Scott Huff highlights Abington, Central Bucks East and Springfield and recaps last week’s games.
By Scott Huff
The Suburban One League played a variety of teams in a variety of venues over the holiday season.
The SOL squads played teams from Florida (CB West played South Plantation and Lely School); Delaware (Norristown played William Penn, while Plymouth Whitemarsh played both William Penn and Newark); New Jersey (Abington played Roselle Catholic, while Pennsbury played Trenton Catholic); Georgia (CB East played Creek View); California (CB East played Vista Murrieta); Vermont (Pennsbury played St. Johnsbury); and New York (Council Rock North played St. Anthony’s).
North Penn played a team from out of the United States when the Knights matched up with Halifax Grammar from Nova Scotia – Canada.
The SOL will once again begin conference play this week to compete for both conference championships and invitations to the District One playoffs.
And the beat goes on…
SOL Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
Central Bucks East Patriots
Central Bucks East made the trek to sunny Orlando Florida from December 26-30 to play hoops against teams from out of state – and the Patriots enjoyed every minute of it.
“Right now it is 80 degrees here and sunny,” said Central Bucks East head coach Erik Henrysen by phone last weekend. “But we know that very soon we are going to have to go back to our real world – real soon.
“This time has been a great team bonding experience for the 12 players we were able to take on the trip,” added Henrysen. “We spent a lot of time together – eating, sleeping, practicing, and playing. It is just a part of the growth of our basketball program here at East.
“It took a great deal of planning and a great deal of fundraising,” continued Henrysen. “But it is really all worth it.”
Central Bucks East advanced to the title game with a 46-36 win over Creek View (Georgia) and a 51-37 victory over Vista Murrieta (California).
“Our big three of Brendan McLaughlin, Ben Kardane, and Tommy Strasburger carried us to wins in those games,” said Henrysen. “And those three have pretty much carried us all season.
“I really like the way that Blake Peterson is coming on,” added Henrysen of his 6-5 sophomore. “He has shown tremendous improvement in the last few games.”
And Henrysen hopes that continued improvement will come in the cold, dark days and nights in southeastern Pennsylvania.
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL Continental Conference
Central Bucks South collected the championship trophy in the Athletes Helping Athletes Tournament held at Council Rock North. The Titans opened the tournament with a 50-41 victory over host Rock North and followed with a 65-50 win over St. Paul’s (Maryland) in the title game. Bryce Dobisch was the leading scorer in both games with a 14-point effort against CRN and a 21-point performance against St. Paul’s. Matt Scamuffo scored 13 points in the win over Rock North and 20 points in the victory over St. Paul’s.
Pennridge continues to be the surprise team in all of Suburban One as those crazy Rams won the Boyertown Tournament with a pair of wins. The Green & White stopped Governor Mifflin 67-62 and followed with an impressive 73-57 victory over Southern Lehigh. Danny Long led the Rams in the win over Governor Mifflin with 23 points while Zach Murreda chipped in with 17 points. Murreda (24), Matt Pasquale (14), Long (13), and Joey Molettiere (10) all scored in twin digits for the Rams in the championship victory over Southern Lehigh.
Central Bucks East took a journey down south and collected a pair of non-conference wins before falling to McDowell in the title game. The Patriots opened the weekend with a 46-36 victory over Creek View (Georgia) and followed with a 51-37 win over Vista Murrieta (California). Tommy Strasburger led CBE in the triumph over Creek View with a 15-point – 10 rebound effort, while Brendan McLaughlin led the Pats with 14 points in the victory over Vista Murrieta. In the Patriots’ 57-33 loss to McDowell, McLaughlin and Strasburger each had seven points.
Souderton came up with a pair of wins in the Wissahickon Holiday Classic to collect the championship trophy. The Indians bested Harry S Truman 55-42 behind the twin digit scoring of Carter Knight (19) and Evan Slone (14). In the title game, the Big Red had a 21-point performance by Knight and an 11-point effort by both Slone and Tim Markow in a 54-51 win over Wissahickon.
Central Bucks West split a pair of games as the Bucks took a trek down south to compete in Florida. CB West lost the first game against Lely School of Florida by a 62-45 margin and followed with a 68-51 victory over South Plantation (Fla.). Kyle Salvitti led the Bucks in scoring in both games with a 14-point effort in the loss to Lely and a 17-point performance in the win over South Plantation. Cal Reichwein (11) and Jared Kelly (10) also scored in twin digits in the victory over South Plantation.
Hatboro-Horsham split a pair of games over the holiday weekend. The Hatters opened the weekend with a 54-49 win over Shipley but lost in the championship final to Eric Strong Vincent by a 61-39 margin. Walt Kimble was the leading scorer for Hatboro-Horsham in both games with a 17-point effort in the win over Shipley and a 9-point performance against Erie Strong Vincent. Zach Quattro (13) and Jim Cavanaugh (10) scored in twin digits in the victory over Shipley.
Quakertown earned a split of its games at the Parkland Tournament. The Panthers opened the tournament with a 56-44 loss to Salisbury as Kevin Norvaisis led the Black Cats with 19 points. Quakertown won in dramatic fashion in the consolation with a late bucket to defeat Perkiomen Valley 55-54. Griffin Schmidt – who scored the winning basket – scored a game-high 22 points for Q-town.
North Penn split its pair of games over the holiday weekend. The Knights opened the weekend with a 57-56 loss to Conestoga and followed with a 74-37 win in the consolation game over Halifax Grammar. Brian Coleman scored 15 points to lead the Knights in the loss to Conestoga, while Cordell Lord scored a game-high 16 points in the win over Halifax.
This Week in the SOL Continental Conference
Friday – January 3, 2014.
Central Bucks East Patriots (1-2) @ Souderton Indians (1-2)
Quakertown Panthers (0-3) @ North Penn Knights (1-2)
Central Bucks West Bucks (2-1) @ Pennridge Rams (3-0)
Central Bucks South Titans (2-1) @ Hatboro-Horsham Hatters (2-1)
SOL American Conference ‘Snapshot’
Springfield Spartans
Springfield has been dealt a tough hand playing in the SOL American Conference. The Spartans are a Class AA team in a conference that features five Quad-A teams (Norristown, Plymouth Whitemarsh, Cheltenham, Wissahickon, and Upper Dublin) and a pair of Class AAA schools (Upper Moreland and Upper Merion).
Springfield was able to venture out of the treacherous waters of the SOL American over the holiday, and the Spartans were rewarded with a thrilling 49-43 overtime victory over Upper Perkiomen.
“It felt so good to the players to be able to feel the joy of getting a win,” said Springfield head coach Dave Turetzky. “They have worked so hard all year, and they have a fight on their hands every single night.”
The Spartans have been led in scoring all season by a sophomore – Larry Clark.
“Larry has been a real beast all season,” said Turetzky of his 6-foot, 2-inch swingman. “He makes all the ‘dirty’ plays of getting on the floor, fighting for loose balls, and scoring on a lot of broken plays. We were expecting a lot of him this year, but I didn’t know that he would be able to score this well on the varsity level.
“Brendan Dugan has shown a great deal of leadership on this team,” added Turetzky of his junior. “And Sean Lawn has come on really well off the bench for us as only a sophomore. He has played the game with a great deal of effort.”
The holidays are over – and next for the Spartans is a SOL American Conference game against area power Norristown on Friday.
Happy New Year.
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL American Conference
Plymouth Whitemarsh had a wonderful weekend as the Colonials collected a couple of victories over opponents from Delaware. PW captured a 65-44 win over William Penn and followed with a 71-58 victory over Newark. Jimmy Murray was the leading scorer for the Colonials with a 25-point performance against WPHS and a 23-point effort against Newark. Andre Mitchell was also a scoring threat with 16-point and 18-point performances.
Wissahickon split a pair of games in the Wissahickon Holiday Classic. The Trojans advanced to the title game with a 66-46 victory over Lansdale Catholic but lost to Souderton 54-51 in the championship contest. Chase Wilson (20), Chris Vila (16), and Chris Carradorni (16) each scored in double figures in the LC win, while Wilson (21) and Todd Bentley (12) scored in twin digits in the loss to Souderton.
Norristown advanced to the finals of the Triangle Tournament, but the host Eagles were gunned down in that championship contest. Norristown opened the tournament with a 57-44 victory over Pope John Paul II as Kip Patton (17), Curt Lever (11), and Chris Evans (11) all scored in double digits. The Eagles gave up a fourth quarter lead and lost to Germantown Academy 53-50. Lever (13), Evans (12), and Patton (10) again all scored in twin digits for NHS. On Sunday, Norristown rebounded with a 67-52 victory over William Penn (Delaware) as the trio of Lever, Patton, and Evans each scored 16 points.
Upper Dublin advanced to the Great Valley Tournament Final, but the best the Cardinals could do was to split their pair of games. Upper Dublin won the tournament opener 57-51 over Avon Grove as Simeon Fryer (21) and Kevin Woods (13) scored in double figures. The Cardinals lost the following night to host Great Valley by a 65-39 margin as Fryer scored a team-high 11 points for UD.
Upper Merion split a pair of games over the holiday. The Vikings opened the weekend with a 56-48 setback against Franklin Towne Charter but ended the weekend with a 65-45 victory over MaST Charter. David Stecz (13) and Dan Kuber (12) scored in double figures in the loss to FTC, while Stecz (19) and Simir Patel (11) scored in double figures in the win over MaST.
Springfield spilt its pair of games over the weekend. The Spartans were defeated by Christopher Dock 53-34 but followed with a 49-43 victory over Upper Perkiomen. Larry Clark led Springfield in scoring with a 16-point effort against Dock and a 27-point performance against Upper Perk.
Cheltenham lost both of its games this weekend as the Panthers ventured into Philadelphia area basketball. Cheltenham lost to Frankford 66-56 and followed with a tough 59-55 loss to Dobbins. Arron Burton led the Black Cats in scoring in both games with a 13-point effort against Frankford and a 12-point performance against Dobbins.
Upper Moreland had a tough weekend as the Bears lost both big and little in the Great Valley Tournament. UM lost big in the opener with a 53-25 loss to host Great Valley and followed with a tough 61-59 loss to Avon Grove in the consolation game. Kevin McFall scored a modest team-high 6 points in the loss to GV while James Martin (14) and Chris Corr (13) scored in twin digits in the setback to Avon Grove.
This Week in the SOL American Conference
Friday – January 3, 2014
Upper Moreland Golden Bears (1-2) @ Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals (1-2)
Cheltenham Panthers (2-1) @ Wissahickon Trojans (2-1)
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (3-0) @ Upper Merion Vikings (1-2)
Norristown Eagles (2-1) @ Springfield Spartans (0-3)
SOL National Conference ‘Snapshot’
Abington Ghosts
Abington head coach Charles Grasty knew exactly what the Ghosts were getting into when they scheduled Roselle Catholic from New Jersey last weekend.
“We knew that they were one of the top ranked teams in the state, and we knew that they were ranked 11th in the country,” said Grasty. “And we also knew that we wanted to accept that challenge of playing an elite team – an elite program.”
The final result was a 67-52 victory for Roselle but the Ghosts were more than competitive in the first half and trailed by just five points at intermission.
“We played really well, and if we made some shots that we usually make, we were even with them in the first half,” said Grasty. “Of course, the fact that they were 6-9, 6-8, and 6-7 across the front might have had something to do with it. But I really felt that we competed with them, and that was what we were hoping for.
“This experience can only help us as we go through our league season, and hopefully into playoffs,” added Grasty. “This was what we wanted.”
Abington has gotten a somewhat unexpected boost this season from senior Laz Macrides who has been the leading scorer for the Ghosts.
“Laz is an interesting story in that he came out the last day of tryouts his sophomore season, and we didn’t keep him,” said Grasty. “He came out as a junior and played mostly junior varsity. But he had a great summer and has played great for us all year.”
The Ghosts have a pair of key players playing at about 80 percent in Matt Penecale (ankle) and Anthony Lee (recovering from a broken leg).
“Once we get Matt and Anthony back to 100 percent, we should be improved,” said Grasty. “They are both getting back to what we call basketball shape.
“We’re excited about getting back to the league season,” added Grasty. “We get Truman Friday night, and we go on from there.”
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL National Conference
Pennsbury split a pair of games against some elite competition at the Trenton Catholic Tournament. The Falcons lost to the host Trenton Catholic by an 82-72 margin in the opening game of the weekend. Cameron Jones led PHS with a 27-point performance, while Mekhi Bryant added 26 points in the loss. Pennsbury followed with an impressive 64-50 over St. Johnsbury (Vermont) as Jones was terrific with a 29-point effort and Bryant scored in twin digits with 16 points.
Abington also split a pair of games against some elite competition. The Ghosts opened the weekend with a 54-41 win over Friend’s Central as Amir Hinton led AHS with 16 points and Laz Macrides scored in double figures with 13 points. Abington followed with a 67-52 loss to national power Roselle Catholic of New Jersey. Matt Penecale scored a team-high 12 points against Roselle.
William Tennent lost its only game of the holiday season but played very well in a loss to St. Joe Prep. The Panthers were led in scoring by Matt Alden with a team-high 16 points, while John Ryan added 15 points for the Black Cats.
Truman lost a pair of games over the weekend in the Wissahickon Holiday Classic. The Tigers opened the tournament with a 55-42 loss to Souderton and followed with a 59-50 loss to Lansdale Catholic. Tramere Adams led HST with 13 points in the loss to Souderton while Tyquan Law also scored in twin digits in the SAHS loss with 10 points. Adams (11), Law (10) and Pat Stone (10) all scored in twin digits for the Tigers in the LC loss.
Council Rock South lost a pair of games over the weekend as well. The Golden Hawks were beaten by West Chester Henderson in overtime by a 52-46 final and followed with a 67-27 loss to tournament host Penncrest. Will Faccenda led CR South with a 15-point performance against West Chester Henderson, while Matt Stewart scored a modest team-high 7 points in the loss to Penncrest.
Council Rock North also lost a pair of games over the weekend. The Indians were defeated by Central Bucks South 50-41 in the tournament opener as Chris Rowland scored a team high 10 points. Rock North lost in the consolation game to St. Anthony’s of New York by a 67-44 count with Rowland again the high scorer with 17 points.
Bensalem joined an all too long line of conference teams that suffered a pair of losses over the weekend. The Owls were defeated in the opening game of the weekend in a 72-60 loss to Academy Park and followed with a 48-42 setback against Devon Prep. Brian Kilcoyne (19) and Avery Nyekan (15) scored in twin digits against Academy Park, while Nell Patel (12) and Kilcoyne (12) scored in double figures against Devon Prep.
Neshaminy made a trip to the Lehigh Valley on Friday night and came away with a 55-37 loss to William Allen. The Redskins were led in scoring by Jaylen Pickett who scored a team-high 12 points.
This Week in the SOL National Conference
Council Rock North Indians (1-2) @ Pennsbury Falcons (3-0)
Abington Ghosts (3-0) @ Truman Tigers (1-2)
Bensalem Owls (0-3) @ Council Rock South Golden Hawks (1-2)
William Tennent Panthers (2-1) @ Neshaminy Redskins (1-2)
Suburban One Sports.com
Fab Five
1. Pennsbury Falcons
2. Abington Ghosts
3. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials
4. Norristown Eagles
5. Pennridge Rams
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