Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Friday. CB West/Bensalem photos courtesy of John Gleeson, Upper Dublin/Neshaminy photos courtesy of Michael Rice Photography, and CB East/PW photos courtesy of Larry Small. Check back for galleries of all three games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f716903222
SOL TOURNAMENT (Opening round)
#1 UPPER DUBLIN 73, #8 NESHAMINY 46
The Flying Cardinals looked every bit the part of the first seed, opening up an early lead and never looking back. Four players – Brady Fogle, Chris Kohlbrenner, Ryan Mulroy and Idris Rines – finished the game in double figures for UD.
“It was a great team effort all the way through,” coach Derek Brooks said. “We’re very happy with the effort from the guys.
“It was a great environment. Having a doubleheader with the girls, the gym is a little extra crowded. There’s a lot of positivity, energy and excitement in the gym.”
The Cardinals, who led 17-6 after one quarter, took a 31-12 lead into halftime.
“We got off to a great start,” Brooks said. “Our pressure and our speed were huge for us. We stuck to the game plan.
“We wanted to speed them up. They don’t play too many guys, and one of their starters had just rolled his ankle, so we knew they’d be a little short-handed. We play with a lot of depth, so we wanted to be in full throttle mode to wear them down. Fortunately, the pressure we applied worked, and I thought our pressure in the halfcourt worked as well.”
Chris Kohlbrenner’s 11 points led UD in the first half.
“We did everything we could to slow down (Emeer) Coombs and (Nate) Townsend,” Brooks said of the high-scoring duo that combined for just four first-half points. “Both of them are phenomenal players. The first-half game plan worked well.
“Our pressure didn’t work quite as well to start the third quarter. We actually called it off, but fortunately, we did a good enough job in the halfcourt still guarding them, and we moved the ball pretty well. We didn’t have as many points as we had in the first and second, but winning the quarter was big for us.”
The Cardinals outscored the Redskins 29-25 in a high-scoring a fourth quarter that saw them connect on 17 of 17 from the foul line.
“Neshaminy did score 25 in the fourth – we could have played better defense there at the end, but fortunately, we hit every one of our free throws in the fourth quarter, so that obviously helps to close out a game,” Brooks said.
Fogle led a balanced UD attack with 16 points – nine in the second half. Kohlbrenner added 15 points. Ryan Mulroy had 13 points – nine in the second half while Rines had 12. Noah Cohen scored all nine of his points – which included a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line – in the fourth quarter. Anthony Oliveira-Schultze added eight points, including a 4-for-4 showing from the foul line in the fourth quarter.
“Idris Rines got us off to a great start,” Brooks said. “We wanted to make him a focal point early on, and he had a good game.
“Ryan Mulroy was great on both ends – offense and defense. He was rock solid for us. Brady Fogle did his thing, knocking down his shots. Chris Kohlbrenner was probably the MVP of the game for us. He had 15 points, which was a career high, and he was all over the place defensively. He did everything on the floor imaginable tonight – rebounding, defense, scoring, hustle, energy, IQ, all the stuff. He was awesome tonight.”
Townsend’s 16 points – 14 in the second half – led the Redskins. Logan Gale added 11 while Coombs had nine and Max Currie, six points.
Upper Dublin (20-3, 15-1 SOL) will host #5 Abington in a semifinal contest Saturday at 1 p.m. Neshaminy (15-8, 11-5) – 17th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – is off until next Friday’s opening round of districts.
Neshaminy 6-6-9-25 46
Upper Dublin 17-14-13-29 73
Neshaminy (46) – Emeer Coombs 3 2-2 9; Max Currie 3 0-0 6; Guy Horton 2 0-1 4; Logan Gale 3 5-8 11; Nate Townsend 5 6-7 16; TOTALS 16 13-18 46.
Upper Dublin (73) – Chris Kohlbrenner 5 3-4 15; Brady Fogle 6 2 2 16; Ryan Mulroy 5 3-4 13; Idris Rines 3 4-4 12; Noah Cohen 1 6-6 9; Anthony Oliveira-Schultze 2 4-4 8; TOTALS 22 22-29 73.
3-point goals: Neshaminy – Emeer Coombs; UD Chris Kohlbrenner 2, Brady Fogle 2, Idris Rines 2, Noah Cohen.
#2 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 62, #7 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 56
In a spirted opening round contest, it was the Patriots, who trailed by two at halftime, erupting for 39 second-half points to notch the hard-fought win.
“They have a lot of talent,” CB East coach Erik Henrysen said. “We figured we were going to do our best to limit their chances, but they were still able to hit 11 3s, and that was with us doing our best to limit them from the perimeter.
“So, credit to them – they really made shots, but we were still able to do a little bit more.”
The Colonials, who trailed 10-9 after one quarter, took a 25-23 lead into halftime. Ben Marsico’s nine points on three 3-pointers in the second quarter led PW.
The Patriots – behind 10 points from Jake Cummiskey – outscored their visitors 19-15 in the third quarter and took a 42-40 lead into the final quarter. They added to their lead with a 20-point fourth quarter. Bryce Lolas and Miles Demby both had six points to lead the Patriots in the final quarter. Lolas was 4-for-4 from the foul line in the quarter as the Patriots were 7-for-8 from the charity stripe.
Cummiskey’s 19 points led the Patriots. He also had seven rebounds and five assists. Lolas added 17 points in a standout effort.
“Justin DiRoberto has been sick and wasn’t at the game tonight,” Henrysen said. “It was disappointing for him to miss the game, but we needed guys to step up.
“Before Miles (Demby) came back from injury, Bryce was that fifth starter. When Miles came back, Bryce shifted back to a sixth or seventh man role. We called on him tonight, and he’s really been tremendous for us all year. He plays with composure, he’s an elite shooter, and tonight he came through. When we were down four, he had a big and-one and helped us take a little bit of control in the third quarter, but they kept coming, so we continued to make plays.”
Demby added 13 points. Tyler Dandrea had five rebounds, and Dhruv Mukund added seven points, six rebounds and five assists.
“We call on Dhruv Mukund to do everything,” Henrysen said. “He’s our secondary ball handler, leads us in rebounding and kind of has played that unsung hero role all years, and he did it again tonight.
“We worked Jake and Dhruv to the bone handling their pressure and their traps. We ask them to do a lot as far as handling the ball, and they really came through.”
Sophomore Mani Sajid buried four 3s and led the Colonials with 21 points while Marsico had 12 points on four 3-pointers. Jaden Colzie was held to 11 points.
“We know how much of a talent he is, and that was big for us,” Henrysen said of PW’s senior point guard. “He hit a couple of really deep 3s, and you worry about him because he could really get going.
“We stuck to the game plan and keyed on both him and Mani (Sajid). They both still scored, but it was the other guys we were worried about – hey, we’re going to have to pick our poison.”
Central Bucks East (18-5, 12-4 SOL) will host Central Bucks West in a semifinal contest on Saturday at 6 p.m.
“We know it’s going to be a battle,” Henrysen said.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (14-9, 12-4) – 13th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – returns to action next Friday in the district tournament.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 9-16-15-16 56
Central Bucks East 10-13-19-20 62
Plymouth Whitemarsh (56) – Jaden Colzie 4 0-0 1; Ben Marsico 4 0-0 12; Mani Sajid 7 3-3 21; Michael Pereira 3 1-2 7; Jah Pendergrass-Sayles 1 3-4 5; TOTALS 19 7-9 56.
Central Bucks East (56) – Jake Cummiskey 7 3-3 19; Dhruv Mukund 2 2-4 7; Bryce Lolas 4 7-7 17; Tyler Dandrea 1 0-0 2; Nolan Behm 1 0-0 2; Miles Demby 6 1-4 13; Caleb Lyzinski 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 22 13-15 62.
3-point goals: PW -Mani Sajid 4, Ben Marsico 4, Jaden Colzie 3 ; CBE – Jake Cummiskey 2, Bryce Lolas 2, Dhruv Mukund.
#5 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 56, #3 BENSALEM 53
Sam Jankowski had a big night for the Bucks, and in a contest that came down to the wire, the Bucks’ senior forward delivered a clutch play that turned out to be the
game-winner, connecting on an and-one in the closing seconds of regulation to turn a one-point deficit into a two-point West lead.
The Bucks then pulled down the rebound of a Bensalem miss with 4.5 seconds remaining. Matt Engle was fouled and converted one of two, giving the Bucks their final margin of victory.
“There were probably five ties in the game, five or six lead changes – it was back and forth,” West coach Adam Sherman said.
Jankowski’s 19 points led the Bucks, and his three-point play in the final minute was the difference.
“Sam Jankowski had a really strong game offensively and had an and-one on a crucial moment on a drive,” Sherman said. “He scored in the post, he hit a 3. We were able to get him the ball in good spots, and he was pretty successful.”
The two teams were deadlocked at 14 apiece after one quarter, and the Bucks rode the hot hand of Aiden Kimberly – who had eight second-quarter points off the bench – to a 33-31 halftime lead.
The Bucks were still clinging to a two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter when Jankowski delivered his biggest play of the night to propel the Bucks to the win.
In addition to Jankowski’s 19 points, Roman Kulesa and Julian Phillips both had 12 points.
“We got a great contribution from Aiden Kimberly off the bench – he came off the bench and scored eight points in the second quarter,” Sherman said.
For the Owls, Noah Morris led the way with 15 points on five 3-pointers. Micah White added 11 while Jaidyn Moffitt – in his return to the lineup – had eight. Antonio Morris and Amir Drummond both had seven points.
“It was an honor to play in the SOL tournament,” Bensalem coach Ron Morris said. “Congrats to all the teams who
made it. It was another great battle versus CB West. It seems like every time we play it’s decided by under five points.
“It was nice to get Jaidyn back for some minutes tonight. Noah shot the ball really well also. Micah White had another good game. Overall, a couple plays didn’t go our way. We’ll learn from it and move forward. Sunday we will see how the bracket looks and be ready for the district tournament.”
Sherman, meanwhile, is curious to see how the intense CB West/CB East rivalry will look on a Saturday night at 6 p.m.
“Honestly, in all the years coaching, I don’t think we’ve ever played East on a Saturday night,” the Bucks’ coach said. “It’s always Tuesday or Friday, and it stirs up the school, and the kids get good crowds. I’m not sure what we’re going to get. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Sherman is also not sure what his lineup will look like.
“There was a play in the second half where Matt Engle tweaked his ankle,” the Bucks’ coach said. “He was able to go back in the game and finish the game, and we’re curious what he’ll be like.
“We know each other well, and I think whoever plays better that day will be the winner.”
Bensalem (18-5, 14-2) – eighth in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – will return to action in the district tournament. If the Owls maintain their eight seed, they will have an opening round bye.
Central Bucks West 14-19-10-13 56
Bensalem 14-17-10-12 53
Bensalem (53) – Antonio Morris 2 2-2 7; Noah Morris 5 0-0 15; Micah White 5 1-1 11; Amir Drummond 3 1-2 7; Nate Cooper 1 0-0 2; Jahmir Chatman 0 1-2 1; Idris Savadago 1 0-0 2; Jaidyn Moffitt 3 2-4 8; TOTALS 20 7-11 53
Central Bucks West (56) – Matt Engle 1 1-2 3; Roman Kulesa 5 0-0 12; Sam Jankowski 8 2-4 19; Aiden Kimberly 3 0-0 8; Julian Phillips 4 2-4 12; Dan Gallagher 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 22 5-10 56
3-point goals: Bensalem – Noah Morris 5, Antonio Morris; CBW – Roman Kulesa 2, Aiden Kimberly 2, Julian Phillips 2, Sam Jankowski.
#5 ABINGTON 70, #4 CHELTENHAM 57
In a battle of neighboring rivals, it was the Ghosts opening up an early lead and never trailing the rest of the way, although the Panthers didn’t go down without a battle.
“It was a very intense game,” Abington coach Dan Marsh said. “We controlled the game pretty much the whole time, but they made a couple of runs at us like we knew they would, and we were able to persevere through it.
“It got a little shaky in the fourth quarter. It was one of those playoff-type atmosphere games where two rivals were going at it. I was really proud of our kids for persevering through their runs. We took a big punch on the chin, and we would punch right back.”
With 2:19 remaining in the first period, Jake Manigault connected on a pair of free throws to give the Ghosts a lead they would not lose. The Ghosts took a 34-24 lead into halftime. Aaron Jones led the Ghosts with nine points – all in the second quarter, and Jeremiah Lee had eight, also all in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, the Panthers trimmed a 14-point lead to four, but the Ghosts responded and took a 47-39 lead into the final quarter. Lee’s 11 points highlighted a 23-point fourth quarter for the Ghosts.
Lee collected a double-double with a team-high 19 points to go along with 12 rebounds. He also had two steals and three assists. Jones stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, nine rebounds, four steals and five assists. Paul Glants finished with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists. Kamari Brasher had five rebounds and two blocked shots, and Kellen Ingram had four boards and two blocks.
“Aaron Jones played phenomenal,” Marsh said. “He’s been playing with a hurt finger – he dislocated his finger, but he’s been plugging through it. He’s just been great.
“Paul Glants played great. He was a calming presence on the floor, and there’s always JJ (Jeremiah Lee). We got some good contributions off the bench from Jake Manigault, who came in and helped us.
“It was just another good win. I’m really proud of them. Obviously, we have to go back to Upper Dublin – who has been playing super, super well. Hopefully, we can play like we did in the second half against them ,and we’ll see what happens.”
Abington pulled down a season-high 39 rebounds.
The Ghosts were 26-for-48 (54.1 percent) from the field. They were 6-for-12 from beyond the arc (50 percent).
For the Panthers, Nile Tinsley’s 19 points led the way, and Josiah Hutson added 14. Osei Johnson had seven points.
“Look, 12-for-29 from the free throw line – we did it to ourselves,” said Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury. “There’s nothing else to say. I’ve got to find a way to put them in a position to make free throws. That’s the end-all be-all.
“Clearly, we’ve got a lot that we’ve got to adjust and fix. We’ve been playing games non-stop, but that’s not an excuse, that’s a reality. We’ve got to figure it out or end early, it’s either or.”
Abington (18-5, 12-4 SOL) will travel top-seeded Upper Dublin Saturday for a 1 p.m. contest. Cheltenham (17-6, 14-2) – 12th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – is off until next Friday’s opening round of districts.
Cheltenham 10-14-15-18 57
Abington 16-18-13-23 70
Cheltenham (57) – Kamal Mason 1 2-4 4; Josiah Hutson 5 3-9 14; Kevin Addison 2 1-4 5; Chris Harmon 0 0-2 0; Osei Johnson 3 1-2 7; Salim Kelly 1 0-2 2; Nile Tinsley 6 6-7 19; Talisi Henderson 1 0-1 2; Peyton McClendon 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 21 13-31 57.
Abington (70) – Paul Glants 5 0-0 11; Jeremiah Lee 9 1-4 19; Aaron Jones 7 0-0 16; Kellen Ingram 1 2-4 4; Kamari Brasher 2 0-0 5; Khalid Jenkins 1 5-10 8; Lathan Miller 1 0-0 3; Jake Manigault 1 2-2 4; TOTALS 27 10-20 70.
3-point goals: Cheltenham – Josiah Hutson, Nile Tinsley; Abington – Aaron Jones 2, Paul Glants, Kamari Brasher, Khalid Jenkins, Lathan Miller.
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
WISSAHICKON 81, SPRINGFIELD TWP 59
The Trojans traveled to Springfield Twp. for a snow make-up game and got an 81-59 win, but according to Trojans’ coach Kyle Wilson, it absolutely wasn’t how either team drew it up.
“In a game that should have transpired with very few fireworks, the 4th of July broke out,” the Trojans’ coach said. “With 3:15 left in the first quarter, Wissahickon was leading 15-10 when Nico Vacchiano grabbed an offensive rebound and was knocked to the ground, drawing a foul.
“A Springfield player stood over the Wissahickon player and had some words, and Dom Vacchiano, Nico’s teammate and older brother, pushed the player from standing over his brother and taunting, and the Spartan player responded with punches and his teammate added a few of his own.”
When the smoke cleared, the two Spartans were ejected and so was the older Vacchiano for Wissahickon, which was already playing without starting guard Josh Palutis due to injury.
The Trojans responded well to the incident with Brayden Ryan scoring six of his 15 in the second quarter and freshman Caj Jones scoring six of his 11 points in the second period as well, giving the Trojans a 57-32 lead at the half, a lead they never lost.
Bob Hartman poured in 19 for Springfield and helped to pull his team within 10 early in the fourth quarter, but the Trojans went on another run and closed out strong finishing with a final score of 81-59.
Nico Vacchiano also added 14 for Wiss.
Also for the Spartans, Aiden Hood had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Julian Ciasullo added eight points, four rebounds and four assists.
Wissahickon closed out the season with a 9-13 record overall, and unfortunately for the Trojans, four or five spots out of district playoff contention. Springfield Twp is 7-15 overall, and as the fourth ranked team in the four-team District 4A, the Spartans will compete in the district semifinals on Feb. 20.
Wissahickon 23-24-13-21 81
Springfield Twp 16-16-14-13 59
Wissahickon (81) – Mason Stelzer 2 3-3 7, Nijel Harrison 3 1-2 9, Michael Maltin 0 4-6 4, B. Ryan 5 3-4 15, N. Vacchiano 5 3-4 14, Caj Jones 4 2-2 11, Gabe Lassiter 4 0-0 8, Ben Schwartz 1 1-1 3, Delmar Taliaferro 1-0-0-2, D Vacchiano 3 0-0 8; Totals: 28 17-22 (81)
Springfield Twp (59) – Speaman 1 0-0 3, Bob Hartman 3 11-13 19, Aiden Hood 6 0-0 13, Brandon Thompson 1 2-2 5, Will McLaughlin 0 0-2 0, Will Cooney 2 0-0 6, D. Cooper 1 0-0 2, Julian Ciasullo 4 0-1 8. Totals: 18 13-18 (59)
3-point goals: Wissahickon – Nijel Harrison 2, Brayden Ryan 2, Dom Vacchiano 2, Caj Jones, N Vacchiano; Springfield – Bob Hartman 2, Will Cooney 2, Aiden Hood, Brandon Thompson.
About the Author
