Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Thursday. Upper Dublin/PW photos provided courtesy of Michael Rice. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f716903222
SOL Liberty Division
UPPER DUBLIN 54, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 45
It’s official.
With two games remaining, Upper Dublin clinched sole possession of the SOL Liberty Division crown. In 2022, the Cardinals shared the title with PW, but Thursday’s win – which gave UD a three-game lead over PW in the standings – ensured they will not have to share this year’s championship with anyone. It is the program’s first outright title since 2002 – 22 years ago.
“It was a very intense, fun environment – this was for the league title for us tonight,” UD coach Derek Brooks said. “We got great effort throughout the
entire game.”
The UD coach had an idea this team might be onto something special this summer when the Cards were 22-3 when most of their varsity players were present.
“Sometimes it’s almost harder to win the league title having PW and Abington in your league than it is to win the district, being that we’re in (Class) 5A,” Brooks said. “Is it a goal? Yes. Is it something we thought was possible this year? Yes, but we didn’t think it was likely. We’re very young.
“We thought we could compete. Did I think we could win it by three games – not in a million years, but it’s all a credit to the kids. They’ve been so good since open gym started in April, and we had a good offseason.”
Adding scrimmages and the regular season to the summer league, UD is 42-6 with the nucleus of this varsity group.
“The bar has changed,” Brooks said. “Even that record in the offseason, I didn’t think we’d be that good, but we’ve kind of continued it. All the credit goes to the kids. They’ve been unbelievable, unbelievable.”
The Colonials buried five 3s in the first quarter – two each from Jaden Colzie and Ben Marsico – to go on top 15-7 after one quarter.
“The game was so fast-paced in the beginning, and we struggled to make shots in the first quarter,” Brooks said. “Credit to PW. They were playing very hard, they were athletic in our face. We got some decent looks, but their speed, athleticism and pressure sped us up on a lot of them. We were able to get some offensive rebounds to get some extra looks, but we still couldn’t knock them down.”
The Cardinals edged their visitors 13-11 in the second quarter but still trailed 26-20 at the break. Mani Sajid’s seven points led PW while Ryan Mulroy – who had all seven of his team’s first quarter points – led the Cardinals with 14 points.
“We started off down, and we just tried to stay level-headed,” Brooks said. “We made a run in the second. Our press really helped us get back in the game.”
The Cardinals still trailed by three heading into the final quarter, 37-34, but rallied in the fourth, outscoring the Colonials 20-8. Idris Rines had seven points in the fourth to lead UD.
“It was back and forth for most of the third quarter – we were able to finish strong,” Brooks said. “Noah Cohen hit a huge 3 the first possession of the fourth quarter.
“We were great in the fourth. Even when they scored, I thought we played great defense and only gave up two field goals. It was just a very intense environment. Our boys played their butts off. They deserve all the credit in the world for being able to call themselves league champs.”
Mulroy’s 18 points led the Cardinals, and Rines added 11 – all in the second half.
“He was huge in the second half,” Brooks said of Rines. “He had a couple big drives, a couple of inside finishes and a huge 3 that put us up seven. He was great in that fourth quarter. He made a bunch of big plays, he was good defensively, and he rebounded the ball. He was great.”
Also for the Cards, Chris Kohlbrenner had eight points and Kobe Bazemore had six.
For PW, Sajid’s 14 points led the way while Jah Pendergrass-Sayles added 12. Colzie had nine points – only three after the first quarter, and Sajid had 14.
The UD coach had high praise for his entire team’s defensive effort.
“It was a major team effort because we ran our matchup zone,” Brooks said. “We run that to kind of control Colzie and Mani because they’re such talented offensive players. They’re so hard to play regular man against. You do have to come up with some gimmicky stuff to stop them.
“We made a couple of tweaks going into this game on how we were going to guard them, and it worked really well. Honestly, everybody deserves credit. Chris Kohlbrenner did a great job up top in the zone. I thought Kobe Bazemore did a good job, especially in the second half. Really, all of our guys – Noah Cohen, Brandon Altman and Brady (Fogle) were good helping out. Dris (Rines) and Ryan (Mulroy) – their roles were changed a little bit with the zone, and they adapted great. It was a team effort defensively. This is the only way you beat PW – you have to slow those two down. Fortunately, we were able to do enough to do so.”
Upper Dubln (17-3, 13-1 SOL) will travel to Lower Moreland for a crossover game on Saturday at noon, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (13-8, 11-4) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday to close out its regular season.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 15-11-11-8 45
Upper Dublin 7-13-14-20 54
Plymouth Whitemarsh (45) – Jaden Colzie 3 0-0 9; Ben Marsico 3 0-0 8; Mani Sajid 5 2-4 14; Josh Harris 1 0-0 2; Jah Pendergrass-Sayles 4 3-3 12; TOTALS 16 5-7 45.
Upper Dublin (54) – Kobe Bazemore 2 2-4 6; Chirs Kohlbrenner 4 0-0 8; Brady Fogle 2 0-0 4; Ryan Mulroy 5 7-8 18; Idris Rines 5 0-0 11; Noah Cohen 1 2-4 5; Brandon Alteman 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 20 11-16 54.
3-point goals: PW – Jaden Colzie 3, Ben Marsico 2, Mani Sajid 2, Jah Pendergrass-Sayles; UD – Ryan Mulroy, Idris Rines, Noah Cohen.
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
BENSALEM 52, NORTH PENN 47
The Owls – despite playing without junior standout Jaidyn Moffitt (injury) – defeated the Knights in a crossover game for a win that clinched sole possession of the SOL Patriot Division title.
Thursday’s win on the heels of a loss to Pennsbury on Tuesday was a bounce-back win, but if there’s such a thing as a bounce-back year, this was it for the Owls, who finished fourth in the division standings last year with a 7-9 mark and just missed out on a district playoff berth.
“It’s just truly a great team victory,” Bensalem coach Ron Morris said. “Jaidyn Moffitt got hurt Tuesday night at Pennsbury.
“We have been talking to the kids all week – we don’t hide from what the moment really is, and we knew Tuesday night going into Pennsbury – it’s always a great crowd there. Coach (Wes) Emme does an amazing job getting those guys prepared. We knew they were fighting for their playoff lives and we’re worth a lot of points.
“I tip my hat to them. They did a great job. It set us back, but the best thing about basketball – you play right away. I don’t know how football coaches do it where you’ve got to wait a week. It was great to get back out there tonight, and without Jaidyn, we knew it was going to be more difficult than normal because he’s such a key part of our team. The message was – when one guy’s down, we need every single person to give a little bit more. It’s not going to be one guy replacing him.”
The Knights – 27th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – came to Bensalem looking for points, and a win over the Owls would have given them plenty.
“We knew coming in against North Penn – coach (John) Conrad’s awesome,” Morris said. “He has 300 wins, and obviously, he does a great job. They’re right there on the cusp, and we were going to take their best shot. Our team just really came together and really stepped up and got the win.
“I also have to thank our coaching staff – all the hours they put into this is greatly appreciated. As a leader, you’re only as good as those you surround yourself with, and we appreciate the support we get from Geoff Per (athletic director), our school administrators, school board and superintendent, Dr. (Samuel) Lee.”
Nate Cooper’s seven first-quarter points propelled the Owls to a 16-12 lead over their visitors, and they took a 28-22 lead into halftime. Lewis accounted for nine points and Nate Morris – who had a pair of 3s – had eight.
Sparked by six points from Antonio Morris, the Owls held a 14-13 edge in the third quarter and took a 42-35 advantage into the fourth quarter and then held on for the win.
“In the third quarter, Antonio came out and hit some key buckets, and Noah (Morris) hit a 3,” Morris said. “Micah (White) was awesome in the fourth quarter.
“We handled their press, handled their 1-3-1, and overall, it was just a great, great team win.”
Cooper’s 13 points led the Owls while Micah White finished with a double-double, scoring 12 points – eight in the second half – and pulling down 10 rebounds. Noah Morris buried three 3s and added 11 points, and Antonio Morris had 10 points, which included a 6-for-7 effort at the foul. Amir Drummond chipped in six points.
“Micah White had a monster game with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and he had some big foul shots at the end,” Morris said. “Nate Cooper was our leading scorer with 13, and he was getting out in transition. He played amazing defense.
“Noah did great against one of the best guards in the SOL (Norman) Gee. He’s a really good player, and he worked for everything he got tonight. (Ahmaar) Godhania is a sniper, and Antonio (Morris) did a real good job on him. Antonio got in foul trouble early, but he was able to fight through it and play and made him work for everything he got. It was just a true team effort all the way through.”
For the Knights, Godhania and Gee led the way with 12 points each. Corey Meade added eight and Tre Simpson had six.
This year’s division title is Bensalem’s third in five years and came on the heels of last year’s heartbreaking finish – they were 25th in District 1 6A in what is a 24-team tournament field.
“This year’s success started back in February of last year – with the way it happened, with the way we didn’t make the playoffs, our guys took it personally,” Morris said. “To be league champs is difficult. To win a game is difficult, let alone be a league champ. We do this for our team, our school and our community.
“We play for Bensalem, we play with a chip on our shoulders, and we grind. We constantly grind and work, and these guys have bought in. They work so hard, and they deserve all this success. It’s great for our school and our community to see all the success these boys are having, and they represent us so well. It’s just truly a blessing to be a part of something this great.
“As a coach, I’m really, really proud of the guys. I’m so happy. To win a title with my own two kids as key contributors, you can’t write the script any better. It’s truly special to me. It’s an honor to be a part of something so great.”
The Owls are back on the court Friday night.
“We’re not done yet,” Morris said. “We’ll enjoy this tonight, and we’re right back at it. We have Senior Night tomorrow night.
“Bensalem/Truman – throw the records out the window. It’s a backyard rivalry. We’ve got to bring it and be ready for a tough game.”
Bensalem (16-3, 12-1 SOL) – fifth in the latest district power rankings – will host Harry S Truman for Friday’s Senior Night game, and North Penn (9-10, 8-6) will host Central Bucks South Friday.
North Penn 12-10-13-12 47
Bensalem 16-12-14-10 52
North Penn (47) – Ahmaar Godhania 4 2-3 12; Lee Hammond 2 0-0 5; Norman Gee 4 2-2 12; David Onyeanusi 1 0-0 2; Aiden Atkinson 0 2-2 2; Corey Meade 4 0-0 8; Tre Simpson 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 18 6-7 47.
Bensalem (52) – Antonio Morris 2 6-7 10; Noah Morris 4 0-0 11; Micah White 4 4-9 12; Amir Drummond 2 2-4 6; Nate Cooper 6 1-2 13; TOTALS 18 13-22 52.
3-point goals: NP – Ahmaar Godhania 2, Norman Gee 2, Lee Hammond; Bensalem – Noah Morris 3.
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
SPRINGFIELD TWP 64, HATBORO-HORSHAM 61
The Spartans hung tough the entire game but trailed by three at the end of the first quarter and at halftime. They still trailed by two heading into the third quarter when they rallied to knot the score, extending the game to overtime where they outscored their visitors 7-4.
Brandon Thompson – who had four big points in OT – and Aiden Hood combined for 42 points to lead the Spartans.
“It was great,” Springfield Twp coach Rob Fusaro said. “It’s always nice when you can compete with those (Class) 6A schools.
“We were down, they fought, came back, took the lead and just made some key free throws and key plays. We were just really tough, hung in there and did it together. The bench was great, the starters fed off each other and fed off the bench. It was just a really good experience for everybody.”
Thompson’s eight points kept the Spartans close in the first quarter, and he had 13 points at halftime. Hood – who had six points in the second quarter – had 10 points in the second half and two more points from the line in overtime. Julian Ciasullo had all seven of his points in the second half.
For the game, Thompson led the Spartans with 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Hood had 18 points and seven rebounds, and Bob Hartman had nine points and five rebounds.
“Brandon Thompson played great,” Fusaro said. “Will McLaughlin hit some really big shots. Aiden Hood was really good at the free throw line and made some big plays. Bob Hartman was really solid. Julian Ciasullo had some great drives and great shots that kept us in the game and gave us momentum. Collectively, all the guys in the rotation did a great job.”
Hatboro-Horsham’s Ryan Smith led all scorers with 25 points – 15 of those came in the second half. Shane Phillips added 16 points, which included four 3-pointers. He had eight points in each half. Kenny Lutz also finished in double figures with 14 with seven in the first half and his team’s only two baskets in overtime.
Springfield Twp (5-13, 2-11 SOL) will host Lower Moreland on Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (2-14, 0-12) will host Quakertown Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 16-14-16-11-4 61
Springfield Twp 13-14-17-13-7 64
Hatboro-Horsham (61) – Ryan Smith 25; Kenny Lutz 14; Amir Crews 1; Jaden Thompson 3; Vaughin Craig 2; Shane Phillips 16
Springfield Twp (64) – Bob Hartman 9, Aiden Hood 18, Brandon Thompson 24, Will McLaughlin 6, Julian Ciasullo 7.
3-point goals: HH – Shane Phillips 4, Ryan Smith 3, Brandon Thompson; Springfield Twp – Brandon Thompson 2, Will McLaughlin.
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