They are young and inexperienced, and no one anywhere had particularly high expectations for a North Penn squad with just one senior on its roster.
But a funny thing happened.
The Knights started winning basketball games, and as the season approaches the midway point, North Penn finds itself in the thick of the hunt in the topsy-turvy world that is the Continental Conference.
On Friday night, North Penn will host Central Bucks South. Both teams are 3-2 in league play, and both find themselves in a four-way tie for second place – one game behind conference leader Quakertown.
“I knew eventually we would end up winning, but I didn’t know exactly at what point,” North Penn junior Matthew Possanza said. “I have been a little surprised that it’s come this early.”
The tone for the Knights’ season might well have been established in their season opener when they caught the attention of just about everyone with a win over Council Rock South.Not because they won but rather because of the way they won, downing the Golden Hawks 21-20 with Possanza scoring 19 of North Penn’s points.
“Winning that first game was a good confidence booster,” Possanza said. “We didn’t really know what to expect at that point, and getting that win showed us some potential, and that has helped us.”
The Knights have won five of their last seven games, including a pair of huge wins last week over Souderton (54-52) and Central Bucks West (51-50).
“We were looking to get just a good foothold this season with the underclassmen and use it to get into the playoffs and get some experience,” second-year coach Ron Hassler said. “I think everyone was looking forward to next year.
“I have been in this situation before where sometimes it happens a year early. Right now, it’s not a guarantee that we will play well every night.”
The Knights’ inexperience surfaced in a 45-33 loss to Quakertown on Tuesday. The Knights trailed by just two at halftime (21-19) but watched the Panthers open the second half with an 8-0 run.
“We rushed our offense, and things got sloppy,” Possanza said. “We didn’t execute, and we got a little anxious when things weren’t going well.
“We started off the second half – we didn’t look like we were ready to play, and that’s when they took the game.”
That loss makes Friday night’s game against the Titans loom even larger for the Knights.“Look at what we did last week – we won two good games, and things were going well for us,” Possanza said. “We went to Quakertown, and everything seemed to change.
“This is our redemption game, make sure we get our focus going again. It’s a big game.”
Like North Penn, Central Bucks South entered the season with limited expectations. The Titans, after all, graduated seven key seniors from last year’s Continental Conference championship squad, including conference MVP Will Barrett, who is playing at Princeton.
Senior captains Mike Pincus and Nick Joerger were the lone returning players with any varsity experience.
“I knew from the get-go it was a little tough for them because they were used to the success of last year,” coach Jason Campbell said.
The Titans experienced success in summer league but stumbled out of the gate to a 1-3 start.
“One of the things we wanted to refocus on was being a team, putting your ego aside, playing for one another, and whether you’re getting a lot of minutes or a little bit of minutes, supporting the guys who are on the court playing and representing your team,” Campbell said.
The Titans’ coach gave his players an ultimatum – refocus or he would start looking ahead toward next year.
“I think the guys decided – let’s be committed to one another, play for each other and win basketball games, and that’s what we’ve been doing,” Campbell said.
Like the Knights, the Titans have won five of their last seven games, including wins over Souderton (56-49) and Central Bucks West (58-47).“I feel like everyone is fitting their roles now and understanding what it takes to win,” Joerger said. “The team is coming together now.”
The senior captain admits his role has changed this season.
“It’s totally different,” he said. “Instead of waiting for someone else to step up, everyone is looking for you to step up. Every day in practice, you have to set the example for the rest of the team.”
The Titans will face a North Penn squad that relies on its matchup zone to create problems defensively and exercises immense patience on offense.
“Most coaches don’t really care how many passes there are before a shot, but he (Hassler) wants us to have at least seven passes before we shoot,” Possanza said. “He believes that a defense doesn’t want to play for more than 30 seconds, and if you keep passing the ball, there will eventually be a break, and that’s where we attack. It slows up the game.”
It also creates a lot of low-scoring games, but that’s just fine with Hassler, who is pleased with his team’s progress.
“The biggest thing is they worked hard in the offseason, and they’re listening,” the second-year coach said. “That’s probably our biggest advantage – they listen real well, they’re buying into what we’re doing, and they trust us.
“I went into this year thinking if we could get a couple of wins early and we got some experience and confidence and built off of that, we could be there at the end. Right now, on any given night, the team that pays more attention to detail is going to win. If you have an off night, you’re not going to win.”
Possanza, who is averaging 16 points a game, is the undisputed go-to player for the Knights.
“He has been very solid,” Hassler said. “He really has been our main leader, leading by example.”
Sophomore point guard Wes Brooks averages close to eight points a game and directs the offense.
“Wes has really stepped up,” Hassler said. “We were concerned about his inexperience running a team, and you always want to be careful who you’re handing the keys to the Cadillac to. He has done a real good job.
“He’s the kind of kid you tell him one time, and you don’t have to tell him again. He’s going to be a good one, and his experience is growing every game.”
Joerger figures the Titans will have their hands full on Friday night.“Possanza is having a great year and scoring a lot of points, and the Brooks’ brother (Wes and Sean) can shoot,” the Titans’ senior captain said. “They’re tough to defend. They’re big, and they rebound.
“The conference is crazy this year – anyone can beat anybody on any given night, and it’s just a battle every night. No one knows who’s going to come out on top.”
Campbell credits Joerger (10 points, 7 rebounds) and Pincus (11 points, 4 rebounds) for leading the inexperienced Titans.
“We’re trying to get the other seniors to buy into what we’re trying to do,” Campbell said. “We have a couple of sophomores on our team, and someone has to lead by example.
“If your seniors are positive – whether they’re playing two minutes or 32 minutes, it makes a difference and has a ripple down effect. They’re definitely buying into it.”
Tip-off for Friday night’s game is 7 p.m. at North Penn.
Just the Facts
Last year’s record: Central Bucks South 12-2 SOL, Continental Conference champion (22-7 overall), North Penn 5-9 SOL (12-13 overall)
This year’s record: Central Bucks South 3-2 SOL (6-5 overall); North Penn 3-2 SOL (6-4 overall)
Last meeting: February 3, 2009 – Central Bucks South 56, North Penn 45 (CB South: Mike Doty – 19 points, Will Barrett – 12 points; North Penn: Adam Jones – 8 points; Max Resnick – 7 points, Derek Brooks – 7 points)
Last game: Central Bucks South 58, Central Bucks West 47 (Nick Joerger – 14 points, Mike Pincus – 14 points; Steve Schneider – 10 points; Eddie Bieker – 7 points; Sean Kummer – 6 points; Joe Maher – 3 points; Justin Policare – 2 points; Matt Johns – 2 points)
Quakertown 45, North Penn 33 (T.J. Gill – 10 points; Taylor Koffke – 6 points; Thomas Scott – 5 points; Sheldon Stephens – 4 points; Wes Brooks – 3 points; Sean Brooks – 2 points; Connor Silhanek – 2 points; Matthew Possanza – 1 point)
North Penn
Projected starters and season averages:
#10 – Wes Brooks (5-9, Soph.) 7.5 PPG
#20 – T.J. Gill (6-0, Sr.) 5 PPG
#23 – Matthew Possanza (6-4, Jr.) 16 PPG
#22 – Sean Brooks (5-10, Jr.) or #12 – Taylor Koffke (5-11, Jr.)
#31 Conner Silhanek (6-5, Jr.) or #43 – Thomas Scott (6-6, Jr.)
The rest of the Knights:
#11 – Javi Alvarino (6-2, Soph.)
#14 – Blair Alston (6-1, Jr.)
#21 – Tyler Houpt (5-11, Jr.)
#24 – Dexter Shy (6-2, Jr.)
#35 – Gerard Wendowski (6-2, Jr.)
#44 – Janeus Somers (6-5, Jr.)
#45 – Sheldon Stephens (6-3, Soph.)
Central Bucks South
Project starters and season averages:
#3 – Steve Schneider (5-10, Jr., G) 5 PPG, 1 steal
#5 – Sean Kummer (6-1, Sr., F) 5 PPG, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
#10 – Justin Policare (5-11, Sr., G) 3 PPG
#22 – Mike Pincus (6-1, Sr., G) 11 PPG, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2.5 steals
#34 – Nick Joerger (6-3, Sr., F/C) 10 PPG, 7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1 steal
The rest of the Titans:
#13 – Brian Doyle (6-2, Sr., F)
#15 – Dan Brown (5-9, Soph., G)
#23 – Joe Maher (5-9, Sr., G)
#24 – Eddie Bieker (6-1, Jr., G/F)
#33 – John Staman (5-11, Jr., G)
#44 – Matt Johns (6-4, Soph., F/C)
#45 – Dan Eichorn (6-0, Jr., F)
#55 – Sean Gorman (6-8, Sr., C)
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