with a 24-8 third quarter. They outscored Faith 44-22 in the second half to win going away.
“It was kind of neat,” Pennridge coach Dean Behrens said. “Faith Christian is now up in Milford, but a lot of our boys know their boys, and a lot of our parents know their parents, so there was a nice little crowd there. There was some energy.”
Key players: Ryan Kunz led four Pennridge players in double figures with 15. Connor Murray added 12 points while Ryan Flood and Mike Alba both had 11. Ryan Schwind added eight points.
Pennridge coach Dean Behrens:
–The game: “It was 32-29 at the half, so the game was in the balance in the first half. I actually thought Faith was the more aggressive team tonight, especially in the first quarter. We got out on them a little bit late in the second quarter, but then we didn’t do a great job closing out the quarter the last minute and a half, and they went on a little 5-0 run, and we go in the half up three, so the fans were treated to an entertaining first half. It was a lot of points for both teams.
“Their kid, Jagger Verbit, is probably going to score 2,000 points for them. He scored a thousand in his freshman and sophomore year. He can flat out score. We felt we had our hands full with him, but in the second half, our defense stepped up, our energy stepped up. We hit some shots, hit a couple 3s, and the next thing you know – they gotta call two quick timeouts. Now we’re up double digits, and I just felt like they started to press a little bit in regards to taking some quick shots. Sometimes kids think there’s a 10-point shot out there, which there isn’t.
“We continued to rebound well, and I thought we executed much better in the second half than we did in the first. If you had watched the first half, you would have said both teams were equal. It was kind of a no-win situation for us to play them in regards that – ‘Hey, you should beat them, you’re a big school.’ And then if we lose to them, that’s a great, great win for them. Then everyone’s questioning – what’s wrong with you guys? But we took care of business tonight, which was nice.
“Getting a win was vital. We have one game left, which is tomorrow. We’re going to play West. They’re probably going to be in the playoffs, and they don’t want to lose to us because you don’t know what that would mean for them right now. It would be nice to try and play well and have a good effort and do what we can against West. “
–Props: “Ryan Kunz had 15, and he was extremely aggressive. He probably ended up with about eight rebounds. He played well.
“Timmy Croyle came off the bench and really gave us good quality minutes at the point position. I thought he did a really good job. He started the third quarter for us, and it wasn’t so much about scoring with him. It was just getting us in the offense and running our sets. Those two boys really helped us in the third quarter.
“Connor Murray became a little bit more aggressive offensively in the third quarter.”
Up next: Pennridge will host Central Bucks West for its Pink Out game on Tuesday.
Pennridge 13-19-24-20 76
Faith Christian 13-16-8-14 51
Pennridge (76) – Rownan Smith 2 0-0 4; Ryan Kunz 5 4-9 15; Ryan Schwind 4 0-0 8; Tim Croyle 1 0-0 2; Jake Dietl 2 0-0 4; Ryan Flood 5 0-0 11; Mike Alba 4 2-2 11; Christian Flood 3 0-0 6; Connor Murray 4 2-2 12; Spencer Ziga 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 31 8-13 76.
Faith Christian (51) – Banks 2 2-4 8; Glass 3 1-2 8; Bui 0 1-2 1; Hughes 1 0-0 3; Verbit 7 5-6 19; Szmodis 2 0-0 5; Grant 3 0-1 7; TOTALS 18 9-15 51.
3-point goals: P – Connor Murray 2, Ryan Kunz, Ryan Flood, Mike Alba, Spencer Ziga; FCA – Banks 2, Grant, Glass, Hughes, Smodis.
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