Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Wednesday. CR South/CR North photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson, and PW/Hatboro-Horsham photos courtesy of Larry Small. Check back for galleries of both games. (Graphic designed by PW junior Dean Hayes) CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ BOYS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
Check out the latest SOL basketball standings: https://suburbanonesports.com/standings/15
SOL Liberty Division
Plymouth Whitemarsh 72, Hatboro-Horsham 39
It’s been a steady climb up the Plymouth Whitemarsh record books for Mani Sajid this season, and Wednesday night at home against Hatboro-Horsham, the Colonials’ senior guard reached the top of the school scoring leader mountain.
Sajid scored 27 points in PW’s 72-39 win over H-H, passing Thomas Young to become the program’s all-time leading scorer. No small feat in a program that has boasted remarkable talent and lists professional players among its alums.
Key Players: Aside from Sajid’s 27, Michael Pereira added 11 for PW. In all, 10 different players scored for the Colonials.
H-H was led by Shane Phillips’ 14 points, while Jaden Thompson added 10.
PW coach Jim Donofrio:
–A special night: “Thomas Young is the president of the Philadelphia World Trade Center, and he’s done well for himself, so for him to show up tonight and have him stand next to Mani with a combined 3,300 points – wow! There’s a photo of John Salmons, Chuck Moore, Mani, Jaden Colzie and Thomas, and I’m guessing between them they got 6,000 points.
“What I love about the kid (Sajid) is he keeps a tight-knit circle of family and friends. He’s got a high-level athlete’s mindset. He’s got a terrific basketball IQ, but I think his core belief in himself has evolved since last year. He has a professional level work ethic, and his willingness to welcome hard coaching – that came into play over the summer – and at the same time, what I admire most about him is the fact that at the end of the day, he’s still a humble, fun-loving high school kid who knows how to enjoy life and not take himself too seriously.
“Mani’s a great friend to his teammate and add to that fact that he’s just a heck of a basketball scorer and a heck of a basketball player. You never know when you’re going to get a team like this again or if you ever will.”
–A longstanding record: “Thomas (Young) was here 2003 to 2005. That’s 21 years ago. Thomas was in the locker room tonight talking to the team after the game, and he said, ‘I really did not expect (the record) to last this long.’ But to watch how Mani is playing now and how he’s growing up and how he’s conducting himself and how he believes in himself, he’s playing at another level.
“Last year he had 600-some points, and I said, ‘I’ve never coached a kid that has 620-some
points in a season and left me wanting more.’
“This year, he’s given you everything and more, so that’s just how talented he is. You can see it in him. He goes out there and gets it. He has a drive to be great, and he really does have a great sense of the game.”
–Reaching new heights: “He had so much attention paid to him after his 10th grade year, and he and I had our arguments. We had our battles. I was relentlessly on him – nothing’s good enough. There were times I knew I drove him crazy, but that’s what you have to do with great talent. He’s a high-level athlete, and he thinks like a high-level athlete, and he trains like one, so I’m just very humble and fortunate that I get to get another run with a kid like that. He’s a family person, and they’re such a tight-knit family.
“To be the all-time leading scorer at PW with the kind of folks that roll through our place, the talent, I’m just highly impressed by him, and I know he’s focused to see what we can do going forward. I think he’s somebody to keep an eye on well past high school.”
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh will celebrate Senior Night when it hosts Abington Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham will host Upper Dublin Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 9-7-10-13 39
Plymouth Whitemarsh 20-25-19-8 72
Hatboro-Horsham (39)
Jayden Dion 1 0-0 3; Aimen Cybok 1 0-0 3; Kenny Lutz 3 0-0 7; Nate Glenn 0 1-2 1; Jaden Thompson 3 3-4 10; Kevin Stroup 0 1-2 1; Shane Phillips 5 2-3 14; TOTALS 13 7-11 39.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (72)
Gen Deshazor 1 1-1 3; Jack Hayes 4 0-0 8; Luca Taormina 0 1-2 1; Terron Davis 3 0-0 7; Mani Sajid 11 1-1 27; Michael Pereira 4. 3-5 11; Joe Thomas 1 0-0 2; Buddy Denard 3 0-0 8; Zhaiden Gray 1 0-0 3; Micah Thompson 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 29 6-9 72.
3-point goals: HH – Shane Phillips 2, Jayden Dion, Kenny Lutz, Aimen Cybok, Jaden Thompson; PW – Mani Sajid 4, Buddy Denard 2, Zhaiden Gray, Terron Davis.
Abington 66, Wissahickon 56
Only up four after one, Abington, currently ranked No. 1 in the District One Class 6A power rankings, had a big second quarter and created a little separation and then held on in the second half for the 10-point win in a Wednesday afternoon Liberty Division matinee.
Abington – sparked by 10 points from Kyler Pickron and nine from Xander Grasty – led 33-20 at halftime and 53-35 after three quarters.
Key Players: Kyler Pickron and Xander Grasty scored 14 points each for Abington, while Faison Garland added 12.
Owen Haughey led all Wissahickon scorers with 17 points, while Nico Vacchiano added 14.
Abington coach Dan Marsh:
“It was a good team effort in a unique situation, where we had to play right after school.
“Kyler (Pickron) did a great job containing Nico (Vacchiano), and Jake Solomon helped too.”
Up next: Abington will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday, and Wissahickon will host Cheltenham in an SOL non-league crossover game.
Wissahickon 9-11-15-21 56
Abington 13-20-20-13 66
Wissahickon (56)
Zach Schwartz 3 2-4 9; Logan McCloud, Owen Haughey 7 0-0 17; Nico Vacchiano 5 4-7 14; Ryan Weiss 1 0-0 2; Malachi Hodges 1 0-0 2; Jona Sellenriek 4 1-2 9; Milan Fields 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 22 8-15 56.
Abington (66)
Kyler Pickron 6 0-0 14; Amare Stone 1 0-0 2; Malcom Lucas 1 3-4 5; Xander Grasty 5 2-2 14; Faison Garland 4 2-3 12; Declan Doyle 0 2-2 2; Josh Scarpello 1 0-0 2; Daulton Larr 2 0-0 4; Oliver Miloradovic 1 0-0 3; Jake Solomon 1 0-0 2; Michael O’Rourke 2 0-0 6; TOTALS 24 9-11 66.
3-point goals: W – Haughey 3, Schwartz; A – Pickron 2, Grasty 2, Garland 2, O’Rourke 2, Miloradovic.
Upper Dublin 68, Quakertown 15
This one was never in doubt, as Upper Dublin built a big lead in the first half, limiting visiting Quakertown to just eight points in the first two quarters on the way to the 68-15 victory on Senior Night.
The Flying Cardinals led 36-8 at halftime.
Key Players: For UD, Brandon Altman had 13 points, 11 in the first quarter. Kobe Bazemore also had 13, while Horace Jackson finished with 10.
UD coach Derek Brooks:
“After a few days off because of the snow, it was good to get back on the court.
“It was our Senior Night, and it was great celebrating Kobe (Bazemore), Brandon (Altman), Noah (Cohen), Benji (Ravitz) and Bryce (Kukla). They’ve contributed so much to the program over these past four years. All 10 players were in the scoring column which was great to see. It was a good all-around team effort.”
Up next: Upper Dublin will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham Friday, and Quakertown will travel to William Tennent Thursday.
Quakertown 4 4 4 3 – 15
Upper Dublin 14 22 19 13 – 68
Quakertown (15)
CJ Peacher 2, Joey Bodnar 1, Trae McCray 8, Luka Duric 1, Jayson Taylor 1, Dhieu Gai 2
Upper Dublin (68)
Kobe Bazemore 13, Brandon Altman 13, Noah Cohen 2, Horace Jackson 10, Justin Ragsdale 5, Jake Scherzer 8, Luke Caron 2, Benji Ravitz 3, Lawson Tyler 6, Bryce Kukla 6
3-point goals: UD-Scherzer 2, Kukla 2, Altman, Jackson, Ravitz.
SOL Freedom Division
William Tennent 75, Springfield Twp 61
With a 42-point first half, William Tennent led throughout against visiting Springfield, and then closed it with a strong fourth quarter on the way to a 75-61 victory on Wednesday night.
Up 18-15 after one, the Panthers outscored the Spartans 24-14 in the second quarter.
Key Players: Tre Stracuzzi finished with team-high 20 points to lead Tennent, while Ayden Davis-Carter added 17 and Evan Eiler 16 points.
Springfield was led by Julian Ciasullo with 22 points and five rebounds, Cahlin Spearman with 19 points and Chadrack Kiamba with eight points and eight rebounds.
Tennent coach Robert Mulville:
“We scored a lot of points, especially in that first half. We went a little bit cold in the third quarter but then picked it up again in the fourth quarter. We had a couple guys get in some foul trouble, but kind of picked that up there.”
–Props: “It was a good win for us. I think Tre Strcuzzi is totally healthy. He’s really played well the last couple games. He had 20 tonight, hit four 3-pointers.
“Ayden Davis-Carter had a real big third quarter for us when Stracuzzi and Evan Eiler got in foul trouble, and Davis-Carter was able to, kind of, clean up some boards and get some stuff going to the rim.
“(Springfield) had a really good third quarter. They kind of got back into the game a little bit. And then once we got Eiler and Stracuzzi back in there in the fourth quarter, we were able to get a little bit more offense.
“We had four guys in double figures tonight. So, I was happy with the offensive part, but the defensive part, I think we’ve got to do a better job. (Ciasullo) came out, had a huge third quarter for them. And the other kids had a pretty decent third quarter. And then we were able to kind of slow them down in the fourth quarter.”
Up next: William Tennent will host Quakertown in a non-league SOL crossover game Thursday, and Springfield Twp will host Upper Moreland Friday.
Springfield Twp 15-14-21-11 61
William Tennent 18-24-15-18 75
Springfield Twp (61)
Cahlin Spearman 8 2-5 19; Julian Ciasullo 7 7-11 22; Nate Davis 3 1-1 7; Clay Trejbrowski 1 0-0 3; Ryan McGuckin 1 0-0 2; Chadrack Kiamba 4 0-0 8; TOTALS 24 10-17 61.
William Tennent (75)
Braden Goldberg 1 3-6 6; Teegan Stanfield 1 2-2 4; Tre Stracuzzi 6 4-4 20; Scott Scheller 3 5-6 11; Ayden Davis-Carter 7 3-4 17; Mike Angely 0 1-2 1; Evan Eiler 6 1-3 16; TOTALS 24 19-27 75
3-point goals: WT – Stracuzzi 4, Eiler 3, Goldberg; S -Spearman, Ciasullo, Trejbrowski.
SOL Colonial Division
Central Bucks West 64, Central Bucks South 53
CB West started quickly, built a nine-point lead by halftime and then salted the game away with stellar free throw shooting in the fourth quarter to knock off rival CB South by 11 points on Wednesday night.
The Bucks finished 15-for-18 from the line in the fourth, led by Dan Pellegrini, who was 4-for-4 and Max Milillo, who was 5-for-6.
CB South entered the game fourth in the District 1 6A rankings but fell to eighth in the latest rankings. West is 26th in what will be a 24-team field.
Key Players: CB West was led by John Vrettos who had a big first half and finished with 18 points. Dan Pellegrini had 15, and Melo Aylmer added 11.
For CB South, Shane Farrell scored 12 of his team-high 15 points in the second half, eight in the fourth quarter. Leo Medwid (11) and Kayote Adebayo (10) also finished in double figures.
CB West assistant coach Sherrod Higginbotham:
“We played well tonight. It was nice for our guys to find a rhythm, especially since we’ve been struggling to score as of late.
“John Vrettos led our team in scoring with 18 points and Dan Pellegrini and Melo Aylmer added 15 points and 11 points, (respectively). Isaiah Rubenstein did a fantastic job defensively against Adebayo, a big piece of South’s offense.
“All around, a great team effort.”
Up next: Central Bucks South will host Pennridge Friday, and Central Bucks West will celebrate Senior Night when it hosts Central Bucks East Friday.
CB South 7 12 17 17 – 53
CB West 15 13 12 24 – 64
CB South (53)
Kayote Adebayo 4 1-2 10; Alex Shahin 2 0-0 4; Shane Farrell 6 0-0 15; Brayden Barrett 3 2-2 9; Davis Van Zanten 2 0-1 4; Leo Medwid 5 0-3 11; TOTALS 22 3-8 53.
CB West (64)
Max Milillo 1 5-6 7; Connor Chuo 1 3-4 5; Melo Aylmer 4 2-2 11; Dan Pellegrini 4 6-6 15; Isaiah Rubenstein 0 1-2 1; John Vrettos 6 4-4 18; Gavin Reichner 1 2-4 4; Ben Kondyra 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 18 23-28 64.
3-point goals: CBS-Adebayo, Farrell 3, Barrett, Medwid; CBW-Vrettos 2, Aylmer, Pellegrini, Reichner.
North Penn 55, Pennridge 39
From the start, North Penn came out firing and ended up with more 3-point field goals than traditional 2-point field goals, building a first-half lead and never looking back on the way to the 16-point win over Pennridge.
The Knights hit 11 3-pointers as a team, by seven different players, led by Chris Kingkiner, who had four 3s for 12 points.
North Penn, which sat just outside of the District One Class 6A power rankings at No. 25 heading into Wednesday, has a 7-3 record over its last 10 games after a 3-7 start to the season.
Key Players: Chris Kingkiner and Nolen Foust had 12 points each to lead a well-balanced North Penn offensive effort.
Rownan Smith and Mike Alba each scored seven for Pennridge.
North Penn coach Cordell Lord:
“It’s one of those situations where we try to just take it one game at a time. We know the big picture, but we are taking it one day at a time, and today’s opponent was Pennridge. We knew it was their Senior Night, and they were going to try to come out and play hard for their seniors. We just wanted to execute on our end and play the game the right way – move the ball and get the best shot possible.
“We started off on a 9-0 run to start the game, and I think that set the tone for us throughout the remainder of the game. Guys were playing extremely unselfish, and it showed in the stat book.”
–Props: “Chris (Kingkiner) and Nolen (Foust) both had a phenomenal day. Chris was shooting the ball great – he was 4-for-5 from 3, and Nolen did a great job attacking the basket, but I think it was the definition of a team game today.
“We had 10 guys get into the box score tonight in one way or another, and I think everyone just was extremely unselfish and executed the actions that we were trying to run.”
–Playoffs start early for Knights: “We are in playoff mode right now where it feels like every game could be a win or go home. We’re just living in the moment, embracing the challenge and taking it one day at a time, and we’re hoping that we end up on the right side of things, and that allows us to get in. We know there were some teams that made some big upsets tonight, so we’re looking at everything, but we’re also only worrying about the things we can control, and that’s going out and playing hard and just trying to put together a full 32 minutes to win a basketball game. The boys have been really, really doing a phenomenal job of that and just competing really hard and trying to put themselves in the right position.”
–Finishing strong: “It’s been a big turnaround for us being 3-7 at one point and now being 10-10. Obviously, the buy-in has been there from the boys. We’re just extremely proud of them, and we know there’s more work to be done, but we had a moment tonight where we all kind of said, ‘Hard work does really pay off.’
“Being 7-3 these last 10 games compared to the first 10 games of the year. We’re proud, but we know there’s more work to be done.”
Up next: North Penn will be on the road at Souderton Friday, and Pennridge will travel to Central Bucks South Friday.
North Penn 16 16 11 12 – 55
Pennridge 8 2 9 20 – 39
North Penn (55)
Kingkiner 4 0-0 12; Ward 1 0-0 2; N. Foust 5 1-1 12; B. Foust 2 0-0 5; Wood 2 0-0 6; Martin 2 0-0 4; Vague 1 0-0 2; Thomas 1 0-0 3; Vera 1 0-0 3; Smyth 1 0-0 3; Hall 1 0-0 2; Hellings 0 1-2 1. Totals 21 2-3 55.
Pennridge (39)
Rownan Smith 3 1-2 7; Ryan Kuntz 3 0-0 6; Ryan Schwind 1 0-0 2; Jackson Beard 2 0-0 6; Jake Dietl 2 0-0 4; Dillon Prebis 1 0-0 2; Mike Alba 3 0-0 7; Spencer Ziga 1 0-0 2; Christian Flood 1 0-0 3. Totals 17 1-2 39.
3-point goals: NP – Kingkiner 4, N Foust, B Foust, Wood 2, Thomas, Vera, Smyth. PR – Beard 2, Alba, Flood.
Souderton 54, Central Bucks East 39
With a big win Wednesday, combined with a CB South loss to CB West, Souderton moved one step closer to clinching the Colonial Division championship, pulling away from CB East for the 15-point victory.
The Indians, who unofficially are at No. 5 in the District One power rankings, can clinch the division title outright with one win in their final two division games – against North Penn Friday or CB South on Tuesday.
Key Players: Souderton was led by Nate Rusike’s 20 points. Marques Brown added 17 and Chanse Salone 14.
Keegan Marascio scored 12 to lead CB East, while Connor Mekanik added 10.
Souderton coach Brendan Stanton:
“I thought our guys really set the tone with defense, holding them to just 13 points in the first half. Last time we matched up, East kicked our butts for 28 minutes. We won, but weren’t happy with how we played, especially on that end of the floor. Tonight, we came out with the energy we wanted and showed what we’re capable of defensively.
“In the third quarter, East made a run, like good teams do, but I was proud of how we stayed composed. We stuck to the plan, kept our heads right, rode through it together. Our defense carried us and made the difference down the stretch.
–Props: “Marques Brown turned in one of his best games of the year on both ends. Making 3s, rebounding, getting out on the break, His energy was contagious and gave us a real spark.
“Nate Rusike had 21 and seemed to step up whenever we needed a bucket. He hit some 3s early and later came up with a huge and-one and an offensive rebound when East cut it to five.
“Chanse Salone had a great outing, controlling the game with his passing and ability to get downhill. He also got it done on defense and on the glass. His 13 points might not jump off the page, but his toughness and decision making were game changing.”
Up next: Souderton will host North Penn Friday, and Central Bucks East will travel to Central Bucks West Friday.
Souderton 10 14 8 22 – 54
CB East 8 5 12 14 – 39
Souderton (54)
Chanse Salone 14, Nate Rusike 20, Marques Brown 17, Koby Rollerson 2
CB East (39)
Connor Mekanik 10, Sean Korlesky 2, Brady Colbert 9, Keegan Marascio 12, Ryan Dailey 6
3-point goals: S-Brown 3, Rusike 2, Rollerson; CBE-Colbert 3, Marascio.
SOL Patriot Division
Council Rock South 62, Council Rock North 53
CR South turned it on in the fourth quarter and rallied to knock off visiting rival CR North 62-53 in a Patriot Division game on Wednesday.
The Golden Hawks, who trailed 40-37 after three quarters, scored 25 points in the fourth, going 11-for-12 from the free throw line to help clinch this one. Senior Ryan Delp scored 10 points in the quarter, including 8-for-9 from the line. Owen McLean hit a pair of 3-pointers.
Key Players: CR South was led by Ryan Delp’s 19 points, while Lucian Mirc had 13 (all in the first half) and McLean added 10.
CR North was led by Owen Crowne’s 17 points, while Danny Cuneo added 14 and Dylan Kiefer 11.
CR South coach Jim Cassidy:
“We dug ourselves a pretty deep hole tonight. I believe we were down 49-41 in the fourth and found a way to go on a 21-4 run, or thereabouts. Not exactly how we drew it up, but these games against North are always battles from start to finish. 
They never quit, but neither do we.”
–Props: “We don’t win tonight without Owen McLean. I coached Owen on the freshman level, JV, and now varsity. He’s such a great young man, and he’s going to be a terrific college baseball player, but I’ve been telling him for four years that he’s a basketball player and he showed it tonight. He can play and guard five positions, and he can stretch the floor, and we needed all of his skill sets tonight. Hit two huge 3s late, played great full court defense, and made free throws.”
Up next: Council Rock South will host Bensalem Friday, and Council Rock North will travel to Pennsbury Friday.
CR North 11 14 15 13 – 53
CR South 16 8 13 25 – 62
CR North (53)
Owen Crowne 17, Justin Freed 2, Dylan Kiefer 11, Cameron Wright 5, Billy McBride 4, Danny Cuneo 14.
CR South (62)
Ray Haglund 7, Ryan Delp 19, Lucian Mirc 13, Brendan Balmer 6, Joe Madara 4, Owen McLean10, Pat Malone 1, Brian Bondisky 2
3-point goals: CRN-Cuneo 2, Crowne, Wright, McBride; CRS-McLean 2, Delp, Mirc, Balmer
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