Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday. CR South/Lower Moreland photos provided courtesy of Jon Sklut; Upper Darby/Plymouth Whitemarsh provided courtesy of Larry Small. Check back for a gallery of photos. Neshaminy/Tennent photo courtesy of Jesse Garber https://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p162884531
PENNRIDGE MEMORIAL CLASSIC
Pennridge 73, Quakertown 46
A 15-2 run to start the third quarter was the difference, as new-look Pennridge rolled to the big win against rival Quakertown in an opening round game of the Pennridge Memorial Tournament.
The Rams led 30-25 at halftime, but two 3-pointers by senior point guard Justin Nichols spurred the third quarter fun. Their lead was up to 49-32 by the end the quarter and they blew it wide open in the fourth.
Overall, Pennridge outscored Quakertown 43-21 in the second half.
“I think it was great to be back in front of fans,” said coach Dean Behrens. “The energy in the gym. We were looking at some film when we played Quakertown and I was like ‘Wow, it was dead silent.’ A couple fans came, but there was no student section.
“(Tonight), I thought we had some energy in the gym. I thought that was what it’s all about. These guys had to play last year with masks on and it was pretty difficult. Sometimes parents could come, sometimes they couldn’t. Now fans can come. Grandparents can come. Our kids can come. It was a lot of fun.”
Junior Matt Campione scored a team-high 22 points for the Rams, 15 of which came in the first half. Justin McCormick had 14 points, Nichols 10 and Tommy Cramer nine points and eight rebounds.
Behrens pointed to the player of Nichols, who did a lot more than just score.
“Typical Quakertown-Pennridge battle,” Behrens said. “I thought they came out. They were very physical. They were ready to play. They were very prepared. Tony Dacosta and his staff do a great job. I knew they were going to try to pressure Nichols at halfcourt and make it difficult for him to bring the ball up the floor.
“I thought Nichols played great. I bet he didn’t have a lot of points, but I thought Nichols did everything. Handled the ball, rebounded the ball, stole the ball. He really I thought was the reason we Matt and McCormick the shots that they got.”
Overall, it’s going to be more of a guard-oriented Pennridge squad this season, and at least in Game One, things are pointing toward another quality season for the Rams program.
“I think every year is different,” Behrens said. “It’s hard to compare because every year kids are going to graduate. We’ll lose four seniors this year that play a lot of minutes out there. So every year takes on a new kind of fold. We think we got a couple guys on the perimeter that can really shoot the ball. I don’t think we had that last year and I thought we had a good season last year.
“But I feel like with Matt Campione and Justin McCormick, we’ve got two guys on either side of the floor that can shoot. I think Jude D’Agostino, who didn’t actually shoot a lot of outside shots tonight, can really shoot the ball and Nichols hit (two 3s). I think we have some good perimeter play and we threw a young guy in there, we threw Xavier Peters, who’s a freshman, in there and he got some good, valuable minutes and the guys believe in him and he did some really good things.”
Quakertown, in the second year under veteran coach Tony Dacosta, played well at times in the first half, led by sophomore Kyle Rosenberger, who had nine of his team-high 11 points in the opening two quarters. Freshman Sam Wilkin had nine points.
The Panthers, who showed off their depth by rotating 11 players in and out of the game as early as the first quarter, are a young team with one freshman in Wilkin and six sophomores getting significant playing time.
Pennridge is back at it Saturday against Boyertown in its second game of the tournament at 6:30, while Quakertown takes on CB East.
Quakertown (46)
Sam Wilkin 3 2-4 9; Kyle Rosenberger 5 0-0 11; Anthony Callan 1 1-2 3; Brendon Ruzicka 1 2-5 4; Ty Wilkin 2 3-3 7; Ethan Tomlinson 3 4-5 10; Miles Longacre 1 0-0 2. Totlas 16 12-19 46.
Pennridge (73)
Matt Campione 8 5-6 22; Jude D’Agostino 1 2-4 4; Justin McCormick 6 0-0 14; Justin Nichols 3 2-5 10; Tyler Johnson 3 0-0 6; Tommy Cramer 2 5-8 9; Gannon Perlini 2 0-0 6; Ryan Hass 0 2-2 2. Totals 25 16-25 73.
3-point goals: Q-S. Wilkin, Rosenberger; P-McCormick 2, Nichols 2, Perlini 2, Campione
CB East 53, Boyertown 35
The Patriots turned up the defense in the second and third quarters and pulled away from Boyertown in an opening round game of the Pennridge Memorial Tournament. The Patriots, who trailed 12-11 after one quarter, outscored the Bears 22-11 in the middle two quarter to seize control of the game.
Sophomore Jacob Cummiskey finished with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists for CB East. Liam Cummiskey and Brett Young also had 11 points, while Aidan Weaver chipped in with 10 points for a Patriot squad that buried nine 3-pointers in the win.
The were 14-of-21 at the foul line while the Bears made just 9-of-25.
CB East is back at Pennridge on Saturday, and will play Quakertown at 3:30 p.m.
CB East (53)
Jacob Cummiskey 11, Liam Cummiskey 11, Brett Young 1, Aidan Weaver 5, Kyle Berndt 5; Tyriq Toney-Bailey 4, Nick Rivera 1
Boyertown (35)
Jake Kapp 13, Zach Ward 11, Colin Eisenhard 2, Roman Marinello 4, Eddie Higgins 2, Dylan Klass 3, Ryan Tinney 2.
CB East 11 11 11 20 – 53
Boyertown 12 5 6 12 – 35
3-point goals: CBE-L. Cummiskey 3, Young 2, Berndt 1, Toney-Bailey 1
8th ANNUAL JIM CHURCH CLASSIC
Upper Dublin 52, Dock Mennonite 49
D.J. Cerisier went 4-for-4 from the foul line to help Upper Dublin hold off Dock Mennonite in an opening round game of the Jim Church Classic at Souderton.
Cerisier finish with a team-high 14 points for the Flying Cardinals, while Colin O’Sullivan added 11 points.
The Cardinals opened up a 31-21 halftime lead and never looked back.
UD plays Souderton in the tournament championship game on Saturday (5 p.m.).
Dock Mennonite (49)
Lapp 22, Johnson 13, Bultje 8, Martin 4, Neff 3
Upper Dublin (52)
G. Pensabene 3, Mulroy 9, O’Sullivan 11, Cersire 14, Kohlbrenner 2, Lee 5, Kukla 8
Souderton 61, Lansdale Catholic 46
Aleks Smith scored 22 points to lead Souderton, which will play Upper Dublin in the championship game of the Jim Church Classic on Saturday.
Levi John added 11 points, while Jay Bonnett finished with nine points.
The Indians, who led 27-15 at halftime, took a 45-28 lead into the final quarter.
TRIANGLE CLUB TOURNAMENT
Norristown 57, Wissahickon 46
Wissahickon fell behind early and couldn’t get back in the game, trailing 10-8 after one quarter and 29-20 at halftime. The Trojans trimmed the Eagles’ lead to 40-33 entering the final quarter but never could get over the hump.
Sophomore Earl Stout scored a team-high 12 points for the Trojans, while Josh Twersky and Dom Vacchiano added nine points each.
Wissahickon will face La Salle in Saturday’s consolation game.
Wissahickon (46)
Lassiter 4 0-0 8; Twersky 3 3-4 9; Williams 1 0-0 3; Wilson 2 1-2 5; Vacchiano 4 0-0 9; Stout 5 2-3 12. Totals 19 6-9 46.
Norristown (57)
DiMichele 3 0-0 6; Dinolfi 1 0-0 2; Gaymon 2 1-3 5; Gomez 5 4-6 15; Johnson 5 2-2 13; Mobley 5 2-2 12; Watson 0 2-2 2; Williams 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 11-15 57.
Wissahickon 8 12 13 13 – 46
Norristown 10 19 11 17 – 57
SOL/PAC CHALLENGE
CB South 62, Perkiomen Valley 51
Down two with 7 minutes, 40 seconds remaining, CB South responded by outscoring Perk Valley 21-8 the rest of the way to pull away for the season-opening victory.
“A great opener versus PV,” said South coach Jason Campbell. “They were disciplined and took quality shots. A team you can’t give second chance opportunities as they can shoot the 3-ball and the pull up J.”
After falling behind, CB South scored seven straight points, on back-to-back buckets by Michael Farley and a 3-pointer by Joe Rooney and the Titans never trailed again.
Farley finished with a team-high 20 points, while Rooney hit three 3-pointers and added 16 points. Tyler Meinel scored 12 points.
“Overall, great team effort,” Campbell said, “as we played within ourselves and trusted each other by playing defense as a unit and making the extra pass.”
CB South is back in action Saturday (2:30 p.m.) at Spring-Ford.
CB South (62)
Michael Farley 8 1-8 18; Joe Rooney 5 3-4 16; Tyler Meinel 5 3-6 13; Bryan Delara 2 0-0 5; Aidan Van Zanten 1 0-0 3; Jay Macalindong 0 2-2 2; Chris Granito 1 2-2 4; Jesse Rotunno 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 11-16 62.
Perkiomen Valley (51)
J. Sadler 7 1-2 16; Pelzer 6 1-2 15; V. Sadler 3 0-0 6; Kohler 2 0-0 5; McKinney 2 0-0 4; Debebe 1 0-0 3; Vansen 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 2-3 51.
Perk Valley 12 11 17 11 – 51
CB South 15 13 13 21 – 62
3-point goals: PV-Pelzer 2, Sadler 1, Debebe 1; CBS-Rooney 3, Farley 1, Meinel 1, Delara 1, Van Zanten 1
Spring-Ford 49, CB West 48
John Lee scored 14 points and the Bucks were 13-for-14 from the free throw line for the game, but they ended up on the short end of a one-point loss to visiting Spring-Ford.
The Bucks – who trailed 14-6 after one quarter – pulled to within three by halftime, 22-19. It was a 34-32 game entering the final quarter, but the Rams held on for the win.
Also for the Bucks, Michael Fountain added 10 points, while Nick Tenaglia had nine points.
The Bucks will look to bounce back Saturday (1 p.m.) against Perkiomen Valley in a SOL/PAC Challenge game played at Spring-Ford.
Spring-Ford (49)
Cole Turner 6 0-0 17; Jacob Nguyen 4 0-0 10; Jake Kressley 4 1-4 9; Gavin Shauder 3 0-0 7; Caleb Little 2 0-0 4; E.J. Campbell 1 0-2 2. Totals 20 1-6 49.
CB West (48)
John Lee 5 2-2 14; Michael Fountain 4 0-0 10; Nick Tenaglia 2 6-6 9; Matt Engle 2 2-2 7; Donte Mancini 1 0-0 3; Colin McKenna 0 3-4 3; Bowen Gugger 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 13-14 48.
Spring-Ford 14 8 12 15 – 49
CB West 6 13 13 16 – 48
3-point goals: SF-Turner 5, Nguyen 2, Shauder 1; CBW-Lee 2, Tenaglia 1, Engle 1, Mancini 1
5TH ANNUAL GOLDEN BEARS TIPOFF TOURNAMENT
West Chester Henderson 64, New Hope-Solebury 40
New Hope fell behind early and could never get back into the game, as a talented Henderson team led 34-14 at halftime on the way to the 24-point win.
Charlie Albano scored 12 points for the Lions, while Liam Ross added eight points.
“It was a tough first game for us,” said New Hope coach Derek Brooks. “Thought we competed well, and it was an improvement from our recent play in scrimmages. There are definitely things we can improve on, but Henderson deserves a ton of credit. They shot the lights out.
“Cut back on turnovers and shoot a little bit better, and it will go a long way for us.”
New Hope will take on Upper Merion on Saturday in the consolation game of the Upper Moreland Tipoff Classic.
New Hope-Solebury (40)
Hildebrandt 1 0-0 2; Lehman 3 2-4 8; Albano 5 1-1 12; Demby 3 0-0 7; Ross 2 3-4 8; Wilson 1 0-0 2; Hanley 0 2-4 2. Totals 16 8-13 40.
Henderson (64)
Sergio 3 1-1 8; Ralph-Bayer 5 0-0 12; Feliciano 1 0-0 2; Porter 1 0-0 3; Fleet 2 0-0 6; Lamizana 3 0-08; Grimm 1 0-0 2; Surovic 3 0-0 6; Smirk 5 0-0 13; McFadden 1 0-0 2; Bell 1 0-0 2.
West Chester Henderson 15 19 16 13 – 64
New Hope 8 6 12 14 – 40
3-point goals: NHS-Albano 1, Demby 1; WCH-Smirk 3, Fleet 2, Lamizana 2, Ralph-Bayer 2, Sergio 1, Porter 1
Upper Moreland 56, Upper Merion 51
Matt Tiernan scored a team-high 19 points, and Byron Hopkins added 18 as Upper Moreland won its opening round game and advanced to the championship game of its tip-off tournament.
The Bears, who led 13-10 after one quarter, took a 24-20 lead into halftime. The two teams exchanged baskets in the second half in a battle of former SOL American Conference rivals.
The Golden Bears will play West Chester Henderson on Saturday.
Bo Meakim added eight points for the Golden Bears.
Upper Moreland (56)
Dallahan 4, Hopkins 18, Meakim 8, Lancit 5, M. Tiernan 19, Campbell 2
Upper Merion (51)
Jones 21, Lawson 11, Amuefuna 6, Tatom 2, Smiley 3, Riley 8
Upper Moreland 13 11 13 19 – 56
Upper Merion 10 10 13 18 – 51
CONWELL-EGAN TIPOFF TOURNAMENT
Holy Ghost Prep 70, Harry S. Truman 49
Holy Ghost (70)
Mel Lindsey 8 5-7 22, Shane Reilly 6 1-2 15, Ryan Sylvester 2 6-11 10, Seamus McDermott 3 0-1 7; Dylan Shead 2 1-2 5; Dasani McNeely-Bronson 2 0-0 4; Dan Raksnis 1 0-0 3; Ian Hendrix 1 0-0 2; Mark Tomasetti 0 1-2 1; Jason Brown 0 1-2 1. Totals 25 15-27 70.
Harry S. Truman (49)
Wyatt Spinks 5 0-0 15; Makai Jackson 5 0-0 13; Shanbul Lewis 2 6-7 10; Tylin Carrington 2 0-2 6; Kalnier Adams 1 0-0 3; Antonio Carr 1 0-3 2. Totals 16 6-12 49.
3-point goals: HST-Reilly 2, Lindsey 1, McDermott 1, Raksnis 1; HST-Spinks 5, Jackson 3, Carrington 2, Adams 1
16th ANNUAL HERSHEY TIPOFF TOURNAMENT
North Penn 57, Hershey 51
Junior Ryan Deininger hit three 3-pointers and scored a game-high 19 to lead North Penn to the opening round win of the Hershey Tip-Off Tournament.
The Knights will play for the championship on Saturday against William Allen at 7:30 p.m.
On Friday, Ryan Zeltt scored 13 points and Joey Larkins added nine for North Penn.
The two teams were deadlocked at the intermission, 25-25. The Knights outscored Hershey 17-11 in the pivotal third quarter. Deininger had eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers. The Knights sealed Hershey’s fate with some clutch foul shooting in the fourth quarter.
North Penn (57)
Mario Sgro 3 0-0 7; T. Wright 0 1-2 1; Ryan Zeltt 4 4-4 13; Joe Larkins 2 4-4 9; Ryan Deininger 6 4-6 19; Nathaniel Dorsey 0 2-2 2; Miland Pulugura 3 1-2 6. Totals 18 16-20 57
Hershey (51)
Marcus Sweeney 3 2-2 8; Matthew Dedonatis 4 1-1 10; Drew Colman 4 0-0 9; Jack Argenie 4 3-3 11; Garett Burys 3 0-0 6; Zach Miller 3 1-1 7. Totals 21 7-7 51.
3-point goals: NP-Deininger 3, Sgro 1, Zeltt 1, Larkins 1, Pulugura 1
North Penn 14-11-11-15 57
Hershey 12-13-17-15 51
ORELAND LIONS TOURNAMENT
Springfield Township 49, Phi-Mont Christian 20
Springfield jumped out to a 25-3 lead in the first quarter and cruised to the win.
Ben Cooney’s impressive double-double – 12 points and 11 rebounds – led the Spartans. Dylan McKenzie added 11 points and eight rebounds, and Kyle Smythe hit three 3-pointers and scored nine points.
It was, according to second-year coach Rob Fusaro, a team win.
“Everybody contributed,” said the Spartans’ coach said. “It was a great bench mentality, we had a great starting five that just competed. Cooney did a great job battling, Dylan was solid. Kyle Smythe came up with some big 3s. He’s stepped up a lot this year so far. We were just rolling. We didn’t let up. We stayed consistent and finished out really strong.
“It was a great way to start. Hopefully, we can keep it rolling. We’ve got a good group.”
It was Springfield’s first win in two seasons under Fusaro, as the Spartans were winless a year ago in a COVID-shortened schedule.
“I was most pleased with the positivity and energy from everybody,” Fusaro said. “The bench was great, the starters were great. Our big thing was, we’re buying into – excel in your role, knowing your role and excelling in it.”
The Spartans will play New Foundations Charter in the finals of the Oreland Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday.
Non-league
Plymouth Whitemarsh 80, Upper Darby 72
The Colonials scored 24 points in the fourth quarter and outlasted Upper Darby to open the season with an impressive win on Friday night.
“This is the culmination of three years,” said PW coach Jim Donofrio. “Whenever you have that at any level, hopefully, it will be productive. We have great kids – fast. We’re kind of growing up together. I spent a lot of time with them this summer and this fall, just trying to learn how to push the right buttons with them. They’re just so upbeat, and they play with so much emotion. As a coach and an old head, you want some discipline and some focus too.
“Tonight, they listened better to that than they would have a year ago. It was a really good opening game. Upper Darby is very athletic and young. They were up by one at halftime, so it was a real good test. We got 10 guys in the game in the first half just to get a taste for it, and then you focused in on the five that was working. We have a core of seven back that have a lot of experience that blend and balance very well. Five of those guys just locked it. It was – just no need to trap, just solid, solid defense. That’s something we had to learn. You don’t always have to be a hundred miles an hour.”
PW entered the game battle tested already, having scrimmaged the likes of Philadelphia Catholic League powers Neumann-Goretti and Archbishop Wood and Bosco Prep (N.J.).
“We’ve played a whole lot of really nice talented teams all offseason long, and I hope that helps. I hope that pays off some,” Donofrio said. “We’re a very interesting team. We have some new guys – once they figure out the system, once they figure out what to do. We have some depth, we have size. It’s going to be interesting.
“We were very cold all night, but we may be one of those teams that only needs a quarter to get hot.
Five players finished in double figures for PW, including Jaden Colzie and Marshall Baker with 17 points each. Qudire Bennett added 15 points – 11 in the second half – while Taji Hubbard had 14 and Zende Hubbard added 12.
“They shared the ball tonight much better than we have in the past,” Donofrio said. “Jaden Colzie played his best high school game tonight as a true point guard who also dropped double figures.
“We have the Hubbard twins – Zende and Taji – as seniors, and they just bring a relentless toughness and energy. It’s hopefully going to be a really nice year for Qudire Bennett who’s a three-year varsity guy and is only a junior. Boy, did he wake up in the second half.
“They share the ball really well, they’re fun to watch on offense – the style they’re playing. It was a very nice test to be in a close game with five minutes to go in the third quarter and then quietly get it to 10 or 12 and then 17. It took a while, and that’s a mature sign.”
PW (80)
Zende Hubbard 3 6-7 12; Jaden Colzie 7 2-5 17; Marshall Baker 6 3-4 17; Taji Hubbard 6 1-2 14; Qudire Bennett 5 4-4 15; Pat Flynn 0 5-6 5. Total 27 21-28 80.
Upper Darby (72)
Sore 2 2-2 7; Ingus 4 1-2 12; Myers 6 9-10 23; Slaughter 3 0-3 6; Goode 2- 4-6 8; Ibraham 0 3-4 3; Burnett 6 1-2 13. Totals 23 20-29 72.
3-point goals: PW- Baker 2, Colzie 1, Hubbard 1, Bennett 1; UD-Ingus 3, Myers 2, Sore 1,
Council Rock South 59, Lower Moreland 38
Gavin Holloran scored 18 points, including 11 in the second half to lead Council Rock to the season-opening win on Friday night.
The Golden Hawks, who led 16-15 after one quarter, held the Lions to just two points in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 27-17 advantage.
Shane Dawson scored eight of his 10 points in the first half, while Gavin Stock added nine points.
LM was led by Matt Ernst, who scored 13 points.
CR South opens league play Tuesday night at Neshaminy. Lower Moreland is also off until Tuesday when it hosts Upper Moreland.
Lower Moreland (38)
Ernst 13; Grant 6; Pennisi 7; Kretsinger 2; Przybylinski 8; Hedges 2. Totals 16 3-3 38.
CR South (59)
Robinson 6, Stock 9; Holloran 18, Burns 2, Dawson 10, Littig 3 , Rahill 5, Schwartz 6
Lower Moreland 15 2 8 13 – 38
CR South 16 11 17 15 – 59
Cheltenham 84, Tacony Charter 28
Senior Brandon Bush scored a team-high 17 points, as Cheltenham rolled to the big win in its season-opener on Friday.
“We have a new addition that we’re very excited about in Brandon Bush,” said Panthers coach Patrick Fleury. “Brandon was with us for four years but just to emerge as he has in the past seven-eight months. One of the things COVID did for him – he took advantage of it and just really became dedicated to becoming a better player and was able to do so as seen by tonight. It was his first game, and his first point was a dunk. You could tell he was kind of nervous, but once that happened, the pressure was off. He actually had another dunk, so he had two dunks in his first varsity game. He is super talented. We love him.”
Rasheem Dearry added 13 points, four rebounds and four steals. Justin Savage had 12 and Eli Liedtka 11 for Cheltenham as well.
“Rasheem Dearry was amazing for us in a new leadership role,” Fleury said. “He could clearly have had more points, but he wasn’t focused on that. He was very efficient from the field – he was 4-for-6 from the field and just played within the game.”
There was a lot of praise to go around.
“Josiah Hutson is a freshman,” Fleury said. “He’ll play a good amount of minutes for us, and he was 4-for-4 from the line and 1-for-2 from ‘3’ with seven. He plays beyond his years. He had a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
“(Elias Walker) was very steady and just controlled the game. He’s a very good defender, a great athlete and just has a feel for the game.
“Nasir Eden, another senior, along with Justin Savage are able to give us a lot of different looks because of their versatility. They were very good defensively. Looking at the box score, it was amazing that we were able to keep (everyone from) the opposing team not scoring in double figures.
“That was a good start. You never can tell offensively what you’re going to do, but after giving up 15 points in the first quarter to refocus their attention and give up 13 in the next three quarters was amazing really.”
Cheltenham next plays Monday at home against Sankofa Charter.
Tacony Charter (28)
Batson 9, Rios 5, Concepcion 4 Gatling 2, Butler 2, Ellis 4, Porter 2.
Cheltenham (84)
Justin Savage 12, Rasheem Dearry 13, Nasir Eden 7, Joey Weamer 3, Elias Walker 6, Brandon Bush 17, Jon Fevrier 2, Yakeen Respes 2, Eli Liedtka 11, Josah Hutson 7, Jalen Lucas 4.
Tacony Charter 15-8-2-3 28
Cheltenham 30-22-20-12 84
Pennsbury 68, Ridley 53
Aidan McCormack scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, as Pennsbury started fast and never looked back on the way to a 15-point win its season opener on Friday night.
The Falcons held a 20-6 lead after one quarter, and defensively limited Ridley to just 1-for-12 from 3-point range for the game.
Also for Pennsbury, junior Tyler Kocak added 19 points, and senior Evan McNeely had 17 points.
The Falcons shot 60 percent (23-for-38) from the field and were 18-for-23 from the free throw line.
Pennsbury is off until Tuesday when it hosts Bensalem in its conference opener.
Pennsbury (68)
Hodges 2 0-1 4; McCormack 9 2-2 21; Terry 1 0-0 2; Taddei 2 0-1 5; McNeely 4 8 -8 17; Kocaz 5 8-9 19. Totals 23 18-23 68
Ridley (53)
Djawant 1 0-0 2; Mills 2 6-8 10; Epps 5 2-5 13; Sizemore 2 0-0 4; Saleem 4 5-7 14; Harrop 4 0-0 8; McCaughan 0 2-2 2. Totals 19 14-24 53
Pennsbury 20 18 15 15 – 68
Ridley 6 19 11 17 – 53
3-point goals: R-Epps 1; P-McCormack 1, Taddei 1, McNeely 1, Kocaz 1,
Neshaminy 55, William Tennent 38
Sean Curley scored 20 points, while grabbing five rebounds and five steals, leading a well-rounded effort for Neshaminy in its season-opening win at home on Friday night.
Curley scored 15 of his points in the first half.
Also for Neshaminy, Emeer Coombs had 11 points, four assists and three steals, Nate Townsend had nine points and five rebounds, and Evan Esposito scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds.
Kirby Mooney scored 12 points to lead Tennent scorers. The Panthers had just 12 field goals in the game.
Neshaminy opens up league play Tuesday at home against CR South. Tennent plays at Council Rock North Saturday in another nonleague game.
William Tennent (38)
Jay Henry 1 0-1 2; George Marion 3 2-4 8; Kirby Mooney 4 4-6 12; Dawson 1 3-4 5; Fithian 1 2-2 5; Timmy Stanfield 0 1-2 1; Brandon Beluch 2 1-2 5. Totals 12 13-21 38
Neshaminy (55)
Joey Zack 1 0-0 2; Evan Esposito 4 0-0 8; Emeer Coombs 5 0-0 11; Nunzio Zydzik 2 0-2 5; Sean Curley 7 2-2 20; Nate Townsend 3 3-7 9. Totals 22 5-11 55.
Tennent 9 9 9 11 – 38
Neshaminy 16 16 8 15 – 55
3-point goals: WT-Fithian 1
Council Rock North 46, Hatboro-Horsham 32
The Indians went on the road Friday night and thanks to a stellar defensive effort, shut down host Hatboro-Horsham in the season opener for both teams.
“Tonight was a great atmosphere,” said CR North coach Jesse Krasna. “Hatboro Horsham had a great crowd, and it was nice for both teams to be able to play in front of fans again. Any time you can go on the road and get a win you will take it.
“(HH coach Rick) Fedele gets his kids to play hard and they run their offense well. Our boys brought great energy and they should be proud of their effort. A lot of different players contributed in this one.”
Adam Mahtat led CR North offensively with 13 points, while Jack Blum and Ryan Burkett had 11 points each.
“In Ryan Burkett’s first varsity game he was a pest defensively and was superb as a scorer and playmaker for us.” Krasna said. “Jack Blum was disruptive defensively and was his usual efficient self on the offensive end.
“Logan Saifer made so many hustle plays throughout the game to give us extra possessions. Adam Mahtat was very good on both ends of the floor. He has worked so hard and is playing at a high level defensively, which is something he has been so focused on improving and it really showed tonight.
“Shane Anhalt also had some key plays for us in his first varsity game. He brings an element of toughness yet calmness that is so valuable to our team. Bernie Parent did a nice job handling the ball and making it tough on Hatboro Horsham’s leading scorer. Julian Matera is just a freshman and gave us a good dose of toughness off the bench.”
Noah Schlosser finished with a team-high 14 points for HH.
CR North hosts William Tennent in a nonleague game Saturday, while H-H hosts Liberty on Saturday night.
Council Rock North (46)
Anhalt 2 0-0 4; Parent 2 2-4 7; Mahtat 5 2-3 13; Blum 2 6-6 11; Burkett 5 0-0 11. Totals 16 10-13 46.
Hatboro-Horsham (32)
Grier 4 0-0 8; Schlosser 5 2-4 14; Fink 1 2-2 4; Fischer 1 0-0 2; Avery 2 0-0 4; Wingen 0 2-2 2. Totals 13 6-8 32.
CR North 10 15 13 6 – 46
Hatboro-Horsham 6 5 10 11 – 32
3-point goals: CRN-Parent, Blum, Mahtat, Burkett; HH-Schlosser 2
Bensalem 77, Abington 71
Jeremy Rodriguez and Aaron Sanders scored 18 points each helping Bensalem to the season-opening win in a battle of former conference rivals.
“It was a great team effort,” said Owls coach Ron Morris. “We’re a deep team this year, so it’s just a matter of finding what pieces fit on what night. Aaron (Sanders) shot the ball really well from the outside tonight. Jeremy (Rodriguez) was getting steals and layups. I think he might have had five steals, which led to transition.
“Allen (Myers) was really good inside – he was finishing, got a couple of and-ones, Antonio (Morris) came in off the bench and gave us some energy and Eric Gonzalez was awesome being the floor general.
“We got in serious foul trouble tonight. We had three guys with two fouls in the first half, and we just had to go deep into our bench, and they all stepped up.
“Jack Wineburg does a lot of everything. He only had three points, but the 3-pointer he hit was at a crucial time. He’s someone that can guard basically one through five. He does all the little things that you ask.”
Defensively, Bensalem – which outscored the Ghosts in each of the first three quarters – was able to slow Abington down early and grab a lead it would never surrender.
“We play intense defense, we like to get after it,” Morris said. “This was a great start. Playing Abington is always tough. Charles (Grasty) does an awesome job. They’re like the gold standard of District One. They always go deep in the district tournament and states. We knew what we were up against the first game. It’s nice to come out victorious against such a great program.”
Allen Myers also had 16 points for Bensalem, while Antonio Morris added nine.
Abington – which has now lost its third straight season opener – was led by Derrius Lucas with 19, Connor Fields with 16 and Fhenyx Scutt with 14. Scott also had three steals. Freshman Paul Glant had 10 points in his first varsity game.
The Ghosts, who shot 24-for-53 (45 percent) from the field, was without point guard Jimmy Marino, due to injury.
Bensalem is off until Tuesday when it opens league play at Pennsbury. Abington plays at Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
Abington (71)
Connor Fields 4 8-12 16; Fhenyx Scutt 5 3-5 14; Lee 1 2-3 4; Young 0 1-2 1; Paul Glants 4 1-2 10; Derrius Lucas 7 3-5 19; Liam Rardon 1 0-0 3; Kahjel Morris 2 0-2 4; Totals 24 18-31 71.
Bensalem (77)
Jeremy Rodriguez 6 5-6 18; Tra Edwards 1 2-2 4; Allen Myers 7 2-5 16; Eric Gonzalez 1 4-4 7; Aaron Sanders 4 7-7 18; Antonio Morris 4 0-1 9; Jack Wineburg 1 0-0 3; Jalen Soberal 1 0-0 2; Totals 25 20-25 77.
Abington 11-19-15-26 71
Bensalem 16-21-20-20 77
3-point goals: A – Derrius Lucas 2, Liam Rardon, Fhenyx Scutt, Paul Glants;. B- Aaron Sanders 3, Eric Gonzalez, Jeremy Rodriguez.
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