Check out the recaps of SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Monday. Tennent/Souderton photos provided courtesy of Jon Sklut. CLICK HERE for a gallery of photos.
Non-league
WILLIAM TENNENT 42, SOUDERTON 38
It was still anyone’s game when Josiah Johnson stepped to the foul line with five seconds remaining in regulation. The Panthers were clinging to a 40-38 lead, but when Johnson buried a pair at the charity stripe, a Tennent win was assured.
“We wanted to make sure we were attacking in the paint so we could get to the foul line, which we were able to do,” Tennent coach Robert Mulville said. “We had a goal to take at least 15 foul shots.
“We had the lead – even though it was a small lead, we were feeling confident if we got the right guys to the foul line. I felt good with all five of the players out there. Derrik Cosenza was 5-for-6 last game, Josiah was 5-for-5 last game, and Sean Haus is probably our best foul shooter. We just didn’t make them today.”
The Panthers took 25 foul shots and made just 11, but they made them when they mattered most and earned a win that vaulted the Panthers to 12th in the latest District One 6A power rankings.
Cosenza came up big for the Panthers, leading all scorers with 24 points and also pulling down 10 rebounds for a double-double. Johnson also finished in double figures with 10 points.
The Panthers took a 13-10 lead into halftime after a low-scoring first half. The Indians knotted the score, but the Panthers outscored their visitors 16-15 in the frame and took a 29-25 lead into the fourth quarter.
“There were a couple of times where they were within one,” Mulville said. “We were up 39-36, we turned the ball over, and they went down and scored, but they missed a foul shot.
“It was close the entire time. We were trading baskets.”
Cosenza connected on 1-of-2 to give the Panthers a 40-38 lead, and after a Panthers’ steal on the defensive end, Johnson put the finishing touches on the win.
“I thought our defense was good in the last three minutes,” Mulville said. “In those last three minutes, we probably got four or five deflections where they had to take the ball out on the sidelines, and it broke their rhythm a little bit. I was real happy with our defensive stands at the end.”
The Panthers’ coach lauded the play of Sean Haus.
“I thought Sean Haus did a great job on the boards with Derrik,” Mulville said. “Derrik had 10 rebounds and Sean had seven, and most of Sean’s were on the defensive end.”
Dom Natale (17 points) and Jason Price (16 points) led the Indians, who have dropped three of four games after winning six straight to open the season.
William Tennent (5-3, 1-1 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury on Friday, and Souderton (7-3, 2-1) will host Central Bucks East on Friday.
Souderton 6-4-15-13 38
William Tennent 6-7-16-13 42
Souderton (38) – Dom Natale 17, Jason Price 16, Brian Reiner 5.
William Tennent (42) – Derrik Cosenza 24. Josiah Johnson 10, Michael Scheller 4, Daulton Zeamoan 2, Sean Haus.
BOYERTOWN 44, NORTH PENN 35
The Knights fell behind 12-4 after one quarter and spent the rest of the game playing catch-up.
Joe Larkins and Matt Swanson both scored six points to lead the Knights.
North Penn (2-7, 0-2 SOL) will host Quakertown on Friday.
North Penn 4-10-11-10 35
Boyertown 12-11-10-11 44
North Penn (35) – Carter Houlihan 1 0-0 2, Kolby Barrow 1 0-0 3, Josh Jones 4 1-2 9, Joe Larkins 2 2-2 6, Mike Chaffee 2 0-0 5, Rob Carangi 2 0-0 4, Matt Swanson 3 0-0 6; Totals 15 3-4 35.
Boyertown (44) – R. Marinello 0 0-0 0, Salata 4 2-2 11, M. Marinello 0 5-6 5, Diguglielmo 8 2-3 20, Leh 2 0-1 4, Metcalf 0 2-2 2, Obarow 0 2-2 2, Kiefer 1 0-0 2, Schaefer 0 0-0 0; Totals 15 13-16 46.
3-point goals: North Penn – Barrow, Chaffee, Boyertown – Diguglielmo 2, Salata
Stephen Juenger Holiday Tournament
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 57, HAVERFORD 56
The Golden Hawks – sparked by the 18-point effort of Jack Rebholz – earned a hard fought win over the host Fords to capture the tournament title.
“Any time you can win a championship, that’s a great thing,” coach Chris Clark said. “I’m really happy for our kids. They really deserve it.
“It was a great high school basketball game. It was a great environment. I want our kids to be involved in games and environments like that. It’s special for them, so I’m happy about that also.”
Sparked by nine points from Rebholz, the Golden Hawks led 16-15 after one quarter and took a 28-27 lead into halftime. Rebholz accounted for 14 of his team’s first-half points.
After outscoring the Hawks by two in the third quarter, the Fords took a 42-41 lead into the final quarter. The Hawks – sparked by eight points from Luca Baratta and five from Kevin McNamee in the fourth quarter – appeared to be in command, but the Fords came roaring back.
“We were up seven with 1:10 to go, and it was down to three with 3.4 seconds left,” Clark said. “There was a scramble play at the end where they stole the ball 15 feet from the basket and threw it into the basket at the buzzer to make it a one-point game.”
Rebholz, who also had 18 points in Saturday’s win, led four Hawks in double figures.
“That’s a great thing – the more we can do that, the better off we will be,” Clark said. “We can defend a lot better, but we made some shots and ran through our sets pretty well. In the end, that served us well.”
Baratta added 14 points, which included four three-pointers and a 2-for-2 effort at the foul line. Michael Stewart and Kevin McNamee both contributed 11 points.
“I was happy for Kevin McNamee,” Clark said. “In the first game on Saturday, he got in foul trouble and didn’t play much. He stuck with things today, and it worked out well.
“He rebounded well, he scored in double figures, he made a foul shot at the end which helped us, so I was happy for them.”
Stewart was named tournament MVP and Baratta also earned a spot on the all-tournament team, but they weren’t the only players to come up big.
“Luke Meakim guards the best player on the other team for pretty much the whole game,” Clark said. “Joe Purcell comes in, and he plays tough defense and makes shots. He’s a really, really good bench player for us.”
Council Rock South (6-3, 2-0 SOL) will host Bensalem on Friday.
Council Rock South 16-12-13-15 57
Haverford 15-12-15-14 56
Council Rock South (57) – Jack Rebholz 5 6-6 18; Joe Purcell 1 0-1 2; Luca Baratta 4 2-2 14 Luke Meakim 0 1-1 1; Michael Stewart 4 2-4 11; Kevin McNamee 5 1-4 11; Totals 19, 12-18 57.
Haverford (56) – Kraiza Huner 4 0-0 9; John Seidman 10 4-7 24; Nicol Colucci 1 0-0 2; John Scheivert 4 1-1 9; Adam Stuck 3 2-2 8; Totals 22 7-9 56.
3-point goals: CRS – Luca Baratta 4, Jack Rebholz 2, Michael Stewart, Haverford – Kraiza Huner.
Cactus Jam
XAVIER (N.Y.) 51, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 47
Just 30 seconds separated the Patriots from a tournament title, but things didn’t go their way down the stretch and they came up just short.
“We were up one with 30 seconds left but turned the ball over,” coach Erik Henrysen said. “We clawed back from down 10 to take the lead.
“Xavier is a great team with a very good player in Blair Thompson.”
The game was tightly contested from the outset. The score was knotted 17-17 after one quarter, and the Patriots took a 23-22 lead into halftime. Xavier went ahead with an 18-9 third quarter, but the Patriots rallied to take the lead late.
“It’s disappointing to lose in the championship game, but we know we grew as a group over the course of the trip,” Henrysen said. “This was a great experience for the guys.”
Joe Jackman led the Patriots with 18 points and was named to the all-tournament team. Jack Hamilton and Tyler Young both had six points.
Central Bucks East (5-5, 1-2 SOL) will travel to Souderton on Friday.
Central Bucks East 17-6-9-15 47
Xavier 17-5-18-11 51
Central Bucks East (47) – Joe Jackman 18, Jack Hamilton 6, Chris Charlton 2, Anthony Giordano 3, Brendan Harte 5, Christian Rivera 4, Tyler Young 6, Jason Markowitz 3.
Xavier (51) – Edmund 7, Thompson 14, McGrone 14, McKiernan 8, Jacobson 8.
Modie Risher Holiday Tournament
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 48, MILITARY MAGNET ACADEMY (S.C.) 32
The Bucks capped a successful trip to Charleston with their second win in three games, blowing open a tie game at halftime with a 16-2 third quarter tear. They outscored Military Magnet 26-10 in the second half
“We changed defenses – we started to play man-to-man, and we were able to get a lot of stops and force some tough shots,” West coach Adam Sherman said. “It started clicking a little bit, so it was nice to see.”
Mika Munari filled a stat sheet with nine points, eight rebounds and five assists.
“He’s been doing a lot for us,” Sherman said. “They were picking him up fullcourt, challenging him. They had some athletes down here, and he really did a good job of setting the table for everybody, setting guys up and getting them good looks.”
Owen Haney, who earned a spot on the all-tournament team, led the Bucks with 15 points, which included a pair of threes. Jack Slaymaker also had a pair of threes and added nine points. Jack Neri had eight points and four rebounds.
“The one thing this team has – they have a true brotherhood,” Sherman said. “This group – out of all the teams I’ve coached – really gets along well. They might be one of the closest groups I’ve coached in a while, so they’re very, very comfortable with each other. They legitimately pull for each other.
“I think this has really helped them a lot. This trip has probably made them even closer. They’re all playing the right way. None of them have any other agendas but to win, so if they see a guy open, they’re going to pass it to them.
“The decision making has been really good for this team. As long as we continue to shoot the ball well, things will go well.”
Danny Miller led the Bucks under the backboards with nine rebounds.
“He had a really nice tournament as well,” Sherman said.
The Bucks’ coach also lauded the play of Drew Lendenmuth.
“He gave us some good quality minutes coming off the bench,” Sherman said. “He may not have scored, but he gave us some good minutes. He’s our backup point guard, and he really did a nice job of getting us in our sets and getting us comfortable.”
Central Bucks West (6-3, 1-2 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman for a non-league game Friday.
Central Bucks West 9-13-16-10 48
Military Magnet 10-12-2-8 32
Central Bucks West (48) – Mika Munari 3 3-5 9; Owen Haney 4 1-2 15; Teddy Spratt 2 0-0 4; Jack Neri 3 2-2 8; Danny Miller 1 0-0 2; Jack Slaymaker 3 1-2 9; Chris Hack 0 1-2 1; Totals 18 8-13 48.
Military Magnet Academy (32) – X. White 1 0-0 3; Spillers 4 0-0 8; Washington 7 0-0 17; Capers 1 0-0 2; J.White 1 0-0 2; Totals 14 0-0 32.
3-point goals: CBW – Owen Haney 2, Jack Slaymaker 2, MMA – Washington 3, White.
Pete & Jameer Nelson Classic
CHELTENHAM 63, COATESVILLE 56
Sean Emfinger had himself a night, leading the Panthers at both ends of the court and finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and eight steals.
“When I first moved to Cheltenham, Sean’s mom and dad were my neighbors, and I literally saw them bring Sean in every day,” said coach Patrick Fleury, who was originally from New York. “Eighteen years later, you see this. I consider him like family.
“Tonight he was 7-for-9 from the field, so it wasn’t like he was taking a lot of shots. This was a night he could have easily – if he forced it – had 30, but he was just very efficient. He was all over the court with eight rebounds and eight steals.”
Jaelen McGlone added 12 points and five assists while Justin Moore had 11 points and six assists. Saleem Payne chipped in seven points, Brandon Scott contributed six points and five rebounds, and Mike McClain also had six points.
“It was an ugly game at times, and all the guys that we played – I just liked that they rolled their sleeves up, and they weren’t really caring about what was going wrong and were focusing on what we could do to bounce back,” Fleury said. “What our creed was – turn to each other and not on each other, and I think we did that to the T.
“This was a collective team win. Everybody that came in contributed a lot. It may not be on the stat sheet, but the way our team was able to capitalize on the mistakes they had and played through the runs because they’re a team that scores in bunches, so we were able to weather the storm in terms of their runs. Free throws – we finished the game out with that, which was important for us.”
The Panthers took a 32-26 lead into halftime, but Coatesville trimmed that advantage to 41-39 heading into the final quarter. The Panthers would not be denied.
“It was a game of runs,” Fleury said. “They’re very good. Playing McDevitt and them was a good thing for us to look back and evaluate strengths and weaknesses and build on the strengths.
“What happened for us – we were taking shots we normally make, but we weren’t making them. We went through a spell, and they converted. They’re a team that’s great in transition. They got out in transition and made some plays in the open floor and took the momentum. We were able to get some stops and made a run ourselves.”
Cheltenham is number one in the latest District One 6A rankings while Coatesville is number three.
“Obviously, I thought both teams could have scored more,” Fleury said. “But it was more of a defensive game.
“I was just happy we could make a push early in the fourth and middle to separate ourselves and then just play smart basketball from there on out to not beat ourselves, which we kind of did Saturday.
“Not taking anything away from McDevitt, but I felt like we had opportunities and certain things we could have capitalized on that we didn’t. That’s a testament to how good McDevitt is, but tonight we didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot as much and we were able to pull away.”
Cheltenham (8-1, 3-0 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Friday night.
Cheltenham 15-17-9-22 63
Coatesville 12-14-13-17 56
Cheltenham (63) – Travis Coleman 3, Brandon Scott 6, Justin Moore 11, Saleem Payne 7, Jaelen McGlone 12, Michael McClain 6, Sean Emfinger 18.
Coatesville (56) – Donovan Brickus 7, Dapree Bryant 9, Jhamir Brickus 25, John Proctor 16.
LA SALLE 38, ABINGTON 35
The Ghosts dropped a heartbreaker when – as time was about to expire – Shane Holland buried a desperation shot several steps over half court, breaking a 35-35 tie and propelling the Explorers to the dramatic win. The game-winning shot came after a steal on the defensive end.
The Ghosts – who trailed 18-13 after a low-scoring first half – appeared to be in command after outscoring the Explorers 16-4 in the third quarter to go on top 29-22 heading into the final frame. La Salle had the better of play in the final quarter, outscoring the Ghosts 16-6.
Oreck Frazier – named team MVP – led the Ghosts with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals. He also drew a defensive charge. Robert Bell added nine points. Manir Waller led the Ghosts under the boards with 14 rebounds – nine in the opening half – and three blocked shots.
The Ghosts connected on 14-of-39 shots from the field (35.8 percent) and 3-for-13 from beyond the arc (23 percent). They connected on just 4-of-12 at the foul line.
Holland – La Salle’s MVP – led all scorers with 15.
Abington (4-4, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday.
Abington 6-7-16-6 35
La Salle 7-11-4-16 38
Abington (35) – Manir Waller 2 1-5 5; Antoine Ellis 1 0-0 2; Sam McFarlane 1 0-0 2; Oreck Frazier 3 3-4 10; Robert Bell 4 0-1 9; Joey Brusha 1 0-0 3; Caleb Baker 1 0-2 2; Connor Fields 1 0-0 2; Totals 14 4-12 35.
La Salle (38) – Shane Holland 6 0-0 15; Liam O’Donnell 2 0-2 4; Jake Timby 2 0-0 6; Chris Williams 1 0-0 2; Matt Spinelli 2 0-0 4; Nix Varano 1 0-0 3; Mike DiPietro 2 0-0 4; Totals 16 0-2 38.
3-point goals:Abington – Oreck Frazier, Robert Bell, Joey Brusha, La Salle – Shane Holland 3, Jake Timby 2, Nix Varano.
Blue Star Invitational
WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 64, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 47
The Colonials came up short in their final game at the Blue Star Invitational. Senior Caelin Peters scored 17 points to lead the Colonials. Luke DiCianno added nine points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (3-7, 2-1 SOL) will host Abington on Friday.
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