Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Saturday. CB East/Upper Dublin photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Non-league
NORTH PENN 52, NESHAMINY 48
It’s been quite a week for the streaking Knights, who have won six straight since a 1-2 start. On Tuesday, they knocked Central Bucks East from the ranks of the undefeated, and on Saturday, North Penn handed Neshaminy its first loss.
The Knights opened up a 34-22 halftime lead but had to fight off a tenacious Redskins’ comeback bid in the second half.
“It was the story of two halves,” NP coach John Conrad said. “We played really well in the first half and went into halftime up 12.
“Obviously, Neshaminy is a good basketball team, so they came back, but we were able to hang on and win by four.”
In the opening half, Josh Jones had 12 of his game-high 19 to lead the Knights, and Billy Coley had nine points. Keeping the Redskins within striking distance were Matt Drapkin and Mike Murray, who combined to score all of their team’s first half points. Drapkin had 12 while Murray had 10.
The scoring slowed down for both sides in the second half.
“Stuff we hit in the first half we were not able to convert the second half,” Conrad said. “Defensively, they played really well in the second half. They were very physical in the second half.
“We had a hard time getting stops, which didn’t allow us to transition. Those two things usually go hand in hand.”
The Knights were also faced with the not-so-little matter of playing without Jones down the stretch.
“Josh Jones fouled out with three-and-a-half minutes to go, so we were holding our breath for a long time there,” Conrad said.
With Jones on the bench, Neshaminy pulled to within two. Mario Sgro connected on a clutch 3-pointer to up the Knights’ lead to five. Milind Pulugura also buried a pair at the foul line to help seal the win.
“Collectively, we got a good win,” Conrad said. “Mario Sgro had five points in the second half, and I thought he did a good job defensively. He hit a big three in the fourth quarter, and that was a big boost.
“Josh is Josh, and he’s carried us over the finish line often this year. Although it wasn’t pretty, it was great to see those other guys close the deal once he went out. I think that will pay dividends down the road.”
In addition to Jones, Coley scored 11 points, Ryan Zeltt had seven, and Joe Larson had six on a pair of threes.
For the Redskins, Drapkin led the way with 22 points, and Murray had 17.
North Penn (7-2, 5-1 SOL) will travel to Pennridge on Tuesday, and Neshaminy (7-1, 6-0) will host Pennsbury on Tuesday.
Neshaminy 8-14-19-7 48
North Penn 16-18-9-9 52
Neshaminy (48) – Jimmy MacDonald 2 0-0 4; Matt Drapkin 7 7-7 22; Mike Murray 8 1-4 17; Tom Mullin 1 1-2 3; Sean Curley 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 19 9-13 48.
North Penn (52) – Mario Sgro 2 0-0 5; Joe Larkins 2 0-0 6; Billy Coley 4 1-3 11; Milind Pulugura 0 4-5 4; Josh Jones 6 5-6 19; Ryan Zeltt 3 0-0 7; TOTALS 17 10-14 52.
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Matt Drapkin, NP – Billy Coley 2, Joe Larkins 2, Josh Jones 2, Ryan Zeltt, Mario Sgro.
BENSALEM 43, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 34
The Owls picked up their second win in less than 24 hours, and while their two-game winning streak is decidedly modest – it is much needed.
“It’s good for the kids to get the reward of such hard work,” Bensalem coach Ron Morris said. “We struggled in the beginning and lost four in a row.
“We continued to work, we switched up some stuff at practice. The kids have been awesome the whole time. They work extremely hard, so it’s good to see the excitement for them to get that reward for winning so they know that hard work does pay off. It’s so crazy with no long season, no scrimmages – we’re still figuring out rotations.”
Two players who fixtures in the lineup and have been consistently big contributors are Aaron Sanders and James Ashford. The duo combined for 27 points in Saturday’s non-league win.
“Aaron and James are returning all-league players,” Morris said. “They both rebound the ball really well. James was able to get out in transition, and once we’re in transition, that’s where we thrive.
“Aaron played a phenomenal floor game – he was very patient. CB West plays that match-up zone, so we were able to run our man and zone sets against it. Aaron was very patient, the whole team was patient on offense, waiting for the right time to attack. When you’re patient, good things happen.”
The Owls opened up a 25-13 halftime lead, and while the Bucks held a 21-18 edge in the second half, they never seriously threatened.
“Defensively, we really brought it today,” Morris said. “CB West – their record is what it is, but they’re a good team, and they’re a good program. We really locked in defensively.
“Jake DeLange, a junior, had a really good game defensively and rebounding. He finished around the rim, and he defended really well. Luke Zeidler played a really good defensive game. They had a couple of big kids that could shoot and drive. I think we did a real good job playing them.”
Sanders led the Owls with a 15-point effort. Ashford had 12 points while Eric Gonazalez and Jake DeLange each had six.
“In the second quarter, Eric Gonzalez, our sophomore off the bench, hit two threes to give us some separation,” Morris said. “That was key in that second quarter to give us a little bit of wiggle room.”
West’s Teddy Spratt led all scorers with 23 points, which included a 7-for-9 effort at the foul line. No other West player had more than five points.
Bensalem (4-5, 3-2 SOL) will host Harry S Truman on Tuesday, and Central Bucks West (1-7, 1-5) will host Central Bucks South Tuesday.
Bensalem 12-13-9-9 43
Central Bucks West 9-4-11-10 34
Bensalem (43) – Eric Gonzalez 2 0-0 6; Aaron Sanders 5 5-6 15; James Ashford 4 3-4 12; Jake DeLange 3 0-0 6; Nikita Schaefer 0 2-2 2; Luke Zeidler 0 2-4 2; Jack Wineburg 1 0-0 2 TOTALS 14 12-16 43.
Central Bucks West (34) – Payton Davis 0 0-1 0; Teddy Spratt 8 7-9 23; Max Slaymaker 1 0-0 2; Donte Mancini 2 0-0 5; John Lee 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 13 7-10 34.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Eric Gonzalez 2, CB West – Donte Mancini.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 62, UPPER DUBLIN 50
The Patriots trailed by one at halftime but outscored the visiting Flying Cardinals 18-12 in the third quarter and added to their lead in the fourth.
“After a league battle last night against Pennridge, we didn’t get off to a great start,” said East coach Erik Henrysen, whose team was coming off a 60-47 win over the Rams. “The game actually played out similarly to last night in that our focus and intensity increased as the game went on.
“Winning two games in less than 24 hours is tough but we passed the test. We travel to Souderton next Tuesday and we are looking forward to the challenge.”
Drew Stover was once again the catalyst for the Flying Cardinals, and he had 13 points in the first half. Jacob Cummiskey kept the Patriots close, scoring nine points in the half.
“We keyed in on Stover and he still finished with (27),” Henrysen said. “He is a really tough matchup, and we threw 6’9” and 6’6” at him.
“Aidan Weaver did a great job on Stover in the second half, and he made him work. We finally amped up pressure on their perimeter players in the second half. Our defense got us going and created run-outs.”
Jacob Cummiskey led the Patriots with 18 points and six rebounds. Joe Jackman (12 points) and Jack Hamilton (11 points) also finished the game in double figures. Brendan Harte added nine points and Aidan Weaver, six.
“Aidan Weaver, Jacob Cummiskey and Brendan Harte led us tonight,” Henrysen said. “Jacob was able to penetrate and rebounded well. Weaver battled and Harte does it all.
“It’s a strength for us that we seem to get significant contributions from different guys every night. We have gone nine deep regularly and all nine have had moments where they are positively influencing games. It’s great because it provides Jackman and Hamilton regular support.”
In addition to Stover’s 27 points, DJ Cerisier added eight for the Flying Cardinals.
Central Bucks East 7-1, 5-1 SOL) will travel to Souderton on Tuesday, and Upper Dublin (5-4, 2-3) will be on the road at Quakertown on Tuesday.
Upper Dublin 15-13-12-10 50
Central Bucks East 13-16-18-13 62
Upper Dublin (50) – Drew Stover 13 0-1 27; DJ Cerisier 4 0-1 8; Tim Boutilier 2 0-0 4; Seaton Kukla 2 0-0 4; Ellis Johnson 1 0-0 2; Anthony Fatiga 2 0-0 5.
Central Bucks East (62) – Jacob Cummiskey 18, Liam Cummiskey 1, Brendan Harte 9, Aidan Weaver 6, Joe Jackman 12, Jack Hamilton 11, Jason Markowitz 5.
3-point goals: UD – Drew Stover, Anthony Fatiga, CBE – Joe Jackman 2, Jacob Cummiskey, Jason Markowitz.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 70, CENTRAL BUCK SOUTH 47
Luke DiCianno scored 25 points in an impressive offensive outing, and the Colonials, who led by just two after one quarter, began to take control with an 18-8 second quarter to go on top 31-19 at the intermission.
“We played with great defensive energy this morning from the start,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said. “Unfortunately, we were a little too hyper on the offensive end in the first half, so it took a while for our defensive effort to result in a stretching of the lead. 
“Much like last night at Quakertown, we found ourselves in the middle of a big run late in the third into the fourth, and we did a better job of closing out the game against their fourth quarter traps.”
DiCianno – who had three 3-pointers – served notice early that he would be a force, scoring seven points in the first quarter. By halftime he had 11, and he had plenty of offensive support.
Jaden Colzie added 10 points, which included three 3-pointers. Taji Hubbard and Qudire Bennett both had eight points while Zuri Jerman and Marshall Baker each had six.
For the Titans, Michael Farley’s 15 points led the way. Tyler Meinel added 11 points – his seven first-quarter points sparked the Titans early. Jay Macalindong chipped in with six points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-0, 6-0 SOL) will travel to Souderton Monday for a non-league game. Central Bucks South (3-4, 3-3) will be on the road at Central Bucks West Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 11-8-21-7 47
Plymouth Whitemarsh 13-18-18-21 70
Central Bucks South (47) – Evan D’Orazio 1 0-0 3; Jay Macalindong 1 4-6 6; Aidan Van Zanten 2 0-0 5; Owen Petrich 2 1-2 5; Bryan Delara 1 0-0; Tyler Meinel 5 1-1 11; Michael Farley 5 4-9 15; TOTALS 17 10-18 47.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (70) – Zende Hubbard 2 0-1 4; Jaden Colzie 3 1-2 10; Marshall Baker 2 1-2 6; Taji Hubbard 3 2-3 8; Luke DiCianno 9 4-4 25; Qudire Bennett 3 1-2 8; Jalen Harris 1 0-0 3; Zuri Jerman 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 26 9-14 70.
3-point goals: CBS – Evan D’Orazio, Aidan Van Zantan, Michael Farley, PW – Jaden Colzie 3, Luke DiCiano 3, Marshall Baker, Qudire Bennett, Jalen Harris.
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