Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Thursday. Bensalem/Ben Franklin photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of game action photos.
NESHAMINY 66, WEST CHESTER RUSTIN 51
Neshaminy closed December at the West Chester Rustin Winter Classic on Thursday the same way it started the month – with another win.
Now 7-0, the Redskins closed the 2017 portion of their calendar undefeated and with the knowledge they aren't just a one-man show. Of course, having a guy like Chris Arcidacono is always a nice benefit.
“Chris had his normal (game) – he had 28 points tonight, and he did a good job of running it for us," Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle said. "Charles Dominick was 5-for-5 from three and had a really good night.”
Arcidacono also had five rebounds and four assists as his surrounding cast continued to step up. Dominick hit four of his 3-point shots in the first half as Neshaminy passed its way through Rustin's zone and got good shots on its way to a 33-26 halftime lead. The Redskins outscored their hosts 22-13 in the third quarter to go into the final frame with a 55-39 advantage on their way to the win.
"Danny Bodine, our big, chipped in eight points, and Anthony Papeo had six points. A lot of guys stepped up," Tingle said. "After a while they were coming out and they had to try and throw two guys at whoever had the ball. We hit the open guy, made open shots and towards the end we made our free throws.”
A night after Rustin got into a high-scoring game with Souderton, Neshaminy leaned on its defense to set the tone, with the offense catching up pretty quickly.
“They had a shooter we did a really good job of taking away – I think he only had five points. We just attacked them and pressured early. At one point in the second quarter, it was 26-10," Tingle said. "We made a lot of shots early. They sat in a zone and not an aggressive zone, so it allowed us to penetrate and kick out to open shooters, and we knocked down a lot of open shots.”
In addition to scoring 15 points, Dominick had five rebounds. Papeo added four assists, and Bodine had five rebounds.
While December ended on a high note, the New Year brings a new test for Neshaminy, which jumps back into SOL National play with the team that's owned the conference the past five years.
“We have a really tough game against Abington on Wednesday," Tingle said. "Obviously, Abington is one of the best teams in the district and the state. It’s a league game, and we’re going to go into that game and see what we can do against them and the rest of the league.”
Neshaminy (7-0, 1-0 SOL) will be on the road at Abington when SOL play resumes Wednesday.
NESHAMINY 15 18 22 11 – 66
WEST CHESTER RUSTIN 8 18 13 12 – 51
N: Chris Arcidiacono 28, Charles Dominick 15, Danny Bodine 8, Deluca 7, Anthony Papeo 6, Pat Campbell 2
WCR: Nelson 22, Pew 7, Asparagus 6, B Barrouk 5, Batchelor 4, G Barrouk 3, Demarco 2, Hickson 2
WISSAHICKON 57, PERKIOMEN 56
Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson has been around the game for a while, but he never felt the way about a game like he did Thursday night.
“I walked out of a gym feeling like I needed an alibi because we definitely stole a game there tonight," Wilson said after his Trojans improved to 5-1 and continued their flair for the dramatic.
Max Rapoport played the role of hero for Wissahickon, draining a pair of deep 3-point shots in the final half-minute of play to lift the Trojans to the win.
The whole game was back and forth. Even after the Trojans took the third quarter 22-13 to go on top 42-36, that did little to keep the host Vikings from coming back time after time. Eddie Fortescue's defense helped to turn the tide as Wissahickon struggled for much of the game with PV's matchup zone.
"In the fourth quarter coming down the stretch with under two or three minutes, it was just back and forth – a tie game, they’d score, we’d score," Wilson said.
"Their guy – Tyler Stretchay – was just killing us. He had 30, and we were struggling to find ways to top him. He would draw a foul, go to the line and hit two. We’d come down, somebody would make a play and we’d score two. It was just a grind it out game."
Fittingly, the game came down to Rapoport and Stretchay making key plays for their respective teams. After Wissahickon missed a shot inside the final 30 seconds, the Vikings sank two free throws to go on top by three.
The Trojans got the ball and set up a double high screen for Rapoport.
"I said Max – ‘If the kid turns his head to look to see where the screens are, at that moment, you’ll probably have a window to launch a good healthy three. It’s probably going to be deep, but we’ve worked on this.’ He hit it with under 30 seconds left," Wilson said. "They went down, and we did another bad job of marking Strechay. He drove down the lane, drew a foul with six seconds. We just tied it up and this kid is on the line again with 6.4 seconds left. He knocks down both free throws. I just gave Max a look – you’ve got to get it across half court and get a good look."
Rapoport got the message, got the ball and got the shot.
"Max made a quick move at the far foul line, got it across half court. It was deep. He shot it at the buzzer, and we went off with a one-point win. It was two deep threes (by Rapoport) with under 22 seconds," Wilson said. "I think if they had gotten another possession, they might have won. It was sort of like whoever had the ball last within striking range was going to make a play. We were fortunate to be on the winning end of it."
The ending had a far-too-familiar feel to Wissahickon's sole loss this season.
"When we played PW, Ish Horn drove late in the game, drew a foul, and we got a shot at the buzzer but didn’t make it. The kids are thinking – ‘Here we go again. They’re going to get a call, get free throws, and we’re not going to get anything at the other end,’" Wilson said. "I felt so good for the kids. The players stormed the court, jumped on Max. It was a fun situation.”
Rapoport led Wiss with 18 points while Zach Reiner nearly had a triple-double, posting 12 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists
Anthony Lawrence again had an impactful and efficient offensive game for Wissahickon, scoring eight points to go with six rebounds.
"Anthony Lawrence is a first-year starter at forward. He went 5-for-5 from the field against Methacton last night, and he went 4-for-4 from the field for his eight points," Wilson said. "Sometimes those are the points that go unheralded, but when you get points from guys who are maybe beyond your first second or third scorer, it’s really huge. It was just qualify shots and consistent play. He didn’t force anything."
Wissahickon (4-1, 1-1 SOL) jumps right back into SOL play next week with a game at Upper Dublin on Tuesday. The Trojans will travel to Hatboro-Horsham next Friday and host Pennridge in a crossover game next Saturday. But this one they'll likely remember for a while.
“It was a crazy game," Wilson said.
WISSAHICKON 7 13 22 15 – 57
PERKIOMEN VALLEY 10 13 13 20 – 56
W: Max Rapoport 18, Zach Reiner 12, Eddie Fortescue 9, Anthony Lawrence 8, Cole Hirsch 6, Ostroski 4
PV: Stretchay 30, Graves 9, B Streeper 6, I Streeper 6, Light 3, Parks 2
WILLIAM TENNENT 57, PHIL-MONT CHRISTIAN 39
Three years and three tournament titles for the Panthers, who continued to hold court in their annual holiday gathering.
It was a close game after a quarter with Tennent holding a 12-10 lead, but the hosts started to pull away in the second frame. The Panthers outscored Phil-Mont 18-5 in the frame, giving them enough of a lead they could work to maintain it in the second half.
“We stayed with our press a little bit, and we did rebound pretty well. We were able to push the tempo a little bit as opposed them being set in their 1-3-1," Tennent coach Robert Mulville said. “Just overall they tried to keep up the pressure, which is one of the things we had talked about. We could have been a little better at the foul line in the fourth quarter – we were 0-for-2 from the line, and they were both one-and-ones. Overall, I think our intensity was good. Guys coming off the bench stepped up and played well."
Pat McCauley led the Panthers with 15, but Tennent again got a lot of contributions up and down the roster.
“Pat MacCauley was pretty solid throughout the whole night," Mulville said.
Markeith Baxter scored 12 points and added four assists and five rebounds, plus one highlight play that sparked Tennent in the second half.
“Markeith Baxter had a major dunk over one of their guys. They had gotten it down to 15, and he threw that one down. That woke up our crowd and woke up our guys a little bit," Mulville said. "Ryan Savage came off the bench in the second half and hit a big three for us. He knocked down another jumper and then he scored on the post.”
David West added six rebounds to his three points.
“Kip Mooney hit two threes in the second quarter coming off the bench. Savage had those seven points in the second half. Derrick Cosenza didn’t score a lot, but he does battle. He did a good job," Mulville said. "Ben Satz played really well. He only had three points, but he had five assists and six rebounds, so we really had some key contributions from the guys coming off the bench along with McCauley and Baxter.”
William Tennent (4-3, 0-1 SOL) will be on the road at North Penn on Tuesday.
PHIL-MONT CHRISTIAN 10 5 12 12 – 39
WILLIAM TENNENT 12 18 18 9 – 57
Phil-Mont Christian (39) – Lyle Tipton 23, Joel Schneider 5, Daniel Olinger 11.
Wiliam Tennent (57) – David West 3, Ryan Savage 7, Markeith Baxter 12, Derrik Cosenza 2, Pat McCauley 15, Nick Meltzer 2, Kip Mooney 6, Mike Mulville 7, Ben Satz 3
HARRY S TRUMAN 39, HOLY GHOST PREP 35
Every year, teams know it'll take a special effort to top Holy Ghost Prep.
For Harry S Truman, that's been especially true, more so when the Tigers have to go to the Firebirds gym.
It wasn't pretty, but Truman played the right kind of basketball and came out with a hard-earned victory in Thursday’s opening round game of the Jack Schott Memorial Christmas Tournament.
“We respect the heck out of that team and obviously coach (Tony) Chapman, a Pennsylvania Hall of Famer,” Truman coach Byron Conover said. “That gym has been like a horror show to us over the years. They beat us by 32 two years ago there (82-50). They tore us up. We beat them a few years ago in that gym, but before that, the pickings in that gym have been very slim.
"There are certain gyms around Bucks County – Holy Ghost we don’t play well there. Both Council Rocks we never play well in those gyms, so for us to go in there for this tournament, our kids showed a lot of toughness."
Holy Ghost Prep isn't a huge school, so the Firebirds win with a system and players who buy into it.
“Holy Ghost is a hard team to prepare for because they’re so disciplined," Conover said. "We worked all practice – we tell our guys, ‘You’ve got to stay the course, don’t turn your back. You’ve got to communicate, you’ve got to talk because nobody can duplicate this system.’ There’s a reason why coach Chapman has won over 700 games, and we respect the heck out of those guys.”
The first half, by both coaches' admission, was ugly.
“It was 14-12, and coach Chapman said to me, ‘I think we set basketball back 100 years.’ Their school is right next to the Delaware River, and we definitely couldn’t throw the ball in the Delaware River. Not tonight," Conover said. "We knew it wasn’t going to 80-75 but I definitely didn’t think it was going to be 14-12 at halftime."
Truman – which scored ony two points in the second quarter but trailed by just two at halftime – found itself down 10 points in the second half. It seemed as though perhaps the Firebirds' gym was going to get the Tigers again. Then, they started chipping away.
“We started picking up full court man on them. I had to challenge the guys – whoever is going to win this game is going to force their will, and I think we definitely forced our will and made them play our game instead of us playing their game. I think it was a collective effort," Conover said. "We had some adversity, we had some turnovers. For us to be down 10 and then to come back – my guys didn’t hang their heads. They just kept fighting and chipping. I’m very proud of those guys and what they did tonight.”
The Tigers outscored their hosts 18-9 in the pivotal fourth quarter.
"Carter Kelley made some huge plays coming down the stretch. Zierr Reid hit a three up top that ignited us. We were down 10, and next thing you know we’re down four," Conover said. "The kids were in a huddle like – ‘Guys, it’s a two-possession game. We’re good.’ They never hung their heads. We just kept telling them, ‘Keep fighting, keep digging. One stop at a time,’ and we were very disciplined.”
Reid led Truman with 12 points and Gabe Gigli posted 10. Kelley scored five points but impacted the game in plenty of other ways. Jeff Nixon and Gabe Gipli both had four rebounds.
"This is huge,” Conover said of the win. “My current kids have never won in that gym before. There’s a reason coach Chapman has won so may games. I’m in awe of the guy. I wish I could be half the guy he is."
Harry S Truman (5-0, 1-0 SOL) will face Abraham Lincoln in Friday’s title game at 7 p.m.
HARRY S TRUMAN 10 2 9 18 – 39
HOLY GHOST PREP 6 8 12 9 – 35
HST: Jeff Nixon 8, Zierr Reid 12, Carter Kelley 5, Javier Peterson 4, Gabe Gigli 10.
HGP: Greg Sylvester 5, Jack Elliott 4, Jack Rittenmeyer 12, Greg Calvin 8, Sean Elliott 2, Sean Sylvester 4.
UPPER MORELAND 64, FRANKLIN TOWNE CHARTER 36
The Golden Bears rebounded from a loss Wednesday to win the consolation game in Jenkintown's Robert Hopf Tournament.
UM took early control of the game, opening up a 16-7 lead after one quarter and extending that to 35-14 by halftime.
Upper Moreland was led by extremely balanced scoring, with Ryan Coyle, Christian O'Donnell and Brett Brossman each scoring 13 points. Jake Villanueva wasn't far behind, scoring 12 as the fourth Bear in double figures.
Upper Moreland (3-4, 1-1 SOL) will be on the road at Cheltenham on Tuesday.
UPPPER MORELAND 16 19 16 13 – 64
FRANKLIN TOWNE CHARTER 7 7 6 16 – 36
UM: Villanueva 12, Knight 6, Brossman 13, Coyle 13, Johnson 3, O'Donnell 13, Wollens 4
QUAKERTOWN 41, SALISBURY 27
The Panthers found themselves trailing 12-2 in the first quarter.They only gave up 15 points the rest of the game as their defense took charge.
Quakertown – which trailed 12-8 after one frame – outscored Salisbury 14-2 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 22-14 lead on its way to a win in the consolation game of host Salisbury's tournament. It was the third win of the season for the Panthers.
Jon Rey led the offense with 11 points for the balanced Panthers. Matt Lucase added nine.
Quakertown (3-5, 1-1 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday night.
QUAKERTOWN 8 14 4 15 – 41
SALISBURY 12 2 5 8 – 27
Q: Jon Rey 11, Matt Lucas 9, Sam Rice 5, Kevin Juszynski 6, Grey Mitchell 2, Matt Tuley 6, Tyler Merwarth 2
S: Stewart 6, Foster 4, Foley 2, Reichenbach 7, Kamp 2, Frankenfield 3, Snyder 3
UPPER DARBY 64, SOUDERTON 53
The Indians led 12-9 after one quarter, but they were outscored in the following three quarters as they lost for the second time in as many days in West Chester Rustin's holiday tournament.
Tomas Hanrahan led Souderton in scoring for the third straight game, posting 16 points, a team high he shared with Kavi Ramchandani.
Souderton (3-5, 0-2 SOL) is off until next Friday when the Indians will travel to Pennridge.
UPPER DARBY 9 16 19 18 – 64
SOUDERTON 12 9 16 16 – 53
S: Tomas Hanrahan 16, Kavi Ramchandani 16, Vince 8, Stephen Luchansky 6, Trevor Watts 3, Antonio Rodriguez 2, Natale 2
UD: Abdelwahab 15, Keita 11, Trent 8, Martin 8, Wedderburn 7, Toure 7, Roper 4, Sawyer 4
NORRISTOWN 48, HATBORO-HORSHAM 44
Norristown used a scoring flurry to start the fourth quarter, breaking a tie and edging the Hatters in the first round of the Norristown Triangle Club's annual tournament.
Khalid Johnson led the Hatters with 16 points, hitting 3-of-3 from 3-point range in the third quarter to erase a halftime deficit.
Jake Schalki scored eight of his 12 points in the first quarter for the Hatters, who were tied 15-15 after the opening frame. Norristown led 24-19 at the break and the teams held a 33-33 tie at the conclusion of the third quarter.
The Hatters (2-3, 1-1 SOL) will face Upper Merion in the consolation game Friday at 6:30.
NORRISTOWN 15 9 9 15 – 48
HATBORO-HORSHAM 15 4 14 11 – 44
N: Tubbs 14, Dorman 8, Sanford 7, Hopewell 6, Tate 6, Lyons 5, Anderson 2
HH: Khalid Johnson 16, Jake Schalki 12, Solomon McNair 7, Kyle Hogan 6, Brandon Hooks 2, Chris Edwards 1
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 56, BENSALEM 52
The finish was not kind to the Owls on Thursday.
With the game tied with 1:10 left, Bensalem missed a potential go-ahead shot, Ben Franklin scored to break the 52-52 deadlock. Following another Owls miss, Ben Franklin threw the ball to a player who had fallen behind the play for an easy score to ice the game.
Early on, the Owls led 13-7 after one quarter and took a 27-26 lead into halftime. They still led by one heading into the final frame.
James Leible’s 21 points led all scorers. Carlos Gonzalez added eight points and Kris Shields, six points.
Bensalem (3-4, 1-1 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South on Wednesday when SOL action resumes.
BEN FRANKLIN 7 19 10 20 – 56
BENSALEM 13 14 10 15 – 52
BF: Graham 11, Whaley 6, Davis 16, Quattlebaum 4, Priester 17, West 2.
B:Taco Douglas 3, Ward Roberts 5, Keith Parrish 4, James Legible 21, Carlos Gonzalez 8, Kris Shields 6, Nick Fossile 3, Mohamed Jabathen 2.
CONESTOGA 59, PENNRIDGE 51
The Rams dropped their opening game in Boyertown's holiday tournament.
Jon Post had a strong offensive game, scoring 21 points. Three other Rams had double figures with Sean Yoder posting 11 and Mike Molettiere and Tyrese Lewis each scoring 10.
The Pioneers jumped on the Rams early, opening up a 16-8 lead after one quarter and going into halftime with a 34-27 advantage.
Pennridge (4-3, 0-1 SOL) will play Governor Mifflin in Friday’s consolation game.
CONESTOGA 16 18 12 13 – 59
PENNRIDGE 8 19 8 16 – 51
C: Scott 22, Lezonic 8, Robinson 7, Martin 5, Schapelli 4, Brace 9, Erickson 4
P: Jon Post 21, Sean Yoder 11, Mike Molettiere 10, Tyrese Lewis 10, Jake Pestrak 2
OLENTANGY (OH) 70, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 50
CB East's trip to Orlando, Florida started with a setback to high-scoring Olentangy.
Kyle Cassidy paced the Patriots with 17 points and East got 11 different scorers in Thursday's contest.
The Patriots trailed 16-12 after one quarter and found themselves on the short end of a 31-23 halftime score. They were outscored in each of the four quarters.
The Patriots (5-2, 2-0 SOL) face another PA school, Baldwin, in Friday's second round game.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 12 11 12 15 -50
OLENTANGY 16 15 16 23 -70
CBE: Ben Markowitz 2, Kyle Cassidy 17, Collin Stein 4, Jesse Rivera 7, Leo Masterson 3, Collin Wright 2, Jason Markowitz 3, Joe Jackman 3, Anthony Giordano 2, Nick Roggio 6, Chris Charlton 1
O: Gossett 2, Milliam 4, Browning 2, Riddel 8, Marks 21, Elmore 3, Brown 2, Kinnard 15, Steel 1, Sieve 12
GREAT VALLEY 55, UPPER DUBLIN 27
The Cardinals struggled on the offensive end in Thursday’s loss in the consolation game of the Great Valley Tournament. Mike Ryan led the Cardinals with 11 points while Brian Klammer added eight.
Upper Dublin (1-7, 0-2 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday.
UD: Najee Scott 4, Brian Klammer 8, Mike Slivka 2, Mike Ryan 11, Ryan 2
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 70, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 69
The Titans dropped a heartbreaker to one of the Philadelphia Public League's top teams on Thursday in an opening round game of the Jack Schott Memorial Tournament.
Tommy Kuypers scored 19 points to lead the Titans while Jack Johns had 15. Nate Robinson and Cole Prezelski also finished in double figures with 12 points each.
Central Bucks South (4-2, 2-0 SOL) will play Holy Ghost Prep in a consolation game on Friday.
CBS: Brady Prezelski 2, Cole Prezelski 12, Nate Robinson 12, Jack Johns 15, Alex Dietz 2, Mark Kannengieszer 2, Tommy Kuypers 19, Ian McCaw 5
K. Meares 13, S. Morris 21, T. Coleman 2, S. Day 8, E. Charleston 11, J. Randall 12, P. Obogo 2, P. Lewis 1
METHACTON 46, NORTH PENN 45
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