Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday. Bensalem/Constitution photos courtesy of Greg Lindsay. Check back for a gallery of photos. (Ryan Mulroy photo courtesy of Upper Dublin boys’ basketball)
CARDINAL HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
Upper Dublin 58, Cardinal O’Hara 44
Ryan Mulroy scored on a reverse layup in the fourth quarter to top the 1,000-point mark for his career and put an exclamation point on a decisive victory as host Upper Dublin topped Cardinal O’Hara 58-44 in Friday’s first-round game.
“They were pressuring us, and Noah Cohen hit him for a reverse layup,” UD coach Derek Brooks said.
Brooks entered Friday’s game needing 13 points. He finished with 14.
“It couldn’t have happened to a better kid, a kid who just loves basketball so much, puts so much into the game and has been an absolute pillar of our program since we took over three years ago,” said Brooks. “He’s a winner first. He’s always thinking about winning more so. He’s not out there looking to get 25 points a game. We need him to score, but he plays the right way, and he just does everything he can to win, so we’re very happy for him to have earned it.
“It’s well deserved. We’re very excited for him. He needed 13 going into the night, so we figured it might be around the fourth quarter, and he got it with three or four minutes left. We were happy he was able to get it done tonight.”
Mulroy and Irdis Rines each scored 14 points to lead the Cardinals, who trailed 25-21 at halftime but reversed their fortunes in a dominant third quarter that saw the hosts outscore O’Hara 25-4. Mulroy and Rines both had six points in the quarter while Brandon Altman had five.
Upper Dublin coach Derek Brooks: “We started off the game decently well, and then we did not do a good enough job of keeping it on from there. We got off to a 5-0 start and we missed a layup. These holiday tournaments and these afternoon games – there’s just such a malaise this time of year, and the energy is so much less than normal games, and you really have to generate it yourself and get going. We didn’t do a good enough job of that in the first half. We were down by four at halftime.”
–The second half: “We kind of got on the guys in the locker room, and they came out with a pep in their step, and we jumped all over them. Our press got our energy going. Overall, we just played with a much better intensity, pace and effort in the second half.”
–Props: “Our bench deserves a lot of credit. The starters got us off to a good start in the fourth quarter, and then the bench completely extended the lead. I thought Horace Jackson and Brandon Altman gave us some great minutes off the bench. Horace had a great block, he had a nice breakaway that led to two free throws.
“Brandon Altman gave us a huge spark off the bench. He had two big threes, a nice, driving layup, and James Catronuova had a nice second half as well. We had a 6-8 point lead, and the bench extended that to 16. We’re very lucky to have the depth we do, and the bench can do that for us. It’s not a situation where you bring the bench in, and you’re worried you’re going to lose the lead, but they can extend the lead for us.”
Up next: Upper Dublin (9-1, 3-0 SOL) will face Upper Moreland in Saturday’s title game at 2 p.m.
“We’re looking forward to it,” Brooks said. “They’ve always played us hard. It’s always a tough, competitive game. I think last year was a one-point game in our holiday tournament. They played great today. It’s going to be a tough game. We have to be ready to go. It’s another competitive team in (Class) 5A. O’Hara is 5A and so is Upper Moreland, so these are teams we could see in districts, these are teams we could see in the SOL Tournament, the state tournament, so we want to be sure we come ready to go.”
Cardinal O’Hara 9-16-4-15 44
Upper Dublin 13-8-25-12 58
Cardinal O’Hara (44) – Tygee Clark 1 0-0 3; Tobias Hartman 2 0-0 4; Milak Myatt 5 2-4 16; Kasheem Bronzel 3 1-1 7; Lymir Green 1 2-2 4; Jack Quinn 2 5-5 10. TOTALS 14 10-12 44.
Upper Dublin (58) – Kobe Bazemore 1 0-2 2; Noah Cohen 1 1-2 3; Ryan Mulroy 7 0-1 14; Idris Rines 6 1-2 14; Justin Ragsdale 4 0-0 9; James Castronuova 1 4-4 6; Brandon Altman 3 0-0 8; Horace Jackson 0 2-2 2. TOTALS 23 8-13 58.
3-point goals: CO – Tygee Clark, Milak Myatt 4, Jack Quinn; UD – Noah Cohen, Justin Ragsdale, Brandon Altman 2.
Upper Moreland 63, Neshaminy 40
Upper Moreland poured in 20 points in the second quarter to jump out to a 38-17 lead over Neshaminy at halftime of Friday’s first-round game. Jadon Cybok scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the first half to power the Golden Bears to the big lead.
Nate Best (12 points) and Colson Campbell (11 points) joined Cybok in double-digit scoring.
Jason Leiva led Neshaminy with 10 points.
Upper Moreland coach Dan Heiland on the game: “It was a good win for us, for sure. Especially over the holiday, having a couple days off and getting back into it. Ultimately, the difference-maker for us was playing the way we preach every day. We shot the ball again, we had a pretty full box score by multiple guys. We defended really well, and when you do those things – execute offensively, share the ball, make shots and play tough defense – it usually goes your way. Neshaminy is a tough, physical big team, and our guys played tough and played physical.
“In my opinion, the difference in the game was the execution offensively and defensively.”
–Cybok shines: “Jadon Cybok had 17 of his 19 points in the first half. He has just been a huge lift for us offensively. Again, playing within himself, getting to open spots, knocking down shots when he’s open, and he’s really picked up his defensive game as well. In our press and in the half-court, he’s done a tremendous job just really becoming an all-around player.”
–Campbell an all-around contributor: “Colson Campbell had 11 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Again, just playing an all-around game. Between Jadon and Colson – two well-rounded players. They give us a nice lift.
–Props: “It’s also nice when you have guys off the bench that step into roles and give us a spark as well. Ultimately, when we make subs for the most part so far, we really haven’t seen much dropoff, which is big. Especially as we get deeper into the season, having that ability to go to your bench and know those are guys that can play meaningful minutes for you down the stretch.”
–Up next: Upper Moreland (8-1, 2-1 SOL) will face Upper Dublin in Saturday’s title game (2 pm).
“It’s going to be a tough one,” Heiland said. “They’re a very good team. They play very similar to us. They share the ball, they play tough defense. It should be a fun one.”
Neshaminy 10-7-15-8 40
Upper Moreland 18-20-15-10 63
Neshaminy (40) – Jason Leiva 3 2-4 10; Zach Stewart 0 2-4 2; Logan Gale 2 2-3 6; Shane West 2 0-1 5; Max Currie 1 0-2 2; Cadenn Amati 2 0-0 4; Jason Gilardi 2 1-2 5; Dominic Ciallella 1 0-0 2; Saba Gugeshashvili 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 15 7-16 40.
Upper Moreland (63) – Alex Costanzo 1 0-0 2; Nate Best 4 4-5 12. Tommy Jeinnings 0 1-2 1; Colson Campbell 5 0-1 11; Anthony Carson 1 0-0 2; Larry Hughes 4 0-0 8; Luke Roussel 1 0-0 2; Jose Hernandez 2 0-0 4; Jadon Cybok 6 5-5 19; Cannon Campbell 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 25 10-13 63.
3-point goals: N – Jason Leiva 2, Shane West; UM – Jadon Cybok 2, Colson Campbell.
CACTUS JAM
Central Bucks East 46, Monroe (WA) 44
A Central Bucks East squad missing a few players saw others step up when needed as the Patriots earned a wild 46-44 victory over Monroe in Friday’s matchup in the JAM Bracket of the Chandler Jam in Chandler, AZ.
Henry Bartchak (7 points) nailed a pair of key free throws in the final minute of play to give the Pats a four-point lead. Izzy Schwartz posted four points, five rebounds, and two blocks in his first varsity start.
Alex Lemaire had four steals in the game, and Shane O’Hara-Jamison nabbed five rebounds to go along with a game-high 11 points. It was O’Hara-Jamison burying a 3-pointer with time winding down to give East a lead it would not lose.
Central Bucks East coach Erik Henrysen: “Our flight coming in was a bumpy one (Thursday) night. We saw a good amount of turbulence so the up-and-down game was fitting. Monroe was a good team. We were fortunate to get some film on them. With a few guys out, we looked for guys to step up.”
–Props: “Izzy Schwartz was fantastic. He bothered their big the entire game. It was exactly what we needed. We were down one with one minute to go, and O’Hara-Jamison hit a big-time 3 to get us the lead. After we turned them over, Bartchak stepped up with two huge free throws to put us up four with 16 seconds left. From there, we were able to see out the win.
–Up next: The Patriots (6-1, 3-0 SOL) will face Chugiak (Alaska) at 1:30 pm local time (3:30 pm EST) in the JAM Bracket semifinal Saturday.
“Tomorrow will be a different test,” Henrysen said. “We’ll see Chugiak of Alaska. They are strong and we will need to match their physicality. We were able to see them play after our game. It should be a good game, and we are excited for the chance to move on to a final.”
Central Bucks East 10-12-14-10 46
Monroe 9-13-15-7 44
Central Bucks East (46) – Nolan Behm 5; Shane O’Hara-Jamison 11; Izzy Schwartz 4; Quinn Slack 6; AJ Molnar 2; Keegan Marascio 5; Alex Lemaire 6; Henry Bartchak 7.
Monroe (44) – Caleb Campbell 8; Tate Hammerquist 1; Kieren Greear 6; Dylan Hall 2; Wyatt Prohn 5; Isaiah Kiehl 11; Chayce Waite-Kellar 11.
3-point goals – CBE, Slack 2, O’Hara-Jamison 2, Marascio, Bartchak; M – Campbell 2, Prohn, Kiehl.
Garfield (WA) 80, Plymouth Whitemarsh 63
MODIE RISHER HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
Central Bucks West 46, North Charleston 41
Roman Kulesa sank three 3-pointers among his game-high 26 points as Central Bucks West earned a 46-41 victory in Friday’s opening round game against North Charleston.
The Bucks – sparked by eight points from Kulesa – led 21-20 at halftime. The game was knotted at 33-33 after three quarters, but a solid final frame by the Bucks – which included eight points from Kulesa – secured the victory.
Central Bucks West coach Adam Sherman: “To get the first one is always nice – it kind of sets the tone. It was tied going into the fourth quarter. It was anyone’s game, and we were able to come out on top.
“North Charleston was 6-3 coming in, so it was a nice win.”
–Props: “Roman (Kulesa) shot the ball well, he was able to get to the rim. He also led us in steals, he had a couple of big steals.
“Harrison Myers, a freshman, came off the bench and really gave us good minutes. He gave us two threes and was effective on the court.
“Connor Chuo had an important layup that gave us the lead to hold in the fourth quarter.”
Up next: Central Bucks West (4-6, 0-3 SOL) will face Burke High School Saturday (7:30 pm).
Central Bucks West 11-10-12-13 46
North Charleston 9-11-13-8 41
Central Bucks West (46) – Roman Kulesa 9 5-8 26; Dan Pellegrini 4 1-3 9; Connor Chuo 1 0-0 2; Isaiah Rubenstein 1 0-0 3; Harrison Myers 2 0-0 6; TOTALS 17 6-11 46.
North Charlestown (41) – Jahki Lawson 2 0-0 5; Marcus Simmons 1 0-0 3; Richard Hazel III 5 3-4 16; Xzavion Capers 1 1-2 3; Michael Jordan 5 0-2 10; Otto Witherspoon 1 0-0 2; Jayden Evans 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 16 4-8 41.
3-point goals: CBW – Roman Kulesa 3, Harrison Meyers 2, Isaiah Rubenstein; NC – Richard Hazel III 3, Jahki Ladson, Marcus Simmons.
Pennsbury 60, Burke 56
Max Manga picked up a double-double to lift Pennsbury to a 60-56 win over Burke in Friday’s opening round. Manga grabbed 13 rebounds to go along with his team-leading 18 points while Grayson Gozum cleaned the glass to the tune of eight boards as well as 13 points to boost the Falcons.
The Falcons took a 32-23 lead into halftime but saw that slip when Burke put 21 points on the board in the third quarter to go on top 44-40. The Falcons answered with a 20-12 fourth quarter to earn the come-from-behind win. Manga led the fourth-quarter charge with eight points while Mike Roccograndi scored six of his nine points in the final frame.
Pennsbury coach Wes Emme: “Obviously, handling travel, handling not being on the court for 24 hours and then having 10 minutes to warm up and then going out to play was a challenge, but that’s the part of being professional, that’s the part of handling this like a business trip, which is what we told the guys going in.
“We knew that it was a unique style of play, we knew the pace was going to be frenetic and we had to be able to live in that frenetic pace. I thought for the most part we handled it.
“We had a nine-point lead at halftime, and they took a four-point lead in the fourth quarter. The fact that we were able to respond and stretch the lead a little bit at the end to give ourselves some cushion was really big.”
–Props: “Number one was Max Manga. He had 18 points and 13 rebounds. He was big time, particularly around the rim. He probably had three or four more (rebounds) that slipped through his fingers, but he was very big.
“Grayson Gozum – who defended their best player for the entirety of the night and ended up with 13 points and eight rebounds – played a great all-around game.”
Up next: Pennsbury (6-3, 3-0 SOL) will face North Charleston on Saturday at 4:30 pm.
Pennsbury 14-18-8-20 60
Burke 16-7-21-12 56
Pennsbury (60) – Brayden Clark 1 0-0 2; Mike Roccograndi 2 5-8 9; Connor Tyrrel 1 0-0 2; Grayson Gozum 5 0-0 13; Mitch Primola 1 0-2 3; Sean Breslin 2 0-0 4; Pat Jajua 4 0-0 9; Max Manga 6 3-6 18. TOTALS 22 8-16 60.
Burke (56) – Joroon Nelson 6 1-3 15; Malachi Singleton 2 1-1 5; Khamani Green 2 1-2 6; JD Venning 2 0-0 4; Suel Mack 8 2-2 20; Tamarus Heyward 3 0-0 6. TOTALS 23 5-8 56.
3-point goals: B – Joroon Nelson 2, Khamani Green, Suel Mack 2. Pennsbury – Grayson Gozum 3, Mitch Primola, Pat Jajua, Max Manga 3.
PERKIOMEN VALLEY HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
Perkiomen Valley 53, North Penn 38
Host Perkiomen Valley kept North Penn off the scoreboard in the first quarter and maintained a strong defense, leading 25-13 at halftime and rolling to a 53-38 victory over the Knights in Friday’s opening round.
Aiden Atkinson led North Penn with 8 points, Ahmaar Godhani added 6 points.
North Penn (38) – Ahmaar Godhani 6, Lee Hammond 3, Aiden Atkinson 8, Nate Markin 1, JC Wood 4, Gabe Altemus 5, Luke Hall 9, Wyatt Martin 2.
Methacton 68, Wissahickon 65, 2 OT
Nico Vacchiano scored 20 of his game-high 22 after halftime, but it wasn’t enough as Wissahickon dropped a double-overtime heartbreaker to Methacton 68-65 in Friday’s opening round.
Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson: “We fell behind by five in the first quarter but were able to go into halftime down by three, 27-24. Mason Stelzer scored 16 and Chris Lee had 14 to add much-needed offensive support.”
Up next: The Trojans (2-6, 0-3 SOL will play at 1 pm Saturday against tournament host Perkiomen Valley.
Methacton 16-11-15-12-3-11 68
Wissahickon 11-13-15-15-3-8 65
Methacton (68) – Conrad 0 1-4 1; Lineen 2 4-8 9; Iemmello 6 4-7 16; Bradford 4 0-0 12; Robinson 4 5-12 13; Carter 6 2-2 14; Leet 1 0-0 3. TOTALS 23 16-33 68.
Wissahickon (65) – Stelzer 7 -0-0 16; Maltin 2 0-2 4; Lee 5 0-0 14; Haughey 0 3-4 3; Vacchiano 7 7-10 22; Ajemain 1 0-0 2; Taliafaro 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 24 10-15 65.
3-point goals: M – Lineen, Bradford 4, Leet; W – Stelzer 2, Lee 4, Vacchiano.
TIM EHST HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
Quakertown 45, Dock Mennonite 40
Quakertown finally broke through.
A young team battling through injuries and illnesses, the Panthers had found themselves unable to get that elusive mark in the win column. Until Friday.
A healthy Panther squad came out strong and upended host Dock Mennonite 45-40 to earn the Panthers their first victory of the season and a berth in Saturday’s championship game.
The Panthers opened a 16-10 lead after one quarter with Sam Wilkin scoring six points and Aidan Burgy adding five. They took that six-point lead into halftime and still led by four heading into the final quarter.
Jameson Sykes led all scorers with 19 points, including 8eightin the fourth quarter, while Wilkin keyed the fast start, scoring 11 of his 17 points before halftime.
“The guys did a great job running our offenses and getting us good shots, which led to us shooting close to 60 percent in the first half, but a team like Dock is not going down without a fight, so I knew the 26-20 halftime lead was not safe,” Panthers’ coach Tony DaCosta said. “Give credit to our players for holding it down on the defensive end in the second half, which kept our head above water when things got tighter in the last two minutes of the game.
“Luckily, we shot 87 percent from the line for the game, and late free throws by Jameson Sykes and Trae McCray were key.”
Quakertown coach Tony DaCosta: “This is only the second game this season we’ve had everybody. Sam Wilkin, who is our best player, had mono, so he was out the first week, and upon his return, other starters and players started to get the stomach bug and flu, so we have not been at full strength or with a consistent team all season long. We had everybody today and everybody Monday. On Monday, we played pretty well, but we lost to Upper Moreland, who is pretty good.
“The other thing is trying to continue to learn because Sam is really the only returning starter. In a lot of ways, everyone else is a little new to the varsity pace, varsity experience, so we’re trying to get our feet underneath us, but the guys did a nice job in terms of really responding under adversity, which is always going to happen in a game. It’s a learning process for some of us.
–The game: “That (first quarter) was huge. The one thing we pride ourselves on is being pretty skilled around the basket, and for the most part, I think that really showed up. Those guys (Sam Wilkin and Aidan Burgy) really carried us in the first quarter, and then Jameson (Sykes) put his stamp on the game in the fourth quarter. I just think the opportunities became more apparent for him. I think a lot of our guys are now starting to find themselves in more consistent varsity competition, and the game is starting to slow down for them.”
Up next: Quakertown will face Souderton in Saturday’s championship game at 3 pm.
“We’re looking forward to that game,” DaCosta said. “We had a chance to scrimmage them earlier this season. We’re familiar with them, and they’re familiar with us, so it definitely should be a good game.”
Dock Mennonite 10-10-10-10 40
Quakertown 16-10-8-11 45
Dock Mennonite (40) – Rob Sukaly 4 1-3 10; Justin Panaia 4 1-3 11; Tony Martin 6 2-3 14; Koby Rollerson 0 1-2 1; Marques Brown 1 1-2 4. TOTALS 15 6-13 40.
Quakertown (45) – Trae McCray 0 1-2 1; Jameson Sykes 8 3-3 19; Aidan Burgy 2 0-0 5; Sam Wilkin 7 2-2 17; Colin Ficco 1 1-1 3. TOTALS: 18 7-8 45.
3-point goals: DM – Rob Sukaly, Justin Panaia 2, Marques Brown; Q – Aiden Burgy, Sam Wilkin.
Souderton 58, Dobbins 51
Chanse Salone led the way, and numerous players came up huge as Souderton went on a 22-5 tear late to erase a nine-point deficit and blow open the game, downing Dobbins 58-51 in Friday’s first-round matchup.
In addition to Salone – who scored eight of his 13 points in the fourth – the Indians got clutch foul shooting from Nate Rusike, Nolan Watkins and Trey Bui in the final frame.
Thaddeus Harter’s 14 points – six to jumpstart the Indians in the first quarter – led the Indians.
“This was huge because we didn’t have a win like that yet this year where we had to come from behind in the fourth quarter,” Souderton coach Okoteh Sackitey said. “We’ve faced adversity in the summer in preparation for the season, but we haven’t faced that type of adversity. We never faced needing to come back from that many points and pulling it off successfully.
“We’ve won a handful of games in different types of ways. We don’t care what it looks like – who scores and who plays – as long as we get it done. The kids got it done. All the credit in the world to them. For teenagers to stay that mentally tough and disciplined – to not panic and to trust each other and stay the course, it speaks to the kids. The kids were so mature. I’m glad they are my players. I’m really proud of them.”
Souderton coach Okoteh Sackitey on the fourth-quarter rally: “We were down nine going into the fourth quarter. We scored the first five points and we’re down four. They called a timeout, and in that huddle, we knew we had the momentum. I think we all felt that the comeback was going to happen. We stayed together, and it was just a really mature performance. There was never any point where the body language was off, where people were pouting or blaming each other. The kids just stayed really solid the whole way through.
“Even when they were down nine, in the huddle doing into the fourth quarter, I had some specific examples that I reminded them of where comebacks had happened in the fourth quarter. We’ve been on the winning side of a comeback and on the losing side of a comeback. These things happen, and I reminded our guys that we can take over this game and we can take over this fourth quarter.”
–Salone engineers comeback: “Chanse Salone getting us started in the fourth quarter is the biggest story – his fourth quarter performance. Grady Kovach had a great backdoor cut, and Chance hit him for a layup, and we were down seven, and then Chanse just blows by his man and gets an and-one layup and makes the free throw, so he completes the 3-point play, and we’re down four. That was a big bucket because it caused them to call the timeout. With five minutes left in the game, we were down five, and Chanse hit a big 3 in the corner and then scored a layup on the next possession to tie it. He had a big pass to Nolan Watkins, and Nolan shot the 3, got fouled, and he made all three of his free throws to put us up three, and that was huge.”
–Props: “Thaddeus Harter had our first six points of the game, so he helped us get out to a good start. He also hit a timely 3 in the third quarter. Thad was solid all the way through and finished with 14.
“Grady Kovach was massive off the bench with 11 points.
“Chanse had a huge, clutch fourth quarter with eight points. Nate Rusike made timely foul shots in the fourth quarter and did a great job staying the course.
“Trey Bui was 4-for-4 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. You can’t close out games like this if you don’t have guys who can knock down free throws. For Trey walking up to the line and knocking all of them down, and he was playing through some pain. It was a big performance all the way around.
“Chris Lewis needs some flowers, for sure, for playing man-to-man defense, which we usually don’t do, but Chris Lewis stepped up and was just playing crazy defense, and a big part of holding them to five points on that 22-5 run was Chris Lewis playing full-court man-to-man defense.”
Up next: Souderton (6-2, 3-0 SOL) will face Quakertown in Saturday’s championship game.
Souderton 8-16-8-26 58
Dobbins 12-11-18-10 51
Souderton (58) – Chanse Salone 4 4-7 13; Trey Bui 1 4-4 6; Nolan Watkins 1 3-3 5; Nate Rusike 3 2-4 9; Thaddeus Harter 6 0-0 14; Grady Kovach 5 1-5 11; TOTALS 20 14-23 58.
Dobbins (51) – Makaii Akridge 7 1-5 17; Malachi Baldwin 1 0-0 2; Khaleef Agbemehia 1 1-2 3; Haneef Davis 6 5-6 20; Hasan Laws 4 0-0 8; Tyler Richardson 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 19 8-15 51.
3-point goals: S – Thaddeus Harter 2, Chase Salone 2; Dobbins – Makaii Akridge 2, Kaneef Davis 3.
BOARDWALK CLASSIC (Ray Martin Memorial Bracket)
Central Bucks South 70, Park School 29
Central Bucks South 48, Atlantic Christian 37
Brett Barrett and Leo Medwid combined for 34 of Central Bucks South’s 48 points as the Titans earned a 48-37 victory over Atlantic Christian in Thursday’s first round game, with Barrett’s 20 leading all scorers.
Then, with Barrett out of the lineup on Friday, 11 different players contributed to the scoring as the Titans dominated Park School 70-39 to claim the Ray Martin Memorial Bracket Championship in the Boardwalk Classic.
Danny Giles led the Titans in the championship game with 10 points, while Alex Shahin and Medwid each scored 9.
Central Bucks South coach Louie Ditri: “Our game yesterday was a competitive game. The team we beat today won by 20 yesterday. Either one of us – us or Atlantic Christian – was going to win today. There was not even a doubt about it.”
–The tournament: “Yesterday and today, we played well both offensively and defensively, a complete game. Our last couple of games, we’ve been strong defensively but a little less offensively. We just played a complete game. Even today, everyone played well. Again, it wasn’t a strong opponent, but all 12 guys did what they were supposed to do.
–Looking ahead: “We have a tough stretch coming up. Hopefully, this gets us going a little bit because our next four games are pretty tough.”
Up next: Central Bucks South (8-3, 3-0 SOL) will host Pennridge on Friday, Jan. 3.
Central Bucks South 21-21-22-6 70
Park School 9-5-7-8 29
Central Bucks South (70) – Cole DiEmidio 2 0-0 6; Alex Shahin 4 0-0 9; Ben Harrison 2 0-0 5; Leo Medwid 4 0-0 9; Connor Thompson 3 0-2 8; Danny Giles 4 2-2 10; Nick Zakrzewski 1 0-0 3; Shane Farrell 1 0-0 2; Davis Van Zanten 2 0-0 5; Chase Ross 3 0-0 7; Kayode Adebayo 3 0-1 6. TOTALS 29 2-5 70.
Park School (29) – Zach Chait 3 1-2 8; Samson Polakoff 4 1-1 9; Aiden Roberts 1 0-0 3; Jack Rogers 1 0-0 2; Christian Nwuakwa 3 1-2 7; Andrew Moore 0 0-2 0. TOTALS 12 3-7 29.
3-point goals: CBS – Cole DiEmidio 2, Alex Shahin, Ben Harrison, Leo Medwid, Connor Thompson 2, Nick Zakrzewski, Davis Van Zanten, Chase Ross; PS – Zach Chait, Aiden Roberts.
Central Bucks South 48, Atlantic Christian 37 (Thursday, Dec. 26)
Central Bucks South 15-7-9-17 48
Atlantic Christian 7-12-5-13 37
Central Bucks South (48) – Cole DiEmidio 0 1-2 1; Brett Barrett 7 3-4 20; Danny Giles 1 0-0 3; Connor Thompson 2 0-2 6; Ben Harrison 1 2-2 4; Leo Medwid 6 1-1 14. TOTALS 17 7-11 48.
Atlantic Christian (37) – Judah Dawkins 1 2-4 4; Noah Stokes 4 4-5 13; Ethan Costello 3 2-4 8; Caden Kim 2 0-0 6; Charlie Costello 3 0-0 6. TOTALS 13 8-13 37.
3-point goals: CBS – Brett Barrett 3, Danny Giles, Connor Thompson 2, Leo Medwid; AC – Noah Stokes, Caden Kim 2.
PENNCREST HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
Pennridge 63, Owen J. Roberts 52
Pennridge could not have asked for a better start to Friday’s opening-round matchup against Owen J. Roberts. The Rams jumped out to a 15-6 lead after one quarter and led by 17 at the half en route to a 63-52 win.
Three Rams finished in double-digit scoring, with Xavier Peters leading the team with 19 points. Peters went 12-of-14 from the foul line, including 7-of-8 in the fourth quarter. Marley Steward scored 15 – 11 in the first half – and Rownan Smith added 10.
Pennridge coach Dean Behrens: “I thought we played the best half of basketball we played all year. We go into halftime, and we’re up 34-17. I always say that Christmas is an interesting time to play basketball because everyone’s schedule is all thrown off. There’s no routine. You’re with your family and friends – you’re not going to bed at the normal time, so some of these games can be really sloppy. It’s usually the team that can come out with the most energy that can win the game. It’s not so much the talent, it’s the energy. I felt like tonight in the first half, we had a lot of energy, and we took advantage of it.”
–The second half: “In the second half, Owen J Roberts had more energy than we did, and at one point in the fourth quarter with about six minutes left, they cut it to eight, so it’s a ballgame, a three-possession game. We were able to hang on. We got in the bonus early in the fourth quarter. They were desperate obviously. They’re trapping, and we got to the foul line enough times to close the game out. We didn’t shoot fouls well, but we shot enough of them and made enough of them to get through. If it was a closer game, that could have been a problem. At one point, we missed four in a row.
“I look at it this way – Owen J Roberts is a good team. They always have five guys on the floor that can score. It’s Christmas time. Things are just different, so I thought it was a good win for us.”
–Props: “Xavier Peters really controlled the game as our point guard. He got to the basket and was able to finish around the basket. He also distributed the basketball, so his teammates were able to get good shots, easy layups. He distributed extremely well and got our guys some good, quality shots. Down the stretch when things got a little tight, we want to get the ball in Xavier’s hands – it’s tough to get the ball out of his hands. He’s pretty experienced, and I always feel more confident when he has the ball in his hands and teams are trying to trap or foul.
“I thought Connor Murray did a very good job on the boards tonight. I thought we rebounded as a team really well in the first half.
“Marley Stewart is starting to round himself into basketball shape from the incident last year when he broke his leg. I think he’s starting to feel more and more confident, and he’s playing that way. I’m pleased with that.”
Next up: Pennridge (5-3, 1-2 SOL) will take on Penncrest in Saturday’s title game (7 pm).
“Penncrest is hosting the tournament, and they get to play on their home court, but I think that’s great for us,” Behrens said. “We get the opportunity to play Penncrest, which is well coached, and I don’t think they have a loss. It will be a challenge, but I’m excited about the fact that we’re playing in the championship game.”
Pennridge 15-19-9-20 63
Owen J Roberts 6-11-15-20 52
Pennridge (63) Rownan Smith 5 0-0 10; Marley Steward 7 1-5 15; Xavier Peters 3 12-14 19; Ryan Schwind 2 3-6 8; Connor Murray 1 0-0 2; Sam Crognale 1 0-0 2; Ryan Flood 2 3-4 7; TOTALS 21 19-29 63
Owen J Roberts (52) – Danny Walker 2 0-0 6; Elijah Cline 9 0-0 20; Ryan Simpson 0 2-2 2; Dash Rose 1 1-2 3; Ryan Holmburg 6 7-7 19; Dylan Drumheller 1 0-0 2; 19 10-11 52.
3-point goals: P – Xavier Peters, Ryan Schwind; OJR – Danny Walker 2, Elijah Cline 2.
DICK DOUGHERTY HOLIDAY SHOWCASE
Constitution 54, Bensalem 41
Constitution took a 28-20 lead into halftime only to see the Owls trim that lead to three after three quarters, but the Generals pulled away in the fourth quarter to earn a 54-41 victory over the host Owls.
Aidan Mayfield led the Owls with 14 points, while Amir Drummond added 10.
Bensalem coach Ron Morris: “We knew it was going to be a tough game coming in. Constitution is a very storied program. Coach (Robert) Moore does a very nice job. He has over 300 wins, they have state championships, they go deep in states every year. It’s a really good program, so it’s a good challenge for us.
“Unfortunately, we came out on the wrong end tonight. We had 15 turnovers in the first half, we missed 10 layups, so it was an uphill battle. I think the injury bug and sick bug got us. We were able to get away with it for a little bit, but I think it finally caught up with us tonight. It didn’t go our way.
“We know what we have to fix. We have to be able to handle the pressure. Their intensity – it was a physical game. We play these games now to get ready for where we are trying to go, so this was like a playoff game atmosphere with the physicality of the game that happens in February and March. We played today to get us ready for that.
“When things don’t go your way, the best part is – when you play tomorrow, you can erase today. When we win, we think about it tonight, but tomorrow is a new day, and we come right back at it tomorrow.
“I challenged them at halftime – ‘We have to play our brand of basketball,’ and I think they responded well to that. We had a great third quarter, and we kind of ran out of gas because we had to come back from a deficit, and we just couldn’t get over the hump. That’s the game of basketball. We’re back at it again tomorrow. Nobody is going to feel bad for us. We have to continue to work. Everyone has to step up a little bit to overcome the guys we don’t have currently. We’ll come out tomorrow and be ready for another war.”
–Props: “Aidan Mayfield had a great game defensively and offensively. It’s really good to see him getting more and more confident on the offensive end because he’s a true game-changer.
“Jahmir Chatman continues to be a great senior leader with his play and keeping our guys together.”
Next up: Bensalem (5-2, 3-0 SOL) will face Notre Dame on Saturday at 5:15 pm.
Constitution 7-21-7-19 54
Bensalem 12-8-12-9 41
Constitution (54) – I.Mahmond 2 0-0 4; A.Dawson 5 3-4 15; K.Johnson 1 1-3 3; K.White-Blaylock 4 1-2 10; R.Brown 3 0-1 6; C.Hannah 2 0-0 5; N.Young 4 3-7 11; TOTALS 21 8-17 54.
Bensalem (41) – Jahmir Chatman 2 2-6 6; Aidan Mayfield 6 1-2 14; Amir Drummond 4 0-1 10; Dymaire Johnson 2 0-2 4; Aidan Corbett 2 0-0 4; Trevor Morris 1 0-0 2; Jacob Eberhardt 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 17 4-13 41.
3-point goals: C – A.Dawson 2, K.White-Blaylock, C.Hannah; B – Amir Drummond 2, Jahmir Chatman.
EASTON ROTARY HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
Phillipsburg 61, Abington 59
The Ghosts lost a heartbreaker in Friday’s opening game against Phillipsburg.
Sparked by nine points from Jake Manigault, Abington opened up a 19-16 lead after one quarter, but Phillipsburg rallied to even the score 31 apiece at halftime.
Manigault’s nine third quarter points propelled the Ghosts to a tenuous 45-43 advantage heading into the final quarter when they were outscored 18-14 by Phillipsburg.
Manigault’s 22 points – which included a pair of 3s – led the Ghosts. Paul Glants also had a pair of 3s and finished with 12 points. Xander Grasty had nine points.
Abington had no answer for Phillipsburg junior Matthew Scerbo, whose 29 points led all scorers. Scerbo had 14 first-half points, but it was his 13 points in the fourth quarter that doomed the Ghosts.
Abington (5-3, 2-1 SOL) will return to action in Saturday’s consolation game.
Abington 19-12-14-14 59
Phillipsburg 16-15-12-18 61
Abington (59) – Kyle Pickron 1 0-0 2; Faizon Garland 2 0-0 6; Xander Grasty 4 0-0 9; Mike O’Rourke 1 0-0 3; Jake Manigault 7 7-9 22; Zion Hospedales 2 0-0 4; Josh Scarpello 0 1-2 1; Paul Glants 5 0-0 12; TOTALS 22 8-11 59.
Phillipsburg (61) – Matthew Scerbo 9 9-16 29; Ethan White-Philpot 2 1-2 6; Jason Abbott 3 0-0 8; Malachi McKelvin 4 1-2 9; Shamari Lavacia 2 2-2 6; Dominic Bracco 1 1-2 3; TOTALS 21 14-24 61.
3-point goals: A – Paul Glants 2, Faizon Garland 2, Xander Grasty, Jake Manigault, Mike O’Rourke; P Matthew Scerbo 2, Jason Abbott 2, Ethan White-Philpot.
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