Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action in the District One Tournament Tuesday. Abington/PW photos courtesy of Larry Small. CB East/Boyertown photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Pennridge/PV photos courtesy of Kim Supko Photography, and Upper Moreland/Unionville provided courtesy of Kathy Leister Photography. Check back for galleries of the four games.
Class 6A
#14 ABINGTON 66, #3 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 48
The Ghosts raced out of the gate to a 12-1 lead and never looked back, stunning the third-seeded Colonials and sending them home for the season. The win came on the heels of a pair of regular season losses to the to SOL Liberty Division champions, including a 73-44 loss on Feb. 9.
“We had a monster start,” said Abington coach Charles Grasty, whose team led 23-8 after one quarter. “We had a really good practice yesterday. I know sometimes it doesn’t carry over, but we have a mantra that says – how you practice is how you play, and I thought that we carried that practice over into the opening part of the game.
“Once we did that – at the high school level, guys see the ball going through the hoop here and there, and they play with intensity. Everybody is picking each other up. I thought that carried over, and it was fun to watch.”
At halftime, the Ghosts led 34-17 on their way to the big win.
“We shared the ball,” Grasty said. “I couldn’t tell you who led us in scoring (in the first quarter), but I know Rob Bell was tremendous tonight. He had the ball in his hands the whole time. He made the great passes, the right pass, and he got everyone involved.
“Oreck Frazier followed the game plan to a T. Caleb Baker led us in scoring for the game – they just did a great job following the game plan and then some.”
Baker – who was averaging just over five points a game – delivered a huge offensive performance, scoring a game high 22 points. He connected on 9-of-12 shots from the field and also pulled down seven rebounds.
Bell, the Ghosts’ floor general, made 7-of-13 shots. In addition to scoring 18 points, he also had six assists, four rebounds and two steals. Frazier scored 11 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists. Connor Fields led the Ghosts with nine rebounds and also contributed three assists.
“Connor Fields was all over the court tonight,” Grasty said. “He was rebounding. He had to battle. He’s playing out of position right now, but he rebounded extremely well. He fought, he battled. He had to guard their big a little bit. He played exceptionally well.”
The veteran coach also lauded his team’s defensive effort.
“Playing a team three times – we had a chance to watch their habits, some of the things they like to do,” Grasty said. “We wanted to focus on a couple things that we saw on film and make it difficult for them.
“We watched them two times, and they were able to get some looks that we thought we could make more difficult this time. Our guys bought in, and we made them take those contested shots that we wanted. We knew that they were good and they were going to make shots, but we just wanted to make it as difficult as we could, and we did. We also rebounded really well tonight.”
The Ghosts shot a torrid 55.1 percent from the field (27-for 49).
For the Colonials, Zuri Jerman’s 13 points led the way. Qudire Bennett added seven points.
Abington (11-5, 6-4 SOL) will travel to #6 West Chester East for a quarterfinal game Friday. West Chester East defeated #11 Neshaminy 66-52. Plymouth Whitemarsh closed out its season with an overall record of 14-4. The Colonials captured the SOL Liberty Division title with a 9-1 record.
Abington 23-11-14-18 66
Plymouth Whitemarsh 8-9-13-18 48
Abington (66) – Rob Bell 7 4-5 18; Oreck Frazier 5 0-0 11; Antoine Ellis 3 0-0 7; Connor Fields 1 2-2 4; Kahjel Morris 1 0-0 2 Aiden Boyles 1 0-0 2; Caleb Baker 9 4-4 22; Totals 27 10-11 66.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (48) – Zende Hubbard 0 4-4 4; Jaden Colzie 1 2-2 4; Jake West 1 0-0 3; Taji Hubbard 0 2-2 2; Trey Jones 1 0-0 3; David Harris 2 0-0 5; Luke DiCianno 1 3-4 5 Qudire Bennett 2 2-2 7; Jalen Harris 1 0-0 2; Zuri Jerman 6 1-1 13; Totals 15 14-15 48.
3-point goals: Abington – Oreck Frazier, Antoine Ellis; PW – Jake West, Trey Jones, David Harris, Qudire Bennett.
#1 CHELTENHAM 45, #16 METHACTON 43
It wasn’t easy, but the Panthers – led by the 20-point effort of Saleem Payne – dug themselves out of an early hole to defeat the visiting Warriors in a rematch of last year’s District One 6A title game.
“It was a battle from the beginning,” Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury said. “The assistant head coaches and the players battled throughout in every aspect of the game.
“Obviously, it wasn’t pretty. We didn’t come out as consistent offensively as we would like to, but to give up 43 points to a 16 seed that is clearly way better than its seed given the circumstances of the season. We were able to pull out the victory, and we’re grateful for it.”
The Panthers, who trailed 13-6 after one quarter, still trailed by three at halftime, 23-20. A 15-11 third quarter gave the Panthers a 35-34 lead heading into the final quarter.
The ending was not without its share of drama as the Warriors’ shot for the tie at the buzzer fell short.
Saleem Payne led all scorers with 20 points to go along with two assists and one steal. Rasheem Dearry had eight points, seven rebounds and two steals. Justin Savage also had seven rebounds. Ife West-Ingram added six points.
Mike McClain had a team high eight rebounds to go along with three steals and three assists. Elias Walker had four assists and three rebounds.
Cheltenham (14-1, 9-1 SOL) will host #9 Lower Merion in a district quarterfinal game on Friday. Lower Merion defeated #8 Downingtown West 70-59 in a second round game.
Methacton 13-10-11-9 43
Cheltenham 6-14-15-10 45
Methacton (43) – Mike Merola 2, Brett Byrne 17, Cole Hargrove 6, Steven Penjuke 8, Matt Christian 3, Ryan Baldwin 7.
Cheltenham (45) – Rasheem Dearry 8, Elias Walker 2, Saleem Payne 20, Justin Savage 4, Ife West-Ingram 6, Mike McClain 5.
#18 NORTH PENN 52, #2 CONESTOGA 45
On the road, as the lower seed, North Penn faced a tall task on Tuesday – a very tall task.
Against a second-seeded and very tall Conestoga team, the Knights jumped up in the second quarter and led throughout the second half, eventually putting the game away from the free throw line in the fourth in a big second-round upset.
“I tell you what,” North Penn coach John Conrad said. “The kids really played hard and they played well. They deserve all the credit.”
The Knights (12-6) defended well all game, battling the likes of Conestoga big men Andrew Fox (6-foot-9, senior), Michael Walz (6-9, junior) and Jordan Cuthbert (6-6, senior). The three combined for 17 points and never dominated the paint.
“We defended well,” Conrad said. “It was a team effort. Ryan Zeltt, Josh Jones and Malind Pulugura had to cover their big kids and did a nice job. And our guards did a nice job pressuring the ball and off the ball did a good job keeping them out of the paint.”
Jones, the team’s leading scorer, was held to just 10 points total and without a field goal in the second half, but he stood out defensively, and drawing attention defensively opened up shots for his teammates.
Billy Coley was North Penn’s leading scorer with 19 points, including 11 in the first half as the Knights went up 27-19 at the half.
The Knights didn’t attempt a free throw until the fourth quarter, and they went 9-for-10, including 4-for-4 for Joey Larkins, 3-for-4 for Jones and 2-for-2 for Mario Sgro to thwart any Conestoga comeback attempts.
As the No. 18 seed, North Penn knows it will be the underdogs every time it takes the court, and knows it will likely be playing on the road the rest of the way.
“I think the big thing (in this year’s playoffs because of COVID-19 attendance restrictions) is that it’s not a crazy, loud atmosphere,” Conrad said. “Since there’s no fans, it’s an opportunity for the kids to focus on themselves and play for one another. That’s the enjoyable part about winning the last two games.”
Next up for the Knights is a rubber-match against No. 7 CB East, which beat Boyertown on Tuesday. North Penn and CB East split the two regular-season SOL Colonial Division games played this season.
“Erik (Henrysen) does a great job,” Conrad said about CB East. “They’re very talented, senior led. I think it will be a very good game.”
North Penn 52, Conestoga 45
North Penn 12 15 12 13 – 52
Conestoga 11 8 12 14 – 45
North Penn (52) – Mario Sgro 0 2-2 2; Joey Larkins 1 4-4 6; Billy Coley 8 0-0 19; Malind Pulugura 2 0-0 5; Josh Jones 3 3-4 10; Ryan Zeltt 4 0-0 10. Totals 18 9-10 52.
Conestoga (45) – Austin Fontaine 4 0-0 9; Jeremiah Miller 2 0-0 5; Ryan Mackey 1 3-4 5; Jack Liedtka 2 0-0 6; Michael Costigan 1 0-0 3; Jordan Cuthbert 3 0-0 6; Andrew Fox 3 0-0 6; Michael Walz 2 0-0 5. Totals 18 3-4 45
3-point goals: NP-Coley 3, Pulugura 1, Jones 1, Zeltt 2; C-Fontaine 1, Miller 1, Liedtka 2, Costigan 1, Walz 1
#7 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 51, #10 BOYERTOWN 50
CB East’s season came down to the wire Tuesday night, and freshman Jacob Cummiskey delivered with a bucket as time expired, sending the Patriots past Boyertown and on to Friday night’s quarterfinal round.
“Boyertown was really tough,” said CB East coach Erik Henrysen. “They’re big, they’re physical and they have an incredible point guard, Aarick Salata. They gave us everything we could handle tonight.”
The game was definitely as close as the final score.
“We controlled the first half to a certain extent,” Henrysen said. “We were up 4 or 5. In the third quarter, they made a pretty good run at us and went up 5. We answered with our own little run, and down the stretch it probably was going to end up with whoever had the ball last was going to win the game.”
That turned out to be CB East.
Both teams had chances to extend leads in the last minute on the free throw line, but couldn’t convert. Then, with eight seconds left and a one-point lead, Boyertown misfired on the front end of a one-and-one opportunity.
“(Jack) Hamilton got the rebound and threw it ahead to Jacob Cummiskey,” Henrysen said. “He just made an incredible play at the rim and by the time the ball hit the floor the buzzer went off.”
Henrysen took a calculated risk not opting for the timeout after the miss, instead giving his players a chance to win the game.
“Definitely, one of our strengths is in the open court,” he said. Hamilton, (Joe) Jackman, Cummiskey, when they get going downhill, it puts pressure on the defense as they scramble back. I thought that would be better than calling timeout. It’s a senior group. We trust them to make plays in the open court.
“Today, we trusted the freshman (Cummiskey). It was kind of neat. He kind of reminds me of Tommy Strasberger from our state tournament team (in 2016). He shoots the ball, he rebounds, he defends multiple positions, when the ball is in his hands, he’s comfortable creating for others. He’s definitely a special talent.”
Jackman led a balanced scoring effort for CB East (13-3 overall) with 13 points, while Hamilton had 11 points and eight rebounds, Cummiskey 10 points, four assists and three rebounds and Jason Markowitz added six points and three steals.
With the win, the Patriots will have a home game Friday against a familiar foe, No. 18 North Penn, which upset No. 2 Conestoga on Tuesday.
“They really have a kid in Josh Jones who is just awesome,” Henrysen said about North Penn. “He’s relentless, he’s awesome defensively. It’s no secret that everything that they do centers around Josh Jones.
“We split with them. The first game, we thought we had the game won and they pulled it out. At our place, we got revenge against them. Last year, they ended our season in the playoffs and went on to states. Here we are again and it’s the same type of thing.”
CB East 51, Boyertown 50
Boyertown 10 10 14 16 – 50
CB East 15 9 11 16 – 51
Boyertown (50) – Roman Marinello 6, Aarick Salata 10, Tre Guglielmo 11, David Leh 9, Jake Kapp 7, Ryan Schaefer 4, Griffin Hummel 3
CB East (51) – Jacob Cummiskey 10, Liam Cummiskey 6, Brendan Harte 2, Joe Jackman 13, Jack Hamilton 11, Jason Markowitz 6, Brett Young 3
3-point goals: B-Salata, Diguglielmo, Marinello 2, Kapp 2, Hummel; CBE- Jackman 2, Hamilton,
L. Cummiskey 2, Young, Markowitz
#6 PERKIOMEN VALLEY 56, #11 PENNRIDGE 52 (OT)
Pennridge battled back in the fourth quarter, tied it and nearly had a chance to win the game on a fluke pass late, but in the end it was Perk Valley that emerged in overtime, ending the Rams season and snapping a three-straight state playoff run for the program.
“Our senior class, I couldn’t be more proud of them, especially this year,” said Rams coach Dean Behrens. “I told them, they have nothing to hang their heads about. It was a pleasure coaching them. I got to coach them for 19 games, which is more than I thought I would (because of COVID-19 restrictions), and they made the playoffs.
“We were 1-2 and it looked like we could be in for a long season. Then we were 4-4, but from that point we started to play good basketball. Unfortunately, tonight, I think we were a little nervous to start, and then (in the second half), we had some odd plays that went against us.”
Pennridge trailed 17-16 at halftime, but Perk Valley came out strong and went up eight in the third quarter.
“It was 17-16 and Luke (Yoder) was on the bench in foul trouble,” Behrens said. “They hit us hard in the third quarter and it didn’t look good.
“Give the boys credit. They have a lot of mental toughness and crawled back and at one point went ahead by one. They were up with about 20 seconds left, and we hit a bucket – (Colin Post hit a 15-footer) that tied it up.
“Then, they called timeout, but out of the timeout, there was a bad pass and it was kind of awkward and it hit Colin Post in the chest and bounced away. If he caught it clean, it might have been a layup and we win the game.”
Instead, the game went to overtime, and the Vikings were able to pull out the win, as senior guard Josh Lepetina, who scored 28 points, hit a 3-pointer and Dawson DeBebe hit a 3-pointer to finish off the Rams.
Pennridge, which was led by 18 points from Post and 17 from Yoder, finished the season at 13-6.
“I’m disappointed that I won’t get a chance to coach them again,” Behrens said. “I think the boys felt they didn’t play their best basketball, but these seniors, this is a great group. What they did over four years, on and offf the court, they kept the tradition alive at Pennridge.
“Getting to the playoffs (for an eighth straight year) has become the norm here, and it hasn’t always been the norm at Penridge. They’re all going to go on and do bigger and better things in life.”
The team will graduate six seniors – Post, Yoder, Greg Stumpo, TJ Grenda, Colin Monahan and Aiden McCluskey.
Perkiomen Valley 56, Pennridge 52 (OT)
Pennridge 11 5 14 17 5 – 52
Perk Valley 7 10 17 13 9 – 56
Pennridge (52) – Justin Nichols 1 0-0 2; Luke Yoder 7 2-4 17; Colin Post 9 0-0 18; Matt Campione 4 0-0 9; Colin Monahan 3 0-1 6. Totals 24 2-5 52.
Perkiomen Valley (56) – Parks 6 0-2 13; Koehler 2 0-0 4; DeBebe 1 2-2 4; Micelli 3 0-0 7; Lapetina 11 3-6 28; Basile 0 0-1 0. Totals 23 5-11 56.
3-point goals: P-Yoder 1, Campione 1; PV-Lapentina 3, Parks 1, Micelli 1
#4 GARNET VALLEY 69, #20 UPPER DUBLIN 41
It’s no secret that Garnet Valley can light it up from beyond the arc. The Jaguars did just that in Tuesday’s second round game, connecting on 10 3-pointers with six different players making at least one three.
In a preview of things to come, they buried four 3s in the first quarter, opening up a 22-11 lead that by halftime grew to 38-22 on their way to the win.
“It’s always tough when the season ends so abruptly as it does with a playoff loss,” UD coach Chris Monahan said. “We didn’t play as well as we would have liked. Despite a good start, we had too many defensive breakdowns that gave them good looks at 3s.
“It’s a strength of their team, and Garnet Valley took advantage and knocked down shots all night. They’re a very good team, so congrats to them.”
Drew Stover – who scored over 1,200 points in a stellar three-year varsity career – led all scorers with 27 points. Griffin Pensabene added seven points.
“We’ll miss our seniors,” Monahan said. “Drew has obviously had a brilliant career for us. We’ll miss his production on the court but more importantly, his leadership. And we’ll miss our other seniors – Tim Boutilier, Chris Gress, Anthony Fatiga, and LeBron Snead who all battled injury, illness, and quarantine throughout the season. Those guys battled in practice every chance they could. They’ll be missed.
“We’ve been starting 4 sophomores for a while now and bringing a freshman and juniors off the bench. This bodes well for us in that those guys gained valuable experience. But those underclassmen have a lot of work to do between now and November if we want to make a deep playoff push. I know the coaches and I look forward to working with our group coming back, but again, we’ll certainly miss the seniors.”
Garnet Valley had three players in double figures. Carl Schaller led the way with 19 points. Justin Langan added 17 – nine in the first quarter. His three 3-pointers led the Jaguars. Gannon McKee added 10 points, including a pair of 3s.
Upper Dublin closed out its season with a 12-10 record (5-5 SOL).
Upper Dublin 11-11-8-11 41
Garnet Valley 22-16-16-15 69
Upper Dublin (41) – Drew Stover 11 5-6 27; Griffin Pensabene 3 0-0 7 Colin O’Sullivan 0 2-2 2; DJ Cerisier 1 0-0 2; Vijay Foster 0 0-1 0; Chris Kohlbrenner 1 0-0 3; Totals 16 7-9 41.
Garnet Valley (69) – Carl Schaller 9 0-0 19; Justin Langan 7 0-0 17; Gannon McKee 4 0-0 10; Max Koehler 2 2-2 7; Ryan Watten 2 1-2 7; Ryan Faccenda 1 0-2 2; Tyler Knapp 1 0-0 3; Nolan Brendan 2 0-0 4; Totals 28 3-6 69
3-point goals: UD – Griffin Pensabene, Chris Kohlbrenner, Garnet Valley – Justin Langan 3, Gannon McKee 2, Ryan Watten 2, Carl Schaller, Max Koehler, Tyler Knapp.
#6 WEST CHESTER EAST 66, #11 NESHAMINY 52
A slow start led to a long night for Neshaminy, which gave up 25 points in the second quarter, was down 19 at halftime and could never get back into Tuesday’s second-round game in the second half.
Senior center Mike Murray was the team’s top scorer with 20 points, including 8-for-11 from the free throw line, while senior point guard Matt Drapkin added 11 points.
West Chester East, which advanced to play Abington in Friday’s quarterfinal round, was led by Jackson Kulp, who had 17 points.
Neshaminy (11-6) wraps up a season which saw it win the Suburban One League Patriot Division title.
West Chester East 66, Neshaminy 52
Neshaminy 7 12 18 15 – 52
West Chester East 13 25 9 19 – 66
Neshaminy (52) – Jimmy MacDonald 2 0-0 4; Jake McGinty 2 2-2 6; Mason Getz 1 1-2 3; Matt Drapkin 3 3-4 11; Evan Esposito 2 0-0 5; Mike Murray 6 8-11 20; Tom Mullin 1 0-0 3. Totals 17 14-19 52.
West Chester East (66) – Dedda 6 1-2 14; Ramos 2 0-1 5; Clark 0 1-2 1; Kushner 6 3-4 15; Dutton 0 2-2; Hefferan 1 0-0 3; Kulp 6 2-2 17; Price 3 0-0 9. Totals 24 9-13 66.
3-point goals: N-Drapkin 2, Esposito 1, Mullin 1; WCE-Dedda 1, Ramos 1, Hefferan 1, Kulp 3, Price 3
Class 5A
#8 UNIONVILLE 55, #1 UPPER MORELAND 43
Upper Moreland went into Tuesday night as the No. 1 seed, winners of eight of its last nine games, including one over the No. 1 seed in Class 6A, Cheltenham.
But No. 8 seed Unionville came to UM, started quickly and rode the hot hand of guard Sean Neylon, leading from start-to-finish in a quarterfinal upset in the Class 5A Tournament.
Neylon ended up with 32 points, including six 3-pointers.
“Watching film on them, we saw he was a kid who is a confident shooter,” said Golden Bears coach Dan Heiland. “He’s a very good shooter, from anywhere on the court. If he’s open enough to shoot, he’ll knock it down. He can knock down a big shot to give them momentum.
“There were times when we didn’t give him anything, and he made tough shoots. We did everything we could to get the ball out of his hands, but they’re really well-coach and they ran a really good offense and eventually got it back to him.”
And it started early. Neylon set the tone with a 3 on Unionville’s first possession as the visitors led by seven after one and established early momentum.
“That was the big difference in the game, just the start of the game,” Heiland said. “We got a good look, missed and they came down, ran their offense, took a minute off the clock, and then (Neylon) knocked down a 3. Like any good shooter, if he’s feeling it, he can go off for 20, 30 points. You just want to make it so he doesn’t get comfortable. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that enough tonight. He came down and hit some really tough shots. It was a tremendous effort.”
UM didn’t stop battling, staying within striking distance the whole way, getting as close as four in the second half at one point, before Neylon ended the threat with another one of his six 3-pointers.
It just wasn’t meant to be on Tuesday, but that hardly dampens what has been a tremendous season for the Bears, who finish with a 13-4 final record.
Seven seniors will graduate from this team – Justin Sanders, Jahaire Johnson, Jourdan Gregg, McKie Walker, Ryan Schernecke, Jeremy Harmer and Jonathan Jackson.
“It was disappointing with the ending, but I was extremely proud of the guys, my team, especially the seniors the way they led by example on and off the court,” Heiland said. “It’s a tremendous group of young men, who accomplished many things this year, through all the ups and downs and challenges. Starting later, following protocols day in and day out. But they stepped up to the occasion.
“I’m extremely proud of them as a group tonight. They absolutely played hard, gave everything they had. Sometimes you do that and it’s just not enough.”
Unionville 55, Upper Moreland 43
Unionville 15 12 12 16 -55
Upper Moreland 8 12 12 11 – 43
Unionville (55) – Neylon 32, Kammeier 2, Nowoswiat 18, Lenkaitis 3
Upper Moreland (43) – Justin Sanders 2, Byron Hopkins 8, Jahaire Johnson 5, Jourdan Gregg 7, McKie Walker 1, Jake Tiernan 3, Matt Tiernan 17
3-point goals: U-Neylong 5, Nowoswiat 1; UM-Hopkins 2, Gregg, Tiernan
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