Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Wednesday. CB South/Truman photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Non-league
William Tennent 33, Lower Moreland 30
Michael Scheller buried a three-pointer with five seconds remaining in regulation, breaking a 30-30 tie and propelling the visiting Panthers to the dramatic win.
“We missed a foul shot with 30 seconds left, and they went down, and Joey Morizon scored on an 18-footer with 10 seconds left to tie the game,” said Tennent coach Robert Mulville, who elected not to call a timeout. “A lot of times we will just go with the play because we can (catch) them a little out of sorts, and that’s what did happen.
“Derrik Cosenza had four guys on him, and he threw it to Scheller, who knocked down a three-point shot for the game-winner with five seconds left.”
A desperation heave by the Lions at the buzzer fell far short, and the Panthers had the win.
In addition to setting up the game-winner, Cosenza led the Panthers with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Cosenza ignited the offense after the Panthers, who trailed 17-13 at halftime, managed just four points in both the second and third quarter. They trailed the Lions 23-17 heading into the final quarter.
“They were zoning us up, and we were missing a lot of shots,” Mulville said. “With about three minutes left in the third quarter, Cosenza was able to get free a couple of times, and he kind of came to life.
“He scored our only four points in the third quarter, and he started off the fourth by hitting a three. He had an offensive rebound he put in, and he had a nice pass from one of our guys that he scored on.
“We were able to get some movement against their zone where we were hitting the middle, attacking from the inside out. We were settling for jump shots in the first half, but Cosenza really came alive.”
The win was the second in three games for the Panthers.
“This was a good one for us because we had struggled so much,” Mulville said. “I think our guys got a little sense of urgency because it was still close even though we weren’t scoring.
“We did pick up the defense. Jay Stanfield had a big steal for us. After we scored, we were able to get into our press. Not that we scored off of it, but we were able to make them go a little bit faster, and that got us a couple more possessions to get back into it.”
Jack Doneker led the Lions with 12 points.
William Tennent (2-1) will travel to Pennridge for a non-league game on Friday at 7 p.m.
William Tennent 9-4-4-16 33
Lower Moreland 4-13-6-7 30
William Tennent (33) – Jay Stanfield 4, Sean Haus 5, Michael Scheller 7, Derrik Cosenza 15, Bryce Lockett 2.
Lower Moreland (30) – Thomas Przybylinski 9, Justin Sandler 3, Eyal Khaikin 2, Joey Morozin 4, Jack Doneker 12.
Central Bucks South 57, Harry S Truman 33
Alex Dietz scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Titans, who led by just a 25-20 score heading into halftime but blew the game open in the second half.
“I told the guys at halftime – ‘Our defense is great, we’re doing a really good job with that,’” Campbell said. “We didn’t press as much as we would have liked because we had a couple guys with two fouls, so I didn’t want to take a chance.
“Offensively is where it was a little bit different (in the second half) because we got the ball inside a little bit more. We wanted Truman to play possessions defensively a little bit longer. This way we were able to get the shots we wanted. We got Michael Farley more touches.
“The other difference was Alex Dietz – at one point, he was trying to do a little too much, and I said, ‘You need to screen and get people open so you will eventually get open.’ When he did that, it opened up the game for him. There was a stretch where he started knocking down threes and hitting his mid-range jumper.”
The Titans’ defense also was key as the Tigers managed just 13 points in the second half while South scored 32.
“The defense in the second half, especially when we started pulling ahead, was our full-court press,” Campbell said. “We turned them over a number of times, and we were able to get transition going and getting some buckets that way too. We were definitely better on the offensive glass, which was a point of emphasis at halftime.”
Farley led the Titans with 10 rebounds and also scored 12 points to complete his double-double.
“He rebounded the ball very well and with contact,” Campbell said of Farley. “He would get the rebound, and he would get swarmed on, and people were hitting him on the arm. It got called at some point, but he was tough on the boards.”
Evan D’Orazio added nine points for the Titans.
“I also thought Zach O’Connor did a great job of penetrating and finding the open man,” Campbell said. “He really created offense for us through his dribble drive, and he does a great job defensively on the other guard, so I felt that helped take Truman out of their comfort (zone) running their offense.”
Central Bucks South (2-1) will host Quakertown in Friday’s SOL opener at 7 p.m., and Harry S Truman (0-3) will be on the road at Council Rock South on Friday at 7 p.m.
Central Bucks South 11-14-9-23 57
Harry S Truman 9-11-6-7 33
Central Bucks South (57) – Zach O’Connor 2, Evan D’Orazio 9, Nate Macalindong 2, Jay Macalindong 2, John Hackendahl 2, Josh Consoletti 4, Colin Mauz 3, Ale Dietz 19, Nick Wursta 2, Michael Farley 12.
Harry S Truman (33) – Winton 2, Kitchens 7, Templeman 5, Vargas 5, Fant 2, Roger 5, Flail 7.
Bensalem 54, Holy Ghost Prep 49
James Ashford scored 19 points – 17 in a torrid second half – to lead the Owls to their third non-league win in as many outings.
“James woke up in the second half – he started attacking the rim,” coach Ron Morris said. “We made a slight adjustment against their zone, and it allowed James to get open in the middle, and that opened things up a little bit for our offense.
“James is a big strong guard that can get to the rim, and he does a really good job rebounding as well for a guard.”
The Owls, who trailed 11-9 after one quarter, outscored the Firebirds 27-16 in the middle two quarters. They led 22-19 at the intermission.
“We’re a slow starting team,” Morris said. “We make some adjustments in the second half, and we’ve played better offensively. Down the stretch tonight, we thought we did a really good job of not forcing anything, being patient, trying to work possessions. We had the lead, so we were looking to not force anything, get layups, foul shots – we made foul shots.”
The Owls sealed the Firebirds’ fate with a 12-for-16 effort at the foul line in the fourth quarter. Ashford led the charge, connecting on 5-of-6.
“That was definitely key to our victory,” Morris said. “We had a lead, Holy Ghost kept battling and we were able to make some clutch foul shots at the end.”
In addition to Ashford, Aaron Sanders contributed 10 points and five rebounds from the guard position, and Jeremiah Alexander added nine points, five rebounds and two steals.
“I feel like our identity right now is we’re going to work super hard, play really hard defense, and that leads us to our offense,” Morris said. “We have fast guards, and when they do a good job pressuring the ball, they disrupt offenses. We try to use that to our advantage. We have Jeremiah (Alexander) in the back, and that helps. He’s 6-3 but his wingspan is probably 6-6, and he can jump out of the building.
“These kids continue to learn. We’re a young bunch, we just keep working hard and try to get better every day. Holy Ghost is a really good team. Tony (Chapman) does a really good job. To beat them is not easy. We’re happy with that victory.”
Bensalem (3-0) will host Neshaminy in its Coaches vs. Cancer game Friday at 7 p.m.
Holy Ghost Prep 11-8-8-22 49
Bensalem 9-13-14-18 54
Holy Ghost Prep (49) – Dylan Shead 1 0-0 3; Jack McDermott 1 0-0 2; TJ Butler 0 0-2 0; Tyler Mish 2 2-3 7; Shane Reilly 2 1-1 5; Steve Cianci 9 1-3 19; John Armentani 3 0-0 7; Sean McGrenehan 2 0-0 4; Ryan O’Hara 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 21 4-9 49.
Bensalem (54) – Travis Robinson 3 1-4 8; Justin Johnson 2 0-0 4; Aaron Sanders 3 2-2 10; Jeremiah Alexander 3 3-3 9; James Ashford 7 5-7 19; Blaise Unger 0 2-2 2; Luke Zeidler 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 19 13-18 54.
3-point field goals – Holy Ghost – Dylan Shead, Tyler Mish, John Armentani, Bensalem – Aaron Sanders 2, Travis Robinson.
Cheltenham 72, Penn Wood 41
Jaelen McGlone had himself a game.
The Panthers’ senior guard – a Rider University commit – scored a game-high 31 points and also pulled down seven rebounds in a stellar outing. McGlone jumpstarted the Panthers with 15 points in the first quarter, which included a perfect 5-for-5 effort from the field. He buried three of his five three-pointers in the frame and propelled the Panthers to an 18-10 lead.
“He took shots in rhythm, and he started off extremely efficient,” coach Patrick Fleury said. “You didn’t see a lot of shots go up, but I knew he was scoring.
“He continued throughout the game. The thing about it – he wasn’t really looking for it. He had 15 in the first quarter, and if he had continued to let it go, he could have easily hit 40. As a senior, that wasn’t his goal. That’s why the rest of the guys were able to score as well because he shared it.
The Panthers – who are without Zahree Harrison (injury) – took a 32-19 lead into halftime and upped that to 47-29 heading into the final quarter.
Justin Moore added 16 points and five assists, Sean Emfinger contributed seven points and a team-high eight rebounds. Brandon Scott had six rebounds. Saleem Payne and Travis Coleman both had two steals.
“Justin Moore, Saleem Payne, Travis Coleman and Mike McClain – when they come in, we always have a good push,” Fleury said. “The beautiful thing was consistently defensively they made efforts.
“That was the primary goal. We continue to try and get better.”
Cheltenham (3-0) will host Upper Moreland in Friday’s SOL opener at 7 p.m.
Penn Wood 10-9-10-12 41
Cheltenham 18-14-15-25 72
Penn Wood (41) – Shamir Baunes 17, Sahmir Massenburg 2, Jeremiah Flynn 4, Abdullah Dublin 6, Desman Johnson 10, Sayo Kenneth 2.
Cheltenham (72) – Travis Coleman 4, Brandon Scott 4, Justin Moore 16, Justin Savage 2, Saleem Payne 4, Jaelen McGlone 31, Mike McClain 2, Sean Emfinger 7, Frank Saintildor 2.
Upper Moreland 75, Morrisville 34
The Golden Bears raced out of the gate to a 29-6 lead after one quarter and extended that to 46-15 by halftime on their way to the no-doubt-about-it non-league win.
Jordan Gregg (17 points) and Tyler Ibbotson (16 points) led a balanced attack. Beau Woolens added nine points, and Jahaire Johnson had six.
Upper Moreland (3-0) will be on the road at Cheltenham for Friday’s SOL opener.
Upper Moreland 29-17-20-9 75
Morrisville 6-9-11-8 34
Upper Moreland (75) – Byron Hopkins 4, Beau Woollens 9, Jordan Gregg 17, Jahaire Johnson 6, Walker 2, Jake Tiernan 5, Matt Tiernan 4, Byrd 4, Tyler Ibbotson 16, Ryan Schernecke 2.
Upper Darby 62, Wissahickon 58
The Trojans haven’t been able to buy a break in the opening week of the season. For the fourth time in as many games, they dropped a close one down the stretch.
“Unfortunately, the fourth quarter woes that have haunted the Trojans for the past three games came back to haunt them again,” coach Kyle Wilson said.
The Trojans were minus a pair of starters – 6-5 Carmen Ostroski and forward Josh Twersky.
“(But we) still clicked on all cylinders,” Wilson said.
The Trojans were led by Matt Compas with 22 points. Harrison Williams added 12, and Andrew Buck had 11 points.
Wissahickon (0-4) will take on another team searching for its first win when the Trojans travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh (0-2) for Friday’s SOL opener.
About the Author
