Jarrad Saffren recaps Tuesday’s SOL boys basketball action. CR North/CR South photos provide courtesy of John Gleeson, Hatboro-Horsham/Upper Moreland photo courtesy of Dan Beck and Pennridge/CB South photo by Keith Clemens Photography. Check back for a gallery of all three games…CLICK HERE.
By Jarrad Saffren
Twenty Suburban One League boys basketball teams played league games Tuesday night.
The results and recaps of all 10 games are below. They were the first games since the first District One Power Rankings came out Monday.
There were not many upsets Tuesday night. So the power rankings were probably not radically altered. But the strong teams helped their cases.
SOL American
Plymouth Whitemarsh 58, Wissahickon 52
The Colonials improved to 13-2 overall and 8-0 in Suburban One League American Conference play.
They entered the week ranked second in the District One Class 6A Power Rankings. Wissahickon is ranked 13th in the District One Class 5A Power Rankings.
The Trojans again played the Colonials tough. They led by six at halftime (31-25). They jumped to a 20-7 lead on PW in the first meeting between the teams.
“Wissahickon-PW is an emotional game because we are so close together. They do a lot of nice things,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said. “(Wissahickon coach) Kyle (Wilson) knows exactly what we’re going to do. They get up for us. We reciprocate. Nobody in our league mails in the effort against us. They get excited for us and we have to be ready for it.”
PW did not play defense or offense up to its standards in the first half.
“We were rotating late on things,” Donofrio said. “And to be down six at the half, the way we played offensively, was fine. I didn’t think we’d be that bad offensively the whole night. And we were brilliant in the third quarter.”
Ahmad Williams “had a great run,” Donofrio said. Matt Walker “got unleashed in the second half.” Naheem McLeod “had a big run in the second half.” Ahmin Williams “had a nice half, too.”
It was another balanced offensive performance for the Colonials. Ahmad Williams led PW with 16 points. Ahmin Williams and McLeod both added 14. Walker scored eight.
“Getting 3-5 guys in double figures. That’s what this team has to be,” Donofrio said. “They are showing great resiliency, too. Last year’s team had the same trait. They were down 6-10 a lot at halftime. It stresses you out as a coach. But that team went on and won the district. This team has potential, too.”
Wissahickon’s Shane Ford (15) and Max Rapoport (12) combined for 27 points. Chaz Owens and Zach Reiner both scored seven.
PW hosts Springfield-Montco Friday night at seven. Wissahickon (8-7, 5-3 SOL) plays Upper Dublin on the same night and time.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 10-15-20-13 58
Wissahickon 21-10-4-17 52
Plymouth Whitemarsh (58) – Ish Horn 2, Naheem McLeod 14, Matt Walker 8, Ahmin Williams 14, Cheo Houston 4, Ahmad Williams 16.
Wissahickon (52) – Chaz Owens 7, Donovan Oliphont 5, Marlyn Johnson 6, Max Rapoport 12, Shane Ford 15, Zach Reiner 7.
Cheltenham 62, Springfield-Montco 34
Cheltenham coach John Timms has been talking about defense all season. His Panthers finally lived up to his standards Tuesday night.
“We came out and really focused on the defensive end. We generally start slow and play to the level of our opponent,” Timms said. “Today we committed to the defensive side of the ball.”
The Panthers were “relaxed,” Timms said, which allowed him to relax.
“We were real relaxed. The kids controlled the game, especially Ahmad Bickley at point guard,” Timms said. “Our leaders took control and I could watch a little more than micromanage. We put together a solid performance. They were playing with eight players. They were shorthanded. They had some injuries and other issues. We jumped out on them early.”
Cheltenham’s Trevonn Pitts had his most efficient game of the season. Pitts shot 8-of-8 from the field, including three dunks and a three-pointer. He scored 17 points overall. “He had some good highlight plays today,” Timms said.
Cheltenham’s Tim Spencer returned from an ankle injury recently. On Tuesday night, he played his best game since returning, scoring nine points.
“Tonight was the first night he got fluid motion into his offensive game,” Timms said. “He also played much better defensively.”
Cheltenham’s Jack Clark and Rodney Carson both scored seven.
Cheltenham improved to 11-3 overall and 7-1 in SOL American play. The Panthers are one game behind first-place PW.
The Colonials beat the Panthers by 14 in their first meeting. The teams meet again on January 31.
“I believe we’re in a tough league. I don’t want to look past any game, but hopefully, when we play PW again, we’re at the same point in the league where we are now,” Timms said. “And hopefully we can put ourselves in first-place.”
Cheltenham plays Upper Merion Thursday night at seven. Springfield-Montco (1-13, 0-9 SOL) takes on PW Friday night at seven.
Cheltenham also plays on Friday. Timms was able to keep his guys fresh Tuesday night.
“We were able to give some of the starters some rest because we’ve been playing a lot and we have games on Thursday and Friday,” Timms said. “We just wanted to secure the win and give these guys some rest.”
Quentin Johnson (14) and Mike Goodson (10 points) led the Spartans.
Cheltenham 22-8-20-12 62
Springfield-Montco 5-9-13-7 34
Cheltenham (62)- Trevonn Pitts 17, Ahmad Bickley 4, Jack Clark 7, Jordan Paris 2, Tim Spencer 9, Nadir Slocum 6, Naim McCall 2, Rodney Carson 7, Kyin Healey 6, Lonce Scott 2
Quakertown 51, Upper Dublin 35
Quakertown built a 29-16 lead by halftime.
Quakertown’s Nick Drosnock led all scorers with 18 points, including three threes.
“Nick played really well,” Panthers coach Kevin Keeler said. “He closed it out in the fourth.”
Dakota Suchanec, Ryan Howard and JR Grimmage added nine, eight and six, respectively.
“Suchanec and Grimmage played great again. They battled and did a great job on the boards,” Keeler said. “The team defense was also excellent.”
Corby Watkins led Upper Dublin with nine points. Mike Cottom added six.
Quakertown has been competitive all season. It finally put four quarters together Tuesday night.
“We’ve had some really great halves and quarters against top teams,” Keeler said. “Today was our most complete performance. We have to do that against upper echelon teams too.”
Quakertown (3-11, 2-5 SOL) plays Hatboro-Horsham Friday night at seven. Upper Dublin (1-12, 1-6 SOL) hosts Wissahickon on the same night and time.
Quakertown 12-17-11-11 51
Upper Dublin 9-7-7-12 35
Quakertown (51) – Ryan Howard 8, Jashua Rodriquez 4, Nick Drosnock 18, Dakota Suchanec 9, Kevin Juszynski 4, JR Grimmage 6, Grey Mitchell 2.
Upper Dublin (35) – Ryan Besachio 3, Mike Cottom 6, Jalen Heim 4, Michael Ryan 4, Nyjee Scott 4, Cory Stover 5, Corby Watkins 9.
Hatboro-Horsham 59, Upper Moreland 47
Hatboro-Horsham improved to 8-6 overall and 6-3 in American play. The Hatters entered the week ranked 26th in the 6A rankings, two spots below the last playoff spot. 
They got the win they needed to trend upward. Jay Davis led the Hatters with 28 points. Clifton Moore had 19 points and 14 rebounds. Chris Edwards added seven points.
Four Upper Moreland players—Damian Washington (11), Brett Brossman (10), Ryan Coyle (10) and Shane Stone (10)—scored in double figures. The rest of the team only scored six points.
The Hatters led 19-10 after one quarter, but the Golden Bears pulled to within four at halftime (32-28). The Hatters outscored the Bears 27-19 in the second half.
Hatboro-Horsham battles Quakertown Friday night at seven. Upper Moreland (7-7, 3-5 SOL) plays Harry S. Truman Wednesday night at seven.
Hatboro-Horsham 19-13-12-15 59
Upper Moreland 10-18-7-12 47
Hatboro-Horsham (59) – Brandon Crews 2, Chris Edwards 7, Clifton Moore 19, ay Davis 28, Ryan Black 3.
Upper Moreland (47) – Casey Decker 3, Christian O’Donnell 3, Damian Washington 11, Ryan Coyle 10, Brett Brossman 10, Shane Stone 10.
SOL National
Abington 56, Pennsbury 44
Abington won its sixth straight game. The Ghosts have not lost in 2017.
They are third in the 6A power rankings. They also, after beating Pennsbury for the second time, are well on their way to a fifth straight Suburban One League National Conference title.
“Pennsbury is our biggest competition. We like to come up here (to Pennsbury) and make a statement,” Abington center Joe O’Brien said. “We did today.”
“It’s our culture. It’s not just us guys,” Abington forward Eric Dixon said. “It’s our coaches. They push us every day and say, ‘You play how you practice.’”
This game, like most Abington-Pennsbury games, was close throughout.
Abington led by two after one quarter. Abington’s Eric Dougherty swished two free throws with 23 seconds left.
Pennsbury led by two at halftime. Pennsbury’s Addison Howard sank a runner with three seconds left.
Abington led by one after three. Lucas Monroe buried a free throw with 11 seconds to go.
But Abington pulled away late, winning the fourth 21-10. In the fourth, Abington came out in a 2-3 zone for the first time all game. Pennsbury did not try to penetrate through it. The Falcons settled for and bricked threes.
“We got really passive in the fourth. We stopped attacking,” Pennsbury coach Bill Coleman said. “Our mentality was walk it up and take what we get.”
Abington also clicked offensively in the fourth. O’Brien scored eight of his 12 points in the quarter. Pennsbury defenders ran out to stop Heath, leaving O’Brien open.
“Our guards are really athletic. They get to the hole nice, they can finish,” O’Brien said. “That creates opportunities for us to get dump offs.”
Pennsbury defenders focused on Heath because he caught fire after halftime. The junior scored 17 of his 19 points after intermission.
“Coach (Charles Grasty) said I have to be more aggressive in the second half,” Heath said. “In the first half I was passing up easy shots. I was just attacking the basket right from the rip in the second half and I got the job done.”
Dixon added 16 points for Abington, despite constant heckling from Pennsbury’s student section. Abington’s leading scorer is used to it.
“It’s not the first school to do it,” Dixon said. “(Council Rock) South does it. Neshaminy does it. The first time it got me a little bit. But I’m used to it by now. It comes with the territory. It’s what I want.”
Billy Warren led Pennsbury with 16 points. Mark Flagg added 13. Addison Howard had 10.
Pennsbury, No. 4 in the 6A power rankings, dropped to 9-5 overall and 4-2 in SOL National play.
Abington (13-3, 7-0 SOL) hosts Neshaminy Friday night at seven. The Falcons play Spring-Ford Saturday at 1:30.
Abington 11-8-16-21 56
Pennsbury 9-12-13-10 44
Abington (56) – Eric Dixon 16, Robbie Heath 19, Joseph O’Brien 12, Lucas Monroe 3, Robert Young 2, Eric Dougherty 2, Bobby Scholly 2.
Pennsbury (44) – Addison Howard 20, Vaughn Ward 3, Billy Warren 16, Joey Monaghan 2, Mark Flagg 13.
Bensalem 62, Neshaminy 50
Bensalem ended a four-game losing streak. The Owls improved to 7-7 overall and 2-5 in SOL National play.
They entered the week ranked 25th in the 6A power rankings, one spot below the last playoff spot.
They, like Hatboro-Horsham, got the win they needed.
Brian Quarterman led the Owls with 17 points while Ward Roberts and Rich Dean both had 15 points.
"It was a great team win and great team defense and offense," coach Mike McCabe said.
Bensalem plays Council Rock North Friday night at seven. Neshaminy (5-8, 2-5 SOL) takes on Abington on the same night and time. The Redskins are 18th in the 6A power rankings.
Council Rock North 47, Council Rock South 44
Council Rock North won for the second time in three games. The Indians also won their second straight league game.
They beat Harry S. Truman by four on January 12. They only lost by two to Central Bucks East on Saturday.
CR North is playing better, no question. It is now 5-11. It entered the week ranked 32nd in the 6A power rankings. This win helps.
The game certainly didn't start out on a promising note for the Indians, who fell behind 12-2 and found themselves on the short end of a 16-7 score after one quarter.
"They made their first five or six shots," North coach Jesse Krasna said. "They were really hot offensively, but our guys showed a lot of composure. They took that hit at the beginning of the game, they were able to not panic, they just focused on getting a good shot every time down."
The Golden Hawks – behind 10 points from Austin Thomas and six from Ryan McNamee – took a 29-24 lead into halftime. The Indians turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, outscoring their hosts 11-3 in the third quarter to go on top 35-32. James Kosyla accounted for six of the Indians' points in the frame.
"We were down at halftime, but we liked the way the tempo was, we liked the way we were playing defense after they made that initial run," Krasna said. "We told the guys if we wanted to have a chance to win this thing, it had to be the first two minutes of the second half.
"They really were able to clamp down on Council Rock South's shooters. Austin Thomas had 10 points in the first half, an we did a better job of finding him and limiting his looks and kept him scoreless. When you can take a guy that's that talented out of the game, that's huge. We focused on stopping him and Alex Nordenholt, who makes things happen for himself and does a great job finding his teammates. Alex stepped up in the fourth quarter for them and kept it close."
Both teams scored 12 points in a tightly contested fourth quarter.
"Our guys absolutely exhausted themselves," said Krasna, whose team went with a different defensive scheme than in the initial meeting of the two teams. "We pressured a little bit more and tried to speed Council Rock South up, and our guys really rose to the occasion.
"We got a lot of easy looks off of our defense, we were able to turn them over and get easy shots in transition. We had more possessions on offense because we got so many steals. Our guys just really brought it from a physical standpoint. They outrebounded Council Rock South, they made sure they got ever 50-50 ball, and they did those little things. If you do that, you put yourself in a position to win."
Three North players – (Kosyla (12 points), Tyler Shields (11 points) and Eric Levine (10 points) – finished the game in double figures. Drew Burton added nine to a balanced Indian atack.
"The guys stepped up and made big shots," Krasna said. "Eric Levine and Tyler Shields hit big threes in the fourth quarter, and our scoring was really balanced.
"The way our team is playing – it's hard to key on one guy because we have a lot of different guys that can put the ball in the hoop. No one really dominates the ball – the ball has really been moving well. That's been our recipe the past couple of games."
According to Krasna, Kosyla – who didn't play basketball as a junior after playing the previous two years – is elevating his game as the season progresses.
"You can see every game his confidence is growing," Krasna said. "He's really attacking the glass hard and playing with a lot of belief on the offensive end. Now that he's been really assertive looking to get to the rim, he opens it up for our shooters. He's been another weapon for us.
"He does a great job for us on the defensive end guarding the other team's big guy, and his offensive game has really grown over the year. He's a big part of the reason why we've been able to play better offensively the past few games."
Alex Nordenholt's 12 points led the Golden Hawks – who were once again without Kevin Newbert. Thomas had 10 – all in the first half. McNamee added eight and Ryan Boyd, seven.
Council Rock South is moving in the opposite direction. The Golden Hawks have lost three straight games after starting 9-2. They are ranked 11th in the power rankings.
CR North (5-11, 2-5 SOL) battles Bensalem Friday night at seven. CR South (9-5, 4-3 SOL) plays Truman on the same night and time.
Council Rock North 7-17-11-12 47
Council Rock South 16-13-3-12 44
Council Rock North (47) – Eric Levine 10, Drew Burton 9, James Kosyla 12, Tyler Shields 11, Noah Ehlin 5.
Council Rock South (44) – Austin Thomas 10, Shaun Smith 1, Christian Jabbar 3, Michael Krepich 3, Alex Nordenholt 12, Ryan McNamee 8, Ryan Boyd 7.
SOL Continental
North Penn 63, Central Bucks West 53
Central Bucks West led 22-19 at halftime. But North Penn won the third quarter 20-5.
“We really picked it up on defense,” Knights coach John Conrad said. “Everyone was active, and crashing the boards, too.”
Three North Penn players—David Guiliani (17), Reece Udinski (14) and Lance Ford (10)—scored in double figures.
“David was really aggressive. He played great,” Conrad said. “Reece and Lance also played really well. The guys shared the ball, as they always do.”
Ricky Johns had seven points and 13 rebounds for North Penn.
“Ricky controlled the boards, especially in the second half,” Conrad said.
Collin MacAdams led CB West with 22 points. Jake Reichwein and Shane McCusker both scored 10 points. McCusker made two threes.
North Penn took over sole possession of first-place in the Suburban One League Continental Conference. CB West dropped to second-place.
“It was a huge win. We are playing really well right now,” Conrad said. “The guys have had a great first half and we can’t wait to see what they do in the second half of league play.”
North Penn (11-4, 6-1 SOL) plays William Tennent Friday night at seven. CB West (9-6, 5-2 SOL) takes on Central Bucks South Friday night at five.
North Penn 9-10-20-24 63
Central Bucks West 12-10-5-26 53
North Penn (63) – Lance Ford 10, Nate O’Donnell 6, Ricky Johns 7, Chris Coleman 2, Reese Udinski 14, David Giuliani 17, Derek Heiserman 3, Noah Kwortnik 4.
Central Bucks West (53) – Jack Traina 2, Shane McCusker 10, Liam Cooney 6, Collin MacAdams 22, Jake Reichwein 10, Jack Mulhearn 3.
Central Bucks South 68, Pennridge 54
Nate Robinson (23), Colin Kenney (16) and Alex Karras (11) combined for 50 points, leading CB South to an upset win.
“Nate Robinson had a big third,” Titans coach Jason Campbell said. “And we got a huge lift off the bench from Colin Kenney.”
Pennridge was missing starting point guard and leading scorer Sean Yoder.
“It was a good win. We played tough for four quarters. We didn’t have any letdown moments,” Campbell said. “We shot well, blocked shots and defended well inside. Pennridge came out looking to establish Jon Post in the post, because Sean Yoder didn’t play.”
Post dropped 16 points, including eight free throws. Ryan Warner led Pennridge with 18.
“Ryan Warner kept them in the game,” Campbell said.
CB South led by eight going into the fourth (42-34). Then Karras closed the game, making free throw after free throw. He shot 14-of-15 from the line in the game.
“Karras did a great job, especially from the foul line,” Campbell said. “And making free throws allowed us to maintain distance. He got to the line by waiting for a good look instead of forcing shots.”
CB South (5-9, 3-4 SOL) plays CB West Friday night at five. Pennridge (7-8, 2-5 SOL) battles CB East Friday night at seven.
Central Bucks South 15-13-14-26 68
Pennridge 8-17-9-20 54
Central Bucks South (68) – Alex Karras 11, Nate Robinson 23, Danny Tecce 5, Nate Johnston 7, Andrew Dietz 6, Colin Kenney 16.
Pennridge (54) – Ryan Warner 18, Ryan Kinky 3, Kyle Yoder 4, AJ Demarco 8, Ryan Cuthbert 5, Jon Post 16.
Central Bucks East 41, Souderton 34
CB East improved to 5-2 in SOL Continental play, pulling into a second-place tie with CB West.
The Patriots trailed 23-20 at halftime but won the second half 21-11. Matt Pattyson led CB East with 14 points. Cooper Fink added eight. Collin Stein and Ryan Plack both scored six.
Mike Bealer led Souderton with 17 points.
CB East (10-6, 5-2 SOL) plays Pennridge Friday night at seven. Souderton (7-8, 3-4 SOL) plays Phoenixville Saturday at 4:30.
Central Bucks East 13-7-9-12 41
Souderton 8-15-5-6 34
Central Bucks East (41) – Matt Pattyson 14, Cooper Fink 8, Collin Stein 6, Ryan Plack 6, Kyle Cassidy 3, Nick Roggio 3, Sean Dann 1.
Souderton (34) – Mike Bealer 17, Trevor Watts 6, DJ Landis 5, Matt Cartwrigth 3, Anthony Rodriguez 2, Noah Horas.
Non-league
Harry S Truman 63, William Tennent 34
Seniors Kelechi Ogbonna and ZJ Jackson led a balanced Tiger attack with 13 points each. Junior Cerigino chipped in with 12 points in his first varsity start.
The Tigers, who led 14-10 after one quarter, blew the game open with a 22-10 second quarter surge to go into the intermission with a 36-20 lead. They outscored their hosts 27-14 in the second half.
Danell Snelling added eight points in a contest that saw 12 Tigers put their names in the scoring column.
For the Panthers, Dave West led the way with nine points.
Harry S Truman (7-5, 2-3 SOL) will be on the road at Upper Moreland for a non-league game on Wednesday. William Tennent (3-10, 0-6) will travel to North Penn on Friday night.
Harry S Truman 14-22-12-15 63
William Tennent 10-10-7-7 34
Harry S Truman (63) – Jeff Nixon 3, Kelechi Ogbonna 13, Danell Snelling 8, Rasheid Newkirk 1, Mike Phillips 2, Tymir Underwood 2, Zierr Reid 3, ZJ Jackson 12, Javeer Peterson 2, Willis 2, Ean Cerigino 12, Gabe Gipli 3.
William Tennent (34) – Joe Shannon 2, Pat McCauley 5, Matt Berndlmaier 3, Markeith Baxter 5, Jorge Soto 5, Ryan Savage 4, Dave West 9.
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