Cheltenham defeated Bensalem and will take on Methacton in Saturday’s District One 6A title game at Temple University. North Penn punched its ticket to the state tournament. Cheltenham/Bensalem photos provided courtesy of Geanine Jamison. Check back for a gallery of photos.
#3 CHELTENHAM 77, #7 BENSALEM 60
The similarities weren’t lost on Patrick Fleury.
The Cheltenham coach knew the way his team’s District One Class 6A semifinal opponent, Bensalem, liked to play, and he knew that was how his team did things most of the time as well. And it made for a physical basketball game at the Liacouras Center.
Fleury’s Panthers, the No. 3 seed, prevailed 77-60 to earn a spot in Saturday’s district championship game back at Temple, and it did so by being the more physical defensive basketball team.
“It was defense,” Fleury said. “(Bensalem is) very physical. We’re a similar team. They have speed, they have shooters, they have a couple of ball-handlers, so we’re very similar teams.”
Cheltenham (24-3) forced 18 turnovers and held the seventh-seeded Owls to just 41 percent (19-for-46) shooting from the field.
“Defense is our way of getting energy,” said Panthers’ senior forward Sean Emfinger. “I knew I had to step up as a senior and bring some energy.
“I think it’s just coming more together, because on the defensive end, it takes everybody. One person can score on offense, but on defense you need everybody.”
It was also a game where there were a ton of fouls called on both sides, because of the physical nature of the way the teams were playing defense. Cheltenham finished 28-for-40 from the free throw line, while Bensalem was 19-for-31.
The Owls (19-7) had three starters and four players altogether foul out of the game in the fourth quarter.
“It was a very physical game,” said Bensalem coach Ron Morris. “Sometimes things go your way, sometimes it doesn’t. Both teams had a lot of intensity. There’s a lot on the line when you come down to Temple and you’re in the Final Four. It’s tough, it’s going to be physical and intense. That’s playoff basketball.”
The first half saw both teams have their moments.
Luke Zeidler stepped up with six first-quarter points for Bensalem, as did James Ashford, who had 11 points and five rebounds in the first half. On the other side Cheltenham sophomore point guard Justin Moore started quick and had 10 points in the first half.
Tied at 16 after one, the Panthers still led by just six at halftime, 32-26.
“I think the biggest thing for us was in the first half - 26 points (allowed) isn’t bad, that’s 13-per quarter average - but it was the way they were getting their points that was kind of troublesome,” Fleury said. “They were just kind of lining us up and going straight past us.
“That’s not what we practice. That’s not what we are. For us, that conversation in the second half was we have to at least play the way we are capable of playing. That’s not offensively, that’s defensively.”
The first few minutes of the second half are often critical in playoff basketball, and that proved the case Tuesday night. Jaelen McGlone got the Panthers started, scoring seven points for his team as part of a 14-2 run that saw the lead swell to 44-28.
In that run, which ended with an Emfinger fast break dunk, Cheltenham forced five turnovers.
McGlone finished with 24 points and six rebounds to lead all scorers.
“There were just opportunities that opened up,” McGlone said. “I just knew if I went to the basket and I could continue to perform and our defense would pick up, then we would be alright.”
Cheltenham led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, but in the fourth, Bensalem made several runs, getting as close as seven at 62-55 after a Justin Johnson three-point play, but they could get no closer the rest of the way.
Bensalem was led by Ashford’s 22 points while Zeidler had nine and Jeremiah Alexander finished with eight.
“We came up a little short,” said Morris, whose team will play at Chester Friday for third place in its last game before the start of the state playoffs. “We learn from everything. We’ll learn, we’ll do a better job rebounding – (Cheltenham) killed us on the glass – we’ll do a better job boxing out and we’ve got to make more foul shots.”
For Cheltenham, Moore had 19 points, while Emfinger and Brandon Scott had eight each.
The Panthers will play in Saturday night’s District One final against No. 1 Methacton, back at the Liacouras Center. Fleury, who twice came up just shy of district titles as a player at Cheltenham in 2004 and ’05, can’t wait for his team to have that chance.
“For us, I don’t want them to get satisfied with just being in the championship,” he said. “We just don’t want to just take a bus to Temple, we want to bring something back. That’s the biggest thing for us.”
The Panthers’ run to the district title game comes on the heels of the football team’s state runner-up finish.
“When you have teams that do well like this, it brings everybody back, and it’s just amazing because it really is about everybody that has ever gone through Cheltenham,” Fleury said. “The stories, the successes, the failures, everything that makes Cheltenham – I’m just super excited as a member of the community.
“I’m excited for the families, I’m excited for this being a point of pride for the community in being one of the top two teams left in the district, especially after taking the fall in the SOL Tournament. Being at Temple was our goal, and playing without Zahree (Harrison) is different, but it still is an amazing accomplishment for our community.”
Bensalem 16 10 13 21-60
Cheltenham 16 16 18 27-77
Bensalem (60) – James Ashford 6 9-13 22; Luke Zeidler 3 3-8 9; Jeremiah Alexander 4 0-0 8; Justin Johnson 3 1-2 7; Aaron Sanders 1 3-4 6; Rahul Kohili 1 1-1 4; Travis Robinson 1 0-1 2; Blaise Unger 0 2-2 2. Totals 19 19-31 60.
Cheltenham (77) – Jaelen McGlone 7 8-10 24; Justin Moore 6 6-8 19; Brandon Scott 3 3-8 9; Sean Emfinger 3 1-2 8; Travis Coleman 2 1-2 5; Saleem Payne 1 2-2 4; Lou Liedtka 0 2-2 2; Mike McClain 0 3-4 3; Joey Weiner 0 2-2 2; Justin Savage 0 1-2 1. Totals 22 30-42 77.
3-point goals: B-Ashford, Sanders, Kohili; C-McGlone 2, Moore, Emfinger
6A Playback
#24 NORTH PENN 46, #12 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 43
Unlikely, Improbable, Impossible.
Take your pick. Any one of those words – as recently as mid-January - would have aptly described North Penn’s chances of earning a spot in the District One 6A Tournament, much less a berth in the PIAA 6A state tournament.
The Knights snuck into districts as the 24th and final seed, and while that in itself was quite an accomplishment, it wasn’t enough for the suddenly surging Knights, who decided to make their trip to districts a memorable one.
A Kolby Barrow three at the buzzer broke a 43-43 tie in Tuesday’s must-win playback, capping a heroic late-game comeback and giving the Knights a dramatic win that vaulted them into the state tournament.
“I said to the guys in the locker room before our game – we were 4-10,” NP coach John Conrad said. “It’s just a tribute to our seniors and our leaders. They’ve not let us quit, they’ve continued to hold each other accountable, and they’ve done a great job.”
No one seems to know for sure if the Knights made history as the first 24 seed to advance to states, but there’s no denying it’s a remarkable accomplishment.
“I don’t think a 32 seed ever made to the states, and since they’ve gone to the new format, I’m not sure if a 24 seed has gone or not,” Conrad said. “I just don’t have any words for it, to tell you the truth.
“I never would have thought we’d be in this position in the middle of January, but again, our seniors have done a great job, our coaches have continued to coach. We’ve been fortunate, obviously.”
The Knights, winners of eight of their last 12 games, trailed by 43-37 with two minutes remaining.
“They turned the ball over three times, and we were able to score and tied the game,” Conrad said. “They were holding for a last shot, they drove the lane, and Matt Swanson took a charge with a little over six seconds to go, so that gave us the final possession, and Kolby hit the 3-pointer.
“Kolby inbounded the ball, and he trailed the play. We’d worked on our end of game situations and they doubled Joe (Larkins), and he hit Kolby trailing the play. He hit a 3-pointer at the top of the key, but he was probably two or three feet beyond the line.”
The Patriots – sparked by eight points from Chris Charlton – opened up a 14-11 lead after one quarter, but the Knights pulled to within one at halftime, 23-22. Senior Josh Jones kept the Knights afloat with 10 first-half points.
“We went up five halfway through the third, and then (Jason) Markowitz hit three straight 3s for them, and they came storming back and took a lead,” Conrad said. “They extended it to six with two to go in the fourth quarter, and we had a couple of stops and were able to score in the half court to create that situation.”
Jones led all scorers with 18 points, which included a 6-for-7 effort at the foul line. Rob Carangi also finished in double figures with 11 points – six in the second half. Larkins added seven points.
“Early on, I thought we were very nervous and tentative,” Conrad said. “Honestly, Josh put us on his back early. He was the difference early, kept us in the game, and then as we started to settle in, the other guys contributed, but Josh deserves a lot of credit because he put us on his back early.”
The Knights coach credited the defensive play of Mike Chaffee on East’s high-scoring junior Joe Jackman.
“Mike Chaffee has not scored a ton throughout the year, but he always draws the toughest defensive assignment,” Conrad said. “He held Jackman to eight tonight, and he deserves a ton of credit for the way he dug in defensively. Jackman was in foul trouble throughout the game, but still, Mike did a great job.”
For the Patriots, who buried 10 3-pointers, Markowitz led the way with 12 points on four 3s. Charlton added 11, including three 3s, and Jackman had a pair of 3s and eight points. Tyler Young added seven points.
The Knights were 9-for-15 at the foul line while the Patriots were 5-of-6.
North Penn (12-14, 5-7 SOL) will travel to #2 Garnet Valley for a seeding playback game on Friday. Central Bucks East (7-5 SOL) closed out its season with a 15-11 record.
North Penn 11-11-11-13 46
Central Bucks East 14-9-11-9 43
North Penn (46) – Kolby Barrow 1 0-0 3; Josh Jones 6 6-7 18; Joey Larkins 3 0-0 7; Mike Chaffee 1 0-0 2; Rob Carangi 5 1-3 11; Matt Swanson 2 1-4 5; Totals 18 8-14 46.
Central Bucks East (43) – Jason Markowitz 4 0-0 12; Tyler Young 3 0-0 7; Jacob Rotondo 1 0-0 2; Anthony Giordano 0 3-4 3; Chris Charlton 4 0-0 11; Joe Jackman 2 2-2 8; Totals 14 5-6 43.
3-point goals: NP – Kolby Barrow, Joey Larkins, CBE – Jason Markowitz 4, Chris Charlton 3, Joe Jackman 2, Tyler Young.
#5 LOWER MERION 60, #8 PENNRIDGE 50
The visiting Rams spent the first half exchanging baskets with the Aces, and the two teams were deadlock 21-21 at the intermission. The Aces – behind eight points from 6-8 sophomore forward Demetrius Lilley - outscored the Rams 18-15 in the third quarter to go into the final frame with a 39-36 lead. Lilley’s 10 points ignited a 23-point fourth quarter for the Aces to close out the game.
For the Rams, Trent Fisher’s 15 points led the way. Luke Yoder and Colin Post both added nine points while Christian Guldin and Anthony Phillips each had six points.
Lilley’s 30 points – 18 in the second half – led all scorers. James Simples added 14 points and Eli Rothman, 10 points.
Pennridge (19-8, 9-3 SOL) will host #15 Downingtown East in Friday’s seventh place game for state seeding.
Pennridge 10-11-15-14 50
Lower Merion 11-8-18-23 60
Pennridge (50) – Connor Pleibel 0 0-2 0; Luke Yoder 4 1-2 9; Paul Croyle 1 2-2 5; Christian Guldin 2 2-2 6; Colin Post 4 1-1 9; Anthony Phillips 2 2-2 6; Trent Fisher 6 2-2 15; Totals 19 10-13 50
Lower Merion (60) – Eli Rothman 4 1-2 10; Jaylen Shippen 2 2-4 6; James Simples 6 2-6 14; Sam Brown 0 0-1 0; Demetrius Lilley 15 0-0 30; Totals 27 5-13 60.
3-point goals: Pennridge - Trent Fisher, Paul Croyle, LM- Eli Rothman.
- Log in to post comments
