Check out all of Friday’s SOL boys basketball results. To view photos of the CR North/Pennsbury and William Tennent/Neshaminy games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
American Conference
Plymouth Whitemarsh 79, Upper Merion 35
The Colonials staked out an early 18-7 lead in their decisive win that ended a four-game winning streak for the Vikings. Senior guard Anthony McKie helped the Colonials up that lead to 36-14 by burying four three-pointers in the second quarter on his way to a game-high 33 points for the night. The Vikings kept the third quarter close but still were outscored 16-11. In the final frame, the Colonials outscored the Vikings 27-10 to close out the game. The Colonials shot 14-for-23 from the three-point range, and McKie contributed eight of those three’s. Andre Mitchell also had a standout performance, scoring a career-high 19 points. The Vikings’ offense was led by David Stecz who scored 10 and Justin Lewis who added seven. The Colonials even out their SOL mark at 2-2 (4-5 overall) while the Vikings fall to 1-3 in the league (5-5 overall).
Upper Moreland 53, Upper Dublin 49
The Golden Bears jumped out to 21-14 lead in the opening frame but saw that lead erased as the Cardinals outscored them 17-3 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 31-24 lead.
“We had a bad second quarter,” said coach Brian Corrado. “We went very dry.”
The Bears continued to struggle to regain their rhythm but managed to edge the Cardinals 10-9 in the third quarter to make it a 40-34 game.
“Upper Dublin got the best of us for two quarters, but we did a better job in the second half,” said Corrado. “We had to make some defensive adjustments, but they got us with their 1-3-1.”
Trailing by six heading into the final quarter, the heat was on as the Flying Cards, who were fighting to pick up their first league win.
“The turning point was when it was 45-44 early in the fourth,” said Corrado.
The Golden Bears’ lead was the result of a Tommy Robinson three-pointer coupled with a Matt Kohn layup.
“In the fourth quarter we came together,” Corrado said.
The Bears found their stride in the fourth quarter and made foul shots when they needed to, toppling the Cards with a team effort.
“It was a gutsy win by our kids,” said Corrado, who applauded the efforts of Kevin McFall under the boards and Chris Corr, who provided hustle off the bench.
Kohn scored the game-high 21 points. The Bears also received contributions from James Martin (8 points), Robinson (7 points), Damian LaRosa (6 points) and McFall (6 points). The Cardinals were led by Simeon Fryer, who contributed 13 points, while Kevin Woods added 11.
Upper Dublin is still winless in the league at 0-4 (2-6 overall) while the Bears upped their league record to 2-2 (5-4 overall).
“We know that in our league, on any given night anyone can beat anyone,” said Corrado.
Cheltenham 57, Wissahickon 45
The Trojans opened up a 13-10 lead in the first quarter, but the Panthers erased that lead as they outscored the Trojans 16-10 in the second quarter and never looked back.
“Going into the second, we tied it up early and then took the lead,” said Panthers’ coach Brian Johnson. “But once we took the lead, we maintained it for the duration of the game.”
The Panthers outscored the Trojans 13-6 in the third quarter, upping their lead to as much as 18 points, but the Trojans never stopped fighting.
“They are a good shooting team,” said Johnson. “They would hit a three, then we would knock down some free throws. They closed it to nine at one point in the fourth.”
In the final frame, the Panthers edged the Trojans 18-16, but by that time had established enough of a lead to hold on for the victory.
Three-year varsity member Aaron McGlawn was instrumental in maintaining that lead, scoring eight points in the fourth quarter on his way to 25 for the day and setting the tone for teammates.
“Wissahickon is a good team, they’re the defending league champs,” said Johnson. “They have returning starters who know what it takes to play a big game.”
Johnson’s squad is a little greener but learned some valuable lessons in closing out Friday’s win.
“We kind of have to feel each other out get used to how the games going be played and officiated,” said Johnson.
Cheltenham’s Rashawn Reed and Aaron Burton also cracked double figures with 10 points each. Chris Villa (18 points) and Chase Wilson (15 points) led the Trojans, who are now 3-1 in the league.
The Panthers remain perfect in the SOL at 4-0 and hope Friday’s key victory is the sign of an excellent season in the making.
“Winning the league is a goal of ours going into the season,” said Johnson. “We knew if we took it one game at a time, we might get in position to fight for league championship.”
Norristown 70, Springfield (Montco) 46
The Eagles took a 32-26 lead into halftime and then seized control of Friday’s game with a 22-8 third quarter burst. Luke Kelley led a balanced Norristown attack with 13 points while Jahbri Hargrove, Curt Lever and Josh Johnson each added eight points.
For the Spartans, Matt Krewson led the way with 14 points while Chris Stone added 12. While the Spartans fell to 0-4 in the league (4-6 overall), the Eagles improved to 4-0 in league play (8-2 overall).
Continental Conference
Quakertown 37, North Penn 32 (OT)
The Panthers proved to the Continental Conference on Friday night that they are not to be taken lightly.
Both the Panthers and the Knights struggled to find the basket in the first half, and the Knights went into the intermission with a 14-11 lead. Although trailing, the Panthers saw the narrow three-point deficit as an opportunity after being blown out in their last two games at the Parkland Holiday Tournament, but things didn’t look promising when the Knights increased their lead to 27-20 entering the pivotal fourth quarter.
“We were down eight with four minutes left (28-20) when we made a run for it,” said Quakertown coach Kevin Keeler. “Brett Wolfe - who scored 13 points, all in the second half - got hot, and Mark Repsher hit a three.”
Suddenly, the Knights lead was erased as regulation ended with the teams deadlocked 30-30. The Panthers, perhaps inspired to provide their coach with an impressive milestone, controlled the overtime period for the dramatic win to take Keeler to the 300-win mark.
“It was nice to get that tonight against a good team,” said Keeler. “I was proud of the kids and the way they won. It was fantastic.”
“It was very dramatic - as good as it gets. A win like this is a shot in the arm for everyone.”
Keeler is in his 30th season with Quakertown and has seen his share of highs and lows, but admits the last few years have been a struggle, which is why Friday’s win sends an important message to the other teams in the conference. Keeler doesn’t get much time to revel in his accomplishment as the Panthers prepare to face Upper Perk tomorrow and attempt to win two in a row for the first time in three years. The Panthers improved to 1-3 SOL, 3-4 overall while the Knights saw their record drop to 1-3 in the league (3-4 overall).
Hatboro-Horsham 49, Central Bucks South 42
The Hatters outscored the Titans 12-9 in the first quarter and took a 23-18 lead into halftime. Ryan Kelly led the Hatters’ attack in the first quarter, according to coach Dennis Steinly.
In the third quarter, Kelly (16 points) and Zach Quattro (13 points) both connected on a pair of three’s as the Hatters outscored the Titans 13-6 to go on top 36-24. The Titans rallied in the final frame but couldn’t dig themselves out of the hole they had dug in the first three quarters.
Coach Steinly also recognized the effort of forward Mike Brown (11 points), who he described as being “solid throughout.”
“The kids feel really good about the way we started,” Steinly said of his team’s 4-0 league record (8-2 overall). “We know we have a lot of games to go, and we have to continue improving and playing well.”
The Titans’ top-scorers were Matt Scamuffo (14 points) and Ricky Dennis (12 points). The Hatters handed the Titans their first league loss, dropping their record to 3-1 (6-4 overall).
To read Todd Thorpe’s complete game story, please click on the following PhillyBurbs.com link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/high_school/intel/hatters-win-first-place-showdown/article_9e50568c-fd61-5e86-93c3-a7bc8c87ff01.html
Central Bucks West 66, Pennridge 42
The Bucks pulled ahead of the Rams in conference standings after a back-and-forth battle on Friday night. The Rams led 14-11 after one quarter, but the Bucks rallied in the second to take a 24-23 lead at intermission. The Bucks started to click in the third quarter and increased their lead to 45-37 heading into the fourth quarter. A 21-7 fourth quarter scoring explosion by West sealed the Rams’ fate. The Bucks’ win was sparked by a barrage of three-pointers from Jared Kelly, who had five three’s, and Cal Reichwein with four three’s. Kelly led all scorers with 17, followed by Reichwein with 16. Kevin Dunn and Pat Kelley each added six points. Pennridge’s Alex Krivda and Jeff Garner led the Rams with 10 points each followed by Pat McClatchy, who chipped in six. West evened its league record at 2-2 (4-5 overall), while the Rams fall to 1-3 SOL (5-5 overall).
Souderton 47, Central Bucks East 34
The Indians seized early control of Friday night’s game, ending the first quarter with a 15-7 lead. A low scoring second quarter allowed the Patriots to narrow the gap, and the Big Red went into the half with a 17-13 lead. The Indians got back on track in the second half and outscored the Patriots 14-9 in the third quarter to increase their advantage to nine (31-22). The Indians added to that lead in the final quarter to seal the deal.
Austin Murphy led the Indians’ attack with a game-high 13 points, followed by Brendan Wagner who also cracked double figures with 11 points. John Kanas and Steve Shaffer added nine points each. East’s Matt Stauffer finished the day with nine points, followed by Kyle Clow with seven. The Indians up their record to 3-1 in the league (5-4 overall), while the Patriots fall 1-3 SOL (4-5 overall).
National Conference
William Tennent 59, Neshaminy 30
The Panthers were without senior center Connor Spornak (illness) on Friday night, but sophomore Horace Spencer certainly picked up the slack, establishing himself as a presence in the paint from the outset. By the end of the one quarter, Spencer had 11 points, and the Panthers led 15-2. He finished the night with a career high 26 points to go along with 14 rebounds and six blocked shots.
“We kind of knew they would have a tough time matching up with Horace, and we really tried to stress to our guys to feed it inside,” coach Robert Mulville said. “They did a nice job.
“The last three or four games, Horace has been working really hard trying to post up a little bit better, and I think our guys are making more of a concentrated effort to really try to look for him inside.”
Vinnie Case added 11 points and Matt Alden had 10 for the Panthers, who took a 31-14 lead into halftime and upped their advantage to 49-19 after an 18-5 third quarter burst.
“We had a tough schedule over Christmas break, but we did that for a purpose,” Mulville said of his team’s non-league battles against TC Williams (Va.) and Constitution. “We thought if we played some of the better teams – we were hoping to get a couple of wins, but when we didn’t, we said, ‘Let’s just say it got us better.’”
Conner McGarry led the Redskins, who fell to 0-4 in league play (0-8 overall). The Panthers are 1-3 in the league (3-6 overall).
Abington 75, Harry S Truman 65
Anthony Durham paced a torrid Ghost attack with 24 points to go along with 10 assists, six rebounds and five steals. Jordan Simmons added 14 points, Jiere Morrisey contributed 12, and Matt Penecale and Anthony Lee both scored seven points.
The Ghosts led 18-7 at the end of one quarter and took a 38-29 lead into the intermission. At the end of three quarters, the Ghosts had a 55-50 advantage and went on to outscore the Tigers 20-15 in the final frame.
“Truman does a good job,” coach Charles Grasty said. “They play their style – they’re up and down, and they make you play that way.”
Three Truman players finished the game in double figures – Merdic Green (21 points), Lucas Waters (18) and Marcus Palmer (12).
The Ghosts upped their record to 5-0 in league play (9-2 overall) while the Tigers fell to 2-3 in the league (6-6 overall).
Council Rock North 58, Pennsbury 49
Friday’s game between the neighboring rivals was an SOL Featured Game, sponsored by the CR North Booster Club. A complete game story is posted on the site.
Bensalem 55, Council Rock South 40
The Owls sprinted to a 19-9 lead at the end of one quarter and continued to dominate in the second quarter, increasing their commanding lead to 39-21 at halftime. The Golden Hawks managed to outscore the Owls in the second half 19-16, but it was too little too late. The Owls were led by Leo Vincent (22 points) and Stephon Johnson (14 points). Rock South’s Christian Crane led all scorers with 23 points, while Tom Townsend added eight for the Hawks. The Owls are now 4-0 in the league, 6-2 overall while the Hawks (0-3 SOL, 2-6 overall) are still searching for their first league win.
Upper Merion 69, Academy Park 40 (Thursday, Jan. 3)
The Vikings upped their winning streak to four after drubbing the Knights on Thursday. Justin Lewis led the Vikings with a team-high 19 points, 10 of which were scored in the tone-setting first quarter. Upper Merion blew the game wide open with an 18-0 scoring run in the third quarter to put it out of reach for the Knights. Connor McGrath also nabbed double digits in the victory, scoring 12 for the Vikings who are now 5-4 on the season (1-2 SOL).
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