SOL Boys’ Basketball Wrap (1-22-21)

Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday. Cheltenham/New Hope-Solebury photos provided courtesy of Kathy Leister Photography. North Penn/CB South provided courtesy of Jon Sklut, Wissahickon, Upper Dublin photos courtesy of Kim Supko and PW/Abington photos courtesy of Larry Small. Check back for galleries of all three games. CB East/CB West photo provided courtesy of Marge Bullock (http://www.margebullock.com/ )

SOL Liberty Division

Upper Dublin 52, Wissahickon 41

Drew Stover set the tone early and Upper Dublin turned in a solid defensive effort throughout, rebounding from Tuesday’s loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh with a key win over its archrival on Friday.

“It was a great win against a very good team,” said UD coach Chris Monahan. “Wissahickon runs a lot of good stuff. They hit the offensive glass, play fast in transition, and have a kid in (Matt) Compas that can score in bunches, in a variety of ways.”

Stover scored eight points in the first quarter on the way to a game-high 28, while DJ Cerisier had two buckets in the first, and the Flying Cardinals jumped up 14-7 after one and 24-16 at the half.

Wissahickon was able to get the deficit to two at one point in the fourth quarter, but UD went 10-for-12 from the free throw line to put the game away, including 5-for-6 from Colin O’Sullivan.

O’Sullivan finished with 13 points, while Cerisier added eight.

“I thought we handled their press well for the most part and were able to get Drew looks inside,” Monahan said. “Colin O’Sullivan, DJ Cerisier, and Noah Lee all had a big part in that.

“We got a little careless in the fourth quarter, missed some layups, gave up transition points and open 3s. It was a two-point game with under three minutes, but we were able to get stops and make free throws going down the stretch to seal the win.”

Wissahickon, which was coming off of its first loss of the season on Thursday against Council Rock South, was led by Matt Compas with 21 points. But only three players scored for the Trojans, including Intrieri with 14 and Josh Twersky with six.

Wissahickon (5-2, 2-1 SOL) next plays at first-place Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday.

UD (4-1, 2-1 SOL) plays at Pennsbury in a nonleague game on Saturday afternoon.

Upper Dublin 52, Wissahickon 41

Upper Dublin 14 10 12 16-52

Wissahickon 7 9 9 16-41

Upper Dublin (52): Colin O’Sullivan 4 5-6 13; DJ Cerisier 3 2-2 8; Drew Stover 13 2-2 28; Seaton Kukla 0 1-2 1; Tim Boutilier 0 2-2 2. Totals 20 12-14 52.

Wissahickon (41): Matt Compas 6 4-4 21; Josh Twersky 1 4-6 6; Jackson Intrieri 5 0-0 14. Totals 12 8-12 41.

Plymouth Whitemarsh 62, Abington 50

Defensive pressure was the difference, as Plymouth Whitemarsh forced 25 turnovers and built a lead as large as 20 in the fourth quarter before finishing off Abington in a Liberty Division game on Tuesday.

“For us, it’s been a unique struggle with Abington for the past three or four years,” said PW coach Jim Donofrio. ”Even tonight, I was really critical of the kids in Tuesday’s Upper Dublin game. I had to be because the things they weren’t doing right are important to fix. Tonight, we were rather loose and relaxed.

“For last year’s team, tonight’s game is probably a loss just because there’s talent, there’s performance and there’s knowing how to win, and I would take knowing how to win first every time.”

The Colonials improved to 4-0 (3-0 SOL) with the win.

“The last two years after the opening night of our gym two years ago against Norristown where we had a sold-out crowd – we pulled that game out of our hat,” Donofrio said. “We haven’t done another one in two years, one that matters. We had Conestoga at home to go to states and we lose in overtime. We have Chester away with an 8-10 point lead with three minutes to go and collapse, and it became a habit.

“Obviously, Abington is having a slower start, and we had moments in the game just like Upper Dublin where if we can figure it out to put things together – that lead can stretch.

“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot, but we’re doing it at a high level, so it’s ok. You can’t get mad at the guys, we have to all believe in each other, and we’re okay, but no team is going to go away in the fourth quarter on their home court. Championship level teams go on the road and win the fourth quarter, so that’s our next challenge.”

Freshman Jaden Colzie scored 14 to lead the Colonials, while Zende Hubbard and Quidre Bennett had 11 points each.

Abington was held to 35 percent shooting from the field and turned the ball over 25 times. The Ghosts did trim that 20-point deficit to seven at one point in the fourth but could get no closer.

Robert Bell led the Ghosts with 23 points, while Karim Boyd added eight.

Abington (0-2, 0-2 SOL) looks to get into the win column Tuesday night at home against Quakertown. PW hosts Hatboro-Horsham Saturday (2:30).

Plymouth Whitemarsh 62, Abington 50

Abington (50): Sam McFarlane 1 2-2 4; Oreck Frazier 2 2-4 7; Robert Bell 9 5-7 23; Connor Fields 2 2-3 6; Karim Boyd 3 2-5 8; Scott Fhenyx 0 2-3 2. Totals 17 15-24 50.

Plymouth Whitemarsh (62): Zende Hubbard 4 3-4 11; Jaden Colzie 4 3-6 14; Marshall Baker 2 0-0 5; David Harris 1 4-7 6; Luke DiCianno 3 1-2 7; Sam Forchetti 1 0-0 3; Quidre Bennett 5 0-0 11; Zuri Jerman 2 1-1 5. Totals 22 12-20 62.

Abington 9 9 13 19-50

PW 23 8 1615-62

3-point goals: A-Frazier 1; PW-Colzie 3, Baker 1, Bennett 1

Hatboro-Horsham 58, Quakertown 55

Finally, after having several games postponed because of COVID-19, the Hatters kicked off the season under first-year coach Rick Fedele, who comes over from New Hope-Solebury, and after a slow start, they were able to pull out a close win on the road against Quakertown.

“I certainly didn’t know what to expect with only two practices after a 10-day break due to COVID-19,” Fedele said. “After opening the game with eight straight turnovers and a 9-0 deficit, we outscored Quakertown 58-46.”

Hatboro-Horsham was led by senior Zehier Cheeze, who scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Eric Butler added 18 points, seven assists and five steals.

“The team played hard and gave 100 percent in the win,” Fedele said. “The kids didn’t quit after going down by nine. We just kept reminding them that there was a lot of basketball and to play it one quarter at a time. They turned the corner and squeezed out a win. I am proud of the win, but we have a lot of work ahead of us.”

The Hatters have an afternoon game Saturday at Plymouth Whitemarsh. Quakertown (0-6, 0-4 SOL) was led by Kayden Roley’s 21 points, while Ariel Grimmage added nine. The Panthers play at Abington on Tuesday.

Hatboro-Horsham 58, Quakertown 55

Hatboro-Horsham (58): N Schlosser 2 0-0 4, S.Smith 2 4-8 8, S. Fink 0 1-6 1, K. Dittus 3 0-0 8,

Z. Cheeze 9 1-5-19, E. Butler 5 7-11 18, D. Simpson 0 0-2 0, C. Gear 0 0-0 0

Totals 21 13-32 58

Quakertown (55): A. Grimmage 4 1-1 9, L. Bauer 1 1-6 4, M. Catalano 2 0-0 4 K. Roley 9 3-4 21, J. Gordon 0 1-3 1, T Wilkins 1 2-2 5, Z. Fondl 1 0-0 2, B. Ruzida 1 0-0 3, T. Perez 2 0-0 5

Totals 21 8-16 55

3-point goals: Q-Bauer 1, Wilkins 1, Rudzida 1, Perez 1; HH-Butler 1, Dittus 2

SOL Freedom Division

William Tennent 51, Upper Moreland 40

Derrik Cosenza scored 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, as Tennent shook off a slow first half to eventually pull away in the second half over Upper Moreland on Friday.

“I thought we played a pretty solid game,” said Panthers coach Robert Mulville. “We played pretty consistent. We were down two at the half. I think in the second half, we didn’t give up as many offensive rebounds. We gave up six or seven in the first half, but cut those down in the second half.

“Cosenza did a really good job on the boards. I think 12 of his 14 rebounds were on the defensive end.”

Also for Tennent, Jay Stanfield scored 11 points and dished out six assists. Ryan Emmerich came off the bench and finished with 10 points.

“We had other guys kind of step up,” Mullville said. “Ryan Emmerich had a huge three-point play late in the game. Dom Salpizio came off the bench and hit a 3-pointer to make it 48-36 with 2:50 left in the game. Those guys coming off the bench were huge tonight”

Jahaire Johnson scored 15 points to lead Upper Moreland (1-1, 1-1 SOL), which is back in action Saturday (1:30 p.m.) in a nonleague game against Neshaminy.

Tennent (3-0, 3-0 SOL) plays at Council Rock South on Monday.

William Tennent 51, Upper Moreland 40

Upper Moreland (40): Byron Hopkins 2, Jahaire Johnson 15, Jourdan Gregg 7, McKie Walker 4, Jake Tiernan 3, Matt Tiernan 9

William Tennent (51): Dom Sulpizio 8, Matt Miller 2, Jay Stanfield 11, Derrik Cosenza 18, Ryan Emmerich 10, McAnulty 2

Upper Moreland 10 14 10 6-40

William Tennent 12 10 17 12-51

3-point goals: UM-Johnson 1, J. Tiernan 1; WT-Sulpizio 2, Cosenza 2, Emmerich 1

Cheltenham 57, New Hope-Solebury 45

Playing its first game of the season, Cheltenham kicked off 2021 in style with a 15-point win over New Hope-Solebury in an SOL Freedom game.

“It was great to be back,” said Panthers coach Patrick Fleury. “We definitely missed playing. It’s a new group, a much younger group, but as time goes on, we hope to see promise and improvement. We were really happy to get a win against a solid team.”

Brandon Hawkins led the Panthers with 19 points, five rebounds and one assist, while Saleem Payne added 13 points and five assists. Ife West-Ingram scored 14 and contributed four rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Rasheem Dearry had six points, two rebounds, one steal and one assist. Justin Savage 12 rebounds, two assists and two points, and Mike McClain three rebounds and two assists.

“Brandon Hawkins (had) an efficient 19,” Fleury said. “He was very precise with his movements and his decisions. Saleem Payne definitely will be our lead guard with the ball most of the time, and Ife West-Ingram shot the ball well, attacked well and also got on the glass for us.

“To be honest, the game went kind of quick. For us, we were a little off rhythm, but we just hope with more time that we’ll find our rhythm and identity as soon as possible. We would be in mid-season form right now. It’s not the same, but it’s still the game of basketball so it’s super fine.”

Cheltenham is back in action Tuesday at Springfield. New Hope (0-5, 0-2 SOL) looks for its first win Tiuesday at Upper Moreland.

SOL Patriot Division

Pennsbury 69, Harry S Truman 54

Pennsbury clamped down defensively in the second half and captured its first SOL Patriot Division win of the year against Truman.

“Getting a win in our league, at Truman, is big for us,” said Falcons coach Bill Coleman. “We lost three all-league guards from last year and we’re trying to replace them. We have new guys taking up those minutes, and they’re still learning how to win.”

Playing good defense makes up for a lot of those growing pains and Friday, Pennsbury did just that.

“Defensively, we really dug in,” Coleman said. “We gave up 54, but they were a tough 54. Amir (Johnson) came back after being out due to contact tracing, and he was our floor general, offensively and defensively. He played well. Aiden McCormack picked it up for us on defense. Everybody who came in did a nice job. If we play defense the way that we’re capable of, anyone can score. That’s what we talk to the guys about.”

Johnson and McCormack had 17 points each for Pennsbury. McCormak also had a team high 10 rebounds as well as two steals and two assists. Johnson added six rebounds, two steals and three assists. Evan Reichard contributed 11 points, four rebounds and two steals while Evan McNeely had seven points and six rebounds.

The Falcons (2-3, 1-3 SOL). host Upper Dublin on Saturday (12:30 p.m.).

Tyriq Montgomery scored 12 points to lead Truman (0-4, 0-4 SOL), which is next in action on Tuesday against Council Rock South.

Pennsbury 69, Harry S Truman 54

Harry S. Truman (54): Winton 3 0-0 6; Collins 1-3 9; Clark 3 0-0 9; Flail 1 0-0 2; Clark 2 0-0 4; Jackson 3 1-3 9; Montgomery 4 4-4 12; Christian Culver 1 0-0 3. Totals 21 6-10 54.

Pennsbury (69): Aiden McCormack 6 5-9 17; Amir Johnson 5 7-13 17; Kennan Taddei 3 0-0 8; Evan Reichard 2 7-9 11; Craig Stargell 2 3-5 9; Evan McNeely 2 2-2 7. Totals 20 24-38 69.

Harry S. Truman 13 17 11 13-54

Pennsbury 18 19 16 16-69

3-point goals: HST- Clark 3, Jackson 2, Culver 1; P-Taddei 2, Stargell 2, McNeely 1

Council Rock South 72, Bensalem 69 (OT)

After a little late game heroics by Bensalem forced overtime, Council Rock South re-established control in the extra period and pulled out the three-point win in a key SOL Patriot Division game on Friday.

“(Bensalem) tied it up with .1 seconds left to send in into overtime,” said CR South coach Chris Clark. “But we started overtime well, scored five or seven points at the start and then kind of held on. Bensalem kept on coming, but we got to the foul line a lot.”

Trailing by two late, Bensalem’s Rahul Kohli scored on a putback as time expired to force overtime. Kohli finished with 15 points for the Owls. Aaron Sanders led the team with 19 points, while James Ashford had 18.

Bensalem led the game 22-9 after one quarter.

“We started off not doing what we needed to do,” Clark said. “We let them get to the rim. They made a lot of 3s early. But (in the second half), we stayed in front of them better. Joe Venuto did a good job protecting the rim. Shane Dawson and Stephen Dosa were really instrumental in guarding their main perimeter kids, Ashford and (Sanders).”

Gavin Holloran scored 19 points to lead CR South scorers, while Joe Purcell added 18.

“For our kids, only Joe Purcell has played varsity basketball for us,” Clark said. “So, every experience is new. They’re all smart kids and they’re growing right before our eyes, and they’re confident. Ten kids played tonight, and everybody that goes in gives a positive contribution. They’re confident in their abilities and learning their roles.”

The Golden Hawks (3-2, 2-2 SOL), coming off a 3-0 week, host William Tennent on Monday.

Bensalem (2-3, 2-1 SOL) plays at North Penn in a nonleague game on Saturday.

Council Rock South 72, Bensalem 69 (OT)

Bensalem (69): Aaron Sanders 5 7-10 19; James Ashford 8 1-2 18; Luke Ziedler 0 4-4 4; Jake DeLange 2 0-0 4; Rahul Kohli 5 2-15; Nikita Schaefer 2 3-4 7; Jorge Lugo 0 2-2 2. Totals 22 18-24 69

CR South (72): Gavin Holloran 4 9-14 19; Joe Purcell 6 6-11 18; Colin Martin 3 1-2 9; Joe Venuto 2 4-5 8; Stephen Dosa 2 0-0 5; Zack Schwartz 1 2-3 4; Brandon Lynn 1 0-0 3. Totals 19 22-35 72.

Bensalem 22 7 8 18 14-69

CR South 9 12 18 16 17-72

3-point goals: B-Kohli 4, Sanders 2, Ashford 1; CRS-Holloran 2, Martin 2, Dosa 1, Lynn 1

SOL Colonial Division

Souderton 47, Pennridge 45

A young Souderton team needed a win badly, and to pick up its first of the season on the road at Pennridge made it extra special. The Indians snapped a 12-game losing streak to the rival Rams, a streak going back to 2014.

“The guys were pumped, as they should be,” said Indians coach Tim Brown. “They’ve been working their butts off and have continued to improve. The season does go by so fast, but even in the last two weeks, we’ve gotten so much better.”

But this one was far from easy. Souderton led by six at one point late, and a bucket by Aleks Smith put the Indians in control in the final minute. But a five-second violation gave the ball back to Pennridge late, and the Rams’ Colin Post had a look to tie it up, but came up just short and Smith grabbed the rebound.

“That was a huge rebound by Aleks Smith to finish it off,” Brown said. “It was a nail-biter, a close game throughout. But it was a fun game and we pulled it out. Our younger guys hadn’t been in that position before.”

Senior leader Evan Kutzler led the Indians with 12 points, while Smith had nine, Chris Townsen eight and Paul Vince finished with seven.

“It was a balanced effort tonight,” Brown said. “Kutzler led the troops. He’s been unbelievable for us. He’s our senior captain. He didn’t try to do too much. Shaun Purvy, our point guard, I thought he controlled the game. Our big man, Aleks Smith, had a couple of huge rebounds and scored five points in the fourth quarter.”

Luke Yoder had 10 points to lead Pennridge, while Post and Colin Monahan had nine points each. The Rams (3-3, 2-2 SOL) host Central Bucks South on Tuesday.

Souderton (1-3. 1-3 SOL) hosts Central Bucks West on Tuesday.

Souderton 47, Pennridge 45

Souderton (47): Evan Kutzler 4 3-3 12; Shaun Purvy 3 2-4 8; Towson 3 0-0 8; James Blair 1 0-0 3; Smith 4 1-1 9; Vince 3 0-2 7. Totals 18 6-10 47.

Pennridge (45): Justin Nichols 2 0-0 5; Luke Yoder 5 0-0 10; Colin Post 4 0-0 9; Matt Campione 0-0 5; TJ Grenda 2 0-0 4; Greg Stumpo 1 0-0 3; Colin Monahan 4 0-0 9.

Souderton 8 11 16 12-47

Pennridge 8 6 19 12-45

3-point goals: S-Towsen 2, Kutzler 1, Blair 1, Vince 1; P-Nichols 1, Post 1, Campione 1, Stumpo 1, Monahan 1

Central Bucks East 59, Central Bucks West 45

Senior Joe Jackman hit three 3-pointers and scored 20 points, as CB East stayed unbeaten with a solid effort against rival CB West on Friday night.

With the win, the Patriots are now 5-0 on the season and 4-0 in SOL Colonial League play.

“I thought it was important for us to win a game like this,” said Patriots coach Erik Henrysen. “We have been averaging 10 or 11 (3-pointers) a game. West guarded the perimeter well. We did a good job of responding by penetrating. Jacob Cummiskey and Joe Jackman were able to get into the lane.”

Cummisky, a freshman, added 17 points, but East had solid contributions throughout its lineup.

“Aidan Weaver got us off to a great start and scored seven early points,” Henrysen said. “Joe Jackman followed that up by making some tough shots of his own. (Jack) Hamilton has been controlling the lane with another big night on the boards. He also did a great job on (CB West’s Josh) Lee. We knew Lee and (Teddy) Spratt were going to be tough.

“We built a 22-point lead in the third, but took our foot off the gas a little and made some mistakes that we need to correct.”

Playing its two inter-district rivals, East emerged unscathed. It plays at North Penn on Tuesday.

“This was a big week for us playing CB South and CB West in the same week,” Henrysen said. “I think we passed the test. We are on the road again next Tuesday against North Penn. It will be a battle and we know that every game in a shortened season is huge.”

CB West was led by Spratt’s 19 points, while Donte Mancini added eight.

The Bucks (0-5, 0-4 SOL) play at Souderton on Tuesday.

Central Bucks East 59, Central Bucks West 45

CB East (59): Joe Jackman 20, Jacob Cummisky 17; Liam Cummiskey 1, Brendan Harte 6, Aiden Weaver 7, Jack Hamilton 6, Jason Markowitz 2.

CB West (46): Teddy Spratt 19, Josh Lee 5, Donte Mancini 8, Nick Martino 4, Clayton Slaymaker 4, Payton Davis 4

3-point goals: CBE-Jackman 3, J. Cummisky, Weaver; CBW-Lee, Mancini

Central Bucks East 18 16 15 10-59

Central Bucks West 10 12 10 13-45

North Penn 42 Central Bucks South 35