SOL Boys’ Basketball District One Preview (2-18-22)

Fourteen SOL boys’ basketball teams earned District One playoff berths. Check out the preview capsules.

Class 6A

#3 CHELTENHAM (Opening round bye)

25-0 overall
16-0 SOL Liberty Division champions
SOL Tournament champions – wins over Neshaminy (60-43), CB East (62-54) and Bensalem (50-37)
Won 25 games with an average margin of victory of 23.1 points per-game. Only one game – #21 Wissahickon (57-49) wasn’t a double-figure win. Also have wins over Class 5A #4 Upper Moreland (67-56, 73-50), #9 Upper Dublin (55-43), #13 Great Valley (70-39), #22 Plymouth Whitemarsh (72-56) and #23 Abington (62-46).
Senior guard Rasheem Dearry leads a deep team in scoring at 15.7 points per-game and was the team’s top scorer in 13 different games. Freshman point guard Josiah Hutson and senior forward Justin Savage each average 11.3. Other key players include Brandon Bush, Elias Walker, Nasir Edens, Kevin Addison-Anderson and Johnathan Fevrier.
Will face the winner of #19 Perkiomen Valley at #14 Central Bucks East on Tuesday.

#4 BENSALEM (Opening round bye)

19-6 overall
13-3 SOL Patriot Division champions
Second in SOL Tournament, losing in the championship game to #3 Cheltenham (50-37) after wins over #16 Pennsbury (50-45) and #9 Upper Dublin (62-54) to get there.
Also own regular-season wins this season over #18 Neshaminy (61-56, 64-54), #16 Pennsbury (42-37), #21 Wissahickon (81-60), #14 CB East (66-38), #11 CB South (67-53), #15 Council Rock North (49-41) and #23 Abington (77-71).
Senior guard Aaron Sanders, a three-year starter and holdover from Bensalem’s 2020 state playoff qualifying team, makes things go, either on the ball as point guard or off the ball. He averages 16.1 points per-game and has only been held to single figures in two games. Senior guard Jeremy Rodriguez (14.2 ppg) is an outside shooting threat, and 6-foot-7 senior Allen Myers (11.6 ppg) handles the inside game. Other key players include Eric Gonzalez, Jack Wineburg, Tra Edwards and Antonio Morris.
Will face the winner of #20 West Chester Henderson at #13 Great Valley in the second round on Tuesday.

#17 PENN WOOD at #16 PENNSBURY

Pennsbury

13-7 overall
10-6 tied for third in SOL Patriot Division
Lost to Bensalem (50-45) in the SOL Quarterfinals
Owns wins over #4 Bensalem (73-63), #18 Neshaminy (57-55), Council Rock South (50-35), North Penn (58-53), and Souderton (61-44)
Three seniors, forward Evan McNeely (15.6 ppg) and guards Aidan McCormack (14.6) and Ty Kocak (13.6), account for nearly 44 points per-game of offense, but where this group excels is defense. Other players to watch include Connor Taddei, Teddy Mangan and Justin Hedges.

Penn Wood

12-6 overall
6-3 Del-Val League, second place
Top wins for the Patriots were over #24 Garnet Valley (72-67) and Class 5A #9 Holy Ghost Prep (52-51). It also lost to Abington (59-41) late in the season.
Players to watch include 6-foot-3 senior forward Evan Borward, 5-10 senior guard Shamir Massenburg and 6-6 junior center Mekhi Shillingford.

Winner faces: #1 Methacton in the second round on Tuesday.

#24 GARNET VALLEY at #9 UPPER DUBLIN

Upper Dublin

17-7 overall
12-4 SOL Liberty Division co-champs
Lost in the semifinals of the SOL Tournament to #4 Bensalem (62-54) after beating #15 Council Rock North (44-41) in the quarterfinals.
Top wins in the regular season include over #21 Wissahickon (52-37), #23 Abington (39-37, 59-49), #14 Central Bucks East (52-48), and Class 5A #4 Upper Moreland (60-43) on the way to the program’s first league title in over 20 years.
The Flying Cardinals have a very balanced scoring team and can beat opponents in different ways. Seniors Seaton Kukla and DJ Cerisier lead the team at 10.8 and 10.5 points per-game. Junior Colin O’Sullivan averages 9.9 per-game and has scored in double figures in six of his last eight games, including 20 in SOL quarterfinal win over CR North. Others to watch include Ellis Johnson, Griffin Pensabene and Chris Kohlbrenner.

Garnet Valley

14-10 overall
10-6 Central League
Lost in double overtime to #10 Conestoga in the Central League semifinals.
Top wins on the season included over Class 6A #10 Conestoga (41-38), Class 5A #6 Bishop Shanahan (63-41), Class 5A #5 Penncrest (53-37), and Class 5A #7 Marple Newtown (56-44)
Top threats for the Jaguars include 6-1 junior guard Max Koehler, 6-2 senior guard Ryan Wootten and 6-2 freshman forward Jake Sniras.

Winner faces: #8 Spring-Ford in the second round on Tuesday.

#23 ABINGTON at #10 CONESTOGA

Abington

14-8 overall
11-5, SOL Liberty, tied for third
Won last five games of regular season to earn a spot in the Class 6A tournament
Up-and-down season, the Ghosts have wins over #21 Wissahickon (43-36), Plymouth #22 Whitemarsh (72-67), and Class 5A #4 Upper Moreland (42-24), and #17 Penn Wood (59-41).
Abington’s leading scorer all season has been 6-foot-6 senior forward Derrius Lucas (16.3 points per-game), while 6-5 senior Connor Fields (9.1), guards Fhenyx Scutt (8.8) and Jeremiah Lee (8.5) have all had big games as well.

Conestoga

15-6
12-5 Central League
The Central League was very good this season with #2 Lower Merion, #5 Haverford and Conestoga all seeded in the Class 6A top 10, as well as Class 5A #1 Radnor. One of the Pioneers wins was over Lower Merion (45-43) on Jan. 18. It also has wins over Class 5A #7 Marple Newtown (38-35) and #24 Garnet Valley (41-38), and nonleague over #6 Downingtown West (61-51)
The go-to-guy for the Pioneers is 6-foot-10 senior big man Michael Walz, who will play Division I college ball at Richmond, as well as 6-3 senior Chris Erickson and senior guard Ryan Mackey.

Winner faces: #7 West Chester East on Tuesday.

#19 PERKIOMEN VALLEY at #14 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST

Central Bucks East

16-8 overall
11-5 SOL Colonial, co-champions
Lost in the SOL Tournament semifinals to #3 Cheltenham (62-54) after knocking off rival CB South (58-55) in the semifinals.
Up-and-down season saw the Patriots go 8-1 to start the season, struggle and nearly fall out of playoff contention in a 2-6 stretch and then close with five straight wins to claim a share of the division title.
Top wins on the season included over #16 Pennsbury (71-69), #11 CB South (70-52) and two in New Jersey over Germantown Friends and Ocean City (N.J.).
Very deep and balanced scoring team has been led by sophomore point guard Jacob Cummiskey (11.0 ppg), while seniors Tyriq Toney-Bailey (8.5 ppg), Liam Cummiskey (8.1), Brett Young (5.7) and Aidan Weaver (7.3) have all had games where they led the team in scoring. Coach Erik Henrysen had nine different players with games in double figures scoring wise.

Perkiomen Valley

15-8
7-3 Pioneer Athletic Conference
The Vikings were 2-4 against SOL teams during the season, including losses to CB South, Souderton, Wissahickon and North Penn. They won 11 of 14 games before a PAC-12 tournament loss to Phoenixville last week. It has quality wins over Class 4A #2 Pope John Paul II (60-55), Spring-Ford (49-47, 55-45), Norristown (68-51).
Players to watch include sophomore leading scorer Josh Sadler, and seniors Josh Pelzer, Dawson Debebe and Vance Sadler for a team with a lot of guys who can fire it up from outside.

Winner faces: #3 Cheltenham on Tuesday.

#22 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH at #11 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH

Plymouth Whitemarsh

15-7 overall
12-4 SOL Liberty Division co-champions
Clinched a share of the division title with key wins over #9 Upper Dublin (47-44) and #21 Wissahickon (63-48) in the last week of the regular season.
Also owns wins over #5 Haverford High (50-49), #9 Upper Dublin twice (55-39 and aforementioned 47-44) and Class 5A #4 Upper Moreland (66-46).
Junior forward Qudire Bennett emerged as the team’s top scorer and the leading scorer in the entire SOL during the regular season, averaging 17.8 points per-game. He’s joined in double figures by explosive sophomore Jaden Colzie (13 ppg) and senior Marshall Baker (10.9 ppg). Others to watch include Zende Hubbard, Taji Hubbard and Trey Jones.

CB South

15-8 overall
11-5 SOL Colonial Division co-champions
Lost in the SOL Tournament quarterfinals to #14 CB East (58-55)
Played 10 games decided by three points or less and went 8-2.
Top wins on the season were over Perkiomen Valley (62-51), #14 CB East (69-57), Council Rock North (53-52), Pennsbury (62-55), Neshaminy (59-56) and Class 5A #4 Upper Moreland (43-41).
Three-year starter and 6-foot-7 senior Michael Farley leads the Titans at 14.7 point per-game and can score inside or out, as can 6-5 junior Tyler Meinel (11.4 ppg). In the backcourt watch out for seniors Jay Macalindong, Joe Rooney, Aidan Van Zanten and junior Chris Granito on a team that can go deep on its bench.

Winner faces: #6 Downingtown West in the second round on Tuesday.

#18 NESHAMINY AT #15 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH

Neshaminy

14-9 overall
10-6 SOL Patriot, tied for third place
Lost in the quarterfinals of the SOL Tournament to #3 Cheltenham (60-43)
Split with CR North in the regular season, losing 47-36 and then winning 49-40 in the rematch. Other key wins included #16 Pennsbury (81-78), #8 Spring-Ford (38-37), and #14 CB East (65-60).
On a team almost completely rebuilt from a year ago, Neshaminy was led by junior Sean Curley (13.4 ppg) and senior Evan Esposito (13.3 ppg), the only two returning players with significant varsity experience. Other key players include senior center Kade Benjamin (9.4) and sophomore guards Emeer Coombs (8.3) and Nate Townsend (9.6).

Council Rock North

16-7 overall
11-5 SOL Patriot, second place
Lost to #9 Upper Dublin (44-41) in the SOL Tournament quarterfinals
Went 6-1 in final seven league games, including two wins over #16 Pennsbury (53-48 and 37-35) in the final week of the regular season. Also owns wins over #14 Central Bucks East (54-52) and #4 Bensalem (64-51).
The Indians have one of the SOL’s top point guards in senior three-year starter Bernie Parent, who averaged 16.6 points per-game, all but one regular season game in double figures and 26 in the upset of Bensalem. Other top scorers include juniors Adam Mahtat (9.3 ppg) and Jack Blum (8.8), while they’ve also gotten contributions from senors Shane Anhalt, Ryan Burkett and Logan Saifer.

Winner faces: #2 Lower Merion on Tuesday.

#21 WISSAHICKON at #12 NORRISTOWN (Thursday, 7 p.m.)

Wissahickon

14-8 overall
11-5 SOL Liberty, tied for third
Was in division title contention going into last week of season before losses to #9 Upper Dublin (52-37) and #22 Plymouth Whitemarsh (63-48)
During the season, the Trojans top wins were against #23 Abington (51-47), #9 Upper Dublin (47-34), Class 5A #4 Upper Moreland (53-45), #22 Plymouth Whitemarsh (50-45), #19 Perkiomen Valley (60-59) and Germantown Academy (58-51) out of the Inter-Academic League. Lost regular season nonleague game to Norristown (57-46).
Junior guard Earl Stout (12 points per-game) leads the team in scoring, while sophomore Dom Vacchiano (11 ppg) is a serious outside threat. Also watch out for senior team leaders Josh Twersky (9 ppg) and Morgan Wilson (6.9 ppg), who do a lot of things well for coach Kyle Wilson.

Norristown

17-7 overall
6-5 Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division
The Eagles ended their season five straight wins before losing in the PAC-10 semifinals to #1 Methacton for the third time this season. They have several impressive wins on the season, including #21 Wissahickon (57-46), #17 Penn Wood (63-54), #19 Perkiomen Valley (39-38), #4 Bensalem (59-40) and $8 Spring-Ford (47-28).
Norristown is led by senior guard DJ Johnson (12.2 ppg) and senior forward John DiNolfi (10.1). Watch out for guard Zaki Gomez (10.7 ppg) from 3-point ranges.

Norristown, a 49-34 winner on Thursday night, will travel to Haverford High School in the second round on Tuesday.

Class 5A

#4 UPPER MORELAND (opening round bye)

14-8 overall
9-7 SOL Freedom Division, second place
The Golden Bears survived a difficult league schedule and emerged as one of the favorites in Class 5A. During the season their top wins were over Class 6A #20 West Chester Henderson (52-50), Class 5A Upper Merion (56-51) and Class 4A #3 Springfield (52-41, 31-30).
Senior forward Matt Tiernan is the top inside player for the Bears and averages 13 points per-game, while point guard Byron Hopkins (12.3 ppg) is a three-year starter in both football and basketball. Other top scorers including Bo Meakim (5.6 ppg) and Stefano Garofalo (6.8). The return of senior Jake Tiernan from injury late in the season has been a boost, as well.
The Bears will play the winner of #12 Chichester at #5 Penncrest in the quarterfinals on Feb. 23.

Class 4A

Semifinals Feb. 22

#3 SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP at #2 POPE JOHN PAUL II

10-10 overall
6-10 SOL Freedom Division, fourth place
Won 10 games one season removed from a 0-12 COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. It’s also the first season with a .500 record since returning to the SOL. Wins included two times over rival Lower Moreland (50-45, 47-33) and MaST Charter (70-59) in a nonleague game.
Junior guard Dylan McKenzie is the team’s top scorer at 12.2 point per-game, and he’s scored in doubles in seven of the last eight games of the regular season. He also had a 26-point game against Plymouth Whitemarsh. Seniors Ben Cooney and Kyle Smythe average 9.2 and 7.8 per-game, respectively. Others to watch include sophomore Brett Smith and senior Harry Rittenhouse.

Pope John Paul II

13-8
8-5 Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division co-champs
Lost to Class 6A #1 Methacton (55-42) in the PAC-10 championship game after defeating Class 5A #3 Phoenixville (55-43) in the semifinals.
Other big wins included over Class 6A #10 Conestoga (46-40) and Class 5A Class 5A #11 Upper Merion (67-59)
Senior point guard JP Baron led the Golden Panthers, and the PAC-10, in scoring at 17.9 ppg. He’s going in the backcourt by a pair of double figure scorers in seniors Jaden Workman and Kevin Green.

#4 NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY at #1 COLLEGIUM CHARTER

New Hope-Solebury

2-20
1-15 SOL Freedom Division
Rebuilding season with only one returning player with significant varsity experience has seen the Lions struggle against larger Class 6A and 5A schools. They do hold wins over Hatboro-Horsham (35-24) and Roxborough (55-40).
Players to watch include sophomore Miles Demby (10.2 ppg) and senior Charlie Albano (7.7).

Collegium Charter

20-2
13-1 Bicentennial Athletic League
Only league loss this season was to Class 3A #1 Dock Mennonite. Meanwhile, it has some impressive nonleague wins over the likes of Class 6A #7 West Chester East (65-56), Class 5A #3 Phoenixville (71-45) and Class 5A #6 Bishop Shanahan (43-42).
Top players for the Cougars including leading scorer junior Dinero Washington (18.7 ppg), junior Duce Jackson (13.9 ppg) and senior top rebounder Travon Mack.