Cheltenham, Bensalem & Pennridge were winners in Tuesday’s District One 6A second round. Bensalem/Spring-Ford photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson; Plymouth Whitemarsh/Coatesville provided by Larry Smalll, and Cheltenham/Upper Darby by Richard Owens. CLICK HERE for a gallery of photos.
Class 6A
#7 BENSALEM 48, #10 SPRING-FORD 45
Ron Morris admits he has to pinch himself to make sure he’s not dreaming.
The Owls – on the heels of winning the SOL National Conference title – punched their ticket to the state tournament with Tuesday’s hard fought win.
As beginnings go, it’s been a good one for the Owls’ first-year coach.
“It’s surreal,” Morris said. “It’s an amazing group of boys. They played so well tonight as a team. They shared the ball, they picked each other up.
“We got so many big defensive stops down the stretch. Defensive stops and rebounds were the difference tonight. Spring-Ford is a really good team. They’re well coached, their defense was good. It was a really nice win.”
The Owls held a 16-14 advantage after one quarter and took a 29-25 lead into halftime.
“In the first half, Aaron (Sanders) shot the ball extremely well – he had four 3-pointers,” Morris said of his sophomore point guard. “He shot them out of the zone.
“Jerry (Alexander) did an awesome job all game defending and rebounding. He was either altering shots or blocking shots. He defended their big kid, number two (Tre Medearis), really well. That kid’s a really good player, and Jerry did a really good job against him. Jerry got into a little bit of foul trouble early, but we were able to play him with two fouls. Justin Johnson, when he was in there, also defended him.”
After a low-scoring third quarter that saw the two teams combine for just nine points, the Owls led 34-29. James Ashford had the hot hand for the Owls in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of his team’s 14 points.
“He got on the fast break, and when they went man-to-man, we were able to get by them and get to the rim,” Morris said. “That’s when James was getting his points.”
Ashford led three Owls in double figures with 18 points. Sanders added 14 and Alexander had 11.
“Aaron shot the ball well,” Morris said of Sanders. “Jeremiah (Alexander) had an amazing and-one dunk. It gave us momentum early, and it was one of the nicest dunks I have ever seen in high school
“Travis (Robinson) does what he does. He causes havoc, he made some nice plays. Justin Johnson had a play at the end where the ball came to 
him, and he was wide open, but it was a time when we needed to kill the clock, and he brought the ball back out. It was a true team effort and team win tonight.”
The win loomed large since it ensured the Owls a coveted spot in states.
“We stamped our ticket to the state tournament,” Morris said. “That was something we talked about. We had goals since the beginning of the year.
“One of the team goals was SOL champs and we got that. The kids write down their goals, and almost all of them had SOL champs and states on their goals. We met those two goals, and it’s time to keep going. We enjoy this tonight. Now you play with less pressure because you’re in the state tournament. We’re fortunate enough to have another game Friday.”
Bensalem (18-6, 11-1 SOL) will host #18 Downingtown East in a district quarterfinal contest Friday. The Cougars upset #2 Garnet Valley 55-50.
Spring-Ford 14-11-4-16 45
Bensalem 16-13-5-14 48
Spring-Ford (45) – Tre Medearis 9 2-4 21; Pat Kovaleski 4 2-2 11; Zack Serocki 2 3-4 7; Nate Santiago 1 0-0 3; Jake Kressley 1 1-2 3; Totals 17 8-12 45.
Bensalem (48) – Travis Robinson 1 2-2 4; Aaron Sanders 5 0-1 14; Jeremiah Alexander 5 1-2 11; James Ashford 7 4-7 18; Luke Zeidler 0 1-2 1; Totals 18 8-14 48.
3-point goals: SF – Tre Medearis, Pat Kovsaleski, Nate Santiago, Bensalem – Aaron Sanders 4.
#8 PENNRIDGE 55, #24 NORTH PENN 41
The defending state runner-up Rams– despite losing the nucleus of last year’s squad to graduation – are returning to the state tournament. They earned a state berth with Tuesday night’s win over the Knights.
“Our goal was to try to get to states tonight with the opportunity to get to Temple,” Behrens said. “The kids really came through.
“I’m so pleased, I’m happy for them. They’ve really left a mark on Pennridge basketball.”
The Rams set the tone early, opening up a 17-10 lead after one quarter. They took a 29-16 advantage into halftime.
“Defensively, we really grind and we really buy in,” Behrens said. “I could never question how hard they play.
“Tonight, my thing was – ‘Go out, play as hard as you can, and I’m not going to be upset with the outcome. You guys go out and give the effort you’ve given every game and every practice, and I’m going to be happy with whatever the outcome is. I can’t be upset.’ I wanted them to feel at ease. For most of these guys, it was their first major playoff game action.”
Coming up huge for the Rams was Christian Guldin, whose 22 points led all scorers. The senior point guard had a pair of 3s and was 6-for-9 at the foul line.
“He controlled the whole game – he was the engine tonight,” Behrens said of Guldin. “He was under a lot of duress in the fourth quarter, and I thought he handled it exceptionally well.
“I’m sure he’s a little upset – he missed a couple of foul shots, but he always was able to hit one out of two or he hit the first one, and we never went away empty. I thought that was very beneficial, and just how he handled their pressure and duress and took time off the clock – we put a lot on him, and he handles it well. He does a great job.”
Coming up big in supporting roles were Paul Croyle – recently cleared to return to action after suffering a broken foot in December – and Connor Pleibel. Both players contributed eight points.
“Paul Croyle comes off the bench after really struggling with that foot, not feeling part of the team, and he gives us eight points,” Behrens said. “Connor (Pleibel) hits the first bucket on a post-up and hits two 3s. What great offense he gave us. I think his confidence is really starting to come around, and that’s important for us.”
Trent Fisher added seven points.
“Trent did a great job defensively on (Matt) Swanson – I thought that was huge,” Behrens said. “On the defensive end, Trent was a monster. He did have a great dunk that got the crowd going.
“Obviously, they keyed on him a lot, and what that does – it opens up the outside for everybody else, and I don’t think Trent cares how many points he gets. We got a win. Other guys were able to pick up the slack offensively, and we’re all happy.
“I’m trying to get the guys to enjoy. It was a great atmosphere in the gym today.”
With the win, Pennridge (19-6, 9-3 SOL) earned a date with top-seeded Methacton in Friday’s quarterfinal round with a trip to the district semifinals at Temple at stake.
“They’re awesome, they’re really good, but you know what – I would have signed up for this,” Behrens said. “We’re going to states with a chance to go to Temple. Sign me up, I’m there, I’ll drive the bus.”
Josh Jones led the Knights with 16 points. Mike Chaffee added eight while Rob Carangi and Swanson each added six.
North Penn (10-14, 5-7) will travel to #16 Council Rock South for a playback game Friday.
North Penn 10-6-12-13 41
Pennridge 17-12-14-12 55
North Penn (41) – Josh Jones 6 4-5 16; Joe Larkins 2 0-0 5; Mike Chaffee 2 2-2 8; Rob Carangi 3 0-0 6; Matt Swanson 2 2-2 6; Totals 15 8-9 41.
Pennridge (55) – Connor Pleibel 3 0-0 8; Luke Yoder 2 0-1 4; Paul Croyle 3 1-2 8; Christian Guldin 7 6-9 22; Colin Post 3 0-0 6; Trent Fisher 3 1-1 7; Totals 20 8-13 55.
#3 CHELTENHAM 83, #19 UPPER DARBY 57
Cheltenham led 8-4 early in Tuesday’s contest, but any thoughts that the visiting Royals would be able to stay with the high-flying Panthers were quickly put the rest. By the end of the first quarter, the Panthers led 15-4 and extended that to 22-4 midway through the second quarter. They took a commanding 44-17 lead into halftime.
“Defensively, our team rotated well and got stops,” Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury said. “I think from that point they were able to manufacture scores by sharing the ball and making a play for themselves or their teammates.
“There was a point in the game where it was 8-4 in the first quarter and they went zone. Saleem Payne hit a three that put it at 11-4, and that was the start of our run and we were able to sustain it. We defended well so we were able to keep them at arm’s length.”
Sophomore Justin Moore led the Panthers with 19 points to go along with four steals and three assists. Jaelen McGlone and David Pope both had 13. Brandon Scott finished with 10 points and three steals. Travis Coleman added nine points, four steals, three assists and three rebounds. Saleem Payne contributed seven points and three steals while Mike McClain had three steals, three assists and five rebounds. Sean Emfinger had three rebounds to go along with four points.
“David Pope gave us great energy off the bench,” Fleury said. “Justin Moore led us with 19, and Brandon Scott gave us a great lift with 10. He was all over, making plays.
“Travis Coleman gave us great energy on the ball, which started that (early) run defensively. It was definitely a total team effort. In the midst of the second quarter when we went with a couple of our other guys, Brandon Hawkins was able to come in and get a couple rebounds to sustain possessions when we were out of sorts, but with multiple possessions to get back into our sets. He actually ended up finishing the bucket later on which took the wind out of their team. They kept fighting, but we were able to make shots and get stops consistently tonight.”
Upper Darby and Cheltenham both scored 40 second-half points, but by that time, the outcome had long since been decided.
Cheltenham will host #6 Coatesville in a quarterfinal game Friday. The Red Raiders defeated #22 Plymouth Whitemarsh 77-60.
“I’m happy – we’re in states, and that was a goal,” Fleury said. “That was the main thing. We felt like we should have last year with the team that we had.
Upper Darby 4-13-17-23 57
Cheltenham 15-29-19-20 83
Upper Darby (57) – AJ Tucker 14, CJ Dabbs 4, Mo Kante 7, Jamere Kosh 3, Ivan Joshuasville 18, Onyekachi Nzeh 11.
Cheltenham (83) – Travis Coleman 9, Brandon Scott 10, Justin Moore 19, Brandon Hawkins 2, Saleem Payne 7, David Pope 13, Jaelen McGlone 13, Mike McClain 2, Sean Emfinger 4, Nasir Andino 2, Lou Liedtka 2.
#1 METHACTON 66, #16 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 41
The Golden Hawks limited 6-9 Colgate-bound center Jeff Woodward to just six points, but Woodward’s supporting cast did plenty of damage. Erik Timko scored a 
game-high 24 points – 13 in a first half that saw the Warriors open up a 35-21 lead. Brett Byrne also had 13 first-half points.
Any thoughts of a Golden Hawks comeback were put to rest in a third quarter that saw the Warriors hold them scoreless while putting up 19 points of their own.
Jack Rebholz and Michael Stewart led the Warriors with 12 points each. Luca Baratta had 11 points, including three 3s – all in the fourth quarter.
Council Rock South (16-8, 8-4 SOL) will host #24 North Penn in a playback game Friday. The Knights fell to Pennridge 55-41.
Council Rock South 12-9-0-20 41
Methacton 18-17-19-12 66
Council Rock South (41) – Jack Rebholz 4 3-4 12; Joe Purcell 1 0-0 3; Luca Baratta 3 2-2 11; Michael Stewart 4 2-4 12; Kevin McNamee 1 0-0 3; Totals 13 7-9 41.
Methacton (66) – Owen Kropp 4 4-5 13; Brett Eberly 0 2-2 2; Brett Byrne 5 0-0 13; Cole Hargrove 3 0-0 6; Erik Timko 8 5-5 24; Steven Penjuke 1 0-0 2; Jeff Woodward 3 0-0 6; Totals 24 11-12 66.
3-point goals: CRS – Luca Baratta 3, Michael Stewart 2, Jack Rebholz, Kevin McNamee, Methacton – Brett Byrne 3, Erik Timko 3, Owen Kropp.
#5 LOWER MERION 63, #12 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 48
The Aces opened up a 14-5 lead after one quarter and extended their lead to 25-12 by halftime. They took a 41-20 lead into the final quarter when the Patriots scored 28 of their points.
Tyler Young’s 13 points led the Patriots. Anthony Giordano added 12, which included three 3-pointers. Christian Rivera had eight points, and Jack Hamilton, seven points.
The Aces connected on 19-of-28 at the foul line while the Patriots made 5-of-7 shots at the charity stripe.
Central Bucks East (14-10, 7-5 SOL) will travel to #13 Haverford for a playback game Friday. The Fords fell to #4 Chester 64-44.
Central Bucks East 5-7-8-28 48
Lower Merion 14-11-16-22 63
Central Bucks East (48) – Joe Jackman 2, Jack Hamilton 7, Chris Charlton 5, Tyler Young 13, Brendan Harte 2, Anthony Giordano 11, Christian Rivera 8.
Lower Merion (63) – Demetrius Lilley 20, James Simples 9, Eli Rothman 5, Sam Brown 15, Sam Wright 2, Jaylen Shippen 2, Peter Gribbin 4, Zack Wong 2, Henry Bard 4.
3-point goals: CBE – Anthony Giordano 3, Chris Charlton, Tyler Young, LM – Sam Brown 5, Peter Gribbin, Demetrius Lilley.
#6 COATESVILLE 77, #22 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 60
The Colonials – thanks to 11 points from Luke DiCianno – trailed by just one at the end of one quarter (21-20). The Red Raiders closed out the half with a 27-9 tear and outscored their visitors 44-17 in the middle two quarters to take complete control of the game.
DiCianno, who had three 3-pointers, led the Colonials with 17 points – all in the first half. David Harris added 12 points on four 3s. Qudire Bennett added seven points, and Jaden Pryce had six.
For the Red Raiders, junior Jhamir Brickus, who surpassed the 1,000-point milestone as a sophomore, led the way with 29 points. Jaeden Brickus added 16 and DJ Brickus had 14.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (12-12, 9-5 SOL) will travel to #19 Upper Darby for a playback game Friday. The Royals fell to Cheltenham 83-57.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 20-9-8-23 60
Coatesville 21-27-17-12 77
Plymouth Whitemarsh (60) – Caelin Peters 2 0-2 4; Zende Hubbard 1 2-4 4; Jaden Pryce 3 0-0 6; Luke DiCianno 6 2-2 17; Trey Jones 1 0-0 2; David Harris 4 0-0 12; Forchelli 0 2-2 2; Qudire Bennett 3 0-2 7; Teddy Rinck 1 1-1 4; Aidan McGhin 1 0-0 2; Totals 22 7-14 60.
Coatesville (77) – Donovan Brickus 6 1-3 14; Dapree Bryant 4 1-2 9; Jhamir Brickus 13 1-2 29; Jaeden Brickus 6 0-0 16; Johnathan Proctor 3 2-2 8; Totals 32 5-9 77.
3-point goals: PW – David Harris 4, Luke DiCianno 3, Qudire Bennett, Teddy Rinck, Coatesville – Jaeden Brickus 4, Jhamir Brickus 2, Donovan Brickus.
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