Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday. PW/Upper Dublin photos provided courtesy of Larry Small. To view a game gallery, click on the following link: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p897669423
SOL American
Cheltenham 62, Hatboro-Horsham 41
With Friday’s win, Cheltenham clinched sole possession of the SOL American Conference championship, the sixth championship in program history. Coach Patrick Fleury played on the 2004 and ’05 teams that won titles.
It’s quite an accomplishment, especially considering that the Panthers best player, point guard Zahree Harrison, was injured in the first game and missed the entire season.
“This is one of the goals that we had, but there are definitely loftier goals that we’re looking for, but it still feels good, I’m not going to lie,” Fleury said. “To live in Cheltenham, to teach in Cheltenham, to coach at Cheltenham and to win at Cheltenham is a beautiful thing.
“To be honest, I don’t know if anyone thought after that first quarter when Zahree went down that it would be this. I still look at us as underdogs in every game.”
Friday, the Panthers were without two key players due to illness, Sean Emfinger and Justin Moore, but others stepped into the lineup and performed.
Jaelen McGlone led the Panthers with 12 points, while Saleem Payne finished with 10 points and three assists. Brandon Scott had five rebounds and three steals, Brandon Hawkins had six points, three rebounds and two assists, Justin Savage, two assists and four rebounds, Mike McClain, seven points and three assists and Nasir Andino five rebounds.
“It was a complete team effort,” Fleury said. “Everybody played, everybody contributed toward the title, and that’s ideal.”
Now that the conference title is secure, Cheltenham (18-2, 12-0 SOL) will look to secure one of the top seeds for the upcoming District One Class 6A playoffs. It is currently in the No. 3 position behind Methacton and Garnet Valley, with games remaining against Springfield Township at home on Tuesday and then at Abington on Thursday.
Zehier Cheeze led Hatboro-Horsham with 16 points, while Jack Marvin added eight. The Hatters (1-19, 0-12 SOL) are back in action Tuesday with a home game against Abington.
Cheltenham 20 9 16 17-62
Hatboro-Horsham 6 7 15 13-41
Cheltenham (62) – Rasheem Dearry 5, Travis Coleman 6, Brandon Scott 1, Brandon Hawkins 6, Justin Savage 2, Saleem Payne 10, Jaelen McGlone 12, Mike McClain 7, Joey Weiner 3
Hatboro-Horsham (41) – N’Gianni Cerisier 2, DJ Cerisier 7, Zehier Cheeze 16, Jack Marvin 8, Colin O’Sullivan 6, Logan Fischer 6, Dan Simpson 3.
Abington 44, Wissahickon 41
Caleb Baker finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds, as Abington avenged a previous loss to the Trojans and moved closer to securing a District One Class 6A playoff berth with the close win over visiting Wissahickon.
“It was another tough one,” Abington coach Charles Grasty said. “Coach (Kyle) Wilson does a great job. It was triple overtime the last time, so it wasn’t going to be easy for either one of us.
“We knew whoever made the plays at the end would come out on top. I thought we had two pretty good stops, and that helped us at the end.
“They had the ball with 10 seconds, we took a foul, they missed the front end of a one-and-one, and we got the rebound and just ran the clock out.”
It was the fourth straight win for the Galloping Ghosts, and Baker is averaging 18.6 points per-game in his last five games.
As a team, the Ghosts found a way to win despite shooting 30 percent (13-for-43) from the field and just 2-for-12 from 3-point range. Manir Waller and Joey Brusha scored seven points each for Abington, while Oreck Frazier hit a two key free throws with 1:21 remaining in regulation to help secure the win.
“I think our defense has really stepped up,” Grasty said. “I think we’re doing a really good job. We held them to 41, we held PW to 41 the other night, and that’s not an easy task.
“Defensively, we’re getting a little more comfortable on our rotations, our slides, knowing where we should be. That’s helping us get some stops, being in the right spots.
“We thought Kyle Wilson-Bailey came in and sparked us, gave us some really good minutes off the bench defensively. He had a tip-in, and he played really well off the bench in the first half. He gave us a lot of energy. That’s the type of player he is, and once they see one of their buddies doing something, they like to follow suit. I thought that was good for us.”
Abington is now 11-9 over (9-3 SOL) and in the No. 14 spot in the District One power rankings with two games remaining, Tuesday at Hatboro-Horsham and then the regular-season finale at home against first-place Cheltenham.
Wissahickon (10-10, 8-4 SOL) is currently on the outside of the bubble at No. 26, with games remaining at Upper Dublin Tuesday and home against Upper Moreland Thursday.
Wissahickon 15 9 5 12-41
Abington 8 12 11 13-44
Wissahickon (41) – D’Shan Love 1 0-0 3; Harrison Williams 2 1-3 6; Jackson Intrieri 2 0-0 4; Stefan Lowry 1 0-0 2; Matt Compas 5 5-7 17; Carmen Ostroski 2 0-0 5; Will Kunzler 2 0-0 4; Totals 15 6-10 41.
Abington (44) – Robert Bell 2 2-3 6; Oreck Frazier 1 3-3 5; Manir Waller 2 3-5 7; Joey Brusha 2 1-2 7; Caleb Baker 5 7-12 17; Kyle Wilson-Bailey 1 0-0 2; Totals 13 16-26 44.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 69, Upper Dublin 57
With its postseason fate still very much up for grabs, Plymouth Whitemarsh shook off a slow start and got past Upper Dublin on Friday night.
“Tonight, to me. was a nice win,” said PW coach Jim Donofrio. “Not because we were at home and we got a win, but the way it was done. We were going to go straight man (to-man defense) the whole game. A minute-and-a-half in, I already had enough of the nonchalance. We just 
turned up the heat and kept it there the entire rest of the game.
“The precision and the focus were much better even though it became a high number of fouls for both teams. Tonight, for the first time, we were continuing up-tempo defense with 10 team fouls, and it was productive. I look for things that are habits, consistency.”
Luke DiCianno was the hot hand for the Colonials in this one, as he finished with 24 points, including a pair of 3-pointers and a 10-point third quarter that helped break the game wide open.
Taji Hubbard had 11 and Zuri Jerman 10 points for PW as well.
The Colonials, who took a 32-25 lead into halftime, outscored the Cardinals 21-9 in the third quarter and took a 53-34 lead into the final quarter when the Cardinals scored 23 of their points.
“We have to learn to not look at the scoreboard until the whole thing is over, but I am very proud of how hard they played tonight,” Donofrio said. “The sophomore Zende Hubbard was relentless defensively. Luke DiCianno is starting to figure out the game and how to not just settle for 3s. He is becoming a bull in a China shop, and that’s a lot of good. I’m not worried about Caelin Peters. He knows how to play, and he could have 25 at any moment. He distributed tonight.”
PW (9-11, 7-5 SOL) currently occupies the No. 24 and final position in the District One Class 6A power rankings and needs wins to secure its spot. It plays at Upper Moreland on Tuesday and hosts Hatboro-Horsham in its regular season finale on Thursday.
“I can’t remember the last time we’ve been in this situation, and I don’t even think about it,” Donofrio said. “All the assistant coaches are looking at the ranking stuff changing, and it’s just highly irrelevant. That doesn’t mean we aren’t saying to them, “You have no choice now.’ That’s what I’m saying, but our particular team has no idea how hard they can play, and they’re making me realize how young they are. I’m highly impatient, and I’ve been highly impatient with them the whole season, and ironically, I think that’s the only way to be.
“Maybe you get fortunate and you play your best game when it matters, but I’m not guaranteeing it. I tell them all the time – they just do not play hard enough for me every second. People might be watching us tonight and saying, ‘What are you expecting?’ Well, we don’t want to go home. That’s what I’m expecting, so figure it out.
“Defense can take you places. High level, high energy defense can really take you places. At some point in time, our (tough) schedule has to work in our favor. Some of the teams we’ve played – the kids have to remember what that pace was like and learn from it. I think the kids are starting to believe a little more, hopefully.”
Drew Stover scored 20 points to lead Upper Dublin.
“Zuri Jerman was just terrific on him tonight,” Donofrio said. “Stover had six points through three quarters.
“Of course, we don’t understand how to keep our foot on their throat. We go from a 19-point lead at the end to watching Upper Dublin have the ball in their hands down only 11. That’s the next phase. The phrase I used tonight at the end of the third when one of our guys made a layup and they all smiled was ‘Stop smiling.’ They don’t get it. Basketball games at any level are not over until they’re over.”
Also for UD, Bazel Brady added 10.
The Flying Cardinals (8-11, 3-9 SOL) are at No. 31 and need to win their final three games and hope for help. They host New Hope-Solebury Saturday (6 p.m.) in a nonleague game.
Upper Dublin 14 11 9 23-57
Plymouth Whitemarsh 13 19 21 14-69
Upper Dublin (57) – Jason Williams 1 3-6 5; Bazel Brady 4 1-1 10; Drew Stover 9 2-4 20; Will Mead 2 3-4 7; Amare Johnson 2 0-0 6; Aidan Pullian 1 0-0 2; Lebron Snead 0 2-2 2; Dorsey 0 5-6 5. Totals 19 16-24 57.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (69) – Caelin Peters 1 3-4 5; Luke DiCianno 8 5-7 24; Zuri Jerman 4 2-4 10; Taji Hubbard 4 3-4 11; Jaden Pryce 2 0-2 4; Ray Tomasetti 3 0-0 7; David Harris 2 2-2 6; Jayden Glover 1 0-0 2. Totals 24 15-23 69
SOL Continental
Pennridge 48, Souderton 40
It wasn’t pretty, but Pennridge snapped a two-game league losing streak and clinched at least a share of the SOL Continetnal Conference title with its win over Souderton at home on Friday night.
After a low scoring first quarter, the Rams jumped up 21-4 at halftime, playing great defense against a Souderton team that entered with four wins in its previous five games.
“It was 2-2 with two minutes left in the first quarter and 7-4 after the first quarter,” said Rams coach Dean Behrens. “It’s like we hit a three-run homer at the end of the first quarter to go up three.
“Colin Post hit a 3, Luke Yoder hit a 3. That was it. We were missing them all over the court, and so were they. They had a zero spot in the second quarter. It wasn’t a pretty game all around.”
Souderton junior standout Jason Price finally came alive in the third quarter, and the Indians outscored Pennridge 19-6 to get back into the game, at one point getting it as close as 29-25.
“Colin Post did a real nice job on Price in the first half,” Behrens said. “He played well in the second half too, but Price took over in the third. He hit some amazing shots with Colin in his face.”
Post finished with a team-high 12 points, while Trent Fisher added 11.
The Rams (14-5, 8-2 SOL) now have a two-game lead over second place CB West with two games remaining, meaning they can clinch back-to-back outright titles with a win either of their final two games. Just snapping that two-game skid was important on Friday.
“We really have had trouble putting the ball in the basket,” Behrens said. “We couldn’t score. We’re not playing great basketball right now. We’re playing well defensively. You can’t knock the kids from that, but I think they’ve lost confidence shooting the ball. I’m not sure what happened. Maybe I have to do a better job getting the kids confident again.”
The Rams, currently ranked in the No. 8 position in the District One power points, play at CB East on Tuesday.
Souderton (12-8, 6-5), No. 13 in District One, plays a nonleague game Saturday (2 p.m.) against Lower Merion.
Souderton 4 0 19 17-40
Pennridge 7 14 6 21-48
Souderton (40)- Jason Price 7 1-2 18; Brian Reiner 2 0-0 5; Jack Towsen 2 3-4 9; Matt Uhrich 2 2-4 6; Dylan Hollick 0 2-2 2. Totals 15 8-12 40.
Pennridge (48): Christian Guldin 3 2-4 8; Trent Fisher 4 3-3 11; Luke Yoder 3 0-0 7; Anthony Phillips 0 0-2 0; Colin Post 5 1-2 12; Ryan Benscoter 2 2-2 6; Colin Monahan 2 0-0 4. Totals 19 8-13 48.
North Penn 48, Central Bucks West 43
Size and strength inside was a big factor in this one, as North Penn kept its postseason hopes alive and avenged a previous loss with a huge win over CB West on Friday.
Matt Swanson, Josh Jones and Rob Carangi combined for 39 points for the Knights.
“We defended really well,” said NP coach John Conrad. “I thought Matt Swanson played really well inside. We were able to continue to get the ball into the post against them.”
Jones led the Knights with 16 points, while Carangi had 13 and Swanson ended up with 10.
“I think it’s taken us a long time, but we’ve been able to establish our identity,” Conrad said. “We have good size up front, and the kids our buying our inside-outside game.”
Defensively, Conrad credited senior Mike Chaffee for his job on CB West standout Mika Munari.
At 8-12 (4-6 SOL), North Penn is currently on the outside of the District One playoff bubble at No. 25 with two games remaining – home against CB South on Tuesday and at Pennridge on Thursday.
“We talked about it after we lost to Downingtown East on Saturday,” Conrad said. “We’re pretty much in the playoffs now, but if we want to, we need to keep winning. That’s been our approach and if we do that we will see what happens.”
CB West (13-7, 6-4), which was led by Munari and Owen Haney with 12 points each, is at No. 10 in the power rankings. The Bucks host Quakertown on Tuesday.
CB West 7 11 8 17-43
North Penn 15 11 7 15-48
CB West (43) – Mika Munari 6 0-1 12; Owen Haney 4 2-2 12; Teddy Spratt 2 3-4 7; Jack Neri 2 0-0 4; Danny Miller 2 0-2 4; Jack Slaymaker 0 1-2 1; Joe Monahan 0 1-2 1. Totals 15 9-13 43.
North Penn (48) – Josh Jones 6 2-5 16; Joe Larkins 1 1-2 4; Mike Chaffee 1 2-4 5; Rob Carangi 6 1-2 13; Matt Swanson 5 0-1 10. Totals 19 6-15 48.
Central Bucks East 58, Quakertown 37
Jason Markowitz hit four 3-pointers as CB East jumped up early on the road Friday and then cruised in the second half to the win at Quakertown.
“I thought we played great team defense tonight,” said East coach Erik Henrysen. “We were able to create some turnovers and did a good job pushing the tempo.”
Markowitz led a balanced attack with 13 points for the Patriots, while Jack Hamilton added 11 points – all in a 17-point second quarter – and Chris Charlton had 10.
“It was a night that we didn’t rely on making shots,” Henrysen said. “It’s encouraging but we know we have a major test coming up Tuesday in our last regular-season game against Pennridge.”
CB East (13-8, 7-4 SOL) currently sits in the No. 11 spot in the District One Class 6A power rankings.
Quakertown (2-17, 0-10 SOL) was led by Matt Catalano with 12 points on four 3-pointers and Matt Tuley with eight points. The Panthers have two games remaining on their season, both on the road, against CB West Tuesday and Souderton on Thursday.
CB East 15 17 20 6-58
Quakertown 7 10 10 13-37
CB East (58) – Joe Jackman 2 0-0 4, Jason Markowitz 4 1-2 13, Jack Hamilton 5 0-0 11, Chris Charlton 5 0-0 10, Anthony Giordano 0 2-2 2, Tyler Young 2 0-0 4, Shane Kennedy 1 2-2 5, Jacob Rotondo 3 0-0 6, Christian Rivera 1 0-2 2, Brendan Harte 0 1-2 1; Totals 22 8-12 58.
Quakertown (37) – Kayden Roley 1 1-3 3, Matt Catalano 4 0-0 12, Jack Gordon 1 2-3 5, Jake Hallowell 1 0-0 2, Matt Tuley 3 2-3 8, Luke Bauer 2 1-2 5; Totals 13 6-13 37.
SOL National
Council Rock South 55, Pennsbury 48
Up one at halftime, Council Rock South played great defense in the third quarter and then was able to finish the game off on the foul line in the fourth quarter to score its second win over Pennsbury this season.
“It was a really good win,” said Golden Hawks coach Chris Clark. “Beating Pennsbury is always tough. They’re a tough, physical team and you have to match that. 
Tonight was Senior Night, and we had contributions from all eight of our seniors. They all played. It was a great team effort by them.”
In the third quarter, it came down to defense, namely against Falcons’ standout Shane Simmons.
“I think the third quarter, our defense was really strong,” Clark said. “We guarded Simmons really well. Overall, our defense was really good and we rebounded well.”
Offensively, CR South was led by Jack Rebholz’s 18 points, which included 10-for-14 from the free throw line, while Luke Meakim had 14 points and made two big free throws in the fourth quarter as well. Michael Stewart added 10 points.
The win pushes the Golden Hawks to 13-7 overall and 6-4 in the SOL National standings. They are currently No. 19 in the District One Class 6A power rankings with two games remaining – at William Tennent Tuesday and home against CR North on Thursday. Twenty-four team qualify for districts.
“We talked before this game and I told them the playoffs start tonight,” Clark said. “We need to win, and then Tuesday is a playoff game and Thursday’s a playoff game. We’re in the playoffs right now, and if we win we’ll be OK. That’s what we have to bring to the gym every day in practice.”
Pennsbury was led by Collin Connor, who had 17 points, while Simmons had 11 and Kyrie Miller finished with 10 points.
The Falcons (8-11, 5-5 SOL) are currently on the outside of the District One bubble looking in at No. 27. They need to win their last three games to have a chance, starting with a nonleague game at home Saturday (1 p.m.) against Frankford.
Pennsbury 12 15 9 12-48
CR South 15 13 15 12-55
Pennsbury (48) – Amir Johnson 1 2-2 4; Kyrie Miller 4 2-2 10; Evan Reichard 1 1-2 3; Shane Simmons 3 3-4 11; Collin Connor 8 0-0 17; Cooper Arnold 1 0-0 3. Totals 18 8-10 48.
CR South (55) – Jack Rebholz 4 10-14 18; Michael Stewart 4 1-2 10; Kevin McNamee 1 0-0 2; Luke Meakim 5 2-2 14; Luca Baratta 3 2-2 9; Joe Purcell 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 15-20 55.
Neshaminy 49, William Tennent 48
Matt Drapkin scored a layup with one second remaining, and Neshaminy continued its late-season push toward a possible District One playoff berth with a one-point win over Tennent on Friday.
“It was a great team win,” said Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle. “We had the lead the entire game. We were up as much as 34-19 at one point. Credit to Tennent to not give up and charge back. We got cold in the fourth quarter and had some costly turnovers, but were able to close it out at the end when it counted.
Junior Matt Murray had 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead the team.
“He had a monster game for us,” Tingle said. “It was great to see him have a break-out game.”
Neshaminy (9-9, 6-5 SOL) currently sits in the No. 28 position in the District One power rankings with four games remaining, starting with Saturday (11 a.m.) at home against Central Bucks South.
“It’s our fourth win in a row and we are just trying to take it one game at a time with the hopes of getting in the playoffs,” Tingle said.
Tennent was led by Derrik Consenza, who finished with 16 points, including eight in the fourth quarter. The Panthers (11-9, 5-5 SOL), who lost three straight this week, are currently No. 20 in the power rankings and have remaining games against Council Rock South Tuesday and Harry S. Truman on Friday.
William Tennent 4 13 12 19-48
Neshaminy 12 13 15 9-49
Tennent (48) – Daulton Zeaman 2 2-2 7; Josiah Johnson 4 0-4 6; Sean Haus 3 0-0 8; Michael Scheller 1 0-0 3; Derrik Cosenza 6 4-5 16; Sean Lockett 4 0-0 8. Totals 19 6-11 48.
Neshaminy (49) – Jimmy MacDonald 2 3-6 7; Matt Drapkin 1 0-0 2; Damon McGovern 0 0-1 0; Matt Murray 9 8-9 26; Shane Curley 2 0-0 6; Kyle Saglimben 4 0-0 8. Totals 18 11-16 49.
About the Author
