Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Saturday. CR South/Pennridge photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Abington/Cheltenham photos provided courtesy of Greg Lindsay, PW/Unionville photos courtesy of Michael Rice Photography & Michael McClure photos courtesy of Larry Small. Check back for galleries of each of the games. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ BOYS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
Non-league
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 67, PENNRIDGE 57
Ryan Delp was all but unstoppable, torching the Rams for a career high 32 points and shattering the program record for points in a single game.
“He just did a great job,” Rock South coach Andrew Rogers said. “He got some open shots, he was ready to knock them down. He has a knack for scoring, and today he was able to do it.”
The fun started early for Delp and the Golden Hawks, who led 20-14 after one quarter with Delp – who had a pair of 3s – accounting for 12 of those points. By halftime, Delp had 20 points, and the Hawks led 36-30. Xavier Peters scored 11 points in the half to keep the Rams within striking distance.
Rock South took a 54-44 lead into the final quarter on their way to the important non-league win.
Key players: Ryan Delp stole the spotlight with a 32-point effort that included four 3-pointers. Ryan Wekluk added 12 points – 10 in the first half. MJ Thompson contributed nine points – all in the second half.
For the Rams, Xavier Peters led the way with 19 points – 11 in the first half. Rownan Smith added 11, and Connor Murray had nine.
Council Rock South coach Andrew Rogers on the win: “We said to our guys – one play at a time, one game at a time, and that has been our calling card. Obviously, there’s a lot of teams fighting (for a spot in playoffs) this time of year. We’re excited to be playing games, and more than anything, we just want to take one at a time and put our best foot forward. Our guys are doing a lot of really good things. We have a really good group this year top to bottom. Everyone is giving us really good minutes. They pick each other up. It’s just a fun group to be around. We’re just trying to continue one game at a time.”
Delp delivers: “He did it in a lot of ways – he did in in the post, he had some pullups, he was able to get to the rim and he had four 3s. He was doing a great job reading it, and credit to our guys – they moved the ball well. When he had his opportunities, he was aggressive and capitalized on them.”
–Props: “I thought everybody that came in gave us good minutes. Ryan Wekluk was very good. He had 12 points that were huge to go along with three assists. He’s really moving the ball well for us.
“Ray Hagland and MJ Thompson both did a great job. They had the task of guarding Xavier Peters, who’s a really good player. Coach (Behrens) does a really good job. They run a lot of good stuff. They both did a good job.
“A lot of credit to MJ – he did not have any points in the first half, and he had nine in the second half – seven in the fourth quarter, which were big ones. I think it was a mature thing for him just to take what they gave him but also realizing he can affect the game in a lot of different ways. Especially down the stretch, he was on Xavier, and I thought did a really good job of making him work the best he could, so there were a lot of things that won’t show up on the stat sheet. Everyone gave us really good minutes. We tell our guys we want everyone to be ready, and credit to them. I’m proud of them for doing so.”
Up next: Council Rock South (11-6, 4-3 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North Tuesday (5:30 pm), and Pennridge (9-9, 2-5) will be on the road at North Penn Tuesday.
Pennridge 14-16-14-13 57
Council Rock South 20-16-18-13 67
Pennridge (57) – Rownan Smith 5 0-0 11; Xavier Peters 7 3-3 19; Jake Bolger 1 1-1 3; Ryan Schwind 3 0-2 6; Connor Murray 4 0-0 9; Sam Cragnale 2 0-0 5; Ryan Flood 1 2-2 4; TOTALS 23 6-8 57.
Council Rock South (67) – MJ Thompson 4 0-0 9; Ryan Delp 11 6-8 32; Ray Hagland 1 1-4 3; Joey Madara 3 1-3 7; Pat Malone 0 1-2 1; Owen McLean 1 0-0 3; Ryan Wekluk 5 0-1 12; TOTALS 25 9-18 67.
3-point goals: P – Rownan Smith, Xavier Peters 2, Connor Murray, Sam Cragnale. CRS – MJ Thompson, Ryan Delp 4, Owen McLean, Ryan Wekluk 2.
ABINGTON 60, CHELTENHAM 58 (OT)
With time about to expire in overtime and the two teams deadlocked, Jake Manigault scored on the putback of a missed shot for the game-winner, giving the Ghosts the emotionally-charge win in the battle of neighboring rivals. 
“Going into this game, I told them – ‘Guys, I never say, but this is a must win. I hate to say that because the season’s not over if we lose, but this is a game we have to win,’” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “They responded, thank God.”
Early on, the Panthers – behind eight points from Tyree Martin – opened up a 21-18 lead after one quarter. Cheltenham took a 35-29 lead into halftime. The Ghosts – sparked by seven points from Xander Grasty – trimmed three points off the Panthers’ lead in the third quarter, pulling to within 45-43. They rallied to knot the score, setting the stage for overtime.
Key players: Jake Manigault led the Ghosts with 21 points – 14 in the first half. Xander Grasty added 11 points.
For the Panthers, Kamal Mason’s 11 points led a balanced attack. Osei Johnson and Justin Ezeukwu both scored 10 points.
Abington coach Dan Marsh: “It was back and forth the whole time. We played defense, and we played as a team. We’re not a big team, so rebounding is really important for us. We have just not been playing well. We ‘ve been giving up way too many points in the paint.
“I just keep giving this analogy – ‘The paint is our house, no one comes in uninvited. We need to put bodies on them, and we need to rebound,’ trying to get it through to them that we have to protect inside out.
“We’ve played teams zone recently. We played zone against Upper Dublin last night, which was successful for a while and then they were able to
pull away. We’ve just been adapting the way we play defense and trying to play together as a team defensively as opposed to just me versus you type stuff. They responded today.”
–OT ending: “They were up two, and they were kind of holding the ball, so we fouled one of their guys, and he made one of two, and then Xander Grasty came down and did one of his patented moves no one can defend and got an and-one, so we tied it.
“They missed a shot, and we came down and held the ball for one shot with 45 seconds or something to go. We missed the shot, but Jake (Manigault) was right under the basket for the rebound and got a putback.
“They missed a shot, we got it back with 3.4 seconds. We had to inbound the ball, and we turned it over, and it was 1.6 seconds. Their player got a good look at it (for a 3), and he missed it. That would have been a game-winner if he had made it, but it was off a little bit to the left. It was just nuts.”
–Props: “Zion Hospedales had a great game. Jake (Manigault) had a great game. It was a good team win. Jake really kept us in it early. When we were struggling a little bit offensively, he was scoring some points.
“Xander (Grasty) took an elbow last night in his kidney area, so he was in a lot of pain today. He just fought through it. I didn’t know if he could go today, but you can’t tell Xander he’s not playing, especially Abington-Cheltenham. At halftime, he was getting treatment, and he stretched. He played through the pain. He was a trooper, for sure.”
Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury: “We played hard, but we didn’t make the plays down the stretch that we should have, but this is on me. We will get better and will make a push come districts.”
Up next: Abington (12-6, 4-3 SOL) will be on the road at Wissahickon Tuesday, and Cheltenham (12-5, 7-0) will travel to Upper Moreland for a key Freedom Division game Tuesday.
Abington 18-11-16-10-5 60
Cheltenham 21-14-8-12-3 58
Abington (60) – Faizon Garland 2 0-0 5; Xander Grasty 4 7-7 17; Jake Manigault 7 4-5 21; Zion Hospedales 3 2-3 8; Paul Glants 2 2-4 7; Kyler Pickron 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 19 15-19 60.
Cheltenham (58) – Kamal Moore 4 2-2 11; Xavier Willloughby 2 3-4 8; Osei Johnson 3 3-4 10; Salim Kelly 1 3-4 5; Kendall Jackson 1 4-5 6; Justin Ezeukwu 3 2-4 10; Tyree Martin 3 2-3 8; TOTALS 17 19-26 58.
3-point goals: A -Jake Manigault 3, Xander Grasty 2, Faizon Garland, Paul Glants ; C – Justin Ezeukuwu 2, Xavier Willoughby, Osei Johnson, Kamal Mason.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 54, UPPER PERKIOMEN 44
The Hatters won for the second time in as many days, opening up a 14-4 lead and going on to take a 30-11 lead into halftime. Shane Phillips scored 11 points in the half to lead the Hatters, who took a 41-19 lead into the final quarter.
Key players: Shane Phillips led the Hatters with 17 points, which included three 3-pointers. Jayden Tion added 15 points off the bench in a standout effort. Included in those 15 points were four 3-pointers.
Hatboro-Horsham coach Bill Coleman: “It was a great effort defensively through three quarters. Not happy that we took our foot off the gas in the fourth quarter. We have to learn how to finish games the right way.”
–Props: “Props for Jayden Tion for coming off the bench and scoring 15 points. He’s shot the ball really well the last few games.”
Up next: Hatboro-Horsham (8-11, 2-5 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh Tuesday.
Upper Perkiomen 4-7-8-25 44
Hatboro-Horsham 14-16-11-13 54
Upper Perkiomen (44) – Vincent Galassi 2 3-4 8; Jaylan Barrow 2 3-5 7; Tucker Ruch 0 2-2 2; Robert Rice 4 2-4 10; Jordan Dice 1 1-3 9; Grayson Sabo 1 1-1 3; Connor Gehman 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 15 13-22 44.
Hatboro-Horsham (54) – Ryan Smith 3 1-2 7; Kenny Lutz 1 2-2 5; Jaden Thompson 1 2-5 4; Shane Phillips 6 2-3 17; Jayden Tion 5 1-1 15; Sean McCue 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 19 8-13 54.
3-point goals: UP – Vincent Galassi. HH – Jayden Tion 4, Shane Phillips 3, Kenny Lutz.
WILLIAM TENNENT 56, GEORGE WASHINGTON 39
Less than 24 hours after a disappointing loss to Cheltenham, the Panthers were back on the court. They took out some of their frustration on an unsuspecting George Washington squad, opening up a 20-3 lead after one quarter and never looking back.
“Last night was tough – it was a tie game with a minute 50 left,” Tennent coach Robert Mulville said. “They executed pretty well on defense and got to the rim on offense. That was disappointing, but we talked about it after the game and just told them that we need to refocus and correct things that are hurting us, and we tried to do that today. It was a little bit of a different outcome today.”
Key players: Ryan Bula led a balanced attack with 10 points. Luke Torok (3 3-pointers) and Scot Scheller both had nine. Jayden Bright and Braden Goldberg each had eight, and Tony Pople had seven.
William Tennent coach Robert Mulville: “We shared the ball real well in the first half. One of the things I talked to the guys about is – we have to make better passes to our shooters. We were able to do that in the first half. We hit eight 3s in the first half and got up pretty big.
“Then we went cold in the second half – at least in the third quarter, and Washington was able to claw back into it a little bit. It never got to single digits, but they did make a nice run. We were able to correct ourselves. Jayden Bright and Ryan Bula got some buckets going into the lane in the fourth quarter which extended the lead, and we were able to basically dribble out the clock the last two minutes or so.”
“Bula was the only player with double figures with 10 points. We had balanced scoring again.”
–Props: “I thought Bula and Bright came up with some key buckets in the fourth quarter. I think Washington had cut it to 12 at one point. Ryan made some foul shots, and the same thing with Jayden, who hit a 3. We had 17 points in the fourth quarter, and Ryan and Jayden had 15 of them.”
Up next: William Tennent (9-9, 3-4 SOL) will travel to Springfield Twp Tuesday.
George Washington 3-9-17-13 39
William Tennent 20-13-6-17 56
George Washington (39) – Ben Makias 4 1-2 11; Shyheem Jackson 2 0-0 5; Jakai Stevenson 1 0-0 3; Maximiliam Bershadskiy 2 0-0 4; Anderson Dorvil 5 2-3 12; Tyson Scott 1 2-2 4; TOTALS 15 5-7 39.
William Tennent (56) – Tre Stracuzzi 2 0-0 5; Luke Torok 3 0-2 9; Ryan Bula 3 4-6 10; Scott Scheller 3 2-2 9; Jayden Bright 3 1-2 8; Braden Goldberg 3 0-0 8; Tony Pople 3 0-0 7; TOTALS 20 7-12 56.
3-point goals: GW – Ben Makias 2, Shyheem Jackson, Jakai Stevenson; WT – Luke Torok 3, Tre Stracuzzi, Scott Scheller, Jayden Bright, Braden Goldberg 2, Tony Pople.
SOUDERTON 68, UPPER MERION 46
The Indians, who opened up a 20-10 lead after one quarter, took a 34-28 lead into halftime. They dominated the second half, outscoring their hosts 34-18 on their way to the convincing non-league win.
“Props to Nolan Watkins who led us with 25 points and hit four 3s,” Souderton coach Okotech Sackitey said. “Chanse (Salone) added 12 and did a great job facilitating.”
Key players: Nolan Watkins led the Indians with 25 points – 14 in the second half. Chase Salone added 12 points and Trey Bui had nine – seven in the first half.
Up next: Souderton (13-5, 6-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks East Tuesday.
Souderton 20-14-17-17 68
Upper Merion 10-18-8-10 46
Souderton (68) – Chanse Salone 4 4-6 12; Trey Bui 4 0-0 9; Chris Lewis 1 3-4 6; Nolan Watkins 10 1-3 25; Thaddeus Harter 2 0-0 4; Grady Kovach 2 1-2 5; Dylan Quinn 3 0-0 7; TOTALS 26 9-15 68
Upper Merion (46) – Isaiah Robinson 4 2-5 10; Chase O’Donnell 1 0-1 2; Anderson Brown 1 2-3 4; Jackson Solley 4 0-2 11; David Peck 2 0-0 6; Hunter Hope 2 0-0 4; Eric Green 4 0-6 9; TOTALS 18 4-17 46.
3-point goals: S – Nolan Watkins 4, Chris Lewis, Trey Bui, Dylan Quinn; UP – Jackson Solley 3, David Peck 2, Eric Green.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 61, UNIONVILLE 38
The Colonials took a 24-21 lead into halftime but seized control of the game with an 18-3 third quarter tear. They took a commanding 42-24 lead into the fourth quarter on their way to the big win.
“Unionville worked on holding the ball in the first half and hit four 3s, but our defense woke up in the second half, and we figured it out.”
Key players: Mani Sanjid scored a game high 27 points – 13 in the pivotal third quarter and 18 in the second half. Michael Periera added 12 points.
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh (15-4, 6-1 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham Tuesday.
Unionville 9-12-3-14 38
Plymouth Whitemarsh 11-13-18-19 61
Unionville (38) – James Brenner 7 3-4 18; Tommy McGinnis 1 0-0 3; Jack Robbins 0 1-2 1; Leo Lockwood 1 0-0 2; Mikey Niemkiewicz 0 2-6 2; Matthew Parambil 3 0-0 9; Harris Stanislawczyk 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 13 6-12 38.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (61) – Jack Hayes 2 3-5 8; Eric Conicello 1 0-0 3; Mani Sajid 11 2-3 17; Michael Periera 6 0-0 12; Buddy Denard 1 0-1 2; Caleb Bridgeman 2 0-0 5; Will Periera 1 0-0 2; Micah Thompson 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 25 5-6 61
3-point goals: U – Matthew Parambil 3, Tommy McGinnis, James Brenner, Harris Stanislawczyk; PW – Mani Sajid 3, Eric Conicello, Jack Hayes, Caleb Bridgeman.
Michael McClure Recognized for Years of Service
Michael McClure doesn’t want or need to be in the spotlight.
As a matter of fact, the long-time Plymouth Whitemarsh volunteer assistant will do whatever he can to avoid it, so it was hardly a surprise that he was uncomfortable to find himself center stage at halftime of PW’s home game against Wissahickon Friday night when he was recognized for his 34 years of service to the basketball program.
“The ceremony went great,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said. “Michael McClure was not happy because he’s very humble. He’s a Conshohocken guy, he doesn’t need to have the attention on him. He was totally taken by surprise, but I think after 34 years of being that selfless, it’s going to happen, like it or not.”
McClure has been with Donofrio since he took over the helm of PW’s junior varsity basketball program.
“I got a phone call in the fall of 1991 in October from Albert Angelos who was just announced new head coach at PW who said, ‘Would you like to be my JV coach,’” Donofrio said. “When I accepted that, I called Michael McClure and said, ‘Would you like to help me out?’ He said, ‘Sure.’ His kids were young – Michael and Alec were two years old and three years old at the time.
“Michael just volunteered. He’s never accepted any money for 34 years. We’ve been together the entire time. I don’t bug him as much as I used to. I would say his wife Connie is without a doubt a saint because you don’t realize how greedy you are with people’s time. I just wanted to talk basketball with anybody and everybody and Michael and George Wadlin were the two, and then it became basically Michael. If it was a telephone booth and you had to put quarters in, I’d probably owe him over a million dollars just for his time.”
Listening to the veteran coach tell it, McClure is more than an assistant coach.
“He’s been my psychiatrist, he’s actually my role model,” Donofrio said. “There is no one I’ve ever met in all my time that is more positive than Michael McClure. Since 1991, they just cheer his name and smile as soon as he walks in the gym. I don’t get that kind of greeting. He’s so positive it’s beyond annoying because I like to be moody and disgruntled and glass half empty – the sky is falling. He’ll just stare at you and change the topic – ‘I think we’re going to win tonight.’
“Just to be around him – he has talked me off a ledge multiple times in our time together. He’s the steady one. You just lean on him and just rely on him.”
The PW coach goes on to pay McClure the highest compliment.
“I would say this – if your son has a chance to play in our program with Michael McClure on our staff without an ounce of playing time, that alone is worth the four months,” Donofrio said. “That’s how much he affects the culture of positive thinking. He’s the ultimate assistant coach as George was. This is a really successful guy. Just the best husband, the best family man you can imagine. The most tireless of workers.”
Donofrio recounts several decades ago when his JV team was scheduled to play a game at Quakertown.
“(McClure) was doing business in Seattle, Washington, and he took the red eye and walked in the door for the start of the JV game,” the PW coach said. “He said, ‘I’ll be there.’ I said, ‘You’re in Seattle, what are you talking about?’ He said, ‘No, no, no, I’m going to get the red eye, so I don’t miss the game,’ and he was actually there for the pregame around 5:15 for a JV game.”
McClure doesn’t just show up on game days.
“The only time he misses practice is if he’s away on business,” Donofrio said. “He had to go away recently, and he said I’m either going to be there at 4:30 or 8 pm, and at 4:30, he walked in the door right on the dot. All the guys looked at him and just simply cheered ‘McClure.’
“It’s like Santa Claus walking in the door. He gets a warm greeting every time. He will look at every player, and they’ll say – ‘How are you?’ ‘How am I? It’s the greatest day of my life.’ It’s infectious – automatic smiles.”
When it comes to basketball, McClure works with the team’s big men.
“He works with the guys diligently,” Donofrio said. “He’s very proud to be a big man’s coach. He’ll work them out in the offseason, work them out in the summertime. He’s done an excellent job with the Periera boys – Michael and Will -and Micah Thompson and Ehab Ahmed, our bigs. He’ll get them together twice a week. You just don’t miss a McClure workout, you just don’t.
“He’s an old school assistant coach. He will only speak if you say – ‘Coach McClure do you have something to say?’ and that’s old school. He’s heard a thousand of my speeches at practice and quietly and patiently has tolerated them. He might call me later and give some really, really important insights. After a game, he’ll wait 24 hours and then I’ll get a text with some really important insights. He’s the ultimate definition of team person.”
McClure isn’t going anywhere, but Donofrio knew it was time to give his assistant his due.
“When we hit the 500th win two years ago. I just thought – I get this attention paid to me, and it’s nice, but you start to think right away – it really is true, it takes a village,” the PW coach said. “You have to have great players, and you have to have great loyalty in assistant coaches. Now we have six or seven and that’s an honor that the young ones want to come back and be part of it and are so respectful as well. That’s what makes for a great culture. No one gets paid in this business at this level very much money. But he literally gets nothing.
“This is a guy that travels the world for business. This is a guy that has great loyalty to his family and his three kids, Michael, Alec and Allie. They’re all grown now, but he’s very much the ultimate family guy. And yet, in a heartbeat, phone call, he’s there. ‘What am I interrupting?’ ‘A family reunion. Okay, what have we got? I think we should do this and that.’ He’ll give you insights from X’s and O’s to the psychology of kids to you’re being too hard on yourself, to you’re being too hard on the kids. He just squares me right back up.”
And on Friday night, Donofrio and the PW basketball program took the opportunity to publicly thank the longtime coach.
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