Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ basketball teams in action Thursday. CB East/Neshaminy photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Non-league
Central Bucks East 66, Neshaminy 42
This battle between first-place teams ended up a big win for the Patriots, who still sit at No. 1 in the District One Class 6A power rankings with less than a week remaining in the regular season.
“It was a big win for us especially going in knowing that they were sitting at No. 4 in the power rankings,” said Patriots coach Erik Henrysen. “Our guys were really focused.
“We were able to build off of the defensive momentum from Tuesday’s win over North Penn. This is now two games in a row that I think our defense triggered our offense. We shot well from (3-point range) too, which is always helpful.”
Up seven at the end of the first quarter, CB East blew the game wide open, outscoring Neshaminy 18-6 in the second quarter.
The Patriots shot the ball well all night, with 11 3-pointers as a team and four scorers in double figures, led by Joe Jackman who had 14 points and four assists. Jack Hamilton had 11 points, six rebounds and four blocks, Brendan Harte had 11 points, four rebounds and three assists and Aidan Weaver 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
“Brendan Harte got us going early with eight points in the first quarter,” Henrysen said. “He has been our ‘do everything’ guy and Brendan’s leadership has been awesome.
“Our bench gave us a huge lift in the second quarter. Brett Young chipped in all eight of his points in the first half.
“Aidan Weaver and Jack Hamilton did a great job tonight as well. They are both long and athletic. Together they provided 21 points, 13 rebounds, and seven blocks. They’ve done a tremendous job of controlling the lane.
“Neshaminy is a tough, physical group. They play hard and made a run at us in the third. Once the game opened up Joe Jackman answered with some open court plays that seem like only he can make.
CB East (10-1 overall) has another nonleague game Friday night at home against New Hope-Solebury.
“We are in the middle of an NBA-type schedule,” Henrysen said. “We are right back at it tomorrow night and then again Saturday. By Tuesday night of next week, we will have played six games in eight days. I know the guys are loving all of the games.”
SOL Patriot Division-leading Neshaminy (11-3) was led by Mike Murray’s 13 points while Matt Drapkin added nine points. It is back in action Friday night against Bensalem.
Central Bucks East 66, Neshaminy 42
CB East 18 18 17 13 - 66
Neshaminy 11 6 17 8 - 42
CB East (66) - Jacob Cummiskey 4, Brendan Harte 11, Aidan Weaver 10, Joe Jackman 14, Jack Hamilton 11, Shane Kennedy 2, Brett Young 8, Liam Cummiskey 3, Kyle Berndt 3
Neshaminy (42) - Murray 13, McGinty 4, MacDonald 6, Drapkin 9, Mullin 3, Fofana 4,
Esposito 3
3-point goals: CBE-Hamilton 2, L. Cummiskey 1, Young 2, Weaver 2, Harte 3, Bernt; N-Esposito, Drapkin
Abington 55, Souderton 47
Caleb Baker scored a season-high 22 points as Abington, playing for the first time since Feb. 11, shook off a slow start with a big second half to pull away from Souderton Thursday.
Souderton led 14-6 after one quarter and 33-21 at halftime.
But in the second half, it was all Ghosts, who outscored the Indians 34-14 in the final two quarters.
Baker’s 22 points were a career high as well, topping a 21-point effort against Shipley School as a junior in the Lower Merion Classic. He also added eight rebounds.
Also for Abington, Karim Boyd scored nine points, while Robert Bell added eight points and four assists. It is just the second time this season that Bell has not scored in double digits.
The Ghosts shot just 28 percent (7-for-25) from the field in the first half, but upped that mark to 38 percent (20-for-52) for the game. They were 0-for-13 from 3-point range, until fourth-quarter 3s by Sam McFarland and Antoine Ellis helped the team surge to the win.
Abington had 28 rebounds as a team, led by Connor Fields, who had eight.
Souderton was led by Chris Towsen with 15 points on five first-half 3-pointers and Shaun Purvy with 14 points, 10 in the first half.
Abington improved to 6-4 with the win. The Ghosts currently sit at No. 20 in the District One Class 6A power rankings for the upcoming 20-team district playoffs. They host Upper Dublin on Saturday. Souderton (1-13) next plays Monday at home against CB East.
Abington 55, Souderton 47
Abington 6-15-13-21 55
Souderton 14-19-8-6 47
Abington (55) - Robert Bell 2 4-6 8; Karim Boyd 4 1-3 9; Antoine Ellis 1 0-1 3; Connor Fields 3 0-0 6; Sam McFarlane 1 0-0 3; Aiden Boyles 0 2-2 2; Derris Lucas 1 0-0 2; Caleb Baker 8 6-8 22; Totals 20 13-20 55.
Souderton (47) - Evan Kutzler 4 0-0 8; Shaun Purvy 6 1-2 14; Chris Towsen 5 0-0 15; James Blair 2 0-0 4; Paul Vince 1 0-0 2; Chase Scheuren 2 0-0 4; Totals 20 1-2 47.
3-point goals: Abington - Sam McFarlane, Antoine Ellis, Souderton - Chris Towsen 5, Shaun Purvy.
Hatboro-Horsham 55, New Hope-Solebury 53
Rick Fedele coached a lot of games in the New Hope-Solebury gymnasium, but Thursday was the first for a team other than New Hope-Solebury.
The first-year Hatboro-Horsham coach, who spent 21 years at New Hope including 19 as the head coach, picked up a win with his new team, as the Hatters played well through three quarters and held on down the stretch.
“It was certainly different,” Fedele said. “I was there 19 years as the head coach and two as an assistant to (current CB West coach) Adam Sherman. It was funny. I knew all the strengths and weaknesses of their players. I think we were pretty well-prepared for the game, but I was a little concerned, as it had been nine days since we last played and I know New Hope had a couple of nice wins in that time, so I was a little iffy going into the game,
“But for the Hatboro kids, it was important to them because they knew how important it was for me. They played with great intensity tonight.”
Zehier Cheeze led the way for the Hatters with 20 points and 11 rebounds, with six of his points coming off of offensive rebounds. He scored 11 of those points in the first half. Eric Butler had 17 points, nine in the first half and then two key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
“We were up nine at the end of the third quarter and I thought we were in command of the game,” Fedele said. “New Hope came out in a 1-3-1 half-court press, we rushed a few possessions, they got the ball and we fouled them. They were in the bonus and we kept fouling them. On offense, we were taking quick shots and that brought them back in the game.”
New Hope was led by senior standout Alex Walinski’s 20 points, 11 in the fourth quarter, but Fedele said his team’s defensive effort was very good against Walinski all game.
“Sam Fink, Eric Butler and Noah Schlosser played Walinski,” Fedele said. “He had 20, but he had to work for every one of them.”
Hatboro-Horsham (5-7 overall) plays at Upper Moreland on Friday. New Hope-Solebury (5-11) has a tough task Friday at Central Bucks East.
Hatboro-Horsham 55, New Hope-Solebury 53
Hatboro-Horsham 14 17 14 10 - 55
New Hope 14 10 11 18 - 53
Hatboro-Horsham (55) - Eric Butler 6 2-3 17; Zehier Cheeze 8 4-5 20; Noah Schlosser 4 1-2 12; Dan Simpson 2 0-0 4; Josh Spruill 0 2-2 2. Totals 20 9-12 55.
New Hope (53) - Charlie Albano 1 3-6 5; Alex Walinski 7 4-5 20; Phil Weinseimer 1 2-4 4; Bryan Dougherty 4 0-2 9; Will Albano 3 0-0 8; Chris Kolen 3 0-0 7. Totals 19 9-17 53
3-point goals: HH-Butler 3, Schlosser 3; NHS-Walinski 2, W. Albano 2, Dougherty 1, Kolen 1
Cheltenham 58, Upper Dublin 50
Saleem Payne had a dominant first half, as unbeaten Cheltenham jumped up big before the Flying Cardinals rallied in the fourth quarter.
Payne finished with 20 points and four assists in the game, with 14 of his points in the first half.
Mike McClain added 13 points, seven steals and four assists, but the contributions for the Panthers were up and down the scorebook.
“Our younger guys and our rotation guys played very well,” said Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury. “We have seven guys on our team that we consider just like starters, and we have a great, great unit that comes off.
“Tonight, it’s not necessarily the points, but Brandon Hawkins was 3-for-3, so he was very efficient. Elias Walker continues to make timely plays, and defensively, he’s coming into his own.
“Joey Weimer, who was hurt for a little bit of the season, is coming back, and he’s a guy who will stretch a lot of defenses and also can get to the basket. We were able to give him a little bit more rotation tonight.”
Cheltenham led the game 32-19 at halftime and 45-32 after three, but went 3-for-12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, and Upper Dublin was able to get its big man, Drew Stover, more involved in the offense. Stover finished with 19 points, with eight coming in the final quarter.
“Rasheed Dearry, who’s a very good scorer for us, defensively had one of his better efforts,” Fleury said. “It has to be that way when you have a player like Stover. Going into the fourth quarter, he had 11 points, and as the player he is, he was able to get eight points in the final quarter. That’s just a learning point for our guys. In that quarter, they outscored us 18-13, so that’s the quarter we’ll focus on.”
The win improved Cheltenham to 11-0 and it still remains No. 2 in the District One Class 6A power rankings.
“Our coaches - Torre Harrison, Steve Smith, Sharif Bray, Malcolm Weston and Brian Nealy - just do an exceptional job of creating and maintaining a cohesive culture in practice and throughout the games,” Fleury said. “It shows in the continuous growth, and we continue to talk about it and try to live it. That’s the big, big thing. It’s a culmination of just the multiple efforts that are put forth every day. As a unit, as a program and just as a member of the community, I’m very grateful that they all have taken the time to do that.”
The Panthers play at Upper Moreland on Saturday.
D.J. Cerisier had 11 for Upper Dublin, while Colin O’Sullivan added 10. The Flying Cardinals (9-7) are currently No. 17 in the district power rankings, and they play at Abington on Saturday.
Cheltenham 58, Upper Dublin 50
Cheltenham 11 21 13 13 - 58
Upper Dublin 8 11 13 18 - 50
Cheltenham (58) - Rasheed Dearry 1 2-4 4; Brandon Hawkins 2 0-0 5; Saleem Payne 9 2-4 20; Joey Weimer 1 0-0 3; Justin Savage 3 2-4 8; Ife West-Ingram 1 0-2 2; Mike McClain 4 5-6 13. Totals 22 11-22 58.
Upper Dublin (50) - Drew Stover 9 1-1 19; Colin O’Sullivan 3 3-5 10; Griffin Pensabene 1 0-0 2; D.J. Cerisier 5 0-0 11; Seaton Kukla 1 0-0 2; Noah Lee 2 0-0 6. Totals 21 4-6 50.
3-point goals: C-Hawkins 2, Weimer 1; UD-Lee 2, O’Sullivan 1, Cerisier 1
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