Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action. Wissahickon/WC Rustin photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko. CR South/Upper Darby photo by John Gleeson. Check back for galleries of both games.
PENNRIDGE MEMORIAL CLASSIC
Pennridge 77, Harry S Truman 65
In the nightcap of the opening round of the Pennridge Classic, the host Rams – minus a whole lot of familiar faces - began the season with a strong effort, jumping out to a fast start and maintaining steady scoring throughout the game.
Eight players scored for the defending state runners-up, with Trent Fisher’s 29 points leading all scorers. Christian Guldin stepped up big for the Rams, pouring in 18 and draining seven of nine from the foul line.
“We really did a great job offensively,” said Pennridge coach Dean Behrens. “We were very unselfish—we got a lot of post touches, especially Trent Fisher.
"Luke Yoder was in foul trouble most of the night so it really wasn’t him scoring, but Christian Guldin did a really nice job as our point guard under a lot of duress. They put you under duress. I thought there was a lot of hand checking, a lot of physical play on the perimeter that they didn’t call. Christian did a great job of handling it, and that was a key.”
The Rams led 19-5 after one quarter and took a 38-24 advantage into halftime.
“They gambled a lot defensively,” Behrens said. “We talked about it - they’re going to trap, they’re going to lunge for the ball, go for steals, and if you can’t handle that, it’s going to be a long night for you.
“We did a good job of limiting our dribble and using the pass. We would throw the ball across the top, to the middle, opposite and layup. It was just boom, boom, boom.”
Jordan Fant led Truman with 23 points, including four three-pointers and seven-of-eight shooting from the charity stripe. In all, 10 players scored for the Tigers, with Fernando Vargas (3 three-pointers) and RJ Winton each scoring nine.
“(Truman) had 12 three-pointers,” Behrens said. “They were jacking them. Fant hit four and that was in the second half. He hadn’t hit much prior to that. I’m thinking, ‘What the heck is going on?’
“Give Truman credit. We got up 20 on them in the middle of the fourth quarter, and they didn’t die. We emptied the bench. I was trying to give our young guys a little bit of experience to play against that duress, but Truman came at us."
Truman will face Central Bucks East in an all-Suburban One matchup at 3 p.m. Saturday. Pennridge will face Boyertown at 5 p.m.
Harry S Truman 5-19-18-23 65
Pennridge 19-19-18-21 77
Harry S Truman (65)—RJ Winton 9, Dakota Kitchen 5, Kashun Holden 1, Brayden Templeman 5, Fernando Vargas 9, Jordan Fant 23, Michael Leonhauser 3, Ethan Flail 6, Evan Profy 2, Antonio Carr 2.
Pennridge (77)—Ryan Benscoter 9, Luke Yoder 3, Paul Croyle 8, Christian Guldin 18, Colin Post 2, Anthony Phillips 5, Trent Fisher 29, Colin Monahan 3.
Boyertown 53, Central Bucks East 50 (OT)
Central Bucks East opened its season with a thrilling, memorable overtime battle with Boyertown in the first round of the Pennridge Memorial Classic on Friday evening. But after last-second heroics forced the overtime, the Patriots ultimately fell to the Bears in the season-opener.
East’s Jack Hamilton buried a three-pointer from the corner with just one second left in the fourth quarter to knot the score at 47-47. Boyertown responded with a big trey of its own to put the Bears up for good with 20 seconds left in the extra frame.
East struggled in the first quarter, falling behind 18-5 after one. But the Patriots kicked it into high gear in the second, posting 19 points to narrow the gap to three points at the half.
East’s Joe Jackman led all scorers with 22 points. Hamilton’s last-second trey added to his 12-point night, and Chris Charlton chipped in with 11.
The Patriots buried 5-of-9 at the foul line. The Bears took 22 trips to the foul line, connecting on 16.
Central Bucks East will face Harry S Truman at 3 p.m. Saturday in the second round of the Classic.
Central Bucks East 5-19-7-16-3 50
Boyertown 18-9-14-6-6 53
Central Bucks East (50)—Joe Jackman 22, Jack Hamilton 12, Tyler Young 1, Chris Charlton 11, Brendan Harte 5.
Boyertown (53)—Aarick Salata 10, Chris Kiefer 6, David Leh 6, Alex Obarow 11, Tre Diguglielmo 18, Kameron Metcalf 1.
SIXTH ANNUAL JIM CHURCH CLASSIC
Souderton 56, Lansdale Catholic 52
Brian Reiner sank a critical three-pointer with 4:37 left in the final quarter to give Souderton a lead it would never relinquish as the host Indians successfully rallied to pull out a thrilling victory over Lansdale Catholic in the nightcap of the Sixth Annual Jim Church Classic.
The Indians had trailed for much of the first three quarters before pulling ahead late in the third and taking a 38-34 lead into the final frame.
“We knew we hadn’t played our best game in the first three quarters, so to be entering the fourth up four and our best game still ahead of us, we felt good about that,” Souderton coach Tim Brown said. “LC did a great job battling back and just staying tough. It was pretty close throughout the entire fourth, but our guys did a good job of closing it out. They’re learning how to win, and I think that’s going to be the biggest thing – just figuring out how to do it.”
Reiner was one of four Souderton players to reach double digits in scoring. Sami Chouriaf netted 11, and Jason Price scored 14, including a pair of free throws with 1:07 left to extend the hosts’ lead to 52-46.
“Jason Price was huge for us,” Brown said. “He had a huge three-pointer that put us up six in the fourth quarter and nailed some really clutch foul shots at the end. For a guy that’s really not seen the varsity floor, he looked like he was a seasoned vet, so that was awesome.”
Dom Natale led the Indians with 16 points, including a highlight-reel trey to put an exclamation point on the third-quarter rally.
“We were losing pretty much all the way through the third quarter, and towards the end of the quarter we grabbed the lead,” Brown said. “Dom hit a step-above-half-court three-pointer to put us up four at the end of the quarter. He probably could have taken another step or two in, but Dom being Dom, he pulled up from a step over half-court and banked it in in classic Dom fashion.
“Dom was huge for us the entire game. His energy, his competitiveness, and his mental toughness – he set the tone for the entire team. We all followed him.”
Earning a win – particularly in facing such adversity early on – will provide the team with a strong foundation on which to build and gain confidence.
“It was huge morale-wise,” Brown said. “A big thing for us is being mentally tough. We started that game not hitting shots, not playing exactly the way we wanted to play. We were down 11 in the second quarter, but they just kept face and just kept doing what we talk about every single day, what we do every single day in practice and battled back two points at a time, one stop at a time, and it paid off.
“For them to see that if you continue to play the game and not ride the emotional game that it can be, it’s going to work out for you in the end.”
Souderton will face a very familiar opponent in the Championship Game, set for 5 p.m. Saturday. The Indians will take on Dock Mennonite Academy for the tournament title.
“We play Dock all summer long, all fall long, all spring long,” Brown said. “It’s going to be a fun game, for sure. We definitely respect what they do – respect their players, respect their coaches, respect their program, so it’s going to be a battle. It’s going to be a good one. I’m excited.”
Lansdale Catholic 11-11-12-18 52
Souderton 5-14-19-18 56
Lansdale Catholic (52)— Jimmy Casey 17, Kellan Ward 11, Hunter Healy 9, Shawn Gibbons 7, Jaron Phillips 3, Jamir Hicks 2, Liam McDonnell 2, Matt Dome 1.
Souderton (56)—Dominic Natale 16, Jason Price 14, Sami Chouriaf 11, Brian Reiner 10, Jack Towsen 2, Andrew Vince 1, Dylan Hollick 1, Matt Uhlrich 1.
Dock Mennonite Academy 68, Council Rock North 41
A slow start doomed Council Rock North to Dock Mennonite Academy in Friday’s season opener.
North scored just three points in the first quarter and – after falling behind 19-3 at the end of one - trailed 32-15 at halftime to Dock.
Though no North players scored in double digits, 10 contributed to the scoring. Bernard Parent and Jack Blum tied for team lead with eight points each. Parent netted five points in the first half while Blum scored all eight of his points after halftime.
Rock will face Lansdale Catholic in the consolation game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Dock Mennonite Academy 19-13-21-15 68
Council Rock North 3-12-11-18 44
Dock Mennonite Academy (69)—Ralph Saint-Fleur 11, Dallas Wilder-Hamilton 6, Cecil Barnes 2, Roman Kuhn 5, Tomir Johnson 6, Devon Jainlett 11, Steve Martin 16, Darius Ellis 13.
Council Rock North (44)—Bernard Parent 8, Andrew Stewart 7, Luke Vliet 7, Sean Mealey 3, Hunter Wan 1, Connor Rushing 2, Austin Stalker 2, Daniel Egan 2, Logan Saifer 4, Jack Blum 8.
HATTERS BASKETBALL TIPOFF CLASSIC
William Tennent 35, Hatboro-Horsham 23
In a defensive battle that provided a final score more fitting for an offensive football game, William Tennent shut down host Hatboro-Horsham by a 35-23 count in the nightcap of the Hatters Basketball Tipoff Classic. Leading all scorers was Tennent’s Derrick Cosenza with 17 points.
The teams combined for just eight points in the opening quarter, and the Panthers – who led 6-2 after one frame – took a 15-11 lead into halftime.
Fourth-quarter baskets from three-point land by Jay Stanfield (8 points) and Daulton Zeaman (6 points) stretched the lead and secured the win for the visitors.
“We tried to get the ball inside a little bit,” Tennent coach Robert Mulville said. “They defended pretty well. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter when we knocked down two threes. Actually, we knocked down four of our five threes in the second half. Defensively, we were switching back and forth, but they were pretty patient. It fostered a low-scoring game.
“I thought Zeaman played really well. He took a charge for us, just played really good defense. He had great energy the entire game.”
Jack Marvin led the Hatters with 11.
Both teams return to action on Saturday for Day 2 of the Tipoff Classic. Tennent will face Upper Darby at 3:45 p.m., while the Hatters take on Council Rock South in the tournament finale at 7:30 p.m.
William Tennent 6-9-8-12 35
Hatboro-Horsham 2-9-10-2 23
William Tennent (35)—Jay Stanfield 8, Daulton Zeaman 6, Josiah Johnson 2, Derrick Cosenza 17, Bryce Lockett 2.
Hatboro-Horsham (23)—N’Gianni Cerisier 4, Zehier Cheeze 5, Chrishon Avery 3, Jack Marvin 11.
Upper Darby 46, Council Rock South 44
Despite a game-high 22 points—including three three-pointers—from Michael Stewart, Council Rock South dropped a heartbreaker, 46-44, to Upper Darby in the opener of the Hatters Basketball Tipoff Classic.
Leading 13-11 after one quarter, the Golden Hawks got a boost from Luca Baratta, who scored 8 of his 15 points (including three treys) in the second quarter, but the Hawks trailed by two points at halftime (28-26).
Upper Darby extended its lead to five points after three quarters and held off the Hawks to pull out the season- and tournament-opening win.
The Golden Hawks will complete their run in the tournament when they square off against host Hatboro-Horsham at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Upper Darby 11-17-10-9 46
Council Rock South 13-13-7-11 44
Upper Darby (46)—A Tucker 2, C Dabbs 8, M Kante 15, I Joshuasville 6, S Jones 13, O Nzeh 5.
Council Rock South (44)—Joey Purcell 2, Luca Baratta 15, Luke Meakim 3, Michael Stewart 22, Kevin McNamee 2.
SOL-PAC TIPOFF TOURNAMENT
Central Bucks West 45, Perkiomen Valley 33
Central Bucks West earned the victory for the Suburban One League, opening its season with a solid 45-33 victory at home.
Owen Haney (12 points) and Mika Munari (11) led the scoring for the Bucks, who led 10-7 after one quarter and outscored the Vikings 14-7 in the second to go into halftime with a 24-14 advantage. Haney added four rebounds and three steals.
The Bucks, who took a 34-20 lead into the final quarter, also received strong efforts from Terry Spratt (6 points, 8 rebounds) and Danny Miller (4 points, 6 rebounds) as West used the middle two quarters to build up a comfortable lead on Perk Valley.
The Bucks will look to make it 2-0 when they face Spring-Ford at 3 p.m. Saturday at Perkiomen Valley High School in a battle of Friday’s winning squads.
Central Bucks West 10-14-10-11 45
Perkiomen Valley 7-7-6-13 33
Central Bucks West (45)—Mika Munari 11, Owen Haney 12, Teddy Spratt 6, Jack Neri 2, Danny Miller 4, Jack Slaymaker 4, Andrew Lindenmuth 2, Joe Monahan 2, Dante Mancini 2.
Perkiomen Valley (33)—Basile 3, Beattie 3, Parks 4, Kohler 2, Dougherty 2, Martinez 3, Micelli 3, Lapenta 7, Gansz 6.
Spring-Ford 70, Central Bucks South 51
Spring-Ford opened its season in high gear, much to the dismay of Central Bucks South. The Rams poured in 25 points in the first quarter to go on top 25-6 and never looked back en route to downing the Titans in the opening game of the SOL-PAC Tipoff Tournament at Central Bucks West.
Michael Farley paced the Titans with 14 points. Alex Dietz and Mike Waltrich each added seven.
With a Suburban One League school hosting the opening round, the venue moves to the PAC-10 for Saturday’s games. South will look to rebound when it takes host school Perkiomen Valley at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Central Bucks South 6-13-12-20 51
Spring-Ford 25-11-17-17 70
Central Bucks South (51)—Zach O'Connor 3, Mike Waltrich 7, Evan D'Orazio 4, Nate Macalindong 5, Jay Macalindong 6, Josiah Harrsion 3, Alex Dietz 7, Nick Wursta 2, Michael Farley 14.
Spring-Ford (70)—Irby 2, Mehdows 21, Kovaleski 8, Fitzgerald 8, Skrocki 9, Santiago 15, Cooke 3, Kressley 4.
ORELAND LIONS TOURNAMENT
Springfield Township 51, Jenkintown 48
Springfield Township started the game strong, then held off a furious comeback attempt by Jenkintown to earn a victory in Friday’s first-round game of the Oreland Lions Tournament.
“The key to today’s game was pretty much controlling the pace of the game and pushing the ball as much as we can,” Spartans’ coach Chris Cole said. “Jenkintown is a decent team. They shocked us – we didn’t expect this much coming from them. They played really, really well today.
“Our game keys were to double-team their best players and play as a team. One thing that we’re emphasizing this year is team basketball. Our motto this year is ‘We over me.’ By playing ‘we over me’ basketball, we can win as many games as possible.
“We really, really preached all week – we have to work as a team and play as a team. No matter how many minutes you get, you have to give it your all when you’re on the floor, and that’s what they did tonight. As coaches, we were extremely happy.”
Size proved to be a major advantage for the hosts. Jay Joseph scored 14 to lead the Spartans and Gabe Harris added 13.
“Jenkintown started to come back after halftime, and midway through the third quarter they took a lead,” Cole said. “We told them we have to get the ball in the paint. We are a big team this year. Ethan Hamilton is 6-5, Jay Joseph is 6-5, and Gabe Harris, is 6-7.
“We have put the emphasis on giving Gabe the ball, allowing him to do what he does, and we play off of him off of him from there.”
The Spartans will look to claim the Oreland Lions Tournament title when they face New Foundations Charter School in the Championship Game at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Springfield Twp 10-11-14-16 51
Jenkintown 5-10-17-16 48
Springfield Twp (51) - Austin Maggioncalda 3, Micah Woods 5, Amir Williams 6, Matt Leibfried 3, Jay Joseph 14, Ethan Hamilton 4, Finn Coll 3, Gabe Harris 13.
13TH ANNUAL TIPOFF TOURNAMENT
North Penn 52, Hershey 48
North Penn opened its season with a hard-fought 52-48 victory over host Hershey High School in the opening round of the 13th Annual Tipoff Tournament.
The Knights opened the season strong with a stellar first quarter, going on top 18-8, but Hershey responded as the teams headed into halftime with North Penn holding a narrow 23-18 lead. Hershey trimmed the lead to two points heading into the final quarter (34-32).
But the Knights came up clutch in the final frame. Joe Larkins led North Penn with 16 points, and drained six of eight free throws in the fourth quarter. Mike Chaffee added eight of his 10 points in the fourth. Billy Coley added 12—including a three-pointer —for North Penn. Rob Carangi had seven points.
The Knights will finish the Tipoff Tournament in Saturday’s Championship Game against Cumberland Valley at 7 p.m.
North Penn 18-5-11-18 52
Hershey 8-10-14-16 48
North Penn (52)—Josh Jones 4, Joe Larkins 16, Billy Coley 12, Mike Chaffee 10, Rob Carangi 7, Matt Swanson 3.
Hershey (48)—Kohen Stover 4, Dan Matas 3, Ethan Liesch 7, Jackson Mascari 27, Ryan Coller 5, Zach Miller 2.
UPPER MORELAND TIPOFF TOURNAMENT
Upper Moreland 60, Upper Perkiomen 37
Jahaire Johnson (18 points) and Jordan Gregg (15) opened the season by lighting up the scoreboard as host Upper Moreland rolled to a victory over Upper Perkiomen in the first round of the Upper Moreland Tipoff Tournament.
Nine Golden Bears contributed to the scoring as the hosts led by eight after one quarter and carried a 33-18 lead into halftime.
Also for the Golden Bears, Byron Hopkins scored seven points and Tyler Ibbotson had six.
“We played a well-rounded game,” Upper Moreland coach Sean Feeley said. “I’m proud of my guys.”
Upper Moreland will face New Hope in the Championship Game at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Upper Moreland 18-15-14-13 60
Upper Perkiomen 10-8-9-10 37
Upper Moreland (60)—Byron Hopkins 7, Beau Woollens 2, Jordan Gregg 15, Jahaire Johnson 18, Jay Broderick 3, Jake Tiernan 4, Matt Tiernan 3, Tyler Ibbotson 6, Sanders 2.
46TH ANNUAL TRIANGLE CLUB OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY TOURNAMENT
West Chester Rustin 69, Wissahickon 67
Wissahickon dropped a heartbreaker in the opening round of the 46th Annual Triangle Club of Montgomery County Tournament, taking a 69-67 loss to West Chester Rustin Friday night at Montgomery County Community College.
The Trojans – who led 36-33 at halftime – took a 52-49 lead into the final quarter, but they struggled to close it out as Rustin rallied for a hard-fought win, scoring the game-winner in the final seconds
Harrison Williams led Wissahickon with 24 points (including 9-of-10 shooting from the foul line) and Matt Compass had 15. Carmen Ostroski also finished in double figures with 10, and Justin Rappaport had nine. Joshua Twersky chipped in with seven.
The Trojans will play Germantown Academy at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the tournament’s Consolation Game.
West Chester Rustin 15-18-16-20 69
Wissahickon 16-20-16-13 67
West Chester Rustin (69)—Miller 8, Seelaus 2, Reinheimer 3, Pettit 15, Wethey 11, Barouk 22, Barksdale 8.
Wissahickon (67)—D’Shan Love 2, Justin Rappaport 9, Harrison Williams 24, Stefan Lowry 2, Joshua Twersky 7, Matt Compass 15, Carmen Ostroski 10.
NON-LEAGUE
Bensalem 66, Penn Wood 57
The temperatures outside haven’t dipped all that low yet, but Bensalem had a couple players with ice water running through their veins as the Owls opened their season with a hard-fought 66-57 win over non-league opponent Penn Wood on Friday.
The Owls trailed 18-11 after the opening quarter and were down by 10 in the third quarter, but sparked by a newfound defensive effort, Bensalem picked up some momentum and never let it slip away.
“The turning point was our intensity on defense,” Bensalem coach Ron Morris said. “Once we turned the pressure up on defense, we were able to create some turnovers, get some easy layups. I feel like the momentum switched when our defensive intensity turned up.”
A 22-point fourth quarter and some perfect shooting from the foul line helped the Owls put the game away. Justin Sanders (14 points) went four-for-four and James Ashford sank two-for-two from the free throw line in the final 35 seconds to secure the victory. Ashford led Bensalem with 16 points, and Jeremiah Alexander finished with 11 points. Travis Robinson also made some clutch foul shots in the second half.
“James Ashford was able to get out on the break and finish at the rim,” Morris said. “We had some big rebounds down the stretch from Jeremiah Alexander and Luke Zeidler. Our defensive energy got us the lead and our foul shots sealed the deal.
“We’re really young, so we’re figuring stuff out. We really only have one returning starter (Alexander) and one guy with varsity experience. James Ashford got hurt last year and only played about four games. They’re a great group of kids that work hard, and we’re just going to continue to work hard and figure it out."
The Owls visit Wissahickon Monday at 7 p.m. looking to continue their winning ways.
Bensalem 11-14-19-22 66
Penn Wood 18-11-15-13 57
Bensalem (66)—Travis Robinson 11, Justin Johnson 4, Aaron Sanders 14, Jeremiah Alexander 11, James Ashford 16, Blaise Unger 4, Luke Zeidler 6.
Penn Wood (57)—Samir Baydes 23; Boothe 2; Flynn 6, Moore 3; Purnell 3; Goring 2; Dublin 9; Johnson 9.
Lincoln 63, Plymouth Whitemarsh 55
Plymouth Whitemarsh dropped its season opener to visiting Lincoln High in a 63-55 decision on Friday night.
The host Colonials trailed 13-8 after one quarter and spent the rest of the night playing catch up.
Luke DiCianno’s 20-point effort led the Colonials. David Harris also finished in double figures with 11.
The Colonials (0-1) will look to get their first win of the season when they host non-league opponent Simon Gratz Charter School on Monday at 7 p.m.
Lincoln 13-19-11-20 63
Plymouth Whitemarsh 8-19-9-19 55
Marple Newtown 60, Neshaminy 49
Damon McGovern led all scorers with 21 points and Mike Murray added 10, but Neshaminy was unable to keep pace with Marple Newtown down the stretch as the visitors pulled away with a victory.
Neshaminy trailed by two at halftime, 27-25, but Marple Newtown drained four three-pointers in the third quarter and shot a decent six-for-nine from the foul line in the fourth to add to their lead and claim the victory.
For Neshaminy, McGovern went seven-for-eight from the foul line in the second half (10-for-14 for the game). Murray scored six of his 10 in the second half. Matthew Drapkin claimed four of his six points in the fourth quarter.
Neshaminy will be back in action on Monday, hosting Conwell-Egan Catholic High School at 7 p.m.
Marple Newtown 17-10-16-17 60
Neshaminy 16-9-11-13 49
Marple Newtown (60)—Mikeopolars 8, Pertinelli 11, Sauls 17, Tansey 6, DiBona 7, McKee 6, Straub 3, Mathes 2
Neshaminy (49)—James MacDonald 4, Jonathan Desir 2, Matthew Drapkin 6, Damon McGovern 21, Andrew Mays 3, Mike Murray 10, Sean Curley 3.
Upper Dublin 41, Strawberry Mansion 31
The Upper Dublin boys’ basketball team opened its season with a 41-31 victory over non-league opponent Strawberry Mansion on Friday.
Senior Bazel Brady paced the hosts and led all scorers with 18 points. Junior Amare Johnson added a career-high 10 points.
The Cardinals are back in action at 7 p.m. Saturday when they host Lower Moreland.
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