Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Saturday. Upper Dublin/Lower Merion photos provided courtesy of Michael Rice Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Non-league
ABINGTON 70, DOBBINS 51
It’s only one game, but the Ghosts gave a glimpse of the high octane style of play coach Dan Marsh is looking to see on a regular basis.
The Ghosts erupted for 24 points in the first quarter. Faizon Garland’s eight points – which included a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line – led the way in the frame. Jake Manigault added six points.
By halftime, Manigault had 11 of his team-high 17 points, and the Ghosts led 34-25. They outscored their visitors 36-26 in the second half. Xander Grasty had nine of his 14 points after the intermission.
Four Abington players finished the game in double figures. Paul Glants led the Ghosts with eight rebounds.
Key stretch: The Ghosts took control of this one early, outscoring their visitors 24-8 in the first quarter and never looking back.
Players of the game: Jake Manigault (17 points), Faison Garland (12 points), Xander Grasty (14 points), Paul Glants (10 points, 8 rebounds)
Abington coach Dan Marsh on the game: “The thing with this team – we’re not a slow starting team, and it was 24-8 after the first quarter. But then we got into this little lull that we’ve been seeing in the fall and in the spring where we relax a little bit and start settling for jumpers.
“Number 1 for their team got hot, and it was a single-digit game for a lot of the second half, and then we just stepped up our defense and were able to go on a run. I know it’s November, so it sounds weird to say, but it was a typical December basketball. It was sloppy.”
–A new era: “I told them at the end of the year last year – I never want to lose in the first round (of districts) again. I’ve never done it, and I don’t want to do it again. I said – anyone that wants to join me. I’m opening up the gym next week. That was a week after we finished last year, and we’ve been in the gym ever since. They’ve been biting at the bit to play.
“Before the game today, I said, ‘You guys said you would go to war with me – let’s go to war.’ That’s kind of our motto.”
—Leading the charge: “It goes in spurts because we do have some talented kids that can come in and make an impact, but Jake Manigault was the leader today. Xander (Grasty) was hot early.
“But Skit (Faison Garland) is the engine for our defense for sure. He dives on the floor, and he got under the other player’s skin – who ended up throwing the ball at Skit and getting ejected. He’s just one of those annoying kids that just goes real hard, and he’s definitely our catalyst.
“The reason I like this group is because it’s a team effort in everything we do. They’ve all checked their egos at the door. All they want to do is win and compete.”
Up next: Abington (1-0) will travel to Pennsbury for a non-league game Tuesday.
Dobbins 8-17-17-9 51
Abington 24-10-16-20 70
Dobbins (51) – Jarrell Little 7 3-6 18; Khaleef Agbemehia 3 4-6 10; Haneef Davis 6 7-7 19; Tyler Richardson 2 0-1 4; TOTALS 18 14-20 51.
Abington (70) – Kyler Pickron 1 0-0 2; Faizon Garland 3 6-6 12; Xander Grasty 4 4-6 14; Leo D’Arco 2 0-0 5; Michael O’Rourke 1 0-0 3; Jake Manigault 7 3-5 19; Zion Hospedales 2 2-4 6; Paul Glants 2 4-4 9; TOTALS 22 19-25 70.
3-point goals: Dobbins – Jarrell Little; Abington – Xander Grasty 2, Jake Manigault 2, Leo D’Arco, Michael O’Rourke, Paul Glants.
LOWER MERION 82, UPPER DUBLIN 68
The Flying Cardinals knew they would have their hands full against a highly regarded Aces squad. Lower Merion took a 37-24 lead into halftime, and although the Cardinals cut into that lead, they never could dig
themselves out of the early hole.
“It was a hard fought game,” UD coach Derek Brooks said. “Lower Merion did a great job of playing with pace but also under control. A big run for them into the second was too much for us to overcome.
“We battled back with a good effort in the second half, but we could not get enough stops. Credit to Lower Merion, they played hard, disciplined and shot the ball well.”
The Cardinals were led by the 20-point effort of Ryan Mulroy. Noah Cohen added 18 points, which included five 3-pointers. Justin Ragsdale added 11 points, and James Castronuovo had seven.
Upper Dublin (0-1) will travel to La Salle for a non-league game Tuesday.
Upper Dublin 11-13-21-23 68
Lower Merion 19-18-17-28 82
Upper Dublin (68) – Kobe Bazemore 5, Noah Cohen 18, Ryan Mulroy 20, Idris Rims 5, Justin Ragsdale 11, James Castronuovo 7, Horace Jackson 2.
Lower Merion (82) – Lamont Grier 8, Roshyne Patterson 9, Sami Singletary 26, Gus Wright 4, Carson Kasner 23, Tate Perkins 12.
3-point goals: UD – Noah Cohen 5, Idris Rims, James Castronuovo.
8th Annual Golden Bears Tipoff Tournament
UPPER MORELAND 61, OWEN J ROBERTS 44
Upper Moreland capped a big opening weekend with a convincing win in Saturday’s title game.
“Definitely winning our tournament is always a goal of ours, so it was good to accomplish that as a team,” UM coach Dan Heiland said.
The Golden Bears opened up a 15-4 lead after one quarter and took a 29-19 lead into halftime. The Wildcats battled back and trailed by just a 37-31 score heading into the final quarter when the Golden Bears seized control, erupting for 24 points to win going away.
Jaydon Cybok led a balanced attack with 17 points, which included three 3-pointers. Nine players contributed scoring for the Golden Bears.
Players of the game: Jadon Cybok (17 points) and Nate Best (11 points) led a balanced UM attack.
Upper Moreland coach Dan Heiland: “Owen J Roberts was tough opponent. They played really hard, play really well as a team. I thought our guys battled for 32 minutes which was good to see .
“Our group did another really good job offensively just sharing the ball, making shots when they’re open, making the extra pass, and overall just playing the way we ask them to play. It was another really good team effort overall.
“We did a really good job rebounding the ball as a team and limiting their second chance opportunities. They went on a good run in the second half to cut the lead to three, we called a timeout and regrouped and after that we did a really nice job of executing and getting back to where we needed to be and extending the lead. I was happy to see our guys respond and put the game away and finish the way we wanted to.”
–Leading the way:“Jadon Cybok led us offensively with 17 points with three three-pointers. He played a very good offensive game and did his part defensively. Colson Campbell and Nate Best were other contributors who scored when needed, got others open looks and rebounded well.”
–A team effort: “Our bench did a great job today. We had many contributions from multiple guys that impacted the game in different ways. Overall, I’m very happy with another great team effort, the way we played with energy, pride and toughness and ultimately together was very encouraging.”
Up next: Upper Moreland (2-0) will host Hatboro-Horsham in a non-league game Thursday (7:30 pm).
Owen J Roberts 4-15-12-13 44
Upper Moreland 15-14-8-24 61
Owen J Roberts (44) – Danny Walker 8 0-0 23; Elijah Wilson 3 1-1 8; Ryan HOlmburg 1 1-2 3; Elijah Cline 1 1-2 3; Dazh Rose 0 3-6 3; Gavin Winnick 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 15 6-11 44.
Upper Moreland (61) – Nate Best 4 3-4 11; Tommy Jeinnings 0 1-2 1; Colson Campbell 3 3-4 9; Anthony Carson 1 0-0 2; Aidan Tuffy 2 0-0 5; Larry Hughes 4 0-2 8; Luke Roussel 1 0-2 2; Jadon Cybok 6 2-2 17; Cannon Campbell 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 24 9-14 61.
3-point goals: OJR – Danny Walker 7, Elijah Wilson; UM – Jadon Cybok 3, Aidan Tuffy.
Jeff Dailey Tournament
NORTH PENN 62, POCONO MOUNTAIN WEST 59
As coaching debuts go, it was a good one for North Penn coach Cordell Lord, whose team knocked off the defending District 11 5A champions in Saturday’s opening round.
The Knights were red hot from long range, burying 10 3-pointers. Ahmaar Godhania had four 3s in his team-high 20 points, and Lee Hammonds had three 3s in his 18 points.
Hammonds jumpstarted the Knights, scoring 10 points in the first quarter and 16 of his 18 points in the first half.
Godhania had the hot hand in a 19-point third quarter, burying three 3-pointers for nine points. Gabe Altemus had six points in the third quarter.
Key stretch: The Knights took a 20-11 lead after one quarter and led the rest of the way.
Players of the game: Ahmaar Godhania (20 points), Lee Hammonds (18), Aiden Atkinson (12 points)
North Penn coach Cordell Lord: “We jumped off to a really quick start. They had a lot of different actions that we did a really good job of containing. One of their best players actually had a first quarter suspension, and when I found out that information, I knew it was really important for us to get off to a good start because I knew he would come in starting in the second quarter and would be extremely aggressive.
“We were up 20-11 at the end of the first quarter. They made their run later on in the second. We got a little stagnant on the offensive end and lost the second quarter 10-16.
“Throughout the first half, Lee Hammond was fantastic for us. He really did well controlling the game, knocking down a ton of big shots and just getting into a good groove before he unfortunately got into some foul trouble.”
–The second half: “Ahmaar Godhania, one of our returning starters who was first team all-league, was fantastic with just hitting some really big-time shots. There was a couple of times where they cut the lead to three or four points and one time two points, and Ahmaar would then hit a big-time three or give us a big-time bucket and was just fantastic.
“Aiden Atkinson was another player who is a returner from last year. He had a really tough task with guarding their big man (Adrian Brito). He is a commit to East Stroudsburg, and we knew it was going to be a really tough task for him. We thought Aiden did a fantastic job of just really battling and making him work for all of his points. I don’t think there was anything he got that was really ‘easy’ throughout the night. He also managed to be a factor on the offensive end – he scored 12 points.
“Gabe Altemus as well was great – deflecting shots and contesting shots, making it difficult while also chipping in nine points.
“Once we took over in the first quarter, they never got the lead back. The closest they got was two points.”
Praise for opponent: “Pocono Mountain West played extremely well. (Coach Rich Williams) does a fantastic job with all of his plays and sets. He just has them prepared for any situation, and that’s extremely hard to play against because you never know what’s coming. They were an extremely well coached team, an extremely talented team. We snuck one by them early on, but I expect them to have a very productive and competitive year. I think they could get back to being in a district championship.”
Up next: North Penn (1-0) will face Freedom in Sunday’s title game (2:30 pm). Freedom won a three-overtime marathon 101-100 over Notre Dame Green Pond.
North Penn 20-10-19-13 62
Pocono Mountain West 11-16-19-13 59
North Penn (62) – Ahmaar Godhania 8 0-0 20; Lee Hammond 5 5-5 18; Aiden Atkinson 5 0-0 12; Nolan Foust 0 1-2 1; Wyatt Martin 1 0-0 2; Gabe Altemus 4 0-0 9; TOTALS 23 6-7 62.
Pocono Mountain West (59) – Kyon Coles 6 3-3 17; Tru Godwin 3 0-0 8; Teddy Stiehler 0 1-2 1; Brady Behr 1 1-2 3; Jon Mateo 1 0-0 2; Bryan Silva 1 0-0 2; Jaden Sanders 1 0-0 2; Adrian Brito 10 4-6 24; TOTALS 23 9-13 59.
3-point goals: NP – Ahmaar Godhania 4, Lee Hammond 3, Aiden Atkinson 2, Gabe Altemus; PMW – Kyon Coels 2, Tru Godwin 2.
Oreland Lions Tournament
PHIL-MONT CHRISTIAN 59, SPRINGFIELD TWP 52
The Spartans found themselves on the short end of a 12-6 score at the end of one quarter and spent the rest of the game playing catchup.
Phil-Mont took a 28-19 lead into halftime and still led by nine heading into the final quarter on their way to the win.
Bob Hartman led the Lions with 17 points and three steals, Chadrack Kiamba added 14 points and five rebounds, and Aiden Hood had 10 points and three steals.
Springfield Twp (1-1) will host Renaissance Academy Charter in a non-league game Tuesday.
Phil-Mont Christian 12-16-12-19 59
Springfield Twp 6-13-12-21 52
Jack Schott Tipoff Tournament
CONESTOGA 64, NESHAMINY 40
The Redskins fell to the Pioneers in Saturday’s title game on the heels of a win at the buzzer over Holy Ghost Prep in Friday’s opening round game.
Neshaminy (1-1) will host North Penn in a non-league game Wednesday.
SOL-PAC Challenge
PERKIOMEN VALLEY 47, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 39 (OT)
The two teams battled to a 37-37 tie after regulation, but the Vikings had the better of play in overtime.
Ben Harrison’s 12 points led the Titans, and Cole DiEmidio added seven points.
Central Bucks South (0-1) will host Pope John Paul II on Monday.
POPE JOHN PAUL II 64, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 41
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