Check out the results for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Thursday. Photos of the CR North/Neshaminy game provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of action photos.
National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 55, PENNSBURY 47 (4 OT)
Three overtimes could not determine a winner in Thursday’s conference battle as both teams managed just nine points in the three OT periods combined. The Golden Hawks brought an end to the marathon with an 11-3 burst in the fourth overtime to earn the hard-fought win.
“Our guys really embraced the grind,” Rock South coach Derek Wright said. “We told them at the start of the game that we were going to really need to compete every possession.
“At the start of the fourth quarter, we told them it was going to be a grind and they just had to fight through it, and they did. I’m really proud of the way they stuck together and just kept playing. It could have gone either way. Pennsbury deserved to win the game as well. Both teams played really hard.”
When Pennsbury and Rock South squared off on Jan. 3, it was the Falcons earning a 40-35 win over the Golden Hawks. Interestingly, the Hawks scored the exact same number of points in four quarters in Thursday’s rematch, but this time limited the Falcons to just 35 as well.
“Both teams executed the game plan well defensively,” Wright said. “We limited their top guys as much as possible and just hoped that the rest of our guys were able to help on their best players and also guard their own guys, which we did a pretty good job of.
“We rebounded the ball much better tonight. Pennsbury killed us on the glass the last time we played them, and we did a much better job rebounding tonight. It was a team effort.”
Christian Jabbar’s three-pointer in the fourth overtime gave the Golden Hawks a one-point lead, but the Falcons knotted the score with a free throw. Ryan Boyd’s layup at the end of an Alex Nordenholt pass gave the Hawks the lead, and a Jabbar steal resulted in an Austin Thomas layup to up the Hawks’ advantage to four. The Hawks iced the win at the foul line.
“Win or lose, I really liked how we played tonight,” Wright said. “We’ve had some tough losses, dealing with some injuries.
“Our guys were really locked in tonight, so win or lose, we would have been extremely happy with how they played, but in a game like that to be able to enjoy a win is awesome. I would have felt terrible for them if they didn’t get it, just like I feel bad for Pennsbury because they deserved to win too. Sometimes the ball bounces your way, and you make a play here and there, but the key is just staying in it, and we did that tonight.”
Jabbar, one of three Hawks in double figures, scored eight points – including a pair of threes – in a first quarter that saw the Hawks open up a 12-8 lead over the Falcons. The Hawks scored just three points in the second quarter, and sparked by seven points from Mark Flagg, the Falcons opened up a 20-15 halftime lead. It was still a five-point game heading into the final quarter when the visiting Hawks – behind five points from Boyd, clutch threes by Nordenholt and Thomas as well as a bucket by Ryan McNamee – rallied to knot the score, setting the stage for OT.
Jabbar led a balanced South attack with 12 points, which included three three-pointers. Thomas added 12 points with a pair of threes while Boyd added 11. Nordenholt had eight points, which included a pair of threes.
For the Falcons, Flagg finished with 13 and Addison Howard had 10. Raylil Winton had eight and Joey Monaghan, seven.
Council Rock South (12-6, 6-3 SOL) will host John Browne on Saturday in the PA/NY Challenge. Pennsbury (12-5, 6-3) will be travel to Council Rock North on Tuesday.
Council Rock South 12-3-6-14-2-5-11 55
Pennsbury 8-12-6-9-2-2-5-3 47
Council Rock South (55) Austin Thomas 12, Shaun smith 4, Christian Jabbar 13, Alex Nordenholt 8, Ryan McNamee 7, Ryan Boyd 11.
Pennsbury (47) – Rayil Winton 8, Addison Howard 10, Billy Warren 1, Tyler Sessa-Reeves 8, Joey Monaghan 7, Mark Flagg 13.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 57, NESHAMINY 45
The Indians led by four after a low-scoring first half (19-15) and still led by four heading into the final quarter when they outscored their hosts 21-13 to earn their fourth win in six games after a 2-9 start to the season.
“Winning is contagious and so is losing,” Rock North coach Jesse Krasna said. “We started off pretty slow, and it seemed like we were in a little bit of a funk, but our guys really banded together.
“They’re a very close group. We have eight seniors, and they want more than anything to get into the district playoffs. They’ve been really trusting in the coaches, and the nice thing about these guys is they play so hard, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to try and help the team succeed. When you have a group of kids like that, it really makes you appreciate coaching.”
The Indians – after scoring just 19 points in the first half – scored 37 in the second half.
“In the second half, Neshaminy started pressuring, and it turned us over a bunch,” Krasna said. “They were able to score more because they got some easy shots, and then we were able to adjust a little bit.
“The boys kind of settled down, and Neshaminy continued to pressure. We were able to start beating it and getting easy shots out of their press. That contributed to a little bit of a faster pace and more possessions, and that’s why the score was much higher in the second half than it was in the first.”
Drew Burton scored 12 of his team-high 13 points in the second half – eight in the fourth quarter.
“Drew Burton really stepped up for us in the second half,” Krasna said. “He’s a kid that was at Conwell Egan his first three years, so he was playing with and against some really good players and really talented athletes.
“In games where team’s pressure, he tends to really excel at that speed. He had two and-ones and some big shots in the paint, and he was really big for us in the second half.”
The Indians connected on 13-of-18 foul shots in the final quarter. Matt McAlister was a perfect 4-for-4 while Eric Levine and Tyler Shields were both 3-for-4.
“We were up about seven or eight with three minutes to go, and Neshaminy started fouling,” Krasna said. “Our guys stepped up and hit a bunch of free throws.”
James Kosyla, according to Krasna, was once again a presence in the paint.
“He really controlled the backboards,” the Indians’ coach said. “He had a ton of offensive rebounds. He did a really good job of catching in the post, and sometimes he was able to score, but a lot of times he drew guys and was able to find teammates. He’s a physical force for us inside.”
Levine was assigned the task of defending Chris Arcidiacono for most of the night and limited the high-scoring junior to 13 points.
“He held him to two points in the first half on two free throws,” Krasna said. “Arch ended up with 13, but it was a very, very hard-fought 13. He did a really good job of limiting his easy looks.
“A lot of guys stepped up. Tyler Shields hit a big three in the second half. Matt McAlister hit some big free throws and handled the ball against pressure. A lot of guys contributed. I think that’s why we were able to get a win because it wasn’t just one guy stepping up. It was everybody.”
In addition to Arcidiacono, Mark Gentry scored 11 points, Anthony Verrecchio had seven and Zach Tredway, six points.
Council Rock North (7-12, 4-6 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Tuesday, and Neshaminy (6-11, 2-8) will travel to Harry S Truman on Tuesday.
Council Rock North 9-10-17-21 57
Neshaminy 8-7-17-13 45
Council Rock North (57) – Eric Levine 9, Drew Burton 13, James Kosyla 11, Tyler Shields 8, Noah Ehlin 9, Matt McAlister 7.
Neshaminy (45) – Zach Tredway 6, Corey McGarry 2, Mark Gentry 11, Chris Arcidiacono 13, Anthony Papeo 4, Anthony Verrecchio 7, Andrew Note 2.
Non-league
CHELTENHAM 79, ABINGTON 76
John Timms was relatively subdued after his team’s big win over its neighboring rival. It turns out the Panthers’ coach hadn’t forgotten what happened last year after Cheltenham defeated Abington in a late-season contest. The Panthers lost three of their next four games, including an opening round upset at the hands of 20th-seeded Perkiomen Valley.
“Last year, after the Abington win because it was such a local rivalry and we haven’t beaten them in such a long time, it was almost like that was our championship,” Timms said. “We didn’t perform well after the Abington win last year.
“We peaked in that win. I wanted to remind our team that tomorrow’s game (against Wissahickon), believe it or not, is more important. It’s a conference game, and our first goal is to win a conference championship. The only way we can do that is by beating our conference teams. Winning today and losing tomorrow isn’t good. We don’t even have time to really enjoy this.”
In a game that saw the two teams combined for 155 points, Timms employed an interesting defensive strategy, taking the emphasis away from high-scoring Eric Dixon.
“Defensively, what we were trying to do was take the other guys out of the game,” the Panthers’ coach said. “We didn’t want Robbie Heath to score 20-plus points, we didn’t want Lucas Monroe to score 20-plus points, and we didn’t want Rob Young to get double figures, so those were our defensive goals.
“Meaning, if Eric Dixon was going to get 40, he was going to have to get 50 to beat us. I’ve been around Eric since he was around 10 years, and this was going to be his best performance on the high school level, and it was going to take that and then some, we believed, for them to beat us. I think our strategy worked. He scored 36, but we got the win.”
Dixon turned in a near-perfect offensive performance en route to a career-high 36 points, burying 14-of-16 shots from the field, two-of-two from beyond the arc. He was 6-for-8 at the foul line.
Timms, meanwhile, knows that on his team, there are a couple of guys who need to get the ball early.
Trevonn Pitts is not one of those guys. Timms knows that Pitts will find the ball himself and that it will be in his senior captain's hands when the moment calls for it.
Such was the case Thursday, with the clock showing less than 15 seconds in the fourth quarter and Cheltenham trailing its fiercest rival by a point. Teams have been playing off the relentless forward for weeks, trying to make him a jump shooter.
Pitts didn't take the bait and instead drove and got a shot to drop, putting the Panthers back in front for good as they held on to top Abington in a clash of two of the SOL's top teams.
Cheltenham led almost the entire game, but could never put away the Ghosts, despite opening up a 10-point lead midway through the second quarter. Abington kept fighting back, twice getting within a point but never able to fully close the gap until the decisive fourth quarter.
That Abington was able to hang around the way it did was a testament to Dixon, who was unstoppable, but Cheltenham was able to contain his teammates while relying on a balanced effort themselves.
Junior Jack Clark scored 22 points to lead the Panthers while Pitts scored 21 and also had 12 rebounds. Point guard Ahmad Bickley put up his second double-double in as many games with 12 points and 12 assists. Tim Spencer was the fourth Panther in double figures, scoring 15 points.
Dixon scored 23 points in the first half, but Cheltenham took a four-point lead into the break. The Ghosts chipped the lead down to 51-50 in the third, only to have the Panthers score six straight to restore order and take that same four-point edge into the final quarter.
After Bickley hit a 3-point shot to stake Cheltenham to a 70-64 lead, the Ghosts stormed back and this time surpassed their hosts. Monroe jumped a pass and got intentionally fouled while going up for a shot. His attempt fell in and he hit the two foul shots that followed for a 71-70 lead.
Abington got its lead up 75-70 before the Panthers tied it up briefly. Monroe would give his team a one-point lead at the foul line, setting up Pitts' deciding hoop. The senior drove right at Dixon and got his shot to fall through.
The Ghosts had enough time to get down the floor and set up a play, but a pass to Dixon was deflected and hit off the big man for a turnover. Spencer hit two foul shots to put Cheltenham up three and Abington could only manage a half-court shot at the buzzer that was off the mark.
“Today what I said to our guys was – it’s not really about x’s and o’s when it comes to Abington and Cheltenham,” Timms said. “It’s about the will. Who is going to will themselves to victory? Who wants it the most? That’s what it came down to.”
For the Ghosts, Monroe finished with a career-high 15 points to go with nine rebounds and six assists. Robbie Heath also finished in double figures with 14 points, which included an 8-for-8 effort at the foul line. Eric Dougherty had five rebounds and four assists.
Cheltenham (15-3, 9-1 SOL) will travel to Wissahickon on Friday, and Abington (15-4, 9-0 SOL) will be on the road at Harry S Truman.
Abington 17-21-20-18 76
Cheltenham 22-20-20-17 79
Abington (76) – Eric Dixon 36, Robbie Heath 14, Joseph O’Brien 5, Lucas Monroe 15, Robert Young 4, Eric Dougherty 2.
Cheltenham (79) – Trevonn Pitts 21, Ahmad Bickley 12, Jack Clark 22, Tim Spencer 15, Tim Myarick 2, Rodney Carson 5, Kyin Healey 2.
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