Ten SOL teams advanced to Tuesday's second round of districts. To view photos of the CR North/CB South, Upper Dublin/Cheltenham and Pennsbury/Kennett games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
By Scott Huff
Franconia – Souderton senior Mark Wonderling was indeed wonderful as the Indians (18-5) moved on to a second round PIAA District One Quad-A playoff contest with a 67-55 victory over visiting West Chester Henderson (12-11).
Souderton (#10 seed) will now travel to Council Rock North (#7) to meet the Suburban One League National Conference Indians (18-5). Rock North captured a 48-44 win over Central Bucks South in its first round playoff affair.
Wonderling tortured the Warriors for a game-high 25 points and scored key baskets throughout the game to keep Souderton in the lead. Henderson closed to within 21-15 – Wonderling went on an unanswered five-point scoring binge. Henderson closed to within 54-48 – Wonderling went on another five-point unanswered scoring spree to keep the Indian lead secure.
“Mark was playing to continue his high school playing career,” said Souderton head coach Dennis Stanton. “He played great – he seemed to hit all the big shots – and he has to be considered one of the best players in the area.”
“The seniors mentioned to the underclassmen before the game they we want to keep playing, and that meant we had to win this game,” said Wonderling, who has committed to Ursinus College next season to play hoops. “We knew that we had to go out and get some stops on defense and that would help us generate our offense.”
Souderton received a solid effort from senior Ryan Connolly, who scored 15 points, but it was a pair of sophomores that helped the Indians put this one in the win column.
Steve Shaffer ran the point for Souderton when senior Luke Moyer was saddled with foul trouble and did a terrific job distributing the basketball. Brendan Wagner – who punctuated one Souderton possession with a thunderous dunk – played a strong game off the boards and added five points.
“Both Steve and Brendan have earned some playing time,” said Stanton. “But with Luke and Ryan playing in front of them, it is tough for them to get a whole lot of time. But both of them did well tonight and played some important minutes.”
The next huge step for Souderton will be SOL National Conference champion Council Rock North.
“We have a lot of respect for Council Rock North, but we really feel that we can play with anyone in the district,” said Wonderling. “They have two scholarship players (Aaron Morgan and Arron Goodman), and it is going to be a real challenge.”
West Chester Henderson Warriors 10 19 11 15 - 55
Souderton Indians 16 21 13 17 - 67
West Chester Henderson: Jason McCormick 14; Chas McCormick 12; Dave Goodman 12; PJ Costello 8; Scott Culligan 5; Decian Kane 4. Total – 55.
Souderton Indians: Mark Wonderling 25; Ryan Connolly 15; John Kanas 9; Luke Moyer 7; Ry Yazzolinas 6; Brendan Wagner 5. Total – 67.
Rock North Earns Tough Victory
Council Rock North (18-5) needed every single ounce of effort as the Indians held off a determined Central Bucks South (11-12) by a 48-44 margin in the first round of the PIAA District One Quad-A playoffs.
“We knew coming into the game that South was playing well and giving everyone they played a lot of trouble,” said Council Rock North head coach Derek Wright. “They were very comfortable coming into our gym, and they sure played great in the first half.”
The Titans (#26 seed) led the favored Indians (#7 seed) by a 30-25 score at the close of the first half. South, however, would score only 14 points the entire second half.
“We made some adjustments at halftime, and we did a much better job of executing our defense in the second half,” said Wright. “And both Aaron Morgan and Rip Engel made some clutch free throws at the end of the game. And Matt McCloskey made a terrific block of a 3-pointer that would have tied the game late in the fourth period.”
Rock North will advance to meet #10 Souderton in a second round contest. The SOL Continental Conference Indians captured a 67-55 win over West Chester Henderson in their first round game.
“Souderton in the second round is a very tough draw,” said Wright. “It should be a great game.”
Central Bucks South Titans 17 13 6 8 - 44
Council Rock North Indians 16 9 11 12 - 48
Central Bucks South: Dave Knox 17; John Flaherty 10; Kevin Raymond 6; Chase Vonder Schmalz 5; Brennan Rudnick 4; Matt Scamuffo 2. – Total – 44.
Council Rock North: Arron Goodman 16; Aaron Morgan 15; Rip Engel 13; Ryan Baker 2; Matt McCloskey 2. Total – 48.
Trojans Rally for Victory
Wissahickon (20-3) needed a fourth period rally to defeat visiting Glen Mills (10-13) in its opening district playoff game – 54-47.
“I was dying a slow death on the sidelines,” said Wissahickon head coach Kyle Wilson as the Trojans shot just 13 of 25 from the free throw line in the fourth period. “One good thing about the game was that we have the playoff jitters out of our system. I hate to play games when we don’t have school. You never know who is going to show up and play well.”
Tanoh Kpassagnon would be one of those players that showed up with a game-high 21 points.
“Tanoh played a strong game around the rim both offensively and defensively,” said Wilson. “We needed that type of effort to move on.”
Jordan Reed scored 17 points for the Trojans, while Kyle Garrett added nine points for the winners.
“Bensalem should be an excellent basketball game,” said Wilson as his #5 seeded Trojans will host the #12 seeded Owls on Tuesday. “It should be a great game to watch.”
Glen Mills Bulls 9 6 18 14 - 47
Wissahickon Trojans 14 7 10 23 - 54
Glen Mills: George Walker 21; Raheem Harvey 12; Shayne Krail 6; Mark Woodall 6; Lamar Reddick 2. – Total – 47.
Wissahickon: Tanoh Kpassagnon 21; Jordan Reed 17; Kyle Garrett 9; Gordon Bentley 5; Branko Tesovic 2. – Total – 54.
The Rest of the Story in the District One Playoffs for the SOL American Conference
Cheltenham (15-8) defeated visiting Upper Dublin (13-10) for the third time this season as the Panthers clawed to a 58-50 opening round victory. Nafis Walker led Cheltenham with a 20-point scoring effort, while Jarrell Haywood and Aaron McGlawn each scored eight points for the winners. John Decamara and Andrew Derr each scored 16 points to lead Upper Dublin, while Andrew Carber scored in twin digits for the Cardinals with 13 points. The #13 seeded Panthers will now play at Central Bucks West on Tuesday in a second round contest. The Bucks defeated West Chester East 46-36 in an opening round game.
Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals 13 13 13 11 - 50
Cheltenham Panthers 18 13 16 11 - 58
Plymouth Whitemarsh (13-10) was the only lower seed to win in the opening round of the playoffs as the Colonials marched to a 51-39 victory over host Conestoga (16-8). Plymouth Whitemarsh broke open the game in the final period and was led in scoring by Russhon Phillips with 18 points. Anthony McKie added 13 points for the Colonials, while Jake Silvers scored in double digits with 11 points. The #18 seeded Colonials will now play at #2 seed Lower Merion. The Aces dealt Penncrest a 57-32 loss in the opening round.
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 11 16 6 18 - 51
Conestoga Pioneers 12 8 9 10 - 39
Norristown (16-7) used its familiar formula of a suffocating defense and a balanced offensive attack as the Eagles advanced to the second round with a 50-33 victory over visiting Ridley (12-11). Jahbri Hargrove led Norristown with a modest 10 points, while Marquis Bryant, Richard Bouknight, and Luke Kelley each scored eight points. B.J. Gordon posted seven points for the Eagles. The #9 seeded Eagles will now play at #8 seed Pennsbury. The Falcons collected an 81-67 victory over Kennett in their first round game.
Ridley Green Raiders 4 6 12 11 - 33
Norristown Eagles 10 16 17 7 - 50
The Rest of the Story in the District Playoffs for the SOL National Conference
Abington (17-6) jumped out to a 15-point first half lead as the Ghosts captured a 62-43 opening round playoff win over visiting Marple-Newtown (14-9). Abington had a trio of players score in twin digits as Anthony Durham led the Ghosts with 16 points. Jierre Morrisey added 12 points for Abington, while Chris Ruhl managed 11 points for the winners. The # 11 seeded Ghosts will travel to play #6 Great Valley on Tuesday. Great Valley won its opening round contest over Interboro – 66-46.
Marple-Newtown 8 9 10 16 - 43
Abington Ghosts 18 14 10 20 - 62
Pennsbury (17-6) jetted out to a 48-29 first half lead as the Falcons soared to an 81-67 opening round playoff victory over visiting Kennett (14-9). Kieran Bolger – who has now 1007 career points – led Pennsbury with a 26-point scoring performance. Shawn Pepper (18) and Jerrell Burke (16) also scored in twin digits for the Orange and Black. The #8 seeded Falcons will host #9 seeded Norristown on Tuesday. The Eagles advanced to the second round with a 50-33 win over Ridley.
Kennent 16 13 16 22 - 67
Pennsbury Falcons 24 24 17 16 - 81
Bensalem (15-8) led by five at intermission as the Owls held on for a 56-44 opening round playoff victory over visiting Upper Darby (13-12). Bensalem had four players reach double figures as Leo Vincent led the team with 13 points. Davonte Newkirk (10) and Julian Hyden (10) also scored in twin digits for the Owls, while Deion Jones handed out five assists and netted five steals. The #12 seeded Owls will travel to #5 Wissahickon for a second round game on Tuesday. The Trojans bested Glen Mills 54-47 in their first round playoff action.
Upper Darby Royals 8 13 8 15 - 44
Bensalem Owls 11 15 12 18 - 56
The Rest of the Story in the District Playoffs for the SOL Continental Conference
Central Bucks West (21-2) opened up an 11-point first half lead as the Bucks gouged visiting West Chester East (12-11) – 46-36 – in the opening round of the district playoffs. Derek Dyer was the lone Buck in double digits with a team-high 11 points, while Tyler Schechter and Shane Kellar each scored eight points for CB West. The #4 seeded Bucks will host #13 Cheltenham on Tuesday in a second round game. The Panthers captured a 58-50 win over Upper Dublin in their first round contest.
West Chester East Patriots 7 4 11 14 - 36
Central Bucks West Bucks 13 9 9 15 - 46
The Rest of the Story in the District Playoffs
Chester won its opening round game as the Clippers routed Downingtown West – 66-27. Chester will now meet Methacton in the second round on Tuesday as the Warriors defeated Springfield (Delco) – 43-35.
Penn Wood won its opening round game as the Patriots collected a 76-47 victory over Spring-Ford. Penn Wood will square off against Coatesville in a second round game on Tuesday. The Raiders routed Truman 82-49 in their first round contest,
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