Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. Bensalem/Academy Park photos provided courtesy of Greg Lindsay. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ BOYS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
All-City Classic
Abington 82, Chester 71 (OT)
A 16-5 overtime period was the difference, as Abington pulled away from Chester to pick up the exciting 82-71 win in the All-City Classic at Widener University.
The Ghosts, who led 34-30 at halftime, saw that lead slip away in the second half, and they had to win it in OT.
Junior Xander Grasty had a huge game for the Galloping Ghosts with 31 points.
Key Players: Aside from Grasty’s 31, Faison Garland scored 20 for Abington, while Kyler Pickron was also in double figures with 10 points.
Abington coach Dan Marsh:
The game: “We did this last year with Chester (in a 59-57 Abington win in OT). It’s almost the exact same game as last year. This was just an all-out war for four quarters, and then they scored with six seconds to go to take the lead. Skit (Faison Garland) went all the way down the floor, got to the rim, got fouled and made one of two to tie it.
“Xander just took over in overtime, and we extended the lead from there.
“We have not been good in back-to-backs, and this year, two of our losses have come from back-to-backs, so it was nice to be able to get through that one today.
“Now we have some time off – we’re taking off until Saturday, and then we’ll be back versus Quakertown.”
–Grasty unstoppable: “Xander is a triple threat. He can score from long range, he can score from mid-range, and he can score at the rim, so he’s a really difficult person to defend because, first of all, he has a repertoire of moves. He also hit a 3 at the end of one of the quarters. Because he reads the floor so well and his pace is unique – he’s never in a hurry, he’s never in a rush, but he explodes when he can. They didn’t have an answer for him. They tried, but they did not have an answer for him tonight.”
–Props: “Jordan Holden, who’s a sophomore guard, came in and scored five points in the second quarter when Chester was making a run. Skit (Garland) got banged up and was out for a while. Aiden Turner is a football player who plays great defense, and tonight he came in and got a couple of offensive rebounds, scored a bucket.
“Everybody contributed tonight. I know it doesn’t look like that because we got 50 points from Xander and Skit, but everybody played hard. It was a battle. It was typical of the last three years when we played them in this tournament.”
Up Next: Abington returns to league play Jan. 6 against Quakertown.
Abington 17-17-17-15-16 82
Chester 15-15-23-13-5 71
Abington (82)
Kyler Pickron 10, Amare Stone 5, Malcom Lucas 2, Xander Grasty 31, Faison Garland 20, Ayden Turner 1 0-0 4; Jordan Holden 7, Raymond Rice 3.
Chester (71)
Jay’son Demby 6, Jasiyn Mallory 3, Zahir Clayton 4, Jalen Harris 17, Ramee Davis Jr. 15, Shadrach George 2, Paul Lindsay 7, Darius Daile 3, Khymir Brown 12, Myron Dale 2.
Great Valley Holiday Tournament
Upper Moreland 55, Downingtown East 45
Another day, another tough opponent in the Great Valley Holiday Tournament, and once again, Upper Moreland pulled out another quality victory, this time defeating Downingtown East 55-45 to claim the tournament championship.
The Golden Bears jumped out fast with a 15-4 first quarter and set the tone for the game.
“Yesterday we played an up-and-down, physical, very athletic Pottstown team, and I think it really helped prepare us for a 
very similar team,” said UM coach Dan Heiland. “They had two very good guards that would pick you up full court, heavy ball pressure, and I think Jose Hernandez and Nate Best did a really good job of dictating the tempo and not letting that aggressive style play into (Downingtown) East’s hands. They did a great job, again, just controlling the pace of play and allowing us to get into our half-court sets, and really allowing us to execute in the half-court.”
Sophomore Cannon Campbell brought home MVP honors for the tournament, scoring 38 points in the two games.
Key Players: Campbell had 18 points to lead UM, Nate Best added 13 and Jose Hernandez scored 10 points.
UM coach Dan Heiland:
“We did a nice job. We applied some pressure back at them, and we were able to force some quick shots on early possessions, and some shots didn’t fall for them. And we did a really good job of boxing out and then limiting them to one and done on the offense. And then, we were able to get into the half court or get out in transition and get high percentage shots. In the first quarter, we made a bunch of them, and I think that definitely was the difference. I think for the most part, the rest of the way, it was pretty even across the board.”
–About Cannon Campbell: “He’s one of those kids that just plays within himself. He doesn’t try to do too much. He’s a very talented individual. He has a very high basketball IQ, obviously, as a coach’s son (His father is UM assistant and former CB South coach Jason Campbell). He just sees the floor like not many others, and he’s able to step out and knock down shots, and he’s just a really tough guard on that end of the floor because he’s so dynamic with the ball in his hands. He’s an unselfish player, but he’s very confident in his abilities when he does have the ball to score when he needs to.”
–More Props: “Andrew Hamill and Chase Moore at times. And then Kyle Moore had a fantastic game on both ends of the floor as well. He had two 3s and 10 points. He’s really coming along, which is great to see when you’re almost halfway through your season that one of your guys is really coming along and picking it up, because guys like Larry (Hughes, who has been a steady piece for us, kind of struggled today at times. And to have a guy like that come out of the game and let Kyle step into that scoring role is huge.
“Obviously, Jose as well, just being able to be creative and get his own shot off. Again, like Nate and Cannon, we have three guys that are really good at creating for themselves or getting the ball to their teammates and getting high percentage shots. Again, when you’re making shots and you have guys that are willing to share the ball, it’s obviously fun to watch, but it’s tough to guard as well from an opponent’s standpoint.”
Up Next: UM next plays Jan. 6, returning to league play at Lower Moreland.
Upper Moreland 15 13 18 9 – 55
Downingtown East 4 12 16 13 – 45
Upper Moreland (55)
Nate Best 5 2-5 13; Kyle Moore 3 1-2 10; Andrew Hamill 0 1-2 1; Larry Hughes 1 1-6 3; Cannon Campbell 6 4-4 18; Jose Hernandez 4 1-2 10. Totals 19 10-21 55.
Downingtown East (45)
Hunt 6 1-2 16; Feil 1 0-0 2; Vinson 4 2-3 10; Cushing 2 0-0 5; Smuda 6 0-1 12. Totals 19 3-6 45.
3-point goals: UM-Moore 3, Campbell 2, Best, Hernandez; DE-Hunt 3, Cushing
Dick Dougherty Memorial Tournament
Bensalem 67, Academy Park 46
Bensalem protected its home turf and brought home the championship of the Dick Dougherty Memorial Tournament with a convincing 67-46 win over Academy Park on Tuesday night.
Jacob Eberhardt was named the tournament MVP. He was joined on the All-Tournament team by Mike Ellzy.
Key Players: Eberhardt had a strong all-around game for the Owls with 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. JJ Bourelly (13) and Julian Vose (12) were also in double figures.
Bensalem coach Jerry Devine:
–Winning the tournament: “It’s so significant because it is beginning to show the work they have been putting in is paying dividends. We had a difficult schedule to begin the year, and with only eight practices before the season, it is hard to prepare a young team for what is coming. To their testament, they never quit and they continue to work hard. We are starting to trust each other and playing good team basketball. Our schedule doesn’t get easier, so it’s nice to go into the New Year with momentum. But we still have so much work to do to improve.”
–Props: “Julian Vose proved to be huge for us in the second quarter, knocking down three big 3-pointers to keep Academy Park at bay and finishing with 12 points. JJ Bourelly attacked the rim and shot well from outside for 13 points, while Naman Parmar effectively neutralized Academy Park’s big men and added 9 points. Juel Nimely and Karter Richard disrupted the guards defensively throughout.
“A complete team effort led to a well-balanced win.”
Up Next: Bensalem returns to Patriot Division play on Jan. 6 at Neshaminy.
Academy Park 8 12 14 12 – 46
Bensalem 10 22 18 17 – 67
Academy Park (46)
Gordon 3 1-2 9; Crews 2 0-2 5; Sevile 2 6-8 11; Konneh 1 0-4 3; Cosby 4 0-0 10; Taylor 3 1-2 8. Totals 15 8-18 46
Bensalem (67)
Bourelly 5 1-2 13; Vose 4 0-0 12; Nimely 1 1-2 3; Parmar 4 0-0 9; Lugo 2 0-1 4; Ellzy 3 3-5 9; Richard 1 1-2 3; Eberhardt 5 4-6 14. Totals 25 14-18 67.
3-point goals: AP-Gordon 2, Cosby 2, Crew, Sevile, Konneh, Taylor; B-Vose 4, Bourelly 2, Parmar
Modie Risher Classic
Central Bucks South 62, Lucy Beckham (SC) 51
CB South ventured into uncharted waters this week, and passed the test with flying colors, traveling to Charleston, S.C., walking away with three wins, including Tuesday’s over Lucy Beckham (SC) by a 62-41 final score.
“I mean, four days and come away with three wins and play basketball and a little better weather than when we left – in an ice storm – yeah, it was nice,” said coach Louie Ditri. “This was the first time as a group we ever got on a plane in actually our school history, so it was nice to get away and then bond as a team. I mean the kids were great down here and the winning, obviously, is the icing on the cake. But even for us to grow off the court as a group, I think they just did a really good job. It’s an excellent tournament these guys run down here.
Key Players: Leo Medwid led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points, while Alex Shahin (12) and Kayode Adebayo (10) were also in double figures.
CB South coach Louie Ditri:
–The game: “It was a good game – well played, pretty high tempo, and both teams playing with some toughness and ball pressure. So, it was a good game and definitely a closer game than our last two. So, it was good to get a team that kind of matched up like us. They had size like us, had really good shooters, and I thought we responded well.
“They liked to press us, and we did a good job handling that. And they hit six 3s in the first half, which we weren’t happy about, but we limited them to one 3 in the second. We made some halftime adjustments. I thought the kids did well at making some adjustments, and we were able to pull out a victory.”
–Props: “Alex Shahin and Leo Medwid did a nice job for us. Alex hit a couple nice mid-range jumpers, and Leo is as steady as it gets for us. He comes in and pretty much does the same things every game, scores for us, rebounds, plays good defense, and Alex played well on defense, as did – we had one of our bench players, Cade Crim, come in, and he did a great job defensively, too, on their (best player).”
Up Next: CB South has a non-league game scheduled for Saturday at Council Rock North.
Central Bucks South 19-15-15-13 62
Lucy Beckham (SC) 14-13-9-15 51
Central Bucks South (62)
Kayode Adebayo 3 4-6 10; Alex Shahin 5 2-3 12; Cade Crim 1 0-0 2; Shane Farrell 3 2-2 9; Brayden Barrett 2 0-0 4; Davis Van Zanten 4 0-0 9; Chase Ross 1 0-0 2; Leo Medwid 5 2-2 14; TOTALS 24 10-13 62.
Lucy Beckham 51
Hatch Kelly 3 3–6 9; Perry Watson 2 0-0 5; William Helmly 6 2-6 18; Baylor Zepp 5 2-2 13; Alec Elkins 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 19 7-14 51.
3-point goal: CBS – Medwid 2, Van Zanten, Farrell; LB – Helmly 4, Watson, Zepp
Surf ‘N Slam Hoop Classic
Plymouth Whitemarsh 54, Seattle Prep (Wash.) 44
Plymouth Whitemarsh enjoyed its late December trip to San Diego a great deal, especially on the court where Tuesday it picked up its third win in the Surf ‘N Slam Hoop Classic, downing Seattle Prep 55-44.
This time, the Colonials needed to step it up in the second half, trailing 26-17 at halftime. A 20-9 third quarter changed the game and PW ended up with a 37-18 second half to pull away for the 10-point win. Michael Pereira was the offensive catalyst in the third quarter, contributing nine points.
Key Players: Michael Pereira led the Colonials with 17 points, while Mani Sajid, who scored 35 on Monday, also finished in double figures with 12.
Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Jim Donofrio:
–Off the court: “We pushed the envelope a little bit yesterday with a heck of a day. After our game, we went to Coronado, which is a very upscale area and visited the very famous Coronado del Hotel. The guys saw an incredible sunset and started playing football on the beach. Three of them jumped in the ocean, and I spent $140 on Dutch chocolate German gelato, and I thought – we should get a direct flight home right now. It was perfect.”
–The challenge: “We scored 85 points (in Monday’s win), life is good, and can we get back up for it today. That’s what December’s been all about. It was a very challenging schedule, and I do admit the emotional factor played a big role. Inexperienced guys playing whether an emotional rival or a high-level game 24 hours later, and it happened again the last two days.
“So you had Wissahickon and Roman, you had Abington, (Archbishop) Wood and West Catholic in five days, and today I was worried because as much as you talk confident with them, and I know I’ve talked to them about having teams that won 25 in a row, so, two days in a row is cute. Trust me, we can do this. We can be at our best for as long as possible, and that really is the challenge.”
–The game: “So today at halftime, when you score 17 points (in the first half) – this time it was Chuck Moore who just didn’t even let me get a word in. He just had enough, and it was good coming from someone else who they greatly respect. I said – that’s good because I’m tired of being the bad guy myself, and I just think Mani (Sajid) and Michael (Pereire), in particular, being the top two guys – oftentimes in the last year, they wouldn’t quite understand why you were trying to push them to a level of toughness you know you see in them.
“I was really concerned. We’re down seven or eight at halftime, and there was that same look. Mani and Michael took the hard critical, and they were terrific. Michael admitted afterwards to the team – ‘Last year, we wouldn’t have pulled this off, and maybe last week we wouldn’t have pulled this off.’
“Michael was terrific, Mani was terrific, and a lot of them were – Jack Hayes, Buddy Denard, Terran Davis. We only played six. It was that kind of game, but Seattle Prep’s a high-level team. It was a come-from-behind win – it was a good win.
“So, it’s been a lot of pushing, and I’m really, really impressed with the kids for 11 really challenging games the way it was scheduled in December, and to go to San Diego and lose the last one would have made me feel like we were back at square one with the mental strength stuff, but that was a great ability to take a lot of physical and mental hits from players and coaches.
“We had a great number of parents come out, and you want it to be obviously a well-rounded experience while trying to win games, so we were fortunate to pull that off, and tonight we went to the Gonzaga-San Diego University game to finish the trip.”
Up Next: PW has a week off before a big Liberty Division game on Jan. 6 at home against Upper Dublin.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 10-7-20-17 54
Seattle Prep 13-13-9-9 44
Plymouth Whitemarsh (54)
Jack Hayes 1 4-4 6; Luca Taormina 0 1-2 1; Terron Davis 2 2-2 6; Mani Sajid 4 2-2 12; Michael Pereira 5 5-7 17; Austin Edwards 0 0-2 0; Buddy Denard 3 1-2 3; Micah Thompson 1 2-4 4; TOTALS 16 17-25 54.
Seattle Prep (44)
Niko Christofilis 2 1-2 6; Balin Meza 1 1-2 4; Kellen Matt 7 3-4 17; Jack Thompson 2 0-0 4; Brody Renners 2 0-0 5; Cordell Jones 3 0-0 8; TOTALS 15 5-8 44.
3-point goals: PW – Sajid 2, Denard; SP – Christofilis, Rennes, Meza.
Boardwalk Basketball Classic – John Carson Memorial Championship
Hatboro-Horsham 40, Williamstown (NJ) 35
Jaden Thompson scored 15 points, and Hatboro-Horsham pulled out a close game in the second half to win its bracket in Wildwood (NJ), defeating Williamstown (NJ) by a 40-35 final score.
“Very excited for our guys,” said Hatters coach Bill Coleman. “They executed our game plan almost exactly how we set it out. Other than a few late 3s, (Williamstown’s) main players were held way under their averages.”
Key Players: Also in double figures for H-H were Kenny Lutz and Shane Phillips with 10 points each.
H-H coach Bill Coleman:
“Jaden Thompson and Kenny Lutz did a great job on (Williamstown’s best player).
“Very happy for the guys. It’s been quite some time since our guys have tasted some success, so it was great to see. Hoping we get some momentum going into the New Year.”
Up Next: The Hatters are back in action Jan. 6 when they host Wissahickon in a Liberty Division game.
Hatboro-Horsham 6-9-9-16 40
Williamstown 7-8-5-15 35
Hatboro-Horsham (40) Kenny Lutz 2 6-9 10; Jaden Thompson 5 5-7 15; Kevin Stroup 2 1-2 5; Shane Phillips 3 2-2 10; TOTALS 12 14-20 40.
Williamstown (35)
Kamar Goodhall 1 0-3 2; Keysen Matthews 2 0-0 4; Tyson Forman 2 3-4 9; Connor tocasio 1 3-3 5; Elijah Batts 0 0-2 0; Brayden Covington 3 1-2 10; Ian Basilo 1 1-1 3; Dametri Walker 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 11 8-15 35.
3-point goals: HH – Philips 2; W – Covington 3, Forman 2.
Boardwalk Basketball Classic – Crest Savings Bank Showcase
Pennsbury 56, Moore Catholic (NY) 49
Pennsbury had less than 24 hours to stew over Monday night’s loss to New York’s Wing’s Academy and then jumped back on the court to take on another NY team in Moore Catholic. This time, however, things turned out better for the Falcons, who had a big game from Brady Kent to pick up the seven-point win in Wildwood (N.J.).
Key Players: Kent’s 17 points, who included a pair of 3-pointers and nine points in the second quarter, led the way for Pennsbury. Patrick Jajua went 8-for-9 from the free throw line and also finished in double figures with 14.
Pennsbury coach Wes Emme:
“The story today, or the story last night was, Wing’s Academy is a program that was built by a guy from New York City, Tony Bergeron, who used to run a five-star basketball camp. And he coached American Christian School down in Aston, PA, and coached Tyreek Evans and all these NBA players. And you build it up, and I think we had a little bit of a letdown from that. And I think we were a little overconfident going into that game last night. We got smacked in the mouth a little bit early, and we recovered, and we made runs, but credit to them, they made a bunch of 3s.
“So today, you’ve got to adjust, you’ve got a new challenge, and I don’t think we met it early. So second period, third quarter, probably, we played much, much better, built up a pretty big lead, but, credit to Moore, in spite of their record, they played in a really good league in New York City, and they kept fighting and they kept it close all the way to the end.”
–Props: “The theme of many of our games this year is that somebody new steps up, and tonight was Brady Kent’s opportunity. Kind of like the unsung hero in our starting 5. Hit three 3s, got fouled on a 3-point field goal attempt, made all three free throws. Had some pretty big shots.
“But it was a collective effort. Max Manga hit a couple of 3s early in the game, did a really good job on the backboard. Patrick Jajua shot nine free throws in the third quarter.
“We just, kind of, put our foot on them a little bit. But, you know, credit to them. They kept fighting in the fourth quarter.”
Up Next: Pennsbury has another tough non-league game scheduled Saturday afternoon at CB East.
Pennsbury 8 18 23 7 – 56
Moore Catholic 11 9 16 13 – 49
Pennsbury (56)
Max Manga 3 0-0 8; Sean Breslin 3 3-4 9; Brady Kent 5 4-5 17; Brayden Clark 2 2-4 6; Patrick Jajua 3 8-9 14; Nick Bunda 1 0-0 2.
Moore Catholic (49)
Eenej Vinson 2 1-1 5; Matt Gibbons 5 0-0 14; Nick DeGrado 8 0-0 16; Kyle Perez 0 2-3 2; Matt Mieles 1 2-2 4; Alexander Raphael 1 0-0 2. Arion Draga 2 0-0 6. Totals 17 5-5 49.
3-point goals: P-Kent 3, Manga 2; MC-Gibbons
Easton Rotary Basketball Tournament
Pennridge 49, Easton 33
Sometimes a team just needs a win to get over the hump. Pennridge, which has come out on the short end of many close fourth-quarter losses, hopes Tuesday’s 49-33 win over host Easton was just that.
“Yeah, we really needed it,” said coach Dean Behrens. “I thought that was important to get a win today. We actually have been very competitive. That doesn’t mean anything when you don’t win, but, when we look back, we feel like we had, we felt like, we were up 10, up 8 with about 4 minutes left when we played East. We felt like we let that slip away. We were winning in the fourth quarter at North Penn. We let that slip away. We had a chance down at Neshaminy. And then last night. We gave Executive Charter everything they could handle (Monday). We put a scare into them. It’s just we haven’t been able to get over the hump.”
The Rams held Easton to just 10 field goals for the game. They led 12-8 after one and pushed that lead to 26-14 by halftime.
Key Players: Pennridge was led by Ryan Kuntz’s 13 points, while Connor Murray added 12.
Pennridge coach Dean Behrens:
Pennridge coach Dean Behrans:
“I thought – you know, these Christmas tournaments are tough. You play a 3 o’clock game in the afternoon. It’s a consolation game. I’ve been doing this a long time. And, I’ve seen good teams lay an egg. You know, the kids are out of sorts. They’re not in their normal routine, but I thought we had more energy than they did. I think they have some talent. They have some good athletes. And we did zone them up, and they couldn’t hit many shots. And, sometimes you have games like that. Our kids were pretty excited that we pulled it out.”
–Props: “For us, Ryan Kuntz really hadn’t played basketball in two years due to injuries. And he finally is healthy. He finally got healthy at the end of the JV season last year and played about six or seven games. And now he’s at full tilt. And it’s just taking him some time to get used to the varsity level. And I think he’s getting better every game.
“Connor Murray played very well, too. Connor Murray’s been a steady influence and a steady player for us. And you could hear on the bench of Easton how they wanted to double team him at all times. And Connor kind of got us off to a good start.”
Up Next: Pennridge is back in action Saturday with a non-league game against Council Rock South.
Pennridge 12 14 13 10 – 49
Easton 8 6 9 10 – 33
Pennridge (49)
Rownan Smith 3 1-2 7; Ryan Kuntz 6 1-1 13; Ryan Schwind 3 2-2 8; Jake Dietl 1 0-0 2; Ryan Flood 3 1-2 7; Connor Murray 6 0-0 12. Totals 22 4-7 49.
Easton (33)
Brown 1 7-8 10; Gomez 3 0-1 7; Younger 1 0-0 3; Castillo 2 0-2 6; Houser 2 0-0 5; Bonner 1 0-0 2. Totals 10 9-10 33.
3-point goals: P-Kuntz; E-Brown, Gomez, Younger, Houser
Tim Ehst Holiday Tournament
Souderton 78, Quakertown 45
Even in a game where they only scored six points in the second quarter, Souderton’s offense was in full gear in the consolation game at Dock Mennonite Academy, as the Indians started strong and blew out rival Quakertown 78-45.
Souderton led 27-16 after one quarter, and blew the game wide open in the second half, closing with 28 fourth-quarter points.
Key Players: Chanse Salone scored 25 points to lead the Indians offensively, while Marques Brown (14) and Nate Rusike (11) were also in double figures.
Souderton coach Brendan Stanton:
“I thought the guys responded well today. We have had a habit of slow starts this year and that isn’t a sustainable trait. Today, we wanted to be the aggressors from the opening tip. Our defense was able to create turnovers and some easy looks in transition.
“Overall, I was really happy with the pace we played with on offense. That was something we wanted to emphasize after Monday’s game, and we looked like a different team on offense today.”
–Props: “Chanse Salone played a great game with 25 points and a handful of assists. All of our guys came in with a defense-first mentality, and when we do that, the offense tends to take care of itself.
“Dylan Quinn also gave us a spark off the bench scoring and flying around on defense.”
Up Next: Souderton is off until Jan. 6 when it resumes league play at CB South.
Souderton 27 6 17 28 – 78
Quakertown 16 3 14 14 – 45
Souderton (78)
Salone 25, Brown 14, Rusike 11, Quinn 9, Rollerson 8, Betesh 5, Epps 3, Eraydin 2
Quakertown (45)
Sykes 14, Mooney 11, McCray 8, Bodnar 7, Everitt 3, Gai 2
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