Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action. CR North/Conwell-Egan photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos.
West Chester Rustin Holiday Tournament
Souderton 54, Upper Dublin 48
The Indians hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter and ended up with nine for the game, as they beat Upper Dublin for the second time this season, this time in the title game of Rustin Holiday Tournament.
“This was important for us because we’re going into the middle of our schedule, and this is where we need to start making an impression for the season and gaining momentum,” said Souderton assistant coach Michael Ruivivar, who filled in for coach Okoteh Sackitey, who didn’t coach this week because of COVID-19.
Jay Bonnet was the big story for the Indians with 21 points, including four from 3-point range, and he went 4-for-4 from the foul line in the pivotal fourth quarter.
“This is a kid that doesn’t show much facial expression, but he plays his heart out,” Ruivivar said. “Whatever you ask him to do, he will do it. Whether it’s clutch 3s, a rebound or play stifling defense, he will do it for the team.”
Aleks Smith and Paul Vince were also in double figures with 10 points each.
“Both of them are very reliable,” Ruivivar said. “Paul Vince is another one who doesn’t say much, but he’ll get a clutch rebound. Aleks Smith is more of our character guy, he’s our personality. Both of them just play hard.”
The Indians, who took a 38-32 lead into the final quarter, saw the Flying Cardinals pull to within one (44-43) with four minutes left in regulation, but Souderton closed it out strong as senior James Blair came off the bench and hit a pair of huge 3s.
“I rolled the dice, and I put him in, and he came up with two 3-pointers,” Ruivivar said. “He’s just clutch player. He is our version of the ‘Miicrowave’ – Vinnie Johnson – of the Detroit Pistons.
“One of the things coach Okoteh and I instill in the kids is we tell them, ‘Next play or next man up.’ Every one of these kids does that every time. Fortunately, this time with Coach O being out, it was my turn to step up. He gave me all the encouragement to do what I do best. The players played well.
“Even though coach Okoteh wasn’t there, he would send me key texts. Unfortunately, sometimes I didn’t see it until later on because I have it on vibrate, but the funny thing is, with the chemistry he and I have, I will do it, and then I will look at my texts and I did it without even looking at the text.”
For Upper Dublin, D.J. Cerisier led the way with 16 points, while Seaton Kukla had 10 points.
Souderton (7-2) is back in action Tuesday at CB West. Upper Dublin (4-2) hosts Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.
Souderton (54)
Jay Bonnet 6 5-5 21; James Blair 3 0-1 8; Aleks Smith 5 0-0 10; Paul Vince 4 0-0 10; Levi John 2 0-0 5. Totals 20 5-9 54
Upper Dublin (48)
D.J. Cerisier 6 2-2 16; Chris Kohlbrenner 1 0-0 2; Mason Pensabene 1 0-0 3; Colin O’Sullivanj 3 0-0 7; Ryan Mulroy 2 0-0 4; Griffin Pensabene 0 1-2 1; Coleman Zamborisky 2 0-0 6; Seaton Kukla 4 2-2 10. Totals 14 5-6 48.
Souderton 11 17 10 16 – 54
Upper Dublin 8 14 10 16 – 48
3-point goals: S-Bonnet 4, Blair 2, Vince 2; UD-Cerisier 2, M. Pensabene 1, O’Sullivan 1; Zambrosky 1
Juenger Holiday Classic
Council Rock South 64, Chichester 48
Playing for the first time in a week, the Golden Hawks came out with a strong effort, especially on the defensive end to put away Chichester in an opening round game of the Juenger Holiday Classic at Haverford High School on Wednesday.
“For us, we came out ready to play,” said CR South coach Andrew Rogers. “They were definitely really eager to be back playing. We had a tough stretch of games before the holiday. But tonight, we ran a really good offense to start, and it always helps to make some shots.”
Rogers said early defense created most of his team’s offense, and it also limited Chichester to 15 points in the first half. The Golden Hawks led 23-15 at the intermission and then blew the game wide open with a 21-11 third quarter.
Offensively, Gavin Hollaran had 18 points to lead the Hawks, while Matt Robinson had 13, Shane Dawson 12, Anthony Burns 11 and Zach Schwart nine points.
“We had 15 assists on our baskets,” Rogers said. “That really helps. We really moved the ball well. We were up at nine and increased that lead. Our guards did a good job handling Chichester’s pressure. We were able to get it up the floor. Holloran and Burns did a good job getting it up the floor and getting us in our offense.”
CR South plays Haveford High in Thursday’s title game (6:30 p.m.)
CR South (64)
Gavin Holloran 6 1-1 18; Anthony Burns 4 2-2 11; Shane Dawson 5 1-1 12; Matt Robinson 3 3-3 13; Zach Schwartz 2 4-4 9. Totals 20 7-7 64
Chichester (48)
Sayed 4 0-0 9; Keys 4 1-2 10; Swinton 1 0-0 2; Diggs 2 1-2 5; Wildrick 4 0-0 8; Gordy 2 0-0 5; Keys 1 0-0 3. Totals 21 2-4 48.
CR South 10 13 21 12 – 64
Chichester 6 9 11 16 – 48
3-point goals: CRS- Holloran 4, Burns 1, Dawson 1, Robinson 1; C-Sayed 1, A. Keys 1, Z. Keys 1
Dock Holiday Tournament
New Hope-Solebury 55, Roxborough 50
After opening the season with eight straight losses, it’s fair to say New Hope-Solebury needed Wednesday night’s game.
“Did we ever,” said Lions coach Derek Brooks. “Earlier in the year, we were playing above expectations. The kids were leaving everything on the court but losing kind of piles on you over time. We are very young and inexperienced. Only one of our kids played varsity last year. Three kids weren’t even in the program last year. And the JV team, unfortunately, did not win a game last year. We knew we had a long way to go with this group.
“But tonight they finally started to believe. I give them credit. They’re much more capable than even they know. Tonight was a step in the right direction.”
Sophomore Miles Demby led the Lions with 17 points, while Justin Lehman and Charlie Albano had 12 points each.
“We got down a little bit early, but we fought back,” Brooks said. “One problem that we’ve had is when we’ve gotten down big early, we haven’t stayed composed and fought back. We tied it at halftime, and then had a really good third quarter. We were the aggressor. We set the tone. We made some great plays at the rim. It was fun to see from our guys.”
New Hope (1-8) is back in SOL Freedom Division play Tuesday at home against Upper Moreland.
New Hope-Solebury (55)
Jon Wilson 2 0-0 4; Charlie Albano 5 2-3 12; Justin Lehman 4 3-4 1; Miles Demby 8 0-0 17; Liam Ross 3 1-3 7; Dylan Hildebrandt 1 1-1 3.
Roxborough (50)
Minor 1 0-0 2; Powell 2 0-0 5; McGriff 3 2-3 8; Holt 4 0-0 10; Steele 1 1-2 4; Lewis 1 0-0 2; Clark 6 4-8 16; Jones 2 0-0 5.
New Hope 13 15 18 9 – 55
Roxborough 18 10 8 6 – 50
Perkiomen Valley Holiday Tournament
North Penn 68, Perkiomen Valley 59 (OT)
The Knights dominated in overtime, burying 8-of-10 from the foul line and outscoring host Perk Valley 14-5 on the way to the nine-point win in Wednesday’s third-place game.
“I think it was a game of runs,” said North Penn coach John Conrad. “We’d get up four or six, they’d recover and get up four or six.
“On our last possession, Mario Sgro made 1 of 2 free throws, and (Perk Valley) came down and got a tip in with about six or seven seconds to go to tie it up.
“Milind Pulugura was really big for us. He scored the first two (in overtime), got a rebound and made two free throws and we grabbed a 6-0 lead in overtime.”
The Knights, who led 26-25 at halftime, trailed 40-38 heading into the final quarter. Sparked by eight points from Sgro, the Knights outscored their hosts 16-14 to send the game into OT.
Pulugura, who had five points in OT, finished with 22 points for the game, hit three 3-pointers and went 7-for-9 from the line.
Joe Larkins had a big game for the Knights as well, with 19 points, while Sgro added 11 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the charity stripe. As a team, the Knights went 24-28 from the line for the game.
North Penn (5-3) is back in action Tuesday night at CB East in a key showdown in the SOL Colonial Division.
North Penn (68)
Mario Sgro 2 7-8 11; Norm Gee 1 4-4 7; Ryan Zeltt 1 2-2 4; Joe Larkins 7 4-4 19; Ryan Deininger 1 0-0 2; Duece Dorsey 1 0-0 3; Milind Pulugura 6 7-9 22. Totals 19 24-28 68.
Perkiomen Valley (59)
V Sadler 4 1-1 11; E. Koehler 2 2-2 6; Debs 6 1-3 13; Pelzer 2 0-0 4; Nelson 5 0-2 10; J. Sadler 5 1-3 14; Henry 0 0-2 0. Totals 23 5-14 59
North Penn 13 13 12 16 14 – 68
Perk Valley 8 17 15 14 5 – 59
3-point goals: NP-Gee 1, Larkins 1, Pulugura 3; PV- V. Sadler 2, J. Sadler 3
Methacton 46, Wissahickon 32
Wissahickon ran into a buzzsaw on Wednesday night as undefeated Methacton lived up to its accolades with a dominant effort.
The Trojans, who trailed 22-16 at halftime, managed just 12 field goals in the game and didn’t score more than nine points in any one quarter.
Dom Vacchiano scored 10 points, while Earl Stout added eight to lead Wissahickon.
The Trojans (5-3) hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh in a SOL Liberty game on Tuesday.
Wissahickon (32)
Rondale Stewart 1 0-0 2; Josh Twersky 2 1-2 5; Morgan Wilson 3 0-0 7; Dom Vacchiano 3 3-3 10; Earl Stout 3 1-2 8. Totals 12 5-7 32.
Methacton (46)
Matt Blackmore 1 0-0 3; Colin Meyer 3 0-0 6; Brett Byrne 4 0-2 9; Cole Hargrove 6 6-8 18; Cam Chilson 1 0-0 3; Matt Christian 1 2-2 4. Totals 16 11-16 46.
Wissahickon 9 7 7 9 – 32
Methacton 12 10 12 12 –46
3-point goals: W-Wilson 1, Vacchiano 1, Stout 1; PW-Blackmore 1, Byrne 1, Chilson 1
Salisbury Holiday Tournament
Quakertown 44, Saucon Valley 36
Defense was the difference in the second half as Quakertown held SV to just 15 points and 36 for the game to post the win in Wednesday’s third-place game.
“The thing that’s helped us a lot is really our defense,” said Panthers coach Tony Dacosta. “(Saucon Valley) only scored 36 points. Even Northampton the night before – they have a really good offense – only scored 54. So, on the defensive end of the floor is where we played the most consistent.”
Ty Wilkin led a balanced scoring attack for Quakertown with 11 points, while Kyle Rosenberger added 10. Brendon Ruzicka had two key 3-pointers in the second half and eight points total.
“(It was important to) just to play 32 minutes of basketball, good clean basketball,” Dacosta said. “Stay away from a lot of turnovers because that leads to easy baskets for other teams. Limit teams to one shot, and not give up multiple offensive rebounds. Those things rang true in tonight’s game. Hopefully we can continue that against Suburban One teams.”
Quakertown (2-7) has had a difficult first run through the SOL Liberty schedule, but that much could be expected with such a young lineup at the varsity level.
“We’re learning things as we go along,” Dacosta said. “We had a freshman at point guard (Sam Wilkin), a sophomore at 2-guard (Rosenberger). Ty Wilkin is a junior. Our only senior is Brendon Ruzicka. And our center, Ethan Tomlinson is a sophomore.
“We’re young and we’re learning by fire, taking lumps along the way. We play well for stretches, but then the wheels fall off. It comes with the territory.”
The Panthers host Abington in a league game on Tuesday.
Quakertown (44)
Sam Wilkin 2 3-4 7; Kyle Rosenberger 5 0-0 10; Ethan Tomlinson 0 1-2 1; Ty Wilkin 4 2-2 11; Brendon Ruzicka 2 2-4 8; Vince Micucci 0 0-4 0; Miles Longacre 2 2-4 7. Totals 15 10-20 44.
Saucon Valley (36)
Alexander Magnotta 4 0-0 8; Colin Zavacky 2 0-0 4; Jack Robertson 1 0-2 2; Jacob Albert 1 0-2 2; Braden Weiss 2 0-0 5; Brian Miller 2 1-2 5; Jacob Klotz 1 0-0 2; Cydae Joseph-Davis 2 0-1 4; Michael Dalessio 2 0-0 4. Totals 17 1-7 36.
Quakerotwn 12 6 13 13 – 44
Saucon Valley 11 10 7 8 – 36.
3-point goals: Q-Ruzicka 2, T. Wilkin 1, Longacre 1; SV-Weiss1
Boyertown Bears Holiday Classic
Pennridge 69, Avon Grove 62
Absences thanks to COVID-19 have taken a toll on Pennridge, but Wednesday in the third-place game of the Boyertown Bears Holiday Classic, the Rams found a way to come out on the winning side, snapping a six-game losing streak with the win over Avon Grove.
The last two of those games, the Rams were without coach Dean Behrens, who was at home sick watching on the live stream.
“(Justin) Nichols has been out, (Justin) McCormick has been out, Jude (D’Agostino) was out and just got back,” Behrens said by phone Wednesday. “Against Souderton, we didn’t have any of those guys. We had three starters out. But I always say, they’re going to play the games with or without you. And the last two games, I didn’t coach. It got me, but my assistants did a great job.”
Junior Matt Campione continued to sizzle, scoring 21 on Wednesday. He also had a lot of help, as Tommy Cramer had 17 and Xavier Peters added 12.
Peters is just a freshman.
“We’re high on Xavier,” Behrens said. “We think really highly of him. He has tremendous court vision, and we noticed that last year as an eighth grader. And he’s taking advantage of the opportunity to play.
“He’s got something a lot of people don’t have or understand, and that’s quickness. He’s also got good basketball IQ. Think about it. I didn’t start Sean Yoder as a freshman. I didn’t start Dan Long as a freshman. So that’s saying something.”
Now 2-6, the Rams return to league play Tuesday at CB South.
Pennridge (69)
Matt Campione 8 3-5 21; Xavier Peters 5 2-2 12; Tommy Cramer 7 3-6 17; Tyler Johnson 6 0-1 12; Jude D’Agostino 3 1-2 7. Totals 29 9-16 69.
Avon Grove (62)
Tyler Arnold 10 1-1 22; Mike Britton 2 0-0 4; Kyle Anthony 2 0-0 5; Adam Violette 1 0-0 3; Tyler Newman 7 5-5 22; Adam Ziegler 3 0-0 6. Totals 25 6-6 62.
Pennridge 9 22 16 22 – 69
Avon Grove 14 16 18 14 – 62
Wildwood Boardwalk Classic John Pierantozzi Baker Bracket)
Central Bucks East 59, Ocean City (NJ) 40
The Patriots had 17 steals as a team in a dominant defensive effort to post the win in a John Pierantozzi Baker Bracket game of the Boardwalk Basketball Classic.
Joey Giordano had six steals for CB East, while Nick Rivera had five steals. Joshua Lyzinski had five blocks, while Jacob Cummiskey finished with seven rebounds.
Offensively, Giordano and Liam Cumisskey scored 13 points each. Rivera dished out five assists.
The Patriots, deadlocked with Ocean City after one quarter, began to seize control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring Ocean City 20-12 to go into halftime with a 27-19 lead. They added to their lead with a 19-12 third quarter.
The Patriots (6-1) are back in Wildwood in the tournament championship game Thursday against Germantown Friends (8:15 p.m.).
CB East (59)
Jacob Cummiskey 8, Liam Cummiskey 13, Brett Young 9, Tyriq Toney-Bailey 2, Nick Rivera 2, Kyle Berndt 6, Aidan Weaver 6, Joey Giordano 13
Ocean City (40)
Onero Chevre 11, Sean Sakers 6, Andrew Karayiannis 2, Conor Muskett 7, Rick Wetzel 4, Randles 4, Lonergan 2, Wetzel 4, Alling 4
CB East 7 20 19 13 – 59
Ocean City 7 12 12 9 – 40
3-point goals: CBE-Berndt 2, L. Cummiskey 1, Young 1; OC-Muskett 1
Non-league
Bensalem 73, Lower Moreland 64 (OT)
After a back-and-forth second half, Bensalem had too much for Lower Moreland in overtime, outscoring the Lions 16-7. Jeremy Rodriguez and Jack Wineburg each had seven points in OT for the Owls.
“It was just a solid team win,” said Bensalem coach Ron Morris. “Having off three days because of the holidays – and I wasn’t at practice the last two days because I’ve been out with COVID – we were definitely rusty. Not making excuses because they had a really good game plan, but overall, it’s just a huge team victory.”
Bensalem was losing 36-30 at halftime, outscored LM 23-9 in the third quarter, but the visiting Lions bounced back and held the Owls to six in the fourth to force overtime.
“We came out of halftime, we made some adjustments, we started to hit some shots,” Morris said. “We just had way too many turnovers tonight, which almost cost us the game. Coach (Seth) Barron does a great job, they’re a good team. They make you pay for every mistake you make, and they were converting off of our turnovers.”
Rodriguez finished with a team-high 20 for Bensalem, while Allen Myers had 17, Jack Wineberg 16 and Aaron Sanders 11 points.
“Jack (Wineburg), in the first half, was a little hesitant, and we spoke to him at halftime and said, ‘You have to be a threat, be aggressive, You can definitely handle yourself out there,’” Morris said. “He took that and ran with it and he had a really big overtime. Jack was big in the second half offensively.
“Allen Myers played really well; he was finishing around the rim. Jeremy (Rodriguez) most impressive was 6-for-6 from the foul line. That separates you when you have a little bit of a cushion, and then they’re fouling you. Converting those foul shots is big at the end of the game. He had some nice layups in overtime. We were able to get through the pressure up top, and once we were able to get through the pressure, we were getting easy buckets.
“Aaron (Sanders) had a good floor game. He didn’t shoot the ball like himself, but like I told everyone afterwards, that’s basketball. Sometimes your shots don’t fall. What else can you do?
“I’m really impressed with how he defended on the last play (of regulation). It was a tie game, they had the ball with the last shot. We buckled down and held that possession. Aaron did a really good job on John Kroll, who’s one of their best players, so he did well there.
“Tra Edwards did a good job rebounding tonight. He was hitting the glass pretty hard.
“Jake DeLange, a starter of ours, has been out since the third quarter of the first game (with an ankle injury), so we worked him back in tonight, just trying to get him back in the swing of things. Again, it was a true team victory.”
Lower Moreland was led by Braden Alecia, who scored 13 of his 17 points in the second quarter. Kroll had 15 and Brian Grant 10.
LM (2-4) returns to league play Tuesday when it hosts William Tennent. Bensalem (5-2) hosts Norristown in a non-league game on Thursday.
Lower Moreland (64)
Ian Alecia 1 0-0 3; Thomas Przybylinski 1 0-0 2; Brian Grant 2 5-6 10; Matt Ernst 2 2-3 7; Braden Alecia 7 0-0 17; John Kroll 5 2-2 15; Gabe Krutzinger 3 0-0 6; Michael Pennisi 2 0-2 4; Totals 23 9-13 64
Bensalem (73)
Jeremy Rodriguez 6 6-6 20; Tra Edwards 1 0-0 2; Allen Myers 7 3-6 17; Aaron Sanders 4 2-2 11; Antonio Morris 1 2-2 4; Jack Wineburg 6 2-2 16; Jake DeLange 1 0-0 3; Totals 26 15-18 73.
Lower Moreland 13-23-9-12-7 64
Bensalem 16-14-21-6-16 73
3-point goals: LM – Braden Alecia 3, John Kroll 3, Ian Alecia, Brian Grant, Matt Ernst; B- Jeremy Rodriguez 4, Jack Wineburg 2, Aaron Sanders, Jake DeLange.
Council Rock North 49, Conwell-Egan 39
CR North bounced back from a slow start and poor shooting night to pull past Conwell-Egan in a Lower Bucks nonleague game on Wednesday.
“Conwell Egan jumped on us early,” said Indians coach Jesse Krasna. “Coach (Adam) Bowen had his guys prepared, and they came out playing really physical. They hurt us with second chance
points in the first quarter, but once our kids settled into the game, we did a better job limiting Egan to one shot.
“We only made one 3-pointer in the entire game and Egan did a good job limiting Bernie (Parent’s) touches, but our kids didn’t panic, others stepped up and we found ways to score.”
The Indians, who trailed 31-29 heading into the final quarter, finished strong, outscoring the Eagles 18-7 in the fourth quarter.
Adam Mahtat led a balanced scoring effort with 14 points, while Bernie Parent added 12.
“Shane Anhalt took care of the ball, had some aggressive drives to the rim and gave us a physical presence on the defensive end,” Krasna said. “Adam Mahtat led us in scoring, but what was most impressive was how he limited one of Egan’s leading scorers to three points. He was really good executing our game plan and drew a big charge in the third quarter because of his attention to detail.
“Logan Saifer is such an X-factor for us. He was matched up on Egan’s center for part of the game and down the stretch he took the challenge of guarding Egan’s talented point guard. He has such a nose for the ball and came up with several game changing hustle plays to 
shift the momentum in our favor in the second half.
“Jack Blum was key in limiting Egan’s best shooter to zero points. He got to the rim early and knocked down free throws late to close out the game. Ryan Burkett came up with some big rebounds for us, and his on-ball defense was a big reason we were able to hold Egan’s leading scorer to seven points.
“Bernie Parent was faceguarded for 32 minutes, and he did a great job not forcing shots despite having his touches limited. A lot of players would start worrying about getting their points, but Bernie just stayed the course and let the game come to him. He is such a smart player and made it easy on his teammates by moving without the ball. He had a very efficient 12 points.”
CR North (6-2) has another nonleague game scheduled for Thursday, at home against West Windsor-Plainsboro (NJ) at 1 p.m.
CR North (49)
Shane Anhalt 3 2-4 9; Bernie Parent 4 4-4 12; Adam Mahtat 6 1-2 14; Jack Blum 2 4-4 8; Ryan Burkett 0 1-2 1; Logan Saifer 2 0-2 4. Totals 17 12-18 49.
Conwell-Egan (39)
Naime Scott 2 3-3 7; Ty Corbin 6 0-0 15; Zamire Contrell 2 0-0 4; Jordan Garrison 1 1-2 3; Brian Jeter 4 0-0 8. Totals 15 4-5 39.
CR North 8 13 10 18 – 49
Conwell-Egan 11 11 7 10 – 39
3-point goals: CRN-Anhalt 1, Mahtat 1; CE-Corbin 4
3e4
Emmaus 69, Central Bucks South 55
A slow start put CB South down, and the Titans found themselves staring at a 22-11 score after one quarter. The Titans battled back only to see Emmaus pull away in the fourth quarter for the win.
Emmaus outscored the Titans 22-11 in the first quarter and then 21-12 in the fourth and that was the difference in the game.
Tyler Meinel and Michael Farley had 12 points each for CB South, while Chris Granito added 10 points and Jay Macalindong had nine.
The Titans (4-3) next return to action Tuesday at home against Pennridge.
CB South (55)
Brady Moore 2, Jay Macalindong 9, Nolan Helsel 2, Aidan Van Zanten 2, Chris Granito 10, Bryan Delara 6, Tyler Meinel 12, Michael Farley 12
Emmaus (69)
Will Barber 23, Brydon Crawford 8, Ryan Diehl 6, Jaden Gallagher 8, Wilson Charlot 1, Jadis Brevitt 18, Jametric Harris 5
CB South 11 14 18 12 55
Emmaus 22 12 14 21 69
Winter Mills (Md.) 56, CB West 44
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