Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Saturday. Abington/Cheltenham photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f382701921
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
ABINGTON 72, CHELTENHAM 61
This was more like it.
That was Abington coach Dan Marsh’s sentiment after his team’s win in Saturday’s rivalry game against neighboring Cheltenham. For the first time since Dec. 15, the
Ghosts’ offense got out of the 50s, putting 72 points on the scoreboard.
“It’s a good team win,” Marsh said. “We played good defense when we needed it, and we were able to get back to our style.
“In the last four games, we’d only scored 50 points. They know me – I don’t want to score 50, and we got back in the 70s today. We were able to get back to the pace and the way that we want to play. I was very happy with that.”
Jeremiah Lee led three players in double figures with 18 points – 15 in the second half with 11 of those in the fourth quarter. He also had nine rebounds, six steals, three assists and two blocked shots.
Kamari Brasher added 16 points off the bench – 10 after the intermission. He also pulled down nine rebounds and had a blocked shot. Paul Glants contributed 12 points, connecting on 5 of 8 shots from the field and 2 of 2 from the line. He also had three assists.
Aaron Jones added nine points, six rebounds and two steals. Khalid Jenkins – in his first start at point guard – contributed eight points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal.
“We played really well together,” Marsh said. “Everybody played their roles.
“JJ (Jeremiah Lee) obviously got back on track – he’s been struggling a little bit offensively. Kamari Brasher had 16 points and nine boards, and he just really helped us out on the inside and got us going.”
For Marsh, this was his first experience coaching the annual rivalry game on the boys’ side.
“I talked to my friends and my brothers and everybody, and I’m like – I’ve coached a lot of big games, district championships, state playoff games, all that kind of stuff, but when it’s Abington/Cheltenham on the boys side – it’s big on the girls’ side too, but this was such a big moment, so I was kind of nervous all week,” Marsh said. “Our kids had a great week of practice, and they really went after it. They worked really hard, they were prepared, and it showed.”
The Ghosts, who led 13-9 after one quarter, took a 30-27 lead into halftime. Jenkins had eight points to lead a balanced Ghost attack in the half. For the visiting Panthers, Nile Tinsley led the way with 10 points while Kevin Addison-Anderson had nine.
In the second half, the Ghosts – behind the hot hands of Lee and Brasher – outscored the Panthers 42-34.
“I think we were doing a better job of getting the long rebounds,” Marsh said. “They were taking some long 3s, and we were able to turn them into transition points. We turned them over, but I just think we were doing a better job of converting in the second half than we were in the first half, just a better job of finishing. Cheltenham took the lead in the third quarter by one, and that kind of woke us up and JJ (Lee) had five or six straight points, which made them call a timeout and fired us up.”
Abington shot 24-for-52 from the field (46.1 percent) – 14-for-26 in the second half after connecting on 10 of 26 in the first half. The Ghosts held a decided advantage at the foul line, finishing 23-for-34 (67.6 percent). They were 9-for-18 in the first half and 14-for-16 in the second half.
The Panthers, who saw three of their players foul out, took just 15 trips to the foul line, connecting on 10 shots.
“For me as a coach, I’ve got to put them in better positions to be able to execute,” said Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury, whose team dropped its first league game. “We live to fight another day. We’ve just got to get better.”
Abington (9-3, 5-2 SOL) will host New Hope-Solebury in a crossover game on Tuesday, and Cheltenham (9-2, 6-1) will be on the road at Wissahickon.
Cheltenham 9-18-17-17 61
Abington 13-17-21-21 72
Cheltenham (61) – Kamal Mason 0 1-2 1; Josiah Hutson 5 1-1 24; Kevin Addison-Anderson 6 1-2 13; Osei Johnson 0 2-2 2; Salim Kelly 1 0-3 2; Mark Hill 1 1-1 3; Nile Tinsley 4 4-4 14; Peyton Mcclendon 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 22 10-15 61
Abington Damon Rawls 0 3-4 3; Aaron Jones 2 5-6 9; Jaden Flournoy 2 0-0 5; Jeremiah Lee 6 6-10 18; Paul Glants 5 2-2 12; Kamari Brasher 7 2-4 16; Jon Roberts 0 1-2 1; Khalid 2 4-6 8; TOTALS 24 23-34 72.
3-point goals: Cheltenham – Josiah Hutson 5, Nile Tinsley 2; Abington – Jaden Flournoy.
Panthers & Ghosts unite in a show of solidarity
On Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, the boys basketball teams from both Abington and Cheltenham came together to watch the Cheltenham girls basketball team take on the Abington girls basketball team at Cheltenham High School. The two programs decided to attend the game together to show their communities the importance of coming together despite competing against one another. Athletic Director Charles Grasty (Abington) and Athletic Director Patrick Fleury (Cheltenham) worked together to make this possible for the students. At halftime, the teams took a group photo to drive home that these great young men are more than just opponents.
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 65, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 44
It’s becoming a familiar formula – open up an early lead and play tenacious defense for four quarters.
The Bucks rode that philosophy to their sixth straight win on Saturday, opening up a 17-9 lead after one quarter and adding to that lead in each of the next three frames.
Impressive by any standard but especially considering this is a team that won just six games all of last season.
“They’ve really bought into the idea of being a true team,” West coach Adam Sherman said. “The fact that we have revolving numbers – there’s a different guy that is leading us in scoring almost every game.
“They’re taking what the defense has given them. Nobody’s forcing anything. Guys are sacrificing for the benefit of the team. They’re going to the higher percentage play for a teammate instead of a play for themselves. Defensively, they’re really buying into playing quality team defense, and it’s really allowed us to make it difficult for other teams to score.”
In the opening quarter, Roman Kulesa scored six points while Bowen Gugger had five to lead the Bucks. By halftime, the Bucks led 33-19. Kulesa’s 10 points led the Bucks, who received seven points from Dan Gallagher in the second quarter.
The Golden Hawks never threatened as the Bucks rolled to the win.
Sherman credited the leadership of his senior captains, who have been part of the varsity since they were freshmen during the COVID-shortened season.
“Our captains, Bowen Gugger and Matt Engle, have done a really nice job of getting the guys on the same page,” Sherman said. “The kids have worked really, really hard. They trusted the program, trusted the system.
“We had two rough seasons behind us the two prior years. They were frustrated, and they invested time over the summer. As a coach, you just want to see kids – one of the most important things is to learn how to work hard and see that the hard work pays off. This group has bought into that, and it’s really fun to see. Hopefully, we can keep it going.”
Engle’s 17 points – 14 in a second half that included a 10-for-12 effort at the foul line – led the Bucks. Jankowski added 13 points while Gugger and Kulesa both had nine points. Gallagher finished with seven.
“We’ve learned a little bit from a couple of our losses earlier in the year,” Sherman said. “We shot ourselves in the foot a little bit, and I feel like those losses have really taught us how to play better basketball, and we’ve learned from them. We’re hoping we can keep carrying it forward in the second half of the season.
“We went 2-2 in the first four games, then we went 3-1 in the next four and then we went 4-0 in the next four,” Sherman said. “We’re excited, but we have a tough game on Tuesday. We’re playing a very tough Bensalem team at Bensalem.”
For the Golden Hawks, Ryan Wekluk led the way with 12 points – eight in the fourth quarter. Timmy Rahill and MJ Thompson both had nine points.
Central Bucks West (10-3, 4-3 SOL) will travel to Bensalem for a crossover game on Tuesday, and Council Rock South (7-5, 4-3) will be on the road at Central Bucks South.
Council Rock South 9-10-10-15 44
Central Bucks West 17-16-19-13 65
Council Rock South (44) – Jordan Getz 1 4-4 6; Ryan Wekluk 6 0-0 12; Mike Burns 1 2-2 4; Gabe Cerulli 0 0-2 0; Timmy Rahill 3 1-2 9; MJ Thompson 3 2-2 9; Spencer Kredo 1 0-0 2; Ryan Krepich 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 15 11-14 44.
Central Bucks West (65) – Matt Engle 4 10-12 19; Bowen Gugger 3 3-4 9; Roman Kulesa 2 5-6 9; Sam Jankowski 6 0-0 13; Julian Phillips 1 1-1 3; Dan Gallagher 3 1-1 7; Jackson Wisniowski 1 0-0 3; Dan Pellegrini 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 21 20-24 65
3-point goals: CRS – Timmy Rahill 2, MJ Thompson; CBW – Matt Engle, Sam Jankowski, Jackson Wisniowski.
Non-league
WISSAHICKON 71, CENTRAL 37
The Trojans needed a win.
After pulling off an upset of Plymouth Whitemarsh, the Trojans lost four straight, including a heartbreaker to Upper Moreland Friday night (67-61).
“We were leading all but the fourth quarter, and we just couldn’t close, so it was nice to come out and get a solid win today,” Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson said. “I felt good for the guys. They’ve been working hard, they’ve been playing hard, they’ve been coachable. We just haven’t had wins.
“With a young group, you’re just hoping that they can sustain – hey, it’s going to be tough. There’s going to be ups and downs, but I always tell them that it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and it will get better.”
Things got a whole lot better in Saturday’s non-league game against Central. Dom Vacchiano and Brayden Ryan made sure of that, combining for 40 points to lead the Trojans to the rout. Vacchiano’s 22 points led the Trojans while Ryan added 18.
Both players came out on fire with Ryan scoring 10 first-quarter points and Vacchiano adding seven, propelling the Trojans to a 19-10 lead. By halftime, Wissahickon’s lead had grown to 36-20. Vacchiano had 12 of those points, and Ryan had 14.
The Trojans continued their offensive onslaught in the second half, outscoring their visitors 35-17.
“Carrying over from last night, Brayden Ryan has just been playing outstanding, and we needed it because every team that we go into is face guarding Dom Vacchiano and trying to deny him,” Wilson said. “Someone has to step up, so they can’t just key on one guy.
“Against Upper Moreland, Brayden was in the passing lane, making steals, making plays in transition, and it was nice to see today carried over the same thing. Dom had 22, and Brayden had 18, so it’s been nice to see because they are literally the only two guys who played varsity ball last year.”
Also for the Trojans, Nico Vacchiano and Caj Jones both had eight points while Nigel Harrison added seven – all in the fourth quarter.
“It’s also been nice to see some of the younger guys starting to really play along with our veteran guys,” Wilson said. “And it was nice to see Brayden playing so well and really shining like we thought he would.”
Wissahickon (4-8, 3-4 SOL) will host Cheltenham in a crossover game on Tuesday.
Central 10-10-7-10 37
Wissahickon 19-17-16-19 71
Central (37) – Yamir Knight-Parker 3 1-7 8; Malachi Brown 4 6-6 14; Amoz Lee 2 1-1 6; Andre Martinez 1 0-0; Luke Meer 0 1-4 1; Carl Bien-Aime 1 0-0 2; Sullivan Phillips 1 0-0 ; Elijah Dow 1 0-0 2; 13 9-18 37.
Wissahickon (71) – Nigel Harrison 3 0-0 7; Brayden Ryan 9 0-0 18; Nicol Vacchiano 2 4-4 8; Caj Jones 4 0-0 8; Josh Palutis 1 0-0 2; Ben Schwartz 1 2-2 4; Dom Vacchiano 7 4-5 22; Delmar Taliaferro 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 28 10-11 71.
3-point goals: Central – Yamir Knight-Parker, Amoz Lee; Wissahickon – Dom Vacchiano 4, Nigel Harrison.
PERKIOMEN VALLEY 52, PENNRIDGE 37
The shorthanded Rams struggled to generate offense against a strong Viking squad.
The Rams trailed 15-6 after one quarter and then edged their hosts 13-12 in the second but still trailed by eight at halftime. Charlie Rising’s 10 first-half points kept the Rams within striking distance.
PV outscored the Rams 13-10 in the third quarter and took a 40-29 lead into the final quarter on its way to the win.
Rising’s 17 points led the Rams. Ryan Schwind and Rownan Smith both added eight points.
Pennridge (3-10, 2-5 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy for a crossover game on Tuesday.
Pennridge 6-13-10-8 37
Perkiomen Valley 15-12-13-12 52
Pennridge (37) – Rownan Smith 2 3-4 8; Tom Costa 1 0-0 2; Dylan Horton 1 0-0 2; Ryan Schwind 2 2-2 8; Charlie Rising 8 1-1 17; TOTALS 14 6-7 37.
Perkiomen Valley (52) – Jakob Harken 6 2-2 16; Anthony Rodriguez 1 0-0 2; S Wagner 1 1-1 3; Ryan Murphy 1 0-0 3; Kyle Shawluk 3 0-2 6; Josh Tagert 9 0-0 2; TOTALS 21 3-5 52.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Ryan Schwind 2, Rownan Smith; PV -J Tagert 4, T Horton 2, R Murphy
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