Council Rock North was looking forward to celebrating Senior Night at Friday’s game against Bensalem.
Senior Night has been postponed – thanks to the threat of an impending winter storm. The game has not. The start time, however, has been pushed ahead to 5:30 p.m.
“That takes away a little bit but not too much because it’s definitely one of the bigger games,” Rock North senior Tim Filer said. “We want to win out to win our league, and it’s good to have a home game.”
The Indians will host a red hot Owl squad that has won eight straight since suffering back-to-back losses to Rock North (62-57) and Neshaminy (57-38).
“After that loss to Neshaminy, we took that as ‘We can’t let that happen again,’” Bensalem senior Nick Christian said. “We just started applying what the coaches were preaching – moving the ball, defense and just being there for one another.
“The whole season we’ve been preaching family, and that’s what we say in our huddle, ‘1-2-3. Family’ because essentially that’s what your teammates are. You’re with them more than you are with your family. They become your family, and that’s what we’ve been preaching, and it’s really showing on the court.”
The Indians have been on a bona fide roll since losing three straight in December, winning 13 of 14 games and sharing the National Conference’s top spot with Neshaminy.
The secret to the Indians’ dramatic turnaround?
“I think our focus is much better,” coach Derek Wright said. “When we have a plan in place of what we need to do to win, our focus is much better in attempting to execute that on the floor. I think we’re taking advantage of our size much better than earlier in the year.”
Size is something this Indian squad has plenty of this season with a starting lineup that feature forwards who measure in at 6-5, 6-5 and 6-4 (John Raymon, Charlie Anastasi and Arron Goodman) and a 6-3 guard in Andrew Stress.
“We’re not a program that’s really used to having a size advantage,” Wright said. “Our program is built a lot on making sure we have guys who handle the ball well and shoot the ball well from the perimeter, so even as coaches, we had to adjust a little bit to our strength, and the players had to as well.
“With having a lot of guys coming back and also some fresh faces, it takes a while to mesh it all together.”
The Indians’ size is a concern to Bensalem coach John Mullin.
“We have to win the boards,” the Owls’ coach said. “When you’re on the road, you have to win the boards.”
“Rebounds are key,” Christian agreed. “Council Rock is probably the biggest team in our league. They’re going to get their shots up, and we’re going to have to play our characteristic defense, and the key is the boards.”
Point guard Aaron Morgan is the player that ignites the Indians.
“Morgan is a key kid with his penetration,” Mullin said. “He finds his spots.”
The sophomore point guard is getting plenty of help from his teammates. In Tuesday’s win over Neshaminy, Anastasi had a double-double.
“He also had five assists,” Wright said. “He’s been really consistent.”
Anastasi buried a pair of foul shots with four seconds remaining to seal the 64-60 win over the Redskins.
“That was great,” Filer said. “We knew coming into that game that they were going to bring it to us because it was their home floor, and we had already beaten them.
“We were one starter down (Andrew Stress), and so we all stepped up and picked each other up in the defensive aspect of the game. We played good defense and made our foul shots at the end for the win.”
In the absence of Stress, Filer was thrust into a starting role.
“He’s done a real nice job for us,” Wright said. “Normally, he comes off the bench and has given us a big spark. He did a great job defensively and made some key plays in the second half for us.”
According to Filer, it took some time for the Indians to develop chemistry this season.
“At the beginning of the season, we lost our first two league games, which really hurt, and we weren’t happy about that,” Filer said. “It was hard because we had guys coming from football, and it takes a little bit of time to jell together.
“We’re playing better as a team during this winning streak. We’re learning each other’s skills and knowing what we can do with the ball and off the ball, and that helps a lot. We’re playing as a team now.”
The Owls also have found their stride in recent weeks, rebounding from a 5-5 start to win eight straight. Patience, according to Christian, has been the key.
“Early in the season, we knew we had the talent, but we were kind of ahead of ourselves,” he said. “Guys weren’t patient.
“We were going to the rim at the wrong time, we were gambling for steals at the wrong time, but as the season went on, we started to learn each other’s roles, and the chemistry started to pick up.”
Mullin admits he was disappointed to see his team go 5-5 out of the gate.
“Looking back, we only had Nick (Christian) who had significant varsity minutes,” the Owls’ coach said. “It was probably me expecting too much too soon.
“They have all been working hard at practice, and they’re getting better each game. We have a lot of weapons, and now they’re playing the way I thought we would be playing early in the year.”
According to Christian, it was the Owls’ 63-51 win over Holy Ghost Prep that turned the tide.
“That was a test,” he said. “We had seen them play, and we knew the caliber of players they had.
“We just wanted to come out and play basketball. We were coming off a game against Truman where all of our guys were beat up. We came out and controlled the whole game. We played Bensalem basketball. We knew we could play at a high level. We knew we had what it takes to play.”
While Christian is the Owls’ undisputed go-to player, other players are making important contributions as well.
“Liam Kirgan has helped us,” Mullin said. “He was a reluctant offensive player when we started, but he can shoot the ball.
“He started making some shots, and teams are starting to key on him, and everything else opens up.
“Ivan Flores was slow out of the gate, but we stuck with him, and he’s starting to pay dividends now.”
Chris McMullin has been giving valuable minutes off the bench for 6-7 center Calvin Brown. An unsung hero on the team is Alex Agyedu, who led the Owls in scoring in their win over Truman on Tuesday.
“He’s playing good defense and rebounding,” Mullin said.
In the end, however, the player who makes it happen for the Owls is Christian.
“Nick is the catalyst,” Mullin said. “He is the man. He has been for three years now, and he knows it’s not going to go on forever, and I don’t think he wants it to end any sooner than it has to.”
While the Indians enter the game with an 8-3 mark, the Owls are just one game behind at 7-4.
“At the end of practice, I said, ‘Listen, we started this in April, and you worked hard to get to this point. Not many teams are in this position. It’s something to be proud of. Don’t let it slip away,’” Mullin said. “We’re working hard each and every drill at practice. I am very proud of them. “
The Owls appear to be peaking at just the right time.
“That’s how we want it to be at the end of the season – we want to be hot,” Christian said. “Last year we were 18-7, and we kind of limped into the playoffs. We weren’t playing our best basketball going into February.
“That’s what we want to do right now. We want to be playing our best basketball going into February and early March. Right now, guys are playing together. Coming into the season, the guys were young, but we’ve got a couple of games under our belts, and we have the experience that we need.
“We’ve come in and taken care of business and we put ourselves in a position where we’re playing for one or maybe two home games in the playoffs and potentially a championship. As a senior, it’s really what I wanted.”
The Indians are in a position where they can control their own destiny.
“We told them last night – this is why you practice, this is why you work out in the offseason, this is why you have your morning lifts,” Wright said. “Winning doesn’t determine your success, but the reason why you do the work is because you want to win.
“I think our players realize that. I think they’re enjoying the moment but also respecting who we play every night and hopefully being humble, knowing that it can change at any moment.”
Tip-off for Friday’s game is at 5:30 p.m.
“Bensalem is playing as well as anybody,” Wright said. “It should be fun.”
Just the facts
Last year’s record: Council Rock North 13-10, Bensalem 18-7
This year’s record: Council Rock North 8-3 SOL (15-4 overall), Bensalem 7-4 SOL (13-5 overall)
Last meeting: Jan. 12, 2010 – Council Rock North 62, Bensalem 57
Last game: Council Rock North 64, Neshaminy 60 (John Raymon – 14 points; Charlie Anastasi – 14 points; Arron Goodman – 10 points; Aaron Morgan – 10 points; Tim Filer – 6 points; Matt McCloskey – 6 points)
Bensalem 58, Harry S. Truman 51 (Alex Agyedu – 15 points; Nick Christian – 13 points; Ivan Flores – 12 points; Calvin Brown – 9 points; Liam Kirgan – 7 points; Lee Richlin – 2 points)
Council Rock North
Projected starters and season averages (through Jan. 29, 2010)
#5 –Aaron Morgan (5-10, Soph., PG) 9.2 PPG, 2.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists
#10 – John Raymon (6-5, Jr., F) 8.8 PPG, 6.5 rebounds
#22 - Arron Goodman (6-4, Soph., F) 11.9 PPG, 6.0 rebounds
#23 – Charlie Anastasi (6-5, Jr., F) 8.2 PPG, 6.8 rebounds
#24 – Andrew Stress (6-3, Sr., G) 6.3 PPG, 2.3 rebounds, 1.1 steal
The rest of the Indians:
#2 – Matt McCloskey (6-0, Soph., G) 2.6 PPG, 1.1 steal
#3 – Liam Kane (5-10, Jr., G)
#4 – Kevin Bogucki (6-1, Jr., G)
#15 – Jordan Chernin (5-10, Soph., G)
#21 – Nick Donofy (6-2, Sr., G)
# 32 – Ty Bostain (6-5, Sr., F) 2.5 PPG, 1.6 rebounds
#40 - Bill McAlister (6-1, Soph., G)
#42 – Tim Filer (6-1, Sr., G) 5.3 PPG, 2.4 rebounds
#50 – Hunter Stevens (6-7, Jr., F)
Bensalem
Projected starters and season averages
#3 – Liam Kirgan (5-10, Sr., G) 7.8 PPG, 3.4 assists
#10 – Ivan Flores (6-4, Jr., G) 9.5 PPG, 3.1 rebounds
#11 – Nick Christian (6-2, Sr., G) 15.8 PPG, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 steals, 3.9 assists
#21 – Alex Agyedu (6-1, Jr., F) 5.6 PPG, 3.8 rebounds
#40 – Calvin Brown (6-7, Jr., F) 5.3 PPG, 5.6 rebounds
The rest of the Owls:
#4 – John Deegler (5-9, Jr., G)
#20 – Dalton Gilgor (6-0, Jr., G)
#23 – Saade Feriz (5-10, Jr., G)
#24 – Chris McMullin (6-5, Jr., F) 5.0 PPG, 3.0 rebounds
#30 – Jared Coates (6-2, Jr., F)
#32 – Lee Richlin (5-11, Sr., G)
#33 – Mike Carroll (5-10, Jr., G)
#44 – Brandon Gattelli (6-3, Sr., F)
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