By Scott Huff
Neshaminy (2-0) was the team in the ferocious lions’ den … make that the ferocious Plymouth Whitemarsh den … playing the defending PIAA Quad-A State Champions on the Colonials home court in the final of the Rock The Rim Classic.
And when the Redskins trailed the 2010 title holder 15-7 at the close of the first period, there were few in attendance that were surprised.
Except for maybe Neshaminy head coach Jerry Devine and his seasoned Skins.
“To be honest, I was not really surprised that we won the game,” said Devine as the Redskins rallied for a 64-57 victory. “And I don’t believe that the players were surprised either that we were able to win.
“We have a very talented team that works real hard to get better each day,” added Devine. “If we lost this game, we would have been very disappointed.
“If we want to show people that we are one of the best teams, we have to be able to beat the best teams,” continued Devine. “Plymouth Whitemarsh has a great history of success, and we certainly do not have that history.
“This was a great win for the kids, and the program,” added Devine. “It allowed us to understand what we have to do to beat good basketball teams.”
The comeback was fueled by a marvelous second period by 6-foot, 6-inch senior Michael McGarry. McGarry scored 14 of his 19 points in that eight-minute stretch to bring the Skins back to a 30-25 deficit by intermission.
“Mike hurt them from everywhere on the floor,” said Devine. “He made some three-pointers, pulled up and hit some jumpers, and drove to the bucket.”
McGarry got the Skins close – junior Ryan Arcidiacono put Neshaminy over the top with a sensational third period.
The 6-foot, 4-inch Villanova-bound recruit torched the Colonials for 17 of his game-high 30 points in the third period. At the buzzer, Neshaminy had secured a 45-42 lead.
“Ryan caught fire,” said Devine. “And when he gets into a streak like that, he can be almost impossible to defend.”
Neshaminy not only protected its lead in the final period, but the Skins extended the margin to claim the seven-point win.
“I thought that we defended very well in the final four minutes of the game,” said Devine. “We held a talented team to just one shot on most of the possessions.
“We talked a lot about winning games like this – games against quality teams,” concluded Devine. “Now we play every game like we expect to win the game.”
And Neshaminy did just that.
Pennridge is Ram tough
Pennridge (2-0) is off to its best start in years as the Rams hosted – and won – their own Tip-Off Tournament.
“I think that this might be the first time in around four years that we have won two games in a row,” said Pennridge head coach Dean Behrens. “We feel that we are going to be very competitive with the teams we play this year.”
The Rams opened the season with a 64-26 demolition of New-Hope Solebury in the opening round game of the tournament. And Pennridge earned the championship trophy with a gutsy 66-55 victory over Methacton in the title game.
Junior Tim Abruzzo led Pennridge to the win in the Methacton game with a brilliant 29-point performance. Abuzzo hit six shots from beyond the 3-point arc to highlight his effort.
“Tim hit a bunch of three pointers – he has every confidence that he can drill every one of them,” said Behrens. “But he also did a nice job of driving to the basket.”
In fact, the entire Ram squad did a good job of going to the iron as Pennridge went to the foul line 30 times.
“This year we have made it a goal to attack the rim, we can’t be a team that settles for 3-pointers,” said Behrens. “We have to rebound the basketball and play intense defense if we want to be successful.
“Kyle Peters did a great job against Methacton by being a very physical player,” added Behrens of his 5-11 senior who was the starting quarterback for the Rams this fall. “He just loves to go on the floor and compete. He does all of the little things right.”
Pennridge has also received fine play from returning senior point guard Mike Guldin. Guldin had a terrific floor game with six assists and only one turnover. He also scored in double figures with 13 points.
“Mike is tough – he always has the ball in his hands,” said Behrens. “We depend on him quite a bit.”
And to date it has paid off in victories.
William Tennent steals a trophy
William Tennent (2-0) went on the road and came home with a championship trophy as the Panthers won the Southern Lehigh Tournament.
“We had two really nice wins to start the year,” said William Tennent head coach Rob Mulville. “We had to play two different styles of basketball, but we adjusted and came away with wins.”
William Tennent opened the tournament with a methodical 46-36 victory over Upper Perkiomen, and the Panthers followed in the championship final with a 73-69 up-tempo overtime win over Southern Lehigh.
“Those 73 points have been the most points that any one of my teams have scored in the four years that I have been coaching here,” said Mulville. “The pace was really up and down, maybe a little faster than I would like us to play.
“It was in real contrast to the game we played the night before against Upper Perkiomen,” added Mulville. “I thought we did a great job off the boards against Upper Perk – they were much bigger than we were.”
Junior Jack Rauchut played big in both games as he was awarded the Most Valuable Player for his outstanding performace. Rauchet scored 25 points in the win over Southern Lehigh and added 15 points in the win over Upper Perkiomen.
“Jack was fantastic in the first half against Southern Lehigh with 22 points,” said Mulville. “In the second half, they collapsed around him which opened the outside for us.
“(Senior) Cole Weber got some good open looks and made some clutch shots,” added Mulville as Weber made four three-point field goals.
The game did spill into overtime, and Panther senior guard Shakat Kofa took control. Kofa opened the extra frame with a 3-pointer, and was a perfect 4-4 from the line in the OT.
William Tennent – as a team – shot 10-of-12 in the overtime to seal the win.
“Good teams make shots from the line late in the game,” said Mulville. “That was a very good sign.”
The sign of a winner.
Cheltenham wins title
Cheltenham (2-0) added a trophy to its trophy case as the Panthers won their own Tip-Off Tournament.
“One of the great things about winning the tournament, was that we were able to spread the ball around,” said Cheltenham head coach Brian Johnson. “Last year, Rob Mansell was an excellent player and scored a lot of points, but we didn’t have a lot of balance. This year should be different.”
The Panthers opened their tournament with a 54-33 victory over Central. Cheltenham followed that win with a 57-45 win over Frankford in the championship game. Both Central and Frankford are members of the Philadelphia Public League.
Junior Nafis Walker was selected as the tournament MVP for good reason. Walker led the Panthers in scoring in both games with 13 against Central and 15 against Frankford.
“Nafis has gone through a long and productive spring, summer, and fall,” said Johnson of his 6-2 leader. “He has worked very hard to be the player that he has been so far this season. He has earned that nice place.
“But he isn’t a one-man show,” added Johnson. “It has been awesome to see the number of players who have contributed so far, and that is what is going to make us a good basketball team.”
Seniors Kyreek Best and Lamont McLaurin have been solid for CHS, while sophomore Aaron McGlawn and junior Jarrell Haywood have also contributed to the wins.
Suburban One Sports.com – Fab Five
1. Neshaminy Redskins (2-0)
2. Council Rock North Indians (1-0)
3. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (1-1)
4. Central Bucks West Bucks (2-0)
5. North Penn Knights (1-0)
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