Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Saturday.
Boys
Non-league
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 56, SERVICE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY 42
The Spartans found themselves staring at a 30-22 deficit at halftime, but behind 15 second-half points from senior Dylan McKenzie, they outscored their visitors 34-12 after halftime to win going away.
“We started out really slow, and at halftime, they got challenged, and they all stepped up to the challenge,” said Springfield coach Rob Fusaro, whose team outscored Service Leadership 17-2 in the pivotal third quarter. “They supported Dylan and gave some support offensively and defensively.
“We had some young guys that stepped up and played some key roles and helped out a lot. It was a good overall team win.”
McKenzie led the Spartans with 23 points and a team-high six steals. Miles Goodwin added nine points and five rebounds. Brett Smith had eight points and led the Spartans under the backboards with 10 rebounds to go with three steals. Sophomore Muneer Pigford added eight points and three rebounds.
“Muneer didn’t play last year, but he stepped up really well,” Fusaro said. “He played a lot of minutes, brought great intensity and scoring. He was a really good presence out there. He’s going to be playing a little bit more it looks like. He’s done a nice job.”
Saturday’s non-league win came on the heels of a 48-46 loss to Quakertown less than 24 hours earlier.
“It was huge to bounce back like that – just to have the right mentality to come in and shake off the loss,” Fusaro said. “Quakertown is a really tough team, and to shake off that loss and come in with confidence and perform the way they needed to and come out with a win was a really huge response after that game.”
Springfield Township (5-7, 1-6 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.
Service Leadership 19-11-2-10 42
Springfield Twp 8-14-17-17 56
Springfield Township (56) – Dylan McKenzie 9 5-6 23; Miles Goodwin 3 2-2 9; Brett Smith 4 0-2 8; Sam Greenfield 2 0-0 5; Will Cooney 1 0-0 3; Muneer Pigford 1 5-6 8; TOTALS 20 12-16 56.
3-point goals: Springfield Twp – Miles Goodwin, Sam Greenfield, Will Cooney, Muneer Pigford.
NORTH PENN 60, ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE 50
Sparked by the 21-point effort of Ryan Deininger, the Knights notched their second win in less than 24 hours.
The Knights, who led 11-8 after one quarter, took a 29-21 lead into halftime. Norman Gee’s eight points, which included a pair of 3s, led the Knights in the first half. Deininger had seven.
In addition to Deininger, Gee and Ryan Zeltt both added 10 points. Sgro and Corey Meade each had seven points.
North Penn (7-4, 4-3 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North on Tuesday.
Engineering and Science 8-13-11-18 50
North Penn 11-18-12-19 60
Engineering and Science (50) – Fareed Brown 6 2-2 16; Matthew McField 1 0-4 2; Nile Mosby 6 4-6 16; Lut Young 1 2-4 4; Anthony Brown 2 3-3 7; Tali Simpkins 1 0-0 2; Samir Roberts-Mouzon 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 18 11-19 50.
North Penn (60) – Mario Sgro 3 0-0 7; Norman Gee 3 2-2 10; Teddy McAllister 1 0-0 3; Ryan Zeltt 5 0-0 10; Ryan Deininger 10 0-0 21; Corey Meade 2 3-4 7; Tre Simpson 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 25 5-6 60.
3-point goals: E&S – Fareed Brown 2, Samir Roberts-Mouzon; NP – Norman Gee 2, Mario Sgro, Teddy McAllister, Ryan Deininger.
POTTSTOWN 62, SOUDERTON 60
Saturday’s non-league game started out on a promising note for the Indians, who erupted for 24 points in the first quarter and took an early 24-15 lead. They took a 35-30 lead into halftime and still led 50-47 head into the final quarter when they were outscored by the Trojans 15-10.
Nate Hemsing’s 17 points – which included five 3-pointers – led the Indians. It was Hemsing’s nine first-quarter points on three 3s that propelled the Indians to their early lead. James Blair added 12 points, including a pair of 3s. Levi John contributed 11 points, Nolan Watkins had seven points, and Chanse Salone had six.
Souderton (5-7, 4-3 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Tuesday.
Pottstown 15-15-17-15 62
Souderton 24-11-15-10 60
Pottstown (62) – Jurrell Young 3 0-0 8; Ty Elliot 4 0-0 9; Abdul Jackson 1 2-4 4; Elijah Palmore 4 0-0 8; Terryce 5 0-1 10; Sadeeq Jackson 8 0-0 21; Bostic 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 26 2-5 62.
Souderton (60) – Nate Hemsing 6 0-0 17; J Zimmerman 1 0-0 2; N Watkins 3 1-1 7; James Blair 5 0-0 12; Chanse Salone 3 0-0 6; Aiden Maue 2 0-0 5; Levi John 4 3-6 11; TOTALS 24 4-7 60
3-point goals: Sadeeq Jackson 5, Jurrell Young 2, Ty Elliot; Souderton – Nate Hemsing 5, James Blair 2, Aiden Maue.
METHACTON 57, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 49
PENN WOOD 68, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 44
Girls
Non-league
PENNRIDGE 71, METHACTON 64 (2 OTs)
Jason Rapp might have wondered what his team would do for an encore after Friday night’s win over Pennsbury. The Rams’ first-year coach didn’t have to wait long to find out.
Less than 24 hours after taking the court to face Pennsbury, the Rams took on a strong Methacton squad in a non-league contest. Not exactly an enviable task, but the Rams – despite trailing by six late in regulation – rose to the occasion, winning a double overtime thriller.
The two wins vaulted Pennridge from the outside looking in at 27th in the District One 6A power rankings to 16th and in the middle of the playoff mix.
“We hit some big shots – it was crazy, it was just nuts,” said Rapp, whose team was without Anna Croyle. “Methacton’s got some players.
“We did a really good job defensively. It is so crazy to say that when we let up that many points, but we’re small, and we battled. They did an unbelievable job. It’s two nights in a row.”
Five players pretty much went the distance for the Rams.
“They played a ton of minutes, we stayed out of foul trouble enough, and we hung on,” Rapp said.
The Rams got huge offensive performances from Katie Yoder, who scored a game-high 27 points, and Ella Brown, who added a career high 23 points.
“People were surprised early in the year, but Ella’s been big for us,” Rapp said. “Offensively, behind Katie, it’s her. That’s how we go, and they were great today, and they both rebounded because that team is physical. We battled. It was really nice.”
The Rams, who trailed 12-8 after one quarter, took a 21-20 advantage into halftime, but they trailed 38-34 heading into the final quarter when they needed some late-game heroics to even the score. They were trailing by six with 28 seconds remaining when Brown buried a deep 3. The Rams forced a turnover on the inbounds, and Grace Rosica calmly connected on a corner 3 with 1.7 seconds remaining, knotting the score in dramatic fashion and setting the stage for the first overtime.
Once again, the Rams showed a flare for the dramatic. Trailing by three, Ava Fantaskey sank a 3-pointer to knot the score, but 10 seconds later, the Warriors connected on a three to go on top 57-54. The Rams – who had an answer for every punch the Warriors threw their way – once again responded. This time it was Yoder sinking a deep 3-pointer with 8.7 seconds remaining, and at the other end of the court, Fantaskey blocked the Warriors’ shot for the win, and the stage was set for overtime number two.
An Ella Brown three gave the Rams a lead they would not lose, and they sealed the win by burying foul shots down the stretch.
Included in Yoder’s 27 points were three 3-pointers and an 8-for-12 effort at the foul line. Brown also had three 3s and was 8-for-9 at the foul line. Fastaskey added eight points, Rosica had seven and Olivia Poole finished with six points.
Things don’t get any easier for the Rams. On Tuesday, Pennridge (9-4, 4-3 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy for a battle with the first place Redskins.
Methacton 12-8-18-11-8-7 64
Pennridge 8-13-13-15-8-14 71
Methacton (64) – Ashley Fisher 1 0-0 3; Cassidy Kropp 6 9-12 22; Morgan Coupe 1 0-0 3; Abby Arnold 4 8-10 18; Reana Torres 1 0-0 3; Mairi Smith 4 6-6 14; TOTALS 17 23-28 64.
Pennridge (71) – Ella Brown 6 8-9 23; Grace Rosica 2 1-2 7; Katie Yoder 8 8-12 27; Ava Fantaskey 3 0-6 8; Oliva Poole 3 0-2 6; TOTALS 22 17-31 71.
3-point goals: Methacton –Abby Arnold 2, Cassidy Kropp, Ashley Fisher, Morgan Coupe, Reana Torres; Pennridge Ella Brown 3, Grace Rosica 2, Katie Yoder 3, Ava Fantaskey 2.
QUAKERTOWN 42, POPE JOHN PAUL II 31
The Panthers opened up a 12-6 lead after one quarter and extended it to 22-11 by halftime. They took a 33-21 lead into the fourth quarter. PJP outscored the Panther 15-9 in the final frame but never seriously threatened.
The win was the third of the week for the Panthers.
“It was not a pretty win at the end, but nice to go undefeated this week,” Quakertown coach Brittany Remmey said. “I made some player personnel mistakes as a coach in the last quarter, and Pope John Paul II took advantage.
“They executed their offense by finding some weaknesses, and their defense caused turnovers. A good learning lesson hopefully for all. Our legs definitely weren’t there today as we couldn’t make baskets that we would normally put in. Hopefully, a day of rest tomorrow will get us ready for next week.”
Carolyn Sipprell added yet another double-double to her resume, scoring 13 points and pulling down 18 rebounds. She also had two assists. Ava Pistone added 10 points while Kayla Sicher had eight points, six rebounds and two steals. Katie Catalano added six points, and Carli Maha had four rebounds and five steals.
“Ava Pistone had some nice drives to the basket to attack their zone in the second half,” Remmey said.
Quakertown (7-5, 4-3 SOL) will host William Tennent on Tuesday.
Pope John Paul II 6-5-5-15 31
Quakertown 12-10-11-9 42
Pope John Paul II (31) Sophia Bonincasa 1 0-1 3; Rylee DeRecola 3 0-0 7; Grace Fitzgerald 1 2-4 4; Katie Nilles 3 2-5 8; Sarah Bell 1 0-0 2; Elena Collilivori 0 3-4 3; Nadia Platt 2 0-2 4; TOTALS 11 7-16 31.
Quakertown (42) – Carolyn Sipprell 5 3-4 13; Carli Maha 1 0-0 2; Katie Catalano 2 1-2 6; Ava Pistone 4 1-2 10; Kayla Sicher 4 0-1 8; Addyson Davis 1 0-2 2; Mackenzie Clayton 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 17 6-13 42.
3-point field goals –PPJ – Sophia Bonincasa, Rylee DeRrecola; Quakertown – Katie Catalano, Ava Pistone.
GREAT VALLEY 65, WISSAHICKON 54
The Trojans – who had an early morning wake-up call for the 11:15 a.m. road game – put three players in double figures, and although they came up short against a Patriot squad that is 13th in the latest District One 6A rankings, they held their own. Take away the Patriots’ 24-point second quarter, and the Trojans played them even.
Kaitlyn McGeary turned in another standout effort, finishing with a double-double that included 16 points, 10 rebounds as well as two assists. Eva Schools added 12 points, two assists, two steals and two rebounds while Kylie Friedman had 10 points, four rebounds and two steals.
The Trojans led 13-12 after one quarter, but they were outscored 24-13 in the second and trailed 36-26 at halftime. Great Valley added to that lead with a 22-17 third quarter.
Wissahickon (2-8, 0-7 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Wissahickon 13-13-17-11 54
Great Valley 12-24-22-7 65
Wissahickon (54) – Kaitlyn McGeary 16, Kylie Friedman 10, Eva Schools, 12, Julia Lettieri 3, Claira Baldasano 5, Ava Stout 5, Maura Jacob 3.
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