Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Thursday. Action photo courtesy of Tracy Valko. To view a complete gallery, click on the following link: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f716903222 (Jake Cummiskey photos provided by CB East basketball)
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover games
Bensalem 76, Souderton 75 (OT)
Idris Savadago had one field goal and two points Thursday night, but his one bucket was the biggest one of the game.
Bensalem trailed by three with four seconds left in overtime when Jaidyn Moffitt – despite being fouled – scored to pull the Owls to within one. He missed the free throw for the tie, but Savadago was there for the rebound and converted the putback, securing the one-point win over Souderton in a thriller.
Incidentally, Savadago’s big moment came almost one year to the day (Dec. 22, 2022) when a similar putback bucket in the closing seconds appeared to be the game-winner against Neshaminy, but the Redskins converted free throws at the buzzer to eke out the overtime win.
“This time Souderton missed at the buzzer, and we won the game,” coach Ron Morris said. “I can’t say enough. Idris Savadago is the story of the night. Idris had a monster offensive rebound on a foul shot Moffitt missed. He was tussling with another kid, and he rips it, he goes up, hits the go-ahead layup.
“Idris is a guy that works hard, doesn’t always get a lot of minutes. He’s been sick this year, but he battles and works, and he came through for our team in a clutch moment. That’s what we talk about, always staying positive on the bench because you never know when your number is called. He had a monster rebound and a monster putback.”
At the end of regulation, Bensalem had the lead only to see Souderton score late and force overtime.
“We got a stop,” Morris said. “There was a loose ball back and forth, they got it, and they ended up scoring, and it went into overtime.
“Souderton went up in overtime, and Antonio (Morris had a huge steal again – seniors making senior plays. He got a steal on the press and scored a layup. That cut their lead to four. They came down, we got a stop, Noah (Morris) hits a 3 to cut it to one, which was huge.
“We foul, they make both. We come down and miss a shot, Jaiyden Moffitt gets a monster rebound, goes up, scores and get fouled.”
With the Owls trailing by one, Savadago cashed in on the missed foul shot with the putback to give Bensalem the final lead change in a wild one.
Moffitt had 22 and Amir Drummond 21 to lead Bensalem. Antonio Morris finished with 12 points and Noah Morris added 11.
“It’s a huge win for us,” Ron Morris said. “They beat us the last two years at our place. We knew Jaidyn (Moffitt) is a matchup problem for a lot of teams, and we were going to him inside. Credit to him, and he made his foul shots too.
“Amir (Drummond) and Antonio (Morris) were getting to the rim. Noah (Morris) had a nice shooting night again. We continue to find ways to get Noah the ball because the scouting report is out, and they’re on him all the time.
“We have to continue to work as coaches to make sure our guys are prepared and keep battling and battling until four zeroes are on the clock and continue to play Bensalem basketball.”
Souderton was led by Chanse Salone’s 22 points, while Bill Sackor finished with 22. Nolan Watkins and Clinton Kikonjo were also in double figures with 15 and 12 points, respectively.
“It was a great road league victory,” Morris said. “Souderton is a really good basketball team. They’ve got shooters everywhere, they’re quick, they’re well coached. (Okoteh Sackitey) does a great job over there, and they’re always well prepared.
“That hour bus ride is always tough, but it’s a testament to our team. We’re balanced. Everyone is working their butts off. One of our slogans that we ask the kids, ‘What are you willing to sacrifice for us to have one more point than the other team when all four zeroes are on the clock at the end?’
“So many guys have sacrificed already. It’s just playing as a team, being there for each other, battling. It was back and forth all night.”
The Owls were down a starter, Micah White (injury).
“When one guy is down, multiple guys have to step up, and they did tonight,” Morris said.
Bensalem (6-1, 6-0 SOL) will host Sankofa Freedom Academy in a non-league game Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Souderton (5-4, 3-3 SOL) will face Dobbins Tech Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the opening round of the Tim Ehst Holiday Tournament at Dock Mennonite Academy.
Bensalem (76)
Antonio Morris 6 0-0 12; Noah Morris 4 0-0 11; Amir Drummond 9 2-2 21; Nate Cooper 3 2-2 8; Idris Savadago 1 0-0 2; Jayden Moffitt 9 4-6 22. Totals 32 8-10 76
Souderton (75)
Chanse Salone 6 3-5 17; Trey Bui 1 0-0 3; Bill Sackor 9 3-3 22; Clinton Kikonjo 4 1-3 12; Nolan Watkins 6 2-2 15; Danny Dyches 3 0-0 6. Totals 29 9-13 75
Bensalem 20 14 15 14 13 – 76
Souderton 25 6 20 12 12 – 75
3-point goals: S-Kikonjo 3, Salone 2, Bui, Sackor, Watkins ; B-Morris 3, Drummond.
Central Bucks East 70, Council Rock South 65 (OT)
There were a lot of offensive fireworks in this one that featured a little bit of everything, including a last second 3-pointer by CR South’s Ryan Wekluk to force overtime. That was followed by an overtime period that saw CB East score 14 points, including six big points by senior Jacob Cummiskey.
“We struggled early defensively,” said East coach Erik Henrysen. “Our focus was to guard versus the 3 and clog any backdoor looks. We didn’t want (CR South’s Timmy) Rahill getting open 3s. He hit for three in the first quarter and six overall.”
Cummiskey scored 27 points to lead the Patriots, and also added six rebounds and three assists. He was 4-for-4 from the free throw line in overtime.
Dhurv Mukund had 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. Tyler Dandrea added 11 points, and Justin DiRoberto finished with 10 points and three steals.
Rahill finished with 21 for the Golden Hawks, Wekluk added 14 and Gabe Cerulli had 13 points.
“We needed to gut out the win,” Henrysen said. “We weren’t great from the (free throw line) and it came back to bite us when Wekluk had an opportunity at the end and banked in a 3 to force OT. We started fast in OT, but South didn’t go away.
“We have a really tough stretch here with South tonight and then two at the Governor’s Challenge in Maryland. When we get back, we are on the road at Upper Dublin and then Bensalem. Big tests are ahead, but we will enjoy this one. Even if it was a little ugly.”
Central Bucks East (9-0, 6-0 SOL) will face Walkersville (Md.) on Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. in the Governor’s Challenge in Salisbury, Md.
Council Rock South (5-3. 4-2 SOL) will face Pittsburgh Central Catholic on Thursday at 4:15 p.m. in the opening round of the Boardwalk Classic In Wildwood.
CB East (70)
Jacob Cummiskey 27, Dhruv Mukund 13, Byrce Lolas 2, Tyler Andrea 11, Justin DiRoberto 10, Nolan Behm 5, Miles Demby 2
CR South (65)
Timmy Rahill 21, Gabe Cerulli 13, Mike Burns 13, Jordan Getz 2, Ryan Wekluk 14, MJ Thomson 2
CB East 19 7 16 14 14 – 70
CR South 19 12 13 12 9 – 65
3-point goals: CBE-DiRoberto, Dandrea, Cummiskey; CRS-Rahill 6, Burns, Wekluk
Cummiskey reaches 1,000-point milestone
(Editor’s note: A portion of this article was included in Tuesday’s wrap but did not include comments from Cummiskey, which came after the wrap was posted)
Scoring a thousand points was the furthest thing from Jake Cummiskey’s mind when he stepped onto the court as a freshman at Central Bucks East.
“I didn’t really know much about the program,” he said. “I played with Joe Jackman – he would have gotten it, but it was the COVID (shortened) year, and we only played 16 games. Other than that, I didn’t know who the last person was.”
Small wonder he didn’t know. Cummiskey wasn’t even born when Bryan Scott – who went on to play football at Penn State and later the NFL – reached that milestone in 1999.
In truth, Cummiskey probably wouldn’t have given the idea much thought if he hadn’t read an article about himself last summer.
“I didn’t know how many points I had, and I saw the article, and it said I was at 881,” Cummiskey said. “I was like, ‘Oh snap, it’s coming.’ At that point, it was on my mind.”
The senior guard entered last Friday’s home game against Souderton needing 25 points. He scored 13 in a win.
“It forced me into shots – I wouldn’t say they were bad shots, but I definitely was taking shots I would be more unselfish about,” he said. “I wanted to do it at home rather than on a Tuesday at North Penn, but I only needed 12 (on Tuesday), so I was accepting – ‘All right, this is the night, and I was really excited about it.’”
The historic basket came on a mid-range jumper off the dribble with a minute remaining in the third quarter of his team’s win at North Penn
“In the moment when it actually happened, it was surreal,” he said. “I honestly was just lost. I didn’t even know what to think.
“It’s a credit to my hard work. I don’t really have big books or big trainers with me – it’s just me in the backyard just working on my stuff by myself, so I was really proud of myself, but we’ve got a lot of winning to do.”
For East coach Erik Henrysen, who is in his 14th season, Cummiskey was the first player to reach the elusive milestone.
“It was just a special night for him, and he’s a special player,” the Patriots’ coach said. “Throughout the early part of the North Penn game, he got his teammates involved. He only needed 12 points to get to a thousand, and it can alter your game a little bit, but he was still finding guys for open shots and still creating for his teammates.
“That’s pretty much Jake in a nutshell. He’s playing for his teammates, playing for the win, and he’ll do whatever it takes.”
Cummiskey brings a unique talent set to a Patriot squad that thrives on burning teams from beyond the arc.
“That’s our bread and butter,” Cummiskey said. “We shot 53 percent from three (in the win over North Penn), and we took 25 3s. That’s what we do, but I feel I kind of bring a different aspect to the team in terms of inside scoring and then also finding my teammates for those 3s, so I feel like our shooters blend with me as a combo guard, and I think we make a really good team.”
The Patriots are 9-0 heading into the holiday break, and there’s no mistaking Cummiskey’s contributions to the squad.
“He’s a player that has just experienced a ton of success, and we’ve really benefitted from having him with us,” Henrysen said. “Even in his freshman year, he was the sixth man for us but finished all-league and had some heroics in the playoffs. Since then, we’ve kind of hitched our wagon to him.”
Cummiskey is just the sixth CB East boys’ player to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
“It’s a definite honor to hear I’m the sixth boy ever to do it at CB East – that definitely had me a little in shock,” he said, going on to credit those who helped him along the way. “I’d just like to thank my coaches for always pushing me to be the best. I want to thank my teammates – these are my brothers. Take the basketball away, and we’re still family. The locker rooms are moment’s I’ll never get back. I really love this team.
“I want to thank my parents (Michael and Cristina). Obviously, they drove me everywhere for AAU tournaments and things off of that. There’s a lot of people who play a part in this.”
Cummiskey plans to continue his basketball career at the collegiate level and is getting interest from all three levels.
Neshaminy 58, Central Bucks South 50
Held to two points in the first half, Nate Townsend exploded with 10 points in the third quarter and finished with 15 for the game He also had nine rebounds and five assists as Neshaminy picked up an eight-point win against CB South Thursday.
Emeer Coombs led Neshaminy with 16 points, including 3-for-4 from the foul line in the fourth quarter, as well as grabbing four rebounds and dishing out four assists. Guy Horton had 10 points and six rebounds and Ryan Meehan scored nine points.
CB South was led by Kyle Moyer with 11 points and Ben Harrison with 10.
Neshaminy (6-4, 3-3 SOL) will travel to William Tennent on Thursday for a non-league game at 1 p.m.
Central Bucks South (2-7, 1-5 SOL) will face Frankford in the opening round of the Boardwalk Classic in Wildwood on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.
CB South (50)
Cole DiEmidio 2 2-2 6; Alex Shahin 1 0-0 2; JD Kollock 2 0-0 5; Nick Zakrezewski 2 0-0 6; Dan Gies 2 0-0 5; Kyle Moyer 5 0-1 11; Ben Harrison 3 3-4 10; Brett Barrett 1 0-0 2; Dylan Valentine 1 0-0 3. Totals 19 5-7 50
Neshaminy (58)
Emeer Coombs 5 6-8 16; Ryan Meehan 3 2-3 9; Max Currie 2 0-0 4; Jason Leiva 0 1-2 1; Guy Horton 4 2-2 10; Logan Gale 1 0-0 3; Nate Townsend 7 1-4 15. Totals 22 12-19 58.
CB South 12 11 11 16 – 50
Neshaminy 14 17 15 12 – 58
3-point goals: CBS-Zakrezewski 2, Kollock, Gies, Moyer, Harrison, Valentine; N-Meehan, Gale
Pennridge 53, Harry S Truman 31
The Rams needed a win and made the long journey to Levittown to do just that. Stifling defense in the second and third quarters – holding the Tigers to six in the second and two in the third -helped put the game away.
“Truman is fast, they’re athletic and they can get up on you defensively,” said Pennridge coach Dean Behrens. “I thought the kids did a good job of not turning the ball over. In the second, third and fourth quarters we did not relinquish the ball. We were strong with the ball, found the open man and finished around the rim.
“So, I was pleased. Obviously, we were really hurting for the win.”
Thursday’s win snapped a three-game skid for the Rams, who fell to the three Central Bucks schools.
“I thought we played pretty well against CB West last Friday but were a little overmatched, but they kept battling and were down three possessions late,” Behrens said. “CB South (Tuesday) came out and hit us early, and we were down by 10. But we got it to four with two minutes left. So, our kids are still battling, still playing hard. Tonight was important just to get a win.”
With leading scorer Xavier Peters held to seven points, the Rams had a lot of contributions offensively. Sophomore Rownan Smith had 11 points, while Dylan Horton, Charlie Rising and Jake Barbadoro had nine points each.
“Rownan Smith played really well for us tonight,” Behrens aid. “Dylan Horton played well, had a bunch of blocked shots and a bunch of rebounds.
“Jake Barbardoro off the bench gave us a lot of energy. He had a lot of offensive rebounds and scored nine points. I thought that was huge off the bench. Jake’s a kid who was not getting a lot of minutes early on, but he still had a great attitude and he took advantage of the chance he got tonight.”
Pennridge (2-6, 2-4 SOL) will host Owen J Roberts in a non-league game on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Harry S Truman (0-8, 0-6 SOL) will play Hopewell Valley Central (NJ) in the opening round of the John Molinelli Holiday Tournament at Lawrence High School (NJ) on Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Pennridge (53)
Rownan Smith 5 0-0 11; Xavier Peters 1 5-7 7; Tom Costa 1 0-0 2; Kyle Richards 1 0-0 2; Dylan Horton 3 3-4 9; Will Wallace 1 0-0 2; Charlie Rising 4 1-1 9; Jake Barbadoro 3 3-4 9; Sam Crognale 0 2-2 2. Totals 19 14-18 53.
Truman (31)
Tre Winton 2 0-0 5; Juliun Rogers 0 1-2 1; Jaden Luchansky 1 0-0 3; Brandon Ciomenl 0 1-2 1; Davae Vaughn 1 0-0 2; Aaron Nathan 3 1-5 7; James Cook 1 0-2 3; Abdul Diallo 3 1-2 7; Shaq Chapman 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 4-13 31.
Pennridge 14 13 13 13 – 53
Harry S. Truman 11 6 2 12 – 31
3-point goals: P-Smith; HST-Winton, Luchansky, Cook
Pennsbury 56, North Penn 40
The Falcons entered the game in a bit of an offensive rut lately, but Thursday they came out of it early, rebounding from a loss to Council Rock North two days earlier, scoring 23 points in the first quarter and smothering North Penn the rest of the way to post the 56-40 crossover win.
“We kind of broke out of this rut we’ve been in,” said Pennsbury coach Wes Emme. “I’d say we’ve been in a five-game scoring slump. We kind of lost ourselves offensively.
“The key tonight was Teddy Mangan played his best game of the season. There’s a lot of pressure on his shoulders, and he played his best game of the year tonight. He’s just our floor general, controls the pace of the game. He didn’t always end up with a basket or an assist, but he got us going.”
All five starters got in the act in the first quarter.
North Penn crept back into the game and cut it to 28-21 at halftime, thanks to 12 first half points by Norm Gee.
Pennsbury took over in the second half, especially in the fourth, where Danny Cohen, Grayson Gozum and Taddei all hit 3-pointers.
Pennsbury ended the night with eight 3-pointers as a team.
Danny Cohen led the Falcons with 14 points, Mike Roccograndi 12, Connor Taddei 11 and Mangan with nine points.
Gee led the Knights with 17 points. Ahmaar Godhania and Tre Simpson scored eight points, each.
“Credit to our guys,” Emme said. “North Penn is a really good team. Thy have really good players.”
Pennsbury (5-4, 3-3 SOL) will face Atlantic Christian School (N.J.) on Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. in an opening round game of the Boardwalk Classic in Wildwood.
North Penn (4-5. 3-3 SOL) will face Methacton in Wednesday’s opening round of the Perkiomen Valley Holiday Shootout at 4:30 p.m.
North Penn (40)
Ahmaar Godhania 3 0-0 8; Lee Hammond 1 0-0 2; Norm Gee 6 2-2 17; David Onyeanusi 1 0-0 2; Corey Meade 1 1-3 3; Tre Simpson 4 0-0 8. Totals 16 3-5 40.
Pennsbury (56)
Teddy Mangan 3 2-2 9; Mike Roccograndi 5 1-2 12; Danny Cohen 6 0-0 14; Grayson Gozum 2 0-0 5; Connor Taddei 4 0-0 11; Simon Dlugi 1 1-2 3; Max Manga 1 0-0 2; Totals 22 4-6 56.
North Penn 10 11 12 7 – 40
Pennsbury 23 5 13 15 – 56
3-point goals: NP-Gee 3, Godhania 2; P-Taddei 3, Cohen 2, Mangan, Roccograndi, Gozum
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
Abington 56, Upper Moreland 52
The Galloping Ghosts found themselves trailing 27-20 at halftime – thanks to a 16-1 Upper Moreland run late in the second quarter – but responded with a big second half and then earned the four-point win over Upper Moreland on Thursday.
“They were pretty much in control for a while,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said about UM. “They just outworked us tonight. I told them,‘You guys, we have to go possession by possession. Now you dug yourself a hole.’
“They finally got that sense of desperation about the middle of the third quarter, and we were able to make a real big run at them and persevere.
“Upper Moreland really wanted that game, and they played really well. We didn’t play particularly well defensively. We had to play better defensively, but I told my assistant, Garry (Massey), we need these types of games. It was a great atmosphere. You’ve got to be able to find a way to close games and win them and make some free throws down the stretch.”
Jeremiah Lee finished with 13 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists. He also hit two free throws with 18 seconds left to help salt away the win for the Ghosts.
“The ironic part of the whole thing is we’ve been trying to get JJ (Jeremiah Lee) to be a better free throw shooter,” Marsh said. “So yesterday at practice I told them, ‘We’re not going to stop running until JJ makes two.’ It took him quite a while to make two in a row, and then he made two down the stretch tonight.
“I’m hoping we can give ourselves a little bit of credit for that, but I don’t know. He finally stepped up to knock down two, and we were able to persevere.
“It was a war. This is what I’m getting used to on this side. There are no real bad teams, and everybody has the ability to beat anybody. I think Wissahickon proved that by beating PW.”
Aaron Jones had 13 points, eight boards, four steals and three assists. Paul Glants had 12 points and five assists. Jayden Flournoy had eight points and four steals and Jon Roberts finished with six points, five rebounds and two blocks.
“Jayden Flournoy really gave us a spark in that third quarter,” Marsh said. “He turned it up defensively and got a couple of buckets. He had a nice dunk in transition, and that really hyped the team up.
“Paul Glants had a couple of and-ones too, so that was nice. I think it was just the fact that they realized, ‘Hey, we’re getting outworked, and that’s not how we want to lose.’ So, we finally got it together.”
Abington shot 42.9 percent (21-for-49) from the field and 23.5 percent (4-for-17) from 3-point range. They finished with 29 rebounds and 16 steals.
Upper Moreland was led by Colson Campbell with 20 points and Anthony Carson with 12.
Abington (8-2, 4-2 SOL) will travel to Chester on Friday for a non-league game.
Upper Moreland (6-4, 4-2 SOL) will face Upper Dublin in Wednesday’s opening round of the Cardinal Holiday Tournament at UD at 4 p.m.
Upper Moreland (52)
Nate Best 0 0-2 0; Alex Best 2 0-0 4; Colson Campbell 6 6-6 20; Anthony Carson 5 0-0 12; Jimmy Perce 0 2-2 2; Sean Murphy 0 2-2 2; Brayden Martin 2 2-4 4; Larry Hughes 4 0-0 8. Totals 18 12-16 52.
Abington (56)
Damon Rawls 1 0-0 2; Lathan Miller 5 1-2 13; Jayden Flournoy 3 2-5 8; Jeremiah Lee 4 4-5 13; Paul Glants 5 1-1 12; Jon Roberts 3 0-0 6; Xavier Grasty 0 1-2 1; Khalid Jenkins 0 1-2 1. Totals 21 10-17 56.
Upper Moreland 11 16 14 11 – 52
Abington 13 7 21 15 – 56
3-point goals: UM-Campbell 2, Carson 2; A-Jones 2, Lee, Glants
Non-league
West Chester Henderson 59, Upper Dublin 53
Despite a big second-half comeback, the Flying Cardinals came up short in their nonleague game against Ches-Mont League power West Chester Henderson on Thursday night.
UD trailed this game 25-14 at halftime, but then exploded with 25 points in the third quarter and had a chance in the fourth before Henderson was able to pull out the win.
Brady Fogle led the team with 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers and nine points in the third quarter. Ryan Mulroy and Idris Rines had 15 points each. Rines had 10 points in the fourth.
Upper Dublin (6-2, 4-2 SOL) will host Springfield Twp in a crossover game on Friday at 7 p.m.
Upper Dublin (53)
Bazemore 3; Fogle 16; Mulroy 15; Rines 15; Castronuevo 4
Henderson (59)
Nelson Lamizan 11 ; Nile Ralph-Beyer 26; Connor Fleet 13, Jesse Smith 4, Evan Kearney 2, Evan McFadden 3
Upper Dublin 7 7 25 14 – 53
Henderson 13 12 18 16 – 59
3-point goals: WCH-Ralph-Beyer 2
La Salle 74, Hatboro-Horsham 37
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