Plymouth Whitemarsh was the lone SOL team to survive Saturday’s opening round of the PIAA 6A Tournament. PW/Lebanon photos provided courtesy of Larry Small, and Abington/CD East photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for galleries of both games…CLICK HERE.
#3-6 CENTRAL DAUPHIN EAST 64, #1-1 ABINGTON 63 (OT)
By Scott Huff
It’s All Over…
Bensalem – The amazing dream season for the Suburban One League and District One champion Abington Ghosts came to a nightmarish conclusion in the opening round of the PIAA Class 6-A state championship tournament. The Maroon and White saw its season come to a bitter close in a stunning 64-63 overtime loss to Central Dauphin East.
Abington (24-5) played its very best basketball for the first 18 minutes and 30 seconds to assume a seemingly safe 15-point lead (40-25) with 5:30 left in the third period against the feisty sixth place seed from District 3.
The Ghosts used the splendid talents of 6-foot, 8-inch sophomore Eric Dixon, who punished CD East inside the paint. Dixon would score 21 of his game high 31 points as Abington manufactured the 15-point lead.
But the tenacious Panthers (18-9) refused to go away and caused an atypical flurry of Ghost turnovers and missed free throws in the final period-plus to send the game into overtime.
“When we got the 15-point lead, the guys wanted to go up 20, 25 points and put them away,” said Abington head coach Charles Grasty. “We began to play some uncharacteristic basketball – we took some bad shots, turned the ball over far too many times, and missed some crucial free throws.
“They went on that 9-0 run to get back in the game – and maybe I should have tried to slow them down by calling a timeout,” added Grasty as the comfortable 40-25 lead became a tenuous 40-34 lead. “But we have played through those pressure parts of the game all season. Give some credit to Central Dauphin – they are a good team.
“We were the team making the big plays at the right time for the last month or so,” continued Grasty. “But we didn’t make those plays today.”
Abington entered the game on an impressive nine-game winning streak – collected trophies for both the SOL and District One titles – and had not lost a game for 44 days dating back to a nonleague loss to Cheltenham.
The Ghosts, though, were painfully unimpressive over the final 13 minutes and 30 seconds of regulation and four minutes of overtime. Abington made just four of its last 12 shots from the free throw line and turned the ball over 15 times after building the 15-point lead.
“We wanted to get the ball into Eric late in the game,” said Grasty. “But when you turn the ball over, you don’t get the chance to get the ball inside.
“We had a good season and we are still very young,” added Grasty. “I just feel really bad for our seniors.”
Abington will return three of its starters in the powerful Dixon, junior sharpshooter Robbie Heath (19 points), and sophomore guard Lucas Monroe.
Gone will be senior captains Rob Young and Joseph O’Brien.
“I was shocked at the way we finished the game,” said Young who was a perfect 4-4 from the line in scoring his four points. “I really felt like we were the better team.
“I really wasn’t expecting this to be the way the season was going to end,” added Young. “This was a great group of guys to play with, and I will always have their friendship.”
“We are a family, and this is hard,” said O’Brien with his red eyes rimmed with tears. “The players coming back next season will learn from this game – they will continue to grow and mature.”
“We will take a couple of weeks off, and then we get ready for next year,” shrugged Grasty. “These kids we have coming back really love to play basketball.”
Maybe it isn’t all over.
EXTRA POINTS: Dixon, who connected on 11-of-19 shots from the field, also had a team high 11 rebounds to finish with yet another double-double. He closed out an impressive sophomore year with 566 points, breaking the previous Abington record for points in a sophomore season set by Richard Wright (1972-73)…Heath added six rebounds and four steals, and O’Brien had nine rebounds and three blocks. He had 72 blocks on the season. Monroe had three steals and five assists, and Young had four assists…the Ghosts were 20-for-47 from the field, 0-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Abington Ghosts 12 20 15 12 4 * 63
Central Dauphin East 14 8 17 20 5 * 64
Abington: Eric Dixon 11 9-11 31; Robbie Heath 5 9-17 19; Joseph O’Brien 2 1-4 5; Rob Young 0 4-4 4; Lucas Monroe 2 0-0 4. Totals 21 23-36 63.
CD East: Justin Henry 6 0-3 17; Evan Chandler 5 6-9 17; Brennan Jackson 5 0-2 10; Jordan Mccraw 1 3-4 5; DJ Cooper 3 0-0 6; Jaylen Hawthorne 1 0-0 3; Terry Danner 1 1-1 3; Jordan Gillis 1 0-0 3. Totals 23 10-17 64.
3-point field goals: Henry (5); Hawthorne; J. Gillis; Chandler.
#1-3 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 80, #3-4 LEBANON 64
In the world of competitive sports, it’s all about preparation. And being ready when the opportunity presents itself.
With that in mind, coach Jim Donofrio held a four-hour practice on Friday to prepare for his team’s state opener against Lebanon.
“It’s just been a team that has to put a lot of time in because there are so many guys that could contribute,” the Colonials’ coach said. “A lot of them haven’t gotten big opportunities.
“I think it’s a little fascinating that in a state tournament game Danny Cooper, who has waited patiently all season, the prototypical point guard, can just go in and play an entire half and control the game. It’s great. I’m so happy for him.”
Cooper answered the call when foul trouble sent starters Ahmad Williams and Ish Horn to the bench. The junior point guard’s time spent working at practice with the blue team – the bench squad – prepared him well.
“We just stick together and work as hard as possible to make the red team better for the game,” Cooper said. “Usually my time comes when we’re in foul trouble, but I just stay ready, every day in practice work hard.”
Cooper was the floor general in a fourth quarter that saw the Colonials turn a seven-point lead into a 16-point win. The junior point guard, who finished with five points, buried a clutch three, but it was the Colonials’ ability to break the press that was the difference maker.
“We really moved the ball well,” Cooper said. “We didn’t wait for traps. We swung it quickly and we just worked together, got our big man some dunks at the end.”
The Colonials’ big man – sophomore Naheem McLeod – had a field day in the quarter, scoring 11 of his 17 points in the frame. Evoking one of the biggest responses from the Colonial fans was his soft finish on a lob by Kareem Breeden that put PW on top 66-50.
“We’ve had trouble all year, for some reason, breaking presses,” Donofrio said. “It should be what it was today – Naheem at the end doing his dunks with no jumping.
“I’m happy for the kids. We put a lot of expectations on them, and sometimes you just have to be happy for what that was (today) with so many kids contributing.”
Also in the fourth quarter, Breeden added seven points and Kevin Tilghman had five, underscoring the Colonials’ depth.
“You’re trying to figure a team out, and we’re parallel down to 11 guys,” Donofrio said. “If it was an NBA season, maybe everyone would get their moments, but once you’re locked into something and you’re successful, you’ve got to teach 11 guys who can all play multiple positions. With that, you practice a long time.
“Then all of a sudden you put in Kareem (Breeden), Kevin Tilghman, Danny Cooper, (Matt) Walker and Naheem (McLeod) and you still run everything fluently – maybe they won’t yell at me when we go five hours on Monday.”
Donofrio lauded Cooper’s approach to his role on the team.
“He’s very persistent, staying with it and taking criticism and being patient when probably he deserved more, which he did and does,” the Colonials’ coach said. “To his credit, that’s terrific.
“That’s what I tell these guys – you could have the most frustrating season, yet your memories down the road, you won’t remember how long you sat or didn’t sit if you do something great in a game. In a state game, that’s a great memory to always have. It doesn’t have to be 5,000 minutes. Before this game, Coop might say, ‘Man, this is getting old,’ but now you’re refreshed.”
The Colonials – who sent Lebanon home in the opening round of states last year – raced out of the gate to a double-digit lead and still led 22-15 after one quarter. Cheo Houston’s eight points led the way. Walker added six. PW still led by seven at halftime and took a 50-43 lead into the fourth quarter when they 
erupted for 30 points.
“I’m just happy for the kids,” Donofrio said. “You want to go back to Ahmad and Ish, but you’re stretching the lead, and that’s what basketball is.
“You’ve waited all year for this opportunity and we’re up eight – look at this, we’re up 16. I’m bright enough to know that’s a good thing. Be happy for your teammates because they were terrific, and that gives them more confidence.”
McLeod and Walker led the Colonials with 15 points each. Houston finished with 13 while Horn added eight and Breeden seven.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (25-4, 14-0 SOL) will face District 11 champion Pocono Mountain West in a second round game on Wednesday. Pocono Mountain defeated Lower Merion 71-57 in an opening round game.
Lebanon 15-14-14-21 64
Plymouth Whitemarsh 22-14-14-30 80
Lebanon (64) – Shaquell Ortiz 7 8-10 23; Phillip Hillesheim 1 0-0 2; Dante Vargas 3 2-4 10; Camryn Shaak 1 1-2 4; Jessy Martinez 1 0-0 2; Luis Aquino-Rios 7 4-6 20; Sebastian Sierra 1 0-0 2; Jahlil Young 0 1-2 1; Totals 21 16-24 64.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (80) – Ish Horn 2 4-5 8; Kevin Tilghman 2 1-2 5; Kareem Breeden 2 3-7 7; Naheem McLeod 5 5-9 15; Danny Cooper 2 0-0 5; Matt Walker 5 2-3 15; Cheo Houston 5 2-4 13; Ahmad Williams 1 3-5 5; Jason Paul 1 0-0 3; Alan Glover 2 0-0 4; Totals 27 20-35 80.
3-point field goals: Walker, Cooper, Houston, Paul, Aquino-Rios 2, Vargas 2, Ortiz, Shaak.
#11-4 EMMAUS 68, #1-4 CHELTENHAM 67
The Panthers came up just short in their bid to move on, but coach John Timms had nothing but good things to say about his team’s effort.
“I was more proud than upset,” Timms said. “Given how we played in our semifinal at Temple, I didn’t think we played Cheltenham basketball.
“I was proud of the fact that we bounced back and played Cheltenham-type basketball, so you can always accept losing if you gave maximum and you played your style of basketball. We knew we would have our hands full, and we would have to play an excellent game to beat Emmaus. We came one point shy, but this loss feels way better than Temple because we lost playing basketball the Cheltenham way.”
Junior Jack Clark turned in a glittering 32-point effort that included three three-pointers. He also had 11 rebounds. Junior Ahmad Bickley added 20 points and eight assists in a standout effort of his own.
“Ahmad did a great job on Dave (Kachelries) because he’s their leading scorer,” Timms said of the NJIT recruit who finished with 19 points. “He took a lot of shots for those 19 points.
“Heading into states, we said to the juniors – ‘This is your team because the seniors, when they lose, they’re done, so you have to start taking the leadership now.’ I was proud that Ahmad and Jack played the way they played because it gives us a lot to look forward to.”
The Panthers trailed 17-10 after one quarter but knotted the score 33-33 at halftime. They took a three-point lead into the fourth quarter, and they were in the game until the final whistle.
“We had three starters foul out,” Timms said. “Those kids did not quit today. They gave so much. It was like they won even though they didn’t win.
“We finished the game with a freshman on the floor for the last four minutes of the game. He hasn’t played (varsity) all year. He just moved up in the playoffs.”
With less than two minutes remaining and the Panthers trailing by two, freshman Brandon Scott stepped to the foul line and buried a pair of shots.
“I was so proud of the kid,” Timms said. “I love that moment because I know how that kid felt in that moment.”
Cheltenham closed out its season with a 19-8 record (11-3 SOL).
“We have to continue to work hard in order to get to this point next season,” Timms said. “States is not a given. Just because we got here this year and we got kids returning, it’s not automatic that we’ll get there next year.
“I’m walking in the moment, and I want these guys to walk in the moment because when they get to be 40 years old they appreciate the season that they had.”
Cheltenham 10-23-15-19 67
Emmaus 17-16-12-23 68
Cheltenham (67) – Trevonn Pitts 0 4-4 4; Ahmad Bickley 6 5-7 20; Jack Clark 10 9-12 32; Tim Myrick 0 1-2 1; Rodney Carson 1 0-0 2; Kyin Healy 3 0-0 6 Brandon Scott 0 2-2 2; Totals 20 21-27 67.
Emmaus (68) – Matt Kachelries 8 4-6 24; David Kachelries 7 3-4 19; Daryn Lewis 1 0-0 3; Josh Artis 2 2-4 6; Zach Sabol 7 2-7 16; Totals 25 11-21 68.
3-point field goals: Bickley 3, Clark 3, M.Kachelries 4, D.Kachelries 2, Lewis.
#3-3 READING 58, #1-5 NORTH PENN 45
Saturday’s state opener started out on a promising enough note for the Knights. Ricky Johns scored six points while AJ Mitchell, Chris Coleman, Reece Udinski and David Giuliani each buried a three-pointer to spot the Knights an 18-12 lead.
The Red Knights turned the tables in the second quarter with a 22-5 tear to go into halftime with a 34-23 lead. Reading led the rest of the way.
“All year we’ve won by playing up tempo, we’ve won by trying to increase the tempo, and we continued to do that today,” coach John Conrad said. “To be honest, Reading is just better at it than we are.
“We just wanted to keep doing what got us there, and that second quarter really did us in. We just played so fast, the tempo was hectic. They were able to convert big shots, and we were not able to convert big shots.”
Mitchell’s 10 points led the Knights while Derek Heiserman and Johns had eight each. Udinski added seven.
Conrad bids farewell to nine seniors from a squad that clinched sole possession of the program’s first conference title since the Knights shared as tri-champs in 2013-14.
“My biggest concern going into this year was – can I keep all nine seniors happy,” the Knights’ coach said. “Kids like Jason Prince and Mike Ward – that’s what I think about.”
Ward was cut from the team last year but came out and made the team this year.
“Jason Prince came to me at the beginning of the year and said, ‘Coach, I’m probably not going to play much, but I just want to be around the group.’
“Kids like (Derek) Heiserman and (Noah) Kwortnick. They were a team-first group. How rare is it for not only one kid to be that way, but I feel like we had nine kids that were team first, and that’s what I’m going to miss most. Just the thought of not seeing these guys on Monday has really got me down in terms of not so much the loss but not being around them because they’re great kids. They really taught me so much about being part of a team and being part of a family.”
The Knights benefitted from having several multi-sport athletes on their roster.
“You want those multi-sport athletes because they’re tough, they compete and they’ve been in the fire,” Conrad said. “I think that’s what Reece and Ricky and Noah and Nate (O’Donnell) bring to us.
“You get a couple of kids like David Giuliani, who specializes in basketball – it’s a great group of kids and really a great group of families. We had tremendous support. Everyone was all-in, not just players but their families.”
North Penn closed out the season with a 21-7 record (11-1 SOL).
“It was a great year,” Conrad said. “It’s just been an unbelievable experience and a lot of fun to be around the kids and around the families. That’s what makes it so difficult and tough to deal with.”
North Penn 18-5-10-12 45
Reading 12-22-16-8 58
North Penn (45) – Lance Ford 1 0-0 2; AJ Mitchell 4 0-1 10; Ricky Johns 3 2-4 8; Chris Coleman 1 0-0 3; Reece Udinski 2 2-2 7; David Giuliani 2 0-2 5; Derek Heiserman 4 0-0 8; Noah Kwortnick 1 0-0 2; Totals 18 4-9 45.
Reading (58) – Hector Dixon 1 1-2 3; Xavier Starks 1 0-0 2; Wesley Butler 2 2-2 6; Lonnie Walker 5 3-4 15; Tyrone Nesby 6 0-0 17; Isiah Cook 2 7-7 11; Tymir Comfort 2 0-0 4; Totals 19 13-15 58.
3-point field goals: Nesby 5, Walker 2, Mitchell 2, Coleman, Udinski, Giuliani.
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