GIRLS BASKETBALL: Tumasz powers North Penn past CB West

By Kev Hunter
khunter@journalregister.com

For Montgomery Media / MARK C. PSORAS North Penn's Vicky Tumasz puts up a shot against Central Bucks West's Cait Mautz during Tuesday's Suburban One Continental Conference game.

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The North Penn girls basketball team hit a season-high 10 three-pointers and got a career-best 24 points from guard Vicky Tumasz in earning a 69-62 victory over Central Bucks West Tuesday night as the Maidens drew even with the Bucks for first place in the Suburban One League’s Continental Conference.

Both North Penn and CB West now sit atop the Continental with matching 11-2 conference records with one game to go. The Bucks host Hatboro-Horsham Thursday while the Maidens travel to Pennridge that same evening. If West and North Penn both win or both lose, the two rivals will share the conference title.

Tumasz drilled four threes for the Maidens, including a pair in a pivotal second quarter that saw North Penn overcome an eight-point deficit and take the lead for good.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Souderton edges CB South to tie for first place

By Andrew Marcus
amarcus@journalregister.com

As the Souderton and Central Bucks South big men positioned for a possible rebound, flying in from nowhere came Souderton senior Anthony Williams. The 5-foot-11 football recruit pulled in the rebound and hugged it as tight as he will on the Shippensburg gridiron.

Before Williams worries about his football future, he and his basketball team had business to tend to. The Indians willed their way to a 39-35 victory over the Titans. The win spoiled the home team’s chance at sole possession of a Suburban One Continental Conference championship and kept the Big Red’s dream alive for at least a third of the conference title.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Norristown tops Trojans, claims American title

By Rick Kauffman
rkauffman@journalregister.com

Early in the season, Wissahickon sent the Norristown Eagles to a hard landing with some late-game heroics by point guard, Chase Wilson, who put back his own rebound to stun Norristown by one point.

Payback is a five-letter word.

“We had this game circled on the calendar,” said Norristown coach Mike Evans. “That loss really woke us up and we’ve been looking forward to playing against them again.”

The Eagles rolled to a 69-48 win where their only deficit was a brief 5-0 lead held by Wissahickon to open the game. The Eagles worked the ball well, shot the ball well, found the inside man and earned trips to the line.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: PW rolls past Upper Dublin

By Jon Vander Lugt
For Montgomery Media

Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Senior Night led to quite a show. After a ceremony celebrating the PW senior basketball players, cheerleaders and step team, senior Anthony McKie’s 19 points and stellar free throw shooting helped the Colonials rout Upper Dublin, 70-55.

“It’s an automatic momentum-builder,” Colonials coach Jim Donofrio explained after the game, about winning on Senior Night. “It becomes more of a school (event), and that certainly helps.”

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PRO BASKETBALL: Sixers' Young out three weeks

By Jack McCaffery
jmccaffery@journalregister.com@JackMcCaffery

PHILADELPHIA --- The sound was clear, crisp, alarming, unmistakable. All that was left was the English translation.

“It was like a rubber band popping,” Thaddeus Young said.

If it were an office supply, that would have been OK. But that popping was in Young's left hamstring, causing him to leave the Sixers' 78-61 victory over the Orlando Magic Monday, then shoving him into an MRI examination Tuesday.

Thus, the possibilities: A season popped? A career? Andrew Bynum-ish?

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PRO BASKETBALL: Sixers breeze past Magic, lose Young to injury

By Christopher A. Vito
cvito@journalregister.com

No matter the end result, the 76ers’ greatest concern Monday night was not in extending their winning streak to a season-best three games — which they did.

The significance of defeating the overwhelmed, undermanned Orlando Magic, 78-61, went out the window the moment Thad Young hobbled to the locker room.

Young left the game with 5:46 remaining in the second quarter, having incurred a left hamstring strain. His status for Wednesday night’s game with visiting Indiana would have to be doubtful.

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ICE HOCKEY: La Salle rallies to tie Holy Ghost Prep

By Mike Prince
mprince@montgomerynews.com

Losing its starting goalie to injury in the first period and trailing by two goals in the second to Holy Ghost Prep wasn’t enough to keep La Salle from ending its unbeaten league record, but it was enough to keep the Explorers from getting another victory.

Entering the game with wins in all nine of its Suburban High School Hockey League AAA Conference games, La Salle faced a tough Firebirds team which the Explorers had already beaten once this year.

But after losing their goaltender to a head injury and allowing the Firebirds to take a 3-1 lead, the Explorers had to play from behind for much of the game, and eventually skated to a 4-4 tie against HGP in a Varsity AAA Conference meeting at Flyers Skate Zone Northeast on Monday night.

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BASKETBALL: Christopher Dock sweeps past Calvary Baptist

By Mike Cabrey
mcabrey@journalregister.com

Jared Armstrong was in a scoring groove from the start Monday night.

The Christopher Dock sophomore guard hit a trio of three-pointers in collecting 15 points in the first quarter and finished with a game-high 25 as the Pioneers cruised past host Calvary Baptist for a 71-27 non-league victory.

“I was shocked that I was hot tonight,” said Armstrong, who connected a total of five times from beyond the arc. “I mean, I lifted weights yesterday, so I’m just glad we got the win and my teammates got me the ball. That was the important part.”

The win capped off a dominant effort for Dock basketball on the night, as the Pioneer girls had little trouble in defeating the Lady Warriors 51-15 in the opening game of the doubleheader.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: La Salle cruises past Lansdale Catholic

By Rick Kauffman
rkauffman@journalregister.com

For Montgomery Media / RICK KAUFFMAN La Salle's Amar Stukes drives past Lansdale Catholic's Brian Raffery during Monday's PCL action.

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In La Salle College High School’s matchup against Lansdale Catholic, it was all about speed. For Lansdale Catholic, it wasn’t a question about their lack of speed, it was just the fact that La Salle was faster as they rolled to a 73-41 win.

The visiting Crusaders came out of the gate ferocious on the fast break and with a mindset to find outside shooters with open looks. La Salle’s ability to stay disciplined on defense kept their opponents from finding the rim, and despite shooting well, the Crusaders found their scoring opportunities few and far between.

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GIRLS SWIMMING: Upper Dublin splits with GMA, Villa Maria

By Denny Dyroff
For Montgomery Media

With the post-season championships waiting just around the bend, Upper Dublin’s girls’ swim team was treated to some good competition in a non-league, double-dual home meet Monday afternoon.

The Cardinals posted a 107-76 win over neighborhood rival Gwynedd Mercy Academy. Upper Dublin finished in a split with teams from the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies when it lost to Villa Maria Academy 98-83. Villa Maria also logged a 113-62 win over Gwynedd-Mercy.

With the split, the Cardinals lifted their season record to 12-4. Their losses have been to North Penn (considered to be the favorite to win this year’s District 1 Class AAA title), Council Rock North (the top Class AAA team in Bucks County), Wilson-West Lawn (a perennial District 3 Class AAA powerhouse) and Villa Maria (two-time defending PIAA Class AA state champion).

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DIVING: Robinson takes third in Inter-Ac Championships

By Denny Dyroff
For Montgomery Media

Germantown Academy senior Grant Robinson made his final diving competition at GA’s pool a memorable one. The talented senior captured the bronze medal at Monday’s Inter-Ac Diving Championships with a score of 233.4.

After missing the meet as a sophomore with a broken arm from a skateboard accident and placing fourth last year, Robinson finished his Inter-Ac competition with his best performance ever.

“All my dives were good,” said Robinson. “I’m very satisfied with how I performed.”

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Fast start sparks Pope John Paul II past Phoenixville

By Barry Sankey
bsankey@journalregister.com

Pope John Paul II and Phoenixville both got a taste of boys basketball playoff-atmosphere Monday night in the windup game of their Pioneer Athletic Conference regular season schedules.

A large and loud crowd came out to watch the Golden Panthers and Phantoms battle it out for the PAC-10 Frontier Division title.

Pope John Paul II roared to a 12-0 start at the outset and then staved off Phoenixville’s comeback bid to come away with a 71-62 victory at the Phoenixville Area School District gymnasium.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Abington tops Tennent, earns share of National title

By Mike Prince
mprince@montgomerynews.com

In recent weeks, the Abington boys’ basketball team has been playing at a level good enough to give the Ghosts their best league record in nearly 20 years. But on Friday night, they were playing for a little more.

While facing William Tennent, Abington was hosting the annual “Hoops for Hope” game, also known as Coaches vs. Cancer, playing to raise money to help fight pediatric cancer. On top of that, the Ghosts were playing for at least a share of their conference title for the first time in 10 years.

Led by the scoring of Anthony Durham and Jiere Morrisey, the Ghosts registered their third win a row following a 61-41 win over the Panthers in a Suburban One National Conference meeting.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Carber leads Upper Dublin past Springfield

Tim Hindinthindin@montgomerynews.com

Springfield was looking to close their home schedule out with a win on Senior Night against Upper Dublin in the two teams last meeting. The Cardinals and Andrew Garber had other plans. Upper Dublin ruined the Spartans Senior Night, winning 56-41.

“I wish we could have won,” Springfield coach Dave Turetzky said. “To win on Senior Night for these guys would be great.”

The biggest factor in the game was Upper Dublin’s do-it-all guy Andrew Carber. Carber might want to play the number 22 in a Super Bowl pool or the lottery, not only is it the number he dons on his jersey its also the amount of points he has scored against Springfield in both matchups this year.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Abington battles past Tennent

By Nick Iuele
niuele@montgomerynews.com

When Abington shoots the ball well, it is very hard to beat. Hitting 10 three-pointers qualifies as a good shooting night.

After stumbling out of the gate with a lackluster first quarter, Abington shot the lights out in the last three periods en route to a 57-44 win over the Lady Panthers. Led by Deja Rawls’ game-high 16 points that included four triples, the Ghosts showed why they are one of the best teams in Suburban One League with perimeter shooting and defense.

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BOYS BASKETBALL: Souderton improves in win over Pennridge

By Andrew Marcus
amarcus@journalregister.com

For Montgomery Media / MARK C. PSORAS Souderton's Austin Murphy cuts to the basket between Pennridge's Andrew Dietlerich and Alex Krivda during Friday's Suburban One Continental Conference action.

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As the Souderton boys basketball team moved the ball around the perimeter, senior Austin Murphy found himself open in the corner and eager to add to the 11 points he scored in the first half. However, with Pennridge falling fast on Friday, Murphy made the wise choice, pulled back, and reset his offense.

“It was one little play,” Indians coach Pete Chimera said. “Murphy had a chance for a three, we were up 16, and he could have taken it and he didn’t. He remembered patience. It showed we are learning. I am learning, they are learning. We are doing it together.”

After letting a lead slip away in their last two games, the Indians responded against the Rams and rolled to a 60-39 win. The Indians used the setbacks as a reminder they can always get better.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: North Penn has no trouble with Hatboro-Horsham

By Mike Cabrey
mcabrey@journalregister.com

The business at hand for the North Penn girls basketball team Friday night was a home contest with Hatboro-Horsham.

But with a rematch against Central Bucks West that will decide the Suburban One Continental Conference title coming up on the Maidens’ schedule, it was certainly a little tougher not to overlook the Hatters.

“It definitely is hard and I think we do look ahead a little bit, just because we know what we have to focus on and work on in practice,” senior Lauren Crisler said. “But we knew we had to focus on tonight’s game, but also looking forward to West.”

North Penn can turn all of its attention to the Bucks now as the it had no trouble with Hatboro-Horsham. Already up 18 at halftime, the Maidens outscored the Hatters 25-6 in the third quarter to blow the game wide open en route to a 67-20 Senior Night victory.

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WRESTLING: Spring-Ford earns spot in District Duals consolations

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

It was two decidedly different matches Spring-Ford wrestled Friday.

Not just in terms of final outcome, but also in terms of tempo, duration ... and drama level.

The Rams experienced a down-and-up night when the District 1 Duals Tournament resumed with quarterfinal-round action at Upper Dublin. Their bid for a championship was doused in a loss to Council Rock South aptly classified as a “tiebreaker heartbreaker,” but they stayed alive in the consolation bracket by steamrolling Pennsbury.

The opener with C.R. South came down to several criterion levels when both teams finished in a 29-29 tie; the decider of “most technical falls” went in favor of the Hawks, whose lone five-point verdict at 220 was one more than Spring-Ford had. But no such drama existed in the Pennsbury pairing as the Rams rolled up a 64-12 victory.

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WRESTLING: Owen J. Roberts sweeps at District Duals

By Don Seeley
dseeley@journalregister.com

No one, and that includes head coach Steve DeRafelo and his staff as well as their wrestlers, was too pleased with the overall performance in a win at Pottstown this past Wednesday night.

Forty-eight hours later at the District 1 Class AAA Team Duals ... well, that was an entirely different story for the Owen J. Roberts gang.

There were no long faces, no post-match boo-hoos or blues, as the Wildcats looked every bit like the defending champion and No. 1 seed during a 60-3 destruction of Downingtown West in the quarterfinals and an equally satisfying 41-16 busting of Boyertown at Upper Dublin High School.

The two wins put the unbeaten Wildcats in position to pin down a second straight title when they meet Downingtown East in the final.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Lower Moreland eases past Pioneers

By Nick Iuele
niuele@montgomerynews.com

Montgomery Media / SCOTT ROMAN Lower Moreland's Jessica Dranzik plays tough defense against Christopher Dock's Kereece Seuren during Thursday's Bicentennial League action.

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Sometimes the first quarter can set the tone for the game. For Lower Moreland, a 12-4 opening period did the trick.

The Lady Lions put up double digits in the first three quarters en route to a 49-33 victory over Christopher Dock in a Bicentennial League Independence battle. Led by Bridgette Alexander’s 14 points off the bench, Lower Moreland scored most of their points from mid-range and under the basket. High-percentage shots was the key to the home team’s success as it been all season.

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ICE HOCKEY: Streaking Upper Moreland tops Upper Dublin

By Mike Prince
mprince@montgomerynews.com

After going through the entire month of December without a loss, Upper Moreland’s ice hockey team can now proudly say that it went through all of January without being defeated as well.

Entering its Suburban High School Hockey League American Conference meeting with Upper Dublin, the Bears had not lost a game since Nov. 29, going 5-0-2 during that time while climbing all the way up above Lansdale Catholic in the standings.

And after a 7-2 win over Upper Dublin at Wintersports Ice Arena on Thursday night, the Bears are now two points closer to the one-loss Archbishop Wood Vikings, a team which hasn’t relinquished the No. 1 spot in the American Conference since the beginning of the season.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: St. Basil holds off Merion Mercy

By Tim Hindin
thindin@montgomerynews.com

St. Basil Academy won a sprint to the finish over Athletic Association of Catholic Academies opponent Merion Mercy Thursday night. The tightly fought contest came down to the wire with playoff implications for both teams riding on the result.

St. Basil helped its playoff cause by holding off the Golden Bears in the waning seconds of the game for a 48-45 win. Merion now faces a must win in its next game against conference opponent Villa Joseph Marie.

“[There was a] definite playoff atmosphere, typical game in our league both teams needed the win, that puts us in our playoffs,” St. Basil coach Terry Mancini said.

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ICE HOCKEY: Hart powers LC past Wissahickon

By Mike Cabrey
mcabrey@journalregister.com

Andrew Hart’s return to the ice went better than planned Thursday night.

After being sidelined with an injured shoulder, Hart scored four goals — including two during a decisive second period — as the Lansdale Catholic ice hockey team pulled away for a 7-2 SHSHL American Division win over Wissahickon at Bucks County Ice Sports Center.

“First game back in like a month from a shoulder injury, so it felt good,” Hart said.

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ICE HOCKEY: CB South topples North Penn

By Andrew Marcus
amarcus@journalregister.com

For Montgomery Media / MARK C. PSORAS North Penn goalie Cody Matthews makes a save on Central Bucks South's Nick DeLaurentis during Thursday's action.

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The North Penn ice hockey team was unable to leave Hatfield Ice on Thursday with the answers to the puzzle, which is Central Bucks South. On several occasions the Knights looked like they were going to pick up some ground in the SHSHL Continental Conference. But in the end, the Titans turned it on in the final two minutes and secured a 5-3 win.

Scoring a goal in the opening minutes of the game did not even do the trick. Defensemen Caleb Witznaey displayed his speed and brought the home crowd to life with his goal a mere 90 seconds into the action. However Witzaney’s 17th goal of the season was the last clean fast break chance the Knights were given. It was back to the drawing board.

“It was a broken play and I saw an opening,” Witzaney said. “We give it all we have and we always lose to them at the end. It’s just a bummer.”

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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Gwynedd Mercy cruises past Sacred Heart

By Denny Dyroff
For Montgomery Media

It was “Senior Night” when Gwynedd Mercy Academy’s basketball team hosted Sacred Heart Thursday evening.

The Monarchs treated their seniors to a 55-27 AACA (Athletic Association of Catholic Academies) win that came in sandwich form. The GMA team sandwiched a long stretch of evenly-played basketball between a 14-2 opening run and a 21-0 fourth quarter. For the Monarchs, the result was tastier than a Whopper or a Big Mac.

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