Check out all of Friday night's SOL results.
By Scott Huff
Doylestown – There was just a hint of a smile on the face of Central Bucks West head coach Adam Sherman after his Bucks (20-2, 13-1)won the Suburban One League Continental Conference outright with an exhilarating 49-47 victory over rival Central Bucks South (11-11, 9-5).
“I would have hopedthis could be a 20-win team before the season began, but I don’t think anyone really thought that could happen,” said Sherman as the Bucks captured their first title since 2003. “This has really been a great team to work with every day, and they have worked very hard for the success they have gotten.
“This team has been able to focus on every possession – whether we are on offense of defense,” added Sherman. “And when things haven’t gone well for us, this team has been very resilient and never stops working to get back into the game.”
Case in point was in the West win over South. The Bucks trailed the Titans 19-8 in the first period on the strength of John Flaherty who scored nine points in the paint, but West made a slow comeback to finally regain the lead at 31-30 midway through the third period.
“We came out strong at the beginning of the game, but basketball is a game of runs and you knew that West would get itself back in the game,” said Central Bucks South head coach Jason Campbell. “But once they took the lead in the second half, we kept our composure and competed. I’m proud of my guys.”
Central Bucks South knotted the score at 47-47 with 1:18 left in the game when Chase Vonder Schmalz buried a 3-point field goal from the deep corner.
West called timeout with 1:14 left – ran a delay offense – called a second timeout with 21 seconds left – and ran a set offense that paid huge dividends. Derek Dyer – who scored a team-high 12 points for the Bucks – got loose along the baseline and scored a field goal with just four seconds left in the game.
“That was the play – for me to flash along the baseline and to get the ball,” said Dyer. “Jack Rogers did a great job of getting me the ball, and I was able to finish the play.
“It was great to be able to win the championship outright, and it was great to be able to do it in front of our fans,” added Dyer as he readied to cut down the nets along with his teammates. “South played a great game – it was a great night.”
So great that it made CB West head coach Adam Sherman smile – a little.
Central Bucks South Titans 19 8 8 12 - 47
Central Bucks West Bucks 11 13 15 10 - 49
CB South: John Flaherty 16; Chase Vonder Schmalz 8; Dave Knox 8; Kevin Raymond 4; TJ Ohntrup 4; Matt Scamuffo 3; Brennan Rudnick 2. Total – 47.
CB West: Derek Dyer 12; Jared Kelly 11; Tyler Schechter 8; Shane Kellar 8; Sam Lis 6; Jack Rogers 4. Total – 49.
The Rest of the Story in the SOL Continental Conference
Souderton (17-5, 12-2) will have to settle for sole possession of second place in the conference as the Indians captured a 61-46 victory over host Central Bucks East (9-13, 6-8). Ryan Connolly brought his ‘A’ game for Souderton with a game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds. Mark Wonderling scored in twin digits for the Indians with 15 points. The Patriots had three players lead the team in scoring with 11 points – Steve Topley, Ryan O’Neil, and Lou Pannella.
Souderton Indians 16 16 13 16 - 61
Central Bucks East Patriots 13 10 12 11 - 46
Pennridge (11-11, 5-9) evened its overall record at .500 as the Rams collected a 66-56 victory over rival Quakertown (2-19, 1-13). Pennridge was led in scoring by Andrew Lyons with a 23-point effort, while all-time Pennridge leading scorer Tim Abruzzo added 22 for the Rams. Mike Ciccarone led the Panthers with 19 points, while Corey Jorgensen added 17 points for Quakertown.
Quakertown Panthers 12 15 16 13 - 56
Pennridge Rams 17 19 12 18 - 66
Norristown Earns Share of Title
Norristown needed a victory over rival Plymouth Whitemarsh and a loss by Wissahickon to put in its claim for a share of the Suburban One League American Conference title. The Eagles (15-6, 10-2) received both as Norristown avenged its previous loss to PW with a 48-39 win over the Colonials (12-10, 8-4) – and Wissahickon (19-3, 10-2) dropped a 49-47 contest to Cheltenham (14-8, 7-5).
“The players had winning a championship as a goal, and they worked hard to get it,” said Norristown head coach Michael Evans. “We went out and took care of our game, and we didn’t really know how Wissahickon did until after the game. The players have worked hard, and they deserve a share of the championship.”
Norristown – which handed Wissahickon its only conference loss before last night – had been beaten by Plymouth Whitemarsh by a convincing 20 points (56-36) the first time the two teams met. But this time the Eagles turned the screws defensively and kept the Colonial offensive weapons in check.
“Samir Bey did a great job on (Anthony) McKie, and Marquis Bryant did a great job on (Jake) Silvers,” said Evans. “We played them straight man-to-man, the entire court, and we denied them the basketball. We might not score a whole lot of points, but we always play pressure defense.
“We have Council Rock North (today) left, and that should be a good game to get us ready for districts,” said Evans. “The kids are excited about winning the championship, and we’re excited to see what happens when districts start.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 8 11 9 11 - 39
Norristown Eagles 12 13 8 15 - 48
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Russhon Phillips 15; Anthony McKie 11; Jake Silvers 5; Kenny Williams 5; Brandon Johnson 3. Total – 39.
Norristown: Luke Kelley 13; Marquis Bryant 7; Samir Bey 6; Jahbri Hargrove 6; BJ Gordon 6; Richard Bouknight 5; Jahad York 3; Devin Bosky 2. Total – 48.
The Rest of the Story in the SOL American Conference
Cheltenham (14-8, 7-5) stunned visiting Wissahickon (19-3, 10-2) – 49-47. The Panthers forced the Trojans to share the conference title with Norristown (15-6, 10-2). Nafis Walker led the Black Cats with a 21-point scoring performance, while Jerrell Haywood scored in twin digits for the winners with 10 points. Jordan Reed scored a game-high 23 points for Wissahickon, while sophomore point guard Chase Wilson chipped in with eight points.
Wissahickon Trojans 13 8 15 11 - 47
Cheltenham Panthers 14 12 13 10 - 49
Upper Moreland (7-15, 1-11) captured its first conference win of the year as the Golden Bears clawed host Upper Merion (5-17, 1-11) – 43-39. Upper Moreland had a superlative game turned in by Josh Villanueva who drained three 3-pointers and scored a team-high 15 points. Matt Kohn scored in double figures for the Golden Bears with 11 points. Justin Lewis scored a game-high 16 points to lead the Viking scoring, while Connor McGrath added nine points for Upper Merion.
Upper Moreland Golden Bears 13 9 16 5 - 43
Upper Merion Vikings 6 15 11 7 - 39
Council Rock North Collects Trophy
Council Rock North (16-5, 11-3) captured the Suburban One League National Conference outright title as the Indians captured a 73-53 victory over host Neshaminy (4-18, 3-11). Rock North will host Norristown (15-6) in a non-conference game today with a 5 pm starting time.
The game featured a cameo performance by Neshmainy senior Ryan Arcidiacono who scored on an uncontested layup at the outset of the game to conclude his illustrious scholastic career with an even 1500 points. Arcidiacono – who is on scholarship to play basketball at Villanova University - has been sidelined all season with a back injury and did not play a single second until last night.
Aaron Morgan – who was also granted an uncontested layup at the outset of the game – finished with a game-high 23 points. Arron Goodman was a monster off the glass and scored 18 points, while Rip Engel and Matt McCloskey each scored 10 points for the Indians.
Tyler Katz – who eclipsed the 1000-point barrier in the game – scored a team-high 15 points for Neshaminy.
Council Rock North Indians 20 24 15 13 - 73
Neshaminy Redskins 10 16 11 16 - 53
Council Rock North: Aaron Morgan 23; Arron Goodman 18; Matt McCloskey 10; Rip Engel 10; Kyle McCloskey 6; Chris Rowland 3; Ross Wilson 2; and Alex Corry 1. Total – 73.
Neshaminy: Tyler Katz 15; Jaylen Pickett 9; Shaquel Vaughn 8; Connor McGarry 8; Luke Carrezola 4; Bobby Marterella 4; Zach Patton 3; Ryan Arcidiacono 2; Chino Duru 2. Total – 53.
The Rest of the Story in the SOL National Conference
Pennsbury (16-6, 10-4) settled for a second place finish in the conference standings as the Falcons soared to a 59-41 victory over visiting William Tennent (7-15, 5-9). Kieran Bolger led the way for Pennsbury with a team-high 13 points, while Jerrell Burke scored in twin digits for the Falcons with 12 markers. Jack Rauchut completed his scholastic career with the Panthers and scored a game-high 16 points.
William Tennent Panthers 15 3 11 12 - 41
Pennsbury Falcons 11 13 17 18 - 59
Bensalem (14-8, 10-4) settled for second place in the conference standings as the Owls soared to a razor thin 54-53 victory over visiting Council Rock South (5-17, 2-12). Julian Hyden led Bensalem with a game-high 15 points, while Leo Vincent scored in double figures for the Owls with 13 points. Council Rock South was led in scoring by Christian Crane with a game-high 19 points, while Zac Fitzgerald scored in double digits with 10 points for the Hawks.
Council Rock South Golden Hawks 16 11 16 10 - 53
Bensalem Owls 15 16 14 9 - 54
Abington (16-6, 9-5) settled for fourth place in the conference standings as the Ghosts captured a 69-53 victory over visiting Truman (10-12, 6-8). See complete game story on SuburbanOneSports.com
Harry S Truman Tigers 12 8 19 14 - 53
Abington Ghosts 16 19 23 11 - 69
In the Rear View Mirror
On Thursday, North Penn (8-14, 5-9) closed out its season with five wins in six games as the Knights marched to a 68-60 victory over visiting Hatboro-Horsham (8-14, 5-9) in the SOL Continental Conference season finale for both teams. Wes Brooks closed out his senior season with a spectacular 31-point scoring effort for North Penn, while Chris Dawson also scored in twin digits for the Knights with 11 points. Paul Haggerty (17), Michael Brown (13), and Zach Quattro (10) all tallied in double figures for the Hatters.
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters 12 12 18 18 - 60
North Penn Knights 14 17 19 18 - 68
On Thursday, Upper Dublin (12-9, 5-7) closed out its SOL American Conference season as the Flying Cardinals soared to a 52-44 victory over visiting Upper Moreland (6-15, 0-11). Upper Dublin was led in scoring by John Decamara with a game-high 18 points, while Andrew Carber and Darrell Harrison each scored eight points for the Cardinals. Tommy Robinson scored a team-high 15 points for the Golden Bears, while Matt Kohn scored in double digits for UM with 11 points.
Upper Moreland Golden Bears 14 12 10 8 - 44
Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals 15 17 12 8 - 52
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