Check out all of Tuesday night’s SOL action. To view photos of the Souderton/Hatboro game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
SOL National Conference
WILLIAM TENNENT 72,
PENNSBURY 52
The Panthers stunned the Falcons by picking up a huge conference win. Tennent, whose only other league win was over the winless Redskins, led 30-25 at the end of the first half after being outscored 16-13 in the opening quarter.
“We just tried to stick to our game plan,” said coach Robert Mulville. “Attacking the rim, trying to fight their pressure and not give them easy baskets.”
The second quarter was pivotal for the Panthers, who staked out a lead they held for the duration of the game even while one of their top scorers watched from the sidelines.
“Horace (Spencer) in the second quarter was just fabulous,” said Mulville. “He had 11 of his 23 (points) with Matt Alden on the bench in foul trouble.”
It wasn’t just Spencer who helped the team get through what could have been a disastrous second quarter, it was a group effort.
“The guys coming off the bench really played well in the second quarter, and we didn’t fall behind,” said Mulville.
In the second half, the Panthers continued to add to their lead, putting the game out of reach.
“As the game wore on, we knew if we could continue to get chances at the rim and not give them breakaways, we’d have a good chance of coming out on top,” said Mulville.
Alden came back in the game in the second half to score eight points in the third quarter, allowing the Panthers outscore the Falcons 20-17 in the frame as they stretched their lead to eight. Alden continued to pace the offense in the final quarter as he scored 10 points on his way to 25 for the day.
“(Alden) and (Mike) Wasserleben were excellent in the fourth quarter,” said Mulville. “Between the two of them, they were 8-for-9 from the line.”
Spencer recorded a double-double in the decisive win with 15 rebounds and 23 points to go along with 6 blocks. Alden also picked up four rebounds while Wasserleben had eight points and seven assists.
The Panthers can certainly say they’ve improved since their last matchup with the Falcons – a 33-point Pennsbury win.
“Our guards have done an excellent job of handling the pressure,” said Mulville. “Once we get into a half court offense, it’s much more to our advantage because of Horace on the inside and Alden on the outside.”
The Falcons’ top-scorer was Mekhi Bryant who scored 15 points along while Shawn Pepper added 11 points. The Falcons saw their record drop to 5-4 (11-4 overall). The Panthers upped their SOL mark to 2-7 (6-10 overall).
ABINGTON 55, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 53 (OT)
The Ghosts snapped a two-game losing streak to take over sole possession of the conference’s top spot after battling past the Indians in overtime. The game was back and forth for the duration, and the first quarter was no exception as the Indians came out with a 14-13 lead that was quickly erased in the second quarter as the Ghosts held a 16-13 advantage to go into halftime with a 29-27 lead.
“We knew they were going to make runs, and we made some runs,” said Ghosts’ coach Charles Grasty. “We were being selfish a little bit. and they were able to make their runs.”
Grasty’s goal heading into the second half was simple.
“We just didn’t want them to play harder than us,” he said.
In the third quarter, the Ghosts outscored the Indians 14-11 and held a 43-38 advantage heading into the final quarter.
“It was back and forth in the fourth,” said Grasty.
The Indians rallied to knot the score 50-50, setting the stage for overtime.
“We both missed shots,” said Grasty. “Both teams had chances to win it.”
Anthony Lee started overtime off with a three-pointer to spark the Ghosts’ offense. The Indians answered with a field goal to cut the lead to one. Jordan Simmons scored with 1:15 remaining for what would be the game-winning shot.
“We missed the front end of two one-and-ones,” said Grasty. “But our guys came out and got a couple of stops and were able to pull it off.”
Lee led the Ghosts, who have now beaten the Indians twice, with 16 points, followed by Anthony Durham (14 points) and Simmons (11 points). Chris Rowland had a big day for the Indians with a game high 24 points, and Rip Engel added 15 points. The Indians saw their record drop to 7-2 (13-3 overall) while the Ghosts record improved to 8-1, 12-4 overall.
To read Christiaan DeFranco's complete game story, please click on the following PhillyBurbs.com link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/high_school/courier/ghosts-win-first-place-showdown/article_adea764a-7704-5370-88aa-18b0ea05974a.html
TRUMAN 59, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 48
The Golden Hawks held a 20-17 advantage in the opening quarter but saw that lead erased as the Tigers rallied to know the score 30-30 at intermission. Sparked by nine points from Merdic Green, the Tigers outscored the Hawks 13-7 in the third quarter. Green picked up six points in a final quarter that saw the Tigers stretch their lead to 11 points. Green, who scored a game-high 24 points, also added nine rebounds in the victory, while Abdul Olatunboson contributed 10 rebounds and six points. Lucas Waters was also instrumental for the Tigers with 10 points and six rebounds. Tom Townsend (15 points) and Christian Crane (14 points) each chipped in double digits for the Hawks, who saw their record drop to 3-6 in the league. The Tigers upped their record to 6-3 and take over sole possession of second place in the conference.
To read Jason Renard's complete game story, please click on the following PhillyBurbs.com link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/bristol/truman-changes-its-pace-in-win-over-cr-south/article_bb3f7b98-45ee-5064-84f6-30e628ccfa37.html
Continental Conference
PENNRIDGE 62, QUAKERTOWN 42
The Rams seized early control of Tuesday’s game, opening up a 26-10 lead after one quarter. The Panthers held the Rams to only eight points in the second quarter, but Pennridge still took a 34-20 lead into halftime. The Rams were led by the hot hand of Jeff Garner, who buried six three’s on his way to 24 points for the night. The Panthers’ foul shooting didn’t help their comeback efforts as they were 1-of-7 from the line while the Rams were 12-of-15. Drew Dietterich also recorded twin figures for the Rams, scoring 13 points, followed by Alex Krivda with nine. The Panthers’ top scorer was Mark Repsher with 17 points. The Rams improved to 4-5 in the league while the Panthers fell to 1-8.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 47, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 37
The Bucks jumped out to a 13-8 lead over their neighboring rival at the end of the first quarter, but the Patriots played them even in the second quarter to make it a 23-18 game at the intermission. The Patriots outscored the Bucks 9-8 in the third quarter but still faced a 31-27 deficit heading into the fourth quarter. The Bucks, who were led offensively by Kevin Dunn with 11 points, blew open the close game with a 16-10 fourth quarter surge. Jared Kelly scored 10 for the Bucks while Sherrod Higginbotham added a pair of three-pointers in the victory. The Patriots’ top scorer was Matt Stauffer with 15 points while Brendan McLaughlin added nine. The Bucks upped their record to 5-4 in the league (7-9 overall) and are in fourth place in the Continental Conference while the Patriots saw their record drop to 2-7 in the league (7-9 overall).
To read Joe Fite's complete game story, please click on the following PhillyBurbs.com link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/doylestown/dunn-lifts-cb-west-past-cb-east/article_036d5c80-ca7c-5bf8-9b61-2b85f996b8aa.html
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 62, NORTH PENN 35
Eleven scorers shared the spotlight as the Titans eased past the Knights after sprinting to a commanding 21-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Titans took a 32-13 lead into halftime and never looked back. The Titans forced 16 turnovers. They were led by Ricky Dennis, who scored seven points and picked up six rebounds, and TJ Ohntrup, who chipped in six points and five rebounds. Also making important contributions were Chase Vonder Schmalz (eight points) and Matt Scamuffo (seven points). The Knights were led offensively by Kevin Shue, who scored five points. The Titans improve to 7-2 in the league and hold on to second place while the Knights saw their record drop to 2-7.
SOUDERTON 49, HATBORO-HORSHAM 46
A complete game story of Souderton’s win over Hatboro is posted on the web site. Tuesday’s game was an SOL Featured Game sponsored by Millennium Insurance in memory of Mark Picard.
American Conference
UPPER MORELAND 46, UPPER MERION 39
Upper Moreland led 6-5 after an opening quarter that was, in coach Brian Corrado’s words, “not pretty.”
The Bears had trouble finding their rhythm in the first half, as the Vikings outscored them in the second quarter to take a 20-17 lead into halftime.
“At halftime, we made some adjustments against their zone defense,” said Corrado. “And the first play we executed exactly what we drew up.”
Led by their strong defensive efforts, the Bears knotted the scored 29-29 heading into the pivotal final frame. The trio of Matt Kohn, Martin McFall and James Martin was especially instrumental in the pivotal fourth quarter as they combined for the team’s 13 total points and were 8-for-10 from the foul line.
“We did what we needed to do to seal victory,” said Corrado. “Overall, the whole game we played very good defense, but our offense was inconsistent at best.”
David Stecz had a game-high 17 points to lead the Vikings, who fell to 2-7 SOL, 6-9 overall. The Bears, who upped their record to 4-5 in the league (8-8 overall), will host Norristown on Friday.
“We know we can compete with them, but we have to compete for four quarters,” said Corrado. “We’ve played all the ‘big’ teams tough, but we have a tendency to get to an early lead and end up giving it up late.
“It’s been a while since we beat them - 10 years. We’ll see what we can do.”
CHELTENHAM 52, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 46
The Panthers opened up to a 10-5 lead after one quarter but saw that lead trimmed to 19-16 at the intermission.
“Defensively, we were outstanding in the first half,” coach Brian Johnson said. “We held them to 16 points. Offensively we were horrendous.”
The Panthers made some adjustments at the half, which paid dividends and allowed them to double their scoring efforts in the second half.
“We knew there were things that we should’ve done,” said Johnson. “In our opinion, we could’ve had a wider margin that the three-point lead. We missed layups, missed free throws - there were things we could control.”
Aaron McGlawn was a key contributor in the pivotal second half, scoring 13 of his 21 points to help clinch the victory.
Johnson admits, however, that no one person was responsible for the win.
“We play well together, the guys play their roles well,” he said.
Shakur Jackson made important defensive contributions for the Panthers as he kept Colonials’ weapon Anthony McKie away from the basket in the second half.
“The last 2 minutes of the game he was able to disrupt that rhythm for him and prevent him from scoring,” said Johnson.
McGlawn also added seven rebounds and six assists while Aaron Burton added 13 points and Guy Henderson chipped in two three-pointers on his way to a double-double with 14 rebounds and 12 points.
Even though the Panthers share the top spot in the conference, they know it’s no time to relax.
“Every team in our league is competitive, and we know teams will come after us,” said Johnson. “Every game we have to bring our ‘A’ game.”
The Panthers improve to 8-1 (10-5 overall) while the Colonials fell to 4-5 (6-9 overall)
NORRISTOWN 52, UPPER DUBLIN 35
The Eagles had too many weapons for the Flying Cardinals on Tuesday night and opened up with a 24-16 lead at the half. The Eagles added to their lead after, thanks to a pair of three-pointers and eight points in the final frame from senior Bernard Gordon to help put the game out of reach. Senior forward Josh Johnson had a monster game for the Eagles, racking up 22 points, nine rebounds and five blocks while Gordon tallied 13 for the day. The Cardinals were led by Andrew Carber (10 points) and Kurt Groff (nine points). The Eagles remain atop the conference alongside Wissahickon and Cheltenham as their record improves to 8-1 (13-3 overall) while the Cardinals fell to 2-7 (4-10 overall).
WISSAHICKON 64, SPRINGFIELD 53
The Trojans opened up a 25-9 lead after one quarter and took a 36-20 lead into halftime. They never looked back.
Wissahickon’s Bentley brothers were too much for the Spartans to handle. Gordon Bentley tallied 13 assists, 10 rebounds and nine points to put him one away from picking up a triple-double while Todd Bentley scored 11 points in the third quarter on his way to a game-high 18 points for the day. Chris Carradorini and Chris Vila also contributed double digits as each scored 10 in the victory. The Spartans’ offense was led by Luke Pollock (17 points) and William Dahm (15). The Trojans remain in a three-way tie for the top spot in the conference, upping their record to 8-1 SOL (11-5 overall) while the Spartans fell to 0-9 in the league (5-12 overall).
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