Jarrad Saffren recaps Tuesday’s action featuring SOL boys’ basketball teams. Pennsbury/North Penn photos courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography; Wissahickon/Norristown courtesy of Kim Supko. CLICK HERE to go directly to the BOYS' BASKETBALL gallery.
By Jarrad Saffren
Ten Suburban One League boys’ basketball teams played non-league games on Tuesday night. Three games featured an SOL team against another SOL team. Four SOL teams played non-SOL squads.
Tuesday’s results and recaps are below.
Non-League
Central Bucks East 51, Upper Dublin 43
After building a 9-4 lead in the first quarter, CB East just had to survive the second. That’s because Nick Roggio sat out the second stanza with two fouls. The Patriots still basically held serve, taking a three-point lead into halftime. Then Roggio returned for the third, dropped 10 points in a 20-11 run that put Upper Dublin away.
“Things went okay in the second and we decided to just save him for the second half,” said CB East coach Erik Henrysen of Roggio. “They had a big kid who was athletic and long, so we needed him on the court. In this game he was key.”
Roggio was not the only Patriots’ player to score in double figures. Leo Masterson scored 10 in the fourth to help keep Upper Dublin at bay. Masterson led all scorers with 16 points overall. Kyle Cassidy added 10 points and six rebounds for CB East. Collin Stein had eight points and four steals. It was a very balanced box score.
“That’s just the way we play. We just want a great shot, and we feel confident in all five guys on the court,” Henrysen said. “Masterson made heady plays. He had 10 points but also a rebound or two that were key and a couple steals. He came through and played intelligent basketball down the stretch.”
CB East had 11 steals as a team. “They led to breakouts and transition. We did a good job near the end sticking to what we talked about and figuring out what we could capitalize on,” Henrysen said. “We were looking to play solid defense and force them into mistakes. The steals came after 15-20 seconds of their possessions.”
Michael Ryan led Upper Dublin with 13 points. Jason Williams added eight.
CB East (2-0, 0-0 SOL) hosts Wissahickon on Friday night at seven. Upper Dublin (0-3,
0-0 SOL) hosts Council Rock North on Saturday night at 7:30.
Central Bucks East 9-9-20-13 51
Upper Dublin 4-11-11-17 43
Central Bucks East (51) – Kyle Cassidy 10, Colin Stein 8, Nick Roggio 12, Leo Masterson 16, Ben Markowitz 5.
Upper Dubin (43) – Jason Williams 8, Ian McGonagle 5, Ryan Besachio 3, Mike Slivka 5, Brian McCarry 5, Michael Ryan 13, Joe Ryan 2, Watkins.
Central Bucks South 40, Council Rock North 36
Council Rock North focused on stopping Central Bucks South’s best player and scorer, Nate Robinson. The senior recognized North’s strategy early and suggested a countermove to his coach, Jason Campbell.
“They were trying to deny him the whole time. He told me to put him somewhere else on the floor, in the high post, because of what they were doing,” Campbell said. “He thought if he got a touch in the high post, he could take his man off the dribble or someone would leave a teammate. They were pinching down a lot.”
Robinson ended the game with one point, but his teammates benefitted from the extra defenders he drew. Tommy Kuypers (13), Jack Johns (9), Ian McCaw (6) and Cole Prezelski (5) all scored at least five points.
“Kuypers and Johns were the main beneficiaries. Johns got the ball, made a move and drove to the basket. He was real athletic around the hoop,” Campbell said. “He had a couple putbacks. His man hedged out too high on Nate on some screens.”
Kuypers also had 10 rebounds and four steals, a “huge game” by Campbell’s estimation. “He was fantastic on both ends,” the Titans’ coach said. “He can score in many different ways, shooting and post moves.”
The coach was also very impressed with McCaw. “Ian came in and gave us some really good minutes,” Campbell said. “He made a couple nice post moves and played real well defensively.”
None of it would have happened without Robinson’s sacrifice.
“He contributed in other ways, some that show up on the box, some that won’t,” Campbell said. “But he sacrificed shots and held the ball to find the open man. That was the most impressive thing, that he decided to create for others.”
“Our guys really battled and I am very proud of our defensive effort holding South’s best player to one point,” said CR North coach Jesse Krasna. “Guys like Harry Wyatt, Parker Ehlin and James Duffy made it tough for him to catch the ball and our help defense was very good when he did catch it.”
North just didn’t score enough to pull the game out. Matt McAlister (15) and Brady Haggerty (12) combined for 27 points, but no one else scored more than three.
“Our guys were looking to step up to make plays but our shot selection was poor throughout the game, which really hurt us,” Krasna said. “We need to be more patient and wait for the best shot instead of the first semi-open shot. It comes with experience and understanding how teams are guarding us to start possessions.”
CB South (2-0, 0-0 SOL) plays Father Judge on Thursday night at seven. CR North (0-1, 0-0 SOL) battles Central Bucks West on the same night and time.
Council Rock North (36) – Mischak 3, Ehlin 3, Haggerty 12, Ahluwalia 3, Mccalister 15.
Central Bucks South (40) – Brady Prezelski 2, Cole Prezelski 5, Nate Robinson 1, Jack Johns 9, Mark Kannengieszer 4, Tommy Kuypers 13, Ian McCaw 6.
Wissahickon 46, Norristown 45
With only seconds remaining, and Wissahickon down by one, Max Rapoport drove the lane and made a pull-up jumper over the outstretched fingertips of a defender. With that clutch shot, Wissahickon won its season opener by a point.
The Trojans salvaged a win on a night when they committed 17 turnovers.
“In a game where you have 17 turnovers, you don’t expect to win,” said Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson. “I knew it could be ugly. Our first game, their fourth game. But we managed to still come out with a win.”
Wissahickon managed to win because of Rapoport and Zach Reiner, who combined for 33 points, Rapoport 15, Reiner 18. They scored a majority of their points in the paint, leading a 13-of-25 effort by the Trojans on that part of the court. Reiner also had 16 rebounds.
“Reiner and Rapoport played smart basketball, but ugly at times. We expect them to score,” Wilson said. “A lot of weight fell on their shoulders after two guys transferred out in the offseason. Both were projected starters and had been starters since their sophomore year.”
Eddie Fortescue added six points, two offensive boards and a steal for Wissahickon. “Eddie made some nice plays too,” Wilson said. “He was really active and made some big free throws.”
Wissahickon trailed by one at halftime, took control with a 15-7 third quarter run and held on in a fourth quarter controlled by Norristown.
“Norristown does such a good job getting out and pressuring, disrupting your offense and forcing you into sloppy play,” Wilson said. “But Rapoport and Reiner are such good players. We just wanted to give them chances to make plays.”
Wissahickon (1-0, 0-0 SOL) hosts Bensalem on Thursday night at seven.
Wissahickon 9-10-15-12 46
Norristown 12-8-7-18 45
Wissahickon (46) – Zach Reiner 18, Max Rapoport 15, Eddie Fortescue 6, Set Compas 5, Anthony Lawrence 2.
Pennridge 53, Lansdale Catholic 47
Last season, after starting 1-0, Pennridge blew a fourth quarter lead against Lansdale Catholic, losing in overtime and falling to 1-1. This season, the Rams held on against Lansdale Catholic and improved to 2-0. They overcame an early 16-7 deficit with a 20-7 second quarter run. Then they held on through a tight second half, where the score difference was a measly two points, 26-24 Pennridge.
“It feels real good to start 2-0. We play again tomorrow, so I’m already worried about tomorrow,” said Pennridge coach Dean Behrens. “Last year we had Lansdale Catholic on the ropes and they scrapped back. They are still a scrappy team. They can shoot too. So that’s a good win at their gym.”
Sean Yoder was the difference for Pennridge, dropping 20 points.
“He won’t think he played well. But he played well. He had some turnovers, but he got to the basket and put them in foul trouble,” Behrens said. “He handled the pressure, settled us. He did it all, including hit big time foul shots down the stretch.”
Yoder was Pennridge’s best player overall, but Mike Molettiere sparked the early comeback, making two second quarter threes.
“That got our confidence up and we went into halftime up four,” Behrens said. “That really energized our guys.”
Jon Post pitched in 11 points for Pennridge, shooting 7-of-10 from the foul line. Tyrese Lewis added seven. With Yoder running point, Molettiere on the wing and Post and Lewis down low, Pennridge already has its offensive dynamic figured out. Behrens is also pleased with his top two bench players, Jake Pestrak and Brett Henofer.
“I don’t think it’s real difficult to figure out our rotation. Jake Pestrak off the bench gives us size and versatility cause he defends well. Henofer is physical and makes loose ball plays. He made a few tonight and that was big,” Behrens said. “In the summer we established roles a bit, and the kids have felt that. I feel like we have seven starters with Jake and Brett off the bench. We can go one guard and one big. It gives us flexibility.”
Pennridge (2-0, 0-0 SOL) plays Quakertown on Friday night at seven.
Pennridge 7-20-13-13 53
Lansdale Catholic 16-7-13-11 47
Pennridge (53) – Sean Yoder 20, Jake Pestrak 5, Mike Molettiere 8, Tyrese Lewis 7, Jon Post 11.
Lansdale Catholic (47) – Tim Cuane 3, Mo Kahney 12, Jack Kusters 16, Kyle Kane 5, Nick Romeo 6, Nick Scheetz 5.
Harry S. Truman 72, Pottstown 47
Harry S. Truman opened the game with a 25-11 first quarter run, maintained a double-digit lead into halftime and built the lead into the 20s with a strong second half. The Tigers dominated from start to finish in their home opener.
Jeff Nixon led the Tigers with 19 points, including the first five points of the game. Zierr Reid scored 16, shooting 4-of-5 from three-point range. Sophomore Kashun Holden had 14 points and nine rebounds in his second varsity game.
“The kids are gaining confidence by the minute. We got a brand new team after losing eight seniors. But we have a lot of work to do. They came out with energy and I’m proud of them,” Conover said. “We hit five threes in the first quarter. I don’t think that’s ever happened here. The kids fed off that energy. It was pretty loud in here. Jeff hit a deep corner three to open the game. He got his points by breaking down his man and getting to the rim. He was getting contact. He did his job.”
Holden is a great story. He only started playing in eighth grade, two years ago.
“He doesn’t even know what he’s doing yet. The kid can run the floor. Confidence-wise, he grew from Friday’s game to tonight,” Conover said. “He took the ball right to the rim, kept it high. Did what we did in skill work in practice. He was grabbing every offensive rebound in sight. And I never expected the 14 points.”
Truman (2-0, 0-0 SOL) battles Interboro on Thursday night at seven.
Pennsbury 63, North Penn 39
A lot of people were doubting Pennsbury coming into the season. The Falcons have one player back with significant varsity experience. They also lost their season opener by 19 on Saturday.
But this win, a 24-point smackdown of a quality opponent, should give the inexperienced Falcons a lot of confidence and momentum.
“North Penn is always solid. They always have athletes. We’ll take any win, and this gives us confidence,” said Pennsbury coach Bill Coleman. “We defended very well and shot the ball very well. Our MO is hard pressure. We wore them down a little. Offensively, we had a lot of ball movement and a lot of people movement. We got the defense moving and it allowed the slashers to slash and to kick out.”
Raylil Winton Law (22), Sam Ruta (10) and Gary Francis (10) all scored in double figures for Pennsbury. Jake Martell added eight.
“Everyone contributed. It’s a fun way to play,” Coleman said. “The biggest thing for us is our attitude, our effort and our defense. If we manage those three things all year, we’ll be solid the whole year. We’ll have a shot all year. That’s what we can control. We can’t control if the shots go in.”
AJ Mitchell led North Penn with 24 points.
Pennsbury (1-1, 0-0 SOL) hosts Archbishop Ryan on Thursday night at seven. North Penn (2-1, 0-0 SOL) takes on CB East next Tuesday night at seven.
Pennsbury 14-21-21-7 63
North Penn 9-12-7-11 39
Pennsbury (63) – Collin Connor 10, Jake Martell 8, Dahzier Long 6, Raylil Winton 22, Josh Arruda 5, Chad Weldon 2, Gary Franci 10.
North Penn (39) – AJ Mitchell 24, Joey Lindsay 4, AJ Catanzaro 2, David Robinson 6, Nathan Hartman 3.
Souderton 42, Methacton 40
Souderton earned its second consecutive win and improved to 2-1. Kavi Ramchandani (16), Trevor Watts (12) and Stephen Luchansky (8) combined for 36 of Souderton’s 42 points.
Souderton (2-1, 0-0 SOL) plays Phoenixville on Thursday at five. The Indians open SOL Continental play next Tuesday night at seven.
Methacton (40) – Woodward 14, Kitaw 9, Girardo 7, Duda 6, Eberly 3, Christian 1.
Souderton (42) – Kavi Ramchandani 16, Trevor Watts 12, Stephen Luchansky 8, Antonio Rodriguez 4, Finkenbeiner 2.
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