Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Saturday. Tennent/CR North photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. PW/Monsignor Bonner photos courtesy of Greg Lindsay. Check back for galleries of both games.
Non-league
NORTH PENN 68, PENNSBURY 44
The Knights bounced back from a loss to Pennridge less than 24 hours earlier to soundly defeat the visiting Falcons in a non-league game Saturday.
“This was definitely a really important win for us to get back on the right track,” NP coach Cordell Lord said. “We had two tough losses, and today was really good for us to get back on the right track, going into Christmas with a win.”
Ahmaar Godhania jumpstarted his team with nine first-quarter points, propelling the Knights to a 20-11 lead after one quarter. In the second quarter, Aiden Atkinson had the hot hand, scoring 10 points – which included a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line, and the Knights went into halftime with a commanding 45-20 lead on their way to the big win.
Key players: Aiden Atkinson’s 20 points – 18 in the second and third quarters combined – led the Knights. Ahmaar Godhania added 16 points – 12 in the opening half.
For the Falcons, Michael Roccograndi scored 18 points.
North Penn coach Cordell Lord: “ I want to give a shoutout to the coaching staff because they spent a lot of the night working on some different plans for us to attack a little bit today and get out in transition. I think that the kids came in this morning and just really bought into it. They all had a great game today.
“It was the most unselfish game we played this year. The ball was moving – we had the highest assists this season so far. I think it was 17 assists for the team. A lot of great ball movement. The kids did a great job of just being unselfish, giving up a good shot for a great shot.”
–Props: “Aiden Atkinson was definitely a monster today. He had 20 points, and he had eight or nine rebounds. He was just fantastic showing his presence.
“The guards were great in terms of getting out in transition and just getting some really good looks.”
–Holiday tournament bound: “We’re playing two very talented teams in Perk Valley and Methacton. John Conrad is (an assistant coach) at Methacton, so we will definitely be seeing him next weekend. We’re looking forward to it. A lot of excitement behind that game, and Perk Valley has been a great program, especially these last couple of years.
“It’s always going to be a tough challenge against them. Two tough games, but we’re excited. We feel as though we can go there and compete. We just have to build off of the things we’ve been working on this last week. We think we found some things we can potentially grow off of. It’s important the guys come in with an open mind and continue to buy into what we’re trying to get them to do. Hopefully, we can make some shots along the way to help us.”
Pennsbury coach Wes Emme: “Credit to North Penn and their staff. Talented group of kids that I can see really making a late season run. Coach Lord is doing a nice job. They had their group ready to go and they were able to peel apart our defense early and often, and their zones gave us trouble consistently throughout the game. Aiden Atkinson was the difference, dominated the paint.
“Roccograndi was our one threat today, he was consistently in attack mode. We will get some time off here and regroup for our trip to Charleston, SC.
Next up: North Penn (4-6, 1-2 SOL) will face Perkiomen Valley in the opening game of the Perkiomen Valley Tournament on Friday (6 pm). One day later, the Knights will face Methacton where long-time North Penn coach John Conrad is now an assistant.
“It will definitely be interesting to see someone that I definitely consider a mentor,” Lord said. “He coached me when he first came to North Penn. His first year I was a freshman. He put me in under fire my freshman year, and I was his point guard for four years. It’s been super, super awesome to be able to play for him, work with him, an outstanding person all around. I loved working for him. He’s an awesome human being, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing him next weekend, giving him a big hug and then telling him, ‘I’m coming for you today.’”
Pennsbury (3-4, 2-1) will compete in the Modie Risher Holiday Tournament in Charleston, SC, where they will face Burke in an opening round game Friday at 7:30 pm
Pennsbury 11-9-13-11 44
North Penn 20-25-17-6 68
Pennsbury (44) – Brayden Clark 2 0-0 5; Michael Roccograndi 4 8-10 18; Grayson Gozum 1 0-0 2; Mitchell Primola 1 0-0 3; Kieran Shaw 2 1-2 5; Pat Jajua 1 0-0 3; Max Manga 2 4-5 8; TOTALS 13 13-17 44.
North Penn (68) – Ahmaar Godhania 7 1-3 16; Lee Hammond 2 2-2 7; David Onyeanusi 2 0-0 4; Aiden Atkinson 8 4-5 20; Nolen Foust 1 2-2 4; Nate Markin 1 0-0 2; JC Wood 1 0-0 3; Gabe Altemus 2 0-0 4; Wyatt Martin 3 1-2 8; TOTALS 27 10-14 68.
3-point goals: P – Michael Roccograndi 2, Brayden Clark, Mitchell Primola, Pat Jajua; NP – Ahmaar Godhania, Lee Hammond, JC Wood, Wyatt Martin.
UPPER DUBLIN 66, COATESVILLE 53 (OT)
Coatesville brought a 6-0 record into Saturday’s non-league game in the Diane Mosco Classic at Archbishop Wood on Saturday. Upper Dublin seized the moment to make a statement and handed the Red Raiders their first loss of the season.
“Coatesville is one of the best teams in 6A,” UD coach Derek Brooks said. “It was a good test for us as a 5A school.
“We want to try and represent Suburban One any time we take on any of these big-time opponents. It was a big win for the program today in general at an event that you don’t get invited to too much, and we wanted to take advantage of it.”
The game was tightly contested from the outset, and the two teams were deadlocked 16-16 after one quarter. Sparked by six points from Ryan Mulroy, the Cards outscored the Raiders 15-12 in the second to go into halftime with a 31-28 advantage.
The two teams were deadlocked after regulation, and the Cardinals won it in OT when they connected on 13 of 14 from the foul line. Idris Rines buried a clutch 3 and was 4-for-4 from the foul line in OT.
Players of the Game: Ryan Mulroy scored 22 points and Idris Rines had 20 in impressive outings.
Upper Dublin coach Derek Brooks: “The game was at Archbishop Wood, which is a little bit of a smaller court. Coatesville is obviously a very good team. They’re big and they’re athletic, so playing on a little bit of a smaller court was a little overwhelming at times. Their physicality, their athleticism gave us some problems here and there, but we weathered the storm. We handled it pretty well as the game went along. It was a very physical game.”
–The game: “It was tied after the first quarter. At halftime, we were up three. We were able to maintain that lead all the way into the third and fourth, and we got the lead to six or seven at one point. We were up by six with a minute-and-a-half or two minutes left, and Coatesville made a big three. Eventually, we were shooting two free throws to make it a four- or five-point game. We were up three at the time, and we missed both of them.
“Coatesville had the ball with 40 seconds left. They ended up taking a shot and getting the offensive rebound with about 20 seconds left. They called a timeout. We probably should have fouled once it got under 10 seconds – that was my fault not to have our kids do that because with about five seconds left, they made a 3 to tie the game to send it to overtime.”
–Overtime: “I was a little worried. The mood had changed a little bit. It was like ‘Oh man, did we just blow this?’ But fortunately, our guys bounced back somewhat quickly. We had a nice backdoor layup (by Ryan Mulroy) that got us the lead right away in overtime. It was tied with 2 or 3 minutes left when Idris Rines hit a big 3 to take a lead. There was a minute-and-a-half left, we were up 3 and we had the ball. There was either an intentional foul or there was a very physical play where we got fouled. We were shooting 2 free throws, but we were getting the ball back. We get the ball back. We make one free throw. Their coach got a tech, and then he got another tech and he got himself ejected, so quickly, it went from a 3-point game to an 8-point game. From there, we were able to hold on. It was too much for them to come back from. “
–Props: Ryan Mulroy was great – he had 22. He always steps up in these big games for us. Idris Rines had 20, and he was steady throughout the entire game. I thought Kobe Bazemore did a pretty good job handling the opponent’s pressure all day. It wasn’t easy, and he did a good job breaking it, getting other guys shots. It was a bit of a team effort. Reilly McLaughlin did a good job off the bench for us. Justin Ragsdale was great protecting the rim on defense too. It was good.”
Up next: Upper Dublin (8-1, 3-0 SOL will return to action in its own tournament and will face Cardinal O’Hara on Friday (3 pm).
Upper Dublin 16-15-9-8-18 66
Coatesville 16-12-8-12-5 53
Upper Dublin (66) – Kobe Bazemore 1 4-6 6; Noah Cohen 0 2-2 2; Ryan Mulroy 7 7-7 22; Idris Rines 4 10-14 20; Justin Ragsdale 3 0-0 6; James Casterman 1 0-0 2; Brandon Altman 1 0-0 3; Reilly McLaughlin 0 5-6 5; TOTALS 17 28-35 66
Coatesville (53) – Chris Allegra 1 0-0 3; Nasir Williams 2 1-2 6; Larry Brown 2 1-4 5; Colton Hiller 8 1-1 22; Armon Shockley 0 2-2 2; Tristan Jackson 1 0-0 2; Amon Fowlkes 5 1-2 13; TOTALS 19 6-11 53.
3-point goals: UD –Idris Rines 2, Ryan Mulroy, Brandon Altman; C – Colton Hiller 5, Amon Fowlkes 2, Chris Allegra, Nasir Williams.
WILLIAM TENNENT 48, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 39
After a first quarter that saw both teams struggle to find their offensive stride, the Panthers outscored the Indians 18-13 to go into halftime with a 25-19 lead. They added to that lead in the second quarter on their way to their second win in as many days after five straight losses to open the season.
“They haven’t played bad – the first five games that we lost, there were just critical times where we made mistakes,” Tennent coach Robert Mulville said. “I just think they made a pretty good effort to clean that up and not have that happen.
“Friday night we had gotten a lead. Today, it was a close game. We were up 10 with three minutes left. We started to run some clock. They just really executed well. We went 5-for-6 from the line in those last three minutes. We did have one turnover. We were able to play pretty good ‘D’ on them. They did hit a 3 and they hit a 2, but overall, we were able to execute towards the end of the game. They showed growth over the past week.”
Key players: Tony Pople’s 11 points led a balanced Tennent attack, which included nine 3-pointers.
For the Indians, Andrew O’Keefe had 11 points and Owen Crowne added 10.
William Tennent coach Robert Mulville: “I was pleased with our trying to move forward and do things as a team. Only one guy was in double figures today. It was a lot of nines, eights, sixes, and I think part of that was because we’re doing a really good job of sharing the ball and keeping the ball moving. That’s leading to better shots that we’re taking. That part I was pretty happy with because we did that pretty well on Friday night (in a win over Springfield Twp) and continued that into Saturday.”
–Props: “Jayden Bright comes off the bench now. He was starting for us. It hasn’t changed his minutes or anything like that, but it changes the way we can do rotations now. I think that’s been huge.
“Braden Goldberg has been running the point for us the last couple of games. Between the two of them, they have had really, really good games the last two nights.
“But it’s been a bunch of guys. Scott Scheller played really, really well Friday, and Tony Pople was good today. Luke Torok has been solid. Trae Stracuzzi – even though he didn’t shoot well the last two games, his defense is always there. The guys coming off the bench are all giving quality stuff.”
–A team effort: “We’ve been talking during the week that it’s not anything individually we’re doing, but we’ve got to get better as a team and try and fix some of the things we weren’t doing well. I think they took to that. So it’s really been a team effort. Everybody has played into their roles and doing what they do to help the team win. These guys will do whatever it is, and I think that’s huge.
“Jayden Bright is our team captain, and when I said to him, ‘Hey look, we’re going to try this different lineup. I think it’s going to be good for us, it’s going to be good for you.’ He’s been awesome. His last two games have been great. I think that shows true leadership, and that’s helped us get these last two wins.”
Up next: William Tennent (2-5, 1-2 SOL) will return to action Friday in the MaST Charter Tournament, and Council Rock North (2-6, 1-2) will host Pennsbury on Friday, Jan. 3.
Council Rock North 6-13-10-10 39
William Tennent 7-18-15-8 48
Council Rock North (39) – Jack Curry 1 0-0 2; Josh Erman 3 1-2 8; Owen Crowne 3 2-2 10; Brandon Holmes 2 0-0 6; Danny Cuneo 1 0-0 2; Andrew O’Keefe 5 1-1 11; TOTALS 15 4-5 39.
William Tennent (48) – Matt Wiegner 1 0-0 2; Tre Stracuzzi 3 0-0 7; Luke Torok 2 2-2 8; Scott Scheller 1 0-0 3; Jayden Bright 4 0-0 8; Joey Hebling 1 0-0 3; Braden Goldberg 1 3-4 6; Tony Pople 4 0-0 11; TOTALS 17 5-6 48.
3-point goals: CRN – Owen Crowne 2, Brandon Holmes 2, Josh Erman; WT – Tony Pople 3 Luke Torok 2, Tre Stracuzzi, Scott Scheller, Joey Hebling, Braden Goldberg.
MONSIGNOR BONNER 63, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 54
The Colonials battled the Friers to a 13-13 tie after one quarter but trailed by five at halftime, 31-26. Bonner took a 47-40 lead into the final quarter on the way to the non-league win.
Mani Sajid’s 20 points included four 3-pointers and led the Colonials.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-1, 3-0 SOL) will return to action in the Cactus Jam in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Monsignor Bonner 13-18-16-16 63
Plymouth Whitemarsh 13-13-14-14 54
Monsignor Bonner (63) – Devon Nelson 2 0-0 5; Korey Francis 5 9-11 20; Kam Jackson 3 3-4 10; Jakeem Carroll 3 0-0 9; Ayden Scott 1 0-0 2; Tysicere Jackson 7 2-2 17; TOTALS 21 14-17 63.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (54) – Tyriq Taylor 0 2-2 2; Jack Hayes 0 5-6 5; Terron Davis 3 1-2 7; Mani Sajid 7 2-2 20; Michael Pereira 2 2-4 6; Ehab Ahmed 1 0-0 2; Buddy Denard 1 0-0 2; Caleb Bridgeman 2 1-2 5; Micah Thompson 2 1-2 5; TOTALS 18 14-20 54.
3-point goals: Bonner – Jakeem Carroll 3, Devon Nelson, Korey Francis, Kam Jackson, Tysicere Jackson; PW – Mani Sajid 4.
CUMBERLAND VALLEY 83, ABINGTON 52
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