Jarrad Saffren recaps Tuesday’s SOL boys basketball action. Pennridge/Tennent photos provided courtesy of Jon Sklut. Check back for a gallery of action photos.
By Jarrad Saffren
Twenty Suburban One League boys basketball teams played league games Tuesday night.
One team clinched a league title. Another inched closer to one. Many others strengthened their cases for District One playoff spots and higher seeds.
The results and recaps are below.
SOL National
Council Rock North 50, Pennsbury 40
Council Rock North is surging toward a District One Class 6A playoff spot.
The Indians were 32nd in the first District One Class 6A power rankings, which came out on January 16. They moved up to 30th in the second rankings, on January 23, and 27th in the third rankings, this past Monday.
That is because they won four of six games after starting 3-10. Now, after their biggest upset yet, the Indians have won five of seven, improving to 8-12.
Even during its rough start, North was playing tough defense. It did again on Tuesday night, holding Pennsbury’s leading scorer, Mark Flagg, to 10 points and two field goals.
“We played really solid on D. James Kosyla rose to the challenge and stuck Mark Flagg one-on-one,” North coach Jesse Krasna said. “Eric Levine tried to take Addison Howard out of the game and limit his touches. He did a nice job of that. We wanted to make the other guys on Pennsbury beat us.”
North complemented its defense with “gang-rebounding,” Krasna said.
“We finished those stops with rebounds,” he said. “We had everybody flying in. Our guards did a good job on the perimeter and hit the glass to help our bigs.”
North’s win was impressive because Pennsbury is a really good team, fourth in the District One 6A power rankings, even. The Falcons also beat the Indians by 39 on January 5.
“Pennsbury turned us over so often with their pressure in the first meeting. They got a lot of fast break points,” Krasna said. “We wanted to make them play more of a half court game.”
North was able to do that because its ball-handlers, Noah Ehlin and Levine, handled Pennsbury’s pressure.
“Without the guard play of Levine and Ehlin, I don’t think we’d have gotten good looks. They handled the pressure and stayed composed,” Krasna said. “Noah had three points but it was his strongest game of the season because he was so under control.”
Kosyla and Drew Burton led North with 17 points each. Burton, Krasna said, is becoming North’s go-to guy.
“He’s calm, cool and collected. Nothing ever phases him,” Krasna said. “There’s also a real craftiness about his game. He seems to be able to get his shot off in really tight windows. He uses his feet to get his shot up over taller defenders. He’s a good spot-up shooter too.”
North (8-12, 5-6 SOL) has two games left, against Central Bucks West on Friday night, and Harry S. Truman next Tuesday night.
It probably needs to win both.
“I’m trying not to think about it too much but it’s impossible. The boys talk about it all the time. It’s really motivated them. This game definitely puts us in a better spot,” Krasna said. “The boys are really starting to believe in themselves. We’ve beaten some really good teams in the second half of the season. If we get in, we feel we can hang with anybody.”
Pennsbury (13-7, 6-4 SOL) plays Truman Thursday night at seven.
Pennsbury 4-16-11-9 40
Council Rock North 23-9-4-14 50
Pennsbury (40) – Addison Howard 8, Vaughn Ward 2, Gary Francis 1, Billy Warren 2, Tyler Sessa-Reeves 5, Joey Monaghan 6, Mark Flagg, Corey Dea 3, Maurice Stukes 3.
Council Rock North (50) – Eric Levine 6, Drew Burton 17, James Kosyla 17, Tyler Shields 2, Noah Ehlin 3, Brady Haggerty 3, Harry Wyatt 1, Thomas Boyle 2.
Neshaminy 47, Harry S. Truman 45
Neshaminy greatly strengthened its chance of earning a District One 6A playoff spot. The Redskins are 24th in the 6A power rankings, the last playoff spot.
Truman is probably out of contention after its 11th loss in 14 games. The Tigers are 29th in the 6A rankings.
“It was a big game for us to make the playoffs,” Neshaminy guard/forward Chris Arcidiacono said. “If we lose, we probably wouldn’t have made the playoffs. Now we’re one step closer.”
“Oh man, it’s huge,” Neshaminy forward Zach Tredway said. “Truman was only a couple spots behind us.”
“We still have some work to do,” Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle said. “We have to take care of what we’re doing. We can’t worry about anything else that’s going on. But this was a big win.”
Arcidiacono scored 30 of Neshaminy’s 47 points. He kept Neshaminy in the game in the first half, scoring seven of its 15 points. Then he went off in the third, nailing five threes, two that tied the game, preventing Truman from pulling away. The last one was a buzzer beater over multiple defenders.
In the fourth, Arcidiacono scored eight points and had a key assist, finding Danny Bodine under the basket for an easy layup. With Neshaminy up one in the final minute, Arch swished two free throws to make it 47-44.
He is now averaging 20.8 points per game in 2016-17.
“He’s a good player. He’s playing really well this year,” Tingle said. “But he’s going to kick the ball to guys if they are open.”
That’s exactly what Arcidiacono did with Neshaminy down by one late in the fourth. Truman double-teamed Arcidiacono, trying desperately to force him to give up the ball.
Arcidiacono zipped the ball to Tredway on the foul line. Tredway drove to the basket and banked the ball in. Neshaminy took a one-point lead with 56 seconds left. It never trailed again.
“I got a great pass out top and that’s what coach wants me to do. Rip, take it to the basket, attack,” Tredway said. “He just wants me to attack more and that’s what I did. Whatever helps the team win.”
“It was great to see him do that. He’s a senior and he’s been a three-year starter for this team. And he’s an extremely hard worker,” Tingle said. “I tell him to catch, rip and go to the basket. He usually does that, only sometimes it’s a tougher shot.”
Bodine, a 6-foot-7 junior in his first year in Neshaminy’s program, blocked four shots. “He’s been playing JV (junior varsity). He’s kind of like that project player we have,” Tingle said. “But we gave him a shot tonight.”
Anthony Papeo added five points for Neshaminy.
Five Truman players—Kelechi Ogbonna (11), ZJ Jackson (eight), Jeff Nixon (eight), Danell Snelling (seven) and Zierr Reid (seven)—scored at least seven points. Reid buried a three at the halftime buzzer that put Truman up by one. Ogbonna made three treys in the third quarter, nearly matching Arcidiacono’s five.
Neshaminy (7-11, 3-8 SOL) hosts Council Rock South Thursday night at seven. Truman (8-11, 2-8 SOL) plays Pennsbury on the same night and time.
Neshaminy 7-8-17-15 47
Harry S. Truman 10-6-16-13 45
Neshaminy (47) – Zach Tredway 3, Mark Gentry 1, Chris Arcidiacono 30, Anthony Papeo 5, Anthony Verracchio 4, Danny Bodine 4.
Council Rock South 51, Bensalem 40
Council Rock South won for the fourth time in six games, improving to 13-7 and continuing to prove that it can win without senior swingman Kevin Newbert.
South went 1-3 in its first four games without Newbert.
Newbert’s replacement in the starting lineup—Christian Jabbar—scored 11 points Tuesday night, including two threes. He dropped 15 in South’s win over Pennsbury last Thursday.
Austin Thomas led South with 23 points Tuesday night, burying five threes. Ryan Boyd added eight points for South.
Ward Roberts led Bensalem with 14 points.
Bensalem led by two after one quarter. South took control by winning the second quarter 13-7.
South is 14th in the power rankings and now 1-0 since they came out on Monday. Bensalem is 25th, one spot behind the last playoff spot. The 8-11 Owls probably need to win out.
South (13-7, 7-3 SOL) plays Neshaminy Thursday night at seven. Bensalem (8-11, 3-7 SOL) hosts Abington on the same night and time.
Council Rock South 5-13-19-14 51
Bensalem 7-7-12-14 40
Bensalem (40) – T Douglas 1 3-6 5; W Roberts 5 1-1 14; R Dean 3 0-0 7; B Quarterman 3 0-0 7; K Shields 3 0-0 7; Totals 15 4-7 40.
Council Rock South (51) – Austin Thomas 7 4-4 23; Christian Jabbar 4 1-2 11; Alex Nordenholt 2 0-0 5; Ryan McNamee 1 0-0 2; Ryan Boyd 2 4-4 8; Kenny Brightcliffe 1 0-0 2; Totals – 17 9-10 51.
SOL American
Plymouth Whitemarsh 56, Cheltenham 51
Plymouth Whitemarsh clinched its fourth straight Suburban One League American Conference title. The Colonials are 51-3 in SOL American play since the start of the 2013-14 season.
“We’ve been fortunate to have a layering effect of talented guys. When guys leave, we’ve had new guys step in who weren’t brand new at it,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said. “When Xzavier Malone was developing, we had guys like Andre Mitchell and Cameron Johnson and Jimmy Murray. Our guys also play year-round. Also, when guys can reference previous teams, it gets them excited to achieve the same things past teams did.”
PW’s core players were role players on its 2015-16 District One Class 4A title team.
“That’s what makes this is a nice accomplishment because, while you look on paper and say, ‘You have guys back from the district title team,’ none of them were 30-minute guys,” Donofrio said.
Backcourt mates Ahmin and Ahmad Williams were spark-plugs off the bench last year.
“The twins just had to come in and do their thing last year, as turbo booster guys,” Donofrio said. “This year they had to play point and show leadership.”
Gunner Matt Walker played five-to-seven minutes per game last year.
“Now he’s playing 32,” Donofrio said.
Sophomore center Naheem McLeod “did not get on the floor until the district title game,” Donofrio said. “He watched Mike Lotito all season and then he was in the gym seven days a week in the offseason. Now it’s starting to pay off.”
McLeod led PW with 19 points Tuesday night. It was his second straight 19-point game. Ahmin and Ahmad Williams both scored 12 points. Cheo Houston added 12.
Cheltenham led by two after one quarter and three at halftime. PW won the third quarter by two and the fourth by six.
“Defensively we jelled. We played great D from the start of the third on,” Donofrio said. “We created a lot of opportunities and held the lead for most of the half.”
Cheltenham made a big three to cut PW’s lead to 49-47 late in the fourth. But PW handled Cheltenham’s press the rest of the way. The Williams twins shot 7-of-8 from the foul line in the last 1:00.
“That’s championship team stuff,” Donofrio said.
Donofrio was impressed with the win because Cheltenham, at 15-5, is clearly the second best team in the American.
“We’re really good in a lot of ways but we have a lot to still get better at,” Donofrio said. “This was the first game we went to the next level you want to go to in terms of concentration.”
Donofrio was impressed with the championship because the American is deep this year.
“Upper Moreland is having a nice year and very dangerous. Cheltenham is obviously very dangerous. And Wissahickon is very dangerous and well balanced,” he said. “We didn’t blow people out. We had to concentrate.”
PW is third in the 6A power rankings.
Jack Clark led Cheltenham with 16 points. Ahmad Bickley added 15.
“It’s the tough part of the schedule, and we just have to persevere and endure,” coach John Timms said. “It was a great game tonight, and somebody had to win.
“Hopefully, it’s just making us tougher for the playoffs by being involved in these close games because you’re not going to get blowouts in districts. You’re going to have to learn how to win close games, so hopefully, this is preparing us for the playoffs."
PW (17-3, 12-0 SOL) plays Quakertown Thursday night at seven. Cheltenham (15-5, 9-3 SOL) takes on Hatboro-Horsham Friday night at seven.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 13-15-9-19 56
Cheltenham 15-16-7-13 51
Plymouth Whitemarsh (51) – Ish Horn 1, Naheem McLeod 19, Ahmin Williams 12, Cheo Houston 12, Ahmad Williams 12.
Cheltenham (51) – Trevonn Pitts 7, Ahmad Bickley 15, Jack Clark 16, Rodney Carson 7, Lonce Scott 2.`
Hatboro-Horsham 59, Upper Dublin 39
Hatboro-Horsham won the first quarter 18-6 and never trailed.
Clifton Moore (23), Jay Davis (18) and Ryan Black (12) combined for 53 of the Hatters’ 59 points.
Hatboro-Horsham is 20th in the 6A power rankings and now 2-0 since they came out.
The Hatters (12-8, 8-5 SOL) host Cheltenham Friday night at seven. Upper Dublin (2-16, 2-9 SOL) plays Upper Moreland on the same night and time.
Hatboro-Horsham 18-12-14-15 59
Upper Dublin 6-11-10-12 39
Wissahickon 57, Upper Moreland 48
Upper Moreland led 25-19 at halftime. But Wissahickon won the third quarter 26-9.
Three Trojans players—Zach Reiner (15), Max Rapoport (13) and Shane Ford (10)—scored in double figures.
Seven Golden Bears players scored. None scored in double figures. Casey Decker and Ryan Coyle had nine and eight, respectively.
Wissahickon out-rebounded Upper Moreland 28-16. Wissahickon also scored 14 more points in the paint, 30-16.
Reiner also had nine rebounds and six assists. Rapoport had eight boards, four assists and two steals.
Zach Gelman had seven points, four assists and two steals.
Wissahickon is 12th in the District One Class 5A power rankings. Upper Moreland is 15th in the 5A rankings. Sixteen teams make the 5A playoffs.
The Trojans (11-9, 8-4 SOL) play Springfield-Montco Friday night at seven. The Golden Bears (11-9, 5-7 SOL) host Upper Dublin on the same night and time.
Wissahickon 9-10-26-12 57
Upper Moreland 13-12-9-14 48
Wissahickon (57) – Chaz Owens 7, Donovan Oliphant 5, Zach Gelman 7, Max Rapoport 13, Shane Ford 10, Zach Reiner 15.
Upper Moreland (48) – Casey Decker 9, Damian Washington 5, Ryan Coyle 8, Anthony Green 3, Brett Brossman 5, Shane Stone 7, Jake Villanueva 7.
Quakertown 49, Springfield-Montco 34
Quakertown led by eight after halftime (21-13), and after three quarters. But the Panthers pulled away by winning the fourth quarter 16-9.
Quakertown’s JR Grimmage and Jashua Rodriguez both scored 14 points. Nick Drosnock and Ryan Howard added eight and seven, respectively.
Quentin Johnson led Springfield-Montco with 11 points.
Quakertown 10-11-12-16 49
Springfield-Montco 5-8-12-9 34
Quakertown (49) – Ryan Howard 7, Jashua Rodriguez 14, Nick Drosnock 8, Dakota Suchanec 2, JR Grimmage 14, Mitchell 4.
Springfield (34) – Ryan Daley 6, Mike Goodson 8, Wilson Krewson 5, Quentin Johnson 11, Corrado 4.
SOL Continental
Pennridge 65, William Tennent 46
Pennridge lost two straight games over the weekend, dropping to 9-10.
It needed a win on Tuesday night, to help its playoff hopes.
Pennridge won the first quarter 16-12 and the second quarter 19-4, taking a 35-16 lead into halftime. The Rams cruised in the second half.
“After what happened this past weekend, I thought it was a great win,” Pennridge coach Dean Behrens said. “Friday night we lost a close one to West and then got blitzed by Quakertown Saturday night. It was good to get that bad taste out of our mouths.”
Sean Yoder (20), Ryan Cuthbert (14) and Jon Post (14) combined for 48 points for Pennridge. Five other Pennridge players scored. Kyle Yoder had seven.
Pat McCauley led William Tennent with 14 points.
Pennridge is 21st in the 6A power rankings.
“We are still trying to get into this playoff thing, and it’s not going to be easy,” Behrens said. “A lot of teams in front of us and behind us also won. We have to control our own destiny by continuing to win.”
Pennridge (10-10, 5-6 SOL) plays North Penn Friday night and Neshaminy Tuesday night, in its last two games of the regular season.
“North Penn is North Penn, big, long, athletic, with a couple guys that can shoot,” Behrens said. “They have a little bit of everything. Neshaminy’s a tough matchup as well.”
William Tennent (5-13, 1-9 SOL) plays Souderton Thursday night at seven.
Pennridge 16-19-15-15 65
William Tennent 12-4-18-12 46
Pennridge (65) – Ryan Warner 3, Sean Yoder 20, Ryan Kinky 2, Kyle Yoder 7, Tyrese Lewis-Eutsey 2, AJ Demarco 3, Ryan Cuthbert 14, Jon Post 14.
William Tennent (46) – Joe Shannon 6, Pat McCauley 14, Brendan Carter 2, Markeith Baxter 7, Kip Mooney 1, Ryan Savage 2, Nick Metzler 7, Dave West 7.
North Penn 66, Central Bucks South 54
North Penn won this game in the first and fourth quarters. The Knights won the first quarter 19-10 and the fourth 24-17.
They also inched closer to the Suburban One League Continental Conference title. North Penn is in first place at 9-1 in league play. CB West is in second at 8-3.
The Knights have two league games left. The Bucks have one.
On Tuesday night, North Penn’s Ricky Johns (22), David Giuliani (18) and Reece Udinski (14) combined for 54 points.
Alex Karras (19) and Tommy Kuypers (17) combined for 36 points for CB South.
North Penn is seventh in the 6A power rankings. CB South is 19th.
North Penn (16-4, 9-1 SOL) plays Pennridge Friday night at seven. CB South (9-11, 5-5 SOL) hosts Central Bucks East on the same night and time.
Central Bucks South 10-14-13-17 54
North Penn 19-14-9-24 66
Central Bucks South (54) – Alex Karras 19, Danny Tecce 2, Nate Johnston 9, Cole Prezelski 3, Tommy Kuypers 17, Andrew Dietz 4.
North Penn (66) – AJ Mitchell 1, Ricky Johns 22, Chris Coleman 2, Reece Udinski 14, David Giuliani 18, Derek Heiserman 4, Noah Kwortnik 5.
Central Bucks West 60, Souderton 47
CB West stayed in the running for the Continental title and a first round bye, though its chances of both are slim.
The Bucks have one less win and two more losses than first-place North Penn. They also have one less league game left.
CB West is 12th in the 6A rankings, four spots behind the eighth and final bye. It has two games left in the regular season.
Either way, the Bucks are a strong, playoff-bound team. They continued to prove that Tuesday night with another “well-rounded effort,” as coach Adam Sherman put it.
CB West’s Collin MacAdams had 18 points, five assists and four rebounds. Shane McCusker dropped 16 points, including two threes. Liam Cooney scored 12 points, including three threes. Jake Reichwein had 10 points and seven boards.
Mike Bealer led Souderton with 16 points, including three threes. Trevor Watts added 12.
Souderton is 30th in the 6A power rankings.
CB West (13-7, 8-3 SOL) plays CR North Friday night at seven. Souderton (7-13, 3-7 SOL) plays William Tennent Friday night at 5:15.
Central Bucks West 12-14-12-22 60
Souderton 14-5-14-14 47
Central Bucks West (60) – Jack Traina 3, Shane McCusker 16, Liam Cooney 12, Collin MacAdams 18, Davis Zerweck 1, Jake Reichwein 10.
Souderton (47) – Mike Bealer 16, Matt Cartwright 4, Jake Groller 4, Trevor Watts 12, Noah Horas 3, Anthony Rodriguez.
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