Four SOL teams were winners in Friday night’s opening round of the District One AAAA Tournament. To view photos of the PW/Cheltenham and CB West/Great Valley game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
By Scott Huff
Abington (22-3) held its collective breath as North Penn (11-12) missed a shot in the final moments, and the Ghosts escaped with a thrilling 59-58 victory over the upset-minded Knights.
“It seemed like we contested every shot defensively – and they still made every shot,” said Abington head coach Charles Grasty. “North Penn did a great job defensively on us – and really everything they did they did well.
“We were playing before a huge crowd at home, and I think we were a little anxious at the beginning of the game,” added Grasty. “And when Matt (Penecale) missed over six minutes of the first half with foul trouble, it didn’t help.
“We tried to slow it down – and then we began to take some bad shots,” continued Grasty. “But we were able to recover and do enough to win the game. North Penn is a good basketball team.”
Abington led 16-11 after one quarter, but the Knights used a 19-11 second quarter to go into halftime with a 30-27 lead. The Ghosts outscored their visitors 16-9 in the third quarter to take a 43-39 lead into the final quarter, but the Knights refused to go down quietly.
Amir Hinton led Abington in scoring with 19 points, while Penecale also scored in double figures with 18 points.
Joey Richards led North Penn in scoring with 18 points, while JJ Melchior added 17 points – and Derek Hsiserman scored in twin digits with 10 points.
Abington will move on the to the PIAA Quad-A District One Sweet 16 as the # 6 seeded Ghosts will host # 11 seed Chester next Tuesday (2/17/15). The Clippers advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 56-35 win over # 22 seeded Hatboro-Horsham.
“We worked hard to get the first two district playoff games at home,” said Grasty. “You really don’t want to play Chester at Chester. The game should be played in a great atmosphere in our home gym.”
North Penn Knights 11 19 9 19—58
Abington 16 11 16 16—59
North Penn (58) – Matt Pickford 2; Joey Richards 18; Ricky Johns 2; Kyle Hulmes 7; Jared Melone 2; JJ Melchior 17; Derek Heiserman 10. Total – 58.
Abington (59) – Robbie Heath 7; Matt Penecale 17; Amir Hinton 19; Brendan Gallagher 8; Jack Steinman 5; Bernard James 2. Total – 59.
Pennsbury 70, Central Bucks South 53
The Falcons (20-5) received a monster game from 6-foot, 8-inch senior Derrick Woods as Pennsbury advanced to the PIAA Quad-A Sweet 16 with the 17-point victory over the Titans (12-11). Woods – a St. Bonaventure recruit – scored a game-high 36 points and had 16 rebounds to fuel the Falcon offense.
“Central Bucks South played us differently than they did last week,” said Pennsbury head coach Bill Coleman. “They tried to take both Cameron (Jones) and Mekhi (Bryant) out of the game, but when you do, that Derrick stepped up and had a great game.
“We knew that they would try and do something they didn’t show us in the first game – and they did,” added Coleman. “But we adjusted to what they were doing, and we played well.”
Jones finished in double figures for the Falcons with 15 points, and Bryant added eight points for the winners.
Pennsbury led 18-13 after one quarter and extended that to 33-19 at halftime. They took a 50-32 lead into the fourth quarter on their way to the decisive win.
Central Bucks South was led in scoring by Sean Gallagher with 13 points and Josh Brodie also scored in twin digits with 12 points.
Pennsbury will move on to the District One Sweet 16 as the # 7 seeded Falcons will host the # 10 seeded Downingtown West (20-4). The Whippets advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 58-41 victory over # 23 seeded Upper Dublin.
“Downingtown West has a couple of very good post players,” said Coleman. “We will have to prepare hard to play them.”
Central Bucks South Titans 13 6 13 21 * 53
Pennsbury Falcons 18 15 17 20 * 70
Central Bucks South: Sean Gallagher 13; Josh Brodie 12; Bryan Meyers 7; Tim Waddington 6; Ryan Joerger 6; Alex Karras 3; Nate Robinson 2; Ian Vogt 2; and Chris Hones 2. Total – 53.
Pennsbury: Derrick Woods 36; Cameron Jones 15; Mekhi Bryant 8; Jua Perez-Jones 5; Mark Flagg 4; and Joey Monahan 2. Total – 70.
Pennridge 78, Spring-Ford 54
The Rams (21-3) opened the first half with a 25-point first quarter and opened the second half with a 24-point third quarter as Pennridge routed those ‘other’ Rams (11-12). Pennridge led 25-11 after one quarter and took a 42-26 lead into halftime. A 24-6 third quarter gave Pennridge a 66-32 lead.
“We got off to that great start – and then we gave them a knockout punch in the third quarter,” said Pennridge head coach Dean Behrens. “We pressured them defensively – and we were able to get a lot of points in transition.
“Both of our guards – Danny Long and Zach Muredda – just went off,” added Behrens as Long scored a game-high 25 points and Muredda tallied 23 points. “They just went by people and finished at the rim shooting layups.
“We were able to get our subs in the game for the last six-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter,” continued Behrens. “That was something we surely didn’t expect.”
Pennridge will move on the PIAA Quad-A District One Sweet 16 as the # 3 seeded Rams will host # 14 seeded Coatesville. The dangerous Red Raiders advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 57-45 victory over Boyertown.
“Coatesville is very athletic – and that is going to a tough match-up for us,” said Behrens. “We could simulate what Spring-Ford did in practice – no such luck doing that with getting ready for Coatesville.”
Spring-Ford Rams 11 15 6 22 * 54
Pennridge Rams 25 17 24 12 * 78
Spring-Ford: Ryan Corcoran 16; Charles Drummond 15; Nick Heller 5; Charles Scalies 5; Matt Gnias 4; Nigel Cooke 3; Ryan Fitzpatrick 3; and Adam Geremski 3. Total – 54.
Pennridge: Dan Long 25; Zach Muredda 23; Joe Unangst 8; Joey Molettiere 7; Kyle Yoder 5; Ryan Galloway 3; James White 3; AJ Demarco 2; and Luke Nuneviller 2. – Total 78.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 73, Cheltenham 33
The Colonials (21-2)avenged one of their two losses this season with a 40-point destruction of their SOL American Conference rival Panthers (13-10).
“We played well tonight – and that’s something we didn’t really do the first two times we played Cheltenham,” said PW head coach Jim Donofrio. “We played some serious defense the first three quarters with our starters, and we also did a good job offensively.
“Andre Mitchell did a great job of attacking the basket,” added Donofrio in reference to Mitchell’s 29-point explosion. “We ran some sets to spread the floor for him, and we did a good job of getting him the ball.
“I was a little concerned that we didn’t have either Xzavier (Malone) or Jimmy (Murray) for most of the week,” continued Donofrio. “Both of them had the flu – but both finally were able to come back and practice on Thursday.”
Malone scored in double digits for the Colonials with 12 points, while Murray matched Malone with a 12-point performance.
The Colonials seized control of this one early, opening up a 16-9 lead after one quarter and extending that to 30-15 by halftime. An 18-8 third quarter made it a 48-23 game.
Fatir Al-Ahad was the lone scorer in twin digits for the Panthers with 15 points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh will advance to the PIAA Quad-A District One Sweet 16 as the Colonials will host # 20 Springfield-Delco. The Cougars advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 45-42 upset victory over # 13 West Chester Henderson.
“We played Cheltenham before a sold-out crowd,” said Donofrio. “And we are hoping for the same when we play Springfield next week.”
Cheltenham Panthers 9 6 8 10 * 33
Plymouth Whitemarsh 16 14 18 25 * 73
Cheltenham: Fatir Al-Ahad 15; Jason Searles 5; Justin Sutton 4; Vaugh Jenkins 3; Khalil White 2; Blair Brown 2; John Bates 2. Total – 33.
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Andre Mitchell 29; Jimmy Murray 12; Xzavier Malone 12; Devon Monteiro-Gray 9; Cameron Johnson 5; Nick Satterthwaite 2; Devon Burrell 2; and Kevin Ashenfelter. Total – 73.
Great Valley 56, Central Bucks West 49
CB West (17-7) saw its season come to a disappointing end at the hands of a Great Valley squad (14-9) that had an answer for every run by the Bucks.
“Honestly, this is probably one of the tightest groups I’ve had, probably one of the most committed groups,” coach Adam Sherman said. “They’re literally gym rats.
“They love putting the time in. This is a fun group to coach, and I’m really disappointed. They deserved a longer ride.”
The Bucks trailed 11-9 after Nico Munari’s desperation shot from long-range at the buzzer fell through the net to close out the first quarter. Back-to-back baskets by Cal Reichwein, who picked up two early fouls, and Munari gave the Bucks a 13-11 lead, but by halftime the Patriots led 25-20.
The Bucks opened the second half with a 7-0 run, keeping the Patriots off the scoreboard until 3:03 remaining in 
the quarter, but Great Valley closed out the quarter with a 9-4 run to go on top 36-31 heading into the final frame. Reichwein came up with a steal and – after being fouled hard – buried a pair from the line to pull the Bucks with within two (38-36), but again, the Patriots responded, opening up a 43-36 lead before Luke Irons sank a pair at the foul line to pull the Bucks to within five. They would get no closer than four the rest of the way.
For the Patriots, senior Ryan Buchholz, who has accepted a football scholarship to Penn State, was a force in the paint. The 6-6, 240-pound center scored nine of his 10 points in the first half and created havoc on defense.
“He’s pretty good,” senior Owen Cooney said. “He’s a big body inside, and he contested some of my layups. He was a big factor.”
Reichwein, despite his early foul trouble, led the Bucks with 14 points while Cooney had 12.
“We had a pretty successful season,” Cooney said. “Not a lot of people thought we could do this, but we’re proud of this season.”
Great Valley 11 14 11 21 * 56
Central Bucks West 9 11 11 18 * 49
Great Valley: Kyle Kuhn 2; Mark Miller 14, Will Buzan 11; Ryan Buchholz 10; Douglas Strang 3; Andrew Gal 12; Andrew Wineinger 4. Total 56.
Central Bucks West: Luke Irons 8; Cal Reichwein 14; Connor Lynch 2; Nico Munari 5; Erich Hohenleitner 8; Owen Cooney 12. Total 49.
Lower Merion 38, Council Rock North 37
Rock North (14-9) watched helplessly as its season came to an end against the Aces (15-9). The Indians saw a final shot fail to connect with seven seconds left in the game. A basket would have given # 21 seeded CR North an upset win over # 12 seeded Lower Merion.
Matt Margolis led CR North with a 12-point performance.
“We worked hard and earned a good chance to win the game,” said Council Rock North head coach Derek Wright. “We did everything right – except win the game.
“I’m glad that this team had the opportunity to play in a great high school environment like Lower Merion,” added Wright. “Opportunities like this should be what high school basketball is all about.”
The Indians led 9-6 after one quarter and took a tenuous 17-16 lead into halftime. The Aces had a 26-25 lead after three quarter and won the game by that one-point margin.
Council Rock North Indians 9 8 8 12 * 37
Lower Merion Aces 6 10 10 12 * 38
Council Rock North: Matt Margolis 12; Riley Thompson 9; Steve Nowmos 8; Drew Glenn 3; Marcauskus 3; and Will DeSautelle 2. Total – 37.
Lower Merion: Steve Pendleton 9; Jule Brown 9; Asher Barry 8; Jeremy Horn 2; KJ Helton 2. Total – 38.
Phoenixville 64, Souderton 56
The # 18 seeded Big Red (13-10) saw its season come to a close with an opening round PIAA Quad-A District One loss to the # 13seeded host Phantoms (18-6).
Evan Slone led Souderton with a team-high 17 points. Austin Eberhart and Tracy Simsick scored in twin digits with 14 and 13 points respectively.
The Indians, who trailed 11-9 after one quarter, found themselves deadlocked with the Phantoms 21-21 at halftime. The Phantoms used a 21-14 third quarter burst to get a lead they would not lsoe.
“We played them even the first half, but we didn’t play well in the third quarter and never recovered,” said Souderton head coach Pete Chimera. “We beat them twice over the summer – and once this fall. But we just couldn’t get it done tonight.
“(Christian) Kelly played a great game for them – and that wasn’t a surprise,” added Chimera. “We fought back and played hard – our seniors gave it everything they had.
Souderton Indians 9 12 14 21 * 56
Phoenixville Phantoms 11 10 21 22 * 64
Souderton: Evan Slone 17; Austin Eberhart 14; Tracy Simsick 13; Tim Markow 6; and Steve Sosnowicz 6. Total – 56.
Phoenixville: Christian Kelly 21; DeAndre Gadsden 15; Marquise McDuffee 14; Avery Close 6; Mike Anthony 5; and Jeff Conboy 3. Total – 64.
Downingtown West 58, Upper Dublin 41
The # 23 seeded Cardinals (14-9) saw their season come to a close with a loss to the # 10 seeded Whippets (20-4). The Whippets, who led 15-9 after one quarter, took a 24-22 lead into halftime. The difference in the game was a third quarter that saw the Whippets go on a 19-5 tear to go into the final quarter with a 43-27 lead.
“The third period was tough,” said Upper Dublin head coach Josh Adelman. “It was close at the half, but they just got too many second chance baskets.
“We have a very young team that got a taste of the playoffs,” added Adelman. “That bunch of guys will be back with a better idea of what it takes to win.”
Junior John Barrett led Upper Dublin with a game-high 18 points, while Ryan Stover scored in double figures with 11 points.
Upper Dublin Cardinals 9 13 5 14 * 41
Downingtown West Whippets15 9 19 13 * 58
Upper Dublin: John Barrett 18; Ryan Stover 11; Will Derr 7; and Simeon Fryer 5. Total – 41.
Downingtown West: George Gordon 16; Dom Guerrera 13; Ryan Bentley 12; Josh Warren 8; Halle 4; Johnson 2; Calamaro 2; Kassaee 1. Total – 58.
Chester 56, Hatboro-Horsham 35
The # 22 seeded Hatters (11-12) saw its season come to a close with the loss to the # 11 seeded Clippers (15-9). Chester led by just a point after one quarter (14-13) but outscored the Hatters 16-6 in the second to go into halftime with a 30-19 lead. A 13-4 third quarter burst by the Clippers sealed the Hatters’ fate.
Walter Kimble was the lone Hatboro-Horsham player to score in double figures with 12 points.
“It really is amazing to see just how athletic Chester is,” said Hatboro-Horsham head coach Ed Enoch. “They made us pay big time for every mistake that we made.
“It was a special night, though, and our kids welcomed the challenge,” added Enoch. “I’m proud of the way the kids played tonight – and proud of the way they played all year.”
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters 13 6 4 12 * 35
Chester Clippers 14 16 13 13 * 56
Hatboro-Horsham: Walter Kimble 12; Brian McEachern 5; David Robinson 4; Zeke Sloan 4; Joe Russell 3; Kyle Katz 3; Pat Haggerty 3; and Clifton Moore 1. Total – 35.
Chester: Jamar Sudan 22; Marquis Collins 12; Keyonte Watkins 11; Stanley Davis 6; and DeShawn Hinson 5. Total – 56.
Conestoga 39, Wissahickon 30
The # 32 seeded Trojans (13-10) saw its season come to a close with the loss to the # 1 seeded Pioneers (21-3).
Wissahickon fell behind 8-3 after one quarter. The Trojans trailed by six points at halftime (18-12) and by just four points (27-23) going into the fourth period.
"We scrapped and clawed defensively through the middle two periods," coach Kyle Wilson said.
The Trojans were in a position to play the role of giant killer late in the game, trailing by just three with under five minutes remaining, but that's as close as they would get.
Todd Bentley was the lone Trojan in double figures with 10 points while Steve Driscoll had seven.
Wissahickon Trojans 3 9 11 7 * 30
Conestoga Pioneers 8 10 9 12 * 39
Wissahickon: Todd Bentley 10; Steve Driscoll 7; Tre Holcomb 5; Brandon Pace 3; Ron Brundage 3; and Zach Reiner 2. Total – 30.
Conestoga: Andrew Diehl 16; Martin Dorsey 10; Daryl Caldwell 6; James Vandeventer 3; Dan Vila 2; MJ Lezanic 2. Total – 39.
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