Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Saturday.
Non-league
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 51, PENN WOOD 49
The Indians used a 16-6 second quarter burst to turn a three-point lead into a 35-22 halftime advantage and then held off a hard-charging Patriot squad in the second half.
“Penn Wood is a tough team to play against because they pressure you and trap you for 32 straight minutes, and they’re so athletic,” coach Jesse Krasna said. “So even when you play great defense, they’re able to score off of turnovers and in transition and off of second chance points.
“In the first half, we did a really good job of taking care of the ball and keeping them off the backboard. In the second half, they were in comeback mode, especially in the third quarter – they turned it up. They tied the game, and our kids did a great job of staying composed and being mentally tough to be able to blow a lead but then regain the lead.”
Coming up big for the Indians in the fourth quarter was Hunter Wan, who was a perfect 4-for-4 at the foul line and scored six points, including the game-winner in the game’s closing seconds.
“He came up huge,” Krasna said. “When the game was tied with 30 seconds to go, we stalled to get the last shot. He drove with about eight seconds to go and made a really tough layup so we could regain the lead.
“Not just him, all of our boys were just really mentally tough in this game, and to beat Penn Wood, you have to be because they just keep coming at you in waves. We did turn the ball over a little bit, but when we did, our guys were able to let it go and focus on the defensive end. They did a great job executing the game plan.”
Part of that game plan was to keep the Patriots out of the paint. Defensive rebounding, according to the Indians’ coach, was also a point of emphasis for the Indians.
“Everybody stepped up,” Krasna said. “We had a lot of balance on offense.”
Wan led a balanced attack with 11 points, and DJ Mischak had 10. James Duffy and Josh Fisher both had nine points while Luke Vliet and Parker Ehlin had six each.
“Josh really started the game out attacking the rim hard,” Krasna said. “He played with a lot of confidence offensively, and he always brings it on the defensive end. He’s been rock solid for us all year.
“I thought Parker (Ehlin) had his best game of the season. He defended, he got to the basket and was really under control, and when he got there, he made some great passes to teammates. It was everybody.”
Council Rock North is 13th in the latest District One 6A rankings while Penn Wood is sixth in Class 5A.
“Penn Wood is really talented, and you don’t beat a team like that on your own,” Krasna said. “I thought our guys really relied on each other and trusted each other too, and we were able to come up with a win. In the past, we struggled beating teams like that that are really good offensive rebounding and that pressure the ball through the whole game and trap, but our guys have really, really grown in those areas. I think it’s slowly becoming a strength of ours – rebounding the ball and handling the pressure.
“I’m really excited about where the boys are headed because they’re buying in. They really like each other, and they all want to win. There are no personal agendas. You get a lot accomplished when the kids are like that.”
Council Rock North (8-3, 2-2 SOL) will host Central Bucks South in a non-league game Tuesday.
Penn Wood 16-6-15-12 49
Council Rock North 19-16-9-7 51
Penn Wood (49) – Shad Kyem 14, Zac Williams 5, Davantae Smith 14, Kennedy Poles 2, Desmon Johnson 7, Shamir Baunes 7.
Council Rock North (51) – DJ Mischak 10, Luke Vliet 6, Hunter Wan 11, Parker Ehlin 6, James Duffy 9, Josh Fisher 9.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 73, DOWNINGTOWN EAST 56
The Titans came back with a vengeance after suffering their first conference loss to Pennridge less than 24 hours earlier, opening up a 17-9 lead after one quarter and going into halftime with a commanding 40-19 advantage on their way to the no-doubt-about-it win.
“I told the guys – ‘You probably felt like me and woke up this morning disappointed with the outcome of the game and had a little bit of a chip on your shoulder and couldn’t wait to play this game’ because that’s what it felt like for me, and I think it felt that way for the players,” coach Jason Campbell said. “It was nice that we got to play another game right after that loss last night.”
The Cougars are 4-5 on the season, but according to Campbell, that record doesn’t tell the story.
“Downingtown East has a solid program,” the Titans’ coach said. “They always have been, they’re well coached, and their team plays really hard. I know they were down one of their starters (Andrew King) – he got hurt in the Norristown game, and this kid averages 15 a game, he’s 6-6, so they were missing him, but at the same time, it’s still a solid team.
“They just played Coatesville and played them close, so I knew we would be running into a game similar to Pennridge. They run some similar stuff, and they spread the floor out, they play hard, and they have multiple guys that can put the ball in the basket. For us, we did a much better job today of moving with passes on defense and not getting hit with screens, and we cut a lot harder today looking for scores.”
Leading the charge for the Titans in the first half was Tommy Kuypers (12 points), Alex Dietz (9 points) and Mark Kannengieszer (7 points). Brock D’Aulerio buried a pair of threes in the 23-point second quarter.
“In the first half, Tommy Kuypers really ignited us,” Campbell said. “He made some really big shots.
“Alex Dietz was pretty consistent throughout the game and got to the foul line 12 times. Ian McCaw – even though he got into some foul trouble – was strong for us.”
Kuypers led five Titans in double figures with 14 points while Dietz had 13, and Kannengieszer added 12 points. D’Aulerio and McCaw both had 10 points. Brady Prezelski chipped in with seven points.
“We had some great production from our bench,” Campbell said. “Mark Kannengieszer came off the bench, and he gave us 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
“Brock D’Aulerio was great – he gave us 10 points off the bench, hitting two big threes in the left corner when Downingtown went to their two-three defense. He played great defense.
“Cole and Brady Prezelski give you a ton of defense. Cole had five assists today. Brady had four assists, two steals and a block. He went to the line and shot six free throws. He was just all over the place today.
“Brian Shields came off the bench – hit a couple of free throws, knocked down a jumper, played good ‘D.’ It was a whole team contribution. It was a nice bounce-back win against a team that’s going to win a bunch of games.”
Central Bucks South (8-3, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North for a non-league game on Tuesday.
Downingtown East 9-10-15-22 56
Central Bucks South 17-23-16-17 73
Downingtown East (56) – Andres Mujica 5, Grant Umberger 1, Michael Caggiano 13, David Owsik 18, Jack Riley 4, Dylan Rowe 6, Zach Burton 2, Tariq Kalim 7.
Central Bucks South (73) – John Hackendahl 3, Brady Prezelski 7, Brock D’Aulerio 10, Brian Shields 4, Alex Dietz 13, Mark Kannengieszer 12, Tommy Kuypers 14, Ian McCaw 10.
WISSAHICKON 63, CENTRAL 29
The Trojans brought a welcome end to a three-game skid, opening up a 13-4 lead after one quarter and extending that to 27-15 by halftime. They outscored their visitors in every quarter and put an exclamation point on the win with a 20-2 fourth quarter burst.
Eddie Fortescue had another big game for the Trojans. He connected on 8-of-13 shots from the field and finished with 22 points, which included three 3-pointers. He also had three assists. Maurice Willis added 12 points, five rebounds and a team-high three steals. Carmen Ostroski led the Trojans under the boards with nine rebounds to go along with eight points. He also had a pair of assists. D’Shan Love had seven points and two steals, and Harrison Williams chipped in with six points and a team-high five assists.
The Trojans, who had nine steals, turned 16 Central turnovers into 17 points. They connected on 25-of-43 shots from the floor (58 percent) while Central made just 8-of-41 shots (20 percent).
Wissahickon (5-6, 2-2 SOL) will travel to Abington on Tuesday.
Central 4-11-12-2 29
Wissahickon 13-14-16-20 63
Central (29) – Nixon-Mosee 10, M.Freeman 4, O.Rodriguez 2, R.Rue 13.
Wissahickon (63) – Eddie Fortescue 22, Maurice Willis 12, Carmen Ostroski 8, D’Shan Love 7, Harrison Williams 6, Matt Compas 4, Alex Richman 2, Cole Hirsch 2.
FRANKFORD 37, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 34
Points were not easy to come by for either team, but it was visiting Frankford opening up a 17-11 halftime lead and holding on for the win.
Connor Briece led the Bucks with nine points while Mika Munari added seven. Jack Neri had a team-high seven rebounds to go with four points while Danny Miller added five rebounds.
Central Bucks West (5-5, 1-2 SOL) will travel to North Penn on Tuesday.
Frankford 6-11-13-7 37
Central Bucks West 4-7-13-10 34
Frankford (37) – Diage 9, Jiair Ballard West 10, Yaseem Cruz-Davis 2, Jayqan Lawson 3, Jayquan Williams 13.
Central Bucks West (34) – Connor Briece 9, Jack Mulhearn 4, Mika Munari 7, Jack Neri 4, Reed Zerweck 6, John Murnen 3, Danny Miller 1.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 47, WILLIAM TENNENT 44
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