Upper Dublin picked up its first win in SOL boys’ basketball action Wednesday.
UPPER DUBLIN 40, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 31
The Flying Cardinals – in their coach’s own words – played a “terrible first half,” scoring just four points and none in the opening quarter. There was nothing to suggest that this could be the night they would earn their first win, although they trailed by just a 14-4 score at the intermission.
“We came out – I don’t know what it is, but it was like we were sleepwalking,” UD coach Josh Adelman said. “You’re looking at yourself like, ‘What in the world are we doing?’ It was scary.
“We’ve had good practices, we’ve been trying to turn the corner. We had a lively conversation at halftime. The sad part of the whole thing is we played decent defense. It wasn’t the defense’s problem. We were getting stops, but we’re just not converting at the other end. At one point, it was 10-0, and we’re at home.”
Things didn’t improve a whole lot in a third quarter that saw the Cardinals ‘outscore’ the Spartans 6-5 to make it a 19-10 game heading into the final frame. Then came a fourth quarter that saw the Cardinals’ offense come to life, erupting for 30 points.
Rio Besachio had the hot hand Wednesday, leading all scorers with 19 points, which included five three-pointers.
“Rio was unbelievable,” Adelman said. “In the fourth quarter, he was just going off.
“Corby Watkins, who’s a sophomore, hit a clutch three-pointer in the corner. Mike Cottom played the game of his life. The fourth quarter came, and he’s driving to the basket, making assists, diving for loose balls. We put Jalen Heim on Ryan Daley, who had a really good game for them, and he really made him work for his shots. Another kid on their team, Goodson, played really well. We had hands in his face, and he was still hitting shots. It was a much-needed win, and it was a good team effort.”
Heim added seven points, which included clutch foul shots in the fourth quarter.
Adelman is hoping his team’s fortunes will change after its remarkable come-from-behind win.
“We lost a heartbreaker on a last-second shot to Pottstown after losing to them earlier in the year,” the UD coach said. “We had a chance to win that game and lost on a buzzer beater.
“The guys have been battling a lot. We’re a young team in that a lot of our players are 10th graders, but then we have guys that haven’t had a lot of experience. I guess sometimes you have to learn how to win. We’re hoping we can continue to improve. They guys are working hard.”
Goodson led the Spartans with 15 points, and Daley added 11.
Upper Dublin (1-7, 1-2 SOL) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham on Friday, and Springfield (1-8, 0-4) will host Quakertown.
Springfield 6-8-5-12 31
Upper Dublin 0-4-6-30 40
Springfield (31) – Ryan Daley 11, Mike Goodson 15, Krewson 2, Rittenhouse 3.
Upper Dublin (40) – Michael Cottom 5, Rio Besachio 19, Jalen Heim 7, Nyjee Scott 2, Corby Watkins 5, Cory Stover 2.
EMMAUS 64, QUAKERTOWN 34
The Kacelries twins proved to be double trouble for the visiting Panthers in Wednesday’s non-league game. David torched the visitors for a game high 23 points while Matt added 19, which included three from beyond the arc.
The Green Hornets established the tone from the outset, racing to a 17-9 lead after one quarter and extending that to 35-14 by halftime on their way to the no-doubt-about-it non-league win.
Dakota Suchanec led the Panthers with nine points while Ryan Howard added eight.
Quakertown (1-8, 0-3 SOL) will be on the road at Springfield on Friday.
Quakertown 9-5-6-14 34
Emmaus 17-18-16-13 64
Quakertown (34) – Ryan Howard 8, Nick Drosnock 2, Dakota Suchanec 9, Matt Lucas 3, JR Grimmage 3, Sam Rice 5, Eli Ortiz 4.
Emmaus (64) – Matt Kachelries 19, David Kachelries 23, Daryn Lewis 5, Tommy Ross 3, Bryce Diehl 2, Zach Sabol
About the Author
