Neshaminy, CB West & PW were winners Wednesday. Neshaminy/NP photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos. (Coach Mark Tingle 100th win photos provided by Neshaminy basketball)
Non-league
NESHAMINY 59, NORTH PENN 53
The Redskins had plenty of reasons to celebrate Wednesday, earning a come-from-behind win in their first home game of the season that also happened to be win number 100 of coach Mark Tingle’s career.
“It feels good,” the Redskins’ coach said. “It was nice to get it at home tonight – get it done, get it over with. I try not to worry about that. As long as our team is playing the right way, that’s all I care about it.”
Tingle’s team saved its best for last in this one as the Knights took an early 11-9 lead after one quarter and led 24-21 at halftime. North Penn led by as many as eight in the fourth quarter before the Redskins – behind the hot hand of Jason Gilardi – rallied for the win.
The Knights have been road warriors - Friday’s game was their fourth in five days, and all four were on the road. They will cap a stretch of five games in seven days when they host Wissahickon Friday.
Key stretch: The Redskins used an 18-point fourth quarter to earn the come-from-behind win.
Player of the game: Senior Jason Gilardi saved the day for the Redskins, scoring all 17 of his points in the second half.
Neshaminy coach Mark Tingle: “Credit goes to North Penn. They’re a very good team. We watched a couple of their films, and we knew it was going to be a tough game, which it was.
“We were down three at the half, and early in the third quarter, we got down as much as eight before we swung the other way, and then we were up the remainder of the game. We were up 10 before they hit a three at the end.
“It was a great game. We played hard. It was our first home game, and we had a lot of balanced scoring, which was great. Sharing the ball, which is key for us – we had four guys in double figures, six guys scoring, and not necessarily the guy who normally would score was our leading scorer, which is nice.
“As far as team rebounding, I thought we did a really good job. I don’t think they got many second chance points.
--Props: “Jason Gilardi had a huge, huge second half, scoring all 17 of his points in the second half. He had two fouls in the first quarter and didn’t play the rest of the first half. In the first couple of games, he didn’t do much scoring and doesn’t necessarily have to do a lot of scoring. It’s just that I know he’s capable of it, and obviously, we saw it. He hit a couple open 3s, he made perfect cuts to the basket, and our guys were finding him. It was nice to see him lead the team as a senior.”
--Getting defensive: “Their number 0 (Ahmaar Godhani) had 20 points, but it was a tough 20. I think we got him out of rhythm. We left him a couple of times where he hit three or four of the 3s because we just lost sight of him, but we were trying to really focus on him and see if everybody else could beat us. They had only five guys that were scoring. His 20 was a tough 20. I thought he did a great job of staying composed.”
--Picking up the slack: “We have injuries to two of our guards, one being a junior and one being a senior who would be in our rotation. Right now, our guys are stepping up. Eriq Gold stepped up tonight, but he’s been stepping up in our first three games. He hit the big (game-winning) shot at Holy Ghost. Tonight, it was definitely Shane West, who’s a senior. He had 10 points off the bench and did a great job.
North Penn coach Cordell Lord: “I think (coach Mark Tingle) did a great job with having them battle through all the ups and downs of the game. I thought we did a good job throughout the first three quarters. I think we gave away some easy looks in the fourth quarter that allowed them to get some energy.
“When they saw an opportunity to take advantage of, they did, and they did it twice – once in the third, and that put them up at the end of the third by one point (41-40). We were going back and forth in the fourth quarter, and then, they took advantage of a couple of our mistakes, and they hit some really timely shots, and that gave them a solid lead that they were able to maintain the rest of the game.
“Hats off to them for playing extremely hard. We have to just stay the course. It’s really early in the season, a lot of basketball left to play. We just have to turn the page and get ready for Friday against Wissahickon. It’s going to be our fifth game in seven days. We’re a little fatigued, and that plays a part of it. We have a young team, and they’re learning what it is to be a varsity basketball player. Our fifth game is our first home game, and there’s going to be a lot of people out. There’s a lot of excitement about the first game being back home this year, so we’re looking forward to finally able to go in our white jerseys and represent the home team and hopefully get back on the right track.”
Next up: Neshaminy (2-1) will travel to Central Bucks West for a non-league game Friday, and North Penn (2-2) will host Wissahickon on Friday.
North Penn 11-13-16-13 53
Neshaminy 9-12-20-18 59
North Penn (53) – Ahmaar Godhania 6 3-4 20; Lee Hammond 2 3-5 7; Gabe Altemus 1 3-4 6; Aiden Atkinson 4 4-6 12; Nolan Foust 3 0-0 8; TOTALS 16 13-19 53.
Nshaminy (59) – Eriq Gold 4 2-3 11; Logan Gale 5 1-2 12; Shane West 5 0-0 10; Cadenn Amati 1 1-2 3; Max Currie 2 2-3 6; Jason Gilardi 7 1-4 17; TOTALS 24 7-14 59.
3-point goals: NP – Ahmaar Godhani 5, Nolan Foust 2, Gabe Atkinson; N – Jason Gilardi 2, Eriq Gold, Logan Gale.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 57, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 44
The Indians led 13-9 after one quarter but saw that lead slip away in the second as the Bucks rallied to take a 25-22 lead into halftime. They took a five-point lead (38-33) into the fourth quarter when they outscored their hosts 19-11 for the win.
The two teams combined for 38 foul shots with each team taking 19. The Bucks buried 16 of 19 while the Indians connected on 14 of 19.
Foul shots were key down the stretch for the Bucks, who were 11-for-13 in the fourth quarter. Max Milillo was a perfect 4-for-4 in the frame and also had a pair of 3-pointers for 10 points in the fourth quarter.
For the Indians, Oliver Schaefer’s 15 points – which included three 3-pointers – led the way. Grady Burt added 11 points.
Key stretch: The Bucks outscored the Indians 32-22 in the second half, which included a 19-point fourth quarter.
Players of the game: Roman Kulesa (19 points) & Max Milillo (17 points) led the Bucks. They were a combined 10-for-10 at the charity stripe.
Central Bucks West coach Adam Sherman: “I thought we had a really strong second half. They were ahead in the first quarter, and in the second half of the second quarter, we made a nice little push. In the third quarter, we had really good energy.
--Props: “Max Milillo played really well. He had 19 and hit a lot of really big shots, he handled the ball well and made really good decisions with the ball, and I thought that was a big part of the win for us.
“Roman Kulesa had a great game. Their game plan was to stop Roman, so they were face guarding him all over the place. I thought he did a great job of handling it composure-wise and picked his spots very carefully. Defensively, he was very active.”
Up next: Central Bucks West (2-1) will host Neshaminy in a non-league game Friday, and Council Rock North (0-1) will host Constitution High School in a non-league game Saturday (1:30 pm).
Central Bucks West 9-16-13-19 57
Council Rock North 13-9-11-11 44
Central Bucks West (57) – Roman Kulesa 6 6-6 19; Max Mmilillo 5 4-4 17; Dan Pellegrini 0 1-2 1; Connor Chuo 2 2-3 6; Gavin Reichner 1 0-0 3; Isaiah Rubenstein 2 1-2 6; Colin Burkholder 0 2-2 2; Harry Myers 1 0-0 3; TOTALS 17 16-19 57.
Council Rock North (44) – Oliver Schaefer 3 6-6 15; Jack Curry 2 0-0 5; Josh Erman 2 0-0 6; Owen Crowne 0 1-2 1; Grady Burt 3 4-5 11; Grant Capozzoli 0 1-4 1; Dylan Kiefer 1 1-2 3; Andrew O’Keefe 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 12 13-19 44
3-point goals: CBW – Max Milillo 3, Roman Kulesa, Gavin Reichenr, Isaiah Rubenstein, Harry Myers; CRN – Oliver Schaefer 3, Josh Erman 2, Jack Curry, Grady Burt.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 59, METHACTON 54
The Colonials needed a late rally to eke out the non-league road win in Wednesday’s season opener.
It didn’t look as though they’d need any late-game heroics when – behind 13 points from Mani Sajid – the Colonials outscored their hosts 19-10 in the opening quarter. By halftime, the Warrior trimmed PW’s lead to 27-25. Methacton used a 16-10 third quarter to go into the final frame with a 41-37 advantage, and they extended that lead to eight before the Colonials – behind the inspired play of Terron Davis off the bench – rallied to earn the hard-fought win.
Three PW players finished in double figures – Mani Sajid (20), Terron Davis (11) and Michael Pereira (10).
Key stretch: The Colonials needed a 22-point fourth quarter to earn the come-from-behind win.
Players of the game: Mani Sajid’s 20-point effort led the Colonials & Terron Davis came off the bench to score all 11 of his points in the second half – seven in the pivotal fourth quarter.
Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Jim Donofrio: “It’s a tough opening game – you’re going to Methacton , and they’re extremely well coached. They have some new faces. They were in our spring league, but that doesn’t matter. They run really nice stuff with backdoor cuts. You try your best in two-and-half weeks of preseason. You have people talking about – you’re supposed to be pretty good, but they’re kids.
“We were just so excited – we’re getting too high up on the ball or we’re not getting up at all. We’re just a little bit too much caught up in the emotion of everything and combined with a team like Methacton that’s going to have a really good game plan, and you just try to survive.
“We were doing a whole lot wrong – getting beat backdoor constantly, which was a little disappointing. At some point, you have to adjust. Maybe on the 11th time you get beat backdoor, maybe that’s the time, maybe the 12th. I don’t know how many takes. We have really smart student-athletes, so that was a little scary that it could happen 12 times in a row. But okay, we’ll figure it out – we’re young.
“I just thought that we put so much into the emotion and excitement of the moment. In sports and all competition - basketball and any sport, you need about as much emotion as you’d have on a cake that has just enough icing. If you ever get that corner piece of icing at the wedding, you’re in a diabetic coma after that. You don’t need it, and that’s how we played. We played with emotion and fire, but we really weren’t thinking a whole lot, which is to be expected. They’re kids.”
--The comeback: “We’re down 48-40 with five minutes to go in the game, and Manny (Sajid) is out of the game. To be down by eight at their place with their nice fanbase and to just say – ‘Hey, let’s go crank it and go win it. Terron Davis came off the bench and bought into the idea that – I can just really rattle my guy and keep it contained. Next thing you know – Jack Hayes, Buddy Denard and the two big guys Michael (Pereira) and Micah (Thompson) just locked in and went from 48-40 in two minutes to up by one. So, it was a great lesson game, a great film game.
“Let’s face facts – for all the strategy you do, if you have big heart, you’ll be in every game, and the kids showed great heart, great heart. Their heads were a little down with five minutes to go in the fourth, and plenty of teams have been there before. We’ve been down more than that with two minutes to go. Eight points is nothing if you have the right approach, and the kids showed the right approach led by Terron Davis. It was terrific.”
--Sajid in spotlight: “Manny Sajid had an unbelievable summer. He’s blown up. He’s got to learn what that means. They did exactly what I thought they would. They face guarded, they picked him up at 90 feet, they tried to get in his head, so he’s got a learning curve because he’s such a talented kid.
“If you really want to reach the promised land in anything – as soon as people start praising you, get ready for a whole lot of competition. He’s got to start thinking three steps ahead now. He’s got offers from a lot of places, and everybody knows you. Social media is a blessing and a curse. You’re not sneaking up on anybody.
“He was brilliant in the first quarter. He was emotionally high – we all were, and I’m sure Methacton kids were too. We play with so much energy I told them at halftime – ‘It’s like when the defensive linemen in football over pursue the quarterback on the outside, and he gets a 20-yard run. You’ve got to maintain discipline.
“(Sajid) is going to get pushed and probed and trash talked to and everything they can to get under his skin, and you have to hope that some nights officials are going to say that’s not allowed – all the 90 feet of shoving and grabbing and holding, and other nights they’re going to let it go. He's got to expect it to happen. You have to develop a little bit of poise, and he’ll get there. He’s a brilliant player and a heck of a talent, and he’ll figure it out.”
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-0) will face Neuman-Goretti in a non-league game Saturday in the Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic at the 6th Man Center in Philadelphia (3:30 pm).
Plymouth Whitemarsh 19-8-10-22 59
Methacton 10-15-16-13 54
Plymouth Whitemarsh (59) – Jack Hayes 1 2-4 4; Terron Davis 5 1-2 11; Mani Sajid 6 4-4 20; Michael Pereira 5 0-1 10; Buddy Denard 0 8-10 8; Caleb Bridgeman 1 0-0 2; Micah Thompson 2 0-0 4; TOTALS 20 15-21 59.
Methacton (54) – Ben Depaul 1 0-0 2; Henry Goldstein 1 0-0 3; Mason Conrad 3 0-0 6; Jack Lineen 6 3-3 17; Sal Iemello 5 1-1 11; John Bradford 3 0-1 7; Lucas Leckerman 1 0-2 2; Wes Robinson 2 0-0 4; Jahmir Carter 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 23 4-7 54.
3-point goals: PW – Mani Sajid 4; M – Jack Lineen 2, Henry Goldstein, John Bradford.
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