Five SOL boys basketball teams advanced into Tuesday’s District One AAAA second round. To view photos of the Souderton/Pennsbury and PW/Norristown games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
#4 NORRISTOWN 63, #24 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH51
Bernard Gordon had the game of his life in the Eagles opening round win over the Colonials. Gordon filled two very important roles on Friday, shutting down PW star Anthony McKie (10 points) and leading his team in scoring with a career-high 30-point performance that included three three-pointers and an 11-for-12 effort from the line. He also had two steals.
“He had an amazing game,” coach Mike Evans said. “He let the game come to him. He had some open shots, and he knocked them down.”
Gordon helped stake the Eagles to a 15-9 lead in the opening frame, and they upped that lead to 30-19 heading into halftime.
“Both teams came out and had some good runs,” said Evans. “My guys played great down the stretch for the win.”
The Colonials amped up their defense in the second half and cut the deficit to single-digits in the third quarter, but the Eagles still led 42-30 heading into the final frame.
“They were trying to overplay our guards and played tough defense on our wings,” said Evans.
Luke Kelley and Josh Johnson each added 10 points in the victory while Marquis Bryant added five points and 17 rebounds for the Eagles. Johnson also had eight rebounds.
The Colonials also received offensive contributions from Dee Bennett (12 points) and Chase Rodgers (8 points).
Norristown (20-3) will face 13th-seeded Ridley in Tuesday’s second round game.
“We are just going to work on correcting mistakes we made tonight and get ready to play,” said Evans. “We need to keep doing the things that got us to where we are right now.”
#5 ABINGTON 84, #28 OXFORD 53
The SOL National Conference champion Ghosts jumped out to an early lead against the Hornets, opening up a 36-24 lead by the end of the first half. Anthony Durham (21 points) and Jordan Simmons (20 points) were too much for the Hornets to handle as the Ghosts put the game out of reach in the third quarter with a 26-12 scoring explosion.
“In the third quarter we played extremely well,” said coach Charles Grasty. “We got after them a little more, and we played much harder. We got to loose balls, we defended a whole lot better, we rebounded better and we got in our transition game.”
Matt Penecale also chipped in double digits for the Ghosts (19-4), scoring 10 points in the victory, and Grasty felt good about his team’s performance going into the second round of Districts.
“Our guys played well in the second half - we played the right way,” said Grasty. “We played as a team, made the extra pass, and defended well.”
The Ghosts will host twelfth-seeded Penn Wood, which won an overtime thriller against Perk Valley in an opening round game Friday.
#7 HATBORO-HORSHAM 61, #26 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 51
It’s been ten years since the Hatters have inducted a player into the prestigious 1,000-point club, but Mike Brown ended that drought as he reached the coveted mark in the Hatters post-season win over the Cougars.
“He worked real hard,” said coach Dennis Steinly. “He was really on fire, and he rose to the occasion and scored in some big games this season.”
Friday’s game was no exception.
Brown (20 points) was a catalyst as the Hatters overcame an early 6-0 deficit to go into halftime with a 29-19 lead.
“We went on a 16-0 run that put us up pretty good,” said Steinly. “But we couldn’t shake them.”
The Hatters scoring run ended early in the second quarter but included Brown’s big basket that put him in the record books.
“We called a set, and Zach Quattro set a screen for Mike,” said Steinly. Then Ryan Kelly fed Brown the ball for an alley-oop.
“He’s carried us this season, and it was a big deal for him,” said Steinly of the Navy recruit. “It was a big accomplishment for him and for our basketball program.”
After the pivotal scoring run and history-making basket, the Hatters just had to stay on autopilot and maintain their lead, which they did as they outscored the Cougars 14-12 in the third quarter to put the game just out of reach.
Kelly added 16 points for the Hatters and Quattro, 13 points. Hatboro (18-5) will face 10th-seeded Coatesville on Tuesday.
“We certainly want to compete and play well,” said Steinly. “We know they are a very good team with a proud tradition, and they travel well and bring a big fan base, so it should be an exciting atmosphere.”
#11 SOUDERTON 59, #22 PENNSBURY 43
The Indians started off strong, sprinting to a 12-6 lead in the opening frame, but saw that lead erased as the Falcons, led by Shawn Pepper (11 points), outscored them 17-7 in the second quarter to take a 23-19 lead into the intermission.
“They pressed us, and we made bad decisions,” said coach Pete Chimera. “We just were trying to score too fast. We love to run up and down the court, but the risk is that we have to have good shot selection.”
Souderton connected on just 6-of-23 shots from the floor in the first half while the Falcons were connecting at a 50 percent clip.
The Falcons scored first in the third quarter, but standout John Kanas, who scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, quickly righted the ship for the Indians.
“John had a three-point play that settled us down a little, and we ran our offense,” said Chimera. “They got a little impatient and got out of their defense, and we were able to get some buckets in transition.”
The Indians outscored the Falcons 17-5 in the third quarter and took a 36-28 lead into the fourth quarter. Steve Schaffer made important contributions for the Indians, limiting the Falcons’ top scorer Cameron Jones to only eight points.
“Schaffer played terrific defense on Jones,” said Chimera. “Every game he has played unbelievable defense, and he continues to play point guard and it’s incredible. It really changes their team when (Jones) can’t score - they’re not as good.”
Anthony Williams added 13 points for the Indians and was a perfect 7-for-7 at the charity stripe.
For the Falcons (15-6), Aamir Williams chipped in double digits with 10 points while standout Mekhi Bryant was held to only five points. The Indians, who upped their record to 15-7, will visit sixth-seeded Methacton on Tuesday.
#14 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 63, #19 WISSAHICKON 55 (Thursday, Feb. 14)
Chase Vonder Schmalz (13 points) opened the first quarter with back-to-back three-pointers, setting the tone and propelling the Titans to a 16-13 lead at the end of one quarter. The Trojans, however, rallied in the second quarter, outscoring the Titans 17-8 to take a 30-24 lead into halftime. Chase Wilson, who scored 26 on the day, led the Trojans’ comeback.
“They went on a nice run in the second quarter,” said Titans coach Jason Campbell. “Wilson was hitting some deep three’s, and a couple of other guys knocked down some good shots. We had a letdown and we readjusted.”
“There were things we needed to do better.”
At the top of that list was shot selection.
“In the second half, we did a better job,” Campbell said. “We rebounded better and offensively spread the floor out, which seemed to work out nicely.”
In the third quarter, the Titans made some pivotal adjustments. With standout Kevin Raymond in foul trouble after guarding Wilson, Campbell changed up the game plan and entrusted Dan Giaquinto with defending the Trojans’ top weapon. That allowed Raymond to step up and start scoring.
Vonder Schmalz started the quarter with another crucial three-pointer, and Raymond, who was held scoreless in the first half, added 11 of his 17 points in a pivotal third period that saw the Titans outscore the Trojans 23-11.
“(Raymond) changed the tempo,” said Campbell, whose team took a 47-41 lead into the final period. “He got real aggressive driving to basket, and he did a nice job on pull-up jump shots and got a couple open looks in three-point range.”
The Titans have had trouble finding the basket at times this season, but Campbell attributed their success on Thursday night to teamwork and the contributions of Raymond.
“Our team did a nice job screening for (Raymond) and getting him the ball when he was open,” the Titans’ coach said. “He is the heart and soul of our team, setting our tempo offensively and defensively.”
The Titans outscored the Trojans 16-14 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
“We knew that in order to beat them we would have to bear down and play defense and shoot the ball well,” said Campbell. “It was the type of game I expected it to be, back and forth. They are a good team, a young team and they’re tough.”
The Titans also received solid performances from TJ Ohntrup, Kevin Doyle, and Ricky Dennis, who each chipped in six points.
Chris Vila added 11 points for the Trojans (13-10) while Chris Carradorini and Jesse Hunsicker both added eight points.
The Titans advance to Tuesday’s second round where they will face Great Valley.
#25 HARRITON 53, #8 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 51
The 25th-seeded Rams pulled off one the night’s biggest upsets with their win over the eighth-seeded Indians in a tightly-contested game. The Indians opened up with a 16-12 lead at the end of one quarter but saw that lead trimmed to 28-26 by halftime. The Indians still led 40-39 heading into the pivotal final frame, but the Rams won it with a 14-11 fourth quarter. Jake Rosenberg and Brandon Wilson each contributed 14 points for the Rams. The Indians (17-6) were led by a trio of double-figure scorers: Kyle McCloskey (14 points), Brandon Knotts (12 points) and Rip Engel (11 points). The Rams will move on to face Upper Darby in round two of the tournament.
#9 UPPER DARBY 45, #24 NORTH PENN 44
The Knights, who ended their season with a seven-game winning streak, came oh-so-close to pulling off an upset of the Royals on Friday night.
“We felt confident, but we just came up short,” said coach John Conrad
The Royals opened up with a 12-8 lead after one quarter, but the Knights answered with a 12-9 second quarter to go into halftime trailing by just one (21-20).
Mike Swanson (13 points) was key for the Knights, and according to Conrad, he has been the glue holding the team together this season.
The Knights took a 35-33 lead into the final frame.
“We were up six in the fourth quarter,” said Conrad, whose team led 44-38 with 1:02 remaining. “But they were able to make couple baskets and we missed some free throws.”
With time winding down, the Knights still clung to a two-point lead, but Upper Darby’s Kuity Slanger hit a game-winning trey at the buzzer to give the Royals their first lead in the quarter and clinch the dramatic victory. The Royals advance to face the 25th-seeded Harriton Rams, who upset #8 Council Rock North in the first round.
#13 RIDLEY 61, #20 CHELTENHAM 58 (2 OT)
The Panthers and Green Raiders were evenly matched, and it took two overtimes to determine a winner in Friday’s district opener. The Panthers led 10-9 at the end of one quarter and increased their lead to 24-20 heading into halftime. Aaron McGlawn led the Panthers attack, scoring a game-high 22 points, while Guy Henderson added 16 points.
However, the Panthers did not have an answer for the Raiders’ Zane Shaw who exploded in the second half, scoring all 16 of his points and helping his team take a 35-33 lead into the final quarter. The Panthers actually led most of the fourth quarter, but the Raiders rallied to knot the score 45-45, sending the game into overtime.
With Henderson fouled out of the game, the Panthers struggled to find their rhythm in overtime while the Raiders connected on their free throws. A basket by McGlawn knotted the score 54-54 and forced a second overtime.
The Panthers situation went from bad to worse when McGlawn and Shakur Jackson also fouled out, and they were outscored 7-4 in the frame.
The Raiders, who will move on to face fourth-seeded Norristown, only had one field goal in both overtime sessions. They scored all their remaining points on free throws, connecting on 16-of-19 for the day.
The Panthers closed their season with a 12-9 record.
“We’ve never been more proud of a group of kids that we have coached,” said coach Brian Johnson. “This group fought their tails off and went all in, and they absolutely made everybody proud and we are glad to have had the opportunity to coach these guys.”
#3 GREAT VALLEY 51, #30 TRUMAN 40
The Central League champion Patriots wasted no time jumping out to a 20-10 lead over the Tigers after draining four three-pointers in the first quarter. The Patriots led 25-14 at halftime and stretched that to 36-21 heading into into the final frame. Merdic Green led the Tigers (11-12) with 17 points. Lucas Waters added 11 points. The Patriots will advance to host the 14th-seeded Central Bucks South.
#6 METHACTON 67, #27 BENSALEM 49
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