Check out the recaps for SOL teams in action Saturday. CB South/Neshaminy photos provided courtesy of Jon Sklut. CR North/CB East photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL Challenge
Springfield Township 84, Quakertown 82 (OT)
The first half? Not what they were looking for.
The second half? Now, that was a different story even though they trailed by 16 early in the third quarter.
On Saturday, Springfield Township, under coach Chris Cole, who filled the position two days before the start of the season, got things going.
Overtime in this Suburban One League Challenge matchup? Even better.
“It was a great win,” Cole said. “We started out rough, we were down (37-26) at halftime, but the guys got it rolling. We had a huge, huge second half. The energy was sparked from Jordan Pauls, who had a phenomenal game on the offensive end.
“He pretty much got the ball rolling for us offensively, and defensively, it was just a team effort. We had guys coming off the bench – Max Parry and DeJuaun Waters – and really locked in on certain guys in Quakertown. They did a great job of identifying their shooter, Matt Lucas, who had a phenomenal game as well."
Pauls, a senior, erupted for a game-high 38 points with 31 of them coming after halftime. He was also 2-of-2 from the foul line in the overtime after scoring 18 points in the fourth quarter. Senior teammate Ben Rittenhouse contributed 14 points (four 3-pointers, including one in the overtime) in the victory while Wilson Krewson had 11.
“This was huge, it was really huge,” Cole said. “We have eight seniors on our team, four or five juniors and two sophomores, so this is a senior-led team. Ben Rittenhouse, Jordan Pauls and Wilson Krewson have been with the program since freshman year, so they’ve seen different coaches come in and out.
“I am their third head coach since they’ve been with the program. I was the jayvee coach and an assistant coach, so I’ve been with these guys. I know how much they’ve worked hard to get to this point their high school careers. Seeing those guys lead our team is awesome. As our three captains, they’re motivated to win and leave behind a legacy at the school.”
The emotional win came less than 24 hours after the Spartans fell to Abington 88-50.
“It’s a new year and we’re just trying to earn respect and let people know that we’re serious,” Cole said. “This was a great win after last night losing to Abington by 38. To come back and actually dominate a second half, I definitely had to get the fuel going in these guys and let the seniors know this is their team, and we can do it this year."
Matt Lucas led the way for the Panthers with 17 points. Matt Catalano and Bobby Rosenberger combined for 32 points with each contributing 16. Eli Ortiz added 12.
Springfield Township (3-2, 0-1 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday, and Quakertown (0-3, 0-1) will be on the road at Pennridge Tuesday.
Springfield Township 12-14-22-21-13 84
Quakertown 23-14-21-11-11 82
Springfield Townships (84) – Jordan Pauls 38, Ethan Hamilton 5, Wilson Krewson 11, DeJaun Waters 5, Zach Edmonds 5, Max Perry 6, Ben Rittenhouse 14.
Quakertown (82) – Matt Catalano 16, Tyler Merwarth 3, Matt Tuley 6, Jimmy Casey 6, Nick Mestayer 2, Rice 2, Bobby Rosenberger 16, Matt Lucas 17, Eli Ortiz 12.
Central Bucks East 69, Council Rock North 68 (2 OT)
Just hours after knocking off their archrival in overtime on Friday, the Central Bucks East Patriots did it again Saturday afternoon by outlasting Council Rock North in double overtime in a Suburban One League Challenge game.
“I’m proud of the guys on how they were able to grind out two wins in two OT games on back-to-back nights,” Central Bucks East coach Erik Henrysen said.“They have a well-deserved day off tomorrow and then we turn the page and get ready for the next one.”
The Patriots knocked off Central Bucks West on Friday (for the first time since 2014) and still had enough to edge the Indians.
The Patriots’ Leo Masterman forced overtime when he buried a pull-up jumper with 15 seconds remaining in regulation. Then, after Masterson scored on a drive to give the Patriots a two-point lead with 3.5 five seconds remaining, Council Rock North’s James Duffy (game-high 25 points) extended the game to a second OT when he hit a long two-point field goal at the buzzer.
“We thought we had the game in hand in the first overtime when Leo Masterson converted a drive, but Council Rock North answered with Duffy hitting a shot at the buzzer,” Henrysen said. “Council Rock North plays so hard. It wasn’t a surprise that they wouldn’t go away.
“Ben Markowitz had another clutch night. He’s our captain and he is really embracing the leadership roll.”
Key foul shooting propelled the Patriots in the overtimes as they converted 9-of-10 from the line to secure the victory. They buried 24-of-30 in the game.
Markowitz led the Patriots with 21 points and six rebounds, and Masterson added 15 points, four assists and three steals. Nick Roggio added 10 points and six boards.
D.J. Mischak finished with 17 points for the Indians.
Central Buckes East (3-0, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South on Tuesday, and Council Rock North (3-2, 0-1) will host Hrary S Truman
Central Bucks East 18-15-8-15-5-8 69
Council Rock North 13-17-10-16-5-7 68
Central Bucks East (69) – Nick Roggio 10, Ben Markowitz 21, Leo Masterson 15, Joe Jackman 11, Jason Markowitz 1, Jacob Rotondo 5, Brendan Harte 2, Anthony Giordano 4.
Council Rock North (68) – DJ Mischak 17, James Duffy 25, Parker Ehlin 3, Josh Fisher 9, Hunter Wan 4, Luke Vliet 3, Bernie Parent 7.
Pennsbury 66, Cheltenham 64
Collin Connor and Gary Francis combined for 54 points to power Pennsbury past Cheltenham in a Suburban One League Challenge game Saturday.
And the Falcons needed every one of those points – Connor, a junior, had a game-high 29, and Francis had 25 – after a slow start in this one.
“There was about 3:15 left in the fourth quarter, and we went on a 12-0 run,” Pennsbury coach Bill Coleman said. “It was topped off by Collin Connor hitting a three with about five or six seconds left in the game.”
It was Pennsbury’s first lead since the first half of the game. Cheltenham had a shot at the other end for the win but missed.
“It was really a tale of two halves,” said Coleman. "Collin Connor had 29 points total, and 22 of them were in the first half. Gary Francis had 25, 22 of which were in the second half.
“Our defense in the middle part of the game – from the four-minute mark in the second quarter to about the four-minute mark in the third quarter – was really poor. We made one sub, Amir Johnson, and he kind of settled us down defensively and we dug in, which was a big step for our very green team.”
The Panthers, who were led by Zahree Harrison’s 16 points, used a 26-point second quarter to take a 36-27 lead to halftime.
“Amir did a pretty decent job on Harrison,” Coleman said. “Our biggest concern with him was not letting him go off from three, which he’s absolutely capable of doing. He had 18 points but only had one three, and I know we made him work pretty hard for the 18 points.”
Pennsbury outscored the hosts 39-28 after the intermission to record the victory.
Francis finished 8-of-8 from the foul line while Connor was 3-of-3. Cooper Arnold led the Falcons under the backboards with a game-high eight rebounds.
“Our schedule is difficult, but we want to be battle tested going forward,” Coleman said. “We’re going to take our lumps, but we had that good win against Council Rock North. They made us earn it.
“Collin Connor was in foul trouble that game. We had a shoot around this morning, and Collin was dialed in from 9:30 this morning until the game was over, which was great to see. It’s a good example for the guys – this is how we’ve got to play.”
Tim Myarick and Kyin Healey each had a dozen points for Cheltenham while freshman Justin Moore had 11. Healey also had six rebounds.
Pennsbury (2-2, 1-0 SOL) will host North Penn in a Coaches vs Cancer non-league game on Tuesday, and Cheltenham (3-2, 1-0) will host Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
Pennsbury 14-13-21-18 66
Cheltenham 10-26-17-11 64
Pennsbury (66) – Dakota Kitchen 3, Collin Connor 29, Gary Francis 25, Amir Johnson 2, Cooper Arnold 3, Jack Nushcke 4.
Cheltenham (64) – Zahree Harrison 16, Jalen Mickens 7, Tim Myarick 12, Justin Moore 11, Brandon Scott 4, Mike McClain 2, Kyin Healey 12.
Upper Dublin 51, Council Rock South 49
It ended up as a two-point win for Upper Dublin over Council Rock South in a Suburban One League Challenge game, but how it got to that point was a little different.
Instead of a tight game most of the way it was just the opposite as the Cardinals led by nine at halftime only to see the Golden Hawks put up 18 third-quarter points (while limiting Upper Dublin to just seven points) to lead by two after three quarters.
Upper Dublin then “won” the final eight minutes, and the game, by outscoring the hosts 20-16 when it mattered most even though they trailed by five points with less than a minute remaining in regulation.
“Tonight was not one of our better efforts,” Upper Dublin coach Chris Monahan said. “It was a grind-out game, a game we could have easily lost. We were frustrated a little bit as the game went, but you’re going to have nights like that.
“I think it shows the character of our guys that they play hard. Like I said, that’s a game we easily could have lost, but they showed a lot of mental toughness, a lot of physical toughness, and that is good to see."
Down 49-47, Upper Dublin tied the game with 14 seconds left when Bazel Brady hit two free throws. Micah Bootman stole the ball, the Cardinals missed a shot that was rebounded by Corby Watkins who put it back in with 4.5 seconds left to account for the final margin.
“They had a long inbounds pass, which we didn’t guard the way we wanted to,” Monahan said. “They had a shot at a three, and we were saying, ‘No threes, no threes.’ They had a shot from the right wing that missed, game over. We’ll take it. We’re not giving it back.”
Brady finished with a team-high 15 points and Corby Watkins had 12.
“The star of the game for us was definitely Bazel Brady,” Monahan said. “He was 7-for-7 from the line, and he made key plays down the stretch – rebounds, clutch from the free-throw line.
“Corby Watkins, although he struggled in the first half, did a really good job in the second half."
The Golden Hawks’ Jack Rebholz led all scorers with 18 points while teammate Shawn Blank had 11.
Upper Dublin (4-1, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham on Tuesday, and Council Rock South (1-4, 1-0) will host Neshaminy on Tuesday.
Upper Dublin 10-14-7-20 51
Council Rock South 11-4-18-16 49
Upper Dublin (51) – Drew Stover 9, Corby Watkins 12, Bazel Brady 15, Jason Williams 5, Brian Klammer 5, Micah Bootman 2, Mike Slivka 3.
Council Rock South (49) – Jack Rebholz 18, Luke Meakim 2, Michael Stewart 6, Kevin McNamee 6, Luca Baratta 2, Shawn Blank 11, Connor Lewis 4.
Abington 72, Pennridge 61
In a battle of Suburban One League powers it was Abington pulling away late to collect the win in this one.
The Ghosts, also one of the top teams in the area and the state, led by only four points at halftime and six points after three quarters before a 17-point fourth quarter put them over the top.
Abington senior Eric Dixon, a McDonald’s All-American candidate and the school’s all-time leading scorer, poured in 29 points and completed another double-double with 11 rebounds. Fellow-senior Lucas Monroe added 14 points and five assists. Darius Brown contributed a career-best 13 points, which included a 7-for-8 effort at the foul line.
Maurice Henry had a team-high eight assists and only one turnover. Dixon, after starting the season 0-for-7 from 3-point range, made 5-of-7 3-pointers against the Rams.
The Rams, who were coming off a Friday night win over William Tennent, received 27 points (four 3-pointers) from senior Sean Yoder (who had a career-high 32 points against the Panthers about 18 hours earlier). He scored 25 in the first three quarters. Senior Jon Post was next for Pennridge with a dozen points.
Abington (5-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Tuesday, and Pennridge (4-1) will host Quakertown on Tuesday.
Abington 21-16-18-17 72
Pennridge 17-16-16-12 61
Abington (72) – Manir Waller 6, Maurice Henry 5, Darius Brown 13, Joey Brusha 3, Lucas Monroe 14, Howie Burrell 2, Eric Dixon 29.
Pennridge (61) – Luke Yoder 10, Sean Yoder 27, Trent Fisher 4, Pat Gillespie 3, Jack Gillespie 5, Jon Post 12.
Central Bucks South 61, Neshaminy 23
The Titans jumped out to a big early lead and took a 32-10 advantage into halftime. The Redskins never threatened the rest of the way in what turned out to be a 61-23 win over Neshaminy in a Suburban One League Challenge game Saturday.
“We were playing back-to-back teams that were similar,” said Central Bucks South coach Jason Campbell, whose team beat Quakertown by three points on Friday night.
“Quakertown has guards that like to drive to the hoop and Neshaminy likes to do the same thing. After coming out of last night’s Quakertown game, I said we have to do what our game plan was for Quakertown but bring more energy.
“Overall, our guys did a really great job of executing our game plan. Where we got away from it last night and let Quakertown set a decent tempo, tonight we set our own tempo, so I was proud of our guys that we did that."
All told, nine players scored points for the Titans led by Tommy Kuypers and Ian McCaw with a dozen each.
“Every single guy that got in there was fantastic,” Campbell said. “The energy was great. I said in our pregame, ‘We’re going to be physically tired today, and the only way you guys who logged minutes are going to overcome that is simply talking to each other and getting the adrenaline going.’
"All five guys out there, no matter who we subbed in, stuck with what I asked them to do, and you saw the difference in how hard they played. It was tremendous how hard we played today after coming off a late road game at Quakertown. I’m really proud. It’s probably one of the best defensive efforts we’ve put together in a few years."
Angelo Gyamifi led Neshaminy with seven points.
Central Bucks South (3-2, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Souderton on Friday, and Neshaminy (1-3, 0-1) will be on the road at Council Rock South.
Neshaminy 6-5-5-7 23
Central Bucks South 19-13-13-16 61
Neshaminy (23) – Kyle Saglimben 3, Brandon Kelly 2, Damon McGovern 5, Deval Glover 3, Mike Murray 3, Angelo Gyamifi 7.
Central Bucks South (61) – Cole Prezelski 3, Justin Rieber 4, Brock D’Aulerio 8, Brian Shields 3, Alex Dietz 7, Mark Kannengieszer 4, Tommy Kuypers 12, Ian McCaw 12, Michael Farley 8.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 53, Central Bucks West 42
The Colonials and Bucks have had their share of postseason meetings – three times in the last five years, as a matter of fact.
“I said to (coach) Adam (Sherman) before the game, ‘I don’t usually like to see you until February if I have to at all,’” PW coach Jim Donofrio said. “They’re a very hard preparation. It’s an IQ game, it’s very methodical, it’s a lot of film.
“Their guys are coming off East/West last night, and our guys are coming off Wissahickon/PW. I don’t know where our guys are at to handle a CB West game with no practice. I think some of it was – they’re going to be a lot different in Feburary, we’re going to be a lot different in February. I am really pleased with last night to tonight.
“Some light bulbs just went on in terms of how we are to defend with serious energy. We’ve done that two nights in a row now.”
The Bucks – behind 10 points from Jack Mulhearn – opened up an 18-8 lead after one quarter. They scored just two points in the second quarter, and the Colonials led 25-20 at halftime. Naheem McLeod led the second-quarter charge with six points while Jaden Pryce and Caelin Peters each had four.
“We went with a big lineup again, and it’s 25-20 at the half, but they had 18 points in the first quarter,” Donofrio said. “What we’re trying to do right now – I’m tired of telling Naheem, Jason Cherry and Jordan Evans that they’re big. I’m trying to tell them now that they’re fast – forget you’re big because I think that creates the idea you’re not fast.
“I need those guys to crank up their defensive energy, and they’re doing it enough. We knew we had to stop Jack Mulhearn, who’s a terrific shooter with time.”
After scoring 10 points in the first quarter, Mulhearn had just three points the rest of the way, and those points came in the final quarter.
McLeod scored 14 of his game-high 22 points in the second half
“There’s a huge learning curve,” Donofrio said. “We’re trying to emphasize one segment at a time. They guys are such good listeners, but now they over-listening to one idea – that’s how young they are.
“What I like is – the kid Anthony Straface – no one understands how fast he is – is about to be back in a week or two. He’s a high level scorer. He has to be worked into the mix. There’s just a nice set of pieces, and that attitude is starting to get right, and that’s going to be interesting.
“The fact that they’re playing hard now is the first hurdle, and I’m really happy about that. We have a lot of kids that are going to get better. What this could become, I hope, is going to be able to compete with anybody around in four to six weeks.”
Caelin Peters also finished in double figures for the Colonials with 14 points.
Jack Neri led the Bucks with 16 points, nine in the fourth quarter, and Mulhearn had 13.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Springfield Township on Tuesday, and Central Bucks West (2-2, 0-1) will host Souderton on Tuesday.Central Bucks West 18-2-7-15 42
Plymouth Whitemarsh 8-17-12-16 53
Central Bucks West (42) – Jack Mulhearn 13, Mika Munari 7, Jack Neri 16, Reed Zerweck 2, John Murmen 4.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (53) – Jaden Pryce 6, Caelin Peters 14, Naheem McLeod 22, Kyree Pendleton 4, Mark Kalala 1, Jason Cherry 6.
Souderton 51, Hatboro-Horsham 48
A strong team effort enabled Souderton to ease past Hatboro-Horsham in a Suburban One League Challenge game Saturday.
“It was a good team win,” Souderton coach Tim Brown said. “The guys did an awesome job of staying together and handling success and adversity. We still have strides to make defensively, but our guys did a great job of focusing on stops.”
The Indians used a 17-point second quarter to build a five-point lead at halftime before the Hatters cut the deficit to just two after three quarters, 39-37.
“Sami Chouiraf had a huge game for us with 16 points and played some great “D” on a great player in Khalid Johnson,” Brown said.“And Andrew Vince had eight points and 10 boards and had to handle (H-H’s) Jake Schalki all night. Jake had a great game and he is a lot to deal with.
“This was just a good win for us.”
Kyle Walker added 12 points in the win.Schalki finished with a game-high 21 points for the Hatters. Solomon McNair added 10 points.
Souderton (2-3, 0-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks West on Tuesday, and Hatboro-Horsham 2-3, 0-1) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 10-11-16-11 48
Souderton 9-17-13-12 51
Hatboro-Horsham (48) – Jake Schalki 21, Solomon McNair 10, Jack Marvin 8, Zeheir Cheeze 6, N’Gianni Cerisier 2, KhalidJohnson 1.
Souderton (51) – Sami Chouiraf 16, Kyle Walker 12, Andrew Vince 8, Jack Towsen 7, Mekhi Williams 6, Zach Thatcher 2.
Wissahickon 55, William Tennent 48
Wissahickon was able to earn an early lead and then rode that advantage all the way to a win over William Tennent in a Suburban One League Challenge game Saturday.
The Trojans, who were paced by Eddie Fortescue’s game-high 16 points, nabbed a 17-7 lead after one quarter and didn’t trail the rest of the way.
Matt Compas was next for Wissahickon with 13 points and Carmen Ostroski delivered nine points.
David West led the Panthers with 11 points and Ryan Savage netted 10.
Wissahickon (2-3, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday, and William Tennent (1-4) will travel to Bensalem on Tuesday.
Wissahickon 17-10-13-15 55
William Tennent 7-10-13-18 48
Wissahickon (55) – D’Shan Love 3, Eddie Fortescue 16, Harrison Williams 5, Maurice Willis 5, Caso 4, Matt Compas 13, Carmen Ostroski 9.
William Tennent (48) – Michael Mulville 5, Jay Stanfield 2, Josiah Johnson 6, Kip Mooney 3, Ryan Savage 10, Dave West 11, Derrik Cosenza 8, Matunda 2.
Non-league
Boyertown 63, North Penn 62
Back and forth they went, but, unfortunately for North Penn, the Knights came up a point short in a non-league loss to Boyertown on Saturday.
The Knights trailed by six after one quarter; led by one after two quarters; trailed by seven after three quarters; and outscored the Bears by six over the final eight minutes only to come up one point away from forcing overtime.
A.J. Mitchell led the Knights with 20 points while teammates Kolby Barrow and Matt Swanson finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
North Penn (3-2, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury for a non-league game Tuesday.
North Penn 9-19-11-23 62
Boyertown 15-12-19-17 63
North Penn (62) – Tali McIver 4, AJ Mitchell 20, Kolby Barrow 15, Michael Chaffee 8, Solomon Robinson 2, Matthew Swanson 13.
Boyertown (63) – Salata 16, Marinello 2, Barron 2, Kiefer 4, Borgmann 20, Dougherty 17, Metcalf 2.
Coatesville 57, Bensalem 35
A slow start against a tough opponent hindered Bensalem in a non-league loss to host Coatesville on Saturday.
The Owls managed only eight points after one quarter and were limited to only 12 by halftime. Meanwhile, the Raiders put up 33 points by intermission to grab control of the game.
Reuben Jean-Phillips led Bensalem with nine points and Shane Simmons contributed eight.
Bensalem (2-2, 1-0 SOL) will host William Tennent on Tuesday.
Bensalem 8-4-7-16 35
Coatesville 13-20-14-10 57
Bensalem (35) – Nasir Williams 6, Reuben Jean-Phillips 9, Jeremiah Alexander 3, Shane Simmons 8, Lamont Hasker 7, Adam Beck 2.
Coatesville (57) – Dupree Bryant 9, Jhamir Brickus 27, Avery Young 5, Winfield 2, Camera 9, Proctor 3, Holmes 2.
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