Jarrad Saffren recaps Friday’s season openers for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday. CR South/Lower Moreland photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos. Neshaminy/Upper Merion photo provided by Jesse Garber (http://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p808007990 ).
By Jarrad Saffren
Seventeen Suburban One League boys basketball teams opened the 2017-18 season on Friday night. Most played non-league games in tipoff tournaments.
All of the results and recaps are below.
Non-League
Plymouth Whitemarsh 86, Sankofa Freedom 56
Plymouth Whitemarsh was in midseason form on opening night, lighting up the scoreboard, sharing the ball and playing aggressive defense. Naheem McLeod, PW’s 7-foot-2 center, led the Colonials with 25 points, despite missing 14 free throws.
“I was really happy with the fact that all the lights seemed to go on after struggling in practices and scrimmages. I was really happy with the energy and unselfishness,” said PW coach Jim Donofrio. “Offensively, we had a lot of stubbornness going in. The twins (Ahmad and Ahmin Williams) and Ash (Kevin Ashenfelter) feel like it’s their time to shine, and you got the 7’2 guy in the middle. But they were steady and looked like a veteran, experienced team. We looked like a team that should have been ranked high in preseason.”
Sankofa Freedom played straight up man-to-man defense against the Colonials, and Ahmad Williams, the point guard, just kept dumping the ball down to McLeod.
“We looked at him and he posted hard. He asked for the ball and made a variety of moves and a number of dunks. He posted and sealed well. He also made jump hooks and floaters and he outlet passed well on defense,” Donofrio said. “He’s evolving into something serious.”
PW (1-0, 0-0 SOL) plays Bishop Shanahan on Monday night at seven, at Bishop Shanahan.
Central Bucks East 65, Pottsgrove 57
A new duo emerged to lead CB East to a season-opening win. Kyle Cassidy (25) and Nick Roggio (24) combined for 49 of East’s 65 points. Cassidy, a guard, also had eight rebounds and four assists. Roggio, a forward, also posted eight rebounds and four blocks.
“Kyle Cassidy is the kid who scored 15 in a playoff game last year. He came on strong at the end. This year he’ll be key going forward. Roggio is a big lefty who can play inside and outside,” said CB East coach Erik Henrysen. “We saw a stretched trapping 2-3 zone and we got it to the middle and dumped down to Roggio. They were athletic and fast and tried to turn us over.”
CB East trailed by five after one quarter but won the last three quarters. The Patriots’ 20-11 second quarter advantage turned the game around.
Ben Markowitz complemented Cassidy and Roggio, with five rebounds and five assists. “Ben Markowitz can play any position for us. He’s undersized at 6-foot but tough as nails,” Henrysen said. “He can do a little bit of everything.”
CB East (1-0, 0-0 SOL) plays Boyertown on Saturday at 2:30, on the second and final day of the Pottsgrove Tipoff Tournament.
Central Bucks East 13-20-16-16 65
Pottsgrove 18-11-14-14 57
Central Bucks East (65) – Kyle Cassidy 25, Collin Stein 4, Nick Roggio 24, Leo Masterson 2, Ben Markowitz 4, Jesse Rivera 4
Pottsgrove (57) – Clark 15, Robinson 16, Smith 9, Ziegler 8, Blacey 7, Hein 3
Harry S. Truman 58, Dobbins-Randolf AVTS 45
Jeff Nixon had a game for Truman, leading the Tigers to a season-opening win in the BAA Tipoff Tournament in Philadelphia. Nixon, a senior point guard, finished with 22 points, shooting 10-of-12 from the foul line, including 6-of-6 in the fourth quarter.
“Jeff did what a senior should do, led his team to victory. He was patient and settled the team down,” said Truman coach Byron Conover. “The point guard is the quarterback of the team and the most important position in high school basketball, and he showed it tonight.”
Truman trailed by eight in the third quarter, but outscored Dobbins-Randolf 28-13 in the fourth. A pressing defense was largely responsible for the comeback.
“Our defense got stops in the fourth. We pressed and got steals and layups and got excited,” Conover said. “Carter Kelley made some key buckets, got fouled on a three and made all three fouls. In the fourth we went 13-13 from the line.”
Truman had trouble closing games last year, so the comeback was encouraging.
“We talked all offseason about what we went through last year, emotionally and mentally. Talent can only take you so far. It’s mental,” Conover said. “We were down six or eight in the third, and they didn’t hang their heads. They kept fighting. That’s 300 percent improvement over last year.”
Gabe Gipli added 10 rebounds for the Tigers.
Truman (1-0, 0-0 SOL) hosts Pottstown on Tuesday night at seven.
Pennridge 69, Faith Christian 49
Pennridge defended its home court on day one of the Pennridge Memorial Tipoff Tournament. Sean Yoder dropped 20 points and led a balanced Rams attack. Six other Pennridge players scored between five and 11 points.
“Sean put the ball in the basket, defended really well and didn’t turn the ball over,” said Pennridge coach Dean Behrens. “He was very efficient with his shots.”
Tyrese Lewis was the only other Ram in double figures, with 11 points. Mike Molettiere added nine points on three threes. Jon Post and Jake Pestrak each had eight.
“Mike Molettiere hit three threes, which was big for us. We needed him on the boards, too. Tyrese Lewis and Jon Post had to sit a lot. We couldn’t get them on the floor together,” Behrens said. “Tyrese stepped up in the fourth, and 5-of-7 from the line was great for him. He had some big foul shots when they were cutting into the lead a little bit.”
Pennridge built a 20-8 lead after one quarter and a 35-18 lead by halftime. Faith Christian won the third, 16-12, but never really got close to tying the Rams.
Pennridge (1-0, 0-0 SOL) will play Methacton on Saturday night at seven, in the Memorial Tipoff championship.
Pennridge 20-15-12-22 69
Faith Christian 8-10-16-15 49
Pennridge (69) – Ryan Warner 6, Sean Yoder 20, Jake Pestrak 8, Mike Molettiere 9, Tyresse Lewis 11, Jon Post 8, Guldin 2, Jack Gillespie 5.
Faith Christian (49) – Robinson 4, D.Bradford 8, Forney 10, Ervin 7, Smith 10, O.Bradford 10.
William Tennent 49, Hatboro-Horsham 44
William Tennent has played in the Hatters’ Basketball Tipoff Classic for four straight years now. In the last three years, Tennent went 0-3, including 30-40 point losses the last two years. So this was a big win for the Panthers.
“It’s huge for us to start 1-0,” said Tennent coach Robert Mulville. “We’ve gone up there the last three years and haven’t been successful.”
Tennent brought back three starters from last year, and they all played well on Friday night. David West (17), Markeith Baxter (12) and Pat McCauley (10) combined for 39 of Tennent’s 49 points. West was 5-of-7 from the foul line in the final minute of the game, and Baxter scored 10 of his points in the final frame.
“They did a good job sharing the ball. They’ve been working on ball movement and getting the best shot available,” Mulville said. “They’ve improved on it from the end of last season until now. They are willing to give up a shot for a better shot.”
Kip Mooney came off the bench to knock down a pair of threes, and Mike Mulville dished out a team hig four assists.
Tennent (1-0, 0-0 SOL) will play Lower Moreland in the championship of the Hatters’ Basketball Tipoff Classic on Saturday night at 7:30. Hatboro-Horsham (0-1, 0-0 SOL) will battle Council Rock South in the consolation game at 3:45.
William Tennent 13-10-9-17 49
Hatboro-Horsham 12-13-4-15 44
Cheltenham 72, Northeast 38
Ten Cheltenham players scored in a rout of Northeast. Jack Clark led the Panthers with 23 points. Amir Lewis added 14. Ahmad Bickley had 10. And Kyin Healey had nine.
Clark’s 10 rebounds gave him a double-double for the night. Healey led Cheltenham with 11 rebounds.
Cheltenham won every quarter, including the first and fourth quarters by double digits. “It’s imperative that the guys play every minute of every quarter. We can’t sneak up on people anymore. Everyone is kind of looking and waiting to play us, so we have to make sure we come with a whole lot of intensity. I think we did that for the most part,” said Cheltenham coach John Timms. “We started with 21 points in the first quarter and we had 22 in the third, so I think we got a good start and given the way the game was going, I was just pleased with how we started and we were able to get some separation.”
Cheltenham (1-0, 0-0 SOL) will take on Frankford in the title game of the Panthers’ season-opening tournament on Saturday night at 7:30.
Cheltenham 21-12-22-17 72
Northeast 8-10-14-6 38
Northeast (38) – Soarb 4, Moore 6, Blinksbale 1, Sarowsky 5, Dempsey 8, McCahn 2, Bender 4, Isom 8.
Cheltenham (72) – Zahle Harrison 3, Ahmad Buckley 10, Tim Myarick 5, Jack Clark 23, Brandon Scott 3, Dave Pope 2, Lan Tolliver 1, Kyin Healey 9, Lonce Scott 2, Amir Lewis 14
Neshaminy 72, Upper Merion 40
Chris Arcidiacono dropped 32 points and led Neshaminy to a season-opening win. Charles Dominick and Danny Bodine added 10 and eight points, respectively. Eleven Neshaminy players scored in total.
Arcidiacono shot 15-of-19 from the line, made seven two-pointers and even one three. Neshaminy raced to a 21-4 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.
Neshaminy (1-0, 0-0 SOL) hosts William Tennent next Thursday night at seven.
Neshaminy 21-14-15-22 72
Upper Merion 4-11-12-13 40
Upper Merion (40) – Lindelow 9, Choi 6, Moore 2, Moucer 3, Eyer 4, Shepperd 2, Clark 12, Pugh 2.
Neshaminy (40) – Arcidiacono 32, Papeo 4, Bodine 8, Dominick 10, Deluca 1, Wiliamson 2, Jeffers 2, Murray 2, leonhauser 3, Deduro 5, Glover 3.
Central Bucks South 62, Pottstown 45
Nate Robinson (19) and Tommy Kuypers (13) combined for 32 points to lead CB South to a win in its season opener, in the SOL-PAC Challenge. Ian McCaw and Brady Prezelski added nine and seven points, respectively.
The Titans (1-0, 0-0 SOL) will play Spring-Ford on Saturday night at seven, on day two of the SOL-PAC Challenge.
Central Bucks South (62) – Brady Prezelski 7, Cole Prezelski 2, Nate Robinson 19, Brock D’Aulerio 2, Brian Shields 2, Jack Johns 3, Alex Dietz 3, Mark Kannengieszer 2, Tommy Kuypers 13, Ian McCaw 9.
Pottstown (45) – F.Dashiell 19, C.Cottom 4, J.Hill 4, P.Marcheskie 3, A Brown 15.
North Penn 60, Upper Perkiomen 45
North Penn started the 2017-18 season exactly how it started the 2016-17 season, with a double-digit win in the Golden Bears Tipoff Classic at Upper Moreland.
The Knights trailed 21-19 at halftime, but seized control of the contest with a 22-9 third quarter burst. They outscored the Indians 41-24 in the second half.
David Robinson and Chris Coleman led the Knights with 15 points each. AJ Catanzaro contributed 12 points, and AJ Mitchell added eight points.
The last regular season ended with a league title for North Penn, so the Knights are hoping a convincing opening win is again a good sign.
North Penn (1-0, 0-0 SOL) will try to start 2-0 in the tournament championship on Saturday night, against host Upper Moreland. That one tips off at five.
North Penn 7-12-22-19 60
Upper Perk 10-11-9 15 45
Upper Moreland 43, New Hope-Solebury 23
Upper Moreland got stronger as this game went on, scoring three, 10, 13 and 17 points, respectively, in each quarter. But it was the Golden Bears’ defensive effort that stood out in this game. Upper Moreland scored more points in the second half than New Hope-Solebury did in the entire game.
Ryan Coyle and Brett Brossman each had 14 points for UM. Brendan O’Donnell added 10.
Upper Moreland (1-0, 0-0 SOL) will play North Penn on Saturday at five, in the championship of the 2nd Annual Golden Bears Tipoff Classic.
Upper Darby 60, Bensalem 59
Bensalem led by one at halftime, but Upper Darby took control by winning the third quarter 21-15, taking a five-point lead into the fourth. Bensalem won the fourth, but only by four.
The Owls had a chance to win it at the end when Upper Darby – leading by one – misfired on a foul shot with 5.8 seconds remaining. Bensalem’s shot for the win fell short.
James Leible led Bensalem with 29 points. Kris Shields, Nick Fossile and Ward Roberts all had eight.
Bensalem (0-1, 0-0 SOL) will play in the consolation game of the Quad Tipoff Challenge, at Bensalem, on Saturday at five.
Bensalem 9-18-15-17 59
Upper Darby 15-11-21-13 60
Bensalem (59) – Taco Douglas 3, Ward Roberts 8, James Lieble 29, Isaiah Murray 3, Kris Shields 8, Nick Fossile 8.
Upper Darby (60) – Trent 16, Toure 10, Abeelwahab 8, Keita 11, Martin 2, Wedderburn 7, Roper 6.
Lansdale Catholic 51, Souderton 48
Souderton lost a tight one to Lansdale Catholic, in the 4th Annual Jim Church Classic at Souderton Area High School. Three Souderton players—Trevor Watts (14), Stephen Luchansky (10) and Kavi Ramchandani (10)—scored in double figures, so that is something to build on for the Indians.
Souderton (0-1, 0-0 SOL) will battle Quakertown on Saturday at 1:30, in the consolation game.
Souderton (48) – Trevor Watts 14, Stephen Luchansky 10, Kavi Ramchandani 10, Natale 7, Antonio Rodriguez 3, Finkenbeiner 2, Vince 2.
Lansdale Catholic (51) – Boccella 16, Kane 9, Cunane 9, Kahney 6, Kusters 5, Godzieba 3, Sheetz 3.
Methacton 59, Upper Dublin 43
Upper Dublin opened the season with a loss in the Pennridge Memorial Tipoff Tournament. The Cardinals led 9-8 after one quarter, but a 25-6 Methacton tear in the second quarter sent the Warriors into halftime with a commanding 33-15 advantage. The Cardinals edged the Warriors 29-16 in the second half.
Ian McGonagle led the Cardinals with nine points whie Brian McCarry had six.
The Flying Cardinals (0-1, 0-0 SOL) will have a chance to get on track on Saturday in the consolation game. They play Faith Christian at 5:30, back at Pennridge.
Methacton 8-25-15-11 59
Upper Dublin 9-6-14-14 43
Lower Moreland 51, Council Rock South 28
Council Rock South is breaking in a whole new starting lineup, and the project got off to an inauspicious start on Friday night at Hatboro-Horsham, in the opening round of the Hatters’ Basketball Tipoff Classic.
CR South trailed by nine after one quarter, by 10 at halftime and by 23 after three. Simon Magidenko led the Golden Hawks with seven points. Trey Irvin added six on a rough shooting night for South.
The Hawks (0-1, 0-0 SOL) play Hatboro-Horsham in the consolation game on Saturday at 3:45.
Lower Moreland 14-8-18-11 51
Council Rock South 5-7-5-11 28
Phil-Mont Christian 60, Springfield-Montco 43
Springfield fell to 0-1 on the first day of the Oreland Lions Tournament, in its home gym. The Spartans will play in the consolation game on Saturday at five.
Germantown Academy 51, Quakertown 46
Quakertown took a powerful program to overtime before ultimately falling. But it was definitely an effort to build on for the Panthers.
Quakertown (0-1, 0-0 SOL) will play Souderton in the consolation game of the 4th Annual Jim Church Classic, at Souderton, on Saturday at 1:30.
Spring-Ford 50, Central Bucks West 30
Central Bucks West has high expectations for 2017-18, but this was not a great start. The Bucks (0-1, 0-0 SOL) have a chance to get back on track on Saturday at 5:30 against Pottstown, on day two of the SOL-PAC Challenge.
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