By Scott Huff
Saturday was a special day for the Hatboro-Horsham basketball program. And it had very little to do with the game between the Hatters and Germantown Academy.
The second annual Coach ‘O’ Classic – named for Hatter coach Walt “Ozzie” Ostrowski who died of cancer - involved events that took place throughout the day.
In the morning, there was a three-on-three basketball tournament that involved close to 150 players in grades four through seven. Then there was an alumni game in the afternoon, which was followed by the Hatboro-Horsham-Germantown Academy junior varsity and varsity games in the evening.
The proceeds from the daylong event went to the family of an eighth grade student who had an operation for a brain tumor and is undergoing treatments.
“This is a very special day for the players in our program,” said current Hatter coach Dennis Steinly. “There is some talk about expanding the event to include a couple of more teams and making it a two day tournament.
“Ozzie was just a great guy to be around,” continued Steinly who coached with Ostrowski from 1995-1999. “He always did things for the kids, and he always wanted them to have fun.
“I will always remember the travel to and from our tournaments,” added Steinly. “Ozzie had such great stories to tell.”
By the way, Hatboro-Horsham (3-3, 1-2) lost to Germantown Academy by a 56-36 score. But the Hatters left the building feeling like winners.
Rock Solid
Council Rock North (4-3, 3-1) rallied back from a 15-point deficit to defeat Neshaminy (2-3, 2-1). The comeback typified the Indian season to date.
“We started the season slow, but with the leadership from Dan Costello and Andrew Stress, we kept it together,” said CR North head coach Derek Wright. “When we fell behind Neshaminy, we just concentrated on defense and rebounding.
“Once we were able to get some stops, we were able to get out in transition,” continued Wright. “And we were able to hit some open three’s.”
Costello and Stress each hit a pair of 3-point field goals in the third period, while freshman point guard Aaron Morgan also banged in a trey.
“Morgan has played about 25 minutes a game for us,” said Wright. “He started him at the beginning of the season, and now he is the first or second guy off the bench.
“We have a talented freshmen class,” added Wright. “Arron Goodman (6-foot, 3-inch frosh) is averaging a double-double in points and rebounds, and both he and Morgan have shown that they can play at the varsity level.”
Council Rock North will host its own holiday tournament on December 29and 30. The Indians will host Bethlehem Liberty in the first round, while Central Bucks South (5-2, 3-1) will face St. Paul’s (Maryland) in the other first round game.
Vikings Sail To Victory
Upper Merion (1-7, 1-3) came up with its first victory of the year with a 53-45 Suburban One League American Conference win over Upper Moreland (1-4, 0-4).
“We are looking forward to turning the corner and winning games this season,” said Upper Merion coach Jonathan Groom prior to the start of the season.
Last year the Vikings finished the SOL American Conference season with a 1-13 record that included a conference win over Springfield.
Upper Merion ended its season with a 2-22 mark.
This season the Vikings hope to improve upon that record behind the leadership of junior Fran Rafferty. Other key players include junior Pat Bedford, junior Paul Kubler, and sophomore Dexter Bridge.
Upper Merion will continue its season in the Coatesville Tournament, which will be held on December 29and 30.
Who Are Those Guys?
Suburban One League teams are playing teams not only from out of the league, but also often from out of the state.
Bensalem (6-1, 3-1) earned a victory over Telecommunications High School from New York, 57-52. That game was hosted by Council Rock South High School.
Rock South (4-3, 2-2) also played a team from New York – Newtown High School. And the Golden Hawks also came out with a victory with a 52-35 win.
North Penn (3-4, 1-3) was a third team that played in the CR South PA/New York Challenge, and the Knights were the third team to emerge with a win over a New York high school. North Penn claimed a 68-58 victory over Automotive High School.
Both Norristown (5-1, 4-0) and Wissahickon (3-5, 1-3) went the Philadelphia Charter School route for its non-league action.
The Eagles suffered their first loss in 30 ‘regular’ season games with a 50-40 loss to Imhoptep Charter, while Wissahickon claimed a 66-50 victory over World Communications Charter.
A pair of Central Bucks schools also ventured to the Philadelphia area as CB East and CB West both emerged victorious.
CB East (5-0, 3-0) bested Engineering & Science by a 43-32 score to remain unbeaten, while CB West (5-1, 4-0) topped Girard College by a 60-52 margin.
Plymouth-Whitemarsh (6-2, 4-0) and Cheltenham (5-2, 4-0) also left the confines of the SOL for non-league opponents.
P-W routed Bayard Rustin 76-42, while the Panthers lost to powerful Penn Wood, 80-50.
One team that will escape the snow and ice of Pennsylvania will be the Pennsbury Falcons.
Pennsbury (3-0, 3-0) will play in the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. The Falcons will meet Fayette County (Georgia) in a first round game, and will play a total of four games in all.
Suburban One Sports.Com Fab Five
1. Pennsbury Falcons (3-0)
2. Plymouth-Whitemarsh Colonials (6-2)
3. Central Bucks East Patriots (5-0)
4. Norristown Eagles (5-1)
5. Bensalem Owls (6-1)
Central Bucks West Bucks (5-1)
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