By Scott Huff
An examination of the Suburban One League basketball box scores indicates a dramatic drop off in scoring by most of the teams in all three conferences.
“I think across District One – unless you are Plymouth Whitemarsh or Penn Wood – most of the teams lost a lot of players to graduation,” said Abington head coach Tony Hall – whose Ghosts snapped a 60-game conference winning streak by Pennsbury with a 38-36 victory. “There is a lot of parity in both the National and Continental conferences, and only Plymouth Whitemarsh and Wissahickon really stand out in the American.
“Pennsbury, Norristown, and some of the other very good teams from last year were hit hard by graduation,” added Hall. “It is going to open up for some other teams, maybe, for district playoff spots.”
“Really, almost anybody can beat anybody else,” said Pennridge head coach Dean Behrens. “I think the low scoring games really come down to a drop off in experience – teams lost a lot.
“Inexperienced teams tend to be more inconsistent,” added Behrens. “Teams may tend to play more conservatively with the ball – and the scores show that.”
“I think teams scheme more on how to stop teams defensively,” said Wissahickon head coach Kyle Wilson. “But really, I think the biggest reasons scores are down is that teams don’t have the experience on the floor.
“Plus, some teams have started playing more zone, and that tends to slow the games down – and limits the scoring,” added Wilson. “You do what you have to do to win.”
And after all, the only digit that counts is the one in the win column.
Suburban One League
National Conference
Abington (4-5 overall, 2-2 SOL National) remained in the thick of the conference race with the huge victory over Pennsbury, 38-36.
“We really tried to take advantage of our size and packed it in a 2-3 zone,” said Abington head coach Tony Hall. “We wanted to really get on (Pennsbury senior - Jesse) Krasna and limit the number of good looks he got with the basketball.
“Offensively, we wanted to get the ball down low to Jaymes (Miller),” continued Hall. “And we were able to do that pretty well in the second half.”
Miller – who scored a game-high 17 points – sealed the win for the Ghosts with a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left in the game.
Abington followed the Pennsbury win with a 48-43 loss to Council Rock South. Miller led the Ghosts with 19 points, while Wesley Rines added 12 points and Mike Piunti added nine points.
Pennsbury (6-4, 3-1) saw its 60-game SOL National Conference win streak snapped in the loss to Abington. The Falcons had not lost a conference game since January 28, 2005 when they lost a 48-44 game to Neshaminy.
The Falcons rebounded with the conference to defeat William Tennent, 70-42. Kieran Bolger and Zak Kumor led P-bury with 13 points each. Jesse Krasna and Kris Hassell each scored 10 points.
Pennsbury ventured out of conference and suffered a 65-59 loss to the Mighty Elephants of Math, Civic, and Sciences of Philadelphia. Krasna had a terrific individual game for the Falcons with 30 points.
Bensalem (5-3, 3-1) flew to a first place tie with Pennsbury and Neshaminy in the SOL National Conference standings by splitting a pair of conference games last week.
The Owls opened the week with a 51-45 loss to Council Rock South, but regained a spot at the top of the conference standings with a 74-64 victory over Truman.
The most impressive win of the week, however, for Bensalem came in its 63-51 non-league victory over highly regarded Holy Ghost Prep (9-2).
The Owls placed four players in double figures in the win over the Prep. Nick Christian led the Owls with 17 points, while Alex Agyedu (13), Ivan Flores (12) and Calvin Brown (10) also scored in twin digits for Bensalem.
Neshaminy (7-3, 3-1) also split a pair of conference games to remain in first place in the standings. The Redskins opened the week with a 67-58 non-league loss to Holy Ghost Prep.
Neshaminy followed with a 68-42 victory over Truman, but was defeated by Council Rock North – 49-43. In the loss to the Indians, Steve Warhola led the Skins with 15 points, while sophomore standout Ryan Arcidiacono was limited to just 10 points.
Council Rock North (7-3, 2-2) won all three of its games last week and has now won four in a row.
The Indians opened the week with a SOL National Conference win over William Tennent, 55-40. And North followed with a huge 49-43 win over Neshaminy to hand the Skins their first conference loss. John Raymon scored 15 points in the win over Neshaminy, while Andrew Stress (12) and Arron Goodman (11) also scored in double figures.
Rock North closed the week with a 66-33 rout of Conrad Weiser. The Indians placed 11 players in the scoring column with sophomore Matt McCloskey leading the team with 12 points.
Council Rock South (5-4, 2-2) has won three of its last four games – including the last two in the SOL National Conference.
The Golden Hawks opened the week with a 51-45 win over Bensalem and closed the week with a 48-43 victory over Abington. Cody Nowlin led Rock South in the Abington win with 15 points, while P.J. Gallo added 11 points for the winners.
Truman (5-6, 2-2) has now lost four straight games – including three last week – two within the conference.
The Tigers opened the week with a 68-42 loss to Neshaminy and followed with a 74-64 setback to Bensalem. Eddie Valentine scored 33 points in the loss to the Owls.
Truman closed the week with a 72-56 non-league loss to Simon Gratz. Shawn Miller led the Tigers with 18 points, while Joe Amparo scored 10 points.
William Tennent (5-4, 0-4) is unbeaten outside of the SOL National Conference – and winless within the conference.
The Panthers dropped a 55-40 loss to Council Rock North and followed with a 70-42 setback to Pennsbury. Tennent routed Interboro – 46-31 – behind the scoring of Chris Weise and Sawyer Waugh. Both Weise and Sawyer scored 10 points for the Panthers.
Suburban One League
Continental Conference
Pennridge (3-8 overall, 0-4 SOL Continental Conference) may be winless in the conference, but the Rams are not being overlooked by their opponents as the season continues.
“This has been a lot of fun for myself and the team,” said Pennridge head coach Dean Behrens. “We played four overtime games in a row (wins over Upper Perkiomen and Governor Mifflin – losses to Central Bucks South and Boyertown), and we have been in almost every game.
“We have had a chance to be coaching in the fourth quarter, and that has been exciting,” added Behrens as the Rams were 1-21 last season. “We can match up well with some teams this season – and Quakertown was one of those.”
Pennridge led the Panthers 19-5 at the conclusion of the first period, but a second half drought spelled a 69-63 conference loss.
“We were up two with a minute and a half left,” said Behrens. “But we were unable to hold on.
“This is a young team (no seniors on the roster), and we have played well individually,” added Behrens. “We shoot a lot of 3-pointers – make a lot of 3-pointers – but we do lack a post game. We have to make the best of our situations to beat teams – we have a small margin of error.”
Sophomore Tim Aburzzo has been a bright light all season for the Rams. The shooting guard fired seven treys from behind the arc to lead Pennridge with 26 points against Quakertown. Mike Guldin – who led the team with 16 points in a 56-42 loss to CB East earlier in the week – scored 13 points against Q-town.
“The East game was a tough match-up because of their size,” said Behrens. “But we have some winnable games on our schedule.”
North Penn (6-3, 3-1) moved into the SOL Continental Conference penthouse with a pair of conference victories last week against Souderton and Central Bucks West.
The Knights received a glittering 25-point performance from junior Matt Possanza in a stunning 54-52 win over Souderton. It was the first loss of the season for the Indians. Possanza scored 18 points to lead North Penn to a 51-50 victory over CB West. Sean Brooks connected on a trio of 3-pointers to score 16 points against the Indians.
Quakertown (6-3, 3-1) split a pair of conference games to remain in first place in the conference standings. The Panthers lost to Central Bucks West but rebounded with a win over Pennridge.
The ‘Three Musketeers’ for Quakertown – Kenny Gula, Dalton Nice, and Rick Kivela - led the Panthers in scoring for both games. Gula scored 20 points, while Nice added 13 and Kivela 11 in the loss to West. Nice scored 19 points, while Kivela added 18 and Gula 16 in the win over Pennridge.
Hatboro-Horsham (5-6, 2-2) had a great week winning all three of its games – including its first two in the conference.
The Hatters – who welcomed back 6-foot, 5-inch senior Connor Poston from an injury – defeated CB South, 49-44, and followed with a 40-36 win over CB East.
Hatboro-Horsham closed the week with a 44-39 victory over neighborhood rival Upper Moreland in a non-league game. Mike Marvin – the leading scorer for the season for the Hatters – scored a game-high 23 points in the win over the Golden Bears.
Central Bucks South (5-5, 2-2) split a pair of conference games last week to remain in the hunt for the conference title. The Titans opened the week with a 49-44 loss to Hatboro-Horsham, but upset Souderton 56-49.
In the win over the Indians, Mike Pincus scored 14 points, had 10 rebounds, and dealt out six assists for the Titans. The leading scorer for South was Nick Joerger with 17 points.
Central Bucks West (5-4, 2-2) also split a pair of conference games last week and remained in the hunt for a conference title. The Bucks opened the week with a 59-55 win over Quakertown and followed with a tough 51-50 loss to North Penn.
Patrick Furst led the Bucks in scoring in both games. Furst scored 20 points in the win over the Panthers and tallied 11 points in the West loss to the Knights.
Central Bucks East (4-4, 2-2) also split a pair of conference games last week and also remained in the hunt for a conference title. The Patriots opened the week with a 56-42 win over Pennridge and ended the week with a 40-36 loss to Hatboro-Horsham.
The Patriots sandwiched a non-league game with Perkiomen Valley between conference games. East – behind a 17-point scoring performance by David Kiersnowski – defeated the Vikings 45-38.
Souderton (8-2, 2-2) fell hard from the unbeaten ranks as the Big Red lost a pair of conference games last week – to North Penn and Central Bucks South.
The Indians lost to the Knights as standout A.J. Picard was ‘held’ to nine points by the patient NP offense. Kyle Connolly led the Big Red with 16 points against the Knights, while Nathan Moyer added 14 points.
Souderton could not hold off CB South in a 56-49 loss. Picard rebounded with a superb 25-point scoring effort, while Connolly scored in double figures with 10 points.
Suburban One League
American Conference
Wissahickon (7-3 overall, 2-2 SOL American Conference) won a so-called ‘statement’ game when the Trojans defeated host Norristown, 49-41. Wissahickon had not beaten the Eagles since January of 2004.
“This is a huge win for us,” said Wissahickon head coach Kyle Wilson. “Norristown is a proud team, and they are not just going to go away.”
Wissahickon was led in scoring by Jack O’Neill with 13 points, while Tom Sweeney added 12 points and Michael Bundy chipped in with 11 markers.
“We had a size advantage, and we wanted to take advantage of that,” said Wilson. “We wanted to make sure that we executed the entire game.
“This game was also important considering how poorly we played against Upper Dublin,” said Wilson in reference to the Trojans 52-39 loss to the Flying Cardinals. “We played without Jack (O’Neill – strep throat), but we should have been able to handle that better. We were out of sync.”
In the loss to Upper Dublin, Bundy and sophomore Jordan Reed led the Trojans in scoring with 12 points each.
Cheltenham (6-4, 4-0) may be the hottest team in the American Division as the Panthers came up with a pair of conference wins and an impressive non-league win over Glen Mills.
Cheltenham bested Upper Merion, 67-39, behind a 15-point effort by Rob Mansell. Malcom Weston scored 13 points in the Panthers 55-33 win over Springfield.
Cheltenham played a wonderful game in a 63-54 win over the Battlin’ Bulls. Mansell scored a game-high 29 points for the Panthers, and Weston added 21 points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-0, 4-0) kept its season perfect with a pair of SOL American Conference wins over Upper Moreland and Upper Dublin.
Jaylen Bond led the Colonials in the win over the Bears with 23 points, while C.J. Aiken added 22 points. In the victory over the Flying Cardinals, Aiken scored 21 points and Bond added 16 points.
Norristown (8-2, 3-1) won two of three games last week and split a pair of conference games. The Eagles flew by both Springfield and Methacton, while suffering its first conference loss to Wissahickon.
Norristown bested Springfield 53-34 and topped Methacton 56-41. Chris Davis scored 10 points in the Eagles 49-41 setback to Wissahickon.
Upper Dublin (5-3, 2-2) played perhaps the best two teams in the conference and split its games with a win over Wissahickon and a loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh.
In the 52-39 win over the Trojans, James Newman scored 14 points while Khalil Owens and Jamil Brown added 13 points each. Brown scored 25 points in the Cards 74-45 loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Upper Merion (4-6, 1-3) won its first game of the American Conference season with a 54-45 victory over Upper Moreland. The Vikings opened the week with a 67-39 loss to Cheltenham.
Ryan McGee led UMHS with a 13-point effort against Cheltenham, while McGee scored 16 points in the win over the Golden Bears. Francis Rafferty also scored in twin digits in the Upper Moreland win with 15 points.
Springfield (3-7, 0-4) lost a pair of American Conference games last week against both Norristown and Cheltenham.
The Spartans lost to Norristown by a 53-34 margin as Chris Cruele led the team with 14 points. Springfield closed the week with a 55-33 setback to Cheltenham as Malcom Hill led the Spartans with 11 points.
Upper Moreland (1-9, 0-4) lost three games last week – two in conference to Plymouth Whitemarsh and Upper Merion – and a non-league game to Hatboro-Horsham.
The Golden Bears suffered an 82-44 loss to PW and a 54-45 setback to Upper Merion. Royne Dennis led UMHS with 18 points in a 44-39 loss to Hatboro-Horsham.
Suburban One Sports.Com
Baker’s Dozen
1. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (9-0)
2. Council Rock North Indians (7-3)
3. Neshaminy Redskins (7-3)
4. Norristown Eagles (8-2)
5. Wissahickon Trojans (7-3)
6. Souderton Indians (8-2)
7. North Penn Knights (6-3)
8. Pennsbury Falcons (6-4)
9. Cheltenham Panthers (6-4)
10. Quakertown Panthers (6-3)
11. Bensalem Owls (5-3)
12. Council Rock South Golden Hawks (5-4)
+ 1. Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals (5-3)
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