Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. CR South/Pennsbury photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography, Wissahickon/Hatboro-Horsham photos courtesy of Kim Supko, PW/Upper Dublin photos provided courtesy of Greg Lindsay, William Tennent/New Hope-Solebury photos courtesy of Jon Sklut. Check back for galleries of the games. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ BOYS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
Check out the latest standings: https://suburbanonesports.com/standings/15
SOL Patriot Division
Council Rock South 54, Pennsbury 47
It’s been quite the second half of the season for the Golden Hawks, and Tuesday night, on the road, they capped off the regular season with a dramatic 54-47 win over Pennsbury to capture the program’s first Patriot Division championship.
CR South won its last seven games, including 5-0 in division play. Tuesday, it avenged a Jan. 6 loss to Pennsbury, which ended its regular season on a four-game losing streak.
“It’s the first division title in school history, and this senior class was the perfect class to do it,” said coach Jim Cassidy. “Honestly, the groundwork for this win was laid years ago, and it was Andrew Rogers, Tom Marshall, and Elmer Kelley who were instrumental as coaches in “raising” this senior group as basketball players.”
Pennsbury led 25-23 at halftime, but the third quarter was all Ryan Delp.
The Golden Hawks’ senior scored all 17 of his team’s points in the quarter on the way to 29 for the game.
“Ryan Delp should be the MVP of our division, and he showed why tonight,” Cassidy said. “He’s just a great high school player, one of the best in the history of the school.”
CR South coach Jim Cassidy:
“Ray Haglund stood up to enormous pressure, kept us in offense, led our defense, another outstanding performance from another of the great players in our program’s history.
“So happy for all these kids, they never gave up the whole year
and there is no doubt that they earned it, on the road against one of the more talented teams in our district.”
Pennsbury coach Wes Emme:
“I just want to say congratulations to South, to coach Cassidy and their staff and players. They had an opportunity and they took it.
“The best senior in the league, Ryan Delp, had the best quarter of the season in the pivotal third period. And he won them a division title.
“I allowed us to peak as a group in December, and we did not handle the opportunity. I take full responsibility for our tailspin, and I won’t make the same mistakes I made this season again.”
Up Next: Both teams are expected to be part of the District One Class 6A Tournament starting next week, while CR South now qualifies for the SOL Tournament starting on Friday night.
CR South 8 15 17 13 – 54
Pennsbury 10 15 8 13 – 47
CR South (54)
Ray Haglund 3 1-1 7; Ryan Delp 9 7-8 29; Lucian Mirc 5 1-2 11; Joe Madara 1 0-0 2; Brian Bondisky 1 2-7 5. TOTALS – 19 11-18 54.
Pennsbury (47)
Brayden Clark 3 2-2 8; Brady Kent 2 0-0 6; Sean Breslin 5 1-2 13; Patrick Jajua 6 3-5 17; Max Manga 1 0-2 2. TOTALS – 17 6-11 47.
3-point goals: CRS- Delp 4, Bondisky; P-Kent 2, Breslin 2, Jajua 2
Council Rock North 54, Harry S Truman 53
Trailing by 12 at halftime, CR North had a big second half and outlasted Harry S. Truman 54-53 in the Patriot Division finale for both squads.
Outscored 17-4 in the first half, the Indians were staring at a 30-18 deficit going into the half. But a 18-9 third quarter turned the tide, and in all they outscored the Tigers 36-23 in the second half.
The win was the third in a row for the Indians.
Key Players: Danny Cuneo had 25 points for CR North, including 13 in the third quarter. Dylan Kiefer had15, including 4-for-5 and nine points in the fourth quarter.
Adul Diallo had 19 points for Truman, while Jaden Luchasky added 16 and Davae Vaughn 13.
CR North assistant coach Brandon Knotts:
“Tonight, we trailed early in the game but continued to play North basketball. Danny Cuneo had a hot night for us offensively in the second half. He was our dog of the game tonight.
“We showed resilience and that’s who we have been. We never give up.”
Up next: Council Rock North will host Lower Moreland in an SOL non-league crossover game Thursday while Harry S Truman closed out its season Tuesday.
CR North 4 14 18 18 – 54
Truman 17 13 9 14- 53
CR North (54)
Owen Crowne 2 3-4 9; Dylan Kiefer 5 5-9 15; Cameron Wright 1 2-2 4; Brian McBride 0 0-2 0; Danny Cuneo 10 1-2 25. Totals 18 11-19 54.
Truman (53)
Adul Diallo 7 1-2 19; Jaden Luchansky 4 6-6 16; Davae Vaughn 5 2-4 13; Rogers 1 0-0 3; Parker 1 1-4 3; Edwards 0 1-6 1. Totals 18 11-22 53.
3-point goals: CRN-Cuneo 4, Crowne 2. T – Daillo 4, Luchansky 2, Vaughn, Rogers.
Bensalem 77, Neshaminy 69
On Senior Night, Bensalem closed its season in style, holding off Neshaminy for the eight-point win.
The duo of Jacob Eberhardt and MJ Ellzy combined for 62 points for the Owls.
Bensalem, which led 19-13 after one quarter, took a 35-31 lead into halftime and extended that lead to 58-46 heading into the fourth quarter.
Key Players: Bensalem was led by career-high efforts from Eberhardt (33 points and five assists) and MJ Ellzy (29 points and six rebounds). Eberhardt scored 12 points in the third quarter when the Owls stretched their lead.
Logan Gale scored 28 points for Neshaminy, including 17 in the second half. Eriq Gold and Luke Amrhein added 15 points each.
Bensalem coach Jerry Devine:
“We built a big lead, up by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter, but Neshaminy’s relentless pressure closed the gap to one point late in the game.
“We had a few key defensive plays down the stretch, including crucial rebounds from Naman Parmar and Michael Levister, that helped us close the door and preserve the win on a night dedicated to our seniors.”
Up next: Neshaminy will travel to Bristol for a non-league game Thursday while Bensalem saw its season end Tuesday.
Neshaminy 13 18 15 23 – 69
Bensalem 19 16 23 17 – 77
Neshaminy (69)
Amrheim 7 1-2 15; Stewart 1 0-0 3; Gale 12 3-6 28; Gold 5 3-4 15; Emmerich 1 0-0 2; Amati 2 2-3 6. Totals 28 9-15 69.
Bensalem (77)
Bourelly 1 0-0 2; Carrasquillo 1 0-0 2; Parmar 2 1-2 7; Levister 2 0-0 4; Ellzy 11 4-7 29; Eberhardt 12 8-10 33. Totals 29 13-19 77.
3-point goals: N-Gold 2, Stewart, Gale; B-Ellzy 3, Parmar 2, Eberhardt
SOL Colonial Division
Central Bucks South 62, Souderton 55
CB South saw its hopes of sharing the Colonial Division title come to an end, as Souderton clinched the championship on Friday night. But Tuesday, the Titans picked up their second win over the Indians this season by a 62-55 score.
The Titans started quickly with 18 points, but this one was close throughout. They went 8-for-14 from the free throw line in a 22-point fourth quarter to clinch the victory.
Key Players: For CB South, Leo Medwid finished with a team-high 19 points, including 10 in the second half. Kayote Adebayo had 13 and Brayden Barrett 10 in a very well-balanced effort.
Souderton was led by Marques Brown, who hit five 3-pointers on the way to 19 points. Nate Rusike added 16 points, and Chanse Salone 10 points.
CB South coach Louie Ditri:
“We were still bitter about our West loss that didn’t give us a chance for a crown, and we didn’t play our best game Friday as well, at home against Pennridge. Pennridge gave us all we could get, so I think the kids were motivated from not playing well on Friday, playing obviously a very good team, division winner at their place. I think the kids were locked in and focused.
“We had a good practice yesterday, a good film session, and my coaching staff did a great job. We made some adjustments, both offensively and defensively the last couple practices, and I think the kids bought in, had a good practice, and I think it showed tonight.”
–Turning Point: “Honestly, it was an up-and-down game, with both teams kind of punching each other and getting back up off the ground. It was a game of runs. In the first quarter, we led by five where we went on with a run, and then they started the second quarter on a 9-2 run. Then we scored the last 11 points of the quarter. It gave us a four-point lead. So, again, it was back and forth, back and forth. And then it was a pretty even third quarter.
“And then in the fourth quarter, I think we were able just to get a couple more rebounds and kind of control the ball a little bit more than they did. And then we knocked down some foul shots to end the game.”
–Props: “Their guards did well tonight. (Marques Brown), their big, actually had a nice game, he had five 3s. I just think it was two good teams battling each other and I think our bigs did a nice job with the boards with Leo and Kayote, and Davis Van Zanten did a great job on the boards and when we were able to limit them to one shot, that kind of helped us out a little bit because the more chances you give them, you’re kind of playing with poison a little bit and then our guards, Alex and Shane, did a nice job. They were pressuring us a lot in the fourth quarter, and they did a nice job of handling it. Handling a little bit of the pressure, which allowed us to spread the floor a little bit and then eventually get fouled.”
Up next: Both Central Bucks South and Souderton will compete in the SOL Tournament Friday.
CB South 18 11 11 22 – 62
Souderton 13 12 12 18 – 55
CB South (62)
Kayote Adebayo 5 3-6 13; Alex Shahin 2 4-6 8; Shane Farrell 4 0-2 9; Brayden Barrett 4 1-2 10; Davis Van Zanten 1 0-0 3; Leo Medwid 7 4-5 19. Totals 23 12-22 62.
Souderton (55)
Will Lockwood 1 0-0 3; Chanse Salone 4 0-2 10; Koby Rollerson 1 2-2 5; Epps 1 0-0 2; Nate Rusike 6 1-1 16; Marques Brown 7 0-0 19. Totals 20 3-5 55.
3-point goals: CBS-Farrell, Barrett, Van Zanten, Medwid; S-Brown 5, Rusike 3, Salone 2, Lockwood, Rollerson
Central Bucks West 70, Pennridge 61 (OT)
Road wins are never easy in a division like the Colonial. Tuesday, CB West entered knowing it needed a win if it wanted a chance to qualify for the upcoming District One Class 6A Tournament.
And it took overtime, but the Bucks outlasted host Pennridge by a 70-61 final score.
CB West went 7-for-8 in OT to clinch the win, and scored 16 points in the extra period.
Key Players: John Vrettos scored a team-high 21 for West, including nine in the third quarter and five in overtime. Melo Aylmer had 19, 12 in the second half and overtime, Dan Pellegrini 15 points, six in overtime, and Max Milillo with 14, nine in the fourth quarter and overtime, including 4-for-6 from the line.
Mike Alba scored 18 points to lead Pennridge, including 16 in the fourth quarter as his team stormed back to send it to overtime. Rownan Smith and Connor Murray were also in double figures with 13.
CB West assistant coach Sherrod Higginbotham:
“I’m proud of our group finishing up strong these last two games. I thought John Vrettos might have played his best game of the year. Max was all over the court tonight, bouncing into shots, getting to the rim and winning 50/50 balls down the stretch.
“Every team hits adversity throughout the season and we really challenge our guys to respond the right way when it hits us.
“All we want is an opportunity to compete in the playoffs where it becomes a new season.”
Up next: Central Bucks West – 20th in the latest District 1 6A Tournament – will await its final ranking. Pennridge closed out its season on Tuesday.
CB West 13 14 14 13 16 – 70
Pennridge 6 14 14 20 7 – 61
CB West (70)
Max Milillo 4 4-6 14; Melo Aylmer 8 0-0 19; Dan Pellegrini 6 2-2 15; John Vrettos 8 2-2 21; Cooper 0 1-2 1. Totals 26 9-12 70.
Pennridge (61)
Rownan Smith 5 2-6 13; Ryan Kuntz 1 3-4 5; Ryan Schwind 2 0-2 4; Jake Dietl 2 0-0 4; Ryan Flood 5 2-2 13; Mike Alba 5 5-6 18; Connor Murray 1 2-2 4. Totals 21 14-20 61.
3-point goals: CBW – Aylmer 3, Vrettos 3, Milillo 2, Pellegrini; P-Alba 3, Smith, Flood
North Penn 60, Central Bucks East 54
A huge second half was the difference as North Penn battled back to pick up an impressive road win, 60-54, at CB East in the Colonial Division finale for both teams.
North Penn, which currently sits at No. 26 in the district power rankings for the 24-team Class 6A playoffs, needed a win and some help and did its part.
The Knights trailed 27-18 at halftime, but outscored the Bucks 42-27 in the second half.
Key Players: North Penn was led by Chris Kingkiner’s 21 points, while JC Wood added 12 and Nolen Foust 10.
For CB East, Keegan Marascio had 15, while Henry Bartchuk and Quinn Slack finished with 13 points each.
North Penn coach Cordell Lord:
–The game: “I was pleased at the resilience and the response that they had. We did not play a good first half at all. And I was extremely upset, and I laid into them at halftime about just how hard we’ve worked at this point. I said, ‘You can’t spoil it all because of being stressed out or worrying about the unknown. There’s a job in front of us right now that we need to go take care of, which is winning this basketball game to keep ourselves alive. No matter what happens, the only thing we can do right now is take care of business on our side.’
“I was extremely upset and I got on my seniors about their leadership at halftime.They heard the challenge, and they responded to it the way they have all year. And they are one of the reasons why we feel as though that they have been one of the better groups of seniors that we’ve had in recent years, because they lead by example, and we feel as though that they left the program in a better spot than where they found it.”
–On the bubble: “We dropped some tough ones along the way, and we know that it’s going to be pretty tough to get in (districts) right now, but we’ve had a vast improvement from last year to this year, and even though the season didn’t start the way we wanted it to, we ended it on our terms, which was playing amazing team basketball, being extremely unselfish, making the right play consistently, and above all, finding the joy in having fun playing again. I think that’s one of the things that we started to really do as the second half of the year went on, and I can’t stress enough how proud I am of these guys and just how honored I am to coach them after how difficult of a season it’s been for them, how difficult of an offseason it’s been for me with coming back from open heart surgery and just feeling all the things that I personally felt. They have made this season honestly one of the ones that I’ll always remember whether we make it in or not.
“If we don’t, we tell the younger guys that this is a really good life lesson that you can work hard for things, and sometimes it doesn’t go your way but the biggest thing that you can take away from everything is to enjoy the moment and never take something for granted because it can come back and haunt you, and hopefully, that’s not the case.”
–Props: “Chris Kingkiner had a really rough first half, and after I got on the team, I had a personal conversation with him. I said, ‘This is a chance for you to remind everybody who you are. You’ve been doing that all second half of the year. If it is our last game, then make sure you don’t go out the way you are playing right now.” In the second half, he really turned it on. I think he had 18 in the second half. He was phenomenal in shooting, scoring, creating for others, and just really hats off to him.
“Our starting five of JC (Wood), Nolen (Foust), Aiden Thomas, Wyatt Martin, and Chris were phenomenal, and we had two specific guys off the bench. Brycen Foust and Sean Vagie. Those seven specifically did a phenomenal job tonight in terms of defensive concepts that we had, making big-time shots and just playing the right way.”
Up next: Central Bucks East will compete in the SOL Tournament that begins Friday while North Penn awaits its fate for next week’s District One playoffs.
North Penn 10 8 21 21 – 60
CB East 8 19 15 12 – 54
North Penn (60)
Chris Kingkiner 21, Nolen Foust 10, JC Wood 12, Aiden Thomas 6, Brycen Foust 3, Wyatt Martin 6, Sean Vagie 2
CB East (54)
Connor Mekanik 4, Henry Bartchuk 13, Keegan Marascio 15, Alex Lemaire 4, Ryan Dailey 2, Quinn Slack 13, Brady Colbert 3
3-point goals: NP-Wood 4, Kingkiner 4, Thomas 2, N. Foust; CBE-Barchak, Slack Colbert
SOL Liberty Division
Wissahickon 56, Hatboro-Horsham 33
Wissahickon needs wins. Tuesday, the Trojans took care of business against Hatboro-Horsham, avenging a loss to the Hatters by a 56-33 final score.
Wissahickon entered the night in the No. 25 position in the district power rankings, knowing it probably needed wins against H-H and then Thursday in a non-league game against Upper Moreland to clinch a playoff spot.
A 17-0 run to start the third quarter gave the Trojans the boost needed to break free for the big win.
Wissahickon senior Nico Vacchiano scored his 1,000th career point in the game.
Fellow seniors Delmar Taliaferro, Jona Sellenriek, Logan Heibert, Luke Slobotkin and Logan McCloud all scored points.
Key Players: Vacchiano led a balanced Wissahickon offense with 14 points. Luke Slobotkin added nine.
Jaden Thompson scored 15 for H-H.
Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson:
“It was just a really good win. We lost to them at their place. It was one of those moments where our kids had to do some soul searching. It’s nothing against them, but we turned the ball over 10 times in the first quarter when we played them at their place, and they weren’t pressing us. It was just a lack of focus and just poor play. We took the lead with five seconds left to go, and then Shane Phillips hit a 3 to win it, and it was like we couldn’t get out of our own way.
“So we knew coming in we wanted to exorcise some demons from that game, but we also knew we had three games left. A lot of teams right now in the playoffs can’t move. At 25, we still have room to move up, but I said, ‘We control our own destiny, so our playoffs are really starting now. Let’s get win one. Let’s focus on this one.’ The kids had a really good practice.”
“The tough thing, one, it’s Senior Night, so you have to figure how do I get the seniors in?’
“Then you think, ‘Oh, Nico will get his 1,000 points. I’ve got to get a little write-up for that and get a ball ready.’ There are just all these little things, and all you’re trying to do is focus on ‘We need to win this game.’
“Our assistant coach came in and was like, ‘Do you realize they’re sitting at 13, so they need this win to get in for 5A?’ I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, one more thing on our plates.’ So I just literally said to our kids, ‘I’m going to steal a line from Jalen Hurts. Keep the main thing the main thing. We need to focus on winning. It’s great the other surrounding stuff is going on, but we’re a team first, and our team is looking to make it into the playoffs.'”
–The game: “At halftime, we had a seven or eight-point lead. Hatboro-Horsham played a really solid first half. We talked at halftime. We’ve got to tighten up our defense. We were letting too many guys get loose on shots. It was nice to see everybody just picking up their play, making a good extra pass.”
–Props: “Jona (Sellenriek) had a really nice night. He had a couple of really nice dunks. One that was just – I hadn’t seen it out of him all year. He just turned and went over a guy and just slammed it. Since he’s such an easygoing guy, is that edge going to come at some point? Man, he had a couple of nice ones tonight.”
Nico Vacchiano reaches 1,000-point milestone
Nico Vacchiano entered Tuesday’s game, four points shy of the 1,000-point milestone.
“I asked him when we were at Quakertown – I said, ‘Look, they’re a struggling team. You can make it here. What do you want to do?’ He said, ‘I’d rather do it in front of my own fans. So when it got to that point, we pulled him out of the game at Quakertown.
“Tonight, (Hatboro-Horsham) came out, and every time he touched the ball, they were doubling him and everything. He’s just such a physical kid. He drew a foul, made the first two foul shots, and then he hit it on a shot later. I’m sure it’s a big weight lifted off his shoulder.”
–Vacchiano a warrior: “He’s a kid who plays with a lot of physicality. And that sometimes leads to bumps and bruises that can knock you out of a game, but the kid is such a gamer. It doesn’t matter what the situation is. He’ll say, ‘Coach, I’m going to practice. I’m going to play.’ And he can be dinged up, whatever it could be. We call him the gladiator. The ankle’s taped up, the wrist is taped, and he’s just like, ‘I’ll play.’ He’s a warrior. Once he got into his flow, it was just a steal – layup, a steal – dunk. He only had 14, but it was just how he gets them. It’s just the hustle plays, the high energy.”
–All in the family: “His brother (Dom) was there, and Nico’s going on that 1,000-point banner right there behind his brother. They’re the only two brothers on that list. His mom and dad are both Wiss grads. His dad played at Wissahickon, so there’s some neat connections there.
“To watch Nico – his brother helps as an assistant coach and was right there on the sideline. We were joking afterwards because it was Senior Night and they have pizza and cake in the lobby. Dom’s like, ‘He’s probably going to pass me on the board too.’ I said, ‘He should. He’s your little brother. Every time you went to the weight room, he followed you. Every time when he’s doing something on the bench you don’t think is right, now as a college player, you tell him. He should be better because he has your guidance. You didn’t have from an older brother.’ He said, ‘I know,’ and he sort of smiled and laughed it off. It’s neat to see. They’re close and they really enjoy each other’s basketball background and knowledge. They’re different players. But it was nice having Dom there to support Nico.”
Up next: Wissahickon hosts Upper Moreland in an SOL non-league crossover game Thursday, and Hatboro-Horsham will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh Wednesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 8 11 3 11 – 33
Wissahickon 6 19 21 10 – 56
Hatboro-Horsham (33)
Jayden Tion 2 1-2 5; Corben Miller 2 0-0 5; Kenny Lutz 2 0-0 5; Jaden Thompson 5 4-9 15; Shane Phillips 1 0-0 3. Totals 12 5-11 33.
Wissahickon (56)
Zach Schwartz 1 0-0 2; Logan McCloud 3 0-0 6; Luke Slobotkin 3 0-0 9; Owen Haughey 3 0-0 7; Chase Neumeister 1 0-0 2; Nico Vacchiano 3 8-8 14; Jack Weiss 1 0-0 2; Logan Heibert 1 0-0 2; Jona Selleriek 4 0-0 8; Delmar Taliaferro 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 8-8 56.
3-point goals: H-H-Miller, Lutz, Thompson, Phillips; W-Slobotkin, Haughey
Plymouth Whitemarsh 51, Upper Dublin 48
In a much closer game than the first time these two rivals played, Plymouth Whitemarsh trailed for most of the first half, but picked it up in the second half and edged Upper Dublin 51-48.
The Colonials, the Liberty Division champs – and likely top seeds for the upcoming SOL and District One tournaments – fel
l behind in this one and trailed 24-15 at halftime. But a 20-9 third quarter – sparked by 11 points from Mani Sajid – turned the tide, and they were able to hold off the Flying Cardinals late for the three-point victory.
Key Players: Mani Sajid scored 25 points. – 17 in the second half – to lead PW.
Noah Cohen had 21 – which included 5 3-pointers – for UD, while Kobe Bazemore added 11.
Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Jim Donofrio
–The slow start: “I kind of expected it. Just the way that we played against Abington to open up Senior Night – a big crowd, and all of a sudden, our attitude has shifted to really being confident and loose, which is great, but at the same time, I sensed the attention span wasn’t quite there, so I’m the boring old guy in the room giving out the warnings that the game is fickle and we have to keep dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s.
“The first time through the league, we had some pretty wide margins of victory. And people remember that. Opponents remember that. And they get better. You can sense going into these games that teams are not exactly coming right at us, and they look a little bit uncertain what we’re going to do. But if we open the door for them to get momentum, they’re going to take advantage of it, and that’s what happened to them. You’re at Upper Dublin, you won the league Friday night, you want to go undefeated in the league, the seeding – you’re holding at number one. It’s a lot of intangible things.
“They needed the game, obviously, for their reasons. And we opened the game with doing a lot of right things and the ball not going in the basket. If you do that enough and the other team starts putting the ball in the basket, all of a sudden it gets away from you.
“They play a matchup zone and we’re moving in it like we did the first game, only they’re playing a little bit harder, and we’re not quite fighting to the degree we can, and that’s all it takes. It’s a two-degree difference, and so it was one of those things at halftime, where you basically say, ‘You know what, fellas? You got 15 points at the half. Welcome to the game of basketball. It’s unpredictable. So just win by one for all we care.’
“The third quarter, I was very impressed because, at some point, I didn’t have an answer because you know all the sets, you know all the things to do, and at some point, the plays aren’t the thing. Your head’s not in the game to where it needs to be. So, I was really impressed that Terron Davis came in the game and was terrific and a huge spark that we needed. Jack Hayes is always terrific. And Mani (Sajid) then basically had a run. We held them defensively in the third, and Mani woke up and just played like a star. As I told him tonight, ‘I already know you’re a confident guy, so I can tell you this. You are a bona fide star.’
“When you see a matchup zone, you either have to run certain sophisticated things, or you just raise your game. And he just said, ‘We’re just going to raise our game.’ (He made) big shot after big shot with guys on him. He moved well without the ball. He got to another level of play, and that was the most comforting thing. And then the whole team handled pressure at the end.
“Upper Dublin’s Mr. Cohen started knocking down threes with hands in his face from 25 to 28 feet. And that’s basketball. Guys are going to bring their A game. And that’s playoff basketball. It’s a little more unpredictable than your regular season game.
“We’re just lucky that like I said – you pull out the ugly win. And you can say you had an undefeated league run, and you’re 18-4. You secured a number one seat in the district, most likely. They should be really proud of themselves.”
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh will host Hatboro-Horsham on Wednesday, and Upper Dublin will compete in the SOL Tournament Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 7-8-20-16 51
Upper Dublin 9-15-9-15 48
Plymouth Whitemarsh (51)
Jack Hayes 1 2-4 4; Luca Taormina 1 0-0 3; Terron Davis 2 1-2 5; Mani Sajid 9 6-7 25; Michael Pereira 2 2-6 6; Buddy denard 1 0-0 3; Micah Thompson 2 1-2 5; TOTALS 18 12-21 51.
Upper Dublin (48)
Kobe Bazemore 5 1-2 11; Brandon Altman 2 0-0 6; Noah Cohen 7 2-2 21; Horace Jackson 2 1-3 5; Justin Ragsdale 1 1-2 3; Luke Caron 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 18 5-9 48.
3-point goals: PW – Taormina, Sajid, Denard; UD – Noah Cohen 5, Brandon Altman 2.
Abington 56, Quakertown 48
A slow start for Abington and a red-hot night from Quakertown’s Jameson Sykes made this one interesting for a while, but in the end the Galloping Ghosts wrapped up the regular season portion of their schedule with the 56-48 win over Quakertown on Senior Night.
Quakertown led 17-13 after one quarter, but Abington turned it on with a 17-3 second quarter to take control of the game.
Key Players: Senior Declan Doyle was the high scorer for the Ghosts with 14 points.
Sykes scored 26 for Quakertown – 19 in the second half.
Abington coach Dan Marsh
–Tip of the hat to Sykes: “Number 0 for Quakertown (Jameson Sykes) has been the most polite competitor we have faced. He’s a great player and always is a pleasure to interact with in the handshake line. And he’s always positive.”
Up next: Abington will return to action in Friday’s opening round of the SOL Tournament while Quakertown saw its season end on Tuesday.
Quakertown 17-3-10-18 48
Abington 13-17-10-16 56
Quakertown (48)
CJ Peacher 4 0-4 10; Joey Bodnar 0 1-2 1; Trae McCray 3 0-0 6; Lochlan Everitt 0 2-2 2; Jameson Sykes 10 2-3 26; Jon Major 1 1-1 3; TOTALS 18 6-12 48
Abington (57)
Kyler Pickron 2 0-0 4; Amare Stone 1 0-0 2, Xander Grasty 3 0-0 7, Faison Garland 2 2-2 6; Ian Burmeister 1 2-2 4; Declan Doyle 6 1-2 14, Josh Scarpello 2 0-0 4, Michael O’Rourke 2 0-0 5, Aiden Turner 2 0-0 4, Mehki Smith 3 0-0 6. TOTALS 24 5-6 56
3-point goals: Q – Peacher 2, Sykes 4; A – Grasty, Doyle, O’Rourke.
SOL Freedom Division
Upper Moreland 70, Lower Moreland 34
Coming off a tough loss to division leading Cheltenham on Monday, Upper Moreland had a quick turnaround and responded with a big win over Lower Moreland 70-34 in the division finale for both teams.
The Golden Bears trailed after one quarter 11-10, but responded with a 24-6 second quarter to take control of the game for good.
Key Players: Nate Best (12), Jose Hernandez (11) and Larry Hughes (10) were all in double figures for a very balanced Upper Moreland scoring attack.
Lower Moreland was led by Nathan Fellah’s 16 points.
UM coach Dan Heiland:
“I was really proud of how the group responded after a tough game last night. They guys came out with great energy, played hard, played tough, and stayed together from start to finish. Our execution on both ends of the floor was exactly what we’ve been talking about, and that showed in the way we competed.
“Everyone contributed, and that’s the kind of response you love to see. This was a complete team win.”
Up next: Upper Moreland will travel to Wissahickon for an SOL non-league crossover game Thursday, and Lower Moreland will be on the road at Council Rock North for an SOL non-league crossover contest.
Upper Moreland 10 24 17 19 – 70
Lower Moreland 11 6 7 10 – 34
Upper Moreland (70)
Will Hansberry 1 0-0 2, Nate Best 4 1-2 12, Kyle Moore 2 0-0 5, Andrew Hamill 1 1-3 4, Brody Hughes 1 0-0 2, Larry Hughes 4 2-2 10, John Rosenbaum 1 0-0 2, Chase Moore 2 0-0 4, Cannon Campbell 3 0-0 9, Chris O’Sullivan 3 0-0 7, Jose Hernandez 3 2-2 11, Darrius /Whetstone 1 0-2 2. Totals 26 8-12 70.
Lower Moreland (34)
Luke Wheeler 3 0-0 7, Nathaniel Udal 0 1-2 1, Thomas Keaton 1 0-0 2, Jonathan John 1 0-0 2, Chase Carroll 1 0-2 2, Nate Fellah 4 7-8 16, Thomas Maloney 1 1-4 4; Totals 11 9-16 34.
3-point goals: UM – J. Hernandez 3, N. Best 3, K. Moore, A. Hamill, C. Campbell, C. O’Sullivan; LM – L. Wheeler, N. Fellah, T. Maloney
Cheltenham 73, Springfield Twp 35
Coming off a huge win over Upper Moreland 24 hours earlier that clinched the Freedom Division title, Cheltenham followed that up with a big win against Springfield, wrapping up a perfect 10-0 regular season in the division.
The Panthers outscored the Spartans 44-17 in the first half.
Key Players: Mark Hill scored 25 points for Cheltenham, including 14 points in the second quarter. Jaden Mosely had 12 points, while Martin and Chris Harmon had 10 points each.
For Springfield, Cahlin Spearman and Clay Trejbowski led the way with nine points, each. Julian Ciasullo had five points and five rebounds.
Up next: Cheltenham was 15th in the District 1 6A rankings prior to Tuesday’s game while Springfield Twp, which will travel to Plumstead for a non-league game Thursday, will await its final seed in the District 1 5A rankings.
Cheltenham 20 24 7 22 – 73
Springfield 5 12 11 7 – 35
Cheltenham (73)
Chris Harmon 10, Mark Hill 25, Isaiah Dill 5, Jaden Mosely 12; Micah Millis 2, Tyree Martin 10, Peyton McClendon 4, Gus Williamson 4
Springfield (35)
Cahlin Spearman 9, Jordan Ciasullo 5, Nathan Davis 5, Clay Trejbrowski 9, Ryan McGuckin 5
3-point goals: C-Hill 2, Mosley 2; S-Ciasullo, Trejbrowski, McGuckin
William Tennent 62, New Hope-Solebury 47
Tre Stracuzzi knocked down five 3-pointers and host William Tennent built a big lead in the first half and went on to the 62-47 win over New Hope on Tuesday night.
Stracuzzi finished with a team-high 17 points for the Panthers, who led 13-10 after one, but then outscored the Lions 18-5 in the second quarter to go up 16 at halftime.
Key Players: Aside from Stracuzzi, Ayden Davis Carter had 15 points, including 11 in the third quarter.
New Hope was led by Rocco Massimino’s 23 points, 18 of which came in the second half. Blake McCagg added 10 points.
Up next: William Tennent will host Holy Ghost Prep in a non-league game Thursday, and New Hope-Solebury will host Jenkintown in a non-league game Thursday.
New Hope 10 5 19 13 – 47
Tennent 13 18 17 14 – 62
New Hope (47)
Chase Martin 1 0-0 3; Blake McCagg 3 3-3 10; Rocco Massimino 9 0-0 23; Linus Mackenzie 4 0-0 9; Garrett Nuzzolo 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 3-3 47.
Tennent (62)
Lukas Bonderenko 0 0-2 0; Braden Goldberg 1 2-4 4; Teegan Stanfield 2 0-0 6; Tre Stracuzzi 6 0-0 17; Scott Scheller 3 1-1 7; Ayden Davis-Carter 5 5-5 15; Mike Angely 1 0-0 3; Carter Jameson 1 0-0 2; Evan Eiler 3 0-0 8. Totals 22 8-11 62.
3-point goals: NHS-Massimino 5, Martin, McCagg, Mackenzie; WT-Stracuzzi 5, Eiler 2, Stanfield 2, Angely
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