Check out Tuesday’s SOL boys basketball results. To review photos of the Upper Moreland/Wissahickon, Pennsbury/Tennent and CB South/CB East games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
American Conference
Upper Merion 55, Upper Dublin 44
The Vikings snapped a three-game losing streak with a crucial league victory over the Flying Cardinals.
“It’s a gigantic win,” said coach Francis Bowe. “I really think that whoever won this game is on the right track to making district playoffs.”
Not only do the Vikings hope to make a run for the playoffs, but they desperately needed a win to start the second half of the league season on the right foot.
The Vikings knew this game was a big one in terms of momentum, and according to Bowe, their level of play was playoff caliber. The Vikings eked out an early 14-12 lead at the end of one quarter. The second quarter would prove to be critical for the Vikings as they outscored the Cards 14-6 after the Cards’ big man, Andrew Carber, was sidelined briefly.
“We made our run when Carber went out, it was a huge help,” said Bowe, whose team led 28-18 at halftime. “We really started attacking inside, and we got a lot of offensive rebounds and putbacks.”
Carber didn’t stay out for long.
“When he came back in, he was a force,” Bowe said.
The Vikings still led 38-28 at the end of three quarters. The Cardinals continued to battle and cut their deficit to seven in the fourth quarter, but the Vikings were able to maintain the lead, thanks to Riece Jenerette and his trio of crucial late-game 3-pointers.
“Riece is 6’5” with long arms, and he is deceiving,” said Bowe. “He came out on perimeter, and they didn’t have an answer for him because they didn’t think he could hit those shots.”
Bowe also credited his new taller senior lineup in the victory as well as the talents of David Stecz, who only scored eight points but created opportunities for his teammates.
“He’s an unsung hero,” said Bowe. “He changes the game for us because he makes teams come out of their zones, which lets our big men get the ball inside.”
Senior forward Connor McGrath led the scoring for the Vikings with 16 points, followed by Jenerette who added 14 and Justin Lewis who also had double digits with 11 points. The Cards were led by Carber with 11 points, along with Simeon Fryer and Kevin Woods who each chipped in eight. The Vikings and Cardinals now have identical 2-5 records in the league.
Norristown 57, Cheltenham 40
The Eagles knocked the Panthers out of the ranks of the undefeated in American Conference play, setting up a three-way tie at the top of the conference standings with Norristown, Cheltenham and Wissahickon all boasting identical 6-1 records after one go-round in conference play.
“The guys know we control our own destiny now,” coach Mike Evans said. “They knew what was at stake tonight, so they wanted to come out and just play basketball for four quarters and they did that.”
The Eagles set the tone for a standout defensive effort with a 14-3 first quarter. They took a 25-15 lead into the intermission.
“We’re working on coming out hard in the first quarter,” Evans said. “We’ve been coming out lax, but we’re working on trying to come out and jump on top of our opponents with our defensive pressure and set the tone early.”
Josh Johnson had a big night in the paint for the Eagles, contributing 14 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots.
“He’s starting to come into his own as a player,” Evans said. “He’s coming up big for us. He’s had back-to-back big games. I hope that is getting him rolling now, so he can finish off the rest of the season with confidence.”
The Eagles outscored the Panthers 32-25 in the second half, closing out the game with a 22-12 fourth quarter.
Jahbri Hargrove also had 14 points for the Eagles while Luke Kelley added nine, but this win, according to Evans, was a team effort.
“Our subs came in and gave us some valuable minutes,” the Eagles’ coach said. “Our guards, Luke (Kelley) and BJ (Gordon) controlled the tempo of the game. They sacrificed their offense for defense and came up big for us.”
The Panthers were led by the 15-point effort of Guy Henderson while Aaron McGlawn had nine points and Aaron Burton, eight points.
Wissahickon 72, Upper Moreland 62
The Trojans upped their winning streak to four after topping the Golden Bears on Tuesday. The Bears held the advantage in the opening frame, outscoring the Trojans 21-15. In the second quarter, the Trojans fought back to cut the deficit to 39-36 heading into halftime. However, in the third quarter the Trojans overcame their slow start, outscoring the Golden Bears 17-13 to go on top 53-52. The Trojans blew open the close game with a 19-10 fourth quarter burst. Chase Wilson led the offense with 29 points. Chris Vila (19 points) and Chris Carradorini (15 points) also cracked double figures in the victory. The Bears had a balanced attack as Matt Kohn and Kevin McFall each scored 15 points, Tommy Robinson added 14 points and Mark Williams chipped in 10. The Trojans improved their record to 6-1 and find themselves in a three-way tie for the top spot in the conference with Cheltenham and Norristown, while Upper Moreland falls to 3-4.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 75, Springfield 45
The Colonials sprinted to a 32-19 lead in the first half on their way to a decisive win over the Spartans. The Colonials continued to dominate the second half, adding 43 points in the final two quarters, largely due to the contributions of Anthony McKie who buried five three’s on his way to 23 points for the day He also had five assists and four steals. Chase Rodgers all had a standout effort for PW, finishing with 13 points and seven rebounds. Also contributing were Junior Herezi (11 points) and Cameron Johnson (4 points, 10 rebounds). William Dahm led the Spartans’ offensively with 17 points, followed by Luke Pollock and Chris Stone who each connected for 10 points. The Colonials improved their league mark to 3-4 while the Spartans remain winless at 0-7 in the league.
Continental Conference
Pennridge 52, North Penn 44
The Rams head into the second half of the season on a three-game winning streak. Both teams got off to a slow start, but the Rams held a narrow 9-6 advantage at the end of one quarter. In the second quarter, the Rams upped that lead to 22-15 heading into intermission. Pennridge outscored the Knights 17-11 in the third quarter to go on top 39-26, a deficit too great for the Knights to overcome. Jeff Garner paced the offense for the Rams - who were 14-of-18 from the line - with 16 points while Alex Krivda and Kyle Bigam each added ten. The Knights were led offensively by Jason Jones, who had a team-high 14 points, and Cordell Lord who chipped in 10 points. The Rams and Knights boast identical 3-4 league records.
Hatboro-Horsham 53, Central Bucks West 45
The Hatters (7-0) remain unbeaten atop the Continental Conference
after defeating the Bucks. The Hatters seized early control, opening up a 19-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Bucks held a 15-8 advantage in the second quarter to keep the score close at the half (27-26). The Hatters gradually increased their lead throughout the third and fourth quarters, upping their lead to 39-34 heading into the final frame. Mike Brown connected on nine free throws on his way to a game-high 15 points for the Hatters, while Zach Quattro added 14 points and Ryan Kelly contributed 12 points. Pat Kelley and Jared Kelly each chipped in 10 for the Bucks, who saw their record drop to 3-4 in the league.
To read Joe Fite’s complete game story, please click on the following PhillyBurbs.com link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/doylestown/hatters-stay-perfect-in-league-play/article_73c0d5dc-33e0-5545-a877-616a8a85a011.html
Souderton 48, Quakertown 19
The Indians went to intermission with a commanding 25-8 lead on their way to a convincing win over the Panthers. The third quarter proved to be even more troublesome for Quakertown as Big Red held them scoreless in the frame. Souderton used a balanced attack that saw 11 players get into the scoring column, led by John Kanas with 13 points. The Indians upped their SOL mark to 5-2 while the Panthers fell to 1-6.
Central Bucks South 58, Central Bucks East 46
A complete game story of the CB South/CB East game, an SOL Featured Game sponsored by the CB South Parents Club, is posted on the web.
National Conference
Council Rock North 54, Council Rock South 50
The Indians and Golden Hawks battled through the first half with the two teams exchanging leads, but the half ended with the Indians on top 23-21. It was still a 40-38 game after three quarters as both teams scored 17 points in the frame, but in the final quarter, the Indians outscored the Hawks 14-12 to seal the victory. The Indians were led offensively by Rip Engel, who scored 20 points, while Brandon Knotts added 17 points and Kyle McCloskey recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Hawks’ top-scorer was Tom Townsend who tied the game-high with 20 points. Christian Crane chipped in 17 points. The Indians improved their record to 6-1 in the league and are second only to Abington in the league standings, while the Hawks dropped to 2-5 in the league.
Pennsbury 65, Neshaminy 35
The Falcons opened up with an 11-8 lead in the first quarter and upped that lead to 25-17 at half on their way to a convincing win over the Redskins. Shawn Pepper lit up the third quarter with a nine-point scoring run for the Falcons who outscored the Redskins 22-7 and put the game well out of reach. Pepper led all scorers with 15 points, while teammate Steve Ciotti added 13. Cameron Jones and Ryon Muse each scored nine points. Cameron Fattore scored 9 points and Connor McGarry added eight for the Redskins, who are still searching for their first league win (0-7 SOL). The Falcons upped their record to 4-3 in the conference.
Truman 61, William Tennent 55
The Tigers sprinted to a 19-9 lead in the first quarter but saw that lead trimmed to 30-27 by halftime as the Panthers responded with an 18-11 second quarter. The Tigers outscored the Panthers 18-17 in the third quarter to maintain a 48-44 lead. Merdic Green once again led the Tigers’ offense with 29 points, followed by Lucas Waters who had a standout performance with 20 points. The Panthers had two big scoring contributors as well in Matt Alden (24 points) and Horace Spencer (17 points). Truman improved their record to 4-3 while the Panthers saw their record drop to 1-6.
Abington 48, Bensalem 44
The Owls led 10-9 at the end of one quarter and took a 20-15 lead into halftime. The Ghosts responded with a 20-13 third quarter to go on top 35-33 and iced the win with a 13-11 fourth quarter. Jordan Simmons led the Ghosts with 18 points while Matt Penecale added 10. Anthony Lee scored seven points, and Anthony Durham was limited to six points. Steve Johnson (12 points) and Andre Mitchell (11 points) led the Owls. The Ghosts (7-0) are undefeated in conference play after one go-round while the Owls fell to 4-3 in the league.
To read Joe Jones complete game story, please click on the following PhillyBurbs.com link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/bensalem/ghosts-rally-to-get-by-owls/article_4cfab1f9-f67f-5826-9e70-7ed33a7b6be0.html
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