Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Wednesday night. CB South/Tennent photos provided by Keith Clemens Photography. Upper Dublin/Upper Moreland photos courtesy of Geanine Jamison. Check back for photo galleries of both games.
SOL American Conference
UPPER DUBLIN 45, UPPER MORELAND 42
The Flying Cardinals trailed by nine at halftime but regrouped to gut out the come-from-behind win. A three-point play by Drew Stover late in the fourth quarter gave the Cardinals a lead they would not lose, 41-38.
“It was really a team win,” UD coach Chris Monahan said. “The guys grinded this one out. That’s what we told them – it’s a Suburban One League game, both teams are playing for their playoff lives, playoff seedings.
“It’s a four o’clock start, and you don’t know how our guys are going to respond. The gym’s empty. It’s earlier in the day. You have all these different things going on, and it makes for – how are we going to play? How are they going to play? It wasn’t the cleanest game. I don’t think either team would say it was. It was a grind-out game, and we’re very happy to have won.”
Playing a key role in the win was Corby Watkins, whose 18-point effort led all scorers. He singlehandedly kept the Cardinals afloat in a first half that saw only Stover and Watkins score points as the Golden Bears opened up a 26-17 halftime lead.
“Corby Watkins had three threes and 11 points in the first half,” Monahan said. “He’s been our guy all year, and he showed up in the first half. If he doesn’t do that, we’re not even in the game.
“The first quarter we played okay. They were making shots. They’re a good team, well coached, and they’ve got kids who can make shots. The second quarter for us was a disaster. We couldn’t score, and we were giving them too many easy looks. They shot the lights out, and a lot of those were wide open shots, so we weren’t real happy with our defense in the halftime locker room.”
The Cardinals – sparked by five points from Mike Slivka – outscored their visitors 14-6 in the third quarter and trailed by just one after three quarters, setting the stage for UD’s fourth quarter comeback.
“The third quarter we came out a different team, a lot of energy on the defensive end,” Monahan said. “We ended up making shots, we got in transition, we got to the foul line, and we started to play more of our game.
“A lot of guys were making plays. Bazel Brady had a big steal at the end. Mike Slivka had a huge three in the third quarter. The second half it was a lot of team stuff. The first half it was Corby.”
“We were down late in the fourth quarter. It was very much in doubt. We got stops. Corby Watkins had a spin move and that cut the lead to one. We continued to get stops. Drew (Stover) got hammered, and it was just the strength he has as a young kid right now that he was able to make the layup and then made the free throw.”
Stover finished with 11 points, Slivka had seven and Brady added six.
For the Golden Bears, Jahire Johnson led the way with 14 points, which included seven points – and a three-pointer – in UM’s 14-7 second quarter. Tyler Ibbotsen added 10 points, and Christian O’Donnell had eight.
Upper Dublin (11-7, 5-6 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday, and Upper Moreland (9-9, 3-8) will host Springfield Township on Friday.
Upper Moreland 12-14-6-10 42
Upper Dublin 10-7-14-14 45
Upper Moreland (42) – Beau Woolens 3, Christian O’Donnell 8, Jourdan Gregg 3, Jahire Johnson 14, Tyler Ibbotsen 10, Jake Tiernan 4.
Upper Dublin (45) – Drew Stover 11, Corby Watkins 18, Bazel Brady 6, Jason Williams 2, Mike Slivka 7, Micah Bootman 1.
ABINGTON 69, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 51
The Ghosts made it a clean sweep of the Colonials, but this win was far different than the first, a 47-40 grind-it-out victory on Jan. 4.
“I thought we played with a better pace tonight,” Abington coach Charles Grasty said. “We were able to speed them up a little bit.
“The first time we played we let them dictate the pace where they would walk it up and run their stuff, but this time we came out – we wanted to play at the pace that we’ve been playing the past couple of games. We wanted to get up and down, make them take a couple of quick shots, get some rebounds, get out in transition and get some easy ones, and we were able to do that early.”
Eric Dixon led the Ghosts with 26 points – nine in the first quarter as the Ghosts opened up an 18-11 lead. The senior star had just nine points for the game in the initial meeting between the two teams.
Dixon also had seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Lucas Monroe added 14 points, a team-high eight rebounds and five assists, and Manir Waller added 10 points, six rebounds, two steals and three assists.
“Manir Waller played well again,” Grasty said. “Manir was patient. He gets it now. He was a guy this was his first year at the varsity level. He came up and he had to learn the speed of the game.
“Now he’s getting the speed of the game, and it’s slowing down for him. He understands that he’s playing with a potential player of the year and another kid who’s going to the Ivy League. He had to understand early that he’s got to slow his pace down, and he did. He’s making the right plays. He’s playing extremely well for us, especially when teams are keying on Eric and Lucas.
“He had 10 points tonight and some really key rebounds, and he’s making the right play. It’s not about points or anything like that. He’ll get in the paint, and if someone steps up, he passes it to his teammate whereas early in the year he felt like he had to score. He played well.”
Maurice Henry added eight points and four assists, and Darius Brown also had eight points, which included a pair of three-pointers. Brown has 24 made threes on the season with 12 of those coming in the last five games.
“Maurice Henry played extremely well,” Grasty said. “And I could go on and on with Darius Brown. I told him today that he’s a big reason why we’re playing the way we’re playing right now. He’s been playing extremely well. These teams coming in and collapsing on Eric – he’s going to make them pay. His confidence is just growing each minute, and we need it from him.”
The Ghosts connected on 27-of-55 shots from the field (49 percent), which included a 5-for-12 effort from beyond the arc. Abington had just seven turnovers.
Naheem McLeod led the Colonials with 16 points. Anthony Straface had 13 and Caelin Peters added 12 points.
Abington (18-1, 11-0 SOL) will travel to Wissahickon on Friday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (11-7, 7-4) will be on the road at Upper Dublin on Thursday.
Abington 18-21-16-14 69
Plymouth Whitemarsh 11-16-17-7 51
Abington (69) – Darius Brown 8, Lucas Monroe 14, Eric Dixon 26, Manir Waller 10, Maurice Henry 8, Derek Sussman 3.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (51) – Anthony Straface 13, Jaden Pryce69, Caelin Peters 12, Naheem McLeod 16, Luke Dicciano 3, Jordan Evans 1.
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 56, SOUDERTON 52
Leo Masterson was on fire.
The Patriots’ senior guard – who buried four three-pointers – was connecting from just about everywhere on the court en route to a game-high 28 points. He also had five rebounds and paced the Patriots’ defense with six steals.
“Leo Masterson had just a huge game,” coach Erik Henrysen said. “He didn’t force shots, he just took what was available.
“Leo has really gotten to the point where he can score getting all the way to the basket, he has a tremendous pull-up jump shot, and tonight he was hitting threes, so he was kind of doing it all for us, and he was a problem for their defense.”
The win avenged a 66-53 loss to the Indians in the initial meeting between the two teams on Jan. 4.
“We weren’t happy with the way our first meeting went and thought the game was a little too fast for our liking, so we were hopeful that we could control the tempo a little bit more,” Henrysen said. “We kind of switched it up a little bit and zoned them, and I think that helped us with controlling the tempo and bringing the game to a pace we were comfortable with.
The Patriots, who led 16-15 after one quarter, took a 22-20 lead into halftime. They outscored the Indians 11-7 in the third quarter to go into the final quarter with a 33-27 lead.
CB East moved up to 12th in the latest District One 6A power rankings.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that we have a shot at a home (district) game and probably a shot at the SOL Tournament – although other things would need to happen,” Henrysen said. “We’re just approaching it as our playoffs have kind of begun. We’re trying to simplify things to the point where – let’s just get off to a good start and win each quarter.”
Nick Roggio also had a big night, finishing with 19 points and a team-high six rebounds.
“Leo Masterson and Nick Roggio really carried the load tonight, but Ben Markowitz also had five assists,” Henrysen said. “Joe Jackman had a stretch toward the end of the game where he was able to score on two drives and assist two baskets. As they were trying to extend out, he did a good job of going by the defense and getting to the second level.
“It was a team win even though two guys carried the load offensively. We turned the ball over 10 times in the first half, and we only had one turnover in the second half, and we did a better job of rebounding the ball in the second half.”
Souderton was led by the 12-point effort of Andrew Vince while Mekhi Williams added 11. Dom Natale had nine, and Sami Chouirai and Jack Towsen both added six.
Central Bucks East (12-6, 5-5 SOL) will host Quakertown on Friday, and Souderton (6-14, 3-7) will host Pennridge on Friday.
Central Bucks East 16-6-11-23 56
Souderton 15-5-7-25 52
Central Bucks East (56) – Nick Roggio 19, Ben Markowitz 2, Leo Masterson 28, Jack Hamilton 3, Joe Jackman 4.
Souderton (52) – Andrew Vince 12, Jack Towsen 6, Brian Reiner 2, Sami Chouirai 6, Zach Thatcher 4, Mekhi Williams 11, Dom Natale 9.
SOL National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 60, BENSALEM 55
The Owls brought a five-game winning streak to Council Rock South on Wednesday night. The Golden Hawks – behind big offensive performances from Michael Stewart and Jack Rebholz – brought an end to that streak, turning a 14-14 tie after one quarter into a 36-29 halftime lead. They exchanged baskets with the Owls in the second half.
“I was really happy for the kids – they deserved it,” coach Chris Clark said. “They’ve been working hard. We played a really good game start to finish. We’ve been trying to set some goals for our league, and this really helps us get to our goal. We have five wins in the league, and we have to keep going.
“I really was happy with their energy and their willingness to listen and try and be tough and do the things we’re asking them to do.”
Stewart jumpstarted the Golden Hawks, scoring 11 of his game-high 21 points in the first quarter as the two teams battled to a 14-14 tie.
“It was not just the three ball, but it was getting things out in transition,” Clarks said. “Also, he had some steals – he was in the passing lanes, so he scored in wide variety of ways, which is really good.”
In the second quarter, Rebholz scored 11, including a 6-for-8 effort at the foul line.
“We were able to get to the one-and-one, and Jack was our primary ball handler, and we got some fouls on the perimeter,” Clark said. “Michael (Stewart) was consistent all night from not just the perimeter but taking the ball inside. He also helped bring the ball up as did Brian Schwartz.
“The secondary ball handlers are always important because teams try to key on Jack, so having somebody else to help bring the ball up is important. I thought our energy was good at the defensive end, and that transferred over to our offense in the second quarter.”
In addition to Stewart’s 21 points, Rebholz had 16, and Connor Lewis added nine.
“We were able to make our foul shots, which is really important and something that earlier in the year we hadn’t done,” Clark said. “We shot 18-for-24 tonight, and what I like about that is the 24 number. Getting to the foul line that much shows some of the aggressiveness on our part – we’re not just shooting jumpers. We’re being tough with the basketball, getting fouls called that way. I was really happy about that.
“The next step for us is learning how to win. We’ve been close or right there in a lot of games, but we haven’t always been tough enough mentally or physically to make a foul shot or make the right play or guard tough. The more wins we can pile up, the more we learn and the more we can improve, and that’s how you become a better basketball team, and that’s what our goal is.”
For the Owls, Nasir Williams, Jeremiah Alexander and Lamont Hasker all had 14 points. Aaron Sanders chipped in with six.
Council Rock South (6-11, 5-4 SOL) will be on the road at Pennsbury on Thursday. Bensalem (11-8, 6-4) will travel to Harry S Truman Friday for a 5:30 p.m. contest.
Bensalem 14-15-15-11 55
Council Rock South 14-22-14-10 60
Bensalem (55) – Nasir Williams 14, Reuben Jean-Phillips 2, Jeremiah Alexander 14, Shane Simmons 5, Lamont Hasker 14, Aaron Sanders 6.
Council Rock South (60) – Jack Rebholz 16, Luke Meakim 4, Michael Stewart 21, Kevin McNamee 2, Luca Baratta 4, Brian Schwartz 4, Connor Lewis 9.
Non-league
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 55, WILLIAM TENNENT 53
Alex Dietz scored with 1.5 seconds remaining on the scoreboard clock, allowing the Titans to escape with a dramatic come-from-behind win.
“It was just one of those games,” South coach Jason Campbell said. “I will take a win. I told the guys – we’re happy for the win, but we don’t have to be satisfied with the performance.
“Credit William Tennent – they did a nice job. They came and took it to us, they shot the ball really well, they played good basketball, and they played tough.”
The game’s closing minutes included plenty of drama. Tennent led 51-50 with 1:20 remaining, and the Titans still had three fouls to give to get into the one-and-one.
“We were fouling just to get them to the line because they were going to pull the ball out, so when they inbounded, we started fouling from full court to half court,” Campbell said.
The Panthers misfired on the front end of a one-and-one, and at the other end, it was Ian McCaw scoring on a putback to give the Titans a one-point lead with 42 seconds remaining. On the Panthers’ ensuing possession, McCaw came up big on the defensive end, drawing a charge and giving the Titans the ball with 30 seconds left.
The Titans missed the front end of a one-and-one, but McCaw again came up with the big rebound. With the Panthers in the bonus, Cole Prezelski connected on the first of two at the charity stripe, giving the Titans a 53-51 lead with 23 seconds remaining.
“William Tennent comes down to the other end and does a ball screen and roll,” Campbell said. “(Michael) Mulville passes it to Derrik Cosenza for the tying basket in the lane with 10.5 seconds left.
“We inbounded the ball full court, McCaw was setting a ball screen for Dietz, who fakes coming to the ball screen, had a crossover down the lane, does a spin move and an off-balance pull-up ‘J’ and drains it with 1.5 seconds left.”
The Panthers called a timeout but never managed a desperation heave, and the Titans had their 14th win of the season.
Dietz led all scorers with 20 points, which included a pair of threes. McCaw finished with 12 points – all in the second half. He was a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line.
“Ian McCaw had a really big second half,” Campbell said. “He was 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Dietz had four points in the fourth, one of them being the game-winner.
“Brock D’Aulerio and Brady Prezelski each hit a three in the fourth quarter, which were big moments to bring us back into the game.”
The Panthers jumped out of the gate to a 20-11 lead after one quarter. Kip Mooney accounted for eight points, which included a pair of threes. David West and Ryan Savage also each had a three. Tennent took a 29-23 lead into halftime and still led 41-36 heading into the final quarter when the Titans closed it out with a 19-12 frame.
“We missed so many layups and shots in the lane in the first half, and we gave up a lot of threes,” Campbell said. “They shot the ball so well.”
West had a big night from beyond the arc, connecting on five three-pointers and finishing with a team-high 19 points.
“He has such a quick release – some of them were closely guarded,” Campbell said. “Ryan Savage had two threes, Kip Mooney had two in the first quarter. You can’t take them lightly. They can shoot. Derrik Cosenza had a very good game.”
Cosenza added 14 points while Mooney and Savage each had eight.
Central Bucks South (14-4, 7-2 SOL) William Tennent (3-14, 2-6)
William Tennent 20-9-12-12 53
Central Bucks South 11-12-13-19 55
William Tennent (53) – Michael Mulville 2, Alex Wadsworth 2, Kip Mooney 8, Ryan Savage 8, David West 19, Derrik Cosenza 14.
Central Bucks South (55) – Cole Prezelski 3, Brady Prezelski 3, Brock D’Aulerio 3, Alex Dietz 20, Mark Kannengieszer 2, Tommy Kuypers 10, Ian McCaw 12, Michael Farley 2.
LANSDALE CATHOLIC 51, NESHAMINY 50
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