Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Monday.
SOL Patriot Division
Council Rock North 37, Pennsbury 35
It was an ending straight out of a Hollywood movie. And it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving player.
With the score knotted and the final seconds ticking off the clock, Council Rock North nabbed a steal and the ball made its way to Bernie Parent. The senior, who not scored in the fourth quarter to that point, drained a fadeaway jumper as time expired to lift the Indians to a thrilling 37-35 come-from-behind victory over Pennsbury in Monday’s Patriot Division matchup.
“It was one of those moments you will never forget and the exact feeling of pure joy you want your kids to experience together as a coach,” said North coach Jesse Krasna. “Bernie is always the first player in the gym, the last one to leave and he has made that exact shot thousands of times before, so it was great to see it fall for him when we needed it most.”
It took a team effort to set up the buzzer-beating finish. With the score tied at 35-35, Pennsbury took possession with 1:58 left in the game and let the clock run down in order to try to get the last shot.
“We extended our defense,” Krasna said. “They ran the clock all the way down to 15 seconds but when they drove middle, Shane Anhalt jarred the ball loose for a steal. We got it to Bernie, Bernie advanced the ball to Jack Blum, Jack pitched it back to Bernie, and the rest is history. Bernie knocked down a fadeaway pull-up jumper as time expired, a shot taken from Dirk Nowitski’s repertoire.”
Parent netted 7 of his game-high 15 points in the first quarter and 11 in the first half. Freshman Oliver Schaefer drained a pair of three-pointers and added a foul shot as he scored all 7 of his points in the final frame.
“Oliver stepped up in the fourth quarter to get us back in the game after being down by six,” Krasna said. “He nailed two threes, one of which was a 4-point play, and he rebounded the ball incredibly well for a 5-9, 130-lb. freshman. He is one of those kids who just lives for the moment and loves to compete.”
The Indians put up a strong defensive effort against a spread-out and dangerous Pennsbury offense. Evan McNeely was the only Falcon to reach double-digit scoring with 12 points. Aidan McCormack added 9. Both players also had five rebounds.
“Pennsbury is a really good team. They are well coached and challenging to guard because they feature five players who knock down threes and have the ability to create scoring opportunities off the dribble,” Krasna said. “Jack Blum, Logan Saifer, Tyler Rodowicz, and Shane Anhalt were key in slowing down the Falcon attack.
“Our defense really kept us in the game because we struggled to finish on the offensive end and we were just 4-of-8 from the foul line. Sometimes when your shots don’t fall, the tendency is to play with less intensity on the defensive end, but we didn’t let the lack of scoring affect us.”
With the victory, Council Rock North improves to 10-4 in the Patriot Division, 14-5 overall, and will host Neshaminy at 6 pm Tuesday. The Falcons fall to 8-5, 11-5, and will look to get back on the winning track when they visit Harry S Truman for a 7 pm Tuesday game.
Council Rock North 13-5-8-11 37
Pennsbury 11-9-8-7 35
Council Rock North (37) – Oliver Schaefer 2 1-1 7; Shane Anhalt 2 0-0 4; Bernie Parent 6 2-6 15; Adam Mahtat 2 1-2 5; Jack Blum 2 0-0 4; Tyler Rodowicz 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 15 4-9 37.
Pennsbury (35) – Aidan McCormack 4 1-1 9; Craig Stargell 1 0-0 2; Connor Taddei 2 0-0 5; Evan McNeely 5 1-1 12; Ty Kocaz 2 3-5 7. TOTALS 14 5-7 35.
3-point goals: CRN – Schaeffer 2, Parent; P – Taddei, McNeeley.
SOL Colonial Division
Central Bucks South 43, Upper Moreland 41
Joe Rooney doesn’t shy away from big moments.
With the Titans trailing by one and the final seconds ticking off the scoreboard clock, the senior forward calmly took a three from the top of the circle that – after several interesting bounces – fell through the net. A desperation shot by the Golden Bears at the buzzer fell short, and the exciting win was in the books.
“The idea was we were going to look inside first to try and get the easier bucket,” South coach Jason Campbell said. “Upper Moreland did a good job of clamping down on Michael (Farley) inside. If that happens, then we talk about where the rotation is and calling out the double team so we find the right guy.
“Joe does a really good job of getting to the open spot and not standing and calling for the ball. He yelled for the ball to pass it out. He’s got such a quick release, and he’s very confident in his shot. That ball – for me – looked like when it in it was going to pop out on the left-hand side. It was three-quarters of the way in, and instead of going over the rim, I thought, ‘Welp, that’s the game,’ but it found another spin on it and dropped.”
The Titans trailed for much of the game against a pesky Golden Bear squad. The Bears led by nine (16-7) late in the opening quarter when – after a Colson Campbell steal – Matt Tiernan scored on a drive. A basket by Rooney in the closing seconds made it a 16-9 game after one quarter.
Byron Hopkins scored on a tough drive to open the second quarter, upping the Bears lead to nine. They still led by eight when Tiernan turned a Hopkins pass into an easy bucket with 42 seconds remaining in the half, but Jesse Rotunno buried a three from the top of the circle to make it a 28-23 game at halftime.
The Bears led 33-26 midway through the third quarter but would not score again in the frame. South’s Chris Granito scored on a spinning drive to the hole, and then Aidan Van Zanten converted a putback, trimming the Golden Bears lead to just 33-30 heading into the final frame.
Hopkins scored on a floater to open the fourth quarter, and the Bears still led by four after a basket by Stefano Garofalo. Bryan Delara connected on a pair at the foul line to pull the Titans to within two, and the two teams were deadlock 37-37 after Rooney sank both ends of a one-and-one. Hopkins connected on one of two at the line, and then it was Jay Macalindong converting a three-point play to give the Titans their first lead, 40-38, with 3:17 remaining.
“I thought Jay Macalindong was fantastic,” Campbell said. “He came up at big moments. He had the and-on, he hit a jump shot that gave us momentum on offense. He was really tough, and we ask a lot from Jay.”
Neither team scored again until – with 20 seconds remaining – Garofalo buried a baseline three to put the Golden Bears on top 41-40, setting the stage for Rooney’s clutch game-winner.
“In the fourth quarter, we transitioned to a different defense and were able to get them out of their comfort zone moving the ball because I thought Upper Moreland did a great job moving the ball tonight and sharing it,” Campbell said. “We had to change that up. Our 1-3-1 defense was really good, forcing them into turnovers. It gave us extra possessions.
“So I was happy with our effort with that. It created offense for us too. Our offense in the half court setting wasn’t as consistent and strong as we draw it up in practice. It’s something I’d like to see our team improve upon, it’s something we’ve been working on. We need to just continue to share the ball, and when we do that, we put the ball in the basket.”
Michael Farley’s 11 points – all in the first half – led a balanced Titan attack. Tyler Meinel and Rooney each added seven while Macalindong had six.
For the Golden Bears, Hopkins had a game-high 19 points with 14 of those coming in the first half. Tiernan added nine and Garofalo had seven
Central Bucks South (13-7, 9-5 SOL) will host North Penn for its Senior Night on Tuesday and will be on the road at Pennridge on Thursday. Upper Moreland (12-8, 7-7) will travel to William Tennent on Tuesday and close out its regular season at home on Thursday against New Hope-Solebury
Upper Moreland 16-12-5-8 41
Central Bucks South 9-14-7-13 43
Upper Moreland (41) – Byron Hopkins 7 3-5 19; Bo Meakim 1 0-0 2; Rashim Lancit2 0-0 4; Matt Tiernan 4 1-2 9; Stefano Garofalo 3 0-0 7. TOTALS 17 4-7 41.
Central Bucks South (43) – Jesse Rotunno 3, Jay Macalindong 2 2-2 6; Aidan Van Zanten 1 0-0 2; Joe Rooney 2 2-2 7; Chris Granito 2 0-0 5; Bryan Delara 0 2-2 2; Tyler Meinel 3 1-2 7; Michael Farley 15 9-18 43.
3-point goals: UM – Byron Hopkins 2, Stefano Garofalo; CBS – Jess Rotunno, Joe Rooney, Chris Granito, Michael Farley.
SOL Liberty Division
Wissahickon 65, Quakertown 48
When a team is in the hunt for a division title, there is no room for a letdown and no such thing as a “gimme.”
Even with two huge division games later this week, Wissahickon was focused on the task at hand on Monday, starting strong and never looking back in dispatching Quakertown in Monday’s Liberty Division matchup. The Trojans were up by 10 after one quarter and extended the lead to 32-12 at halftime.
“The kids played really well,” Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson said. “With the Upper Dublin and PW games looming (today) and Thursday, I was afraid they would overlook or have a letdown game. Man, they came out clicking on all cylinders.
“Defensively—which has been one of their staples all year—to hold any team to 12 points in a half, I thought that was really impressive. They just took care of the ball. The second half was up and down and a little sloppy, but they always had control of the game. It’s just nice to see them playing good basketball heading into these final two regular season games.”
Earl Stout scored 14 of his game-high 19 points in the first half. Dom Vacchiano finished with 15 and Josh Twersky added 11.
“Quakertown fell behind early, so they had to press, and Earl Stout made plays going through their defense and finishing at the basket that were just really impressive and really just gave us the spark we needed,” Wilson said.
The Trojans improve to 14-6 and 11-3 in the Liberty Division. It sets up a thrilling final week, as the Trojans are tied atop the division with Plymouth Whitemarsh, with Upper Dublin (10-4) right behind. The Trojans host Upper Dublin at 6:30 pm Tuesday in the Wissahickon Dome, then close out the regular season at PW at 7 pm Thursday.
“It’s definitely going to be an interesting end for all three teams, but that’s what you want,” Wilson said. “You want teams to be competing down the stretch. These are the games the kids have worked hard to be a part of, so we hope for all of them, no matter how they finish, kids get to play their best games of the season.”
Quakertown (5-15, 3-11) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday and will be on the road at Abington on Thursday.
Wissahickon 14-19-14-18 65
Quakertown 4-8-13-23 48
Wissahickon (65) – Josh Twersky 4 2-3 11; Kevin Cupid 1 0-0 2; Jaylon Williams 2 0-0 6; Josh Palutis 0 2-2 2; Morgan Wilson 3 1-2 7; Phil Dias 1 0-0 2; Dom Vacchiano 6 2-2 15; Owen Coughlin 0 1-2 1; Earl Stout 6 6-9 19. TOTALS 23 14-20 65.
Quakertown (48) – Sam Wilkin 1 2-4 5; Kyle Rosenberger 6 1-1 14; Than Tomlinson 1 1-4 3; Ty Wilkin 5 3-5 13; Brendan Ruzicka 0 0-2 0; Miles Longacre 6 0-1 13; Vince Miccuci 0 0-2 0. TOTALS 19 7-19 48.
3-point goals: W – Twersky, Williams 2, Vacchiano, Stout; Q – S Wilkin, Rosenberger, Longacre.
SOL Freedom Division
Cheltenham 81, William Tennent 68
Rasheem Dearry scored 23 points to lead Cheltenham to the road win over Tennent. Joining Dearry in double figures were Justin Savage (18 points) and Josiah Hutson (14 points).
With three games remaining on their league schedule, the Panthers have a seven-game lead over a Tennent squad that shares second place with Upper Moreland.
“We’ve probably played them eight or nine times with summer league and everything, so the teams are very familiar with each other,” Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury said. “Offensively, we shared the ball, we attacked the paint, we made the passes that we needed to. We made 14 of 18 free throws. We definitely need to continue work hard to get the best shot available and defend to get more opportunities to do so.”
Cheltenham trailed 39-37 at halftime but outscored its host 44-28 in the second half.
In addition to scoring in double figures, Dearry also had four rebounds, Hutson had six assists and Savage had seven rebounds.
Brandon Bush added eight points, six rebounds, three steals and three assists, and Elias Walker had four points, five assists, three steals and two rebounds.
“Brandon Bush continues to be an unsung hero with timely plays,” Fleury said. “He’s efficient. He’s very capable of scoring 20 points, but right now he’s proving he can be an all-around player.
“Justin Savage continues to play both ends, and he’s very important to our success. Sheem (Dearry) and Josiah (Hutson) also continued to play well with 23 and 14 points respectively.
“Elias (Walker) defensively continues to make all the right plays, and offensively, his pace and energy from defense to offense is infectious, and we rely heavily on him. We go as he goes, and it’s a beautiful thing because he can get you 10-16 points like everyone else, but he also gets you seven rebounds, seven assists and things of that nature. Just his explosiveness and ability to make us dynamic from that spot it greatly appreciated.”
Cheltenham (19-0 13-0 SOL) will travel to New Hope-Solebury Tuesday, and on Thursday, the Panthers will be on the road at Springfield Township. Friday they will close out league play when they host Lower Moreland to complete a stretch of four games in five days. On Saturday, the Panthers will compete in the SOL Tournament.
William Tennent (7-11, 7-7) will host Upper Moreland on Tuesday and close out league play on Thursday at home against Lower Moreland.
Cheltenham 18-19-22-22 81
William Tennent 17-22-11-18 68
Cheltenham (81) – Rasheem Dearry 23, Josiah Hutson 14, Elias Walker 4, Nasir Edens 5, Brandon Bush 8, Joey Weimer 3, Justin Savage 19, Jalen Lucas 2, Kevin Addison-Anderson 1.
William Tennent (68) – Jeremy Henry 5, George Marion 13, Kirby Moonoey 26, Zach Stanfield 14, Brandon Beluch 4, Evan Devor 5.
Nonleague
Souderton 48, Pottstown 45
Two huge defensive plays in the final minute of play lifted Souderton over Pottstown in Monday’s 48-45 nonleague win.
With Pottstown clinging to a one-point lead with less than 60 ticks left on the clock, Grant Carson pressured the Trojan ball carrier, allowing Chris Towsen to grab a steal and feed Aleks Smith, who was fouled and hit two free throws to put the Indians ahead.
On the next play, it was junior Shaun Purvy who stepped up. Purvy stole the ball, the Indians called a timeout and drew up the final play. It didn’t quite work out as drawn up, but in the end, Jay Bonnet capped off a 10-point night with a layup to secure the 3-point victory for the visitors.
“The game was back and forth,” said Souderton coach Okoteh Sackitey. “It was quite a finish. More exciting than we would like it to be, but I’m definitely proud of the guys for finding a way to win. We’ve been in a bunch of close games this season. Every win is very big, and I’ll take it how I get it.”
The teams were tied after one quarter as well as at the half. Souderton finished the third quarter with a four-point lead, but that lead was tenuous and would change several times in the final frame.
“We were getting good looks, but the shots weren’t falling like we hoped they would, but we stuck together and found a way to win,” Sackitey said. “We didn’t fold, we didn’t give up on each other. We just kept playing hard, we made some big stops and just grinded out a win.”
Smith led the Indians with 11 points, was dominant under the basket, and did a lot of the little things that often go unnoticed but are critical to pulling out a tight win like this.
“Aleks Smith was a monster on the boards, and there was a big possession in the second half where there was a loose ball, and he got on the floor and tipped it to Purvy and was able to give us possession,” Sackitey said. “If Aleks doesn’t dive on the floor, we don’t get possession. Aleks’ performance rebounding the basketball and hustle plays like that getting on the floor went a long way for us.”
Souderton (7-7 Colonial Division, 13-7 overall) is back in action at 7 pm Tuesday when they visit Pennridge, then the Indians return home on Thursday at 7 pm for Senior Night against Central Bucks West to close out the regular season.
“We’re just taking it one game at a time,” Sackitey said. “It’s a good old cliché, but that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Souderton 13-10-13-12 48
Pottstown 13-10-9-13 45
Souderton (48) – Jay Bonnet 4 1-2 10; Shaun Purvy 2 1-4 6; Chris Towsen 1 0-0 2; Carson Grant 3 0-0 6; James Blair 2 0-0 5; Aleks Smith 3 5-6 11; Paul Vince 3 0-0 6; Levi John 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 19 7-12 48.
Pottstown (45) – Elliot-Moore 4 0-0 8; Sibley 6 1-4 13; Mayes 3 0-0 6; Jackson 7 1-2 16; Graves 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 21 2-6 45.
3-point goals: S – Bonnet, Purvy, Blair; P – Jackson.
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