Scott Huff highlights Pennsbury, CB South and Upper Moreland recaps all of last week’s SOL action.
By Scott Huff
The 2013 portion of the 2013-2014 Suburban One League basketball season is in the books with one mild surprise – Pennridge.
The Rams have gone through the first three games of the Continental Conference season unbeaten with wins over Central Bucks South, Quakertown, and Hatboro-Horsham. And the Green and White have accomplished this behind a trio of underclassmen – juniors Zach Muredda and Joey Molettiere – and sophomore Danny Long.
Abington and Pennsbury are on top in the SOL National Conference. Both are unbeaten in three games – and Plymouth Whitemarsh is the only unbeaten team in the SOL American Conference. No real surprises there.
And the beat goes on…
SOL National Conference ‘Snapshot’
Pennsbury Falcons
Pennsbury is all about meeting the challenge in the 2013-2014 basketball season.
“We play in a very competitive league, but we went out and challenged ourselves with some great non-league games,” said Pennsbury head coach Bill Coleman. “We wanted to play an excellent team in Holy Ghost Prep – and we wanted to challenge ourselves this weekend when we go to Trenton to play Trenton Catholic.”
In the eye-opening 68-57 win over Holy Ghost, Pennsbury saw a 17-point third quarter lead shrink to 8 points. But the young and talented Falcons were able to hold off the Firebirds to win by a comfortable margin.
“Cameron Jones (game-high 29 points) came out on fire,” said Coleman of his gifted junior guard. “And (senior) Steve Ciotti scored all 15 of his points in the second half when they made the run at us. We fought hard to get the lead in the first half, and we fought hard to keep the lead in the second half.
“Trenton Catholic has a guard in Malachi Richardson that is committed to Syracuse,” added Coleman. “We are going to their gym, and they will present quite a challenge.
“These non-league games will get us ready for the games we have to play in the National Conference,” continued Coleman. “Teams refuse to roll over – nobody cares what your record is coming into the game.”
And you can be sure that the Falcons will take on all conference challenges.
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL National Conference
Abington remained unbeaten in conference play with a pair of conference wins last week. The Ghosts opened the week with a 48-28 win over Council Rock North and closed the week with a 60-42 victory over Neshaminy. Lazaros Macrides and Amir Hinton both led Abington in scoring in both games with a game-high 12 points in the win over Rock North and 13-point efforts against Neshaminy.
Pennsbury won its only conference game of the week as the Falcons soared to a 59-40 victory over Council Rock South. Mekhi Bryant led Pennsbury with a 22-point performance, while Cameron Jones (14) and Steve Ciotti (11) also scored in twin digits for the winners.
William Tennent won its only conference game of the week as the Panthers clawed Bensalem 54-49. Matt Alden scored a game-high 21 points to spark the Panther attack, while John Ryan scored in double figures with 17 points.
Council Rock North split its pair of conference games last week. The Indians captured a 55-29 victory over Truman and dropped a 48-28 contest to Abington. In the win over HST, Chris Rowland scored a game-high 16 points. In the loss to Abington, Rowland scored a team-high 9 points.
Council Rock South split its pair of games last week. The Golden Hawks soared to a 59-51 victory over Truman and suffered a 59-40 loss to Pennsbury. In the victory over the Tigers, Rock South was led in scoring by Matt Stewart with 20 points. In the loss to Pennsbury, the Hawks were led in scoring by Tom Townsend with 15 points.
Neshaminy split its pair of games last week. The Redskins defeated Bensalem 46-42 behind the scoring of Jaylen Pickett who scored a game-high 24 points. The Redskins lost later in the week when NHS was beaten by Abington 60-42.
Bensalem failed to win either of its conference games last week. The Owls were gunned down by Neshaminy 46-42 and also fell to William Tennent 54-49. Chris Kilcoyne scored a team-high 15 points in the loss to William Tennent.
Truman also failed to win a conference game last week. The Tigers were caged by both Council Rock South (59-51) and Council Rock North (55-29). Tyquan Law (17) and Tramere Adams (12) scored in double digits in the loss to Rock South, while Eric Rosario scored a team-high 7 points against Rock North.
SOL National Conference Standings
Abington Ghosts 3 0
Pennsbury Falcons 3 0
William Tennent Panthers 2 1
Council Rock North Indians 1 2
Council Rock South Hawks 1 2
Harry S Truman Tigers 1 2
Neshaminy Redskins 1 2
Bensalem Owls 0 3
SOL Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
Central Bucks South Titans
Central Bucks South head coach Jason Campbell is finally getting his full squad together.
“We really haven’t had a full team until the North Penn game,” said Campbell as his Titans have reeled off conference wins over both the Knights (70-63) and Quakertown (71-42) last week. “We lost Chris Hones to a concussion early in the season, and getting him back has been huge.”
Hones is a 6-foot, 5-inch sophomore who was projected from Day One as a starter for South.
“Chris is very assertive for a sophomore on both ends of the floor,” said Campbell. “He can really alter shots, and he gives us another threat to score. He had a great offseason and a great summer.”
Hones may have been somewhat of a mystery man for the Titans – but not senior guard Matt Scamuffo.
“Matt is an incredible player and leader,” said Campbell. “He is our scoring machine, but he is also a great captain that encourages and leads the younger guys. He is always positive.
“And Ryan Tagliamonte has come a long, long way for us,” added Campbell of his senior guard who played junior varsity last season as a junior. “The strength of his game is from the outside, and he has given us 3-point threat. He is going to be a big contributor to the success of our team.
“There is going to be an opportunity for a lot of teams to win this conference championship,” continued Campbell. “I really think that we are going to be at least three quarters of the way through the season until we get an idea of who is will end the season with a shot at being a champion”
Stay tuned.
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL Continental Conference
Pennridge remained unbeaten in conference play as those crazy Rams won a pair of games last week. Pennridge opened the week with a 71-41 victory over Quakertown and closed the week with a 53-47 win over Hatboro-Horsham. Junior Joey Molettiere led the Rams in scoring in both wins with an 18-point effort in the win over the Panthers and a 15-point performance against the Hatters. Zach Muredda (12 & 11) and Dan Long (10 & 10) scored in twin digits in both wins.
Central Bucks South won both of its conference games last week as the Titans defeated both North Penn (70-53) and Quakertown (71-42). Matt Scamuffo led the Titans with 25 points in the victory over the Knights, while Ryan Tagliamonte lit up the Panthers for 20 points.
Souderton spilt its pair of conference games last week. The Indians opened the week with a tough 59-58 loss to Hatboro-Horsham but closed the week with a 53-49 victory over Central Bucks West. Carter Knight scored in double figures in both games to spark the offense. Knight scored a team-high 19 points against the Bucks, while he chipped in with 14 points against the Hatters. Evan Sloane scored a team-high 22 points against Hatboro-Horsham.
Central Bucks West split its pair of conference games last week. The Bucks opened the week with a 67-51 victory over district rival Central Bucks East and closed the week with a 53-49 loss to Souderton. In the win over CB East, the Bucks were led in scoring by Kyle Salvitti with 18 points, while in the loss to the Indians – West was led in scoring by Patrick Kelley with a game-high 20 points.
Central Bucks East split its pair of conference games last week. The Patriots opened the week with a 67-51 loss to Central Bucks West and closed the week with a 46-40 win over North Penn. Kevin McLaughlin led the Pats with 17 points in the loss to West, while Tommy Strasburger scored a team-high 14 points in the win over the Knights.
Hatboro-Horsham split its pair of conference games last week. The Hatters topped Souderton 59-58 to open the week and closed the week with a 53-47 loss to Pennridge. Zach Quattro was the leading scorer for Hatboro-Horsham in both games with a 24-point performance against Souderton and a 23-point effort against the Rams.
North Penn lost both conference games last week. The Knights opened the week with a 70-63 setback against Central Bucks South and closed the week with a 46-40 loss to Central Bucks East. James Edwards led the Knights with a 14-point effort in the loss to the Titans, while Brian Coleman (11) and Joe Richards (11) also scored in double figures.
Quakertown lost both of its conference games last week. The Panthers were caged by both Pennridge (71-41) and Central Bucks South (71-42). Brian Rejniak led Q-town in scoring in the Pennridge loss with 14 points, while Griffin Schmidt scored a team-high 18 points in the setback against CB South.
SOL Continental Conference Standings
Pennridge Rams 3 0
Central Bucks South Titans 2 1
Central Bucks West Bucks 2 1
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters 2 1
Central Bucks East Patriots 1 2
North Penn Knights 1 2
Souderton Indians 1 2
Quakertown Panthers 0 3
SOL American Conference ‘Snapshot’
Upper Moreland Golden Bears
Upper Moreland had huge expectations for the 2013-2014 hoop season with four strong players returning from its District One Class AAA championship team. Kevin McFall, Tommy Robinson, Chris Corr, and James Martin provided head coach Brian Corrado with a wonderful nucleus in hopes of a repeat district title.
“The expectations of district playoffs are there,” said Corrado. “And the players on this team have a focus of working hard toward that goal of being successful in the playoffs.
“Having those four players back helps a great deal with team chemistry,” added Corrado. “We have had only 11 or 12 days of practice, and right now the other players are working hard at blending in with those core players.”
Perhaps the best of the Golden Bears is Kevin McFall.
“Kevin is our most consistent player night in and night out,” said Corrado of his 6-5 senior. “He was always a good low post player, but he has now developed a mid-range game and can take players to the basket off the dribble. He has had a lot of looks from Division III schools, and he is keeping his options open.”
Upper Moreland recently played neighborhood rival Hatboro-Horsham at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia before a 76ers game,
“It was a great opportunity to play a game on a big stage like that,” said Corrado. “We built our schedule this year with some challenging games to prepare these players to play on the big stage in districts at the end of the season.”
And it is to be expected.
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL American Conference
Plymouth Whitemarsh moved to the head of the class in the conference with a pair of victories last week. The Colonials opened the week with an 88-53 victory over Cheltenham and closed the week with a key 69-56 win over Wissahickon. Jimmy Murray led the scoring in both games with a 31-point effort against Cheltenham and a 27-point performance against the Trojans. Andre Mitchell scored 14 points in the win over the Panthers and followed with a 20-point effort against Wissahickon.
Norristown split its pair of games last week as the Eagles soared to a 61-49 victory over Upper Moreland and followed with a 60-44 loss to Upper Dublin. Curt Lever (13), Kip Patten (12), and Daryl Carr (12) each scored in twin digits in the win, while Patten (15) was the lone double-digit scorer in the loss.
Upper Merion spilt its pair of games as the Vikings were sunk in the week’s opener in a 47-29 loss to Upper Moreland, but the Vikes followed with a 56-45 win over Springfield to close the week. Semik Patel led Upper Merion with a 13-point effort in the win, while David Stecz scored 12 points in the loss.
Upper Moreland was defeated by Norristown (61-49) and rebounded with a win over Upper Merion (47-29). Chris Corr scored a game-high 13 points in the win over the Vikings, while Kevin McFall scored a game-high 15 points in the loss to Norristown.
Upper Dublin opened the week with a 60-44 win over Norristown and closed the week with a 52-41 loss to Cheltenham. Kevin Woods was the leading scorer in both games for the Cardinals with 17 and 15 points respectively, while Simeon Fryer scored double figures in both contests with 11 and 14-point performances.
Cheltenham split its pair of games last week. The Panthers opened the week with an 88-53 loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh and closed the week with a 52-41 victory over Upper Dublin. Aaron Burton scored a team-high 21 points in the loss to PW, while Khalil White scored a team-high 14 points in the win over the Cardinals.
Wissahickon split its pair of games last week. The Trojans opened the week with a 68-37 victory over Springfield and followed with a 69-56 loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh. Chris Vila scored a team-high 16 points in the win over the Spartans, while Todd Bentley (15), Chase Wilson (10), and Chris Carradorni (10) also scored in twin digits. Wilson scored a team-high 22 points in the loss to PW.
Springfield lost both of its conference games last week. The Spartans dropped a 68-37 contest to Wissahickon and followed with a 56-45 loss to Upper Merion. Larry Clark was the leading scorer in both games for Springfield with a 17-point performance against Wissahickon and a 14-point effort against Upper Merion.
SOL American Conference Standings
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 3 0
Cheltenham Panthers 2 1
Norristown Eagles 2 1
Wissahickon Trojans 2 1
Upper Dublin Cardinals 1 2
Upper Merion Vikings 1 2
Upper Moreland Bears 1 2
Springfield Spartans 0 3
Suburban One League Holiday Hoops
Monday – 12/23/13
Harry S Truman @ Archbishop Ryan
Upper Dublin @ Spring-Ford
Perkiomen Valley @ Plymouth Whitemarsh
Thursday – 12/26/13
Lansdale Catholic @ Wissahickon
Abington vs. Friends Central @ Lower Merion
Friday – 12/27/13
Central Bucks South @ Council Rock North
Upper Merion vs. Franklin Towne Charter @ Jenkintown
Neshaminy @ Allentown Allen
Bensalem vs. Academy Park @ Haverford
Pennsbury vs. Trenton Catholic @ Allentown Central Catholic
Pope John Paul II @ Norristown
Springfield @ Christopher Dock
Governor Mifflin vs. Pennridge @ Boyertown
North Penn @ Holy Ghost Prep
Salisbury vs. Quakertown @ Parkland
West Chester Henderson vs. Council Rock South @ Penncrest
Shipley vs. Hatboro-Horsham @ Hazelton
Upper Dublin vs. Avon Grove @ Great Valley
Upper Moreland @ Great Valley
Saturday – 12/28/13
Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. William Penn (Del) @ Widener U.
Roselle Catholic vs. Abington @ Widener U.
Upper Moreland vs. Avon Grove @ Great Valley
Upper Dublin @ Great Valley
Sunday – 12/29/13
Norristown vs. William Penn (Del) @ Widener U.
Wissahickon vs. Martin Luther King @ Chestnut Hill
William Tennent vs. St. Joseph Prep @ Widener U.
Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. Newark (Del) @ Chestnut Hill
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