Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Saturday. Wissahickon/Bensalem photos provided courtesy of Greg Lindsay. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ BOYS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
SOL non-league crossover
WISSAHICKON 72, BENSALEM 49
The Trojans upped their winning streak to five with a decisive win over Bensalem in Saturday’s non-league SOL crossover.
“After a really tough loss at the buzzer and Hatboro storming the court, I think our kids caught a spark,” Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson said. “I don’t know what it was they needed, but something’s gotten into them.”
The Trojans – propelled by the hot hand of Nico Vacchiano – opened up a 19-11 lead after one quarter and extended that to 36-19 by halftime. Vacchiano jumpstarted the Trojans with 12 first-quarter points and 22 points in the first half.
Key players: Nico Vacchiano led all scorers with 31 points. Zach Schwartz added 14 points, which included three 3-pointers. Owen Haughy had seven points.
For Bensalem, Michael Ellzy led the way with 16 points – 13 in the second half. Naman Parmar added 14 points, which included four 3-pointers
Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson:
–Nico unstoppable: “He had a rough game yesterday against CB West. (Coach) Adam (Sherman) always does a really nice job of slowing the game down, identifying your scorer and really making it difficult. Nico got two early fouls – I want to say in the first three minutes maybe, and he had to sit the rest of the half, so when he came in – the one thing I give him credit for, he came in with a ton of energy, but it was still a funky game for him, and we got the win.
“ Today, I turned to our point guard, Owen Haughy, and I said, ‘Listen, let’s make sure we get him some touches early, so that he’s not in that funk again from yesterday. Let’s get him in a rhythm because we all play better when he plays well.’
“Nico came right out of the gate – he’s one who really like to rise to the moment. He comes out with adrenaline, with a fire out of the gate in most games, so it was nice to see him get that rhythm early. We got a couple steals, and he had a nice breakaway and a nice monster dunk, and you could just tell, ‘Okay, he’s feeling it today.’
“Sometimes when a kid gets into a rhythm, the basket seems a little wider, and everything seems to go in a little bit of slow motion, so, even though he goes 90 miles per hour, he just sees everything and even had some great assists, pushing up the floor, seeing the opposite side and finding Zach Schwartz for an open three – stuff like that. It’s impressive how comfortable he is after three years of being a starter, just seeing the floor and being that guy for us on the floor.”
–Props for Jona: “One thing that’s been impressive all season – our big guy, Jona Sellenriek, doesn’t show up a lot in the stats. People look for points, etc., but the guy just rebounds everything, and he protects the paint. I think he had five or six blocks again today. He doesn’t foul, and knock on wood because I’m superstitious, but it’s a running joke between the assistant coaches that the kid is so good at playing without putting himself in a bad defensive situation. I don’t
think he’s had a game where he’s had more than one foul.
“Today he played a full game, he has six blocked shots and zero fouls. It’s just one of those things – we joke about it. ‘Jona, did you have fouls today?’ He’ll say, ‘zero,’ in his deep German voice, and he just gives a little smile. He’s just an easygoing kid, and it’s neat to have a kid that just does so many little things that don’t show up in the box. Today he had a nice dunk, and he knocked down his two free throws when he was fouled on a breakaway.
“It’s just neat to watch his joy because where he’s from in Germany – it’s a small German town up near the Netherlands, and they don’t have a high school basketball team. They just have club basketball up in that area, so, he’s really just enjoying the experience. It’s just neat to watch a kid who is so unassuming about everything to have such joy, such a unique experience, so, it’s fun as an educator to just watch not only him but our kids with him because they’re building a relationship for life with someone from another country.”
Bensalem coach Jerry Devine:
–The game: “Wissahickon’s Nico Vacchiano dominated the game, scoring a game-high 31 points, and we struggled to contain him. For us, 15 turnovers, which led to at least 20 transition points for Wissahickon, was our downfall. Those fast-break opportunities helped them build and maintain a comfortable lead, turning our mistakes into easy baskets. Despite the loss, we played hard with MJ Ellzy leading with 16 points and seven assists, Naman Parmar added 14 points, including four three-pointers, and Mike Levister contributed six points and a team-high 12 rebounds, battling hard on the glass against Wissahickon big guys.”
Up next: Wissahickon will host Upper Dublin on Tuesday, and Bensalem will be on the road at Council Rock North.
Wissahickon 19-17-16-20 72
Bensalem 11-8-12-18 49
Wissahickon (72) – Zach Schwartz 5 1-1 14; Luke Slobotkian 3 0-0 6; Owne Haughey 3 1-2 7; Chase Neumeister 0 2-2 2; Nico Vacchiano 13 4-8 31; Jona Sellenriek 1 2-2 4; Milan Fields 1 0-0 2; Delmar Taliaferro 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 29 10-15 72.
Bensalem (49) – JJ Bourelly 1 2-4 4; Julian Vose 1 0-0 3; Juel Nimely 1 0-2 2; Naman Parmar 5 0-0 14; Alex Per 1 0-0 3; Michael Levister 2 0-4 4; Michael Ellzy 7 0-1 16; Jacob Eberhardt 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 19 2-11 49.
3-point goals: W – Zach Schwartz 3, Nico Vacchiano; B – Naman Parmar 4, Michael Ellzy 2, Julian Vose, Alex Per, Jacob Eberhardt.
RADNOR 55, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 45
The Raptors opened up a 13-9 lead after one quarter and took a 27-22 lead into halftime. The Indians remained within striking distance heading into the fourth quarter, trailing 35-29, but the Raptors close out the game with a 20-14 quarter to earn the non-league win.
Owen Crowne’s 16-point game, which included four 3-pointers, led the Indians. Danny Cuono added 13 points, which included a pair of 3s. For the game, the Indians had eight 3-pointers.
Up next: Council Rock North will host Bensalem on Tuesday.
Radnor 13-14-8-20 55
Council Rock North 9-13-9-14 45
Radnor (55) – Ellis Margolies 2 0-0 4; Jamil Hill 1 0-0 3; Jeff Wessell 1 0-0 3; Brendan Cox 3 0-0 7; Dvandy Goncalves 6 3-4 20; Bleyen Hendrick 0 1-2 1; Conor Hicke 3 5-6 11; Tyler Ferst 1 3-5 6; TOTALS 17 12-17 55.
Council Rock North (45) – Owen Crowne 5 2-4 16; Andrew French 1 0-1 2; Aryan Prabhu 0 2-2 2; Dylan Kiefer 1 2-4 4; Cameron Wright 2 0-0 5; Billy McBride 1 0-0 3; Danny Cuono 4 3-3 13; TOTALS 14 9-14 45.
3-point goals: R – Dvandy Goncalves 5, Jamil Hill, Jeff Wessell, Brendan Cox, Tyler Ferst; CRN – Owen Crowne 4, Cameron Wright, Billy McBride, Danny Cuono 2.
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