In the fourth meeting between the SOL powers, Pennridge defeated Abington in Wednesday’s PIAA 6A second round. Photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko and Geanine Jamison. Check back for a gallery of photos.
#1-4 Pennridge 55, #1-1 Abington 51
Pennridge's players had very specific instructions for the assistant coaches waiting outside their locker room door.
"Make sure he doesn't come in until the beat drops," one of the Rams said of late-arriving head coach Dean Behrens, deviously holding a cup of water.
Behrens finally arrived, the beat dropped and he walked in. The longtime Rams coach was about two steps in before he was mobbed by players dousing him in water. That's what happens after historic wins.
Pennridge is in the state quarterfinals for the first time, and all it took was finding a way past an Abington team that had beaten the Rams three times this season.
"I get to coach them again, all 18 guys, that’s what’s cool,” Behrens said. “It’s like the NCAA team tournament – the state tournament in Pennsylvania at the end of every game, that’s it for somebody. You have to say bye to seniors and that’s hard.
“They’re never going to get to play together as a team again and that’s what makes it so final. You see that raw emotion.”
Not only was Wednesday the fourth meeting between the teams this season, it was their second time playing at Bensalem. The first time, in the SOL title game, the Rams came apart in the fourth quarter as Abington took the ball out of Sean Yoder's hands, erased an eight-point fourth quarter deficit and walked out with the win.
Yoder came prepared for a different outcome on Wednesday, and his teammates followed his lead as they have all season. The senior point guard and Navy recruit was strong throughout but especially good late as he scored a game-high 26 points.
"Today was a little different, it was me being aggressive,” Yoder, the top scorer in Pennridge history, said. “Whether it was looking for my shot, looking for other good shots or grabbing the ball and trying to get to the free throw line. Whatever it was, I wanted to have the ball in my hands to make that decision and try to get my guys open.”
Beating Abington meant the Rams needed Yoder to be at his best, which he was, and their defense to be at the same level. Pennridge's 2-3 zone and the discipline the Rams play it with are built to frustrate Abington.
Junior Trent Fisher had the job as primary defender on Abington senior Eric Dixon, with plenty of help from Jon Post behind and Yoder in front. The Rams also extended the middle of their zone out to try and clamp down Lucas Monroe in the high post while the guards up top just chased the ball doggedly as the Ghosts worked around the perimeter.
"Trent Fisher did one heck of a job in the middle of that 2-3 zone," Behrens said. "Dixon, he is a man-child, he's a physical specimen, he's so strong but he has soft touch and great feet. He's a quiet kid but a competitor who just plays hard and I thought Trent did a great job.
"Obviously, Dixon is going to get points, but we frustrated him a little bit. We also did a decent job with Monroe – he didn't kill us on the boards like the last time."
Working in Pennridge's favor was Abington's frigid shooting from the perimeter. The Ghosts shot 7-of-29 from 3-point range, with six of those makes coming during their rally in the fourth quarter, so they were never able to find a zone-buster shooting touch.
“When it comes to rebounds and stuff, Dixon is going to get his – he’s a big kid and he’s hard to stop,” Post said. “But if they tried to force it in, which they did a few times, we could get steals and that turned into points on our end of the floor.”
Pennridge's hands were very active. Fittingly, Yoder had a deflection on a late fourth-quarter Abington possession that turned into a steal at a crucial moment. It was tough for the Ghosts to get clean looks inside, and with their perimeter shooting off – scoring became that much tougher.
“It happens. It’s a bad time to go cold and we couldn’t make shots,” Abington coach Charles Grasty said. “They did a good job in that zone and taking away our inside presence.
“They did an excellent job, they have a great team, they do what they do well and they’re tough to beat when they’re hitting shots and you’re not.”
After Abington scored the opening hoop, Pennridge scored the next four and led the rest of the way. The Ghosts got within one late in the second but the Rams scored the last five for a 24-18 halftime lead.
Pennridge built its lead all the way up to 10 in the third quarter before settling on nine going into the third. In the SOL final, the Ghosts had chopped down an eight-point Rams lead late before going on to win, so Pennridge knew what was coming.
"We had lived this, we were up eight with about five minutes left, they hit shots and we didn't rebound well," Behrens said. "I think we were more comfortable in that situation having been through it and that helped us."
Abington won that meeting by getting the ball away from Yoder and out of his hands on big possessions late.
Wednesday, after Joey Brusha hit a three to cut the Rams’ lead down to just one, Yoder never relinquished the rock as he went down the floor and answered. After a Monroe basket got it back to one, Yoder stepped up to hit 7-of-8 at the line, putting his guys back up eight.
"Once you make a couple, you feel confident in yourself going back to the foul line and you want to be in that situation,” Yoder said. “I know my guys wanted me to be in that situation too as the leader of the team. I’m not going to shy away from that moment as a senior, I’m going to go take it and grab it.”
Monroe fouled out during that stretch, ending his stellar career with a 10-point outing. The senior, who will play at Penn next year, closed out his career with 1,123 points (seventh all-time) and finished second to Matt Penecale (’15) on the program's all-time assists chart with 453. Monroe and Maurice Henry shared the team lead with 116 assists this season.
Dixon ended his standout career with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Villanova recruit finishes as the Ghosts' all-time leading scorer and the first player to surpass 2,000 career points at Abington while also going over 1,000 rebounds. Dixon, who averaged 27.9 points and 11.6 rebounds, closed out his career with 2,454 points (a single season record 838 this year) and 1,012 rebounds.
They were the headliners, but the contributions of players like Henry, Darious Brown, Manir Waller and others were just as key to a team that won its third straight District I 6A title, won 26 straight games from Dec. 11, 2018 to March 9, 2019 and only lost once to a team from Pennsylvania all season.
It's a legacy that will be hard to replicate and one that extends off the 93 feet of court.
“It was excellent, we did a lot of fun things on the court, we did a lot of good things in our community, it’s not just about playing basketball,” Grasty said. “These guys have been out in the community doing things with the kids who look up to them, they’re doing things in the school. They’ve made tremendous names for themselves and not just on a basketball court.
“They’ve done a lot more than people see and that’s what I’m most proud of.”
Pennridge will face Methacton, a 93-71 winner over Boys' Latin, in Saturday's quarterfinals. Like the Rams, the Warriors are making their first state quarterfinal appearance.
Ironically, the two squads scrimmaged in the interim between districts and states, so they have an idea what to expect as both seek their first trip to the Pennsylvania final four.
"I'm not ready for this to end," Yoder said. "It's gone so quick. I love my guys and that's what it's all about."
Pennridge 12-12-14-17 55
Abington 6-12-11-22 51
Pennridge: Luke Yoder 2 1-2 5, Jon Dominic 1 2-4 6, Sean Yoder 6 14-16 26 Trent Fisher 3 0-0 6, Jon Post 4 3-5 11, Jack Gillespie 1 0-0 3. Totals: 17 20-27 55.
Abington: Manir Waller 3 0-0 8, Darious Brown 1 0-0 3, Lucas Monroe 5 0-0 10, Eric Dixon 7 6-11 21, Joey Brusha 3 0-0 9. Totals: 19 6-11 51.
3-pointers: P – Gillespie; A – Brusha 3, Waller 2, Brown, Dixon.
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