Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Tuesday.
Non-league
Abington 52, Central Bucks West 49 (OT)
Abington survived a fourth quarter in which it scored five points, and then missed five three throws in overtime, but did what it took down the stretch to edge visiting CB West.
Faizon Garland scored 18 points to lead the Galloping Ghosts, while Xander Grasty added 12.
Roman Kulesa scored 17 for CB West, which rallied from down seven to tie the game and force overtime in the fourth quarter.
“I can’t even remember,” Abington coach Dan Marsh. “It was such a crazy game. The fire alarm went off in the middle of the first quarter, so we had a 25-minute delay. It was just crazy all night.
Also for the Bucks, Max Millillo added 15 points.
The Ghosts – who scored 70 and 78 points in their first two games – were forced to adjust to a much more deliberate style in Tuesday’s contest.
Abington coach Dan Marsh on the game: “They came out in four corners at the beginning of the game. I know they’re well coached, and I know they’re well drilled. I figured his game plan was get in the four corners and have us come trap. I was like, ‘No, we’re going to stay disciplined, we can do this,’ and we stayed disciplined both offensively and defensively.
“We ended up taking a 10-point lead, but then we made some mistakes. We missed some free throws, and they took advantage of it and tied it and went into overtime.”
–Overtime: “At the end of overtime, Kyler Pickron took a charge from their best player (Kulesa), which was huge, but then came down and missed both free throws. We were only up one, 50-49, and they had an opportunity. Their guy had a wide open layup right down the lane, and Zion Hospedales – I don’t know where he came from – blocked it like a volleyball spike. It went straight down. It was an unbelievable game-saving block. The place was going nuts. It was a great atmosphere.
“This was the type of game we needed. Teams are going to try and make us play a different style, and I was super proud of our kids for being disciplined. We missed free throws and made mistakes down the stretch that kept them in the game, but I’m happy that they persevered and got through it.”
–Props: “’Skit,’ Faizon Garland, had 18 points, and he is just our heart and soul with how hard he plays. He sacrifices his body, goes to the rim. Xander Grasty had 12, but they were the only ones in double figures. Paul Glants had a great game just being a leader and distributing. It was a great basketball game for December, that’s for sure.”
Next up: CB West (2-3) plays at North Penn in a Colonial Division game Friday. Abington (3-0) opens up its portion of Liberty play at Hatboro-Horsham.
CB West (49)
Roman Kulesa 7 1-1 17; Max Millillo 6 0-0 15; Dan Pellegrini 3 1-4 9; Gavin Reichner 1 3-4 5; Harry Meyers 1 0-0 3. Totals 18 5-9 49.
Abington (52)
Pickron 1 2-4 4; Garland 7 4-4 18; Grasty 5 0-0 12; Darco 0 0-1 0; Manigault 1 2-2 5; Hospedales 3 0-2 6; Glants 3 1-1 7. Totals 20 7-12 52.
CB West 8 13 11 12 5 – 49
Abington 8 14 17 5 8 – 52
3-point goals: A-Grasty 2
Central Bucks East 56, Pennsbury 55
Graham Smith hit a 3-pointer with eight seconds left – his second in a 30-second stretch – and then Nolan Behm came up with the block on the defensive end, as CB East rallied from five points down with a minute to play to shock Pennsbury on the road Tuesday night.
“This is the third game of the year and another game that we needed to maintain composure down the stretch,” said Patriots coach Erik Henrysen. “Tonight, we leaned on Graham Smith having an incredible final few minutes. His game winner was a gutsy shot, but my favorite part of his night was that he responded to a four turnover first half. He stayed focused and was ready for the moment.
“Nolan Behm came up with the final block of the game to secure the win. He’s been huge for us.”
Key Players: Graham Smith (14 points, 4 3-pointers), Nolan Behm (10 points, 5 rebounds), Shane O’Hara-Jamison (10 points), Connor Mekanik (4 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists); Mike Roccograndi (15 points), Grayson Gozum (11 points), Max Manga (10 points).
CB East coach Erik Henrysen on the come-from-behind win: “It’s early, and we are figuring our way. We haven’t quite figured out our bench just yet. We have some depth and different guys that do certain things well. Three wins away from home to start the season is a good way to begin the year. We are learning different lessons as we go.
“I know the boys are looking forward to playing a home game and wearing our white uniforms for the first time this Friday. We have a three-game week. Winning a battle on the road at Pennsbury, a very tough place to play, is a great way to kick off the week.”
Pennsbury coach Wes Emme said about the loss: “It was a great high school basketball game. Credit to (CB East). They hit a lot of really tough shots. They came out playing extremely well. They have a really good player in Nolan Behm. Shane O’Hara-Jamison hit some really, really difficult 3s to get them going early.
“Graham (Smith) at the end of the game hit two big 3s coming out of a side out of bounds situation, obviously the one to take the lead at the end. They were deep, and it was contested. He hit shots, and we went 1-for-6 down the stretch from the free throw line. We had our chances to put the game away, but credit to CB East, which is a standard championship program for finishing the game. I’m hoping we bounce back and learn from this as a group.”
Next up: CB East (3-0) plays rival CB South at home in its Colonial Division. Pennsbury (1-2) looks to bounce back in its Patriot opener at Harry S. Truman.
CB East (56) – Nolan Behm 10, Shane O’Hara-Jamison 10, Graham Smith 14, AJ Molnar 5, Connor Mekanik 4, Brady Colbert 3, Quinn White 4, Jackson Lutz 6.
Pennsbury (55) – David Aidee 3, Grayson Gozum 11, Mike Roccograndi 15, Max Manga 10, Sean Breslin 6, Owen Hawkes 2, Patrick Jajua 8
CB East 19 11 12 14 – 56
Pennsbury 15 17 11 12 – 55
3-point goals: P-Gozum 2, Aidee, Breslin 2, Primola, Jajua; CBE-Smith 4, Behm 2, Molnar, O’Hara-Jamison 2, Lutz
Upper Dublin 68, Cheltenham 42
A huge first half set the tone in this one, as Upper Dublin rolled to its fourth straight win, taking out Cheltenham by 26 on Tuesday.
The Flying Cardinals outscored the Panthers 29-7 in the first and it was a 52-15 game at halftime.
Key Players: Idris Rines (13 points), Justin Ragsdale (11 points)
Coach Derek Brooks on the win: “We played very well. We did a great job. We played them last year and decided to use the same game plan – pressure, fall back in zone, trap. create turnovers. The guys were ready to shoot, and they knocked them down.
“It was really a good game by all of our guys. We had nine guys in the scoring column, that’s doing a great job executing.
“(The season opener again) Lower Merion is one we’ll look back at and wish we could play them again. I take blame for that one. We were not in the condition needed for that style of play, but we’ve gotten better. We’re taking care of the ball better, we’ve been sharing the ball well all season. We’ve been able to ratchet it up and we’re playing pretty well.”
Next up: UD (4-1) is on the road in Liberty Division play Friday at Wissahickon. Cheltenham (1-2) plays at Lower Moreland Friday.
Cheltenham (42) – Chris Harmon 2 0-0 5; Kamal Mason 1 2-4 4; Mark Hill 1 0-0 2; Chris Jones 1 0-0 3; Osei Johnson 3 0-0 8; Salim Kelly 1 1-2 3; Kendall Jackson 1 0-0 3; Justin Ezeukau 1 0-0 2; Jaedin Mosley 3 0-0 9.
Upper Dublin (68) – Kobe Bazemore 3 1-1 7; Noah Cohen 3 0-0 9; Ryan Mulroy 3 0-0 8; Idris Rines 4 2-2 13; Justin Ragsdale 4 2-2 11; James Castronuovo 1 0-0 2; Brandon Altman 2 0-0 4; Reilly McLaughlin 2 0-0 6; Horace Jackson 3 2-3 8.
Cheltenham 7 8 12 15 – 42
Upper Dublin 29 23 13 12 – 68
3-point goals: C-Johnson 2, Mosley 3, Jones, Jackson, Millis; UD-Cohen 3, Rines 3, Mulroy 2, McLaughlin 2, Ragsdale
Harry S. Truman 53, Quakertown 44
After two losses to start the season, Truman went on the road Tuesday night and pulled off a big win over Quakertown in a nonleague game.
“Props to Quakertown, (it’s a) well-coached team that plays hard and physical,” said Tigers coach Randolph Jackson. “Great team win for us after losing our first two by a combined four points.”
Key Players: Tre Winton (15 points), Jaden Luchansky (13 points), Julian Rodgers (7 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists).
Coach Randolph Jackson on the win: “Dyson Brown has been Mr. Reliable for us. Does the little things that won’t get stats but helps us remain competitive. Tre Winton made some big shots from ‘3’, while Jaden Luchansky was able to seal a win at the free throw line, going 6-for-9.
“Our guards (Adul-Aziz Diallo and Davae Vaughn) did a great job controlling tempo while being a pest on the defensive end. Juliun Rodgers played a huge role on the defensive end with 10 rebounds, seven points and two assists.”
Next up: Truman (1-2) is back at it Friday, at home against Pennsbury. Quakertown (0-3) hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh Friday.
Truman (53) – Jason Luchansky 3 6-9 13; Davae Vaughn 2 2-4 6; Zymire Dixon 2 1-2 5; Dyson Brown 1 0-0 2; Tre Winton 6 0-0 15; Adul Aziz Diallo 2 1-2 5; Julian Rodgers 3 0-0 7.
Quakertown (44) – Trae McCray 1 2-2 5; Jameson Sykes 3 2-4 9; RJ Ficco 1 0-0 2; Aiden Burgy 4 0-2 8; Matt Thomas 2 0-0 5; Gavin Mushrush 2 0-0 4; Mac Mitchell 0 1-2 1; Mason Rush 2 5-5 10.
Truman 7 17 9 20 – 53
Quakertown 13 7 7 17 – 44
Springfield Twp 80, Martin Luther 54
A night after struggling a bit offensively, Springfield was firing on all cylinders, scoring 80 points in a rout of Martin Luther in nonleague play.
The Spartans missed 21 layups in Monday’s 47-35 win over Science Leadership Academy.
“They definitely stepped up, scoring when they needed to and just controlled and facilitated the game,” said coach Rob Fasano. “It was nice to have a bounce-back game where we were missing the easy shots and layups yesterday.
“This group is a really good group because they respond pretty well to adversity, which is a huge plus. They responded, they finished. Everybody stepped up, everybody played well.”
Key Players: Julian Ciasullo (26 points, 4 steals), Bob Hartman (11 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists), Cahlin Spearman (11 points).
Coach Rob Fasaro on the win: “Julian Ciasullo had a huge game, just finishing, making shots. That’s definitely his career high. He can do a little bit of everything. He’s been around us a little while, and has done a really nice job of evolving as a player. He played phenomenal in terms of scoring, defense and everything. He’s been working hard, and it’s been paying off, which is nice to see.”
–Props: “Bob Hartman was very, very consistent. Cahlin Spearman played very solid – took good shots and finished well. Chadrack Kiamba, our big guy, played well with rebounding and just overall solid play. It was a really group effort, and they stayed consistent through all four quarters, which is what we wanted. It was a good win for us.”
Next up: Springfield (3-1) opens up Freedom Division play Friday at home against New Hope-Solebury.
Martin Luther 9-20-8-17 54
Springfield Twp 27-20-20-13 80
Springfield Twp (50) – Bobby Hartman 5 0-0 11; Jack McGuckin 3 0-0 6; Amari Williams 3 0-0 6; Chadrack Kiamba 3 0-0 6; Aiden Hood 3 2-2 8; Julian Ciasullo 12 1-2 26; Will McLaughlin 0 1-2 1; Will Cooney 1 0-0 2; Gavin Cleary 1 1-2 3; Cahlin Spearman 4 3-4 11; TOTALS 35 8-14
3-point goals: ML – Springfield – Jack McGuickin, Julian Ciasullo.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 65, Samuel Fels 60
Again tested, Plymouth Whitemarsh answered the call in the fourth quarter to put away Samuel Fels in a nonleague game on Tuesday.
Mani Sajid scored seven points in the fourth quarter as part of his game-high 22 points. Buddy Denard also had five key points in the fourth.
“The one standard we have so far is that they believe they should win, and that’s the best skill to have while we’re figuring some things out,” said PW coach Jim Donofrio. “Every game has been a war so far, so that’s actually really, really beneficial going forward.”
Key Players: Mani Sajid (22 points), Buddy Denard (10 points), Michael Pereira (9 points).
PW coach Jim Donofrio on the win: “(Neumann)-Goretti, what your fear is after that win and a Sunday off and you beat a marquee name team, is that practice is silly on Monday, and are we in for a problem on Tuesday. To the guys’ credit, they’re a much more serious team than a lot of the teams I’ve had in the past five years.
“Samuel Fels is an old-school Public League team from Philadelphia, so you can explain all you want about how hard these guys are going to play and that they really have no care that you’re supposed to be good or not. The goal was to hold them to 8-10 offensive boards the whole night. I think they had that in the first quarter.
“When you watch teams that play really, really hard, they’re so talented at offensive rebounding and so quick with their hands on defense.”
–Mani Sajid: “This team did a great job on Mani with the entire whole face guard thing and never left him and just stayed on him constantly. To Mani’s credit, he ends up with a 22-point night, so it became a gift for him to understand just how much he’s going to have to work in some of these games.
“We’re not there yet. Collectively, our bigs aren’t there yet understanding how to set him free. Down by a couple at halftime and Marquette’s in the building looking at Mani, he just puts on a show in the second half. That’s what great players do.
“Despite the absolute double teaming and defending inside his shirt mentality, they did a great job with it. He’s learning on the job that he just has to keep grinding. He had some spectacular plays just trying to wear them down. It’s such a gift for him – even though he might not see it all the time – it’s frustrating right now.”
—Some good early signs: “We were getting out-energized in the first half, and they went up by five. Michael Pereira, who was letting them take the ball away from him too much in the first half – this is two games now where the guys have adjusted at halftime, and that’s not easy to do. That’s what makes for the chance to potentially have a really nice year.
“This early in – at Methacton, we were down 48-40 with five minutes, and we win. We play Neumann-Goretti, we lead the entire game, they make their runs, we get nervous, but we win.
“Fels come in the building not caring at all who you’re supposed to be and really, really muscles us and hustles, and you’re up by eight with a minute-and-a-half to go. Those are all good signs.”
Next up: PW (3-0) opens up Liberty Division play Friday at Quakertown.
Samuel Fels (60) – Park 3 0-0 8; Freeman 1 0-0 2; Moronta 2 0-0 6; Scurry 8 0-0 19; Kornegay 8 4-11 60; Francois 0 0-2 0; Suarez 2 0-0 5. Totals 24 4-11 60
Plymouth Whitemarsh (65) – Tyriq Taylor 1 1-4 4; Jack Hayes 0 2-2 2; Terron Davis 1 0-0 2; Mani Sajid 8 4-4 22; Michael Pereira 3 3-7 9; Buddy Denard 3 3-3 10; Caleb Bridgeman 3 0-0 6; Will Pereira 0 1-2 1; Micah Thompson 4 1-4 9. Toitals 23 15-24 65.
Fels 9 20 16 15 – 60
PW 12 16 17 20 – 65
3-point goals: SF-Parke 2, Moronta 2, Scurry 3, Suarez; PW-Taylor, Sajid 2, Denard.
Upper Moreland 65, Wissahickon 49
With the league schedule about to start Thursday for Upper Moreland, the Golden Bears won their fourth straight nonleague game to open the season, building a lead over Wissahickon on Tuesday and pulling away for the 16-point win.
“It was a good win for us,” said UM coach Dan Heiland. “Wissahickon is always a tough game, they’re always well-coached by Kyle Wilson over there and they had two nice wins over Harriton and North Penn. It was nice to get them at home on a Tuesday and kind of take care of business.
Nico Vacchiano and Chris Lee each scored 13 to lead Wissahickon. Ben Schwartz chipped in 11.
Key Stretch: Jason Cybok scored 11 points in the third quarter that saw UM push an eight-point lead to double figures.
Players of the Game: Jadon Cybok (16 of his 18 points coming in the second half), Colson Campbell (14 pts and 10 rebounds) and Nate Best stepped up on the defensive side of the ball to make every possession, a challenge for whoever he was guarding. He also added seven points.
UM coach Dan Heiland on the win:
This was another really good team effort tonight. We did some really nice things on both sides of the floor as a team, especially defensively.
“We knew we had a challenge trying to stop Nico Vacchiano tonight. He’s a really good player, can score at all levels on the floor, can fill it up quick. He was averaging 26 points coming into tonight, and I challenged the group to not allow that to happen. The guys accepted the challenge, and we had guys step up to make sure the points were earned. Nate Best, in particular, did a really nice job early on setting the tone defensively, and others fed off his energy and hustle.
“Offensively, we continued to mostly make good decisions with the ball. We continued to be unselfish, shared the ball, made the extra passes, knocked down open shots and doing all the little things down the stretch, like making winning plays to close out the game.”
Next up: Upper Moreland (4-0) has its Freedom Division opener on Thursday, at home against William Tennent. Wissahickon (2-1) hosts rival Upper Dublin Friday.
Wissahickon (49) – Mason Stelzer 1 0-0 3, Chase Neumeister 1 1-1 3, Chris Lee 5 0-0 13, Nico Vacchiano 5 2-2 13, Jack Weiss 1 0-0 2, Grant Ajemian 1 0-0 2, Ben Schwartz 4 1-1 11, Delmar Taliaferro 1 0-0 2; Totals 19 4-4 49
Upper Moreland (65) – Alex Costanzo 1 0-0 2, Nate Best 3 0-0 7, Tommy Jeinnings 1 0-0 2, Colson Campbell 4 6-12 12, Anthony Carson 2 2-2 6, Aidan Tuffy 1 0-0 2, Larry Hughes 2 2-4 6, Jose Hernandez 1 3-4 5, Jadon Cybok 5 4-4 18, Cannon Campbell 1 0-0 3; Totals 21 17-26 65.
Wissahickon 11 8 15 15-49
Upper Moreland 13 14 20 18- 65
3-point goals: W- Chris Lee 3, Ben Schwartz 2, Nico Vacchiano, Mason Stelzer; UM – Jadon Cybok 4, Nate Best, Cannon Campbell
Holy Ghost Prep 70, Bensalem 52
The Owls made the short journey to Holy Ghost Prep on Tuesday and fell victim to a rough second quarter, as the host Firebirds built a lead and then pulled away late for the 18-point nonleague win.
Amir Drummond scored 19 points to lead Bensalem, 15 of which came in the second half. Aidan Mayfield scored eight points.
The Firebirds connected on 27 of 30 from the foul line in the win.
Bensalem coach Ron Morris: “Tonight was not the outcome we were looking for. I have to do a better job preparing the guys to be ready. Defensively, we just did not get it done tonight, but we are gaining valuable experience as we go.
“Holy Ghost is a veteran team and a really good program. Coach (Tom) Heston does a great job over there. They hit crucial shots and made us pay for every mistake. We will learn from this and continue to work and get better.”
Next up: Bensalem (2-1) is on the road at CR North in its Patriot Division opener on Friday.
Bensalem (52) – Chatman 1 3-4 5; Mayfield 4 0-0 8; Lee 2 0-0 4; Amir Drummond 5 7-11 19; Kramer 3 0-0 6; Kelly 1 0-0 2; Corbett 2 0-0 4; King 0 2-2 2; Totals 18 12-27 52.
Holy Ghost (70) – Sharrin 3 7-8 15; McDonald 4 3-5 11; Selarich 2 0-0 4; Standardo 0 4-4 4; Farrell 2 2-2 7; Condoy 2 0-0 6; Varella 4 7-12 15; Nahill 2 3-4 8;; Totals 19 27-30 70.
Bensalem 12 10 16 14 – 52
Holy Ghost 16 20 16 17 0 – 70
3-point goals: B-Drummond 2; HG-Sharrin, Farrell, Condoy 2, Nahill
Great Valley 45, Council Rock South 42
After three wins to start the season, CR South went on the road Tuesday, but came out on the short end in the fourth quarter against a tough Great Valley squad.
MJ Thompson led CR South with 13 points, Ryan Wekluk had 11 and Ryan Delp hit three 3-pointers for nine points.
Next up: CR South (3-1) plays at Neshaminy in its division opener on Friday night.
CR South (42) – MJ Thompson 13; Ryan Wekluk 11; Owen McLean 4; Ryan Delp 9; Ray Haglund 3; Madara 1 0-0 2.
Great Valley (45) – Markowski 7, Mark 4, Person 7, Metrick 6, Weichert 4, Benson 2, Levins 2, Sharad 2, Mondato 11.
CR South 8 9 14 11 – 42
Great Valley 10 9 15 11 – 45
3-point goals: CRS-Delp 3, Thompson, McLean
George Washington 49, Lower Moreland 37
A 16-4 fourth quarter blew open a close game, as Lower Moreland fell short against visiting George Washington on Tuesday.
Zach Kendall led the Lions with 16 points.
Next up: Lower Moreland (1-3) opens its Freedom Division schedule Friday against Cheltenham at home.
George Washington (49) – Darval 16, Tollilvar 7, Mukis 12, McQueen 4, Scott 6, McHatet 2, Jackson 2
Lower Moreland (37) – Zack Kendall 16, Andre Zoubroulis 11; Tommy Keaton 2, Tom Maloney 3, Chase Carroll 2, Shawn Mertens 3
George Washington 12 10 11 16 – 49
Lower Moreland 11 10 12 4 – 37
Lansdale Catholic 60, Souderton 56
Up two at halftime, Souderton couldn’t hang on against host Lansdale Catholic in a nonleague game on Tuesday.
Lansdale Catholic put the game away on the free throw line in the fourth, going 7-for-11.
Nolan Watkins scored 19 points, 12 points in the second quarter, to lead Souderton.
Next up: Souderton (2-2) hosts rival Pennridge in its Colonial Division opener on Friday.
Souderton (56) – Chanse Salone 3 4-6 10; Trey Bui 2 0-0 5; Nolan Watkins 5 8-10 19; Nate Ruskie 2 3-6 7; Thaddeus Harter 4 0-0 8; Grady Kovach 3 1-4 7; 19 16-26 56.
Lansdale Catholic (60) – Alpharo 2 1-2 6; Romaro 3 3-4 11; Wook 1 0-0 2; Webb 6 3-6 16; Johnson 1 0-0 3; Holdsworth 1 2-4 4; Cobbold 2 0-0 4; Stevens 2 10-12 14; Totals 18 19-32 60.
Souderton 13 21 12 10 – 56
Lansdale Catholic 13 19 15 13 – 60
3-point goals: S-Bui, Watkins LC – Alpharo, Romaro 2, Webb, Johnson.
Plumstead Christian 53, New Hope-Solebury 39
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