Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. PW/Neshaminy photos courtesy of Larry Small. Check back for a gallery of photos. (Abington photo courtesy of Abington HS). CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ BOYS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
SOL non-league crossover
Abington 52, Pennsbury 36
(Check back for a follow-up story on Dan Marsh’s remarkable milestone.)
Abington coach Dan Marsh’s 400th career win was an impressive one as the Galloping Ghosts turned in an brilliant defensive effort and pulled away for the 52-36 win.
Prior to his current stint with the Abington boys program, he previously coached the Ghosts girls team, and before that coached at Akiba Hebrew, where he compiled a record of 100-31.
“It was nice to see some of my old players were here tonight, and it was nice to be able to do it at home,” Marsh said. “It’s really a community-type and school-type of award because coaches can’t do it by themselves, obviously. I’ve been blessed with a lot of great people in my life at Abington and Akiba.
“It’s crazy because I used to watch Bob Schnure at Downingtown and (Bob) Schaefer from Cheltenham before I was coaching, and I was like, ‘Man, I want to win a bunch of games like they did,’ so 400 was a personal goal for me. It was never a focus, but it’s nice to have it happen,”
Key Players: Abington was led by Xander Grasty and Faison Garland with 11 points each.
For Pennsbury, Sean Breslin had 11 and Patrick Jajua with 10.
Abington coach Dan Marsh:
–The game: “We knew going in that (Pat Jajua) is a really good player, and I told them before the game, ‘If we can hold him to 10. points, I think we’ll be in a really good spot,’ and we held him to exactly 10. Kyler Pickron did a great job on him, and when Kyler needed a rest, Jake Solomon came in, and that was our key going in.”
–Looking ahead: “Our kids are tired, and we didn’t have a whole bunch of energy. We’re in the mid-season doldrums a little bit, so we came out a little slow. We’ll give them the day off tomorrow, and hopefully, we can rebound because we’ve got a tough one on Friday against Souderton and then Cumberland Valley on Saturday, so it really doesn’t slow down.
“I really like this team. I like their work ethic. Our game plan was to slow down (Jajua) and (Sean Breslin), and I think we did a pretty good job with that.”
Pennsbury coach Wes Emme:
“Big congratulations to coach Marsh on his 400th victory, well deserved recognition.
–The game: “I thought it was a very well-played game. Their athleticism and pressure comes at you in waves and while I felt like generally we played well, particularly on the defensive end. They forced us into far too many errors. They made easy plays for us far more difficult and kept attacking us regardless of outcome. Patrick Jajua was our lone standout.”
Up next: Abington will host Souderton in an SOL non-league crossover game Friday, and Pennsbury will host Upper Moreland in a non-league crossover game Friday.
Pennsbury 9-6-9-12 36
Abington 10-13-17-12 52
Pennsbury (36)
Zach Staines 1 0-0 2; Brady Kent 1 1-2 3; Max Katz 1 0-90 2; Owen Hogencamp 1 0-0 2; Sean Breslin 3 3-4 11; Pat Jajua 3 4-4 10; Max Manga 2 1-4 6; TOTALS 12 9-14 36.
Abington (52)
Amare Stone 3 0-0 7; Kyler Pickron 3 0-0 6; Malcom Lucas 1 0-0 2; Xander Grasty 4 3-4 11; Faison Garland 5 0-0 11; Jacob Solomon 1 0- 2; Ray Rice 1 0-0 2; Josh Scarpello 1 0-0 2; Declan Doyle 0 1-2 1; Elijah Cruickshank 2 0-0 5; Jordan Holden 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 22 4-6 52.
3-point goals: P – Breslin 2, Manga; A – Stone, Garland, Cruickshank, Holden.
Cheltenham 65, Central Bucks East 59 (OT)
Cheltenham then went 11-for-14 from the free throw line in overtime to clinch a thrilling 65-59 overtime win over CB East in a crossover game on Tuesday.
Mark Hill went 4-for-4 from the line in OT, while Jaden Mosley was 4-for-6.
Keegan Marascio tied the game late for CB East to force overtime.
Key Players: Chris Harmon scored a game-high 23 points to lead Cheltenham. Mark Hill had 15 and Jaden Mosley added 13 for the Panthers.
For CB East, Keegan Marascio scored 18 points, Brady Colbert 15 and Connor Mekanik 12.
Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury:
“This was an important win, especially coming off a couple of losses. It’s good to get one in the win column and try to learn through a win. East is one of the better teams in our area, and this one should help us with our playoff seed, and obviously, that’s our goal.
“The great thing was our guards and bigs – it was a cohesive win. The ball moved – we wanted to get as much movement as we could. We still have a lot of work to do, but that is a good team, and to get a win, we were happy with that.
“I’m happy for the guys and excited for their journey on becoming a more cohesive and unselfish group as we move into the middle and late January and early February, with the hopes of making a special memory for themselves, for their families and their community.”
Up next: Cheltenham will be on the road at Neshaminy for an SOL non-league crossover game Friday, and Central Bucks East will host Lincoln Leadership Academy in a non-league game Wednesday.
CB East 14 11 18 11 5 – 59
Cheltenham 13 10 18 13 11 – 65
CB East (59)
Connor Mekanik 12, Henry Bartchuk 8, Brady Colbert 15, Keegan Marascio 18, Sean Korlesky 6.
Cheltenham (65)
Chris Harmon 23, Mark Hill 15, Jaden Mosley 13, Peyton McClendon 2, Isais Vargas 3, Isaiah Dill 9.
3-point goals: CBE-Colbert 3, Bartchuk 2, Korelsky 2; C-Harmon 3, Mosley 2, Dill
Upper Dublin 76, Bensalem 25
Upper Dublin connected on 14 3-pointers and used a quick start to blow past visiting Bensalem and never look back in a 76-25 victory on Tuesday.
The Flying Cardinals outscored the Owls 25-3 in the first quarter, nailing six 3s.
“Great night all around for our boys,” said UD coach Derek Brooks. “We played hard and shared the ball well.”
Key Players: Noah Cohen had seven 3s for the game and finished with 21 points. Horace Jackson scored 16 points.
Jacob Eberhardt led Bensalem scorers with 10 points.
Up next: Upper Dublin will host North Penn in an SOL non-league crossover game Friday, and Bensalem will host William Tennent in a non-league crossover game Friday.
Bensalem 3 9 9 5 – 25
Upper Dublin 25 25 10 16 – 76
Bensalem (25)
Bourelly 1 1-1 3; Vose 1 0-0 2; Nimely 1 1-2 3; Levister 0 1-2 1; Richard 3 0-0 6; Eberhardt 2 6-10 10. Totals 8 9-15 25.
Upper Dublin (76)
Kobe Bazemore 3 0-0 8; Brandon Altman 1 0-0 2; Noah Cohen 7 0-0 21; Horace Jackson 6 3-3 16; Justin Ragsdale 2 1-2 5; Jake Scherzer 2 0-0 5; Luke Caron 1 2-4 4; Beni Rantz 1 0-0 2; Lawson Tyler 1 0-0 2; Bryce Kuhla 3 0-0 9; AJ Weston 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 6-9 75.
3-point goals: UD – Cohen 7, Kuhla 3, Bazemore 2, Jackson, Scherzer
Central Bucks South 73, New Hope-Solebury 35
CB South turned in a dominant effort on both ends of the floor, running past New Hope-Solebury 73-35 in a crossover game on Tuesday.
The Titans led 16-9 after one and pushed it to 34-17 by halftime and never looked back.
Key Players: Kayode Adebayo had 12 of his team-high 14 points in the first half for CB South. Davis Van Zanten (12) and Shane Farrell (10) were also in double figures for the Titans.
Up Next: CB South plays at Hatboro-Horsham on Friday. New Hope travels to Harry S. Truman on Friday.
CB South 16 18 19 20 – 73
New Hope 8 9 9 9 – 35
CB South (73)
Adebayo 7 0-0 14; Montes 2 0-0 5; Shahin 1 0-0 2; Farrell 4 0-0 10; Barrett 1 0-0 3; Van Zanten 12; Sarnoff 1 0-0 2; Ross 4 0-0 9; Medwid 5 4-4 15. Totals 31 4-5 73.
New Hope (35)
Alderson 2 1-2 5; Wenner 2 0-0 6; Kolen 1 0- 0 2; Massimino 2 0-0 5; MacKenzie 6 0-0 13; Swankowski 0 1-2 1. Totals 14 2-4 35.
3-point goals: CBS- Montes 2, Farrell 2, Barrett, Medwid; NH-Alderson 2, MacKenzie, Massimino
Central Bucks West 50, Lower Moreland 34
Dan Pellegrini had a monster fourth quarter and CB West pulled away from Lower Moreland in the second half to post the 50-34 road crossover win on Tuesday night.
Pellegrini had a game-high 24 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter with three 3-pointers and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Luke Wheeler and Nathan Fellah had 11 points each for LM.
CB West assistant coach Sherrod Higginbotham:
“We played a solid game tonight and came away with a comfortable win. Of course, there are some areas for improvement, but getting the ‘W’ is the main focus.
“Lower Moreland fought hard the whole game.”
–Props: “Dan Peligrinni was excellent for us, and he’s starting to find his rhythm over the last few games and had (24) points tonight. He was a huge part of our success tonight.”
Up next: Central Bucks West will travel to Neshaminy for an SOL non-league crossover game Thursday, and Lower Moreland will be on the road at Council Rock South for a non-league crossover game Thursday.
CB West 9 10 18 14 – 50
Lower Moreland 9 6 11 7 – 34
CB West (50)
Max Milillo 3, Connor Chuo 6, Dan Pellegrini 24, Isaiah Rubenstein 4, John Vrettos 7, Gavin Reichner 4, Ben Kondyra 2, Eli Wolf 2
Lower Moreland (34)
Wheeler 11, Carroll 3, Fellah 11, Maloney 9,
3-point goals: CBW – Pellegrini 3, Vrettos; LM- Maloney, Wheeler
Council Rock North 61, Quakertown 46
CR North went on the road and shook off a slow start to get past Quakertown 61-46 in a crossover game on Tuesday nights.
The Indians trailed 18-10 at the end of one quarter but turned it around with a 17-2 second quarter to take control of the game.
Key Players: CR North was led by Owen Crowne with 17 points, and Danny Cuneo with 15 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter.
Trae McCray had 20 points for Quakertown, while Jameson Sykes added 17.
Up next: Council Rock North will host Springfield Twp in an SOL non-league crossover game Thursday, and Quakertown will host Pennridge in a non-league crossover game Friday.
CR North 10 17 11 23 – 61
Quakertown 18 2 8 17 – 46
CR North (61)
Peterson 3 1-3 8; Crowne 4 6-7 17; Freed 1 0-0 2; French 2 2-2 7; Prabhu 1 0-0 2; Kiefer 2 4-8 8; Wright 1 0-0 3; Cuneo 5 3-6 15. Totals 19 16-28 61.
Quakertown (46)
Sykes 6 1-1 17; Mooney 0 2-2 2; Bodnar 2 1-2 5; McCray 8 2-2 20; Everitt 1 0-2 2; Peacher 0 0-2 0. Totals 17 6-13 46.
3-point goals: CRN-Cuneo 2, Peterson, Crowne, French, Wright; Q-McCray 2, Sykes
Wissahickon 59, Council Rock South 39
A big first quarter was just the bump Wissahickon needed as it rolled past visiting CR South 59-39 in a crossover game on Tuesday night.
Nico Vacchiano finished with a game-high 28 points for the Trojans, including 13 and three 3-pointers in the first quarter.
Wissahickon led 20-5 after one quarter and 44-15 at halftime.
Key Players: Sophomore Zach Schwartz also scored in double figures for Wissahickon with 12 points.
Ryan Delp had 23 points for CR South.
Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson:
“The kids, they’ve just been building momentum since I think the last two games, since the Hatboro loss, and man, they’ve just been coming out firing on all cylinders in each game. So it was a really, really solid win.”
–On the crossover win: “You see different styles and different ways in which they play the game. Last year we took two on the chin, and it was nice to get the one at Lower Moreland and then to get the one against (CR) South tonight, so that was huge.”
–Props: “Nico was the spark. We had several guys play well, but he had 28 points, seven rebounds, four assists. The big fella in the middle (Jona Sellenriek) didn’t score a ton, but he cleaned a lot up – the kid Jona Sellenreich had eight rebounds. And then the sophomore, Zach Schwartz, had five assists and 12 points.
“But it wast just real nice sharing of the ball. We jumped out to a 20-5 lead, and the kids were just playing with energy, and the focus was really impressive.”
Up next: Council Rock South will host Lower Moreland in an SOL non-league crossover game Thursday, and Wissahickon will host Central Bucks West for a non-league crossover game on Friday.
CR South 5 10 10 14 – 39
Wissahickon 20 24 9 6 – 59
CR South (39)
Ray Haglund 1, Ryan Delp 23, Mirc 4, Balmer 4, McLean 2, Malone 3, Boyer 2. Totals 13 4-8 39.
Wissahickon (59)
Zach Schwartz 12, Luke Slobotkin 2, Owen Haughley 5; Nico Vacchiano 28; Logan Heibert 1, Jona Sellenriek 2, Milan Fields 3, Delmar Taliafarro 6. Totals 21 11-15 59.
3-point goals: CRS-Delp 7, Malone, Balmer; W-Vacchiano 4, Schwartz, Fields
Hatboro-Horsham 53, Harry S Truman 42
Only three players scored points, but that was more than enough, as Hatboro-Horsham rolled to its sixth win in seven games, getting past Truman by 21 points.
Shane Phillips nearly outscored Truman himself, finishing with 30 points, including five 3-pointers and 7-for-8 from the free throw line.
H-H outscored Truman 18-5 in the first quarter.
(The first quarter) was probably the best quarter defensively we played all year,” said Hatters coach Bill Coleman. “However, we really need to focus and figure out a way to play 32 minutes.
“Every huddle, every timeout – it’s the message: ‘Play 32.’”
The win was the ninth of the season for the Hatters, the most for the program since the 2017-18 season.
Key Players: Aside from Phillips, for H-H, Kenny Lutz added 14 points and MJ Thompson nine points.
Truman was led by Adul Diallo with 16 points and Jaden Luchansky with 13.
Up next: Council Rock South will host Lower Moreland in an SOL non-league crossover game Thursday, and Wissahickon will host Central Bucks West for a non-league crossover game on Friday.
Truman 5 10 12 15 – 42
Hatboro-Horsham 18 4 18 13 – 53
Truman (42)
Adul Diallo 7 2-3 16; Jaden Lunchansky 3 4-4 13; Terrell Edwards 3 1-2 8; Davae Vaughn 1 0-0 2; Shawn Parker 0 3-4 3. Totals 14 10-13 42.
H-H (53)
Kenny Lutz 4 5-10 14; MJ Thompson 3 3-6 9; Shane Phillips 9 7-8 30. Totals 16 16-24 53.
3-pointers: H-H-Phillips 5, Lutz; T-Luchansky 3, Edwards
Plymouth Whitemarsh 91, Neshaminy 43
Red-hot Plymouth Whitemarsh remained that way Tuesday night, with 58 first-half points on the way to the 91-43 win over visiting Neshaminy in cross-over action.
The Colonials, now winners of six in a row,led 33-12 after one quarter and 58-24 at halftime. Mani Sajid had 14 points in the first quarter, 20 of his 22 points in the first half. Michael Pereira had eight first-quarter points and 12 in the first half.
In all, 13 different players scored, and PW had 28 field goals, nine of which were 3-pointers.
Key Players: Mani Sajid (22 points) and Michael Pereira (18) led the way for PW.
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh will host Central Bucks East in an SOL non-league crossover game Friday, and Neshaminy will host Central Bucks West in a non-league crossover game Thursday.
Neshaminy. 12-12-6-13 43
Plymouth Whitemarsh. 33-25-18-15 91
Neshaminy (43)
Jason Leiva 1 0-0 2; Zach Stewart 1 0-0 3; Luke Amrhein 1 0-0 3; Devin Gold 1 0-0 2; Logan Gale 3 0-0 7; Eriq Gold 1 2-2 4; Joey Laukaitis 2 0-0 4; Will Emmerich 1 0-0 2; Cadenn Amati 1 2-2 4; Marion Yon 6 1-4 13; TOTALS 18 5-8 43.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (91)
Gene Deshazor 1 0-1 2; Jack Hayes 2 0-0 5; Luca Taormina 1 0-0 2; Terron Davis 4 0-0 8; Eric Conicello 2 2-2 7; Mani Sajid 10 0-0 22; Michael Pereira 8 2-4 18; Austin Edwards 1 0-2 2; Joe Thomas 0 2-2 2; Justin Probst 2 0-0 5; Buddy Denard 3 0-0 9; Zhaiden Gray 2 0-1 5; Micah Thompson 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 28 6-12 91.
3-point goals: N – Stewart, Gale; PW – Denard 3, Sajid 2, Hayes, Conicello, Probst, Gray.
North Penn 52, William Tennent 35
North Penn jumped up big by halftime and never let up, going on the road to get past William Tennent by a 52-35 final score.
The Knights led 28-13 at halftime.
They’ve now won four of their last five games.
Key Players: North Penn was led by JC Wood’s 20 points, as he went 5-for-8 from beyond the 3-point line and was 5-for-5 from the line. Wyatt Martin had nine points, nine rebounds, two steals and two assists. Nolen Foust and Sean Vagie added five rebounds each.
North Penn coach Cordell Lord:
–The game: “I was definitely pleased with our execution against their zone specifically. They did a good job playing in that zone and keeping things out of the middle, and as the game unfolded, we did a really good job of getting the ball into them, attacking and not settling for 3s.
“And then there was a bonus that some of our guys started to hit some shots consistently. It was 28-13 at the half, and the answer to the guys was, ‘Don’t take your foot off the gas, don’t get complacent, don’t settle,’ and they did a really good job coming out the first two or three minutes, continuing to build the lead.
“Hats off to William Tennent for never quitting. They brought the lead back down to eight in the fourth quarter, and one of the things that I am really proud of is that earlier in the year, we would have potentially folded or caved in because they made a run. Now, even during the timeouts when I may be upset, they’re telling each other, ‘We’re good, next play, we got to get back to it,’ staying positive with one another, and that’s really been extremely helpful for everybody in terms of staying the course and continuing to find ways to play well.
“We have a lot of guys that are learning how to win basketball games rather than just play it.”
–Props: “JC Wood shot the ball extremely well tonight – he was 5-for-8 from 3. Wyatt Martin did a phenomenal job tonight all around. He was close to a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. He did a great job on the glass, and we thought Shane Ward gave us some solid minutes off the bench tonight as well with some of the guys being banged up and him stepping up and playing a decent role. Guys definitely played well tonight.”
Up next: North Penn will be on the road at Upper Dublin for an SOL non-league crossover game Friday, and William Tennent will travel to Bensalem for a non-league crossover game Friday.
North Penn (52)
JC Wood 20, Wyatt Martin 9, Nolen Foust 5, Shane Ward 5, Chris Kingkiner 4, Marco Vera 4, Aiden Thomas 3, Sean Vagie 2.
3-point goals: NP-Wood 5, Martin, N. Foust, Ward, Thomas
Pennridge 65, Springfield Twp 45
A quick start was just what Pennridge needed on the road Tuesday, as the Rams jumped out with a big first half on the way to the 65-45 crossover win at Springfield.
Pennridge led 20-9 after one quarter and 43-25 at halftime.
Key Players: Pennridge was led by Rownan Smith and Mike Alba with 12 points each. Jake Dietl added 11 points to the balanced-effort for the Rams.
For Springfield, Julian Ciasullo scored 11 points, Cahlin Spearman 10 points and Clay Trejbrowski 10 points and five rebounds.
Pennridge coach Dean Behrens:
“Springfield, they really pressure you so they can make it ugly and make you do some odd things and turn the ball over. But our kids handled that pretty well, and I thought we got some easy buckets in that first half. And I thought we had good shot selection as well.”
–The season: “It’s been an odd season. We lose a game on Friday night (to CR North) – we had the lead, we’re up three, about 20 seconds left, we have the ball, we get fouled, we’re going to the foul line. We miss a couple fouls, we go 8-for-18 from the foul line that night and they take it in overtime – and then we lose on a buzzer-beater in overtime.
“And then the next day we have to play Perk Valley, and our clock doesn’t work. So now we’ve got to move everything over to the other gym and we play, which is fine, but I’m just like, ‘Man, this is not what I wanted to be doing.’ And then we get shellacked by them.
“And tonight, we get done with the game, we’re going to go home, and then our bus is kind of in an interesting position and gets pinned in. We’ve got to sit there for 10 minutes.
“So it just seems like there’s been some odd things that have happened to us. But we’re going to try to make the most of it here down the stretch. We’ve got three weeks to go, and the goal is to try to beat our rival, Quakertown, on Friday night. I think all the records are out the window.”
Up next: Pennridge will travel to Quakertown for an SOL non-league crossover game Friday, and Springfield Twp will be on the road at Council Rock North for a non-league crossover game Thursday.
Pennridge 20 23 14 8 – 65
Springfield 9 16 10 10 – 45
Pennridge (65)
Rownan Smith 6 0-0 12; Ryan Kuntz 3 1-2 8; Ryan Schwind 3 1-2 9; Tim Croyle 1 0-0 2; Jake Dietl 4 3-3 11; Dillon Prebis 1 0-0 3; Mike Alba 4 0-0 12; Ryan Flood 1 0-0 2, Connor Murray 2 0-0 4. Stanley Wilson 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 5-7 65.
Springfield (45)
Spearman 4 0-0 10; Ciasullo 4 3-4 11; Davis 0 1-2 1; Trejbrowski 3 2-4 10; Kiamba 1 2-4 4; Gibson 0 1-2 1; McLaughlin 1 1-1 3; Matthews 2 0-0 5. Totals 15 10-17 45.
3-point goals: P-Alba 4, Schwind 2, Kuntz, Prebis; S-Spearman 2, Trejbrowski 2
Souderton 70, Upper Moreland 33
A huge first half set the tone early, as Souderton went on the road and knocked off short-handed Upper Moreland 70-33 on Tuesday night.
The Indians scored 25 points in the first quarter and never looked back. By halftime, they led 45-21. UM, without starters Larry Hughes and Nate Best, then scored just nine points in the second half.
Key Players: Souderton’s backcourt of Chanse Salone (18) and Nate Rusike (15) combined for 33 points. Marques Brown had 15 points, and Koby Rollerson 13.
Cannon Campbell scored 19 points to lead Upper Moreland.
Souderton coach Brendan Stanton:
“Upper Moreland is a very good team, and Dan Heiland does a great job. They were in a tough spot tonight being down two all-league players.
“I thought our guys did a good job of handling that maturely and coming out aggressively. We shot the ball extremely well in the first half which helped us open up a big lead. In the second half, we just really wanted to focus on guarding the ball and staying solid on defense and I think we did that.”
Up next: Souderton will be on the road at Abington for an SOL non-league crossover game Friday, and Upper Moreland will travel to Pennsbury Friday for a non-league crossover game.
Souderton 25 20 15 10 – 70
Upper Moreland 9 12 3 9 – 33
Souderton (70)
Lockwood 0 0-2 0; Salone 9 0-0 19; Rollerson 4 1-2 13; Epps 1 1-3 3; Quinn 1 0-0 2; Rusike 5 2-4 15; Stephanos 1 0-0 2; Brown 6 0-0 15; Dommer 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 4-11 70.
Upper Moreland (33)
Kyle Moore 1 0-0 2; Owens 0 2-2 2; Hughes 1 0-0 2; Rosenbaum 1 0-0 2; Campbell 6 4-5 19; O’Sullivan 2 0-0 4; Hernandez 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 6-7 33.
3-point goals: S-Rollerson 4, Rusike 3, Brown 3; UM-Campbell 3
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