Check out the results of SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Thursday. Abington/CR South photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery. Neshaminy/Holy Ghost Prep photo provided courtesy of Jesse Garber (http://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p565007898)
National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 47, HARRY S TRUMAN 43
The Indians used a complete team effort to pick up their first conference win of the season in a tough battle against the visiting Tigers.
“The guys really played together,” coach Jesse Krasna said. “They really moved the ball well, and that was something we had really been stressing in practice because we were trying to take on an entire defense individually a little too often.
“A lot of times it was coming from a competitive place – I want to help my team win by getting a bucket, but our ball movement just wasn’t very good, especially the last few games. Our decision making was something that we talked about and have tried to improve on. We definitely took a step in the right direction tonight.”
Ball movement and decision making were points of emphasis during a team talk after last Friday’s 83-44 loss to Pennsbury.
“They really bought in, and we had an awesome week of practice, and it showed tonight that they were willing to change – they’re in it for the team success and not for themselves,” Krasna said. “That’s something we’re going to continue to preach and the boys are going to continue to get better at it, and I think if we do, our offense will continue to improve.
“That was exciting for me to see tonight, and if we combine that with how we defend and how much toughness our guys bring, come late January and February, we’re going to be a team not a lot of people are going to want to play.”
The Indians led 7-6 after one quarter, and behind a pair of three-pointers from Tyler Shields, they outscored their visitors 15-12 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 22-18 lead.
The two teams exchanged baskets in the second half as the Indians held on for the win.
Shields led the Indians with 12 points on four three-pointers. James Kosyla added 11, and Eric Levine had nine.
Krasna lauded the defensive efforts of Levine and Noah Ehlin on the Tigers’ top two offensive weapons. Levine held Kelechi Ogbonna to just three points, and Ehlin limited Danell Snelling to just two points.
“A lot of guys really contributed, especially offensively,” the Indians’ coach said. “Tyler Shields was starting his first game tonight, and he really played with a lot of confidence, handled the ball well. He really stepped up.
“Our big guy underneath, James Kosyla, played really tough defense and did a great job on the backboards and went really strong to the rim. Our guards – Eric Levine and Noah Ehlin – played really well. They didn’t score a ton of points, but they got the ball to our scorers, and that’s something that’s just as important as scoring if you can find the scorer.
“Everybody really pitched in, including the guys off the bench. Tommy Boyle is one of our backup big guys, and he came in and grabbed three rebounds in the second quarter as soon as he entered the game. It was a total team effort, and that’s the way we’re going to have to play if we want to beat some of these teams that have a little more firepower offensively.”
For the Tigers, Gabe Gipli’s 10 points led the way. Jeff Nixon added nine and Marvel Rogers, eight points, on a night that saw the Indians’ defense keep Ogbonna and Snelling under wraps.
“This was a big win,” Krasna said. “Our guys worked so hard, and they sacrifice so much, and when you’re not winning and you don’t feel like you’re playing great, it really takes a toll on you.
“We needed this one because they did put so much time and energy into it, and they deserved the success because of how hard they worked. Truman is a good team. They beat Bensalem, they beat Neshaminy. We were in a lot of close games the first half of the season, but we struggled to close them out. This is one we were able to get a lead, Truman made a big run, but we were able to hold them off.
“Definitely a big one for our guys, and the best part about it – it wasn’t just one guy that carried us. It was everybody pitching in defensively, sharing the ball. When that happens, it’s a true team win. That’s the way we have to play because we don’t have a go-to scorer that can put up 20 points consistently. We’re going to have to make each other better, kind of the way the San Antonio Spurs play. It’s different from how our guys played last year when they had two really good scorers, but I think they’re starting to catch on. The vision the coaches have is starting to transfer to the players.”
Both teams will compete in Saturday’s SOL Challenge. Council Rock North (4-10, 1-5 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Harry S Truman (6-4, 2-3) will face Central Bucks South on Saturday at Quakertown at 3 p.m.
Council Rock North 7-15-12-13 47
Harry S Truman 6-12-11-14 43
Council Rock North (47) – Eric Levine 9, Drew Burton 5, James Kosyla 11, Tyler Shields 12, Noah Ehlin 5, Matt McAllister 3.
Harry S Truman (43) – Jeff Nixon 9, Kelechi Ogbonna 3, Danell Snelling 2, Marvel Rogers 8, Zierr Reid 3, ZJ Jackson 2,Willis 3, Ean Cerogino 3, Gabe Gipli 10.
PENNSBURY 55, BENSALEM 52
The visiting Falcons opened up an early lead and withstood a late surge by the Owls to earn the hard-fought win.
“They’re always tough there,” Pennsbury coach Bill Coleman said. “It’s obviously their home, and it’s us.
“One of the things I always tell the guys – watch film and tell me how many bleachers are out for all those games, and when we get there, how many bleachers are out for us. That will tell you the significance of the games we play. Everyone gets up for Pennsbury. Luckily today we were able to come out of it with a ‘W.’”
The Falcons, who led 20-14 after one quarter, took a 31-27 lead into halftime. They had a 45-39 advantage going into the final quarter.
“We were settling in the third quarter and some of the fourth quarter, just taking some ill-advised shots and turned the ball over for really no good reason – there was no pressure,” Coleman said.
Mark Flagg (24 points) and Addison Howard (21 points) combined for 45 of the Falcons’ points.
“They’ve been playing well, and it’s good to see,” Coleman said. “Hopefully, we’re able to continue with that.
“Mark gets double teamed and triple teamed, and it opens up everything. We’re just looking for kids to surround him. Addison has been the benefactor of that. He has the green light, and we’re trying to pull some strings with other kids, but there’s a little hesitation on their part right now.”
The Falcons were minus a pair of players of regulars in Tyler Sessa-Reeves and Josh Arruda.
“It was a good thing in that we could extend our bench a little bit as we move forward into postseason play,” Coleman said.
Both teams will also participate in Saturday’s SOL Challenge. Pennsbury (8-3, 4-1 SOL) will face Hatboro-Horsham at William Tennent at 5 p.m., and Bensalem (6-6, 1-5) will face Souderton on the Owls’ home court at 2 p.m.
Pennsbury 20-11-14-10 55
Bensalem 14-13-12-13 52
Pennsbury (55) – Addison Howard 21, Billy Warren 4, Joey Monaghan 6, Mark Flagg 24.
Bensalem (52) – Taco Douglas 11, Ward Roberts 10, Rich Dean 15, Keith Parrish 2, Isaiah Murray 2, Josh Hill 3, Nadir Smith 2, Kris Shields 7.
ABINGTON 53, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 40
The visiting Ghosts, who led 16-7 after one quarter, seized control early and went on to open up a 48-27 lead after three quarters on their way to the convincing win.
“I was really pleased with the way we played our first three quarters,” coach Charles Grasty said. “I just thought we came out and played with a lot of energy, especially on a Thursday night game on the road.
“We passed the ball, we shared the ball. We really played well. We really got after it defensively. I was impressed with that also. I thought we put three really good quarters together, and in the fourth quarter, I thought we slacked off.”
The Ghosts, who led 25-11, at halftime, opened the third quarter with a 10-0 run to go on top 35-11 just over two minutes into the frame.
“We made some shots early,” Grasty said. “I thought our speed hurt them also as well as our size.
“We had a really good practice yesterday, and I just thought it carried over. They’re getting after it now. It’s fun to watch.”
Abington went on to open up a 46-18 lead before the Golden Hawks connected on three three-pointers in a 9-2 run to make it a 48-27 game at the end of three quarters. The Golden Hawks, who outscored the Ghosts 13-5 in the final frame, never got any closer than 11.
“Our kids did a really good job on their guards,” Grasty said. “We watched them, and we didn’t want them to get too comfortable because they can get going.
“We wanted to really get after their guards and make it hard for them. Defensively, our guards did a really good job. Robbie Heath did a good job on (Alex Nordenholt), and Rob Young did a really good job on (Austin) Thomas.”
Heath had the hot hand from the field, scoring a game-high 22 points. He connected on 10-of-14 attempts from the field. Eric Dixon scored 14 points and was 5-of-9 from the field, which included a 2-of-3 effort from beyond the arc. Joseph O’Brien broke his string of three straight double-digit performances but had a team-high nine rebounds to go along with four points and two blocks. Darius Brown contributed six points off the bench, and Lucas Monroe had five assists.
Abington connected on 21-of-39 shots from the field (53.8 percent). They were 5-of-12 on three-point attempts (41.6 percent).
The Ghosts are a perfect 6-0 after one go-round in the league, and their tough non-league schedule is paying dividends.
“Our guys said they’ll play anybody, anywhere, anytime, so that’s their motto,” Grasty said. “I thought we came out of the first half of the season pretty good. We’re 11-3 with what I think is one of the toughest schedules around.”
Abington (11-3, 6-0 SOL) will face Upper Dublin at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Saturday at 4 p.m. as part of the SOL Challenge. Council Rock South (9-3, 4-2) will face Pennridge on Saturday at 1:30 at Council Rock North.
Abington 16-9-23-5 53
Council Rock South 7-4-16-13 40
Abington (53) – Eric Dougherty 14, Robbie Heath 22, Joseph O’Brien 4, Lucas Monroe 1, Robert Young 6, Darius Brown 6.
Council Rock South (40) – Austin Thomas 16, Shaun Smith 9, Christian Jabbar 4, Alex Nordenholt 2, Ryan McNamee 4, Ryan Boyd 5.
Non-league
NESHAMINY 43, HOLY GHOST PREP 35
The Redskins threw some defense at the Firebirds, limiting their visitors to just 20 points through three quarters as they opened up a 29-20 lead. They sealed the win by burying 12-of-14 foul shots in the fourth quarter. Chris Arcidiacono, who led all scorers with 20 points, was a perfect 4-for-4 in the frame, and Anthony Papeo connected on 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.
Neshaminy led 8-6 after one quarter, and behind eight points from Arcidiacono, they outscored the Firebirds 13-9 in the second to go into halftime with a 23-15 lead. Arcidiacono scored all eight of his team’s points in a third quarter that saw the Firebirds manage just five points.
In addition to his 20 points, Arcidiacono also had six rebounds and five assists. Papeo finished with 12 points while Anthony Verecchio had a team-high 10 rebounds to go with his six points.
Mike McFadden (11 points) and John McCrane (10 points) finished in double figures for the Firebirds.
Neshaminy (5-6, 2-4 SOL) will face Wissahickon on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Bensalem as part of the SOL Challenge.
Holy Ghost Prep 6-9-5-15 35
Neshaminy 8-13-8-14 43
Holy Ghost Prep (35) – Greg Sylvester 4, Jack Elliott 7, John McCrane 10, Aidan Bauer 1, Mike McFadden 11, Greg Calvin 2.
Neshaminy (43) – Zach Tredway 3, Chris Arcidiacono 20, Anthony Papeo 12, Anthony Verrecchio 6, Andrew Note 2.
American Conference
HATBORO-HORSHAM 62, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 28
The Hatters, who led 16-0 after one quarter, took a 38-15 lead into halftime and never looked back on their way to the convincing win.
Clifton Moore had a double-double to lead the Hatters with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Jay Davis added 21 points. Ryan Black contributed eight points, and Khalid Johnson, six points.
Quentin Johnson led the Spartans with 13 points.
Hatboro-Horsham (7-5, 5-3 SOL) will take on Pennsbury on Saturday at 5 p.m. at William Tennent as part of the SOL Challenge. Springfield (1-11, 0-7) will face Plymouth Whitemarsh at PW on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Springfield 0-15-4-9 28
Hatboro-Horsham 16-22-20-4 62
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