Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Monday.
SOL Colonial Division
Souderton 60, Central Bucks South 57
Jay Bonnet had hit a 3-pointer in this back-and-forth battle to put his team up just one minute earlier. He had another chance with time running out late, and did it again, from the corner, breaking a tie and giving Souderton the three-point win to pull within game of first place Central Bucks South in the Colonial Division standings.
“He hit the game-winning 3 pointer with 3 seconds left,” Souderton coach Okoteh Sackitey said about Bonnet. “He hit another big ‘3’ in the last two minutes. He just hit two massive shots down the stretch.”
The win avenges a previous loss to CB South, and it also gives the Indians a shot at one of the goals they set back during the summer.
“The team is confident, and we’ve strung together a couple of big wins,” Sackitey said. “All the experience we’ve gained is making us that much more confident. But we also have to stay focused and hungry. This is a nice one, but we’re already thinking about CB East (Tuesday). We need to take care of business.
“We know what’s at stake. We know we’re in a position to do something special with our season. We’ve had this belief to do something special since we met, since this summer.”
Aleks Smith added 16 points, while Shaun Purvy added 11 and Paul Vince 10.
“We got a big performance from Aleks,” Sackitey said. “We know about (CB South standout) Michael Farley, we know about CB South. They got us the first time. We knew we needed a big performance from our guys.
“They stayed poised, and they delivered. That’s a recurring theme for us – staying poised down the stretch.”
South was led by Tyler Meinel’s 14 points, while Farley and Chris Granito had 10 points each.
Both teams are back at it Tuesday, on the road with important division matchups. Souderton (12-5, 7-5 SOL) plays at CB East, while South (11-6, 8-4 SOL) plays at CB West.
CB South (57)
Jesse Rotunno 1 0-0 2; Jay Macalindong 1 3-4 5; Joe Rooney 3 0-0 9; Chris Granito 3 3-3 10; Bryan Delara 1 1-2 3; Tyler Meinel 7 0-0 14; Farley 2 6-8 10; Sean Rieber 2 0-0 4. Totals 20 13-17 57.
Souderton (60)
Jay Bonnet 6 2-2 19; Shaun Purvy 4 2-6 11; Chris Towsen 1 1-2 4; Aleks Smith 5 6-9 16; Paul Vince 4 0-0 10. Totals 20 11-19 60.
CB South 15 12 16 14 – 57
Souderton 11 15 17 17 – 60
3-point goals: CBS-Rooney 3, Granito 1; S-Bonnet 5, Vince 2, Purvy 1, Towson 1
North Penn 60, Central Bucks West 57
Senior Milind Pulugura caught fire in the third quarter, outscoring the Bucks 27-9 and helping North Penn erase what had been a 13-point deficit, as the Knights rallied for the close win over CB West.
“We were losing most of the game,” said Knights coach John Conrad. “We were down 13 at the half, and they started the third quarter with an and-one, so we were down 16. But we ended up going on a pretty good run and we’re ahead going into the fourth (44-39).
“It was back-and-forth most of the fourth. We were up one, got a defensive stop, Milind hit two free throws to put us up three, and we got a defensive rebound at the end of the game to put it away.”
Pulugura finished with 23 points, including five 3-pointers, 21 of which came in the second half.
“He hit (five) ‘3s’ in the third quarter,” Conrad said. “He definitely had the hot hand. I thought we were unselfish in third quarter. They found the open guy, and we were fortunate enough it was Mil.
“Mil and Joey (Larkins) have been with me since ninth grade. They’re used to the routine.
“We talked about it at halftime. (CB West) wasn’t doing anything we weren’t prepared for. Many of the mistakes were self-inflicted. We shot poorly. I thought we’d shoot better in the second half, and we did.”
Ryan Deininger had 13 points, while Conrad credited Larkins and Ryan Zeltt defensively.
North Penn (10-8, 7-5 SOL) is one game back of first-place CB South. It hosts Pennridge on Tuesday.
John Lee scored 23 for CB West, while Bowen Gugger added 13. The Bucks (3-14, 2-10 SOL) hosts CB South on Tuesday.
CB West (57)
Matt Engle 2 0-0 4; Kyle Kubit 2 1-1 6; Donte Mancini 2 0-0 4; Colin McKenna 1 0-0 2; Bowen Gugger 5 2-4 13; John Lee 9 0-1 23; Mike Fountain 2 0-0 5. Totals 23 3-5 57.
North Penn (60)
Mario Sgro 2 1-3 5; Terhan Wright 2 3-4 7; Ryan Zeltt 2 0-0 5; Joey Larkins 3 1-2 7; Ryan Deininger 3 6-7 13; Milind Pulugura 6 6-6 23. Totals 18 17-22 60.
CB West 16 14 9 18 – 57
North Penn 10 7 27 16 – 60
3-point goals: CBW-Lee 5, Kubit 1, Gugger 1, Fountain 1; NP-Pulugura 5, Zeltt 1, Deininger 1
SOL Patriot Division
Council Rock North 53, Harry S Truman 50
Playing for its postseason life, Council Rock North started a big week with a close win, edging a game Truman team.
“This game was really back and forth,” said Indians coach Jesse Krasna. “Our kids stayed calm down the stretch when Truman went on some big runs, and I am proud of how we stayed together. We moved the ball well and got good open looks because of it.”
This one wasn’t easy. Despite their record, Truman (4-11, 2-9 SOL) isn’t going to be an easy out for opponents with their eye on the Patriot Division title and playoff berths.
“Truman played a great game and coach (Tyrone) Lewis has his team playing their best basketball of the season,” Krasna said. “They have two stars in Ethan Flail and Makai Jackson. Those two are really hard to guard because they make open shots, can score at the rim and they see the floor really well.
“Gavin Burns and Franz Fabian stepped up to hit key shots throughout the game. Michael Burns is a really good player who is coming on strong down the stretch here. He made several eye-popping passes and gave us problems on the backboard. He’s a really tough kid.”
Bernie Parent led CR North and he had a lot of help too.
“Bernie had another big game for us offensively and he did it without forcing anything, which is really impressive,” Krasna said. “Adam Mahtat went strong to the hole throughout the game and played with a chip on his shoulder.
“Adam, Jack Blum and Logan Saifer were tremendous on the glass for us. Their hustle earned us 14 extra possessions and in a three-point game each offensive rebound they came up with was huge for us.
“Our younger players were key in helping us prepare to execute versus Truman’s zone defenses. Guys like Grady Burt, Julian Matera, Oliver Schaefer, Tyler Rodowicz, Cole McCarthy, Matt Henricksen, Luke Blum and Micah Oxley are improving every day. They aren’t getting a ton of varsity playing time yet but they have a bright future and have been key to us being ready on game days.”
CR North (11-5, 7-4 SOL) plays at rival CR South on Tuesday night.
Truman hosts Bensalem.
SOL Freedom/Liberty
Cheltenham 55, Upper Dublin 43
In a difficult stretch of its schedule – four games in five days – Cheltenham keeps finding ways to win and did so against Upper Dublin Monday in a matchup of first-place teams.
Justin Savage scored 11 of his game-high 19 points in the second half for the Panthers, including going 7-for-8 from the free throw line.
“Justin Savage tonight was our leading scorer, and he came to me at the beginning of the season, and even though he’s clearly a starter, he said for the team he would come off the bench,” said Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury. “He’s just playing amazing basketball. He’s leading the team in so many areas, but his selflessness to literally assess the team and say, ‘You know what, I’ll take a step back for the first couple of minutes.’ He does it because it makes others happy. He’s one of the most mature kids I’ve ever seen. Tonight it was just symbolic.
“Joey Weimer, who takes all AP classes and leads the Hackathon at our school, came in, and he didn’t score for us, but he got three big rebounds for us in the midst of (Upper Dublin’s) run. “And Johnathan Fervier, who is a multi-sport athlete, is just an amazing leader for our team. Tonight, he came in, and when he came in, the energy of the team just changed. Jalen Lucas is just steady when he plays. He gives us positive minutes, and the nights that he doesn’t he continues to be that force for us and that presence. Nasir Edens has come on for us the last three or four games. He’s a defensive wizard, who is now believing in his ability to score and make plays. He’s just making us a different team. At times when we struggle, we have different seniors taking the lead, showing the way to the younger guys, and we’re just grateful for it..
Cheltenham led by eight at halftime, and a 20-12 third quarter enabled it to push the lead to double figures. Rasheem Deary added 15 points.
“In the heat of emotion tonight, the kids stuck together, and it was one of the better games because you got to see the impact of not just the numbers, but who they are as people,” Fleury said. “Our assistant coaches tonight as usual were spot on. They were amazing tonight because they were able to talk to the guys and make adjustments that needed to be made in the midst of the game.
“Tonight was just more about that cohesiveness. That’s what it was about.”
The Panthers (16-0, 11-0 SOL) hosts Upper Moreland on Tuesday night.
Upper Dublin was led by Colin O’Sullivan’s 18 points, which included four 3-pointers. Now tied for first with Plymouth Whitemarsh, the Flying Cardinals (13-5, 9-3 SOL) host Quakertown on Tuesday.
Cheltenham (55)
Rasheem Deary 4 7-7 15; Josiah Hutson 2 0-2 6; Elias Walker 1 0-2 2; Nasir Edens 2 2-6 6; Brandon Bush 3 0-0 7; Justin Savage 6 7-9 19; Jon Fevrier 0 2-2 2. Totals 18 16-26 55.
Upper Dublin (43)
D.J. Cerisier 3 1-2 7; Noah Lee 0 2-2 2; Chris Kohlbrenner 1 0-0 2; Colin O’Sullivan 5 4-5 18; Griffin Pensabene 0 2-2 2; Elliot Johnson 1 2-2 4; Seaton Kukla 2 4-7 9. Totals 12 15-20 43.
Cheltenham 13 15 20 9 – 55
Upper Dublin 7 13 12 11 – 43
3-point goals: C-Hutson 2, Bush 1; UD-O’Sullivan 4
Nonleague
Norristown 59, Bensalem 40
Again, without top big man Allen Myers, Bensalem struggled on Monday, as it scored just three points in the second quarter and nine in the third, allowing visiting Norristown to pull away for a 19-point nonleague road win.
“It was a really tough game,” said Bensalem coach Ron Morris. “Norristown sat in a zone, and we weren’t hitting shots. Defensively, they killed us on the offensive glass. Down Allen and Jake (DeLange) really hurt us on the boards tonight. Their two big guys really did well.
“The good news is we get right back at it (Tuesday). We have a chance to play again. Through adversity builds true character, so we’ll see how we bounce back.”
Jeremy Rodriguez scored 17 points to lead the Owls.
Bensalem (13-3, 10-2 SOL) still has a two-game lead in the Patriot Division and will play at Harry S. Truman on Tuesday.
Norristown (59)
Zaki Gomez 3 4-6 11; Moore 1 0-0 2; D.J. Johnson 2 3-5 7; Righteous Mitchell 2 5-8 9; Myon Kirlew 2 0-0 4; Stinson 1 0-0 2; John DiNolfi 11 2-2 24. Totals 22 14-21 59
Bensalem (40)
Jeremy Rodriguez 6 3-3 17; Tra Edwards 1 0-0 2; Eric Gonzalez 2 0-0 6; Aaron Sanders 2 3-3 7; Antonio Morris 0 1-2 1; Jack Wineburg 2 0-0 5; Noah Morris 0 0-1 0; Idris Savadogo 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 7-9 40.
Norristown 14 12 15 18 – 59
Bensalem 16 3 9 12 – 40
3-point goals: N-Gomez; B-Jeremy Rodriguez 2, Eric Gonzalez, Jack Wineburg.
CR South 61, Morrisville 46
After its biggest win of the season on Thursday, a long three-day weekend maybe wasn’t what the Golden Hawks were looking for, but they didn’t show any rust Monday, taking out visiting Morrisville by 15 in a nonleague game.
“It was good to get back in action after a long weekend,” said CR South coach Andrew Rogers.
“We were down two to start the (second) quarter but led by 10 at half. It really went back-and-forth and then we opened it up a little bit. Morrisville played really hard. They’re well-coached and they played hard throughout. It was good to get ahead and keep that lead.”
Gavin Holloran scored 17 of his game-high 23 points for the Hawks in the second half, while Chase Littig came off the bench and scored 12 points.
The win improves CR South to 9-9 and heading into Tuesday, it is No. 30 in the District One Class 6A power rankings. Only the top 24 make the upcoming district playoffs, but the Hawks can help themselves this week with critical games in the division against CR North and Pennsbury.
“We’ve been preaching the last few weeks, that we feel like we’re in position,” Rogers said. “Even in the tough ones we lost, the effort has been there. We’ve played well. It’s just staying the course. I give our kids credit for the resiliency they’ve shown We’ve stayed true to ourselves, and the rest will take care of itself.”
Morrisville (46)
Fogg 7 2-4 16; Wedgest 2 1-2 6; Smith-Campbell 1 0-0 2; Ruiz 1 0-0 3; Huchalk 8 0-0 19. Totals 19 3-6 46.
Council Rock South (61)
Gavin Holloran 8 5-6 23; Anthony Burns 2 1-3 6; Shane Dawson 4 0-1 9; Zach Schwartz 3 0-0 6; Matt Robinson 2 0-0 5; Chase Littig 5 0-0 12. Totals 24 6-10 61.
Morrisville 16 10 11 9 – 46
CR South 14 18 14 11 – 61
3-point goals: M-Huckalk 3, Wedgest 1, Ruiz 1;; CRS-Holloran 2, Littig 2, Burns 1, Dawson 1, Robinson 1
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