By Scott Huff
The Pennsbury basketball program celebrated both on and off the court last week.
The Falcons continue to prove that they are one of the premier squads in the area with Suburban One National Conference victories over both Council Rock North (68-45) and Bensalem (55-43).
However, the most prestigious moment for the program came last Wednesday when the Markward Memorial Basketball Club of Philadelphia honored Pennsbury seniors Dalton Pepper and Eddie DiRugeris for their achievement in basketball.
“It was a great experience for us,” said Pepper. “We got to learn about the past winners, and we were honored to get the award.”
“It was cool to be honored and to be in the same room with all those legendary people,” said DiRugeris. “It is a day I won’t forget.”
The Markward Club is named for legendary Roman Catholic coach William “Billy” Markward. The Club meets every Wednesday from mid-March to honor players from around the area.
Pepper and DiRugeris are the first players to be honored from Bucks County that have not played in the Philadelphia Public League, the Philadelphia Catholic League, or the Inter-Ac League.
“There is a great deal of tradition in that room,” said Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla. “Both Dalton and Eddie deserve the honor.
“They both spend a tremendous amount of time reaching out to the youth in our community,” added Sciolla. “They come to the Saturday morning clinic and they participate in our reading to schools program.”
And both show up big time when the Falcons take the court. The victories over Rock North and Bensalem have now extended the SOL National Conference wins for the Falcons to 45 consecutive wins.
“Both Dalton and Eddie have improved as players from their junior seasons to this season,” said Sciolla. “Dalton is a proven Division One player, and Eddie could be a Division One player by the end of the season.”
Pepper, who is committed to West Virginia University next season, also reached a milestone last week in the win over CR North.
Pepper – with his 23-point effort against the Indians - became the all-time scorer for the Pennsbury boys basketball program. Pepper eclipsed the scoring record of Jason Vegotsky who graduated in 2005 with 1,552 career points. Vegotsky is now a senior at Bucknell University.
Pepper passed his father – Jack – in a loss to Chester last season to assume the number two position in Pennsbury history.
“It is a nice accomplishment,” said Pepper. “But I’m glad that it is over with so we can focus on our team goals.
“We have four starters back from last year, and we are expected to do well,” added Pepper. “We want to be able to concentrate on the next game.”
“We want to win our league and do well in districts,” said DiRugeris. “And if we do that, we should get a shot at states.”
“We have a very difficult non-league schedule,” said Sciolla. “But is helps us get ready for the end of the season.
“The biggest part of our season, though, is winning the league title,” added Sciolla. “The league and the district are about as balanced as I have ever seen it. It should be an exciting season.”
Suburban One League National Notes
William Tennent (1-4, 0-2) captured its first win of the season with a 57-39 non-league victory over Pennridge on Saturday.
“We have been stressing all year about doing things the right way,” said William Tennent head coach Rob Mulville. “Of course, everybody wants to see that result in some wins.
“The team is learning and we’re executing better,” added Mulville. “We play a tough schedule and in a tough league.”
Panther senior Jeff Pio played s superb game in the win over Pennridge as he scored a game-high 20 points for the winners.
“Jeff scored some clutch points to give us the lead,” said Mulville. “And he ran the offense the way we needed it run late in the game.”
The 5-foot, 11-inch point guard will make a collegiate decision soon. Pio is a Division One player in soccer and has narrowed his choices to La Salle and Temple – among others.
“Jeff was our MVP last season and started as a sophomore,” said Mulville. “He has started as a sophomore, and he was an honorable mention all-league player.”
Neshaminy (2-2, 2-0) lost both of its games in the preseason, but the Redskins find themselves on top of the SOL National Conference. Neshaminy has beaten both Abington (59-48) and Council Rock South (42-41) in conference play.
Pennsbury (2-0, 2-0) is also on top of the National Conference standings with wins over Council Rock North (68-45) and Bensalem (55-43).
Council Rock North (2-2, 1-1) captured a conference victory over Truman (69-46), while Council Rock South (2-2, 1-1) also claimed a conference win over Truman (49-46).
Bensalem (2-1, 1-1) has a conference win over William Tennent (51-48), while Abington (2-2, 1-1) also has a conference win over WT (66-44).
Suburban One League Continental Notes
Central Bucks East (3-0, 2-0) remained unbeaten as the Patriots edged host Quakertown 63-57 in overtime.
“We have a number of players who can step up and make the big play for us,” said Central Bucks East head coach Chris Huber. “We play in a very competitive league, and if you want to win games, you are going to have to make plays at the end of games.”
The Patriots have been flawless late in games, as they have secured three close wins. East has beaten North Penn (42-40) and Wissahickon (75-72) in close games, and has defeated Quakertown in overtime.
“Brandon Boekel and Tim McLaughlin have the ability to take leadership roles in close games,” said Huber. “And Chris Harmon has made some big baskets.”
Central Bucks West (3-1, 2-0) is unbeaten in conference play. The Bucks edged Souderton (47-46) in overtime and have also beaten Pennridge (52-35).
Quakertown (2-2, 1-1) opened conference play with a 45-42 victory over Central Bucks South. CB South (3-2, 1-1) also has one conference win as the Titans defeated Pennridge (1-4, 0-2), 52-35.
Souderton (3-1, 1-1) owns a conference victory as the Indians bested Hatboro-Horsham by a 46-27 score.
Hatboro-Horsham (3-1, 1-1) also owns a single conference win as the Hatters topped North Penn (2-3, 0-2), 45-36.
Suburban One League American Notes
Plymouth-Whitemarsh is an elite program that seeks out quality teams in its non-league schedule. That experience may not result in a win – as in the Colonials 75-63 loss to Philadelphia Catholic League power Roman Catholic – but the experience is invaluable.
“We want to test ourselves in our non-league schedule,” said Plymouth-Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “This is a very young team, and we want to be able to increase their learning curve and make them better players.”
The youth of the PW team came from a trio of transfer students. Both junior C.J. Akin and sophomore Jaylen Bond played ball last year at LaSalle High School, while freshman Damien Williams is a product of Strawberry Mansion.
“We are going to need some time to grow together as a team,” said Donofrio. “Once we settle into the pace of the game, we should be fine.”
Plymouth-Whitemarsh (3-2, 2-0) is unbeaten in conference play with wins over Upper Merion (63-38) and Wissahickon (70-49).
Norristown (2-0, 2-0) has only conference games under its belt, and the Eagles are perfect in conference play. N-town has beaten both Upper Moreland (51-32) and Upper Merion (0-5, 0-2) in conference action.
Cheltenham (3-1, 2-0) is the third conference team with an unbeaten conference record. The Panthers have a 58-56 overtime win over Upper Moreland (1-2, 0-2) and a 66-60 victory over Upper Dublin.
Upper Dublin (2-3, 1-1) has split its conference games. The Flying Cardinals defeated Springfield (0-4, 0-2) for its conference victory.
Wissahickon (2-3, 1-1) also owns a conference win. The Trojans defeated Springfield by a 67-37 margin in the conference opener.
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