Check out the results for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday.
American Conference
Wissahickon 45, Cheltenham 42
It was a game Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson said his team absolutely had to have if the Trojans were going to have a shot at the district playoffs. It was also a game they had to have if they wanted to finish the season in second place in the conference.
Thanks to a big first half, a huge three-pointer by Tre Holcomb late in the game and some clutch shots from freshman Zach Reiner, it was a game Wissahickon was able to win, getting past host Cheltenham in a thriller to close out the regular season.
Wissahickon – which led 14-11 after one quarter – took a 30-20 lead into the half. Despite a fourth quarter run by the Panthers, who even took the lead at one point, the Trojans were able to come out victorious.
“It’s huge,” Wilson said. “To have the standout guys we had last year and then to not really have any standout players this year and to still be able to get in a position where we should be in the playoffs is great. It’s nice to see a balance in scoring every night with every guy contributing.”
A 10-3 Cheltenham run in the fourth put the Panthers on top by a bucket with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, but the Trojans (12-8, 10-4) had an answer.
Reiner, who hit a couple big three-pointers earlier in the game, hit two free throws late to help the Trojans to close out the game. Holcomb also had a clutch three in the fourth quarter. Take away that trey, and five free throws were the only points Wissahickon mustered in the fourth. The Panthers won the quarter 10-8, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the Trojans.
“It was nice to see Zach come in and hit clutch shots and everybody played tough defense tonight,” Wilson said. “We didn’t give them a lot to work with and we never let them get anything going.”
Wissahickon finished tied with Upper Dublin for a share of second place in the conference behind Plymouth Whitemarsh, which captured back-to-back titles.
The Panthers dropped to 12-9 overall and 9-5 in conference play. Cheltenham was led by Fatiir Al-Ahad’s 15 points. Khalil and Anthony White each scored seven.
Reiner led the Trojans with 12 points, while Todd Bentley added nine. Steve Driscoll scored eight, Ron Brundage added six and Jake Segal and Holcomb each finished with five.
Wissahickon, which swept the season series against Cheltenham, had a similar end to last year’s regular season, finishing with a solid, yet not guaranteed spot in the playoffs.
“I think we’ll be in,” Wilson said. “Hopefully we get a good seed, but either way, I’ll be more than happy to be in. Last year, we went in as a 30-seed and knocked off the number three seed, so we’ll see what happens.”
Wissahickon 14 16 7 8—45
Cheltenham 11 9 12 10—42
Upper Merion 61, Upper Moreland 48
Wins have been scarce this year for Upper Merion, a team with zero seniors and a bright future.
The Vikings quite possibly got a taste of what’s in store following a huge season-ending win over Upper Moreland. It was only their second conference win of the year.
“It’s big for us,” Upper Merion coach Jason Quenzer said. “It kind of springboards us to next year I think. The guys’ mentality was pretty strong. They came to practice every day and they wanted to get better. Tonight, I think they put on a pretty good exhibition of things that they want to do in the future, and to know they’re capable of a win like that is good moving forward.”
The Vikings (3-19, 2-12) started the game off by outscoring the Bears (7-15, 3-11) by 18-7 in the first quarter, eventually taking a 28-20 lead into the half. Upper Merion increased upon its lead after three quarters, taking a 42-29 lead into the fourth.
The Vikings were led by Matt Faw, a 6-foot-7, 185-pound sophomore who finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
“Honestly, in my opinion, he’s in the conversation for one of the best players in the league,” Quenzer said. “Day in and day out he puts up numbers you’re going to see in the box score, but his rebounding the last two weeks has been tremendous. He’s been putting up some double-doubles, and it’s just exciting to see him break out of his shell this year. To know he’s getting better is a great thing.”
Ethan Miller added nine points, nine rebounds and four assists for the Vikings.
Brendan O’Donnell led the Bears with 16 points.
Quenzer gave his team a message in the locker room after its final game of a season that left him already looking forward to next year.
“Obviously the guys were excited,” he said. “I told them that it was a good feeling to see everybody’s faces in the locker room happy and to know that it’s going to be the same exact locker room next year.
“That’s really exciting and I told them that I hope they understand the position they’re in, because no other team in the league can say that. I honestly believe next year is going to be a big turnaround for us.”
Upper Moreland 7 13 9 19—48
Upper Merion 18 10 14 19—61
Upper Dublin 54, Springfield 43
Upper Dublin clinched a share of second place in the conference following a double-digit win over visiting Springfield.
The Cardinals, who finished at 14-8 overall and 10-4 in the conference, led 24-19 at the half and increased their lead to 39-23 after coming out of the halftime break ready to play.
Upper Dublin was led by Simeon Fryer’s 14 points. John Barrett and Phil Santerian both added 10 points.
For the Spartans, Sean Stovall, DeAndre Johnson and Justin Hill each had 10 points. Springfield’s season ended at 3-18 and 1-13, respectively.
Springfield 8 11 4 20—43
Upper Dublin 12 12 15 15—54
Continental Conference
Souderton 39, Central Bucks East 32
The Indians won their final conference game of the season, getting past host Central Bucks East in a low-scoring affair.
Souderton (13-9, 9-5) was led by Evan Slone and Austin Eberhart – both scored eight points. Tracy Simsick and Tim Markow each netted seven.
The Indians led 12-6 after one quarter and took a 19-12 lead into the half. The two teams exchanged baskets in the secondo half.
Ryan Plack led CB East with eight points, while Justin O’Neil and Tommy Strasburger each added six. The Patriots fell to 6-16 overall and 1-13 in conference play.
Souderton 12 7 11 9—39
Central Bucks East 6 6 12 8—32
Souderton (39) – Evan Slone 8, Ben Wonderling 2, Tracy Simsick 7, David Brush 7, Tim Markow 7, Austin Eberhart 8.
Central Bucks East (32) – Justin O’Neil 6, Tommy Strassburger, Travis Ives 3, Sean Dann 2, Jeff Circuit 2, Ryan Plack 8.
Central Bucks West 46, Central Bucks South 42
Central Bucks West claimed sole possession of second place in the conference following a close win over counterpart Central Bucks South.
The Bucks, who sit at 17-5 overall and 10-4 in conference play following the regular season, led 18-16 at the half, and increased their lead to 32-26 after three quarters and then held on for the win.
Jim McCusker led the Bucks with 11 points, while Cal Reichwein added 10. Nico Munari chipped in with nine.
Sean Gallagher led the Titans (12-10, 8-6) with 17 points, while Tim Waddington added eight.
Central Bucks South7 9 10 16—42
Central Bucks West 9 9 14 14—46
Central Bucks South (42) – Alex Karras 3, Josh Brodie 5, Bryan Meyers 7, Tim Waddington 8, Chris Hones 2, Sean Gallagher 17.
Hatboro-Horsham 52, Perkiomen Valley 27
Hatboro-Horsham won their fifth game in six outings, defeating visiting Perkiomen Valley in convincing fashion.
“We finished the season on a real high note,” Hatboro-Horsham coach Ed Enoch said. “We’re playing real good basketball right now and I’m really proud of my kids. They hung in there and battled through some adversity during the season, but they’re playing good basketball now.”
The Hatters – who closed out their season 11-11 overall (6-8 SOL) – were once again led by Brian McEachern and Walter Kimble. McEachern finished with 17 points and six assists, while Kimble knocked down four three-pointers and finished with 15 points.
“Brian and Walter were both outstanding tonight,” Enoch said. “Walter had a real good game and he was under control and made good decisions and shot the ball well. Brian had another one of his typical Brian games.”
Clifton Moore added four points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Hatters, who led 27-16 at the half and didn’t allow Perk Valley double digit scoring in any quarter.
Enoch credits his team’s late-season success to a number of things.
“All of a sudden, we started sharing the ball more,” he said. “We’ve played pretty good defense all season, but we’ve gotten better at not turning the ball over and shooting the ball better and overall making better decisions. We’ve been playing smarter.”
Justin Jaworski led Perk Valley with 13 points.
Perkiomen Valley 9 7 9 2—27
Hatboro-Horsham 15 12 12 13—52
Perkiomen Valley (27) – Justin Jaworski 13, Tyler Krause 6, Sean Owens 4, Kevin Stanton 4.
Hatboro-Horsham (52) – Ryan Murphy 3, Joe Russell 4, Pat Haggerty 5, Kyle Katz 2, Walter Kimble 15, Shawn Lowree 2, Brian McEachern 17, Clifton Moore 4.
National Conference
Neshaminy 41, Council Rock South 24
The Redskins closed out the season with an impressive performance. Eric Altiere led the way with 12 points while Bill Warren added eight points and eight rebounds. Chris Archidiacono had five points and handed out seven assists for the young Redskins, who started two freshmen and two sophomores.
The Redskins closed out the year 2-12 in league play (5-16 overall) while the Golden Hawks were 4-10 in league play (7-15 overall).
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