Check out all the results for Friday’s SOL boys basketball openers. To view photos of Wissahickon FANS ‘Silent Night,’ please visit the Photo Gallery.
American Conference
WISSAHICKON 52, UPPER DUBLIN 42
The Trojans recovered from a heartbreaking loss to CB East on Wednesday and managed to find their rhythm to earn a win over their archrivals in a spirited battle.
“Coach (Josh) Adelman and I have a very strong friendship, and knowing our two teams are rivals makes for an interesting game,” Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson said. “Even though they’re 1-3, I think they will be on the upswing as far as the type of team they have, so for us, it was a big challenge.
“We came off a heartbreaker against CB East, so this was a good opportunity for us to get back in the win column.”
Chris Villa had a team-high 17 points in the Trojans’ victory while Chris Carradorini (10 points), Gordon Bentley and Todd Bentley (9 points each) and Chase Wilson (7 points) also made important contributions.
“Chase had a real rough night shooting for the second game in a row, and to have everybody step up around him was really a blessing,” coach Wilson said.
“We need everybody to be involved. We have a very talented, guard-oriented team, and we need to know when our best player isn’t playing well, we can still win games. I thought that showed a lot of character.”
The Cardinals trailed 23-20 at the half and cut the lead to two, but they were outscored 16-8 in the final frame. Andrew Carber led the Cards with 11 points, and Zach Greenberg and Kevin Woods both added 6 points.
Wilson commended his team’s efforts in all four of their games this season but admits two early losses had taken their toll on morale.
However, the Trojans’ FANS may have provided just what the team needed on Friday as they packed the gym, decked out in costumes and fired up for their “Silent Night” tradition.
“It’s a neat school spirit event,” said Wilson. “This happened to be the night they decided to do it and it worked out well.”
Wilson and his team were prepared for the energy and noise that comes with this event as the fans remained silent for the first eight points of the game and then exploded with excitement for the remainder.
“Last year was the first year, and this year it has grown - now it’s not only high school but middle school students as well,” Wilson said of the FANS Club.
The Teletubby costume might have been rousing as was the Alice in Wonderland teacup get-up, but it was Chris Villa who led the Trojans to the victory.
“We needed a player to step up and knock down some shots, and he did,” said Wilson. “In third quarter, he hit three three’s in a row. He absolutely set the tone.”
Wilson also recognized the play of Gordon Bentley, who managed to hold Cardinal standout Carber to 11 points and, according to the Trojans’ coach, did a tremendous job.
The Trojans (2-2 overall, 1-0 SOL) need to prepare for a tough week where they face Springfield and Plymouth Whitemarsh. Upper Dublin, which fell to 1-2 overall (0-1 SOL), hosts Norristown on Tuesday.
CHELTENHAM 65, SPRINGFIELD (M) 42
The Panthers led by ten at the half (31-22) and upped their lead to 21 in the third quarter, creating a deficit the Spartans could not overcome. Three Panthers recorded twin digits as Aaron Burton and Guy Henderson scored 14 each while Shakur Jackson chipped in 10 points and John Howard added 7 rebounds. The Spartans were led by Malik Ball (14 points) and William Dahm (10 points). The Panthers evened their record at 2-2 (1-0 SOL) while the Spartans fall to 1-3 (0-1 SOL).
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 62, UPPER MORELAND 48 (Thursday, Dec. 13)
The Colonials (2-1, 1-0 SOL) trailed by two after the first quarter but outscored the Golden Bears (1-2, 0-1 SOL) in the second quarter to lead 29-26 at the half. The Colonials continued to score consistently in the second half and were able to seal the deal to net a win in their conference opener. Michael Reddick paced the Colonials’ offensive efforts, leading the team with 23 points. Anthony McKie added 17 points, followed by Andre Mitchell (10 points). Chase Rodgers (seven points), Austin Rodenbaugh (three points) and Jimmy Murray (two points) rounded out the scoring in the victory.
NORRISTOWN 66, UPPER MERION 47
The Eagles (1-0 SOL, 2-0 overall) soared to an 18-4 lead at the end of one quarter and took a 20-21 lead into halftime. Bernard Gordon and Marquis Bryant led a balanced Eagles’ attack with 16 points each while Luke Kelley added 13 points. Javon Nicholson scored 18 points to lead the Vikings (0-1 SOL, 1-2 overall).
National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 53, WILLIAM TENNENT 45
The Indians upped their overall record to 3-0 (1-0 SOL) after battling past the Panthers (2-2 overall, 0-1 SOL) in their league opener. Brandon Knotts – back in action after being sidelined with an injury last season - was the high scorer for the Indians with 17 points.
“It’s huge having him back,” coach Derek Wright said. “I really enjoy watching him play.
“Last year we missed him for just about the whole season, and he would have been a big difference for us. Even his sophomore year, he was in and out of the lineup. To have him healthy is really important for us. He’s very coachable, does all the little things, guards the other team’s best player and obviously did it for us offensively tonight also.”
The Indians opened up an 18-6 lead at the end of one quarter, but the Panthers battled back to make it a 26-20 game at the intermission.
“They just stuck around,” Wright said of the Panthers. “Every time we would get it up in double digits, they would cut it back down. They’re well coached, and they play well together. They’re going to be a tough out.”
Kyle McCloskey scored 13 points while Rip Engel added 10 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
“Rip made some big shots, and Kyle McCloskey did a good job at both ends of the floor for us, rebounding and scoring. Ryan Baker was solid in the paint for us. We gave up one offensive rebound in the second half, so that was a big thing.”
ABINGTON 71, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 26
The Ghosts (4-0, 1-0 SOL) jumped out to a 24-8 lead in the first quarter and cruised to a convincing 71-26 victory over the Golden Hawks (2-2, 0-1). Jordan Simmons led the offense, draining nine points in the first quarter and totaling 20 points for the Ghosts, who held a 44-22 advantage at the half. Nine other players contributed to the scoring barrage: Jiere Morrisey (11 points), Pat Rice (9 points), Matt Penecale (8 points), Anthony Lee (6 points), Mark Bond (4 points), Michael Griffin and Jordan Neeley (3 points), and Scott Brown and Khalid Gibson each added 2 points. Abington will face Norristown in the Coaches vs Cancer game on Saturday at Cheltenham at 2:30.
BENSALEM 74, PENNSBURY 58
The Owls and the Falcons (2-1, 0-1 SOL) were deadlocked 13-13 at the close of the first quarter, but Bensalem (1-2, 1-0 SOL) slowly increased their lead with each subsequent quarter to earn their first win of the season. Leo Vincent (20 points) and Donnie Reed (18 points) proved to be too much for Pennsbury to handle while Austin Nyekan (14 points), Stephen Johnson (13 points) and Deion Jones (7 points) also posted significant scoring stats for the Owls. Cam Jones was the top scorer for the Falcons, finishing with 17 points, while Mekhi Bryant (13 points) and Shawn Pepper (10 points) tallied double digits as well.
TRUMAN 59, NESHAMINY 24
The Tigers pounced on the Redskins to pick up their first league win on Friday night, outscoring Neshaminy 21-5 in the first quarter. The Tigers held a 31-8 advantage at the half and improved their record to 3-1 (1-0 SOL) while the Redskins are still searching for their first victory (0-4, 0-1 SOL). Truman’s Merdic Green was the lone player in double figures, finishing with 15 points.
Continental Conference
SOUDERTON 54, NORTH PENN 42
If the final score suggests the Indians might have had an easy night, guess again. The Knights actually led 42-38 with just over five minutes left in regulation but didn’t score a point the rest of the way while the Indians – sparked by the inspired play of 6-8 center Brendan Wagner – closed out the game with a 16-0 run to earn the win.
“We finally decided to go to our advantage, and Brendan Wagner just kind of took over,” coach Pete Chimera said. “Of our 16 points, I think he had eight, some off offensive rebounds, and he just started to dominate the game.
“I think we wore them down. We were up 46-42, and he (coach John Conrad) took his whole starting team out because I think they were just gassed. We turned up the defense a little bit and created a lot of turnovers and got some easy baskets. I wish we wouldn’t have waited until the fourth quarter. It would have been a lot easier.”
Wagner led all scorers with 20 points.
“I think he’s going to be terrific,” Chimera said. “He’s only a junior, and I think the potential he has is tremendous.
“One of the things that was really impressive tonight – I’ve been harping on him at practice – dunk the ball, dunk the ball instead of just laying it in and being a little soft. Today he went on the break, and he just didn’t have the legs for it, and he missed a dunk. Right after that, he just took over. He didn’t have any dunks, but he was going so high above the rim. I think he said, ‘You know what, I should not be missing dunks’ and just got angry about it and took it out on North Penn.”
John Kanas added 16 points for the Indians, who upped their record to 3-1 (1-0 SOL). The Knights are 2-1 overall (0-1 SOL).
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 51, PENNRIDGE 41
The Titans – determined to give coach Jason Campbell his 100th win - were on a mission when they took the court for their SOL opener against the Rams, and they made sure they got off to a good start, outscoring the Rams (1-3, 0-1 SOL) 17-6 in the first quarter. The Titans (2-2, 1-0) continued to dominate play and increased their lead to 27-16 by halftime. They increased that lead to 40-27 heading into the final frame.
Kevin Doyle (nine points) led a balanced Titan attack, followed by Bryce Dobisch and T.J. Ohntrup with eight points each. Chase Vonder Schmalz (seven points), Kevin Raymond (six points), Adam Tammy (five points), Matt Scamuffo (four points), Ricky Dennis (two points) and Brennan Rudnick (two points) rounded out the scoring for the Titans.
The Rams had two players in double digits, Jeff Garner and Alex Krivda each scored 10 while Zach Muredda added nine points, and Danny Shane (three points) and Kyle Bigam (two points) closed out the scoring.
Campbell, who has been with the program for nine seasons, is the only basketball coach in CB South’s history. He admits the program has come a long way since the first season that saw the Titans spend the first month attending different schools and practicing off-site until the high school construction was completed. Campbell led the Titans to a conference title in 2009.
“You don’t really set personal goals or try to achieve this,” he said modestly.
In fact, the Titans’ coach didn’t even know he was getting close to 100 wins.
“It didn’t come to my attention until last year when my assistant started counting up wins,” he said. “Then he made me go through all my old records.
“It was apparent last season we could’ve done it, but we didn’t say anything to the players.”
Someone, however, let the cat out of the bag on Friday night, and when the final buzzer sounded, the team had prepared a congratulatory banner, a special cheer from the cheerleaders, and even invited Campbell’s former students to come out and show their support for the veteran coach, ending the night with a “Mr. Campbell” chant. Although it wasn’t a goal he set out to accomplish, he now joins an elite club of high school coaches who can boast triple-digit wins.
HATBORO HORSHAM 59, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 45
The Hatters were led by Mike Brown and Zach Quattro, who combined to score 46 of their 59 points in Friday’s victory over the Patriots. Brown scored a game-high 26 points. The Hatters led 25-21 at the half and then outscored the Patriots 17-10 in the third quarter to all but seal the deal. Matt Stauffer was the top-scorer for the Patriots with 15 points followed by Brendan McLaughlin, who added fourteen points. The Patriots fall to 2-2 (0-1 SOL) while the Hatters upped their record to 3-1 (1-0 SOL).
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 54, QUAKERTOWN 29
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