Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action. Neshaminy/Bristol photos provided courtesy of Greg Lindsay. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Non-league
SOUDERTON 61, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 57
The Indians needed a win, and sparked by the 22-point effort of Nate Rusike, they got it.
“This was a big one,” Souderton coach Okoteh Sackitey said. “I believe if we lost, then we would have dropped out of the top eight, and we would have lost a first round bye, so we had a lot to play for.
“We knew that and we were focused. I commend the kids for coming in focused and ready on a day when they didn’t go into school, on a day that was two days after cutting down the net. To be able to get onto the next play like they did just says a lot about their maturity and their mental toughness. It was a really great team effort.”
This was a battle from the outset. The Indians led 16-14 after one quarter and 32-31 at halftime. Chanse Salone and Thaddeus Harter both had eight points in the half.
In the third quarter, Rock South – behind seven points from MJ Thompson -outscored its hosts 16-11 to go into the final quarter with a 47-43 lead. Rusike stepped up for the Indians, scoring eight points in a fourth quarter the Indians won 18-10.
“Council Rock South is a very good team,” Sackitey said. “Number 23 (MJ) Thompson shot the lights out, making tough shots all night. It was a battle, and we knew it would be.”
Key players: Nate Rusike’s 22 points led the Indians, and Chanse Salone added 11.
For the Redskins, MJ Thompson had 20 points, Ryan Delp added 11, and Ryan Wekluk had 10 points.
Souderton coach Okoteh Sackitey: “It was another game where it was back and forth. We were up five, they were up five, and we had a battle the whole way. Council Rock South is a very good team. They’re very well coached, and it’s been a battle between Souderton and Council Rock South for the last four years. It’s always comes down to no more than four or five points.”
–Props: “Nate Rusike was brilliant again tonight. He had eight in the fourth quarter, including a big 3 early in the quarter to put us up by one. Tre Bui had a massive 3 that came at a really clutch moment, and I believe his 3 extended the lead from four to seven with about three minutes left, so that was a big shot. Nolan Watkins made 3 of 4 foul shots in the last 90 seconds of the game just like he did against CB South for the championship. He went 3-for-4 from the line in the fourth quarter against CB South which was huge, and he went 3-for-4 from the line again tonight.
“Nate Rusike had 22 points – that’s a really impressive performance. Chanse Salone had 11, another strong, steady, consistent performance from him. We’re so lucky to have him contributing the way he does and being so selfless and being such a gamer and just coming with it every day.
“We had strong performances from everyone else. Thaddeus Harter had eight points, Nolan Watkins had seven, Tre Bui chipped in seven, Grady Kovach chipped in six. It’s really nice when you have a full team like that. Other guys that didn’t score gave us good minutes off the bench. It’s just the whole team. My assistant coaches were firing on all cylinders. It was a good team win all the way around.”
Up next: In a rematch of Tuesday’s game for the SOL Colonial title, Souderton (17-5, 9-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks South in Friday’s opening round game of the SOL Tournament at 6 pm. Council Rock – 19th in the latest District 1 6A rankings – will await the final seedings on Sunday.
Council Rock South 14-17-16-10 57
Souderton 16-16-11-18 61
Council Rock South (57) – Ray Haglund 1 0-0 2; Ryan Delp 4 1-2 11; Pat Malone 1 0-0 3; Owen McLean 3 0-0 9; Adam Elabed 1 0-0 2; MJ Thompson 8 3-3 20; Ryan Wekluk 5 0-0 10; TOTALS 23 4-5 57.
Souderton (61) – Chanse Salone 4 3-3 11; Trey Bui 2 2-2 7; Nolan Watkins 2 3-4 7; Nate Rusike 6 8-9 22; Thaddeus Harter 2 3-4 8; Grady Kovach 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 19 19-22 61.
3-point goals: CRS – Owen McLean 3, Ryan Delp 2, Pat Malone, MJ Thompson; S – Nate Rusike 2, Trey Bui, Thaddeus Harter.
NESHAMINY 54, BRISTOL 45
Two days after a heartbreaking double overtime loss to Bensalem, the Redskins bounced back with a big win, ensuring themselves a coveted sport in the District 1 6A Tournament.
“The game the other night was a great one – multiple overtimes,” Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle said. “Obviously, to come back – it was our Senior Night, so the energy of the crowd, the seniors are playing, but when it comes down to it, we had to make sure we got a win. We were able to accomplish that, and we can get ready for the playoffs.”
The Redskins, who trailed 9-6 after one quarter, outscored their visitors 15-11 in the second to go into halftime with a 21-20 advantage. Max Currie’s eight points in the second quarter led the ‘Skins.
Neshaminy outscored its visitors 33-24 in the second half on its way to the win.
Key players: Senior Max Currie led Neshaminy with 17 points spread over the final three quarters. Logan Gale added eight points – all in the fourth quarter, and Jason Leiva had seven.
Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle: “This was huge. Our playoff life was on the line. We were able to get the win, and it looks like we’ll be in. After (Tuesday’s) loss, we’re trying to have the message – next play mentality, meaning good or bad – we have to turn the page and move on. It was tough at first. We had to practice to get ready for Bristol. They’re having a good year this year – they’re 14-8 now, so we knew we had to come to play.
“Playoff life on the line – we stepped up to the plate. Senior Night – all our seniors contributed, guys off the bench contributed, so it was a good win.”
–Props: “All eight of our seniors and all the sacrifices they’ve made in their careers and all the good stuff. All the seniors played the first quarter and were in and out throughout the rest of the game along with the juniors and sophomores.
“Max Currie, our big guy, had 17 points. He was the only guy in double digits. We got a lot of touches to him. He does a good job of finding others. Besides Max, we had seven others score, so it was a little bit more balanced. Max Currie definitely was a big help for us.”
Next up: Neshaminy (10-12, 4-6 SOL) – 21st in the latest District 1 6A rankings – will await its final seed on Sunday.
Bristol 9-12-15-9 45
Neshaminy 6-15-18-15 54
Bristol (45) – Kyleil Cottrell 1 1-2 4; John Sozio 3 1-2 8; Avery Harrison 4 2-4 12; Joseph Burk 3 0-0 9; Braylen Williams 1 0-0 2; Christian Manning 5 0-0 10; TOTALS 17 4-8 45.
Neshaminy (54) – Jason Leiva 3 0-0 6; Eriq Gold 2 0-0 6; Gavin Meehan 2 0-1 4; Logan Gale 3 1-2 8; Cadenn Amati 2 0-0 4; Max Currie 7 3-4 17; Jason Gilardi 1 0-0 2; Dominic Ciallella 3 0-0 6; TOTLS 23 4-7 54.
3-point goals: B – Joseph Burk 3, Avery Harrison 2, John Sozio, Kyleil Cottrell; N – Eriq Gold 2, Logan Gale, Jason Leiva.
QUAKERTOWN 64, WILLIAM TENNENT 49
Two days removed from a strong showing in a 69-60 loss to Abington, the Panthers closed out their season with a convincing win over a Tennent team with its ticket all but punched to the District 1 6A Tournament.
“We played well against Abington,” Quakertown coach Tony DaCosta said. “We just couldn’t finish them off.”
In Thursday’s season finale, the host Panthers finished off Tennent, opening up a 21-13 lead after one quarter and extending that to 39-25 by halftime. Sam Wilkin ignited the Panthers, scoring 12 first-quarter points and adding nine more in the second.
“Seniors did what seniors do. Sam (Wilkin) had 30, and from beginning to end, he controlled the tempo of the game and managed everything,” DaCosta said. “Matt Thomas, our other senior, had 11. Our seniors really played big. They did a nice job.
“I wrote on the board – this was their final chapter, and they needed to close it out the right way, and they did.”
Tennent – which relies on its long-range game – had only one 3-pointer in the game.
Key players: Sam Wilkin scored a game-high 30 points, which included four 3-pointers and an 8-for-12 effort at the foul line. Matt Thomas added 11 points.
For Tennent, Luke Torok (16 points) and Tony Pople (14 points) led the way.
Quakertown coach Tony DaCosta: “We didn’t have a lot of turnovers, and we didn’t give a lot of second shots, so that made a huge difference in terms of our play and us being able to pull this game out. It’s a big win even though we’re not moving forward into the playoffs. It’s a good momentum builder. It’s a good opportunity for underclassmen to see the type of things we’re capable of when we play consistently for 32 minutes.
“This team was very dangerous. It’s unfortunate – from a standpoint of being healthy, that kind of plagued us. We never got our footing, and by the time we got our footing, we’re into the thick of our conference play – playing Wissahickon, Abington and PW, but I’m proud of the guys. Like I told them – you’re always going to get knocked down in life, but you have to make sure you get back up. Tonight was proof that we did that.”
–Getting defensive: “They’re really an excellent 3-point shooting team, and we wanted to make sure we ran them off the line because every game I’ve watched – they’ve knocked down quite a bit of 3s. We knew if we didn’t do that and if we weren’t successful defensively, that was going to be a problem. The guys really locked in on the defensive end of the floor, and it made a difference for us.”
Up next: William Tennent (11-11, 6-4 SOL) is 23rd in the latest District 1 6A rankings and will await the final rankings on Sunday. Quakertown closed out its season with a 5-17 record.
William Tennent 13-12-13-11 49
Quakertown 21-18-9-16 64
William Tennent (49) – Tre Stracuzzi 3 0-0 9; Luke Torok 3 7-8 16; Ryan Bula 0 3-4 3; Scott Scheller 1 1-2 3; Jayden Bright 0 1-2 1; Braden Goldbert 1 0-0 3; Tony Pople 4 2-3 14; TOTALS 12 14-19 49.
Quakertown (64) – Sam Wilkin 9 8-12 30; Matt Thomas 4 2-2 11; Aiden Burgy 1 0-0 2; Jameson Sykes 1 0-0 2; Jaxon Torres 2 2-2 7; Trae McCray 1 3-4 5; Mac Mitchell 1 1-1 3; Mason Rush 1 2-3 4; TOTALS 20 18-24 64.
3-point goals: Q – Sam Wilkin 4, Matt Thomas, Jaxon Torres; WT – Tre Stracuzzi 3, Luke Torok 3, Braden Goldbert, Tony Pople 4.
Wednesday, Feb. 5
WISSAHICKON 67, SPRINGFIELD TWP 37
Talk about a Senior Night to remember – this was it.
Shortly after an emotional locker room postgame meeting that included closing the book on the season, the Trojans received word that they were – in fact – in the field of 24 for the upcoming District 1 6A Tournament.
“We’re really excited,” Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson said. “I told our kids – let’s temper the excitement. I don’t want to get too up because things happen when you go through numbers on Sunday (at the district seeding meeting), but right now it looks like we’re in the playoffs.”
The Trojans took care of business on the court, opening up a 19-10 lead after one quarter upping its advantage to 36-17 by halftime. Senior Ben Schwartz accounted for 16 of his team’s points and junior Nico Vacchiano had 11 points. The Spartans never threatened.
“It was a good night – it was a decisive win, and it was nice to get all the seniors out on the floor and give them a chance to play,” Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson said. “They’re really nice kids.”
Key players: Ben Schwartz led the Trojans with 22 points – 16 in the first half. Nico Vacchiano added 21 points in three quarters, and Mason Stelzer contributed 12 points.
For the Spartans, Bob Hartman had 13 points.
Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson: “We were at 29 (in the district rankings), and we didn’t move. We played Quakertown, and they only have four or five wins. We played Hatboro, and they had at least seven or eight wins, and we made mild moves, and then we played Springfield. I had a talk with my guys – we had a real emotional ending in the locker room. ‘Hey, let’s wait and see until Sunday. Let’s see where we are.’ Having done this a long time, I’m thinking we’re going to be at 25 or 26, just on the outside looking in.
“We’re up in the lobby celebrating our seniors, and Ben Schwartz’s dad came over and said, ‘Look.’ I said, ‘What? You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you messing with me? Holy cow, I can’t believe we jumped up to that.’ Hey, any night teams lose, things happen, but right now it looks like we’re in. I’m not going to get overly excited until Sunday’s meeting.
“Regardless of that, I couldn’t be prouder of how our guys played their last three games. So many things were clicking – the defense to having another teammate’s back and moving the basketball. I said to them, and I got emotional in the locker room. I was like ‘I wish we could have one or two more games just to be able to get into the postseason because you’re a nightmare for any team that has to see you because you’re playing your best basketball at a point in the season when you want to be playing your best basketball.’ If we’re in, we’re so excited. It would be great to get some playoff experience.”
Next up: Wissahickon (11-11, 5-5 SOL) is 22nd in the latest District 1 6A rankings and will await its final seed. Springfield Twp (12-10, 4-6) is 10th in the latest District 1 5A rankings in what will be a 12-5 team field.
Springfield Twp 10-7-15-5 37
Wissahickon 19-17-19-12 67
Springfield Twp (37) – Brandon Thompson 2 0-0 5; Bob Hartman 5 1-1 13; Chadrack Kiamba 1 0-0 2; Aiden Hood 2 2-4 7; Julian Ciasullo 1 2-4 4; Will McLaughlin 0 0 -2 0; Will Cooney 2 0-0 6; Totals 13 5-11 37.
Wissahickon (67) – Mason Stelzer 5 0-0 12; Michael Maltin 1 0-0 2; Chris Lee 1 0-0 2; Nico Vacchiano 8 4-6 21; Ben Schwartz 10 2-2 22; Delmar Taliaferro 4 0-0 8; TOTALS 29 6-8 67.
3-point goals: S – Will Cooney 2, Bob Hartman 2, Brandon Thompson, Aiden Hood; W – Mason Stelzer 2, Nico Vacchiano.
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