Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday. Abington/Wissahickon photos courtesy of John Gleeson, and CR South/Pennsbury photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of D&J Photography. Check back for galleries: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f716903222
SOL Colonial Division
Central Bucks East 67, Souderton 53
There has been some adversity of late, but CB East proved this week what it has the last four years – that it’s the team to beat in the SOL Colonial, as coach Erik Henrysen’s Patriots clinched the program’s fourth straight division title with the big win over Souderton Friday night.
The last time CB East won four straight league titles was from 1976-79.
“We lost a lot last year in two major contributors in Joey Giardano and Kyle Berndt,” Henrysen said. “This year’s guys had something to prove, not filling their shoes in the way they went about it but creating their own identity.
“We’ve always been a 3-point shooting team, but we needed guys to step up handling the ball. Last year, we had two point guards with Giordano and (Jake) Cummiskey. This year we had some guys change roles. (Dhruv) Mukund has taken on a ball-handling role when we need him to. Different guys have taken over roles getting stops and rebounds.
“The last two games or so, they’ve really started to play for each other.”
Last week, the Patriots’ hold on the top spot in the division became a little more tenuous with losses to CB West and Neshaminy. Three straight wins since have righted the ship a bit for the team.
“Last week, we weren’t real pleased with the way we played against West and Neshaminy,” Henrysen said. “We had a bit of a reset, and I feel like we took a few steps forward the last couple of games.”
Friday, CB East jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter behind the shooting of Justin DiRoberto and Cummiskey and that was the lift it needed on the road against Souderton.
Cummiskey led the team with 15 points and six assists, DiRoberto 14 points and five rebounds, Tyler Dandrea 11 points, five assists and four rebounds, and Mukund nine points, eight rebounds and four assists. Miles Demby had seven points and five rebounds.
The Patriots had nine 3-pointers and went 14-for-17 from the free throw line.
Souderton was led by Bill Sackor with 21 and Chanse Salone with 14.
Central Bucks East (17-4, 12-3 SOL), currently No. 7 in District One Class 6A, will host North Penn Tuesday to close out its regular season.
Souderton (9-11, 7-7 SOL), is on the outside looking in on the 24 playoff spots at No. 28 in the power rankings after Friday. It will host Central Bucks West Tuesday at 6:30 pm and will close its regular season Thursday at home with a crossover game against Council Rock North at 3:15 p.m.
CB East (67)
Jacob Cummiskey 15, Dhruv Mukund 9, Bryce Lolas 2, Tyler Dandrea 11, Justin DiRoberto 14, Nolan Behm 5, Miles Demby 7, Caleb Lyzinski 4
Souderton (53)
Chanse Salone 14, Bill Sackor 21, Clinton Kikonjo 9, Nolan Watkins 3, Danny Dyches 4, Thaddeus Harter 2
CB East 25 8 13 21 – 67
Souderton 10 15 19 9 – 53
3-point goals: CBE-Dandrea 3, Cummiskey 2, DiRoberto 3, Behm; S-Sackor 2, Salone, Watkins
North Penn 77, Central Bucks South 73 (3 OT)
Coming off a tough loss less than 24 hours earlier, North Penn didn’t have a choice. It had to find a way to get past Central Bucks South on Friday if it wanted any shot of qualifying for the upcoming District One Class 6A Tournament.
And it wasn’t easy, but in a game with a ton of dramatics throughout, the Knights emerged in three overtimes and edged the Titans in a must-win game.
“I think it just keeps us alive in the playoff hunt,” said NP coach John Conrad, whose team is unofficially now in the No. 27 spot in District One. “I think Senior Night is a big deal for our kids, and to be able to overcome adversity like we did tonight, shows that we still have a lot of fight in us.”
The Knights had a big first quarter and led 17-8 after one and pretty much held the visiting Titans at bay for most of the first three quarters. In the fourth, however, CB South rallied and took a lead late.
North Penn’s Ahmaar Godhania hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime. Corey Meade needed to hit two free throws late to force a second overtime, and then the teams went to a third overtime when CB South couldn’t get a shot to fall at the end of the second.
Leading by one late in the third OT, North Penn’s Norm Gee stole an in-bounds pass and went in for a layup for the final margin of victory and the well-earned win.
“Especially on the heels of playing Bensalem tough (Thursday) night,” Conrad said. “I think we may have worn down in the fourth quarter, but give CB South and (coach) Louie (Ditri) credit. They didn’t quit and we didn’t quit. It was just a good high school basketball game.”
Godhania finished with a team-high 30 points to lead the Knights, 11 in the first quarter. Corey Meade had 17 points, 10 of which came in the three overtimes. Gee had 13 points, while Aiden Atkinson had seven of his nine points in overtime. Conrad also credited Tre Simpson, who had five points while also doing the job on the backboards.
CB South was led by Ben Harrison with 25 points, 16 of which came in the fourth quarter and in the overtimes. Alex Shahin had 14 points, and Dylan Valentine 13.
North Penn (10-10, 9-6 SOL) will be on the road at Central Bucks East on Tuesday and will close out its regular season Thursday at Faith Christian Academy for a non-league game.
CB South (6-14, 4-10 SOL) has two games remaining, starting with at Pennridge on Tuesday.
Central Bucks South (73)
Connor Thompson 4 0-2 8; Cole DiEmidio 2 3-5 7; Alex Shahin 6 2-2 14; Kyle Moyer 1 0-0 2; Ben Harrison 7 10-13-25; Dan McCusker 1 2-2 4; Brett Barrett 0 0-4 0; Dylan Valentine 5 1-3 8; Totals 26 26 18-31 73.
North Penn (77) – Ahmaar Godhania 10 6-7 30; Lee Hammond 1 0-0 3; Norman Gee 4 0-0 13; Aiden Atkinson 3 3-6 9; Corey Meade 6 5-6-17; Tre Simpson 2 1-1 5; Totals 28 15-20 77.
Central Bucks South 8 10 16 17-6-7-9 – 73
North Penn 17 10 15 9-6-7-13 – 77
3-point goals: CBS – Dylan Valentine 2, Ben Harrison; NP – Ahmaar Godhania 4, Lee Hammond, Norman Gee.
Central Bucks West 52, Pennridge 40
Up five at halftime, CB West scored 21 points in the third quarter to stretch that lead to double figures on the way to the 52-40 win over Pennridge. The Bucks are 5-1 in their last six games.
Friday, Roman Kulesa led a balanced scoring attack for CB West with 14 points, while Matt Engle and Bowen Gugger added10 points each.
Pennridge was led by Cole Gehlert with 15 points and Charlie Rising with 12.
Central Bucks West (16-5, 10-5 SOL), No. 11 in District One, will travel to Souderton for its regular season finale Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
Pennridge (3-17, 2-12 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Tuesday and close out its season at home against Bensalem for a crossover game Wednesday.
CB West (52)
Matt Engle 5 0-0 10; Bowen Gugger 3 3-4 10; Roman Kulesa 5 2-2 14; Sam Jankowski 2 3-3 7; Aidan Kimberly 2 0-0 5; Julian Phillips 1 0-0 3; Dan Gallagher 1 1-2 3. Totals 19 9-11 52.
Pennridge (40)
Xavier Peters 2 2-4 6; Tom Costa 1 0-1 2; Cole Gehlert 6 1-2 15; Ryan Schwind 1 0-0 2; Charlie Rising 5 2-2 12; Jake Barbardoro 1 0-0 3. Totals 16 5-9 40.
CB West 7 14 21 10 – 52
Pennridge 5 11 10 14 – 40
3-point goals: CBW-Kulesa 2, Gugger, Kimberly, Phillips; P-Gehlert 2, Barbardoro
SOL Patriot Division
Council Rock South 40, Pennsbury 39
CR South only had two buckets in the fourth quarter, but the last one was the big one, as Gabe Cerulli’s layup gave the Golden Hawks a three-point lead, and they held on
to edge a hot Pennsbury team on the road Friday night.
“It was really back and forth,” said CR South coach Andrew Rogers. “They had a big second quarter and we were down two going into the half. I thought we did a lot of good things in the third quarter, offensively and defensively, and we were able to take the lead going into the fourth quarter.”
“But I think (Pennsbury has) been playing really well. Coach (Wes) Emme has done a great job. We knew he’d get those guys fired up and knew they were going to come in (the fourth) with a flurry and they did.”
After a Mike Burns half-court 3-pointer at the end of the half, the Hawks seemed to take control of the game with a 13-0 third quarter to go up 35-24, but Pennsbury bounced back, outscoring South 15-5 in the fourth.
“I have to do a better job talking to the guys and get them in better position to handle the pressure, put them in better situations to handle the attack,” Rogers said.
“But Gabe Cerulli had a layup there that gave us a cushion to ultimately win by one. Credit to our guys. It’s not always pretty, but it was an exciting win for our guys.
Cerulli, who also went 5-for-6 from the free throw line, led a balanced CR South scoresheet with 11 points
and 11 rebounds. Timmy Rahill had nine points on three 3-pointers, Ryan Delp had eight, including a 3 in the fourth quarter, and Mike Burns finished with seven points, three assists, four steals and six rebounds. Rogers also credited Ryan Wetlak defensively.
Council Rock South (12-7, 9-5 SOL), No. 18 in District One, will host William Tennent in a non-league game Monday and then will host Harry S Truman on Tuesday. The Golden Hawks will close out the regular season with a crossover game at Council Rock South on Thursday at 5 p.m.
Pennsbury (10-11, 7-8 SOL) is No. 23 in District One, and plays at Council Rock North on Tuesday.
CR South (40)
Ryan Wetlak 2 1-2 5; Mike Burns 2 2-2 7; Gabe Cerulli 3 5-6 11; Timmy Rahill 3 0-0 9; Ryan Delp 2 2-2 8.
Pennsbury (39)
Teddy Mangan 1 2-2 4; Mike Roccograndi 3 0-0 6; Danny Cohen 2 0-0 4; Grayson Gozum 2 4-4 8; Sam Callahan 1 0-0 2; Connor Taddei 3 0-0 7; Kelliher 0 1-2 1; Simon Dlugi 3 1-2 7.
CR South 8 14 13 5 – 40
Pennsbury 5 19 0 15 – 39
3-point goals: CRS-Rahill 3, Delp 2, Burns; P-Taddei
Neshaminy 60, Council Rock North 59
Emeer Coombs’ flare for late-game dramatics continued Friday night, as Neshaminy’s senior point guard hit two throws with 1.6 seconds remaining to give his team the thrilling one-point win over visiting CR North.
Coombs had four 3-pointers in the game, including two in the fourth quarter, and finished with 16 points.
Nate Townsend went 7-for-8 from the free throw line and scored a team-high 17 points and also had 11 assists and five rebounds. Max Currie added 12 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Logan Gale had eight points and six boards.
Grady Burt scored 23 points for CR North. He scored 10 points himself in the fourth quarter and went 4-for-4 from the line. Oliver Schaefer scored 19 and was 7-for-7 from the line for the game. As a team, the Indians were 16-for-20 from the free throw line.
Neshaminy (14-7, 10-5 SOL), No. 19 in District One, will close out its regular season Tuesday at home against Bensalem.
Council Rock North (6-13, 4-10 SOL) will host Pennsbury Tuesday and will travel to Souderton for a crossover game on Thursday.
CR North (59)
Grady Burt 8 7-9 23; Oliver Schaefer 5 7-7 19; Jack Curry 1 1-2 4; JoshErman 1 0-0 3; Tyler Radowicz 2 1-2 6; Riley Haggerty 1 0-0 2; Andrew O’Keefe 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 16-20 69.
Neshaminy (60)
Emeer Coombs 5 2-2 16; Max Currie 6 0-0 12; Jason Leiva 1 0-0 3; Guy Horton 2 0-0 4; Logan Gale 3 0-0 8; Nate Townsend 5 7-8 17. Totals 22 9-10 60.
CR North 17 13 9 20 – 59
Neshaminy 14 19 12 20 – 60
3-point goals: N-Coombs 4, Gale 2, Leiva
Bensalem 58, Harry S. Truman 50
The Owls already had the Patriot Division regular-season title wrapped up. Friday’s Senior Night gave the Owls an opportunity to honor the team’s seven seniors and its two managers. “Coming into today, it was all about our seniors, our last regular season game at home,” said coach Ron Morris. “We started two guys that don’t play that much – Angelo Semon and Zach Lentchner. Antonio and Noah (Morris) as senior leaders and captains, they were actually like ‘Yes, please, start them’ because it’s bigger than basketball. They’ve earned that chance.”
By no means was this an easy win, despite the difference in records. Bensalem took a lead with a big second quarter but could never quite shake a pesky Truman squad.
“We played well in the first quarter,” Ron Morris said. “It was close and the second quarter, we played some good defense, we got out in transition, Antoinio caught fire – he had 13 points. Jahmir Chatman played good defensively.
“I can’t say enough about this senior group. It’s awesome, and overall, it was all about all the seniors and honoring them.”
Antonio Morris finished with 22 points, Micah White added 10 and Noah Morris finished with nine points.
Truman was led by Adul Diallo with 26 points.
“We know Bensalem/Truman is a backyard rivalry,” Ron Morris said. “You can throw the records out the window. Coach Randolph (Jackson) is doing a good job over there. They compete, they scratch, they fight. I was telling him, the fact that they’re still competing with this high energy when you only have one win at this time of year is a credit to him and his team that they just keep battling and competing, so we knew it wasn’t going to be easy.
“This was another great win. We’re one more closer to another goal, finishing the season strong. We enjoy this tonight and be ready for a war at Neshaminy on Tuesday.”
Bensalem (17-3, 13-1 SOL), No. 6 in District One, will travel to Neshaminy on Tuesday and close out its regular season at Pennridge for a crossover game on Wednesday.
Truman (1-18, 0-15 SOL) wraps up its season at CR South on Tuesday.
Harry S. Truman (50)
Tre Winton 3 0-0 8; Julian Rodgers 1 0-0 2; Dave Vaughn 1 0-0 2; Aaron Nathan 3 1-2 7; Adul Diallo 10 5-7 26; Shaq Chapman 1 0-2 2; RJ Cox 1 1-2 3; Totals 20 7-13 50.
Bensalem (58)
Antonio Morris 8 1-2 22; Noah Morris 3 3-3 9; Micah White 4 2-8 10; Amir Drummond 0 1-4 1; Nate Cooper 0 5-6 5; Jahmir Chatman 2 0-1 4; Angelo Siemon 1 0-0 3; Idris Savadago 1 0-2 2; Zach Lentchner 1 0-0 2; Totals 20 12-20 58.
Harry S Truman 8 9 16 17 – 50
Bensalem 9 20 13 16 – 58
3-point goals: HST – Tre Winton 2, Adul Diallo; Bensalem – Antonio Morris 5, Angelo Semon.
SOL Freedom Division
William Tennent 70, New Hope-Solebury 59
The night belonged to Kirby Mooney
After scoring 24 points in William Tennent’s loss to Cheltenham on Tuesday, the senior sharpshooter was one point shy of breaking the school’s all-time scoring mark, held by Frank Moultrie.
It was a historic mark that Mooney was aware of well before Friday’s game.
“I knew I tied it Tuesday night,” he said. “Going into tonight, I knew I only had to score one point.”
He took care of business in a hurry, connecting on a free throw early in Friday’s game at New Hope.
“I missed my first free throw, and my parents were actually laughing a little bit, but I got it on my second one, which was good,” Mooney said. “We called timeout. It was just an amazing feeling, definitely one I’ll remember forever.
“I’ve been waiting for it, I got a little antsy, and I’m glad I got it tonight. This really means so much, and I wouldn’t be able to do it without my teammates, my coaches and really all of William Tennent.”
The game was halted to recognized Mooney’s accomplishment.
“(New Hope) was nice enough to stop the game,” said Panthers coach Robert Mulville. “They made an announcement, and his parents came out on the court. It was really nice for him.”
For Mooney, playing basketball at Tennent was a goal since he was a youngster.
“When I was younger, I would always go to the games at Tennent, and I would look up at the banner, and I knew I wanted to be up there one day,” Mooney said. “Midway through my junior year – that’s when I knew I could make this happen after having a good sophomore season and an even better junior season.”
Mooney actually began his freshman season on the jayvee.
“I had two very good games, so they bumped me up, and I was a swing player,” he said. “I got a little bit of time my freshman year but not a whole lot.”
Mooney has led them in scoring ever since. But his impact on the court is about a lot more than scoring points.
“It’s has been a real special time to coach him,” Mulville said. “He does so many things on the court, and he’s a good person off the court as well, and that’s such a huge thing too. I’ve got him in class right now, and he’s a great student, too.
“So I do spend a lot of time with him. It’s something that doesn’t come through very often, to have a player and person like that. He definitely will be missed.”
Friday, as well as scoring 28 points, Mooney had seven assists, seven rebounds and five steals.
“He’s also leads the team in assists, and he and Imad (Abunima) are our leading rebounders,” Mulville said. “There are a lot of other things he does other than scoring. I’m not sure other people know that about him.”
Also in Friday’s win, Abunima had a big game for the Panthers with 21 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Sean Devine had six points, five steals and four assists.
New Hope was led by Liam Ross’ 29 points and Rocco Massimino with 14.
William Tennent (13-7, 10-5 SOL), currently No. 20 in District One, will travel to Council Rock South for a non-league game Monday and will close out its regular season at home against Lower Moreland Tuesday.
New Hope-Solebury (1-14, 1-12 SOL) will travel to Abington for a crossover game Monday and will close out its SOL season Tuesday at Upper Moreland.
William Tennent (70)
Kirby Mooney 9 9-14 28; Chris D’Ambra 1 2-4 5; Sean Devine 2 2-2 6; Imad Abunima 9 1-2 21; Jayden Bright 2 0-0 4; Tre Stracuzzi 2 0-0 6.
New Hope-Solebury (59)
Heath Miller 2 0-1 4; John Nettles 3 0-0 8; Rocco Massimino 6 0-0 14; Nicholas Reider 1 0-0 2; Liam Ross 12 5-10 29; Alexander Schkakadze 1 0-0 2.
Tennent 17 12 22 19 – 70
New Hope 6 20 13 20 – 59
3-point goals: WT-Abunima 2, Stracuzzi 2, Mooney, D’Ambra; NH-Nettles 2, Massimino 2
Cheltenham 55, Upper Moreland 48
Cheltenham went into Friday short-handed with two regulars out of the lineup with illnesses, including leading scorer Josiah Hutson. But the Panthers still needed to win on the road against a quality Upper Moreland squad if it wanted to clinch the Freedom Division outright.
And they did just that, breaking out a close game in the fourth quarter on the way to the seven point win over the Golden Bears.
It’s the fourth league title for the program since Patrick Fleury took over, and the second Freedom Division title.
“This is always the primary goal, bringing value to the SOL Tournament,” Fleury said. “We always want to be one of the eight teams that participate there and then roll into the districts.
“These last two years have been difficult for so many reasons. Josiah and Peyton (McClendon) were both out with illness, so two starters were out, but nobody was going to wait until they got better.
“This was just a total team effort. They shared the ball. Upper Moreland always has a good crowd there. They also play with energy, pride and passion.
“I’m just very happy to get the league. It’s another thing for our team and our community.”
Junior transfer Talasi Henderson led the Panthers with 15 points, sophomore Mark Hill had 12 and freshman Kamal Mason added10, including 7-for-8 from the foul line.
“We played Kamal, and he played really well, and so did Osei Johnson,” Fleury said. “We started Talasi (Henderson), a kid who came to us in December, so he’ll be out for the playoffs this year, but he’s definitely a great kid. He got extended minutes and was able to get 15, and he got a crucial steal with 1:30 left to put the lead up to four and then hit some free throws. He had a very good all-around game, so we’re very high on him.
“Today is sophomore Mark Hill’s birthday – him and Josiah – and he had a good game. He gave us 12 points. Chris Harmon came in and gave us good minutes. Korey Wyatt, our unsung hero from practice, is just a ball of energy, and come playoff time, that’s a kid we’re going to have to put in. Aidan (Wilson Worley) played well. Assante Johnson gave us good minutes.”
Colson Campbell, Sean Murphy and Brayden Martin each had 11 for Upper Moreland.
Cheltenham (15-4, 12-2 SOL), currently sitting at No. 12 in District One, will travel to Reading for a non-league game Saturday at 3 p.m. and then travel to Hatboro-Horsham for a crossover game Monday. The Panthers will close out their regular season Tuesday at home against Springfield.
Upper Moreland (12-9, 10-5 SOL), No. 8 in District One Class 5A, will close out its regular season Tuesday at home against New Hope-Solebury.
Cheltenham (55)
Kamal Mason 1 7-8 10; Mark Hill 5 0-0 12; Kevin Addison-Anderson 3 1-2 7; Osei Johnson 1 0-0 3; Salim Kelly 1 0-0 2; Nile Tinsley 2 1-1 6; Tallisi Henderson 4 5-6 15; Totals 17 14-17 55
Upper Moreland (48)
Alex Best 3 0-0 6; Colson Campbell 4 3-4 11; Anthony Carson 1 0-0 2; Sean Murphy 4 1-2 11; Brayden Martin 4 3-4 11; Larry Hughes; Totals 17 14-17 55.
Cheltenham 12 15 15 13 – 55
Upper Moreland 11 13 17 7 – 48
3-point goals: Mark Hill 2, Talisi Henderson 2, Osei Johnson, Nile Tinsley, Kamal Mason; UM – Sean Murphy.
Springfield Twp 71, Lower Moreland 66
The young Spartans have been on the rise, and they notched their biggest win of the season Friday.
The last time these two teams met, it was Lower Moreland that came out with the big win, 90-64. Friday was a whole lot different, as Springfield emerged in the end to earn the payback victory over its archrival.
“They were really resilient, kept pushing through it and put together another really good fourth quarter,” said Spartans coach Rob Fusaro. “We have a really young group, they’re getting a lot of really good experience and they’re a really tight-knit group. They’re really invested in basketball and enjoy playing on the team with each other.
“They’re very engaged. They pick up what you draw up in timeouts, they pick up what you do in films. They really care a lot, and it’s really starting to translate. I kept telling them – ’This is going to pay off, the wins are going to come, you’ve just got to stay with it,’ and they have. They put a really good effort into it. It’s all coming together for them, they’re pumped, and they deserve it. They’re really working hard.”
Brandon Thompson and Aiden Hood led the way with 25 and 23 points, respectively, for Springfield. Bob Hartman had 18, nine of which came in the fourth quarter, including 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Thompson had eight in the fourth.
“The game was a little bit back and forth,” Fusaro said. “They closed the gap a little bit, hit a couple 3s, especially one at the end of the fourth quarter. It got a little bit closer.
“Our two guys – Bob Hartman and Brandon Thompson – were really good at the free throw line. Brandon Thompson was great all night, doing what he does and creating and just being a solid player overall. We hit some clutch free throws, took care of the ball and just finished, which was really nice.”
Springfield Twp (6-13, 3-11 SOL) will host Calvary Christian in a non-league game Monday. The Spartans will travel to Cheltenham Tuesday and will close out the regular season at home in a crossover game against Wissahickon on Thursday.
Lower Moreland (7-13, 4-10 SOL) will host Upper Dublin in a crossover game Saturday at noon and then will close out its regular season at William Tennent on Tuesday.
Lower Moreland (66)
Carl Barnette 17, Mason Tammaro 5, Kevin Hegedus 10, John Kroll 13, Andre Zoubroulis 2, Nathan Fellah 16, Andrew Furmanets 3.
Springfield Twp (71)
Bob Hartman 18, Aiden Hood 23, Ryan Bell 2, Brandon Thompson 25, Will McLaughlin 2, Julian Ciasullo 1.
3-point goals: LM – Carl Barnette 4, Kevin Hegedus 2, John Kroll 2,Andrew Furmanets; Springfield Twp – Bob Hartman 2, Aiden Hood.
SOL Liberty Division
Abington 76, Wissahickon 69
Jeremiah Lee scored a season-high 29 points and Abington shot 61.7 percent from the field, jumping up double figures on Wissahickon in the first half on the way to the
seven-point Liberty Division win Friday night.
“It’s a nice win,” said Galloping Ghosts coach Dan Marsh. “Wissahickon has been playing really well. I told them going in, ‘If you think this is going to be the same team you beat the first time around, you’re going to be sadly mistaken.’
“A couple of times we took control and led by 13 or 15, and they fought back. Our defense has got to get a lot better.”
Lee also finished with five rebounds, six steals and five assists.
Kamari Brasher had 12 points and four rebounds, and Aaron Jones had 11 points and five rebounds.
“Kamari (Brasher) did a really good job on (Wissahickon’s Dom Vacchiano) but then No. 5 (Brayden Ryan) had 25 points,” Marsh said. “Luckily, JJ (Jeremiah Lee) played great. Damon Rawls came in and provided some good defense for us too.
“It’s a good win, but at this point in the year, all of them are good wins. That’s a team that has been playing well. They beat PW and took Upper Dublin to the brink. We were able to pull it out and scored 76
points, which was good.”
Ryan’s 25 led the Trojans, while Dom Vacchiano had 14 and Nico Vacchiano and Josh Palutis 10 points each.
“We battled all night, but could not slow down the Galloping Ghosts,” Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson said. “Abington jumped out to a solid start and fought back every quarter, but Jeramiah Lee’s 29 points were too much to overcome.”
Abington (15-5, 10-4 SOL), currently No. 9 in District One, will close out its regular season Tuesday at Quakertown.
Wissahickon (8-12, 7-7 SOL), still on the outside looking in on the Class 6A playoff bubble at No. 29, will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday and will close out its regular season at Springfield Twp for a crossover game Thursday.
Wissahickon (69)
Nigel Harrison 1 0-0 3; Michael Maltin 1 0-0 2; Brayden Ryan 9 3-3 25; Nicol Vacchiano 2 6-7 10; Caj Jones 1 2-3 3; Gabe Lassiter 0 2-3 2; Josh Palutis 3 4-6 10; Dom Vacchiano 5 1-2 14; 22 17-23 69.
Abington (76)
Damon Rawls 1 3-6 5; Aaron Jones 4 2-2 11; Jeremiah Lee 11 5-6 29; Paul Glants 4 2-2 11; Kamari Brasher 6 0-2 12; Kellen Ingram 1 0-0 2; Khalid Jenkins 2 1-3 6; Totals 29 13-21 76.
Wissahickon 13 11 22 23 – 69
Abington 21 14 16 25 – 76
3-point goals: Wissahickon – Brayden Ryan 4, Dom Vacchiano 3, Nigel Harrison; Abington – Jeremiah Lee 2, Aaron Jones, Paul Glants, Khalid Jenkins 1.
Hatboro-Horsham 58, Quakertown 46
The Hatters had a chance to win their first league game of the season Thursday but lost in overtime by three points to Springfield.
Friday, they had another chance and this time, had a strong second half and knocked off visiting Quakertown 58-46.
“This is huge,” said H-H coach Josh Meyer. “I just said to a good friend of mine, after last night – the way that ended up – we couldn’t have gotten much lower. For the boys to gather themselves, come out and keep grinding, it was a sight to behold.
“I couldn’t be more proud of how they played and stuck together, put (that game) behind them, and they really played in the moment.
“I said before the game – especially being Senior Night – ‘Cherish each moment out there on the court,’ and they did. It was a huge win.”
Trailing by three at halftime, H-H took the game over with a big third quarter, outscoring the Panthers 17-7 in the quarter. The Hatters then added 24 points in the fourth to secure the division win.
Ryan Smith scored 16 of his team-high 18 in the second half. Shane Phillips had 13 of his 16 points in the second half, including 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
“Shane Phillips hit eight straight foul shots to put it away, and that’s not our MO to be necessarily the best foul shooters, so for him to put it away – the one thing we did differently tonight than last night, we kept going,” Meyer said. “We kept looking to score and stayed on the attack. Rather than maybe playing and just running an offense, we were running plays to get buckets.
“Kudos to Quakertown. I know they were missing Miles (Longacre). They ran a good high post game, and their transition offense early on had us in a bind, so we had to try and change some things up to try and counter it. Quakertown fought us tooth and nail, and we’re progressing. You can see the growth in the team play and how the guys respond, and that’s what’s important.”
And to do it on Senior Night – the team honored Jackson Glenn, Ryan Walter, Vaughn Craig and Amir Crews before the game – made it that much more special.
“One of the seniors, Jackson Glenn, was kind of a player-coach for most of the season, but we were able to get him into shape and get him playing,” Meyer said. “I gave them the first quarter. I let them roll out there. Ryan Smith was out there with them. I’m proud of them from top to bottom.”
Ethan Tomlinson scored 18 for Quakertown, 14 of which came in the fourth quarter. Sam Wilkin had 13 points and Matt Thomas chipped in with eight.
Hatboro-Horsham (3-14, 1-12 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Monday and close out its season against Upper Dublin at home on Tuesday.
Quakertown (8-13, 4-11 SOL) will close out its regular season on Tuesday at home against Abington.
Quakertown (46)
Sam Wilkin 3 5-6 13; Kyle Rosenberger 1 0-0 3; Anthony Callan 1 0-2 2; Ethan Tomlinson 6 7-8 18; Tanner Clancy 0 2-2 2; Matt Thomas 3 0-2 8. Totals 14 13-19 46
Hatboro-Horsham (58)
Ryan Smith 7 1-1 18; Kenny Lutz 2 3-4 7; Amir Crews 2 0-0 4; Jaden Thompson 3 0-0 7; Vaughn Craig 1 3-4 5; Jackson Glenn 0 1-2 1; Shane Phillips 3 8-8 16.
Quakertown 12 8 7 19 – 46
Hatboro-Horsham 6 11 17 24 – 58
3-point goals: Q-Wilkin 2, Thomas 2, Rosenberger; HH-Smith 3, Phillips 2, Thompson
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