Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Saturday. (CR North photo courtesy of CR North basketball.)
5th Annual Jim Church Classic
Council Rock North 42, Lansdale Catholic 38
Council Rock North staged a heroic comeback in the fourth quarter to net a 42-38 win over Lansdale Catholic in the championship game of the Jim Church Classic on Saturday.
The Indians – after scoring just four third-quarter points, all from the foul line – trailed the Crusaders 29-19 heading into the final quarter before turning things around with a 23-9 run to close out the game and the victory.
“I think Lansdale Catholic had a great game plan,” Council Rock North coach Jesse Krasna said. “They switched up their defenses and kept us off balance. We weren’t really able to get into a rhythm the first three quarters.
“The fourth quarter we were down double digits, and to get back in the game, we had to be aggressive. Our guys were being so patient in the first half, we were being too patient. We were turning down open shots, and we just weren’t being assertive offensively. The fourth quarter came and our guys sensed how big the moment was, and it allowed them to play more downhill instead of on their heels.”
D.J. Mischak and Hunter Wan each had 10 points for the Indians while James Duffy and Zach Saifer chipped in with seven points apiece.
“It started with our point guard DJ Mischak, who just had a tremendous tournament both games,” Krasna said. “He had 10 points in the game, but eight of them came in the fourth quarter. He just hit big shots when we needed them.
“James Duffy didn’t have a ton of points, but he made a great find, got a wide open three for Luke Vliet in the corner when we needed it in the fourth quarter. We made just enough plays. Our guys kind of understand that they’re not always going to play a perfect game, but when it’s close, you have to find a way to win, and that’s what they did. They showed a lot of resilience and composure too to be able to continue to defend when we weren’t making shots.
“Shots weren’t falling, and the kids stayed the course, and eventually shots started dropping, we were able to create some turnovers and get some extra possessions. I’m just proud of the kids because they showed a lot of maturity and poise as well.”
That poise has the Indians at 2-0 in the early going after a 1-5 start through six games last season.
“I think it’s big for the kids,” Krasna said. “Our coaching staff really believes in this group. We see the potential in practice every day. We have great leadership from our captains and our seniors. I think it’s probably more important for the kids than us because we kind of know how good they can be.”
Mischak was named the tournament’s MVP and Duffy, the Indians’ 5-11 center, made the all-tournament team.
“We’re really happy for all of our guys,” Krasna said. “A lot of them were jayvee players last year that worked really hard in the offseason. I’m thinking about guys like Luke Vliet and Hunter Wan, those guys are having a big impact at the varsity level this year as underclassmen. It has to do with how hard they worked, so for them to be able to not just get the experience but also to help us win, we’re happy for them because their hard work is paying off."
Council Rock North (2-0) will host Upper Dublin in a non-league game on Tuesday.
Council Rock North 9-6-4-23 – 42
Lansdale Catholic 10-8-11-9 – 38
Council Rock North (42) – DJ Mischak 10, Luke Vliet 6, Hunter Wan 10, Parker Ehlin 2, James Duffy 7, Zach Saifer 7.
Lansdale Catholic (38) – Gibbons 2, Cunene 8, Romeo 6, Hicks 13, Kane 9.
Germantown Academy 63, Souderton 43
A slow start hindered host Souderton in a 63-43 loss to Germantown Academy in the consolation game of the Jim Church Classic on Saturday.
The Indians were down by nine after a quarter and trailed 36-21 at halftime against their Inter-Academic League foe.
Andrew Vince led Souderton with a team-high 10 points and Sami Chouiraf was next with nine.
The Patriots’ Jordan Longino led all scorers with 33 points.
Souderton (0-2) will host William Tennent on Tuesday in a non-league contest.
Germantown Academy 14-22-11-16 – 63
Upper Dublin 5-16-12-10 – 43
Germantown Academy (63) – Longino 33, Anderson 15, Adames 9, Mack 4, Carrasco 2
Souderton (43) – Vince 10, Chouiraf 9, Natale 8, Thatcher 7, Williams 6, Walker 3.
30th Annual Gonzaga DC Classic
Abington 68, Episcopal (Texas) 62
Abington continued its explosive start to the season as the Ghosts knocked off powerhouse Episcopal (Texas) at the 30th Annual Gonzaga D.C. Classic in Washington D.C. on Saturday.
The win moved the Ghosts to 2-0 on the young season (they beat host Gonzaga on Friday night). Abington will play St Francis Academy in Sunday’s championship game at 5:45 p.m.
Abington senior standout Eric Dixon, a Villanova University commit, poured in 29 points for the second-straight game to lead the way. Dixon now has 1,674 career points and is just seven points shy of tying Richard Wright on the school’s all-time scoring list.
“They would make their run, and Eric totally took over the game,” Abington coach Charles Grasty said. “And Lucas Monroe (18 points) was just steady. He did everything for us tonight.
“They cut it to one with about two minutes left, and Lucas got a big steal and a big rebound. We came down and Eric tapped a layup in and we went up three. That was huge for us right there."
The Ghosts – who trailed 29-27 at the intermission – proved their mettle in the closing minutes, earning the win despite 15 turnovers and just 1-of-14 shooting on 3-point tries.
“We’re competing, and that’s what I’m happy about,” Grasty said. “This is some high level basketball down here, not that it’s not up our way. We have some really good teams, but we’re competing. The team made runs at us, and we kept our composure.
“We only have three guys with a lot of varsity experience. I think I played 12 guys tonight, and they’re coming in – they’re composed, they’re not turning the ball over, they’re not rushing shots. It’s good to see, especially in game two.”
Dixon added 18 rebounds, four blocked shots, two steals, two assists and was 13-of-14 from the foul line.
Monroe chipped in with nine rebounds, three steals and three blocks while Darius Brown had nine points, six assists and a steal. Maurice Henry had five points, three steals and two assists, and Manir Waller added four points, three rebounds and two steals.
Episcopal 15-14-18-15 – 62
Abington 14-13-22-19 – 68
Episcopal (62) – Nussbaum 8, Long 19, Davis 8, Kannfan 17, Haveton 10.
Abington (68) – Darius Brown 9, Lucas Monroe 18, Eric Dixon 29, Manir Waller 4, Maurice Henry 5, Jack Moynihan 3.
SOL/PAC Challenge
Central Bucks West 54, Spring-Ford 44
Jack Mulhearn turned in a glittering 29-point effort that included seven 3-pointers to help Central Bucks West dispatch Spring-Ford 54-44 in the Suburban One League/Pioneer Athletic League Challenge.
“That really helped get us over the hump,” Central Bucks West coach Adam Sherman said. “Yesterday (in a win over Amherst), I thought Connor Briese had a really good game.
“Overall, I think this team’s strength is their chemistry, their ability to communicate on the court and they’re defending well.Guys are playing with some good composure for this early in the season.”
The Rams took the lead in the third quarter before the Bucks responded.
“It was a seesaw game,” said Sherman. “We led at the half, and in the third quarter, they got a little lead, it was a one-point game, and then we were able to hit a nice stretch the last five minutes.
“Mulhearn got real hot in the second half, and that’s really what gave us that lead we needed.”
Mika Munari and Jack Neri each contributed eight points in the victory that upped the Bucks’ record to 2-0. Munari also had four steals. Connor Briece added four points and four rebounds. Reed Zerweck led the Bucks under the backboards with six rebounds to go along with three assists.
“We’re excited for the kids,” Sherman said. “It’s the beginning of the year. A lot of them had much different roles last year, and for them to be a bigger piece of what’s going on, it’s nice to see them have some success."
Central Bucks West is off until Friday when the Bucks will travel to Central Bucks East for their SOL opener
Central Bucks West 7-16-11-20 – 54
Spring-Ford 9-11-15-9 – 44
Central Bucks West (54) – Connor Briece 4, Jack Mulhearn 29, Mike Munari 8, Jack Neri 8, Reed Zerweck 1, John Murnen 2.
Spring-Ford (44) – Fitzgerald 3, Scillingo 8, Bonanni 3, Baker 18, Bobeck 12.
Amherst Central 56, Central Bucks South 48
Central Bucks South took a 33-30 lead into halftime before Amherst Central (N.Y.) rallied after halftime to post a 56-48 win. The Titans scored just 15 points in the second half.
Alex Dietz highlighted the offense for the Titans with a game-high 19. Ian McCaw added nine and Mark Kannengieszer had seven.
Central Bucks South (0-2) will host Father Judge in a non-league game on Tuesday.
Amherst 9-21-12-14 – 56
Central Bucks South 12-21-9-6 – 48
Amherst (56) – Mullen 14, Womack 5, Stewart 16, Hall 2, Lewis 2, O’Neil 5, Moore 4, Tan 8.
Central Bucks South (48) – Cole Prezelski 3, Brady Prezelski 6, Alex Dietz 19, Mark Kannengieszer 7, Tommy Kuypers 4, Ian McCaw 9.
Cheltenham Classic
CHELTENHAM 76, FRANKFORD 60
The Panthers defended a tournament title they owned, opening up a nine-point lead after one quarter and extending that to 42-30 by halftime. They never looked back.
Patrick Fleury was pleased with the performance of his squad.
“Our defense led to a lot of transition baskets for us,” the Panthers’ first-year coach said. “Zahree Harrison did a great job of finding teammates and allowing them to work in their spots.
“Jalen Mickens, as a senior, was a surge defensively. Tim Myarick was steady all game offensively and defensively, making perfect rotations, rebounding and being unselfish – oftentimes being the passer to the passer for the basket. Justin Moore, a freshman, continues to play solid and provide a necessary spark off the bench.
“Brandon Scott was very solid and physical with six rebounds and also four steals and defensively was very, very good for us. Mike McClain, as a sophomore, is always a spark off the bench and continues to show promise. Kyin Healey was a force in the middle where he was able to help our defense remain strong and cleaned up a lot of rotations for us as well.”
Zahree Harrison, who earned tournament MVP honors, led all scorers with 23 points and also had six assists and three steals. Joining Harrison on the all-tournament team were Jalen Mickens and Brandon Scott. Mickens added six points, three assists, five steals and two blocks while Scott had 14 points, six rebounds, five steals and three assists. Kyin Healey added a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. He also had three blocks and two steals. Tim Myarick had nine points and eight rebounds, and freshman Justin Moore contributed five points and four steals off the bench.
Cheltenham (2-0) will host Mastery Charter North in a non-league game on Tuesday.
“(We just want) to continue working on the things that make us a team, growing us closer and getting us to understand that this is a good start for us as a program,” Fleury said. “We look forward to our junior varsity getting off to a great start on Tuesday.”
Frankford 113-17-18-12 60
Cheltenham 22-20-18-16 76
Frankford (60) – Jiair Ballard-West 12, Seydou Ndiaye 19, Izayiah Adams 8, Reoma;dp Rameriz
Cheltenham (76) – Zahree Harrison 23, Jalen Mickens 6, Tim Myarick 9, Justin Moore 5, Elijah Harvey 4, Brandon Scott 14, Mike McClain 4, Kyin Healey 11.
2nd Annual Golden Bears Tipoff Classic
Upper Moreland 47, New Hope-Solebury 33
Upper Moreland used an air-tight defense on the way to a 47-33 win over New Hope-Solebury on Saturday in the title game of their own tournament.
The Golden Bears allowed just 19 points through three quarters en route to the victory.
“We received big games from all of our starters – Christian O’Donnell, Beau Woollens, Jahire Johnson, Tyler Ibbotson and Byron Hopkins,” Upper Moreland coach Sean Feeley said.“Our defense dictated tempo and we executed the game-plan. I’m very proud of how we played.”
Hopkins and O’Donnell each had 12 points for the Golden Bears while Ibbotson was next with 11, which included three three-pointers.
Upper Moreland (2-0) will host Morrisville in a non-league game on Wednesday.
Upper Moreland 10-13-14-10 – 47
New Hope-Solebury 8-4-7-14 – 33
Upper Moreland (47) – Hopkins 12, Woollens 4, O'Donnell 12, Johnson 8, Ibbotson 11.
New Hope-Solebury (33) – Wallace 9, Borys 8, Cooney 1, Keating 15.
Pennridge Memorial Tipoff Tournament
Pennridge 67, Audenried Charter 23
Pennridge took control early and cruised to a 67-23 victory over Audenried Charter to capture its fourth-straight Pennridge Memorial Classic title on Saturday.
The Rams built a 14-point lead after one quarter and were up 25 at intermission on the way to the victory.
Pennridge had four players in double figures led by Sean Yoder with 14 points, John Dominic with 11 and Luke Yoder and Pat Gillespie with 10 each. Dominic buried three three-pointers in a contest that saw the Rams connect on eight shots from beyond the arc. Sean Yoder and Nick Dunn each had a pair of threes.
Pennridge (2-0) will host Lansdale Catholic in a non-league game on Tuesday.
Audenried Charter 7-8-5-3 – 23
Pennridge 21-19-13-14 – 67
Audenried Charter (23) – Bennett 2, Wright 2, Ensley-Brown 5, Sasey 1, Johnson-Brown 9, King 2.
Pennridge (67) – Connor Pleibel 2, Luke Yoder 10, John Dominic 11, Sean Yoder 14, Nick Dunn 6, Christian Guldin 2, Anthony Phillips 4, Trent Fisher 4, Pat Gillespie 10, Jon Post 4.
FAITH CHRISTIAN 59, HARRY S TRUMAN 49
Terrence Rodgers scored 15 points, but the Tigers just didn’t have enough firepower in Saturday’s consolation game.
“We just got outworked tonight,” coach Tyrone Lewis said. “We shot poorly at the free throw line again.”
The Tigers connected on just 6-of-13.
Harry S Truman (0-2) will travel to Abington Tuesday for a non-league contest.
Triangle Club Tipoff Tournament
Wissahickon 55, Episcopal Academy 53
Wissahickon used a fourth-quarter surge to post a 55-53 win over Episcopal Academy in the consolation game of the Triangle Club Tip-Off Tournament at Montgomery County Community College on Saturday.
The Trojans entered the fourth quarter down 38-35 before putting up 20 points over the final eight minutes to grab the win.
Eddie Fortescue led all scorers with 19 points (with 12 coming in the fourth quarter) and teammate Harrison Williams added 14 in the victory. He also had four rebounds and two steals. Carmen Ostroski had eight points and a team-high nine rebounds. Maurice Willis had six rebounds to go along with six points.
The Trojans shot 51 percent from the floor for the game and held a 30-21 advantage under the backboards
Wissahickon (1-1) will be on the road at Bensalem for a non-league game Tuesday.
Episcopal Academy 14-13-11-15 – 53
Wissahickon 11-8-16-20 – 55
Episcopal Academy (53) – O’Reilly 4, Folk 7, Capitano 13, Dade 12, Delaney 3, Allison 14.
Wissahickon (55) – Eddie Fortescue 19, Harrison Williams 14, Carmen Ostroski 8, Seth Compas 6, Maurice Willis 6, Tyler Caso 2.
Hatters’ Basketball Tipoff Classic
Hatboro-Horsham 59, Council Rock South 49
Hatboro-Horsham bounced back from a slow start on the way to a 59-49 win over Council Rock South.
The Golden Hawks led by five after the first quarter before the Hatters used a 16-point second quarter to snag a 24-19 lead at intermission.
From there, Hatboro-Horsham was able to keep the Golden Hawks at arm’s length to pick up the win, thanks in huge part by going 17-of-21 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. For the game, the Hatters were 24-for-30 from the charity stripe.
Khalid Johnson led the Hatters with 20 points and Jake Schalki netted 13. Jack Marvin, with 10, was the other Hatter in double figures.
The Golden Hawks’ Jack Rebholz led all scorers with 21 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter. Shawn Blank added nine points in the loss.
Hatboro-Horsham (2-0) will host Radnor in a non-league game Wednesday, and Council Rock South (0-2) will travel to North Penn on Tuesday.
Council Rock South 13-6-7-23 49
Hatboro-Horsham 8-16-11-24 59
Council Rock South (49) – Jack Rebholz 21, Michael Stewart 6, Kyle McNamee 5, Brian Schwartz 8, Shawn Blank 9.
Hatboro-Horsham (59) – Khalid Johnson 20, Solomon McNair 7, Jake Schalki 13, N’Gianni Cerisier 3, Jack Marvin 10, Zehier Cheeze 4, Josh George 2.
William Tennent 66, Lower Moreland 65
In one of the most wild endings imaginable, William Tennent downed Lower Moreland 66-65 thanks to a buzzer-beating basket from Derrik Cosenza that capped a crazy sequence.
Down by seven points with 30 seconds to play, Cosenza, who had a game-high 20 points, scored over three Lions defenders to cap the unlikely comeback.
“They called a time out and we were able to set up a play for Cosenza,” William Tennent coach Robert Mulville said. “Michael Mulville was the inbounder, we had Derrik standing at the elbow of the foul line. We came up and screened for him, and he (Mulville) laid the ball up and Cosenza caught it and made a very difficult shot. Derrik probably shot it over three guys that were in his face, and the ball went in as time expired.”
The Panthers lost their season opener to Hatboro-Horsham Friday night, so the big win Saturday should be a confidence booster.
“We thought we were playing pretty well last night and didn’t come away with a win, and for them to just keep battling today, it was dire straits for a little bit in the fourth quarter,” Robert Mulville said. “We just kept trying to extend the game. We were fortunate that they missed some foul shots, and our guys were just able to keep hammering home. We had a chance to win it at the end, and they were able to execute.”
In addition to scoring a game-high 20 points, Cosenza also had 14 rebounds to finish with a double-double.
“He’s super athletic – he has long arms, he can jump, he can run the floor,” Mulville said of Cosenza. “He’s got great body control around the rim. Even on that last play, he was falling back and ended up on the ground after the shot. He’s so coachable, he’ll do whatever well tell him, and he tries to get better. He’s got a real good work ethic."
Dave West chipped in 12 points for the Panthers and Josiah Johnson had 10. Kip Mooney had eight points and eight rebounds. Mulville and Jay Stanfield both had six assists.
William Tennent (1-1) will travel to Souderton for a non-league game Tuesday.
William Tennent 11-19-21-15 – 66
Lower Moreland 15-22-12-16 – 65
William Tennent (66) – Michael Melville 5, Jay Stanfield 2, Josiah Johnson 10, Kip Mooney 8, Ryan Savage 4, Dave West 12, Derrik Cosenza 20, Dell Mutunda 5.
Lower Moreland (65) – Joey Cerrito 17, Shane Cohen 18, Jake Himmelstein 12, Jordan Zoubroulis 4, Andrew Finnegan 5, Forrest Keys 9.
Fred Pickett Classic
Thurgood Marshall 60, Pennsbury 57
Pennsbury battled Thurgood Marshall all the way before falling 60-57 in a non-league game Saturday.
The Falcons, who had a chance to tie the game at 59-59 in the closing seconds, trailed by seven points entering the final eight minutes and just couldn’t close the gap.
Collin Connor led the way for Pennsbury with a team-best 22 points followed by 16 from Gary Francis. Charlie Nuschke and Cooper Arnold each added eight.
George Varman led Thurgood Marshall with 22.
Pennsbury (0-1) will travel to Archbishop Ryan on Tuesday for a non-league contest.
Pennsbury 15-12-16-14 – 57
Thurgood Marshall – 17-14-19-10 – 60
Pennsbury (57) – Kyrie Miller 2, Collin Connor 22, Gary Francis 16, Cooper Arnold 8, Charlie Nuschke 8.
Thurgood Marshall (60) – Jaylen Denny 4, George Varman 22, Arthur Dukes 9, Kevin Dinkins 7, Reason Dinkins 10, Omar Nkonde 2, Amador Gadio 5
Hershey Tipoff Tournament
Cumberland Valley 69, North Penn 59
North Penn battled District Three-power Cumberland Valley all the way before dropping a 69-59 verdict in the championship game of the Hershey Basketball Tournament in Chocolate Town.
The Knights trailed by 15 at halftime before cutting the lead to 10 after three quarters but they would not get any closer the rest of the way.
A.J. Mitchell led the Knights with 21 points, Tali McIver added 12 and Chris Caputo contributed 10.
North Penn 11-13-16-19 59
Cumberland Valley 23-16-11-19 69
North Penn (59) – Tali McIver 12, AJ Mitchell 21, Kolby Barrow 2, Chris Caputo 10, Hartman 2, Rob Carangi 3, Solomon Robinson 2, Matt Swanson 7.
Cumberland Valley (69) – Ty Banach 12, Micah Wolf 9, Brandon Richwine 3, Harris Vorwald 2, Ben Drury 2, Omar Tandir 14, Dylan Buzalka 17.
Non-league
Upper Dublin 63, Strawberry Mansion 56
Upper Dublin used a furious second-half rally to post a 63-56 win over host Strawberry Mansion in a non-league game Saturday.
“It was a good win for us in a tough Strawberry Mansion environment,” Upper Dublin coach Chris Monahan said.“We were down 18 in the third quarter and came back to win by seven. Corby Watkins had 20 of his points in the second half and really pushed us over the top.”
All told, the Cardinals, who beat KIPP DuBois on Friday, scored 42 second-half points, doubling their first-half output.
Watkins finished with a game-high 25 points while Drew Stover, Bazel Brady and Jason Williams each chipped in eight points.
“All in all, it was a nice win for us,” said Monahan.
Upper Dublin (2-0) will travel to Council Rock North for a non-league game on Tuesday.
Upper Dublin 13-8-19-23 – 63
Strawberry Mansion 15-18-13-10 – 56
Upper Dublin (63) – Drew Stover 8, Corby Watkins 25, Bazel Brady 8, Jason Williams 8, Brian Klammer 7, Will Mead 2, David Levin 5.
Strawberry Mansion (56) – Green 15. Brown 5, Johnson 15, Nickson 5, Wilson 16
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