Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. PW/Upper Dublin photos provided courtesy of Larry Small. NP/Souderton photos courtesy of Tom Shewbrooks, and Upper Moreland/Springfield photos courtesy of Kathy Leister Photography. Check back for galleries of all three games. Pennridge/CB West photo courtesy of Marge Bullock (http://www.margebullock.com)
SOL Patriot Division
Council Rock South 53, Pennsbury 37
The Golden Hawks held Pennsbury to just 19 percent shooting from the field on the way to picking up their first win of the season on Tuesday night.
“I thought it was an all-around team effort tonight,” said CR South coach Chris Clark. “Pennsbury pressed us the whole game. I give all the kids credit. They shared the ball and defensively, they had to guard their kids. They’re good shooters, they had drive the ball to the basket and they’re a really offensive rebounding team.
“In the first half, they were making (shots), then in the third quarter they went dry from 3(-point range). We started to contest a little bit better and forced them to miss their outside shots.”
A 14-2 third quarter enabled South to break open a two-open halftime advantage. The Hawks shot 45 percent from the field, and Tuesday was a well-rounded offensive effort as 10 different players scored and only one, Gavin Holloran, was in double figures with 10 points.
“Offensively, we were sharing the ball,” Clark said. “We were moving side to side, getting everybody involved. You have to trust your teammates to make shots and they did that tonight.
“Brendan Lynn didn’t play in the first half and he came in and made two 3-pointers. It was a whole team effort moving the ball against their pressure.
“I think with the way they pressure you, double-teaming the ball all the time, it’s imperative all five kids have to step up and move the ball, make the extra pass.”
Leading scorer Joe Purcell was held to three points Tuesday, but Shane Dawson had 10, while Lynn, Colin Martin, and Joe Venuto all had six points.
For the Golden Hawks, who returned just one player with significant varsity experience in Purcell, the win was a step in the right direction for a group of players adjusting to varsity game action.
“It’s just experience,” Clark said. “They’re definitely good players, but it’s a whole different animal going from JV to varsity. You have to get used to the pace of the game. The other players are a whole lot better. They’ve grown a lot from the first game to the third game.”
Pennsbury was led by Evan McNeely, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Adam Bartuski had a pair of 3-pointers and scored six points. Evan Reichard led the Falcons under the backboards with 11 rebounds to go along with six points.
South (1-2, 1-2) goes out of the division to host Wissahickon on Thursday. The Falcons (1-3, 0-3) play at Truman on Friday.
Council Rock South 53, Pennsbury 37
Pennsbury (37): Evan Reichard 0 6-10 5; Craig Stargell 2 0-0 5; Evan McNeely 3 4-7 11; Bashaun Glover 2 0-1 5; Tyler Kocak 1 1-1 4; Adam Bartuski 2 0-0 6. Totals 10 11-19 37.
CR South (53)
Zack Schwartz 1 1-2 3; Stephen Dosa 2 0-0 4; Joe Purcell 1 1-2 3; Colin Martin 2 1-2 6; Matt Robinson 2 0-0 5; Gavin Stock 0 1-3 1; Joe Venuto 3 0-4 6; Shane Dawson 3 1-1 9; Gavin Holloran 5 0-0- 10; Brendan Lynn 2 0-0 6. Totals 21 5-14 53.
Pennsbury 8 17 2 10-37
Council Rock South 13 14 14 12-53
3-point goals: P-Bartuski 2, Stargell 1, McNeely 1, Glover 1, Kocak 1; CRS-Lynn 2, Dawson 2, Martin 1, Robinson 1
Neshaminy 57, Harry S Truman 21
It started late in the first quarter, and by the second, Neshaminy was rolling, taking over the game to build a big lead by halftime on the way to the 36-point win to remain unbeaten in SOL Patriot Division play.
“It was big,” said Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle. “We had a really nice second quarter. We ended the first nicely, and that rolled into the second. At one point in the third quarter, it was 50-12.”
Neshaminy’s size advantage down low made a big difference, led by seniors Jimmy MacDonald and Matt Murray, who scored 12 and 10 points respectively.
“We knew (Truman) didn’t have much height,” Tingle said. “Matt Murray and Jimmy MacDonald played well and we were able to play inside-out. We noticed the first couple of games that (Truman) shoots a ton of 3s. We played good, solid team defense.”
Senior guard Matt Drapkin also scored 12 points, and with the game in control, Neshaminy was able to play its whole bench and received contributions from a lot of different sources.
“We had balanced scoring,” Tingle said. “Our whole roster played a lot tonight. Our starters scored, but it was nice to see our six through 11 guys get a lot of time as well. Later in the season, in tighter games, that is going to help us. It was nice to see our bench guys get a lot of minutes.”
Neshaminy (3-0, 3-0) faces fellow Patriot Division unbeaten Council Rock North on Thursday at home and the team will celebrate Senior Night.
“These guys have been playing together their whole lives,” Tingle said. “Most of these guys live around each other, they hang out off the court. Most of them went to the same middle school. A lot of them played for me last year. With eight seniors returning, experience is big for us right now.”
Truman (0-3, 0-3) scored 11 points in the final three quarters combined Tuesday. It looks for its first win Wednesday in a nonleague game at Holy Ghost Prep.
Neshaminy 57, Harry S Truman 21
Neshaminy (57): Jimmy MacDonald 6 0-0 12; Jake McGinty 2 1-2 5; Mason Getz 3 0-0 6; Matt Drapkin 4 2-2 12; Evan Esposito 1 0-2 3; Matt Murray 5 0-0 10; Haddad Fofana 2 0-0 4; Sean Curley 1 2-2 5. Totals 24 5-8 57.
Truman (21): Winton 2 0-2 4; Collins 2 0-1 4; K. Clark 1 0-0 3; Flail 1 0-0 3; T. Clark 1 0-0 3; Jackson 0 0-2 0; Culver 0 2-3 2. Totals 8 2-8 21.
Neshaminy 18 20 14 5
Truman 10 2 3 6-21
3-point goals: N-Drapkin 2, Esposito, Curley; HST-K. Clark 1, Flail 1, T. Clark 1
SOL Colonial Division
Central Bucks East 61, Central Bucks South 45
After giving up 27 points in the first half, unbeaten CB East turned up the heat in the second half, and a 22-4 third quarter was the result as the Patriots broke open a close game and pulled past their archrival CB South on Tuesday.
“We weren’t happy giving up 27 points in the first half,” said East coach Erik Henrysen. “You have to give credit to CB South. They really did a nice job taking advantage of matchups. We challenged the guys a little bit at halftime and they responded well in the third quarter.”
Freshman guard Jacob Cummiskey had a huge night for CB East, leading the team with 16 points.
“Jacob Cummiskey really lifted us as well,” Henrysen said. “This was his best performance so far. He played a complete game tonight. He’s now four games in to his high school career and is already playing like a seasoned veteran.”
Joe Jackman added 12 points, while Brendan Harte and Aidan Weaver had 10 points each. Jack Hamilton had five points, but was dominant on the other end of the floor.
“Jack Hamilton was awesome again tonight,” Henrysen said. “He did a great job defensively and on the glass. He finished with 13 rebounds and four blocks but probably altered another eight to 10 shots.”
For the Titans, who suffered their first loss, sophomore Tyler Meinel led the way with 14 points, while Mike Farley added nine.
East (4-0, 3-0 SOL) hosts rival CB West on Friday. CB South (2-1, 2-1) hosts North Penn on Friday.
Central Bucks East 61, Central Bucks South 45
CB East (61): Jacob Cummiskey 16, Liam Cummiskey 2, Brendan Harte 10, Brett Young 6, Aidan Weaver 10, Joe Jackman 12, Jack Hamilton 5
CB South (45): Mike Farley 9, Tyler Meinel 14, Jay Macalindong 4, Nate Macalindong 2, Evan D’Orazio 2, Owen Petrich 2, Aidan Van Zanten 2, Joe Rooney 2, Bryan Delara 6
CB East 17 12 22 10-61
CB South 13 14 4 14-45
3-point goals: CBE-Young 2, Jackman 2, Harte 2, J. Cummiskey 2, Weaver 2, Hamilton
Pennridge 55, Central Bucks West 40
A tough, defensive second quarter was the difference on the road Tuesday for Pennridge, as the Rams won their second straight, pulling away from CB West in a Colonial Division game.
The Rams outscored the Bucks 16-4 in the pivotal second quarter.
“I thought defensively, they locked down,” said Pennridge coach Dean Behrens. “They got out on (West’s) shooters and controlled Teddy Spratt.
“T.J. Grenda, a first year varsity player, hit some spots. Obviously, Luke Yoder rolls out 18, Greg Stumpo hit a shot in that (second) quarter. We got the lead to 31-17 and things looked pretty good.”
West is still looking for its first win, and a 7-0 run to start the third quarter got the Bucks back in the game.
“I told the kids at halftime, ‘Fellas, West isn’t going away,’” Behrens said. “Sure enough they went on a 7-0 run to start the third quarter. I thought we ended the third quarter extremely well and we’re able to regain control.”
Yoder led the Rams with 18 points, while Grenda added 15. Justin Nichols added eight and Colin Monahan contributed seven points off the bench.
“I thought Colin Monahan solidified and steadied the ship when he came in,” Behrens said. “He really understands how to play the game. He can play a lot of different positions and he’s a smart basketball player. He calmed the team down. He’s a senior, played a little for us last year, but he’s a great soccer player too.”
After a couple of losses in a row, Pennridge (3-2, 2-1) has been able to bounce back with wins over North Penn and CB West, going into Friday’s game against Souderton.
“It was tough at first, we didn’t know what we had,” Behrens said. “It was more of an identity crisis. We were kind of getting in rotations, figuring things out. Now, it feels like we’re getting something going. The kids are buying into how we’re playing, what our goals are. We’re just around the kids more and that’s helped.”
John Lee had 14 points for West, while Spratt added 12 points.
The Bucks (0-4, 0-3 SOL) are back in action Friday night at CB East.
Pennridge 55, CB West 40
Pennridge 15 16 15 9-55
CB West 13 4 15 8-40
Pennridge (55): Justin Nicholas 3 0-0 8; Luke Yoder 7 3-3 18; Colin Post 1 0-0 2; TJ Grenda 6 0-0 15; Greg Stumpo 2 0-0 5; Colin Monahan 2 2-2 7. Totals 21 5-5 55.
CB West (40): Teddy Spratt 5 2-4 12; Slaymaker 1 0-0 3; John Lee 6 1-1 14; Nick Martino 2 0-0 5. Payton Davis 2 0-0 6; Totals 16 4-9 40.
3-point goals: P-Grenda 3, Nichols 2, Yoder 1, Stumpo 1, Monahan 1; CBW-Davis 2, Lee 1, Martino 1
North Penn 56, Souderton 44
After back-to-back losses on Friday and Saturday, North Penn got back to business on Tuesday, and it started on the defensive end, as the Knights snapped that losing streak with the 12-point win over Souderton.
“We were just of working with what we were doing,” said North Penn coach John Conrad. “We thought we could be better defensively – we gave up 90 to (Plymouth Whitemarsh) on Saturday and 60 to Pennridge on Friday. We talked about being better, being locked in on defense. I thought the kids played well on the defensive end.”
Conrad credited sophomore Ryan Zeltt for his solid play on defense and on the backboards.
“I don’t know his stats, but he had double-digit rebounds and I thought he did a nice job on (Souderton’s) big kid,” the Knights’ coach said.
Trailing by one at halftime, North Penn outscored the Indians 14-7 in the third to seize control of the game.
Senior Josh Jones scored 15 of his game-high 19 points in the second half for the Knights, while Joey Larkins ended the night with 13 points, and Zeltt had nine.
“Honestly, I thought we shared the ball well, made the extra pass,” Conrad said. “Early on, we didn’t get into a rhythm, but a lot of that had to do with Souderton. In the second half, we were able to score more in transition. I thought we played unselfish.”
Souderton was led Tuesday by Shaun Purvy’s 13 points.
North Penn (2-2, 2-1 SOL) is back in action Friday at Central Bucks South. The Indians (0-3, 0-3 SOL) will seek its first win Friday night at Pennridge.
North Penn 56, Souderton 44
North Penn (56): Josh Jones 19, Joey Larkins 13, Ryan Zeltt 9, Milind Pulugura 7, Billy Coley 3, Mario Sgro 3, Terlean Wright 2
Souderton (44): Shaun Purvy 13, Blair 10, Evan Kutzler 8, Towsen 5, Vince 4, Smith 3, Bob 1
North Penn 12 9 14 21-56
Souderton 9 13 7 15-44
SOL Freedom Division
Upper Moreland 46, Springfield 30
After watching many area teams open the season last week, Upper Moreland had to sit and wait, but Tuesday, the Golden Bears kicked off the 2020-21 season with a strong defensive effort in the win over Springfield.
“It was our first game,” said UM coach Dan Heiland. “Last week, we were supposed to play a couple of games, but they were postponed due to COVID.
“I was excited for them. “I coach football, and I saw what they went through under difficult circumstances. They’ve been working through adversity, the mask protocols and all that goes into it. I was happy for them, just to have the opportunity to play.”
The Golden Bears came out clicking defensively with an 11-0 first quarter.
“I was happy with the defensive approach tonight,” Heiland said. “That’s something the guys take a lot of pride in. Holding a team to 30 points – it’s a credit to our defense. I challenged them and they stepped up to the challenge.
“I think defense led to a lot of our offense. Turnovers led to quick, fast break points and we just kept the pressure on them.”
Springfield wasn’t deterred by the slow start and didn’t go away through three quarters, but the Bears were able to pull away late to secure the win.
“Springfield plays us pretty tough through three quarters,” Heiland said. “We only had 29 points through three quarters. I thought they played us real tough and made it a game going into the fourth quarter.
“It didn’t feel like they had zero (in the first quarter). They had a lot of opportunities, but the ball just didn’t fall their way. That’s good for us, but they’re tough. I give Rob (Fusaro) and the coaches over there a lot of credit. They made us work for it.”
Jourdan Gregg led the Golden Bears with 13 points, but he was also a big contributor on the defensive end.
“He led us in scoring, but he definitely contributed a lot on the defensive side as well,” Heiland said. “He did a good job causing deflections and loose ball opportunities, and offensively he came up with some big shots in key moments in the game. When Springfield started closing in on us, he’d come down a hit a crucial jump shot or drive to the basket.”
Byron Hopkins had eight points, while Jahaire Johnson, Jake Tiernan and Matt Tiernan scored six points each.
Springfield was led by Kyle Smythe’s 11 points, while Ben Cooney finished with four points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
UM plays at William Tennent on Friday. The Spartans (0-2, 0-1) host William Tennent on Thursday.
Upper Moreland 46, Springfield 30
Upper Moreland (46): Byron Hopkins 8, Jahaire Johnson 6, Jourdan Gregg 13, McKie Walker 3, Jake Tiernan 6, Jeremy Harmer 2, Matt Tiernan 6, Ryan Schernecke 2
Springfield (30): Finn Coll 5, Dylan McKenzie 1, Andrew Kennedy 3, Harry Rittenhouse 4, Kyle Smythe 11, Austin Maggiocaida 4, Ben Cooney 4
Upper Moreland 11 11 7 17-46
Springfield 0 9 12 8-30
3-point goals: UM-J. Tiernan 2, Gregg 1; S-Smythe 1
William Tennent 57, New Hope-Solebury 43
William Tennent also kicked off its season on Tuesday, handing SOL newcomer New Hope-Solebury the 14-point defeat.
“I think the guys were kind of ready to go,” said Tennent coach Robert Mulville. “If we could have gone a couple days earlier, we would have. It was nice to get back on the floor.
“I was telling our guys on the bus, it was almost a year since we played a game. Our season ended last year in February, and this year our first game wasn’t until the end of January. A few of our guys were back this year, so I know they were happy to be playing, as was I.”
The team’s top returning players were on full display, as senior Derrik Cosenza led the way with 24 points, while Jay Stanfield had 18. Walter Young added nine.
“I would say, overall, we tried to work it inside with Cosenza, and we tried as best we could to limit (New Hope standout Alex) Walinski,” Mulville said. “That was basically our game plan going in. We wanted to attack that lane and dump off to Cosenza. Stanfield finished around the rim too, as did Walter Young. We had good ball movement from our guys, and we just slowly built the lead up. It was seven at the end of the first quarter and 13 at the half.”
Tennent looks to make it two in a row Thursday at Springfield.
New Hope (0-4, 0-1 SOL), which was led by Walinski’s 15 points, hosts Cheltenham on Friday.
SOL Liberty Division
Plymouth Whitemarsh 57, Upper Dublin 51
After back-to-back huge offensive nights and two big wins, Plymouth Whitemarsh withstood a late UD rally to post the six-point win in a battle of unbeatens in the Liberty Division.
Jaden Colzie and Luke DiCianno led PW with 13 points each, and the Colonials appeared to be in command with a 44-32 lead heading into the final quarter, but UD and high-scoring big man Drew Stover wouldn’t go away in the fourth. Stover – who had 18 second-half points – ended up with 27 points on the night.
“I’m known for running a lot of plays – 10, 15 or 20,” said PW coach Jim Donofrio. “This is the first team – and I’ve been coaching a lot of years – that I think we could trust them to play instinctive basketball, and they didn’t tonight. That is probably the lesson. We play hard, but we never quite figured out the knockout punch.
“Sometimes that happens on defense, but offensively, we were horribly lacking in concentration. It looked like they were playing NBA 2K PS5. Whoever got the ball decided they would take a hard, deep (3-pointer) with nobody moving.
“That is what happens when you score 90 and (76) points two games in a row – you think it’s easy. The message going into Friday is, you obviously don’t know quite yet what it means to play at a certain level every single night. Maybe we should re-humble ourselves and go back to the drawing board.”
Right from the start, Donofrio guessed that Tuesday was going to be a lot different than previous wins over Quakertown and North Penn.
“You know it’s not right when you start the game, and two of your top players catch the ball and bobble it out of bounds,” he said. “You didn’t come to play properly unless someone jammed all your fingers on the way over and they’re sore. Bottom line is, you can sit there and let that stuff go, but in any competition in any sport, if you keep opening up a door, they’re going to eventually gain confidence and take it.
“Do you really think I want Stover to gain more confidence than he has? No, we’re going after their team at the 80-foot mark so we don’t have to deal with him every possession. It worked fair enough 
to get us a lead so we could hold on, but if our kids are happy, then they’re the same as last year’s team so this is going to die far shorter than it should.”
PW (3-0, 2-0 SOL) is back at it at Abington on Friday.
“People say, you learn from the close ones,” Donofrio said. “You should have learned what it meant to score 90 points. That’s what you should have learned. You moved the ball beautifully, you had two guys in the 20s. Can you come out on a Tuesday night on the road in a quiet gym and still have a standard of excellence all across the board – energy, thinking, teamwork on offense, hanging in there, putting the game away?”
Upper Dublin (3-1, 1-1 SOL) plays at Wissahickon on Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 57, Upper Dublin 51
PW (57): Zende Hubbard 1 0-0 2; Jaden Colzie 6 0-1 13; Marshall Baker 2 0-0 5; Taji Hubbard 1 1-1 3; David Harris 1 3-4 5; Luke DiCianno 5 2-6 13; Quadire Bennett 2 1-1 6; Zuri Jerman 4 0-0 8; Pat Flynn 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 8-13 57.
Upper Dublin (51): Colin O’Sullivan 2 4-4 9; DJ Ceresier 2 2-2 6; Drew Stover 9 9-15 27; Noah Lee 2 0-2 5; Anthony Fatija 2 0-0 4. Totals 16 15-23 51.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 15 13 16 13-57
Upper Dublin 10 9 13 19-51
3-point goals: PW-Colzie 1, DiCianno 1, Bennett 1; UD-O’Sullivan 1, Lee 1
Wissahickon 70, Quakertown 43
Matt Compass scored 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half as Wissahickon led from start to finish in this win over host Quakertown on Tuesday.
The Trojans led 14-7 after one and 33-20 at halftime, before blowing it wide open with a 20-10 third quarter. Josh Twersky scored 12 points, including seven in the first quarter, while Stefan Lowry scored seven of his 11 points in the second quarter.
Twerskey also had four blocks, while Lowry led Wissahickon with 10 rebounds.
Zach Fondl led the Panthers on Tuesday with 10 points, while Jack Gordon added eight.
The Trojans (5-0, 2-0 SOL) are at Council Rock South in a nonleague game on Thursday, before a critical two-game stretch against Upper Dublin Friday and Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday.
Quakertown (0-5, 0-2 SOL) is still in search of its first win and is scheduled to host Hatboro-Horsham on Friday
Wissahickon 70, Quakertown 43.
Wissahickon (70): Matt Compass 9 6-9 24; Josh Twersky 5 0-0 12; Ryan Friedman 1 0-0 3; Jackson Inrieri 1 0-0 2; Stefan Lowry 4 3-4 11; Morgan Wilson 0 1-2 1; Phil Dias 2 2-2 6; Earl Stoudt 2 2-2 7; Will Kunzler 1 2-4 4. Totals 25 16-23 70.
Quakertown (43): Brendan Ruzicka 1 1-3 3; Ty Wilkin 2 0-0 4; Jack Gordon 2 4-5 8; Kayden Roley 3 1-1 7; Matt Catalano 1 0-0 3; Zach Fondi 3 4-6 10; Ozzie Grimmage 1 1-2 3; Trey Perez 1 0-0 3. Totals 15 11-18 43
Wissahickon 14 19 20 17-70
Quakertown 7 13 10 13-43
3-point goals: W-Twersky 2, Friedman 1, Stoudt 1; Q-Catalano 1, Grimmage 1
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