SOL Boys’ Basketball District Wrap (2-18-25)

PW & CB East were winners in District 1 Tournament action Tuesday. Check out the recaps. CB East/Phoenixville photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko, PW/Neshaminy photos courtesy of Larry Small & Michael Rice Photography. Check back for galleries of both games.

District 1 6A

#5 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 78, #21 NESHAMINY 39

Mani Sajid and Michael Periera combined for 59 points to lead the Colonials to the decisive win over visiting Neshaminy.

The Colonials, who led 17-4 after one quarter, took a 38-18 lead into halftime and never looked back. Sajid was unstoppable in a 21-point second quarter, erupting for 14 points and finishing with 22 first-half points.

With the win, the Colonials punched their ticket to the state tournament.

Key players: Junior Mani Sajid was in some kind of groove, burying four 3-pointers and scoring a game-high 36 points. Michael Periera added 23 points – 16 in the second half.

For the Redskins, Cadenn Amati and Jason Leiva both had nine points.

Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Jim Donofrio: “I was happy with the focus to take ourselves seriously and follow a scouting report to a ‘T’ – that really has been a struggle all season to understand the seriousness with which you have to take an opponent, to try to explain to the boys what it really takes to have a special run if you’re worthy of it. It’s really not about listening halfheartedly and then going out and saying, ‘My bad.’ You have to have very little ‘My bads,’ very little ‘I forgot to run back on defense,’ very little ‘I forgot that he goes to his right’ moments. It’s been a challenge all season. It’s just interesting that we’re Nov. 15 to Feb. 15 basically – three months in – and at some point, we have to stop saying that we’re young.

“So, I was highly proud of them tonight for bringing a focus for following the habits of every one of their players and doing it with a lot of energy and attitude. Disciplined attitude – not cocky attitude, not arrogant attitude or anything like that. Just going to work attitude every possession. They’re going to make their run – that’s basketball. We had them to four points with five minutes to go in the second quarter. They got it to 18 (points) at halftime. You can say two things as a coach. You can say, ‘That’s okay, guys. We’re up 20,’ or you can say ‘Why did it get to 18?’ Half the people will think you’re crazy for saying that. That’s kind of what it takes to continue on to respect the fact that everyone you play is bringing their best game, and the more you can minimize any kind of major runs, you might just end up where you want to end up.”

–Periera & Sajid are double trouble: “I don’t want to say it’s taken the whole season, but it’s taken the whole season for a whole lot of reasons. High school boys can have really big egos as athletes, and they have to, but at some point, as the coach, you have to have the biggest ego in the room when you’re seeing things not going the way they should be going. I don’t say I have that because I like it, I know that’s what’s required because you have to say not just Mani and Michael, but I think we were at times more a collection of individuals trying to impress me or themselves than understanding how to play the game collectively and believing in each other.

“At some point, you have to say – my job is to protect our culture, protect what it means to really just selflessly and humbly give whatever you can to this, and then you’ll be amazed what can happen. Just moving on offense – Mani trusting and Michael trusting the rest of the cast – Terron and Caleb and Jack and Buddy and all of them just trust. When I said to them two weeks ago, ‘This thing goes through Mani,’ they look at you like – oh, he has to get all the shots.’ It’s not that at all.

“They just have to understand he’s the magnet, and he then has to learn how to move it, and all of a sudden, great things are going to happen because you have this gift of a kid along with a 6-9 gift, along with a gutsy, gutsy point guard. These are great kids who aren’t as confident in themselves as they should be. So, trying to build up their self-esteem, ironically, it happens by yelling at them. I don’t mean yelling at them in an overly negative way – just ‘this is how you have to play, and I’m not budging on that.’ We’re not going to budge on that until we figure this out.

“I thought the game came effortlessly to Mani tonight, and Michael Periera just hit a level where a lot of light bulbs went off. He kind of got mad at himself and just realized what he’s capable of. You hope that’s a new normal for him. It’s not going to be easy, but the fact that he showed it. He should be proud of himself.”

–A team effort: “The entire team should be proud of themselves because you’ve got 17 kids on this team, and the kids were the scout team mimicking Neshaminy for 2-3 days. They really worked extremely hard and did a phenomenal job. They’re starting to understand that this job that I’m given matters and take it seriously. Their names don’t get out there in terms of the scorebook, but that’s what team is. You have to feel good because you played an important role. If they really do buy in, if they really do believe and feel good about themselves collectively that whatever they did was an important contribution, then we’ve got a shot of having more results like that.”

–Bound for states: “You never take any of that for granted, don’t ever take any of it for granted. I’m happy for them, and now, what’s the next challenge? All we can do with the experience we have as a coaching staff is share with them what your next mindset has to be to play Friday night. A younger mindset would win tonight and relax going into Friday. Now you have to turn around and say – that was great, enjoy it, and use it as fuel tomorrow morning, and try to want to accomplish even more.

“How hungry are teams to want to win? It’s about winning right now. This isn’t about trying. How much do you want to win? That’s what it is. You’re trying to create a great memory for yourself. You only come this way once as a young kid, so get after it.”

Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh (18-7, 7-3 SOL) will travel to Garnet Valley for a quarterfinal contest Friday. Neshaminy (11-13, 4-6) will host Bensalem in a playback game Friday.

Neshaminy 4-14-15-6 39

Plymouth Whitemarsh 17-21-16-24 78

Neshaminy (39) – Jason Leiva 2 4-4 9; Eriq Gold 2 0-0 5; Logan Gale 2 2-2 6; Cadenn Amati 4 0-0 9; Max Currie 4 0-0 8; Saba Gugeshashvili 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 15 6-6 39.

Plymouth Whitemarsh (78) – Jack Hayes 1 1-2 4; Terron Davis 2 2-2 6; Mani Sajid 15 2-2 36; Michael Periera 10 3-4 23; Buddy Denard 2 0-0 6; Caleb Bridgeman 1 0-1 2; Austin Edwards 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 31 9-13 78.

3-point goals: N – Jason leiva, Eriq Gold, Cadenn Amati; PW – Mani Sajid 4, Buddy Denard 2, Jack Hayes.

#8 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 81, #9 PHOENIXVILLE 80 (2 OT)

The Patriots appeared to have the game in hand, opening up a double-digit lead only to have the Phantoms rally to send the game into overtime.

After surviving the first overtime that saw both teams score just two points, the Patriots won the thriller in the second OT.

Nolan Behm and Shane O’Hara-Jamison were the offensive catalysts in the win, combining for 49 points.

“We were disappointed going into overtime that we were even in that position,” East coach Erik Henrysen said. “I just credit our guys. They were able to regroup.

“I saw our seniors take on leadership roles during that stretch, gathering guys around, regrouping and getting back to the task.”

With the win, an East team that lost seven seniors from last year’s successful squad to graduation has earned a berth in the state tournament for the third straight year.

“Coming in, I’m sure a lot of people felt like we needed to retool,” Henrysen said. “I’s just a credit to our guys – I know they were disappointed that we didn’t win a fifth league championship in a row.

“I felt like going into this game they placed maybe some undue pressure on themselves and said, ‘We’re going to get back to states for the third time in a row,’ and they were able to come through. They were determined to come through.

“I felt like we had a good year, and getting to states is a big deal for our league certainly but just overall to accomplish that after a little bit of a disappointment with how the division turned out. It’s almost like you signed up for another month of basketball.”

Key players: Nolan Behm led the Patriots with 28 points to go along with eight rebounds. Shane O’Hara-Jamison added 21 points, including 2 3-pointers. Connor Mekanik posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. AJ Molnar was the fourth player in double digits with 12 points. Keegan Marascio added five points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

For the Phantoms: Deacon Baratta (20 points – 4 3-pointers) and Keron Booth led the way.”

CB East coach Erik Henrysen: “

—The game: “We got up double figures. When we got up 10, we lost our composure a little bit, searching for fouls that didn’t come, and we put ourselves in a tough spot where we were in a bonus, and maybe we were a little bit naïve with the ball to think we would get the first call. So, we did turn it over a couple of times down the stretch, and they tied it right at the end (of regulation), but we actually had the ball at the end of regulation to win it, but we didn’t get a bucket.

“In the first overtime, they scored first and went up two. We responded with a bucket by (Nolan) Behm, and they held the ball for over a minute and took the last shot. We were able to come up with a stop. The ball went out of bounds under their basket, and it was still their ball, so with about seven seconds left, we were able to get another stop to force a second overtime.

“They came out and scored the first bucket in the second overtime. We responded, we stayed composed.”

–Props: “Connor Mekanik really gave us a gritty performance. He finished with 13 points, and he was in double-digits in rebounds (he finished with 12). He gave us life around the basket on second chance points. He just really gave us a huge lift doing all the dirty work.”

Up next: Central Bucks East (15-9, 5-5 SOL) will travel to top-seeded Lower Merion for a quarterfinal game Friday.

“We know how good they are, but we’ll be prepared and we’ll go down there and see what we can do,” Henrysen said.

Phoenixville 16-16-14-23-2-9 80

Central Bucks East 16-17-18-18-2-10 81

Phoenixville (80) – Deacon Baratta 20, Brady O’Donnell 7, Keron Booth 17, Josh Leo 3, Stephen Yurich 9, Jacoby Smith 9, Trey Lear 15.

Central Bucks East (81) – Nolan Behm 28, Shane O’Hara-Jamison 21, Keegan Marascio 5, Connor Mekanik 13, Graham Smith 2, AJ Molnar 12.

3-point goals: P – Deacon Baratta 4, Keron Booth 2, Josh Leo, Stephen Yurick; CBE – Shane O’Hara-Jamison 2, AJ Molnar, Nolan Behm

#10 SPRING-FORD 51, #7 SOUDERTON 42

Souderton found itself on the short end of a 16-13 score after one quarter and trailed 25-20 at halftime. The Indians still trailed by six entering the fourth quarter, and the visiting Rams refused to give an inch, edging their hosts in every quarter.

Three players finished in double figures for the Indians. Nate Rusike led a balanced attack with 14, which included a pair of 3s. Chanse Salone had 13 points, and Nolan Watkins finished with 10.

“Couldn’t be more proud of how the kids fought,” Okoteh Sackitey. “They have every reason to keep their heads high. We have to tip our cap to Spring-Ford. They played a great game. We’re excited for another opportunity to compete on Friday.”

Up next: Souderton (17-7, 9-1 SOL) will host #18 Downingtown West in a playback game Friday.

Spring-Ford 16-9-8-18 51

Souderton 13-7-7-15 42

Spring-Ford (51) – Blake Turner 2 2-2 6; Tommy Kelly 7 0-0 14; Jacob Nguyen 4 3-4 14; Jordan Marsillio 1 2-2 4; Syaire Barnes 5 1-1 13; TOTALS 19 8-9 51.

Souderton (51) – Chanse Salone 6 0-0 13; Trey Bui 1 0-0 3; Nolan Watkins 3 3-4 10; Nate Rusike 4 4-5 14; Grady Kovach 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 15 7-9 42.

3-point goals: S-F – Jacob Nguyen 3, Syaire Barnes 2; S – Nate Rusike 2, Chanse Salone, Trey Bui, Nolan Watkins.

#4 GARNET VALLEY 72, #13 BENSALEM 54

The Owls, who trailed by three after one quarter, found themselves on the short end of a 33-24 halftime score. The possibility of a comeback was put to rest when the Jaguars scored 21 points in the third quarter to go on top 54-37 on their way to the win.

“Tonight was a tough game,” Bensalem coach Ron Morris said. “Garnet Valley is a really good basketball team, well coached and has been one of the top teams in District One for many years.

“Their size gave us trouble. We aren’t the biggest team and having some guys sick in addition to Mikey Kramer still out proved to be too much tonight. We held Jake (Sniras) to single digits, but the big kid 21 (Grayson Golek) was scoring inside and out. It was a great atmosphere to compete in. We think about this tonight and then get ready for a battle on Friday night at home.”

Three Bensalem players finished in double figures, led by Amir Drummond with 16 points, including four 3-pointers. Christian Lee had 15 points, and Aidan Mayfield had 13 points.

While the Owls limited Sniras to just six points, Grayson Golek was on a tear, scoring 31 points, and Aidan Anderson had 21 points.

Up next: Bensalem (15-10, 8-2 SOL) will be on the road at #21 Neshaminy for a playback game Friday, one of eight teams vying for two state berths.

Bensalem          12-12-13-17   54

Garnet Valley 15-18-21-18   72

Bensalem (54) – Aidan Mayfield 4 4-4 13; Amir Drummond 5 1-1 15; Amir Drummond 4 6-8 16; Chris Kelly 1 1-2 3; Aidan Corbett 0 1-2 1; Jacob Eberhardt 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 17 12-17 54. Garnet Valley (72) – Cole Boruk 2 1-1 5; Jake Sniras 3 0-0 6; Brady Krautzel 8 5-8 21; Aidan Anderson 2 0-0 4; Grayson Golek 13 2-3 31; Luke Faccenda 1 2-2 5; TOTALS 29 10-14 72.

3-point field goals: B – Christian Lee 4, Amir Drummond 2, Aidan Mayfield; GV – Grayson Golek 3, Luke Faccenda.

#1 LOWER MERION 70, #17 PENNSBURY 30

The Aces looked every bit the part of the number one seed, opening up a 21-8 lead after one quarter and extending that to 40-13 by halftime on their way to the decisive win.

“We ran into a buzzsaw,” Pennsbury coach Wes Emme said. “They are an exceptional team that’s exceptionally well coached, with good players that shot it very well, and we turned the ball over. And turned it over in the places you can’t turn it over. Combine that with not being great on the backboards, and that is a recipe for what we had tonight. A butt kicking.

“Disappointed for our guys, but ready to roll Friday night against Phoenixville.”

Grayson Gozum’s seven points – all in the first half – led the Falcons.

Gus Wright led a balanced Lower Mersion attack with 16 points, which included four 3s.

Up next: Pennsbury (13-11, 7-3 SOL) will travel to #9 Phoenixville for a playback game Friday.

Pennsbury         8-5-10-7   30

Lower Merion 21-19-58-12   70

Pennsbury (30) – Brayden Clark 1 4-4 6; Mike Roccograndi 2 1-2 5; Grayson Gozum 3 0-0 7; Sean Breslin 1 2-2 4; Pat Jajua 1 0-0 3; Max Manga 2 1-2 5; TOTALS 10 8-10 30.

Lower Merion (70) – Lammont Grier 3 0-0 7; Arjay Miller 1 0-0 2; Rashyne Patterson 4 0-0 8; Sam’l Singletary 3 0-0 6; Gus Wright 6 0-1 16; Carson Kasmir 5 0-0 12; Chris Cook 3 0-0 6; Kyle Parrish 4 0-0 10; Will Yard 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 30 0-1 70.

3-point goals: P – Pat Jajua, Grayson Gozum; LM – Gus Wright 4, Carson Kasmir 2, Kyle Parrish 2, Will Yard 1.