Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Thursday. (Upcoming games listed in the wrap do not take into account potential make-up games on Saturday or Monday.) CR South/Souderton photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f382701921
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
North Penn 68, Harry S. Truman 25
A fast start and a solid night on defense was the difference in this one, and that’s what was needed as North Penn helped coach John Conrad pick up career win No. 300 on Thursday night.
“I love the competition, and I just love being around the kids,” Conrad said. “North Penn has been so good to me, Lower Moreland was so good to me in terms of the administration and the athletic staff. I just have had great kids and great parents along the way.”
Conrad is in his 21st year as a head coach, starting at Lower Moreland in 2003. He took the North Penn job in 2011.
“Mark Mason was the first AD I worked for (at LM), and what a fantastic human being,” Conrad said. “I was very fortunate to work for Doc Ryan, Bill Bartle and then Donnie Walsh before he stepped down. So, I’ve been fortunate with those two schools, that’s for sure.”
On Thursday, North Penn outscored Truman 27-5 in the first quarter and the game was never close again.
“I just thought we defended well, and we were unselfish on the offensive end,” Conrad said. “For us, it typically starts on the defensive end, and I thought we did a nice job tonight.”
Tre Simpson scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the first quarter, while Norm Gee had 10 of his 12 points in the first eight minutes as well. Ahmaar Godhania added nine points – all in the first half, and Lee Hammond had eight points.
The Knights had nine 3-pointers as a team.
For the Tigers, Adul Diallo led the way with seven points.
North Penn (6-8, 5-4 SOL) will host The High School of Engineering and Sciences in a non-league game on Saturday.
Harry S Truman (1-13, 0-10 SOL) will host Council Rock North on Tuesday.
Truman (25)
Tre Winton 1 0-0 2; Anthony Nathan 2 1-1 5; Adul Diallo 3 1-2 7; Shamaj Clark 1 0-0 2; RJ Cox 1 0-0 2; Stephon Thomas 1 0-0 3; Shaq Chapman 2 0-0 4.
North Penn (68)
Ahmaar Godhania 4 0-0 9; Lee Hammond 2 2-2 8; Norm Gee 5 0-0 12; David Onyeanusi 1 2-2 4; Aiden Atkinson 1 2-2 4; JC Wood 1 0-0 3; Corey Meade 1 0-0 2; Gabe Altemus 4 1-1 11; Tre Simpson 7 0-0 15.
Truman 5 9 2 9 – 25
North Penn 27 18 11 12 – 68
3-point goals: HST-Cox; NP-Hammond 2, Gee 2, Altemus 2, Godhania, Simpson
Council Rock South 77, Souderton 74 (2 OT)
Ryan Delp hit a 3-pointer as time expired and CR South survived a double-overtime thriller against visiting Souderton in a crossover game Thursday.
“We just stayed with it,” said Golden Hawks coach Andrew Rogers. “I told our guys – they were going to keep coming. It’s a credit to our guys, it was back and forth all night.
“Coach (Okoteh Sackitey) does a great job over there. They play hard.
“We were up 13 in the third quarter, they came back, and then we were up 10 in the fourth, and they hit a 3 and went on a run and took the lead. Credit to our guys to stay with it. We were able to make some stops when we had to, and we made some key shots when they presented themselves.”
In the second OT, with the score tied late, CR South was able to gain possession and called a timeout.
“We were able to draw something up,” Rogers said. “Credit George O’Brien, he was able to get in the
middle and kick it out to Ryan Delp, who hit the 3 as time expired. Credit to him for being ready.”
Mike Burns led what Rogers called a full team effort with 22 points, five assists and four rebounds.
It was a huge shooting night for the Hawks, who finished with 14 3-pointers, including five by Burns, four by Timmy Rahill, three for Jordan Getz and two for Delp.
Rahill finished with 21 points for the Hawks. Gabe Cirulli had nine points and eight rebounds, while O’Brien dished out six assists.
Souderton was led by Bill Sackor with 23 points, including three 3-pointers and 8-for-8 from the free throw line. He had a pair of 3s and was 4-for-4 from the line in the overtime periods for the Indians.
Clinton Kikonjo had 19 points for the Indians, and Nolan Watkins added 17. Chanse Salone finished with nine.
Souderton had 10 3-pointers.
Council Rock South (9-5, 6-3 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Tuesday.
Souderton (7-9, 5-5 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Tuesday.
Souderton (74)
Chanse Salone 4 0-0 9; Bill Sackor 6 8-8 23; Nolan Watkins 8 0-0 17; Danny Dyches 1 0-0 2; Thaddeus Harter 1 0-0 2; Clinton Kikonjo 7 3-3 19.
CR South (77)
Jordan Getz 3 0-0 9; Ryan Wekluk 4 0-0 8; Mike Burns 7 3-3 22; Gabe Cerulli 4 1-1 9; Timmy Rahill 5 7-11 21; George O’Brien 1 0-0 2; Ryan Delp 2 0-0 6.
3-point goals: S-Sackor 3, Watkins 3, Kikonjo 2, Salone; CRS-Getz 3, Burns 5, Rahill 4, Delp 2
CB South 36, Pennsbury 33
From the start, this one was a defensive struggle, and CB South withstood the Pennsbury pressure in the fourth quarter and was able to pull out the three-point crossover win at home on Thursday night.
“It was a defensive battle,” said Titans coach Louie Ditri. “We just played solid defense and they did as well.
“We were winning from start-to-finish, and they came back and at one point they came back and took the lead 21-20. Then, in the fourth quarter, they did a good job pressing us, and we had to scramble a little bit.
“Our guards did a great job – Cole DiEmidio, Danny Gies and Alex Shahin. (Pennsbury) has a couple good guards over there, and the kids did a good job on them.”
Pennsbury had a rough night shooting the ball, as it went 2-for-18 from 3-point range, one night after going 1-for-17 against CB West.
“Credit to coach Ditri,” said Falcons coach Wes Emme. “His guys made some timely defensive stops and their four-point play late was a back breaker.”
It was a big win for CB South, which is turning the corner a bit after a slow start to the season and coming off of competitive, but tough losses last week to Bensalem and Penn Wood.
“Our kids are starting to definitely turn it around,” Ditri said. “They’re not young anymore. They’re becoming more experienced. Defensively, they’re really starting to get it. When we played good defense, it makes our offense better.”
Brett Barrett led the Titans with 12 points, while Dylan Valentine added eight.
For Pennsbury, Grayson Gozum had 10 and Teddy Mangan finished with nine.
Central Bucks South (5-10, 3-6 SOL) will be on the road at Souderton on Tuesday.
Pennsbury (7-10, 4-7 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Tuesday.
Pennsbury (33)
Teddy Mangan 9, Mike Roccograndi 2, Danny Cohen 3, Grayson Gozum 10, Connor Taddei 7, Simon Dlugi 2.
CB South (36)
Dylan Valentine 8, Brett Barrett 12, Dan McCusker 3, Ben Harrison 2, Kyle Moyer 2, Dan Gies 4, Cole DiEmidio 5
Neshaminy 58, Pennridge 37
Guy Horton had a huge night for Neshaminy, especially in the second half, as Neshaminy pulled away in the final two quarters for the 21-point crossover win.
The Redskins were up 25-19 at halftime, and Horton then scored nine in the third quarter as part of a 19-8 run for Neshaminy. Horton ended the game with 24 points.
Max Currie had 11 points and freshman Logan Gale finished with 10 points
“It was a good team win,” said Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle. “Everybody contributed in different ways.”
Pennridge was led by Charlie Rising’s 11 points.
Neshaminy (8-6, 5-4 SOL) will be on the road at Central Bucks West on Saturday.
Pennridge (3-12, 2-7 SOL) will host North Penn on Tuesday.
Pennridge (37)
Rownan Smith 1 2-2 5; Xavier Peters 2 0-0 4; Tom Costa 0-0 2; Kyle Richards 1 0-0 2; Dylan Horton 4 0-0 8; Ryan Schwind 2 0-0 5; Charlie Rising 4 3-4 11. Totals 15 5-6 37.
Neshaminy (58)
Emeer Coombs 2 0-0 5; Max Currie 5 1-2 11; Ryan Meehan 0 0-2 0; Guy Horton 11 0-0 24; Jeff Walker 1 0-0 2; Cadenn Amati 0 1-2 1; Logan Gale 4 0-2 10; Nate Townsend 1 3-4 5. Totals 24 5-12 58.
Pennridge 9 10 8 10 – 37
Neshaminy 15 10 19 14 – 58
3-point goals: P-Smith, Schwind; N-Horton 2, Gale 2, Coombs
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
William Tennent 73, Quakertown 67
Quakertown senior Miles Longacre turned in a monster offensive performance, scoring a game-high 35 points, but a balanced scoring effort was the key for William Tennent, which went on the road and held off Quakertown for the six-point win on Thursday.
“I thought overall, it was a good team win for us,” said Tennent coach Robert Mulville. “We had a little bit of a lead at halftime, we were up seven, and then we were up 10 going into the fourth. (Quakertown) made a little bit of a run, but we were able to take care of the ball and get to the foul line.”
Tennent received solid contributions on both ends from all 10 of the players who got on the floor. Kirby Mooney typically attracts a crowd, and in Thursday’s win, the senior sharpshooter was one of three players in double figures. Imad Abunima led the Panthers in scoring and accounted for four of his team’s 12 3-pointers.
“Overall, it was a really good team effort,” Mulville said. “We’ve been playing 10 guys, and they all contribute. I think we took a step forward tonight.
“I think they all can bring something to the table. (Chris) D’Ambra has been passing the ball really well. (Sean) Devine has been playing solid defense all year. (Luke) Torok and Tony Pople played some varsity minutes last year, and now they’re making solid contributions.
“I’m really happy with the way these guys are stepping into new roles this year. Right now, we’re starting to make progress, but we have some things we still need to fix up before the end of the year.”
Abunima scored 20 points to lead the way, and he also had six rebounds. Kirby Mooney added 18 points and a team-high seven boards, and Chris D’Ambra contributed 10 points and six assists. Sam Devine and Tre Stracuzzi both added nine points on three 3-pointers. Devine also six rebounds.
In addition to Longacre, Ethan Tomlinson added 14 points, and Matt Thomas had six.
William Tennent (10-5, 7-3 SOL) is will host Springfield Twp on Tuesday.
Quakertown (7-8, 3-6 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
Quakertown (67)
Sam Wilkin 2 3-4 7; Miles Longacre 14 6-15 35; Matt Thomas 3 0-0 6; Ethan Tomlinson 5 3-4 14; Kyle Rosenberger 1 1-2 3; Anthony Callan 1 0-0 2; Totals 24 10-21 67.
Williams Tennent (73)
Kirby Mooney 5 7-11 18; Chris D’Ambra 3 3-5 10; Sean Devine 3 0-2 9, Imad Abunima 7 2-4 20; Jayden Bright 1 0-0 2; Tony Pople 1 0-0 3; Vince Sulpizio 1 0-0 2; Tre Stracuzzi 3 0-0 9; Totals 24 12-22 73.
Willliam Tennent 19 16 21 17 – 73
Quakertown 18 10 17 22 – 67
3-point goals: WT – Abunima 4, Devine 3, Stracuzzi 3, Mooney, D’Ambra, Pople; Q: Longacre, Tomlinson.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 60, Upper Moreland 54
Jaden Colzie got PW off to a good start with nine points in the first quarter and 14 for the half. He finished with a team-high 22 points, and the Colonials – who trailed early – held on for the tightly-contested win.
“We are what I thought we’d be – I was hoping we’d be a little more consistent in some things, one of which is playing at a high level of energy and tenacity to start the game,” PW coach Jim Donofrio said. “We seem to need to get punched in the head a lot, so it’s a combination of Jaden Colzie and a whole lot of guys trying to figure it out when they’re on the floor.
“I’m just so impressed with Jaden. Most four-year high school kids are just so comfortable out there, and he is really shooting it well, and he’s doing everything I ask.”
This year’s Colonial squad – which lost the nucleus of last year’s district championship squad to graduation – includes a large group of sophomores eagerly waiting their turn.
“There are seniors who are thrust into new roles, and the rest of our team is basically sophomores,” Donofrio said. “The guys who have been starting kind of dominate practice, so that makes it tricky. You have a 16-players, and yet, they’ve all settled into a real nice level of almost playing hard every day at practice, so they’re enjoying the journey without really understanding what it takes to get to the destination.
“We challenged them like crazy, so what happens with this kind of year? You have to decide – is this a complete, pure rebuild because we’ve given the starters ample opportunity. There’s a standard we’d like to think we have in terms of energy, toughness – mental toughness and cerebral toughness, and we’re not seeing it. The sophomores are growing up.
“I’ve got to look at it this year. Are we going to be a playoff type team, but at the same time, I have to make sure when this thing ends, do all of our guys coming back, all of our young talent – and there’s a good deal of it – are they leaving having learned what they need to learn. The kids are wonderful kids. Every kid we have is a wonderful kid, but you’re in a world of competition too, so these other things apply.”
Listening to the veteran Colonials’ coach tell it, the players need to be listening and learning.
“If you think that what we’re talking about is suggestions – LeBron James can take suggestions, these kids can’t,” Donofrio said. “These are not suggestions. These are absolutely set in concrete – do these things. The learning curve is taking a long, long time. You see hungry eyes on the bench now. Tonight, some kids went in and did some real nice things, played very hard.
“A kid named Terron Davis. Josh DeJesus is 5-6 senior backup, backup point guard to Colzie, but he’s been a thorn in Colzie’s side for two years on the practice court. When you have 5-6 guys and they play hard, they’re like speed bumps that come to life. They get up under you, and Josh was absolutely terrific tonight. He earned himself about 10-12 minutes. At some point, you’ve got to realize – you’re not mad at the starters, but sometimes they can’t see themselves.”
The Colonials forced 11 UM turnovers in the first half but trailed by one at the break, 26-25. While Colzie was leading the Colonials, Sean Murphy led the Golden Bears with eight first-half points.
“You’re working hard and getting turnovers, and you’re getting nothing out it,” Donofrio said. “You’re not finishing at the other end. You’re playing fairly hard, but you’ve got to produce if your name is called as a starter, especially when there’s 11 guys with looks in their eyes absolutely jumping off the bench when you call their name to get in the game.
“At some point, you’re going to say – ‘This is why you’re a team. You pick each other up, so believe in the guys who went in for you, take five minutes, take 20 minutes and realize what this requires from you, otherwise, there’s going to be new starters. You have to produce.’”
The Colonials outscored UM 20-15 in the third quarter and took a 45-39 lead into the final quarter.
Sophomore Jack Hayes had a big fourth quarter to help put the game away, going 4-for-5 from the free throw line to finish with nine points. Mani Sajid had 14 points.
UM was led by Colson Campbell with 14 points, Brayden Martin with 13 and Murphy with 11.
“(Coach Dan Heiland) has a nice team – he’s got size, he’s got some athletic guys who get downhill fast, and coach (Jason) Campbell’s son – if you give him space at all – he’s going to be a real danger from the three line,” Donofrio said.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-5, 7-2 SOL) is scheduled to travel to Calvert Hall High School in Towson, Md., on Saturday to compete in the Bump ‘N’ BMore Showcase. At 4 p.m., the Colonials will face Baltimore City College High School, which captured the Maryland 3A state title last year to cap an undefeated season.
Upper Moreland (10-6, 7-4 SOL) will host Lower Moreland on Tuesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (60)
Jaden Colzie 9 1-4 22; Ben Marsico 1 0-0 3; Jack Hayes 2 5-6 9; Mani Sajid 5 2-2 14; Michael Pereira 0 1-2 1; Josh DeJesus 1 2-4 5; Jah Sayles 2 2-4 6. Totals 20 13-22 60.
Upper Moreland (54)
Nate Best 1 3-3 5; Alex Best 1 1-2 3; Colson Campbell 5 1-2 14; Anthony Carson 1 0-0 2; Jimmy Perce 1 0-0 2; Sean Murphy 4 1-2 11; Brayden Martin 4 3-4 13; Larry Hughes 2 0-0 4. Totals 19 9-13 54.
Upper Moreland 14 12 13 15 – 54
PW 13 12 20 15 – 60
3-point goals: PW-Colzie 3, Sajid 2, DeJesus; UM-Campbell 3, Murphy 2, Martin 2
Non-league
Upper Dublin 74, Holy Ghost Prep 45
The Flying Cardinals definitely came out flying on Thursday night, to the tune of 10 first-half 3-pointers and 15 for the game, as they blew out Holy Ghost Prep on Thursday in a non-league matchup of possible District One Class 5A tournament foes.
UD led 14-8 after one quarter, but then put 27 points on the board in the second quarter to jump up 41-24 at halftime.
Brady Fogle and Idris Rines each had four 3-pointers and 13 and 14 points, respectively. Chris Kohlbrenner had three 3-pointers and 11 points on the night.
Ryan Mulroy scored a team-high 18 points, with two 3s, while Noah Cohen also had a pair of 3s.
Upper Dublin (13-1), which is back in league play Tuesday, is currently No. 2 in the 5A power rankings.
Holy Ghost Prep (45)
Sharlin 1 5-5 7; Brady 1 0-0 2; McDonald 3 2-4 8; Segarich 2 2-2 6; McLaughlin 1 2-2 4; Varella 3 0-3 7; Nahill 3 1-2 7; Stewmetz 0 2-2 2; Duffy 1 0-0 2; Totals 15 14-20 45.
Upper Dublin (74)
Chris Kohlbrenner 4 0-0 11; Brady Fogle 4 1-2 13; Ryan Mulroy 8 0-1 18; Idris Rines 5 0-0 14; Noah Cohen 2 0-0 6; Brandon Altman 1 2-2 4; Anthony Oliveira-Schultz 2 0-0 4; Justin Ragsdale 1 0-0 2; Nate Rigbert 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 3-5 74.
Holy Ghost Prep 8 16 11 10 – 45
Upper Dublin 14 27 19 14- 74
3-point goals: HGP-Varella; UD-Kohlbrenner 3, Fogle 4, Mulroy 2, Rines 4, Cohen 2
Springfield Twp 72, Martin Luther 41
With a few days off because of the weather, Springfield started slow at home Thursday in its non-league game against Martin Luther School. But it didn’t take that long to get going, as the Spartans put up 23 points in the second quarter and 40 for the half on the way to the 31-point blowout win.
“We started slow,” said Springfield coach Rob Fusaro. “They were off for a couple of days, they got back in the flow. It was good. They responded at halftime, and they played really well and executed the second half, took control and stayed with it.
“We’re a younger team, so it’s really nice to see them step up to a challenge, understand what it is and then execute what we want them to do. They’re really starting to grow and progress as a group. They’re a good group to coach.”
Aiden Hood finished with 16 points and five rebounds. Bob Hartman had 16 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Hood jump-started Springfield with 10 points in the first quarter.
“He’s been playing really well, scoring when he can, being more assertive on offense,” Fusaro said. “It’s like a lot of those juniors, they’re finally starting to accept their role as a leader and a main person and started really flourishing in that role, which is nice.
“He’s a great kid. He’s worked really, really hard ever since I’ve had him in eighth grade, and he’s really coming into his own. Last year, he was thrown in and was a varsity starter towards the early part of the year, and he’s grown into that role as more of a forward/guard. He puts a lot of time in.”
Hartman’s 14 first-half points led the Spartans, who took a 40-20 lead into halftime.
“Bob Hartman has been really, really steady the whole year,” Fusaro said. ”He’s been our rock. He’s very even keeled, he’s a good leader. He’s an alpha personality which is really key for us and he’s done a really good job.
Also for the Spartans, Brandon Thompson had 12 points, and Julian Ciasullo 12 points and six assists.
“Julian Ciasullo played really well as a sophomore,” Fusaro said. “He’s learned how to pick his spots, take the right shots, really getting under control. He’s doing a nice job scoring, so he’s been really receptive.”
Springfield (3-9) will host Wissahickon in a crossover game on Friday.
Martin Luther (41)
Akim Sessay 2 0-0 6; John Harris 1 0-0 3; Kaazir Praylow 7 2-4 18; Daevon Reeder 1 1-4 3; Elijah Smith 2 0-0 4; Keyon McGee 3 0-0 7.
Springfield (72)
Bob Hartman 6 2-2 16; Aiden Hood 7 0-3 16; Brandon Thompson 5 1-4 12; Will McLaughlin 1 0-2 3; Will Cooney 3 0-0 8; Cleary 1 0-0 2; Seirwright 1 1-2 3; Chase Murphy 1 0-0 3; Julian Ciasullo 5 1-3 12.
Martin Luther 8 12 8 13 – 41
Springfield 17 23 18 14 – 72
3-point goals: ML-Sessay 2, Praylow 2, McGee; S-Hartman 2, Hood 2, Cooney 2, Thompson, McLaughlin, Murphy, Ciasullo
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