Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action. New Hope-Solebury/CR North photos courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for a gallery of photos. All SOS photo galleries for BOYS’ BASKETBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Patriot Division
PENNSBURY 66 HARRY S TRUMAN 48
Aidan McCormack scored 21 points and Evan McNeely had 16 to lead the Falcons to the bounce-back win after a disappointing loss to Council Rock North 24 hours earlier.
“We had an up and down week, a heartbreaking loss to Council Rock North where we didn’t play our brand of basketball,” Pennsbury coach Bill Coleman said of his team’s 53-48 loss to the Indians. “Tonight we were able to fix our mindset, and it was good for the guys.
“Going into the year, there was a lot of uncertainty with how we were going to be, and finishing 13-6 overall and making the SOL Tournament and making districts is good for these guys. I’m excited for them.
“Tonight was Community Night. We had a lot of support from both travel organizations and the Pennsbury community. It’s one of those nights the guys will remember forever.”
The Falcons, who led 18-8 after one quarter, took a 36-20 lead into halftime. The Tigers never threatened.
In addition to McCormack and McNeely, who buried five 3-pointers, Ty Kocak added 10 points, and Teddy Mangan had six. McNeely led the Falcons under the backboards with seven rebounds. McCormack had five.
“When we play well, everyone plays well,” Coleman said. “Aidan McCormack was our leading scorer, but everyone contributed. We were able to get guys that normally don’t play some playing time. Especially in front of that crowd, it’s a special night.”
For the Tigers, Franz Fabian led the way with 14 points while Antonio Carr had 11. Makai Jackson contributed 10 points, and Michael Burns had six.
Pennsbury (13-6, 10-6 SOL) will be on the road at Bensalem for an opening round game of the SOL Tournament on Saturday at 3 p.m. Harry S Truman closed out its season with a 4-16 record overall (2-14 SOL).
Harry S Truman 8-12-17-11 48
Pennsbury 18-18-12-18 66
Harry S Truman (48) – Makai Jackson 4 1-2 10; Michael Burns 2 2-2 6; Franz Fabian 4 3-3 14; Khavier Adams 1 0-0 3; Blake Alverez 1 0-0 2; Antonio Carr 2 9-10 11. TOTALS 14 15-17 48.
Pennsbury (66) – Justin Hedges 2 0-0 4; Aidan McCormack 8 2-2 21; Isaac Woltjen 1 0-0 2; Connor Taddei 1 0-0 3; Evan McNeely 5 1-2 16; Teddy Mangan 3 4-5 10; Elijah Eade 1 0-0 3. TOTALS 24 7-9 66.
3-point goals – HST – Franz Fabian 3, Khavier Adams, Makai Jackson; Pennsbury – Evan McNeely 5, Aidan McCormack 3, Isaac Woltjen, Connor Taddei, Elijah Eade.
SOL Liberty Division
ABINGTON 56, HATBORO-HORSHAM 31
It was mission accomplished for the Ghosts, who won their fourth game in as many days to cap an exhausting week of must-win games.
Abington is 23rd in what will be a 24-team field in the District One 6A Tournament. The rankings will be finalized on Sunday, and coach Charles Grasty, for one, wasn’t celebrating just yet.
“I don’t even feel comfortable – I guess I’ll feel comfortable Sunday, but you know what, we did it to ourselves,” Grasty said. “Our guys took care of what we needed to take care of on our end, and now we’ll just see where it goes from here.”
The Ghosts led from wire to wire, opening up a 32-15 lead by halftime on their way to the decisive win.
“I was definitely happy with our energy – in game four, you never know,” Grasty said. “But four in a row – you’d like to think that they understood what it takes, but you play four games in a row, and you don’t know how kids are going to respond, so I thought they did a good job.”
Derrius Lucas scored 16 points to lead the Ghosts. Jeremiah Lee added eight points, Fhenyx Scutt had seven and Connor Fields had six points and also had three steals. Eli Louis-Benjamin came off the bench to contribute five points, three assists and two steals.
“The guys that normally don’t play a lot came in – Danny Moynihan, Eli Louis-Benjamin came in,” Grasty said. “Those guys worked all season, and to see them come in and have some fun is always good to see.”
Jimmy Marino didn’t score but contributed six rebounds, two steals and three assists.
The Ghosts connected on 22-of-38 shots from the field (57.8 percent), and that included a 3-for-16 effort from beyond the arc (18.7 percent). Take away the Ghosts’ shots from long range, and they connected on 19-of-22 shots.
A highlight of the game was the opportunity for Hatboro-Horsham senior Jack Joyce to see action in the game’s closing minute and score a pair of baskets.
For the Hatters, Noah Schlosser and Kyle Dittus both had seven points.
Abington (14-8) is off until the District One 6A Tournament. The Ghosts were 23rd in the latest power rankings that will be finalized on Sunday.
Abington 20-12-19-5 56
Hatboro-Horsham 10-5-6-10 31
Abington (56) – Lathan Miller 0 1-2 1; Connor Fields 3 0-1 6; Fhenyx Scutt 3 0-0 7; Derrius Lucas 5 5-5 16; Jeremiah Lee 4 0-0 8; Paul Glants 2 1-2 5; Josh Young 1 0-0 2; Damon Rawls 0 2-4 2; Kellen Ingram 1 0-0 2; Kayjel Morris 1 0-1 2; Eli Louis-Benjamin 2 0-0 5. TOTALS 22 9-15 56.
Hatboro-Horsham (31) – Noah Schlosser 3 0-2 7; Kyle Dittus 2 2-2 7; Matt Wingen 1 2-2 4; Anthony Pumilia 1 3-3 5; Jack Joyce 2 0-0 4; Christian Daniels 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 11 7-9 31.
3-point goals: Abington – Fhenyx Scutt, Derrius Lucas, Eli Louis-Benjamin; HH – Noah Schlosser, Kyle Dittus.
SOL Freedom Division
CHELTENHAM 66, LOWER MORELAND 36
The Panthers won their fourth game in five days in a grueling stretch that will continue with Saturday’s opening round game of the Suburban One League Tournament. The win capped a perfect regular season for the Panthers, who won their 22nd game without a loss.
“Tomorrow is five games in six days,” Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury said. “The kids played well. It was good for them to defensively try and lock in as much as possible.”
The Panthers celebrated Senior Night.
“I hope they continue to mesh with the younger guys,” Fleury said. “And I hope we continue to grow cohesively because there’s a lot more we can do, and we know that. We just need to buckle down.
“It was good to have their families there. They gave them varsity lettermen jackets, and just to show the dedication of our teachers, our sewing teacher, Miss Sawyer, spent 16 hours straight just sewing the stuff on to the jackets to make sure each of the seniors had one.
“We are lucky to be embraced by our school, our administration and our fans. This is a testament to that. This group of seniors has the responsibility of bringing the community together as much as possible through basketball and their actions and just continue to hold their end of the bargain up. We’re just grateful for our seniors and realize their next season starts tomorrow.”
Rasheem Dearry led the Panthers with 19 points and six rebounds. Justin Savage added 12 points, three assists and two steals. Elias Walker contributed 11 points while Brandon Bush had nine points and six assists. Joey Weimer and Jalen Lucas both had six points. Johnathan Fervrier had two blocks.
For the Lions, Carl Barnette’s nine points led the way. Brian Grant added seven while Matt Ernst and Thomas Przybylinski each had six points.
Cheltenham (22-0, 16-0 SOL) will host Neshaminy in an opening round game of the SOL Tournament on Saturday at 7 p.m. Lower Moreland closed out its season with a 6-15 record (5-11 SOL).
Lower Moreland 6-6-10-14 36
Cheltenham 17-15-20-14 66
Lower Moreland (36) – Braden Alecia 3, Matt Ernst 6, Brian Grant 7, Andrew Chania 1, Gabe Krutzinger 3, Thomas Przybylinski 6, Kevin Hegedus 1, Carl Barnette 9.
Cheltenham (66) – Rasheem Dearry 19, Elias Walker 11, Nasir Edens 5, Brandon Bush 9, Joey Weimer 6, Justin Savage 12, Jalen Lucas 6, Johnathan Fevrier 1.
Non-league
NESHAMINY 58, BRISTOL 53
Neshaminy had four players in double figures and led wire to wire. The Redskins opened up a 31-17 lead at halftime and extended that to 47-29 entering the fourth quarter when the Warriors clawed their way back into the game.
“We were in control the entire game, and we were up 18 after three quarters, but we let them get right back into it late (against) their press,” Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle said. “We missed shots and the lead was cut to two with a minute left. We finally calmed down, got some stops and made free throws.”
Sean Curley was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line in the fourth quarter while Nate Townsend and Emeer Coombs both connected on 2-of-2 from the foul line. Coombs also had a clutch three in the frame.
Early on, the Redskins received a lift from Kade Benjamin, who had all 11 of his points in the opening half.
Evan Esposito’s 14 points led the Redskins while Coombs added 13. Sean Curley had 11 points, five rebounds and five assists. Benjamin had 11 points and nine rebounds, and Nate Townsend contributed seven points and nine assists.
“It was a great atmosphere at Bristol for the team to play in heading into the SOL tourney and districts,” Tingle said. “Jerry Devine’s team never gave up, huge credit to them, but we were able to pull it out. It’s time to get ready for the postseason.”
Neshaminy (14-8, 10-6 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham for an opening round game in the SOL Tournament on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Neshaminy 11-20-16-11 58
Bristol 7-10-12-24 53
Neshaminy (58) – Joey Zack 1 0-0 2; Evan Esposito 7 0-0 14; Emeer Coombs 4 2-2 13; Kade Benjamin 5 1-2 11; Sean Curley 3 4-4 11; Nate Townsend 2 1-1 7. TOTALS 22 8-9 58.
Bristol (53) – Shaquille Grimes 7 0-3 15; Elijah Alexander 8 6-7 24; Morris Ivery 2 0-0 4; Jacob Walker 0 0-2 0; Nick Lochel 4 1-2 9. TOTALS 21 7-14 53.
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Emeer Coombs 3, Nate Townsend 2, Sean Curley; Bristol – Elijah Alexander 2, Shaquille Grimes.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 52, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 21
The Indians raced out of the gate to a 20-1 lead after one quarter and took a 34-7 lead into halftime on their way to the non-league win.
“Coach (Derek) Brooks does a great job, and he has a lot of young players getting good varsity experience this season,” Rock North coach Jesse Krasna said. “New Hope won our matchup last year, so our kids were charged up for this game.
“We came soaring out of the gates to a big lead to start the game. We defended intelligently and were disruptive without gambling for steals. I love how our boys have been attacking the glass and adopting a ‘my ball’ mentality when shots go up. We shared the ball and capitalized on our open looks throughout the game.”
Senior Bernie Parent led a balanced attack with 15 points – 11 in the first half. Jack Blum also finished in double figures with 11 while Adam Mahtat added nine – seven in the opening quarter. Olive Schaeffer added six points.
“Our reserve group is made up of all underclassmen, and they have been working hard all season,” Krasna said. “They did a nice job bringing energy to maintain our lead. Matt Henricksen rebounded well. Oliver Schaefer was ready to shoot and handle pressure. Grady Burt played physical and attacked defenders. Julian Matera kept the ball in front of him. Tyler Rodowicz got into the paint. Micah Oxley 
had several deflections and a thunderous block. Cole McCarthy went hard after a loose ball and had a big free throw offensive rebound. It was great to see the boys ready to step up with the opportunity.”
For the Lions, Liam Ross scored eight points and Miles Demby had six.
Council Rock North (16-6, 11-5 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin for an opening round game of the SOL Tournament on Saturday at noon.
“We are looking forward to the challenge of playing in the SOL Tournament prior to the district playoffs,” Krasna said.
New Hope-Solebury closed out its season with a 2-10 record (1-15 SOL).
Council Rock North 20-14-13-5 52
New Hope-Solebury 1-6-11-3 21
Council Rock North (52) – Matt Henricksen 0 1-2 1; Oliver Schaefer 1 3-3 6; Shane Anhalt 2 0-0 4; Bernie Parent 6 1-1 15; Adam Mahtat 4 0-0 9; Jack Blum 4 2-2 11; Grady Burt 0 2-3 2; Ryan Burkett 1 0-0 2; Tyler Rodowicz 0 2-2 2. TOTALS 18 11-13 52.
New Hope-Solebury (21) – Justin Lehman 1 0-0 3; Dylan Hildebrandt 0 1-2 1; Miles Demby 1 4-6 6; Liam Ross 3 2-3 8; Wil Keddie 0 1-2 1; Hanley 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 7 8-13 21.
3-point goals: CRN – Bernie Parent 2, Adam Mahtat, Oliver Schaefer, Jack Blum; NHS – Justin Lehman.
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