Check out the results for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Tuesday.
By Scott Huff
And the beat goes on…
Plymouth Whitemarsh 56, Friends Central 53
Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-0) excelled in the glare of the scholastic hoop spotlight as the Colonials captured the victory over Friends Central. The contest was the featured game of the night at Widener University in the Jameer/Pete Nelson Classic.
“To be the showcase game at 8:30 on Tuesday night at Widener is the best thing that can happen to our team,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “To be able to follow Chester and Imhotep was incredible. It was a high energy atmosphere.”
Friends Central showcases the talent of De’Andre Hunter who will take his talents to the University of Virginia next year. And Hunter didn’t disappoint with a brilliant 28-point performance.
“Hunter is terrific,” said Donofrio. “And when you play a player of that caliber it raises your game.”
The Colonial that had his game raised the highest was senior Xzavier Malone. Malone scored 22 points – had five assists – two steals – and six rebounds.
“Xzavier loves the big time environment,” said Donofrio. “When the biggest moments came in the game, Xzavier controlled the game. He loves the challenge.
“We did some good things tonight,” added Donofrio. “We still have some things to learn. But the best thing is that we are learning and winning at the same time.”
The Colonials opened up a 12-8 lead after one quarter and took a 25-19 lead into halftime. It was still a six-point game after three quarters.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 12-13-14-17*56
Friends Central 8-11-14-20*53
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Xzavier Malone 22, Mike Lotito 10, Davon Burrell 10, Ahmad Williams 5, Grady Minick 4, Ahmin Williams 2, Naheem McLeod 2, Kevin Ashenfelter 2, Cheo Huston 1.
Friends Central: Hunter 28, Champion 10, Walker 3, Spriggs 3, Robinson 3, Mosley-Banks 3, Folwell 3.
Abington 40, St. Joseph Prep 38
Abington senior Brian Close hit a three-point field goal with 10 seconds left in the game to snap a 37-37 tie and provide the winning points for the Ghosts (7-2) over the Prep. The showcase game between two of the elite teams in the area was part of the Jameer/Pete Nelson Classic played at Widener University.
“It was the first three-pointer of Brian’s career,” said Abington head coach Charles Grasty. “We called timeout with 30 seconds left in the game, and (Robert Young) kicked the ball out to Brian on the wing.
“We fouled with 1.8 seconds left in the game – they made the first shot and missed the second on purpose,” added Grasty. “Joe O’Brien was able to bat the ball back to halfcourt, and we were able to win the game.
“To be able to play at Widener – in that college environment – is a great feeling for the players,” continued Grasty. “As long as I am the coach here – we are going to challenge our program to play the best teams.”
The Prep led 14-6 after one quarter, but the Ghosts trimmed that lead to 18-17 at halftime. The two teams were deadlocked entering the final quarter in a contest that came down to the wire.
“We play Friends Central (Wednesday),” said Grasty. “And that should be another great test for our young players.”
Robbie Heath led the Ghosts in scoring with 14 points.
Abington 6-11-14-9*40
St. Joe Prep 14-4-13-7*38
Central Bucks East 43, Scripps Ranch (California) 41
The Patriots (6-3) advanced to Wednesday’s Sun Division championship game of the San Diego Surf-N-Slam Tournament with a victory over host Scripps Ranch (7-4). CB East opened the tournament with a 47-37 victory over Lowell (CA).
“We are really having a great time out here, and to win the last couple of games makes it even better,” said Central Bucks East head coach Erik Henrysen. “We try and take a trip every couple of years – and the last two times we went to Orlando. We thought we would change it up this year – and this has been a great experience.”
The Patriots trailed at the half (23-18) but made a 14-5 run in the third period to secure a lead it would never relinquish.
“Even though we were down, we felt good about ourselves at the half,” said Henrysen. “We bombed away in the first half with three’s, but we were much better at getting the ball down low in the second half.
“We were up seven or eight late, but in California they play with a 35-second shot clock,” added Henrysen. “It is something we never had to deal with before, but we didn’t panic. We had to close it out a little differently than we are used to playing – but we had a lot of nice contributions from a number of players.”
The stats were proof of that.
Justin O’Neil led the Patriots with 13 points that included a trio of 3-pointers; captain Tommy Strasburger had nine assists, eight rebounds, and seven points; Blake Peterson led the team with eight rebounds; and Chris Reilly had came up with four steals.
There were a total of nine CB East players that scored points.
“The last two games Tommy Strasburger has done everything for us,” said Henrysen. “And when he is good – we are good.”
And the Patriots are good enough to play in the title game.
CB East Patriots 9-9-14-11*43
Scripps Ranch 10-13-5-13*41
CB East: Justin O’Neil 13, Tommy Strasburger 7, Collin Stein 6, Elijah Seger 5, Matt Pattyson 4, Chris Reily 2, Ryan Plack 2, Blake Peterson 2, Cooper Fink 2.
Scripps Ranch: Denharder 18, Koyuncu 8, Mullin 8, Chau 3, Jewell 3, Aguirre 3.
Central Bucks West 47, Lipscomb Academy 46
Central Bucks West (8-1, 4-0 SOL) advanced to the finals of the Franklin Roads Holiday Tournament in Nashville Tennessee with its victory over Lipscomb.
The Bucks, who led 10-8 after one quarter, took a 21-19 lead into halftime. It was still anybody’s game heading into the fourth quarter with West on top by a tenuous 31-30 score.
“It was a dogfight the entire game,” said Central Bucks West head coach Adam Sherman. “Bill Power made a huge three pointer in the fourth quarter and Erich Hohlenleitner made clutch free throws to close out the game.”
Power led a balanced West attack with 13 points while Hohlenleitner had nine. Luke Irons and Connor Lynch both added six points.
“This trip to Nashville had been a great team building experience for the players,” said Sherman. “We have built a great team chemistry on this trip, and we have grown together on and off the court.”
Central Bucks West will be playing Wednesday’s championship game versus the winner of Lebanon vs. Franklin Roads Academy.
Central Bucks West 10-11-10-16*47
Lipscomb Academy 8-11-11-16*46
CB West: Bill Power 13, Erich Hohlenleitner 9, Luke Irons 8, Connor Lynch 6, Cal Reichwein 5, Ben Riegel 4, Jake Reichwein 2, Collin MacAdams 2.
Lipscomb Academy: Merritt 24, Pickens 13, McNeely 3, Forent 2, Holliday 2, Terry 2.
Pennridge 54, Southern Lehigh 33
Pennridge (7-2) captured the Boyertown Christmas Tournament trophy with its win over previously unbeaten Southern Lehigh.
“Southern Lehigh is a good team – they play very well together,” said Pennridge head coach Dean Behrens. “They blew out Boyertown the night before – and we knew they were good.”
The game was contested through the first three periods with Pennridge holding a 38-30 lead – but the Rams ignited in the fourth quarter to go on a 16-3 run to win going away. Senior Dan Long fueled the Green and White offense as he scored 21 points.
“Dan does it all for us,” said Behrens. “He runs the point – scores the ball – rebounds – plays great defense. He came into the game shooting over 90 per cent from the free throw line – and he made some key foul shots in this game.
“We go back into our league next week against North Penn,” added Behrens. “It’s nice to go win with a couple of wins over the holiday break.”
Also for the Rams (8-2, 3-1 SOL), Max Wagner also finished in double figures with 10 points, and Stephen Lowry had eight.
Pennridge 17-12-9-16*54
Southern Lehigh 15-9-6-3*33
Pennridge: Dan Long 21, Max Wagner 10, Stephen Lowry 8, Ryan Cuthbert 5, Devon Balmer 4, Kyle Yoder 4, Nick Tarburton 2.
Southern Lehigh: Patel 9, Cassel 7, Zamichelli 5, Barnes 3, Dalton 3, Hudson 2, Dougherty 2.
William Tennent 43, Gloucester Tech 39
William Tennent (5-5) scored seven points in opening minute of the fourth quarter to erase a 30-23 deficit en route to capturing the William Tennent Holiday Classic with the come-from-behind victory. It was the fifth straight win for the Panthers after opening the season with an 0-5 mark.
“We turned up the pressure late in the game,” said William Tennent head coach Robert Mulville. “We went to a full-court press and got some turnovers and easy baskets.
“John Ryan scored 11 of his 18 points in the final quarter,” added Mulville of his senior standout. “He had a couple of steals in the quarter, got some key rebounds, and took a big charge. He really stepped up for us.
“It is nice being on the five game winning streak,” continued Mulville. “It will give us some momentum going into our league schedule. We still have two games left with both Abington and Pennsbury – and it is going to be a real challenge.”
The Panthers, who trailed 13-7 after one quarter, found themselves on the short end of a 23-15 score at the intermission. Not a whole lot changed until the fourth quarter when the Panthers’ pressure turned the tide.
“The press makes us all step up our game, pick up our intensity,” Ryan said. “It was turnover after turnover, and we all just fed off of that.”
Ryan converted a pair of Matt Berndlmaier alley-oop passes into easy buckets in the fourth quarter. The Panthers – who knotted the score 30-30 on a Pat McCauley trey – went on top 32-30 after the duo hooked up early in the fourth quarter, but the Cheetahs responded, going back on top 38-32. A three-point play by Ryan knotted the score 39-39 with 3:05 remaining, and the Panthers went on top 41-39 when Brendan Carter scored on a tough drive in traffic.
Ryan and McCauley both were named to the all-tournament team. McCauley added eight points.
William Tennent 7-8-8-20*43
Gloucester Tech 13-10-7-9*39
William Tennent: John Ryan 18, Pat McCauley 8, Matt Berndlmaier 6, Markeith Alford-Baxter 4, George Allston 2, Brendan Carter 2, Ryan Lucas 2, Anthony Woodward 1.
Gloucester Tech: Brown 18, Pollock 10, Medley 4, Collins 4, Barndt 3.
Bensalem 72, Northeast 57
Bensalem (3-5) won its own Dick Dougherty Holiday Tournament with a convincing victory over Northeast.
The Owls – who took a 33-26 lead into halftime – blew open a tight game at half with a 26-10 explosion in the third period to coast to the win. Bensalem placed three players in double digits and were led in scoring by Ward Roberts with 18 points. Roberts knocked home a trio of three-pointers for the winners. Brian Quarterman added 15 points, which included a pair of three-pointers, and Rich Dean contributed 13 points, including three three-pointers in a contest that saw the Owls bury nine treys. Taco Douglas and John Dumeny both added seven points for the winners.
Bensalem 16-17-26-13*72
Northeast 15-11-10-21*57
Northeast: Edgardo Lanzo 14, Diante Cannon 9, John Kirkpatrick 22, Anthony Brown 2, Nasir Wooden 7, Joshua Coleman 3.
Bensalem: Rich Dean 13, Anthony Greene 5, Ward Roberts 18, Daquice Knight 2, BJ Jones 3, Brian Quarterman 15, Jordan Vanish 1, Austin Squillace 1, Taco Douglas 7, John Dumeny 7.
Cheltenham 55, Penncrest 46
Cheltenham (8-2) – which trailed 32-17 at the close of the first half – outscored host Penncrest 38-14 in the second half as the Panthers captured the victory over the Lions.
Khalil White carried the offense for Cheltenham with a 21-point scoring performance, while Amir Lewis scored in twin digits with 10 points.
Cheltenham 6-11-14-24*55
Penncrest 18-14-4-10*46
Central Bucks South 36, Council Rock North 30
Central Bucks South (6-4) won its opening round game over tournament host Council Rock North (4-5) in the 9th Annual Helping Athletes Tournament.
“Both teams played strong defensively, and it was a physical game,” said Central Bucks South head coach Jason Campbell. “Our goal is to get stronger as the game goes along, and I thought we were able to do that tonight.
“We stepped it up defensively in the fourth quarter holding them to six points,” added Campbell. “It is going to be a different game against St. Paul’s (Maryland) in the championship game. They like to play at a much quicker pace – and we are going to have to deal with that.”
The Titans trailed 9-6 after the first quarter but outscored their hosts 10-5 in the second to go into halftime with a 16-14 lead. It was still a one-point game after three quarter with South clinging to a 25-24 advantage. They outscored the Indians 11-6 in the pivotal fourth quarter.
Tim Waddington and Chris Hones led the Titans with 12 points each. Noah Ehlin (10 points) and Riley Thompson (nine points) led the Indians.
“The competition we get to play here really gets us ready for league play,” said Campbell. “But the whole idea of Athletes Helping Athletes is such a great thing. You learn a lot about yourself playing in a tournament like this.”
Central Bucks South 6-10-9-11*36
Council Rock North 9-5-10-6*30
Central Bucks South: Tim Waddington 12, Chris Hones 12, Alex Karras 5, Ryan Joerger 4, Nate Robinson 2, Tom Doyle 1.
Council Rock North: Noah Ehlin 10, Riley Thompson 9, Tyler Nowmos 4, Elliot Spicer 3, Will DeSautelle 2, Matt McAlister 2.
Council Rock South 50, Harvest Prep (Ohio) 47
Council Rock South (4-5) rallied in the fourth quarter to capture its win over Harvest Prep in the consolation game of the West Chester Rustin Classic. The Golden Hawks – who trailed 39-33 heading into the final frame – outscored Harvest Prep 17-8 in the fourth quarter.
“We were (still) down nine points late in the fourth quarter,” said Council Rock South head coach John Easterly. “We began to press and created some turnovers and easy baskets.
“We were a little slow coming out of the halftime, but we played very well in the fourth quarter,” added Easterly. “Austin Thomas hits big three pointers – and Mike Stock was great. Mike took four charges and was unbelievable on defense.
“We needed this win to build some momentum,” continued Easterly. “We have a big game with North – and it is nice to go into that game with a win.”
Austin Thomas led the Golden Hawks with 17 points. He was one of three Rock South players to finish in double figures. Alex Nordenholt, who was named to the all-tournament team, added 11 points, and Kevin Newbert had 10. Stock finished with eight points.
Council Rock South 15-13-5-17*50
Harvest Prep 8-15-16-8*47
Council Rock South: Austin Thomas 17, Alex Nordenholt 11, Kevin Newbert 10, Mike Stock 8, Michael Krepich 4.
Harvest Prep: Aidan 12, Keim 11, C Williams 10, Bangura 7, Williams 5, Reynolds 2.
Springfield 49, Roxbourgh 48
Springfield (2-7) ended a six-game losing streak with its razor thin victory over Roxbourgh in the Christopher Dock Holiday Tournament.
Ryan Daley – who led all scorers with 16 points – scored the game winning points for the Spartans with a field goal in the final 14 seconds.
Springfield: Ryan Daley 16, Justin Hill 9, Matt Corrado 6, Quentin Johnson 6, Larry Clark 4, Jabree Williams 4, Kharee Hopkins 2, Mike Goodson 2.
Roxbourgh: Hammond 13, Williams 11, Alexander 10, Washington 6, Spruel 4, Wright 2, Woodard 2.
Norristown 62, Pottsgrove 37
Norristown (4-6) won the consolation game of the Triangle Club Tournament with the convincing victory over Pottsgrove.
The Eagles – who soared to a 15-5 lead in the first period – featured scoring balance as three players scored in double digits.
Amir Carter and Tyrique Lyons each scored a game-high 14 points. Lyons also had seven rebounds, three steals and three blocks shots in a solid all-around outing. Darryl Carr scored in twin digits with 13 markers to go along with a team high eight rebounds. Darius McGowan also had seven rebounds and chipped in three points. Roy Green added nine points for the Eagles. Norristown led 34-18 at halftime and blew the game wide open with a 17-7 third quarter tear.
Norristown 15-19-17-11*62
Pottsgrove 5-13-7-12*37
Norristown: Amir Carter 14, Tyrique Lyons 14, Darryl Carr 13, Roy Green 9, Darius McGowan 3, K Mazziaz 4, Reggie Collins 2, Michael Dorman 2.
Pottsgrove: Austin 14, Gibbs 6, Smith 5, Goldsmith 4, Goldstein 3, Doctor 3, Hein 2.
Neshaminy 64, Kipp DuBois Charter 36
Neshaminy (1-4) won the opening round of the Deby Recupido Memorial Tournament with the win over Kipp DuBois. The Skins will play in the championship final against Phil-Mont Christian.
North Penn 56, Methacton 50 (OT)
North Penn (4-6) won the opening round of the Perkiomen Valley Holiday Tournament with the dramatic victory over Methacton. The Warriors led 11-9 after one quarter and took a 23-22 lead into halftime. The Knights outscored the Warriors 14-9 in the third quarter to go into the final frame with a 36-32 lead, but the Warriors knotted the score 48-48 when Jake Cardarelli scored as time was about to expire, setting the stage for OT.
Methacton scored the first two points of overtime, but the Knights – or more specifically Derek Heiserman – owned the rest of the extra period.
“(Heiserman) had a basket and then made four straight free throws and had a couple of huge rebounds to extend the lead,” coach John Conrad said. “We didn’t shoot the ball exceptionally well, but I thought we played hard and just kept plugging and kept playing and kept playing. Fortunately, it turned out on the right side.”
Conrad lauded the performances of Heiserman and Noah Kwortnik, who led the Knights with 14 and 12 points respectively. It was the defense of Kwortnik on senior Bobby Lojewski that was a difference maker.
“It was his first game back,” Conrad said of Lojewski. “He had been out with injuries, and he lit us up for 17 points, but a lot of that was in the first half. We moved Noah onto him, and Noah did a nice job defensively.”
Matt Pickford and Lance Lindsay-Ford both added seven points for the Knights, who will face host Perkiomen Valley on Wednesday.
Methacton 11-12-9-16-2 50
North Penn 9-13-14-12-8 56
Methacton: Lojewski 17, Stephan Savage 6, Patrick O’Neill 7, Tyler Neugebauer 1, Liam Malachaowski 3, Noah Kitaw 5, Cougle 6, Jake Cardarelli 5.
North Penn: Reece Udinski 2, Justin Cueto 2, Derek Heiserman 14, Ricky Johns 9, Noah Kwortnik 12, Lance Lindsay-Ford 7, J Melchio 3, Matt Pickford 7.
Souderton 34, Church Farm 32
Souderton (4-6) won a thriller over Church Farm in the second round of the West Chester Rustin Classic. Ian Beardsley scored the game winner and finished with a team high 11 points. Ty Salone added 10 points for the Indians.
Father Judge 54, Hatboro-Horsham 47 (overtime)
Hatboro-Horsham (6-4) lost a heartbreaker in the championship final of the Triangle Club Tournament held at Norristown High School, falling in overtime to the PCL Crusaders.
The Hatters led 13-9 after one quarter and took a 22-21 lead into halftime. The Crusaders had a 36-32 advantage heading into the final quarter only to watch the Hatters rally to knot the score. The Crusaders outscored the Hatters 10-3 in OT.
Clifton Moore led all scorers with 20 points to pace the Hatter attack. Kyle Katz added nine points, and Jay Davis and Brandon Crews both had seven. Joe Russell had a big game under the backboards, pulling down 10 rebounds.
Hatboro-Horsham 13-9-10-12-3*47
Father Judge 11-10-15-8-10*54
Hatboro-Horsham: Clifton Moore 20, Kyle Katz 9, Jay Davis 7, Brandon Crews 7, Zeke Sloan 2, Joe Russell 2.
Father Judge: Rodriguez 16, Power 10, O’Connor 10, Reed 10, DeNofa 4, Fleming 4.
Salisbury 63, Quakertown 53
Quakertown (3-7) reached the finals of the Salisbury Christmas Tournament – however the Panthers could not come home with the trophy, falling to host Salisbury. The Panthers found themselves on the short end of a 16-8 score after one quarter, and they trailed 34-24 at halftime. Salisbury sealed the Panthers’ fate with a 12-4 third quarter run.
Q-town senior sharpshooter Griffin Schmidt – who went over 1,000 points for his career in the opening round of the tournament – led all scorers with 20 points. JR Grimmage also finished in double figures with 10 while Ty Harrison added seven.
Quakertown 8-16-4-25*53
Salisbury 16-18-12-17*63
Quakertown: Griffin Schmidt 20, JR Grimmage 10, Ty Harrison 7, Ryan Howard 2, Branden Lewis 2, Dakota Suchanec 2, Wynder 2, Rob Mestayer 1.
Salisbury: Weber 16, Bellettiere 13, Slutsky 11, Jones 8, Costello 6, Cooperman 5, Reichenbach 4.
Holy Ghost Prep 82, Truman 50
Truman (3-5) fell to a tough Holy Ghost Prep squad in the opening round of the Jack Shott Memorial Tournament. The Firebirds established the tone early, outscoring the Tigers 21-13 in the first quarter and 21-8 in the second to go into halftime with a commanding 42-21 lead.
Danell Snelling scored a team-high 15 points for the Tigers. Justin Fant added seven while Maurice Jackson, Kevin Trammell and Kelechi Ogbonna all had six.
Truman 13-8-13-16*50
Holy Ghost Prep 21-21-18-22*82
Truman: Danell Snelling 15, Justin Fant 7, Maurice Jackson 6, Kevin Trammell 6, Kelechi Ogbonna 6, Nixon 4, Willis 3, Simpson 2, Jackson 1.
Holy Ghost Prep: McFadden 24, Coolahan 15, Bauer 14, McCrane 12, Calvin 3, Elliot 3, Fife 3, Carlin 2, McDonald 2, Rittenmayer 2, Staropoli 2.
Jenkintown 54, Upper Moreland 45
The good news for Upper Moreland (7-3) was that the Golden Bears entered the Jenkintown Tournament championship game with a five-game winning streak. The bad news was that the streak was abruptly ended by the host Drakes.
Upper Moreland led at the close of the first period (13-9) and at the close of the first half (21-20) – but a 19-12 run by Jenkintown in the third period was not to be overcome. Shane Stone led the Golden Bears in scoring with a 17-point performance. Damian Washington also was in double figures with 10 while Brendan O’Donnell (nine points) and Brett Brossman (six points) also contributed.
Upper Moreland 13-8-12-12*45
Jenkintown 9-11-19-15*54
Upper Moreland: Shane Stone 17, Damian Washington 10, Brendan O’Donnell 9, Brett Brossman 6, Ted Lyons 2, Casey Decker 1.
Jenkintown: Mulvaney 16, Robinson 10, Kolb 10, Sobolewski 9, Madden 7, Contoudis 2.
Ocean City 59, Upper Dublin 49
Upper Dublin (1-7) was down by just two points at the half, but Ocean City took control of the game with a 17-6 run in the third quarter to send the Cardinals down to defeat in the Boardwalk Classic played at the Wildwood Convention Center in Wildwood, New Jersey.
The good news for Upper Dublin was that a pair of its football players – Ryan Stover and John Barrett – each looks closer to gaining their ‘basketball legs’. Stover led the Cardinals with 18 points, while Barrett chipped in with nine points. Upper Dublin will play in a consolation game tomorrow in the John Pierantozzi bracket of the tournament.
Upper Dublin 13-8-6-22*49
Ocean City 15-8-17-19*59
Upper Dublin: Ryan Stover 18, John Barrett 9, Will Derr 6, Jim Gallahger 6, Curtiz Goff 6, Gary Fields 2, Ian McGonagle 2.
Ocean City: Laverty 15, Lubrano 13, Jones 13, Gillian 6, Jamison 6, Keyes 2, Flukery 2.
Coatesville 52, Pennsbury 44
Pennsbury (7-2) dropped its contest to Coatesville in the Jameer/Pete Nelson Classic played at Widener University. The Falcons and Red Raiders were deadlocked 11-11 after one quarter, the Falcons took a 21-19 lead into halftime, but the Raiders took control of the contest with a 17-10 third quarter surge. They outscored the Falcons 16-13 in the final frame.
Mark Flagg (13 points), Isaiah Carpenter (12 points) and Tyler Sessa-Reeves (12 points) led the Falcons’ attack.
Pennsbury 11-10-10-13 44
Coatesville 11-8-17-16 52
Pennsbury: Vaughn Ward 2, Tyler Sessa-Reeves, Isaiah Carpenter 12, Rob Daly 2, Mark Flagg 13.
Coatesville: Donovan 2, Hugan 9, Brickus 5, Young 10, Bladen 2, Boyer 13, Martinez 11.
Phil-Mont 57, Upper Merion 51
Upper Merion (3-3) lost to Phil-Mont in the opening round of the Deby Recupido Memorial Tournament played at Neshaminy High School. The Vikings will play a consolation game against Kipp Dubois Charter.
Perkiomen Valley 57, Wissahickon 51
Wissahickon (3-6) lost to Perk Valley in the opening round of the Perkiomen Valley Holiday Tournament. The Trojans will play Methacton in a consolation game.
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