Abington and Pennridge will square off in Wednesday’s PIAA 6A second round at Bensalem High School. It is the fourth meeting between the two SOL schools.
Pennridge is hoping the fourth time will be the charm while Abington hopes to continue its dominance over the Rams when the two teams meet in Wednesday’s PIAA 6A second round game.
Here’s a quick recaps of the three games leading up to Wednesday’s showdown:
ACT I: Abington 72, Pennridge 61 (Dec. 15 at Abington)
In an early season non-league game, the Ghosts took a 37-33 lead into halftime and outscored the visiting Rams by two in the third quarter and seven in the second half.
Abington: Eric Dixon led the Ghosts with 29 points and 11 rebounds. Darious Brown scored 13, which included two threes and a 7-for-8 effort at the foul line. Lucas Monroe had 10 points and five assists.
Pennridge: Sean Yoder led the Rams with 27 points, which included four three-pointers. Jon Post had 12 points, and Luke Yoder added 10.
ACT II: Abington 62, Pennridge 52 – SOL Tournament title game (Feb. 11 at Bensalem)
The two teams spent the first half exchanging baskets with Abington holding a tenuous 24-23 halftime lead. The Rams outscored the Ghosts 23-14 in the third quarter to go on top 46-38. Pennridge still led 50-42 with just over five minutes remaining, but the Ghosts closed it out with a 22-3 tear to earn the win and the SOL Tournament title.
Abington: Eric Dixon’s 27 points led the Ghosts, who also received 13 points from Darious Brown.
Pennridge: Jon Post led the Rams with 19 points while Sean Yoder added 15.
ACT III: Abington 50, Pennridge 38 – District 1 6A semifinals (Feb. 26 at Temple University)
Abington opened up a 32-18 halftime lead and never looked back on its way to the district semifinal win.
Abington: Lucas Monroe (16 points) and Maurice Henry (15 points) led the way for the Ghosts on a night that saw Eric Dixon score just nine.
Pennridge: Sean Yoder’s 11 points led the Rams. No other player had more than six points.
#1-1 ABINGTON vs #1-4 PENNRIDGE (Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Bensalem High School)
Abington Ghosts
- 28-1 overall
- 14-0 SOL American Conference champions
- Won four of last five district titles and third consecutive title this year
- Senior forward Eric Dixon – who averages close to 30 points a game – is program's all-time leading scorer and holds the program record for points in a season. He has surpassed 2,000 points in his career and became just the second player in program history to surpass 1,000 career rebounds.
- Senior guard Lucas Monroe, who averages 17 points, surpassed the 1,000-point mark in the regular season finale. He has 112 assists this season and 416 for his career. He trails only Matt Penecale (2015) for career assists.
- Guard Darious Brown averages close to eight points and has 40 3-pointers.
- Senior Maurice Henry and junior Manir Waller round out the starting five. Both average close to six points a game. Henry has 114 assists for the season.
How they got here: In Saturday’s opening round, Abington rolled to a 69-44 win over Cumberland Valley, the sixth place team out of District 3. Eric Dixon and Lucas Monroe both had 24 points to lead the Ghosts. Monroe had a career-high 16 rebounds while Dixon had 12.
Pennridge Rams
- 24-5 overall
- 11-1 SOL Continental (Conference champion)
- Senior Sean Yoder, a Navy recruit, is Pennridge’s all-time leading scorer.
- Senior Jon Post, the Rams’ 6-6 forward, can score at the rim but also has a consistent shot and is a rugged interior defender and rebounder.
- Guards Luke Yoder, John Dominic, Nick Dunn and Jack Gillespie along with forward Trent Fisher round out the rotation for the Rams. Dominic set a school record for 3-pointers made in a single game with eight in a win over North Penn.
How they got here: In Saturday’s opening round, Pennridge defeated defending state runner-up Abraham Lincoln 49-45, rallying from a three-point halftime deficit to outscore Lincoln 32-25 in the second half. Sean Yoder led the Rams with 15 points while Trent Fisher had eight and Luke Yoder, seven points.
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