Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday.
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 40, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 29
Defense was the name of the game in West’s win over the Indians. The Bucks limited their visitors to just four points in both the second and third quarters.
“I thought our guys played really good defense,” West coach Adam Sherman said. “Group effort-wise, I thought defensively we were really solid.
“In the beginning, we struggled to find our rhythm offensively. Matt Engle really caught a rhythm offensively. He hit three 3s in the second half, and I thought that was the difference maker.”
The Bucks turned a 16-15 halftime lead into a 26-19 advantage with a 10-4 third quarter that included two 3s by Engle.
Engle’s 16 points led the Bucks, and Sam Jankowski also finished in double figures with 10 points. The Bucks connected on five 3-pointers, three by Engle and one each from Aidan Kimberly and Julian Phillips.
Friday’s win was a bounce-back win for the Bucks heading into the holiday break after falling by one point to Souderton on Tuesday.
“This was huge,” Sherman said. “We feel like we’ve been one or two plays away from being 7-1. It’s been kind of frustrating.
“It was a two-point game against East and then we had a horrible fourth quarter. We were beating North Penn the whole game and then we kind of lost it at the buzzer. On Tuesday, we were at Souderton in a tie ballgame with 20 seconds left, and we had a crucial turnover with 14 seconds.
“We’re looking at ourselves, and we could easily be 8-0 or 7-1 if we didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot the last couple of times, so we’re trying to control what we can control and get on a good note. We feel like we’re better than 5-3.”
Central Bucks West (5-3, 3-3 SOL) will travel to Charleston, S.C., to compete in the Modie Risher Holiday Tournament. The Bucks will face Eau Claire High School (S.C.) on Thursday in an opening round game.
Council Rock North (3-5, 2-4) will face MaST Charter on Wednesday in an opening round game of the Cardinal Holiday tournament at Upper Dublin.
Council Rock North 11-4-4-10 29
Central Bucks West 9-7-10-14 40
Council Rock North (29) – Grady Burt 4 0-0 10; Oliver Schaefer 3 2-2 10; Jack Curry 1 0-0 3; Tyler Rodowicz 1 0-0 2; Grant Capozzoli 0 1-2 1; Andrew O’Keeffe 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 10 4-6 29.
Central Bucks West (40) – Matt Engle 5 3-3 16; Bowen Gugger 0 3-4 3; Roman Kulesa 1 2-2 4; Sam Jankowski 4 2-3 10; Aidan Kimberly 1 0-0 3; Julian Phillips 1 1-2 4; TOTALS 12 11-14 40.
3-point goals: CRN – Oliver Schaefer 2, Grady Burt 2, Jack Curry; CBW – Matt Engle 3, Aidan Kimberly, Julian Phillips.
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
CHELTENHAM 61, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 51
Kevin Addison’s 19 points led four Panthers in double figures in a contest Cheltenham led from the outset. The Panthers led 19-11 after one quarter, took a 34-20 lead into halftime and never looked back.
“It was a total team effort,” Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury said. “It was interesting because we went over to our middle school, and we ended up chaperoning their dance prior to our practice, so we practiced late yesterday.
“This group and every group moving forward – we want to focus on community and commitment. I think we’ve put more of an emphasis into that, and I think it’s helping us on the court.”
It was Osei Johnson jumpstarting the Panthers in the first half, burying three 3-pointers and scoring all 12 of his points in the first half as Cheltenham opened up a 14-point lead.
“The big story was everybody made the plays that needed to be made, whether it was an extra pass, whether it was a shot, whether it was a rotation, whether it was a screen, they just were committed to the overall goal, and I think that’s what pushed us through,” Fleury said. “The kids played well, they defended well.
“The biggest stat is the 48 points, and the other thing is – everyone just bought in. We have some young kids, and after the break, we should be able to put them in a position to come in and make a contribution, whether that’s on the offensive end or the defensive end.”
Cheltenham took a 47-34 lead into the final quarter when the Colonials attempted to stage a comeback, but Addison scored 10 of his 19 points in the frame, allowing the Panthers to hold on for the double-digit win.
“We were up during the game, so they scrambled, and he was able to wiggle lose and make himself available and just finish plays,” Fleury said of Addison. “His 19 is a testament to just the team as a whole and them just making sure they did their jobs so when his opportunity came, we were able to find him.
“It could have been anyone of the 8-10 kids that played, but he just happened to be in the right spot. It’s a testament to the kids. They didn’t care who, what, when, where – they just got it done. I’m just happy that the kids are understanding that points aren’t the only stat.”
Also for the Panthers, Josiah Hutson had 13 points in three quarters, and Nile Tinsley added 11 points.
Fleury lauded the effort of freshman Kamal Mason, who scored four points.
“His impact is much bigger than that,” the Panthers’ coach said. “To be that young and understand it – he’s a kid that could get double figures, but he just enjoys making his teammates better. His energy has been unbelievable for us. He’s very important to us.”
For the Colonials, Jaden Colzie led the way with 15 points. He scored 10 in the first half, which included a pair of 3-pointers. Michael Pereira added nine points, and Jah Pendergrass-Sayles had seven.
“Hats off to them – PW is a playoff team,” Fleury said. “They’ll be in the district playoffs. It’s not like anything in December is won.
“We’ve got to go in the break and really focus in on our team – classroom, community. all of the above and then just try and put together something that is bigger than the games. That way it means something more than just playing.
Cheltenham (7-1, 5-0 SOL) has added a non-league game against Dobbins Tech to its schedule on Jan. 3.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-2, 4-1) will travel to Widener University to play in the Jameer Nelson Classic, taking on West Chester Henderson on Thursday at 1:45 p.m.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 11-9-14-17 51
Cheltenham 19-15-13-14 61
Plymouth Whitemarsh (51) – Jaden Colzie 5 2-4 15; Ben Marsico 2 0-0 5; T Davis 1 2-2 4; Mani Sajid 2 0-0 5; Michael Pereira 4 1-1 9; J Dejesus 12 1 0-0 2; Ahmed 1 0-0 2; Josh Harris 1 0-0 2; Jah Pendergrass-Sayles 2 3-5 7; TOTALS 19 8-12 51.
Cheltenham (61) – Kamal Mason 2 0-3 4; Mark Hill 5 3-4 13; Kevin Addison-Anderson 9 0-0 19; Osei Johsnon 4 1-2 12; Salim Kelly 1 0-0 2; Nile Tinsley 5 0-0 11; TOTALS 26 4-9 61.
3-point field goals: PW – Jaden Colzie 3, Ben Marsico, Mani Sajid; Cheltenham – Osei Johnson 3, Nile Tinsley, Kevin Addison.
WILLIAM TENNENT 40, WISSAHICKON 37
Points were not easy to come by for either team.
After the Panthers scored 17 points in the first quarter, they managed just nine in the next two combined before rallying in the fourth quarter for the hard-fought win.
“I was really happy with our defense,” Tennent coach Robert Mulville said. “I thought Sean Devine played really, really good defense tonight. He had four steals, but he was all over the place in the beginning. We got some contributions down the line from our guys. Little things- we were able to get two charges from guys, and just some guys getting timely baskets. Small contributions add up. Tonight, we needed every point.”
In the first quarter, Kirby Mooney and Sean Devine both had six points to lead the way as the Panthers outscored the Trojans 17-9. They took a 24-16 lead into halftime.
Tennent saw that lead slip away in a third quarter that saw the Trojans hold a 12-2 advantage to go on top 28-26.
“The third quarter we came out, and the ball just wouldn’t go in the hoop,” Mulville said. “It was the craziest thing. (Chris) D’Ambra, (Imad) Abunima, Mooney, Devine – they all had shots that the ball was right there going into the net, and it would just pop out.
“Fortunately, we were up eight at half, so with only scoring two in the third quarter – we were only down two going into the fourth.”
The Panthers battled back in the fourth quarter. D’Ambra had four points as Tennent outscored its hosts 14-9 to eke out the win.
“In the fourth, we just kind of stuck with it,” Mulville said. “Abunima hit a big 3 for us. It was still a close game. We were up three, and Mooney picked up his fourth foul with 4:20 left in the game. Luke Torok came off the bench and immediately hit a 3, which was huge for us. Then Devine got a steal, and that stretched the lead to eight.
“That might have been all the scoring that we did. By that time, with about two minutes left, we were able to get Mooney back in the game, but then we had three unforced turnovers – two double dribbles and a jump ball where they got possession. They went down and scored on a couple of those possessions.
“They got the ball back with about 30 seconds left down three. We held pretty good D for about 17 seconds or so, and they called a timeout with 13 seconds. They ran a nice play for the kid, but I thought we got out and defended it pretty good, although he got a pretty good look at it. We didn’t get the rebound, and they got another look. It was kind of rushed and we didn’t get the rebound again, and they got a third look. That one was kind of a real quick chuck at the buzzer, and we were able to hold on at that point.”
Abunima’s 11 points led the Panthers while Mooney and Devine both had eight. Mooney also had a big game on the backboards, pulling down 10 rebounds. D’Ambra contributed six points.
For the Trojans, Brayden Ryan had 11 points, and Nico Vacciano added nine. Dom Vacciano had seven.
William Tennent (5-4, 4-2 SOL) will host Neshaminy in a non-league game on Thursday at 1 p.m.
Wissahickon (3-4, 3-2) will face Perk Valley on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in an opening round game of the Perkiomen Valley Holiday Shootout.
William Tennent 17-7-2-14 40
Wissahickon 9-7-12-9 37
William Tennent (40) – Kirby Mooney 3 2-2 8; Chris D’Ambra 3 0-1 6; Sean Devine 3 0-3 8; Luke Torok 1 0-0 3; Imad Abunima 4 0-0 11; Tony Pople 1 0-0 2; Vince Sulpizio 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 16 2-6 40.
Wissahickson (37) – Michael Maltin 1 0-0 2; Brayden Ryan 5 0-0 11; Nico Vacciano 4 1-1 9; Gabe Lassiter 2 0-0 4; Josh Palutis 2 0-1 4; Dom Vacciano 3 0-1 7; TOTALS 17 1-3 37.
3-point goals: WT – Sean Devine 2, Imad Abunima 3, Luke Torok; Wissahickon- Brayden Ryan, Dom Vacciano.
QUAKERTOWN 49, LOWER MORELAND 33
Miles Longacre scored 13 of his game-high 15 points in the second half, allowing the Panthers to turn a four-point halftime lead into the convincing win.
“For us, I think it was really the second half and the fact that we put up double-digit points in all of our quarters with the exception of the second quarter,” Quakertown coach Tony DaCosta said. “So, combined with that, we held them to eight in the third quarter and six in the fourth, so by us putting up more points and holding them down a little bit on the offensive end – they only scored 33 points for the game, so our defense was the main caveat in helping us be successful tonight.”
In a first half that saw the Panthers outscore their visitors 23-19, Anthony Callan was a catalyst, burying a pair of 3s and scoring eight points. Ethan Tomlinson had seven points in the opening half.
The Panthers outscored their visitors 11-8 in the third quarter and took a 34-27 lead into the final quarter when they blew the game open with a 15-6 burst.
“A credit to (Lower Moreland), they threw up the one-three-one (defense), but once we were able to figure it out and get some additional buckets, it really turned things around,” DaCosta said. “Then when they had to play us man-to-man, we were able to capitalize on getting out on the fast break and getting out in transition.”
In addition to Longacre’s 15, Tomlinson had 12 points and Callan added 11.
“They all played well, they all played collectively like we’ve been waiting for everybody to play well at the same time, and tonight was the closest we’ve done it,” DaCosta said.
Quakertown (4-5, 2-4 SOL) will face Saucon Valley on Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. in an opening round game of the Salisbury Township Holiday Tournament.
Lower Moreland (4-5, 2-5) will travel to Lincoln High for a non-league game Wednesday at 6:15 p.m.
Lower Moreland 10-9-8-6 33
Quakertown 14-9-11-15 49
Lower Moreland (33) – Carl Barnette 4 0-0 10; Mason Tammaro 5 0-2 10; Kevin Hegedus 1 0-2 3; John Kroll 1 0-0 2; Zachary Kendall 2 0-0 5; Nathan Fellah 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 14 1-6 33.
Quakertown (49) – Kyle Rosenberger 2 0-0 4; Miles Longacre 7 0-0 15; Anthony Callan 3 3-4 11; Ethan Tomlinson 5 1-2 12; Tanner Clancy 1 0-0 3; Jameson Sykes 1 2-2 4; TOTALS 19 6-8 49.
3-point goals: LM – Carl Barnette 2, Kevin Hegedus, Zachary Kendall; Quakertown – Anthony Callan 2, Miles Longacre, Ethan Tomlinson, Tanner Clancy.
UPPER DUBLIN 79, SPRINGFIELD TWP 39
Twelve players put their names in the scoring column for the Cardinals, who raced out of the gate to a 30-15 lead after one quarter and never looked back.
“Great effort and focus from the jump from everybody involved,” UD coach Derek Brooks said. “We played with a lot of intensity and executed offensively very well. It was a great way to end before the break.”
Ryan Mulroy scored 20 points – 16 in the first half – to lead the Cardinals. Brady Fogle added 15 on five 3-pointers. Idris Rines and James Castronuovo both had seven points while Kobe Bazemore added six.
For the Spartans, Bob Hartman’s 17 points led the way. Aiden Hood contributed six points, six rebounds and three assists.
Upper Dublin (7-2, 5-1 SOL) will face Upper Moreland in Wednesday’s opening round of its own Cardinal Holiday Tournament at 4 p.m.
Springfield Twp (1-7, 1-5) will return to action Friday, Jan. 5, when the Spartans will host Quakertown.
Springfield Twp 15-9-5-10 39
Upper Dublin 30-24-13-12 79
Springfield Twp (39) – Bob Hartman 6 3-4 17; Aiden Hood 2 2-2 6; Brandan Thompson 2 0-0 6; Will McLaughlin 1 0-0 2; Harry Bates 1 1-1 3; Hunter Davis 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 14 6-7 39.
Upper Dublin (79) – Kobe Bazemore 2 2-2 6; Chris Kohlbrenner 1 0-0 2; Brady Fogle 5 0-0 15; Ryan Mulroy 9 2-2 20; Idris Rines 3 0-0 7; Brandon Altman 1 1-2 3; Noah Cohen 2 0-0 4; James Castronuovo, Anthony Oliveira-Schultze 3 0-0 7; Max Grunfeld 10-0 2; Ethan Kukla 1 0-0 2; Justin Ragsdale 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 32 7-8 79.
3-point goals: Springfield Twp – Brandon Thompson 2, Bob Hartman 2, Hunter Davis; UD – Brady Fogle 5, Idris Rines, James Castronuovo, Anthony Oliveira-Schultze.
Non-league
BENSALEM 61, SANKOFA 40
The Owls came up with a big win in the opening game of a doubleheader on its home court as part of the Diane Mosco Foundation Shootout (Round 2), delighting the partisan crowd with a convincing win.
Sparked by 12 points from Noah Morris, the Owls opened up a 19-8 lead after one quarter. Sankofa rebounded with a 16-11 second quarter to trim the Owls’ lead to 30-24 at halftime. Bensalem outscored its visitors 31-16 in the second half to win going away.
“We came out, we were able to execute our sets, and Noah caught fire,” Bensalem coach Ron Morris said. “He had four 3s in the first quarter, so we were trying to find ways to get him the ball.”
Morris had all 15 of his points in the opening half. Jaidyn Moffitt and Antonio Morris provided the offensive spark in the second half with Moffitt scoring 11 of his team-high 17 after the intermission while Antonio Morris had all 11 of his points in the second half.
“Jaidyn Moffitt again had a great game inside,” Morris said. “He’s a lot quicker than people think. He can get the ball, and he has really good footwork, and that helps him being able to finish around the rim. He even hit a 3 tonight.
“Antonio (Morris) did a really good job facilitating in the first half. In the second half, we kind of wore them down, and we held them to 16 points. We really turned up the defensive intensity, and Antonio kind of took control of the game, handling the ball, getting to the rim, and he hit a three.”
The Owls’ coach had high praise for several of the game’s unsung heroes
“I can’t say enough about the job Micah White and Nate Cooper do every single game, defensively and rebounding,” Morris said. “They do all the dirty work that doesn’t get noticed. They have been such a huge part of our early success, and I don’t want it to go unnoticed.
“Our bench energy was great again. We knew coming in – their kid Nasir Williams is a really good basketball player. Sankofa is young, but they’re very athletic and strong. The boys just played really good defense.
“Coach Isaiah Thomas does a really good job with his program. It was just a really good victory. Especially playing five games in seven days, we knew it was going to be tough today. We battled and we pulled away in the second half and had a great victory.”
Also for the Owls, White had eight points and Amir Drummond had six.
“It’s a great way to go into the holiday break,” Morris said. “We get three days off, the kids have earned it. As always, we’ll enjoy this one today, and we’ll continue to work and be ready for our next opponent in our holiday tournament.”
Bensalem (7-1, 6-0 SOL) will face Norristown on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in an opening round game of its own Dick Dougherty Memorial Holiday Tournament.
Sankofa 8-16-9-7 40
Bensalem 19-11-17-14 61
Sankofa (40) – Nafise Dubose 4 2-4 10; Asim Hardy 1 1-2 3; Nasir Williams 5 1-2 11; Jameel Brown 2 0-0 4; Nsir Brown 1 0-0 2; Jasir Henderson 3 0-0 9; Samad 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 16 5-10 40.
Bensalem (61) – Antonio Morris 5 0-0 11; Noah Morris 5 0-0 15; Micah White 4 0-0 8; Amir Drummond 2 2-3 6; Nate Cooper 2 0-0 4; Jaidyn Moffitt 7 2-4 17; TOTALS 25 4-7 61
3-point goals: Sankofa – Jasir Henderson 3; Bensalem – Noah Morris 5, Antonio Morris, Jadyn Moffitt.
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