Scott Huff recaps all of the SOL teams in action. To view photos of the Abington/William Tennent game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
By Scott Huff
Council Rock North (8-3, 5-1) took over sole possession of first place in the Suburban One League National Conferenceas the Indians held off a furious fourth quarter rally by Bensalem (4-6, 4-2) to defeat the host Owls – 55-50.
“This was a huge win for us,” said Council Rock North head coach Derek Wright. “Any time you have to go on the road in this conference and come back with a win – it’s a huge win. Bensalem competed with us tonight and has a very good basketball team. The losses that they have this season all came against quality teams.
“The new gym that they have is a beautiful place to play,” added Wright. “Usually when you played at Bensalem, you played in that dark gym and it was a very tough place to play. It’s still a tough place to play, but at least the gym is a lot brighter.”
Council Rock North was led in scoring by Aaron Morgan with a game-high 16 points, while Arron Goodman also scored in twin digits for the Indians with 12 points. Morgan dished out five assists, while Goodman collected 16 rebounds for Rock North.
“Aaron scored eight points in the first period, but he sat out most of the second period with foul trouble,” said Wright of his talented senior point guard. “But Alex Jordan and Matt McCloskey stepped up in the second period and did an excellent job.”
Bensalem – which scored 26 points in the first three periods – scored 24 fourth period points. The Owls were led in scoring by Julian Hyden with a team-high 14 points, while Donnie Reed added 11 for BHS.
“We defended extremely well in the first three periods, but give Bensalem credit for making that run in the fourth period,” added Wright. “We missed some one-and-one chances in the fourth period to help them out, and they were able to make that run.”
Council Rock North Indians 10 18 11 16 - 55
Bensalem Owls 6 14 6 24 - 50
The Rest of the Story in the SOL National Conference
Truman (6-6, 3-3) evened its SOL National Conference record as the Tigers edged host Neshaminy (3-10, 2-4) – 69-68. Mike Mintah – who tallied the game winning free throws in the final moments – had a double-double for Truman with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Lamont Waters led the Tigers with 14 points, while Merdic Green and Daiquan Ashely each scored 12 points for the Tigers. The balanced HST attack offset a spectacular 32-point performance by Neshaminy senior Tyler Katz. Katz – who was 11 of 12 from the free throw line – hit three 3-point baskets for the Skins. Chino Duru also scored in double digits for Neshaminy with 10 points.
Truman Tigers 12 19 15 23 - 69
Neshaminy 19 15 13 21 - 68
Pennsbury (6-5, 3-3) evened its SOL National Conference record as the Falcons flew by Council Rock South (4-8, 1-5) – 67-43. Pennsbury broke open a tight 37-33 score after three periods with a 30-point fourth quarter. Kieran Bolger led the Falcons with a game-high 23 points, while Dan Ransom also scored in twin digits with 12 points. The lone double digit scorer for the Golden Hawks was Christian Crane with a team-high 18 points.
Council Rock South Hawks 7 9 17 10 - 43
Pennsbury Falcons 13 13 11 30 - 67
Abington (10-3, 4-2) remained one game behind Rock North in the conference standings as the Ghosts defeated visiting William Tennent (3-9, 2-4) – 55-43. Anthony Durham led the Ghosts with 20 points, while Horace Spencer led the Panthers with 12 points. See featured game story on suburbanonesports.com
William Tennent Panthers 9 11 9 14 - 43
Abington Ghosts 13 13 17 12 - 55
Big Red Collects Big Win
Souderton (8-3, 5-1) rallied from an early deficit as the Big Red captured a 62-44 SOL Continental Conference victory over host North Penn (3-7, 2-4).
“We needed this one, and I’m proud of the way the guys came back after a poor first half,” said Souderton head coach Dennis Stanton. “Luke Moyer hit a big three-point field goal at the close of the first half to give us the lead, and we came out and played well in the third period to keep that lead.”
Moyer scored a team-high 19 points for the Big Red, while Mark Wonderling added 15 points for Souderton. However, it was Wonderling’s defensive effort that received the highest praise from Coach Stanton.
“Mark guarded (North Penn senior guard) Wes Brooks and did a great job,” said Stanton. “Brooks had 22 points, but Mark threw himself into every possession and made him work for every point. Brooks made some extremely difficult shots.”
The Big Red also received a fine outing from 6-foot, 8-inch sophomore Brendan Wagner who scored five points and collected six offensive rebounds.
“With Ryan Connolly out (pneumonia) we have asked Brendan to come into the game and fill part of his void,” said Stanton. “And he has made great strides in becoming a better basketball player.”
Souderton Big Red 7 20 15 19 - 62
North Penn Knights 13 12 10 9 - 44
The Rest of the Story in the SOL Continental Conference
Central Bucks West (11-1, 6-0) remained unbeaten in conference play as the Bucks scored 27 points in the second period and jetted to a 63-48 victory over host Pennridge (5-7, 0-6). Derek Dyer led West in scoring with a 23-point scoring effort, while Shane Kellar scored in twin digits for the Bucks with 17 points. Andrew Lyons was the lone double figure scorer with 12 points for the Rams, while high scoring Tim Abruzzo was held to nine points.
Central Bucks West 7 27 16 13 - 63
Pennridge Rams 8 15 13 12 - 48
Central Bucks South (7-5, 5-1) remained on the heels of CB West in the conference as the Titans held Hatboro-Horsham (3-9, 2-4) to just nine second half points in a 47-35 win. Matt Scamuffo led all scorers in the game with 12 points for CB South, while John Flaherty also scored in twin digits with 10 points. Hatboro-Horsham was led in scoring by Michael Brown with a team-high 11 points.
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters 16 10 5 4 - 35
Central Bucks South Titans 12 14 10 11 - 47
Central Bucks East (6-6, 4-2) kept Quakertown (1-12, 0-6) winless in the conference as the Patriots caged the Panthers – 46-33. CB East had a couple of players with double/double efforts as Ryan O’Neil scored 17 points with 10 rebounds and Matt Stauffer had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The lone scorer in twin digits for the Black Cats was Mike Ciccarone with 10 points.
Quakertown Panthers6 7 8 12 - 33
CB East Patriots 9 14 11 12 - 46
Wissahickon Finds New Way to Win
Wissahickon (12-1, 5-0) has been led in scoring all season by senior Jordan Reed, but Reed was taken out of the offense by Upper Dublin (7-6, 2-4) with ‘junk’ defenses. Despite the nine-point scoring effort by Reed, the Trojans adjusted and collected a 55-34 victory over the Cardinals.
“We knew that teams were going to try this against us,” said Wissahickon head coach Kyle Wilson. “We practice what we want to do, and Jordan knew he was going to have to distribute the ball more. He handled that role well, and we were able to make the adjustments we had to make to win the game.
“Tanoh (Kpassagnon) had a great game around the rim with seven blocked shots and 14 points,” added Wilson of his 6-7 post player. “And Chase hit a couple of big 3-pointers to open the game up for us in the second period. We shared the ball well, and good things happened.”
Kyle Garrett – who garnered his share of attention when UD went to a triangle-and-two defense – finished with a game-high 15 points. Wilson joined Garrett and Kpassagnon in twin digits with 12 points. Upper Dublin was led in scoring by John Decamara with 13 points, while Darrell Harrison scored in double figures with 12 markers.
“We learned tonight what we are going to have to do if teams try and take Jordan out of the offense,” said Wilson. “It was a lesson we were going to have learn.”
Wissahickon Trojans 11 13 19 12 - 55
Upper Dublin Cardinals 8 7 11 8 - 34
The Rest of the Story in the SOL American Conference
Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-5, 4-1) secured its hold on second place in the conference as the Colonials marched to an easy 79-33 victory over host Upper Merion (4-8, 0-5). PW had a 26-point scoring explosion from Anthony McKie, while Jake Silvers (14) and Morgan Jackson (12) also scored in twin digits for the Colonials. Patrick Stringfield was the lone double figure scorer for the Vikings with a team-high 15 points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 23 13 22 21 - 79
Upper Merion Vikings 11 6 9 7 - 33
Cheltenham grabbed an 11-point first period lead as the Panthers clawed visiting Upper Moreland (4-8, 0-5) – 65-38. The Panthers showcased three players in double figures – Jerell Haywood (14), Nafis Walker (12), and Aaron McGlawn (11). The only twin digit scorer for the Golden Bears was Josh Villanueva with 12 points.
Upper Moreland Bears 2 14 12 10 - 38
Cheltenham Panthers 13 9 17 26 - 65
Norristown (8-4) won its fifth straight game as the Eagles soared to a 68-59 non-conference victory over Penn Wood (7-3). Richard Bouknight led Norristown in scoring with a game-high 16 points, while Bernard Gordon (13) and Jahbri Hargrove (12) also scored in double figures for the Eagles. It was the 200th career win for head coach Michael Evans in his 11-year tenure with the Eagles.
Penn Wood Patriots 15 14 13 17 - 59
Norristown Eagles 14 21 14 19 - 68
In the Rear View Mirror
On Thursday, Plymouth Whitemarsh (5-5, 3-1) ventured out of the SOL to meet powerful Church Farm (9-2)and suffered a 60-36 loss to the Churchmen. Jake Silvers was the lone scorer to reach double figures for the Colonials with 10 points, while Anthony McKie tallied eight points for PW.
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 7 8 6 15 - 36
Church Farm Churchmen 14 11 20 15 - 60
On Thursday, Abington (9-3) ventured out of the SOL to meet Spring-Ford (7-7) as the Ghosts captured a 54-51 overtime win over the Rams. Anthony Durham scored a game-high 28 points to pace the Abington scoring attack. He was the lone player in twin digits for the Ghosts.
Spring-Ford Rams 7 10 16 12 6 - 51
Abington Ghosts 14 5 8 18 9 - 54
Saturday ‘Nite’ Fever
Perkiomen Valley Vikings @ Wissahickon Trojans
Glen Mills Bulls @ Council Rock North Indians
North Penn Knights @ Spring-Ford Rams
Methacton Warriors @ Souderton Big Red
World Communications @ Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials
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