Four SOL teams advanced to Friday’s district quarterfinals and also earned state tournament berths.
By Scott Huff
Lower Gwynedd – Bensalem senior Dovanta Newkirk tomahawked a slam dunk to close out the third period and gave the visiting Owls a 34-33 over host Wissahickon in a second round PIAA District One playoff game. The #5 Trojans were unfazed, however, and played a sensational 27-point fourth period to defeat #12 Bensalem – 60-53.
Wissahickon will now advance to the state tournament and will be on the road to play at #4 Central Bucks West on Friday in a district quarterfinal game. Bensalem will host #13 Cheltenham in the playback tournament, battling for the final invitation to the state playoffs.
“To be honest, we have seen so many dunks from our guys that it wasn’t that big a deal,” said Wissahickon head coach Kyle Wilson. “We talked before the fourth quarter about not wanting to get involved in playback. We were just excited about making states with a win.”
Wissahickon was carried to the state tournament on the powerful backs of its two big men – seniors Jordan Reed and Tanoh Kpassagnon. The athletic Reed tortured the Owls around the rim for 28 points, while the muscular Kpassagnon attacked the iron for 21 points. Together, the firm of Reed & Kpassagnon collected 21 rebounds.
“We knew going into the game that size was going to bother us,” said Bensalem head coach John Mullin. “The strength of Wissahickon is the inside game – and that is our weakness. I thought Dovanta did a good job defensively for the most part, but they have two really outstanding big players.
“We wanted to get good looks and play an up-tempo game,” added Mullin. “We were able to score some points, but we were not able to get enough stops on the defensive end.”
Bensalem held a 45-40 lead with a little over five minutes left in the third period. The Trojans went on a 12-2 run to give Wissahickon a lead it would never relinquish. Included in that knockout flurry was a pair of 3-point bombs from sophomore point guard Chase Wilson.
“Sometimes we get too involved with Jordan and Tanoh that the guards stop shooting,” said Wilson. “It was great to see Chase step in and take those big shots.”
The Owls refused to go away, though, and were as close as 50-47 with 2:08 left in the game. And it was here that Reed took over the game for the Trojans.
Reed made a tremendously athletic play and blocked a shot, and he then went to work on the offensive end, scoring the next eight Trojan points to seal the deal.
“We knew what was at stake, and we needed to make big plays,” said Reed. “We all wanted that chance to play in states, and we knew we had to focus and regroup when things got close.”
And when things did get close the ball ended up in Reed’s hands – and he knew what to do with it.
Bensalem Owls 12 13 9 19 - 53
Wissahickon Trojans 16 6 11 27 - 60
Bensalem: Dovanta Newkirk 14; Julan Hyden 11; Leo Vincent 9; Deion Jones 7; Austin Nyekan 6; and Donnie Reed 6. Total – 53.
Wissahickon: Jordan Reed 28; Tanoh Kpassagnon 21; Chase Wilson 6; Gordon Bentley 3; and Kyle Garrett 2. Total – 60.
Bucks silence Panthers to earn state berth
Doylestown – The post-game handshakes had barely ended when the Central Bucks West players disappeared in a sea of white as their jubilant fans stormed the court.
It was a celebration that was a long time coming for the Bucks and their fans.
West, thanks to its 62-47 win over Cheltenham in front of a packed house, had earned a coveted berth in the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament, the Bucks’ first trip to the big dance since 2001.
“This was our goal,” senior Derek Dyer said. “This is what we worked for the whole entire season – to qualify for states, and it feels great.
“We work hard in the offseason, and we had so many seniors coming back, and we know we can do whatever we put our minds to.”
The Bucks’ win not only avenged an early season 55-41 loss to Cheltenham but also erased memories of district playoff losses past.
“I have been proud of these kids all year long,” West coach Adam Sherman said. “To get past this game – it’s been an Achilles Heel of ours. It’s nice to get over the hump and get to states.
“I wish we could have done it with some other teams, but these guys deserve it. They’re hard workers, they’re selfless. It’s a great accomplishment. I’m real happy for them.”
Dyer led a balanced West attack with 15 points while teammate Jack Rogers had 13, Tyler Schlechter scored 12 and Sam Lis added 10. The Bucks buried six treys with four different players connecting from beyond the arc.
Nafis Walker led the Panthers with 16, which included five treys, but he scored just five after the intermission. Jarrell Haywood added 14 and Aaron McGlaun had 10.
Rogers jumps started the Bucks’ offense by scoring nine first-quarter points, combatting the eight-point performance of Walker for the Panthers. Rogers’ second trey of the frame with eight seconds remaining put the Bucks on top 15-12 at the end of one quarter.
Momentum began to swing firmly in the Bucks’ favor when Walker was whistled for a charge, and Lis made it hurt when he hit nothing but net on a three-pointer at the other end. After a Panther miss, Dyer buried a pair from the foul line. The Panthers interrupted the West run with a basket by Guy Henderson, but another Lis trey put the Bucks on top 23-14.
“Getting an early lead was important,” Dyer said. “They were always playing catch-up. They never really were able to take the lead. That’s what you want to do.”
The Panthers made it a 23-20 game after a Walker trey with 3:30 remaining in the half, but moments later the senior standout took a seat on the bench after picking up his third foul.
The Bucks – behind a Dyer bucket and a Shane Kellar trey – closed out the half with a 5-0 run to go into halftime with a 28-20 lead.
Any thoughts of a Cheltenham comeback were all but put to rest in a third quarter that saw the Panthers manage just five points. The Bucks led 39-25 after Dyer banked home a trey as time expired to close out the third quarter.
“We all know when we come out of halftime we have to really pick it up and extend the lead as much as possible,” Dyer said. “We have a great fan section to pump us up.”
A three-point play by Schechter to opener the fourth quarter made it a 42-25 game, but the Panthers refused to go away, rallying to make it a 42-32 game after a Haywood bucket off a West turnover. A three-point play by Kelly and an ensuing technical on Cheltenham propelled the Bucks to a 47-32 lead after Rogers buried both shots on the technical. The Bucks maintained possession and upped their lead to 49-32 after two more Kelly foul shots.
“We were getting defensive stops, we were getting into our offensive sets, and we were able to execute,” Sherman said. “We thought if we could get into our offensive sets we would be in a good situation.”
The Panthers created some turnovers late in the game with their fullcourt pressure, trimming the Bucks’ lead to 52-47 after Haywood sank both ends of a one-and-one with 1:46 remaining.
Lis answered with a pair of foul shots for the Bucks, and after a Panther miss, Dyer connected on two shots from the charity stripe, giving the Bucks a 56-47 lead. The Panthers never threatened again.
All told, the Bucks connected on 24-of-31 from the foul line.
“We’re comfortable on the free throw line,” Sherman said. “We’re getting better at the line as the year’s been going on. It was good to see that. We were able to execute, and we were able to defend well.”
It all added up a huge win for the Bucks, who will return to states for the first time in more than a decade.
Cheltenham Panthers 12 8 5 22 - 47
Central Bucks West Bucks 15 13 11 23 - 62
Cheltenham: Nafis Walker 16; Jarrell Haywood 14; Aaron McGlawn 10; Guy Henderson 5; and Toyon Wynder 2. Total – 47.
Central Bucks West: Derek Dyer 15; Jack Rogers 13; Tyler Schechter 12; Sam Lis 10; Jared Kelly 7; Shane Kellar 3; and Sherrod Higginbotham 2. Total – 60.
Ghosts Stun Great Valley to Earn State Berth
Abington (18-6) made the trek to # 6 Great Valley a worthwhile adventure as the #11 Ghosts captured a 62-51 second round victory over the host Patriots.
Abington will advance to both the state tournament and a quarterfinal District One date at #3 Coatesville (22-4) on Friday. Great Valley will participate in the playback tournament for the final district playoff position on Friday as the Patriots will host #14 Penn Wood (15-8).
“One of the goals at the beginning of the season was to get the Abington basketball program back into the state playoffs,” said Abington head coach Charles Grasty. “We haven’t been back to states since the 1999-2000 season, and the players and fans are excited about being back in states.
“I really want to kids to have fun with this and enjoy themselves with our success,” added Grasty. “They have worked very hard to get to where we are right now.”
Abington and Great Valley slugged it out early and were even after the first period, but the Ghosts outscored the Patriots by 13 over the second and third period to take control of the game.
“I thought we played a great third quarter,” said Grasty as Abington outscored GV 18-10 in the period. “We put some pressure on the defensively, and we were able to generate some easy baskets on offense. Both Tom Kennedy and Mike Griffin stepped up and played great for us tonight – it was a nice team effort.”
Abington was led in scoring by Anthony Durham with 16 points, while freshman Matt Penecale scored in twin digits with 10 points. Griffin – who hit a trio of 3-point field goals – finished with nine points, and Jiere Morrisey also scored nine points for the winners.
“We’re happy to be going to states, but we don’t want to stop here,” said Grasty. “We have to go to Coatesville, but I think we proved something by winning here at Great Valley. As one of my coaches said, there aren’t any home games in the state playoffs.”
Abington Ghosts 8 17 18 19 - 62
Great Valley Patriots 8 12 10 21 - 51
Abington: Anthony Durham 16; Matt Penecale 10; Jiere Morrisey 9; Mike Griffin 9; Chris Ruhl 8; Tom Kennedy 6; and Jordan Simmons 4. Total – 62.
Great Valley: Mikal Bridges 11; Brad Sherry 11; Ryan Aker 9; Chris Geiss 8; Nate Cohen 7; and Tim Shackleton 5. Total – 51.
Souderton Captures Huge Road Playoff Victory
Souderton (19-5) made the trek to Newtown pay enormous dividends as the #10 Indians surprised #7 Council Rock North (18-6) by a 70-53 margin in a second round District One playoff game.
The Big Red will advance to both the state tournament and a district quarterfinal date with host #2 Lower Merion (23-2) on Friday. Rock North must fight its way back in the playback tournament as the Indians will host #18 Plymouth Whitemarsh (13-11) on Friday.
“This season has been a total team effort, and that was the same effort we got tonight,” said Souderton head coach Dennis Stanton. “I was actually surprised to see how many points Luke (Moyer) had tonight. He got himself and his teammates into great spots on the floor to score points.”
Moyer led Souderton with a game-high 24 points, while Ryan Connolly contributed 17 points for the winners. John Kanas (12) and Mark Wonderling (10) also scored in double digits for the Indians.
“Ryan Connolly was exhausted after guarding (Rock North senior Arron) Goodman all night,” said Stanton. “He made big shots on offense, and he has been one of our leaders all season.
“Ryan, Luke, and Mark are all very unselfish players, and they have led the team with their special skill sets,” continued Stanton. “They are all very different players, but all have done whatever it takes to win basketball games.
“It feels great to be able to beat a team with the talent of a Council Rock North,” added Stanton. “And now we got a chance to play an excellent Lower Merion team in the next round.”
Rock North was led in scoring by senior guard Aaron Morgan with a team-high 19 points, while sophomore Rip Engel added 17 points for the Indians.
Souderton Indians 15 17 20 18 - 70
Council Rock North Indians 13 10 13 17 - 53
Souderton: Luke Moyer 24; Ryan Connolly 17; John Kanas 12; Mark Wonderling 10; Ry Yazzallinas 4; and Brendan Wagner 3. Total – 70.
Council Rock North: Aaron Morgan 19; Rip Engel 17; Arron Goodman 6; Matt McCloskey 5; Alex Jordan 4; and Kyle McCloskey 2. Total – 53.
Eagles Soar to State Tourney
Norristown (17-7) went into the frenzy of the Falcon Nest as the #9 Eagles flew to a 59-45 victory over host #8 Pennsbury (17-7) in a second round District One playoff contest.
Norristown captured an invitation to the state tournament with the victory and will now have to face #1 Chester (24-0) in the district quarterfinal game on Friday. Pennsbury will begin its battle for the final playoff slot as the Falcons will host #16 Methacton (18-8) on Friday in the playback tournament.
“Winning at Pennsbury is a great way to prepare for playing at Chester,” said Norristown head coach Michael Evans. “Those fans really get into it – it is a great high school basketball environment.
“Our teams is playing with great confidence right now,” added Evans. “We are going to enjoy this win until about 3 o’clock tomorrow. We need to focus on Chester.”
Norristown erupted for 24 second period points to assume a 37-24 first half lead.
“Our defense once again got us going on offense,” said Evans. “If we can disrupt the offense of the other team, we can get out in transition and get some easy baskets. We have been great at doing that all season long.”
The Eagles were led in scoring by senior guard Luke Kelley with 15 points, while Jahbri Hargrove added 13 points for the winners. Samir Bey and Richard Bouknight added eight points each for the balanced Eagle scoring attack.
“There are times that I might wonder where we are going to get our offense from,” said Evans. “But the one thing I know is that we are always going to bring our defensive game.”
Pennsbury – one of the higher scoring teams in the area this season – had only one player score in double figures against Norristown. Kieran Bolger scored a team-high 15 points for the Falcons.
Norristown Eagles 13 24 12 10 - 59
Pennsbury Falcons 14 10 7 14 - 45
Norristown: Luke Kelley 15; Jahbri Hargrove 13; Samir Bey 8; Richard Bouknight 8; BJ Gordon 5; Jahad York 4; Curtis Lever 3; and Marquis Bryant 3. Total – 59.
Pennsbury: Kieran Bolger 15; Shawn Pepper 9; Jerrell Burke 7; Mekhi Bryant 7; Ryan Charity 5; Davon Hopkins 1; and Dan Ransom 1. Total – 45.
Colonials Battle Hard in Defeat
Plymouth Whitemarsh (13-11) closed to within six points with five minutes to go, but the Colonials could not close out with a win as #18 PW dropped a 64-46 verdict to #2 Lower Merion in a second round district playoff game.
The Colonials will have to take part in the playback tournament and will travel on Friday to meet #7 Council Rock North. Lower Merion will advance to the state tournament and will host #10 Souderton in a district quarterfinal game.
“We played our backsides off – we competed well against a state title contending team,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “This is a new situation for us – we’re not used to playing in the playback rounds. But the players are excited to be having another game and bouncing back from this one.
“Lower Merion is a team that has some high level players,” added Donofrio. “(BJ) Johnson is a terrific player, and he played like one against us.”
Johnson finished with a game-high 22 points for the Aces, while Raheem Hall added 17 points for the winners. Anthony McKie scored a team-high 16 points for Plymouth Whitemarsh, while Jake Silvers finished with eight points.
“We did some good things, and we played hard,” said Donofrio. “And really, that is all you can ask for from a team.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 8 13 14 11 - 46
Lower Merion Aces 17 14 11 22 - 64
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Anthony McKie 16; Jake Silvers 8; Russhon Phillips 7; Morgan Jackson 6; Brandon Johnson 5; and Mike Rocchi 4. Total – 46.
Lower Merion: BJ Johnson 22; Raheem Hall 17; JaQuan Johnson 8; Justin McFadden 7; Darryl Reynolds 6; Yohanny Dalembert 4. Total – 64.
The Rest of the Story in District One Second Round Playoff Action
Coatesville (22-4) earned its state playoff ticket as the #3 Raiders held off #14 Penn Wood – 71-62. Coatesville will now host #11 Abington on Friday, while Penn Wood will travel to meet #6 Great Valley in a playback game.
Coatesville had 12 players score points and were led by Emmett Hunt with 13 points. Tymier Miller (12), Andre Boggs (12), and Tyler Burke (10) also scored in double figures for the Raiders. Penn Wood was led in scoring by Jerry Price with a game-high 17 points, while Malcom Richardson added 15 points for the Patriots.
Penn Wood Patriots 18 11 13 20 - 62
Coatesville Raiders 20 12 17 22 - 71
Chester (24-0) earned its state playoff ticket as the #1 Clippers captured a 59-31 second round playoff victory over #16 Methacton (18-8). Chester will now host #9 Norristown (17-7) in a quarterfinal game on Friday, while Methacton will travel to play #8 Pennsbury (17-7) in the playback tournament.
Errik Wright scored a game-high 16 points for Chester. The Clippers had 12 players appear in the scoring column. The leading scorer for the Warriors was Brendan Casper with eight points.
Methacton Warriors 12 5 2 12 - 31
Chester Clippers 16 13 11 19 - 59
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