Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. CR North/Abington photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of game photos.
SOL National Conference
NESHAMINY 62, PENNSBURY 51
Chris Arcidiacano turned in a stellar effort with a trio of three-pointers among his game-high 24 points, plus seven rebounds, as Neshaminy jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back in its 62-51 victory over Pennsbury.
“We jumped out right away to like a 12-2 lead, and it wound up being 32-14 at halftime,” coach Mark Tingle said. “We made a lot of our shots and played really solid defense.
“You knew they were going to make a run. That’s what happens in basketball games. They came out in the third quarter and went on a 10-0 run right away. From there, we battled back and kept it 10 or 12 the remainder of the game.”
The win brought a welcome end to a five-game losing streak for the Redskins, which included a two-point loss to the Falcons last Thursday night.
“We needed this,” said Tingle. “We were on a tough skid lately. We couldn’t put the ball in the hole and played a couple of really tough teams, so it was nice to get off the losing streak, especially beating Pennsbury.
“They’re our rivals and also they’re in front of us as far as the (district) playoff seedings. So much is going to change in the next two weeks, but it was a must-win kind of thing in a playoff atmosphere. It was nice to get a win tonight.”
Arcidiacano was complemented by a 12-point effort from Anthony Papeo and 10 points from Charles Dominick. Danny Bodine and Greg DeLuca each chipped in with seven points.
Raylil Winton was solid in a losing effort for Pennsbury, with a team-leading 11 points accompanied by four assists, five rebounds, and a blocked shot. Chad Weldon (five rebounds, two blocks) and Gary Francis each scored 10 points, Josh Aruda had nine, and Jake Martell added six.
Next up for Neshaminy(10-7, 4-4 SOL) is a visit to Council Rock North on Friday, while Pennsbury (10-8, 5-4) is at CR South the same night.
Pennsbury 4-10-22-15 51
Neshaminy 15-17-17-13 62
Pennsbury (51) – Martell 6; Connor 5; Winton 11; Aruda 9; Weldon 10; Francis 10.
Neshaminy (62) – Arcidiacano 24; Papeo 12; Jetters 2; Bodine 7; DeLuca 7; Dominick 10.
ABINGTON 84, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 58
Another dominant offensive performance and a 28-point fourth quarter helped Abington clinch sole possession of its sixth straight National Conference championship.
The Indians jumped out to an 11-3 lead but trailed 38-31 at the half. They were outscored 46-27 in the second half as the Ghosts powered their way to their fourth consecutive 80-point game. The Ghosts shot 50.8 percent from the field including 7-for-18 from the three-point arc, and were 17-for-21 from the foul line.
Abington senior Robbie Heath – who has been a part of four consecutive conference titles – led all scorers with 23 points, including 10-of-12 shooting from the foul line.
Lucas Monroe scored 16 and added 10 rebounds, four steals, and five assists. Eric Dixon sank 6-of-7 from the charity stripe among his 20 points. He also pulled down six rebounds.
The Ghosts also received an exemplary performance from JP Nolan, who chipped in a career-best 16 points off the bench. Nolan was 4-for-4 from the three-point line and 6-for-8 from the field overall.
For the Indians, Brady Haggerty drained four three-pointers in the first quarter, when he scored 14 of his team-high 19 points. Matt McAlister added 16 points and Angad Ahluwalia had eight.
The conference title will be the final National Conference championship for the Ghosts (14-4, 9-0 SOL), who move into American Conference next year. Six consecutive league titles is unprecedented in Abington boys’ basketball history. The Ghosts’ previous best streak was three league titles in a row, most recently from 1986-88.
Abington (14-4, 9-0 SOL) will host Harry S Truman on Friday, while North (7-12, 3-7) will be at home against Neshaminy.
Abington 20-18-18-28 84
Council Rock North 19-12-9-18 58
Abington (84) – Eric Dixon 20, Robbie Heath 23, Lucas Monroe 16, Brandon Coffman 3, Bryan Coffman 3, J.P. Nolan 16, Hasan Whitby 3.
Council Rock North (58) – DJ Mischak 5, Harry Wyatt 2, James Duffy 2, Brady Haggerty 19, Matt McAlister 16, Angad Ahluwalia 8, Josh Fisher 6.
BENSALEM 59, HARRY S TRUMAN 41
Bensalem started and finished strong – outscoring Harry S Truman 16-6 in the first quarter and 21-10 in the fourth – as the Owls soared to victory in Tuesday’s National Conference rivalry game. The win was the fifth straight for the streaking Owls.
“We have played as a team, not as individuals,” coach Mike McCabe said. “It’s totally a team concept with the next man up ready to go.”
Lamont Hasker led all scorers with 13 points for Bensalem. Ward Roberts and James Leible each netted 11, while Taco Douglas added 10.
Jeff Nixon led Truman with nine points. Gabe Gipli scored seven, while Javeer Peterson and TJ Rogers each chipped in with six.
Truman (7-10, 2-6 SOL) plays the part of road warriors the rest of the week, with a visit to Hopewell Valley Central (in Pennington, NJ) on Thursday and Abington on Friday. Bensalem (12-7, 6-4) plays at Avon Grove on Saturday.
Bensalem 16-11-11-21 59
Harry S Truman 6-11-14-10 41
Bensalem (59) – Taco Douglas 10, Ward Roberts 11, Keith Parrish 2, James Leible 11, Lamont Hasker 13, Carlos Gonzalez 2, Reuben Jean-Philippe 1, Kris Shields 9.
Harry S Truman (41) – Jeff Nixon 9, Zierr Reid 4, Carter Kelley 3, Javeer Peterson 6, TJ Rogers 6, Cam Culver 2, Treszon Chapman 2, Gabe Gigli 7, Brandon Coaxum 2.
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 50, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 43
The latest installment of this neighborhood rivalry didn’t disappoint, as Central Bucks West topped CB East, 50-43, Tuesday evening in yet another war that delighted the packed house.
The Bucks took a 25-22 lead into halftime, and they led 37-33 heading into the final quarter when they outscored their visitors by three.
“They were packing it in a zone, and I thought we got a little separation in the second half when we started to get Collin MacAdams the ball in the high post and were able to attack the rim a little bit,” West coach Adam Sherman said. “I thought Jake Reichwein played awesome. Defensively, he was outstanding, and his effort on both sides of the floor was really good.
“We knew we had an advantage with strength, and we tried to take advantage of that. I think East knew that too, so they tried to play zone and make it more of a perimeter game. We’re usually comfortable with that, but we had a hard time finding a rhythm offensively. We’ve been talking with these guys – if we can’t win making shots that we have to find other ways to win the game, and I thought we did that on the defensive end and rebounding.”
If there was a turning point, it came midway through the third quarter.
“We started to get a rhythm offensively,” Sherman said. “It was a good call by my assistant coach to change offensive strategies, and we were able to get the ball to Collin (MacAdams) in the high post, and I thought that really opened things up for us.”
Reichwein went 5-for-6 from the foul line as part of his team-high 14 points and 9 rebounds. Shane McCusker added a dozen points and six assists, while Jack Mulhearn chipped in nine points and MacAdams scored eight.
The Patriots were led by Kyle Cassidy’s game-high 21 points. Jesse Rivera scored 11 and Nick Roggio seven.
East (10-9, 3-7 SOL) will look to rebound from the loss when it hosts William Tennent on Friday. The Bucks (16-4, 8-2) will look to continue their winning ways when they host Pennridge Friday evening in a key conference showdown.
Central Bucks West 13-12-12-13 50
Central Bucks East 10-12-11-10 43
Central Bucks West (50) – Jake Reichwein 14; Shane McCusker 12; Jack Mulhearn 9; Collin MacAdams 8; Jack Neri 5; Davis Zerweck 2.
Central Bucks East (43) – Cassidy 21; Rivera 11; Roggio 7; Stein 2; Masterson 2.
PENNRIDGE 50, SOUDERTON 41
Pennridge jumped out to a 15-6 lead after one quarter and took a 24-13 lead into halftime. The Indians cut into that lead in the second half, but the Rams held on for the win and improved to 14-4 overall (7-2 in Continental Conference).
Tyrese Lewis went 4-for-4 from the foul line among his game-high 18 points. His performance loomed large on a night when point guard Sean Yoder – the focal point of the Indians’ defense – scored just six.
“Souderton really decided to make sure that Sean couldn’t score, so basically at half court, they would run a guy out, and they doubled Sean,” coach Dean Behrens said. “Sean had to give the ball up, and we tried to attack, and Tyrese was on the receiving end of a bunch of those passes, especially in the first half.
“Then we had a difficult time putting the ball in the basket. We always had a two-possession lead. In the fourth quarter, they fouled us, and we were able to win the game at the foul line.”
Jon Post nailed 7-of-8 from the charity stripe among his 11 points.
“Jon Post did a nice job rebounding the basketball, especially in the first half on the defensive end,” Behrens said. “I think overall our team defense did a nice job tonight.
“We held them to 41 points. They made a run at us, there’s no doubt. They hit a big three to cut it to five. You always know they’ll make a run. I thought our kids kept their composure. Ryan Warner did a nice job in the fourth quarter. When they doubled Sean, he was pushing the ball up, and we set our offense up and tried to play keep away.”
The Rams also received six points from Mike Molettiere.
Kavi Ranchandani and Toman Hanrahan each scored 10 points to lead Souderton. Mekhi Williams contributed 8.
Both teams return to action on Friday, with Pennridge playing at Central Bucks West and Souderton (8-11, 3-6) visiting North Penn.
Pennridge 15-9-9-17 50
Souderton 6-7-13-15 41
Pennridge (50) –Tyrese Lewis 18; Jon Post 11; Sean Yoder 6; Mike Molettiere 6; Ryan Warner 5; Pat Gillespie 2; Christian Guldin 2.
Souderton (41) – Kavi Ramchandani 10; Tomas Hanrahan 10; Mekhi Williams 8; Dom Natale 4; Trevor Watts 3; Stephen Luchansky 2; Andrew Vince 2; Antonio Rodriguez 2.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 58, WILLIAM TENNENT 34
Three Titans finished with double-digit scoring as the Continental Conference leaders downed the Panthers by a 58-34 count. South trailed 11-7 after one frame, but exploded for 23 points in the second quarter to take a 30-23 lead into the half.
“We came out kind of flat in the beginning of the game,” coach Jason Campbell said. “We just were very sluggish, a little bit too relaxed. I don’t know if it’s the end of the marking period and the kids were taking finals, so kids have mentally been all over the place.
“A few of the guys have been sick over the past couple of weeks. The flow was off tonight, for sure.”
The Titans turned up their defensive pressure in the second half, limiting the Panthers to 11 points while they scored 28 points of their own.
“The difference was us changing up the tempo of the game,” Campbell said. “Maybe two minutes into the second quarter I went into a press, and that started getting us going. From there, we pressed the rest of the game. We changed up our presses and had a lot more energy.”
Nate Robinson scored a game-high 22 points and pulled down nine rebounds for South, while Brady Prezelski and Tommy Kuypers each scored 11. Ian McCaw added eight points. Tommy Kuypers and Ian McCaw each had seven boards, while Jack Johns recorded five rebounds and three blocked shots.
“Nate Robinson basically carried us for the first half, and then everybody else got involved in the second half,” Campbell said. “Brady Prezelski was great. Defensively, he was solid and got a few steals. He also knocked down a couple of three-pointers. He finished with 11 points, and that’s a season high.
“McCaw started playing well, and Kuypers picked up the scoring in the second half. Our defense really rejuvenated us, and we were able to force them into a bunch of turnovers. We had plenty of turnovers ourselves. We had 11 at halftime and probably had eight in the second half. We didn’t take care of the ball as well as we should have, but our fullcourt press and then in the half court was outstanding for the whole second half.”
Pat McCauley scored nine and Dave West put in eight for the Panthers (5-14, 0-9 SOL), who look to get their first league win when they travel to Central Bucks East on Saturday.
The Titans (13-6, 8-2) are back in action Wednesday night when they visit Upper Moreland for a non-league matchup.
William Tennent 11-12-7-4 34
Central Bucks South 7-23-13-15 58
William Tennent (34) – Pat McCauley 9, Michael Mulville 3, Markeith Baxter 3, Kip Mooney 3, Ryan Savage 2, Nick Meltzer 3, Dave West 7, Derrik Cosenza 4.
Central Bucks South (58) – Brady Prezelski 11, Nate Robinson 22, Jack Johns 1, Alex Dietz 5, Tommy Kuypers 11, Ian McCaw 8.
SOL American Conference
WISSAHICKON 71, HATBORO-HORSHAM 54
Max Rappaport poured in a game-high 23 points and Zach Reiner added a double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) as Wissahickon powered out to a 38-13 halftime lead and then denied a valiant Hatboro-Horsham second-half comeback. Eddie Fortescue also finished in double-digit scoring with 16.
The Trojans sank seven three-pointers, with Rappaport accounting for five treys.
The Hatters outscored their hosts, 41-33, in the second half. Solomon McNair scored 10 of his team-high 14 points in the second half, while N’Gianni Cerisier scored all 12 of his points in the final frame. Chris Edwards, Kyle Hogan, and Nahji Logan each added six points to a well-balanced Hatter offense.
Both teams are back in action on Friday, with the Trojans (13-6, 8-3 SOL) visiting Cheltenham and the Hatters (8-10, 5-6) on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Wissahickon 18-20-17-16 71
Hatboro-Horsham 9-4-21-20 54
Wissahickon (71) – Rappaport 23; Fortescue 16; Reiner 14; Willis 4; Lawrence 4; Oliphant 3; Caso 3; Hirsch 3; Williams 1.
Hatboro-Horsham (54) – McNair 14; Cerisier 12; Edwards 6; Hogan 6; Logan 6; Johnson 3; Schumacher 3; Dixon 2; George 2.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 72, UPPER DUBLIN 42
Nine Plymouth Whitemarsh players contributed to the scoring as the Colonials rolled to a 72-42 victory over American Conference opponent Upper Dublin.
The Colonials sank four three-pointers in the first quarter – including a pair of treys from Ahmin Williams (eight points) – and led 19-8 after the opening period. Naheem McLeod led all scorers with 20 points, including a 6-for-7 effort from the foul line. Alan Glover scored 14, Danny Cooper hit a pair of three-pointers among his 8 points, and Ish Horn added 7.
For Upper Dublin, Joe Ryan scored six of his team-high 13 points in the first quarter. Nyjee Scott contributed eight points.
PW (18-0, 11-0 SOL) is back in action on Friday hosting Hatboro-Horsham. Upper Dublin (4-15, 3-9) visits Upper Merion on Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 19-21-20-12 72
Upper Dublin 8-11-13-10 42
Plymouth Whitemarsh (72) – Ish Horn 7; Dan Farrer 3; Naheem McLeod 20; Danny Cooper 8; Kyree Pendleton 6; Anthony Straface 2; Ahmin Williams 8; Ahmad Williams 4; Alan Glover 14.
Upper Dublin (42) –Williams 2; M Boatman 5; Scott 8; Watkins 4; Slivka 4; Stover 6; Ryan 13; B Brady 2.
UPPER MORELAND 51, SPRINGFIELD 47
Christian O’Donnell scored 21 points and Ryan Coyle was close behind with 17 as Upper Moreland edged Springfield, 51-47.
The Golden Bears started strong, scoring 22 points in the first quarter. The Bears led 33-30 at the half and 41-35 after three quarters.
Upper Moreland (9-9, 5-6 SOL) hosts Central Bucks South on Wednesday in a non-league contest, while Springfield (2-14, 0-12) looks for its first league win against Quakertown on Wednesday.
Upper Moreland 22-11-8-10 51
Springfield 16-14-5-12 47
Upper Moreland (51) – Christian O’Donnell 21; Jonson 2; Ryan Coyle 17; Rylan Bradley 2; Brett Brossman 8.
Non-league
NORTH PENN 47, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 38
North Penn jumped out to an early lead, and used near-perfect shooting from the foul line in the fourth quarter, to protect the lead as the Knights downed the Golden Hawks on Tuesday.
The Knights went 13-for-16 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to keep the Golden Hawks at bay.
Chris Coleman scored 10 of his team-high 13 points in the fourth quarter. Joey Lindsay scored nine points, AJ Catanzaro went 6-for-6 from the line among his eight points, and Caputo added six.
For South, Christian Jabbar scored all of his team-leading nine points in the second half. Shawn Blank scored 7 and Kyle Meakim added 6.
Council Rock South (4-13, 2-6 SOL) will be on the road at New Foundations Charter on Wednesday. North Penn (10-8, 4-5) is back in action on Friday against Souderton.
North Penn 6-9-10-22 47
Council Rock South 9-2-10-17 38
North Penn (47) – Mitchell 4; Lindsay 9; Caputo 6; Catanzaro 8; Robinson 4; Coleman 13; Hartman 3.
Council Rock South (38) – Rebholz 3; Meakim 6; Jabbar 9; Macidendo 4; Schwartz 3; Blank 7; Gomez 3; Schade 3.
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