Neshaminy 64, Plymouth Whitemarsh 57
Neshaminy (2-0) came up with a huge victory for its basketball program when the Redskins defeated host Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-1) in the championship game of the Rock The Rim Classic.
Plymouth Whitemarsh is the defending PIAA Quad-A State Champion.
Neshaminy was led in scoring by junior Ryan Arcidiacono who fired home a game-high 30 points. Michael McGarry had a fine game for the Skins and added 19 points.
Jaylen Bond – a University of Pittsburgh recruit – had a team-high 20 points for the Colonials. Stephon Baker added 15 points for PW.
Hatboro-Horsham 51, Upper Dublin 42
HORSHAM - The Hatters (2-0) were holding onto a five-point lead when Shane Cummings went on a bona fide tear that rocked the house in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s title contest in the Hatter Tip-Off Tournament.
It began innocently enough with a Cummings’ trey to stretch the Hatters lead to eight. The senior forward’s personal run ended when – after John Decamara buried a huge trey for the Cardinals – Cummings scored on a drive that put the Hatters on top 40-33 with 2:32 remaining in the game.
“I just came out, got hot and felt it real quick,” said Cummings, who scored 10 of his 12 points in a deadly two-minute stretch in the fourth quarter. “I definitely fed off the crowd, and I just knew we needed to step up at that point. We turned it around and got a big ‘W.’”
The Flying Cardinals didn’t exactly go down quietly, trimming a 10-point lead to 43-39 after Ed Petrosky buried a baseline trey with 39 seconds remaining in regulation. Hatboro’s Amrit Singh answered by burying a pair from the foul line, and the Flying Cardinals would get no closer the rest of the way as the Hatters held on for a 51-42 win and the tournament title.
“This is a huge boost,” Cummings said. “It will boost practices, it will boost every game. It will give us a lot of confidence from now on.
“This could be the start of a new tradition. I like the way it looks.”
Sophomore Mike Brown, who led the Hatters with 13 points, was named tournament MVP.
“He’s getting there,” Hatter coach Dennis Steinly said. “Hopefully, he will continue to improve.
“He’s a great leader and does so many things besides the obvious.”
Hatter teammate Travis Bryan also earned a spot on the all-tournament team. For the Flying Cardinals, Decamara and Khalil Owens also earned spots on the all-tournament team. Decamara was the lone UD player in double figures with 12 points.
For three quarters, it didn’t look as though either team would beak 40 points, much less 50. The Flying Cardinals – who trailed 16-12 at the intermission – went on top 25-24 after junior Andrew Derr scored on a drive in the closing seconds of the third quarter.
Bryan sank a pair from the foul line to open the fourth quarter, and then Matt Kane score after a UD turnover to put the Hatters on top 28-25. They extended that lead to five when Kane – after another Cardinal turnover – scored on a drive.
“Our whole defense is to pressure and get after people,” Cummings said. “So we’re going to come at you as hard as we can on every play. That’s the way our defense runs.
“We just came out on fire in the fourth quarter.”
A UD miss set the stage for a Cummings trey and a 33-25 Hatter lead. Darrell Harrison answered with a basket at the other end, but by this time, Cummings was feeling it and hit nothing but net on another three-pointer, giving the Hatters a 36-27 lead.
Decamara buried a trey from the top of the circle out of a timeout, but another Cummings bucket stretched the Hatters lead to 38-30. Decamara responded with another three, but Cummings scored on a drive to put the Hatters on top 40-33.
“It’s great – I feel good for him,” Steinly said of Cummings’ fourth-quarter tear. “He has been working real hard and wants to increase his role on the team.
“We just tell him – keep playing, keep playing, and take advantage of your opportunities, and he did that tonight. It was huge. It was the spark we needed in that fourth quarter. We had a little lead, but our shots weren’t falling.”
A steal and three-pointer by Singh put the Hatters on top 43-33 with 2:01 remaining. They never looked back.
“It felt like we were just going through the motions,” Cummings said of the first three quarters. “But we knew at any point we could go on a streak like we did in the fourth quarter.”
The Hatters have road games against Pennsbury and Quakertown next week, but as beginnings go, winning a tournament title wasn’t a bad start.
“This was big,” Steinly said. “I feel great for them. They have worked hard. They have earned the opportunity to compete for this, and I’m real happy for them.”
*Check back for action photos of the Hatboro-Upper Dublin game which will be posted in the Photo Gallery, courtesy of DRC Photography, official photographer of Hatboro-Horsham basketball.
Upper Merion 62, Penncrest 52
Upper Merion basketball is back. Or at least it’s certainly off to an impressive start this season under first-year coach Francis Bowe.
The Vikings (1-1) rallied from a six-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter (27-21) to defeat the defending Central League champions.
“Most of the game, we were losing,” Bowe said. “We basically changed a couple of defenses and put a lot of pressure on them and forced them to turn the ball over at the end of the fourth quarter.”
The Vikings knotted the score 35-35 at the end of regulation and still found themselves deadlocked 41-41 after one OT.
That’s when the Vikings turned on the afterburners, scoring 21 points in the second overtime to earn the win.
“This is huge,” Bowe said. “It’s a confidence booster we needed. To beat the defending Central League champion does wonders for us.
“I knew our team could do it. They needed this.”
Point guard Pat Stringfield was once again magnificent for the Vikings, scoring a team-high 22 points while handing out seven assists.
“Pat Stringfield was ‘the man’ for us the last two games,” Bowe said.
James Mobley also turned in an impressive 17-point effort, which included connecting of 9-of-10 from the foul line in overtime.”
Suburban One League Continental Conference
Pennridge (2-0) won its own Tip-Off Tournament with a 66-55 victory over Methacton (1-1). The Rams were led in scoring by its guard tandem of Tim Abruzzo (29) and Mike Guldin (13).
Central Bucks West (2-0) won its own Tip-Off Tournament with a 40-36 victory over Ridley (1-1). Kevin Sweet scored 19 points to lead the Bucks, while Derek Dyer scored in double digits with 10 points.
North Penn (1-0) opened its season with a 52-48 overtime victory over Archbishop Ryan (0-1). The Knights were led in scoring by Wes Brooks who scored a game-high 20 points, while Matt Possanza added 17 points for the winners.
Quakertown (1-1) won its first game of the season as the Panthers defeated Upper Perkiomen – 46-44. Dylan Gossler scored the game winner with three seconds left. Corey Jorgensen led Q-town with 12 points.
Souderton (1-1) won its first game of the season with a 62-43 victory over Academy Park (0-2). Mark Wonderling (12) and Luke Moyer (10) scored in double figures for the Big Red.
Central Bucks South (1-1) won its first game of the season with a 55-30 win over Girard College (0-2). The Titans were led in scoring by Steve Schneider (12) and Jake Cramer (12).
Suburban One League National Conference
Council Rock North (1-0) opened its season with an impressive 63-58 win over Neumann Goretti in a Scholastic Play-by-Play game at Philadelphia University. Point guard Aaron Morgan led the Indians with 21 points while John Raymon added 19.
William Tennent (2-0) remained unbeaten with a 73-69 overtime victory over Southern Lehigh (1-1). Jack Rauchut scored 26 points and had 11 rebounds for the Panthers, while Cole Weber added 23 points for the winners. Rauchut was named tournament MVP while Weber also earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
Abington (1-1) lost its first game of the season when the Ghosts dropped a 56-47 verdict to Archbishop Wood (2-0). Jiere Morrisey led Abington in scoring with 15 points.
Bensalem (1-1) won its first game of the season when the Owls flew by Lower Merion (0-2) – 38-37. The lone double figure scorer for Bensalem was Alex Agyedu with 10 points. Agyedu was named MVP of the game, which was played at Philadelphia University as part of the Scholastic Play-by-Play.
Harry S Truman (1-1) lost in the final of the Bristol Coaches for Cancer Tournament to Conwell-Egan – 72-54. Merdic Green led the Tigers with 20 points, while DeQuan Ashley added 11 points.
Council Rock South (1-1) fell to Holy Ghost Prep 48-36 in the title game of its own tournament. Justin Thomas led the Golden Hawks with 14 points and 10 rebounds and earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
Suburban One League American Conference
Cheltenham (2-0) won its own Tip-Off Tournament with a 57-45 win over Frankford (1-1). The Panthers featured four double-digit scorers in Nafis Walker (15), Lamont McLaurin (12), Aaron McGlawn (11) and Jarrell Haywood (11).
Wissahickon (1-1) won its first game of the season with a 67-47 win over Hazelton (0-2). The Trojans were led in scoring by Mike Scheier with 20 points. Jordan Reed scored 17 points, while Anthony McKie added 12 points for the winners.
Upper Moreland (0-2) lost a 62-55 contest to Springfield-Montco (1-1).
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