Neshaminy, Springfield Twp & Upper Moreland were winners in Friday’s season openers. Check out the recaps. Neshaminy/Holy Ghost & Upper Moreland/Franklin Towne Charter photos provided courtesy of Gregory Lindsay. Check back for galleries of both games.
Non-league
Jack Schott Tipoff Tournament
NESHAMINY 70, HOLY GHOST PREP 67
Neshaminy lost four starters from last year’s squad to graduation with center Max Currie the only returning starter.
New players were asked to step into big roles, and boy, did they deliver in Friday’s thriller with Eriq Gold burying the game-winner with time about to expire.
“We didn’t know what we were going to get,” Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle said. “We have a couple injuries right now. One of our starting point guards (Jason Leiva) is out with a back injury for a couple weeks. We have another guy coming off the bench, who just broke his leg, so we’re dealing with a lot of stuff.”
The two teams combined for 17 3s with Neshaminy accounting for eight. None loomed larger than Gold’s just before the final buzzer.
Key stretch: The Redskins opened up a 37-26 halftime lead and needed every one of those points. They fell behind by four late in the game but refused to lose, fighting back for the win.
Players of the game: Logan Gale (20 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds), Max Currie (16 points, 7 rebounds), Eriq Gold (15 points, including game-winning 3, 5 rebounds)
Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle on the game: “It was crazy. We jumped out to a big lead – we were up 37-22 at one point, and they scored four right before halftime to make it an 11-point game.
“In the third quarter, they definitely went on a run and cut it to three at the end of three quarters. It was back and forth, and they were up 64-60 late in the game. It turned into foul shots and just back and forth – I’ll take your punch, you take my punch type of thing.
“We were up two, and they scored on a really nice backdoor play to tie it up with 32 seconds left in the game. They called a timeout – we didn’t have to.”
–The game-winner: “With 30 seconds left, we gave the ball to our sophomore – Logan Gale, who had 20 points and nine assists and had a great game.
“He was our sixth/seventh man last year. With everyone leaving on our team, he stepped into the role and had a really big night.
“Basically, we wanted to hold it for one shot. He was able to get past guys all night and get to the foul line. We let Logan attack and make the right read because he was making the right reads all night, whether he shot it or passed it off. We were counting down until 10 seconds or a little under. He was able to kick it to our junior, Eriq Gold, for a three, in the wing/corner area, and he hit it with about three seconds left, and they didn’t even get a shot off.
“Logan made the right read. Eriq Gold’s defender came off a little bit – enough so that he kicked it to him, and he got it off and hit it.”
–Eriq Gold’s clutch play: “This was his first varsity game. He’s a junior so he played jayvee last year, but we knew he was a gamer. He filled in for Jason Leiva, who would have been our point guard, but he’s injured right now.
“Eriq came in and had five 3s for us tonight and did a great job handling the point. He played a lot of minutes. It was nice.”
–Responding to adversity: “We’re preaching team, we’re preaching being together, trusting and believing on each other. We did that tonight.
“We were up big early, but we knew Holy Ghost was going to come back. They had some good looks and just missed some early, so we knew they were going to go on a run, and they definitely did.
“We held our composure and just kept fighting and got the win, which was great.
“Two of our guys were in foul trouble. You don’t know how your team’s going to react to adversity – especially against a good team at their place. We didn’t put our heads down when we got down after they made a huge run. We can hopefully build off this.”
Up next: Neshaminy will face Conestoga in Saturday’s title game at 7 p.m. It was Conestoga that handed the Redskins a season-ending loss in the District 1 6A Tournament last year.
Neshaminy 17-20-15-18 70
Holy Ghost 14-12-21-20 67
Neshaminy (70) – Eriq Gold 5 0-0 15; Logan Gale 5 9-12 20; Shane West 2 0-0 5; Cadenn Amati 4 1-2 9; Max Currie 8 0-0 16; Jason Gilardi 1 0-1 2; Dominic Ciallella 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 26 10-15 70.
Holy Ghost (67) – Zachary Sharlin 2 1-2 7; Adam McDonald 9 3-5 24; Robie Segarich 2 2-2 7; Stenardo 1 0-0 3; Farrell 1 1-2 4; Duffy 2 0-2 4; Varella 6 3-4 16; Nahill 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 24 10-17 67.
3-point goals: N – Eriq Gold 5, Logan Gale, Shane West, Jason Ciallella; HG – McDonald 3, Sharlin 2, Segarich, Stenardo, Farrell, Varella.
Oreland Lions Tournament
SPRINGFIELD TWP 63, JENKINTOWN 42
Springfield Twp returns its entire roster from last year, and the Spartans looked every bit the part of the veteran squad they are, opening up an early lead and never looking back to earn the win and a spot in Saturday’s title game.
“This is a great group,” Springfield Twp coach Rob Fusano said. “I’ve had them for a long time. It’s really fun to coach them and have them around for the duration of my time here.”
Key stretch: The Spartans erupted for 28 first-quarter points, opening up a double-digit lead. Bob Hartman’s nine points and Aiden Hood’s eight points led the Spartans in the big quarter that set the tone for the win.
Players of the game: Bob Hartman (14 points, 5 rebounds), Julian Ciasullo (11 points 5 steals), Aiden Hood (10 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists)
Springfield Twp coach Rob Fusaro on the game: “We started out really, really strong – forced some turnovers and did a nice job with that. Jenkintown did make a little run in the second half, and we fought back– made some shots and also got some key stops that helped us and pushed the lead back up.
“I was most pleased with how we executed and stayed consistent. We do have a group that’s all coming back from last year, so it was nice to see that cohesion and chemistry.
“They’re tough kids that will fight back and do the right things and execute, which is great.”
–Props: “It was really balanced scoring overall. Aiden Hood played really tough inside and out. Bob Hartman hit a lot of key shots. Julian Ciasullo came up with some really key steals and scored really well around the rim and hit some shots. Those three were pretty key, and everyone else was a solid group effort, and it was really encouraging to see.”
Up next: Springfield Twp (1-0) will face Phil-Mont Christian Academy in Saturday’s championship game at 6:30 p.m.
Jenkintown 12-10-10-10 42
Springfield Twp 28-16-9-10 63
Jenkintown (42) – A Rivera 1 0-0 3; J.Jackson 6 0 1-2 16; E.Ecker 3 2-3 9; T. Trail 2 0-0 5; R. Ciepinski 1 0-0 2; M.Steuber 1 0-2 2; J.Williams 1 0-0 2; J.Wai 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 16 3-7 42.
Springfield Twp (63) – Bob Hartman 5 1-1 14; Jack McGuckin 3 1-2 7; Chadrack Kiamba 2 1-2 5; Aiden Hood 3 4-6-10; Julian Ciasullo 5 1-2 11; Will McLaughlin 1 0-4 3; Will Cooney 2 2-4 7; Cahlin Spearman 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 24 10-21 63.
3-point goals: J – J.Jackson 3, A Rivera, M.Ecker, T.Trail, J.Wai; S – Bob Hartman 3, Will McLaughlin, Will Cooney.
8th Annual Golden Bears Tipoff Tournament
UPPER MORELAND 67, FRANKLIN TOWNE CHARTER 27
The Golden Bears advanced to Saturday’s title game of their own tournament with a no-doubt-about it win in Friday’s opener.
Eleven UM players contributed to a balanced attack.
Key stretch: The Golden Bears took the suspense out of this one in a hurry, opening up a 25-6 lead after one quarter and going into halftime with a 49-9 lead.
Players of the game: Jadon Cybok buried three 3-pointers and scored a game-high 14 points; Larry Hughes added 11 points.
Upper Moreland coach Dan Heiland on the game: “Overall, we played really well. We shared the ball, made open shots and played relentless defense. I was very happy with how we started the game. Looking forward to tomorrow’s challenge versus Owen J Roberts.”
–The first half: “Jadon Cybok had a really strong first half – he had three 3-pointers. Nate Best and Larry Hughes also had strong first halves scoring with layups and free throws.
“Colson Campbell, Anthony Carson and Tommy Jeinnings all had a really good first half defensively – applied good ball pressure, got lots of deflections and
rebounds.”
Next up: Upper Moreland (1-0) will face Owen J Roberts in Saturday’s championship game at 3 pm.
Upper Moreland 25-24-6-12 67
Franklin Towne 6-3-9-9 27
Upper Moreland (67) – Alex Costanzo 2 0-0 4; Nate Best 3 0-0 6; Tommy Jeinnings 3 2-2 8; Colson Campbell 0 1-2 1; Anthony Carson 2 0-0 5; Aidan Tuffy 1 0-0 2; Larry Hughes 5 1-4 11; Luke Roussel 2 2-2 6; Jose Hernandez 4 0-0 8; Jadon Cybok 5 1-2 14; Elijah Davis 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 28 7-12 67.
Franklin Towne (27) – J Quattrone 2 0-0 4; L.Marchino 3 2-2 9; C Quattrone 1 0-0 2; J Whitehead 1 0-0 2; D LaSalle 1 0-0 2; T Tatum 1 0-0 3; J Lawson 1 0-0 3; D Qcquaviva 1 0-0 2; 11 2-2 27
3-point goals: UM – Jadon Cybok 3, Anthony Carson; FT – L Marchino, T Tatum, J Lawson.
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