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ABINGTON 50, BENSALEM 49
The visiting Ghosts won a thriller over the National Conference-leading Owls.
With 8.2 seconds remaining in regulation, the Owls took a 49-48 lead, thanks to a James Ashford bucket. Manir Waller – out of an Abington timeout – took it coast to coast, banking in a layup at the buzzer for the heartstopping win.
“We just put the ball in Manir’s hands,” coach Charles Grasty said. “We were only down one, so we didn’t need a three. We wanted to just be aggressive and take it to the basket.
“We kind of figured they were going to come out in that 2-2-1 press, and they did. We were able to get middle, and once we got middle, Manir just took it straight down the lane and just made a great shot. They didn’t want to foul because they were only up one, so he was able to attack the rim. He made a really good play, banked it off the backboard for a layup.”
Earlier, with his team trailing 47-45 and 58 seconds remaining, Grasty called a timeout. Waller – out of the timeout – took it to the rack and was fouled, connecting on one of two to pull the Ghosts to within one.
Waller came up with a steal on the inbounds and laid it in the basket to put the Ghosts on top 48-47. After a Bensalem timeout, Robert Bell came up with a big steal, but the Ghosts misfired on the front end of a one-and-one, and the Owls regained possession, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
Waller’s game-winner capped a gutsy Ghost comeback. Abington trailed 21-18 at halftime and saw that deficit grow to 34-28 heading into the final quarter when the Ghosts came roaring back.
“Again, just defense and pressure – we were able to get a few turnovers and get some easy baskets in transition,” Grasty said. “I thought our pressure hurt them a little bit the last two minutes of the game. They turned it over a couple of times.
“Manir made a really good play with about 30 seconds left – got a steal and we went up one, but they went down and scored. They just battled, but we got the break this time.”
The Ghosts – thanks to Friday’s win over Upper Dublin and Saturday’s win over the Owls – moved all the way from 26th in the District 1 6A power rankings to 18th.
“I told the guys – it’s not a secret, we needed this,” Grasty said. “Bensalem was playing well, they’re a high seed. We need some points. This was definitely one we really needed.”
Waller finished the game with 16 points, four rebounds and two steals. Caleb Baker had another big game, contributing 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Robert Bell added eight points, four steals and four assists.
Ashford’s glittering 26-point performance led the Owls. Aaron Sanders added 10 points.
Winning at the buzzer has been a rarity for the Ghosts, who – according to their team statistician – last won on a buzzer beater in February of 2000 when Anthony Marco connected on a three in a District 1 second round game against Penn Wood. The win propelled the Ghosts into the state tournament.
Saturdays have not been especially kind to the Owls this season. All three of their losses have been on Saturdays.
Abington (9-9, 7-3 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday, and Bensalem (15-3, 9-0 SOL) – the fourth seed in the latest power rankings – will host Council Rock South on Tuesday.
Game Summary brought to you by
Abington 9-9-10-22 50 Bensalem 9-12-13-15 49
Abington (50) – Manir Waller 6 4-7 16; Antoine Ellis 1 0-0 2; Sam McFarlane 2 0-0 5; Robert Bell 4 0-2 8; Joey Brusha 1 0-0 3; Caleb Baker 7 2-2 16; Connor Fields 0 0-2 0; Totals 21 6-13 50.
Bensalem (49) – Travis Robinson 1 2-2 4; Justin Johnson 1 0-0 2; Aaron Sanders 2 6-11 10; Jeremiah Alexander 1 2-3 4; James Ashford 9 8-10 26; Blaise Unger 0 1-2 1; Luke Zeidler 1 0-0 2; Totals 15 19-28 49.
3-point goals: Abington – Sam McFarlane, Joey Brusha.