Upper Merion won its first tournament title since 1999. Check out all of Thursday’s results.
By Scott Huff
Newtown – Cheltenham (6-2) will play in the championship game of the Athletes Helping Athletes Tournament as the Panthers clawed St. Paul’s (Baltimore County Maryland) 62-52 in their opening round game. Cheltenham will meet Council Rock North (3-3) who advanced with a 74-58 win over Central Bucks South (3-4).
“Things came a little too easy for us in the first period,” said Cheltenham head coach Brian Johnson as the Panthers snatched a 22-12 first period advantage. “We let them come back in the game, and we were able to come back together to get the win. We came into this game playing blind in that we didn’t know anything about them other than they were 23-5 last season.
“It was a little tough playing on a Thursday night in a holiday week,” added Johnson. “We had two good quarters, and two not so good quarters. But despite the ugliness, we will be playing for a tournament championship.”
The good periods for the Panthers were the first period with a 22-point outburst, and the fourth period when the Black Cats outscored the Crusaders 26-10 to secure the win. However, Cheltenham scored a combined 14 points in periods two and three and entered the final period trailing 42-36.
“We are still looking to be much more consistent,” said Johnson. “We have to be able to give the effort for four quarters, and we are still searching for players to give that effort.”
Cheltenham showcased a balanced scoring attack as five players scored in double figures. Nafis Walker led the Panthers with 18 points, while Jerrell Haywood (12), Guy Henderson (11), Aaron McGlawn (10), and Toyon Wynder (10) also scored in twin digits for the winners.
“Henderson played a nice game for a first year varsity player,” said Johnson. “And we did do a pretty good job of sharing the basketball.”
Cheltenham Panthers 22 6 8 26 - 62
St. Paul’s Crusaders 12 20 10 10 - 52
Upper Merion (3-5) partied like it was 1999 after the Vikings captured the Lower Moreland Holiday Classic with a 58-45 victory over the host Lions.
“My athletic director told me that the last time an Upper Merion boys basketball team won a tournament it was in 1999,” said Upper Merion head coach Francis Bowe. “It was nice to see the school win one – 13 years is a pretty long time not to win one.”
Upper Merion led by five points at the close of the first period – by ten points at intermission – and never let Lower Moreland come closer that seven points for the remainder of the game. Senior James Mobley – tournament MVP - once again led the Vikings in scoring with 29 points, while Pat Stringfield (12) and Hassan Gardner (11) also scored in double figures.
“We get back into the league next Tuesday against Cheltenham,” said Bowe. “We go into that game with a two-game winning streak and playing with a lot of confidence. We will see what we are all about against a good Cheltenham team.”
Wissahickon (8-1) won its eighth straight game as the Trojans edged La Salle 50-48 as part of the Jameer Nelson Classic. Chase Wilson – son of coach Kyle Wilson – had his breakout game of the season with 18 points that included four 3-balls. Jordan Reed scored 14 points for the Trojans, while Tanoh Kpassagnon dominated the boards and added eight points.
Wissahickon Trojans 16 11 14 9 - 50
La Salle Explorers 20 8 9 11 - 48
Central Bucks West (6-1) advanced to the championship game as the Bucks handled Forest Hills (Fla) – 59-49. CB West was led in scoring by Sam Lis with 12 points. Tyler Schechter and Andrew Schechter each scored nine points for the Bucks, while Derek Dyer added eight points for the winners. CB West will meet tournament host Park Vista (Fla) in the final.
Central Bucks West 15 13 20 12 - 59
Forest Hills (Fla) 16 4 9 20 - 49
Council Rock South (4-3) won the consolation game of the Penncrest Tournament as the Golden Hawks soared to a 46-39 overtime win over Sun Valley. The Hawks outscored Sun Valley 8-1 in the overtime frame. Christian Crane led Rock South in scoring with 14 points, while Zach Fitzgerald and Brian Donnelly scored nine and seven points respectively.
Council Rock South 9 9 9 11 8 - 46
Sun Valley 10 15 8 5 1 - 39
Hatboro-Horsham (2-5) won the consolation game of the Hazelton Tournament as the Hatters defeated Pleasant Valley – 56-41. The Hatters led by 13 points by the close of the first half. Hatboro-Horsham was led in scoring by Michael Brown and Zach Quattro who each scored 16 points for the winners.
Hatboro-Horsham 16 14 13 13 - 56
Pleasant Valley 9 8 7 17 - 41
Upper Dublin (6-3) lost in its Cardinal Classic final as the Flying Cardinals were defeated by Penn Charter – 61-55. John DeCamara scored a team-high 17 points that included five 3-point field goals. Briyon Turner scored 13 points for the Cardinals, while Andrew Carber and Tyreek Magruder each scored seven points.
Upper Dublin 13 20 9 13 - 55
Penn Charter 13 18 17 13 - 61
Plymouth Whitemarsh (3-4) rallied late in the game but lost in overtime as the Colonials lost a 66-61 contest to Sanford (Delaware). The game was part of the Jameer Nelson Classic. Jake Silvers scored a team-high 16 points for PW, while Dee Bennett (14) and Anthony McKie (13) also scored in twin digits for the Colonials.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 6 17 13 20 5 - 61
Sanford (Del) 18 13 15 10 10 - 66
Central Bucks East (3-4) lost to Oldham (Kentucky) in its trip to Orlando as the Patriots were thumped 69-39. Ryan O’Neil led CB East in scoring with a nine-point effort, while Steve Topley added eight points for the Patriots. East – which defeated West Broward (Fla) in its first game of the trip – will face Sequoia (California) in the last of its three game Florida trek.
Central Bucks East 4 11 15 9 - 39
Oldham (Kentucky) 13 22 26 8 - 69
- Log in to post comments
