Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. Upper Dublin/PW photos courtesy of Michael Rice Photography, Bensalem/Neshaminy photos courtesy of John Gleeson, William Tennent, New Hope-Solebury courtesy of Karla Donohoe, Pennridge/CB West courtesy of Tracy Valko, & Wissahickon/Hatboro-Horsham photos courtesy of Rim Gaver. Check back for galleries of the games. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ BOYS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
SOL Colonial Division
Souderton 55, Central Bucks South 50
In one night, Souderton avenged its only league loss and wrapped up sole possession of the Colonial Division regular-season championship with a start-to-finish win on the road at Central Bucks South in a battle between the top two teams in the division all season.
It was the first league title for the Indians since 2013.
“These kids worked their tails off to be here,” said Souderton coach Okoteh Sackitey. “To give this school and this community its first championship in boys basketball in 12 years – these kids were four years old the last time Souderton won a championship.
“We put in a lot of hours. They just worked so hard, and they deserve it.”
Key Players: For Souderton, Nate Rusike (15 points), Chanse Salone (11 points), Nolan Watkins (11 points).
For CB South, Leo Medwid (14 points), Brett Barrett (13 points), Ben Harrison (12 points).
Souderton coach Okoteh Sackitey said on winning the title: “We knew it’s been 12 years, and it was definitely a goal. It’s something we all wanted to do. We knew what the situation was coming into the game, but at the same time, we wanted to treat it like just another game as much as you can. We wanted to handle the bright lights and just take it play by play. That was the mindset. They showed up ready to go – we got off to a great start, and we were able to hold on.
“We were in a close fourth quarter again. CB South battled back. They’re a good team, they’re never going to quit, they’re well coached, they’re talented, and we were pushed. It was kind of the same story as our last three games. We hung onto a lead in the fourth quarter – took care of the ball and made foul shots, stayed together and handled punches – punched back. We’re really happy. We’ll enjoy this one. We’re not thinking about anything else. We’re right here in this moment.”
–Props: “Nolan Watkins got off to a hot start – he had eight points in the first quarter. Nate Rusike had a spectacular third quarter – he had seven points in the third. He made some great individual plays and made some smart passes as well.
“Grady Kovach had six points in the third quarter as well, so that was huge to have him finish at the rim and contributing in that way.
“A shout out to Dylan Quinn who came off the bench, a swing player. He had five points in the second quarter. He was ready when his name was called, and he really stepped up and gave us a boost.
“Chanse Salone is a fourth-quarter player for sure. He had another big 3 in the fourth and knocked down three foul shots in the fourth. That was huge. In the fourth quarter, it was the same old story of making a bucket or two and holding the ball and making foul shots.
“So many guys contributed. Thaddeus Harter had a great putback in the fourth quarter. Trey Bui was knocking down foul shots for us in the fourth quarter and taking care of the ball. Chanse actually fouled out in the fourth with two minutes left, so Trey Bui had to step up in the ball handling duties. He did a great job all night, facilitating and making plays for other people. He’s coming off his career high of 21 against North Penn. We have a lot of different guys, and we don’t care which one is scoring.
“It was a great team effort, a great team win tonight.”
Next up: Souderton closed out its regular season with a 16-5 overall record (9-1 SOL). CB South ends at 17-5 (8-2 SOL). Both teams will likely play in the SOL Tournament starting Friday.
Souderton (55) – Chanse Salone 3 3-4 11; Trey Bui 1 2-4 4; Nolan Watkins 4 3-4 11; Nate Rusike 6 0-2 15; Thaddeus Harter 1 0-0 2; Grady Kovach 5 0-1 10; Dylan Quinn 2 0-0 5; Totals 22 8-14 55
Central Bucks South (50) – Brett Barrett 5 0-0 13; Dan Gies 2 0-0 4; Ben Harrison 3 6-8 12 Kayode Adebayo 3 1-1 7; Leo Medwid 5 3-5 14; Totals 18 10-14 40
Souderton 18-10-9-17 55
Central Bucks South 10-7-16-17 50
3-point goals: Nate Rusike 3, Chanse Salone 2, Dylan Quinn; CBS – Brett Barrett 3, Leo Medwid.
Central Bucks East 57, North Penn 54 (OT)
CB East needed a big win to go into the postseason on a high night and got just that, on the road against a North Penn team on the bubble for the district playoffs and needing a win badly itself.
In overtime, the Patriots emerged with the hard-fought 57-54 win.
Shane O’Hara-Jamison had 26 points for CB East, and also had a big defensive play late and then the game-winning free throws in OT with three seconds remaining.
The Patriots were 24-for-25 as a team from the free throw line.
Key Players: For CB East, Shane O’Hara-Jamison (26 points, 5 rebounds), Nolan Behm (14 points, 8 rebounds), AJ Molnar (12 points), Connor Mekanik (5 points, all in fourth quarter).
For North Penn, Ahmaar Godhania (20 points), Shane Ward (12 points), Lee Hammond (11 points).
CB East coach Erik Henrysen: “It was a huge game for both North Penn and us. They had the season riding on the game, and it was their Senior Night. We had, maybe, a berth in the SOL Tournament and district seeding, so obviously, it was big for us.
“We battled, and somewhere in the third quarter, we were able to take control of the game. We might have even pushed it to double digits but give North Penn credit. They kept coming.”
–Down the stretch: “Things were scrappy at the end. Unfortunately for them, at the very end, they had a shot to win the game, the ball caromed off the rim, they got the rebound and called timeout. But they didn’t have any left (and it’s a technical foul). We made the two free throws and that was pretty much it.”
–Big game for O’Hara-Jamison: “He put the ball in the basket, but probably the biggest play of the game – he gets a steal, comes up with a loose ball, gets it to (AJ) Molnar, who makes two big foul shots late. He’s then the one who makes the two free throws in overtime.
“He’s been there for us as a scorer all year, but down the stretch, he’s really grown as a leader for us.”
Next up: CB East (14-8, 5-5 SOL) will likely play in the SOL Tournament starting on Friday. North Penn (7-15, 3-7 SOL), which entered the night at No. 25 in District One and just outside of the district playoff bubble, likely saw its season come to an end Tuesday.
CB East (57) – Nolan Behm 14, Shane O’Hara-Jamison 26, Connor Mekanik 5, AJ Molnar 12
North Penn (54) – Ahmaar Godhania 20, Lee Hammond 11, Shane Ward 12, Aiden Atkinson 8, Gabriel Altemus 1, Wyatt Martin 2
CB East 12 17 12 7 9 – 57
North Penn 12 11 13 12 6 – 54
3-point goals: CBE – O’Hara-Jamison 3; NP-Godhania 2, Hammond, Ward
Central Bucks West 65, Pennridge 50
Out of the playoff hunt, going against a team right on the bubble for the district tournament, CB West showed that its future may be very bright, storming out of the blocks with an 18-0 first quarter on the way to a
65-40 win at home.
The Bucks hit four 3-pointers in that opening quarter, including three by Dan Pellegrini.
Roman Kulesa, the team’s only senior, had 11 first-half points himself.
Key Players: For CB West, Roman Kulesa (23 points), Dan Pellegrini (17 points).
For Pennridge, Xavier Peters (18 points, 16 in second half).
CB West coach Adam Sherman said: “You get nervous. You know you’re out of the playoffs and you don’t want kids to turn belly up. Keeping them centered and focused was a concern. But they came out ready to play. It was 18-0 at the end of the first quarter. We defended well, we’re pushing the ball up the floor and making shots.”
–Props: “Dan Pellegrini had a great first quarter. He made three 3s in the first quarter and was defensively solid. Roman got really hot in the second quarter and ended up with 23 points. Our starting point guard didn’t play, and Connor Chou did a great job.”
–End of the season: “A lot of it is we were so young. A lot of things needed extra attention, and we were forced to neglect other areas, so it took us a little bit longer. Hopefully next year, we’re able to start at a higher level and don’t have that.
“Roman is our only senior, and it created a weird dynamic. It’s the first time on a Senior Night when we only have one senior. We kind of know where we are. We lose a ton with Roman. He was our leading scorer, our leading rebounder, second on the team in assists. He was a big piece of
what we were. Hopefully, we have other guys who continue to grow.”
Next up: CB West finishes its season at (8-14, 2-8 SOL). Pennridge (11-11, 3-7 SOL) remains on the district playoffs bubble, having entered the season at No. 23 for the 24-team field. It will find out its postseason fate on Sunday.
Pennridge (50) – Rownan Smith 2 0-0 4; Marley Steward 1 6-8 8; Finn Bachman 1 0-0 2; Xavier Peters 6 3-6 18; Jacob Bolger 2 1-1 6; Ryan Schwind 2 2-3 6; William Wallace 1 0-0 3; Connor Murray 1 0-0 3; Totals 16 12-18 50
Central Bucks West (65) – Roman Kulesa 8 2-4 23; Dan Pellegrini 6 1-2 17; Connor Chuo 1 0-0 2; Gavin Reichner 2 0-0 4; Isaiah Rubenstein 1 0-0 2; Eli Wolf 0 1-2 1; Carter Bass 2 0-0 4; John Vrettos 3 0-0 7; Ben Kondyra 1 0-0 3; Jack Chuo 1 0-0 2; Totals 25 4-8 65
Pennridge 0-12-20-18 50
Central Bucks West 18-14-14-19 65
3-point goals: P – Xavier Peters 3, Jacob Bolger, William Wallace, Connor Murray; CBW – Roman Kulesa 5, Dan Pellegrini 4, John Vrettos, Ben Kondyra.
SOL Patriot Division
Bensalem 66, Neshaminy 65 (2 OT)
Needing a win to wrap up sole possession of the Patriot Division title, Bensalem picked up one in dramatic fashion, knocking off upset-minded Neshaminy in overtime 65-64.
The Owls bounced back from a pair of late shots by Neshaminy that forced overtime and then a second overtime, and emerged with the win in the second OT.
“It’s an awesome win, it’s an awesome team win,” said Bensalem coach Ron Morris. “This group of kids is one of the most resilient groups that I’ve ever coached. Especially to win a game like this of this magnitude.
“We knew what was on the line. We knew Neshaminy needed a win. I’m not saying they can’t get in the playoffs, but it would definitely help them with their playoff possibilities. We knew if we won we were outright champions of SOL Patriot. We just battled till the end.”
Key Players: For Bensalem, Aidan Mayfield (24 points), Christian Lee (14 points), Amir Drummond (14 points).
For Neshaminy, Jason Leiva (15 points), Logan Gale (13 points), Max Currie (11 points), Jason Gilardi (10 points).
Bensalem coach Ron Morris said: “We were up five with under a minute left in regulation. Credit to Neshaminy’s kids for battling and tying it up almost at the buzzer. Their kid (Logan) Gale hit a step-back contested 3 at the end of the first overtime to send it to two overtimes.
“I told our guys, ‘A lot of teams would have folded in that moment when you go to that second overtime,’ and our kids didn’t bend.”
–Props: “Aidan Mayfield was amazing all night. He’s just a warrior, and he had some big buckets. He had a big 3 in overtime.
“Amir Drummond was awesome tonight. He was more facilitating. They did a good job trying to take away him from scoring, but he didn’t force it. Most importantly, in the fourth quarter and overtime, he’s 12-for-15 from the foul line, and that’s a big difference.
“Christian Lee had a monster game for us. He had three 3s. Kobe King had a monster defensive game today. Dymaire Johnson came in and gave us good minutes.
“Jahmir Chatman just continues to be the warrior he is, doing all the little stuff. It’s just guys continuously working and stepping up.”
–Finishing on top: “Coming into the season, we knew a lot of people would doubt us, losing five starters, and this team really believed in each other and really bought into the team concept. It’s fun for all the kids. We teach them you have to continue to work hard. Everyone’s role is important, and you’d rather live with sacrifice rather than regret. So sacrificing all your time even if you’re not playing pays off tonight, because that locker room is a lot of fun after the game for these kids. These are memories they’re going to have for the rest of their lives.
“It was really nice to go on the road and win in this fashion. We knew it wouldn’t be easy. To go back-to-back is really hard. Credit to our team and
our staff that do a great job of preparing our guys. We’re really excited. We know our season’s not over. We’re taking it one game at a time still, but it’s an amazing feeling to win the SOL Patriot again.
“This win is for every player that ever played for Bensalem and our entire community. I have to thank God, our great staff and administration. They always support us.”
Next up: Bensalem (13-9, 8-2 SOL) will compete in the SOL Tournament on Friday, and Neshaminy (9-12, 4-6 SOL)) will host Bristol in a non-league game Thursday.
Bensalem (66) – Jahmir Chatman 1 2-4 4; Aidan Mayfield 10 3-5 24; Christian Lee 4 3-3 14; Amir Drummond 1 12-15 14; Dymair Johnson 0 4-6 4; Mikey Kramer 1 0-0 2; Kobe King 1 2-2 4; Totals 18 26-35 66.
Neshaminy (65) – Jason Leiva 4 5-7 15; Eriq Gold 2 1-2 5; Logan Gale 4 4-6 13; Shane West 1 0-0 2; Cadenn Amati 2 0-1 4; Max Currie 5 1-4 11; Jason Gilardi 5 0-0 10; Dominic Ciallella 2 0-0 5; Totals 25 11-20 65.
Bensalem 16-11-13-7-11-8 66
Neshaminy. 9-16-12-10-11-7 65
3-point goals: B – Christian Lee 3, Aidan Mayfield: N – Jason Leiva 2, Logan Gale, Cominic Ciallella.
Pennsbury 68, Council Rock South 61
With Bensalem’s win at Neshaminy, this one ended up being for second place in the Patriot Division, and Pennsbury bounced back after a slow start and put the game away for the 68-61 win over CR South on Tuesday.
Key Players: For Pennsbury, Patrick Jajua (17 points), Mike Roccograndi (16 points), Grayson Gozum (12 points).
For CR South, MJ Thompson (13 points).
Pennsbury coach Wes Emme said: “MJ Thompson, Ryan Delp and (CR South’s) role players gave them a big lift, and they jumped on us from the start. Credit to our guys, they kept battling. After being healthy for the whole season, the stomach bug caught up with us and just hit us all at once the last couple of weeks. We recovered enough and were just tough enough to get it done tonight.”
–Props: “Patrick Jajua had another one of those, ‘That kid is a freshman’ games. He hit big time shots, a huge ‘3’ in the fourth quarter that was a dagger, a couple big drives in the first half.
“I thought Brayden Clark, another freshman, had a massive impact in a positive way. He put a lot of pressure defensively on the ball. Mike Roccograndi hit a bunch of free throws and had a big ‘3’ in the fourth quarter.”
–Division title chase: “(Bensalem coach) Ron Morris deserves every bit of praise for how he’s gotten that team to play this year, losing, ultimately, the best player in the league last year, and getting that team to rise up to that level. I’m happy for Ron. Congratulations to Bensalem.
“You’ve got to be worthy if you’re going to win a league championship, and we weren’t, but now we’ll get another chance in the postseason.”
Next up: Pennsbury finished its season at 12-10 overall (7-3 SOL), while CR South is 13-8 overall (6-4 SOL). Both teams will await its seeds and opening-round opponents in the District One Class 6A Tournament, which will be announced Sunday.
Pennsbury (68) – Brayden Clark 1 4-6 6; Mike Roccogrand 4 7-11 16; Grayson Gozum 3 7-6 12; Mitch Primola 1 0-0 2; Sean Breslin 2 3-4 7; Pat Jajua 6 3-4 17; Max Manga 4 0-0 8; Totals 21 23-32 68.
Council Rock South (61) – MJ Thompson 6 0-1 13; Ryan Delp 3 0-0 8; Ray Haglund 4 0-0 9; Joey Madara 4 1-3 9; Ryan Wekluk 3 2-2 8; Owen McLean 1 3-4 5; Adam Elabed 3 2-4 9; Totals 20 8-14 61.
Pennsbury 6-20-18-24 68
Council Rock South 16-11-13-21 61
3-point goals: P – Pat Jajua 2, Mike Roccograndi; CRS – Ryan Delp 2, MJ Thompson, Ray Haglund, Adam Elabed
Council Rock North 49, Harry S Truman 42
Tied going into the fourth, CR North locked down on Truman defensively over the final eight minutes, holding the Tigers to just six points, and pulling away for the seven-point win in the league finale for both teams.
The Indians went 6-for-8 from the free throw line in the fourth.
Andrew O’Keefe led all scorers for CR North with 19 points, including 5-for-5 from the line.
Truman was led by Jaden Luchansky’s 15 points.
Next up: CR North (7-14, 4-6 SOL) will host New Foundations Charter on Thursday. Truman closed out its season with a 7-15 records (1-9 SOL).
Truman (42) – Tre Winton 2 0-0 4; Jaden Luchansky 6 0-0 15; MJ Elzzy 1 0-0 3; Juliun Rodgers 1 2-3 4; Dyson Brown 1 0-0 2; Dwayne McCoy 3 0-0 8; B. Armand 1 4-5 6. Totals 15 6-8 42.
CR North (49) – Jack Curry 3 3-4 9; Josh Erman 3 0-0 8; Owen Crowne 1 1-4 4; Brandon Holmes 1 0-0 3; Zach Vigrass 2 0-0 4; Dylan Kiefer 1 0-0 2; Andrew O’Keefe 7 5-5 19. Totals 18 9-13 49.
Truman 9 13 14 6 – 42
CR North 11 13 12 13 – 49
3-point goals: HST-Luchansky 3, McCoy 2, Ellzy; CRN-Erman 2, Crowne, Holmes
SOL Freedom Division
Upper Moreland 76, Lower Moreland 39
It’s been a great season. And it’s been a long time since Upper Moreland won a league championship. But first things first, the Golden Bears had to take care of business against Lower Moreland on Tuesday night.
UM left little room for doubt, with a dominant 76-39 win over LM, giving it a share of the Freedom Division title with Cheltenham, the first title for the school since 1983.
“I’m at a loss for words,” said coach Dan Heiland. “It’s nice to be able to make history for the school.
“One of the key things we told them was to focus, concentrate on the fundamentals, and making sure, regardless of what we knew is ahead of us, that we executed. We knew what we needed to do – play our brand of basketball, like we’ve done to get us to what we’ve achieved. Control our focus, our mindset, play with energy, together and for each other. They did a good job of that for 32 minutes tonight.”
Key Players: For UM, Larry Hughes (15 points), Jadon Cybok (14 points).
UM coach Dan Heiland said: “We knew coming into the season – we talked about the goals we had for the season, as a group, and what guys as individuals had as goals. In the end, it’s all about the team and the team goals.
“In our division, we’re one of the top teams year in, year out, but we’ve come up short. We knew we had a group coming back that would have an opportunity. We were good enough to compete and earn the Freedom Division title.
“The last half of the season, we controlled our own destiny. We got nothing less than everybody’s best every single day. I’m grateful for my team and my coaches. We’re ready to go to war day in and day out.”
Next up: Upper Moreland (18-4, 9-1 SOL) closed out its regular season with a 18-4 record (9-1 SOL) and will will be competing in the SOLTournament. Lower Moreland finished its regular season with a 2-20 record (1-9 SOL).
Upper Moreland (76) – Nate Best 2 1-2 6; Colson Campbell 4 2-2 10; Anthony Carson 3 1-2 10; Aidan Tuffy 1 0-2 2; Larry Hughes 7 2-3 15; Luke Roussel 1 0-0 2; Jose Hernandez 5 0-2 10; Jadon Cybok 5 0-0 14; Cannon Campbell 3 0-0 6. Totals 31 6-10 76.
Lower Moreland (39) – Zach Kendall 2 0-0 5; Tommy Weaton 1 0-0 2; Johnathan John 2 1-2 6; Tom Maloney 3 2-3 8; Luke Wheeler 2 0-0 6; Chase Carroll 2 1-1 6; Nathaniel Udell 1 0-0 2; Tristan Vizcardona 2 0-2 4. Totals 15 4-6 39.
Upper Moreland 20 26 22 8 – 76
Lower Moreland 9 14 9 7 – 39
3-point goals: UM-Cybok 4, Carson 3, Best; LM-Wheeler 2, John, Carroll
Cheltenham 69, Springfield Twp 40
Cheltenham clinched its share of the Freedom Division title with a solid 11-point at Springfield on Tuesday night.
Key Players: Chris Harmon’s 14-point effort led the Panthers. Osei Johnson added 11, and Mark Hill had 10.
For Springfield, Bob Hartman (13 points, 5 rebounds), Brandon Thompson (8 points, 5 rebounds), Chadrack Kiamba (6 points, 8 rebounds).
Next up: Cheltenham, which closed out its regular season with a 15-7 record (9-1 SOL) will wait to see if it plays a SOL Tournament game on Friday. Springfield (12-9, 4-6 SOL) will host Wissahickon in a nonleague game on Wednesday.
Cheltenham (69) – Chris Harmon 6 0-0 14; Kamal Mason 2 2-2 6; Mark Hill 4 0-0 10; Christopher Jones 1 0-0 2; Osei Johnson 4 0-0 11; Salim Kelly 1 2-2 4; Kendall Jackson 3 0-0 8; Jaden Mosely 2 0-0 6; Micah Millis 2 1-1 5; Tyree Martin 1 1-2 3; Totals 26 6-7 69
Springfield Twp (40) – Brandon Thompson 2 4-5 8; Bob Hartman 5 2-3 13; Aiden Hood 1 1-1 3; Chadrack Kiamba 3 0-0 6; Julian Ciasullo 2 1-2 5; Will McLaughlin 1 0-0 2; Cahlin Spearman 1 0-0 3; Totals 15 8-11 40
Cheltenham 14-27-21-7 69
Springfield Twp 10-9-10-11 40
3-point goals: C – Osei Johnson 3, Chris Harmon 2, Mark Hill 2, Kendall Jackson 2, Jaden Mosely 2; S – Bob Hartman, Cahlin Spearman.
William Tennent 65, New Hope-Solebury 23
Needing a win to solidify its spot in the District One Class 6A playoffs, William Tennent came out firing on Tuesday, putting up 44 points in the first quarter and hitting 12 3-pointers by six different players on the way to
the 42-point win over New Hope.
Six of the 3s came in the first quarter, led by Scott Scheller and Braden Goldberg with two each.
Key Players: For Tennent, Jayden Bright (13 points), Braden Goldberg (12 points), Tre Stracuzzi (11 points), Scott Scheller (10 points).
Next up: William Tennent (12-10, 9-1 SOL) will travel to Quakertown for a non-league game Thursday, and New Hope-Solebury (3-15, 1-9 SOL) will travel to Jenkintown Thursday for a non-league game.
William Tennent (65) – Matt Weigner 1 2-2 4; Carter Jameson 1 0-0 2; Tre Stracuzzi 4 0-0 11; Luke Torok 1 2-2 5; Braden Hahn 1 0-0 2; Scott Scheller 4 0-0 10; Jayden Bright 6 1-3 13; Braden Goldberg 4 0-0 12; Tony Pople 1 0-0 3; Ray Greener 1 0-0 3. Totals 24 5-7 65.
New Hope (23) – Beck Alderson 2 0-4 4; Noah Teshome 1 0-0 3; Alex DeFeo 1 0-2 2; Linus MacKenzie 1 0-3 2; Blake McCagg 1 0-0 2; John Nettles 1 1-2 3; Rocco Massimino 2 0-0 5; Mitchell Lontchar 1 0-0 2. Totals 10 1-11 23.
Tennent 20 22 16 7 – 65
New Hope 9 2 4 8 – 23
3-point goals: WT-Goldberg 4, Stracuzzi 3, Scheller 2, Greener, People, Torok; NHS-Massimino, Teshome
SOL Liberty Division
Upper Dublin 73, Plymouth Whitemarsh 55
Call it a bowtie on a near-perfect regular season.
Upper Dublin won its 21st straight game and wrapped up a perfect Liberty Division championship regular season with a convincing win at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday night.
“It was phenomenal,” said Flying Cardinals coach Derek Brooks. “I’m very, very proud of our boys. It was one of the best games we’ve played from start to finish, in all facets – intensity and focus and will – I can’t say
enough good things. It was A-plus across the board.”
Key Players: For Upper Dublin, Kobe Bazemore (20 points), Justin Ragsdale (14 points), Ryan Mulroy (13 points), Idris Rines (10 points).
For PW, Mani Sajid (28 points).
Upper Dublin coach Derek Brooks said: “I don’t think Upper Dublin has won at PW in 12 years. The last time we’ve swept was 25-plus years. The boys really wanted to make history tonight. They came ready to play.
“I thought our defensive rotations were great, ran a little, got a lot of layups, handled their pressure well, executed, hit the open man. Jim (Donofrio) always does a great job with ball pressure, and we knew we had to handle the ball well to get the win.
“I think it was 16-2 at one point. They made a run. We knew they would, but Brandon Altman hit a ‘3’ that made it a 15-point game at half. Our guys then came out on fire to start the third. I don’t know how many points he had, but Kobe Bazemore was getting the rim at will. We got the lead to 26 at one point.”
–One goal down: “We want to repeat in the SOL Tournament. I don’t think that’s ever been done before. I think this was our 28th straight win versus a Suburban One opponent. Our last loss to (a league opponent) was to CB East on January 3rd of last year, or something like that.
“We tell the boys some of this stuff, because we’re trying to enjoy it as much as we can. Longest win streak in school history. Best record in school history. These runs don’t come around that often, and we’re grateful and appreciative.
“But we have a few more goals we want to check off the list.”
Next up: Upper Dublin (21-1, 10-0 SOL) will be the No. 1 seed for the SOL Tournament, which starts on Friday night, opponent to be determined. PW (16-6, 7-3 SOL) may itself earn one of the other seven berths into SOLs.
Upper Dublin 16-20-20-17 73
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4-17-16-18 55
Upper Dublin (73) – Kobe Bazemore 8 4-7 20; Ryan Mulroy 5 3-4 13 Idris rines 3 3-4 10; Justin Ragsdale 5 3-4 14; Reilly McLaughlin 2 4-4 8; Brandon Altman 2 0-0 6; Horace Jackson 1 0-0 2; Totals 26 17-23 73.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (55) – Tyriq Taylor 1 0-0 2; Terron Davis 3 1-2 7; Eric Conicello 1 0-0 2; Mani Sajid 8 10-11 28; Michael Periera 1 0-0 2; Buddy Denard 1 0-0 3; Caleb Bridgeman 1 0-0 3; Micah Thompson 2 0-0 4; Luca Taormina 2 0-0 4; Totals 20 11-13 65.
3-point goals: UD – Brandon Altman 2, Idris Rines, Justin Ragsdale; PW – Mani Sajid 2, Buddy Denard, Caleb Bridgeman.
Abington 69, Quakertown 60
Sophomore Xander Grasty scored 24 points and Abington overcame a spirited effort from Quakertown for the regular-season closing 69-60 win on the road on Tuesday night.
The Panthers hung tough and behind eight points from both Matt Thomas and Sam Wilkin, they took a 32-31 lead into halftime. Kyler Pickron’s eight points led the Ghosts in the half.
Abington took a 45-43 lead into the fourth quarter, and sparked by 11 points from Grasty, the Ghosts outscored their hosts 24-17 to earn the hard-fought win.
Key players: In addition to Grasty, Zion Hospedales had 16 points for the Ghosts, while Jake Manigault added 11.
For Quakertown, Sam Wilkins scored 15 points, Jameson Sykes 14 points and Matt Thomas 10 points.
Abington coach Dan Marsh: “We were dealing with some sickness. No Paul Glants tonight, and a couple guys weren’t feeling great.
“Quakertown played tough, and Xander Grasty kind of carried us fortunately.”
Next up: Abington closed out its regular season with a 14-8 record (6-4 SOL). Quakertown (4-17, 0-10 SOL) will host William Tennent in a non-league game Thursday.
Abington (69) – Faizon Garland 1 2-4 4; Xander Grasty 7 10-12 24; Jake Manigault 4 3-4 11; Zion Hospedales 7 2-3 16; Kyler Pickron 2 4-6 8; Leo D’Arco 1 0-0 3; Josh Scarpello 1 0-2 2; Ayden Turner 0 1-2 1; Totals 23 22-33 69.
Quakertown (60) – Sam Wilkij 5 1-2 15; Matt Thomas 5 0-1 10; Gavin Mushrush 1 0-0 2; Jameson Sykes 6 0-0 14; Jaxon Torres 5 0-0 12; Trae McCray 2 0-0 4; Colin Fico 0 0-2 0; Mason Rush 1 0-0 3; Totals 25 1-5 60.
Abington 14-17-14-24 69
Quakertown 12-20-11-17 60
3-point goal: A – Leo D’Arco; Q – Sam Wilkin 4, Jameson Sykes 2, Trae McCray 2, Mason Rush.
Wissahickon 70, Hatboro-Horsham 48
With top player Nico Vacchiano in foul trouble, a pair of seniors stepped up big for Wissahickon in a must-win game as it entered the night on the outside staring in on the District One playoff bubble.
“Mason Stelzer and Ben Schwartz, our two senior captains, continued to work,” said Trojans coach Kyle Wilson. “I think Ben Schwartz had 19 points in the second half. Stelzer had eight in the second half and had six or seven assists. They were taking care of business. It was nice to see the other guys step up and show senior leadership. They’re our captains and coming down that stretch with Nico off the floor, they really stepped up for us.”
Wissahickon entered the night in the No. 28 position for the 24-team district Class 6A Tournament.
Key Players: For Wissahickon, Ben Schwartz (27 points), Nico Vacchiano (18 points), Mason Stelzer (13 points).
For H-H, Kenny Lutz (14 points), Shane Phelps (13 points).
Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson said: “When we played them the first time at our place, it was a close, intense game. It was a little physical. I think there were four or five technicals. So we knew it was going to be a battle. We knew they were sitting on the edge for 5A too.
“Our guys had the mentality, even before the Quakertown game we told them, ‘Listen, we don’t know if we’re in or not. Take pride and win our games to get to .500. For our seniors, it would be a great win to finish, and for our younger guys, finish with momentum going into the offseason.”
Next up: Wissahickon (10-11, 5-5 SOL) will host Springfield Twp in a non-league game Wednesday, and Hatboro-Horsham closed out its season with a 8-14 record (2-8 SOL).
Wissahickon (70) – Mason Stelzer 3 5-6 13; Michael Maltin 0 1-4 1; Owen Haughey 2 0-0 5; Nicol Vacchiano 5 6-9 18; Luke Slobotkin 1 0-0 2; Ben Schwartz 9 9-11 27; Delma Taliaferro 2 0-0 4; Totals 22 12-30 70
Hatboro-Horsham (45) – Ryan Smith 4 2-4 10; Brad Davis 0 1-2 1; Sean McCue 3 1-2 7; Kenny Lutz 6 0-1 14; Shane Phillips 5 0-0 13; Jaden Thompson 0 3-4 3; Totals 18 7-13 45.
Wissahickon 19-17-12-22 70
Hatboro-Horsham 8-16-14-10 45
3-point goals: W – Nico Vacchiano 2, Mason Stelzer 2, Owen Haughey; HH – Shane Phillips 3, Kenny Lutz 2.
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