By Jarrad Saffren
Check out the results for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. Check back for photos of the CR North/CR South game. Neshaminy/Pennsbury photo courtesy of Jesse Garber. To view photos of the Neshaminy/Pennsbury game, please click on the following link: http://JSGarber.zenfolio.com/p241420927
Everyone knows what happened at the Pennsbury-Neshaminy game Tuesday night. Every sports fan in the country, it seems. We will get to that, and get to it first. But there were also 11 other games across the three Suburban One League conferences. The results and recaps are below.
SOL National
Pennsbury 49, Neshaminy 42
Game first, incident second. 
Pennsbury won for the fifth time in six games and stayed undefeated in league play. The Falcons trailed one-win Neshaminy by two after three quarters but took control in the fourth.
Addison Howard and Mark Flagg scored 15 and 13 points for Pennsbury, respectively. Joey Monaghan added eight and Rob Daly had seven.
Zach Tredway led Neshaminy with 15 and Chris Arcidiacono scored 10.
With less than 30 seconds left in the game, Neshaminy trailed by five. Arcidiacono drove to the basket, made a layup, but was called for a charge. Neshaminy coach Jerry Devine appeared to be upset with the official who made the call and was assessed a technical by the trailing official.
A five-second video posted on CityofBasketballLove.com and seen round the cyber world shows Devine making contact with the trailing referee, who fell on his back. Many are saying the act was unintentional. The video was picked up by multiple local and national websites, including SB Nation, Deadspin, ESPN and Sporting News.
Devine is in his 10th season as Neshaminy’s coach. He is known primarily for coaching Villanova star Ryan Arcidiacono from 2008-2011. Neshaminy went 58-26 with Arcidiacono and reached the state tournament in 2010 and ’11. The program is 12-76 since Arcidiacono’s last season in 2010-11.
Pennsbury (7-2, 4-0 SOL) plays Council Rock South Thursday at 7 p.m. Neshaminy (1-5, 0-4) takes on Pennridge Wednesday night.
Pennsbury 11-11-11-16 49
Neshaminy 4-20-11-7 42
Council Rock North 60, Council Rock South 59
The Indians trailed by one in the fourth quarter when Matt McAlister buried a three. 
CR South never led again. The Golden Hawks made a three at the buzzer to turn a four-point deficit into a one-point loss.
“It’s big,” said North coach Derek Wright of the win. “We know what it means to the community and we really needed a win after two straight losses.”
North lost to Central Bucks South and Ben Franklin in the Athletes Helping Athletes Holiday Classic. The Indians had lost five of six after a 3-0 start. Wright thinks they are getting back on track.
“We haven’t been healthy,” said Wright. “Riley (Thompson) is finally getting back into form. It was big to have Ryan Costello back. Noah Ehlin missed a game. And two other guys were absent too over the holidays.”
It was a 12-12 game after one quarter, and the Golden Hawks led 25-24 at halftime. It was still a one-point game heading into the final quarter when the Indians exploded for 23 points.
Thompson, the team’s leading scorer last season, led the Indians with 19 points. Will Desautelle added 18. Big-shot McAlister was third with eight. The Indians made their last eight free throws, all in the fourth quarter.
Ryan Boyd led South with 20. Austin Thomas added 18 and the dependable Mike Stock had nine.
CR North (5-5, 3-2 SOL) hosts Abington Friday at 7 p.m. CR South (4-6, 2-3 SOL) battles Pennsbury Thursday night.
Council Rock North 12-12-13-23 60
Council Rock South 12-13-13-21 59
Council Rock South: Austin Thomas 17, Alex Nordenholt 6, Kevin Newbert 4, Ryan McNamee 2, Mike Stock 9, Ryan Boyd 20.
Council Rock North: Tyler Nowmos 3, Riley Thompson 19, Eric Levine 2, Matt McAlister 8, Will Desautelle 18, Noah Ehlin 4, Elliott Spicer 3, Matt Baniewicz 2.
Harry S. Truman 63, Bensalem 56
Harry S. Truman entered Tuesday’s game on a three-game losing streak. The Tigers gave up 86, 81, and 82 points in those three losses.
Truman coach Byron Conover had a word for it.
“We were embarrassed. Completely embarrassed,” said the Tigers’ coach said. “We embarrassed ourselves. We embarrassed our community.”
So Conover used the embarrassment as motivation.
“I popped in the tape at practice and made the players watch it,” Conover said. “I told them that’s not how we play. That’s not how we play.”
Truman rebounded Tuesday night, playing strong defense and riding two explosive scorers. Kelechi Ogbonna, a starter in the first nine games of the season, was benched by Conover Tuesday. But he came off the bench and earned his spot back, dropping 17 points.
Team captain Maurice Jackson led the Tigers, netting 18 points, including three dunks. “The guys really feed off Maurice,” said Conover. “He’s such a great athlete. He’s a Division I football player.”
Truman climbed above .500 in league play and is tied in third-place with CR North.
Bensalem sits in seventh at 1-4 against SOL National opponents. The Owls got a career game from Ward Roberts Tuesday. Roberts poured in 23 points. Taco Douglas added 11.
Truman (4-6, 3-2 SOL) hosts Neshaminy Friday night. Bensalem (3-6, 1-4 SOL) buses to William Tennent for a 7 p.m. start.
Harry S. Truman 16-18-16-13 63
Bensalem 17-8-12-19 56
Harry S Truman: Kelechi Ogbonna 17, Danell Snellinger 8, Justin Fant 3, James Clowney 4, Satchell Simpson 5, Maurine Jackson 18, ZJ Jackson 1.
Bensalem: Brandon Vaughn 4, Rich Dean 8, Anthony Greene 3, Ward Roberts 23, BJ Jones 3, Brian Quarterman 4, Taco Douglas 11.
Abington 50, William Tennent 37
Abington won its fourth straight league game and ended Tennent’s five-game winning streak.
The Ghosts are a half game back of Pennsbury at the top of the SOL National. Tennent dropped below .500 in league play and is tied in fourth with CR South.
Abington (8-3, 4-1 SOL) travels to CR North Friday for a 7 p.m. start. Tennent (5-6, 2-3 SOL) plays Bensalem at home on the same night and time.
SOL Continental
Central Bucks West 53, Hatboro-Horsham 35
CB West won this battle for first-place in the opening quarter. Both teams came in 4-0 in league play, but it was the Bucks who looked the part.
The Bucks drained shots on their first three possessions and took an 11-0 lead halfway through the first quarter. Hatboro-Horsham never cut the deficit back to single digits.
The Hatters were suffocated by West’s matchup zone. In the first quarter, Hatboro-Horsham scored zero points, took two shots from the paint, and got one offensive rebound.
“We were happy with our defensive effort for the most part through the game,” said West coach Adam Sherman. “We are still trying to find our stride. I thought there were parts of the game where we did offensively.”
Three Bucks players found their stride early in the season and have not broken it. For the fifth time in five league games, seniors Cal Reichwein, Luke Irons, and Erich Hohenleitner led the Bucks in scoring. Reichwein, as usual, led the way with 18, his average against SOL Continental opponents. He also had three assists and three steals.
Reichwein made two layups early in the fourth quarter after Hatboro went on a 7-0 run to close the third.
“They were giving me the layups so I took them,” said Reichwein.
Hohenleitner had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists and Irons scored nine and pulled down six rebounds. Reichwein and Irons have been playing together since they were five-years-old. They agreed about why they, and Hohenleitner, work so well together.
“We get each other the best look possible and move the ball around,” said Irons. “Me, Cal, and Erich get the best looks but everyone’s contributing.”
“I think it’s practice and chemistry,” said Reichwein. “When we’re attacking, me, Luke, and Eric just find open space. We are really good at finding each other.”
Hatboro-Horsham was playing without shot-blocker Joe Russell, who averages six blocks per game. Russell was called for a flagrant foul in Hatboro’s previous game.
Sherman and Reichwein said the absence of Russell made it easier to penetrate and score against the Hatters’ defense.
Hatboro-Horsham coach Ed Enoch said CB West and Pennridge are the two best teams in the SOL Continental right now. But Sherman thinks Hatboro can compete for the league title as well.
“They are the most athletic team in the league,” said Sherman.
Clifton Moore led the Hatters with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jay Davis added 10 points.
CB West (9-2, 5-0 SOL) hosts Central Bucks East Friday night. Hatboro-Horsham (6-5, 4-1 SOL) will try to get back on track against Pennridge on the same night.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-13-13-9 35
Central Bucks West 15-15-11-12 53
Hatboro-Horsham: Brandon Crews 9, Kyle Katz 3, Clifton Moore 12, Ezekiel Sloan 1, Jay Davis 10.
Central Bucks West: Luke Irons 9, Cal Reichwein 18, Bill Power 7, Erich Hohlenleitner 10, Connor Lynch 2, Ben Riegel 4, Collin MacAdams 2, Jack Traina 1.
Central Bucks South 54, Souderton 43
Souderton led by eight in the third quarter. Then CB South switched its defense from a 1-2-2 press to a 1-3-1 at half court.
“We started off in man and switched to the 1-2-2 in the second. But Souderton started to figure it out and get drives to the basket,” said CB South coach Jason Campbell. “So we switched again.”
The second switch won the game for the Titans, thanks mostly to the player at the top, 6-foot-5 forward Ian Vogt.
“Ian used his height to deflect balls and disrupt Souderton at the top,” said Campbell. “He started a lot of breaks the other way.”
Nate Robinson drained two threes in the fourth and finished with 10 points. Tim Waddington led South with 26 points, including 13 in the fourth. The Titans also won the game at the line, making 19-of-21 free throws and all eight in the final quarter. Ryan Joerger was third on the Titans with seven.
Ty Salone was the only Souderton player in double figures with 12. Tracy Simsick added eight and Mike Bealer had seven.
CB South (6-5, 3-2 SOL) plays at Quakertown Friday at 7 p.m. Souderton (4-7, 1-4 SOL) battles North Penn on the same night and time.
Souderton: Mike Bealer 7,Ty Salone 12, Tracy Simsick 8, Austin Eberhart 6, Ian Beardsley 6, Noah Horas 4.
Central Bucks South: Alex Karras 4, Nate Robinson 10, Ian Vogt 3, Ryan Joerger 7, Tim Waddington 26, Chris Hones 4.
Central Bucks East 51, Quakertown 49
Tommy Strasburger hit a pull-up jumper with 30 seconds left to put CB East up 50-49.
The jumper capped a nine-point second half comeback by the Patriots, who trailed by seven after three quarters (38-31). Strasburger put the team on his back in the fourth, scoring 14 of the Patriots’ 20 points.
“Tommy had a great game,” said CB East coach Erik Henrysen. “He looks healthy.”
East’s Matt Pattyson – who had four steals – stole the ball four times and added seven points. Justin O’Neil was second on CB East with 11 points. East did enough offensively, but Henrysen was especially pleased with his team’s defense.
“We really did a good job on Griffin Schmidt,” Henrysen said, referring to Quakertown’s leading scorer, who crossed the 1,000 career point plateau over the holidays.
Schmidt had just 12 points. JR Grimmage led Quakertown with 15.
CB East (7-4, 2-3 SOL) goes to CB West Friday for a 7 p.m. start. Quakertown (3-8, 0-5 SOL) hosts CB South on the same night and time.
Quakertown 12-12-14-11 49
Central Bucks East 12-10-9-20 51
Quakertown: Ty Harrison 4, JR Grimmage 15, Nick Drosnock 11, Griffin Schmidt 12, Dakota Suchanec 7.
Central Bucks East: Tommy Strasburger 24, Matt Pattyson 7, Justin O’Neil 11, Elijah Seger 2, Collin Stein 3, Sean Dann 4.
Pennridge 74, North Penn 66
Pennridge pulled away in the middle quarters behind a huge performance from senior star Dan Long.
Long dropped a season-high 31 points and shot 11-for-13 from the line.
“Dan Long is not just one of the best players in the area but one of the toughest,” said North Penn coach John Conrad. “He’s going to get to the hole and get fouled.”
As usual, Max Wagner complemented Long, scoring 14. Ryan Cuthbert netted 11 for the Rams.
The two teams were deadlocked 14-14 after one quarter, but the Rams outscored to the Knights 25-19 to go into halftime with a 39-33 lead. A 15-8 third quarter by the Rams all but sealed the Knights’ fate.
On a night when leading scorers Matt Pickford and JJ Melchior struggled, Conrad praised two bench players and a new starter.
“Lance Lindsay-Ford and Reece Udinski played great,” Conrad said. “So did AJ Mitchell, a freshman. He had his first really good game.”
Udinski led the Knights with 17 points, Lindsay-Ford had 14, and Mitchell netted 11.
Pennridge (9-2, 4-1 SOL) hosts Neshaminy Wednesday night. North Penn (4-7, 1-4 SOL) buses to Souderton Friday for a 7 p.m. tip.
Pennridge 14-25-15-20 74
North Penn 14-19-8-25 66
Pennridge: Devon Balmer 2, Dan Long 31, Stephen Lowry 6, Ryan Kinky 2, Kyle Yoder 8, Ryan Cuthbert 11, Max Wagner 14.
North Penn: Matt Pickford 7, Lance Lindsay-Ford 14, Ricky Johns 3, AJ Mitchell 11, Chris Coleman 4, Reece Udinski 17, J Melchior 6, Noah Kwortnik 4.
SOL American
Cheltenham 63, Upper Moreland 47
The matchup of the year in the SOL American looms on Friday night – Cheltenham versus Plymouth Whitemarsh. It could have easily distracted both teams Tuesday night, but it didn’t.
Cheltenham had a quality opponent to get past, second-place Upper Moreland.
"They played good. They were really good," said Cheltenham coach John Timms. "Nobody wanted to talk about Upper Moreland. Everybody wants to talk about Friday's game with PW, and it almost distracted us. I'm relieved.”
Cheltenham built an early 10-point lead and kept Upper Moreland at bay. The Panthers led 14-11 after one quarter and took a 28-18 game into halftime.
“That gave us a cushion, but those guys kept hitting three-pointers and hung around,” said Timms. “It was pretty much a 15 or 17-point game and two threes cut it to 10. It was pretty much that type of a game, and one more stop by them and we're talking about a whole different game. They were right there.”
Cheltenham led by 17 when it started holding the ball and maxing out possessions. But sitting on the lead did not work.
“We were trying to shorten the game and work on something we would need if we would happen to be up on Plymouth Whitemarsh. It looked like we were stalling, and to be honest we were, but it was really preparing for Plymouth Whitemarsh,” Timms said. “They took the momentum away from us after that and went on a run.”
Amir Lewis, Khalil White, and Trevonn Pitts were the main reasons why Cheltenham held off Upper Moreland. Lewis had 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Four of the rebounds were offensive.
White finished with 18 points and seven assists. Pitts racked up 13 points and 12 boards, six offensive.
Upper Moreland made eight three-pointers to stay in the game. Brendan O’Donnell and Damian Washington combined for five, O’Donnell with three, Washington with two. O’Donnell led the Golden Bears with 11 points. Ryan Coyle, Brett Brossman, and Casey Decker also buried one three each.
Cheltenham (9-2, 5-0 SOL) travels to PW for Friday’s showdown. Upper Moreland (7-4, 3-2 SOL) battles Norristown at 7 p.m.
Upper Moreland 11-7-11-18 47
Cheltenham 14-14-12-23 63
Upper Moreland: Brendan O’Donnell 11, Damian Washington 6, Ryan Coyle 7, Casey Decker 3, Brett Brossman 3, Mike Lyons 1, Shane Stone 16.
Cheltenham: Khalil White 18, Anthony White 2, Ahmad Bickley 4, Maurice Valentine 2, Amir Lewis 16, Rodney Carson 2, Justin Sutton 6, Trevonn Pitts 13.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 50, Springfield 36
PW trailed by one at halftime (22-21), and it looked like the Colonials were peeking ahead to Friday’s showdown with Cheltenham.
But the Colonials regrouped in the third quarter, outscoring Springfield by 11 to go on top 36-26. Three PW players—Mike Lotito, Oakley Spencer, and Davon Burrell—scored in double figures. Burrell had 13, Spencer 12, and Lotito 10.
Larry Clark led Springfield with 13. Ryan Daley added eight.
PW (10-0, 5-0 SOL) welcomes Cheltenham Friday at 7 p.m. Springfield (3-8, 0-5 SOL) battles Calvary Christian Academy Saturday at 1 p.m.
Springfield 11-11-4-10 36
Plymouth Whitemarsh 10-11-15-14 50
Springfield: Ryan Daley 8, Justin Hill 7, Williams 2, Quentin Johnson 6, Larry Clark 13.
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Mike Lotito 10, Oakley Spencer 12, Kevin Ashenfelter 7, Davon Burrell 13, Grady Minick 1, Ahmin Williams 6, Ahmad Williams 1.
Wissahickon 67, Norristown 61
Three-pointers propelled Wissahickon to victory. The Trojans knocked down 11 of 16 three-point attempts, eight from the corners.
Alex Tappen buried six of those threes and did not miss one, finishing with 20 points. Five other Wissahickon players made one three. Marlyn Johnson, Max Rapoport, and Zach Reiner scored 11, 10, and nine points respectively.
Roy Green had a monster game to lead the Eagles, finishing with a game high 30 points. Darryl Carr added 16.
The Trojans led 12-9 after one quarter and took a 22-19 lead into halftime. A 32-point explosion in the third quarter put the Trojans on top 54-40 on their way to the win.
Wissahickon (4-6, 1-3 SOL) plays Upper Dublin Friday at 7 p.m. Norristown (4-6, 2-2 SOL) clashes with Upper Moreland on the same night and time.
Norristown 9-10-21-21 61
Wissahickon 12-10-32-13 67
Norristown: Darryl Carr 16, Roy Green 30, Sanford 2, Amir Carter 6, Reggie Collins 3, Tyrique Lyons 4.
Wissahickon: Alex Tappen 20, Marlyn Johnson 11, Max Rapoport 10, Zach Reiner 9, Chaz Owens 6, Shane Ford 5, Zach Gelman 4, Marquese Wilson 2.
Upper Dublin 45, Upper Merion 39
Upper Dublin needed a win. The Flying Cardinals, who made the playoffs last season and returned some key players, were winless in league play coming into Tuesday.
It wasn’t always pretty, but they got it done. Timmy Gallagher led the Cardinals with 15 points and John Barrett and Ryan Stover added seven and six, respectively.
Andrew Persaud and Matt Faw combined for 25 points for Upper Merion, Persaud with 13, Faw with 12. Ethan Miller contributed six.
Upper Dublin (3-7, 1-4 SOL) goes to Wissahickon Friday for a 7 p.m. tip. Upper Merion (4-4, 2-3 SOL) hosts Jenkintown Wednesday night.
Upper Dublin 8-11-11-15 45
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