Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Tuesday. CB East/CB West photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Non-league
Cheltenham 54, Abington 43
For Cheltenham, win and it is the No. 1 seed for the upcoming District One Class 6A playoffs. That, and the fact that the opponent on the other side was Abington, made it easy for the Panthers to be motivated.
And they took care of business to finish the regular season at 13-1.
“Again, our other head coaches – coach Bray, coach Harrison, coach Smith, coach Weston and coach Neely – continue to just breathe life into the team, which makes everything work smooth, said Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury. “I think the kids gave a valiant defensive effort. The coaches with their defensive prowess and their knowledge and adjustments they’re able to see and that they’re able to interject continues to be a great asset for our team.
“The last four or five days have probably been draining to the team with games, limited practices and things of that nature that everyone deals with. For this group, it’s good to come to an end at this time to recharge and fix what we have that we want to get better at.”
Saleem Payne led the Panthers with 18 points, but after that it was a balanced effort as Brandon Hawkins added nine, and Nasir Edens and Mike McClaine had seven points each.
“This game was definitely a battle,” Fleury said. “Nasir Edens is coming into form. He had (seven) points, but he had five blocks and four rebounds. This is a kid we watched a lot growing up and was this kind of player, and he’s starting to find himself now. Ife West-Ingram again had a great defensive effort and battled on the glass along with Elias Walker.
“Saleem Payne ended the game with five assists, which is something I love to see. Brandon Hawkins continues to shoot the ball well and make a lot of game-changing plays with his athleticism. Mike McClain, our steady anchor continues to lead in so many facets of the game. Justin Savage also ended the game with five blocks.
“In the past week, we definitely have re-emphasized defense and then just our we-over-me attitude which led to a win over a solid basketball team.”
It wasn’t all positive news, however, as junior Rasheem Dearry was forced to leave the game with an injury.
“Our thoughts, our prayers, our blessings are with the Dearry family as we await word on the injury Sheem sustained,” the coach said.
Fleury also gave credit to part of the team that sometimes may not get a lot of credit, but is valuable nonetheless.
“It was great also because our cheerleaders were there,” he said. “It’s very rare that we have anybody other than ourselves. Not that we don’t love each other, but I think they really enjoy when the cheerleaders are cheering for them. At times when we were flat, that energy was amazing, so we definitely want to send love to the cheerleaders as well.”
The Ghosts, who trailed 23-17 at the intermission, opened the second half with possession but turned the ball over on three straight possessions in 43 seconds. The Panthers capitalized, opening up a 29-17 advatange, prompting Abington to call a time. The Panthers led 32-19 when Abington went on an 11-0 run to pull to within two, 32-30, with 3:10 to go in the fourth quarter. Cheltenham scored on a baseline shot out of the timeout, the Ghosts missed a pair of free throws, and Nasir Edens connect on a 3 that gave Cheltenham a 37-30 lead. The Ghosts never threatened the rest of the way.
Abington was led by Rob Bell’s 17 points. Caleb Baker added eight points, three steals and three rebounds, while Antoine Ellis had five points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The Ghosts were 18-for-46 from the field (39.1 percent). They shot a dismal 1-for-13 from beyond the arc. In the last three games combined, the Ghosts are 5-for-43 from 3-point land.
The Ghosts end the regular season at 8-5, and currently sit at No. 18 in the District One power rankings. They will find out their first-round opponent Wednesday when the district seeds are announced.
Cheltenham 54, Abington 43
Abington 6-11-13-13 43
Cheltenham 11-12-16-15 54
Abington (43) – Antoine Ellis 2 0-0 5; Oreck Frazier 1 1-2 3; Rob Bell 7 3-4 17; Connor Fields 1 0-0 2; Caleb Baker 3 2-2 8; Fhenyx Scutt 1 0-0 2; Karim Boyd 3 0-2 6; Totals 18 6-10 43.
Cheltenham (54) – Rasheem Dearry 1 0-0 2; Brandon Hawkins 3 3-3 9; Elias Walker 1 2-3 4; Nasir Edens 3 0-0 7; Saleem Payne 8 2-3 18, Justin Savage 2 1-2 5; Ife West-Ingram 1 0-2 2; Michael McClain 3 0-0 7; Totals 22 8-13 54.
3-point goals: Abington – Antoine Ellis, Cheltenham – Nasir Edens, Michael McClain.
Pennridge 68, Bensalem 45
Luke Yoder scored 27 points, as Pennridge started fast and closed out the regular season in style with a convincing win over Bensalem on Tuesday night.
The Rams outscored the Owls 21-9 in the first quarter and then put the game out of reach with a 17-4 advantage in the third quarter.
“We were the aggressors I felt,” said Pennridge coach Dean Behrens. “Obviously, it seems like we’ve gone down the rankings, we’re winning, but we’re not really making much headway. But we told our kids, ‘We can’t control that. Control what we can control. This is the last regular season game. Take advantage of this opportunity to play our 18th game.’
“We got up 21-9 and it looked like a cake walk, but give (Bensalem) credit, they came roaring back. They kept coming at us.”
In addition to Yoder, seniors Colin Monahan and Colin Post were also in double figures with 15 and 11 points respectively.
“I thought Luke Yoder was a monster tonight,” Behrens said. “He scored 27 points, probably was in double figures in rebounding. He was just relentless. He was 3-for-7 from the foul line or he could have had 30. (He) had a game earlier in the season of 29. He’s been impressive.”
The Rams, who improved to 13-5 with the win, will now wait to find out their first-round playoff matchup when District One announces the pairings for the 20-team Class 6A tournament on Wednesday. After Tuesday’s win, coach Dean Behrens’ squad was in the No. 12 spot.
Bensalem played its third game without leading scorer James Ashford, who was lost for the season with an ankle injury last week, and minus that kind of firepower Tuesday was an uphill battle. Jeremy Rodriguez led the Owls with 14 points, while Aaron Sanders added eight.
The Owls finished 9-10 and at No. 26 after Tuesday, will find itself on the outside of the postseason.
Pennridge 68, Bensalem 45
Pennridge 21-11-17-19 68
Bensalem 9-13-4-19 45
Pennridge (68) – Justin Nichols 1 1-2 3; Luke Yoder 11 3-7 27; Colin Post 4 2-2 11;, Matthew Campione 1 0-0 2; TJ Grenda 1 0-0 2; Aidan McCloskey 1 0-0 2; Colin Monahan 7 1-1 15; Ryan Hass 2 0-0 4; Jude D’Agostino 1 0-1 2; Totals 29 7-13 68.
Bensalem (45) – Eric Gonzalez 1 0-0 3; Tra Edwards 2 0-0 5; Aaron Sanders 3 2-3 8; Jeremy Rodriguez 6 1-1 14; Rahul Kohli 1 0-0 3; Allen Myers 3 1-1 7; Luis Rodriguez 2 0-3 4; Luke Zeidler 0 1-2 1; Totals 18 5-10 45.
3-point goals: Pennridge – Luke Yoder 2, Colin Post, Bensalem – Eric Gonzalez, Tra Edwards, Jeremy Rodriguez, Rahul Kohli.
Wissahickon 63, Central Bucks South 43
Less than 24 hours after a night where almost everything went wrong on the court, a lot went right for Wissahickon on Tuesday, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Trojans, who are clinging to the District One Class 6A playoff bubble with one afternoon game remaining on Wednesday.
Wissahickon is now 12-9 and ranked No. 22 in the District One power rankings, and only 20 teams qualify for the playoffs. The seeding meet is Wednesday night. Coach Kyle Wilson’s squad can help themselves a great deal at Upper Moreland Wednesday afternoon (3:30 p.m.).
First things first, the Trojans had to find a way to shake off the stink from Monday’s lopsided loss to Cheltenham.
“I said to my assistant, ‘Let’s just not talk about last night,’” Wilson said. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and that was the funkiest game I’ve ever been a part of. There were so many odd things that went on.
“Going into tonight’s game, we knew (CB South) was a really good team coming in. We haveon’t done well with teams with height in the past. Upper Dublin gave us trouble. North Penn gave us a tough night.
“But the kids came out with a revived sense of purpose. They shared the ball, were gritty on defense and boxed out. They had to find the focus. I told them, ‘You don’t want your last night on this court to be like last night.’ It was not a nice feeling. It was great to see them play so well tonight.”
Wissahickon jumped up quickly with a 16-8 first quarter and that lead was 31-22 at the half. Matt Compas scored 17 of his game-high 25 points in the first two quarters.
“In the first half, Matt played really well,” Wilson said. “In the second half, Earl Stout scored 12 points. He was knocking down 3s, making free throws.
“I have to give credit to Jackson Intrieri. He’s struggled the last two games. Tonight, I could tell it was bothering him that his shot wasn’t falling, but he did so many other things to help us win – deflections, steals, assists, rebounds.”
CB South (9-6 overall) looks to be in pretty good shape as far as district, as it sits at No. 16 after Tuesday’s game. Tyler Meinel led the Titans with nine points.
Wissahickon 63, CB South 43
CB South 8 14 10 11 – 43
Wissahickon 16 15 16 16 – 63
CB South (43) – Rotondo 1 0-0 2; Evan D’Orazio 2 1-2 7; Nate Macalindong 2 0-0 4; Jay Macalindong 1 1-2 3; Joe Rooney 1 0-1 2; Owen Petrich 2 0-2 4; Bryan Delara 1 0-0 2; Granito 1 0-0 2; Tyler Meinel 2 5-6 9; Michael Farley 3 0-4 7. Totals 16 7-17 43
Wissahickon (63) – Matt Compas 11 2-2 25; Jackon Intrieri 1 0-0 2; Stefan Lowry 1 1-2 3; Morgan Wilson 2 0-0 5; Vacchario 0 1-2 1; Earl Stout 6 4-4 19; Haasz 1 0-0 2; Kunzier 2 2-2 6. Totals 24 10-12 63.
3-point goals: CBS-D’Orazio 2, Farley 1; W- Stout 3, Compas 1, Wilson 1
Hatboro-Horsham 49, Springfield Twp 45
It was Senior Night at Hatboro-Horsham and coach Rick Fedele’s seniors came up big as the Hatters edged visiting Springfield.
“It was Senior Night for us, so obviously, it was not our normal starting lineup and we got off to a slow start,” Fedele said. “We were able to battle back in the second quarter, in the third we were flat again, and then in the fourth we upped defensive pressure. I think that was a big part of it.
“Our seniors came up big. Our Big 3 inside – Josh Sprull, Zeheir Cheeze and Dan Simpson – combined for 21 points and 14 rebounds.”
To win, H-H had to battle an old nemesis and that was the free throw line. The Hatters went into the game shooting just 54 percent from the line, and then against Springfield were 11-for-30 (37 percent).
They were a little improved in the fourth and that proved big, going 8-for-14 as a team, led by senior Eric Butler (5-for-7) and Sprull (3-for-3).
Butler finished with 20 points, five assists and three steals on the night.
“He was able to get buckets for steals and layups,” Fedele said about Butler. “A couple times, he attacked the basket and was fouled. He’s coming on nice for us. He’s a senior, and it’s a unique circumstance as he’d been cut from the team three years in a row. He’s had a nice season for us.”
H-H (6-8 overall) has one more game left, at home Wednesday afternoon (4 p.m.) against Council Rock North.
Dylan McKenzie was the high scorer for Springfield (0-12) with 16 points. Andrew Kennedy finished with eight points and five rebounds.
Hatboro-Horsham 49, Springfield Twp 45
Springfield 10 11 14 10 – 45
Hatboro-Horsham 7 14 9 17 – 49
Springfield (45) – Cole Finn 2 1-1 6; Dylan McKenzie 4 5-9 13; Andrew Kennedy 3 2-5 8; Henry Rittenhouse 1 0-0 2; Brett Smith 0 3-6 3; Kyle Smythe 1 2-2 5; Austin Maggioncalda 1 1-2 3; John Cowley 2 0-0 5. Totals 14 14-25 45
Hatboro-Horsham (49) – Eric Butler 6 7-13 20; Zehier Cheeze 3 1-10 7; Kim 0 0-2 0; Gear 1 0-0 2; Dan Simpson 3 1-2 7; Josh Sprull 2 2-3 7; Nate Schloser 1 0-0 2; Sam Fink 1 1-2 4. Totals 17 12-30 49.
3-point goals: S-Finn 1, Smythe 1, Cowley 1; HH-Butler 1, Fink 1, Sprull 1
Pennsbury 61, Holy Ghost Prep 51
Twenty teams will qualify for the District One Class 6A playoffs that start on Saturday. Very few have been playing as well over the last couple of weeks as a Pennsbury team that finds itself on the outside looking in as far as the postseason.
With a dominant fourth quarter, the Falcons improved to 5-2 in their last seven games against a Holy Ghost team that will be one of the top district seeds in Class 5A.
“We had a two-week stretch where due to contact tracing, COVID virus, and other eligibility issues, we just misfired,” said Pennsbury coach Bill Coleman. “In the last seven games, we’ve played the brand of basketball we like to play. We’ve had consistency at practice and that’s translated into games. I feel bad for the guys to not be able to make the playoffs.”
Evan McNeely led the Falcons with 18 points, four 3-pointers, seven rebounds and three steals.
“When we’re playing well, the ball is being shared,” Coleman said. “Evan McNeely shot the ball really well. Aidan McCormack had 14, Kennan Taddei shot the ball well in the first half, Tyler Kocak stepped up big in the second half.
“When we’re really playing, the ball is moving and all of our guys are contributing. Evan Reichard only had four points, but the way he rebounded in the third and fourth quarter changed the game.”
Holy Ghost (11-6) led 29-25 at the half and 39-38 after three, before Pennsbury’s 24-point outburst in the fourth quarter. Veteran Firebirds’ Tony Chapman entered the game needing a win for career win No. 900, but will have to wait another night to achieve that impressive milestone.
“It’s completely an honor to play against them,” Coleman said. “Every team I’ve ever coach, when we play against Holy Ghost Prep, they’re so well-coached, so disciplined, you know it’s going to be a battle. They get kids from everywhere. You know you’re in for a strategic game all night long. It’s fun. It’s a different environment. Tony is a legend. It’s an honor to coach against him.”
Pennsbury (7-9) will wrap up its season Thursday at home against New Hope-Solebury.
Pennsbury 61, Holy Ghost Prep 51
Holy Ghost 11 18 10 12 – 51
Pennsbury 16 9 13 24 – 61
Holy Ghost (51) – Reilly 1 0-0 2; Kada 1 0-0 2; Schmidt 3 0-0 7; O’Hara 4 0-0 8; Shead 6 0-4 12; Huy 0 1-2 1; McDermott 1 2-2 4; Graham 5 0-0 15. Totals 21 3-8 51.
Pennsbury (61) – Johnson 2 3-4 7; McCormack 7 0-2 14; Taddei 4 0-0 10; Reichard 2 0-1 4; McNeely 5 4-4 18; Kocak 2 2-2 8. Totals 22 9-13 61.
3-point goals: HGP-Graham 5, Schmidt 1; P-McNeely 4, Taddei 2, Kocak 2
Souderton 50, Upper Dublin 48
It’s been a difficult season for Souderton, but the Indians went into Tuesday’s season-finale with a chance to have an impact on the District One playoffs.
With a shocking 50-48 upset, the Indians may have knocked Upper Dublin off the bubble and out of postseason contention.
“It’s been a frustrating season at points,” said Souderton coach Tim Brown. “Obviously, I take accountability for those 14 losses. We’ve been a little disorganized at points, but toward the end of the season, we’ve got things together and figured some things out.
“I credit the guys. They didn’t quit on the season. They kept competing, kept focusing. This is a great way to finish the season, to see all their hard work pay off.”
Upper Dublin was coming off of a big win over North Penn on Monday that looked to put it in good shape to earn a playoff spot. Senior center Drew Stover scored 43 points in that game. Stover had another good night on Tuesday with 20 points, but 14 of those came in the first half. He only had one field and two points in the fourth quarter, and the Flying Cardinals had only eight points in the fourth.
“I don’t know if it was so much us doing something, or if he might have gotten tired,” Brown said. “Forty-three points in a game is an unbelievable number. He’s a really good player. He’s tough to guard and game plan against. I think he might have hit a wall, but we tried to make it tough for him. We sent doubles on him all night. He had the team focus on him. He’s a great player and is very tough to stop.”
Tuesday, UD led by three with just over a minute to play, before a pair of free throws by Souderton’s Chris Towsen cut it to one. After a steal, Towsen then hit Shaun Purvy, who finished to give the Indians the lead. After a Aleks Smith block on the defensive end, the team was able to put the game away.
Evan Kutzler led Souderton (2-14) with 15 points for the game.
“It was a team effort in the fourth quarter,” Brown said. “Kutzler stepped up and hit big shots. Purvy hit a couple tough ones. Towson played unbelievable defense and hit some clutch foul shots late in the game. They all played great. Our bench was involved. They willed us to a win.”
Griffen Pensabene was also in double figures for Upper Dublin with 10 points.
The Cardinals (10-9) slipped to the No. 21 spot in the District One power rankings and only 20 teams will qualify for the postseason tournament. They will find out Wednesday night if they made the field.
Souderton 50, Upper Dublin 48
Souderton 16 8 11 15 – 50
Upper Dublin 14 13 13 8 – 48
Souderton (50) – Kutzler 5 2-4 15; Purvy 4 1-1 9; Towsen 3 2-2 10; Holliuck 0 2-2 2; Smith 2 0-0 4; Vince 3 2-2 8; Scheuren 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 9-11 50.
Upper Dublin (48) – Drew Stover 8 4-4 20; Colin O’Sullivan 1 0-0 2; D.J. Cerisier 3 0-0 6; Seaton Kukla 2 0-0 4; Griffen Pensabene 4 0-0 10; Chris Kohlbrenner 3 0-0 6. Totals 21 4-4 48.
3-point goals: S-Kutzler 3, Towson 2; UD-Pensabene 2
SOL Freedom Division
Lower Moreland 57, New Hope-Solebury 40
To start the season, Lower Moreland and New Hope-Solebury came over to the Suburban One League Freedom Division after years as rivals in the Bicentennial Athletic League. In this crazy, COVID-19 affected season, it was only fitting that LM’s final game of the season was against an old foe.
And for LM, it closed the season in style with a 17-point win.
“It was our last game of the year, I couldn’t be more pleased,” said Lower Moreland coach Seth Baron. “Our senior leader, Jack Doneker had 21 points, but it wasn’t just him. The kids were really excited to be playing. Defensively, they played phenomenal. They rebounded really well.”
Baron credited the play of Brian Grant in the middle and the backcourt of John Kroll and Braden Alicea on the boards as well.
“Braden had nine rebounds,” the coach said. “John had about five rebounds. That was a big part of it.
“Defensively, our job on (New Hope’s Alex Walinski), we put two different guys on him. Gabe Kretzinger and Ayal Kenken came off the bench and guarded him as well. Every time there was a ball screen, we doubled him. We wanted to make him as uncomfortable as possible because he’s a formidable score.”
Lower Moreland wraps up its season at 4-7, but it played better as the season went along, and this week, won two of those games in the last two days.
“We were playing our best basketball now,” Baron said. “If this team played us from the first day of practice, we’d be a 20-point favorite. As coaches, we’re happy with what they’ve accomplished.
“Our seniors were in a tough position. We didn’t know if we’d even have a season. The seven seniors, they handled the situation really great.”
New Hope (6-12) will play in the District One Class 4A title game against Pope John Paul II on March 10. It will play at Pennsbury on Thursday and then home against Holy Ghost Prep Saturday to prepare for that district game.
SOL Colonial Division
Central Bucks East 74, Central Bucks West 50
CB East ended its championship regular season in style with an emphatic home win over its biggest rival, drubbing the Bucks by 24 on a night where the Patriots shot the ball very well from 3-point range.
“Tonight we hit 12 (3-pointers),” said Patriots coach Erik Henrysen. “We are sharing the ball and playing for each other. We have an entire roster that has the green light to shoot the 3 as long as it’s a great shot.
“We clinched the division title last night but promised the guys we would cut down the nets after our final home game tonight. We jumped out to a great start and didn’t look back.”
East outscored the Bucks 21-5 in the first quarter and that lead was up to 42-18 by halftime.
“We are really happy with the way we are defending,” Henrysen said. “Our defense is getting us out in transition and we are playing with a lot of focus and energy. The night actually started with an impressive win from our JV. They set the tone and wrapped up an undefeated season.
“We knew that Teddy Spratt for West was going to try to play after being out (with an injury). He managed to finish with 18 points on one leg. Teddy is an impressive kid on and off the court. It was great to see him one last time.”
Joe Jackman led East with 17 points, including a pair of 3s and five rebounds, while Liam Cummisky had 14 points and four 3-pointers and Jason Markowitz nine points and three 3s. Jacob Cummisky had 14 points, five assists and three steals.
With the win, East finishes the regular season at 12-3 (8-2 in the SOL Colonial) and should get a first-round home game in the upcoming District One Class 6A Tournament. After Tuesday’s win, Henrysen’s squad is No. 7 in the district power rankings.
“It looks like we are in line for a playoff game next Tuesday,” the coach said. “We haven’t had a ton of practice time in the past few weeks. We are looking forward to working on a few things and starting preparations.”
Spratt finished with 18 points to lead the Bucks, while John Lee and Donte Mancini had 13 and 10 points, respectively. West finishes the season at 3-14 (3-7 SOL).
Central Bucks East 74, Central Bucks West 50
CB West 5 13 18 14 – 50
CB East 21 21 19 13 – 74
CB West (50) – Teddy Spratt 18, John Lee 13, Donte Mancini 10, Max Slaymaker 1, Joe Gallagher 2 , Mike Fountain 6
CB East (74) – Jacob Cummisky 14, Liam Cummisky 14, Brendan Harte 3, Aidan Weaver 5, Joe Jackman 17, Jack Hamilton 4, Jason Markowitz 9, Shane Kennedy 3, Tyriq Toney-Bailey 2, Brett Young 5
3-point goals: CBW-Mancini 3, Lee 1; CBE-L. Cummiskey 4, Markowitz 3, Jackman 2, Weaver 1, Kennedy 1, Young 1
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