Jarrad Saffren recaps all of Friday’s SOL boys’ basketball action.
By Jarrad Saffren
Fourteen Suburban One League boys basketball teams played league games Friday night.
Two—Central Bucks West and Council Rock North—played an exciting non-league game.
All eight results and recaps are below.
Non-League
Central Bucks West 52, Council Rock North 46
CB West and CR North are similar teams.
“They got a strong guy inside, we got a strong guy inside. They got an athletic kid who likes to get to the rim, so do we,” West coach Adam Sherman said. “We were fortunate to come out on top.”
Both teams are also physical defensively and balanced offensively. They bumped and bodied each other so often that the referees started letting them play in the second half. They couldn’t call everything.
Both teams also spread the scoring out. Thirteen players scored Friday night, seven Bucks players, six Indians players.
CR North never led. But the game was still evenly matched. CB West never led by more than six.
“It was tight the entire time,” West guard Jack Traina said. “We had to stick our men on defense and find a way. Not all our shots were falling.”
West won because it won those two key matchups Sherman talked about: Strong big man versus strong big man. And athletic kid who gets to the rim versus athletic kid who gets to the rim.
West’s strong big guy, Jake Reichwein, had 15 points, six rebounds and two blocks. He also made it tough for North’s big guy, James Kosyla, to get clean looks down low. Kosyla did lead North with 13 points. But he scored seven of them at the line.
“He’s a big kid. He’s strong,” Reichwein said. “They are a good team. We just played good team defense. That contributed to our win.”
West’s athletic rim attacker, Collin MacAdams, had 16 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks and three assists. He also scored the winning basket in overtime, a lefty finger roll, and held North’s athletic rim attacker, Noah Ehlin, to five points.
“Colin kept Noah out of the lane and didn’t let him make plays for his teammates,” Sherman said. “Jake limited Kosyla’s offensive rebounding and his ability to get to the rim.”
West had one defensive lapse all night. It left Matt McAlister wide open for the corner three that sent the game to overtime.
But in OT, West allowed two points before the final seconds, when North hit a meaningless jumper.
The Bucks also shot 6-of-6 from the line in OT, pulling away after MacAdams’ finger roll. West shot 13-of-16 from the line in the game.
“We were composed,” Traina said. “That was important.”
“It was nice to see us hit free throws,” Sherman said.
“It’s just you and the rim,” Reichwein said. “You just gotta stay focused, be yourself, be confident. It’ll go in.”
West’s Shane McCusker added seven points and six boards. Traina had six points.
McAlister had 10 points for North, including two threes. Drew Burton and Tyler Shields added seven each.
West won its fifth straight game. It also ended North’s four-game winning streak.
“This was a great win,” MacAdams said. “They are a really good team.”
CB West is 12th in the District One Class 6A power rankings. It is 2-0 since they came out on Monday. The top eight seeds earn first round byes.
CR North is 27th. The top 24 earn playoff spots. North is 1-1 since the rankings came out.
CB West (14-7, 8-3 SOL) plays William Tennent Tuesday night at seven. CR North (8-13, 5-6 SOL) takes on Harry S. Truman on the same night and time.
Central Bucks West 15-9-12-6-10 52
Council Rock North 12-8-11-11-4 46
Central Bucks West (52) – Jack Traina 6, Shane McCusker 7, Liam Cooney 4, Collin MacAdams 16, August Meyer 2, Jack Mulhearn 2, Jake Reichwein 15.
Council Rock North (46) – Eric Levine 4, Drew Burton 7, James Kosyla 13, Tyler Shields 7, Noah Ehlin 5, Matt McAlister 10.
SOL Continental
North Penn 61, Pennridge 50
North Penn clinched its third Suburban One League Continental Conference title in the last seven years. But the Knights shared the 2011 and 2014 titles. They won this one outright, their first outright league title since 2001.
“It feels good. I said all along what a special group of seniors we have,” North Penn coach John Conrad said. “I really enjoyed my time with them. Great kids, great families. They worked hard and earned it. We reached the goal we set for ourselves.”
Conrad knew before the season that the Knights could be “pretty good.” They just needed to figure out roles.
“We needed to make sure we had good chemistry. I knew we had good players. Our kids have bought in 100 percent. They are team first. That’s enabled us to be successful,” Conrad said. “We didn’t have any defined roles early. As we went on, the kids put personal interests aside. We’ve had different leading scorers throughout the year. David Guiliani and Reece Udinski have been consistent. Noah Kwortnik has become a stopper.”
Guiliani and Udinski both scored 15 points Friday night. Lance Lindsay-Ford added 12. Ricky Johns had nine.
The game was tied going into the fourth quarter, which the Knights won 19-11.
Sean Yoder and Jon Post led Pennridge with 13 points each.
North Penn is seventh in the District One 6A power rankings and 2-0 since they came out. Pennridge is 21st and 1-1 this week.
North Penn (17-4, 10-1 SOL) hosts Central Bucks East Tuesday night at seven. Pennridge (10-11, 5-7 SOL) plays Neshaminy on the same night and time.
North Penn 14-11-14-19 61
Pennridge 10-12-17-11 50
North Penn (61) – Lance Lindsay-Ford 12, Ricky Johns 9, Chris Coleman 7, Reece Udinski 15, David Giuliani 15, Derek Heiserman 1, Noah Kwortnik 2.
Pennridge (50) – Jordan Roehrer 3, Ryan Warner 3, Sean Yoder 13, Ryan Kinky 5, Kyle Yoder 5, Tyrese Lewis-Eutsey 3, Ryan Cuthbert 3, Jon Post 13, Nick Dunn 2.
Central Bucks East 59, Central Bucks South 50
Both teams needed this game. Both are fighting for their playoff lives. CB East is 17th in the District One 6A power rankings. And Central Bucks South is 19th.
CB East improved to 1-0 since the rankings came out. CB South dropped to 1-1.
East’s Matt Pattyson (20), Kyle Cassidy (14) and Elijah Seger (10) combined for 44 points. Ryan Plack added seven.
Pattyson also had four assists and three steals. Cassidy made 8-of-11 free throws in the fourth quarter. East’s Cooper Fink grabbed 10 rebounds.
Nate Johnston (18) and Dan Tecce (10) combined for 28 points for CB South.
CB South led by one at halftime. CB East won the second half 35-25.
CB East (12-9, 6-5 SOL) plays North Penn Tuesday night at seven. CB South (9-12, 5-6 SOL) battles Souderton on the same night and time.
Central Bucks East 11-13-11-24 59
Central Bucks South 14-11-5-20 50
Central Bucks East (59) – Matt Pattyson 20, Elijah Seger 10, Ryan Plack 7, Cooper Fink 2, Ben Markowitz 5, Nick Ruggio 1, Kyle Cassidy 14.
Central Bucks South (50) – Alex Karras 4, Nate Robinson 3, Danny Tecce 10, Nate Johnston 18, Colin Sauers 4, Tommy Kuypers 5, Andrew Dietz 6.
Souderton 63, William Tennent 45
Souderton improved to 8-13 and improved its District One 6A playoff chances. The Indians are 30th in the power rankings but just 1-2 this week.
William Tennent fell to 5-14.
Souderton (8-13, 4-7 SOL) plays CB South Tuesday night at seven. Tennent (5-14, 1-10 SOL) hosts Neshaminy Saturday at three.
SOL American
Upper Moreland 60, Upper Dublin 33
Upper Moreland won the first quarter 17-5, the second quarter 11-7, the third quarter 17-12 and the fourth quarter 15-9.
“We got off to a good start and kept the gas pedal down. They tried to slow up the pace and make us play D for an extended period. Keep the game low scoring,” Golden Bears coach Matt Heiland said. “Casey Decker hit a three to make it 6-0 and we went into a half court trap and forced a couple turnovers, got up 10-2 and it ballooned from there.”
It was senior night at Upper Moreland. Six Golden Bears players played their final home games. All six got in the game.
“They have meant a lot for the program,” Heiland said. “We got all of them in in the fourth. The seniors got a standing ovation at the end.”
Three seniors—Shane Stone, Damian Washington and Casey Decker—led UM to victory.
Stone had 15 points and 12 rebounds, his eighth double-double of the season. He is averaging 13 points and 9.5 rebounds.
“He’s been a very big part of our team,” Heiland said. “A lot of teams come in focusing on Washington and his triples. But when Shane’s successful, it allows our shooters to get open.”
Washington had 14 points Friday night. Decker added nine. The trio has been a big part of Heiland’s program since his first season, 2014-15, their sophomore year.
“Stone, Decker and Washington have played since they were sophomores. Decker was the seventh man. Stone was a backup big man. Damian broke his foot and was out from the sixth game of the season until the playoff game,” Heiland said. “Those guys have been key cogs and have been great. It’s definitely tough when you have three key guys like that wrapping up your careers.”
Another senior, Anthony Green, scored six points Friday night. Heiland credited all of his seniors after the win.
“Green has contributed a lot this year, especially in a couple spot starts,” Heiland said. “Tanner Jacob and Tommy Herb come to work every day and push our starters. They are very important for the overall makeup of our team.”
Mike Cottom and Nyjee Scott led Upper Dublin with six points each.
Upper Moreland is 15th in the District One Class 5A power rankings and 1-1 this week.
Upper Moreland (12-9, 6-7 SOL) hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh Tuesday night at seven. Upper Dublin (2-17, 2-10 SOL) plays Cheltenham on the same night and time.
Upper Moreland 17-11-17-15 60
Upper Dublin 5-7-12-9 33
Upper Dublin (33) – Jalen Heim 4, Mike Cottom 6, Nyjee Scott 6, Ian McGonagle 3, Corby Watkins. Ryan Besachio 5, Cory Stover 2, McCarry 1, Rio Besachio 3.
Upper Moreland (60) – Christian O’Donnell 5, Casey Decker 9, Ryan Coyle 2, Anthony Green 6, Brett Brossman 3, Damian Washington 14, Jacob 4, Shane Stone 15, Jake Villanueva 2.
Cheltenham 59, Hatboro-Horsham 53
Cheltenham ended a two-game losing streak and improved to 16-5.
“This was the tough part of our schedule, with Wissahickon, PW and now Hatboro-Horsham,” Cheltenham coach John Timms said. “We didn’t expect to win out. We expected a loss at some point. We played well in our losses. But we bounced back tonight.”
Trevonn Pitts and Ahmad Bickley played well for Cheltenham.
“Trevonn Pitts did an excellent job of rebounding,” Timms said. “Ahmad Bickley ran the show.”
Cheltenham also played well defensively. “We took away the perimeter,” Timms said. “We forced those guys to penetrate and then we helped out well on defense.”
Hatboro-Horsham led by four at halftime. After the break, Cheltenham seized momentum by making a key adjustment. It switched from a 2-1-2 half court defense to a full court press.
Clifton Moore led Hatboro-Horsham with 24 points. Jay Davis added 19.
Cheltenham is sixth in the District One 6A power rankings. Timms is confident the Panthers will still earn a first round bye.
“We should be ok,” Timms said. “If we beat Upper Dublin, especially.”
Cheltenham (16-5, 10-3 SOL) plays Upper Dublin Tuesday night at seven. Hatboro-Horsham (12-9, 8-6 SOL) is 20th in the rankings and 2-1 this week. The Hatters play Perkiomen Valley Saturday at 2:30.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 58, Quakertown 38
Plymouth Whitemarsh trailed by four at halftime but won the second half 41-17.
Matt Walker (19) and Cheo Houston (13) combined for 32 points. Walker made three threes.
Ahmad Williams had eight points. Danny Cooper scored six on two threes.
Quakertown’s Ryan Howard and JR Grimmage scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
PW is 18-3, third in the District One 6A rankings and 2-0 since they came out. But PW coach Jim Donofrio is a little concerned. His team has some injuries to overcome.
“We are trying to just look at our personnel and see how they are feeling. Some guys are nicked up and beat up,” Donofrio said. “Kareem Breeden has a groin issue. Ahmad and Naheem (McLeod) have little tweaks. And they play so hard that you hope a couple days rest gets them ready. But you can’t disrespect Upper Moreland on Tuesday night by sitting guys in practices leading up to that. You don’t want to assume anything with these seedings.”
Donofrio is also concerned about the two-week layoff between PW’s regular season finale on February 7 and its playoff opener on February 21. PW will open the playoffs on the 21st if it earns a first round bye, which it almost certainly will.
“You have to get good scrimmages in. You also have the SOL postseason tournament. So you’ll get some games in,” Donofrio said. “But I’m concerned about that delay. But it will allow us to get guys back.”
PW should get one key guy back in particular. Power forward Alan Glover played in PW’s season opener on December 9. But he was injured and has been out ever since. Glover should be healthy by February 21. He was supposed to be PW’s sixth man this year.
“He would have started some games. It’s like we have six starters with him. He’ll help Naheem in the post immensely. Him being in moves Walker to the three and Ahmad to the two and all of a sudden you really have some size,” Donofrio said. “He’s a stretch four who can knock down a three, rebound and make us not have to go so high tempo all the time. We can play solid defense without having to go overboard. Him being out has put a lot of responsibility on Matt Walker. But we survived it.”
PW (18-3, 13-0 SOL) plays Upper Moreland Tuesday night at seven. Quakertown (6-14, 4-8 SOL) takes on Wissahickon on the same night and time.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 7-10-23-18 58
Quakertown 11-10-8-9 38
Quakertown (38) – Ryan Howard 11, Joshua Rodriguez 2, Nick Drosnock 6, Dakota Suchanec 3, Kevin Juszynski 6, JR Grimmage 10.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (58) – Kareen Breedan 4, Naheem McLeod 3, Danny Cooper 6, Matt Walker 19, Ahmin Williams 2, Cheo Houston 13, Ahmad Williams 8, Matt Kodish 3.
Wissahickon 75, Springfield-Montco 49
Wissahickon trailed by three after one quarter. But the Trojans dominated the last three quarters, winning the second 25-12, the third 15-10 and the fourth 23-12.
Ten Trojans players scored, four in double figures. Max Rapoport led Wissahickon with 18 points. Marlyn Johnson added 14. Chaz Owens and Zach Reiner had 13 and 10, respectively.
Reiner also had 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block. Rapoport also had three steals and six boards. Alex Tappen posted five rebounds and three steals.
Wissahickon out-rebounded Springfield-Montco 43-30. It also had more assists, 15-7, and steals, 13-4. Wissahickon converted Springfield’s turnovers into 18 points.
Wissahickon is 12th in the District One 5A power rankings and 2-0 since they came out. Sixteen teams make the 5A playoffs.
Wissahickon (12-9, 9-4 SOL) hosts Quakertown Tuesday night at seven. Springfield-Montco (2-18, 0-14 SOL) plays AIM Academy Saturday at one.
Wissahickon 12-25-15-23 75
Springfield-Montco 15-12-10-12 49
Wissahickon (75) – Max Rapoport 18, Marlyn Johnson 14, Chaz Owens 13, Zach Reiner 10, Shane Ford 7, Alex Tappen 5, Matt Graeff 2, James Johnson 2, Anthony Lawrence 2, Eddie Fortescue 2.
Springfield (49) – Ryan Daley 17, Davis 3, Mike Goodson 9, Jordan Pauls 10, Wilson Krewson 3, Quentin Johnson 4, Jackson 2, Corrado 1.
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