Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Saturday. (File photo by Geanine Jamison)
Non-league
ABINGTON 50, BENSALEM 49
The visiting Ghosts won a thriller over the National Conference-leading Owls.
With 8.2 seconds remaining in regulation, the Owls took a 49-48 lead, thanks to a James Ashford bucket. Manir Waller – out of an Abington timeout – took it coast to coast, banking in a layup at the buzzer for the heartstopping win.
“We just put the ball in Manir’s hands,” coach Charles Grasty said. “We were only down one, so we didn’t need a three. We wanted to just be aggressive and take it to the basket.
“We kind of figured they were going to come out in that 2-2-1 press, and they did. We were able to get middle, and once we got middle, Manir just took it straight down the lane and just made a great shot. They didn’t want to foul because they were only up one, so he was able to attack the rim. He made a really good play, banked it off the backboard for a layup.”
Earlier, with his team trailing 47-45 and 58 seconds remaining, Grasty called a timeout. Waller – out of the timeout – took it to the rack and was fouled, connecting on one of two to pull the Ghosts to within one.
Waller came up with a steal on the inbounds and laid it in the basket to put the Ghosts on top 48-47. After a Bensalem timeout, Robert Bell came up with a big steal, but the Ghosts misfired on the front end of a one-and-one, and the Owls regained possession, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
Waller’s game-winner capped a gutsy Ghost comeback. Abington trailed 21-18 at halftime and saw that deficit grow to 34-28 heading into the final quarter when the Ghosts came roaring back.
“Again, just defense and pressure – we were able to get a few turnovers and get some easy baskets in transition,” Grasty said. “I thought our pressure hurt them a little bit the last two minutes of the game. They turned it over a couple of times.
“Manir made a really good play with about 30 seconds left – got a steal and we went up one, but they went down and scored. They just battled, but we got the break this time.”
The Ghosts – thanks to Friday’s win over Upper Dublin and Saturday’s win over the Owls – moved all the way from 26th in the District 1 6A power rankings to 18th.
“I told the guys – it’s not a secret, we needed this,” Grasty said. “Bensalem was playing well, they’re a high seed. We need some points. This was definitely one we really needed.”
Waller finished the game with 16 points, four rebounds and two steals. Caleb Baker had another big game, contributing 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Robert Bell added eight points, four steals and four assists.
Ashford’s glittering 26-point performance led the Owls. Aaron Sanders added 10 points.
Winning at the buzzer has been a rarity for the Ghosts, who – according to their team statistician – last won on a buzzer beater in February of 2000 when Anthony Marco connected on a three in a District 1 second round game against Penn Wood. The win propelled the Ghosts into the state tournament.
Saturdays have not been especially kind to the Owls this season. All three of their losses have been on Saturdays.
Abington (9-9, 7-3 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday, and Bensalem (15-3, 9-0 SOL) – the fourth seed in the latest power rankings – will host Council Rock South on Tuesday.
Abington 9-9-10-22 50
Bensalem 9-12-13-15 49
Abington (50) – Manir Waller 6 4-7 16; Antoine Ellis 1 0-0 2; Sam McFarlane 2 0-0 5; Robert Bell 4 0-2 8; Joey Brusha 1 0-0 3; Caleb Baker 7 2-2 16; Connor Fields 0 0-2 0; Totals 21 6-13 50.
Bensalem (49) – Travis Robinson 1 2-2 4; Justin Johnson 1 0-0 2; Aaron Sanders 2 6-11 10; Jeremiah Alexander 1 2-3 4; James Ashford 9 8-10 26; Blaise Unger 0 1-2 1; Luke Zeidler 1 0-0 2; Totals 15 19-28 49.
3-point goals: Abington – Sam McFarlane, Joey Brusha.
WILLIAM TENNENT 37, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 36
Trailing by two with 30 seconds remaining, Jay Stanfield found Sean Haus on the right wing, and Haus nailed a 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 37-36 lead.
“We had set up a play to either look for Derrik (Cosenza) inside or set a screen on the opposite side for Sean Haus,” Tennent coach Robert Mulville said. “They actually defended both of those things well.
“Stanfield got the ball back and brought it back over. Haus was able to get free for a second, and it was just enough time for him to get a clean look, and he was able to knock down a three.”
The game was far from over. The Titans missed a contested shot, and Cosenza got the rebound. The Panthers weren’t able to capitalize, missing the front end of a one-and-one, and with nine seconds remaining, the Titans called a timeout.
“I thought – we were in the same situation last year against them up at their place,” Mulville said of his team’s 55-53 loss to the Titans last season. “The game was tied. They called a timeout. I remember saying to our staff, ‘We’re going to go man-to-man. We’ll put our best defender on (Alex) Dietz,’ and he went down and made this unbelievable shot with two guys’ hands in his face.
“I said, ‘I am not letting that happen again. We’re going zone, we’ve got to try and get the ball out of Dietz’s hands. If you can make them make two passes, we should be able to have them rush that last shot.’ Dietz got the ball. We were able to get it out of his hands. They had to rush the shot at the end. I was real happy with the way we executed the last two defensive possessions.”
The Panthers took a 25-12 lead into halftime but managed just three points in the third quarter.
“It was almost like we swapped roles,” Mulville said. “They started pressing us in the second half. They didn’t get a lot of steals, but it just got us out of sync where we kind of stopped attacking the basket.
“We probably got maybe four or five good looks, but they challenged them. We missed a couple of layups. Then all of a sudden the quarter was over and we only scored three points, but we still had a five-point lead going into the fourth quarter, so our defense was still solid.
“Holding them to 23 points through three quarters, you should feel pretty good, but that third quarter really got them back in the game. They did a nice job, got us out of our rhythm, and all of a sudden we were in a close game again.”
South took a lead in the fourth quarter, but Derrik Cosenza answered with six straight points for the Panthers, but this one wasn’t decided until the buzzer sounded.
“He got a three-point play for us, he got fouled and made one-of-two and then he scored on a post move,” Mulville said of Cosenza’s six-point tear. “Our defense was still there at the end.
“Jay Stanfield took a charge with a minute and 10 seconds left that would have led to a basket for them, but he was able to rotate over and get that charge.”
Cosenza finished with 12 points and Haus had nine to lead the Panthers, who were 15th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings.
Dietz’s 11-point effort led the Titans. Michael Farley added 10.
William Tennent (11-6, 5-3 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Tuesday, and Central Bucks South (9-9, 4-5) will host Pennridge on Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 6-6-11-13 36
William Tennent 12-13-3-9 37
Central Bucks South (36) – Michael Waltrich 1 0-0 2; Evan D’Orazio 2 0-1 5; Aiden VanZanten 1 0-0 2; Owen Petrich 3 0-0 6; Alex Dietz 3 5-6 11; Michael Farley 4 2-2 10; Totals 14 7-9 36.
William Tennent (37) – Jay Stanfield 2 0-0 4; Daulton Zeaman 1 0-0 3; Josiah Johnson 2 2-2 6; Sean Haus 3 1-2 9; Derrik Cosenza 5 2-6 12; Bryce Lockett 1 1-2 3; Totals 14 6-12 37.
3-point goals: CBS – Evan D’Orazio, WT – Sean Haus 2, Daulton Zeaman.
PENNRIDGE 55, PERKIOMEN VALLEY 37
Perkiomen Valley, despite a young roster and one of its top players in Kam Parks sitting out with an injury, was not a team Rams coach Dean Behrens took lightly.
“Mike (Poysden) is a great coach and they run their offense so well,” Behrens said. “Back screens, back doors on the baseline, they’re a tough team to defend and a lot of those boys can really shoot the three.”
It’s the kind of offense most coaches would like to have a practice to prepare for but the Rams, coming off a setback to CB West on Friday night, didn’t have that luxury. What they did have was a roster of players who understand the importance of defense.
Pennridge held the Vikings to just four first-quarter points, withstanding several long defensive possessions to get a stop and fuel their transition offense. Every rebound or stop had the Rams looking to push pace, and an 8-0 run to end the first put them ahead for good.
“Our guys handled their offense pretty well,” Behrens said. “I was disappointed they didn’t have Parks, he’s a heck of a player and I wanted to see how we could compete with that.”
Behrens lauded the defense of Colin Post, who spent the game chasing PV’s Tyler Lapetina through the screens and cuts, as well as senior Trent Fisher’s rim protecting and the rest of the players for communicating.
Fisher used his size to get the Rams offense going, leading Pennridge with 16 points. He also passed well when Perkiomen Valley sent extra defenders, dishing out five assists, including back-to-back helpers on Connor Pleibel threes in a key third quarter run.
“We’re trying to get a lot of post touches to Trent and why wouldn’t you, he did a good job around the basket,” Behrens said. “He’s really doing a good job for us not only offensively but on the defensive end.”
Perk Valley made a run early in the third, cutting the lead to 27-21 before Fisher hit a three and assisted the two to Pleibel as part of a 9-2 run.
“Our energy was great, it wasn’t a real packed gym, the weather was bad and people probably stayed in but it was a great effort by our guys,” Behrens said. “Give credit to Perk Valley – they had to drive over in this nonsense, and at the start of third quarter, they competed. We just had a little more experience at this time.”
Pennridge (13-4, 7-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South on Tuesday.
Perkiomen Valley 4-9-10-14 37
Pennridge 11-14-16-14 55
PV (37): Quinn 2 0-0 4, Kohler 1 0-0 2, Dougherty 0 2-2 2, Lapetina 5 1-1 12, Gansz 2 0-0 4, Debebe 2 0-1 5, Miceli 2 1-1 5, Pelzer 1 0-0 3. Totals: 15 4-5 37
Pennridge (55): Connor Pleibel 3 0-0 8, Luke Yoder 2 0-0 4, Christian Guldin 4 2-2 12, Colin Post 2 3-6 7, Trent Fisher 7 1-2 16, Anthony Phillips 1 1-2 3, Colin Monahan 2 0-1 4, Justin Nicholas 0 1-2 1. Totals: 21 8-15 55
3-point goals: Pennridge – Pleibel 2, Guldin 2, Fisher; PV – Lapetina, Debebe
UPPER MORELAND 63, INTERBORO 22
A huge second quarter highlighted a strong day for the Golden Bears’ offense on Saturday. The win capped a perfect 3-0 week for the Bears.
Tyler Ibbotson hit a trio of 3-point shots to lead Upper Moreland’s 24-point second frame while the UM defense didn’t allow double-digit scoring in any quarter.
Jordan Gregg led the Bears with 14 points, including three 3s, while Ibbotson scored 12 on four 3-pointers, all in the first half. McKie Walker added 11 points, including three 3s.
Nine different players got in the book for the Golden Bears, who connected on 11 three-pointers.
“Everyone played well,” UM coach Sean Feeley said. “It was a good week for Upper Moreland basketball.”
Upper Moreland (10-5, 5-5 SOL) – 10th in the latest District 1 5A power rankings – will host Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
Interboro 6-8-4-4 22
Upper Moreland 15-24-15-9 63
Interboro (22): Mac Williams 2 1-2 6, Hughes 3 0-2 6, Kamara 1 0-2 2, McCaffery 1 0-0 2, Butts 1 0-0 2, Wormack-Fields 1 0-0 2, Gramato 1 0-0 2; Totals 10 1-6 22.
Upper Moreland (63): Jordan Gregg 5 1-1 14, Tyler Ibbotson 4 0-0 12, Byron Hopkins 3 2-3 9, Chance Byrd 3 1-2 7, McKie Walker 4 0-0 11; Matt Tiernan 2 0-0 4, Justin Sanders 1 0-0 2, Garett Garafalo 1 0-0 2, Ryan Rizzo 1 0-0 2; Totals 24 4-6 63.
3-point goals: UM – Tyler Ibbotson 4, Jordan Gregg 3, McKie Walker 3, Byron Hopkins, Interboro – Mac Williams.
ACADEMY PARK 55, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 54 (OT)
The Bucks lost a heartbreaker in overtime thanks to a dramatic shot by Academy Park’s Jalen Cassidy.
West took an 54-52 lead with 4.5 seconds left in the extra session, but Cassidy was able to drain a well-contested and buzzer-beating three to give the Knights the victory.
The visiting Bucks took a 21-17 lead into halftime, but Academy Park erased that with a 14-10 third quarter. The teams were still deadlocked at the end of regulation, and the Vikings held a 12-11 edge over the Bucks in OT.
Academy Park’s Derrick Northern was the high scorer with 25 points as his team hit 10 threes.
Several CB West players turned in strong efforts in the setback. Jack Neri paced the Bucks with 22 points and six rebounds while Danny Miller nearly posted a double-double with 10 points and eight boards, as did Teddy Spratt with 12 points and eight rebounds. Owen Haney dished out four assists.
Central Bucks West (13-6, 6-3 SOL) visits North Penn on Tuesday.
Central Bucks West 9-12-10-12-11 54
Academy Park 9-8-14-12-12 55
Central Bucks West (54): Jack Neri 7 6-6 22, Teddy Spratt 4 4-5 12, Danny Miller 3 4-5 10, Andrew Lindenmuth 2 1-2 6, Owen Haney 1 2-2 4. Totals: 17 17-20 54
Academy Park (55): Northern 9 3-5 25, Cassidy 4 0-1 11, Henson 3 0-0 8, Turner 2 1-2 5, Wright 1 0-0 3, Brown 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 5-10 55
3-point goals: AP – Northern 4, Cassidy 3, Henson 2, Wright; CBW – Neri 2, Lindenmuth
DOWNINGTOWN EAST 50, NORTH PENN 42
The visiting Cougars raced out of the gate to a 19-11 lead after one quarter, but the Knights outscored their visitors by eight in the second quarter, and the two teams were deadlocked 26-26 at the intermission.
North Penn took a lead with 5:30 left in Saturday’s game but couldn’t hold off the Cougars’ rally.
Rob Carangi led the Knights with 15 points and scored all 11 North Penn points in the first quarter. Josh Jones chipped in 10 points.
David Owsik was clutch for the Cougars, scoring nine points in the final quarter.
North Penn (6-12, 2-6 SOL) will travel to Quakertown on Tuesday
Downingtown East 19-7-9-15 50
North Penn 11-15-7-9 42
Downingtown East (50): Jaden Rowe 4 1-2 9, James Basili 2 0-0 4, David Owsik 3 5-5 14, Grant Umberger 4 3-4 11, Andrew King 13 5-11 12, Totals 16 14-22 50.
North Penn (42): Rob Carangi 7 0-0 15, Josh Jones 3 2-2 10, Kolby Barrow 3 0-0 9, Matt Swanson 3 1-1 7, Joey Larkins 0 1-4 1; Totals 16 4-7 42.
3-point goals: DE – David Owsik 3, Andrew King, NP – Kolby Barrow 3, Josh Jones 2, Rob Carangi.
ALLENTOWN CENTRAL CATHOLIC 54, QUAKERTOWN 30
The visiting Vikings led by just a 10-7 score after one quarter but – behind 12 points from Nick Filchner – outscored the Panthers 19-7 in the second to go into halftime with a 29-14 lead.
Filchner – who buried six 3-pointers – led all scorers with 21 points.
Jack Gordon led Quakertown with 11 points. Matt Tuley added nine, and Kayden Roley had seven points.
Quakertown (2-15, 1-8 SOL) will host North Penn on Tuesday.
Central Catholic 10-19-9-16 54
Quakertown 7-7-6-10 30
Central Catholic (54): Nick Filchner 6 3-4 21, Liam Joyce 5 1-2 12, Tyson Thomas 4 3-6 11, Christian Spugnardi 2 2-2 6, Johnson 2 0-0 4; Totals 19 9-14 54.
Quakertown (30): Jack Gordon 3 2-5 11, Matt Tuley 3 3-4 9, Kayden Roley 2 3-4 7, Jake Hallowell 2 1-2 5, Luke Bauer 0 0-2 0; Totals 10 9-17 30.
3-point goals: ACC – Nick Filchner 6, Liam Joyce.
CONSTITUTION 82, PENNSBURY 62
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