Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Monday. Quakertown/CB West photos provided courtesy of Jon Sklut. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL Colonial
Central Bucks East 62, Souderton 39
Central Bucks East has dominated the SOL Colonial all season, but a beefed up schedule at the end of the season led to back-to-back losses heading into Monday, and the team needed to win at Souderton to claim the league title.
The Patriots did just that in dominating fashion, blowing open a five-point game after one with a dominant second quarter. They led 35-16 by halftime and were able to put the game away in the second half.
“We definitely had a letdown to end last week, coming up short two times in roughly 16 hours,” coach Erik Henrysen said about back-to-back losses to New Hope-Solebury and Central Bucks South. “Yesterday, we had a good virtual film session and focused on some mistakes and improvements we as a program could fix.
“Our energy was back to where it needed to be tonight. We played with a chip on our shoulder and got out in transition. I’m really happy with how the guys played for one another.”
Freshman Jacob Cummiskey led the way with 18 points on 8-for-8 shooting, to go along with five assists and five rebounds. But he wasn’t the only family member to have a big game, as older brother Liam, a junior, had 16 points.
“The Cummiskey brothers had a special night,” Henrysen said. “Jacob played a near perfect game. He is such a talent and has a feel for the game that you can’t teach. He does everything and has an ability to figure what impact is needed in any given moment.
“Liam came out on fire. He nailed four 3s tonight, but he also did a great job defending. He’s been looking for a larger role and tonight he demanded it with his play. At one point, they combined to make their first 14 attempts. They scored 28 of their points in the second and third quarters.”
Aidan Weaver added seven points and five rebounds, while Brendan Harte also had five rebounds.
“Our depth this year has kept teams from keying on Joe Jackman and Jack Hamilton,” Henrysen said. “Liam and Jacob definitely came through in a big way tonight.”
CB East (11-3, 7-2 SOL) will close out the regular season at home Tuesday against rival CB West. After Monday’s win, the Patriots now sit at No. 6 in the recently updated District One Class 6A power rankings. The seedings for the 20-team Class 6A playoffs will be announced Wednesday.
Souderton was led by Evan Kutzler’s 13 points. The Indians (1-14, 1-9 SOL) close out their season Tuesday night at Upper Dublin.
CB East 62, Souderton 39
CB East 15 20 22 5 – 62
Souderton 10 6 12 11 – 39
CB East (62) – Jacob Cummiskey 18, Liam Cummiskey 16; Jason Markowitz 2, Brett Young 3, Aidan Weaver 7, Joe Jackman 5, Jack Hamilton 6, Shane Kennedy 3, Joshua Lyzinski 2
Souderton (39) – Evan Kutzler 13, Shaun Purvy 7, Chris Towsen 1, Aleks Smith 5, Vince 10, Hollick 3
3-point goals: CBE-L. Cummisky 4, J. Cummiskey 2, Hamilton 1, Kennedy 1, Weaver 1; S-Hollick 1
SOL Patriot
Council Rock North 55, Neshaminy 48
A couple things needed to happen for Council Rock North to remain alive in the District One Class 6A playoff hunt. First things first, the Indians had to knock off SOL Patriot Division champ Neshaminy, and then hope for a lot of help from other teams.
After a win Monday, the Indians (8-6, 7-3 SOL) stand at No. 23 in the power rankings in what will be a 20-team field when the seedings are announced on Wednesday. If Monday was their final game, it was a great way to end the season.
“Tonight was a great win for our boys because they showed the collective improvement made since the 22-point loss in our first matchup versus Neshaminy,” said CR North coach Jesse Krasna. “Neshaminy has a loaded team. They have so much offensive firepower and are hard to guard. Matt Drapkin is one of the best guards this league has seen in recent times. I’m not sure I have seen two bigs as skilled as Mike Murray and Jimmy McDonald all year. No one likes to play against Jake McGinty because he brings so much toughness and intensity. Tom Mullin can really shoot the ball and they bring in two more terrific shooters in Sean Curley and Evan Esposito. They are having a great year and are the league champs for a reason.
“This was the last home game for our seniors and it was important to them to finish their careers with a win on their home court.”
It was a close game throughout, as CR North led by three after one and 22-21 at halftime. A 17-11 third quarter extended the lead and the Indians were able to put the game away in the fourth.
Connor Rushing led the way with 25 points.
“This was Connor‘s best game of his career,” Krasna said. “He was dominant on both ends. His versatility has been on display. He scored in the post, on drives and from the perimeter. There was a stretch of games where he was our primary ball handler, and tonight he showed how valuable he is on the defensive end, battling Neshaminy’s center for most of the game while giving up a good 4-5 inches in size.
“The best part about Connor is his work ethic. He was lifting weights before our game. His hard work is written all over his performance tonight. He is going to make a (college) coach really happy over the next four years.”
After that, the Indians had contributions from a lot of sources, led by Bernie Parent’s 13 points. Jack Blum added eight points.
“Logan (Saifer) had some timely baskets for us and was so active defensively,” Krasna said. “It seemed like Mikey (Sylvester) came up with an offensive rebound every time we missed a shot. He always finds a way to make a positive impact on the game.
“Garrett (Gromlich) gave us strong minutes and Adam (Mahtat) was limited coming back from an injury, but he brought his physical presence when he was on the floor.
“Bernie was tremendous running the point. He made several great passes vs pressure and was blowing past defenders for 32 minutes.”
Drapkin scored 19 points to lead Neshaminy (11-5, 8-2 SOL) , which has lost four of its last five games to close out the regular season. It currently sits in the No. 11 spot in the district power rankings and will find out its first-round opponent on Wednesday.
Council Rock North 55, Neshaminy 48
CR North 11 11 17 16 – 55
Neshaminy 8 13 11 16 – 48
Council Rock North (55) – Garrett Gromlich 1 2-2 5; Bernie Parent 6 0-1 13; Jack Blum 2 3-4 8; Logan Saifer 2 0-0 4; Connor Rushing 9 7-11 25. Totals 20 12-18 55.
Neshaminy (48) – Jimmy MacDonald 2 0-0 4; Jake McGinty 3 3-3 10; Matt Drapkin 8 1-1 19; Evan Esposito 1 0-0 2; Mike Murray 1 2-2 4; Tom Mullin 0 1-2 1; Sean Curley 3 0-0 8. Totals 18 7-8 48.
3-point goals: CRN-Gromlich 1, Parent 1, Blum 1; N-McGinty 1, Drapkin 2, Curley 2
SOL Freedom
Lower Moreland 46, Springfield 45
On Senior Night, Lower Moreland withstood a late run by Springfield to hold on for the one-point win on Monday.
Junior Brian Grant and senior Jack Doneker led a balance scoring effort for LM, as nine different players scored.
For Springfield, Kyle Smythe led the way with 15 points, while freshman Brett Smith had 11 points and five rebounds. Andrew Kennedy had eight points and eight rebounds.
Lower Moreland (3-7, 3-6 SOL) plays at New Hope-Solebury on Tuesday. Springfield (0-11, 0-10 SOL) plays at Hatboro-Horsham.
Non-league
Abington 61, Bensalem 42
A fast start made all the difference for Abington Monday night, as it outscored Bensalem 21-5 in the opening quarter and ended up winning by 19 over Bensalem, a victory which further enhances the Ghosts chances of a District One Class 6A playoff berth.
The win improved the Ghosts to 8-4 on the season and moved them into the No. 18 spot in the 20-team district playoff field. The seedings for the tournament, which starts on Saturday, will be announced on Wednesday.
Rob Bell made things go for Abington against Bensalem, going 7-for-9 from the field for a game-high 20 points, with a pair of 3-pointers and a 4-for-4 night at the free throw line. He also finished with six rebounds and four steals.
Connor Fields was second on the team with nine points, as well as three steals. Caleb Baker had four points, four rebounds and five steals, four of which came in the first half.
Coach Charles Grasty started his seniors and the team jumped seized early control. Overall, the Ghosts were 23-for-45 from the field (51.1 percent) and 5-for-15 from -point range. They went 10-for-12 from the foul line in the second half after an 0-for-5 first half.
Abington hosts Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Monday’s loss hurts Bensalem (9-10), which now sits at No. 25 in the power rankings.
Aaron Sanders led the Owls with 16 points, while Rahul Kohli added eight points. They will close the regular season Tuesday night at Pennridge.
Abington 61, Bensalem 42
Bensalem 5-7-10-20 42
Abington 21-9-13-18 61
Bensalem (42) – Eric Gonzalez 2 0-1 4; Aaron Sanders 4 6-8 16; Jeremy Rodriguez 0 2-2 2; Rahul Koholi 3 0-0 8; Allen Myers 2 2-3 6; Mikita Schafer 1 0-2 2; Jack Wineburg 1 0-0 3; Antonio Morris 0 1-3 1; Totals 13 11-19 42.
Abington (61) – James Marino 1 0-0 2 Antoine Ellis 0 0-1 0; Sam McFarlane 2 0-0 5; Oreck Frazier 2 2-2 6; Rob Bell 7 4-4 20; Connor Fields 4 1-1 9; Devin Barnes 0 0-2 0; Caleb Baker 1 1-4 4; Fhenyx Scutt 1 0-0 2; Karim Boyd 3 0-1 6. Totals 21 10-18 61.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Aaron Sanders 2, Rahul Kohli 2, Jack Wineburg, Abington – Rob Bell 2, Sam McFarlane, Caleb Baker.
Quakertown 52, Central Bucks West 46 (OT)
It took overtime, but Monday, Quakertown closed a difficult season in style, going on the road to knock off CB West.
“I have to give the guys a tremendous amount of credit,” said veteran coach Tony DaCosta, who took over the program in the offseason. He previously coached at Christopher Dock and Christian. “I told them how proud of them I am. We had all different types of circumstances – there were a lot of variables – but these guys stuck together and no one played the blame game. They were a true family and worked through adversity all season.”
Monday was indicative of the season in many ways in that the Panthers started slowly as CB West game out firing with four 3-pointers in the first quarter to go up 18-7 after one. Unfortunately for the Bucks, the offensive fireworks then dimmed a bit in the second and third quarters.
Quakertown (2-15 overall) held West to just one field goal in the second quarter, and then in the third, the Bucks didn’t score a point.
“I will say this game was characteristic of us as we went down at the start,” DaCosta said. “Unfortunately, we just have some trouble starting and that’s not beneficial in the game of basketball, always playing from behind.
“But they didn’t score in the third quarter and we were able to build momentum off of that.”
Trailing 26-20 to start the third, Quakertown took control of the game in the third, opening up a 35-26 lead only to see West bounce back in the fourth. There, the Panthers’ Kayden Roley scored all eight of Quakertown’s points as the team had a chance to win in regulation before heading to OT.,
“We had some sets we ran that he was able to benefit from,” DaCosta said about Roley. “He’s very creative. He has a lot of tricks in the bag that he uses to get to the basketball. He came up huge in that quarter.”
In overtime, Quakertown put the game away from the free throw line and picked up its second win of the season.
“The last three games, we could have and should have won,” DaCosta said. “We made the right stops at the right time, but couldn’t put the ball in the basket.
“It was like we were playing ‘whack-a-mole’. One game, we don’t make our free throws. Another game, we do, but then we don’t finish. It was always something. But when we were able to put it all together, we played very competitive, good basketball.”
Roley led the Panthers with 17 points on Monday, while Luke Bauer had 14 and Jack Gordon nine points. All three are seniors – along with Matt Catalano, Ozzy Grimmage and Trey Perez – so there will be some new faces next season in year No. 2 under DaCosta.
“Basketball is basketball,” the coach said. “To me it’s no different than it always has been. No. 1, is getting the skill level up, develop players to play in your system, execute and be successful. The other piece is preparation, having the resources to scout and go to games. This year that wasn’t an option; that was a challenge.
“You have to get young men to buy into your system on both ends of the floor. Once again, I have to praise this group. It’s easy for teams to throw things out if they don’t see success right away. They never did that. That’s not how things work. The maturation process takes time.”
CB West (3-13 overall) was led by John Lee, who scored 16 points. The Bucks play at CB East on Tuesday.
Quakertown 52, Central Bucks West 46
Quakertown 7 13 15 8 9 – 52
CB West 18 8 0 17 3 – 46
Quakertown (52) – Jack Gordon 3 2-2 9; Kayden Roley 6 5-5 17; Ty Wilkin 2 0-1 4; Luke Bauer 5 3-4 14; Ozzy Grimmage 2 0-0 4; Trey Perez 1 0-0 3; Zach Fondl 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 10-12 52.
CB West (46) – Joe Gallagher 2 0-0 6; Donte Mancini 2 2-4 7; Nick Martino 1 2-4 5; Max Slaymaker 2 0-0 4; John Lee 6 2-2 16; Matt Engle 0 2-2 2; Mike Fountain 3 0-0 6. Totals 16 8-12 46.
3-point goals: Q-Gordon 1, Perez 1; CBW-Lee 2, Gallagher 2, Mancini 1, Martino 1
Cheltenham 60, Wissahickon 32
Coming off its first loss of the season, Cheltenham left little room for error on Monday with a dominant 19-2 first quarter on the way to the big win over Wissahickon, emphatically taking command of the race for the No. 1 seed in the upcoming District One Class 6A playoffs.
Cheltenham (12-1) currently is ranked first in the district power rankings with just Tuesday’s home against rival Abington remaining before Wednesday’s seeding meeting.
“I think we were in tune, we went back to our normal flow,” said Panthers coach Patrick Fleury, whose team lost to Upper Moreland on Saturday. “As a whole, it was good to have a quick turnaround and just continue to keep playing and rolling into playoffs however that works out.
“It was just a great visual to see the guys work together, share each other’s successes. It was a total team effort.”
Wissahickon managed just 12 field goals for the game, but it was the first quarter that set the tone. Justin Savage scored seven of Cheltenham’s points in the quarter, but overall it was a very balanced effort.
For the game, Fleury’s squad had 11 players end up in the scorebook, led by Savage’s 12 points, six rebounds and three steals. Mike McClain had 10 points, 10 rebounds and two steals, while Brandon Hawkins and Elias Walker added eight. Walker added four steals as well. Saleem Payne had five rebounds and two steals, and Ife West-Ingram finished with four rebounds and three assists.
“Everybody contributed from Ife West-Ingram, Justin Savage, Mike McClain, Brandon Hawkins, Saleem Payne,” Fleury said. “Elias Walker had a very, very good game. His numbers might not jump off the chart, but his activity and willingness to play in the paint and make plays for himself and others just led to a very good night. Justin Savage played with a lot of energy. Chris Harmon-Belcher came in tonight and gave us good minutes. He doesn’t get in the box score every night, but he just continues to work and is willing to be coached.”
Matt Compas led Wissahickon with 18 points.
The Trojans had a night where nothing clicked,” Wissahickon coach Kyle Wilson said. “(We) were flat from beginning to end, and a good Cheltenham team wisely took advantage of the opportunity and cruised to a 60-32 win that was never even close.”
The Trojans are now 11-9 with two games remaining – home against CB South Tuesday and at Upper Moreland Wednesday – and probably need to win both as they are ranked No. 24 after Monday.
Cheltenham 60, Wissahickon 32
Cheltenham 19 13 17 11 – 60
Wissahickon 2 12 10 8 – 32
Cheltenham (60) – Rasheem Dearry 2 0-0 5; Brandon Hawkins 3 0-1 6; Elias Walker 4 0-0 8; Healey 1 0-0 2; Nasir Edens 1 0-0 3; Saleem Payne 2 1-2 5; Joey Weimer 1 0-0 2; Justin Savage 5 1-2 12; Ife West-Ingram 2 0-0 5; Mike McClain 2 5-6 10; Kamani Healey 1 0-0 2. Totals 24 7-11 60.
Wissahickon (32) – Matt Compas 6 5-6 18; Friedman 1 0-0 3; Jackson Intrieri 1 0-0 3; Stefan Lowry 2 0-2 4; Earl Stout 1 0-0 2; Haasz 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 5-8 32.
3-point goals: C-Dearry 1, Edens 1, Savage 1, West-Ingram 1, McClain 1; W-Compas 1, Friedman 1, Intrieri 1.
Upper Dublin 73, North Penn 67
With the regular season winding down and needing a win to help secure a berth in the District One Class 6A Tournament field, Upper Dublin needed a big effort on Monday.
And like has been the case all season, the Flying Cardinals turned to their 6-foot-7 senior center Drew Stover, who delivered with a career-high 43-point performance to give his team an excellent chance at extending their season.
“Big win for us tonight,” said UD coach Chris Monahan. “We’ve dropped three in a row and have fallen out of the top 20 for the first time all year, so we were very much fighting for our playoff lives.”
With the win, the Cardinals (10-8 overall) are now at No. 19 in the power rankings for what will be a 20-team district field. They close the regular season home against Souderton on Tuesday. The district seedings will be announced Wednesday.
North Penn started quickly, but the teams battled back and forth through the first half which ended with UD leading 37-35.
“North Penn jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but we led by two at halftime,” Monahan said. “They shot the ball well from 3 in the first half – particularly (Josh) Jones and (Joey) Larkins. But so did we. D.J. Cerisier had a 3, Vijay Foster had a 3, and Drew Stover had three 3s to go along with 27 first-half points.”
A 21-14 third quarter put the Cardinals in command for good.
Cerisier added 16 points, while Griffen Pensabene added eight.
“We changed the way we covered shooters a little bit in the second half,” Monahan said. “That helped us get some stops and build a double-digit lead. But North Penn was able to cut it to a one possession game in the fourth quarter. Vijay Foster stepped in to take a huge charge for us late. We got great minutes from Chris Kohlbrenner and Griffin Pensabene. DJ Cerisier shot well and was fantastic at times going to the rim.”
North Penn (10-6) is now No. 17 in the power rankings and will wait to find out its first-round opponent on Wednesday night.
On Monday, the Knights were led by Jones, who scored 27 points, while Larkins added 16.
Upper Dublin 73, North Penn 67
North Penn 14 21 14 18 – 67
Upper Dublin 18 19 21 15- 73
North Penn (67) – Joey Larkins 4 6-8 16; Billy Coley 3 0-0 6; Malind Pulugura 1 0-0 3; Josh Jones 10 4-5 27; Ryan Zeltt 3 2-2 9; Wright 3 0-3 6. Totals 24 12-18 67.
Upper Dublin (73) – Drew Stover 18 4-6 43; Colin O’Sullivan 1 0-0 2; D.J. Cerisier 6 1-3 15; Griffen Pensabene 4 0-3 8; V.J. Foster 2 0-0 5. Totals 31 5-12 73.
3-point goals: NP-Larkins 2, Pulugura 1, Jones 3, Zeltt 1; UD- Stover 3, Cerisier 2, Foster 1
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