To view photos of the NP/Engineering & Science and Abington/Methacton games, visit the photo gallery at the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
By Scott Huff
Wissahickon head coach Kyle Wilson ‘stood’ at one end of the bench – propped up by crutches due to a torn meniscus in his left knee. He will have surgery on Monday.
Trojan junior Jordan Reed – arguably the best player on the team – sat on the other end of the bench in street clothes due to a concussion suffered earlier in the season. His return is slated for Monday.
On the floor, however, was diminutive 5-foot, 9-inch sophomore guard Anthony McKie who electrified the crowd with a game-high 25 points to spark Wissahickon (4-4) to a 62-53 victory over Central Bucks East (2-4) in the finals of the Trojan Basketball Classic.
“Anthony has the knack to score in bunches, and he went on a tear tonight,” said Wilson. “And when he began to score, he opened a lot of things up for his teammates.”
McKie – related ‘somehow’ to former Sixer Aaron McKie – played on the Wissahickon junior varsity last season.
“We had seven seniors on that team, and I learned a lot from them playing in practice,” said McKie – who was awarded the MVP of the tournament. “I can either be a distributor, or I can score if I have to. Anything that the coach needs me to do.”
“We knew that Anthony was going to be a special player as a freshman,” said Wilson. “And with Jordan Reed out, he has been asked to do more for the team.
“Jordan being out makes it tough for the entire team,” added Wilson. “He can play four out of the five positions on the team, and we miss him both as a ‘big’ and a ‘small’. He should be back for our next game on Monday.”
Wissahickon created tempo with fullcourt pressure for most of the game, and CB East never looked totally comfortable in its halfcourt offense.
But the Patriots refused to throw in the towel and actually closed the gap to four points in the second half.
“We were a little winded cutting into the lead,” said CB East head coach Erik Henrysen. “But the players never played like the game was over. We kept fighting to get back into the game.
“We may have lost of the game, but we gained a lot playing in this tournament,” added Henrysen. “Steve Topley played well tonight (14 points), and I think that now he believes that he can be a good player.
“Losing this game was not a step back for this team,” continued Henrysen. “This will be a good game to build on for the rest of the season.”
And the same could be said of Anthony McKie.
Central Bucks East 6 15 15 17 - 53
Wissahickon 8 22 14 18 - 62
Central Bucks East: Ryan O’Neil 6; DJ Beausejour 6; Scott Shields* 9; Chris Allen 3; Liam Gallagher*8; Matt Staufer 7; Steve Topley 14. Total 53.
Wissahickon: Mike Scheier* 11; Jordan Freed 7; Kyle Garrett 4; Anthony McKie* 25; Tanoh Kpassagnon 4; Jabari Kibler 6; Kahil Flowers 5. Total 62.
* - Members of the all-tournament team
Around the SOL National Conference
Pennsbury (2-5) won the consolation game of the Prime Time ESCIT Tournament with a 79-42 victory over Steinert. The tournament was held at Trenton Catholic in New Jersey.
Kieran Bolger – who knocked home a trio of treys – scored a game-high 23 points for the Falcons. Shawn Pepper scored 12 points, while Chris Glennie added 10 points.
Pennsbury led 47-27 at intermission and extended the lead to 71-32 by the close of the third period.
Council Rock North (4-1) won the opening round game of the Athletes Helping Athletes Tournament with a 70-45 win over Central Bucks South (1-6). The Indians led 46-14 at intermission.
Arron Goodman led Rock North with 19 points, while Aaron Morgan chipped in with 15 markers. Charlie Anastasi blocked six shots for the Indians.
CR North will play unbeaten Cheltenham (6-0) in the championship final.
Abington (4-5) won the consolation game of the Chris Smith Memorial Tournament with a 59-58 overtime win over Methacton. The game was tied at 51-51 in regulation.
The Ghosts were led in scoring by Wesley Rines with a game-high 20 points. DJ McFadden added 16 points for the winners.
Harry S Truman (3-4) won the consolation game of the Trojan Basketball Classic with a 65-43 victory over Sankofa Charter.
The Tigers – who led 23-4 at the end of the first period – were led in scoring by Merdic Green with a game-high 19 points. Both Lakshawn Samaroo (13) and Mike McGuire (12) scored in twin digits for the winners.
William Tennent (3-4) lost a 12-point fourth quarter lead and lot the game - 64-61 - in the championship final of the Western Lehigh Exchange Tournament.
The Panthers - who were outscored 27-12 in the final period - had three players in double figures. Both Shakat Kofa and Jack Rauchut scored 14 points while Cole Weber added 12 points.
Council Rock South (4-4) lost the consolation game of the Hazelton Holiday Tournament as host Hazelton defeated the Golden Hawks – 55-42.
Around the SOL Continental Conference
North Penn (6-1) won the championship game of the Chris Smith Memorial Tournament with a 59-35 victory over Engineering & Science.
Knight senior Matt Possanza drained four treys and finished with a game-high 17 points. Javi Alvarino scored in twin digits with 11 points. Wes Brooks scored nine points – all on three-point field goals.
Pennridge (8-1) won the consolation game of the Boyertown Tournament with a 51-40 victory over Southern Lehigh.
Junior guard Tom Abruzzo scored 14 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth period to fuel the win. Senior guard Mike Guldin also scored in double digits for the winners with 13 points.
Hatboro-Horsham (4-3) won the consolation game of the Upper Dublin Cardinal Classic with a 53-40 victory over Wyomissing.
The Hatters were led in scoring by Travis Bryan with a team-high 13 points – seven of which were scored in the fourth period. Mike Brown also scored in twin digits for the winners with 11 points.
Souderton (4-2) improved its record with a non-league win over Downingtown West – 58-44.
Mark Wonderling paced the Big Red attack with 18 points, while Ryan Connolly added 17 points for the winners. Luke Moyer, John Kanas, and Dan Falencki each scored seven points for the Indians.
Central Bucks West (5-1) won in the final seconds as the Bucks defeated McDonogh (Maryland) 41-40.
Derek Dyer scored the game winner for West with just four seconds remaining in the game. West will now play in the tournament final.
Central Bucks South (1-6) lost in the opening round game of the Athletes Helping Athletes Tournament to Council Rock North (4-1) – 70-45.
There were 11 players that scored for the Titans. Steve Schneider led the team with 10 points. CB South will play Archbishop Ryan in a consolation game.
Quakertown (1-6) lost the consolation game of the Allentown Allen Tournament with a 58-19 loss to Frankford.
The Panthers – who trailed by just 15-11 at the close of the first period – scored just three points the entire second half – including none in the fourth quarter. Mike Harpster led Q-town with eight points.
Around the SOL American Conference
Norristown (8-0) remained unbeaten and won the Triangle Club Tournament with a 65-52 victory over Conestoga.
The Eagles had three players reach double figures in the win. Aaron Webb and Jahquan Hargrove each scored 16 points for the winners, while Maleek Williams added 14 points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-2) lost to Neumann-Goretti (3-1) - 69-57 in the Jameer/Pete Nelson Classic. The game was played at Gwynedd Mercy College.
The good news for the Colonials was that they led 20-12 at the close of the first period. The bad news was that they were outscored 57-37 for the remainder of the game.
PW senior Jaylen Bond – a University of Pittsburgh recruit – led the Colonials in scoring with 27 points. Stephon Baker also scored in twin digits with 11 points, while Sam Pygatt added eight points.
The lone loss of the season for Neumann-Goretti was a 63-58 loss to Council Rock North in its first game of the season.
Upper Dublin (5-4) had its heart ripped out in a 54-53 loss to unbeaten Upper Darby (8-0) in the finals of the Upper Dublin Cardinal Classic.
Upper Dublin led 53-52 with eight seconds left, but Upper Darby was fouled going to the basket with two seconds left in the game. Two converted free throws later, Upper Darby escaped with the win.
Andrew Derr led the Flying Cardinals with 16 points, while Andrew Carber (12) and John DeCamara (11) also scored in double figures for Upper Dublin. Khalil Owens finished with eight points.
Cheltenham (6-0) remained unbeaten with a 48-43 victory over Archbishop Ryan in the opening round of the Athletes Helping Athletes Tournament.
Nafis Walker led the Panthers with a game-high 15 points, while Kareek Best scored in double digits with 13 points. Aaron McGlawn chipped in with nine points.
Cheltenham will face Council Rock North (4-1) in the tournament final.
Upper Merion (4-4) lost in the championship game of the Lower Moreland Classic as the Vikings suffered a 74-57 setback to unbeaten Lower Moreland (7-0).
Upper Merion led 11-9 at the end of the first period, but was outscored 23-10 in the second quarter. James Mobley led the Vikes with 20 points, while Pat Stringfield chipped in with 19 points.
Upper Moreland (1-6) won its first game of the year with a 61-59 victory over Owen J Roberts.
Upper Moreland was led in scoring by sophomore Matt Kohn, who tallied a game-high 19 points. Senior Matt Worley added 13 points for the Golden Bears.
The win came in the consolation game at the Great Valley Holiday Tournament.
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