Check out the results for boys’ basketball teams in action in Saturday’s SOL Challenge. Neshaminy/Wissahickon photo provided courtesy of Jesse Garber (http://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p254945806) Check back for a gallery of Kathy Leister Photography action shots of the Pennsbury/Hatboro-Horsham game.
PENNSBURY 52, HATBORO-HORSHAM 36
Mark Flagg, Addison Howard and Billy Warren – on the right night – can take over a game by themselves.
While that's great for the Falcons, it also means sometimes the ball sticks or doesn't get passed around as much as it should. Between those three guys, Pennsbury is a solid basketball team, but when the ball keeps hopping and everyone gets involved, the Falcons hit that step above.
Saturday, nobody scored a gaudy point total, but the ball moved with purpose, and Pennsbury's offense took it to Hatboro-Horsham.
"The ball itself has energy," Pennsbury coach Bill Coleman said. "The more people touch it, the more in-tune they feel with the game and the game becomes easier. That was really key."
Pennsbury led the Hatters 20-8 after the first quarter. After Hatboro-Horsham scored to cut Pennsbury's early lead to 6-4, the Falcons hit three 3-pointers in a row to take a 15-4 lead. Addison accounted for two of those and Flagg, who had seven points in the quarter, had the third.
Flagg and Howard tied for the team lead with 15 points each, while Flagg was a menace on the glass, pulling down 19 rebounds. Seven different Falcons players scored at least two points.
Hatboro-Horsham has shown a habit of starting games slowly this season, which they did again on Saturday. The twist, as coach Ed Enoch noted, was that Pennsbury is too good a team to start that slowly against and hope to come back.
That task was made all the more difficult with the way Pennsbury defended Hatters senior Clifton Moore. Moore ended his night with 10 points but made just one shot from the floor and got eight of his points at the foul line.
"Billy Warren did not have the best offensive game, but his floor game was fantastic," Coleman said. "The person who was the most unheralded on the team was Joey Monaghan. He played Clifton pretty much the entire game. Joey did a phenomenal job, kept Clifton off his spots and really led us to that victory."
Jay Davis led Hatboro-Horsham with 17 points, the game-high, and he tried to spark his team back into the game in the third quarter. Davis scored six straight points to cut Pennsbury's lead down to 28-23, but a Falcons timeout led to a Flagg-led response.
"I can't wait to check the film, but I bet we made two very bad defensive plays and took two bad shots," Enoch said.
Flagg split a pair at the line, found Howard for a 3-pointer then scored himself to put Pennsbury up 11 points. From there, the Hatters weren't able to chop down the lead again while the Falcons only extended it in the fourth quarter.
"We miss a rotation or go to help and the next guy doesn't help then they get a lay-up," Enoch said. "It's little things like that."
Vaughn Ward was one of Pennsbury's other guys making an impact, and he hit a 3-pointer with one second left in the third to put the Falcons up 12 points heading into the final frame. Warren had just two points, but also had 11 rebounds and two blocks. Gary Francis scored eight off the bench.
"Everyone was clicking on offense," Flagg said. "It wasn't just me and Addison like it has been in games before. Everyone was playing together as a team."
Pennsbury (9-3, 4-1 SOL) will host Pennsbury in a key conference showdown on Tuesday. Hatboro-Horsham (7-6, 5-3) will be on the road at Upper Moreland on Tuesday.
PENNSBURY 20 7 10 15 – 52
HATBORO-HORSHAM 8 9 8 11 – 36
Pennsbury (52) – Mark Flagg 15, Addison Howard 15, Gary Francis 8, Vaughn Ward 6, Joey Monaghan 4, Billy Warren 2, Raylil Winston-Ward 2
Hatboro-Horsham (36) – Jay Davis 17, Clifton Moore 10, Ryan Black 5, Chris Edwards 2, Jake Schalki 2
SOUDERTON 54, BENSALEM 51 (OT)
The Indians' very first game of the season went into overtime on a buzzer-beater.
Saturday, Bensalem's Brian Quarterman hit a shot with three seconds left to force the extra period of play. Souderton won its season opener in overtime and it did the same on Saturday.
Another similarity between the two games was coach Tim Brown's message to his players.
“We’ve been in that situation before. In our first game of the season when we played Quakertown, they hit a three at the buzzer just like that," Indians coach Tim Brown said of his team’s 62-54 win. “We just buckled down and said, ‘Have fun, leave it all on the floor and get at it.’ They went at it right away, high energy. It was good.”
Mike Bealer continued his recent run of stellar play, scoring 20 points including two big-time 3-point shots in overtime. It was the senior's fourth straight game with 20 or more points, and no coincidence, it was Souderton's fourth win in a row following a five-game losing skid.
“We’ve had a little win streak before and then we had a big losing streak, so we’re just trying to stay focused on getting better at practice every day, and I think that’s what has really been paying off. The practices are translating into the game, just intensity-wise, the energy and all that," Brown said. “They’ve done a great job of buying in and giving their all at practice, which is working.”
Richard Dean Jr. scored 16 points to lead Bensalem, with Quarterman chipping in 14 and Ward Roberts going off for 11. Quarterman, according to Brown, had a pair of clutch shots in the fourth period and another in OT.
The Owls caused Souderton a lot of trouble on the glass, especially on the offensive end.
So, Souderton called in its energy guy to help out.
"Jake Groller isn’t on the stat sheet, but he had to have 13 rebounds for us. We were having a little trouble getting the rebounds," Brown said. "Bensalem did a great job of crashing the offensive boards. Jake did a great job of getting in there and going after the ball.”
Brown was most pleased with his team's composure during the game, after all the work the players have put in to keep from getting frustrated when things aren't working.
"We’re just trying to stay focused on getting better at practice every day, and I think that’s what has really been paying off," Brown said. "The practices are translating into the game, just intensity-wise, the energy and all that. They’ve done a great job of buying in and giving their all at practice, which is working.”
Souderton (7-7, 3-3 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Tuesday, and Bensalem (6-7, 1-5) will travel to Neshaminy on Tuesday.
SOUDERTON 9 11 12 12 10 – 54
BENSALEM 12 5 12 15 7 -51
Souderton: Mike Bealer 20, Noah Horas 10, Trevor Watts 9, DJ Landis 7, Kaleef Blackwood 6, Matt Cartwright 2
Bensalem: Rich Dean Jr 16, Brian Quarterman 14, Ward Roberts11, Taco Douglas 8, Josh Hill 1, Isaiah Murray 1
CHELTENHAM 61, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 57
The great thing about a player having a couple big scoring games in a row is that it gets them some deserved attention.
The downside is everyone else starts paying them a lot of extra attention on defense. Such is life at the moment for Cheltenham's Trevonn Pitts after a couple of 30-point outbursts. Teams are keying in on the Panthers' big man and trying to take him out of the picture.
Saturday, that meant a packed-in zone defense from CB West. Pitts only had 11 points, but his team left the gym with the win.
"After those 30-point games, the (scouting) report is basically on him, but he’s doing a great job of not forcing things and still being a team player. Kudos to him for not getting caught up in the hype and thinking it’s about him, and if he doesn’t score, he’s not playing well," Cheltenham coach John Timms said. "He understands that the main objective is for us to win. We should get open perimeter shots when you have someone like Trevonn who attacks the basket.”
The Panthers attacked the basket early and often in the first half, getting the Bucks to shell up defensively, but it was the Bucks taking a 28-23 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Cheltenham took the game to the perimeter and started burning the zone, burying six 3-pointers. They outscored the Bucks 24-9 in the third quarter en route to a 47-37 lead. Jack Clark accounted for nine of those points in a quarter that saw the Panthers sink four 3-pointers – two by Tim Spencer and one each from Clark and Pitts.
"We decided to look for the perimeter shots. They were packed in a zone and almost daring us to shoot, so we didn’t want to bail them out by just taking the (outside) shots, so we put the pressure on them and kept penetrating (in the first half)," Timms said. "That would not only create more opportunities in the second half, but those shots will be wide open.
“It was more or less – let’s get to the basket first to open up the outside.”
The Bucks battled back in the fourth quarter, trimming the Panthers’ lead to 59-57 with seven seconds remaining. Clark sealed the victory for the Panthers when he took a deflected inbounds pass the length of the court.
Clark, who took advantage of the extra attention going to Pitts, went off for 27 points, the game's high. Included in those 27 points were five 3-pointers. Pitts and Ahmad Bickley each had 11 for the Panthers while Spencer scored 10.
Collin MacAdams led the Bucks with 18 points and five rebounds while Shane McCusker put in 17, including three 3-point field goals. Jake Reichwein had six points and six assists.
It was the Panthers' fourth win this week and the end of a tough run, with all four games (including an OT contest against Hatboro-Horsham) coming in a five-day span.
“This was a big one, on the road in a nice environment. We can use these points," Timms said.
Cheltenham (10-3, 6-1 SOL) will be on the road at Springfield on Tuesday, and Central Bucks West (9-5, 5-1) will travel to North Penn on Tuesday.
CB West 14 14 9 20 – 57
Cheltenham 12 11 24 14 – 61
CB West (57) – Collin MacAdams 18, Shane McCukser 17, Liam Cooney 8, Jack Mulhearn 6, Jake Reichwein 6, Matthew Cooper 2
Cheltenham (61) – Jack Clark 27, Trevonn Pitts 11, Ahmad Bickely 11, Tim Spencer 10, Tim Myarick 2
WILLIAM TENNENT 46, QUAKERTOWN 35
Tennent sophomore David West got a chance to start a few games back and has taken full advantage of it.
West scored in every quarter Saturday, giving the Panthers a solid start with seven in the first as they opened up a 13-4 lead.
“He just got into the starting lineup and had two pretty good games against CB West and another good game tonight. It’s been real positive for us. He’s doing a nice job. He suited varsity last year but really didn’t play that much," Tennent coach Robert Mulville said. "He really did a great job in the offseason working out and has just stepped up to the challenges that come with getting more playing time at the varsity level.”
Tennent led 26-12 at the half, but struggled to just four points in the third, allowing Quakertown to trim a 26-12 halftime lead to 30-22.
“I think we stopped attacking the rim as much as we should have. We knew they would come out pressuring us in the third quarter, and they did," Mulville said. "We probably didn’t answer it as well as we could have. I think if we had attacked the time a little bit more, but we were trying to slow down a little bit, and they were trying to speed us up, and it didn’t work out well for us.”
West led Tennent led all scorers with 18 points while Markeith Baxter added 10. Jorge Soto, who had eight points, had some key points in a fourth quarter that saw Quakertown make it interesting. Tennent went 8-of-10 at the foul line in the final quarter.
Matt Berndlmaier and Brendan Carter put in work on the glass.
“Carter and Berndlmaier were huge on the boards even though they’re guards. Carter didn’t score, but he played a really solid game for us," Mulville said.
Ryan Howard had a team-high 17 points for Quakertown, and JR Grimmage added 11.
Quakertown: 3 9 10 13 35
William Tennent 13 13 4 18 46
Quakertown (35) – Ryan Howard 17, JR Grimmage 11, Rice 3, Suchanec 2, Drosnock 2
William Tennent (46) – David West 18, Markeith Baxter 10, Jorge Soto 8, Matt Berndlmaier 4, Pat McCauley 4
PENNRIDGE 48, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 44
The Rams and Golden Hawks went back-and-forth in an entertaining game on Saturday at Council Rock North, and when it was over, coach Dean Behrens could breathe a sigh of relief – the Rams had won a close one.
Five of their seven losses were by six points or less.
“When you’ve lost so many close games by one or two possessions – and we feel like we’ve left some things on the table, winning that close one is going to be tough,” Pennridge coach Dean Behrens said. “Winning a close game like that for us is really important from a psychological standpoint.
“The one thing – I think our kids compete on every possession and they play hard on every possession. I think if you do that you’re going to be in a lot of games.”
The Rams led 11-7 after one quarter, but the Golden Hawks used a 15-9 second quarter to go on top 22-20 at halftime. The Rams led by one heading into the final quarter, and this one came down to the wire.
Ryan Kinky hit the go-ahead 3-point shot with 6:31 left in the fourth. With 1:38 remaining, a three-pointer by Alex Nordenholt pulled the Indians within two (44-42). The Hawks came up with a steal out of a Rams’ timeout but missed the layup, and Pennridge upped its lead to 45-42 when Kinky sank one-of-two at the foul line.
It was a one-point game after Ryan Boyd sank both ends of a one-and-one with 30 seconds remaining. Jon Post connected on one-of-two from the line for the Rams, and Sean Yoder iced the game with two free throws with four seconds left, just after the Golden Hawks missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer.
“It was a great win for us,” Behrens said. “I think we’re ready to play our best basketball.
“It’s a scrappy group. The kids are fun to coach. They practice hard, and we’re getting better every day at practice. I’m happy for the boys. We’re pleased with where we are.
“Our goal is to be in the playoffs, make some noise in the league, but trying to get this team into the playoffs is a goal.”
Sean Yoder scored 16 to lead Pennridge, which also got 14 – including three 3-pointers – from senior Ryan Cuthbert. Ryan Kinky added seven and Kyle Yoder, six.
“It was great to see Ryan Cuthbert get off and hit some threes for us,” Behrens said. “He’s been battling a lot of injuries and some sickness coming off the football field, and I think he’s hitting his stride with his shot.
“Sean Yoder is like our engine. Coach (Derek) Wright does a great job. I knew he was going to try to take Sean away, and he really did, but I thought Sean played tough and handled that pressure.”
The Golden Hawks – who were without Kevin Newbert (injury) – received double-digit scoring efforts from four players – Austin Thomas (17), Nordenholt (13), Ryan McNamee (13) and Ryan Boyd.
Pennridge (7-7, 2-4 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Tuesday, and Council Rock South (9-4, 4-2) will host Council Rock South on Tuesday.
Pennridge 11 9 14 14 – 48
Council Rock South 7 15 11 11 – 44
Pennridge (48) – Sean Yoder 16, Ryan Kinky 7, Kyle Yoder 6, Ryan Cuthbert 14, Jon Post 5
Council Rock South (44) – Austin Thomas 17, Alex Nordenholt 13, Ryan McNamee 13, Ryan Boyd 10
ABINGTON 64, UPPER DUBLIN 39
The rematch of last year's first-round thriller in the District I tournament didn't have the same kind of tense finish.
While the Cardinals stunned Abington last year, Upper Dublin is a team in rebuilding mode this year while the Ghosts brought almost all their key players back. The tandem of Eric Dixon and Joe O'Brien up front was too much for Upper Dublin, combining for 21 points and 10 rebounds.
O'Brien was a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor and also had four rebounds and three blocked shots. Guard Robbie Heath led Abington with 17 points, shooting 7-of-7 from the free throw line and added five rebounds and two steals. Lucas Monroe added nine points and seven rebounds, and Robert Young had eight points, two rebounds, five steals and five assists.
Jalen Heim led the Cardinals with 10 points, Corby Watkins had eight, and Najee Scott, seven.
Abington (12-3, 6-0 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury on Tuesday for a showdown with the second place Falcons. Upper Dublin (1-11, 1-5) will host Quakertown on Tuesday.
Abington 19-23-11-11 64
Upper Dublin 4-14-9-12 39
Abington (64) – Eric Dixon 11, Robbie Heath 17, Joseph O’Brien 10, Lucas Monroe 9, Robert Young 8, Eric Dougherty 3. Xavier Crawford 1.
Upper Dublin (39) – Ryan Beschio 3, Jalen Heim 10, Ian McGonagle 1, Joey Ryan 6, Mike Ryan 4, Najee Scott 7, Corby Watkins 8.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 36, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 34
A night after a buzzer-beating win, the Patriots had another hard-fought win on Saturday. The Patriots, who led 8-2 after one quarter, took a 12-7 lead into the intermission after a first half that featured more defense than offense.
Down 24-12 with eight minutes left, North scored 22 points in the final frame while holding East to 12.
Matt Pattyson led the way with eight points for East, which didn't make it easy for itself by going 8-of-14 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. After holding a healthy lead over the Indians for three quarters, East was fighting for its life in the final quarter.
Cooper Fink (eight rebounds) and Ryan Plack (seven rebounds) came up big under the boards for the Patriots, who were 11-from-18 from the charity stripe for the game. East connected on 12-of-28 shots from the field in a game of limited opportunities for both squads.
James Kosyla led the Indians with 12 points while Drew Burton and Noah Ehlin both had eight. The Indians connected on just 5-of-14 from the foul line.
Centra Bucks East (9-6, 4-2 SOL) will travel to Souderton on Tuesday, and Council Rock North (4-11, 1-5) will play at Council Rock South on Tuesday.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 8-4-12-12——-36
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2-5- 5- 22——-34
Central Bucks East (36) – Matt Pattyson 8, Cooper Fink 5, Colin Stein 6, Nick Roggio 4, Sean Dann 2, Ben Markowitz 5, Ryan Plack 6
Council Rock North (34) – Eric Levine 1, Drew Burton 8, James Kosyla 12, Noah Ehlin 8, Tyler Shields 3, Haggerty 2
WISSAHICKON 52, NESHAMINY 48
The Trojans held a four-point lead going into the final quarter of play on Saturday (32-28).
After a firework show of offense from both sides, they still held it at the end. Both teams scored 20 points in a barnburner of a fourth quarter with Wissahickon's ability to keep pace with Neshaminy the difference.
Chris Arcidiacono exploded in the fourth, scoring 18 of his 21 points in the final eight minutes. Anthony Verrecchio added 14 points.
Shane Ford paced Wissahickon with a 14-point effort. He also had six rebounds Chaz Owens added nine points and five rebounds, and Donovan Oliphant had eight. Zach Reiner added six points, six rebounds and four assists. Zach Gelman had six points, three assists and four rebounds.
Wissahickon (8-6, 5-2 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday, and Neshaminy (5-7, 2-4) will host Bensalem Tuesday.
WISSAHICKON 10 12 10 20 – 52
NESHAMINY 13 6 9 20 – 48
Wissahickon (52) Shane Ford 14, Chaz Owens 9, Donovan Oliphant 8, Zach Gelman 6, Max Rapoport 5, Alex Tappen 4, Zach Reiner 6
Neshaminy (48) – Chris Arcidiacono 21, Anthony Verrechio 14, Anthony Papeo 6, Andrew Note 2, Shane Schuchart 5
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 80, SPRINGFIELD 23
Matt Walker scored a game-high 17 to lead the Colonials to a win Satruday.
PW and Springfield were the only two conference rivals to play in an SOL Challenge game. The Colonials jumped out to an overwhelming 33-3 lead after just one quarter.
Ahmad Williams (10 points), Naheem McLeod (14) and Ahmin Williams (14) and all scored in double figures for PW. Jason Paul added eight points.
Quentin Johnson led Springfield with eight points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (12-2, 7-0 SOL) will be on the road at Wissahickon Tuesday, and Springfield (1-12, 0-8) will host Cheltenam.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 33 17 15 15 – 80
SPRINGFIELD 3 12 4 4 – 23
Plymouth Whitemarsh (80) – Matt Walker 17, Ahmad Williams 14, Naheem McLeod 14, Ahmin Williams 10, Jason Paul 10, Ish Horn 4, Jake Levinson 3, Cheo Houston 4, Matt Kodish 4, Jason Paul 8
Springfield (23) – Johnson 8, Goodson 5, Daley 4, Perry 2, Krewson 2, Shackleford 2
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 66, HARRY S TRUMAN 58
Senior Danny Tecce scored a career-high 20 points, one of three Titans to finish the game in double figures. Nate Robinson added 16 points and Alex Karras 13 as the Titans brought a welcome end to a six-game skid.
“We needed this,” coach Jason Campbell said. “We lost some games that were close. Souderton on Friday night was a tough loss (53-40). We just didn’t play well all together.
“It was a good sign of our guys bouncing back the next day ready to play. They haven’t quit, which is nice.”
The Titans and Tigers were deadlocked 14-14 after one quarter, and the Titans used an explosive 20-7 second quarter to go into halftime with a 34-21 lead.
“I think the difference in the second quarter was a better effort in our defense,” Campbell said. “Our 1-3-1 was a lot better in the second quarter than it was in the first.
“We were playing some man as well, so we were mixing up our defenses. Our 1-3-1 had the most success. Nate Johnston typically was on the top of the 1-3-1, and he does a good job of causing some havoc and getting teams to throw softer passes. Our wing players like Alex Karras, Colin Sauers and Nate Robinson were doing a good job of reading and then going out for the steal.
“Plus, Colin Kenney when he got into the game did a good job of clogging up the lane, blocked a couple of shots and altered some shots and controlled the boards really well on our defense.”
The Tigers trimmed two points off the Titans’ 13-point lead in the third quarter, but South still led 50-39 heading into the final frame.
“We were up at least 17 points early in the third quarter, and Truman did a good job,” Campbell said. “They didn’t quit. They came back at us, they forced us into some turnovers. They made an adjustment to our 1-3-1.
“They got to the point where they cut it to three points (with around three minutes left in regulation), and they also had an opportunity to tie it up on a possession, which they missed. From there, we sort of ran the table.”
All 16 of the Titans’ points in the fourth quarter came at the foul line where they buried 16-of-22 attempts.
The Titans had 14 steals in the game with Karras collecting four to lead the way. He also had a team-high eight rebounds and three assists. Sauers had four steals while Robinson and Nate Johnston both had two. Johnston also had nine points. Kenney contributed six points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots in a contest that saw the Titans receive important contributions up and down their lineup.
For Tigers, Gabe Gipli led the way with 18 points. Kelechi Ogbonna added 13 and Danell Snelling, 11 points.
Central Bucks South (4-9, 2-4 SOL) will be on the road at Pennridge to begin the second go round in conference play Tuesday, and Harry S Truman (6-5, 2-3) will travel to William Tennent for a non-league game Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 14-20-16-16 66
Harry S Truman 14-7-18-19 58
Central Bucks South (66) – Alex Karras 13, Nate Robinson 16, Danny Tecce 20, Nate Johnston 9, Andrew Dietz 2, Colin Kenney 6.
Harry S Truman (58) – Jeff Nixon 2, Kelechi Ogbonna 13, Danell Snelling 11, Rasheid Newkirk 3, Marvel Rogers 5, Zierr Reid 4, ZJ Jackson 2, Gabe Gipli 18.
About the Author
