Scott Huff recaps the final week of the SOL regular season in this week's notebook.
By Scott Huff
The PIAA District One Playoffs are to begin this Friday (2/15/13) with 32 teams competing for the Quad-A title. That championship contest will be held March 1, 2013, at Villanova University. The ‘who’ of that bracket is still being sorted by the powers to be at a meeting Tuesday night at Council Rock South High School – the ‘where’ of the schedule is also pending. Ten of those 32 teams will advance out of the district bracket to the state tournament.
The PIAA Class AAA Playoffs are to begin on Saturday (2/23/13) with eight teams competing for the title to be held on March 2, 2013, at Villanova University. The ‘who’ of that bracket and the ‘where’ of that bracket is pending. Two of those eight teams will advance to the state tournament.
Check back here at SuburbanOneSports.com to see who, where, and when Suburban One League teams will be playing.
Suburban One League Continental Conference
North Penn walked dejectedly off the floor after a lopsided 62-35 loss to Central Bucks South. The Knights had fallen to 5-10 for the season, and the district playoffs were surely not on anyone’s radar.
“Winning is a habit, and so is losing,” said North Penn head coach John Conrad. “We just got into the habit of losing games, and the kids just couldn’t get it figured out. We just didn’t seem to be playing well together.”
And then, all of a sudden, the losing stopped. And the Big Blue hasn’t lost since, reeling off seven straight wins and about to accept a totally unexpected invite to the PIAA District One Quad-A Playoffs.
“It all seemed to change once we got Mike Swanson and Stephan Brown back on the floor,” said Conrad as an ankle injury to Swanson and ‘other circumstances’ concerning Brown claimed the seniors for a huge chunk of the season. “Both of them have shown great leadership, and both of them bring a unique playing style to the floor. We have played much better as a group since their return.”
North Penn (12-10 overall, 7-7 SOL Continental Conference) has captured wins over Central Bucks East (53-51), Newtown (NY – 69-54), Quakertown (68-43), Hatboro-Horsham (64-57 in overtime), Lansdale Catholic (52-43), Central Bucks West (62-57 in overtime), and Pennridge (73-56) in its current win streak.
“Being able to beat Hatboro-Horsham in overtime was a huge win for us,” said Conrad as the Knights toppled the co-champion Hatters. “And we were able to come up with another overtime win over CB West that was almost as big.
“If we want to build this program, getting to the district playoffs is a good way to start,” added Conrad. “The kids are very excited to be able to continue to practice to get ready for playoffs, and it is a great atmosphere for high school players.
“When we were at 5-10, we could have easily just finished out the season,” continued Conrad. “But we kept after it.”
North Penn might have fallen – but the Knights got up - and that 12-10 team is now a blip on that district playoff radar.
In The Rear View Mirror in the SOL Continental Conference
Hatboro-Horsham won a share of the conference title as the Hatters captured a pair of wins this week. Hatboro-Horsham opened the week with a 58-38 victory over Quakertown and followed with a 38-31 win over Central Bucks West. The Hatters had three players score in double figures in the win over West led by Zach Quattro with 14 points. Michael Brown and Ryan Kelly each scored 11 points for the champion Hatters.
Souderton won a share of the conference title due in large part to a huge 39-35 win over Central Bucks South and a 57-33 win over Quakertown to close the regular season. In the win over the Titans, Brendan Wagner scored a team-high 17 points while Austin Murphy chipped in with 12 points. In Monday’s win over the Panthers, John Kanas led the way with 19 points while Murphy added 11.
Central Bucks South fell from sole possession of first place to out of title contention with a pair of extremely tough losses. The Titans opened the week with a 39-35 loss to Souderton and followed with an upset at the hands rival Central Bucks East – 59-58. Matt Scamuffo led CB South in scoring against the Indians with 11 points, while Chase Vonder Schmalz scored a team-high 15 points in the loss to the Patriots.
North Penn won its sixth and seventh straight games as the Knights won a pair of conference games last week. North Penn opened the week with a 62-57 overtime victory over Central Bucks West and followed with a 73-56 win over Pennridge to close out the regular season. Brian Coleman led a balanced NP attack in the win over West with 13 points, while Coleman also led the Knights in scoring with a 15-point effort in the win over the Rams.
Central Bucks East captured a pair of impressive conference victories as the Patriots defeated Pennridge 58-37 and followed with the 59-58 victory over Central Bucks South. Matt Stauffer scored 20 points to lead the Pats in the win over the Rams, while Brendan McLaughlin scored a team-high 19 points in the win over the Titans.
Central Bucks West had a tough week as the Bucks lost a pair of conference games. West lost a tough 62-57 overtime loss to North Penn and followed with a 38-31 setback against Hatboro-Horsham. Cal Reichwein and Sherrod Higginbotham each scored a team-high 12 points against the Knights, while Jared Kelly scored a team-high 12 points against the Hatters.
Pennridge also had a tough week as the Rams fell in both of their conference games. The Green and White dropped a 58-37 contest to CB East to open the week and closed the week with a 73-56 loss to North Penn. Jeff Garner scored a team-high 15 points in the loss to the Patriots, while Alex Krivda scored 21 points in the setback to the Knights.
Quakertown also had a tough week as the Panthers closed out its regular SOL Continental Conference season. Quakertown lost to Hatboro-Horsham 58-38 and closed out the 2012-2013 season with a loss to Souderton.
Final SOL Continental Conference Standings:
1. Hatboro-Horsham Hatters – 11-3
Souderton Indians – 11-3
3. Central Bucks South Titans – 10-4
4. North Penn Knights – 7-7
5. Central Bucks East Patriots – 6-8
Central Bucks West Bucks – 6-8
7. Pennridge Rams – 4-10
8. Quakertown Panthers – 1-13.
Suburban One League National Conference
Council Rock North had just gotten its face bloodied for a fourth straight loss after the Indians had won 10 straight games to start the season. Wissahickon (67-64), Abington (55-53), Truman (48-45), and Liberty (54-46) all took winning shots at Rock North, but the Indians regained their feet and closed the regular season with a four-game winning streak.
“Sometimes when you win games, you don’t see your flaws,” said Council Rock North head coach Derek Wright. “But when you lose games, it is human nature to begin to see more clearly what it takes to be a winner. We realized what it takes both physically and mentally to win basketball games.”
The Indians closed the regular season with wins over Pennsbury (71-61), Bensalem (53-42), Neshaminy (68-30), and rival Council Rock South (61-44).
“During our losing streak, we didn’t shoot the ball well, and we didn’t play the type of defense that I wanted us to play,” said Wright. “The foundation to any team is its defense, and I feel we have improved a lot in that area recently. Defense can help you out when you are not making shots.”
Rock North has received some special playing time from Rip Engel in recent games.
“Rip is a very smart and aggressive player,” said Wright of his talented junior guard. “He can help us out by shooting the ball well, or he does a great job for us creating shots for the other players.
“I feel good about where we are as a basketball team,” added Wright. “Now we get prepared for the playoffs, and you want to go into the playoffs playing winning basketball.”
And Rock North will do just that.
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL National Conference
Abington claimed an outright conference championship as the Ghosts collected a pair of big wins in the final week of the regular season. Abington opened the week with a 52-48 victory over Pennsbury and closed the week with a 64-62 overtime win over Bensalem. Matt Penecale led a balanced Ghost attack in the Falcon win with 12 points, while Anthony Durham sparked a huge fourth period comeback and excelled in the overtime to help the Ghosts defeat the Owls.
Council Rock North held on tightly to second place in the conference as the Indians won both of their games last week. Rock North opened the week with a 68-30 win over Neshaminy and followed with a 61-44 won over rival Council Rock South to close out the week. Rip Engel was the leading scorer in both games for CR North with an 18-point effort against the Redskins and a 26-point performance against Rock South.
Bensalem remained in a tie for third place as the Owls spilt a pair of conference games last week. Bensalem opened the week with a 62-47 victory over Truman and gave first place Abington all it could handle in a 64-62 overtime loss to the Ghosts. Donnie Reed scored a team-high 19 points in the win over Truman, while Vincent scored 17 first half points in the loss to Abington.
Pennsbury remained in a tie for third place as the Falcons split a pair of conference games last week. Pennsbury lost a competitive 52-48 contest to Abington to open the week and closed the week with a 52-21 win over Neshaminy. Pierson Burton scored a team-high 11 points in the loss to the Ghosts, while Cameron Jones scored a team-high 14 points in the win over Neshaminy.
Truman fell to fifth place as the Tigers lost a pair of conference games last week. Truman opened the week with a 62-47 loss to Bensalem and closed out the regular season with a 67-50 loss to William Tennent. In the loss to Bensalem, Lucas Waters scored a game-high 21 points while Merdic Green scored 12 points for the Tigers. Green had 18 points in the loss to Tennent.
William Tennent won a pair of games last week as the Panthers opened the week with a 68-51 win over Council Rock South and closed the week with a 67-50 win over Truman. Vinnie Case and Mike Wasserleben each scored a game-high 18 points for the Panthers in the win over the Golden Hawks, while Matt Alden chipped in with 16 points against Rock South. In Monday's win over Truman, sophomore Horace Spencer (22 points) and Matt Alden (21 points) came up huge for the Panthers. The Panthers have won six of their last nine games.
Council Rock South had a tough week as the Golden Hawks closed out their season with a pair of losses. Rock South opened the week with a 68-51 loss to William Tennent and closed the week with a 61-44 loss to Council Rock North. Christian Crane was the leading scorer for the Hawks in both games with a 16-point effort against the Panthers and a 25-point performance against the Indians.
Neshaminy closed out its season winless as the Redskins lost a pair of conference games last week. Neshaminy opened the week with a 68-30 loss to Council Rock North and closed the week with a 52-21 loss to Pennsbury.
Final SOL National Conference Standings:
1. Abington Ghosts – 13-1
2. Council Rock North Indians – 11-3
3. Bensalem Owls – 8-6
Pennsbury Falcons – 8-6
Truman Tigers – 8-6
6. Council Rock South Golden Hawks – 4-10
William Tennent Panthers – 4-10
8. Neshaminy Redskins – 0-14
Suburban One League American Conference
Wissahickon was one of the elite teams in the 2011-2012 season as the Trojans advanced to the Final Four in district play with an invite to Temple University.
“That team was quite a different team than the one we have this year,” said Wissahickon head coach Kyle Wilson. “We had players like Jordan Reed (6-4) and Tanoh Kpassagnon (6-8) to lean on, and to be honest, we don’t have that player this year.
“Chase (Wilson – son of the coach) has been great, but he is a guard and doesn’t have the same impact,” added Wilson. “And both Jesse (Hunsicker) and Gordon (Bentley) were on that team last year, but they were more or less good role players.”
Wissahickon finished in second place this season in the SOL American behind conference champion Norristown. The Trojans, though, handed the Eagles their only loss of the conference season (55-54). And Wissahickon has two other impressive non-league wins on its resume with victories over both Council Rock North (67-64) and West Chester Henderson (67-51).
“You could look at both Council Rock North and Norristown as teams that could go to the final four, and we have beaten both of them,” said Wilson. “But we are still trying to find a chemistry that we lost during a stretch of games that included Springfield, Perkiomen Valley, Plymouth Whitemarsh, and Cheltenham where we were battling a lot of illness and injuries.
“I have not have had to work with this team on giving effort,” added Wilson. “They have given a great effort almost every game, and they have accepted the challenge ahead of them.”
And that challenge will include the PIAA District One Quad-A Playoffs.
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL American Conference
Norristown secured its conference championship with a pair of conference wins last week. The Eagles soared to a 69-48 victory over Wissahickon to begin the week and closed the week with a 59-38 win over Cheltenham. Josh Johnson was the leading scorer for Norristown in both wins with a 19-point effort against the Trojans and a 20-point performance against the Panthers.
Plymouth Whitemarsh closed out the regular season with a couple of wins as the Colonials marched to victories over both Upper Dublin and Springfield. Anthony McKie was the leading scorer in both games for PW with a 19-point effort in the win over the Flying Cardinals and a 27-point performance against Springfield.
Cheltenham earned a second place conference finish as the Panthers split a pair of games last week. Cheltenham opened the week with a 60-42 victory over Upper Merion and closed the week with a 59-38 loss to Norristown. Aaron McGlawn scored a game-high 22 points against the Vikings, while Saboor Edmunds had a team-high 10 points in the loss to the Eagles.
Wissahickon earned a second place conference finish as the Trojans split a pair of games last week. Wissahickon opened the week with a 69-48 loss to Norristown and closed the week with a win over Upper Moreland. Chase Wilson scored a game-high 25 points for the Trojans in the loss to Norristown and scored a career-high 37 points against the Golden Bears.
Upper Moreland earned a split of conference games as the Golden Bears defeated Springfield and lost to Wissahickon. Upper Moreland received a 30-point scoring performance by Matt Kohn in the win over Springfield, while Kevin McFall also scored 14 points in the win over the Spartans. In the loss to Wissahickon, Kohn scored a team-high 17 points.
Upper Dublin closed out its season with a split of conference games last week as the Flying Cardinals lost to Plymouth Whitemarsh and defeated Upper Merion 53-52. Kevin Woods scored a game-high 25 points for Upper Dublin in a 70-55 loss to the Colonials, while Andrew Carber and Simeon Fryer each scored 11 points for the Cardinals. Carber led UD in scoring against the Vikings with 14 points.
Upper Merion finished its regular season with a pair of losses as the Vikings lost to both Cheltenham and Upper Dublin. In the 60-42 loss to the Panthers, David Stecz (17) and Riece Jenerette (12) each scored in double digits for the Vikings. The Vikings dropped a tough 53-52 contest to the Flying Cardinals as Justin Lewis scored a team-high 11 points.
Springfield closed out its regular season with a pair of losses as the Spartans fell to both Upper Moreland (75-59) and Plymouth Whitemarsh (66-51). William Dahm was the leading scorer both Springfield in both games with a 20-point effort against the Golden Bears and an 18-point performance against the Colonials.
Final SOL American Conference Standings:
1. Norristown Eagles – 13-1
2. Cheltenham Panthers – 10-4
Wissahickon Trojans – 10-4
4. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials – 8-6
5. Upper Moreland Golden Bears – 7-7
6. Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals – 5-9
7. Upper Merion Vikings – 2-12
8. Springfield Spartans – 1-13.
Suburban One Sports.com
Top Ten
1. Abington Ghosts
2. Norristown Eagles
3. Council Rock North Indians
4. Hatboro-Horsham Hatters
5. Souderton Indians
6. Central Bucks South Titans
7. Cheltenham Panthers
8. Wissahickon Trojans
9. Pennsbury Falcons
10. Bensalem Owls
10. + Truman Tigers
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