Jarrad Saffren recaps Tuesday’s Suburban One League openers that saw 20 SOL teams in action.
By Jarrad Saffren
League play opened in all three Suburban One League conferences on Tuesday night. Twenty SOL teams played league games. Two—Neshaminy and Pennridge—played a non-league game.
All 11 results and recaps are below.
SOL American
Wissahickon 73, Quakertown 55
Wissahickon improved to 3-0 with its second straight double-digit win. Eddie Fortescue scored a career-high 30 points for the Trojans. Max Rapoport and Zach Reiner added 16 and 13 points, respectively. The Trojans drilled 15 threes on Tuesday, with Fortescue (eight) and Rapoport (four) combining for 12 of them.
“The kids played well. They picked up where they left off against Bensalem (a 76-56 Wissahickon win on Dec. 14),” said Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson. “We were up 20-6 early and controlled the game throughout. The kids shot well, shared the rock.”
Fortescue’s big night was not the product of a game plan, as Wissahickon did not even run plays for him.
“He was just the beneficiary of good ball movement. He’s in constant motion,” Wilson said. “And if you move a lot, good things will happen.”
Eli Ortiz led Quakertown with 18 points while Matt Lucas added 15. Jon Rey and Sam Rice had nine and eight points, respectively.
Wissahickon (3-0, 1-0 SOL) plays Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday night at seven. Quakertown (1-4, 0-1 SOL) battles Upper Dublin on the same night and time.
Wissahickon 24-19-19-11 73
Quakertown 11-15-15-14 55
Wissahickon (73) – Donovan Oliphant 3, Eddie Fortescue 30, Compas 6, Rapoport 16, Hirsch 2, Caherton 2, Lawrence 2, ach Reiner 13.
Quakertown (55) – Jon Rey 9, Eli Ortiz 18, Sam Rice 8, Juszynski 1, Mitchell 1, Matt Lucas 15, Tuley 3.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 77, Upper Moreland 29
Another SOL American coach summed it up best when he heard the final score of this game: “Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be with PW this year.”
He may very well be right. The Colonials are loaded, experienced and now 4-0.
Naheem McLeod was again the center of PW’s attack, leading the Colonials with 20 points, and opening up the court for his teammates. Ish Horn and Alan Glover both scored 12 points, and Danny Cooper added 11. PW put this game away in the first half, scoring 22 and 26 points in the first and second quarters, building a 48-17 halftime lead.
“Ryan Coyle is a nice player but they (Upper Moreland) are a little young in the other spots,” said PW coach Jim Donofrio. “They lost some players and size, so it was hard for them to contain Naheem.”
Donofrio continued to uncharacteristically praise his team’s chemistry in December.
“We are just such a veteran team and play well together. We did what we were supposed to do. We shared the ball well,” he said. “Alan Glover was high energy. Ish Horn woke up.”
Glover missed most of last season, but he is healthy now, and playing well.
“This game showed how Naheem and Alan Glover combined are a potent duo inside,” Donofrio said. “Alan is a very high energy power forward. With Naheem, it gives you a lot of size and strength and skill.”
Christian O’Donnell led Upper Moreland with 10 points.
PW (4-0, 1-0 SOL) plays Wissahickon on Friday night at seven. Upper Moreland (1-3, 0-1 SOL) hosts Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday night at seven.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 22-26-17-12 77
Upper Moreland 7-10-4-8 29
Plymouth Whitemarsh (77) – Ish Horn 12, Dan Farrer 2, Caelin Peters 3, Naheem McLeod 20, Danny Cooper 11, Anthony Straface 3, Brendan Sullivan 4, Ahmad Williams 5, Jason Paul 3, Alan Glover 12, Jason Cherry 2.
Upper Moreland (29) – Woollens 5, O’Connell 10, Coyle 5, Brossman 1, Schernecke 8.
Hatboro-Horsham 39, Springfield Township 33
Chris Edwards carried Hatboro-Horsham to its second consecutive win, scoring 16 points.
“Chris played very well. He made a lot of big foul shots down the stretch and got rebounds when we needed them,” said Hatters’ coach Ed Enoch. “He was our main guy tonight.”
The Hatters are now 2-1 overall and 1-0 in SOL American play.
“It’s a good win. We didn’t play real well,” Enoch said. “But any time you win a game, it’s a good thing.”
Hatboro-Horsham battles Upper Moreland on Thursday night at seven. Springfield Township (2-2, 0-1 SOL) hosts Cheltenham on the same night and time.
Cheltenham 85, Upper Dublin 64
Cheltenham lit up the scoreboard in its SOL American opener, improving to 3-1 overall. The Panthers scored at least 20 points in every quarter, but Upper Dublin hung tough, cutting Cheltenham’s lead to six by the end of the third. Cheltenham pulled away by winning the fourth 22-7.
“I respect our league. Upper Dublin came out and competed really hard. Their new coach has those guys really competing. They had a fight in them. We could not pull away. We would get a 20-point lead, and those guys cut it to four. They played hard,” said Cheltenham coach John Timms. “Our league is tough. If you would have heard my speech before the game, we respect every opponent, and we knew we had to play in order to win. It wasn’t a 20-point win. It was a much closer game than the score reflects. The fourth quarter gave us the cushion.”
Cheltenham’s Jack Clark had 25 points and nine rebounds. Ahmad Bickley had 10 points, eight assists and six steals. And Lonce Scott put up nine points and eight boards.
Zahree Harrison, Tim Myarick and Amir Lewis all posted 13 points, so Cheltenham had five guys in double figures overall. “Tim Myarick gave us a great lift off the bench,” Timms said. “He’s been playing well lately.”
Mike Ryan led Upper Dublin with 16 points. Nygee Scott added 10.
Cheltenham (3-1, 1-0 SOL) plays Springfield Township on Thursday night at seven. Upper Dublin (0-5, 0-1 SOL) hosts Quakertown on Friday night at seven.
Cheltenham 22-20-21-22 85
Upper Dublin 15-17-25-7 64
Cheltenham (85) – Amir Lewis 13, Zahree Harrison 13, Ahmad Bickley 10, Tim Myarick 13, Jack Clark 25, Brandon Scott 2, Terrence McCoy 2, Lonce Scott 9.
Upper Dublin (64) – Jason Williams 5, Malik Bootman 4, Nygee Scott 10, Ian Mcgonagle 7, Corby Watkins 7, Brian Klammer 4, Cory Stover 4, Brian Mccarry 1, Mike Ryan 16, Bazel Brady 6.
SOL Continental
Central Bucks South 47, Souderton 37
Souderton led 23-16 at halftime, but CB South won the second half 31-14. Nate Robinson (16) and Tommy Kuypers (14) combined for 30 points for the Titans.
“We did a better job in the second half, both on offense and defense. We couldn’t put the ball in the basket in the first half. We couldn’t get into the full court press during the drought. But in the second half we could use it and get transition points,” said CB South coach Jason Campbell. “Robinson and Kuypers played a good inside-out game. They work well together. Kuypers had a huge second half.”
Trevor Watts and Kavi Ramchandani led Souderton with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
CB South (3-1, 1-0 SOL) plays Pennridge on Friday night at seven. Souderton (3-2, 0-1 SOL) takes on CB East on the same night and time.
Central Bucks South 11-5-15-16 47
Souderton 14-9-7-7 37
Central Bucks South (47) – Nate Robinson 16, Tommy Kuypers 14, Cole Prezelski 6, Jack Johns 4, Brady Prezelski 3, Alex Dietz 2, Ian Mccaw 2.
Souderton (37) – Trevor Watts 12, Kavi Ramchandani 10, Vince 7, Luchansky 3, Natale 3, Finkenbeiner 2.
Central Bucks East 62, North Penn 45
CB East played a strong game from start to finish, winning three of four quarters, scoring at least 15 points in each. Nick Roggio (18), Kyle Cassidy (15) and Collin Stein (11) all scored in double figures for the Patriots, who shot 9-of-10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.
“We got off to a great start, hit shots, defended well, did good on the glass,” said CB East coach Erik Henrysen. “They cut it to nine in the third. We gathered and exercised some composure and were able to stretch the lead again.”
Ben Markowitz added eight points for CB East. Seven Patriots players got on the score sheet.
“They are really just taking what’s there, which is how we approach games,” Henrysen said. “We are doing a good job setting guys up and putting them in positions of strength.”
Roggio also had eight rebounds and five blocks.
“Roggio had a big task on David Robinson, who’s a great athlete. So Roggio had to do it on both ends,” Henrysen said. “We also did a great job finding Roggio under the basket and he did a great job using his ball fake to take advantage of the defense.”
Robinson led North Penn with 14 points. AJ Mitchell added eight.
CB East (4-0, 1-0 SOL) plays Souderton on Friday night at five. North Penn (2-2, 0-1 SOL) hosts CB West on Friday night at seven.
Central Bucks East 17-15-15-15 62
North Penn 7-8-17-13 45
Central Bucks East (62) – Kyle Cassidy 15, Colin Stein 11, Nick Roggio 18, Ben Markowitz 8, Jesse Rivera 5, Joe Jackman 2.
North Penn (45) – AJ Mitchell 8, David Robinson 14, Coleman 6, Lindsey 3, Caputo 5, AJ Catanzaro 2, Chaffe 3, Hartmn 4.
Central Bucks West 92, William Tennent 58
Ninety-two points is a ridiculous amount for a high school basketball team, especially one that’s known more for playing good defense, like CB West is. But the Bucks showed their offensive potential on Tuesday night, racing to a 29-7 first quarter lead, and scoring 49 points in the second half.
CB West’s Collin MacAdams had 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Shane McCusker, Mika Munari and Jack Neri all put up 13 points. Neri also posted eight boards. Jack Mulhearn had nine points and four assists. CB West hit 14 three-pointers as a team.
Pat McCauley (17), Markeith Baxter (12) and Nick Meltzer (10) all scored in double figures for William Tennent.
CB West (3-1, 1-0 SOL) plays North Penn on Friday night at seven. William Tennent (1-3, 0-1 SOL) hosts New Foundations Charter on Wednesday night at seven.
Central Bucks West 29-14-22-27 92
William Tennent 7-23-17-11 58
Central Bucks West (92) – Shane McCusker 13, Jack Mulhearn 9, Mika Munari 13, Collin MacAdams 21, Jake Reichwein 4, Jack neri 13, Davis Zerweck 6, Connor Briece 6, Chase Hheller 2, Stephen Delash 5.
William Tennent (58) – Satz 5, McCauley 17, Mulville 1, Lundsworth 2, Zeaman 2, Baxter 12, Mooney 6, West 3, Meltzer 10.
SOL National
Abington 74, Council Rock South 45
Coming into the night, Eric Dixon needed 13 points to reach 1,000 for his career, in just the third game of his junior season. He achieved the milestone in the second quarter with a three-pointer, finishing with 18 points overall, and 1,005 for his career. He is just the third Abington player to achieve the milestone as a junior. Richard Wright (Class of 1975) and Robbie Heath, Dixon’s teammate, were the first two.
“He put a lot of pressure on himself to hurry up and get it over with. He didn’t want it to be all about him. But nothing would fall for him. Then he was able to get it in the second quarter,” said Abington coach Charles Grasty. “He’s worked his butt off and put the time in. He’s one of the best players in the state, if not the best. He’s extended his game and can shoot the three.”
Grasty himself is one of the best players in Abington history. It’s a long and storied history, and Dixon belongs with his coach among the greats.
“He’s right up there. We’ve had some pretty good players come through the program,” Grasty said. “And he’s still got a chance to do something really special here.”
So does his team this season. The Ghosts improved to 3-0 with their first league win, a dominant effort. Abington raced to a 23-3 lead after one quarter, and led 43-17 at halftime.
“We played well and shot the ball extremely well. We were able to jump out on them. We also got out in transition,” Grasty said. “Our energy was really high. We have to do that every game because we have a target on our backs.”
Heath led the Ghosts with 23 points, five steals and three assists. Lucas Monroe posted 12 points.
“Robbie Heath scored. Lucas played well,” Grasty said. “Maurice Henry gave us more good minutes. So did Xavier Crawford.”
Christian Jabbar led CR South with 11 points.
Abington (3-0, 1-0 SOL) plays Pennsbury on Thursday night at seven. CR South (0-5, 0-1 SOL) hosts Council Rock North on Friday night at seven.
Abington 23-20-22-9 74
Council Rock South 3-14-14-14 45
Abington (74) – Eric Dixon 18, Robbie Heath 23, Lucas Monroe 12, Brandon Coffman 2, Bryan Coffman 3, Xavier Crawford 3, Maurice Henry 4, JP Nolan 3, Hasan Whitby 3, Anwaar Berry 3
CR South (45) – Jack Rebholz 5, Troy Irvin 3, Kyle Meakim 7, Cristian Jabbar 11, Simon Magidenko 8, Derek White 2, Esteban Gomez 4, Zach Schade 5.
Bensalem 51, Pennsbury 49
Bensalem trailed by two after one quarter, but won the middle quarters 33-20, taking an 11-point lead into the fourth. Bensalem held on despite Pennsbury’s valiant comeback effort.
Ward Roberts led the Owls with 19 points. Kris Shields (9), James Leible (8), Keith Parrish (6) and Taco Douglas (6) all scored at least six points.
Raylil Winton Law (17) and Josh Arruda (11) combined for 28 points for Pennsbury.
Bensalem (2-2, 1-0 SOL) plays Neshaminy on Thursday night at seven. Pennsbury (1-4, 0-1 SOL) battles Abington on the same night and time.
Bensalem 9-17-16-9 51
Pennsbury 11-9-11-18 49
Bensalem (51) – Taco Douglas 6, Ward Roberts 19, Keith Parrish 6, James Legible 8, Kris Shields 9, Nick Fossile 3.
Pennsbury (49) – Jake Martell 1, Collin Connor 6, Raylil Winton 17, Josh Arruda 11, Chad Weldon 6, Gary Francis 8.
Harry S. Truman 45, Council Rock North 44
Harry S. Truman improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in SOL National play. Council Rock North fell to 1-3 and 0-1.
The Tigers will play in the Holy Ghost Holiday Tournament starting on Dec. 28. CR North plays CR South on Friday night at seven.
Non-League
Neshaminy 72, Pennridge 68
Pennridge led 54-49 going into the fourth quarter, but Neshaminy won the fourth 23-14, beating a really good Rams team with more balanced scoring than usual. Chris Arcidiacono dropped 34 points, shooting 12-of-14 from the foul line. Anthony Papeo and Charles Dominick scored 18 and 16 points, respectively.
“Chris was Chris and got his. But other guys stepped up. The first three games we got wins but didn’t shoot well. It was nice to finally make some,” said Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle. “Chris got in the paint and did a good job kicking out. For the most part they had open looks.”
Sean Yoder and Mike Molettiere paced Pennridge with 20 points each.
“Yoder did a great job attacking the rim,” Tingle said.
Tyrese Lewis had 13 points.
Neshaminy (4-0, 0-0 SOL) hosts Bensalem on Thursday night at seven. Pennridge (4-1, 0-0 SOL) plays CB South on Friday night at seven.
Neshaminy 19-17-13-23 72
Pennridge 17-21-16-14 68
Neshaminy (72) – Chris Arcidiacono 34, Anthony Papeo 18, Danny Bodine 2, Charles Dominick 16, Pat Campbell 2.
Pennridge (68) – Ryan Warner 2, Sean Yoder 20, Brett Henofer 5, Jake Pestrak 2, Mike Molettiere 20, Tyrese Lewis 13, Jon Post 6.
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