Check out the recaps for SOL boys/girls basketball teams in action Saturday.
Boys
Non-league
BENSALEM 70, SANKOFA FREEDOM 60
Eric Gonzalez turned in dazzling 27-point effort – 20 in the second half – to lead the visiting Owls to the win that solidified their position in the District 1 6A rankings.
“It was a real good win today,” coach Ron Morris said. “Sankofa’s a good program. They’ve had a lot of success over the last 10 years or so. They have two really good sophomore guards. They have two seniors – one is really athletic and the other one can score at three levels, so we knew we’d need to have a good defensive effort, and we did.
“We came out really strong. Eric (Rodriguez) hit some nice shots early. Jack (Wineburg) had a three early, Antonio (Morris) had a three early. Eric (Rodriguez) was just hot all game. In the fourth quarter, he was 7-for-7 from the foul line which was a big difference maker down the stretch. We closed out each quarter really well.”
The Owls, who led, 14-7 after one quarter, took a tenuous 27-25 lead into halftime. A 23-point third quarter that saw Gonzalez and Antonio Morris combine for 18 points sent the Owls into the final quarter with a 50-42 lead.
“Noah (Morris) came in and hit two foul shots in the fourth,” coach Morris said. “Antonio (Morris) had really tough finishes at the rim, which was nice to see because they were long and athletic. Jack (Wineburg) had other timely buckets.
“It was nice to see the energy. On a Saturday afternoon game with not a lot of people there, you have to create your own energy, and I believe we did that. At the foul line in the fourth quarter, we did very well.”
In addition to Gonzalez, Antonio Morris finished with 19 points – eight in the third quarter and six in the fourth. Jack Wineburg finished with nine points, Jaidyn Moffitt had seven, and Noah Morris contributed six.
“We’re happy to just be able to play meaningful basketball at this time of year,” Morris said. “It’s been up and down. We lost a lot of close games, a lot of tough games. We feel a lot of games should have been ours, but it is what it is, and we are where we are.
“Eric (Gonzalez) had a career game. It was nice to see. We’re trying to keep this going as long as possible for Eric and Jack – they’re our two seniors. We just keep grinding, keep working. We’re going to play hard every game. Hopefully, we do get in the tournament, and once we get in, anything can happen.”
Bensalem (12-9, 7-8 SOL) will host Neshaminy in Tuesday’s regular season finale. The Owls are 21st in the latest District 1 6A power rankings.
Bensalem 14-13-23-20 70
Sankofa 7-18-17-18 60
Bensalem (70) – Eric Gonzalez 6 13-16-27; Noah Morris 2 2-2 6; Micah White 1 0-0 2; Antonio Morris 6 6-9 19; Jack Wineburg 3 1-2 9; Jaidyn Moffitt 2 3-4 7; TOTALS 20 25-33 70.
Sankofa (60) – Zaki Alston 2 3-4 7; Asim Hardy 4 0-0 11; Nasir Williams 8 2-2 19; Ryan Hardy 5 0-2 11; Khris Coleman 1 0-0 2; Mohammad Ahmad 1 0-0 3; Nafise Dubose 1 0-2 2; Maurice Hosten 2 0-0 5; TOTALS 24 5-10 60.
3-point goals: Bensalem – Eric Gonzalez 2, Jack Wineburg 2, Antonio Morris; Sankofa – Asim Hardy 3, Nasir Williams, Ryan Hardy, Mohammad Ahmad, Maurice Hosten.
Girls
Non-league
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 35, UPPER MORELAND 28
The young Titans – once again displaying remarkable resilience – trailed 18-10 at halftime but rallied for the come-from-behind win. Their second half comeback is especially impressive in light of the fact that they scored just one point in the second quarter.
“I’m definitely happy with where we’re at,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “I think we still haven’t put together a complete game yet, and that would be nice to do on Tuesday, but overall, I’m really happy with how resilient they’ve been. They just keep fighting and playing really, really hard.”
The Golden Bears – playing without EmmyFaith Wood – led by eight at halftime. Marie Meyers scored eight points to lead the way in the half.
“The first half was kind of slow,” Mattern said. “I didn’t think we had quite the intensity I would have liked, and some of that is a credit to Upper Moreland. They played strong.
“We were able to kind of get going in the second half. I thought our defensive effort and our effort on the boards was much better. The girls saw the floor better and took advantage of some situations.”
In the third quarter, the Titans – sparked by six points from Mia Klein and five from Ella Wheeler – outscored the Golden Bears 15-6 and led 25-24 heading into the final quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Titans, who outscored their hosts 9-4, were 7-for-10 from the foul line.
Klein’s nine points led the Titans. Yoyo Samayoa added seven and Ella Wheeler had six.
They also received a lift from several other players.
“Gabby Tropea came in off the bench when Mia Klein had some foul trouble,” Mattern said. “She had a couple of plays today that I thought really helped with our intensity. She had a defensive steal that ended up with a layup. I thought she played some big minutes for us in the post today.
“Casey Balkir went 4-for-4 from the foul line in the last minute, and that was clutch.”
The Titans’ coach is pleased with her young team’s approach.
“If you lose a few games in a row, it’s tough, and I try to talk to them and make sure they understand where we’re at and what we’re trying to do,” Mattern said. “I think back to a conversation I had with one of our players, and I never forget – she said, ‘Coach, we’re young. We knew this was going to be a tough season. We’re good.’
“To me, it was so resilient, and it was so like, ‘Why wouldn’t they be good?’ I think that’s the mantra they have. They just keep coming back. To me, it’s one thing to say – we may have a tough season, but it’s another to live it like this because I know they’re competitors. They want to win, and they keep getting after it.”
The Golden Bears were led by the 10-point effort of Myers. Mikel Lancit and Alyssa Wiley both had seven points.
“We knew coming into the game that CB South is not their record,” UM coach Matt Carroll said. “Between their league and their crossovers, they have two battles every week. They came in battle tested, and I thought we were ready for them. We defended really well in the first half and took them out of what they wanted to do.
“For some reason in the second half, we weren’t as disciplined, and it cost us defensively. That being said, defense wasn’t the issue. Our offense struggled badly today, and it’s something we really have to figure out. We couldn’t get into any type of rhythm offensively, and when we got a switch we wanted or someone got open, we couldn’t get them the ball. A lot of that is to the credit of CB South’s defense. They really play in your face and can make teams uncomfortable, but I thought we should’ve been able to handle it better. Hopefully it’s something we can learn from.”
Central Bucks South (8-13, 3-12 SOL) will travel to Pennridge for its SOL finale Tuesday, and Upper Moreland (18-3, 13-2) will host New Hope-Solebury in a Freedom Division showdown.
Central Bucks South 9-1-15-9 35
Upper Moreland 11-7-6-4 28
Central Bucks South (35) – Ella Wheeler 2 1-2 6; Casey Balkir 0 4-4 4; Jules Tropea 0 2-4 2; Yoyo Samayoa 2 2-4 7; Mia Klein 3 2-2 9; Addy Geary 1 0-0 2; Gabby Troopea 2 0-1 4; TOTALS 10 11-15 35.
Upper Moreland (28) – Mikel Lancit 3 1-1 7; Alyssa Wiley 2 3-6 7; Holly Gohl 1 0-0 2; Marie Meyers 3 3-6 10; Allie LaRocco 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 10 7-13 28.
3-point goals: CBS – Ella Wheeler, Yoyo Samayoa, Mia Klein; UM – Marie Meyers.
SPRINGFIELD-DELCO 27, UPPER DUBLIN 9
Points were not easy to come by for either squad, but they were particularly scarce for a UD squad coming off back-to-back losses to Abington and Plymouth Whitemarsh.
“It was a disappointing end to a tough week,” UD coach Morgan Funsten said. “We have to find a way to take some positives out of our losses this week. The girls effort is there and they showed even to the end today that they are going to keep fighting.”
Megan Ngo’s five points led UD. Colleen Besachio led the Cardinals under the boards with nine rebounds. They attempted just 23 shots in the game.
Upper Dublin (13-8, 10-5 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham for Tuesday’s SOL finale.
Upper Dublin 2-2-2-3 9
Springfield-Delco 6-5-10-6 27
Upper Dublin (9) – Megan Ngo 2 0-2 5, Lilli Kleiman 1 0-0 2; Colleen Besachio 1 0-1 2; Nora Brady 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 4 0-5 9.
Springfield-Delco (27)-Mia Valerio 1 0-0 2; Alexis Aaron 3 1-2 7; Kaitlyn Kearney 2 3-4 9; Taylor Hunyet 2 0-0 5; Anabel Kreyolt 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 10 4-6 27.
3-point goals: UD – Megan Ngo; Springfield-Delco – Kaitlyn Kearney 2, Taylor Hunyet.
About the Author
