Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday. Souderton/CB East photos courtesy of Tracy Valko. Pennsbury/CR South photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for galleries of both games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f582224377
SOL Patriot Division
Pennsbury 56, Council Rock South 27
Pennsbury celebrated its win on the road at CR South on Friday. But before the Falcons got on the bus to return to school, they watched the end of the CR North-Neshaminy game on their cell phones and had another reason to celebrate.
Combining its win and CR North’s upset of Neshaminy, Pennsbury clinched sole possession of the SOL Patriot championship in coach Wes Emme’s first season back coaching his alma mater.
“Everybody just exploded,” Emme said. “They were just elated. It felt so good at least to know we had a share of it, knowing we had work to do to clinch the whole thing. But once that (CR North’s win) happened, it took all the pressure off. It was a great feeling.
“I would be lying if I didn’t say I got a little emotional. It’s a long, winding road personally to get here. Teaching and coaching to end up at place where it all started. To hang a banner and give the players the experience you had in Year One.
“I thought it was really important to have success, but I didn’t know we’d have this much success this year. The trust the kids gave me and the incredible coaching staff I have made this possible.”
Emme gave credit to assistant coaches Kurt Bergmann, Jon Love, Jermaine Major, Mike Higgins and strength and conditioning coach Lou Cognigni.
As far as Friday’s game, Pennsbury never let this one get in doubt, jumping out to a 30-3 lead at one point with an outstanding defensive effort.
Emme credited Mike Roccograndi for his defense on CR South standout Matt Robinson, as well as leading the Falcons with 13 points. Pennsbury had balanced scoring, with nine different players scoring. Connor Taddei added 10 points.
“We had great balance,” Emme said. “We came in at halftime with 12 assists and three turnovers. We felt great about how we were moving the basketball and how we were sharing it.”
Matt Robinson led the Golden Hawks with eight points.
Pennsbury (14-6, 11-4 SOL), currently No. 14 in the District One Class 6A power rankings, has two regular season games remaining, home in a nonleague game against Ridley on Monday and then Wednesday at CR North.
CR South (4-17, 2-13 SOL) closes at Harry S. Truman on Tuesday.
Pennsbury (56)
Teddy Mangan 0 2-2 2; Mike Roccograndi 5 0-0 13; Danny Cohen 3 0-0 6; Sam Callahan 1 1-2 3; Connor Taddei 4 0-1 10; Eric David 1 0-0 2; Ty Kocak 3 1-1 7; Simon Dlugi 2 0-2 4; Ryan Zuckerman 4 0-1 9. Totals 23 4-9 56.
CR South (27)
Matt Robinson 3 0-0 8; Evan Bidwell 1 0-0 2; Aiden Wallace 2 1-3 5; Justin McCloskey 1 0-0 3; Owen Provenzano 0 1-2 1; Callum Kockett 2 0-0 4; Jordan Getz 0 1-2 1; Timmy Rahill 1 0-0 2. Totals 10 4-8 27.
Pennsbury 22 17 13 4 – 56
CR South 2 6 11 8 – 27
3-point goals: P-Roccograndi 3, Taddei 2, Zuckerman; CRS-Robinson 2, McCloskey
Council Rock North 44, Neshaminy 42
Senior Jack Blum hit the game-winner at the buzzer, as Council Rock North came all the way back to knock off Neshaminy for the second time this season.
“Luke Blum took a huge charge at the end of the game to give us the ball,” said Indians assistant coach Tyler Sessa-Reeves. “Jack Blum has been leading us all year long and for him to hit a game winner at the buzzer is really awesome. Pumped for our team.”
Neshaminy, which saw its hopes of a division title come to an end, led 23-16 at halftime and 33-28 after three quarters, but scored only eight points in the fourth, and went just 4-for-8 from the free throw line in the second half.
And the Indians took advantage, outscoring Neshaminy 16-8 in the fourth, including Jack Blum’s game winner, which gave him a game-high 14 points. Oliver Schaeffer had 10 points.
“Such a great game,” Sessa-Reeves said. “Neshaminy has some really good players, they play really hard, and we were in a battle tonight. Our guys came to play tonight and I’m really proud of them.
“Micah Oxley played really tough and handled pressure all game. Oliver Schaefer stepped up again. Oli is a gamer. Man, he competes and hits big shots over and over again.”
Ashton Lovelace and Joey Zack led Neshaminy with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
CR North (12-9, 8-7 SOL), which started the night at No. 29 in the District One power rankings, probably still finds itself on the outside looking in. The Indians likely need to knock off Patriot Division champ Pennsbury at home Tuesday to have a chance and then hope for help from other teams.
Neshaminy (13-8, 9-6 SOL) looks in good shape at No. 19, with a road game remaining in the regular season, at Bensalem on Tuesday.
CR North (44)
Oliver Schaefer 3 2-3 10; Tyler Rodowicz 0 0-1 0; Cole McCarthy 2 1-2 5; Micah Oxley 1 4-5 6; Adam Mahtat 1 0-0 2; Jack Blum 3 6-6 14; Luke Blum 3 1-2 7.
Neshaminy (42)
Joey Zack 5 1-4 11; Ashton Lovelace 5 1-5 12; Emeer Coombs 1 0-0 3; Guy Horton 1 0-0 2; Sean Curley 4 0-0 9; Nate Townsend 1 2-2 4.
CR North 12 4 12 16 – 44
Neshaminy 9 14 10 8 – 42
3-point goals: N-Lovelace, Coombs, Curley
Bensalem 68, Harry S Truman 40
The Owls snapped a two-game losing streak and aided greatly in their hopes of locking down a spot in the upcoming District One Class 6A Tournament with the win on the road at Truman on Friday night.
The win improved Bensalem to 11-9 overall (7-8 SOL) with two games remaining – home against Sankofa Freedom Saturday (2 p.m.) in a nonleague game and then its Patriot Division finale on Tuesday against Neshaminy at home. The Owls entered Friday in the No. 24 position for a district playoff field of 24 teams.
Friday’s game was close for a quarter, as Bensalem led 26-20 after one, but a 26-4 second quarter blew the game wide open, as it held Truman to just four points in second and three points in the third.
Offensively, Eric Gonzalez led the Owls with 20 points, including four 3-pointers, while Antonio Morris had 14 points and three 3-pointers.
Truman was led by Shaq Chapman with 10 points.
The Tigers (2-18, 0-15 SOL) close out their season at home Tuesday against Council Rock South.
Bensalem (68)
Eric Gonzalez 6 4-4 20; Noah Morris 1 3-4 6; Micah White 3 2-2 8; Amir Drummond 1 2-3 4; Nate Cooper 2 0-0 4; Antonio Morris 4 3-4 14; Jack Wineburg 2 2-2 7; Idris Salvadago 1 1-1 3; Zach Lechtner 1 0-0 2; Totals 21 17-20 68
Harry S Truman (40)
Kahalil King 1 1-2 3; Khavier Adams 3 0-0 9; Aaron Nathan 1 0-0 2; Shawn Monroe 1 0-0 3; Tre Winton 3 1-1 7; Shaq Chapman 3 4-7 10; Randolph Cox 1 1-2 3; Stephon Thomas 1 0-0 3; Totals 14 7-12 40.
Bensalem 26-26-11-5 68
Harry S Truman 20-4-3-13 40
3-point goals: Bensalem – Eric Gonzalez 4, Antonio Morris 3, Noah Morris, Jack Wineburg; HST – Khavier Adams 3, Shawn Monroe, Stephon Thomas
SOL Colonial Division
Souderton 55, Central Bucks East 44 (OT)
On the road, on CB East’s Senior Night, Souderton pulled off a shocking overtime upset on Friday, as the Patriots will have to wait another night to clinch sole possession of the SOL Colonial championship.
“We have been in a bunch of close games and too many times lost them, so we were hungry to finish one out,” said Souderton coach Okoteh Sackitey. “We know that we can compete with anyone. We were just hungry and excited to compete tonight. It was a nice team win.
“We lost by three points to North Penn (Tuesday). We were right there – a close one with Pennridge, aclose one with CR North, six other close ones all year, so it feels good. I feel like we’ve been getting better as the season’s gone on. I know that we’re capable.”
Souderton grabbed the lead early in this one, jumping up 13-8 after one and 22-17 at halftime. After a big third quarter, the Indians led 38-24, as the Patriots couldn’t get their own offense untracked.
Then, East came storming back, and tied the game late to force overtime, and Tyler Dandrea sank 1 of 2 free throws.
But overtime belonged to the visiting Indians by an 11-0 margin. Aiden Maue and Jared Zimmerman had key buckets and the team went 7-for-9 from the free throw line.
“Our defense was really good,” Sackitey said. “I think that was a key. We held them to 14 points in the first half and 24 through the third. They had a big fourth quarter. We were up 15, and they tied it up. They started trapping and we got a little loose with the ball, but we were able to hang on, get to overtime,.
“We reset in overtime. Levi John hit Aiden Maue on a beautiful pass on the first play in overtime. We scored on that and didn’t look back.
“I’m really proud of the guys. Just to hang on and get it to overtime and then to be ready to bounce back and essentially play a new game in overtime, I’m proud of their resilience. It wasn’t the prettiest finish, but it was gritty. We were hungry and it felt good to compete.”
John had a game-high 16 for Souderton, while Maue had 15 and Chanse Salone added 14 points.
“That’s huge having different guys step up like that,” Sackitey said. “We have a bunch of guys that can contribute. You never know whose night it’s going to be.
“Levi John has been playing great basketball over the last month, and it’s nice to see him have a performance like he had. He led us in scoring, and he led us in assists too. He had a bunch. He hit Maue a few times, and he was really aggressive.
“It was a big experience for Chanse Salone to make some free throws in overtime and to be on the court for that and Aiden Maue to be on the court closing out a game. It’s a big experience for them and also a nice win for the seniors too.
“Along with our defense, talking about X factors, I think Aiden Maue and Levi John on the boards was the difference. They got offensive boards, they got defensive boards. It was really a tough performance.”
Jacob Cummiskey (14), Joey Giordano (12) and Kyle Berndt (10) scored 36 of CB East’s 44 points.
Souderton (7-14, 6-9 SOL) closes out its season at CB West on Tuesday.
CB East (18-3, 13-2 SOL) has a one-game lead over North Penn heading into Tuesday night’s showdown at North Penn. An East win gives it sole possession of another Colonial Division title. If North Penn wins, it shares the championship with East.
Souderton (55)
Nate Hemsing 1 0-0 3; Jared Zimmerman 1 1-2 3; James Blair 1 2-2 4; Chanse Salone 4 3-4 14; Aiden Maue 7 0-0 15; Levi John 7 2-3 16.
CB East (44)
Joey Giordano 4 2-4 12; Jacob Cummiskey 4 5-6 14; Tyler Dandrea 2 1-2 5; Miles Demby 0 1-2 1; Kyle Berndt 4 0-0 10; Nolan Jacob 1 0-0 2.
Souderton 13 9 16 6 11 – 55
CB East 8 9 7 19 0 – 44
3-point goals: S-Salone 2, Maue; CBE-Giordano 2, Berndt 2, Cummiskey
North Penn 69, Central Bucks South 54
North Penn came out of the gates red-hot, as it hit nine 3-pointers in the first half, built a big lead and then rebounded after a shaky third quarter to put away a CB South team that desperately needed a win to keep its hopes alive for a District One Class 6A playoff berth.
The win was also a big one for the Knights in their hopes at a league title. Combined with a CB East loss to Souderton Friday, North Penn is now one game back with one to play – at home against East on Tuesday.
“We got really good seniors, a good group of kids to be around,” said North Penn coach John Conrad. “We’ve focused on trying to get better every day and keep a level head.
“It will be a good measuring stick. East is a really good basketball team, they’re well-coached.”
Ryan Zeltt had 14 first-half points, four 3-pointers, while Ryan Deininger had 14 of his game-high 23 points in the first half, and Teddy McAllister had 11 points in the first half, as North Penn built a 44-27 halftime advantage.
That lead slipped a little in the third, as the host Titans outscored the Knights 15-6 to cut it to 50-42 after three.
CB South ran out of gas in the fourth quarter, scoring just 10 points, with three field goals and 3-for-7 from the free throw line.
“We shot really well early and (South) did a nice job hanging around,” Conrad said. “We came back down to earth in the third quarter, I think they got it down to four, but we defended well in the fourth quarter to be able to push the lead back up.”
Tyler Meinel led the Titans with 15 points, while Chris Granito added 11.
North Penn (17-4,12-3 SOL), still No. 7 in the district power rankings, has one regular season game remaining, Tuesday at home against first-place CB East.
CB South (9-12, 9-6 SOL) lost its third straight after clawing itself out a December hole to get back into the playoff race. It began the night in the No. 27 position in the district and has just a home game remaining against Pennridge on Tuesday.
North Penn (69)
Mario Sgro 1 0-0 2; Norm Gee 2 0-1 6; Teddy McAllister 2 5-7 11; Ryan Zeltt 7 0-0 18; Amir Hammond 2 0-1 5; Ryan Deininger 8 4-5 23; Corey Mease 2 0-0 4.
CB South (54)
Kyle Klein 1 0-0 3; Dylan Valentine 2 0-0 5; Nolan Helsel 1 0-0 3; Flynn Carroll 2 1-1 5; Chris Granito 3 2-2 11; Jack Carver 0 2-4 2; Owen Wheeler 2 0-2 4; Tyler Meinel 6 3-3 15; Sean Rieber 2 2-5 6.
North Penn 21 23 6 19 – 69
CB South 14 13 15 10 – 54
3-point goals: CBS-Granito 3, Valentine, Helsel, Carroll
Pennridge 55, Central Bucks West 50
Coming off a huge win over rival CB South on Tuesday, CB West started fast again on Friday and had host Pennridge on the ropes on its Senior Night. But the Rams bounced back, played a solid second half, especially in the fourth as they scored 19 points, caught the Bucks and put the game away late.
“We were down nine at half,” said Pennridge coach Dean Behrens. “CB West came out with a vengeance. They dictated the game in the first half, there’s no doubt about it.
“I’m proud of the boys. They came out in the second half, we tried to change the tempo of the game. We picked them up full court, ran a trap at them. We cut it to four and, at that point, I said, ‘Now, we’ve got a ball game.’
“It was Senior Night. It was a special night, and I’m glad we were able to celebrate that with a win.”
CB West had four 3-pointers in the first half, as Charlie Cashman and Matt Engle each scored seven points.
Pennridge sophomore Xavier Peters scored eight points in the fourth quarter, and as a team the Rams put it away by going 9-for-12 from the foul line in the fourth.
“Matt Campione had 18; he really got us off the schneid in the first half,” Behrens said. “We didn’t score for 3, 3 1/2 minutes. He probably had 8 to 10 points in the first half. At least we got on the board. It didn’t look like we were going to score at all.
“Tommy Cramer always gives unbelievable energy. He probably ended up with seven or eight rebounds and defended extremely well.”
Campione scored a team-high 18 points to lead the Rams, while Cramer added 17 and Peters 12.
CB West was led by Engle with 15 and Mike Fountain with 10.
With the win, Pennridge (14-7, 9-6 SOL) is unofficially at No. 16 in the district power rankings with a road game at CB South to close out the regular season on Tuesday.
CB West (7-14, 5-10 SOL) will wrap up its season at home against Souderton on Tuesday.
CB West (50)
Charlie Cashman 3 0-0 7; Mike Fountain 5 0-0 10; Matt Engle 6 2-4 15; Bowen Gugger 2 2-3 6; Julian Phillips 2 2-2 8; Max Slaymaker 1 0-2 2; Trey Reed 1 0-0 2.
Pennridge (55)
Caden Fisher 2 0-0 4; Jake Buesing 1 1-2 4; Matt Campione 5 7-8 18; Xavier Peters 4 4-4 12; Tommy Cramer 6 3-3 17.
CB West 14 14 8 14 – 50
Pennridge 10 9 16 19 – 55
3-point goals: CBW-Phillips 2, Cashman, Engle; P-Cramer 2, Campione, Buesing
SOL Freedom
William Tennent 55, New Hope-Solebury 39
Playing without its best player and leading scorer, Kirby Mooney, William Tennent took care of business against visiting New Hope-Solebury, and in doing so, clinched the SOL Freedom championship.
“We did talk about it in practice,” said Panthers coach Robert Mulville. “We wanted to make sure we were focused. We fought all year to put ourselves in this position, we had to make sure we carried through on it.
“After the game, we were able to cut down the nets. It was our Senior Night, too, so it kind of worked out well. It was a nice celebration for the guys. I was really happy for them.
“It was something we talked about at the beginning of the year, but we tried to take it one game at a time. That’s kind of the way we looked at it all year, but to get it to where we clinched it at home, it’s real special. The guys, I think, were able to enjoy it. We were up 14 or 15 in the fourth quarter, we were able to eat some clock as the clock was winding down, and they kind of knew it.”
New Hope hung tough in this one, trailing by just seven at halftime, 27-20, and then heated up offensively in the third, before Tennent settled things down and was able to stretch the lead into double figures.
“It was a grind,” Mulville said. “They got a little hot from ‘3’ in the third quarter, but we were able to get some steals. Sean Devine had two big steals in the fourth quarter that led to easy layups and we were able to stretch the lead.
“We didn’t shoot very well, but I thought defensively we did a nice job.
“Mooney didn’t play tonight. He hurt his elbow in the Upper Moreland game, so we decided to rest him tonight to get him better.”
Tennent (16-5, 11-4 SOL), currently at No. 10 in the district power rankings, concludes its regular season at Lower Moreland on Tuesday.
New Hope (0-16, 0-15 SOL) plays its season-finale Tuesday at home against Upper Moreland.
New Hope-Solebury (39)
John Wilson 2 0-0 5; Rocco Massimino 1 2-2 5; John Nettles 1 2-2 5; Matt Hanly 4 0-3 10; Liam Ross 6 0-4 12; Will Kiddle 1 0-0 2.
William Tennent (55)
Isaiah Dawson 1 0-0 2; George Marion 6 2-4 14; Sean Devine 3 0-0 6; Chris D’Ambra 1 2-2 4; Imad Abunima 2 2-3 6; Danny Scheller 3 0-0 7; Evan Devor 3 0-0 8; Tyler Laurin 4 0-1 8.
New Hope 7 13 11 8 – 39
Tennent 13 14 17 11 – 55
3-point goals: NHS-Hanly 2, Wilson, Massimino, Nettles; WT-Devor 2, Scheller
Cheltenham 70, Upper Moreland 58
Josiah Hutson scored 29 points as Cheltenham shook off a slow start and pulled past Upper Moreland on Friday night to keep its postseason hopes alive with just two games remaining.
“If we win our last two games, which we have to, a Penn Wood win may push us over, but we would need some help,” said Panthers coach Patrick Fleury. “I definitely want to get in. I don’t care who we play.
“We have been up and down with our consistency, and that falls on me. Our coaches and players, especially with what’s on the line, realize there isn’t much more we can do than focus in on the moment.”
The Panthers trailed 14-13 after one, but outscored the visiting Golden Bears 20-12 in the second to take command. They then expanded that lead and put the game way in the second half.
Yakeen Respes added nine points, while Kevin Addison-Anderson and Nile Tinsley scored eight points each.
“Josiah (Hutson) definitely had one of his better games of the season, scored 25 points,” Fleury said. “He was in foul trouble, but he was able to be steady in terms of getting to the line and just taking the shots that were there.
“Yakeen Respes, who’s a senior, was second for us with 13, and he just came out with an aggressiveness that we always wanted him to have. I think tonight he just felt freer to do so and did it consistently. It worked well for us.
“Kamani Healey had a great floor game, just stuffed the stat sheet in terms of all the categories with rebounds and assists. Kevin Addison had eight. He was very good in transition and was able to finish. Osei Johnson finished with five points, and he was very steady for us. He was one of those guys tonight that was getting kind of hockey assists, which energized the team because he led with selflessness, so that was good to get them out in transition.
“Malik Hughes was steady. He gave us four points and, as a freshman, has been a starter for us all season. He came in and finished around the basket, didn’t force anything and just played within the flow of the game.
“Craig Metcalfe, who is a senior, came in and defensively was solid and just took the shots that were there. He only finished with two today, but again, he was one of those guys when the pass was there, he made it without hesitation. He could have had more points and shot attempts, but he stayed within the flow.
“Finn Ivory, a senior, came in for us. He’s our captain. He’s the voice of the team, the voice of reason. He’s a baseball player so we’ll be seeing him in the spring. He had a great game even though he didn’t get in the scoring column. He was definitely an energy factor, and he rebounded well.
“Xavier Thompson came in and gave us good minutes on the glass. In the third quarter, Nile Tinsley had two big ‘3s’ for us when the outcome of the game was in the balance. He finished with eight.
“It was good to see all the guys that got in, including freshman Peyton McClendon, who got in and was selfless and understood tonight was about the seniors. Because of the camaraderie they have and despite the record we currently have, I’m playing for the goal off the playoffs.”
Upper Moreland was led by Jon Clark with 21 points and Sean Murphy with 14.
Cheltenham (10-10, 9-6 SOL) next plays at Springfield on Tuesday and then has a nonleague game at Penn Wood on Friday.
Upper Moreland (12-9, 6-9 SOL) began the night No. 9 in the Class 5A power rankings, with a road game at New Hope-Solebury on Tuesday to close the regular season.
Upper Moreland (58)
Nigel Adamson 4 0-0 8; Alex Best 4 0-0 10; Jon Clark 9 2-3 21; Jimmy Perce 1 0-0 2; Sean Murphy 6 2-4 14; Colson Campbell 0 2-3 2; Corey Ellison 0 1-2 1.Totals 24 7-12 58.
Cheltenham (70)
Josiah Hutson 12 4-4 29; Yakeen Respes 3 3-4 9; Kamani Healey 2 1-2 5; Kevin Addison 3 2-3 8; Osei Johnson 2 1-2 5; Malik Hughes 1 2-3 4; Craig Metcalfe 1 0-0 2; Nile Tinsley 3 0-0 8. Totals 27 12-16 70.
Upper Moreland 14 12 10 22 – 58
Cheltenham 13 20 14 23 – 70
3-point goals: UM-Best 2, Clark; C-Tinsley 2, Hutson, Johnson
Lower Moreland 69, Springfield Twp 40
Senior Tom Pryzblinski hit nine 3-pointers and scored 31 points, all in the first three quarters, as host Lower Moreland took care of Springfield 69-40 in a SOL Freedom game on Friday night.
The Lions led 17-11 after one and then broke it open in the second quarter to lead 34-22 at halftime. A 17-6 third quarter put the game out of reach.
Przyblinski hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter and then four 3s in the second quarter for 21 first-half points.
Kevin Hegedus added 12 for LM, while Carl Barnette had eight points, all in the fourth quarter.
Springfield was led by Dylan McKenzie’s 18 points. He also grabbed five rebounds and had three steals. Aiden Hood had six points and four rebounds.
Lower Moreland (9-12, 7-8 SOL) started the night No. 14 in the District One Class 5A power rankings and only 12 teams qualify for districts in Class 5A. It will need to beat Freedom Division champ William Tennent at home in the regular season finale and then hope for help from some other teams.
Springfield (7-14, 2-13 SOL) hosts Cheltenham in its season finale on Tuesday.
Springfield (40)
Dylan McKenzie 6 6-10 18; Miles Goodwin 1 2-2 4; Brett Smith 1 2-2 4; Ezra Parks 1 0-0 2; Bob Hartman 0 3-3 3; Aiden Hood 2 1-2 6; Ja Bey 1 0-0 3.
Lower Moreland (69)
Ian Alicea 1 2-3 4; Tom Pryzblinski 10 2-2 31; Kevin Hegedus 5 0-0 12; Carl Barnette 3 1-3 8; Gabe Krutsinger 2 0-0 5; Donato Incollingo 3 1-2 9.
Springfield 11 11 6 12 – 40
Lower Moreland 17 17 14 21 – 69
3-point goals: S-Hood, Bey
SOL Liberty Division
Abington 54, Wissahickon 46
The Galloping Ghosts took a big step in securing a spot in the upcoming District One Class 6A playoffs with a solid road win over a Wissahickon team that needed a win to keep its playoff hopes alive.
“Going into Wissahickon, you know coach (Kyle) Wilson always has his teams prepared,” said Abington coach Charles Grasty. “It’s not easy going into Wissahickon and getting a very important win, so I was really pleased with our effort. I thought we came out and gave a lot of effort tonight.
“I don’t know if kids understand the importance of a game, but I thought we came in and just really dug down. We played ‘D’, we got the stops we needed, and we were very unselfish, which I loved tonight. We shared the ball, and because of how hard our defense played, we made them uncomfortable. We took away what they’re comfortable with.
“I was definitely proud of this win. I say it over and over, but beating a coach Wilson team on a Friday night, an important win, that speaks volumes. Not a lot of teams can get that done.”
The Ghosts started the night in the No. 23 spot in the power rankings for the upcoming 24-team Class 6A tournament. They host Quakertown in the regular-season finale on Tuesday.
Wissahickon (10-11, 9-6 SOL) was No. 28 going into Friday and needed two wins to have a chance. It hosts Liberty Division champion Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday.
Friday, Jeremiah Lee led Abington with 21 points, five rebounds and one block. Josh Young had nine points, while Kamari Brasher had five points, seven rebounds and two blocks, Kellen Ingram two points and seven rebounds and Paul Glants, six points and four assists. Damon Rawls came off the bench for six points and five assists with zero turnovers.
The Ghosts shot 50 percent (21-for-42) from the field and 37.5 percent (6-for-16) from 3-point range. They only had eight turnovers.
“Damon Rawls came in and he handled the ball for us,” Grasty said. “They started to press us a little bit – he calmed us down and did a really good job for us.
“Aaron Jones came off the bench, got an important basket and handled the ball for us. Paul Glants was composed. Josh Young was Josh Young. He’s playing with a slight tear of cartilage in his shoulder, and he’s just battling and giving us everything he has.
“Jeremiah Lee obviously led us in scoring – he had 16 in the first half. He played really well.
“Kamari Brasher has been playing really well of late. He’s definitely taking advantage of the more minutes he’s getting now. I thought in the early part of the year, we would put him in, and we weren’t getting what we thought we would out of him, and now we’re getting everything that we thought we would get out of him. He definitely makes a difference. He had 16 rebounds (in Thursday’s win over Palumbo), and tonight he was again working his tail off down there. It seems he’s always around the ball, and that was big for us.”
Wissahickon was led by Earl Stout with 16 points, Dom Vacchiano with 12 and Brayden Ryan with 11.
Abington (54)
Damon Rawls 1 4-5 6; Jeremiah Lee 8 0-5 21; Paul Glants 3 0-0 6; Kellen Ingram 1 0-0 2; Josh Young 4 0-2 9; Aaron Jones 2 1-2 5; Lathan Miller 0 0-2 0; Kamari Brasher 2 1-2 5; Totals 21 6-18 54.
Wissahickon (46)
Will Kirkpatrick 1 0-0 2; Jaylon Williams 1 1-2 3; Brayden Ryan 4 1-2 11; Owen Coughlin 1 0-0 2; Dom Vacchiano 4 2-2 12; Earl Stout 7 0-2 16; Totals 18 4-8 46.
Abington 15-13-14-12 54
Wissahickon 9-11-7-18 46
3-point goals: Abington – Jeremiah Lee, Josh Young; Wissahickon – Brayden Ryan 2, Dom Vacchiano 2, Earl Stout 2.
Quakertown 53, Hatboro-Horsham 48 (OT)
Junior Miles Longacre scored 33 points, including 5-for-6 from the free throw line in overtime to help Quakertown knock off visiting Hatboro-Horsham on Friday.
Longacre also hit four 3-pointers, scored 13 points in the first half and 12 in the third quarter.
Sam Wilken added nine points for the Panthers, all in the first half.
Quakertown led this one almost throughout, 25-19 at halftime and then 41-27 after three quarters. But in the fourth, Noah Schloser took over with 10 points for Hatboro-Horsham, which outscored Quakertown 19-7 in the fourth to force overtime.
Neither team had a field goal in overtime, but Quakertown prevailed, going 7-for-8 from the line, led by Longacre, while H-H went 2-for-4.
Schlosser finished with 19 for the Hatters, while Kyle Dittus added nine.
Each team has one game remaining.
Quakertown (8-13, 5-10 SOL) plays at Abington on Tuesday.
H-H (6-15, 5-10 SOL) plays at Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
Hatboro-Horsham (48)
Jake Grier 2 1-2 6; Noah Schlosser 8 3-4 19; Kyle Dittus 3 0-0 9; Kenny Lutz 1 0-0 2; Mason Bynum 3 1-4 7; Matt Wingen 1 0-0 2; Vaughn Craig 1 1-2 3.
Quakertown (53)
Miles Longacre 10 9-13 33; Sam Wilken 4 0-0 9; Ethan Tomlinson 2 0-2 4; Anthony Callan 0 4-6 3; Ty Wilken 1 1-4 3.
Hatboro-Horsham 7 12 8 19 – 48
Quakertown 13 12 16 5 7 – 53
3-point goals: HH-Dittus 3, Schlosser; Q-Longacre 4, S. Wilken
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