Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Monday. (Neshaminy photo provided courtesy of Jesse Garber https://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p754738292)
Non-league
Bensalem 54, Wissahickon 53
If it’s dramatic endings you like, this game was for you.
With Bensalem trailing by three, Aaron Sanders buried a clutch three to knot the score 52-52. That tie held until – with 8.9 seconds remaining in regulation – James Ashford delivered the defensive play of the game, turning a steal into the go-ahead basket.
“He went coast to coast and scored a layup,” Bensalem coach Ron Morris said. “We went up 54-52.
“They came down, and we fouled their good kid. He made 1-of-2 so now it was 54-53. We inbound and we miss the front end of a one-and-one. They call a timeout with 3.8 left. They take a shot from five feet before half court – it hit the backboard, inside the rim and rattled out.
“It was like time stopped. I’m thinking, ‘It’s going in, this is going to stink,’ and then it went out and the buzzer sounded and we won.”
The win was the second of the young season for the Owls, but it was the third heartbreaking loss in four nights for the Trojans – all three were decided down the stretch.
“They’re like three possessions away from being 3-0,” Morris said of the Trojans. “They’re really well coached and disciplined. They play hard. Kyle (Wilson) does a really nice job over there. It was an intense game.
“We’re young, so we make some mistakes, but we’re learning from them and keep going and get ready for the next one.”
Earlier, the Owls took a 22-17 lead into halftime, but their fortunes changes in a hurry in the third quarter, and they found themselves trailing by 12 with three minutes remaining in the frame.
“They had a couple of good shooters – their one kid (Matt Compas) caught fire in the third quarter, and he hit three in a row, we got frazzled and turned the ball over,” Morris said. “It’s crazy – we had nine turnovers for the game, and I think we had four in the third quarter.
“We again turned up our defensive intensity. We talked about getting a stop and a bucket. You can’t make up 13 points in one possession. We got a stop and a bucket, a stop and a bucket.”
The Owls pulled to within three at the end of three quarters (40-37) and outscored the Trojans 17-13 in the fourth.
“We had a kid off the bench – Travis Robinson – who really came through for us tonight,” Morris said. “He was getting to the rim, and we had some big rebounds again from Luke Zeidler and Jeremiah Alexander. Justin Johnson, off the bench, had some big rebounds.”
Robinson’s 15 points off the bench led the Owls, who also received 11 points from Sanders. Blaise Unger and Justin Johnson both had eight points while Ashford and Luke Zeidler both had six. Jeremiah Alexander dominated under the backboards with 15 rebounds.
Compas led all scorers with 21 points while Jackson Intrieri and Harrison Williams both had eight points.
Bensalem (2-0) will host Holy Ghost Prep in a non-league game Wednesday at 7 p.m. Wissahickon (0-3) will host Upper Darby in a non-league game Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Bensalem 9-13-15-17 54
Wissahickon 6-11-23-13 53
Bensalem (54) – Travis Robinson 6 3-5 15; Justin Johnson 3 2-2 8; Aaron Sanders 3 2-5 11; James Ashford 3 0-2 6; Blaise Unger 3 2-2 8; Luke Zeidler 3 0-1 6; TOTALS 21 9-18 54.
Wissahickon (53) – D’Shan Love 1 0-0 2; Dan Buck 1 0-0 3; Justin Rappaport 1 0-0 3; Harrison Williams 3 0-0 8; Stefan Lowry 2 0-5 4; J. Twersky 1 0-0 3; Jackson Intrieri 3 0-0 8; Matt Compas 6 8-12 21; Carmen Ostroski 0 1-4 1; TOTALS 18 9-21 53.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Aaron Sanders 3, Wissahickon – Matt Compas 3, Harrison Williams 2, Dan Buck, Justin Rappaport, J. Twersky.
Neshaminy 63, Conwell-Egan 51
The Redskins used an inspired second-half performance to defeat the visiting Eagles in a non-league game Monday. Trailing 30-24 at halftime, the Redskins outscored their visitors 18-7 in the third quarter to go on top 42-37. They didn’t stop there, outscoring the Eagles 21-14 in the final frame to earn the double-digit win.
Senior Damon McGovern scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half, and junior Jimmy MacDonald added 11 of his game high 19 points after the intermission. The Redskins connected on 9-of-16 from the foul line in the fourth quarter, 16-of-24 in the game. MacDonald also had five rebounds and McGovern had five assists.
Sean Curley added nine points, and freshman Mike Murray came off the bench to contribute eight points and five rebounds.
Jake McGinty won’t show up in the box score, but the junior guard was the game’s unsung hero.
“We got a big defensive half from junior Jack McGinty for holding their best player – KJ Davis to four points,” coach Mark Tingle said.
Davis led the Eagles with 14 points, but 10 of those came in the first half, more specifically the second quarter when he had a pair of field goals and buried 6-of-6 at the charity stripe.
Neshaminy (1-1) will travel to Bensalem for Friday’s SOL opener at 7 p.m.
Neshaminy 10-14-18-21 63
Conwell-Egan 14-16-7-14 51
Conwell-Egan (51) – Donald Imo 3 0-2 7; Anthony Burns 2 0-2 5; Mac Coyle 4 0-0 10; Jalen Cary 3 0-0 9; Kareeme Davis 3 8-9 14; Ty Corbin 1 0-0 2; Jordan Garrison 1 1-4 4; TOTALS 17 9-17 51.
Neshaminy (63) – Jimmy MacDonald 8 3-4 19; Brandon Kelly 1 0-0 2; Matt Drapkin 1 3-5 5; Damon McGovern 5 8-18 18; Andrew Mays 1 0-0 2; Mike Murray 3 2-2 8; Sean Curley 4 0-0 9; TOTALS 23 16-24 63.
3-point goals: CE – Jalen Cary 3, Mac Coyle 2, Donald Imo, Anthony Burns, Jordan Garrison, Neshaminy – Sean Curley.
Simon Gratz 67, Plymouth Whitemarsh 47
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