SOL Boys’ Basketball Wrap (1-21-23)

Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Saturday.

Non-league

NORTH PENN 57, CHELTENHAM 56

The Knights trailed by seven at halftime and still trailed by that amount heading into the final quarter when they outscored their hosts 16-8 to eke out the come-from-behind non-league win.

“I thought defensively we did a much better job the second half,” NP coach John Conrad said. “I was worried about their athleticism, so we just picked them up at half court in the first half, but I think that took us out of our rhythm.

“In the second half, we had our guards pick up, and I thought that helped us 1) get more stops and 2) get into a rhythm.”

The Panthers – behind nine points from Kamani Healey and eight from Yakeen Respes – led 31-24 at halftime. They still appeared to be in control heading into the final quarter when the Knights came roaring back.

“Thirteen to three free throws in the fourth quarter – they got 13, we got three,” Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury said. “It’s hard to win that way, so we have to do a better job of being aggressive going to the basket and making a play.

“The kids tried to do what they could do. We have to keep pushing. The effort was there.”

Ryan Deininger’s 16 points led the Knights. Corey Meade scored eight of his 10 points at the foul line and had eight points in the second half. Ryan Zeltt also had 10 points while Mario Sgro and Norman Gee both had eight points.

“Corey Meade came off the bench and gave us great minutes,” Conrad said. “I thought we did a better job of attacking. They’re so long, and early on, we were settling for perimeter stuff, but then Corey and (Ryan Deininger) did a nice job of attacking and getting to the foul line.

“We didn’t shoot particularly well from the foul line, but we were able to get there. I think that was the difference.”

For the Panthers, Respes led the way with 18 points while Healey added 11 and Josiah Hutson also finished in double figures with 10. Nate Tinsley had eight points.

“You look at them and their length and their athleticism – they’re a real good basketball team,” Conrad said. “They’re still trying to find their way a little bit, but we felt like it was a good test for us, and our kids played well down the stretch.”

North Penn (13-4, 8-3 SOL) – sixth in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – will host Pennridge on Tuesday, and Cheltenham (7-8, 6-5) will travel to New Hope-Solebury on Tuesday. The Panthers are 28^th in the latest rankings.

North Penn 9-15-17-16 57

Cheltenham 11-20-17-8 56

North Penn (57) – Mario Sgro 3 2-2 8; Norman Gee 3 0-0 8; Teddy McAllister 1 0-0 3; Ryan Zeltt 5 0-0 10; Lee Hammond 1 0-0 2; Ryan Deininger 6 3-5 16; Corey Meade 1 8-14 10; TOTALS 20 13-21 57.

Cheltenham (56) – Josiah Hutson 4 1-2 10; Yakeen Respes 6 5-7 18; Kamini Healey 4 1-2 11; Osei Johnson 1 0-0 3; Malik Hughes 0 0-2 0; Nile Tinsley 4 0-0 8; Xavier Thompson 2 2-2 4; TOTALS 21 9-15 56.

3-point field goals: NP – Norman Gee 2, Teddy McAllister, Ryan Deininger; Cheltenham – Kamani Healey 2, Osei Johnson, Josiah Hutson, Yakeen Respes

PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 70, JOHN BARTRAM 35

It’s been a good January for the Colonials, who won their eighth straight game with a rout of John Bartram in a non-league contest Saturday.

Four Colonials – led by Qudire Bennett’s 18 points – finished in double figures.

“I’m just proud of the focus at going 6-0 over a two week stretch,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said after back-to-back three-game weeks. “Sometimes focus can drop and players can get comfortable, but our guys are locked in right now to try and accomplish bigger goals.   I’m impressed with them.”

The Colonials have won their last six games by an average of 27 points.

In Saturday’s romp, the Colonials set the tone with a 24-point first quarter. Jahseir Sayles buried a pair of 3s and had eight points, Jaden Colzie also had two 3s, and the Colonials were just getting started.

PW took a 38-20 lead into halftime. Bennett’s 11 points led the way. The fun continued in a 25-point third quarter that saw Chase Coleman lead the charge with eight points.

In addition to Bennett, Coleman finished with 15 points, Sayles had 11 and Colzie added 10 in a contest that saw 10 PW players put their names in the scoring column.

Plymouth Whitemarsh (15-2, 11-0 SOL) will travel to Abington Tuesday. The Colonials continue to hold the fourth spot in the District 1 6A power rankings.

John Bartram                          10-10-10-5   35

Plymouth Whitemarsh            24-14-25-7   70

John Bartram (35) – Dujaun Peak 1 0-0 2; Lateef Lorenzo 3 11-12 18; Johmir Atwell-Fisher 5 1-4 11; James Jones 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 11 12-16 35.

Plymouth Whitemarsh (70) – Jaden Colzie 4 0-0 10; Jimmy Flowers 2 0-0 4; Chase Coleman 7 1-2 15; Mani Sajid 1 0-0 3; Evan Ring 0 1-2 1; Ben Marscio 1 0-0 3; Qudire Bennett 6 4-6 18; Jahseir Sayles 4 0-0 11; Shawn Wyatt 0 1-2 1; Lincoln Sharpe 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 27 7-12 70.

3-point goals: Bartram – Lateef Lorenzo; PW – Jahseir Sayles 3, Qudire Bennett 2, Jaden Colzie 2, Mani Sajid, Ben Marscio.

NESHAMINY 66, UPPER MERION 57

The visiting Redskins, who led 17-15 after one quarter, took a 33-28 lead into halftime and never looked back on their way to the non-league win. Nate Townsend’s 26 points led the Redskins.

“It was a good all-around team win,” Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle said.

Sean Curley had the hot hand in the first quarter, scoring eight points. Townsend’s 10 points led led the Redskins in the opening half, and he was the catalyst in the second half with 16 points.

Ashton Lovelace also came up big, finishing one rebound away from a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds. Lovelace scored 10 of his points after the intermission. Curley finished with 14 points. Emeer Coombs had nine assists in a solid outing.

Neshaminy (11-6, 7-4 SOL) – 18^th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – will travel to Pennsbury for a key division showdown. The Falcons and Redskins share the top spot with identical 7-4 division records.

Neshaminy 17-16-16-17 66

Upper Merion 15-13-16-13 57

Neshaminy (66) – Joey Zack 0-0 ; Ashton Lovelace 9 0-2 18; Emeer Coombs 1 0-0 2; Ryan Meehan 0 1-3 1; Guy Horton 1 0-0 3; Sean Curley 4 5-6 14; Nate Townsend 9 8-10 26; TOTALS 25 14-21 66.

Upper Merion (57) – Devon Nelson 4 4-8 12; Nicholai Smiley 1 2-2 4; Madison Tatom 3 0-1 7; Colin Hirshorn 6 0-0 14; Devin Swayze 4 2-2 10; Josh Zimmerman 1 0-0 2; Elijah Davis 2 2-2 6; TOTALS 21 10-15 57.

3-point goals: Neshaminy – Guy Horton, Sean Curley; Upper Merion – Colin Hirshorn 2, Madison Tatom.

WISSAHICKON 61, CENTRAL 44

Dom Vacchiano and Earl Stout combined for 42 points, leading the Trojans to the convincing non-league win Saturday. The win was the sixth in the last seven games for the Trojans.

“It was a good game,” Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson said. “We have played a grueling stretch of six games in the last eleven days.

“I was afraid we’d be a little flat playing a 12:30 game after a very competitive game versus Springfield last night, but the kids know our mission and what’s at stake, and they came out with focus, and took care of business.

“Our three captains – Jaylon Williams, Earl Stout, and Dom Vacchiano – led the charge, but we also received great contributions from 6’7” Owen Coughlin who blocked three shots, guarded the rim, and pulled in eight rebounds.”

Vacchiano scored seven points in a first quarter that saw the Trojans jump out to a 16-11 lead. By halftime, Vacchiano had 15 points, and the Trojans led 36-22. Stout added 10 points, and Williams had six points.

Vacchiano accounted for 10 of the Trojans’ 14 points in the third quarter and finished with a game high 22 points, which included three 3-pointers. Stout buried four 3-pointers and finished with 20 points. Williams added eight points.

Wissahickon (8-9 7-4 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham Tuesday. The Trojans are 27^th in what will be a 24-team field in the District 1 6A Tournament.

Central 11-11-14-8 44

Wissahickon 16-20-14-11 61

Central (44) Sizwe Morris-Louis 4 5-8 13; Yamir Knight-Parker 2 0-0 5; Jude Rowland 1 1-2 3; Salim Kelly 2 5-7 9; Malachi Brown 3 0-0 8; Cedric Zellars 2 0-0 4; Erik Borgia 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 15 11-19 44.

Wissahickon (61) – Will Kirkpatrick 2 0-0 4; Jaylon Williams 3 1-2 8; Owen Coughlin 1 1-4 3; Andrew Slackman 1 2-2 4; Dom Vacchiano 7 2-2 10; Earl Stout 9 1-4 22; TOTALS 23 7-15 61.

3-point goals: Central – Malachi Brown 2, Yamir Knight-Parker; Wissahickon – Dom Vacchiano 4, Earl Stout 3, Jaylon Williams.

HOLY GHOST PREP 55, PENNSBURY 45

The visiting Falcons took a 35-34 lead into the final quarter when the Firebirds exploded for 21 points. They did most of their damage at the foul line, burying 15 of 17 shots. For the game, Holy Ghost Prep was a remarkable 30-for-32 at the charity stripe.

The two teams combined for 56 foul shots with the Falcons taking 24 foul shots but connecting on just 11.

Pennsbury led 11-8 after one quarter but found itself deadlocked with Holy Ghost 20-20 at halftime. The Falcons – sparked by six points from Ty Kocak – edged their hosts 15-14 in the third quarter, but the Firebirds negated that with a 21-10 fourth quarter burst.

Kocak’s 14 points – 12 in the second half – led the Falcons. Teddy Mangan added 12 points, and Connor Taddei also finished in double digits with 11 points.

Pennsbury (10-6, 7-4 SOL) – 22^nd in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – will host Neshaminy in Tuesday’s division showdown.

Pennsbury 11-9-15-10 45

Holy Ghost Prep 8-12-14-21 55

Pennsbury (45) – Teddy Mangan 4 3-6 12; Mike Roccograndi 0 2-4 2; Sam Callahan 1 0-0 2; Connor Taddei 3 4-9 11; Eric David 1 0-0 2; Ty Kocak 6 2-6 14; Simon Dlugi 0 0-2 0; Ryan Zuckerman 1 0-2 2; TOTALS 16 11-24 45.

Holy Ghost Prep (55) – Noah McDermott 1 2-2 4; Mark Tomasetti 1 4-5 6; Gavin McLaughlin 0 4-4 4; Seamus McDermott 2 0-0 6; Adrien Varella 1 6-7 8; Dasani McNeely 0 2-2 2; Spencer Wert 0 4-4 4; Mel Lindsay 3 8-8 15; Colin Lucas 2 0-0 6; TOTALS 10 30-32 55.

3-point goals: Pennsbury – Teddy Mangan, Connor Taddei; Holy Ghost – Seamus McDermott 2, Colin Lucas 2, Mel Lindsey.