Check out the results for SOL boys/girls basketball teams in action on Monday night. To view photos of the Norristown/Cheltenham boys’ game and the Neshaminy/Council Rock North boys/girls games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Boys
NORRISTOWN 70, CHELTENHAM 41
The Panthers led 18-15 after one quarter, and the two teams were deadlocked 25-25 with 2:10 remaining in the second quarter. By halftime, the Eagles led 31-27, and the rest of the night belonged to the home team.
The Eagles blew the game wide open with a 20-8 third quarter. Norristown outscored its visitors 39-14 in an impressive second half effort.
Darryl Carr and Roy Green ignited the Eagles. Carr scored a game-high 25 points to go along with four steals. Green added 19 points and nine rebounds. Rashon Wiggins pulled down six rebounds.
Justin Sutton led the Panthers with 12 points, and Khalil White added 10.
With the win, the Eagles upped their record to 3-1 in league play (4-2 overall) while the Panthers are 2-2 in the league (2-6 overall).
Cheltenham 18-9-8-6 41
Norristown 15-16-20-19 70
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 60, NESHAMINY 42
The Indians led 13-10 after one quarter and put some distance between themselves and the Redskins with a 17-9 second quarter run to go into halftime with a 30-19 lead. Riley Thompson’s two three-pointers sparked the Indians in the second quarter. Matt Margolis also had a three-pointer in the frame.
The two teams exchanged baskets in the third quarter, and the Indians blew the game wide open with a 23-16 fourth quarter that included a 10-for-11 effort at the foul line.
Riley Thompson, who led all scorers with 15 points, connected on 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in the fourth 
quarter. He was 7-of-8 from the line for the game. Steve Nowmos was 3-for-3 at the line and scored seven of his 13 points in the fourth quarter. Margolis was 2-for-2 from the foul line and had six of his nine points in the fourth quarter. Will DeSautelle finished the night with 12 points, and Drew Glenn added 11 on a night that saw four Indians finish in double figures.
Margolis – in a big night – also had six assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block.
For the Redskins, Shammond Thomas led the way with 11 points. Jack Spingler added seven points, and Chris Arcidiacono had six points.
The Indians improved to 3-1 in league play (5-1 overall) while the Redskins are 1-3 in the league (2-4 overall).
Neshaminy 10-9-7-16 42
Council Rock North 13-17-7-23 60
Neshaminy (42) – Cole Housel, Billy Warren 2, Francis Robles 1, Jenkins Kimber 5, Zach Treadway 2, Shammond Thomas 11, Jack Spingler, Eric Altiere 2, Trevor Lay 4, Chris Arcidiacano 6.
Council Rock North (60) – Riley Thompson 15, Drew Glenn 11, Matt Margolis 9, Steve Nowmos 13, Will Desautelle 12.
WISSAHICKON 65, UPPER MERION 37
Sixteen players took the court for the Trojans in Monday night’s home game against the Vikings – 12 put their names in the scoring column. The Trojans opened up a 20-13 lead after one quarter and never looked back. They took a 30-24 lead into halftime and then outscored their visitors 35-13 in the second half.
Tre Holcomb led a balanced attack with 11 points, and Brandon Pace added eight, including an energizing dunk that brought the crowd to its feet. Todd Bentley and Aaron Lobell also had eight points each while Stephen Driscoll had seven.
The Vikings were led by Chris Carita’s nine points while Ethan Miller added eight and Matt Faw, seven.
The Trojans improved to 3-1 in league play (4-2 overall) while the Vikings are 0-4 in the league (0-7 overall).
Upper Merion 13-11-8-5 37
Wissahickon 20-10-16-19 65
Upper Merion (37) – Connor McDermott 3, Aiden Newell 6, Ethan Miller 8, Matt Faw 7, Chris Carita 9, Willis 4.
Wissahickon (65) – Todd Bentley 8, Aaron Lobell 8, Tre Holcomb 11, Sean Scott 1, Anthony Wright 9, Blake Rapoport 3, Stephen Driscoll 7, Jake Segal 4, Brandon Pace 8, Mike Howard 2, Yondel Dudley 2, Marquese Wilson 2.
LOWER MORELAND 69, SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 48
Girls
NESHAMINY 39, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 36
Sophomore Devon Storms was one cool customer down the stretch for the Redskins, burying a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining to stretch Neshaminy’s lead to three (39-36). The Indians – who called a timeout with 5.8 seconds after getting the ball past midcourt – never managed a shot for the tie.
In addition to burying the clutch free throws, Storms also delivered a big basket after Jessica Gerber buried a three-pointer to make it a 30-29 game.
“Devon Storms came down and drilled a three and brought it right back to four, which was gigantic,” Neshaminy coach Joe Lally said. “It was close throughout.
“I thought we got defensive stops when we needed them. Our team defense was better than we’ve played all year. They really played well tonight on the defensive end.”
A key to the big win was the Redskins’ ability to defend the paint. The Indians buried eight three pointers – four by Gerber (12 points) and three by Becca Margolis (11 points), but they connected on just two baskets inside the arc in the entire game.
“We knew they were good from the perimeter,” Lally said. “We just played the percentages.
“We knew if they were going to take a lot of long shots that we had to box out and not give up second chance shot opportunities.”
Maddie Murray led the Redskins with 12 points. Storms finished with nine and Morgan Goldenbaum had seven. Goldenbaum also had 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals.
“She’s very unselfish,” Lally said. “We’re also getting our role players to play their roles much better, and if that continues to happen, maybe we can mature a little more quickly.
“They’re a feisty group. We’re young.”
One of Neshaminy’s role players who has been contributing is sophomore Emily Alexis.
“She pulled down five defensive boards and four offensive boards for nine rebounds,” Lally said. “Perfect kid that I’m talking about that understands her role and plays her role.
“She put four steals with that. It was just a great game by Emily.”
The Redskins’ coach pointed to his team’s early season games against Central Bucks West and Abington – both ranked in the top five in the state – as significant.
“I think it really helped because they’re both such good basketball teams,” Lally said. “Council Rock North is a really good basketball team, but you’re kind of prepared when you’ve been through the war against those guys.
“They’re so good, and it just depends how your kids take it. When you go out and play CB West and they take it to you, you can put your head between your legs and crawl away and feel sorry for yourself, or you can use it as a learning experience. I think tonight they showed they used it as a learning experience.
“This was a good win for us. We respect their program and know you have to battle them every time you play them. Hopefully, this is the beginning of us turning the corner as a young team and taking the next step and improving.”
The Redskins (4-2) and Indians (5-1) are both 3-1 in conference play.
Neshaminy 6-12-11-10 39
Council Rock North 9-9-8-10 36
Neshaminy (39) – Morgan Goldenbaum 7, Emily Alexis 6, Tiara Porterfield 3, Maddie Murray 12, Devon Storms 9.
Council Rock North (36) – Becca Margolis 11, Jessica Gerber 12, Michaela Finneyfrock 5, Emily Mackin 8.
ABINGTON 83, BENSALEM 29
The Ghosts owned this one from start to finish, opening up a 16-8 lead after one quarter and stretching that to 44-15 halftime, thanks to a 28-point second quarter burst.
Deja Rawls (18 points), Leah Simmons (16 points) and Liz O’Leary (14) paced the Ghosts offensively. Gabby Nolan had eight assists and five steals, and Sammy Lochner had four assists and five steals on a night that saw the Ghosts receive contributions from everyone.
The Ghosts, fourth in the latest Penn Live rankings, improved to 4-0 in league play (6-2 overall). The Owls are 0-4 in the league (3-5 overall).
Bensalem 8-7-9-5 29
Abington 16-28-19-20 83
CHELTENHAM 55, NORRISTOWN 35
Ashley Jones had another huge night for the Lady Panthers, scoring 26 points. Teammate Monet McGorda added 12 points in a solid supporting role while point guard Amarri Trueheart had eight.
“Our team chemistry is coming together a little bit,” said coach Brendan Nolan, who suited up just eight players. “We’re very shorthanded right now, and I’m game planning that way.
“Luckily, our starting five is keeping everything together, and the chemistry is so much better. They’re really understanding their roles, which is nice to see.”
The Eagles led 12-9 after one quarter only to watch the Lady Panthers answer with a 14-4 second quarter tear to go into halftime with a 23-16 lead. If there was any doubt about the outcome, those doubts were put to rest when the Lady Panthers outscored the Eagles 20-11 in the third quarter to go on top 43-27.
“Norristown is a decent team,” Nolan said. “They’re not without talent. For us to put the game away the way we did, that said something.”
Norristown was led by Tatiana Dewalt (10 points) and Precious Milan (eight points) while Pattie and Lauren Fortescue each had six points.
Cheltenham is 3-1 in league play (4-1 overall) while the Eagles fell to 1-3 (2-4 overall).
Norristown 12-4-11-8 35
Cheltenham 9-14-20-12 55
Norristown (35) – Tatiana DeWalt 10, Precious Milan 8, Pattie Fortescue 6, Brianna Schools 5, Lauren Fortescue 6.
Cheltenham (55) – Ashley Jones 26, Monet McGorda 12, Amarri Trueheart 8, Dejah China 2, Gabrielle Wright 5, Nashira Brown 2.
SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 52, UPPER MORELAND 35
Jewell Ringgold apparently had seen enough of her team’s four-minute scoring drought in the third quarter that saw the Golden Bears trim a once 12-point Spartan lead to three, and she decided to do something about it.
“Honestly, I was kind of frustrated,” the senior guard said. “We shouldn’t have let them get that close. I just thought I had to turn it on and do what I could.”
Ringgold, who led all scorers with 22 points, was in a word – unstoppable. She scored 18 points during a six-minute stretch late in the third quarter to midway through the fourth quarter when her basket after a UM turnover capped a 26-5 Spartan tear that blew the game wide open.
“When we work together and work hard, we’re good, but if we play down to the team’s levels, that’s when we get in trouble,” Ringgold said.
Early on, the Spartans looked like they were going to run away with the game, opening up a 17-5 lead after a bucket by junior center Maura Ryan late in the opening quarter.
The Golden Bears, who struggled against the Spartans’ pressure defense, were plagued by turnovers.
“We just have to keep working at it every day,” UM coach Ed Decker said. “We have a passing drill that we use, and we just have to work on the little stuff to hopefully get fundamentally sound.
“It’s those little things hurt us – not catching balls or making the right pass or being in the right spot that hurts our program.”
A three-point play to close out the first quarter saw Emily Zanine bury the first of two foul shots with Kim Benge pulling down the rebound of her miss on the second and finding Noelle Woodman for the bucket to make it a 17-8 game.
Neither team did a whole lot of scoring in a second quarter that saw the two squads combine for seven points. The Spartans took a 21-11 lead into halftime and stretched that to 12 when Bailey Krewson buried an outside jumper to open the third quarter.
The next four minutes belonged to the Golden Bears, whose 9-0 run made things interesting. Woodman accounted for three of those points while Jenna Getz, Zanine and Julia Gatto each had two points to pull the Spartans to within three (23-20).
“Offensively, we slowed down,” coach Bill Krewson said. “We were missing some shots, and you start missing a few shots, and that basket gets smaller and smaller.
“All I said is, ‘We just need a basket. We get a basket, and things will start rolling again.’ We came out of halftime and had a real nice look to start off the second half, and then we fell into a funk.
“You have to give Upper Moreland credit for hanging around, hanging in and making some good shots to get things going the other way.”
The rest of the game belonged to the Spartans.
“We get to the top of the mountain and we fall back,” Decker said. “That’s been us all year.
“It’s that third quarter or beginning of the fourth when we come out and we don’t take it to them. I’m playing three-four sophomores and a junior here and there. I knew it was going to be a very tough year, but I thought we would be a little bit better. We work hard every day, but teams come in and we fumble the ball a little bit.”
The Golden Bears hurt themselves at the foul line where they connected on just 10-of-30.
“If you’re not 24-25 for 30 – they’re free points, and you have to take advantage of those points,” Decker said.
The two teams combined for 51 foul shots. The Spartans were 12-of-21 from the charity stripe.
While the Spartans evened their league mark at 2-2 (4-4 overall), the Golden Bears fell to 0-4 in the league (1-4 overall).
“We’re in a building year,” Getz said. “We just want to play as a team, make a good run and have fun.
“We really don’t give up. We always pick each other up.”
Springfield 17-4-9-22 52
Upper Moreland 8-3-11-13 35
Springfield (52) – Jayla Greene 9, Bailey Krewson 2, Jewell Ringgold 22, Molly Dugan 8, Maura Ryan 9, Julia Ryan 2.
Upper Moreland (35) – Jenna Getz 4, Timyla Martin 6, Julia Gatto 9, Emily Zanine 6, Noelle Woodman 9, Kim Benge 1.
UPPER MERION 51, WISSAHICKON 29
The Vikings took a 20-14 lead into halftime, and the Trojans continued to hang around in the second half, trailing 36-29 heading into the final quarter. That’s when the Vikings threw some serious defense at their visitors, outscoring the Trojans 15-0 to win going away.
“It was a solid effort across the board for us,” coach Tom Schurtz said. “I didn’t feel as though we got into a rhythm until maybe late third quarter or early fourth quarter.
“They did a nice job of disrupting our rhythm and keeping us out of sync a little bit. We just sort of plugged along. I thought there were moments when they did a nice job hitting the glass against us, so it limited our ability to get out in transition. As the game wore on, we were able to do a good job isolating our posts and getting a couple of inside-outs to free up some of our shooters.”
Regie Robinson led the Vikings with 22 points. Jessica Michael added 10 and Tatiana Pleasant, nine points.
“Regie did a nice job on the offensive end,” Schurtz said. “Overall, I was happy with our defensive effort. We made it tough for them to get easy opportunities.”
The Vikings evened their league mark at 2-2 (4-3 overall) while the Trojans are 1-3 in the league (1-6 overall).
Wissahickon 6-8-15-0 29
Upper Merion 10-10-16-15 51
Wissahickon (29) – Lexi Carradorini 4, Daria Earland 3, Sydney Ott 2, Brittany Gelman 12, Alisha Kelly.
Upper Merion (51) – Katie Valeri 2, Jordan Wilson 3, Regie Robinson 22, Jessica Michael 10, Tatiana Pleasant 9, Eryn Brady 3.
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