Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Thursday. Neshaminy/Bristol photos provided courtesy of Greg Lindsay. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ BOYS’ BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
Check out the SOL standings: https://suburbanonesports.com/standings/15
SOL non-league crossover
WISSAHICKON 57, UPPER MORELAND 36
Every game’s a playoff game for a Wissahickon squad looking to earn a postseason berth, and the Trojans have certainly done their part to ensure their spot in the District 1 6A Tournament, reeling off four straight wins.
And after being on the outside looking in, the Trojans – with Thursday’s win – are 23rd in the latest district rankings with one game remaining on their schedule.
“It was good to get that win,” Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilsons said. “We didn’t want to wait until the very last game, so I know we jumped up to the 23rd spot.
“I don’t know if tomorrow win or lose would change that, but our focus is – let’s just win out. Let’s take every game like a playoff game.”
Nico Vacchiano came out of the gate on fire, scoring all 16 of his team’s first-quarter points and propelling the Trojans to a 16-13 lead. The Golden Bears – sparked by eight points from Jose Hernandez – outscored their hosts 20-13 to pull to within two at halftime, 29-27.
The Trojans limited the Bears to just nine second-half points – six in the third quarter, and they stretched their lead to 45-33 heading into the final quarter when they scored only three points.
Key players: Nico Vacchiano led all scorers with 24 points. Jona Sellenriek also finished in double figures with 10 points while Zach Schwartz had seven.
For the Golden Bears, Jose Hernandez led the way with 13 points while Kyle Moore added 12.
Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson:
–The game: “I’ve known (UM coach) Dan Heiland, and he does an outstanding job with his team. We knew they were a team with 14 wins, which we knew would help, but we didn’t know when they were coming in that they were going to be without Larry Hughes , who’s one of their better players and pretty much their size in the middle, so that changed the dynamics for them as far as what they wanted to do and for us as well because the next biggest guy they have in there – I don’t think he’s over 6-1, so we knew it gave us a little more freedom around the rim and around the basket, and we were able to get a lot of shots in the paint.
“Jona (Sellenriek) had a really nice game. He had 10 points and really just protected the rim. It was tough for them to get anything really inside, and we forced them into becoming more of a perimeter team. A lot of times if you’re a perimeter team – if you’re hot, it’s great, but if you’re not, a lot of shots are one-and-done and take you out of a really nice rhythm.
“But give them credit. We started out on fire, and then they came back and got it within two in the second quarter. In the second half, the kids got on a roll. We got some turnovers, got some transition baskets and just really controlled the game the second half.
“It’s nice, at this point in the season, win or lose, the kids are playing their best basketball, and that’s what’s important.”
–Props: “Jona (Sellenriek) played well, and Nico (Vacchiano) had a great game – he had 24. Owen Haughey has been playing great at the point – his ball control, running the offense. Zach Schwartz, who’s one of our bigger shooters – it was a night where he just really couldn’t find his shot, but he found ways to get in there in a stretch where we needed some buckets and got a couple of just gritty putbacks and made plays around the basket, so it was nice to see everybody contribute.”
Up next: Wissahickon will host Lincoln Leadership Academy in a non-league game Friday.
“We played Central for years, and unfortunately, the Central coach had lost a family member and had to cancel the game and was very slow getting back,” Wilson said. “We didn’t want to be disrespectful, but we had to get a game in, and so (athletic director) Mr. Cairns put out an all-points bulletin – anybody looking for a game? And Lincoln Leadership Academy said they could play, so we have that tomorrow.”
Upper Moreland 7-20-6-3 36
Wissahickon 16-13-16-12 57
Upper Moreland (36) – Nate Best 0 2-2 2; Kyle Moore 5 0-2 12; Cannon Campbell 3 1-4 9; Jose Hernandez 3 5-6 13; TOTALS 11 8-14 36.
Wissahickon (57) – Zach Schwartz 3 0-0 7; Luke Slobotkin 1 2-2 4; Owen Haughey 1 0-0 2; Nicol Vacchiano 11 0-2 24; Jack Weiss 2 1-2 6; Jona Sellenriek 5 0-0 10; Delmar Taliaferro 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 25 3-6 57.
3-point goals: UM – Kyle Moore 2, Cannon Campbell 2, Jose Hernandez 2; W – Nico Vacchiano 2, Zach Schwartz, Jack Weiss.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 55, LOWER MORELAND 51 (OT)
The Indians closed out their season with an exciting overtime win in Thursday’s Senior Night contest.
It was their fourth straight win and fifth in the last six games, and for the Indians, nail biters have been all but routine.
“The game was a fitting end to our season,” Rock North coach Derek Wright said. “It was our fifth overtime game and 12th game decided on the last possession.
“Aryan Prabhu hit the game-tying 3 at the end of regulation, and as he’s done all year, Dylan Kiefer carried us at both ends of the floor. Owen Crowne sealed the game with big free throws.”
This one was close from the outset. The Lions – behind eight points from Nate Fellah – led 13-11 after one quarter, but the Indians answered with a 19-11 quarter to go into halftime with a 30-24 lead. They led 49-42 heading into the final quarter when the visiting Lions battled back to take a lead that was erased when Prabhu hit the game-tying 3 to end regulation deadlocked at 49.
The Indians won a low-scoring overtime 6-2 with Danny Cuneo burying a clutch 3 in OT.
Key players: Dylan Kiefer led the Indians with 19 points – nine in the third quarter. Owen Crowne added 11 points, Cameron Wright had 10 points, and Danny Cueno had seven.
For the Lions, Nate Fellah had another big game, leading the way with 19 points. Tom Maloney and Marco Marino both added 10 points with Marino scoring all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter when he connected on a pair of 3s and was 4-for-5 at the foul line.
Council Rock North coach Derek Wright:
–Props: “Lower Moreland played great and equally earned the right to win the game. (Nate) Fellah is as good a player as we’ve seen all year, and they competed throughout.
“In addition to Aryan (Prabhu) and Dylan (Kiefer), all our seniors – Chris Bachman, Justin Freed, Josh Kondonijakos, Billy McBride and Ryan Steffe – contributed to the win on Senior Night.”
Up next: Lower Moreland is third in the four-team District 1 4A classification and will advance to the postseason. Council Rock North closed out its season with a 10-12 record. The Indians were 5-1 in their last six games.
Lower Moreland 13-11-11-14-2 51
Council Rock North 11-19-12-7-6 55
Lower Moreland (51) – Luke Wheeler 3 0-0 6; Thomas Keaton 1 0-0 2; Jonathan John 1 1-2 4; Marco Marino 2 4-5 10; Nate Fellah 7 3-4 19; Tom Maloney 4 0-1 10; TOTALS 18 8-12 51.
Council Rock North (55) – Owen Crowne 3 3-4 11; Justin Freed 1 0-0 2; Aryan Prabhu 1 0-0 3; Dylan Kiefer 9 1-3 19; Cameron Wright 3 2-2 10; Billy McBride 0 1-2 1; Danny Cuneo 3 0-0 7; Chris Bachman 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 21 7-11 55.
3-point goals: LM – Marco Marino 2, Nate Fellah 2, Tom Maloney 2, Jonathan John; CRN – Cameron Wright 2, Owen Crowne 2, Aryan Prabhu, Danny Cuneo.
NESHAMINY 76, BRISTOL 47
The Redskins closed out their regular season on a high note, putting up 76 points – second only to their first game of the season when they defeated North Penn 90-80.
“Great team win to finish the season heading into the playoffs next week,” Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle said.
Logan Gale led the offensive charge with 26 points, which included three 3-pointers. It was Gale who had the hot hand early, torching the Warriors for 14 points and propelling the Redskins to a 21-6 lead after one quarter. They never looked back.
Key players: Logan Gale scored 26 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for a double-double. He also had three assists. Also finishing in double figures for the ‘Skins were Kenny McCarthy and Eriq Gold with 11 points each. Gold also had four assists. Dean Goodwin finished with seven points, seven rebounds and three assists in a strong all-around outing.
Up next: Neshaminy – 19th in the latest District 1 6A rankings – will await its final seed.
Neshaminy 21-13-26 16 76
Bristol 8-16-11-12 47
Neshaminy (76) – Luke Amrhein 2 1-2 6; Zach Stewart 1 0-0 2; Kenny McCarthy 5 1-2 11; Logan Gale 10 3-4 26; Eriq Gold 4 1-1 11; Goodwin 3 1-1 7; Joey Laukaitis 2 0-0 5; Cadenn Amati 2 2-2 6; TOTALS 30 9-12 76.
Bristol (47) – Braylen Williams 3 1-4 7; Kyleal Cottrell 2 3-5 7; Avery Harrison 6 5-6 18; Uriah Johnson 2 1-1 6; Talon Nemeth 2 0-0 5; Jordan Hill 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 17 10-16 47.
3-point goals: N – Logan Gale 3, Eriq Gold 2, Luke Amrhein, Joey Laukaitis; B – Avery Harrison, Uriah Johnson, Talon Nemeth.
CHELTENHAM 67, EXECUTIVE EDUCATION ACADEMY CHARTER 56
The Panthers threw some defense at Executive Education, limiting the visitors to just four first-quarter points while they opened up an 18-4 lead. Cheltenham took a 29-18 lead into halftime and put even more distance between themselves and their visitors with a 23-12 third quarter.
Cheltenham led 52-30 heading into the final frame when – with the outcome already decided – Executive Education put 26 points on the board.
Key players: Mark Hill and Chris Harmon combined for 36 points. Hill scored 11 of his team-high 19 points in the first half while Harmon had 10 of his 17 in the second half. Jaedn Mosley added 10 points for the Panthers.
Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury:
–The game: Defensively, I felt like we were in tune with multiple efforts needed to be a good defensive team. We shared the ball in the first quarter. A lot of respect for Executive Charter. Tonight, we were able to defend and keep the intensity that we needed throughout. It was a good way to end the regular season.”
Up next: Cheltenham – the third seed – will host sixth-seeded Central Bucks South in Friday’s opening round of the SOL Tournament.
Executive Education 4-14-12-26 56
Cheltenham 18-11-23-15 67
Executive Education (56) – Eshaan Tung 20, Jaxon Loper 5, Ziyon Wilkins 1, Joshua Amos-Abanyie 10, Elijah Styles 4, Noah Bass 5, Camren Michel 11
Cheltenham (67) – Chris Harmon 17, Mark Hill 19, Isaiah Dill 6, Jaedn Mosley 10, Micah Millis 5, Tyree Martin 5, Peyton McClendon 5.
3-point goals: EEAC – Eshaan Tung 4, Camren Michel 2, Jaxon Loper, Joshua Amos-Abanyie, Noah Bass; C – Chris Harmon 2, Isaiah Dill 2, Jaedn Mosley, Micah Millis.
HOLY GHOST PREP 77, WILLIAM TENNENT 64
The Panthers trailed by four after one quarter but kept Thursday’s season finale close. Holy Ghost took a 38-32 lead into halftime and led by seven heading into the final quarter when they outscored the Panthers 21-15.
The two teams combined for 17 3-pointers with the Panthers connecting on 11. Braden Goldberg had five 3s and finished with a game-high 20 points while Tre Stracuzzi had four and contributed 15 points. Scott Scheller added nine points, and Carter Jameson had eight on a night when both teams put on quite an offensive display.
William Tennent closed out its season with an 8-14 record.
Holy Ghost Prep 19-19-18-21 77
William Tennent 14-18-17-15 64
Holy Ghost Prep (77) – KJ Rhodes 3 0-0 7; Adam McDonald 3 2-2 9; Liam Condon 5 5-7 15; Jack Farrell 1 0-0 3; Liam Duffy 5 1-2 11; Jack Polek 4 3-4 11; Max Milici 4 0-0 9; Kolton Koran 1 0-1 2; Chris Albright 4 0-0 10; TOTALS 30 11-16 77.
William Tennent (64) – Braden Goldberg 6 3-4 20; Tyler Tumelty 1 0-0 2; Tre Stracuzzi 4 3-4 15; Scott Scheller 4 0-1 9; Ayden Davis-Carter 2 1-4 5; Carter Jameson 2 4-4 8; Medhi Wahid 1 0-0 3; Ed Mays 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 21 11-17 64.
3-point goals: HGP – Chris Albright 2, KJ Rhodes, Adam McDonald, Jack Farrell, Max Milici; WT – Braden Goldberg 5, Tre Stracuzzi 4, Scott Scheller, Medhi Wahid.
PLUMSTEAD CHRISTIAN SCHOOL 57, SPRINGFIELD TWP 49
The Spartans trailed by just three at halftime (31-28) but saw that deficit extend to six after three quarters. They never could get over the hump, falling in their final regular season contest.
Julian Ciasullo’s 10-point game led the Spartans. Jake Gibson added nine points.
The Spartans are 10th in the latest District 1 5A rankings that will feature a 12-team field. They will await Sunday’s seeding meeting for their final rankings.
Springfield Twp 12-16-9-12 49
Plumstead 14-17-12-14 57
Springfield Twp (49) – Cahlin Spearman 5, Julian Ciasullo 10, Nate Davis 3, Clay Trejbrowski 3, Ryan McGuckin 6, Chadrack Kiamba 6, Jake Gibson 9, Will McLaughlin 5, Tyler DePolo 2.
Plumstead (57) – Mason McCuen 22, Drew Mandia 9, Noah Kephart 9, Julian Desiato 15, Charlie Jackson 1.
3-point goals: S – Cahlin Spearman, Clay Trejbrowski, Ryan McGuckin, Jake Gibson, Will McLaughlin; P – Mason McCuen 4, Drew Mandia.
JENKINTOWN 47, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 41
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