Senior Night.
Typically, a Senior Night celebration in basketball means recognizing the three or four seniors who have stayed with the program for the duration. Some teams might have five or six seniors on their roster, but that’s the exception, not the rule.
This year’s Souderton squad makes those numbers look paltry.When the Indians celebrate Senior Night prior to Saturday’s final regular season home game against Quakertown, they will be honoring 10 seniors.
If keeping 10 seniors sounds like a recipe for disaster in a sport where just five players start and only a handful of others see significant playing time, guess again.
This year’s Souderton squad rode its senior-dominated roster to a 19-2 record and a Continental Conference title (11-2).
“Winning our league was our main goal,” senior Kyle Connolly said. “We weren’t looking toward districts or states. We just wanted to win our league since we hadn’t done it in two years.
“This was the first team I played for that actually won the league, so it meant a lot to me and each of the seniors.”
The Indians’ success – according to coach Perry Engard – is a direct result of the camaraderie this group shares.
“They’re resilient, and they’re able to overcome a lot of little things that came up along the way,” the Indians’ coach said. “They like each other, and when things don’t go well sometimes, a lot of teams make excuses. Other teams play harder and try to overcome the adversity, and that’s one thing that set these guys apart.
“This was a special group. You could kind of see they had that look in their eye from the beginning, and you kind of knew they were going to take care of business when they had to. I think they can really rise to any challenge, and that’s what’s fun about coaching them.”Connolly acknowledged that teamwork has been a key.
“I just think our team worked great together this year,” he said. “We all just played well together, and it all just kind of flowed.
“I think we had great leadership from the seniors, and it just led us to a great season.”
The list of seniors is a long one and includes Connolly, A.J. Picard, Sam Wonderling, Jeff Bishop, Nate Moyer, Nate Lewis, Derek Brown, Korrey Council, Joseph Plank and Ryan O’Connor.
Engard, whose teams won conference crowns in ’06 and ’07, also had 10 seniors on his ’06 championship squad.
“You worry about the effect the following year,” the Indians’ coach said. “But you do have to coach for now to give these guys the best chance, and it would be wrong to break up the set.
“It kind of got down to ‘Who?’ Even if there’s a few that aren’t playing as much as they would like, you’d never know it if you were watching practice, and I’m sure they’ll show that on Saturday when they have an opportunity to play.”
The red hot Indians take a dazzling 11-game winning streak into Saturday’s game.
The Panthers - 6-7 in SOL play - are coming off a dramatic 44-43 overtime win over Hatboro-Horsham in Tuesday’s Senior Night game.
“That win was gigantic,” coach Kevin Keeler said. “Hatboro and us had the exact same record, but they left the gym understanding they might not have a chance to make districts, and we’re still breathing.
“That was a huge win for us.”
The Panthers are 10-11 overall after a 7-3 start this season.
“We just got out of it mentally,” senior Austin Keeler said. “There were a lot of obstacles we faced because some of our players were thinking of other things – we weren’t really concentrating on the games.
“Now we’re focusing in, trying to get into the playoffs and go far into that.”
Keeler acknowledged that many teams improved as the season went along while the Panthers suffered several setbacks along the way.“Kenny Gula turned his ankle, and Dalton Nice got into a shooting slump, and they are our two main offensive players,” the Panthers’ coach said. “We were living off them early, and we sort of live and die by the three and (dribble) penetration.
“It was a combination of teams playing us better, us not shooting the ball well and us not having a lot of depth.”
Providing the bulk of the offense for the Panthers are the Three Musketeers – Nice (16.5), Gula (15.0) and Rick Kivela (11.5), but those players wouldn’t have such big numbers were it not for senior point guard Austin Keeler, a master at distributing the basketball.
“I get assists because of them,” Keeler said of the Panthers’ three-pronged attack. “I love it because they’re great offensive weapons, and they just run the show.”
Keeler – in his first season with the Panthers – broke the school record for assists in a season set by Jordan Decker (126). The senior floor general has 131 assists in 21 games for an average of six a game. Decker played 25 games in his record-setting season.
Center Donnie Thomas, the team’s top rebounder, also hands out three or four assists a game.
“Those kids don’t get the baskets because they pass the ball,” coach Keeler said. “The Three Musketeers score their points, but Austin and Donnie are a big part of getting those guys their shots.”
When the Panthers faced Souderton in mid-January, the Indians rolled to a 77-52 win.
The last time we didn’t defend anyone, and we weren’t boxing out,” Austin Keeler said. “We definitely need to shut A. J. Picard down because he had (22) points the last game against us. We need to do better against him.”
Very few teams have figured out the mystery of containing Picard, who is averaging 19.2 points a game to go along with 4.9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 5 assists.
“If you look at the stats sheet, it’s not just points,” Engard said. “That’s what makes him scoring a thousand special because he played with and was giving the ball to two thousand-point scorers the last two years.
“It’s tough to say enough. We have had a couple of occasions where he has had to go to the bench with foul trouble, and it was nice to see the team extend the lead. I think our guys relish those types of challenges.”
Picard, a captain, has a solid supporting class that includes his fellow captain, Connolly.
“Kyle is a very smart basketball player and certainly is one of our toughest players,” Engard said. “At times, he guards the other team’s best post player, and occasionally, he’s a wing player.
“He brings a versatility and toughness. As a captain, he’s the kind of guy that when he says something in the locker room – everybody is going to listen, everybody is going to do it. I probably haven’t had that since Dave Lotier my first year.”
Sam Wonderling, who has had an injury-plagued career, is the team’s third captain.
“Sam enjoys coaching the game,” Engard said. “He coaches these guys in the Perkasie League in the summer, so I have three captains with coaching abilities.
“Having that kind of extension from the staff to the rest of the team is great.”
A pair of Nates – Nate Moyer and Nate Lewis – also have been important contributors for the Indians. Moyer averages 9.3 points and 3.5 assists a game.
“They’re both exceptional athletes, and they’ve really become well-rounded basketball players,” Engard said. Lewis – who is finding his stride after a 13-game suspension to open the season – is rounding into form. In Tuesday’s win over Pennridge, Lewis exploded for 18 points.
“He has been coming back little by little,” Engard said. “He really seemed like he broke through the ice the other day, which was nice to see.
“Nate’s just really gotten himself together as a person first, and as a basketball player, he’s been improving since we’ve had him. Nobody goes and gets the ball like Nate. He really rounds out the group.”
Jeff Bishop – the team’s top rebounder who also averages six points a game - rounds out the starting lineup.
“Jeff has always been a cerebral player,” Engard said. “He and Nate Moyer are guys that are going to get all-league votes this year
“Jeff and Nate bided their time, and that’s the other quality about these guys – they’re unselfish. They could have played and started for a lot of people. They never complained. They were very mature about it.”
Friday night’s game has been postponed until Saturday because of the snow storm, and although nothing is at stake for the Indians, who have already clinched the conference crown, they’re still looking to finish strong.
“I’m really excited for it,” Connolly said. “I think the seniors are going to do a great job out there. Even though they’re not starters, they do a great job, so I’m not worried. I know they’ll do great.”
For the Panthers, the game is equally significant.
“We don’t know for sure – either it’s our district playoff game or a game to prepare us for a team of that caliber in districts,” coach Keeler said. “If we get in, we’ll obviously be a low seed, so I think it’s a great game for us.”
Keeler has a little added incentive. He as well and his assistant coach were ejected from the game in the initial meeting between the two teams.
“We want to have a better showing this time around because the first time around they put it to us pretty good,” he said. “They’re a great team, and they’ve been playing really well.”
Tip-off for the varsity contest is at noon on Saturday.
Just the Facts
Last year’s record: Souderton 10-4 SOL (15-10 overall); Quakertown 5-9 SOL (10-13 overall)
This year’s record: Souderton 10-2, clinched SOL Continental Conference title (18-2 overall); Quakertown 6-7 SOL (10-11 overall)
Last meeting: Jan. 19, 2010, Souderton 77, Quakertown 52 (Souderton: A.J. Picard - 22 points; Mark Wonderling - 19 points; Jeff Bisho - 13 points; Nate Moyer - 8 points; Joseph Plank - 6 points; Anthony Sergio - 5 points; Kyle Connolly - 4 points. Quakertown: Kenny Gula - 13 points; Dalton Nice - 12 points; Rick Kivela - 10 points; Donnie Thomas - 8 points; Corey Jorgensen - 4 points; Austin Keeler - 3 points; Dylan Gossler - 2 points)
Last game: Souderton 64, Pennridge 48 (Nate Lewis - 18 points; A.J. Picard - 17 points; Anthony Sergio - 12 points; Nate Moyer - 10 points; Mark Wonderling - 5 points; Jeff Bishop - 2 points)
Quakertown 44, Hatboro-Horsham 43 (OT) (Kenny Gula - 15 points; Rick Kivela - 10 points; Dalton Nice - 10 points; Austin Keeler -7 points; Dylan Gossler - 2 points)
Souderton
Projected starters and season averages:
#10 – Jeff Bishop (Sr., F/C) 6.0 PPG, 6.8 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.8 blocks
#11 – Nate Moyer (Sr., G) 9.3 PPG, 2.0 rebounds, 2 steals, 3.5 assists
#24 – Nate Lewis (Sr., F) 6.5 PPG, 5.4 rebounds
#25 – A.J. Picard (Sr., G) 19.2 PPG, 4.9 rebounds, 3.0 steals, 5.0 assists
#32 – Kyle Connolly (Sr., G/F) 8.0 PPG, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 2.1 assists
The rest of the Indians:
#1 – Greg Mendrzycki (Soph., G)
#3 – Derek Brown (Sr., G/F)
#5 – Joseph Plank (Sr., G)
#12 – Daniel Falencki (Soph., F/C)
#15 – Anthony Sergio (Jr., G) 7.2 PPG
#20 – Ryan Connolly (Soph., C)
#21 – Mark Wonderling (Soph., G/F) 7.1 PPG, 4.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.6 assists
#22 – Sam Wonderling (Sr., F)
#23 – Ryan O’Connor (Sr., G)
#30 – Korrey Council (Sr., F/C)
Quakertown
Projected starters and season averages:
#3 – Rick Kivela (6-2, Sr., F) 11.5 PPG
#11 – Dalton Nice (6-0, Sr., G) 16.5 PPG
#12 – Kenny Gula (6-0, Sr., G) 15.0 PPG
#33 – Austin Keeler (5-11, Sr., PG) 3 PPG, 6 assists
#34 – Donnie Thomas (6-2, Sr., C) 4.0 PPG, 6 rebounds
The rest of the Panthers:
#1 – Mike Ciccarone (6-0, Soph.)
#5 – Corey Jorgensen (5-9, Soph.)
#23 – John Landis (6-2, Soph.)
#41 – Trevor Dietrich (6-5, Sr.)
#53 – Dylan Gossler (6-4, Jr.)
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