Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday.
SOL National
Bensalem 67, Neshaminy 46
Jeremiah Alexander scored his team’s first 10 points as the Owls jumped ahead 17-1 in the first quarter and 33-4 in the second quarter before cruising home in the second half to the 21-point win in the conference opener for both teams.
Bensalem did it with defense in the first half, forcing Neshaminy into 16 first half turnovers and just 3-for-14 shooting from the field. Neshaminy didn’t pick up its first field goal until a jumper by Jimmy McDonald with 5:02 remaining in the second quarter.
“Our defensive intensity – we challenge everybody every day,” said first-year Bensalem head coach Ron Morris. “We work really hard in practice. We try to bring a lot of intensity on the defensive end and they really came out ready to play today.”
James Ashford led the team with 24 points and six rebounds, while Alexander had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Aaron Sanders added nine and Robinson eight points.
Neshaminy was never in the game offensively and wasn’t able to get the deficit under 20 in the second half. Freshman Sean Curley came off the bench and led the team with 12 points, including three 3-pointers.
Matt Drapkin had 10 points, while Damon McGovern and McDonald had eight points each.
“We wanted to disrupt them,” Morris said. “We knew Damon is crafty and he creates a lot. We knew if we could put pressure on him then it would kind of disrupt their offensive flow.”
Neshaminy (1-2, 0-1 SOL) is off until Tuesday when it hosts Council Rock South. Bensalem (4-0, 1-0), meanwhile, is back in action against one of the favorites in District One, Coatesville, Saturday at home at 2 p.m.
Neshaminy 1 12 15 17-46
Bensalem 17 28 13 9-67
Neshaminy (45): Matt Drapkin 3 3-3 11, Jimmy McDonald 2 3-6 8, Brandon Kelly 0 0-2 0; Damon McGovern 3 2-2 8, Sean Curley 3 3-5 12, Jake McGinty 1 2-3 4, Mason Getz 0 0-2 0; Tom Mullin 1 0-0 3; Jack Simkiw 0 0-1 0; Totals 13 13-24 46.
Bensalem (67): James Ashford 8 6-11 24, Jeremiah Alexander 5 4-4 14, Travis Robinson 3 1-3 7, Justin Johnson 1 0-0 2, Aaron Sanders 3 0-0 9, Rahul Kohili 2 0-0 6, Luke Zeidler 2 0-0 4; Matt Ebner 0 0-1 0; Rajvir Singh 0 0-2 0; Totals 25 12-24 67
Council Rock South 54, Harry S. Truman 36
Jack Rebholz led a balanced scoring effort with 18 points, and Council Rock South played well on the defensive end to win its SOL National opener over Harry S. Truman.
The Golden Hawks took a 23-18 lead into halftime and then blew the game wide open with a 17-4 third-quarter burst. Rebholz was the catalyst, scoring 11 points – including three 3-pointers – in the frame.
“I was most happy with our defense, especially in the third quarter,” Rock South coach Chris Clark said. “So far this season, the third quarter has not been our best quarter, but winning that quarter 17-4 was pretty much the catalyst for the game.
“I thought Kevin McNamee fronting the post was really big for us. I thought our guards being active on the perimeter and sticking their nose in the paint and getting rebounds and things of that nature got us able to get steals and fast breaks and got us moving that way.
“We’re trying to guard better. That’s something we really talked about – trying to be tougher every possession, so I was really happy with our defensive effort. What’s nice is we still have a lot of improvement in us, which is great. We can be a lot better.”
Also scoring in double figures for the Golden Hawks (2-2, 1-0 SOL) were Luca Baratta with 11 and Kevin McNamee with 10 points.
“Offensively, I thought we set better screens and we got open shots inside which helped us,” Clark said. “Not only was this a league win, it was a home game, and we have to win those. So now we have to get the next one at Neshaminy on Tuesday. Hopefully, we can keep it going.”
Council Rock South (2-2, 1-0 SOL) will be on the road at Neshaminy on Tuesday. Truman (0-4, 0-1) is still in search of its first win. The Tigers play at Norristown in a nonleague game on Monday.
Harry S Truman 5-13-4-14 36
Council Rock South 16-7-17-14 54
CR South (54): Jack Rebholz 6 2-2 18; Joe Purcell 1 1-2 3; Luca Baratta 5 0-1 11; Luke Meakim 2 0-0 4; Michael Stewart 4 0-0 8; Kevin McNamee 4 2-2 10. Totals 22 6-7 54
Harry S Truman (36) – Winton 3, Kitchens 7, Vargas 5, Fant 2, Leonhauser 2, Flail 15, Carr 2. Totals 14 4-5 36.
SOL American
Plymouth Whitemarsh 77, Wissahickon 49
After a couple of rough nonleague losses, Plymouth Whitemarsh was glad to get into SOL American Conference play and pulled away from Wissahickon early to get this much-needed win.
The Colonials scored 21 points in the first quarter and knocked down four 3-pointers in the opening period as well. David Harris and Caelin Peters each buried a pair of threes in the quarter. The Colonials, who led 21-9 after one quarter, took a 35-25 lead into the intermission. They seized complete control of the game with a 23-10 third quarter.
For the game, Peters led the way with 28, while Luke DiCianno scored 22. In all, nine different players dotted the scorebooks for coach Jim Donofrio.
“Caelin Peters had 28 points, and they were a steady 28, but Luke DiCianno was the catalyst,” Donofrio said. “He just took over for a six-minute stretch. The team on paper has four potential go-to guys. For the opening two nights, we were 0-for-4 in guys having big offensive games. No one did. That can’t happen. I even think those guys had to go through a learning curve. They needed this game to have an opportunity to figure it out.”
PW started the season with losses to Philadelphia Public League powers Abraham Lincoln and Simon Gratz.
“It didn’t help that (captain) Caelin Peters, the only true returning major minutes guy, went eight months with literally not a scratch on him, and of course, the first week of practice gets a badly sprained non-shooting hand,” Donofrio said. “It just affected his passing and dribbling and took him down a couple of pegs in terms of self-assuredness.
“He had to kind of get that back, so tonight was perfect for him. When you’re going against some Division I level quick guards from Gratz, you’ve got a bad brace on his hand, that’s a tough situation for your only experienced guy to be in, so that didn’t help matters any, but it’s just deer in the headlights a little bit with that kind of game.”
Those nonleague games kicked off a rugged December schedule for a young team, but one that is sure to get better as the season progresses.
“We have 10 games in December,” Donofrio said. “We go to Charlotte, N.C., for three. The kids are literally learning what our mindset is every day. They’re terrific teammates, and they’re wonderful kids, but they don’t quite get the motor yet and just what’s required to create the pace we like to create.
“I thought tonight we showed complete signs of life with that. If you’re going to play Simon Gratz and Lincoln and not learn something from it, that would have been a problem. That pace paid off a little bit tonight.”
Wissahickon was on the other end of it Friday night.
“Wissahickon, unfortunately for Kyle (Wilson) and those guys, they have two starters out, and that doesn’t help them at all, so we had to take advantage of the size difference,” Donofrio said. “We’re going to be good. For our local fans, they’re not very patient with that, and I get it, but I just want to make sure the kids stay together.”
PW (1-2, 0-1 SOL) is back in action Saturday against another Philadelphia school, Archbishop Ryan out of the Catholic League at 2 p.m. Wissahickon (0-5, 0-1) will host Springfield-Delco Monday in a non-league game at 7 p.m.
Wissahickon 9-16-10-14 49
Plymouth Whitemarsh 21-14-23-18 77
Plymouth Whitemarsh (77): Zuri Jerman 6, Caelin Peters 28, Ray Tomassetti 2, Jaden Pryce 2, Zende Hubbard 4, Trey Jones 2, Luke DiCianno 22, David Harris 9, Jayden Glover 2.
Wissahickon (51) – D’Shan Love 8, Justin Rappaport 2, Harrison Williams 13, Jackson Intrieri 2, Stefan Lowry 7, Matt Compas 15, Will Kunzier 4.
Cheltenham 51, Upper Moreland 47
Jaelen McGlone scored 16 points and Sean Emfinger chipped in with 14, as Cheltenham improved to 4-0 with a closer-than-expected win over a spirited Upper Moreland squad. In their three previous games, the Panthers – who scored 106 points in their opener – averaged 84 points a game but managed only 51 against a stingy Golden Bear squad.
“Upper Moreland is a very good team,” said Panthers coach Patrick Fleury, whose team is still without Zahree Harrison (injury). “They were 3-0, they played well. We’ll be more prepared the next time around. All the credit in the world to them.”
Defensively, Cheltenham was solid all night. McGlone added six rebounds and two blocks shots, Travis Coleman had three steals and Justin Moore had two blocked shots. Emfinger and Brandon Scott had 10 and five rebounds, respectively.
“I’m super happy that the guys were able to hold them to an average of under 12 points a quarter, which was amazing,” Fleury said. “The team continues to be resilient, and the biggest thing for us is to continue to fight with each other, to turn to each other and not on each other. That continues to hold true.
“We’ll take the win however it comes and just look to be more prepared for one of the top teams in our conference.”
Beau Woollens led Upper Moreland with 21 points, while Byron Hopkins added seven.
The Golden Bears (3-1, 0-1 SOL) are back in action Tuesday against Abington. Cheltenham (4-0, 1-0 SOL) hosts Central High in a nonleague game on Monday night.
Upper Moreland 10-10-14-13 47
Cheltenham 10-15-12-14 51
Upper Moreland (47) – Byron Hopkins, 7, Beau Woollens 21, Jourdan Gregg 5, Jahire Johnson 4, Matt Tiernan 4, Tyler Ibbotson 6.
Cheltenham (51) – Travis Coleman 4, Justin Moore 2, Brandon Hawkins 2, Saleem Payne 5, Jaelen McGlone 16, Mike McClain 8, Sean Emfinger 14
Abington 60, Springfield Township 40
Manir Waller scored 13 points to the lead the way, as Abington used a strong second half to pull away from Springfield in the SOL American Conference opener for each team.
The Ghosts – who received 20 points from their bench players – won for the first time after a nonleague loss to Lower Merion last week. Robert Bell (11 points) also scored in double figures in a contest that saw 12 different players score. Caleb Baker had six rebounds, two blocks and three steals to go with his seven points, while Connor Fields had six rebounds. Waller added five rebounds and three steals.
Abington connected on 20-of-54 shots (37 percent) but buried 6-of-13 (46 percent) from beyond the arc.
Springfield was led by Gabe Harris, who had nine and Ethan Hamilton, who pitched in with eight.
The Spartans (2-2, 0-1 SOL) have another tough one on Tuesday when they host Plymouth Whitemarsh. Abington (1-2, 1-0) plays at Upper Moreland on Tuesday.
Abington 13 9 17 21-60
Springfield Twp 6 13 10 11-40
Springfield Twp (40) – Amir Williams 2 0-0 6; Jay Joseph 2 0-0 4; Ethan Hamilton 3 2-2 8; Matt Leibfreid 0 2-2 2; Micah Woods 0 2-2 2; Andrew Kennedy 2 1-1 5; Gabe Harris 4 0-2 9; Totals 16 5-9 40
Abington (60) – Robert Bell 5 1-2 11; Oreck Frazier 1 4-6 6; Manir Waller 4 5-7 13; Joey Brusha 1 0-0 3; Zyeir Olasewere 1 0-0 3; Antoine Ellis 2 0-0 6; Sam MacFarlane 1 0-0 3; Caleb Baker 3 0-0 7; Karim Boyd 0-2-4 2; Connor Fields 1 0-0 2; Jimmy Marino 1 1-2 3; Yashown Watts 0 1-2 1; Totals 20 14-24 60.
Upper Dublin 46, Hatboro-Horsham 40
The Flying Cardinals, who took a 25-21 lead into halftime, outscored the Hatters 12-5 in the third quarter to go on top 37-26. They held off a late Hatter surge.
“We talked about some things at halftime,” UD coach Chris Monahan said. “I thought overall this was our best defensive game. We were good for most of the game defensively.
“We had our lapses – a lapse here, a lapse there, and they’re a good shooting team. They made us pay. They made threes. I think we did a very good job in the third quarter. We got some stops, we were able to get out in transition, and we were able to get Drew (Stover) in spots where he can be effective.”
Stover’s 15 points – six in the third quarter – led the Cardinals, who also received 10 points from Will Mead. Bazel Brady had seven points while Amare Johnson and Aidan Pullian both added six.
“We talked about it in the locker – this was overall our best team defensive game, and we’ve been struggling in that area,” Monahan said. “We’ll have quarters where we just disappear defensively, and it lets the other team back in the game or – in the case of Downingtown West – it gets us out of the game.
“This game – while we did have our lapses – all in all for 32 minutes, it was our best effort. Drew did a good job scoring, but we had other guys that are hitting open shots when they focus on Drew. If we continue to get better and just tighten up the little lapses defensively, then we give ourselves a chance.”
Jack Marvin scored 17 points for the Hatboro-Horsham (0-4, 0-1), while Colin O’Sullivan added 15 points. Both had three three-pointers.
Hatboro-Horsham (0-4, 0-1 SOL) plays at Wissahickon on Tuesday, searching for their first win. Upper Dublin (3-1, 1-0) will host Cheltenham on Tuesday.
“We’re looking forward to next week where we’ll see where we’re at because we have the upper echelon conference teams,” Monahan said. “
Upper Dublin 16-9-12-9 46
Hatboro-Horsham 10-11-5-14 40
Upper Dublin (46) – Bazel Brady 7, Drew Stover 15, Will Mead 10, Amare Johnson 6, Tim Boutilier 2, Aidan Pullian 6.
Hatboro-Horsham (40) – N’Gianni Cerisier 4, Zehier Cheeze 4, John Marvin 17, Colin O’Sullivan 15.
3-point goals: UD – Amare Johnson 2, Will Mead, Bazel Brady, HH – John Marvin 3, Colin O’Sullivan 3.
SOL Continental
Central Bucks West 66, Central Bucks East 53
Mika Munari scored a career-high 30 points, as Central Bucks West broke open a close game in the third quarter to pull away from rival Central Bucks East in front of a packed house at West.
“Mika was phenomenal,” coach Adam Sherman said. “He looked very comfortable on the court. This is his third year starting. He’s very comfortable in this 
environment. He’s really worked hard, so it’s exciting to see him have so much success.
“He was getting to the rim, he was scoring in the lane, he was hitting mid-range – he really was huge for us. His decision making, he shot the ball at a high clip, pulled two charges and played phenomenal defense and did a lot of good things for us.”
Tied after one quarter, the Bucks held a 27-24 lead at halftime and then outscored the Patriots 16-8 in the decisive third quarter.
“I guess we’re learning from our mistakes a little bit and getting a better feel for what’s working,” Sherman said. “As long as we have more good quarters than bad quarters, that’s all you really want.”
Teddy Spratt added 10 points for the Bucks, while Jack Neri had nine.
“I thought Teddy Spratt played really well,” Sherman said. “He made a lot of big plays for us both offensively and defensively, and he rebounded the ball extremely well.”
The win upped the Bucks record to a perfect 4-0 (1-0 SOL). Sherman credited the team’s senior leadership.
“We have 10 seniors on the team, and they have been very invested in the program,” the Bucks’ coach said. “We’re in a good place right now because all 10 of these seniors have put in a ton of time in the offseason and created an environment where they really pull for each other and motivate each other. Some of them aren’t getting on the court, but they’re being great teammates and they’re doing the things people don’t always see that’s allowing this team to be successful.”
For the Patriots (2-2, 0-1 SOL), Jack Jackman had a big night with 27 points, while Jack Hamilton added nine. They host Central Bucks South on Tuesday. The Bucks play at Souderton on Tuesday.
CB East 13 11 8 21-53
CB West 13 14 16 23-66
CB East (53): Joe Jackman 27, Jack Hamilton 9, Tyler Young 1, Chris Charlton 2, Anthony Giordano 3, Brendan Harte 1, Jason Markowitz 7, Christian Rivera 3
CB West (66): Mika Munari 30, Jack Neri 9, Danny Miller 4, Owen Haney 7, Teddy Spratt 10, Jack Slaymaker 4, Andrew Lindenmuth 2
Central Bucks South 61, Quakertown 39
A fast start in the first quarter sent CB South on its way as it blew past Quakertown in the SOL Continental opener for both teams. The Titans, who led 18-6 after one quarter, took a 26-16 lead into halftime. They put the game out of reach with a 19-10 third quarter.
The win improved CB South to 3-1 overall on the season. Friday, it received a spark off the bench from senior Michael Waltrich, who scored 21 points.
“Michel Waltrich played an incredible game off the bench by dropping 21 points, four steals,” said Titans coach Jason Campbell. “(I’m) proud of how he came off the previous game struggling with his shot, and he worked on it in practice and came out tonight on fire.”
Alex Dietz had 10 points for the Titans, while John Hackendahl contributed eight points. In all, nine players scored.
Quakertown was led by Matt Catalano, who scored 12 points, while Matt Tuley added nine.
The Panthers (0-3, 0-1 SOL) will look for their first win Saturday (6 p.m.) when it plays at Boyertown in a nonleague game. CB South hosts Council Rock South on Saturday.
Quakertown 6 10 10 13-39
CB South 18 8 19 15-61
Quakertown (39): Matt Catalano 3 4-4 12; Kayden Rowley 1 0-0 3; Tim Kratz 1 0-0 2; Jake Hallowell 0 2-2 2; Matt Tuley 4 0-0 9; Ty Wilkin 1 1-1 3; Trey Perez 0 1-2 1; Luke Bauer 2 1-2 7. Team 12 9-11 39
CB South (61): Zach O’Connor 2 0-0 6; Michael Waltrich 7 4-4 21; Jay Macalindong 0 2-2 2; John Hackendahl 3 1-2 8; Colin Mauz 1 0-0 2; Josiah Harrison 1 0-0 2; Alex Dietz 2 6-8 10; Nick Wursta 1 2-2 4; Mike Farley 1 2-2 4. Team 19 17-22 61
Non-league
Pennridge 57, William Tennent 46
Pennridge shook off a slow start in the first quarter and turned it on in the second and third to blow past William Tennent in a nonleague game on Friday.
The Rams were outscored 13-8 in the first quarter.
“The kid (Sean) Haus came out on fire for them,” Pennridge coach Dean Behrens said. “He hit four 3-pointers, and then they were going down low to (Derrik) Cosenza. They were hot shooting the ball right from the start.”
Pennridge did a better job defensively the rest of the way, rallied to go up 23-20 at the half and it was 39-29 by the end of the third quarter.
For the game, the Rams had four players in double figures, led by Luke Yoder, who had 19, Ryan Benscoter and Paul Croyle with 11 each and Christian Guldin with 10.
“Ryan Benscoter has been doing a job for us,” Behrens said “Two nights in a row now, he’s scored for us off the bench, he’s rebounded, he’s given us great energy.”
Tennent was led by Cosenza, who scored 20 points, while Haus finished with 12. Behrens left impressed with the Panthers’ big man, Cosenza.
“He’s really good,” Behrens said. “He’s a big, strong kid. I thought we played him pretty well. That was a hard 20 points he scored.”
Pennridge (3-0, 1-0 SOL) plays at Lansdale Catholic on Saturday (1:30 p.m.), while Tennent (2-2, 0-1) hosts Bensalem in its conference opener on Tuesday.
Tennent 13 7 9 17-46
Pennridge 8 15 16 18-57
Tennent (46): Stanfield 1 0-2 2; Zeaman 2 2-3 7; Haus 4 0-0 12; Scheller 1 0-2 3; Cosenza 8 2-6 20; Lockett 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 4-13 46.
Pennridge (57): Ryan Benscoter 5 1-3 11; Luke Yoder 5 8-8 19; Paul Croyle 3 2-3 11; Christian Guldin 4 1-3 10; Colin Post 0 1-2 1; Anthony Phillips 0 2-2 2; Anthony Phillips 0 2-2 2; Trent Fisher 1 0-0 2; Colin Monahan 0 1-2 1. Totals 18 16-23 57.
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