Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Tuesday.
Non-league
Springfield Township 54, Quakertown 48
At 6-7, 220 pounds, Gabe Harris is an imposing presence on the basketball court. The junior center’s 13-point first half helped propel the visiting Spartans to a 26-17 halftime lead. Harris had nine points in a first quarter that saw the Spartans outscore their hosts 17-5.
“The last two games Gabe had two points in the first half, which is pretty much below his standards for the game,” coach Chris Cole said. “So having the conversation with Gabe early in the pregame, letting him know he had to dominate the first half in order for us to be successful – he took that challenge on and put the team on his back early.
“He had 13 points in the first half, which was amazing. That’s something he needed to see that he has the ability to score, so we focused a lot on him early and then let everybody else play off of him.”
The Panthers outscored the Spartans 31-28 in the second half but never could make up the ground they lost.
Also for the Spartans, Jay Joseph added 14 points.
“He had another phenomenal game,” Cole said. “So far for the season, he’s averaging around 15 points. He was one of the three returning players from last season.
“Last season we had a lot of seniors, and James didn’t get as much playing time as he deserved. This year we let him know in the offseason that this was his team, and he has to take a huge leap. He took that challenge as well and put the team on his back also, being able to become a reliable scorer as well as a consistent scorer.
“What really pleased the coaches today was James’ turnover-ratio. The first two games he averaged about seven turnovers, and today he only had four – one in each quarter. Him being able to handle the ball and not turn the ball over helped us out as well.”
Cole also had praise for his guards.
“We had great defense from point guard Matt Leibfreid and our two guard, Amir Williams,” the Spartans’ coach said. “They played great defense on the Quakertown guards, getting some easy steals that resulted in fast break layups and just hounded their guards fullcourt all game.”
For the Panthers, Kayden Roley led the way with 15 points – 11 in the second half. Matt Catalano added nine points on three three-pointers. Luke Bauer contributed eight points, which included a pair of threes. All told, the Panthers, had nine three-pointers and seven two-point buckets.
Springfield Township (2-0) will host Abington Friday’s SOL opener, and Quakertown (0-2) will travel to Central Bucks South for its SOL opener Friday.
Springfield Twp 17-9-16-12 54
Quakertown 5-12-16-15 48
Springfield Twp (54) – Amir Williams 2 1-2 5; Jay Joseph 5 3-4 14; Ethan Hamilton 1 0-4 2; Matt Leibfreid 2 0-0 5; Micah Woods 2 0-0 4; Austin Maggioncalda 1 1-2 4; Gabe Harris 7 5-6 20; TOTALS 20 10-18 54.
Quakertown (48) – Matt Catalano 3 0-0 9; Kayden Roley 5 4-6 15; Jack Gordon 2 0-0 6; Jake Hallowell 1 3-4 5; Luke Bauer 3 0-1 8; Tim Kratz 1 0-1 3; Ty Wilkin 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 16 7-12 48.
3-poing goals: Springfield Twp – Jay Joseph, Matt Leibfreid, Austin Maggioncalda, Gabe Harris; Quakertown – Matt Catalano 3, Jack Gordon 2, Luke Bauer 2, Kayden Roley, Tim Kratz.
Central Bucks East 60, Council Rock South 40
The Patriots were feeling it from long range, burying 13 three-pointers. The fun started early for the Patriots who opened up a 25-14 lead after one quarter.
“To start off the game, we were at a pretty quick pace, and Chris Charlton really got us going early with some threes,” East coach Erik Henrysen said. “The tempo of the game was definitely at a tempo we don’t typically play at, but we were benefitting from it, so we went with it.”
The Patriots took a 34-24 lead into halftime and then put the game out of reach with a 19-9 third quarter tear to go on top 53-33.
“We weren’t completely happy with how we dealt with their transition offense,” Henrysen said. “Our transition defense is something we were focusing on at halftime.
“Anytime you come out and make some threes – Jason Markowitz had three threes in the third quarter and stretched that lead, and then we were able to do the job on the defensive end.”
Charlton led all scorers with 20 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds while Markowitz added 12 points. Joe Jackman had 10 points, and Jack Hamilton added eight.
“Jack Hamilton was great,” Henrysen said. “He finished with four blocks, five rebounds and just had an overall game down there in the lane where we needed him to battle.”
The win was the Patriots’ second after dropping a 53-50 heartbreaker to Boyertown in their season opener.
“We weren’t happy with how we started the year at Boyertown, and we responded the next day against Truman,” Henrysen said. “Hopefully, we’re building some momentum.”
The Golden Hawks, who buried 12-of-17 at the foul line, were led by the nine-point effort of Jack Rebholz. Kevin McNamee and Joey Purcell both added seven points. Luca Baratta and Michael Stewart each chipped in six points.
Central Bucks East (2-1) will travel to Central Bucks West for Friday’s SOL opener at 6:30 p.m. Council Rock South (1-2) will host Harry S Truman in Friday’s SOL opener at 7 p.m.
Council Rock South 14-10-9-7 40
Central Bucks East 25-9-19-7 60
Council Rock South (40) – Jack Rebholz 9, Luca Baratta 6, Michael Stewart 6, Kevin McNamee 7, Joey Purcell 7, Daniel Jabbar 3, Alec Borofsky 2.
Central Bucks East (60) – Joe Jackman 10, Jack Hamilton 8, Tyler Young 2, Chris Charlton 20, Anthony Giordano 4, Brendan Harte 5, Jason Markowitz 12, Christian Rivera 2.
Souderton 68, Great Valley 58
The Indians, who led by six after one quarter, outscored the Patriots 20-10 in the second to go into halftime with a commanding 38-22 lead. They never looked back en route to their third win in as many games.
“We have a lot of guys that have experience, we have talent up and down the board,” coach Tim Brown said. “We have a lot of different guys that can score, so I don’t think you can really hone in an anybody in the scouting report. You’ve got to respect our whole roster.
“The guys realize how much we have to grow still and how good we can be if we continue to take those steps in the right direction. The positive is – they’re hungry. They don’t care that it’s 3-0. They know that there’s a ton to work on and so much room to get better. I’m happy about that.”
Once again the Indians were ignited by Dominic Natale, who finished with a team high 20 points. He had six offensive boards in the pivotal first half.
“That energy that he brings every game – people are following his path and going off of him,” Brown said. “The guys don’t care who puts up points at the end of the day. Whoever is getting that open shot, whoever is getting a good shot – they don’t care.
“Dom kind of leads the way with it. He doesn’t care if he scores points, he doesn’t care if it’s just a rebounding battle for him, he doesn’t care if it’s just playing defense. They just want to win. They’re at that point where they just want to win.”
Jason Price had another big game for the Indians, contributing 19 points. Jack Towsen and Brian Reiner each added nine.
“Sami Chouiraf did a bunch of things that don’t show up on the stat board,” Brown said. “He ignited us as well defensively, getting rebounds and just playing with energy and intensity.
“Brian Reiner did a good job of distributing the ball, just being our point guard and getting us into our stuff. Jack Towsen came in today. He always does the little things well – he can shoot the ball too, but he just focuses on doing the little things. With the focus on the little things, there’s a bunch of guys doing a good job with that.”
Souderton (3-0) will travel to North Penn on Thursday for its SOL opener at 8 p.m., the fourth game in a quadrupleheader.
Great Valley 12-10-16-20 58
Souderton 18-20-12-18 68
Great Valley (58) – Steinbrenner 22, Stehle 13, Frederick 13, Broxton 7, Dimedia 2, Corrigan 1.
Souderton (68) – Dominic Natale 20, Jason Price 19, Jack Towsen 9, Brian Reiner 9, Andrew Vince 4, Sami Chouiraf 4, Ben Murawski 2, Dylan Hollick 1.
Central Bucks West 54, Hatboro-Horsham 34
The Bucks – who led 6-3 after a low-scoring opening quarter – used a 24-11 second quarter burst to blow open Tuesday’s non-league game against the visiting Hatters. Teddy Spratt led a balanced West attack, finishing with 13 points – including a pair of three-pointers, four rebounds and two steals. Jack Neri added 11 points and five rebounds, and Danny Miller was the third West player in double figures with 10. Owen Haney added seven and Mike Munari had six.
DJ Cerisier and Colin O’Sullivan led the Hatters with eight points each. N’Gianni Cericier chipped in six points.
Central Bucks West (3-0) will host Central Bucks East on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Hatboro-Horsham (0-3) will host Upper Dublin on Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 3-11-14-6 34
Central Bucks West 6-24-14-10 54
Hatboro-Horsham (34) – N’Gianni Cerisier 3 0-1 6; DJ Cerisier 3 1-1 8; Cehier Cheeze 1 1-2 3; Logan Fischer 1 0-0 3; Joshua Spruill 1 0-0 2; John Marvin 1 0-0 3; B.Schlosser 1 0-0 2; Colin O’Sullivan 3 1-1 8; TOTALS 14 3-5 34.
Central Bucks West (54) – Mike Munari 3 01 6; Owen Haney 3 0-0 7; Teddy Spratt 5 1-1 13; Jack Neri 4 2-4 11; Danny Miller 4 0-1 10; Joe Monahan 1 2-2 4; Chris Hack 1 1-1 3; TOTALS 21 6-10 54.
3-point field goals: HH – DJ Cerisier, John Marvin, Colin O’Sullivan, CBW – Teddy Spratt, Danny Miller 2, Owen Haney, Jack Neri.
Downingtown West 54, Upper Dublin 47
The Flying Cardinals – behind six points from Drew Stover – opened up a 14-6 lead after one quarter, but the visiting Whippets erased that advantage in a hurry in the second quarter, outscoring the Cardinals 23-7 to go into halftime with a 29-21 advantage.
Will Howard – a standout quarterback who led the Whippets to a District One 6A title – has signed with Kansas State. In the meantime, Howard is doing some damage on the basketball court. It was Howard’s 10-point second quarter effort – which included a pair of three-pointers – that ignited the Whippets’ 24-point frame. He finished with 17 points.
The Whippets took a 43-31 lead into the final quarter that saw the Cardinals, behind nine points from Stover – outscore their visitors, but they couldn’t dig themselves out of their first-half hole.
Stover’s 19-point performance led the Cardinals, who also received 11 points from Bazel Brady. Will Mead added nine points.
Upper Dublin (2-1) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham for Friday’s SOL opener at 7 p.m.
Downingtown West 6-23-14-11 54
Upper Dublin 14-7-10-16 47
Downingtown West (54) – Dylan Blair 2 9-11 14, Hunter Blair 2 0-0 4; Ryan Dever 2 3-5 9; Will Howard 7 1-2 17; Jackson Luneberg 2 2-24 6; Drew Shelton 1 2-3 4; TOTALS 16 17-25 54.
Upper Dublin (47) – Bazel Brady 3 4-6 11; Drew Stover 8 2-3 19; Will Mead 4 0-0 9; Amare Johnson 1 2-2 4; Aidan Pullian 1 2-2 4; TOTALS 17 10-13 47.
3-point goals: DW – Will Howard 2, Ryan Dever, Dylan Blair, UD – Drew Stover, Bazel Brady, Will Mead.
Lansdale Catholic 63, North Penn 55
The Knights and Crusaders found themselves deadlocked 27-27 at halftime, and it was still a three-point game heading into the final quarter with the Crusaders holding a 47-44 advantage. LC spent the fourth quarter taking trips to the foul line, connecting on 12-of-18. The Crusaders outscored the visiting Knights 16-10 in the frame to earn the non-league win.
Rob Carangi’s 13-point effort – which included three threes – led a balanced Knight attack. Billy Coley added 11 points, Joe Larkins had 10 and Mike Chaffee contributed seven. The Knights connected on 10 shots from beyond the arc.
North Penn (1-2) will host Souderton in Thursday’s SOL opener at 8 p.m.
North Penn 12-15-17-10 55
Lansdale Catholic 10-17-20-16 63
North Penn (55) – John Dolan 2 0-0 6; Joe Larkins 4 0-0 10; Billy Coley 4 1-2 11; Mike Chaffee 2 3-3 7; Rob Carangi 4 2-2 13; Milind Pulugura 1 0-0 3; Matthew Swanson 2 1-6 5; TOTALS 19 7-13 55.
Lansdale Catholic (63) – McDonnell 3 2-4 11; Phillips 6 0-0 14; Ward 3 3-4 9; Healy 1 5-8 7; Gibbons 1 1-2 4; Hicks 3 4-6 11; Casey 2 3-5 7; TOTALS 19 18-29 63.
3-point goals: NP – Rob Carangi 3, John Dolan 2, Joe Larkins 2, Billy Coley 2, Milind Pulugura, LC – McDonnell 3, Phillips 2, Gibbons, Hicks.
Archbishop Ryan 71, Pennsbury 43
Monday, Dec. 9
Simon Gratz 67, Plymouth Whitemarsh 47
The visiting Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-8 lead after one quarter and took a 41-25 lead into halftime on their way to the non-league win.
Junior Luke DiCianno led the Colonials with 15 points. Jayden Glover added eight and Zende Hubbard had six.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (0-2) will host Wissahickon in Friday’s SOL opener.
Simon Gratz 21-20-16-10 67
Plymouth Whitemarsh 8-17-8-14 47
Simon Gratz (67) – E.Harris 3 0-1 6; Y. Stoner 10 0-1 22; Y Rowe 1 1-4 3; R. Carter 5 1-2 11; D. Satchell 5 0-0 10; M. Davis 1 0-2 2; O. Ali 3 0-0 6; J. Bradley 1 0-0 2; C. McCrae 1 0-0 2; K. Goreon 1 1-2 3; 31 3-12 67.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (47) – Ray Tomassetti 2 0-0 5; Luke DiCianno 4 5-5 15; Zende Hubbard 3 0-0 6; Taji Hubbard 1 0-0 1; Jayden Glover 4 0-1 8; Qudire Bennett 1 2-2 4; Teddy Rinck 0 2-2 2; TOTALS 15 9-10 41.
3-point goals: Simon Gratz – Y.Stoner 2, PW – Luke DiCianno 2, Ray Tomassetti.
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